#fisheries department investigation

[townpostin]

Thousands of Fish Die in Raja Talab Jamshedpur Due to Chemical Contamination

Overuse of chemicals to clean Raja Talab results in mass fish death JAMSHEDPUR – Thousands of fish have died in Raja Talab, Harharguttu, Bagbera, after chemicals were used to clean the pond. The incident came to light on Sunday when local residents reported a foul smell emanating from the pond. Upon investigation, they found thousands of dead fish floating in the water. The chemical, allegedly…

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Two Mi'kmaw fishermen who were dropped off in the middle of nowhere in rural Nova Scotia in their sock feet on a cold and rainy March night, their cellphones seized by federal fisheries officers, hope an external investigation will shed some light on the actions of the officers that night. "Even though I went out and did what I did, still at the end of the day, it's wrong what happened to me," said Blaise Sylliboy of the Eskasoni First Nation in Cape Breton, one of the men detained for fishing for elvers at night along a river in Shelburne County early last spring.  Federal Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier announced in a news release Monday morning that an external review process will examine the incident on March 26, 2024, as well as department policies, enforcement practices, and "procedures to eradicate the potential for systemic biases or racism." 

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @newsfromstolenland

[darkmaga-returns]

NOAA launches investigation of 30-year-old carcass while allowing offshore wind titans to harm whales, including the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale.

By Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. RFK Jr.’s Policies + Politics

December 21, 2024

On September 4, I received a letter from Mr. Todd J. Smith, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the National Marine Fisheries Service, United States Department of Commerce. In the letter, the agency states that they are investigating the alleged claim that I collected a specimen from a rotting carcass found on a Massachusetts beach in 1994. It claims that I may have violated the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

The agency sent its letter just 12 days after I endorsed President Trump on August 23, raising the concern that this investigation is yet another instance of the systematic weaponization of federal enforcement agencies against White House critics.

Here’s my response to his letter, which I sent to Mr. Smith on Oct. 8:

October 8, 2024

RE: Alleged Violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act

Mr. Smith:

This is my response to your inquiry about the unsubstantiated allegation that my collection, in 1994 on a Massachusetts beach, of a specimen from a rotting carcass may have violated the Marine Mammal Protection Act. I never collected a whale specimen in Massachusetts or transported marine mammal specimens across state lines, nor do I have such a specimen in my collection.

While I am impressed with the alacrity with which the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) launched its investigation of the fate of a 30-year-old specimen, the rapid reaction contrasts sharply with your stubborn intransigeance in addressing the apparent massacre of marine mammals by the offshore wind industry. Recently approved offshore wind farms appear to be putting several protected dolphin and whale species, including the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, in dire crisis.

Your agency has idly watched the approval of 30 offshore wind leases from Maine to North Carolina effectively privatizing 2.3 million acres of ocean bottom, mostly on extremely productive fishing grounds and critical habitat for migratory whales and other marine mammals, including the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale.

[newsbites]

News from Newfoundland and Labrador, 14 July

1. Police continue to investigate stabbing in St Johns in Topsail Road.

A 34-year-old man was seriously injured in a stabbing in the west end of St. John’s.

The assault took place between Bay Bulls Road and Topsail Road.

Police are urging anyone with information or video footage of the area during the specified time to come forward.

2. A man from Bell Island is facing charges after being caught on 12 July with drugs in a car which was pulled over for speeding.  He was driving while his licence was suspended and showing signs of driving impaired.

3. Near miss at Braya refinery.  A Stop-work order has not been issued by the department. 

Occupational Health and Safety is investigating a "near-miss" incident at the Braya refinery in Come By Chance, involving drilling on a repurposed line that had previously been in nitrogen service.

The line was not in service or under pressure at the time of the incident, and internal analysis was conducted before sharing the findings with OHS and employees.

This incident comes almost a year after a fatal explosion at the refinery, which resulted in a criminal negligence investigation by the RCMP.

4.  Clean-up underway after an unexpected tornado in Half Moon Bay.

5. Electrically-serviced campsites in loops A and B of Newman Sound Campground in Terra Nova Park are currently without power.

