Ahab's Journal

At GreenFleet, "We're not just building boats; we're building kids"

The boat-builder is Christian Smith of New Bedford. He and his wife, Jennifer, started GreenFleet in 2009. The program is free for all New Bedford teens to join. Any teen who signs up is in the program.

The Smiths have four main intentions with GreenFleet:

 

• To teach inner-city teens from New Bedford to build boats
• To teach them to use the boats they build
• To have them use those boats to haul garbage from SouthCoast beaches
• To cultivate in these kids a pride in their waterfront 

 

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Carteret fisherman among those killed in Gulf collision

A man who had been fishing for some time out of Carteret County was among three crew members who died last week when their fishing boat collided with a container ship in the Gulf of Mexico. The body of Thomas L. “Tommy” Moore, 64, of Craven Corner, a community in North Harlowe, was pulled Sunday from inside the hull of the 163-foot Sandy Point, a menhaden boat, according to the Associated Press.

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Oregon Inlet gets additional $2.25M for dredging

An additional $2.25 million has been allocated to dredge this year at Oregon Inlet, an economically vital and notoriously dynamic waterway where severe shoaling nearly shut down the Outer Banks’ commercial-fishing industry this spring.

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Economic impact of NC fishing losses to Va. exceeds $4 million because of Oregon Inlet issues

NORFOLK, Va. — North Carolina lost more than $4 million worth of business to Virginia this spring because the Oregon Inlet on the Outer Banks wasn't deep enough for large fishing boats to safely travel through, according to state estimates provided to The Associated Press on Tuesday.

More than 1.2 million pounds of flounder and nearly 33,000 pounds of black sea bass had to be sold and processed in Virginia between March 7 and the end of the season April 15 because sand was filling the inlet faster than the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could dredge it out.

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'Green boat" under development

The construction of what is being called a "green boat" — lean for its length and long for its weight — is half complete at Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center.

It's a project the city bills as a new economic development project funded jointly with funds from a federal Community Block Development Grant, the U.S. Navy and the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries.

Built in pieces for assembly that designer Susanne Altenburger likens to a barn-raising, the finished vessel is expected to stay in Gloucester for research or patrol use _ and as an object lesson in what is doable on a larger scale.

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'Green boat" under development

The construction of what is being called a "green boat" — lean for its length and long for its weight — is half complete at Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center.

It's a project the city bills as a new economic development project funded jointly with funds from a federal Community Block Development Grant, the U.S. Navy and the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries.

Built in pieces for assembly that designer Susanne Altenburger likens to a barn-raising, the finished vessel is expected to stay in Gloucester for research or patrol use _ and as an object lesson in what is doable on a larger scale.

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Oregon Inlet Fix Proposed, May Not Be Enough

The Oregon Inlet is no longer deep enough for large fishing boats to safely pass through. Many North Carolina fishermen are selling their catches in Virginia as a result.

State officials say 971,000 pounds of flounder were diverted to Virginia in the last month.

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Ecotrust Canada to support the North Coast crab fishery

As the new monitoring service provider for Area A crab, Ecotrust Canada is committed to providing Area A crab licence holders with an Electronic Monitoring system that is affordable, accessible and 100% supportive of them and their industry.  

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Second dredge headed to Oregon Inlet to clear channel

The announcement prompted Coast Guard Capt. Anthony Popiel to hold off on banning large vessels from Oregon Inlet, where the southward migration of Bodie Island Spit has made it increasingly difficult to maintain the channel's depth and width in recent weeks. Shallow water and sharp turns around the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge have severely elevated the danger of navigating the already treacherous channel.

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Fisherman fear financial burden from new safety regulations

At a cost of $2.5 million, fisherman Kirk O. Larson of Barnegat Light believes he is still getting a good deal on the price of building a new scallop boat.

"If I had started building it next year, it would have cost me another million," Larson said at Viking Village docks.

Larson is one of few commercial fishermen financially able to begin building a fishing boat before anticipated new — more costly — safety regulations for commercial fishing vessels take effect next summer.

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Oregon Inlet dredge would be victim of federal shutdown

If the budget impasse shuts down the federal government tonight, the dredge working to keep Oregon Inlet open and safe for mariners will halt immediately, a spokeswoman for the Army Corps of Engineers said Thursday.

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Coast Guard plans to ban large vessels from Oregon Inlet

IN THE LATEST BLOW to the struggling Dare County commercial fishing industry, large fishing vessels may soon be banned from using Oregon Inlet because of the buildup of sand in the channel.

