NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL
Offshore wind turbines pose trouble for vessel radar
The push to build big ocean wind turbine arrays off the U.S. East Coast could bring problems for marine vessel radar, requiring new planning to ensure wind power and other maritime operators can safely operate together, according to a long-anticipated report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.
TOP STORY
Wash. yard wins $3 million contract to build government-funded commercial fishing boats
ACI Boats in Port Townsend, Wash., has been awarded a $3 million contract to build four identical longline boats for American Samoa. The fleet of 38-foot Super Alia longliners will be used to train new entrants to the fishery, as well as established fishermen, and to ensure the safety of the local commercial fishing fleet.
CURRENT ISSUE
ALASKA
Alaska’s bycatch task force meets again, launches public archive
In November 2021, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy created the Alaska Bycatch Review Task Force “to help better understand unintended bycatch of high value fishery resources in state and federal waters.”
He defined bycatch as “fish which are harvested in a fishery but are not sold or kept.”
MID-ATLANTIC
New Jersey sets $3.3 million for offshore wind environment studies
Amid growing concern about the environmental impact of offshore wind development, New Jersey’s environment and energy planners are putting up $3.3 million for studies on how building wind turbine arrays may affect wildlife and fisheries.
BOATS & GEAR
Grundéns jumped into making a fishing deck boot in 2017 with one of the company’s foundational philosophies in mind. From the mindset of a fisherman, they approach a product and ask if they can improve on the prevailing market.
“If we can’t make it better, we don’t make it,” said Grundéns CEO Dave Mellon. But with footwear, they felt they were up to the challenge.