6. Oceana Canada is concerned about DFO’s failure to close Capelin Fishery [via VOCM].

OC says that the Canadian government, specifically the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), is not effectively incorporating climate change data and research into fisheries management decisions, which is exacerbating the depletion of fish stocks.

7. Candidate Tony Wakeham is releasing his healthcare plan for connecting residents with a primary provider for healthcare.

Tony Wakeham's health care plan focuses on improving access to timely care in Newfoundland and Labrador by connecting every resident with a primary health care provider and establishing family health care teams.

The plan prioritizes job offers to health care professionals at the beginning of their training to address the shortage of healthcare providers in the province.

Wakeham emphasizes the urgency of addressing the lack of access to health care and believes that waiting for the long-term vision of the Health Accord is not feasible for the province.

8. Musgrave Harbour failed to respond to two access to information requests, the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner has found [per VOCM].

9. It is peak tourism for Newfoundland and Labrador right now. Business has picked up but the sector still faces challenges, including air access [per VOCM].

Small businesses in the hospitality industry, such as restaurants and tour companies, are relying on a busy summer season to help cover costs and repay loans taken out during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Staffing shortages, inflation, and rising food prices are adding to the challenges faced by businesses in the summer, but increased tourism can help offset these difficulties.

Business owners are implementing strategies such as menu changes, hiring immigrants, and raising prices to adapt to the current economic conditions and make the most of the summer season.

[atlanticcanada]

Tidal energy company blames DFO as it pulls out the Bay of Fundy

One of the companies trying to harness the power of the Bay of Fundy’s record-setting tides says it’s pulling its floating turbine platform out of the waters off the coast of Nova Scotia.

Sustainable Marine Energy Canada says the bureaucratic barriers put up by the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans have essentially forced the company to pull the plug.

“Clearly, something is wrong here, and it needs to be investigated,” says Sustainable Marine CEO Jason Hayman. “It's either there's something fishy going on, or its just complete ineptitude.”

Hayman says the company put $60 million and five years of work into its turbines, which were the first to successfully put power into the grid in Canada.

Now, he accuses the DFO of standing in its way.

“It's really messed up, DFO should not be calling the shots on who gets tested and deployed,” says Hayman.

Sustainable Marine shared video with CTV News it says shows its Tidal Pioneer vessel towing the company’s PLAT-E 4.6 environmental monitoring platform out of Grand Passage to eventually be dismantled. The company says its PLAT-I 6.4 floating tidal turbine platform will be next.

Sustainable Marine’s turbines were the first to generate power into the Nova Scotia grid, says Hayman.

“We’re the first ones to actually deploy and put power onto the grid and actually receive payment from Nova Scotia Power for power,” he says, “so it’s quite bizarre.”

According to Hayman, the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans has deemed the company’s horizontal turbines are “likely” to harm marine species.

“We don’t know how they’ve made that determination,” says Hayman, “despite the fact we’re using very conventional technology and there’s over 20 years of experience with this technology internationally, and no one’s ever seen a single marine animal or fish harmed in any way, shape or form.”

He says the department won’t show Sustainable Marine the evidence behind its claim.

When asked for a response, an official from the office of Fisheries and Oceans Minister Joyce Murray would only provide a statement.

“DFO has issued several Fisheries Act authorizations for these types of tidal energy projects in the Bay of Fundy, including 4 authorizations for this proponent,” writes Jeff Woodland.

He adds, “…an adequate monitoring plan is needed to evaluate impacts to fish and fish habitat in the higher flow environment in which the project is proposed. To date, adequate information has not been received from the proponent.”

But Sustainable Marine insists otherwise.

“We have given them so much information about our systems lack of effects on marine life,” he says, “as well as (pointing) them in the direction of other experts who could maybe help.”

In a province that has seen other tidal energy projects launch and sink over the of decades, the news generated frustration from Premier Tim Houston.

"Shame on the federal government,” says Houston in a video posted on social media Tuesday.

“You likely know from the media that the federal government is excited about reaching into your pocket and taking your money in the name of a carbon tax,” he continues, “…yet when faced with real opportunities, to make a meaningful positive change…like the one Sustainable Marine is creating, it’s shut down.”