The Coast Guard plans to impose weight and size restrictions on vessels that traverse the waterway, which provides access for fishing boats to the Atlantic Ocean.

The regulation, which is still in draft form, would make it illegal for vessels of more than 100 gross tons or 80 feet in length to navigate the channel, said Coast Guard Capt. Anthony Popiel, who is recommending the rule as commander of the North Carolina Sector in District 5.

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HB 747: Exempt Commercial Fishing Boats

A bill exempting commercial fishing boats from property taxes has been filed.

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Hatteras charter boat crewman injured in Oregon Inlet accident

Graham Harrison, 20, of Hatteras village was in intensive care at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital today, recovering from a boating accident yesterday in Walter Slough near Oregon Inlet
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According to the U.S. Coast Guard, Harrison struck his head and was knocked unconscious when a charter boat ran hard aground in the slough, which is a narrow channel just outside the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center.

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Crescent City comes to grips with tsunami's devastation

Reporting from Crescent City, Calif.—

The day after a tsunami destroyed this beleaguered city's fishing harbor and battered the economy along with it, the sky here on the wild Northern California coast struggled to brighten. Rain pelted the debris-strewn harbor. Winds whipped through the redwoods.

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Coast Guard considers shutting down Oregon Inlet

A Coast Guard captain said Friday that he is prepared to close Oregon Inlet to recreational and commercial boat traffic within weeks if sand continues to accumulate in the dynamic waterway faster than dredging can remove it.

The buildup of sand - shoaling - around the Bonner Bridge has increased exponentially, elevating the navigational risks to dangerous levels. Capt. Anthony Popiel said safety is his main concern in deciding whether to close the inlet or implement restrictions.

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Fishing safety programs on cutting room floor

The nation’s most dangerous job could soon become more deadly. As Congress struggles to balance current and future budgets, fishing safety programs are on the cutting room floor. 

The president’s FY2012 budget eliminates funding ($23 million) for all agriculture, forestry and fishing research (AgFF) done by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and it is likely to be trimmed from the FY11 budget being debated now. 

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Watermen find devices on boats

Bomb technician gives one to DNR, but state agency won’t comment on devices

A Dorchester County waterman found a suspicious device on his boat Jan. 14 that a bomb technician later gave to the Department of Natural Resources, but state officials won’t talk about what the device is or how it got there.

Six other Dorchester County watermen found brackets mounted to their workboats, docked in Hudson, Cambridge, Wingate and Hooper’s Island. More than two weeks later, the device and the brackets remain a mystery, but two things are confirmed the device is not a bomb, and it was turned over to the DNR.Dean Price called 911 after finding two small boxes attached to a bracket mounted on his boat, docked at Madison Bay Marina. One device, about 6 by 4 inches, looked like a battery pack. The second, about 4 by 5 inches, had an antenna.

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Coast Guard faults owner, rules in Alaska sinking

SEATTLE -- A Coast Guard probe of the 2008 sinking of a fishing vessel in the Bering Sea that killed five people concludes that the vessel's owner failed to properly maintain its structural condition.

However, the report released Wednesday also is highly critical of rules in place at the time covering older fishing boats and how such vessels were being brought into compliance with safety regulations.

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Cost of seafood can be more than market price

Commercial fishermen confront many risks. The greatest of these is the weather. Large storms, unexpected gales and heavy fog present great dangers for small boats. These conditions can lead to capsizing, grounding, becoming lost and collisions.

Read more: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/12/04/1395763/dan-krieger-cost-of-seafood-can.html#ixzz17GAThOMB

The Wreck of the Lady Mary: Chapter 3 - Worst fears are realized, six men lost at sea

Fuzzy wasn’t expecting his sons back until Wednesday morning. That gave him just enough time to drive home to Bayboro, N.C., run some errands and see his wife, Hazel. A few hours later he’d turn around and be back in Cape May in time for the Lady Mary’s arrival. There would be scallops to weigh and checks to cut for the crew.

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The Wreck of the Lady Mary: Chapter 2 - Costly clerical error stalls rescue efforts

All his life, Royal "Fuzzy" Smith has followed the sea. One of 13 children from rural Bayboro, N.C., he took his first fishing trip with his father when he was just 4 years old.

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The Wreck of the Lady Mary: Chapter 1 - Mystery shrouds fatal scallop boat sinking

Riotous waves pummel José Arias. In the frantic scramble to abandon ship, he zipped his survival suit only to his throat and now the freezing Atlantic is seeping in, stealing his body’s heat.

