Saving Seafood

Small fishing boat plays big role in aviators’ rescue

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Three fisherman came to the rescue of Naval aviators off the coast of North Carolina Thursday morning. Something went wrong during a Navy training mission and two F/A-18F Super Hornets crashed into the water below. 

All four of the aviators on board survived, and a recreational boat made a big difference in the immediate moments after the crash.

10 On Your Side’s Liz Kilmer spoke exclusively to Rob Schutrumpf, one of the men on the “Pammy,” who came to the rescue.

“There was something that looked like a wing or a tail burning and that’s kind of what clued us in to where they were before the helicopter got here,” he said.

Read the full story at WAVY

Omega Protein Upholds ‘Gentlemen’s Agreement’, Avoids Fishing Near Virginia Beach

January 29, 2016 — The following was released by the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition:

In July of last year, Menhaden Fisheries Coalition member Omega Protein met with recreational fishermen from the Virginia Beach area to discuss and resolve potential issues arising from menhaden fishing in the area. At the summer meeting, the two groups reached an informal agreement, whereby Omega Protein would not fish within three miles of shore of an area extending from Cape Henry Lighthouse to the Sandbridge fishing pier, some of Virginia Beach’s most popular tourist areas (See the image below, taken from this WAVY report).

 

Since then, Omega Protein has kept its promise to avoid these areas. The images below are maps of menhaden fishing activity in the Virginia Beach area, provided by the Beaufort Laboratory of NOAA’s National Marine Fishing Service.

Press accounts in December 2015 referenced sightings of Omega Protein vessels fishing offshore in the vicinity of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel in Virginia Beach as evidence that the agreement was violated. In fact, any sightings of fishing vessels in that locale would have been outside the agreed-upon area, and well within legally regulated fishing zones.
The image on the left shows fishing activity through July 2015, before the agreement was reached. The image on the right shows activity from the end of July through remainder of the 2015 fishing season. Since the agreement was entered into, there has been no menhaden fishing in the Virginia Beach three-mile buffer zone; all menhaden fishing activity in southern Virginia has taken place outside of the agreed-upon off-limits area. As shown in these maps, Omega Protein vessels adhered to the “Gentlemen’s agreement” for the remainder of the fishing season.

Two Virginia Whale Watch Companies Join Whale SENSE Atlantic

January 12, 2016 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Two Virginia Beach ocean tour operators, Rudee Tours and  Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, joined the voluntary responsible whale watching program, Whale SENSE, sponsored by NOAA Fisheries and Whale and Dolphin Conservation. 

Virginia’s whale watch season runs from January to March, when the humpback whales migrate through the mid-Atlantic from their northeast summer feeding grounds to their calving and nursery grounds located in the eastern Caribbean. By choosing a company with Whale SENSE, whale watchers can be assured that their exhilarating experiences with the whales are not interfering with the whales’ natural behaviors.

Rudee Tours offers winter wildlife cruises. Credit Kristin Rayfield, Rudee Tours.

The Whale SENSE program, which started seven years ago in the Atlantic region, now spans two coasts and boasts a total of 15 whale watch companies from Virginia to Maine, as well as 7 in Juneau, Alaska.”With the largest fleet of head boats in Virginia, and tens of thousands of people taking one of our tours each year, we feel it is important to serve as a role model for responsible and educational whale and dolphin watching,” says Kristen Rayfield, naturalist of Rudee Tours.

“Whale SENSE provides an opportunity for us to continue to showcase our dedication to the highest level of ethics and practices and provide an experience for our guests while keeping these incredible marine mammals safe in their habitat,” says Alexis Rabon, Boat Program Coordinator and Naturalist for Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center.

Humpback whale breaching off Virginia Beach. Credit: Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center

Whale SENSE participants follow viewing guidelines by reducing speeds, keeping a safe distance, and communicating with other vessels. They also pledge to advertise responsibly by captioning pictures to inform their passengers of how whales are protected.

“Seeing these majestic animals up close is an exhilarating experience, but we don’t want our enthusiasm to unintentionally cause them harm,” says John Bullard, NOAA Fisheries regional administrator for the Greater Atlantic Region. “Whale SENSE helps us ensure that companies know the laws and best methods for minimizing impacts to the whales, helping to protect and conserve these species for generations to come.”

In addition, Whale SENSE participants receive annual training on whale protection laws, and participate in environmental conservation projects, such as beach clean-ups or sponsoring internship programs. In the event that they see a marine animal in distress, they call it in to authorized responders, and when possible, stand by the animal until rescuers arrive.

“We are thrilled to have Rudee Tours and Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center join Whale SENSE this year,” says Monica Pepe of Whale and Dolphin Conservation. “These companies will act as stewards on the water, setting an example of how to watch whales responsibly in an area where whale sightings have been increasing in recent years.”

All whales in U.S. waters are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which makes it illegal to injure, kill or harass whales.

Having served more than 1 million passengers, Whale SENSE companies continue to be the SENSE-ible whale watching choice. To find out if a whale watch company participates in the program, check for the new Whale SENSE logo on participating vessels.

Visit Whale SENSE for participants in your area or like us on Facebook!

Read this press release online. High-res images available. 

Sunken sanctuary: Former Omega Protein WWII-era vessel becomes artificial reef

December 15, 2015 — For much of the last decade, the MV Shearwater caught menhaden by the ton but in its new life, as part of the Del-Jersey-Land reef 26-miles off the coast, it will become a fish habitat and diving destination in the state’s artificial reef program.

The ship didn’t go easy into the deep last week. The stern sank first and the ship started to turn leaving just the bow out of the water. It took about six hours to fully sink after the seacocks opened and the interior compartments flooded.

The 176-foot-long vessel went down in 120 feet of water. It lays about one-half nautical mile from the 568-foot long USS Arthur W. Radford, a former Navy destroyer. The Radford was sunk at the artificial reef site in 2011 and has become a popular destination for divers and anglers.

“About three weeks ago, a state-record bluefish was caught there,” said Jeff Tinsman, the state artificial reef coordinator.

“These old freighters make ideal reefs because of the voids and cavities in them – they’re really the perfect sanctuary for fish,” Tinsman said. “But not long after this ship sinks, the fish will start to come ‘outside’ it to feed. Within a few weeks, blue mussels, sponges, barnacles and soft corals will attach themselves to the structure, and in about a year, the reef will be fully productive, for fish and fishermen alike.”

Read the full story at Delaware Online