In an interview with CTV News, Houston said he wanted to highlight the apparent discord between Ottawa’s carbon tax and Sustainable Marine’s experience with DFO.

“We just need the federal government to wake up on this, it's really ridiculous what's happened here,” he says.

“If their ultimate objective is really and sincerely to protect the planet and green the grid, then it's not through a carbon tax, it's actually through generating green energy through tidal, through wind, through solar, all these mechanisms,” Houston adds.

Meanwhile, the leader of the official opposition is calling on the Premier to get on a plane instead of pushing politics and targeting the carbon tax.

“I think his time would be a lot better spent going to Ottawa, getting the parties at the table, instead of making social media videos,” says Zach Churchill.

“He scrapped the alternative to the carbon tax that we had, which was a cap-and-trade program here in Nova Scotia,” he adds, “but instead of focusing on solutions for people, he’s more focused on politics.”

While Houston didn’t commit to paying a visit to Murray, he said his government has had contact with Ottawa at the federal level, and he has “raised it with a federal minister” because “this is something we were fearful about for a while.”

Over the past decade, five companies have been approved to conduct tidal energy projects off Nova Scotia shores.

Elisa Obermann, executive director of industry group Marine Renewables Canada, says this latest news is “disappointing.”

“This isn't a technology failure or financial challenge, it’s purely a regulatory challenge,” says Obermann, “so I think that would obviously raise concerns.”

Nova Scotia first introduced specific legislation to support tidal energy, the Marine Renewable Energy Act, in 2015.

But Obermann says similar federal legislation doesn’t exist, leaving only Canada’s Fisheries Act, which doesn’t specifically address the technology advancements in the industry.

The result, she says, is an industry left adrift.

“This isn't just about a project,” she says. “It's about how this project and the industry can also have a positive impact on fighting climate change or reaching net zero targets. It’s a challenge for DFO right now, but I think to solve it, governments need to come together.”

Hayman says unless the tide turns soon, Sustainable Marine’s future in Nova Scotia is now uncertain.

from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/lyhFSHf

[xtruss]

Canada Was 'Highly Confident' It Heard Man-Made Noises During Search For Titan Submersible, Documents Show

Reported Banging Kept Hope Going Days After Vessel Was Likely Destroyed

— Ashley Burke - CBC News | August 10, 2024

The Titan submersible, operated by OceanGate Expeditions to explore the wreckage of the sunken RMS Titanic off the coast of Newfoundland, dives in an undated photograph. (OceanGate Expeditions/Handout/Reuters)

Canada's military was "highly confident" for days in June 2023 that bangs heard underwater while searching for the missing Titan submersible were man made — by an object striking the hull of a vessel — near the famous Titanic wreck site, CBC News has learned.

Those noises helped keep hope going that the five wealthy explorers on board the missing vessel were still alive during the multi-day, multi-national search, even though it is now believed the vessel imploded within hours of going into the water.

Now internal government documents obtained by CBC News through the Access to Information Act reveal more details about what the Canadian Coast Guard privately documented during the search, including where a military patrol plane first heard the banging on June 19, the day after the Titan went missing.

The Royal Canadian Air Force's CP-140 Aurora heard multiple "bangs that they are highly confident are manmade by an object striking a hull," read multiple daily internal notices written by the Canadian Coast Guard between June 19 and June 22.

"They believe the sound originated from near [Titanic's] wreck site at a depth of approximately 10,000 feet."

That "sensitive information" was included in more than a dozen internal emails and updates to officials at Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) that CBC News obtained, and all the way up to Jody Thomas, the prime minister's national security adviser at the time.

U.S. Searched Area Where Sounds Were Heard

U.S. officials who were leading the search efforts confirmed on June 21 the sounds had been heard and sent a remotely operated vehicle to search that area.

The search was called off on June 22 when debris from the Titan was found, the same day the Wall Street Journal first reported the U.S. navy's top-secret system used to track enemy submarines had detected what it suspected was the Titan's implosion just hours after the vessel began its voyage.

That information was shared with the U.S.'s search team, but U.S, officials told American media there were no other indications of a catastrophe, so they made the decision to continue the search efforts.