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Fishermen take advantage of engine program

A new state loan program to encourage fishermen to upgrade their engines is gaining momentum in Kodiak.

With a 3 percent interest rate, the Engine Fuel Efficiency Program provides financing at a cheaper rate than an older, larger state program that loans fishermen money for everything from buying quota shares to updating their gear.

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Cape May County offers loans to save fishermen's lives, limbs

The county’s Revolving Fishing Loan Program has been around since 1984, lending fishermen money for new boats, engines, and even dock-related expenses. They can borrow as much as $150,000 for these uses. About 200 loans have been awarded over the years as fishermen took advantage of the low-interest rates and less stringent terms than those offered by banks.

But few fishermen seem to know the fund was expanded a few years ago to cover safety equipment with $10,000 available at even lower interest rates, just 3 percent.

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Obama expected to sign bill requiring mandatory inspections of all commercial fishing boats and training for operators

Proposed federal legislation would require mandatory safety inspections of all commercial fishing boats and training for vessel operators.

The bill, already approved by voice vote in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, but awaiting a signature from President Barack Obama, also includes stricter safety standards for smaller fishing vessels.

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Families of two Gloucester men lost at sea in 2009 are dissatisfied with Coast Guard report

GLOUCESTER -- A lawyer representing relatives of two men who died when their fishing vessel sank off the coast of Gloucester in January 2009 said today that the family is not satisfied with the findings of a Coast Guard report attributing the sinking to a loss of stability.

Matteo Russo, 36, and his father-in-law John Orlando, 58, died when their 54-foot vessel, the Patriot, sank so quickly that neither man had time to grab a life-saving device or send out an emergency signal, and that sinking occurred when the ship lost stability and capsized, according to the report, which was made public Friday.

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Three rescued as shrimper sinks in sound

Three fishermen were rescued Monday after their 58-foot commercial shrimper began to take on water and sank in the Pamlico Sound.

The Coast Guard and two nearby vessels helped with the rescue northeast of Brant Island Shoal off Ocracoke Island.

A mayday call went out at 6:10 a.m. that the water level was already above the engines on the shrimper, Cracker Boy, the Coast Guard reported in a statement.

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Two-year time out allows fishermen & boaters to rest easier

Fishermen and other boaters can rest easier knowing they won't need a federal permit to hose off their decks. A bill that just passed the Senate extends the moratoria on discharge permit requirements for commercial and charter fishing vessels beyond the July 31 deadline.

"Say you're a sport fishing guide and you've taken your clients out, gotten a few halibut and you come in and hose off the deck. That would be a reportable discharge. They are talking about deck run off, bilge water, gray water and it would affect 9,700 vessels in the state of Alaska alone," said Sen. Lisa Murkowski in a phone conversation from Washington, D.C.

In 2008 the Environmental Protection Agency came out with regulations that would require discharges by vessels of any size to be reportable to the EPA under the Clean Water Act.

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Most fishing deaths among Gulf shrimp crews, study says

America's deadliest catch?

Forget about those crabs that crawl about the bottom of the chill Bering Sea.

It's the shrimp that inhabit the balmy waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

During the past decade, 55 fishermen have perished in pursuit of these southern crustaceans, according to a first-of-its-kind federal study that ranks fishermen's deaths in the nation's seafood harvests. That's compared with a death toll of 12 Bering Sea crabbers during the same time period.

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500+ fishermen died while working 2000-09

ATLANTA, July 15 (UPI) -- As fans of the reality show "Deadliest Catch" know, commercial fishing can be deadly, with more than 500 fishermen dying from 2000-2009, U.S. officials say.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report released Thursday says from 2000-2009, 504 commercial fishermen were killed in the United States. 

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NOAA official defends handling of observer issue

The regional coordinator of the federal "on-board observer program" says she did not dwell on complaints by fishermen about observers improperly touching sensitive electronic equipment essential for search and rescue to avoid slowing down the public meeting.

"One thing I felt was there was a kind of time limit, that people wanted to move on," Amy van Atten said in a telephone interview.

At the second of six scheduled meetings to take feedback and solve problems arising from the start of the new fishing system on May 1, which involves an increased frequency of observers, two fishermen told vivid stories of how observers — ignorant of the ways of the boat and the sea — either broke or improperly touched sensitive communications equipment.

