Tag Archives: massachusetts
New Bedford: Dock collapses on waterfront, the third failure in two years
For the third time in less than two years, a hunk of dock fell into New Bedford Harbor on Wednesday afternoon, again raising red flags about neglected port maintenance. The collapse injured no one but dropped a metal shed into the water. The asphalt-surface dock and the shed dropped into about 20 feet of water late Wednesday afternoon outside the Sea Watch International processing plant along Antonio Costa Avenue, said Gordon Carr, executive director of the New Bedford Port Authority. He said it happened when no one was around, at about 3:30 p.m. The sunken storage shed had stood in an area that had been blocked by Jersey barriers since a neighboring section of the dock collapsed a year ago. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:44
Little Lady Readies for Next Chapter
Little Lady, the last one-man, wooden western-rig dragger in New England that has been a fixture in Menemsha for three generations, is preparing for a new voyage: this time in education and historic preservation. The Martha’s Vineyard Fishermen’s Preservation Trust is working with Capt. Dennis Jason to buy and rebuild the iconic fishing vessel. The nonprofit trust, formed in 2011 to safeguard the Island’s fishing heritage, hopes to raise $2 million to pay for repairs amid plans to use the Little Lady for living historical and educational programs, including fishing. Photos, links, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:32
Captain Joseph S. Giacalone of Gloucester, Massachusetts has passed away
Captain Joseph S. Giacalone, 91, of Gloucester, husband of Marie G. (Pallazola) Giacalone, passed away peacefully on Thursday, April 10, 2025, at Lahey Hospital in Burlington, MA, surrounded by his loving family. Born in Gloucester on January 10, 1934, he was the son of the late Vito and Jennie (Militello) Giacalone. A proud graduate of Gloucester High School’s Class of 1951-where he held the rank of First Lieutenant in ROTC and participated in the school band-Joe began his lifelong vocation as a commercial fisherman. Following in the footsteps of his childhood friends, his father, and his brothers-in-law, he served in various roles from deckhand to mate and hold man aboard the offshore trawlers of New England’s booming fishing industry in the late 1950s and 1960s. This was during the height of Gloucester’s prominence as New England’s dominant groundfish fleet, working the productive fishing grounds of the Gulf of Maine, Georges and Browns Banks, and the Bay of Fundy. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:11
Massachusetts lobsterman says he’s under attack, rattling Cape Cod community: ‘Dictatorship!’
A lifelong Cape Cod lobsterman is fighting for his livelihood as a local zoning board looks to put an end to his family’s business that has operated out of his home for nearly 70 years, a battle that residents say further jeopardizes the town’s identity. Jon Tolley has only ever known a life of catching lobsters out of Sesuit Harbor in Dennis and then selling the fresh crustaceans from his home in West Yarmouth. The 66-year-old helped his father run the business on the same Iroquois Boulevard property as a youngster before he took over operations in 1975. As residents learned about Tolley’s fight, they became outraged. Despite an outpouring of community support since last fall, the Zoning Board of Appeals is remaining firm with its stance that the lobsterman can no longer sell his beloved product from his property. The board rejected Tolley’s second appeal on Thursday,,, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:48
A West Yarmouth resident complained. Now lobsterman ordered to stop sales from his home.