CBS later reported a U.S. navy analysis determined the banging noises were most likely noise from other search ships or ocean sounds.

What unfolded underwater is still at the centre of a U.S. investigation, with public hearings scheduled for next month. The Canadian Coast Guard referred CBC News's request for comment about the documents to Canada's defence department, which has yet to provide a comment about the sounds it detected.

Four of the five people onboard the Titan were Pierre-Henri Nargeolet, top left; Shahzada Dawood, top right; whose son Suleman was also on board; Hamish Harding, bottom left; and Stockton Rush, bottom right. (Getty, Reuters)

Noises Weren't From Titan: Retired Sonar Operator

Roger Draper, a recently retired Petty Officer Second Class Sonar Operator from the Royal Canadian Navy, contacted CBC News after the story was first posted.

Draper, who was not involved in search efforts for the Titan, said no one he personally spoke to at the navy's fleet school in Halifax where he was teaching at the time, actually thought the five crew members were alive.

He said the Titan was 10,000 feet underwater and the only way the military could have picked up any sort of communication from the Titan was if the submersible was equipped with a loud communication device. If crew members were banging from inside the submersible, it wouldn't have been detected, he said.

"I don't think anyone was under the illusion someone was ringing the submersible like a bell and everybody could hear it," Draper said. "I think they heard mechanical noises and they told the Coast Guard who was running the show."

He said it's "very common" for sonar operators to hear mechanical noises underwater, and the banging detected heard could have been coming from oil rigs off the coast of Newfoundland, a submersed pipeline, or other vessels.

"I think it was a very deliberate decision to state the mechanical noises were heard, even though the belief on the ground would have been there was no one who survived that," said Draper, who noted that he had served the military for more than two decades as a sonar operator working to find mostly submarines and ships underwater using sound.

He said Canada's military would have dropped devices into the ocean during the search that make loud continuous electronic noise with a high and low tone that can last about 20 minutes.

If anyone was alive underwater they would have very clearly heard that noise, he said, adding the military would have also dropped sonobuoys into the ocean. These devices act as an underwater microphone to pick up any sound detected in response.

There's "no question" the sounds the military heard were manmade, Draper said, but Canada should have made it very clear publicly during the search that they didn't think the sounds were coming from the Titan so people didn't get their hopes up.

'We Just Have To Remain Optimistic'

The documents obtained by CBC News show the minister's office responsible for the Canadian Coast Guard emailed sent on June 21 asking what they could tell the public about media reports that a Canadian aircraft had heard banging noises.

A senior official with the Canadian Coast Guard responded saying the minister at the time, Joyce Murray, could tell the public there's still hope.

"Yes the Minister can make reference to the banging noises heard," Marc Mes, director general of fleet and maritime services with the Canadian Coast Guard, responded on June 21. "Something along the lines of: Acoustic equipment and sensors on scene including from Canadian Air Force aircraft have detected potential banging sounds, indicating continued hope of locating the submersible.

Murray told reporters that day "we just have to remain optimistic."

"We have to keep working until we find the submersible," Murray told reporters on June 21. "We will continue to double down and to figure out where the submersible is and how it can be brought to the surface."

The family of French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, who died in the 2023 implosion of a submersible bound for the Titanic, has sued OceanGate for $50 million US, accusing the sub's operator of ‘persistent carelessness, recklessness and negligence.’ 2:04

'Irreversible Failures'

The family of one of the victims — French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, known as "Mr. Titanic" — launched a $50-million lawsuit earlier this week alleging he died due to gross negligence by Titan's U.S. operator and manufacturer OceanGate Expeditions and other defendants.

The suit claims all five people on board knew they were going to die before the implosion because an "acoustic safety system" onboard the Titan "would have alerted the crew that the carbon-fibre hull was crackling under extreme pressure."

"They would have continued to descend, in full knowledge of the vessel's irreversible failures, experiencing terror and mental anguish prior to the Titan ultimately imploding," the lawsuit alleges.

But U.S. investigators haven't found any signs the five crew members had any warning the submersible's implosion was going to take their lives, the New York Times reported.

OceanGate suspended all operations after the disaster and declined CBC's request for comment on the lawsuit's allegations.

