2009 Nautical News Archive
1/11/09
A) Somali pirates said they released the Saudi supertanker Sirius after they received a ransom payment of $3 million. The MV Sirius Star, a brand new tanker with a 25-member crew and 3 million gallons of oil, was seized by the pirates back on November 15th. The ship's owner has so far declined any comment on the claim other than saying the ship is now steaming in safe waters. Piracy is now the biggest moneymaker in Somalia, a country that has had no stable government for decades.
B) No commercial or recreational marine traffic will be allowed on the waterways around the D.C. area during President elect Obama's inauguration. A security zone will become effective as of January 14th and continue until January 25th. The zone includes the Potomac River from the Francis Scott Key Bridge to two miles south of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and continues west on the Virginia shore and east on the Maryland shore. Any recreational vessels in the zone must either moor or leave the area.
C) Before stepping down, President Bush just announced the creation of the world's largest marine protected area. It will consist of 195,000 square miles in three separate areas of the Pacific Ocean. The areas include the Mariana Trench and northern Mariana Islands, the Rose Atoll in American Samoa, and a chain of remote islands in the Central Pacific. Fishing will be prohibited in much of this marine protected area. A couple of years ago, Bush designated 140,000 square miles near the Hawaiian islands as a marine protected area.
D) The Conservation Law Foundation of Boston filed a petition with NOAA asking for the Atlantic wolfish to be declared an endangered species, and now, NOAA has agreed to look into the matter. The reasoning behind the request is that commercial wolfish landings have decreased by 95 per cent between 1983 and 2007, and most recently, no wolfish have turned up in the nets of scientists doing a survey. It is expected to take NOAA about 9 months before it makes its decision.
E) Brunswick Corporation, the nation's largest recreational boat maker, just announced plans to lay off an additional 575 people at its Sea Ray boat group. Three hundred of those jobs will be lost by mothballing a Sea-Ray production plant in the Knoxville, Tennessee area. The Tennessee plant is the 14th North American boat-production site Brunswick has closed, mothballed, or sold since 2006. Officials at Brunswick also announced the sale of another one of its companies, Albermarle Boats, but Brunswick is still the proud owner of some 45 different boat companies including such legendary boat brands as Hatteras, Boston Whaler, Bayliner, Meridian, Lund, and Triton to name a few.
F) Police seized nearly 3 tons of striped bass from a trawler after watching them drag nets during the night off the coast of Ocean City, Maryland. It was the second time in less than a week that officers had charged the owner of Colbourne Seafood Inc. with catching striped bass illegally. The fish were seized and sold at the fish auction with the proceeds placed into an escrow account until the case is settled. The maximum fine is $250 if a guilty plea is entered before the court date or $500 if found guilty by a judge.
G) The fishery known as the "deadliest catch" claimed another victim. The fisherman was identified as Keith Criner, 43 years old, of Stockton, California. Criner got his leg tangled in a crab pot line and was pulled overboard off the 98-foot fishing vessel Seabrooke. He was declared lost at sea after a daylong search by two coast guard helicopters that covered 132 square miles. The Seabrooke was fishing in the Bering Sea when the accident took place. Seas were 3 to 5 feet with water temperatures at 34 degrees and air temperature at 19 degrees.
H) West of Cape Horn, French sailor Jean Le Cam was rescued from his 60 foot capsized sailboat by fellow French competitor Vincent Riou in the Vendee Globe solo around-the-world race. Le Cam was reported to be healthy and aboard Riou's boat after spending nearly 18 hours in the water, trapped underneath his overturned boat. Race officials were very concerned for the sailor's safety after no further communications were received after his boat capsized. When fellow Frenchman Riou approached the overturned boat, he could hear Le Cam shouting from underneath the boat. Once Le Cam realized help had arrived, he dove down and freed himself from the overturned boat. So far, sixteen of the 30 sailors who started in the race on November 9th have given up. The Vendee Globe, a single-handed race with no stopovers, takes the fleet around the three great capes - the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin and Cape Horn. Those are the southern tips of Africa, Australia, and South America.
I) A young harbor seal found herself in sea mammal heaven. She broke into the Sandwich Hatchery and ate as many of the trout that she could. Harbor seals are the most common seal that is seen on Stellwagen Bank, and sometimes they come up on sandy beaches to rest. No one is quite sure exactly how the seal ended up at the state's fish hatchery. At a minimum she had to travel about two miles from the area of the Sandwich Boardwalk on Cape Cod Bay, follow a creek that passes under a mini-golf course and Route 6A, and then somehow make her way into the hatchery. With several fish-filled lagoons to choose from, the seal ended up in the one with the largest trout, most weighing around four pounds. Hatchery manager Craig Lodowsky said it was the first time he ever saw a seal dining in the hatchery. Hatchery employees and marine mammal stranding experts put on heavy gloves and boots captured the seal, loaded it into a van, and drove 20 miles away to West Dennis Beach where the seal was released. The seal was tagged in the unlikely event it should find its way back to the hatchery.
J) And last on today's nautical news, two Japanese sushi bar owners paid $104,700 for a 282 pound bluefin tuna at a Tokyo fish auction. The price was about ten times the average price and the highest price paid since 2001. Believe it or not, back in 2001, a 444 pound bluefin tuna set the record for the highest price paid for a bluefin tuna when it sold for $173,600.
1/18/09
A) The Coast Guard continues its investigation today into the recent sinking of the Gloucester fishing vessel Patriot. Sector Boston investigators have teamed with Massachusetts State Police to use side sonar technology to learn more about what caused the 54-foot fishing boat to go down so fast. Investigators have also coordinated with Coast Guard sectors San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Houston, Texas, to locate and interview three additional crewmembers aboard a tug and barge that was believed to have been in the area of the Patriot's last known position. A National Transportation and Safety Board metallurgist is now inspecting a tugboat's towing cable for signs of paint and damage. In addition to all this, the Coast Guard's performance and response time is being reviewed by marine casualty investigators. The Coast Guard did not begin search and rescue for more than two hours after the Captain's wife and co-owner of the boat called to report all communications with boat had been lost after a fire alarm on the boat went off.
B) The inspector general for the Department of Homeland Security said in a report issued last week that there had been a "clear trend toward emphasizing homeland security missions" that could make it more difficult for the Coast Guard to carry out its traditional safety roles of rescues at sea. A major finding in the report revealed the decrease in the number of rescue operations from around 84,000 in 2001 to 60,000 in 2007. The report also noted the Coast Guard was spending much more time than ever before on enforcing fishery rules and regulations. However, Coast Guard commanders said the conclusions were misleading and that its boats and aircraft were still saving thousands of mariners' lives.
C) Forecasters said this winter is expected to be one of the coldest on record. The Coast Guard warns everyone working in the harsh marine environment to take extra care and precaution against the cold. As temperatures drop below zero throughout the region, the Coast Guard remains on the water serving and protecting ports and ships. The Coast Guard is now busy breaking ice in the rivers and harbors for commercial ships, some of which supply the area with home heating fuel.
D) A local fisherman saved the life of a 30 year old man who fell from a small boat into the frigid waters off Orleans, Cape Cod, while duck hunting. The man overboard, suffered from hypothermia and minor cuts, was flown by Coast Guard helicopter to Barnstable Municipal Airport and then taken by ambulance to Cape Cod Hospital. Eyewitnesses said the duck hunter was using only a 10-foot Jon boat when he fell into the water. Officials said based on what the hunter was wearing and the air and water temperature, he wouldn't have been able to swim more than 8 minutes, before succumbing to hypothermia. The harbormaster added that the boat the hunter was using was "totally inappropriate for this time of year."
E) After years of planning, designing, and extensive permitting, improvements are now underway at the Town of Scituate's Marine Park including the dredging of the boat basin. More than 100 commercial and recreational boats will be accommodated at this new town owned marina located in Scituate Harbor between 1st and 2nd Cliffs. A new Maritime Center is also being built by the students of the South Shore Vocational School.
F) Another possible tragic cruise ship story. An elderly couple has gone missing from a Carnival Cruise ship on its way to Mexico and company officials said that more than likely the couple fell overboard. The couple's cabin door was double-locked from the inside with a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the handle. Their belongings remained inside, and the door leading from the cabin to the private balcony was unlocked. The Coast Guard searched through the night for the 90-year-old man and his 79-year-old wife, but did not find them. The couple's names and hometowns have not been released.
G) Throughout Inauguration Week, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, the largest volunteer organization within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and a key component of the U.S. Coast Guard, is helping to keep the region's waterways safe and secure. During the week, Auxiliary members, who come from all walks of life and are aged 17 and up, are performing a variety of duties, including serving at the Coast Guard's communications center and actively patrolling the area's waterways. Should an act of terrorism, emergency, disaster or boat accident occur, the Auxiliary is ready to render aid promptly and professionally.
H) And last on today's nautical news, remember last week we told you about the Somali pirates who received a 3 million dollar ransom payment for release of a Saudi oil tanker, loaded with 3 million gallons of oil? The US navy released photos of a parachute dropping a package onto the deck of the Sirius Star oil tanker, and said the package was likely to be the ransom delivery. Well, numerous wire services are now reporting that some of the pirates didn't get very far with that money. Five of the dozens of pirates, who had hijacked the tanker, drowned when their small getaway boat capsized in rough seas. The body of one of the Somali pirates was found washed onshore with his share of the ransom money in a plastic bag in his pants - $153,000 in cash. Three other pirates survived but lost their bags of money. The bad news is that now that the townsfolk have actually seen bags of cash floating in the water, people are lining up to be pirates.
1/18/09
A) The Coast Guard continues its investigation today into the recent sinking of the Gloucester fishing vessel Patriot. Sector Boston investigators have teamed with Massachusetts State Police to use side sonar technology to learn more about what caused the 54-foot fishing boat to go down so fast. Investigators have also coordinated with Coast Guard sectors San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Houston, Texas, to locate and interview three additional crewmembers aboard a tug and barge that was believed to have been in the area of the Patriot's last known position. A National Transportation and Safety Board metallurgist is now inspecting a tugboat's towing cable for signs of paint and damage. In addition to all this, the Coast Guard's performance and response time is being reviewed by marine casualty investigators. The Coast Guard did not begin search and rescue for more than two hours after the Captain's wife and co-owner of the boat called to report all communications with boat had been lost after a fire alarm on the boat went off.
B) The inspector general for the Department of Homeland Security said in a report issued last week that there had been a "clear trend toward emphasizing homeland security missions" that could make it more difficult for the Coast Guard to carry out its traditional safety roles of rescues at sea. A major finding in the report revealed the decrease in the number of rescue operations from around 84,000 in 2001 to 60,000 in 2007. The report also noted the Coast Guard was spending much more time than ever before on enforcing fishery rules and regulations. However, Coast Guard commanders said the conclusions were misleading and that its boats and aircraft were still saving thousands of mariners' lives.
C) Forecasters said this winter is expected to be one of the coldest on record. The Coast Guard warns everyone working in the harsh marine environment to take extra care and precaution against the cold. As temperatures drop below zero throughout the region, the Coast Guard remains on the water serving and protecting ports and ships. The Coast Guard is now busy breaking ice in the rivers and harbors for commercial ships, some of which supply the area with home heating fuel.
D) A local fisherman saved the life of a 30 year old man who fell from a small boat into the frigid waters off Orleans, Cape Cod, while duck hunting. The man overboard, suffered from hypothermia and minor cuts, was flown by Coast Guard helicopter to Barnstable Municipal Airport and then taken by ambulance to Cape Cod Hospital. Eyewitnesses said the duck hunter was using only a 10-foot Jon boat when he fell into the water. Officials said based on what the hunter was wearing and the air and water temperature, he wouldn't have been able to swim more than 8 minutes, before succumbing to hypothermia. The harbormaster added that the boat the hunter was using was "totally inappropriate for this time of year."
E) After years of planning, designing, and extensive permitting, improvements are now underway at the Town of Scituate's Marine Park including the dredging of the boat basin. More than 100 commercial and recreational boats will be accommodated at this new town owned marina located in Scituate Harbor between 1st and 2nd Cliffs. A new Maritime Center is also being built by the students of the South Shore Vocational School.
F) Another possible tragic cruise ship story. An elderly couple has gone missing from a Carnival Cruise ship on its way to Mexico and company officials said that more than likely the couple fell overboard. The couple's cabin door was double-locked from the inside with a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the handle. Their belongings remained inside, and the door leading from the cabin to the private balcony was unlocked. The Coast Guard searched through the night for the 90-year-old man and his 79-year-old wife, but did not find them. The couple's names and hometowns have not been released.
G) Throughout Inauguration Week, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, the largest volunteer organization within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and a key component of the U.S. Coast Guard, is helping to keep the region's waterways safe and secure. During the week, Auxiliary members, who come from all walks of life and are aged 17 and up, are performing a variety of duties, including serving at the Coast Guard's communications center and actively patrolling the area's waterways. Should an act of terrorism, emergency, disaster or boat accident occur, the Auxiliary is ready to render aid promptly and professionally.
H) And last on today's nautical news, remember last week we told you about the Somali pirates who received a 3 million dollar ransom payment for release of a Saudi oil tanker, loaded with 3 million gallons of oil? The US navy released photos of a parachute dropping a package onto the deck of the Sirius Star oil tanker, and said the package was likely to be the ransom delivery. Well, numerous wire services are now reporting that some of the pirates didn't get very far with that money. Five of the dozens of pirates, who had hijacked the tanker, drowned when their small getaway boat capsized in rough seas. The body of one of the Somali pirates was found washed onshore with his share of the ransom money in a plastic bag in his pants - $153,000 in cash. Three other pirates survived but lost their bags of money. The bad news is that now that the townsfolk have actually seen bags of cash floating in the water, people are lining up to be pirates.
1/25/09
A) Two fishermen were thrown into the frigid waters of Gloucester Harbor, about a half a mile offshore, after their work boat capsized. The two were very lucky to be rescued by another fisherman, who spotted them in the water near their capsized boat. Fisherman Roger Brisson, in a 20 foot boat named the Blue Dagger, pulled the two to safety and brought them to the Coast Guard. The men received medical treatment for hypothermia and were later released. A Coast Guard commanding officer called Brisson a hero. Roger Brisson will be our special guest on today's program.
B) After hearing the frustration expressed by the families of the two fishermen who died after their boat mysteriously sank, the Coast Guard agreed to allow a noted underwater photographer to take pictures of the Gloucester fishing boat Patriot, which now lies on the bottom of the ocean 15 miles southeast of Gloucester Harbor. Accompanying the photographer on the dive will also be an insurance adjuster and a Coast Guard official. It has been three weeks since the Patriot sank, and the families were frustrated that the Coast Guard had not yet examined the sunken hull for clues as to why it sank. Also, there was no objection from the Coast Guard when the photographer insisted that his pictures and video go into the public domain.
C) The power plant located on the Cape Cod Canal might seize operation by June of this year if the owners of the plant cannot afford to construct cooling towers that comply with the federal Clean Water Act. The cooling towers could cost between $182 million and $217 million according to the EPA. Currently the canal plant uses 518 million gallons of water each day from the canal, killing billions of fish eggs and larvae in the process.
D) Amateur radio operators gathered in a former Coast Guard station located on the Cape Cod National Seashore to re-create the historic wireless message that saved 1,500 passengers aboard the USS Republic, which sank 100 years ago off Nantucket, on January 23rd. 87-year-old Bud Hall was given the honor to tap out the historic message in Morse Code that was originally sent by Jack Binns. The message was: "Republic shipwrecked. Stand by for Captain's Message" This became the first wireless ship to shore distress call in the world.
E) NOAA has identified six nations France, Italy, Libya, Panama, the People's Republic of China, and Tunisia whose fishing vessels were engaged in illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing during the past two years. The identified nations had fisheries violations that did not comply with the rules and regulations set by various international regional fishery management organizations. Annual global economic losses due to illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing were estimated to be about 249 billion dollars.
F) Two 20 year old fishermen from Burma, a country that is located between Thailand and Bangladesh, were found floating 90 miles off the coast of Australia in a cooler the size of a bath tub. The two told authorities that they had been drifting since their 30 foot fishing boat with 18 others on board sank on December 23rd. They claimed they survived 25 days at sea, drinking rainwater and eating fish that were regurgitated by birds. After having nothing to eat for the first 10 days, two big seabirds came along and vomited six or seven small fish, and that is what they ate to survive. However, several Australian hospital personnel thought the two had made up their story in order to seek asylum to remain in Australia. They were treated for dehydration, but showed no signs of sunburn or chafed lips.
G) The "Thayer IV", a 1950, 22 foot Chris-Craft Sportsman made of mahogany that was used in the 1981 movie "On Golden Pond," just sold for $47,000 on eBay. There were a couple of boats used in that movie, but one was destroyed in a crash scene. The man who sold the boat said he had purchased the boat strictly as an investment with the intent on re-selling it for a profit. Since he owned it, he had kept it in storage on its original trailer in a climate-controlled garage.
H) And last but not least on today's nautical news, a note in a bottle, tossed off a cruise ship, made its way half way around the world. A Canadian cruise passenger said he threw a champagne bottle with a note in it off a cruise ship in November as it steamed through the Straits of Gibraltar on its way to Portugal. He figured that was that, and had completely forgotten about it until a few days ago, when he got a call from a lady vacationing in Mexico. She called and said that she had found the bottle while walking the beach near her winter home on the Yucatan Peninsula. The note in the bottle read, "I'm stranded on a desert island." Also written was the Canadian cruise passenger's name and phone number. He replied to the woman, "It was just a joke," adding that he never expected to get a response to the message. This, of course, isn't the first incredible journey about a message in a bottle. In October, a bottle from a Holland America ship was found on a Caribbean island beach after surviving 35 years at sea. Cruise line officials said that they forbid passengers from throwing items off their ships.
2/1/09
A) New England fishermen might have gotten a reprieve from draconian fishing measures that were to go into effect this year. Earlier this month, the National Marine Fisheries Service, a bureaucracy out of control, announced additional restrictions for fishermen, but this past week, U.S. District Court Judge Edward Harrington ruled the restrictions that are known as Framework 42 temporarily out of order. The judge also chastised the fisheries service regulators for failing to abide by their own written obligations which called for a "mixed stock exemption." The judge said that the Framework 42 regulations should have included the "mixed-stock exemption," allowing fishermen to catch species that are abundant such as haddock and dogfish. The judge said that NMFS made a mistake managing the entire fishery based on the poorest recovery of the weakest species. That, Judge Harrington said, was unfair - something that local fishermen have been saying for years. The judge's decision was the result of a lawsuit filed by the states of Massachusetts and New Hampshire against the U.S Department of Commerce, the parent agency for NOAA and the National Marine Fisheries Service.
B) In reaction to Judge Harrington's court decision against the National Marine Fisheries Service, the service announced this past Friday since Framework 42 was suspended, so was the plan that allowed fishermen to lease days at sea from unused permits. This retaliatory action by the federal government could shut down the fishery. The lease program was "one of the only ways guys could go fishing," said state Senator Bruce Tarr of Gloucester.
C) The Coast Guard, using a remote controlled vehicle, took pictures of the Gloucester fishing boat Patriot, which sank nearly a month ago claiming the lives of both the captain and mate on board. The pictures showed the 54 foot long fishing boat lying on its starboard side. Investigators will now work with naval architects at the Marine Safety Center at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C., to try to determine why the boat sank. Also, a metallurgist from the National Transportation Safety Board examined the towline from the tug and barge that was in the vicinity of the Patriot's last known position. That towline will remain in Coast Guard custody for the duration of the investigation and will be included as evidence in the case.
D) February 18th is the anniversary of one of the Coast Guard's most dangerous and most successful rescues at sea. Back in 1952, during a powerful n'oreaster, the 503-foot tanker Pendleton broke in two, putting 33 crewmen's lives in jeopardy. A 36 Coast Guard foot motorlife boat was dispatched from Coast Guard Station Chatham at the height of the storm to save those men. At the helm of the rescue boat was Bernie Webber, who in heavy seas and in zero visibility from wind blown snow, miraculously found the Pendleton, and returned to shore with 32 of the 33 Pendleton crew. Bernie and his crew of three were hailed as heroes and their boat, the CG36500, has been turned into a floating museum by the Orleans Historical Society. I am sad to report, that Bernie Webber died unexpectedly last week at his Florida home. Bernie's wife said she is planning to hold a memorial service on Cape Cod this spring.
E) Birdwatchers got a treat when an Ivory gull was seen hovering over the Plymouth waterfront. Ivory gulls normally stay well above Newfoundland, living on Artic ice where they follow whales and polar bears to feed on the scraps and carcasses the animals leave behind after making a kill. Until this year, the last report of a fully mature ivory gull in Massachusetts was in the 1800s. Also, a birdwatcher reported seeing one at the Eastern Point Lighthouse in Gloucester. Could it have been the same gull?
F) A new hurricane proof weather station is being built atop a 30-foot pole at the entrance to Scituate Harbor. Local officials hope the station, one of more than 100 being installed on the Gulf and Atlantic coasts by WeatherFlow Inc., will predict flooding more accurately than ever before. The data gathered - including wind speed and direction, barometric pressure, and temperature changes - will be sent in real time to scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Weather Service, and several other national partners. It will also be available to town officials and residents online. Other weather stations have been used by emergency management teams for search-and-rescue missions, response to chemical spills and plumes, and to track ecological data such as birds' migratory patterns.
G) Beginning this week, Silverton Marine Corp. announced that 202 of its 500 employees will be laid off until at least Spring. According to a published report in the Daily Journal newspaper, the president of Silverton said his company had not shipped a boat to a dealer in two months. He blamed the banking crisis and the lack of available credit for boat dealers and buyers as reasons the boat market has declined. This year marks the 40th year Silverton has been in business.
H) The Coast Guard is reminding all mariners that starting today, they will only monitor and receive distress signals from digital 406 mhz EPIRBS. Satellites will no longer process analog signals transmitting on the older 121.5 or 243.0 MHz frequencies. The Coast Guard said digital beacons will provide more accurate information to rescuers and cause fewer false alarms. The change only applies to EPIRBS and does not affect traditional marine radio broadcasts.
I) What are the odds of two passengers on the same cruise ship needing a rescue at exactly the same time? The U.S. Coast Guard said it rescued two passengers on the Norwegian Star cruise ship as the ship was 200 miles off the coast of California. The cruiselines first reported that a 49-year-old female passenger suffered an injury and needed medical attention. As the Coast Guard helicopter arrived on scene, the captain of the ship said a second passenger in an unrelated incident, also needed to be airlifted. The Coast Guard pilot was able to hoist both patients aboard at once and transport them to a California hospital. Passengers reported that they had a pretty exciting cruise. Earlier in the week, the Norwegian Star rescued the captain of a sinking sailboat and brought him aboard the ship.
J) And last on today's nautical news, anyone remember the story about Olivia Newton-John's former dating partner, who vanished from a boat on an overnight fishing trip 4 years ago. He was presumed lost at sea, but his body was never found. Private investigators now claim the missing man, Patrick McDermott, is alive and well, and living on a sailboat off the coast of Mexico. Investigators say he sails along the Mexico coast between Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco. They said the former cameraman faked his own death to escape mounting debts and to enable his teenage son to receive a $100,000 insurance life insurance policy benefit. Prior to his disappearance, McDermott had filed for bankruptcy and had fallen behind on his child support payments.
2/8/09
A) The Coast Guard and the Gloucester Fire Department rescued a diver cleaning the bottom of a fishing boat after his air line and tending line became entangled in the propeller. A tending line connected the diver to the boat. Apparently, while the diver was under the docked boat, the boat's owner came on board, and not realizing the diver was underneath his boat the captain started the boat's engine. Even though the boat was not in gear, the propeller started turning slowly and entangled the diver's lines. At last check, the diver was listed in serious condition last night at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital. OSHA and the Coast Guard are now investigating the accident.
B) A 40-foot male fin whale, most likely the same one rescuers guided out of Wellfleet Harbor on Wednesday, was found again. This time it was stranded in the bay and partially covered with ice. Despite rescue efforts by workers from the International Fund for Animal Welfare Marine Mammal - formerly the Cape Cod Stranding Network, the whale died. There were no obvious signs of injuries caused by human interaction. Workers from the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies, the Audubon Society, and National Marine Fisheries Service, and local Cape Cod officials all responded to the scene. Earlier in the week when the whale was first stranded, three small dolphins also beached themselves in Wellfleet. A fourth was rescued off the tidal flats on a nearby beach.
C) A Coast Guard jet airplane with five people on board made an emergency landing at the Martha's Vineyard Airport after reporting electrical problems. The plane landed safely. According to an airport official, the plane had a hydraulic leak.
D) Although we hear the U.S. Senate has reached an agreement on the Obama economic stimulus plan, six New England senators' failed to get a $156.4 million rescue plan for the New England groundfish industry. The plan, written by Jackie Odell, the executive director of the Northeast Seafood Coalition, said she has not given up yet, but Senator Kennedy's press secretary gave no reason for optimism.
E) However, fishermen are encouraged by the recent turn of events. First a U.S. District Court Judge overturned recent fishing regulations imposed on fishermen by the National Marine Fisheries Service, and second, fishermen are pleased with the nomination of New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg to be the head of the U.S. Department of Commerce, the parent agency for NOAA and the National Marine Fisheries Service. Senator Gregg recently has expressed much displeasure with the Fisheries Service.
F) And speaking of the federal court's recent decision overturning the National Marine Fisheries Service regulations, the National Marine Fisheries Service is now urging the judge to reconsider his decision and have asked federal attorneys to file an appeal. The Fisheries Service claims that there will be a "substantial setback" in rebuilding stocks and "irreparable harm" suffered by the industry. Fishermen claim that the Fisheries Service is so out of control exceeding their authority that the agency is retaliating against them every way they can. First the Fisheries Service said a new system of leasing quotas from other fishermen would no longer be in effect, and then the next day the agency announced that their vessel monitoring system would be turned off and unavailable for the Coast Guard to use in cases of search and rescue! Remember, the Coast Guard had trouble accessing the vessel monitoring system in their search for the Patriot fishing boat out of Gloucester in which both men on board died?
G) Whale wars are heating up again. The Sea Shepherd whale conservation ship Steve Irwin collided with the Japanese whaling vessel Yushin Maru No.2 after a five hour battle. The Japanese used a sonic weapon and tried to get fouling lines wrapped around the Sea Shepherd ship's propellers. It was also reported that the Japanese threw whale parts at the Sea Shepherders while the Sea Shepherders retaliated with stink bombs and flares. We now receive reports of the Sea Shepherd ship ramming the stern of the Japanese whaling ship. Watson claimed the Japanese caused the collision by cutting in front of him. Then a second collision happened when two of the harpoon vessels ran into the Sea Shepherd as they tried to transfer two dead whales to the factory ship. Watson said future collisions could occur because the powerful acoustic blasts the Japanese are using at such close range make him disoriented and causes him difficulty navigating his ship. Captain Paul Watson, the founder and leader of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society said, "It will be dangerous but we did not come down here to witness the slaughter of whales. We came down to stop the killing." You can watch Whale Wars on the Animal Planet cable network.
H) After 40 years in business, Galaxie Boat Works will be sold to the highest bidder this weekend. The complete fiberglass boat manufacturing plant will be sold including all equipment, molds, patents, tools, inventory, and parts. Galaxie Boat Works closed its doors in December before Christmas and never re-opened. The owner of the company said that it just got harder and harder to sell his boats.
I) And last on today's nautical news, a very large ice floe, up to 2 feet thick and 8 miles wide, broke away and drifted on Lake Erie, trapping 150 - 200 people fishing for walleye on it. One man tried to walk to shore, fell into the water, and died. Another fisherman drove his ATV into the water, but was quickly pulled out. Many others drove their snowmobiles several miles away and found a way back to shore. The Coast Guard responded with 8 hovercraft boats and 4 helicopters and removed a total of 134 people from the ice. Authorities said the ice broke after fishermen tried to build a bridge over a crack in the ice, using wooden pallets, but the weight of the bridge was too much. One ice fisherman said he never felt in trouble. He said it was unfortunate the man who died didn't know how to read the ice!
2/15/09
A) Federal Judge Edward Harrington rejected the National Marine Fisheries Service's appeal to reconsider his recent decision that overturned the government's fisheries conservation plan known as Framework 42. Harrington ordered the National Marine Fisheries Service to make new regulations that would allow more fishing for stocks that have shown effective recovery, while still protecting those that remain weak. Previous fisheries regulations limited the fishing for all stocks based on the status of the weakest recovering species.