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Fishermen sickened by toxic catch

A toxic catch off Long Island left a commercial fisherman with painful blisters and sickened after pulling in munitions.

The crew of the ESS Pursuit pulled in about 10 World War I era canisters over the weekend. Officials said one of the canisters cracked an leaked an agent believed to be mustard sulfur.

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Coast Guard releases results of Safe Catch operation

Coast Guard Sector North Carolina participated in the operation, which included six months of education, outreach and enforcement efforts from November to April.

During phase one, which included outreach and education, Sector North Carolina offered 254 commercial fishing vessel safety exams and conducted 172 of the voluntary dockside exams. Of those exams, 125 decals were issued showing they passed the exam, according to a Coast Guard news release Thursday.

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Clam boat pulls up 10 mysterious containers off New York, 1 breaks open and sickens crew

BOSTON (AP) - A fishing boat dredging for clams off New York's Long Island pulled up 10 canisters, including one that broke open and released an unidentified chemical that caused two crew members to blister and struggle to breathe, the U.S. Coast Guard said Monday.

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Safety checks target boats

A safety campaign since last fall has found 15 commercial fishing boats in the mid-Atlantic region had incorrect registrations for their emergency position indicating radio beacons a dangerous error that was implicated in the deaths of six Cape May fishermen when the scallop boat Lady Mary sank in March 2009.

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Lost fishermen lure families back home

NEW BEDFORD — It was Nov. 30, 1977, when the 73-foot fishing vessel Navigator, with Capt. Norm Lepire and 12-member crew on board, left New Bedford for a 10-day Christmas trip in the waters east of Nantucket.

Around midnight that night, the scalloper made radio contact with another New Bedford boat, the Oceanic, near the Great Round Shoal channel.

And then it was gone. Forever.

Two months later, the body of one of the crew came up in the net of an Italian trawler, 90 miles south of the Vineyard. It was the only trace ever found. The sinking of the Navigator still remains the single largest loss of life among the many tragedies that have befallen the tight-knit fishing community of New Bedford over the years.

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Bill Exempts Fishing & Small Commercial Vessels from Job-Killing EPA Regulation

Washington, DC – Bipartisan legislation to extend an exemption for fishing and small commercial vessels from incidental discharge permitting requirements was introduced in the House of Representatives on Thursday.

Vessel Safety Checks

USCG Auxiliary Vessel Examiners from Flotilla 16-4 will be performing FREE Vessel Safety Checks on Saturday,15 May and Saturday, 22 May at Teach's Lair & Village Marina in Hatteras.

 

Free Vessel Safety Checks will be performed on recreational boats.

 

UPVs and CFVs will be done upon request.

NC WRC News: New Boating Safety Rule Goes Into Effect

A New Law Goes Into Effect. As of May 1, 2010, anyone younger than 26 years operating a vessel powered by 10 horsepower or greater on public waterways in North Carolina must have successfully completed an approved boating safety education course or otherwise be in compliance. All vessel operators must be able to prove compliance upon request of a law enforcement officer.

Buxton Woods Boat Works

In the early 70’s, there was a small migration of people that transplanted to Hatteras Island. They came because they enjoyed the island for what it was and what it provided. The surf, the fishing, the serenity were just some of the things to savor. The kicker was to somehow find a way to make a living. Some went into commercial fishing, restaurants, real estate or construction. 

Mike Scott went into the boat building business. At his Buxton Woods Boat Works he made dories for the commercial fishermen to haul seine from the beach.

View photos here

Letter re EPA NPDES discharge permits

March 26, 2010

The Honorable Bill Nelson

Senate Hart Building Room 716

2^nd and C Sts., NE

Washington, D.C.  20510

Dear Senator Nelson:

Florida’s fishing industry needs your leadership for a 3-year extension of the current permit moratorium on EPA NPDES discharge permits for commercial fishing and charter fishing vessels. The current 2-year permit moratorium is scheduled to expire on July 31, 2010. If the moratorium is not extended 140,000 commercial and charter fishing boat owners, including many from the State of Florida, will be required to get individual NPDES permits from EPA to cover incidental discharges such as rain water and deck wash and even our bilge pumps which keep our boats from sinking! This kind of permit from EPA is over burdensome and unnecessary for our size of vessels.