Unconventional Construction

CBC News obtained more than 600 pages of internal emails, memos and reports from the DFO, which runs the coast guard, from an access to information request. The documents, prepared for top officials, also detail how deeply Canada was involved in the high-profile search and offer new insight into what unfolded behind the scenes from a Canadian perspective.

Canada was involved in the U.S.-led search efforts because the Titan submersible left on a Canadian-flagged vessel— the Polar Prince — from St. John's on June 18, 2023. Later that day, it lost contact with the Polar Prince, about an hour and 45 minutes into its descent to the Titanic.

From the start, the coast guard flagged the search as a high priority and said "no matter how trivial" the Atlantic Canada team should flag all updates to Ottawa because there was "high interest" from senior management, a June 19 email said.

Those updates included warning that Titan's carbon fibre shell "does not create a good radar target."

The implosion raised questions about the Titan's unconventional construction, including its use of carbon fibre for its roomier cylinder-shaped cabin, which was different from many submersibles' titanium, spherical cabins.

An investigation by CBC's The Fifth Estate and the Radio-Canada's Enquête uncovered new information about the doomed sub, including how OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush had boasted about breaking basic engineering rules and how, for three years, his experimental submersible was allowed to leave a Canadian port without any oversight to carry passengers to the Titanic. Rush was among those killed.

A report by the coast guard noted it was not "classified by any regulatory body" and had "defects/issues."

The wreck of the Titanic, which sank in 1912, is some 3,800 metres below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, about 596 kilometres off the coast of Newfoundland. (Atlantic Productions/The Associated Press)

Canada brought in specialized equipment, including a hyperbaric chamber and technicians, to support any dive operations, along with advanced sonar equipment to search at significant water depths, the documents said.

Canada's defence department told CBC News in May it estimates it spent more than $2.4 million in operational costs to help in the search.

The coast guard estimates its efforts totalled more than $600,000. Both departments say those figures are not additional expenses, but part of budgeted operational costs to help respond to distress calls.

The high-profile search led to questions about who should pay for such efforts.

Canada's Transportation Safety Board is also investigating and is currently writing a report on its findings.

In Photos | Debris From Titan Arrives in St. John's Harbour:

— Ashley Burke is a senior reporter with the CBC's Parliamentary Bureau in Ottawa. She was recognized with the Charles Lynch Award and was a finalist for the Michener Award for her exclusive reporting on the toxic workplace at Rideau Hall. She has also uncovered allegations of sexual misconduct in the Canadian military.

[lboogie1906]

Congressman Robert Nelson Cornelius Nix Sr. (August 9, 1898 – June 22, 1987) was a politician who was born in Orangeburg, South Carolina, where his father, Nelson, was dean of South Carolina State College. He graduated from Townsend Harris High School in New York City and from Lincoln University. In 1924, he received his JD from the University of Pennsylvania and began practice in Philadelphia. He became active in Democratic politics and was elected a committeeman from the Forty-fourth Ward in 1932. He held a series of positions in a private law firm, in the Pennsylvania State Department of Revenue as special deputy attorney general, and in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as special assistant deputy attorney general. In 1956 he was a delegate to the DNC.

He defeated two opponents in a special election to fill the vacancy and was sworn in on May 20, 1958. He was the first African American to represent Pennsylvania in the House of Representatives.

He served on the Veterans Affairs Committee, Foreign Affairs Committee, and the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries. He became chairman of the Committee of the Post Office and Civil Service. He sponsored bills to keep the Philadelphia Navy Yard and to establish a “senior service corps” that would employ people over sixty years of age. He worked for the passage of several pieces of landmark civil rights legislation, including the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

He became chairman of the Subcommittee on International Economic Policy and led an investigation of the use of funds by defense contractors to pay foreign consultants, agents, governmental officials, and political parties. He introduced an amendment to the Foreign Military Sales Act requiring the Defense Department to provide Congress with information on the identities of and fees received by agents who negotiate arms sales transactions for American firms.