B) Speaking at the annual state of the industry address at the Miami International Boat Show, the president of the National Marine Manufacturers, Thom Dammrich, said he expects to see a turnaround during the second half of this year. The NMMA is lobbying government officials to treat boating the same as automobiles in any future stimulus package. Current economic conditions are depressing consumers' buying at the moment, but dealers tell us there is significant pent-up demand amongst consumers looking at their products. Dammrich said he believes that in the next 12 months credit will begin flowing again, the housing market will begin to stabilize, and consumer confidence will improve.
C) The Federal Aviation Administration just issued a Notice of Presumed Hazard for the proposed Cape Wind project on Horseshoe Shoal off Cape Cod. The FAA now believes that the wind turbines would interfere with FAA radar sites in North Truro, Nantucket, and at Otis Air Force Base. These radar sites provide detection of aircraft for the region's Air Traffic Controllers. According to the Air Traffic Controllers, the placement of a 25 square mile wind plant in the middle of three of the busiest airports in the state, in some of the most unpredictable weather conditions on the East Coast, poses an unacceptable risk to both our aircraft operators and passengers.
D) According to the latest study issued by NOAA Fisheries Service, saltwater anglers are an important part of the nation's economy. Reports showed that billions of dollars were spent on trip-based expenses, such as ice, bait, fuel, and that did not count the billions of dollars spent on fishing rods, fishing tackle, and boats. The top five coastal recreational fishing states are: Florida, Texas, California, Louisiana, and North Carolina. In addition to the money spent, they study also showed that recreational fishing supported nearly 534,000 jobs.
E) A Coast Guard rescue boat crew escorted a New Bedford fishing boat back to port after its captain made a distress call stating that his boat was taking on water. The fishing boat had a research team from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration aboard and was heading to Portland, Maine, when they started taking on water. The 120 foot fishing boat named Endurance was off the coast of Maine, near Matinicus Island, at the time of the problem. The captain of the Endurance said his ship's bilge pumps were controlling the flooding, but had concerns that one of the pumps might fail. A Coast Guard jet plane and a Jayhawk rescue helicopter from Air Station Cape Cod also rushed to the scene.
F) Remember the story about the Gloucester diver injured last week while working underneath a fishing boat at the dock? The owner of the boat didn't know that the diver was underneath the boat and started the boat's engine, entangling the diver's air and tether lines around the slowly turning propeller. We just received word that the diver was released from the hospital and now recuperating at home. Four of his rescuers, a three-man Coast Guard crew and a Gloucester firefighter were cited for heroic service at the Coast Guard station in Gloucester for saving the diver. Rear Adm. Gabel presented Letters of Commendation to Coast Guard Second Class Petty Officers John C. Brooks, Martin T. Harris, and Seaman Jason R. Beeker, and a Meritorious Public Service award was presented to Jeffrey Knaak of Gloucester Fire Department's Ice Rescue Team. When the four arrived on scene, they found the diver floating in the water, barely conscious and in critical condition.
G) The U.S. representative on the International Whaling Commission under President Obama proposed last week to allow Japan to commercially hunt and kill whales off their coast. This would be the first time that Japan would be able to legally hunt whales for meat since the international moratorium on whaling went into effect in 1986. Essentially, the proposal would allow Japan to do whaling in the Sea of Japan, where whales are scarce, in exchange for the Japanese not to hunt and kill whales offshore. Japan killed nearly a thousand whales offshore in 2007.
H) Scientists say there's good news for our oceans. New England waters are seeing a dramatic recovery of the haddock and scallop population, and even some gray and humpback whales are making a comeback. As one expert puts it, "The news today is that there is good news" for the oceans. Nancy Knowlton of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History spoke at this week's meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and said that people still need to be concerned about the future of sea life, but it's good to know that we have made progress in recent years.
2/22/09
A) The body of the commanding officer of the Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma was found inside his cabin on board the ship. At the time, the cutter was tied to the dock at its homeport in Kittery, Maine. Commander Keith Willis, 44 years old, had been the commander of the 270-foot medium endurance cutter Tahoma since May of 2007. He graduated from the Coast Guard Academy in 1989. Willis leaves behind a wife and two children. His cause of death is still unknown at this time.
B) New England fishermen won another court battle against the National Marine Fisheries Service. Judge Harrington reinstated the "days-at-sea" leasing program after the Fisheries Service said the "days at sea" leasing program no longer applied. The judge's reinstatement of leasing could infuse about $14 million into the economy through salaries and fees to crews, lumpers, processors, brokers, and truckers.
C) The National Marine Fisheries Service again struck back. This time, the Fisheries Service filed charges against the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction that could bring a $335,200 fine and suspend the auction house's license for 120 days. Originally, the Fisheries Service claimed that the auction house bought "one fish over the limit." Fishermen claim without the auction house, they will be out of business. Buyers from Legal Seafoods and Capt. Marden's and big institutions meet daily at the computer terminals inside the auction house, buying about 15 million pounds of fish a year.
D) Sixteen hundred jobs will be preserved or created by the Coast Guard because of President Obama's stimulus plan. The Coast Guard expects to receive $98 million from the stimulus bill. A big chunk of that money will be used to improve bridges.
E) Attendance at the boat show in Boston so far is up more than 20 percent over last year. Dealers reported boat sales were up too, with many manufacturers offering buyer large factory rebates. One of the reasons given by show managers for the increase in attendance was that this year's fuel costs are more than half of what they were last summer. The boat show at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center ends this afternoon.
F) A New Bedford company wants to harness the fast moving currents of the Cape Cod Canal to generate electricity. Natural Currents New England was issued a preliminary permit by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to install a tidal turbine in the Cape Cod Canal. Additional permits are necessary from the Army Corps of Engineers which controls the canal before the tidal current generator can be installed. A spokesman for the company said the canal's current changes direction every six hours and can reach speeds of up to 5.2 mph.
G) Relatives and friends of Massachusetts Maritime Academy cadets stood along the Cape Cod Canal early this morning to watch the academy's training ship come home after more than a month at sea. Cadets aboard the TS Kennedy cruised to Tampa, Fla., San Juan, Puerto Rico, and St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
H) Out on the west coast, a Coast Guard cutter came across nearly 5,000 pounds of marijuana floating in the ocean. Officials believe the marijuana was dumped overboard by smugglers being chased earlier in the week by the Mexican navy. Coast Guardsmen spent 96 hours hauling in the more than 100 bales of marijuana.
I) And last on today's nautical news, the buyer of the Borden Flats Lighthouse disclosed some of his renovation plans for the 1881 lighthouse, which he agreed to purchase from the government sight unseen in December for $55,000. Some of the upgrades will include a new living and dining area and a shower stall in a new bathroom. Michael Gabriel, a lawyer from Nevada, said he has not yet visited the 1,000-square-foot Borden Flats lighthouse, but plans to see his new acquisition in person this spring. The attorney said he will have people living in the lighthouse full-time once the renovations are completed. Building permits and construction must follow certain guidelines because the lighthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management must also give its approval. Built in 1881 at a cost of $24,000, Borden Flats Lighthouse was last staffed by a full-time lighthouse keeper in 1963.
3/1/09
A) The Coast Guard, local, and state agencies are searching offshore near the New Hampshire and Maine border for a 59-year-old missing kayaker. The man's empty yellow kayak was found near the Isles of Shoal and the man's car was located on the mainland in a parking lot where he launched his kayak. The man was reported missing Friday afternoon when air temperatures approached 60 degrees, but with very strong winds, gusting to almost 50 miles per hour.
B) A Coast Guard Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Cape Cod made an unexpected landing at a little league baseball field in Middleboro, Mass. The crew safely landed the helicopter after the pilot noticed fuel leaking. Local police and fire departments responded to the field and watched the helicopter crew make the necessary repairs. The helicopter took off and everyone made it safely back to the air station. It was not known if the helicopter was on a rescue mission or on a training mission at the time of the emergency landing.
C) A whale disentanglement team from Provincetown's Center for Coastal Studies was dispatched to rescue a humpback whale in distress off the coast of New Jersey. The whale was entangled in a lobster pot line, and appeared to be anchored in the very busy New York shipping lanes off Sandy Hook. A recreational boater noticed the whale in trouble and called the Coast Guard. The rescue team from Cape Cod successfully removed a lobster pot and other debris wrapped around the whale's tail and belly. Officials hope the young whale will be fine and said that entanglements happen about once a year in waters off New York and New Jersey.
D) The Midcoast Fishermen's Association, a Maine commercial fishing group, is filing a lawsuit against the National Marine Fisheries Service in an attempt to order the fisheries service to ban herring trawlers from certain areas of the Gulf of Maine. The attorney who represents the group said herring boats have damaged populations of cod, haddock, and other species of groundfish. He also said that it was unfair for the regulators to let herring boats fish in areas where groundfish boats were prohibited. A spokeswoman acting in defense for the herring boat owners said that there was absolutely no data that indicated the trawlers had a negative impact on groundfish stocks.
E) Luxury boat builder Tiara Yachts just announced an additional 300 of its remaining 400 employees will be laid off. Three hundred employees were permanently let go last year, but Tiara management said they hope to have many of the 300 back working in about a month. Tiara's remaining skeleton crew will man the office for customer support. Tiara Yachts in 2005 had nearly 800 employees.
F) The big crane known as Goliath at the former Quincy shipyard is now in place, resting on a barge, waiting to be towed to a shipyard in Romania. The crane was erected in Quincy in 1975 and was taken down this past August, when a section of it fell on a worker named Bobby Harvey, killing him instantly. In a brief ceremony this past week, construction workers and members of Bobby Harvey's family gathered at the Fore River dock, to rename the 3,700-ton crane the USS Harvey. Departure of crane will be dependent upon the weather.
G) Seventy-five boats registered to compete in this year's 30th annual Snow Row competition. Although the museum hosts several races each year, the Snow Row is their signature race. It is a 3-3/4 mile triangular course starting off from the beach at Windmill Point, continuing around Sheep Island, past the Peddocks Island day-marker and then back to shore. Perennial champion rowers from Cornwall, England, were a no show this year. Organizers of the race attributed their absence to the declining world economy. However, there were still plenty of new competitors in the race, one claiming to be from the Czech Republic. Hundreds of spectators watched the race from ashore and aboard the Harbor Express' three-level commuter boat, the Voyager III. For all of the Hull Snow Row race results, go to the Hull Lifesaving Museum's website, lifesavingmuseum.org.
H) On Tuesday, March 3rd, Thad Allen, the Commandant of the Coast Guard, will deliver his State of the Coast Guard speech setting his goals and priorities for 2009. The Commandant will highlight the need for money to replace aging ships and aircraft. A new feature this year will be a question and answer session. Those in attendance will be able to ask questions directly, but anyone can ask a question or comment by going to the Commandant's blog page.
I) And last on today's nautical news, a new species of fish was discovered by scuba divers in Indonesia. The brightly colored fish with swirling colors has a human like face with forward facing blue eyes. It is so colorful and odd in its movement that scientists have named this new species Psychedelica. The fish moves by bouncing along the sea bottom.
3/8/09
A) The Coast Guard ended its search for the three missing football players in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida. Their 21 foot boat flipped over in rough seas 38 miles offshore. Two of the three missing men were NFL players, Oakland Raiders Line Backer Marquis Cooper and Detroit Lions Defensive End Corey Smith. A fourth man with them, Nick Schuyler, survived by getting on top of the overturned boat and staying with the boat. Coast Guard officials expressed a belief that no survivors would be found in the 63 degree water after searching more than 2 1/2 days and covering more than 24,000 square miles. The Coast Guard said they never received a distress signal from Cooper's boat.
B) President Obama has selected marine biologist Jane Lubchenco to head NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. At her Senate confirmation hearing, she was introduced as "the bionic woman of good science" by a senator from her home state of Oregon. During that hearing, Lubchenco acknowledged that the Gloucester regional office of the National Marine Fisheries Service was in crisis and needed "to create a new climate of trust." She said what was needed was "data to believe in." Fishermen picked up on that statement, because in the past, Lubchenco has had strong connections with the Pew Charitable Trusts. To many in the fishing industry, data that comes financed by the Pew Charitable Trusts is data to be doubted.
C) And in a related story, Massachusetts Democratic legislators have written a letter to Congress asking for an independent investigation into NOAA and the Gloucester National Marine Fisheries Service office. The letter, signed by state Senate President Therese Murray, Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo, and 17 other lawmakers, asks the U.S. Inspector General to investigate "the overzealous and heavy-handed actions of enforcement of NOAA and the NMFS." The letter states, "For too many years, we have been presented with complaints from local elected officials and fishing industry members detailing overzealous and intimidating enforcement practices and vindictive behavior by this agency."
D) The wreck of an early 20th century fishing was just listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The 105-foot long Joffre shipwreck lies on the bottom of Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. This is the sanctuary's fourth shipwreck site to be included on the National Register. The Joffre was built by an Essex, Massachusetts shipbuilder and launched in 1918. The schooner was converted to a diesel powered eastern rig fishing boat in 1939. She caught fire and sank on August 10, 1947, off Gloucester. During its 29 years of service, the Joffre's crew landed over 15 million pounds of fish. Sanctuary officials said they would use the shipwreck as a tangible connection to New England's fishing heritage and connection to the sea. So far, more than a dozen historic shipwrecks have been found within the boundaries of the sanctuary.
E) Howie Kreutzberg, the chairman of Scituate Waterways Commission, just announced that a $90,000 federal grant was awarded to the Scituate Marine Park from the Department of Marine Fisheries. So far, the marine park has been built almost entirely money received from grants, donations, and free labor. This latest grant comes from the Boating Infrastructure Grant Program. The grant money comes from the federal excise tax collected on the sale fishing gear, trolling motors, and motorboat fuels. Students from the South Shore Vocational Technical School in Hanover are finishing the building that will be the maritime center. There will be a formal presentation of the grant this Friday morning, 10AM, at Scituate Town Hall.
F) For those mariners who still use LORAN C to navigate, you better save your existing NOAA navigation charts. NOAA's National Ocean Service just announced their intentions to eliminate LORAN-C lines from all future editions of their nautical charts. The change is expected to become effective by this summer.
G) Despite the poor economy, Boston's Black Falcon Cruise Terminal hosted a record 113 ship calls - 12 percent more than in 2007. Passenger numbers also jumped 15 percent to a record 270,000. Cunard's newest ocean liner, the 964-foot Queen Victoria, will make her maiden call on Boston in September. Cunard's larger ship, the Queen Mary 2, will also be in Boston over the 4th of July holiday. However, Boston's container port, the Conley terminal, reported a 5 percent decline in container activity last year, which was on par with the national average according to Massport.
H) Voting for the new design on the Massachusetts quarter is over. The winning design is the Gloucester Fisherman's Memorial, which received 245,000 votes from Massachusetts residents. The next three most popular designs were the Lowell National Historic Park, Salem's House of Seven Gables, and Old Ironsides. The U.S. mint will start issuing the new 50 state series of quarters in 2010.
I) And last on today's nautical news, what is 7 feet long, weighs 30 pounds, has eight arms, and can change shape to squeeze into a 14 inch square box? The answer is Truman the Octopus. Truman squeezed into a clear, acrylic box while trying to snag his lunch at the New England Aquarium in Boston. Aquarium workers often place food inside locked boxes for the intelligent animals to crack open. It's what the aquarium calls an "enrichment activity," but it didn't go as planned. This time, Truman the octopus bypassed the locks and squeezed his 7 foot long body through a 2-inch hole in the exterior box. He spent about 30 minutes inside before slithering out, delighting everyone who witnessed the spectacle. He never even tried to open the lock on the box.
3/15/09
A) Goliath the crane, a long-time landmark at the former Quincy Shipyard, is on its way to Romania on the Black Sea. The dismantled 328-foot tall Goliath crane is on a barge, being towed by the tugboat Allie B with Captain Billy Hudnall at the helm. The 6000 mile journey is expected to take 30 days. At last report Captain Billy Hudnall reported that he has been averaging a speed of 6 miles per hour. He had encountered 4 - 8 foot seas, but all is well. He said he was very happy with the cook and had praise for the whole crew. His first stop will be in the Straits of Gibraltar, and he admitted that this was the tug boat's first transAtlantic tow.
B) President Obama has eliminated Loran C from next year's federal budget, so the Coast Guard said they will close down the 24 LORAN-C stations that they maintain the end of this fiscal year. That could mean as early as this summer there will be no more LORAN C. It currently serves the 48 continental states, their coastal areas, and parts of Alaska. Airplane pilots and navigators have warned the Coast Guard not to eliminate LORAN C until a comprehensive backup plan is in place for GPS.
C) The U.S. Food and Drug Administration released a statement reminding the seafood industry that short weighting is a felony, an arrestable offense. The FDA warned that the net weight of frozen seafood may not include the weight of the ice. A chain of big box stores is now being sued by a New York man who claimed the stores routinely sold short-weighted shrimp. He said the shrimp always weighed a minimum of 20 per cent less than what was stated on the package. It is estimated that millions of packages are sold each year by the 400 store chain.
D) A Florida newspaper reports the search for two NFL players and two other men missing in the Gulf of Mexico cost the Coast Guard $1.6 million. The St. Petersburg Times reported that the three-day search covered more than 20,000 square miles and required 230 combined hours of Coast Guard aircraft and boats. Former University of South Florida football player Nick Schuyler was the only survivor. He was found sitting on top of the capsized 21 foot boat two days after it overturned in rough seas 38 miles off the coast of Clearwater. Bodies of Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper, free-agent NFL defensive lineman Corey Smith who played for the Detroit Lions last season, and former USF player William Bleakley have yet to be found.
E) Massachusetts Senator John Kerry just re-introduced legislation pertaining to the safety of passengers on cruise ships. Passage of the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2009 would mandate the cruise lines to report allegations of crimes on the ships to the U.S. Coast Guard and FBI, something they already do voluntarily. It also would require cruise ships to carry a qualified, licensed person and materials needed to perform a medical examination to determine if a passenger had been raped. In addition, the legislation would raise the rails on cruise ship balconies to 54 inches in height, require all cabin doors to have peep holes, security latches, and time sensitive key technology, and cameras on board to detect a passenger falling overboard.
F) The International Whaling Commission met for three days this past week and conservationists see a dangerous change of course that jeopardizes the future of the world's whales. About half of the member countries on the commission agreed to authorize a small number of member countries to resume commercial whaling. The proposed deal would grant Japan permission to hunt minke whales in its coastal waters in exchange for a scaling back of its so-called research whaling in the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary near Antarctica. International Whaling Commission Chairman William Hogarth of the United States is leading this effort in an attempt to resolve the bitter dispute between the whaling nations Japan, Norway and Iceland and the whale conservation countries. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is one of many who are calling upon President Obama to remove Hogarth as the U.S. commissioner to the IWC.
G) Rich Wilson of Marblehead, Massachusetts has completed the Vendée Globe, finishing ninth in the solo, non-stop around the world ocean sailing race. Wilson completed the race in his 60 foot boat named the Great American III. It took Wilson 121 days to complete the 28,500 mile race course. Wilson is only the second American to ever finish the race, and at the age of 58, he is the oldest skipper to ever complete the Vendee Globe. Of the 30 skippers who started the race November 9th, 19 dropped out.
3/22/09
A) The Massachusetts Legislature's Joint Committee on the Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture just announced the creation of a new subcommittee to focus exclusively on fisheries. Acting as co-chairmen of the subcommittee will be Massachusetts State Senator Bruce Tarr and State Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante. Both of these legislators had previously written a letter calling for Washington to investigate improper and vindictive enforcement actions against fishermen by the National Marine Fisheries Service in Gloucester. Senator Bruce Tarr said that commercial and recreational fishing have been cornerstones of our economy and our way of life since this nation was founded.
B) After being severely depleted by bounty programs in the early 1900s, gray and harbor seal populations in New England are growing. Seal surveys in Massachusetts by NOAA Fisheries Service, show that the seals are returning to areas they inhabited in the past. Muskeget Island, off the western tip of Nantucket, is now the largest pupping area for gray seals on the U.S. East Coast. In recent years, more than 1,000 pups have been born in a single year on the island, where as many as 3,000 seals congregate over the winter.
C) And speaking of seals, a Good Samaritan walking along a beach in Quincy learned the hard way not to mess with a resting seal out of the water. Thinking the seal was in danger, the man attempted to guide it back into the water. He received a nasty bite for his effort. A marine biologist from the New England Aquarium said that encounters between seals and humans are becoming more and more common along the South Shore. Last week, seals were sited on Wollaston Beach, in Kingston off Holmes Avenue, on Nantasket Beach, and in Plymouth.
D) The old Coast Guard boathouse in Chatham was picked up and placed on a barge and towed to the former Quincy Shipyard. The boathouse was home to the famous 36500 motorlife boat that was involved in the rescue of 32 crewmen off of the wrecked Pendleton tanker during a blizzard in 1952. The boathouse will stay in Quincy until the town of Chatham can find a new location for it. The building was set to be destroyed to make way for the construction of a house, but was saved by another Chatham resident who happened to own the tug and barge.
E) President Obama's choice to head NOAA was just confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Dr. Jane Lubchenco will be the first woman and the first marine ecologist to head the agency, in charge of its $4 billion annual budget and its 12,800 employees. Dr. Lubchenco, a Denver native, is a graduate of Colorado College, received her Masters degree from the University of Washington, and a Ph.D. from Harvard University in marine ecology. She also has taught at Harvard for two years and has been on the faculty at Oregon State University since 1977.
F) The widow of a fisherman is heading to Washington D.C. to lobby for a change in some very old admiralty laws. Her husband was killed after his boat was run over by a freighter that was going too fast in the fog. The fisherman's wife claims the current law, known as the Death on the High Seas Act, is unfair. Under the existing law, families of victims killed on the high seas even by negligence, can only sue for lost income, and not recover any money for pain, suffering, or death. Also, in her husband's case, even though the Coast Guard found that the captain of the freighter had violated five different navigation rules, no criminal charges were filed.
G) A Coast Guard rescue crew from Station Point Allerton in Hull went to the aid of a sick crewman aboard a Singapore flagged oil tanker. The 35 year-old crewman was taken off the tanker and brought to the Pemberton Pier in Hull to a waiting ambulance. At last report, the man was in stable condition.
H) And last on today's nautical news, federal prosecutors are seeking forfeiture of convicted swindler Bernie Madoff's four boats and a dockominium in France. Bernie's big yacht, a $7 million 88 foot yacht named Bull is tied to his 1.5 million dollar dockominium in France. Madoff's smaller boat, a $2.2 million sportfishing boat docked in Florida, is also named Bull, and he has another boat, a 55 foot wooden Rybovich boat that he named Little Bull. Madoff liked naming his boats Bull and referred to them as his bull ships.
3/29/09
A) A record number of 39 North Atlantic right whale births were counted this year and a record number of right whales have been seen swimming in Cape Cod Bay. An aerial survey showed between 50 to 60 right whales congregating in the bay. That's six times the number of right whales seen last year at this time. Scientists said that the right whales are feeding on a plentiful supply of tiny organisms called zooplankton which float in the bay. Officials have issued warnings to all mariners so that ship strikes and entanglements can be avoided.
B) A small boat inshore commercial fisherman in Gloucester was notified by the National Marine Fisheries Service this past week that he faces a $49,703 fine for selling yellowtail flounder through the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction in 2004 and 2005. He is the second commercial fisherman charged by NMFS Gloucester office this month in what appears to be outrageous, retaliatory actions taken by NMFS against commercial fishermen. Attorney Stephen Ouellette who defends fishermen described the charges as trumped up and "a simple misunderstanding of complex regulatory requirements." He noted that many regulations imposed on fishermen are very confusing, and that this latest charge if impropriety was part of a broad set of allegations issued in February against the Gloucester fish auction house. A Boston federal judge, who recently overruled the Fisheries Service, has implied that he is ready to act again, but will wait to see if the new NOAA administrator intervenes.
C) Two more tragic commercial fishing accidents to report. Off the coast of Maine, the Coast Guard recovered the body of one of the two fishermen whose 34 foot fishing named the Perfect Choice sank. The Coast Guard found the body after receiving a report of a debris field in the water, including a survival suit and what appeared to be a submerged boat. The search for the second body was suspended. This was already the 92nd search and rescue case so far this year for Coast Guard Sector Northern New England. The other tragic accident occurred off the coast of New Jersey with 8 fishermen aboard a scallop boat that capsized. One of the eight was found alive, and at last report the Coast Guard had recovered the bodies of three fishermen. Four others on board still remain missing.
D) Jason Wallenstein, a 34 year old blind man from Sharon, along with his guide Lisa O'Connor from Hull, won the bronze medal earlier this week in the Blind Sailing World Championship Regatta, which was held in New Zealand. The two were part of the Sail Blind Team from the Carroll Center for the Blind in Newton. The rules state that the guides are not allowed to touch the sails or the tiller unless a collision was imminent. Wallenstein said he has sailed since he was 4 years old. He began losing his sight in 2001 because of diabetes.
E) Federal prosecutors have charged a 20-year old Winthrop man with making a hoax mayday call in September, 2007, that sent a Coast Guard helicopter and boat out in search of a sinking boat that did not exist. The Coast Guard said the search effort cost taxpayers $56,000 in fuel and maintenance costs, and put the lives of the rescue personnel in jeopardy. The day the Coast Guard received the phony distress call, the Winthrop man was on a cruise ship. He denied that he made the call, claiming that he had loaned his cell phone to a fellow passenger aboard the cruise ship.
F) The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission just released their report about what they think caused the deadly boating accident that involved the football players off the coast of Florida. The Fish and Wildlife Commission said the boat capsized because of the method used to free the boat's stuck anchor. Apparently the skipper of the boat moved the anchor line to the stern of the boat and accelerated forward hoping to free the stuck anchor, but that caused the 21-foot boat's stern to go under water. When the boat filled with water, it capsized, throwing all four men overboard. It was also noted that the men had no means of signaling or calling for help. Only the person who stayed with the boat survived the accident.
G) A U.S. Navy guided-missile cruiser went to the aid of a freighter off the coast of Somalia. The captain of the freighter called a mayday reporting that a heavily armed small boat with 6 suspected pirates aboard was closing in on his ship. The navy ship intercepted the boat and apprehended the six men on board. Naval officers said they witnessed the six men in the small boat throwing things overboard before they had a chance to stop the boat. The attack on the freighter was the second attack that was thwarted that day. Earlier in the morning, pirates attacked another freighter but were warded off after several warning shots were fired at the pirate boat.
H) The 97th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic is April 12th, and now a federal judge will decide who owns the artifacts recovered from the ship. It is expected that the judge, who considers the wreck an "international treasure," will rule that all the recovered artifacts must remain together and be accessible to the public. So far 5,900 pieces of china, ship fittings, and personal belongings have been salvaged. The salvage company, RMS Titanic Inc is suing and hoping the court will grant it limited ownership of the artifacts. Ever since explorer Robert Ballard found the Titanic 24 years ago in international waters, the wreck site and its artifacts have been the subject of competing claims. In the past, courts have declared Ballard's corporation as the salvor-in-possession - meaning it has exclusive rights to salvage the Titanic - but have explicitly stated it does not own the 5,900 artifacts or the wreck itself. Ballard is seeking limited ownership of the artifacts as compensation for his salvage efforts.
I) Researchers, led by an MIT scientist, are using the latest underwater imaging equipment to watch the movement of large schools of herring as they gather off Georges Bank off the coast of Massachusetts. George's Bank is about 100 miles east of Boston. The scientists reported the new imaging equipment allows them to observe schools of fish up to 25 miles in length. The new observing system has also enabled the scientists to study the behavior of fish as they gather in groups to spawn. One scientist remarked that there are truly cities of fish down there. According to an article published in the journal Science, scientists now know that when groups of fish reach a certain population, a change occurs at night from disorganized behavior to synchronized activity.
J) And last on today's nautical news, a recent study funded by the Environmental Protection Agency found fish caught downstream of wastewater treatment plants in five US cities had detectable amounts of pharmaceutical drug residues in their bodies. The five cities in the study were Chicago, Dallas, Phoenix, Philadelphia, and Orlando. Medical experts conducting the study noted that it would take many thousands of meals of these fish to actually equal a single recommended dose of any of the drugs, but warned people to properly dispose of their old medications and not simply flush them down the toilet or the sink.