Jon Tolley has been selling fresh lobsters from his home in West Yarmouth since 1975, and his father did the same for nearly 30 years before that from the same house. Now he has been told to stop. “I’m 66 and I have been a fisherman my whole life,” Tolley said. He fishes out of Sesuit Harbor in Dennis. “Everyone knows I sell lobsters,” he said. Yarmouth Building Commissioner Mark Grylls has ordered Tolley to stop selling his lobsters from his home at 23 Iroquois Blvd. in West Yarmouth because retail sales in a residential zone are not allowed under zoning regulations. “The town is trying to say that no one has sold lobsters in the history of the town,” Tolley said, and recalled his father and his grandfather, who sold fish from his home in Yarmouth Port from 1930 to 1972. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:50
State Approves Extension Of Nantucket’s Scalloping Season
The state Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) has approved the town’s request to extend the bay scalloping season on Nantucket through April 11 due to the abundance of adult scallops in the harbors. The extension includes both commercial and recreational scalloping. “DMF has determined that in proportion to immature seed bay scallops there is an abundance of adult bay scallops that will not be harvested prior to the termination of the normal bay scallop season on March 31, 2025,” DMF director Daniel McKiernan wrote to the Select Board on Friday. “Furthermore, it is believed that most of these adult scallops are unlikely to live long enough to spawn again this coming summer.” Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:43
Beach Town Poised to Use Green Left’s Favorite Legal Strategy Against Massive Offshore Wind Project
The town of Nantucket, Massachusetts looks set to use one of the green left’s go-to legal strategies against a massive offshore wind farm supported by liberal environmentalists. Environmental groups have used “sue and settle” tactics — wherein plaintiffs sue an aligned administration to kill a disfavored project, which the aligned administration effectively does via settlement — for decades to impede infrastructure projects they oppose. Now, Nantucket is suing the Trump administration and alleging that key procedural laws were not followed in Biden-era approvals for the massive SouthCoast wind farm off the island’s coast, teeing up a potential “sue and settle” situation that could derail a major project supported by the green left. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:44
A woman in a (lobster)man’s world
At 81, Susan Michaud is a lifelong lobsterman, born into a family deeply rooted in the trade. “My father had three girls, and I happened to be the middle child, so I became the son,” she said. When Michaud started high school at 14, her father found a unique way to support her financially — by putting her to work. He made it clear he wouldn’t be giving her any spending money, but he did provide her a 16-foot wooden Amesbury skiff, 50 traps, bait and a crate. He told her he would sell the lobsters she caught and give her the money. Michaud had already joined the Atlantic Lobstermen’s Co-Operative, which allowed her to sell them directly. “For four years, I went lobstering with my 50 traps. It was fantastic,” she said. “I saw a girlfriend the other day, and she said, ‘You know, you were the only one in high school who had money. You were the only one who had their own car.” photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:46
Trump firings hit NOAA scientists, analysts on South Coast
Federal cuts ordered by the Trump administration reached Massachusetts in late February, when the NOAA Fisheries’ workforce from Maine to North Carolina was slashed. Hundreds more cuts may happen this week, when department heads must meet a deadline to submit proposals for “large-scale” reductions in force at their respective agencies to not only terminate people but eliminate their positions altogether. This means more scientists and analysts who protect and manage the country’s commercial fisheries may soon lose their jobs. Their terminations have raised concerns about the future of the fishing industry, the science that underlies its management, and the people who rely on it for work and for food. “How many fishermen are left, and how many regulators and scientists are left to manage us? Try to get that number,” Tony Alvernaz said, suggesting there are too many regulators for what he sees as a struggling and overregulated industry. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:50
Body caught in fishing nets off Mass. coast appears to be woman buried at sea
Authorities have released new details on the wrapped body that was caught by fishermen off the coast of Massachusetts last week. The person’s death is not considered suspicious, the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office said Monday, and appears to be consistent with having been buried at sea. The person was a woman in her 60s who had cancerous tumors. She is not likely to be identified but there were no indications of foul play, prosecutors said. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 20:48
Wrapped, decomposed body pulled out of nets by fishermen off Boston coast
Early Friday morning a fishing vessel that wanted to remain unnamed pull a wrapped, decomposed body out of their fishing nets approximately 40 miles offshore of Boston. The body was wrapped in a blue tarp and the body itself- severely decomposed – was bound around the torso with white rope keeping the arms to the person’s side. “The body, which was wrapped and in a state of decomposition, is now with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for autopsy purposes,” said the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office who is investigating alongside the Coast Guard. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:59
Damaged Wind Turbine that Polluted Nantucket Beaches Last Year Further Damaged in Lightning Strike
Lightning struck a wind turbine off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, last week, further damaging a turbine operated by Vineyard Wind that made headlines last year when its blade fell off, polluting the ocean and nearby beaches. “The coverup blows on. Vineyard Wind’s lack of transparency around the structural integrity of its mammoth wind turbines is deeply frustrating to fishermen,” said Jerry Leeman, CEO of the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association. “In fact, Vineyard Wind officials met in February with officials from the Bureau of Safety and Environment Enforcement to discuss improving communications over safety issues. Foreign offshore wind developers seem breezily dismissive of commercial fishermen,” he added. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:15
Remembering Mason Evich: GoFundMe set up for Fairhaven man killed in head-on crash
Friends and family of 28-year-old Mason Evich remember him as someone who will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him. The commercial fisherman tragically lost his life in a head-on crash on the New Bedford-Fairhaven Bridge on Feb. 20, and heartfelt tributes are flooding in to honor his memory. A GoFundMe, Honoring Mason’s Life with Love, was started by Ryley Santos as a tribute to Evich. To date it has raised more than $58,000, exceeding the initial $25,000 goal. A group of friends got together and wrote a tribute to Evich on GoFundMe. Links, more, >>CLICK TO READ 06:53
Commercial Fisherman Mason C. Evich, 28, of Fairhaven died February 20, 2025. He was a devoted son, brother, and loyal friend.