In 1978, he lost to win the nomination for an eleventh term. He remained a leader of the Thirty-second Ward until his death. The Robert C. Nix Federal Building in Pennsylvania is named in his honor. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #omegapsiphi

[onlinecompanynews]

News24 | Massive West Coast oil spill mop-up under way after MV Ultra Galaxy breaks up into four pieces - Journal Global Internet https://www.merchant-business.com/news24-massive-west-coast-oil-spill-mop-up-under-way-after-mv-ultra-galaxy-breaks-up-into-four-pieces/?feed_id=154634&_unique_id=66afa6c37eb0d Oil spill clean-up efforts are unde... BLOGGER - #GLOBAL Oil spill clean-up efforts are under way on the West Coast after the Panama-registered cargo vessel MV Ultra Galaxy broke up into four pieces this week.The operation has hired 216 people from the Matzikama Local Municipality.About 8 tonnes of oil have already been recovered, and further efforts are being made to extract the remaining fuel from the vessel.Intensive clean-up efforts are under way on the West Coast in the Western Cape after the break-up of the Panama-registered general cargo vessel MV Ultra Galaxy caused an oil spill. The vessel broke into four sections due to massive waves associated with a cold front that enveloped the western and northern Cape regions last weekend.One fuel tank exploded, spilling oil onto the beach. South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) CEO Tau Morwe said teams were working on the beach to clean-up the oil. “About 8 tonnes of oil have been recovered. A public service vehicle is waiting for the right time to heat up and extract the remaining fuel from the vessel,” he said. Morwe said the estimated remaining fuel in the vessel was about 160 tonnes, but an assessment would be made to determine the exact amount. He said the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, as well as the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds, were on standby to protect marine life and seabirds. However, none had been affected so far. READ | Seabird rescue team readies itself after grounded vessel causes West Coast oil spill“There has been significant environmental damage, and because of the storm, most of the fuel was blown onto the beach,” Morwe added. Samsa chief operating officer Sobantu Tilayi said the agency could not conclude what happened to the ship because, according to international law, the country where the ship is registered must conduct the investigation.“As the affected party, we only provide initial assistance,” he said.MV Ultra Galaxy was registered in Panama and had a crew of 18 Filipino nationals when it ran aground in July because of extreme weather conditions. Tilayi said Samsa, in cooperation with Panama, would bring in a surveyor and technical experts on Sunday to conduct investigations. The experts are expected to arrive at Samsa’s office in Saldanha Bay, where the ship’s crew was offloaded and initially interviewed. Tilayi said when the distress call was received, the ship was heavily listing (tilting due to taking on water) and the priority was to save lives.“Our Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre picked up the distress call and coordinated the rescue. “The crew abandoned the ship, and a nearby fishing vessel and other cargo vessels rescued the survivors,” he said.READ | Against the clock: Specialist system to be used to assess West Coast shipwreck amid oil spill fearsAll crew members were accounted for. Tilayi told News24 that the ship was eastbound to Tanzania, and there was no evidence it broke any laws. “Any ship’s master would take necessary measures to avoid bad weather, but that will be part of the investigation,” he added.Richard Roberson, the salvage master at SMIT International, said materials recovered from the shoreline included empty cargo bags, vessel debris, oil residue and contaminated sand. “All that material is packaged, collected and placed in on-site skips,” he said. He added that a specific waste management procedure for handling the materials had been developed.Roberson said they were continually conducting shoreline and offshore surveys to monitor the situation beyond immediate clean-up operations.“During the early stages of the project, we faced adverse weather

conditions and challenges such as flooded roads, but we successfully navigated and established our operations,” he said. He described the operation as “most challenging” due to the windy and stormy weather.Siboniso Ngema, a manager at emergency spill response company Spill Tech, said local labour had been sourced within the Matzikama Local Municipality. “We started with a team of 50 and, at peak, we have 231 locals,” he said. “Intensive clean-up efforts are under way on the West Coast in the Western Cape after the break-up of the Panama-registered general cargo vessel MV Ultra Galaxy caused an oil spill.”Source Link: https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/massive-west-coast-oil-spill-mop-up-under-way-after-mv-ultra-galaxy-breaks-up-into-four-pieces-20240803 http://109.70.148.72/~merchant29/6network/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/3814161511_c734be8b3b_o.jpg #GLOBAL - BLOGGER Oil spill clean-up efforts are under way on the West Coast after the Panama-registered cargo vessel MV Ultra Galaxy broke up into four pieces this week. The operation has hired 216 people from the Matzikama Local Municipality. About 8 tonnes of oil have already been recovered, and further efforts are being made to extract the remaining fuel … Read More