4/05/09
A) Boston's Mayor Menino is fighting with the organizers of Sail Boston, claiming the event will cost the city nearly 2 million dollars to pay for police details and clean up crews. The Mayor said he would withhold all city services for the tall ships and that there would be no police details and no cleanup crews. The Mayor said he is also considering asking the Coast Guard not to issue a permit for the Boston Harbor Parade of Sail, and the Mayor threatened that he would not allow the public to go aboard any tall ships that are tied to city owned docks. Meanwhile, Sail Boston officials say the tall ships are coming and will be staying in Boston July 8th through the 13th. They said they still want this to be a free public event. Some think the mayor is being penny wise and pound foolish stating a million people will come to see the tall ships in Boston, and the event will be a major boost to the area's economy, filling hotels and restaurants.
B) Also, another major boating event is coming to Boston the end of this month. Organizers of this event said the Volvo Ocean Race will cost the city nothing as money was donated from private businesses to pay for city services. Boston is the only North American port that the racing yachts will stop at during this around the world race. The first boats are expected to arrive in Boston on April 27 on a leg that originates from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. From Boston the boats will race to Galway, Ireland, departing on May 16th. The finish line for the race is in St. Petersburg, Russia, where boats are expected to arrive in June. The Race Village at Boston's Fan Pier is set to open April 25 with musicians and street performers. Workshops on maritime history and sports exhibits and an Irish festival will also be a part of the exhibit.
C) A Cape Cod fisherman, charged with harassing whales, pleaded not guilty in a Boston federal courtroom. Federal prosecutors, representing the National Marine Fisheries Service, charged the fisherman with three counts of violating the federal Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. If convicted, the fisherman could be sentenced to one year in jail, assessed a $100,000 fine, lose his fishing permits, and be placed on probation for one year. The charges were filed after the fisherman freed a humpback whale that became tangled in his fishing gear. A federal fisheries observer was on board the fisherman's boat at the time and watched the fishermen free the whale in minutes.
D) The Coast Guard selected a Scituate, Massachusetts man to receive the George R. Putnam Inspirational Leadership Award. This year's award was presented to Mark McCabe, the resource and performance management chief at the Coast Guard's First District in Boston. The annual award recognizes a Coast Guard civilian employee who best exemplifies the Coast Guard leadership philosophy and the service's core values of honor, respect, and devotion to duty. McCabe will be formally recognized, April 6th, at a ceremony in Washington D.C.
E) On April 15th, the Department of Homeland Security will start enforcing the TWIC law. TWIC is an acronym that stands for Transportation Workers Identification Card.
All workers entering a secure dock area must have a TWIC, and all licensed Coast Guard personnel must have a TWIC to keep their license active. In order to get a TWIC, one must provide personal information and fingerprints for the identification card.
F) A new report by NOAA Fisheries Service describes the diverse demographics of 222 American saltwater fishing communities. The report is the culmination of several years of data collection and analysis. The ports that are profiled were chosen by experts around the country, primarily on the basis of commercial fisheries landings in 2006 and the historical significance of fishing in a community.
G) A group representing U.S. ethanol producers has filed a petition with the federal Environmental Protection Agency to allow a higher ethanol blend of gas to be sold. The group wants to switch from the current E10, which is a 10 per cent blend of ethanol in the gas to E15 or a 15 per cent blend of ethanol. The National Marine Manufacturers Association is totally against this change claiming ethanol in gasoline has already damaged some marine engines and fuel tanks. Ethanol producers are trying to bypass the EPA public comment period by getting President Obama to endorse their plan.
H) U.S. Marshals seized three of Bernie Madoff's four boats - two boats from Florida marinas and one boat from a New York marina. One of the boats in Florida is a completely restored 1969 55 foot Rybovich sportfishing boat worth about 2 million dollars and the other boat in Florida was a smaller 24 foot powerboat on a trailer. Federal agents took the Rybovich to Jackson Marina on the New River in Ft. Lauderdale. Federal agents found the third boat, a 38 foot Shelter Island Runabout in a slip at the Montauk Marine Basin in New York. Madoff's 75 foot yacht is also "subject to forfeiture," but it is located at a marina in France. A bankruptcy court trustee will sell the boats at an upcoming auction.
I) And last on today's nautical news, a rare pink Bottlenose Dolphin was spotted in a Louisiana saltwater inlet. One captain who has seen the dolphin a dozen different times described the color as "absolutely, stunningly pink" and that it looked like it had "just come out of a paint booth." Marine biologists said the pink dolphin appears to be in perfect health. They said the pink dolphin exhibits several characteristics of albinism. There have been about two dozen sightings of pink Bottlenose Dolphins throughout the world since the first one was seen in 1962.
4/12/09
A) When the pirates attacked the U.S. flagged Alabama, Captain Rich Phillips, 53 years old, ordered his crew of 19 to a secure area on the ship. Captain Phillips then surrendered himself to the pirates to safeguard his men. Because the pirate's boat had sunk, the pirates fled with the captain in an enclosed lifeboat that was lowered from the ship. The pirates called for reinforcements from their friends in Somalia, telling them to bring other hostages who are being held from previous attacks. So far, the United States Navy has been turning those boats around. The latest report we received was that the lifeboat had drifted to within 20 miles of the Somali coast, and that U.S. military officials feared that if the craft reached the shore, the pirates might escape with their hostage on land. The pirates claim that they are willing to release Captain Phillips in exchange for immunity for their crime. At one point, the Navy sent a small boat to approach the lifeboat in order to talk some more and also do some surveillance, but the pirates responded with gunfire. The Navy personnel then quickly retreated.
B) Meanwhile, other pirates in the Gulf of Aden seized a U.S. tugboat and the two barges it was towing and are now holding the 16 man crew hostage. Although owned by an American, the boat was flying an Italian flag, and it was reported that 10 of the 16 member crew are Italian citizens. The International Maritime Bureau and the International Maritime Organization released a report showing piracy attacks in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia more than doubled from 2007 to 2008. The report also indicated that more than 250 people are now being held hostage in Somalia.
C) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued new restrictions on New England fishermen that are expected to cut the region's fishing revenue this year by $17.4 million. The new rules further cut the number of days fishermen can fish and place tighter restrictions on certain species. Fishermen in Southern New England will be particularly affected because they will lose two fishing days for every day they fish in an expanded area below Cape Cod. Fishermen claim they will have to go farther out to sea to avoid this penalty. NOAA chief Jane Lubchenco said next year will be different when fishermen will be allowed to fish in sectors. She said fishermen will be given a yearly fishing quota and will figure out amongst themselves how much they each catch. Two such voluntary "sectors" already exist on the Cape.
D) Leg 6 of the Volvo Round the World Ocean Race started yesterday from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They are racing to Boston. The 5000 mile race should take the Volvo Open 70s about 16 days to complete. PUMA OCEAN RACING, the American flagged Volvo Open 70 is skippered by Newport, Rhode Islander, Ken Read. This will be a major sailing event for the City of Boston, as Boston is the only North American port in the race.
E) A 30 to 40-foot humpback whale surfaced in New York City's busy shipping channel just north of the Verrazano Bridge. Somehow the whale wandered off northern course, entering the city's harbor, probably in pursuit of food. The Coast Guard set up a moving safety zone to protect the whale from marine traffic and vice versa, and a few hours later, the whale was swimming in deeper water off Coney Island. Whale experts said the whale appeared to be in moderately good health.
F) The Coast Guard is urging the owners of kayaks, canoes, and paddle boats to use name tags to identify whom the boat belongs to and how to contact that person. Whenever the Coast Guard finds an empty canoe, kayak, or dinghy floating, it usually results in an unneeded and costly search, and because boats with no motor are not required to be registered, the Coast Guard has no way of knowing who the drifting boats belong to or how to contact the owner. The Coast Guard said they had to deal with numerous empty, floating kayaks or paddle boats last year that resulted in a search effort. In most cases, vandalism and a higher than normal tide was what caused the small boats to float away.
G) And last on today's nautical news, we are saddened to learn of the passing of a legend in the boating business. Stewart W. Roach of Osterville, formerly of Canton, passed away peacefully in his home on April 10th. Mr. Roach had a passion for competitive hydroplane racing and an aptitude for marine mechanics. He graduated from Boston's Wentworth Institute of Technology, instructed the military in marine engine troubleshooting during WWII, and went on to found the yacht dealership Norwood Marine, selling Chris Crafts, Bertrams, and Trojans. During his 50 years in business, he expanded and relocated his dealership to the Dorchester waterfront where he became one of the nations' leading boat dealers and full service boatyards. Anyone entering his dealership was greeted by one of the many boatyard dogs he adopted over the years. May your soul rest in peace, farewell, Stewart Roach.
4/19/09
A) Now that the captain and crew of the Maersk Alabama are back home, Congress wants to hear about their ordeal firsthand as lawmakers consider new ways to combat piracy on the high seas. President Obama also said he would like to meet Captain Richard Phillips.
B) Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick is going to Washington, but he will be seeking relief for fishermen. Governor Patrick is bringing with him a scientific research proposal prepared by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth's School of Marine Science and Technology. Asked about his chances of success to change the regulations imposed by the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Governor smiled and simply said, "We know people." Mary Griffin, the state's commissioner of marine fisheries said she believed the state's fishing report would prove that the NMFS' science is "not at all the gospel."
C) Another passenger on a cruise ship has gone missing. This time it is a 39-year-old male passenger on Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Sky who went overboard as the ship was heading toward the Bahamas. His fall overboard was witnessed by another passenger who immediately reported what he saw. The ship immediately began a search and rescue operation and notified authorities. Several other cruise ships in the area all helped in the search.
D) The body recovered off the Isles of Shoals on Friday is that of a man who went missing while kayaking in February. New Hampshire Marine Patrol officers found the body while on routine patrol and notified the Coast Guard who helped transport the body to the state's medical examiner. Preliminary autopsy results show that the man died from drowning.
E) The Maine Department of Marine Resources released figures for the 2008 Maine lobster season and it shows that Maine lobstermen caught about 3 million pounds more lobsters than they did in 2007. However, less consumer demand from the bad economy dropped the value of their catch almost 50 million dollars from 2007. Maine has nearly 6,000 licensed lobstermen using an estimated 3 million traps. That represents about 80 percent of the nation's American lobster catch.
F) Massachusetts just issued its first red tide closure of 2009. The state's Division of Marine Fisheries found the toxic algae in blue mussels in Orleans. The closure affects a large area of Orleans including a portion of Nauset Harbor. Eating shellfish with high levels of red tide can cause potentially fatal paralytic poisoning in humans.
G) The Boston Police Department's SWAT team is receiving training for the first time from the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard is training Boston's SWAT Team in offshore and in-harbor vessel-boarding tactics and water survival skills. In addition to preparing for the possibility of a terrorist attack by water or on an LNG tanker, the Mayor said the city's SWAT Team would be available for the upcoming tall ships visit. The FBI has also received similar training
H) This past week, Coast Guard Station Boston showed off their new law enforcement and search and rescue boat in Boston harbor. The 45-foot response boat was recently delivered to Coast Guard Station Boston the end of March. The boat has a built in fender system for boarding, a top speed of 42 knots, and a range of 250 miles. It can operate in shallow water because it uses water jets instead of propellers. The boat is also equipped with a built in infra red camera to allow for better navigation in fog and at night. One hundred eighty more of these fast response boats will be delivered to stations throughout the Coast Guard.
I) Security experts attended a national summit on piracy at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. Ideas ranged from improving the methods to track ransom payments to the possibility of arming the crew on the ships. One academician said, "Not since World War II are merchant seamen's lives in as much jeopardy as they are today." Both the Maine Maritime Academy and the Mass Maritime Academy have courses that teach nonlethal ways to thwart pirate attacks.
J) And last on today's nautical news, leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race is now one week old, as the boats race from Rio de Janeiro to Boston. Team Telefonica Blue is in the lead as the boats are north of the equator off the coast of South America. Boats are expected to arrive in Boston the last week of April. A racing village has already been set up on Boston's Fan Pier. Although the sailors take their racing very serious, when they come ashore they become party animals. Look for a lot of excitement on Boston's waterfront next week. The boats will be docked in front of the Boston Harbor Hotel at Rowes Wharf.
4/26/09
A) A multi alarm fire at New England Boatworks in Portsmouth, Rhode Island destroyed 4 of the 12 quonset hut buildings at the factory and sent nine firefighters and a National Grid worker to the hospital. Seven of the firefighters were screened for cyanide poisoning after suffering from smoke inhalation. All ten who were taken to the hospital have now been released. New England Boatworks employs about 100 people who build custom power and sailing yachts made of high tech composite materials, including boats that raced for the America's Cup. Investigators have ruled out arson and are leaning toward an accidental cause for the fire. Amazingly, the factory was back in operation one day after the fire.
B) The Volvo Ocean Race started on October 11, 2008 in Alicante, Spain. The race covers nearly 37,000 nautical miles of the globe's most treacherous seas, with stops in 11 ports around the world. The teams are now competing in the 6th leg of the race, a 4,900 nautical mile trip from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Boston. Boston is the only port the race stops at in North America. The winning boat is predicted to enter Boston harbor within the next couple of hours. Expect a big celebration on Boston's Fan Pier next week after all 8 boats with 88 sailors aboard arrive. There is a whole village set up on Fan Pier and the public is invited. The Volvo Ocean Race then resumes on May 16th when the teams set sail for Galway, Ireland on Leg 7. The final leg ends in St. Petersburg, Russia, in June.
C) For years, we have been warning of the dangers of eating farm raised salmon. Now, the Pew Environment Group is urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to expand its testing of farm raised salmon imports. Pew claims farm raised salmon is a threat to both the environment and to human health because of the chemicals and drugs that the salmon farmers commonly use. Researchers at Pew claim the antibiotics and pesticides used in fish farms are "very toxic to other aquatic organisms" and "may cause long-term adverse effects to the environment." Also, the antibiotics in the farmed fish can affect a human's immune system.
D) Despite warnings of a large number of whales in Cape Cod Bay, and despite strict new regulations imposed by the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary to protect the whales, the sanctuary's own research boat named the Auk, struck a North Atlantic right whale seven miles off the coast of Scituate. It was reported that the sanctuary boat was cruising along at 22 miles per hour when it hit the right whale. Believe it or not, the vessel was out there conducting research on ways for ships to avoid collision with whales.
E) North shore fishermen are being warned not to take any of those shortnosed sturgeon fish that are returning to the Merrimack River to spawn. Fish counters estimate up to 100 of the fish are now in the Merrimack River between Newburyport and Haverhill. Fossils of the sturgeon have dated back 100 million years as the sturgeon family has survived dramatic climate changes, meteor strikes, and the extinction of many living organisms. However, it was placed on the endangered species list in 1967 and still remains on the list. The shortnose sturgeon averages 3.5 feet in length, but can grow to 6 feet long.
F) Three Atlantic white-sided dolphins were rescued off a Wellfleet beach and quickly transported by truck to Provincetown where they were released in deeper water. According to a Fund for Animal Welfare spokesman, someone walking the beach at the Massachusetts Audubon Society's Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary found the three animals stranded and called the Cape Cod Stranding Network hotline. The three marine mammals, a nearly 8-foot-long male, a 7-foot-long female, and a 5-foot-long juvenile female, all appeared to be in good health and swam away.
G) The National marine Manufacturers Association just announced the new dates for the 2010 New York National Boat Show. It will take place January 20-24 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. The past few years the show was happening during the Christmas season, causing many boat shoppers to miss the show.
H) The National Marine Manufacturers Association has also set up an online action alert to allow boaters to submit comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Boaters are encouraged to write their displeasure about the government's plan to increase ethanol blend levels in gasoline to E15. The public comment period ends May 21st. A spokesperson from the marine manufacturer's association writes that marine engines are designed and certified to run on not more than E10, the current legal allowable ethanol blend. An increase in the ethanol will bring marine engines out of compliance with federal clear-air laws and possibly cause severe damage to marine engines.
I) And last on today's nautical news, the United Nations has officially declared June 8th a holiday. It will be known as World Oceans Day. The concept of a "World Ocean Day" was first proposed in 1992 by Canada at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, and finally, 27 years later, the U.N. has adopted the idea. Proponents claim that World Ocean Day celebrates the products the ocean provides, such as seafood and fish and pets for small and large aquariums, and of course it provides a place for humans to recreate. The ocean also provides sea-lanes for international trade. Mark your calendars. June 8th is now a holiday. It is World Ocean Day.
5/3/09
A) Maersk Alabama Capt. Richard Phillips, who was freed from pirates by the U.S. Navy, testified this past week before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington DC. He told the Senators that a limited number of crew aboard a vessel should have access to effective weaponry even though his boss expressed thoughts that doing so could expose crewmembers to an escalation in violence. He feared that the pirates would simply acquire more powerful lethal weapons.
B) The CEO of recreational boat manufacturer Brunswick Corp. said he is planning for a permanently smaller boat industry as his company's first quarter boat sales fell 45% from a year ago. Chief Executive Dustan McCoy said industry-wide sales of boats in the U.S. aren't likely to ever return to their 2005 peak. Analysts said the downturn in the global economy has caused consumers to cut back on discretionary purchases, particularly expensive leisure and recreational items.
C) The New Hampshire Marine Patrol received a call Saturday morning reporting an overturned boat and fishing gear floating in Lake Winnipesaukee. Marine Patrol divers, local police and firefighters, and Fish and Game officers all searched and later in the afternoon recovered the bodies of two fishermen, both in their 50s. Apparently neither of them was wearing a lifejacket. The overturned boat was found about 300 feet from shore in water that was 35 feet deep. Authorities reported the water temperature was 47 degrees. Families of the missing fishermen watched from a nearby dock as divers recovered the bodies.
D) A 33 year old Coast Guard lieutenant came down with flu-like symptoms last Sunday and was tested for influenza at a clinic at Air Station Cape Cod, which then sent the specimen to the Massachusetts state lab. The Center for Disease Control confirmed that the specimen tested positive for the swine flu virus. The lieutenant began showing flu-like symptoms after returning from a training mission in San Diego, California. The Coast Guardsman has been quarantined in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus. Doctors expect the Lieutenant to make a full recovery.
E) Social network web sites like Twitter and Facebook have provided a new way for our armed services to recruit 18-to 24-year-olds and spread the military's message. Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen regularly updates his Facebook status using his cell phone while traveling. He also posts video blogs to reach out to the public in real time. The Coast Guard isn't the only branch of the military with Facebook friends or that has a following on Twitter. The, Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marines have also established a Facebook page for recruiting purposes.
F) A Coast Guard Jayhawk helicopter made an emergency landing in Falmouth after a helicopter warning light on its instrument panel started flashing. The helicopter from Air Station Cape Cod and its three-man crew landed without injury or damage in a farm field off Woods Hole Road. A Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod maintenance team was sent to where the helicopter landed to see what made the tail rotor sensor warning light come on. Whatever the cause, the helicopter eventually took off and made it safely back to its base.
G) All seven Volvo Open 70s in the Volvo Around The World Race arrived safely in Boston after an action packed few days, which saw the fleet finish within 24 hours of each other. The first three teams were within 30 minutes of each other, which after 4,900 nautical miles from Rio de Janiero amazed the spectators who lined the Race Village at Boston's Fan Pier. The winning boat beat the second place finisher by 12 minutes. Now the sailors prepare the boats to be ready for the In-Port Race in Boston Harbor on May 9th. They depart from Boston to race to Ireland on May 16th.
H) The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries reminds all fishermen that a Spring Cod Conservation Zone is now in effect. According to the state's emergency cod fishing rules, all persons are prohibited from landing or possessing a cod in the Cod Conservation Zone between May 1st and June 30th.
I) And last on today's nautical news, the 33rd annual Grand Old Fish Fry happens today from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Pembroke's Reading Memorial Herring Run Park on Route 14. The annual fish fry is the big fundraiser for the Pembroke Historical Society. However, fish cakes, hot dogs, cornbread, and baked beans will be served instead of fried herring because there is a moratorium on catching the herring. In addition to this feast, Captain Quack will return to host the duck races, and their will be face painting and music provided by the Rocky Run band.
5/10/09
A) A fishing boat caught fire about two miles south of Rockport, Mass. According to the boat's owner, the boat had departed from Hingham and was headed for Portland, Maine No injuries were reported. The captain of the 42 foot Catch-a-Tuna was the only person aboard the boat, and he safely abandoned ship and got into a dinghy that he was towing. When the Coast Guard arrived on scene, they determined it was too dangerous to fight the fire based on the captain's report of a 20-pound propane tank and about 130 gallons of fuel onboard, so they just let the boat burn to its waterline. Heavy black smoke could be seen for miles The Catch-a-Tuna sank in about 60 feet of water and the boat owner is working on a salvage plan.
B) Capt. Richard Phillips has been named Maritime Man of the Year by his alma mater, the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. Phillips was the captain taken hostage by Somali pirates and held at gunpoint aboard a life raft for five days until he was rescued by Navy SEALs. Phillips will be honored May 20, when the state school celebrates National Maritime Day. The ceremony will take place at 4PM at the maritime academy's football field and the public is invited.
C) The New England Aquarium reported that a record 39 North Atlantic Right whales were born this spring, breaking the old record of 31. Researchers claim all the births happened in warmer waters off the coast of Georgia and northern Florida. Each baby whale calf weighs an estimated 2,400 pounds at birth. An extraordinary number of right whales congregating off Cape Cod this Spring has also been reported.
D) Two Connecticut men went fishing in Long Island Sound at night in a 6 foot long canoe. Authorities said the canoe was not a suitable vessel to venture out into the Sound. About three hours into their trip, one of the men called a friend to tell him that the canoe was filling up with water. The friend notified the Coast Guard about 12 hours later. By then, the canoe had capsized and the men aboard got separated. Miraculously, one man was found alive waving a red shirt to a searching fire boat, but a cadaver sniffing dog, who sniffed the men's fishing poles, found the body of the other man. Neither man was wearing a lifejacket.
E) A rare situation was announced by the commander of the Coast Guard's Atlantic Area in Boston. Vice Admiral Robert J. Papp, Jr. has ordered the commanding officer of the Boston based cutter Escanaba to be temporarily relieved of his duties because of a loss in confidence in the officer's ability to command. He is being reassigned to the Coast Guard's First District staff in Boston pending the final results of an administrative investigation. The Escanaba is currently on patrol in the Caribbean and is now under the command of Capt. John Davis, who was transferred from the Charleston, S.C. based Coast Guard Cutter Gallatin, with orders to bring the Escanaba back to its homeport in Boston.
F) Ted Kennedy's schooner Mya is registered to sail in this year's Memorial Day weekend Figawi Race. According to the Figawi Web site, the Mya was registered in the race on April 27. Last year the Mya came in second in its five-boat division. The annual regatta is regarded as the official kickoff of the summer season for Cape Cod boaters.
5/17/09
A) Skate fish are the fish of choice when Europeans serve a dinner of fish and chips. This has created a prosperous industry for fishermen in New Bedford. However, fishermen claim new regulations that take effect next year will soon kill this industry. The new regulations will reduce the skate quota by about 90 percent, reducing it from 20,000 pounds per trip to 1,900 pounds. Officials in New Bedford also predict a loss of up to 500 jobs in that city's fish processing plants.
B) What is going on with the Coast Guard? For the second time in two weeks, another commanding officer was relieved of his duties for "alleged misconduct and loss of confidence in the officer's ability to command." This time it involved the Commanding Officer in Anchorage, Alaska. Last week, the Commanding Officer of the Coast Guard cutter Escanaba was relieved of his duties. Coast Guard officials would not immediately elaborate, but said that these matters were the subject of an internal investigation.
C) And wait, there is still more to tell. Captain Gail Kulisch from Sector Boston was re-assigned to Virginia. Whether this re-assignment was related to how she handled the response to the fatal accident that involved the Gloucester fishing boat named the Patriot was unclear. What is clear is that Captain Kulisch promised to release all information about the Coast Guard's investigation into the accident, and that has yet to be done. The Patriot fishing boat sank in January, taking with it two Gloucester fishermen to the bottom of the ocean.
D) A Coast Guard helicopter crew rescued three people from a 35-foot sailboat after its keel and rudder became entangled in a fishing net a half mile off the coast of Newport, R.I. A good Samaritan saw the sailboaters in trouble and called the Coast Guard. When the Coast Guard helicopter arrived on scene, its pilot thought the sailboat's mast made it too dangerous for him to hoist the three sailors from the boat's deck, so he instructed them to put on survival suits, jump into the water, and swim away from the boat. A rescue swimmer was then lowered into the water to help each of the sailors into the hoist basket. All three were safely taken aboard the helicopter without incident. At the time, the winds were blowing 25-30 knots with seven foot waves.
E) Withheld from the public for two years, an independent national security report to keep Loran has been released after the Obama administration and the Coast Guard decided to stop maintaining the system. The report unanimously recommended that the U.S. government complete the Loran upgrade and keep it as the national backup to GPS for the next 20 years. The report comes on the heels after the government said they would reduce the power of GPS satellite transmissions in order to extend the life of the batteries in the satellites. No new GPS satellites are planned to be launched to replace the dying satellite batteries because of budgetary problems.
F) Currently registered Sea Scouts can apply to cruise aboard the Coast Guard's training ship Eagle. Three one week long cadet training cruise opportunities are available between July 26 and August 15 for top-performing Sea Scouts who are interested in a career in the U.S. Coast Guard. Applications are due no later than May 29.
G) Recent studies of basking sharks often seen off Cape Cod reveal that these animals can travel great distances. Satellite tags on the sharks prove that the sharks swim as far away as South America after they leave Cape Cod in the Fall. Sometimes, the 40 foot long basking sharks are mistaken for Great White sharks because of their size, but basking sharks are considered gentle creatures because they have no teeth. They get their name from the manner in which they feed, "basking" on the water's surface with their mouths wide open, filtering the water, taking in enormous amounts of microscopic plankton. Although the exact number of basking sharks in the world is unknown, experts believe there are at least 10,000 of these animals in the ocean.
H) More than 140,000 people visited the Volvo Ocean Village while the boats were docked at Boston's Fan Pier, and yesterday, fans saw plenty of excitement as the boats departed. The start of Leg 7 was delayed slightly because of fog, and then after the starting gun was fired, a large freighter passed by. The Coast Guard had to quickly get in between the freighter and the fleet of sailboats. Next stop is Galway, Ireland, 2,550 nautical miles away on the other side of the Atlantic. Some sailors said the transatlantic crossing can be some of the hardest miles in the race. The first boat is scheduled to arrive in Galway one week from today, but first the fleet must cope with whales and ice east and south of Newfoundland.
I) And last on today's nautical news, this is National Safe Boating Week May 16-22. An important part of the message once again is "Wear It" referring to the lifejacket! This year, Dan Marino, former Miami Dolphins quarterback is the Coast Guard Auxiliary's National Safe Boating Week's spokesperson. Marino reminds the boating public to take a boating safety class, get a vessel safety check, and don't drink and drive.
5/24/09
A) NOAA released its annual Report to Congress on the Status of U.S. Fisheries. Four stocks Atlantic bluefish, Gulf of Mexico king mackerel, and two stocks of monkfish in the Atlantic have been rebuilt to allow for continued sustainable fishing. This is the largest number of stocks to be declared rebuilt in a single year since NOAA declared scallops, haddock, and striped bass rebuilt in 2001.
B) After searching for 4 days, Massachusetts State Police divers found the body of a missing scuba diver off the coast of Gloucester. The 49 year old diver had been diving in about 90 feet of water when the crew of the boat he was diving from notified Coast Guard Station Gloucester that he was more than two hours overdue. Assisting in the search were Coast Guard boats and aircraft as well as the local harbormaster.
C) The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries has ordered a halt to all harvesting of blue mussels, surf clams, carnivorous snails, and whole sea scallops from Boston to the New Hampshire border because of an outbreak of red tide. Red tide is a naturally occurring toxic algae bloom noted for its reddish-brown color. Consuming shellfish that have been exposed to red tide can cause paralytic shellfish poisoning in humans, which is potentially fatal, but officials noted that there is no danger of contamination in any shellfish presently being sold.
D) A dead, juvenile finback whale washed up at Herring Cove Beach in Provincetown. Finback whales are listed as an endangered species. Researchers are now trying to determine the cause of death of the 40 foot long animal, but said there were no apparent wounds from a ship strike or fishing gear. A full necropsy will not be performed because they do not have the equipment to move the 40 ton whale. Finback whales are the second largest whale in the world. They can grow to be more than 75 feet long and weigh between 50 and 70 tons.