He was everything wonderful. If you were lucky enough to know Mason, you LOVED him. A beacon of kindness, with a gentle soul that touched everyone he met, the pain we feel in losing him is indescribable. Born in Seattle, Washington, Mason was the loving son of Dagne (Sovik) Evich and the late Adam Evich. Mason’s love for fishing was passed down from his father, a lifelong commercial fisherman. Each summer, Mason accompanied his dad to Bristol Bay, Alaska, where they salmon fished together on the family’s fishing vessel. After graduating from Fairhaven High School, Mason attended the Northeast Maritime Institute, where he earned his associate degree and captain’s license. He later worked as a mate on commercial fishing vessels out of Cape May, NJ, and New Bedford, MA. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:28
Massachusetts: Retired Commercial Fisherman Raoul (Ray) D. Ross has passed away
Raoul (Ray) D. Ross died on February 17 at Cape Cod Hospital after a brief illness. Early in his life, Ray was drawn to the ocean and from the age of 14, except for his stint in the military, he worked as a commercial fisherman. He was a physically vital man and worked many long hours fishing in the waters off southern New England on one of his boats: the Rosalie R (which he helped design and build), the Carole R, the Jessica and Susan, and the Colleen and Melissa. After settling on Cape Cod in 1965, Ray was for years a fixture at the Ocean Street docks in Hyannis, a devoted friend and supportive member of the commercial fishing community. His advocacy and leadership included a term as President of the Massachusetts Inshore Daggerman’s Association, where he worked with regulators and legislators to represent the interests of Cape Cod fisherman. Well into his seventies, Ray was still rising at 4:00 a.m. to happily captain a boat and crew to catch squid and scup in the waters of Nantucket Sound. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:07
Climbing whale deaths sparks questions over offshore wind
A 20-foot dead whale washed up on Quonnie Beach in Charlestown in December, becoming one of several stranded whales found on beaches in Southern New England in 2024. It’s a trend that scientists have been watching over the past decade, when whale deaths started to drastically increase in the region. Every time a whale dies, hundreds of online comments blame offshore wind farms as the reason behind the death. University of Rhode Island Emeritus Marine Research Scientist Robert Kenney says there’s no evidence to back those claims. Last year alone, 28 dead whales washed ashore in Rhode Island and Massachusetts combined, compared to 16 in 2023, two in 2022, and 18 in 2021. Video, photos, more. >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:25
Massachusetts Restricted Area Wedge Closure to Trap/Pot Gear Upheld and Effective February 1 – Compliance Assistance Available
On January 30, 2025, the U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the final regulation amending the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan (Plan) to expand the boundaries of the seasonal Massachusetts Restricted Area (MRA) to include the “Wedge”—that area of federal waters in Massachusetts Bay between state waters and the federal waters within the Massachusetts Restricted Area Wedge was lawful and may be enforced. Therefore, the Wedge is closed, effective February 1 2025, to the use of trap/pot gear (except the authorized use of on-demand gear by NOAA Fisheries) from February 1 through April 30. chart, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:03
Massachusetts lobster fishing limits to protect whales restored by appeals court
A federal appeals court on Thursday restored a U.S. agency rule restricting lobster and Jonah crab fishing off the Massachusetts coast to protect endangered whales, rejecting a claim that the agency did not deserve deference under a recent landmark Supreme Court case. In a 3-0 decision, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston said the National Marine Fisheries Service acted lawfully in banning from Feb. 1 to April 30 annually the use of vertical buoy lines in a 200-nautical-mile area of federal waters called the Massachusetts Restricted Area Wedge. The Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association sued to block the rule, saying a Dec. 2022 appropriations rider reflected the U.S. Congress’ intent not to extend emergency protections for North Atlantic right whales from earlier that year. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 19:21
Provincetown Pursues 6-Year $12M Plan for MacMillan Pier