[evoldir]

Fwd: Postdoc: UToronto_Scarborough.FishGenomics

Begin forwarded message: > From: evoldir@evol.biology.mcmaster.ca > Subject: Postdoc: UToronto_Scarborough.FishGenomics > Date: 19 April 2024 at 06:44:26 BST > To: rdmpage@gmail.com > > > Postdoctoral Position > > Genomics of Fishes and Fisheries in the Great Lakes Basin > > Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough > > The Lovejoy and Mandrak labs (mandraklab.ca) seek a postdoctoral > scholar to lead genomic studies on fishes and fisheries of Lake Huron, > Ontario. The main project will use DNA metabarcoding to investigate the > diets of Whitefish and Lake Trout, addressing fisheries and conservation > questions. The project offers outstanding partnership opportunities > with Indigenous, provincial, industrial, and federal collaborators > and is funded by GEN-FISH (gen-fish.ca). The scholar will join a > dynamic, collegial research environment with strong mentorship training > possibilities. The position is for one year and available immediately, > and has the potential to be extended > > Candidates are expected to have demonstrated bioinformatics expertise, > project organization skills, and some genetic laboratory experience, > excellent written and oral communication skills, quantitative skills, > and other relevant skills. > > The University of Toronto is strongly committed to diversity within its > community and especially welcomes applications from racialized persons / > persons of colour, women, Indigenous / Aboriginal People of North America, > persons with disabilities, LGBTQ2S+ persons, and others who may contribute > to the further diversification of ideas. > > The University strives to be an equitable and inclusive community, and > proactively seeks to increase diversity among its community members. Our > values regarding equity and diversity are linked with our unwavering > commitment to excellence in the pursuit of our academic mission. > > Interested candidates should send a letter of intent and cv to Nathan > Lovejoy (nathan.lovejoy@utoronto.ca). > > Nathan Lovejoy

[allthecanadianpolitics]

More than a decade after spilling millions of litres of toxic wastewater into rivers in the B.C. Interior, Imperial Metals Corp. has been charged with 15 violations of the federal Fisheries Act. The charges were announced Tuesday by the B.C. Conservation Officer Service, which said it worked with the Department of Fisheries and Environment and Climate Change Canada to build the case for taking the company to court. The service said all three agencies had been working together as the Mount Polley Integration Investigation Task Force and that fifteen charges had been approved against Imperial Metals Corporation, its subsidiary, Mount Polley Mining Corporation, and the engineering firm Wood Canada Limited, all of whom are facing the same charges.

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Tagging: @newsfromstolenland

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"NAB CONTRABAND BEAVER," North Bay Nugget. March 22, 1943. Page 3. ---- VALUE ILLEGAL FURS AT 1,000 ---- Beaver Pelts en Route to Toronto From Cochrane Seized on Train at North Bay; Shipper Liable to Fine ---- A trunk filled with contraband beaver pelts, valued at approximately $1,000 was intercepted and seized by G. M. Parks, superintendent of the department of game and fisheries on Sunday night, while being shipped from Cochrane to Toronto.

Investigation is being pressed to find the shipper of the illegal furs, who would face a fine ranging from $600 to $3,000 for handling and shipping them.

Seized on Train The beaver, which filled a mail trunk, were shipped from Cochrane on Sunday being seized on the train at North Bay en route to Toronto. The trunk was immediately taken to a locksmith, and upon being opened proved to be filled with the contraband pelts.

Trapping of beaver is considered one of the most serious infractions of game and fisheries law, and fines ranging from $20 to $100 a pelt are usually imposed on any one found handling them. Considered the most valuable of forest animals, in that their dams provide a source of water in dry weather helping to prevent forest fires, and attracting other fur-bearing water animals, such as mink, muskrat and otter, beaver are heavily protected under provincial law. There have been no long open seasons on them recently, and for this reason they are believed to have greatly increased in number. If caught, the trapper, dealer who shipped them, and person who was to receive them could all be heavily fined.