E) The Coast Guard has issued a Memorial Day Weekend boating safety advisory. This is the time of the year when the holiday atmosphere, mixed with inexperience or overconfidence with alcohol can easily overtake the basic rules of safety and common sense. Since 1998, 25 recreational boaters have perished over the Memorial Day weekend in the Northeast. Alcohol was a factor in nine of those 25 fatalities and 40 percent of the accidents included people 19 to 24 years of age. On the other hand, older, more experienced boaters and paddlers accounted for the remaining 60 percent of fatalities. To increase your chances of survival, always wear a lifejacket, file a float plan, and operate your boat sober.
F) And speaking of the Coast Guard, small boat Coast Guard Station Scituate is now open for the season. Back in 1999, Station Scituate was downsized to become a seasonal station, operating between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Station Scituate is now a satellite station of Station Point Allerton, one of the busiest Coast Guard stations on the east coast. The area of responsibility for Station Point Allerton goes from Nahant on Boston's North Shore to Plymouth on Boston's South Shore. The next closest station to the south is Station Cape Cod Canal, so Station Scituate plays an important role to that area's boating and fishing community.
G) 204 sailboats and 27 powerboats registered to race from Hyannis to Nantucket in the 38th annual Figawi Race. Senator Ted Kennedy nor his boat participated in the race this year. However, it is still possible the Senator could participate in the return race back to Hyannis.
H) Also in the world of sailing, Leg 7 of the Volvo Ocean Race is over as all of the boats have made it to Galway, Ireland from Boston. Team Puma, the American team, finished the leg in second place despite breaking its rudder and employing emergency steering gear.
I) Like the car manufacturers, Brunswick, the world's largest maker of recreational boats, is offering to make up to nine monthly boat payments on some of their brands for buyers who lose their jobs within a year after their boat purchase. Check with your local Brunswick dealer to see which brand is included and what restrictions apply.
J) Two years ago, hundreds of people cheered and the French anthem played as French rower Charlie Girard departed from Cape Cod on his 3,317-mile row across the Atlantic Ocean. A day and a half later, the Coast Guard was called to rescue him. This past week, 28 year old Charlie Girard climbed into his 21-foot rowboat on Cape Cod, and again said he would row across the Atlantic to France and break the 62-day record. At last report, Charlie had rowed 140 miles and had 3175 miles to go.
K) And last on today's nautical news, an eleven year old Utah boy is trying to get into the Guinness World Record books by covering his face with 43 live snails. The current world Guinness record for live snails on a person's face is 36, set back in 2007.
5/31/09
A) The Tall Ships are still racing to Boston in July, but if Boston Mayor Menino has his way, the public will be prevented from getting up close and personal. Thanks to Mayor Menino, the Parade of Sail has already been cancelled, and now the Mayor said he will prevent the public from entering the piers where the ships will be docked. Although Boston businesses stand to lose millions of dollars, the Mayor said if the organizers don't pay a million dollars up front and sign a public safety agreement with the city, the public is not invited to Sail Boston 2009. The five-day nautical festival, planned for July 8 through 12, was originally expected to draw 50 tall ships from around the world and millions of spectators to Boston who were to go on board the ships for free, but now everything has changed. The Coast Guard set this Tuesday as a deadline to arrange plans for the arrival of international sailing vessels in Boston or else.
B) The Coast Guard had to rescue five of their own. A 5 man crew had to be rescued after their 25 foot fast response boat rolled over and filled with water about 15 miles south of Martha's Vineyard. One crew member suffered an ankle injury and another showed symptoms of hypothermia. All five were transported to Coast Guard Station Menemsha where they were met at the pier by paramedics. Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England is working on a plan to salvage the swamped vessel.
C) And the Coast Guard rescued two kayakers from the water after their kayaks overturned near Boston Light. The kayakers used a cell phone to call 911 for help. Coast Guard Station Point Allerton found the pair wearing life jackets and dry suits, clinging to a buoy about half a mile from Georges Island. Both kayakers showed symptoms of hypothermia and were transported to Pemberton Pier in Hull, where paramedics were standing by to take them to South Shore Hospital for further treatment. At the time of the rescue the sea water temperature was around 52 degrees with three foot waves. A Coast Guard spokesman said the dry suits saved the kayakers' lives.
D) After more than a decade of growing tensions with federal regulators, New England fishermen are pushing for a new system based on group quotas that would avoid individual restrictions. The system calls for fishermen to band together in groups called "sectors" that would receive the right to take a set percentage of the annual catch of a variety of fish. Two sectors have been operating in Cape Cod on an experimental basis, and in April, NOAA announced that it would provide about $16 million to move the rest of the Northeast toward sector fishing. New England has submitted requests for 19 sectors, and the system could be up and running for the 2010 season, which begins next May.
E) It happened again. Another cruise ship passenger, this one a recent high school graduate, fell off the Carnival Fantasy cruise ship. The Coast Guard was searching the Gulf of Mexico waters for the 18-year-old Louisiana high school graduate. He was on board the ship with about 35 other classmates, celebrating their graduation. The ship had left New Orleans and was en route to Key West.
F) And speaking of Key West, the 523-foot long retired naval warship Vandenberg now lies on the bottom of the ocean off Key West to serve as an artificial reef. It cost more than $8 million to clean and sink the Vandenberg. Locals hope that it will become a favorite attraction to scuba divers and a habitat for fish. In the 1960s, sailors aboard the Vandenberg watched space launches and spied on Russia.
G) And last on today's nautical news, it was dejavu for 28 year old Frenchman Charlie Girard who tried to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean. This was his third failed attempt. Charlie set out May 19th from Cape Cod in a 21-foot rowboat and got as far as 150 miles when he called the Coast Guard to say he was too fatigued to continue his row to France. Charlie was rescued by the Coast Guard and says he will not try again. Girard's first attempt in 2007 ended after just one day with a Coast Guard rescue in rough seas. The second time he lasted about 2 days. The Coast Guard claimed this year's rescue cost taxpayers $80,000 because they had a hard time locating him in pea soup fog. A Coast Guard spokesperson said visibility was so poor that they over flew him twice.
6/7/09
A) The economy has taken its toll on one of the largest recreational boat builders in the world. Genmar Holdings, Inc, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this past week, sending shockwaves throughout the industry. According to court documents, Genmar owes its creditors about $215 million. Genmar CEO Irwin Jacobs said sales of the company's boats and luxury yachts started to decline in 2008, but worsened in recent months to be off by more than 50 percent compared to fiscal 2008.
B) Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries shut down shellfishing in Hull, Cohasset and Scituate because of high levels of the toxic algae known as red tide. Last month, red tide shut down shellfishing areas north of Boston to New Hampshire. Eating shellfish with high levels of red tide can cause potentially fatal paralytic shellfish poisoning, but officials assure the public that whatever clams and shellfish presently offered for sale at restaurants and markets are safe to eat.
C) Seven East Coast states are advising pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children to avoid eating striped bass and large bluefish due to the risk of high PCB levels in the fish. The warning is based on a report released by the State of Maine Center for Disease Control. The seven states are New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Maine. Interestingly, Massachusetts was not one of the seven states issuing the warning. Maine's Center for Disease Control warned against eating no more than four meals of wild striped bass and large bluefish per year.
D) Jane Lubchenco, the head of NOAA, has requested the U.S. Inspector General's office to investigate the National Marine Fisheries Service office in Gloucester after New England fishermen complained of excessive fines and retaliation. Apparently, Lubchenco consented to the investigation after receiving a letter signed by Senators Kennedy and Kerry and Congressman Barney Frank who relayed the fishermen's allegations. In the letter to Lubchenco, the lawmakers wrote that the mistrust was "at an all-time high." Many fishermen claim that the National Marine Fisheries Service is simply trying to put them out of business.
E) More than fifty thousand quahogs were just transferred from the Taunton River into the North River by Marshfield's Harbormaster and Shellfish Warden Michael DiMeo and a team of volunteers in boats. The shellfish beds are now closed as scheduled until December, and that will give the quahogs enough time to reproduce undisturbed. Before the beds reopen, the quahogs are tested by the Division of Marine Fisheries. Similar quahog restocking efforts are now underway on Martha's Vineyard and along the coast of Cape Cod.
F) Scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have sent an underwater robotic vehicle to the deepest known part of the ocean. The vehicle, called Nereus, dove down nearly seven miles into the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean. While the $8 million Nereus had made relatively shallow dives before, this latest expedition was considered its "maiden voyage." This was only the third time that a vessel has dove so deep.
G) The thawing of the Arctic ice is revealing a huge amount of oil and gas on the Arctic Ocean floor. For the first time in history, the continental shelf near the North Pole may now be accessed by modern drilling techniques. A U.S. geological survey team estimated a reserve of between 40-160 billion barrels of oil and natural gas lying just north of the Arctic Circle. The big question is who owns it? The North Pole is considered an international site and is administered by the International Seabed Authority. Yet, if a country can prove its underwater shelf is an extension of its continental border, then it can claim an economic zone based on those findings. The countries claiming some or all rights to the territory are Norway, Denmark, Russia, Greenland, Canada, and the United States.
H) And speaking of Alaska, an ExxonMobil oil tanker arriving in Prince William Sound was involved in another incident. This time the ExxonMobil tanker arrived in Valdez with a dead 50 foot humpback whale on its bow. It was not clear whether the tanker struck and killed the whale or if the animal was already dead when the ship hit it. The whale was discovered as the tanker was preparing to dock. It had quite a noticeable stench which suggested that it had been dead for a while.
I) The Coast Guard got a call on the radio that a boat was sinking six miles off of Provincetown, Cape Cod. Three people were on board. The name of the boat was the Five for Fighting. The seas were choppy, so a 41 foot rescue boat was dispatched from Station Pt. Allerton in Hull along with a small 25 foot boat from Station Provincetown. The Coast Guard also broadcast an urgent marine broadcast seeking any nearby boat to help. Fortunately, a good Samaritan aboard a powerboat named Mic Mac responded to the call, arrived on scene, and took the three people off the boat just before it sank. When the Coast Guard arrived on scene, the boat was submerged. They took the three survivors aboard and brought them back to shore. No injuries were reported.
J) And last on today's nautical news, the French rower Charlie Girard who failed for the third time to row across the Atlantic, has abandoned his custom-designed and equipped rowboat, which was last seen drifting about 130 miles east of Cape Cod after he was rescued by the Coast Guard. Victor Mooney, a New York resident, said if he could find the boat, he would use it for his third attempt to cross the Atlantic. Let's hope that he doesn't find it.
6/14/09
A) Paul Pinto, the 56 year old captain of a Plymouth 40 foot scallop boat named Distant Cries, died after a pulley cable holding his tow snapped and hit him in the back of his head. At the time of the accident, the boat was about 10 miles off the coast of Plymouth. The only other person on board was his step son who radioed a distress call to Plymouth harbormaster Timothy Routhier, who is also a paramedic. Routhier and another medic rushed to the scene and found Pinto unconscious. A Coast Guard helicopter that had been training in the area was also on scene within minutes and airlifted the fisherman from his boat and flew him to Massachusetts General Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Pinto had named his boat Distant Cries, in honor of his son who recently returned from serving in Iraq.
B) After a thorough investigation into the time frame of the Coast Guard's response to the sinking of the Gloucester fishing boat named the Patriot, a Coast Guard commander conceded that his agency's response was indeed slow, but said that the vessel went down quickly and the two men who died probably could not have been saved even if the Coast Guard arrived faster on scene. The official Coast Guard report states that fishermen Matteo Russo and John Orlando drowned immediately, and there was likely nothing that could have been done to save them. The Coast Guard was notified about a problem aboard the 54-foot Patriot fishing boat at 1:35AM, but failed to launch search vessels until nearly two and a half hours later.
C) Maine fisherman and author Linda Greenlaw, who survived the "The Perfect Storm," was fined more than $30,000 by the Canadian government for fishing illegally in Canadian waters. The Canadian government also seized her swordfish catch. The 48-year-old Greenlaw said in her defense that she was only retrieving fishing gear that had been dragged by another boat. She said she knew she was near Canada's coast but didn't realize she had breached the 200 mile limit and strayed into Canadian waters.
D) A new rule banning Massachusetts Transit Authority operators from carrying cell phones has been expanded to include all employees on commuter boats. Any employee who carries or uses a cell phone on the job will be suspended with a recommendation for dismissal according to a T spokesperson. The spokesperson added that too many employees were distracted from their jobs while either talking or texting on the cell phone.
E) The EPA's new exhaust emission standards for boats require that all 2010 model inboard and sterndrive gasoline engines have a catalytic converter installed. The law is already in effect in California where new boats cost an extra $2500, or $5000 for twin engine boats, because of the catalytic converters. Most outboard engines and diesel engines are unaffected by the new emission standards because they are already in compliance.
F) The Obama administration is providing $50 million in stimulus money to help fish farmers buy fish food. Fish farmers claim the cost of the fish food jumped 50 percent compared to last year. Many fish farms in the United States are located in poor areas, so the administration reasons that the money will preserve jobs in areas already hit hard by the recession and lacking other industries. Much of the money will go to fish farms in Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas - the nation's largest catfish producers. Catfish accounts for one-third of the nation's $1.4 billion aquaculture industry. The U.S. Department of Agriculture will distribute the $50 million based on the amount of feed used in 2007.
G) Indigenous groups in Greenland are proposing to resume hunting of humpback whales according to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society in Plymouth. Representatives from Greenland are expected to ask for permission to kill up to 50 humpbacks, 10 in each of the next five years at the upcoming International Whaling Commission's annual meeting in Portugal on June 22nd. The humpback whale is listed as an endangered species in the United States. According to NOAA, there about 550 humpbacks in New England waters and about 7,700 humpback whales living in the entire North Atlantic region. Whale watchers say that it is not uncommon for the whales swimming in Cape Cod Bay to swim across the Atlantic to Greenland. The humpback has been exempt from commercial whaling since 1966, but the International Whaling Commission does make exceptions for indigenous groups with long-standing cultural and nutritional ties to whales.
H) A Florida fisherman working in the Gulf of Mexico hauled in an 8-foot-long missile that became ensnared in his long line. The fisherman assumed the missile was inactive or already exploded because it had a hole in its side, so he brought the missile aboard his boat and kept fishing another 10 days before returning to his dock and notifying authorities. A bomb squad from MacDill Air Force Base showed up and told the fisherman that the missile was a live air to air missile. The bomb squad safely disarmed the missile and told him not to bring anymore missiles home from his fishing trips.
I) And last on today's nautical news, New England Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady had to be rescued from the Charles River after he and his wife rented a pair of kayaks to go paddling side by side. An attendant from the boathouse had to pull Brady out of the water after his kayak capsized. One eyewitness said that Brady was more embarrassed than in any real danger. Apparently, he doesn't possess quite the same skills kayaking as he does on the football field.
6/21/09
A) Boston's Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Governor Deval Patrick have agreed to a deal that will cover security costs for the tall ships. The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority will pay the city a million dollars. However, since the deal has come so close to the arrival date of the tall ships, there are now no plans for a grand parade of sail nor will there be any fireworks. A total of 49 ships are expected to arrive beginning July 8 and will remain until the July 13. The public will be welcomed aboard some of the ships free of charge on the evenings of July 9 and 10 and during the day on July 11 and 12.
B) A 54-year-old New Bedford man died while diving for quahogs approximately 100 yards off a New Bedford beach. The man was accompanied by his wife on the couple's small fishing boat. Equipped with a wet suit, oxygen tank, and diving mask, the man jumped face-first into the water, and then moments later, surfaced without the mask, unconscious, and not breathing. His wife tried to pull him into the boat, but was unable to do so. She yelled for help and someone called 911. New Bedford Police Sgt. Mark Stone responded and upon arriving on scene he took off his uniform and swam to the victim, keeping the man's head above water until more help arrived. Fire Department personnel quickly arrived in an inflatable boat and transferred the diver to a waiting ambulance, but doctors at St. Luke's Hospital pronounced the man dead. Although the man was a certified scuba diver, officials believed his inexperience, diving into the water face first with scuba gear, led to this unfortunate accident.
C) Here is a story with a better ending. Two boaters were saved by Newport, Rhode Island police after their boat capsized and smashed into the rocks off treacherous Brenton Reef. A passerby on shore called police after spotting the boat floating upside down about 150 yards off shore. A 35-year-old Scituate, Massachusetts man was standing on the hull and the boat's owner, a 67-year-old man from South Carolina, was in the water clinging to the side of the boat. Neither was wearing a life jacket. Police said five-foot waves and strong winds pounded the boat on to the rocks. William Murdock, 67, of South Carolina and Jason Catlender, 35, of Scituate, Massachusetts were taken to the hospital and treated for hypothermia. Catlender was released shortly thereafter, but Murdock was admitted to the hospital.
D) The Coast Guard is searching for the owner of a kayak that was found washed up on a beach in Narragansett, R.I. Fishermen discovered the kayak, and also located nearby was a shoe, sweat pants, a cooler with live eel, and a kayak back rest. The kayak is described as a 16-foot orange Wilderness Tarpon 160I. The Coast Guard is asking that anyone who may have information about this kayak or its owner to call them. Meanwhile, a 41-foot Coast Guard boat and an Air Station Cape Cod Jayhawk rescue helicopter are actively searching the area. Chief Gerald Welpon of the First District Command Center in Boston said, "We still don't know if someone fell out of this kayak and is in trouble. However there is enough evidence in this case that makes us think there could be a problem."
E) It has happened again. Another cruise ship passenger has gone missing. This time it was a woman celebrating her 50th birthday with her husband on a Carnival Holiday cruise ship. It is believed she fell overboard about 70 miles off the coast of Florida. A fellow passenger reported hearing a splash, so the Captain of the ship took a head count of guests and crew which revealed the woman was indeed missing. The Coast Guard searched for nearly two days before calling off the search. The woman was the twelfth person to fall off a cruise ship in 2009. Five of those twelve were rescued, but seven are still lost at sea.
F) A star fish invasion is underway in New England waters between Narragansett Bay and Cape Cod Bay. The star fish have appeared by the thousands making shellfishermen worry that the five armed creatures will overwhelm the oysters, scallops, clams, and mussels. Scuba divers also confirmed the sudden abundance of starfish. Although technically not fish, scientists say they know very little about the starfish.
G) It's not all said and done yet, but things are looking up again for Loran C. The Senate voted to direct the Secretary of Transportation to maintain the current Loran C navigation system and prepare to update it to eLoran. It authorized $37 million per year for 2010 and 2011 towards that purpose. Similar action is also currently pending in the House. Congress said Loran was the perfect back up system to GPS. The past few years, the Coast Guard repeatedly tried to kill LORAN, citing lack of money to maintain and operate the system, let alone upgrade it.
H) And last on today's nautical news, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich has ordered a new yacht that when completed next year will be the largest and most expensive private ship ever built. How big will it be? 557 feet long. How expensive? Well if you have to ask, you know you can't afford it, but if need to know, it will cost 495 million dollars. Abramovich said he is naming his new yacht the Eclipse, because it will eclipse the world's previous longest yacht owned by the Sheik in Saudi Arabia by 32 feet. The Eclipse will have two helipads, a luxury spa, a swimming pool, a mini submarine, and its own missile defense system to defend against pirates.
6/28/09
A) The week's recent storm with its astronomically high tides and big waves knocked two cottages off their foundations in Chatham, Cape Cod, sending them tumbling into the ocean. The cottages were part of a cluster of five seaside homes known as the First Village to the locals. Originally there were 12 homes in the First Village, but seven of them were knocked into the ocean after a bad storm in April 2007. Now two of the three remaining home owners have asked the town to help them tear down their homes. "They realize it is past the point of no return," said a town official.
B) And the month's rainy weather and storms have caused storm drains and sewer pipes to overflow into the ocean. Out of 67 beaches tested for pollution on the South Shore, eighteen beaches in Quincy, Hull, Plymouth, and Marshfield were considered unsafe for swimming because of high bacteria counts, with near-record contamination on Wollaston Beach. That makes this one of the worst weekends in years for coastal pollution. By the way, we were told that Hingham doesn't begin to test their beach's water quality until the first of July.
C) The New England Fisheries Management Council has voted to create a new management plan called Amendment 16 for groundfish species like cod, haddock, and flounder called sector fishing. Under Amendment 16, sector participation will remain voluntary. To date, fishermen have worked under rules that restrict their days at sea as well as a quota that limits the number of pounds of fish they can catch each day. Those rules will still apply, but fishermen now have the option to fish in sectors as well. Under the sector plan, each sector be allocated a share of the total allowable catch for a fish stock and sectors can also trade these catch shares. There will be a total of 19 sectors in New England for fishermen to join.
D) The Coast Guard suspended its search for a missing person after a 36-foot recreational boat with four people aboard struck the rock jetty near the mouth of the Merrimack River and sank. Coast Guard Sector Boston received a Mayday call from the vessel and sent three boats and a helicopter from Air Station Cape Cod to search. As it turned out, the four boaters abandoned their boat and swam toward the jetty. Two of them reached the jetty, one with a back injury and a possible broken leg. A Coast Guard boat recovered a third person in the water, but the fourth person, identified as the boat's owner and a Coast Guard veteran, was never found. State Police divers also searched the submerged boat and found no body.
E) The Coast Guard also called off a search for a missing man aboard his sailboat after it was confirmed the boater sent an email to his family that he was safe and unhurt. Stephen Whelan was reported overdue after not arriving in Newport, R.I. in accordance with his float plan. "Finding out about the email was a great help to us," said a spokesperson from the first District Operations Center in Boston. "Good communication like this by the public is nice to have during a search, and we are glad the family notified us about it."
F) Coast Guard Sector Northern New England was also called to search for a possible overdue Maine fisherman, but a search on the Facebook website found information which ultimately saved the taxpayers up to $30,000 for a search effort. What happened was the Coast Guard received a report about a vehicle and trailer with no boat sitting by itself overnight in a parking lot. Using the license plate, the Coast Guard was able to determine the vehicle owner's name and address. Before launching a search, the officer in command at Coast Guard Sector Northern New England decided to first email relatives and friends listed on the Facebook website, and eventually was given a phone number where he spoke directly with the supposedly missing fisherman who was not in any distress at all. He said that he simply left his vehicle and trailer in the parking lot and stayed on his boat at a mooring.
G) We all have heard the expression, "a small leak can sink a great ship." Well, a routine inspection of the Oceanic cruise ship's hull while it was docked in New York harbor revealed a small hole that allowed water to slowly flood the ship. Divers temporarily sealed the hole with epoxy, but all passengers were ordered off the ship and were taken to hotels. The ship was expected to be repaired at a New Jersey dry dock and resume its voyage to Venezuela. The Coast Guard said the ship was damaged after leaving Reykjavik, Iceland before it arrived in New York.
H) Genmar dealers are organizing to have a single law firm represent them in the Genmar bankruptcy court case. Dealers claim they are owed money for warranty work and for promotional manufacturer rebates that they have already passed on to the buyers of Genmar boats. They also want to know what warranties if any apply to Genmar boats that are in their inventory. Genmar Holdings CEO Irwin Jacobs called the Genmar dealers movement the "most insulting, obnoxious thing I've ever seen or heard about in my life." Jacobs went to say, "I've worked my whole life to take care of my dealers, not to destroy them."
I) The U.S. Senate passed a resolution declaring July 1st as National Boating Day. The resolution recognizes the important role of recreational boaters and the recreational boating industry. Latest statistics show that there are more than 70 million boaters in the United States who contribute 35 billion dollars to the nation's economy, creating business opportunities and local jobs.
J) And last on today's nautical news, a big crackdown on driving under the influence is planned by the Coast Guard. It is called Operation Dry Water, and the Coast Guard along with police will be looking for boaters driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. In 2007, the Coast Guard reported 21 percent of all recreational boating fatal accident resulted from the use of alcohol. The legal blood alcohol content limit in most states is .08 percent. Consequences for boating under the influence include: prison, loss of boating or automobile driving licenses, and fines. The effects of drinking alcohol on a boat can be far more intense when combined with the sun, wind, and rocking motion of a boat.
7/5/09
A) The Tall Ships will be arriving in Boston tomorrow for the first time since 2000. The last time the tall ships came to Boston was 2000 and then 1992 before then. This year's event is part of the international Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge race, which started in Spain and ends in Ireland. Boston is one of two North American ports of call in the race, along with Charleston, South Carolina. Unlike previous tall ship events, there will be no parade of ships this year. The public will have opportunities to view the vessels from the pier, and tour some of the ships between Thursday, July 9 and Sunday, July 12 at Charlestown Navy Yard, the Seaport World Trade Center, and the Fish Pier. Although vessels will be moored in other areas, including Rowes Wharf, Fan Pier, the Moakley Courthouse, and Battery Wharf, they will not be open for the public to board. For more information on the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge, pier access hours and a detailed event schedule, visit the Sail Boston 2009 website at http://www.sailboston.com. All vessels planning to view the Tall Ships in Boston Harbor are asked to follow a Vessel Traffic Plan established specifically for Sail Boston 2009. This plan is also posted on the Sail Boston website and will be enforced by Coast Guard, State of Massachusetts, and City of Boston law enforcement boats positioned throughout the harbor.
B) A Cape Cod shellfisherman, working in his aluminum boat in Little Pleasant Bay off Orleans, was struck by lightning and killed. The victim, who was in his 40s, appeared to be getting ready to leave the shellfish grounds in his boat when he the lightning bolt struck him. Another nearby boater, a 66-year-old man who witnessed the accident, called for help, and he too was taken to Cape Cod hospital for treatment of chest pains.
C) A team of five from the Inspector General's Office has arrived in Gloucester from the nation's capital and is now investigating "allegations of excessive penalties and retaliatory actions" against New England fishermen by the local fishery law enforcement and regulatory officials. Interviews with fishermen and their representatives in undisclosed locations are scheduled for this week. For years fishermen have complained to their Congressman about abuse of power and retaliatory action by the National Marine Fisheries Office in Gloucester and now, the Congressman have finally gotten the Inspector General to act. Similar complaints were also registered by fishermen and Congressman in North Carolina.
D) The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs has unveiled a draft of the Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan for the public to review and make comments. The draft plan, which was mandated by the Oceans Act of 2008, was developed in the context of an extensive, and ongoing, public participation process. Another round of public comment will begin after the release. The Act sets a deadline of December 31, 2009 for final promulgation of an ocean plan that balances protection of marine resources with uses such as renewable energy development.
E) The Staten Island Ferry lost power and hit a pier at full speed. Witnesses said loudspeakers warned passengers to "Hang on," the captain blew the ship's horn, and the crew yelled for passengers to retreat to the stern of the ferry. The hard landing occurred shortly after rush hour, at 7:10PM, with an estimated 800 passengers on board. The impact did not send any passengers overboard, but at least 12 passengers were injured and transported to the hospital. The ferry boat suffered only superficial damage.
F) Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer Thomas Guthlein, who just left the command post of Station Point Allerton in Hull to take over command of Coast Guard Station Castle Hill in Newport, Rhode Island, also was installed as the Coast Guard's Ancient Keeper. Guthlein is the third person in Coast Guard history to achieve the title Ancient Keeper. The title of Ancient Keeper recognizes a Coast Guardsman with outstanding performance and longevity of service in boat forces operations.
G) America's Cup champion, team Alinghi of Switzerland, will sail a 90 foot long catamaran when it defends the oldest trophy in international sports early next year against its bitter U.S. rival BMW Oracle Racing. Alinghi and BMW Oracle Racing of San Francisco are scheduled to meet in a best of 3 series in February. The rare one on one showdown is the result of a convoluted, two-year court fight in which BMW Oracle Racing was declared the rightful Challenger of Record. Team Alinghi gets to pick the venue, with a decision due by August 8th. The Swiss reportedly are considering Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, apparently feeling that their catamaran would excel there in light wind and flat water. BMW Oracle Racing will also race with a 90 foot trimaran.
H) And last on today's nautical news, remember the ultra modern, biofuel, wave piercing boat called Earthrace, the trimaran powerboat that broke the world speed record for circumnavigating the globe last year? Its skipper and owner, New Zealander Pete Bethune, has announced that Earthrace will now be heading to the Antarctic Ocean to join the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society in their whale war against the Japanese whalers. Bethune said that the whaling fleet will find it hard to get away from his boat Earthrace, even though he will be adding about half of ton of Kevlar to the boat's hull to help protect it against the ice.