Study of Discharges Incidental to Normal Operation of Commercial Fishing Vessels and Other Non-Recreational Vessels Less than 79 Feet

This study was conducted to meet the obligations of EPA under Public Law (P.L.) 110-299 (July 31, 2008). The law provided for a two-year moratorium on National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting of discharges from commercial fishing vessels, regardless of size, and other non-recreational vessels less than 79-feet long that were subject to the 40 CFR 122.3(a) exclusion. Except for ballast water discharges, discharges from these vessels are not currently eligible for coverage under the EPA's Vessel General Permit (VGP). During the moratorium, EPA was tasked with conducting the study which is available on this webpage in draft form.  

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Sea Tractor sinking a mystery, months later

At first authorities thought the body found Nov. 21 on Pea Island, a remote strand on the Outer Banks, about 10 miles south of Nags Head, would provide answers. Dead bodies can do that.

This one didn’t. It just raised more questions.

Three days before the body was discovered, a life raft from the Sea Tractor washed up just several miles away from where the body was eventually found.

For the body and the raft to end up so close together after traveling about 200 miles seemed odd to fishermen. The U.S. Coast Guard said it found the life raft empty the night of the sinking.

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Device makes fishing deck winch less lethal

The most common piece of equipment on a fishing boat is also the most dangerous: the deck winch.    

"Fishermen tell us it is the most powerful thing on the boat," said Ted Teske, a health communications specialist with the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.

"If that thing gets ahold of you when you're pursing a line or moving a line, it will not stop and it won't let go. It will end up tearing your arm off or breaking your neck or ripping you apart."

NIOSH research shows that a high number of traumatic fishing injuries come from entanglement in a rotating winch, especially on seine vessels. If a fisherman is working on deck and gets pulled into the winch, it pulls him away from the controls to stop it, which are mounted on the back of the wheelhouse. Teske helped develop a simple device called an E-Stop (emergency stop) that interrupts the flow of hydraulic fluid to the winch and locks it in place.

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Rare skipjack, once a planned town centerpiece, is destroyed

Only 40 in existence; boat called beyond repair

ONANCOCK --The century-old skipjack Ethel Lewis, which was brought here from New York five years ago by volunteers hoping to save her, was destroyed Monday in a controlled burn after those involved said it was unsalvageable.

The 58-foot boat, which was built in Chesconnesex in 1906, had been one of only about 40 skipjacks still in existence. The wooden sailing vessels were used around the turn of the century to dredge for oysters on the Chesapeake Bay.

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Tide turned deadly in '09 for fishers off N.J.

Last year was one of the deadliest in New Jersey waters in almost 90 years, with 12 commercial fishermen dead in four separate boat accidents off the coast. In December, two Virginia men died off Ocean County when their 38-foot scallop boat, the Alisha Marie, sank. Last March, the Lady Mary, a North Carolina boat operating out of Cape May, sank on a scallop trip, killing six of the seven crew members.

"We all know the dangers. There's a market for it, so somebody's got to go out there and get them," said Steve Cummings, 45, a fisherman from Pimlico County, N.C., one recent winter morning while preparing to embark on a trip from a commercial dock in Cape May. "It's what we do. I've been doing it for 18 years."

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Forecasting island weather will be topic of community forum

The Island Free Press is sponsoring a community forum on forecasting the weather on Hatteras and Ocracoke on Tuesday, Jan. 26, from 1 until 3 p.m. at the Community Building in Hatteras village.

Guest speakers will include two meteorologists from the local National Weather Service office in Newport/Morehead City, N.C.

Meteorologists Brian Cullen and Scott Kennedy will talk about the work of the local office with a focus on the coastal flood program.

Weather is always foremost on our minds on the islands – for those of us who live here and for our visitors. The weather affects our businesses – from commercial fishermen to charter boat captains to shop owners. And it affects recreational pursuits for visitors who want to surf, fish, windsurf, kiteboard, or walk the beaches.

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Environmentally friendly retrofit of famous crabber planned Time Bandit set to go green

As Captains Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand of the Homer-based F/V Time Bandit finish up the king crab season, they embark on a new adventure and not just for opilio crab as the season opens.

Under a project by SeaLand Environmental Inc., a Bradenton, Fla., company, the Time Bandit will be going green. 

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Local professor seeks out deadrise boats

It wasn't so much the pile of liquor bottles that made Paul Ewell stop the car as it was the sight of Mary lying beside them, completely wasted.

He recognized her as a Maryland girl, though what she was doing here on a Northampton County back road was anyone's guess. She was pretty far gone, but she was still beautiful, all curves and grace, even resting on her side in the trash.

Mary, the deadrise oyster boat, was just what he was looking for. Ewell pulled over and got out.  

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