Every year, about a quarter-million passengers arrive or depart from the ferry terminal at the tip of Provincetown’s MacMillan Pier. Meanwhile, a fleet of commercial fishing vessels unload around four million pounds of seafood. Another 70,000 people board whale-watch trips to see humpback, fin, and minke whales feed in Cape Cod’s nutrient-rich waters — and that’s just one of several types of excursions that leave from the pier’s west side. This center of activity was substantially rebuilt in the early 2000s, but parts of it are much older, including the two “finger piers” that serve the town’s scallop and sea clam boats. At its Jan. 13 meeting, the select board endorsed a $12-million plan to renovate the pier and authorized the Dept. of Public Works to pursue advanced designs and permits for the project. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:35
Coast Guard, good Samaritans, rescue crew of sinking vessel near Gloucester Harbor
It was a race to the rescue for U.S. Coast Guard officials and good Samaritans when a fishing vessel began sinking on Friday. According to authorities, the crew of the F/V Miss Sandy issued a mayday call 7 nautical miles off Gloucester Harbor, when the boat began flooding rapidly with 4 to 5 feet of water in the engine room. Exhaust fumes also started filling the space, making the situation more dangerous. Within 30 minutes, officials say the CGC William Chadwick, along with local partners and good Samaritans, were on the scene, fighting to save the boat and its crew. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:00
Massachusetts offshore wind project that Biden visited is no more as Trump retakes office
A $300 million offshore wind cable plant development project in Somerset that President Biden visited in July 2022, ushering in the country’s transition to clean energy, is off the table after its Italian developer walked away from it. The Prysmian Group backed out of its nearly three-year endeavor of gaining necessary local and state permits on Friday, days before President-elect Trump retakes office, saying it wouldn’t purchase the land needed for the effort. Massachusetts Congressman Jake Auchincloss called Prysmian’s decision to walk away from its submarine cables factory at Brayton Point “disappointing and discouraging.” “Donald Trump has unraveled (the) promise of good jobs by threatening a moratorium on offshore wind,” Auchincloss said in a statement Friday night, “generating so much uncertainty that companies pull back investment.” The Prysmian Group did not explicitly connect its withdrawal from the project to Trump’s cutdown threat. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:32
Dozens protest wind farms and impact on whales in New Bedford
Dozens of protesters gathered in New Bedford Saturday, demanding an end to offshore wind projects immediately. The protest came one day after final federal approval for the Southcoast Wind Project, 26 nautical miles south of Martha’s Vineyard. Protesters said they were outraged over potential impacts on the environment, coastal neighborhoods, and the commercial fishing industry. Video, Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:48
Supreme Court Declines To Hear Challenge Of Vineyard Wind
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear the challenge of Vineyard Wind brought by the Nantucket-based nonprofit ACK For Whales, effectively ending the group’s legal effort to stop or delay the wind farm under construction southwest of the island. The effort to bring its case to the nation’s highest court was a long shot – as the U.S. Supreme Court accepts only 2 percent of the 7,000 cases brought to it each year – and on Monday the court informed ACK For Whales that it had declined to hear its petition for certiorari. ACK For Whales had alleged that the federal agencies that permitted the Vineyard Wind project violated the Endangered Species Act by concluding that the project’s construction likely would not jeopardize the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale. The group also asserted that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management had violated the National Environmental Policy Act by relying on a “flawed analysis” from the National Marine Fisheries Service. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:35
Experts say Trump is right yet all wrong on whale deaths
It is the first commercial-scale offshore wind energy project in the U.S. But is Vineyard Wind, under construction off the coast of Massachusetts, contributing to an increase in whale strandings? That’s what President-elect Donald Trump suggested at a Tuesday press conference, as he vowed to stop new offshore wind farms during his administration. “You see what’s happening up in the Massachusetts area with the whales,” Trump said. “They had two whales wash ashore in a 17-year period. And now they had fourteen this season. The windmills are driving the whales crazy.” Actually, what may be driving the whale’s crazy is the noise generated by the construction of the wind farm. It involves the placement of 62 turbines, one nautical mile apart. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<<08:01