7/12/09
A) Hundreds of fishermen from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island marched from Gloucester's City Hall to the sea in protest of the federal government's efforts to punish the fishing industry. State Senator Bruce Tarr said, "It never should have gotten this far, but when there is an injustice, we are bold enough and strong enough to eradicate it." The protest was designed to send a message not only to the fisheries regulators and enforcers, but to the investigators from the Inspector General's office of the U.S. Commerce Department who are now in town investigating complaints about the National Marine Fisheries retaliatory tactics. Last May, even Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley determined that something was wrong with the enforcement tactics being used against the Gloucester seafood auction house and the local fishermen.
B) Marshfield's state Representative James Cantwell is pushing a bill on Beacon Hill to study the idea of branding cod fish caught in Massachusetts waters. He said he would like to see "Commonwealth Cod" on restaurant menus everywhere in the nation. The branding campaign would help consumers recognize Massachusetts cod fish the same way as Maine lobsters and Maryland crab cakes. Ed Barrett, president of the Massachusetts Fisherman's Partnership, said this type of marketing would clear up a lot of misconceptions among consumers who think they are buy fresh, locally caught cod at the market when instead they are buying previously frozen cod caught in Alaska.
C) A survival suit, believed to belong to one of the crewmen who was aboard the Gloucester fishing boat Patriot that sank last January, was recovered off a Cape Cod beach by a lifeguard. The suit, still enclosed in its orange bag, was found floating near Marconi Beach in Wellfleet. The name Russo was printed on the survival suit. The two fishermen aboard the Patriot were Matteo Russo and John Orlando. The Coast Guard is now in possession of the survival suit.
D) There has been a major breakthrough in hydrogen power. A Volvo Penta subsidiary will next month begin manufacturing hydrogen powered generators for boats. Hydrogen powered boats would be the next step, but that is still in the future. An official with Volvo Penta predicts his company's hydrogen powered generators will replace existing gas and diesel powered systems because the hydrogen generators make no noise, cause no vibrations, and emit no carbon monoxide. Also, the new Volvo system does not need to be refilled at a hydrogen station. It is designed to make its own hydrogen fuel and electricity from a chemical reaction.
E) The Boat Owners Association of The United States and the National Marine Manufacturers Association are urging boaters to speak out on a federal bill that would allow the amount of ethanol in gasoline to increase from 10 percent to 15 percent. The federal comment period ends July 20th. Boat manufacturers are concerned the use of E15 in marine engines would void engine warranties and damage motors and fuel systems, putting boaters' safety at risk, which in turn would cause more calls for help to an already overburdened Coast Guard.
F) A Cape Cod boater was arrested for DUI after he headed directly for a fireworks barge in Hyannis. Officials said the man had previously lost his automobile driver's license, and that this was the 8th time he was arrested for driving a boat under the influence, but said there was nothing they could do to prevent him operating a boat in the future because Massachusetts has no boat driver's license law. Local law enforcement officers say arrests for driving a boat under the influence are not extensive, but nationwide they are attributed to about 20% of all fatal boating accidents.
G) Dolphins are often seen swimming off the tip of Cape Cod in Provincetown harbor. Boaters are now being warned not to feed them. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the health and welfare of wild dolphins is severely compromised when humans feed them. Furthermore, people who feed the dolphins risk being bit. Feeding any wild animal can cause it to become dependent on human food, changing natural behaviors and possibly leading to starvation if the animal becomes unable to feed and hunt successfully. Just the other day, a marine biologist said dolphins were seen approaching boats to beg for food. Feeding wild dolphins is illegal under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Penalties can include fines up to $20,000 and one year in jail.
H) And last on today's nautical news, members of the animal rights group PETA put on fish tails, but left the top half of their bodies uncovered, and then laid on the ground outside the American Veterinary Medical Association's conference held in Seattle. PETA said the goal was to call attention to the veterinarian association's failure to adopt policies to lessen the suffering of fish, including a popular fish tossing exhibition by a local market's fishmongers that was sponsored by the veterinarian's association. Veterinarians from Texas said they specifically go to the annual convention just for the fish throwing. Other veterinarians said they saw nothing wrong with the fish throwing demonstration and pointed out that the fish being thrown were dead. By the way, after the fish were tossed at the convention, they were all cooked and eaten. This further aggravated the half naked PETA protesters.
7/19/09
A) Estimates of 3 million people came to see the 41 Tall Ships docked in Boston, and thousands bid them bon voyage as they departed in grand style. The ships hoisted their sails and sailed out of the city. Among the more majestic ships leaving under sail were the mighty Kruzenshtern from Russia and the Europa from the Netherlands. Mayor Menino might have prevented the ships from sailing into Boston, but he couldn't stop them from sailing away. The Tall Ships are now headed for Halifax, Nova Scotia.
B) The regional chief law enforcement officer at Gloucester's National Marine Fisheries Service headquarters admitted in a sworn affidavit that he tipped off the Boston Globe newspaper about a legal action to close the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction four hours before the auction itself was notified. Federal law enforcers used the newspaper to influence public opinion against the fishermen and the auction house. This latest admission gives the fishermen a lot more credence with the Inspector General's office in the U.S. Department of Commerce, which is investigating complaints by state and federal legislators about "vindictive" enforcement tactics by NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service. The president of the fish auction house, in an affidavit to the judge, alleged that the Fisheries Service wanted to harm the reputation of the business by having the Boston Globe publish that the auction was on the verge of being shut down so that fishermen would find a new place to bring their catch. The Globe's Boston.com web site's headline was "Seafood auction gets ban for 10 days." Reporters at the Globe were surprised to learn that the auction house was in fact not shut down. Massachusetts State Senator Bruce Tarr described the record created by the affidavits as proving the effort to harm the auction were "calculated and intentional."
C) Seventeen year old Zac Sunderland of California became the youngest person to sail 26000 miles around the world alone. No one under the age of 18 had ever accomplished this feat. When his 36 foot sailboat, which he bought for $6,000 with his own money, arrived and docked at Marina del Rey in California, it completed his 13-month voyage around the world. Zac Sunderland departed Marina del Rey when was 16 years old on June 14th, 2008. Zac used a satellite phone to call home from time to time, and one night frantically told of a boat with possible pirates approaching him. His family told him to load his pistol and "shoot to kill" if necessary. Fortunately that wasn't necessary as the other boat moved slowly away. Other stories of survival at sea will be told in a book that Zac is now writing.
D) The Coast Guard rescued an injured fisherman who severed two of his fingers while working offshore aboard the 88-foot scallop vessel Ellen Marie. The Coast Guard asked the captain of the boat to head for Chatham as they raced from Chatham to the meet the boat. The Coast Guard got the injured man into their boat and then rushed to a waiting ambulance in Chatham, which brought him to Cape Cod Hospital.
E) Station Menemsha Coast Guard on Martha's Vineyard escorted a 69-foot New Bedford scallop boat back to its home port New Bedford after it was pulled off the rocks on Brenton Reef near Newport, Rhode Island. No injuries were reported by the four person crew aboard the scallop boat, but their boat's hull suffered a one inch hole which was quickly plugged. The four fishermen were screened for alcohol and the results were negative. Drug tests were also ordered. The cause of the grounding is now under investigation.
F) After receiving a call about 4AM this morning about a missing Marshfield boater, local harbormasters and the Coast Guard began their search and found the man in his boat, adrift, out of gas, on the North River. Brad Jenkins, 23, was unharmed after he said he drifted all night after running out of gas. A Norwell Harbor Master boat crew found Jenkins, who was being towed by a recreational boater back to his mooring in Marshfield. Jenkins said he had a cell phone on the boat, but lost it earlier in the evening and was unable to call for help. He said he could not get to shore due to the strong currents in the area. Authorities said Jenkins was not under the influence of alcohol when he was located.
G) Leaders from two federally recognized Native American tribes want federal officials to deny the permit to build the Cape Wind project that is proposed for Horseshoe Shoal. Both tribes consider Horseshoe Shoal a sacred site where their ancestors fished, hunted, and possibly were buried. They also object to the wind turbines because it would obstruct their view of the horizon, interfering with their spiritual well-being. Both tribes consider an unobstructed view of the horizon essential to their spiritual well-being as "People of the First Light."
H) A new ferry route started this weekend carrying passengers from New York City to Martha's Vineyard. The service, provided by New England Fast Ferry, was tested successfully over the July 4 weekend when two hundred tickets were sold. A regular weekend schedule is now set to run through Labor Day. The ferries can travel at 40 knots, so the trip to Martha's Vineyard takes a little more than five hours from Manhattan. A round trip ticket costs $200 for adults.
I) Leave it to Microsoft founder Bill Gates to find a way to weaken a hurricane. According to a USA Today news report, Gates submitted five U.S. Patent and Trade Office patent applications on July 9th, showing how cold, ocean water would be pumped and blown from barges into the path of a hurricane to weaken it. If the patents are issued, Gates and his co-inventors will have 18 years of legal rights to hurricane fighting system.
J) And last on today's nautical news, a 12 mile long swath of thick, gooey algae with stringy hair is floating in the Arctic Ocean on the north coast of Alaska. At first glance, it appears to look like an oil slick. No one along Alaska's north coast can ever recall seeing such a bloom. Among the items stuck in the algae were a skeleton of a dead goose, numerous jellyfish, and sea birds. Scientists are mystified as to why is there so much of it and how or what created it.
A) Tension is high amongst lobstermen in Maine. Prices are down and the weather has been miserable. Some lobstermen are threatening to keep their boats at the dock to drive up prices. Lobstermen on Matinicus Island in Maine will have no choice but to keep their boats at the dock as police have ordered them to do so because of continued acts of vandalism to lobster gear and territorial disputes, the latest which ended in gunfire. According to Maine state police, 68-year-old Vance Bunker shot fellow lobsterman Chris Young, 41, in the neck with a .22 caliber handgun during an argument over where his lobster traps were placed. Young was treated at the hospital where doctors said he would survive. Nearly 200 traps had been cut over the weekend prior to the dispute, which possibly led to the shooting. There are only about 80 residents on Matinicus in the summer, and according to Maine Department of Marine Resources Commissioner, nearly half of them have lobster permits as fishing is their only means of income.
B) A Marblehead woman whose boat went out of control and crashed into a Salem resident's backyard pleaded not guilty to charges of operating a boat while under the influence of alcohol and unsafe operation of a motor boat. The woman was arrested and charged with drunken boat driving after her 24-foot boat went ashore into the backyard of a home in Salem. According to witnesses, the female skipper had been seen recklessly driving the boat and then making tight circles, or "donuts" in the water before the accident, jumping its own wake. Eventually, the female skipper and a male passenger fell overboard, and then the unoccupied boat continued on at full throttle until it ended up crashing ashore. The woman and her passenger were rescued by another nearby boater. Field sobriety tests were given to the female operator after she was treated at the hospital. The results of that test were not released. One local harbormaster said that there really is no easy way to conduct field sobriety tests on the water. Furthermore, most harbormasters do not have police powers.
C) About 125 boats participated in this year's Monster Shark Tournament in Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard. Rain, wind, and rough seas turned the annual two day event into a one day event. The winning fish was a 361-pound porbeagle shark caught by a boat named Karen Jean II from Marshfield. Coast Guard documentation papers list the owner of Karen Jean II as John P. Anderson, Jr. of Marshfield. The shark measured more than 7 feet long.
D) First it was Spain. Then it was France, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Now Germany is throwing its support behind a proposal to list Atlantic bluefin tuna on the International Convention on Trade in Endangered Species, which would effectively ban international trade of any Atlantic bluefin tuna. For years Americans have conserved while countries like Lybia, Spain, and France had little or no conservation. Because of the Japanese's love of sushi, about 80% of the bluefin tuna harvested ends up in Japan.
E) NOAA released its annual list of the country's leading fishing ports and Dutch Harbor, Alaska, and New Bedford are once again the United States' top fishing ports. For the 20th consecutive year, Dutch Harbor ranked number 1 in terms of volume and for the ninth straight year, New Bedford ranked number 1 in terms of value. Gloucester was the only other Massachusetts port to make the top 10 list. It was ranked ninth in total value of catch and 10th in total volume of catch.
F) The National Fisheries Institute released their annual top 10 seafood list consumed in 2008 in the United States. The top eight species on the list remained unchanged from 2007. Shrimp again ranked No. 1 followed by canned tuna, salmon, pollock, tilapia, catfish, crab, and cod. The only change was in the 9th and 10th spot. Flatfish moved up and clams moved down. Also NOAA's statistics released this past week showed that U.S. per capita seafood consumption dropped to 16 pounds last year from 16.3 pounds in 2007. That's the lowest amount in the past 6 years.
G) With growing uncertainty about the future of the Hingham, Quincy, and Hull commuter boats because of budget shortfalls, Massachusetts State Representative Garrett Bradley sent a letter to the MBTA voicing his opposition to any stoppage or reduction of commuter boat service. The MBTA estimates that over 3,500 people use the Hingham, Hull and Quincy commuter boats to commute to Boston every day. Bradley wrote that it was clear that the commuter boat is the fastest and most efficient way for Hull and Hingham residents to commute to Boston. A public meeting on the commuter boat service will be held by the MBTA from 5-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 12th, at the Thayer Public Library in Braintree. There will also be a meeting from 4-7 p.m. on Monday, August 10th at the Gardner Auditorium in the State House.
H) The Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut is dealing with an outbreak of the swine flu that has hit its campus hard. More than 30 confirmed cases of the swine flu virus have been confirmed and that number is expected to rise as more blood samples are tested. Cadets are being quarantined while janitors attempt to scrub the walls and doors of the academy.
I) The Princess Cruise Lines' Sapphire Princess arrived at the Port of Vancouver with a dead whale wedged under its bow. It wasn't immediately known when the collision occurred. A Canadian spokesperson with that country's Department of Fisheries and Oceans said that the whale was a 70 foot long fin whale, a threatened species in Canada. A necropsy will be done to determine if the ship had struck the whale while it was alive or if the whale had been floating dead at sea.
J) And last on today's nautical news, the body of a 5 foot long shark was left lying in the middle of a Miami street after two men apparently tried to sell it to several fish markets for $10, but were told that the fish markets don't buy sharks and don't buy fish from unlicensed vendors. Eyewitnesses took photos of the two men dragging the shark on a Metro train and then down the street where they abandoned it in the middle of the street. Police were called as traffic came to a standstill. Highway workers removed the fish and dumped it in the ocean.
8/02/09
A) A new study of the world's fisheries released by scientist Boris Worm now claims that many fish stocks in the United States, New Zealand, and Iceland are experiencing a population explosion. The report appears in the latest issue of Science magazine. A couple of years ago, the same Boris Worm predicted there would be no more fish in the ocean by the year 2048. Worm and his colleagues from the Pew Environmentalist Group which fund these reports have been criticized as having an anti-fishing agenda.
B) As the federal government and environmentalists push for a new type of fishing system called "catch shares," NOAA's chief, Jane Lubchenco, claims the government has no interest in consolidating the nation's fishing industry into the hands of a few large corporations. Instead, she said, the government will craft rules to protect smaller, family-run fishermen who have traditionally plied the nation's coastal waters. Lubchenco admitted that there is a lot more to fishing than just economics. She said it's about providing healthy, safe seafood. It is about jobs, culture, and community. Marshfield fisherman John Haviland, with 34 years of commercial experience, said that if it weren't for individual commercial fishermen fighting back, the federal government would have squeezed them out of the marketplace a long time ago. The problem, Haviland explained, is that the fishing limits and the cost of government regulations and oversight are making it increasingly difficult for anyone to turn a profit except for larger operations with fleets of boats. Other fishermen complained about the government's inability to produce good science and statistics.
C) A 56 year old Rhode Island man who was known to dive for quahogs from his 25-foot boat named the Chelsea Ann was reported overdue by his wife. She called the State Police who in turn contacted the Coast Guard. After narrowing down a search area, the Coast Guard found the Chelsea Ann at anchor and noticed a diver air hose deployed over the side. They immediately called the Warwick Fire Department for a dive team and when they arrived and went down, they found the missing man deceased on the bottom in 20 feet of water. The man was identified as Louis Ricciarelli, Jr. of Exeter, Rhode Island.
D) A nearly 7-foot dwarf sperm whale washed up on a Nantucket beach. Dwarf sperm whales are among the smallest species in the whale family. Members of the Nantucket Marine Mammal Stranding Team said the whale had been badly injured before it came ashore and died. A team from the New England Aquarium was scheduled to perform a necropsy on the whale to determine how it died, but it was obvious that something had taken a big bite out of it.
E) About 60 crew members on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Voyager of the Seas have been diagnosed with swine flu and confined to their cabins while the ship is in a French port. In addition to the people have been diagnosed with swine flu, another 70 ship employees showed symptoms of it. However, the cruise line management is claiming that the sickness is not swine flu, so local officials allowed the ship's 3,600 passengers to get off the ship to tour the town.
F) The Coast Guard has given conditional approval of the Weaver's Cove Energy plan to build an offshore liquefied natural gas terminal in Mt. Hope Bay in Fall River harbor pilots and tug boat captains undergo special training. Officials with Weaver's Cove said their LNG facility could be up and running by 2015. U.S. Senators Kennedy, Kerry, Reed, and Whitehouse opposed the project along with Congressman Barney Frank.
G) How many times have we told you not to eat farm raised fish, especially those raised in third world countries. Now, Chile, the world's second largest salmon exporter, has admitted to using almost 350 times more antibiotics in its farmed salmon in 2008 than Norway, its chief competitor and the largest salmon producer in the world. Chile's Economy Ministry just admitted that Chile used almost 718,000 pounds of antibiotics in 2008 and more than 850,000 pounds in 2007 in order to prevent the spread of a virus that killed millions of its fish. Unsanitary conditions and cramped pens have been blamed for the disease. Consumers should know that about one-third of the antibiotics being used in Chile are not approved for use by the United States Food and Drug Administration.
H) And last on today's nautical news, an auction sale of Crownline Boats' assets is set for August 7th in Chicago. According to the Chicago Tribune newspaper, the assets to be sold include all of Crownline's machinery, equipment, tooling, fixtures, molds, furniture, intellectual property, computer equipment, operating systems, accounts receivable, raw and finished goods, inventory, and customer information. Last month, the parent company of Rinker Boats expressed an interest in buying the assets of Crownline Boats, and apparently will be bidding at the auction.
8/9/09
A) The Coast Guard is giving away Minot's Lighthouse off the coast of Cohasset, but whoever agrees to take the 114-foot tall lighthouse must pay for upkeep and maintenance as laid out in the Historic Lighthouse Preservation Handbook.
The Coast Guard said the lighthouse is an "excess" asset, and is offering it under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act. Minot's Light has guided ships around the treacherous Minot's ledge since 1860. The original structure, a steel legged tower, collapsed during a storm in 1851, taking the lives of two keepers.
B) A small private plane carrying three people and a New York tourist helicopter carrying six people collided in midair and plunged into the Hudson River opposite West 14th Street in Manhattan. At least two people were confirmed dead and a search was on for the others. A passing Circle Line boat was diverted to the scene within 30 seconds of the crash, followed by water taxis and other river craft, and within minutes police and fire boats and Coast Guard rescue teams were headed for the site. But both aircraft had sunk quickly under the strong currents. The Coast Guard said that the Army Corps of Engineers was using side-scanning sonar to search for wreckage.
C) The turf war between lobstermen in Maine continues after reports of a shooting on Matinicus Island a couple of weeks ago. This time three lobster boats were sabotaged and two of them sunk. The third boat was discovered partially sunk before sunrise when lobstermen arrived to pull their traps. Officials said the boats' hoses were cut allowing seawater to fill the boat. It was reported that none of the boats were insured.
D) The 118-foot tall ship Unicorn ran aground in the Woods Hole passage and became stuck on a rock for hours. The ship was built in 1947 from materials salvaged from captured German U-boats after World War II. At one time the tall ship was owned by Morris Henson, whose brother, Jim Henson, created the Muppets. The ship's current owners, bought the Unicorn in 1999 and converted it into a training ship for teenage girls who want to learn how to sail. No one was injured and there was no pollution from the grounding according to the Coast Guard. Two boats from Sea Tow, along with the tugboat Jaguar, were called to assist the Unicorn. The Unicorn was eventually freed and then sailed on to Martha's Vineyard where divers were hired to inspect the integrity of the hull.
E) The Russian military is flexing its muscle. Two nuclear powered Russian attack subs have been observed off the United States east coast. U.S. defense officials said the Russian submarines are in international waters and are nothing to worry about, but they noted this is the closest the Russian subs have come to the U.S. in about a decade. A top Russian general said the nuclear-powered subs are just a part of regular patrols.
F) The International Fund for Animal Welfare concluded in a recent federal report that whale watching is far more profitable than whale hunting. Revenues from whale watching in 2008 reached 2.1 billion dollars, twice as much as a decade ago. Last year, 13 million people went whale watching in 119 different countries and accounted for 13,000 jobs.
G) A North Carolina man along with four friends aboard a boat named No Problem caught the big one and won the Ocean City Maryland's White Marlin Tournament. The fish was so big that it set a state record, weighing in at 1,062 pounds. It also netted the $555,000 first place prize, but the man who caught the fish might not get any of the money because he agreed that all prize money would go to the owner of the boat who paid all the expenses to enter the tournament.
H) And last on today's nautical news, down in Florida near Marco Island, a pod of dolphins were frolicking in the water when suddenly one of the bottlenose dolphins leaped into the air and landed in a boat. The dolphin was stunned, but unhurt, and the boaters were in shock. They didn't know how to get the dolphin out of their boat, so they called the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, who advised them to keep the dolphin wet and calm and to meet them at the boat ramp. Upon reaching the boat ramp, officials treated the dolphin for a small cut over its eye. They carefully weighed and measured the dolphin, which seemed to take it all in stride. Then the staff used a stretcher to return the 120 pound dolphin back into the water. Hopefully it will reunite with its family.
8/16/09
A) A Russian crewed cargo ship that vanished two weeks ago, and has had the entire Russian naval fleet searching for it, has been reported to be off the Cape Verde islands. However, there have also been reports of the ship being a thousand or more miles away from the Cape Verde. This is possible because the ship's tracking device might have been transferred to another ship. The ship was carrying a cargo of timber worth $1.8 million and was due to make port on August 4th in Algeria. However, some believe the ship was carrying a much more valuable cargo than timber. Some believe the ship was also transporting drugs. The question of who was involved is just one of the many of questions the Russians are trying to answer. A European Union spokesman said that the ship appeared to have been attacked twice, but not in "traditional" acts of piracy or armed robbery at sea. Was he trying to say that Russian drug smugglers had taken over the ship and they completely baffled the Russian Navy? We now are hearing reports about a ransom being demanded for return of the ship.
B) This past week, the Boston Yacht Haven Marina at the end of Commercial Wharf sold at a foreclosure auction for $8 million. A total of 14 bidders showed up driving the opening bid of 2 million dollars to the 8 million mark. The price was less than the 11 1/2 million dollars that creditors were owed. The winning bidder's identity was not immediately made known.
C) Brunswick Corp., the nation's largest recreational boatbuilder, announced that it was discontinuing its Maxum boat line, which it established in 1988. Brunswick hopes that the discontinuance of the Maxum boat brand will help it emerge into a stronger company as the recession comes to an end. Last year, Brunswick announced it would cease production of four of its other boat brands, Sea Pro, Sea Boss, Palmetto, and Laguna.
D) The Coast Guard reported a 3.5 percent increase in recreational boating fatalities for 2008. Last year, the Coast Guard recorded 709 deaths compared to 685 in 2007. The top five contributing factors to recreational boating accidents were: operator inattention; careless or reckless operation; no proper lookout; operator inexperience; and passenger or skier behavior according to the Coast Guard report. Surprisingly, alcohol consumption was not listed in the top five factors. Boating under the influence of alcohol contributed to 17 percent of the fatal boating accidents. A Coast Guard official said the top 5 factors could have been reduced if the operators had taken a safe boating education course. Only 10 percent of deaths occurred on boats where the operator had received boating safety education.
E) A group of Florida boaters spear fishing and lobster diving said a 5 1/2 foot long bull shark jumped into their 21 foot boat. After about 30 minutes of the shark thrashing and bleeding all over the deck, the fishermen were able to put a line around the shark's tail, grabbed it by its fins, and threw it back into the water. Fortunately, no one was injured.
F) A Rhode Island lobsterman who hauled up a 12½-pound lobster near the Newport Bridge says he can't find a safe home for the creature. He estimated the female lobster is about 60 years old and he doesn't want to see it on anyone's dinner table. Instead, he wants to give it to a zoo or an aquarium or some other institution where it can live out its days without fear of being caught again.
G) The ethanol industry is calling for thousands of gasoline stations to dispense different ethanol blends depending on the customer's preference. Previously ethanol producers have asked the Environmental Protection Agency to raise the allowable ethanol blend to 15 percent from the current 10 percent limit. Ethanol supporters say the fuel additive, which is made from corn, reduces vehicle air pollution and lessens the nation's dependency on foreign oil while critics say ethanol reduces a vehicle's fuel economy, is subsidized with tax dollars, and raises the cost of food and fuel. According to the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, boat engines, chain saws, lawn mowers, snowmobiles, motorcycles, generators, and other small-engine equipment could be permanently damaged from using a 15 percent blend of ethanol.
H) And last on today's nautical news, a new study suggests that adults 65 and older in developing countries, who regularly ate fish, seemed to have a lower risk of dementia. Among the nearly 15,000 older adults living in China, India, and Latin America who were studied, the more fish the people ate the better their memory. Researchers believe that the benefits come from the omega-3 fatty acids found most abundantly in oily fish like salmon, mackerel, and albacore tuna. The findings were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Sort of proves that fish is brain food.
8/24/09
A) The ocean off the Northeast coast of the United States has been super warm this summer. July was the hottest the world's oceans have been in almost 130 years of record-keeping. The average water temperature worldwide was 62.6 degrees according to the National Climatic Data Center. That was 1.1 degree higher than the 20th century average, and beat the previous high set in 1998 by a couple hundredths of a degree. The Mediterranean is also reported to be about three degrees warmer than normal this summer.
B) A 37-year-old Quincy man died after the personal watercraft he was driving crashed into a small boat on Cape Cod. Michael C. Stamos was driving his employer's Honda Aqua Trax when it went out of control and struck a 17 foot boat that contained his boss and a co-worker. They too were thrown into the water, but were not injured. Another nearby boater pulled Stamos from the water onto to his boat and took him to a nearby dock to meet an ambulance that took him to Cape Cod Hospital. He was later flown to Boston. Barnstable and Massachusetts Environmental Police are investigating the cause of the crash, and Barnstable police said no citations were issued.
C) Two people were saved despite spending more than two hours in the water without life jackets after their boat capsized about 10 miles northwest of Racepoint, off the tip of Cape Cod. Boat operator Charlie Maclean, 23, and his girlfriend Claire DeLarbre, 20, both of Marshfield were trying to bring a tuna on board their 22-foot SeaCraft when the boat capsized, tossing them into the ocean. About two hours later, the operator of a passing boat, Miracle II, spotted the couple, pulled them out of the water, and called the Coast Guard. A 25-foot boat from Coast Guard Station Point Allerton rushed to the scene to rendezvous with the Miracle II and then brought the couple to Green Harbor.
D) A rescue helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod was called to rescue two people and their dog that were stranded in shallow water near hazardous rocks off the coast of Hull. Coast Guard Station Point Allerton received a call that a white pleasure craft was aground after becoming disabled and being pushed by the waves into the rocks. Station Point Allerton launched a 25-foot response boat, and was on scene nearby the vessel, but the shallow water and rocks prevented the boat crew to get close enough to rescue the people on board. The First Coast Guard District Command Center then sent the helicopter crew to the scene who airlifted the two people and their dog to a nearby baseball field. The people where then transferred to the Hull Fire Department which reported no injuries to the people or their dog. A Coast Guard official said with Hurricane Bill approaching the area, it would have been too dangerous to leave these people on the water.
