Saving Seafood

Clam chowder calamity as fishing crew pulls up unexploded ordnance

August 12, 2016 — DOVER, Del. — A fishing crew apparently pulled up unexploded ordnance while clamming, leading to a fisherman being hospitalized with second-degree burns and the destruction of more than 700 cases of chowder, officials said.

It’s unclear what the ordnance was, but fishing vessels along the Atlantic Coast routinely dredge up munitions, including mustard agent, that was dumped at sea decades ago when environmental laws were far more lax.

The injured fisherman was treated at a hospital in Philadelphia for burns and blisters, said U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Seth Johnson. Such injuries are consistent with mustard agent exposure.

The crew of the fishing vessel the William Lee found what they believed was an old or discarded ordnance canister on Aug. 2 and threw it back into the ocean 30 miles east of Barnegat Inlet, Johnson said.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Providence Journal

N.J. adopts new artificial reef plan to ease tension between commercial, recreational fishers

November 5, 2015 — The Christie administration adopted new rules this week that will give way to a plan to develop an artificial reef just north of Barnegat Inlet, officials announced Wednesday.

The plan developed by the Department of Environmental Protection ends a decade-long rift between commercial and recreational fisherman. Anglers argue their hooks get caught on commercial pot lines.

Under the new rules, commercial and recreational fisherman will be required to use lobster, fish and conch pots only in certain areas. The lobster potters will also have to mark individual pots with a buoy and set them up between the hours of sunrise and sunset. They must also contact Marine Law Enforcement Headquarters two hours prior to setting their pots, officials said.

Read the full story at NJ.com