Commercial Fisherman Karsten David Larsen of Oaks Bluffs, Massachusetts, has passed away
One of a Kind, Karsten David Larsen, 57 passed away peacefully in his sleep on December 27, less than a third of a mile from the home where he was raised and within “The Community” he loved so much. He was born in Oak Bluffs to Dagbard & Carole Larsen on April 8, 1967. His life was largely spent as a Commercial Fisherman. He began his love of fishing at a very early age on the docks in Menemsha. Later on, he became the captain of many boats, including his own. He was passionate about everything he did. He was an extremely talented fisherman, artist, hunter, and family member. While possessing the various skills needed by a fisherman, his talent as a self-taught marine artist was remarkable. His subject matter was the boats and fish from his own memories. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:06
UPDATED: Fishing vessel runs aground on Cape Cod beach. Refloated at high tide
A fishing vessel ran aground on the beach approximately one mile north of Newcomb Hollow Beach in Wellfleet, according to a release from the Wellfleet Fire Department. Fire personnel were dispatched to the area shortly before 9 a.m. on Friday. The U.S. Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England identified the boat as the F/V Guardian, a 70-foot fishing vessel. According to a release from the Coast Guard, the “vessel did not incur any damage, and no pollution has resulted or been at the site of the grounding.” Five crew members were aboard the boat at the time. According to the Coast Guard, a tug boat was heading to the area to attempt to pull the vessel back out to sea at high tide, slated for approximately 2 p.m. on Friday. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:21
Fishing vessel runs aground on Cape Cod beach: Officials on the scene
A fishing vessel ran aground on the beach approximately one mile north of Newcomb Hollow Beach in Wellfleet, according to a release from the Wellfleet Fire Department. Fire personnel were dispatched to the area shortly before 9 a.m. on Friday. The U.S. Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England identified the boat as the Guardian, a 70-foot fishing vessel. According to a release from the Coast Guard, the “vessel did not incur any damage, and no pollution has resulted or been at the site of the grounding.” Five crew members were aboard the boat at the time. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ< 17:43
Vineyard Wind and DOJ dispute ACK For Whales Supreme Court case
ACK For Whales is steadfast in their belief that their case against Vineyard Wind and federal agencies should be heard by the Supreme Court. Judges at the state and federal level have already dismissed their arguments in court twice the last two years, but that doesn’t mean their case doesn’t deserve to be heard by the highest court in the land, according to court filings from the local opposition group filed earlier this month. “That this petition focuses on only one aspect of the agency’s shortcomings . . . its failure to consider the cumulative impacts of other known, authorized, planned, and soon-to-be-approved projects—does not render this petition unworthy of review by (the Supreme Court). And that the First Circuit gave short shrift to (ACK For Whales’) arguments, including this one, equally does not render this petition unworthy of review,” reads a reply to critiques from federal agencies and Vineyard Wind filed Dec. 20. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:22
2024 in review: Major milestones and epic failures mark offshore wind industry
Offshore wind did reach major milestones in 2024, with “steel in the water” at four projects. But due to an unexpected failure at sea off the Massachusetts coast, the country remains under one gigawatt of operating offshore wind power — a long way from its 2030 goal. The expected 800-megawatt contribution from Vineyard Wind 1 didn’t happen, in large part due to a catastrophic blade failure over the summer that made headlines and brought the 62-turbine project and its partial power generation to a halt. Despite this incident — and the re-election of Donald Trump, a vocal critic of offshore wind — the industry celebrated breakthroughs and earned significant investments this year, both locally and nationally. In Massachusetts, officials remain bullish. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:31
ASMFC Public Hearings on Northern Shrimp Draft Amendment 4
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