E) Two men face felony charges after police and harbormaster officers arrested them for allegedly stealing fishing rods and reels off boats docked at Marshfield's Green Harbor marina. The men gained access to the marina by arriving in a boat, and then tried to make their get away in the boat. An alert boater at the marina called the police reporting a man taking fishing rods off a boat. The caller said he confronted the man, knowing that the boat wasn't his. After the confrontation, the alleged thief jumped into the waiting boat and sped across the harbor to a pier where he got off with the fishing rods. The boat then headed for the launch ramp where he was promptly greeted by the harbormaster and police. Six more fishing rods were found lying in the boat along with a cooler and fishing net. It was later determined that a total of 11 rods had been stolen from three boats at the marina, including five tuna rods valued at more than $800 each. Police said that breaking and entering into a boat in the nighttime is a felony.
F) Last Sunday evening, a 39-foot powerboat hit the rocks as it was leaving Cohasset Harbor and began taking on water. The boat's skipper radioed a "mayday" call and the Cohasset Harbormaster, upon being notified by the Scituate Harbormaster department, responded with two of its boats. Two pumps were immediately employed, but could not prevent the boat from sinking. The boat's three passengers safely got off the boat before it went down. The boat's name was "Aquaholic" and its home port was reported to be in Swampscott.
G) And speaking of Cohasset, a couple of weeks ago we reported that the Coast Guard was giving away Minot's Light, the lighthouse that warns mariners to stay away from the nearby rocks and ledges. A Cohasset selectman said taking ownership of Minot Light might be too much of a liability for just one group, but if several groups could get together, then it might work. Cohasset selectmen were hoping that maybe the Cohasset and Scituate historical societies could band together to own and maintain Minot Light. The deadline to send a letter of interest to acquire the Minot's Light must be sent to the federal government's General Services Administration by September 30. If no letters of interest are received, it is possible that the lighthouse could be sold at public auction.
H) A pair of kayakers paddling near Monomoy Island off Chatham reported seeing a great white shark attack and kill a large gray seal. At one point, they said the injured seal jumped out of the water right next to their kayaks. The two kayakers followed a prearranged plan in case of a shark siting, and tied their kayaks together, so that they would appear to be much larger. After the seal and shark disappeared, the two then separated and paddled away from the bloody water. Although the two men did not have any photographic evidence, their report was deemed to be "credible" by a biologist with the state's Division of Marine Fisheries. There have been several reports of similar attacks over the past few years, and there is no doubt that great white sharks live in the area.
I) State officials have scheduled the last of five public hearings for Massachusetts to zone its ocean waters. The final hearing will be at 6PM on September 23rd on Martha's Vineyard. Other hearings are scheduled for Barnstable, Boston, New Bedford, and Gloucester. Public comments on the draft plan must be received by snail mail or email before 5PM November 23rd. All comments should be sent to the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management office in Boston. The final version of the plan will go into effect January 1st.
J) A tugboat crew blew its horn and tried to contact a drawbridge operator on the radio to open the bridge, but got no response. The bridge connects East Boston to Chelsea, and passes over a busy waterway that oil tankers and tug boats frequently use. The tugboat captain called for help and the Chelsea police responded to find the bridge operator asleep in the middle of the afternoon. Police said that the bridge operator appeared intoxicated, but he claimed he was simply overtired from working long hours. The man is employed by the City of Boston's Department of Public Works, which immediately removed him his job.
K) And last on today's nautical news, a survey of the sea scallop population off the Eastern seaboard shows an upswing in their numbers in key fishing area in the Northeast. The survey, conducted from May to June by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, a division of the National Marine Fisheries Service, showed the numbers of juvenile scallops found on Georges Bank were the highest since 2000. Last week, the same agency announced they caught the most sharks this year when they did their shark survey.
8/30/09
A) The eleventh annual Boston In-Water Boat Show, scheduled for October 1st through the 4th at the Seaport World Trade Center on Boston Harbor, has been canceled for 2009. Show manager Warren Kelly of Vernon Promotions stated that this year's event is just another victim of the weak economy. He said that most dealers have sold-down their non-current inventories and do not have many 2010 models in stock or on order right now. Kelly insisted that the Boston fall show has been a major show in this region for many years and it will be back next year.
B) Fishermen from New Bedford drove their boats to Martha's Vineyard to protest new stricter fishing regulations that include catch shares. With hopes of catching the President's and the national media's attention, the boats displayed banners with slogans such as "Fisheries Science not Political Science" and "Catch Shares Privatize the Sea." The boats blew their horns and circled the harbor a few times and then departed peacefully. Vineyard Haven selectmen and the harbormaster gave their support to the fishermen, while the Obama administration supported the catch share system.
C) A Scituate man caught a 624-pound mako shark that broke the record for the largest male mako shark ever caught. Twenty year old Taylor Sears landed the fish while working on his father's charter fishing boat. Just before catching the shark, the young man's father was reeling in a bluefin tuna, and as the tuna came closer to the boat, the fishermen saw the shark chasing the tuna, and suddenly the shark bit the tuna in half. The young man said he then rigged his fishing line for shark fishing and put a chunk of tuna on the hook. Within minutes the shark took the bait and was hooked. About two hours later, the record breaking shark was brought into the boat. The charter boat returned to Scituate Harbor where officials weighed the shark.
D) Two members of a Falmouth environmental consulting company reported about 1,000 dead fish in Buzzards Bay last week. The dead fish were reported to the state's Division of Marine Fisheries and the Coalition for Buzzards Bay to determine what killed the fish. The mass of dead fish near Cleveland Ledge light, which included bluefish and menhaden, was estimated to be three miles long.
E) Two men held on to their capsized 18-foot boat in Vineyard Sound for roughly six hours before being rescued by another fisherman. David Brogioli of Wareham was fishing early in the morning when he spotted a splash about 500 yards away. Maneuvering his 23-foot boat closer, he noticed a capsized boat, mostly under water, and a man swimming about 20 yards from the boat. Another man was seen clinging to the bow of the boat. Brogioli immediately called 911 on his cell phone and Coast Guard Station Woods Hole responded. Both men were saved, but one of them was barely conscious, suffering from hypothermia.
F) World class powerboat racing champion Reggie Fountain, who founded Fountain Powerboat Industries in 1979, has filed for bankruptcy protection for his corporation. The bankruptcy petition listed only $3 in personal property, and $19.6 million in liabilities. Fountain powerboats are known for their high performance, achieving speeds of 100+ miles per hour. Former President George H.W. Bush, the U.S. Coast Guard, and many other celebrities and foreign dignitaries are among the firm's customer list. The bankruptcy court will soon schedule a hearing in considering whether to approve the sale of Fountain's current inventory of unsold boats. If a sale is successful, the firm plans to continue its search for new investors. If the sale is not approved, then the company would move toward an "orderly liquidation."
G) And last on today's nautical news, Dutch authorities are trying to prevent a 13-year old girl from sailing around the world alone in a 26-foot sailboat in a bid to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world. Officials said they would take the girls divorced parents to court to try to gain custody of her if they insist on allowing her to sail around the world. Both parents say they fully support their daughter's adventure. The girl is already an experienced sailor, and she was even born during an around the world voyage. However, concerns about a 13-year-old sailing around the world are wide-ranging, from pirates to psychological issues. A spokesman for the Guinness Book of World records said that they do not encourage minors to break records.
9/6/09
A) The acting Town Manager in Plymouth confirmed that Harbormaster Timothy Routhier retired suddenly this past week, but would not comment on claims by confidential sources that Routhier's resignation was precipitated by a police investigation into the Harbormaster's office. The Town Manager said that Routhier had been a great asset to the town and she respects his decision to resign. After Labor Day weekend, the town will be advertising for a new Harbormaster. In the meantime, Assistant Harbormaster Chad Hunter is taking over the job as harbormaster. Both the Plymouth Harbormaster's office and the town's police department responded "No Comment" when asked why the harbormaster suddenly resigned, and they refused to answer whether they were involved in an investigation of the Harbormaster.
B) The town of Chatham is on high alert after several large great white sharks were spotted swimming close to shore near Lighthouse Beach. Town and state officials have issued warnings to the public urging them to avoid swimming anywhere they see seals. Just two weeks ago, a pair of kayakers reported seeing a great white shark attack a seal near Monomoy Point. The State's Division of Marine Fisheries shark expert Greg Skomal confirmed the sharks were great whites and successfully put a satellite tracking tag in one of the great whites.
C) The new "catch share" fishing system that goes into effect 2010 is in trouble. Commercial fishermen from all across the region are discovering serious errors by the government pertaining to their catch histories for the past 10 years. Those catch histories are used to determine how much each fisherman can catch and earn in 2010. Now, the National Marine Fisheries Service has acknowledged problems with their calculations, but said they will not make corrections in time to affect the relative catch shares assigned to fishermen for the 2010 fishing season. Some fishermen said they were being cheated by as much as 40 percent of what they should be allowed to catch and want to delay implementation of the catch share system until the government can correct its errors.
D) Persistent winds and a weakened current in the Mid-Atlantic contributed to higher than normal sea levels along the Eastern Seaboard in June and July, according to NOAA. After observing water levels six inches to two feet higher than originally predicted, NOAA scientists began analyzing data from select tide stations and buoys from Maine to Florida and found that a weakening of the Gulf Stream and the numerous N'oreasters, contributed to this anomaly. The highest sea levels occurred in the Mid-Atlantic where Baltimore experienced extreme high tides as much as two feet higher than normal. However, rising sea levels were also observed on our South Shore and Cape Cod beaches as well.
E) The NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole just released its 2009 Ecosystem Status Report. The report claims that fish populations from North Carolina to Maine have moved from their traditional home grounds to offshore because of warmer ocean temperatures and growing coastal populations. The report also goes on to blame commercial fishermen for changing the composition of the region's fishery population, which is now dominated by species such as mackerel, herring, skates, and dogfish.
F) The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution will soon be building underwater data collection stations that researchers hope will improve their forecasting of climate change and big storms. The institution received nearly $100 million in grant money from the National Science Foundation to install the underwater observatories. The stations will be located approximately 75 miles southeast of Newport, R.I. Eventually, maybe by the year 2015, the data observed in real time will be available to anyone with an Internet connection.
G) The Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the fire aboard the Gloucester shrimp boat Kelly Rose 25 miles east of Boston. The fire caused the two crewmembers aboard the shrimp boat to abandon ship into a life raft as the boat sank in about 100 feet of water. Rescued were Peter Kendell, the captain of the Kelly Rose, and Charles Corradi, a crewmember aboard the 36-foot boat.
H) Last weekend, as tropical storm Danny passed off the coast of South Carolina, two women on vacation were killed while they were parasailing. The tow rope connecting them to the boat snapped setting them free. The two landed in the water, but the sail kept pulling them up and bouncing them on the water. Passengers on the boat told officials that the water was so rough that they were worried that the boat would capsize.
I) And last on today's nautical news, underwater explorer Barry Clifford, who discovered the Whydah pirate ship, is now seeking salvage rights on another shipwreck. The Provincetown treasure hunter has filed claims with state and federal authorities to the Semiramis - an estimated 120-foot, three-masted ship armed with 14 cannons when it sank between Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket in 1804. Built in the mid-1790s, the Semiramis was one of the first American ships to sail to China, according to Clifford. When it sank, the ship was headed to Newport, R.I., after a three-year voyage to China. Its cargo of silk, porcelain, tea, and an undetermined amount of hard currency in the form of silver and possibly gold at the time was worth an estimated $500,000. Who knows what that could be worth today!
9/13/09
A) A Coast Guard drill on the Potomac River involving a helicopter and high speed boats with machine guns on the bow was mistaken for an attack by people attending a 9/11 anniversary ceremony at the Pentagon. False reports of gunfire on the river sent FBI agents rushing to the scene and all airplane flights at the nearby airport were grounded. The episode left the Coast Guard promising to take a good hard look at what they did, but many families were mad that officials would simulate such an exercise on the Potomac River on such a day. Television news reporters heard the Coast Guard say on the marine radio that they were shooting at a suspicious boat near ceremonies attended by the President. CNN reported 10 shots had been fired, based on information it heard on the Coast Guard radio channel. The Coast Guard's chief of staff said participants in the exercise were given simulated instructions by radio to fire 10 rounds, and someone said "bang, bang, bang," - the routine signal of compliance in drills that don't involve live fire. Amazingly, even the Coast Guard was confused. After the erroneous reports surfaced and flights were grounded, the Coast Guard ordered one of its helicopters l to fly over the river to investigate the reports of shots on the Potomac.
B) Five fishing boats along with the Coast Guard searched for a fisherman who fell overboard from a fishing boat about 125 miles east of Truro, Cape Cod. Missing is Chris Hopkins, 31, of Bass Harbor, Maine. The crew of the 63-foot stern trawler Bella Rose, home ported in Bass Harbor, Maine, radioed for help after they realized that Hopkins was missing. At last report, sea conditions in the search area were about six feet with heavy rain falling and the wind blowing.
C) The dredging of Hingham Harbor is scheduled to start next month. All boats must be out of the inner harbor basin mooring field by October 1st and the moorings will be pulled as well. The estimated price tag of the dredging is $3.7 million with the state paying about 75 percent of the cost. Most of the 25% balance is paid from the collection of boat excise taxes and mooring fees. The Massachusetts office of Coastal Zone Management has plans to implement a new pilot program to dredge the harbor every three years instead of every 10 years as has been done. The cost for doing this dredging would be shared by a group of South Shore coastal communities instead of solely by Hingham boaters.
D) A manatee has been seen swimming in Sesuit Harbor in Cape Cod. The local harbormaster said the animal appears to be in good condition and is swimming around in the same area that another manatee was seen last year. You might recall, last year folks from SeaWorld Orlando, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service tried to move the half-ton manatee back to Florida, but were unsuccessful as the animal died. No word was mentioned if the same effort would be tried on this year's manatee. Manatees have been spotted this far north in the past, but they usually live in warm, tropical waters.
E) COASTSWEEP, the state-wide beach cleanup sponsored by the Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management office and the Urban Harbors Institute at UMass Boston, will kick off its 22nd year on September 19th at Nantasket Beach in Hull. Thousands of volunteers throughout Massachusetts turn out each year for this event, which is part of an international campaign organized by The Ocean Conservancy in Washington, DC. Participants all over the world collect marine debris and record what they find. To participate or organize a cleanup at other local beaches, go to the COASTSWEEP website.
F) Coast Guard Sector Northern New England noted a significant increase in the number of search and rescue cases compared to the past few years. This year between Memorial Day and Labor Day, there were 420 search and rescue cases, a 25 percent increase from 2008. Of those, there were 146 disabled boaters, 35 unmanned adrift vessels, and 32 reports of people in the water.
G) A new online report released by the National Academy of Sciences claims that fish farms now provide half of the total fish and shellfish that people eat in the world. Scientists expressed concern about the growth of the fish farming industry because of the amount of wild fish used to feed the farm raised fish. While the industry has reduced the amount of wild fish they use per fish, the increase number in fish farms has still caused more wild fish to be used for feed. Scientists also claim that salmon farmers use four to five pounds of wild fish to raise a one pound salmon fish.
H) Remember the story about a Marblehead woman whose boat landed in a tree in the backyard of a Salem house last July? According to published reports, the woman admitted to sufficient facts of boating under the influence of alcohol, but her lawyer insisted the accident was not her client's fault. Instead the passenger on the boat was blamed for repeatedly pushing the throttle forward causing both the woman and the passenger to fall overboard. The Salem District Court Judge continued the case without a finding for a year and ordered the woman to take a safe boating class. The woman's automobile driver's license was also suspended for 45 days.
I) The Coast Guard, in a partnership with the state of Maine, announced the Coast Guard's award of $100,000 to Ocean Renewable Power Company of Portland, Maine. The $100,000 contract will be used to determine the viability of generating electrical power from the ocean's tidal energy. The Coast Guard's goal is to augment the power provided to the Coast Guard station in Eastport, Maine. Coast Guard Station Eastport, Maine will be the first federal facility in the continental United States to use tidal energy to support Coast Guard missions. Other projects Coast Guard Sector Northern New England has initiated include wind turbines and solar panels.
J) A chemist in Oklahoma claims that sugars in the juice of watermelons can be used to make ethanol. Unlike corn, in which starch must be broken down before it can be fermented, watermelons begin the process of fermentation much faster. The discovery of using watermelons to make ethanol came as a result of so many farmers discarding watermelons because they were damaged or rotten.
K) And last but not least on today's nautical news, the recent sightings of great white sharks off Cape Cod created a little shark hysteria amongst swimmers on Nantasket Beach. Several calls reported a fin in the water, close to shore off Nantasket Beach. The town's Harbormaster was notified and reported that the fin was not a shark, but a very large sunfish.
9/20/09
A) Plymouth Police have accused that town's former harbormaster of misappropriating town funds. It is alleged that Timothy Routhier purchased a stereo system for his personal truck and accessories for his motorcycle using town money. Two weeks ago, he abruptly resigned with no comment after police investigated allegations made by the town's manager. The former harbormaster will have a chance to defend himself next month in Plymouth District Court.
B) The Coast Guard has issued a life jacket advisory. Federal law requires children 12 years old and under to wear a life jacket while underway in an open boat. The same is true for all jet ski operators and passengers. The wearing of a life jacket is optional for adults on boats, but one must be available for each person on board. However, now that the summer season is over, wearing a life jacket becomes mandatory in Massachusetts for all canoeists and kayakers. They must wear a life jacket while on the water from September 15th through May 15th.
C) The manatee that has been seen swimming in the waters off Cape Cod apparently has returned to Sesuit Harbor. The International Fund for Animal Welfare Marine Mammal Rescue Team said they were looking for the animal. The manatee was identified as a 1,000-pound male from the Miami area named Ilysa. Officials identified the manatee from markings on its tail and its back. Anyone who sees the manatee should immediately call authorities and refrain from feeding it or giving it fresh water.
D) Remember the story about the Cape Cod fisherman who freed a whale that became entangled in his fishing net? The whale swam away unharmed, but a federal observer on board his fishing boat reported the fisherman as violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act. Well, the fisherman had his day in court, and in exchange for a plea of "guilty" of violating federal laws, he is no longer facing a $100,000 fine, jail time, or probation. It was reported that the judge assessed "a relatively small fine" and nothing more - not even probation. However, the plea agreement must still be accepted by a U.S. District Court judge on September 30th.
E) The Coast Guard has rescinded its rule that prohibited lobstermen from fishing in the waters around Seal Island in Maine. Seal Island is located near Matinicus, Vinalhaven, and Isle au Haut. During WWII, the island was used for bombing practice by the Navy, and earlier this year, divers claimed they saw hundreds of unexploded bombs lying on the bottom. In fact the waters surrounding the island are listed as a "danger zone" on nautical charts. However, about 30 lobstermen who tend to hundreds of traps around the island argued that traps have been hauled there for decades without any problems. So based on an unknown risk level, and the economic impact on fishermen which was greater than first thought, the Coast Guard withdrew the safety zone around the island at least until December. Then if the danger level is determined to be high, a clean up of the area will be scheduled.
F) According to a report on CNN, Italian authorities are investigating dozens of sunken ships, possibly containing toxic waste that may have been submerged by a local crime syndicate. As many as 32 shipwrecks containing illicit and highly toxic cargo could be lying on the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea releasing pollutants. Divers found one ship last week exactly where a informant had said it would be, 15 miles off the coast of northern Calabria.
G) And last on today's nautical news, the towns of Scituate and Cohasset are both writing non-binding letters of interest to the federal government to maintain control of Minot's Lighthouse in order to prevent it from being sold at auction. It was also reported that the Scituate Historical Society was trying to get the American Lighthouse Foundation, a group that already maintains several lighthouses in Maine, to write a letter of interest. The deadline to write a letter of interest is September 30th. If the government refuses these letters, or if the letters are withdrawn, Minot's Light could be put up for public auction.
9/27/09
A) The Plymouth waterfront was bustling again with law enforcement officials. This time, federal marshals seized Andy Lynn boats docked in Plymouth in connection with a civil complaint that was filed this past summer in a Florida Southern District Court. The Andy Lynn V and the Andy Lynn VI were taken from Town Wharf to Brewer Marine and hauled out of the water by the marshals. Court records show that Andy Lynn Boats, Inc was a defendant in a civil lawsuit filed July 15th, 2009. The plaintiff was Motor-Services Hugo Stamp, Inc. The amount of money demanded in the lawsuit was $18,000. Motor-Services Hugo Stamp, Inc. specializes in the repair, maintenance, and testing of diesel engines and turbochargers.
B) Again we remind boaters that the dredging of Hingham Harbor is scheduled to start next month. All boats must be out of Hingham's inner harbor basin mooring field by October 1st and all moorings must be removed starting October 10th. Boats and moorings not removed by their respective October deadlines will be subject to a $100-per-day fine. After three days of non-compliance, fines will jump to $250 per day. If necessary, the Harbormaster will remove the boat and mooring at the owner's expense.
C) Coast Guard Sector Northern New England received a distress call that a 25 foot powerboat named the Tail Spin with two persons on board, was taking on water and the two were planning on abandoning ship. Their position given was about three miles east of the Isles of Shoals. They were saved by the crew on a commercial fishing boat named the Mary Jane after the Coast Guard issued an emergency marine radio broadcast asking any boater in the area to assist. The two were found sitting on top of their capsized boat after being in the water for about 10 minutes. Both men were wearing life vests and were not injured. A Coast Guard petty officer told reporters that he understood that the two were attempting to anchor, when waves came over the transom of the boat filling it with water. According to the Coast Guard, the Tail Spin's homeport was in Gloucester Harbor.
D) A New Hampshire family of four became trapped on their boat as flames shot to the sky. Fortunately for them, another passing boater put himself in harm's way and rescued the four and then called for help. The Coast Guard and the Portsmouth, New Hampshire Fire Department put out the fire while a New Hampshire Marine patrol boat helped transport the two young boys to waiting EMTS on shore. It was reported that both boys suffered non life threatening burns and were treated at the hospital. New Hampshire Marine Patrol is investigating the cause of the boat fire.
E) The Third Annual South Shore Tuna Tournament scheduled for this weekend was postponed because of heavy seas. The new dates for the tournament are October 2nd - 4th with fishing days on October 3rd and 4th. The Captain's meeting will take place on Friday evening, October 2nd, at the HaNaBi Restaurant in Marshfield. Recreational fishermen who wish to enter the tournament can do so by either showing up at the HaNaBi Restaurant Friday, October 2nd, or by going to the Boston Big Game Fishing Club's web site.
F) A 62 year old scuba diver, accused of taking short lobsters and lobster claws, had his day in court this past week. Last July, an assistant harbormaster in Salem found 19 full-sized live lobsters in the diver's cooler along with 12 lobster claws with no corresponding lobster bodies. The assistant harbormaster then learned that earlier that same day, the diver had been given a ticket by an Environmental Police officer for possessing a short lobster. The diver pled guilty in court to six counts of taking short lobsters by mutilation and paid a total of $750 in fines and fees. Even as he entered his guilty plea, he insisted he meant no harm taking the lobster claws. "They come off very easy," he told the judge. The judge told the man that he was lucky to be only fined because sometimes lobstermen "take matters into their own hands" when it comes to people taking short lobsters.
G) While Massachusetts and Rhode Island are developing a zoning plan for their state's ocean waters, the federal government is developing a plan for its federal waters. A task force established by President Barack Obama is now holding nationwide hearings to zone the country's oceans and Great Lakes. A public hearing was held this past week at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence to hear from New Englanders. This hearing was the third of six to be held across the country as the task force prepares its recommendations for the president.
H) Attendance at last week's Newport International Boat Show was up 12 percent, according to officials who manage the show. Show Director Nancy Piffard said, "This was without a doubt one of the best shows we have ever had." Many exhibitors have been sent e-mails telling about the boats and equipment they sold!
I) American and Canadian Coast Guards searched for a 67-year-old woman who went missing from one of the world's largest cruise ships - the Sapphire Princess. The ship had departed Ketchikan, Alaska for a voyage on Alaska's Inside Passage. The body of water that is being searched is in between Alaska and British Columbia, Canada.
J) And last on today's nautical news, a Norwegian energy company has begun to produce electricity with the first fully functional floating wind turbine. Floating wind turbines can be installed farther offshore and in deeper water. They use a combined system of ballast tanks, mooring lines, and anchors to prevent waves from knocking them over. Now a company called Blue H USA has applied to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to install a floating test platform 23 miles southwest of Martha's Vineyard. It is possible these floating turbines farther out to sea, out of sight from land, and away from fishing grounds and navigational channels could diffuse future controversies that pertained to the Nantucket Sound wind farm.
10/4/09
A) Plymouth firemen put out a boat fire at Brewer's Marina. The fire was in the engine room of a 54 foot Carver motoryacht named the Good Life docked at the marina. The owners of the boat, who were visiting Plymouth, were not on board at the time, but were out walking the town. A marina employee called 911 after seeing smoke coming from the boat. Firefighters used more than 1,000 feet of hose to reach the boat at the end of the dock, and confined the fire to the engine room. The boat is registered in Newport, Rhode Island, and is owned by a by a couple from Vermont.
B) NOAA Fisheries has ordered an immediate shutdown of the black sea bass fishery in federal waters from Cape Hatteras northward to the Hague Line. The closure will remain in effect for the next 180 days. NOAA's decision to immediately close the sea bass fishery is based on the information coming from recreational harvest surveys for 2009 which showed that recreational fishermen "may have" overharvested their allowable catch for this season.
C) The federal government is considering taking the humpback whale off the endangered species list in response to data that shows the population of the humpback whales steadily growing in recent decades. The government is required by law to review the endangered species status of an animal if it receives "significant new information." The global humpback population is estimated to be about 60,000 and the National Marine Fisheries Service received results last year from an extensive study showing that some humpback whale populations have been growing 4 to 7 percent a year. This will be the first review for humpbacks since 1999. Some environmental groups are already opposing the possibility of a delisting.
D) Coast Guard Station Scituate has closed for the season. However, search and rescue for the area will continue uninterrupted by the crew at Station Point Allerton in Hull. Coast Guard Station Scituate is scheduled to reopen Memorial Day weekend in 2010.
E) Fishermen in Boston now have a way of recycling their old fishing gear. The Massachusetts Port Authority will collect everything from nylon nets to wooden lobster traps and burn it to generate electricity. It is all part of the Fishing for Energy program. Massport will set up a collection bin on the Boston Fish Pier, where fishermen can discard their unwanted gear free of charge. A similar program was set up in Scituate Harbor with cooperation from local fishermen.
F) The federal Department of Transportation announced a $950,000 grant to start a ferry service between Quincy and Long Island. As of right now, a 3,000-foot long steel and concrete bridge connects Long Island to the mainland, but the bridge needs $40 million to $50 million in repairs, so there is talk to tear it down. Long Island in Boston Harbor has a history of being used to treat terminally ill people and today is home to several social service facilities and treatment centers. The ferry service will provide transportation to employees, patients, and visitors and deliver supplies to the island.
G) And speaking of grants, NOAA awarded a $457,000 grant to support three projects to improve management of ride tide in the Gulf of Maine. The funding will cover the first year of three multi-year projects. The projects, carried out by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the University of Maine, and the University of Texas, are anticipated to cost a total of 1.5 million dollars over the next three years. The projects aim to better track, predict, and manage outbreaks of toxic red tide algae that threaten public health and New England's shellfish industry. In 2005, red tide closures of shellfish beds in Maine and Massachusetts resulted in a total of 23 million dollars lost in shellfish sales.
10/11/09
A) Remember the excitement the Coast Guard caused by having a practice drill on the Potomac River during a 9/11 memorial service in front of the Pentagon? Well the Navy caused a bit of an excitement off Cape Cod this past week, albeit on a smaller scale. Fishermen and boaters and civilians at the Chatham Airport were all wondering what was happening with all the naval ships and aircraft in the area and reports of torpedoes being fired offshore. Indeed, a spokesperson for the Navy said torpedoes were fired by a submarine off the coast of Nantucket, and that it was all part of a training mission. It was further explained that all torpedoes used in the deployment and recovery exercises were inert and that the Coast Guard had sent out a warning to boaters to stay out of the 80 square nautical mile testing zone. A spokesperson for the Naval Sea Systems Command Center said that exercises similar to this one are routinely conducted in this area several times a year and there should be no concern of any harm or danger.
B) The Hull Harbormaster reported a broken water pipe between George's Island and the Town of Hull. The Harbormaster reported that he saw water gushing out of the pipe right after a tanker passed thru Hull Gut, and then the 4 inch water pipe sank beneath the surface. Shortly thereafter, National Park Rangers reported no water on George's Island. The water company and Coast Guard were notified. The Coast Guard has a list of tankers that transited the area and will be contacting those captains. However, it is possible that the water pipe freed itself from the mud and rose off the bottom before it was hit by the tanker. In the past, there have been several reports of pipes that have risen to the surface off George's Island.
C) It was 5 years in the making, but this Thursday, the Scituate Maritime Center will officially open with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The Center is located at 119 Edward Foster Road in Scituate and will preserve the town's last working boat yard. The project was built without spending a dime of town taxpayer money. The new maritime center features a brand new building and a Marine Park thanks to the many individuals and business who donated their time, materials, and money including a grant from the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. Students from the South Shore Vocational Technical High School also provided the labor to construct the building.
D) Last week the National Marine Fisheries Service announced that the recreational fishery for black sea bass would be shut down for the next six months effective immediately. Black sea bass is a popular saltwater recreational fishery between Cape Cod and the Carolinas. However, fishermen claim the closure was based on survey data that's been described as "fatally flawed" by the National Academy of Sciences. According to the scientists, black sea bass is a healthy stock and are at 103% of the government's population goal. Now, a grassroots effort within the recreational fishing community has resulted in a successful pledge drive of support for legal action. Tackle shop owners and charter boat captains up and down the East Coast, along with individual fishermen and members of the Recreational Fishing Alliance have established a legal defense fund and are suing the government for their arbitrary and capricious regulatory actions that prohibit utilizing a healthy resource, in violation of the Magnuson Stevens Act.
E) The Coast Guard searched for the owner of sailboat found capsized two miles west of Race Point in Provincetown, Mass. The sailboat was reported capsized by the Provincetown ferry. It has a teal colored hull with a red bottom and is approximately 15 feet long. It is unknown if anyone was aboard the boat when it capsized. As part of the search, a rescue swimmer was lowered into the water from a helicopter. The swimmer did not see anyone in trouble and could not find registration numbers or a name on the sailboat. After four hours of boats and air craft searching the waters and national park rangers walking the shoreline, the search was suspended. Anyone with information about the sailboat is urged to contact the Coast Guard.
F) Two cruise ships, which originated out of Florida, collided with another off the coast of Mexico. A Carnival cruise ship, named the Legend, departing the port at Cozumel, Mexico collided with a Royal Caribbean cruiseline ship named the Enchantment of the Seas. No injuries were reported from the accident, but both vessels sustained damage. One cruise ship passenger said he saw a tug boat try to get in between the two boats, but the collision became inevitable. He further added that there was some crunching and breaking of glass on the ship, and the ship rocked to one side a little, but it was such a slow crash that it was barely noticeable. Crew members on both ships were called into their emergency positions while passengers ran up on deck to see what had happened. After an inspection by Mexican authorities, both ships proceeded on their respective itineraries to Belize.
G) Two men were killed and a woman critically injured in a multi-car crash involving a boat on a trailer on the Miami Expressway. Here is what happened. A Ford F-250 pick up truck, towing a boat, pulled over to the side of the road. About the same time, the driver of a red car stopped in front of the truck and got out to help. Both men crawled underneath the boat on the trailer when a Chevy Malibu lost control and hit the back of the boat. The boat fell onto the men, killing one of them. The other man who escaped, started screaming hysterically and ran to the red vehicle stopped in front and fled the scene. Police do not know why, but later determined that both the boat and the truck had been stolen from two different people. The crash also killed the driver of the car that crashed into the boat and critically injured the female passenger in his car. Complicating matters even more, police found on the ground amongst the wreckage, a small bag of marijuana and three bags of a white, powdery substance believed to be cocaine. Police are trying to determine which vehicle the drugs came from.
H) And last on today's nautical news, it was not that long ago that fisheries managers around the world were warning that cod fish stocks were depleted and endangered. Massachusetts fishermen, and fishermen in the Barents Sea, protested those reports claiming the cod fish were plentiful where they were fishing. At one point, the federal fish managers referred to the Massachusetts cod stock as the last vital element of cod fish in America. Fast forward to the present. Europeans now claim that cod fish in the Barents Sea are plentiful and the spawning biomass is at its highest level since 1948. They also reported that the haddock stock there is also very plentiful. Once again the fishermen are vindicated. Coming up next, we will be speaking with Dr. Sylvia Earle, National Geographic Society's marine biologist and oceanographer. We will hear her opinion about this latest news.
10/18/09
A) Remember the excitement the Coast Guard caused by having a practice drill on the Potomac River during a 9/11 memorial service in front of the Pentagon? Well the Navy caused a bit of an excitement off Cape Cod this past week, albeit on a smaller scale. Fishermen and boaters and civilians at the Chatham Airport were all wondering what was happening with all the naval ships and aircraft in the area and reports of torpedoes being fired offshore. Indeed, a spokesperson for the Navy said torpedoes were fired by a submarine off the coast of Nantucket, and that it was all part of a training mission. It was further explained that all torpedoes used in the deployment and recovery exercises were inert and that the Coast Guard had sent out a warning to boaters to stay out of the 80 square nautical mile testing zone. A spokesperson for the Naval Sea Systems Command Center said that exercises similar to this one are routinely conducted in this area several times a year and there should be no concern of any harm or danger.
B) The Hull Harbormaster reported a broken water pipe between George's Island and the Town of Hull. The Harbormaster reported that he saw water gushing out of the pipe right after a tanker passed thru Hull Gut, and then the 4 inch water pipe sank beneath the surface. Shortly thereafter, National Park Rangers reported no water on George's Island. The water company and Coast Guard were notified. The Coast Guard has a list of tankers that transited the area and will be contacting those captains. However, it is possible that the water pipe freed itself from the mud and rose off the bottom before it was hit by the tanker. In the past, there have been several reports of pipes that have risen to the surface off George's Island.
C) It was 5 years in the making, but this Thursday, the Scituate Maritime Center will officially open with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The Center is located at 119 Edward Foster Road in Scituate and will preserve the town's last working boat yard. The project was built without spending a dime of town taxpayer money. The new maritime center features a brand new building and a Marine Park thanks to the many individuals and business who donated their time, materials, and money including a grant from the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. Students from the South Shore Vocational Technical High School also provided the labor to construct the building.
D) Last week the National Marine Fisheries Service announced that the recreational fishery for black sea bass would be shut down for the next six months effective immediately. Black sea bass is a popular saltwater recreational fishery between Cape Cod and the Carolinas. However, fishermen claim the closure was based on survey data that's been described as "fatally flawed" by the National Academy of Sciences. According to the scientists, black sea bass is a healthy stock and are at 103% of the government's population goal. Now, a grassroots effort within the recreational fishing community has resulted in a successful pledge drive of support for legal action. Tackle shop owners and charter boat captains up and down the East Coast, along with individual fishermen and members of the Recreational Fishing Alliance have established a legal defense fund and are suing the government for their arbitrary and capricious regulatory actions that prohibit utilizing a healthy resource, in violation of the Magnuson Stevens Act.
E) The Coast Guard searched for the owner of sailboat found capsized two miles west of Race Point in Provincetown, Mass. The sailboat was reported capsized by the Provincetown ferry. It has a teal colored hull with a red bottom and is approximately 15 feet long. It is unknown if anyone was aboard the boat when it capsized. As part of the search, a rescue swimmer was lowered into the water from a helicopter. The swimmer did not see anyone in trouble and could not find registration numbers or a name on the sailboat. After four hours of boats and air craft searching the waters and national park rangers walking the shoreline, the search was suspended. Anyone with information about the sailboat is urged to contact the Coast Guard.
F) Two cruise ships, which originated out of Florida, collided with another off the coast of Mexico. A Carnival cruise ship, named the Legend, departing the port at Cozumel, Mexico collided with a Royal Caribbean cruiseline ship named the Enchantment of the Seas. No injuries were reported from the accident, but both vessels sustained damage. One cruise ship passenger said he saw a tug boat try to get in between the two boats, but the collision became inevitable. He further added that there was some crunching and breaking of glass on the ship, and the ship rocked to one side a little, but it was such a slow crash that it was barely noticeable. Crew members on both ships were called into their emergency positions while passengers ran up on deck to see what had happened. After an inspection by Mexican authorities, both ships proceeded on their respective itineraries to Belize.
G) Two men were killed and a woman critically injured in a multi-car crash involving a boat on a trailer on the Miami Expressway. Here is what happened. A Ford F-250 pick up truck, towing a boat, pulled over to the side of the road. About the same time, the driver of a red car stopped in front of the truck and got out to help. Both men crawled underneath the boat on the trailer when a Chevy Malibu lost control and hit the back of the boat. The boat fell onto the men, killing one of them. The other man who escaped, started screaming hysterically and ran to the red vehicle stopped in front and fled the scene. Police do not know why, but later determined that both the boat and the truck had been stolen from two different people. The crash also killed the driver of the car that crashed into the boat and critically injured the female passenger in his car. Complicating matters even more, police found on the ground amongst the wreckage, a small bag of marijuana and three bags of a white, powdery substance believed to be cocaine. Police are trying to determine which vehicle the drugs came from.
H) And last on today's nautical news, it was not that long ago that fisheries managers around the world were warning that cod fish stocks were depleted and endangered. Massachusetts fishermen, and fishermen in the Barents Sea, protested those reports claiming the cod fish were plentiful where they were fishing. At one point, the federal fish managers referred to the Massachusetts cod stock as the last vital element of cod fish in America. Fast forward to the present. Europeans now claim that cod fish in the Barents Sea are plentiful and the spawning biomass is at its highest level since 1948. They also reported that the haddock stock there is also very plentiful. Once again the fishermen are vindicated. Coming up next, we will be speaking with Dr. Sylvia Earle, National Geographic Society's marine biologist and oceanographer. We will hear her opinion about this latest news.
10/25/09
A) The Coast Guard suspended its search for the missing Maine fishermen aboard the 34 foot commercial fishing boat, the Bottom Basher. A search was launched off the Maine Coast near the Canadian border after the boat was reported overdue by the fiance of one of the fishermen. A large debris field was found including the bow of the boat and life jackets marked with the vessel's name on them. Also parts of the boat's wheelhouse and deck were seen floating. Because the search area was near the Canadian border, The Canadian Defense Force and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police assisted the Air Station Cape Cod Coast Guard helicopter crew. Capt. James McPherson, commander of Coast Guard Sector Northern New England, said, "Our thoughts remain with the families of the lost fishermen. We offer our most profound condolences to the families who have lost so much in this tragic event. The 47 degree water temp is a harsh reality for these hard working fishermen and it certainly increases the danger. I am very thankful for the extremely rapid response and professionalism of our partners from Canada.
B) The Coast Guard transported an injured New Bedford fisherman from 100 miles off the coast of Cape Cod to a waiting ambulance ashore. The fishing vessel Santa Queen notified the Coast Guard that the fishermen had injured his thumb while working. The Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous, which was about 60 miles away, was diverted to the scene. Upon the cutter's arrival, the flight surgeon at Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod was advised of the injury and determined that a medevac was not needed, but recommended the fisherman be returned to shore.
C) Morris Yachts, a sailboat builder in Maine, has been awarded a Coast Guard contract to build four 44 foot sailboats to be used as training vessels at the Coast Guard Academy. The company plans to start construction on the $800,000 boats by the end of this year. As a result, Morris Yachts will be able to recall as many as 20 employees who were temporarily laid off this past summer.
D) Environmentalists and fishermen in California are calling for an independent investigation into the killing of an endangered blue whale by a mapping survey boat contracted by NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service. The NOAA boat was using sonar to collect habitat data for use in creating a federal and marine protected area off the California coast when it collided with and killed a 72-foot female blue whale, which had just become a new mother. They also believe that the captain of the boat was negligent, and believe that the sonar beams coming from the boat may have disoriented the whale causing it to collide with the boat. In the past, the U.S. Navy has been blamed for killing whales with their tests of high-powered sonar devices, which are believed to cause unbearable pain to whales and other ocean mammals. Blue whales are the largest mammals on Earth and possibly the largest animals ever, according to the American Cetacean Society Web site.
E) The U.S. House of Representatives passed a cruise ship safety bill and now it heads for a vote in the Senate. The bill would mandate cruise ships that serve U.S. ports to publicly report shipboard crimes, employ U.S. doctors and install peepholes in cabin doors, among other requirements. During the past several years, the $40 billion cruise industry has faced criticism for a series of high-profile cases involving missing passengers, sexual attacks and so-called sick ships. Most of the cruise ships are registered in foreign countries, so are not required to pay U.S. income tax, comply with U.S. labor laws, or report shipboard crimes and illness outbreaks to U.S. authorities.
F) Piracy is on the rise again. Just the other day, on the early morning of October 22nd, 400 miles off the coast of Kenya, pirates attacked an Italian flagged cargo ship named the MV Jolly Rosso. Almost at the same time, the MV Al Khaliq, a Panama flagged bulk carrier reported being under attack 180 miles west of Seychelles. The pirates opened fire on both ships using automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenades. The Italian cargo ship managed to escape, but the pirates took command of the other ship, the Al Khaliq. No word on how many crew were taken hostage.
G) And last on today's nautical news, this weekend, people in 181 countries came together for the most widespread day of environmental action in the planet's history. Organized by the grassroots campaign 350.org, people around the world gathered to call for strong action and bold leadership in what they perceive to be a climate change crisis caused by man. One such protest took place at the bottom of Matauri Bay in New Zealand where divers unfurled a banner reading "350 OR WE'RE ALL SUNK" on the wreck of the vessel Rainbow Warrior, Greenpeace's first ship. The ship was sunk there by the French Intelligence Service in 1985, because Greenpeace activists protested French nuclear testing. The protesters want an atmospheric level of carbon dioxide of 350 parts per million. Scientists say the level of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is now at 387 parts per million up almost 40 percent since the industrial revolution and the highest for at least the last 650,000 years.
11/1/09
A) Two fishermen abandoned ship in Cape Cod Bay 8 miles east of the Cape Cod Canal and spent nearly five hours floating in the ocean before being rescued by the Coast Guard. Their 36 foot wooden scallop boat went down after their fishing net got hung up on something lying on the bottom. The incident happened a few days ago during one of New England's late fall n'oreasters. The captain of the scallop boat said after the net got stuck, the stern of the boat was forced down and the waves started filling the boat. The mate put on his survival suit and the captain had his ready. Just before the boat rolled over, he got off a mayday call to the Coast Guard, but for some reason the Coast Guard did not receive it. However, another fisherman heard the call and relayed the information to the Coast Guard which immediately launched boats and a rescue helicopter. Other fishermen working in the area also went to help including the father of the fisherman in trouble. Problem was the two men in the water weren't where they said they were. The wind and waves had carried them away and the search was on. Holding hands and locking arms so that they would not lose each other, the two were blown nearly 10 miles from where the Coast Guard began their search. About 5 hours later, around 9PM, the Coast Guard helicopter crew spotted the two men and brought them home.
B) Hundreds of fishermen from the Northeast held a protest rally in front of the National Marine Fisheries regional headquarters in Gloucester, Massachusetts. They claimed the government is destroying their industry with a new law that creates fish sectors and individual catch shares. Fishermen held signs reading "Let Fishermen Fish" while others held signs that changed the letters N-M-F-S to N-A-Z-I. The demonstration had the permission of the Gloucester Police Department. State Police, Homeland Security, Department of Immigration, Customs and Federal Protective Services were also notified. Fishermen from Maine to Maryland were in attendance and they made it clear what they wanted: 1) better management and greater professionalism from NOAA Fisheries; 2) an independent economic analysis of the affects of any new fisheries regulation before it is enacted as required in the Magnuson-Stevens Act; and 3) mitigation for any economic losses that occur. For years the fishermen have been told that all their sacrifices will pay off tomorrow, except tomorrow never comes.
C) The dredging of Marshfield's Green Harbor is scheduled to start November 9th. Marshfield Harbormaster Michael DiMeo said all boats should be off their moorings and out of the harbor by today, so that the dredge equipment can move into place. Commercial fishermen should be able to find dockage for their boats at one of the local marinas as most of the recreational boats have been hauled out of the water. The dredging should be completed by the end of January. The last time the inner harbor was dredged was in 1983. In addition to the harbor dredging project, voters at a special town meeting last week approved to dredge around the town's north and south piers. Town folks are hoping there will be some money leftover to rebuild the jetties at the entrance to the harbor to slow down the sand that comes in from the ocean and fills in the harbor.
D) An eyewitness wasn't sure if his eyes were playing a trick on him, but he called police stating that he thought he saw a Porsche automobile roll into Hull Gut and disappear underwater. Hull Gut is at the end of the town of Hull by the Hull High School and is a popular spot for sightseers and recreational fishermen. The current is always fast and strong as it passes through the Gut which separates the town of Hull and Peddocks Island. Hull police and fire departments, the State Police, and the Coast Guard all responded to the scene, but according to Hull Fire Chief Robert Hollingshead, the wind and sea conditions made it impossible to determine if there really was a car underwater, so they decided to wait until the next day for the wind and waves to calm down before sending in a State Police dive team. They were confident that if there was anyone inside the vehicle that they would be dealing with a recovery and not a rescue. The next day, the State Police dive team indeed located a Porsche underwater, determined no one was inside and that the car was stolen from Weymouth. The car was towed to the Hull police station where detectives were attempting to get fingerprints and other evidence.
E) The 22nd annual Head of the Weir Race, a 5 1/2-mile paddle or row boat race sponsored by the Hull Lifesaving Museum, took place yesterday during extremely windy and rough conditions. About 50 different types of rowing craft started the race on the river at the point where Hingham, Cohasset, and Hull meet. The finish line was by the Hull High School at Windmill Point, which meant that boats had to leave the security of the narrow river and venture out into open water. The challenge turned out to be too much for about half the fleet as they sought shelter at local marinas along the river. No mishaps were reported and folks look forward to next year's race.
F) A tragic day on the west coast for the U.S. military. A U.S. Marine helicopter and a Coast Guard C-130 airplane collided in mid air killing all aboard. There were 7 Coasties in the C-130 surveillance air craft and two marines in the helicopter. The accident happened off the California coast near San Clemente Island while the Coast Guard plane was searching for a missing boater. At last report, officials said they had located the wreckage, but have found no bodies.
G) Genmar Holdings, the nation's second largest recreational boatbuilder, is now trying to sell its assets rather than continuing its reorganization plan to exit from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Genmar's chairman, Irwin Jacobs, confirmed that he will be one of the bidders for the assets, and hopes to remain in the boat building business. He said that he was going the sale route because some creditors wouldn't cooperate with his reorganization plan. The court said the highest bidder will get the company's assets free of liabilities and debt as the creditors will be eliminated after dividing the proceeds of the sale. Genmar filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this past June.
H) The manatee known as Ilya that has been swimming the past 10 years back and forth between New England and Florida, and most recently has been seen swimming off the New Jersey coast, was captured by a team from the New Jersey Fish and Wildlife. Marine biologists said Ilya had to be rescued because the New Jersey coastal water was too cold for the animal to survive. With the help of the Coast Guard, Ilya was flown to warmer waters in Miami for medical treatment and then will be released. Federal wildlife authorities said they kept the rescue a secret until now, fearing reporters and well-wishers would stress the manatee.
I) The Dutch court just ruled that 14-year-old Laura Dekker was too inexperienced to be allowed to try to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world. The court placed Laura under the guardianship of child protection authorities until next July to ensure that she will not attempt such a voyage. Last August, a 17-year-old British sailor became the youngest person to sail solo around the world, and earlier this month, a 16-year-old Australian female departed alone to break the Brit's record. Meanwhile, 14 year old Laura says she will ask the court to go next year, but quickly exclaimed that the record is not her primary goal. She just wants to sail.
J) British authorities say they have found a fossilized skull of a giant sea monster that once lived off England's southern coast. The fossil is the head of a pliosaur, a ferocious carnivorous predator that lived in the oceans 150 million years ago. The skull is the shape of an alligator and measures 8 feet in length, and scientists believe the overall length of the creature would be about 52 feet. The skull will be put on display in a British museum.
K) Congratulations to Mackenzie Arrington, a recent Culinary Institute of America graduate, who was named the 2009 Maine Lobster Chef of the Year. The chef's winning dish was roasted lobster tail on braised cabbage and cornbread. For his culinary creation, the chef took home another kind of cabbage, a thousand dollars in prize money.
L) And last on today's nautical news, economists in Hong Kong say the recent increase in sales of hairy crabs is a good sign that the world economy is recovering. Sales of hairy crabs, a Hong Kong delicacy, have surged recently as wealthy Hong Kong residents are more confident about the recovery in the economy and financial markets. Hairy crabs, which can sell for up to 100 dollars each in the city's restaurants, are often used as an economic barometer. In good years, about half a million hairy crabs are sold. Last year, sales of hairy crabs dropped about 25 per cent.
11/8/09
A) Rhode Island Governor Carcieri just vetoed his state's proposed saltwater recreational fishing license law. He called it "excessively intrusive." He said, "This is the Ocean State. It is a place where people have been free, up to now, to cast a line into Narragansett Bay without government intrusion." Unfortunately, a federal mandate will require everyone in Rhode Island fishing past the 3-mile limit offshore or fishing for stripers or other anadromous fish anywhere in saltwater, to register for a federal fishing license. The Coast Guard will be in charge of enforcing that law. Another problem facing Rhode Island fishermen is that they won't have the benefits of reciprocity when they fish in other states. Governor Carcieri is hoping that his veto will make the feds and National Marine Fisheries Service rethink their saltwater license law. So far, Massachusetts has yet to pass a recreational saltwater fishing license law, but it is on the state's legislators' agenda for this week.
B) Remember the story about a powerboat that ran over a sailboat in Buzzards Bay during the summer of 2008, instantly killing the skipper of the sailboat and injuring a passenger below deck? The owner of the power boat pleaded guilty in court to a misdemeanor charge of negligent operation of a vessel this past week and was given a one year suspended sentence and 10 years probation. In addition to the suspended sentence and probation, the owner and captain of the powerboat will lose his automobile driver's license for 90 days, his U.S. Coast Guard captain's license for five years, and was ordered not to operate or go aboard any kind of boat for the next three years.
C) Massachusetts congressmen are urging the Coast Guard not to challenge the new state law that mandates tugboats and state pilot boats to escort all oil shipments transiting Buzzards Bay, even those barges with double hulls. A letter signed by U.S. Senators John F. Kerry and Paul G. Kirk and U.S. Reps. Barney Frank, James P. McGovern and William D. Delahunt states, "We request that the Coast Guard respect Massachusetts' right to implement these appropriate safeguards that are inarguably within the state's jurisdiction, and we strongly urge the Coast Guard to take no legal action against the commonwealth." However, the Coast Guard is totally against the state's law. Rear Admiral Joseph L. Nimmich of the First Coast Guard District said the law places an undue burden on commerce and is an ineffective step towards accomplishing our common goal of improving oil spill prevention and recovery.
D) Here is another lawsuit against the NOAA and the National Marine Fisheries Service. The Recreational Fishing Alliance is suing NOAA, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke for their decision to prohibit recreational fishermen from catching black sea bass. The plaintiff contends that the closure is not only unprecedented for a fish whose population is considered rebuilt and not overfished, but that the action is also based upon "misapplication and misuse of a fatally flawed angler survey which the National Marine Fisheries Service acknowledges is not right." The lawsuit further argues that the government violated numerous provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Act as well as the Regulatory Flexibility Act, the Administrative Procedure Act, and the National Standard guidelines issued by NMFS.
E) After a Nantucket sleigh ride off the tip of Cape Cod, Dave Lamoureux landed a 157 pound bluefin tuna from his 12 foot kayak. Lamoureux said it took him about 3 hours to reel the fish in. Lamoureux said he would like to set the world record for catching the heaviest fish from a kayak, which he believed was a fish that weighed 187 pounds. As for his latest catch, he plans on enjoying lots of sushi with family and friends.
F) U.S. Custom agents seized 343 pounds of sea cucumbers as Chinese smugglers tried to bring the Asian culinary delicacy into the U.S. from Mexico in a minivan. The smugglers tried to hide the sea cucumbers inside a special compartment made to accommodate their luggage. Sea cucumbers are eaten in soups in Asia and sell for about $45 per pound in the U.S. The seized sea cucumbers were turned over to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
G) The USS New York, built with steel from the rubble of the World Trade Center, was put into Navy service after being commissioned in New York this weekend. "No matter how many times you attack us, we always come back," Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus said at the amphibious assault ship's commissioning. "America always comes back. That's what this ship represents." The 7 1/2 tons of steel debris from ground zero had been melted down to form the bow of the USS New York. The $1 billion warship was built near New Orleans by workers who survived Hurricane Katrina. The USS New York will be open to the public before returning to its home port of Norfolk, Virginia on Thursday.
H) America' Team BMW Oracle suffered a setback with its new 90 foot trimaran America's Cup racing boat which is known as DoGzill. It carbon fiber mast came crashing down during a test sail in moderate winds about 20 miles off Point Loma in San Diego. Luckily, no injuries were reported. Damage estimates are in the millions of dollars, yet there' so far no clue why DoGzilla dismasted. The next America's Cup Race is scheduled to be held in the United Arab Emirates.
I) And last on today's nautical news, some numbers are in from the Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show and it's not all doom and gloom. The boat show, which is the largest in the world, serves as a bellwether for the year ahead for the maritime industries. Although attendance was down almost 30 percent, vendors said those who did attend were much more serious buyers. Last year there were a lot of lookers. This year people were buying. The marine industries contribute an estimated $18 billion annually to Florida's economy.
11/15/09
A) The remnants of tropical storm Ida claimed the lives of three more commercial fishermen off the New Jersey coast. The Coast Guard found some items during their search that they positively identified as coming from the 44-foot fishing vessel named Sea Tractor out of Cape May, New Jersey. Seas were topping 20 feet and the wind was gusting up to 50 miles per hour in the search area. These latest casualties make the total number of Cape May commercial fishermen lost at sea this year to nine.
B) The long awaited $1.68 million dredging of Marshfield's Green Harbor has finally begun. Congressman William Delahunt joined a gathering of fishermen, local officials and project engineers to kick off the federally sponsored project. About 60,000 cubic yards of silt and sand will be removed to provide recreational boaters and commercial fishermen safe passage in and out of the harbor. The project is expected to be finished by the end of January, 2010.
C) Cape Cod fishermen are real happy about the number of scallops they are catching. Some say the scallops are a bit smaller, but the biggest complaint is that the price is down because the supply is up. Scientists estimate fishermen will haul in between 20,000 and 25,000 bushels by the time the season ends in March this year compared to last year's total of 9,000 bushels.
D) The Coast Guard seized a smugglers' mini submarine with five tons of heroin and cocaine aboard. The drugs were destined for the United States from Columbia. Three Colombians and a Mexican were arrested and charged with drug smuggling. A Coast Guard person involved with the bust said his crewmates were all amazed when they came across the 40 foot mini-sub on a routine mission. The mini sub rides just below the surface and was painted the same color as the seawater which made it blend in with the ocean. The crew didn't see the sub until they were almost on top of it.
E) The Coast Guard has taken delivery of the second legend class of cutters built by Northrop Grumman Corp., at the company's Pascagoula, Mississippi shipyard. Its name will be the Waesche (Wa-sha). The first, named the Bertholf, was delivered in May of 2008. A total of eight Legend class cutters are planned. These cutters will be considered the flagships of the Coast Guard fleet.
F) Also, this past week, shipbuilders at Northrop Grumman in Newport News, Virginia had a keel laying ceremony for a brand new nuclear powered aircraft carrier named the Gerald R. Ford, after the 38th president of the United States. President Ford served as President from 1974 to 1977 and as Vice President from 1973 to 1974. He died three years ago, December 26, 2006. Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr. was born Leslie Lynch King, Jr.; July 14, 1913.
G) Friday the 13th was the luckiest day of the year for two British adventurers who passed under the Golden Gate Bridge on Friday morning after rowing a 23-foot-long boat more than 5,000 miles across the Pacific from Japan. The voyage took 189 days on a boat made of Kevlar and propelled only by muscle power. The two men said they were stalked by whales, tossed by storms, and almost ran out of food. Why did they do it? Their answer was simple. It hadn't been done before they said.
H) And last on today's nautical news, remember the story about the futuristic looking 78 foot, bio diesel fuel boat named Earthrace? The trimaran set the record for a powerboat circumnavigating the globe. Today, the ship has a new Batman paint job and a new mission. It will be protesting Japanese whale boats in the Southern Ocean along side of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's anit-whaling boat named the Steve Irwin. The Earthrace boat, which is considered a stealth craft, undetectable by radar, will presumably sneak up and track the Japanese whaling ships. Look for it on this season's TV series called Whale Wars on the Animal Planet network.
11/22/09
A) The federal government set a deadline of December 31, 2009, for states to either establish their own licensing system or comply with the federal licensing program. The law stipulates that if a state has a licensing plan, then it shall be exempt from the federal plan. This past week, the Massachusetts House and Senate passed legislation calling for all recreational saltwater fishermen to purchase a state license. That bill now sits on the Governor's desk awaiting his signature or veto. The new Massachusetts law will require all recreational saltwater fishermen to register with the federal government in 2010 and be licensed by the state by January 1, 2011. There is no fee for 2010. The Department of Fish and Game has suggested a $10 license fee for 2011, but the Executive Office of Administration and Finance will make the final decision on that fee. The state already charges $39 for a freshwater license.
B) The Coast Guard released the results of their investigation into last year's sinking of the fishing vessel Costa & Corvo in which a New Bedford fishermen lost his life. The Costa & Corvo, a 71-foot dragger, sank about 118 miles east of Nantucket on Georges Bank and currently lies in 120 feet of water. Coast Guard marine casualty investigators have determined that instability caused by several factors contributed to the capsizing and rapid sinking of the fishing boat. The weight of a full fishing net lowered on to the deck, the shifting weight of the catch, excessive water on deck, and blocked drain holes on the deck called scuppers all seem to have contributed to the capsizing of the boat. The Coast Guard searched for the captain of the Costa & Corvo for more than 30 hours and covered more than 280 square miles, but never found him. Three crew members who were also aboard the boat, were rescued by a nearby fishing vessel. Their testimony, along with sonar images of the boat lying on the bottom, provided enough evidence for the Coast Guard to reach their conclusion.
C) Earlier this week, the Coast Guard and Mass Port conducted a morning drill on Boston Harbor near Logan International Airport. Several emergency response agencies were involved in a practice drill that involved an aircraft incident. Airport officials said the drill was designed to test response time, communications, rescue and recovery. Anyone not knowing that this was a drill could have mistaken it for a real search and recovery mission.
D) The Massachusetts coastal duck hunting season opened November 18th. In addition to a state hunter's license, all waterfowlers 15 years of age and older are reminded that state and federal waterfowl stamps are required for hunting waterfowl and that hunting hours begin one half hour before sunrise and end at sunset.
E) The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna, otherwise known as ICCAT, reduced the eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna quota by nearly 40 percent for 2010. However, the United States wanted a much more severe cut in the quota, but American negotiators were out voted by the Japanese where bluefin tuna is the source of high grade sushi. Now there is talk that the United States will join with other countries at the March 2010 ICCAT meeting to propose listing the bluefin tuna as an endangered species, which would effectively ban commercial trade of the fish. Scientists admit that the bluefin stock is not really on the brink of extinction, but this is the only way to control European and African fishermen who do not obey the rules.
F) Cornelius Nathaniel "Connie" Ray III, the founder of Sea Ray Boats, died after losing his battle with cancer. He was 84 years old. The company that used his name C Ray was founded in 1959. Prior to building fiberglass boats, Ray built fiberglass coffins. Ray is survived by a daughter, five sons, and his wife of 28 years, Carol.
G) And last on today's nautical news, Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff's boats were sold at public auction in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. By the time the auction got underway, 70 bidders had registered, and according to U.S. Marshals, Madoff's three powerboats fetched prices higher than they expected. The 1969 55-foot custom designed Rybovich Sportfish named "Bull" sold for $700,000. The 2003 38-foot Shelter Island Runabout Sport named "Sitting Bull" sold for $320,000, and the 2000 24-foot Maverick center-console boat brought in $21,000. Included with the sale of the boats were hand painted bar glasses featuring what else but a bull.
11/29/09
A) Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed into law a saltwater recreational fishing license requirement that is the first of its kind in the commonwealth. In addition to buying a license, recreational fishermen will also have to report when, what, and where they caught their fish. The saltwater fishing license law takes effect January first, 2010. All recreational fishermen must register first with the national saltwater angler registry which is free to everyone. Then in 2011, the state will collect an annual fee of at least $10, but that amount is subject to change year to year.
B) The Coast Guard ended its search in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, for a 47-year old Rhode Island fisherman. Missing is Chester Kidd of West Warwick, Rhode Island who was fishing for quahog clams between Rocky Point and Quonset Point in Narragansett Bay aboard his 18-foot boat. For some reason, instead of calling the Coast Guard for help, he called a friend from his cell phone, stating that his boat was going down and that he needed help. The friend then called 911 which notified the Coast Guard. A Jayhawk helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod was diverted to the scene and a 41 foot boat was launched from Coast Guard Station Castle Hill. Local police and fire departments also helped with the search and found Kidd's submerged boat, but after searching for more than 26 hours and covering 284 square miles without finding the missing fisherman, the search was suspended.
C) President Obama has designated "Old Ironsides" as America's Ship of State. USS Constitution's primary mission will remain education and public outreach, but from now on, the President, Vice President, and members of Congress should use the ship for hosting visiting heads of state, signing legislation relating to the armed forces, and signing maritime related treaties. USS Constitution's 71st and current commanding officer, Commander Timothy Cooper, could not be more excited about this new law. The USS Constitution was launched into the Boston Harbor on October 21, 1797, and is the oldest active commissioned warship afloat in the world.
D) The J. F. K. aircraft carrier is now available for free if Boston wants it. The U.S. Navy is looking to donate the decommissioned aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy, under the condition it be used only as a museum or memorial. The Boston City Councilor will soon debate the idea of receiving and docking the warship. So far, no other city or organization has expressed an interest in the aircraft carrier which saw 18 deployments and 30 commanding officers over 38 years of service.
E) Although the tall ships were not welcomed this past summer by the Mayor of Boston, the American Sail Training Association announced that Boston still won the "Port of the Year" award for Sail Boston 2009. Sail Boston 2009 attracted the international maritime community to the city who displayed their interest and enthusiasm in greeting the tall ships. The award reinforces Boston's position as one of the international sailing community's most popular ports to visit.
F) The United States Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw will soon be The Christmas Tree Ship. The crew of the cutter spent much of this past week at the vessel's home port in Cheboygan, Michigan loading nearly 1,500 Christmas trees. Their final destination is Chicago, Illinois, where they'll be distributed to needy families. A junior officer aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw said the ship is all done up with Christmas lights, a wreath, carolers, and there's a helicopter fly over. It's a tradition that first started in the late 1800's aboard the Rouse Simmons. It carried on the annual practice for 30 years until it sank in 1912. Today, the tradition is carried on by the Coast Guard crew of the cutter Mackinaw. The trip to Chicago will coincide with the cutter's buoy retrieval mission. The Cutter Mackinaw is expected to arrive in Chicago by Friday, December 4th.
G) An unusual strong and persistent east wind this fall has blown many Kemp's ridley turtles to Hull and Quincy beaches rather than to Cape Cod. It is now too cold for the sea turtles, which were supposed to have moved south for the winter by this time. Kemp's ridley turtles can weigh up to 100 pounds, but they are the smallest of the turtle species that wash up cold stunned on the beaches. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Kemp's ridleys are the most endangered of the sea turtles that swim in our local waters. The species is listed and protected under the Endangered Species Act.
H) The Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation has received a $200,000 grant to search and remove old lobster traps that are lying on the bottom of the ocean. Scientists say that some of these traps are "ghost fishing" - trapping lobsters and fish, but most lobstermen disagree saying the lost traps aren't actively catching lobsters because they are so mangled and don't have any bait in them. In Maine, where lobstermen set more than 2 million traps, it is estimated that 5 to 10 percent - 100,000 to 200,000 - are lost in any given year. Nobody really knows the extent of Maine's ghost-trap problem, but most lobstermen feel the problem will get worse with even more lost traps because of the new federal regulations that require lobstermen to use a weaker type of rope that sinks to the bottom.
I) A Norwegian Cruise Line news release said one of its ships, the Norwegian Dawn, lost power about 95 miles north of San Juan and that the U.S. Coast Guard was notified. The ship had departed from Miami on Friday. After partial power was restored, the ship changed course and headed for San Juan. The cruise line is now helping passengers make travel arrangements to Miami, where the ship was supposed to arrive today. A spokesperson from the cruise company said Norwegian Cruise Lines will provide each guest with a 75 percent refund and a 50 percent future cruise credit. The Norwegian Dawn departed Miami last Friday, making stops throughout the Caribbean.
J) And last on today's nautical news, it looked like a spectacular Hollywood stunt, but for 32 year old drag boat racer Quinton Knight the experience of being catapulted into the water at over 150mph was very real. Spectators in Chandler, Arizona watched in horror as the driver was blown skyward and then cartwheeled across the water after his hydroplane boat flipped and disintegrated. Rescuers quickly pulled the man from the water. Incredibly, he only sustained a broken leg. Drag boat racing is considered one of the most dangerous sports in the world with the lightweight boats often crashing or bursting into flames. Powered by nitro methane, the drag boats can reach speeds of 250mph in just four seconds. Quinton Knight said that he has a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving holiday.
12/06/09
A) New England scallop fishermen are wondering why new restrictions have been placed on what has for years been the region's healthiest fishery. Rules passed by the federal fish managers last week reduced the number of fishing days from 37 this year to 29 in 2010. Those fewer days will lower the projected annual catch by about 11 million pounds. Fishermen say the regulations do not make any sense because scientists reported that there are so many scallops that they are crushing and smothering one another. For the past 9 years, scallops have made New Bedford the nation's highest revenue fishing port.
B) The Great Lakes are under threat from the Asian carp. The Asian carp can grow to 4 feet long and weigh 50 pounds or more. The carp were imported into America as a feeder fish in catfish farms in Arkansas and Mississippi decades ago, and escaped into the Mississippi River in large numbers during flooding in the 1990s. They have been making their way northward ever since. They are a threat to boaters because they can jump several feet out of the water often causing injury to people on boats. The fish is also an environmental and economic threat as well. They dismantle a water system's natural food chain by consuming the majority of available plankton, starving the native fish species, which in turn would devastate the lakes' $7 billion-a-year fishing industry. Environmentalists claim the Army Corps of Engineers and other government agencies mishandled the situation and are responsible for allowing the Asian carp's presence just six miles from Lake Michigan. This past week, the government put more than 2000 gallons of poison into a 6 mile long shipping canal, the last barrier between the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes. The poison killed about 200,000 pounds of fish, but only one Asian carp.
C) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it needs more time to decide whether to increase the amount of ethanol in gasoline from 10 per cent to 15 percent. A decision is now expected in mid-2010 according to the agency's web site. The National Marine Manufacturers Association warned that higher ethanol blends could lead to serious problems in recreational marine engines. More than 30,000 marine employees and boaters urged the EPA to deny any future increases in ethanol.
D) Four crewmembers who were aboard the Maersk Alabama last April when it was attacked by Somali pirates are now suing the owner of the ship and its captain. According to the Associated Press, they are alleging that the captain ignored repeated warnings of piracy attacks and was negligent for not setting a course that would have taken the ship 600 miles farther off the African coast. They also allege that Maersk Line Ltd. was negligent for not providing more security.
E) Last week we reported that the cruise ship Norwegian Dawn suffered a total power failure as the ship was on its way back to Miami from a 9-night cruise. Subsequently we have learned that guests who were on that cruise will receive a full refund and a 50% credit towards a future cruise. How bad was it on the ship during the extended power outage? Well, the more than 2,000 passengers on the ship had no access to running water, electricity, air conditioning, or toilet services in the hot Caribbean. Passengers were also asked to conserve water because the ship had a limited capacity to produce new fresh water without electricity.
F) And last on today's nautical news, Giant jellyfish, growing up to seven feet in diameter and weighing over 600 pounds, have been swimming off the Japanese coast for years, but now the population of giant jellyfish have become so large that they are a threat to the Japanese fishing boats. Recently, giant jellyfish sank a 10 ton fishing trawler after getting snagged in the boat's fishing net. Fishermen also claim that jellyfish are poisoning the fish. Scientists are debating the cause in the giant jellyfish population. Some blame North Korea and its testing of nuclear bombs. Others blame China, claiming fish farms and chemical dumping into the ocean have caused the jellyfish to mutate. Still others point to global warming saying the temperature of the waters surrounding Japan is on the rise.
12/13/09
A) The Coast Guard has dropped its lawsuit against Massachusetts regarding that state's new law that requires double hull barges and escort tugboats for all oil deliveries transiting Buzzards Bay. The news was hailed by Congressman Barney Frank and William Delahunt and Senator John Kerry who wrote a letter to the Coast Guard protesting their planned legal challenge and had asked President Obama to intervene.
B) Twenty-five endangered sea turtles and a couple of dolphins were found stranded on Cape Cod Bay beaches this past week. Many of the turtles were picked up and transported to Boston's New England Aquarium to join around 90 other sea turtles already being rehabilitated at the aquarium. Eventually the turtles will be placed back in warmer southern waters. As for the dolphins, they were too stressed out to be saved.
C) Friends of Flying Santa, which is in its 80th year, will be completing its final flight of 2009, Saturday, December 12, delivering presents to Coast Guard units along the New England coast. Friends of Flying Santa is a nonprofit entity made up entirely of volunteers who will deliver more than 600 toys by helicopter to children of Coast Guard families from more than 50 units in six states this holiday season. Piloting the helicopter today will be retired Coast Guard Vice Admiral Vivien Crea. Admiral Crea's career as a pilot includes carrying the black bag nicknamed the "nuclear football" for President Ronald Reagan.
D) Next month, Massachusetts will hold a hearing on the game fish status bill, that designates striped bass game fish status. This means that if the bill were to pass, there would be no commercial fishery for striped bass. Consumers looking for locally caught striped bass would not be able to purchase it. If they don''t catch it themselves, they won't be eating it. In addition to closing all commercial striped bass fishing in the state, the new law would limit recreational fishermen to one striped bass a day instead of today's limit of two fish per day. The new legislation also proposes to lower the minimum size limit from 28 inches to 20 to 26 inches long. The exception will be for a trophy fish 40 inches or longer. States that have already made striped bass a game fish are Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C. and South Carolina.
E) The Steamship Authority's fast ferry to Nantucket was out of service for a few days last week after the aluminum catamaran suffered a crack in its hull. The ferry was sent to a shipyard in Somerset for repairs. Fortunately, the crack in the hull was located above the water line. The boat, which cost $10 million and was launched in 2007, suffered a similar crack in its hull about a year ago.
F) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released a draft of a proposed new bill that favors a national policy for a catch share system for fishermen. According to NOAA Director, Dr. Jane Lubchenco, catch shares allow fishermen to better plan their businesses and be more selective about when and how they catch their allotment, eliminating the previous limited days at sea regulations. However, some fishermen's organizations argue that catch shares privatizes the fish stocks, and their shares will be based on flawed stock estimates. New England fishermen have held several rallies this year in opposition of catch shares.
G) The state of Maine's Department of Environmental Protection has secured $1.2 million in federal stimulus money for its marine industry. The federal money will used to re-power at least 40 commercial vessels, from lobster boats to ferry boats with cleaner fuel burning engines, keeping the state's local boatyard workers busy. The stimulus money will pay up to half the cost of a new engine and half the cost of installing it. The balance will be paid by the owners of the boats. Of the 40 qualifying boats chosen for the program, 30 are lobster boats and 4 are fishing boats. The other 6 vessels include a schooner, an aquaculture boat, three ferry boats, and a non-profit community outreach vessel.
H) Boat/U.S. officials told the U.S. House of Representatives Coast Guard Subcommittee this past week that any potential requirement for transponder technology to track recreational boats, like air traffic controllers track planes, is not practical, nor would it reduce the threat of a terrorist attack by a small boat. Boat/U.S. officials believe it would be wiser for the government to spend taxpayers' money on America's Waterway Watch program, which is similar to a neighborhood watch program.
I) And last on today's nautical news is a story with a happy ending for a family who lost their dog on an island near New Jersey's Manasaquan Inlet. Buddy, a 4 year-old beagle, was reunited with his family after spending 98 days an uninhabited island. The Coast Guard, on routine patrol, said they saw Buddy digging in the sand on the island. They said he was probably digging for clams or crabs. Another source of food for the dog were dead sea gulls on the beach. The one time 35 pound dog weighed just 19 pounds when he was reunited with his family. The family believes it was a miracle that they have Buddy home. They said he is behaving like he never left, and his arrival couldn't have come at a better time of year.
12/20/09
A) It appears Loran C navigation will be terminated the beginning of the new year. Although millions of dollars were spent to improve Loran C the past few years, President Obama signed the 2010 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act which has left no further funding for the Coast Guard to continue Loran C operations. For the past 66 years, the Coast Guard has maintained and improved the Loran C signals for mariners and aviators to use in their navigation, and the nation's military has relied on Loran C as a back up to GPS. Now, with the stroke of a pen, Loran C signals will cease to operate.
B) The National Marine Manufacturers Association has purchased the New England Boat Show from North America Expositions Company. The show's venue will remain at the Boston Exhibition and Convention Center and will open on February 20th. Officials from the National Marine Manufacturers Association said that the purchase of the New England Boat Show demonstrates their belief in the long-term value and importance of the Boston show. The association now owns and produces a total of 20 consumer boat shows annually throughout North America.
C) Recreational and commercial fishermen are planning a national protest demonstration in Washington, D.C. The date of the protest is Wednesday, February 24. Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank is 100% behind the fishermen's effort and is helping them organize their demonstration. The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires that any economic impact that new fishing regulations have on fishermen or their communities must be minimized. So far that has not happened. Fishermen complain that scientists and environmentalists have taken over the regional fishery management councils.
D) Coast Guard helicopters will soon be armed with M240 machine guns when patrolling southern New England and Long Island coastlines. The patrols with armed helicopters are expected to begin within the next several weeks. The Coast Guard has been flying armed helicopters since 2000 in the Caribbean, to shoot out engines of boats that try to bring drugs into Miami. An official said the Coast Guard's small boats already have machine guns mounted on their bows, so it makes perfect sense to put that capability on a helicopter as well. All of the helicopters in the northeast fly out of Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod.
E) Scientists have recorded the deepest erupting undersea volcano ever seen. A submersible robot with a video camera showed fiery, molten lava bubbles exploding 4,000 feet beneath the surface of the Pacific Ocean. Scientists hope the images will help them learn how the Earth's crust was formed and how the Earth behaves when tectonic plates collide. Scientists also revealed that the water near the volcano was more acidic than battery acid, but shrimp and other life forms were still able to thrive. The submersible robot named Jason, was designed and operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
F) And last on today's nautical news, Michael Todd Cosmetics' is marketing a new anti-aging and anti-wrinkle skin cream called Knu. It is made from snail secretions! Snail serum. Scientists claim the snail serum is saturated with antioxidants and amino acids. The company claims clinical studies have proven that the snail serum works. And by the way, the cream smells real nice. To learn more, Google Michael Todd Cosmetics.
12/27/09
A) The Town of Hingham's harbormaster will soon release a comprehensive, written, set of mooring regulations for all Town of Hingham waters. The regulations will apply to moorings at marinas as well as town issued moorings. The rough draft of the regulations was released by acting Harbormaster Ken Corson at the December 16th meeting of the Harbor Planning Task Force, and this year, the Harbormaster is promising stricter enforcement of those rules. For example, any boater who fails to renew their mooring permit by March 1st will be subject to a late fee and could even forfeit their mooring permit and location. In addition, any Hingham home with a floating dock anchored to the bottom must also apply for a mooring permit. The town's mooring regulations will be posted on the Harbormaster's website as soon as they are approved by the selectmen. The next Harbor Planning Task Force meeting will be held on January 6th at 7 p.m. in Hingham Town Hall if you want to voice your opinion.
B) The Coast Guard is advising anyone who found a kayak under their Christmas tree to exercise extreme caution in regard to the danger of sudden cold water immersion if they plan on launching their craft in the near future. The Coast Guard warns that water temperatures are now in the 40 degree range, so wearing a dry suit or full wet suit and a Coast Guard approved life jacket is the only proper attire for anyone venturing out on the water. This applies to duck hunters in small boats as well as kayakers. Wearing a lifejacket is mandatory for kayakers and canoeists on Massachusetts and Connecticut waters from now through mid-May.
C) More than 1,000 members of the East Coast scallop industry have asked the nation's chief fisheries regulator to restore 6 million pounds of the 11 million pounds cut in the scallop catch. The industry called the cuts "rapid and unnecessary" in a letter delivered to NOAA head Jane Lubchenco. The scallop industry has made New Bedford the highest revenue port in the United States, but last month regulators cut the number fishing days for scallopers from 37 to 29. In the letter, industry members said restoring 6 million pounds to the catch would bring $40 million to the industry and prevent loss of market share without hurting the scallop stock.
D) Tragedy struck a California family while watching San Diego Bay's Parade of Lights aboard their 26 foot Sea Ray. Apparently a Coast Guard boat, operating at a high rate of speed in response to a call for help from a boat aground, ran into the stern of the Sea Ray killing an 8 year-old boy. Two other children were also injured and taken to the hospital as were three adults. None of the five crew on the Coast Guard boat were injured. In addition to the Coast Guard, the National Transportation Safety Board and the San Diego Harbor Police are also investigating the accident. There were about 80 boats in this year's parade, from a 12-foot canoe to a 157-foot yacht, but neither the Coast Guard boat nor the Sea Ray was participating in the parade. Friends of the stricken family members said it made no sense to them why a Coast Guard boat would operate at a high rate at speed in a crowded area in response to a boat that was aground. A boat that is grounded is not an emergency they said.
E) 2009 will end on a low note for conservationists working to protect Florida's endangered population of manatees. 419 manatees were found dead in Florida waters so far this year, the most for any year since record-keeping began in 1974. That number accounts for 12.5% of the entire manatee population. However, deaths from boat strikes accounted for 30% of the fatalities. The majority of manatee deaths were attributed to deadly blooms of "red tide" algae and colder than average waters. Even so, the overall manatee population continues to increase. Real estate developers and the boating industry have been lobbying for years to reduce the number of manatee no wake zones
F) President Barack Obama has nominated Vice Adm. Robert J. Papp Jr. to be the next commandant of the Coast Guard. Papp is currently commander of the Coast Guard Atlantic Area and Defense Force East, heading up the service's missions in the eastern half of the world, from the Rocky Mountains to the Middle East. His career has included service on six Coast Guard cutters. If the U.S. Senate confirms his nomination, he will relieve Adm. Thad Allen in May.
G) The State of Michigan has taken its fight against the invasive Asian carp to the U.S. Supreme Court. Michigan is suing Illinois to force the closure of the locks on a Chicago area canal, which would prevent the Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes. Experts fear that the invasive carp, which have been traveling up the Mississippi and Illinois rivers, will devastate the Great Lakes fisheries. The state of Michigan also has asked the court to permanently sever the man-made canal between the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes, a move long urged by environmental groups, but opposed by the shipping industry.
H) And last on today's nautical news, an elderly sailor, who lived on a sailboat, was reunited with his boat after he was rescued and removed from it by the Coast Guard. After being treated for a concussion, he was released to a homeless shelter, where he stayed for more than a week, while his sailboat drifted in the Gulf of Mexico with no one on board. He had no idea where his boat was and no money to search and retrieve it. Then, a couple of days before Christmas, he was contacted by some people whom he didn't know. They told him that they came across his boat and towed it 200 miles back to a dock in Galveston, Texas. The people told him under admiralty law, that the boat belonged to them, but they were waiving their rights to the boat and giving it back to him as Christmas gift. Upon arriving at the dock, the sailor saw his boat - a bit banged up but still seaworthy. The distress flag was still flapping in the wind. With tears in his eyes, the 80 year old sailor said, "This is a great gift to me. This is my home. Everything I own is on that boat. I can't thank the people enough for returning the boat to me."
Top Nautical Talk Stories of 2008
Somali Pirates
Somali pirates said they released the Saudi supertanker Sirius after they received a ransom payment of $3 million. The MV Sirius Star was a brand new tanker with a 25-member crew and 3 million gallons of oil. Piracy became the biggest moneymaking business in Somalia. The pirates who attacked the Maersk Alabama weren't as lucky. U.S Navy Seals captured one and killed three Somalians holding Captain Rick Phillips hostage.
Saltwater Fishing License
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed into law a saltwater recreational fishing license requirement that is the first of its kind in the commonwealth. All recreational fishermen must register with the national saltwater angler registry which is free to everyone. Then in 2011, the state will collect an annual fee of at least $10, but that amount is subject to change year to year.
Catch Share Fisheries
NOAA's catch share system was approved by the New England Fishery Management Council. According to NOAA Director, Dr. Jane Lubchenco, catch shares will allow fishermen to be more selective about when and how they catch their allotment, eliminating the previous limited days at sea regulations. However, some fishermen's organizations argue that catch shares privatizes the fish stocks, and their shares will be based on flawed stock estimates.
The Economy
News of layoffs, closures, and bankruptcies dominated the headlines in the boat manufacturing business. One of the nation's largest recreational boat builders, Genmar Holdings, declared bankruptcy. Other prominent boat companies that filed for protection were Fountain Boats and Crownline Boats.
Mayor Menino vs Sail Boston
In 2009 it was Boston's Mayor Menino versus the organizers of Sail Boston 09. Boston's Mayor wanted the organizers of Sail Boston to put up a million dollars to pay for police details and clean up crews. The Mayor said he would also stop the Boston Harbor Parade of Sail and would not allow the public to go aboard any tall ships that were tied to city owned docks. Meanwhile, Sail Boston officials said the tall ships were coming. They claimed the event would be a major boost to the area's economy, filling hotels and restaurants. Finally Governor Deval Patrick stepped in and a shortened version of Sail Boston 09 happened.
Pinto Fishing Family
Paul Pinto, the 56 year old captain of a Plymouth 40 foot scallop boat died after a pulley cable holding his tow snapped and hit him in the back of his head. Pinto had named his boat Distant Cries, in honor of his son who recently returned from serving in Iraq. Paul and his son applied to an organization called Work Vessels For Vets prior to the accident. Paul Niekrash from Work Vessels For Vets told Nautical Talk Radio the story about the accident and how his group got the Pinto family a new fishing boat.
3 Gloucester Fishermen Lost At Sea
Right at the beginning of 2009, two Gloucester fishermen lost their lives - 36-year-old Matteo Russo and his father-in-law, 58-year-old John Orlando perished after their 54-foot boat, the Patriot, went down. Then last summer, Dean Mould, the captain of the 39 foot lobster boat Dominatrix, called the Coast Guard for help after his crew mate, Jamie Ortiz, fell overboard off the coast of Gloucester, Mass. Coast Guard crews searched for 20 hours looking for Ortiz, but were unable to find him. Ortiz's name was the 5,369th name on the Gloucester Man at the Wheel statue.
Hero Roger Brisson
Roger Brisson declared a hero by the Coast Guard. He saved the lives of two fishermen who were thrown into the frigid waters of Gloucester Harbor after their work boat capsized. Roger Brisson, in his 20 foot boat, pulled the two to safety. The men received medical treatment for hypothermia and were later released.
Goliath Crane
The big 328 foot tall crane known as Goliath at the former Quincy shipyard was towed across the Atlantic to a shipyard in Romania. In a brief ceremony before the crane was loaded on the barge, members of Bobby Harvey's family gathered at the Fore River dock, to rename the 3,700-ton crane the USS Harvey in memory of Bobby who was killed dismantling the crane.
Record Number of Right Whales
A record number of 39 North Atlantic right whale births were counted this year and a record number of right whales have been seen swimming in Cape Cod Bay. An aerial survey showed between 50 to 60 right whales congregating in the bay. That's six times the number of right whales seen last year at this time. Scientists said that the right whales are feeding on a plentiful supply of tiny organisms called zooplankton which float in the bay.
Largest Male Mako Shark
A twenty year old Scituate man caught a 624-pound mako shark that broke the record for the largest male mako shark ever caught. State officials weighed the fish in Scituate.
Scituate Maritme Center
The town of Scituate celebrated the opening of its brand new Maritime Center and Marine Park. The building was built with the help from the South Shore Vocational School students and the project was led by Scituate resident Howie Kreutzberg. Harbormaster Mark Peterson emceed the event.
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