While it is difficult to place a valuation on the pelts until they have been graded by an expert furrier, it believed that those seized Sunday night would be worth at least $1,000.

[myfeeds]

There may be good news about the oceans in a globally warmed world

A Rutgers-led study published in Nature analyzing ocean sediment shows that ocean oxygen levels in a key area were higher during the Miocene warm period, some 16 million years ago when the Earth’s temperature was hotter than it is today. In recent decades, levels of life-sustaining oxygen in the ocean have been decreasing, raising concerns that oxygen-deficient zones in key parts of the world oceans will expand, further harming marine life. Scientists have attributed the trend to climate change-induced rising temperatures, which affect the amount of oxygen that can be absorbed from the atmosphere. “Our study shows that the eastern equatorial Pacific, which today is home to the largest oxygen-deficient zone in the oceans, was well oxygenated during the Miocene warm period, despite the fact that global temperatures at that time were higher than at present,” said Anya Hess, the lead author of the study and a Rutgers doctoral student working with Yair Rosenthal, a Distinguished Professor focused on marine and Earth sciences with the Rutgers School of Art and Sciences and the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. Hess added: “This suggests that current oxygen loss may ultimately reverse.” The fastest rates of oxygen loss in recent decades have been in oxygen-deficient zones, and they are expected to continue to expand and become shallower, threatening fisheries by shrinking fish habitat. However, climate models diverge in their predictions of how these zones will respond beyond the year 2100, inspiring the team to investigate more. To test current climate models, researchers chose the mid-Miocene, when climate conditions were similar to those predicted for the next few centuries in the current era of climate change. Researchers examined ocean sediments deposited during the mid-Miocene in the eastern equatorial Pacific. The sediments were recovered from the seafloor by scientists aboard the National Science Foundation-funded research vessel JOIDES Resolution as part of what is now known as the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP). The researchers isolated the fossilized remains of microorganisms the size of individual grains of sand that live in the water column called foraminifera. The scientists analyzed the chemical composition of the foraminifera, which reflects the chemical profile of the ancient ocean. They discerned oxygen levels of ancient oceans in a few ways, including using isotopes of nitrogen — forms of the element that have a different relative atomic mass — as detectors. The isotopes are sensitive to a process called denitrification that only occurs at very low oxygen levels. They also employed a method of analysis that compares levels of iodine and calcium and gives subtle readings that can differentiate between well-oxygenated conditions and moderately well-oxygenated conditions. The methods showed the area was well oxygenated during the height of Miocene warmth, even approaching modern day levels seen in the open-ocean South Pacific. “These results were unexpected and suggest that the solubility-driven loss of oxygen that has occurred in recent decades is not the end of the story for oxygen’s response to climate change,” Rosenthal said. Other authors on the study include Ken Miller, a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences in the Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences, Alexandra Auderset and Alfredo Martinez-Garcia of the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Germany, Daniel Sigman of Princeton University and Xiaoli Zhou of Tongji University in China.

[newsbites]

News from Newfoundland & Labrador, 30 May

NL has sent two waterbombers, four pilots and two mechanics to Nova Scotia to help battle the raging forest fires north west of Halifax.

2. The Minister of Indigenous and Labrador affairs is offering her thoughts and prayers to a colleague, injured in a crash just over a week ago.

3. A fish harvester fell overboard from a vessel 160 km east of St. Anthony and a Royal Canadian Air Force Cormorant helicopter was deployed from 9 Wing Gander to make the rescue in a snowstorm.

4. Police in Bay Roberts need help to locate a stolen truck.

The brown double-cab 2007 Toyota Tundra was stolen from a home on Love Street sometime between 8:30 Saturday night and Sunday morning... The vehicle had over $4,000 worth of power tools in it at the time.

5. First responders were called to deal with a fire at Cottles Island Lumber Co. on Chapel Island.

6. Construction is starting on the new track and field facility for the upcoming 2025 Canada Games in St. John’s.

Temporary construction fencing has been installed near the Aquarena and Prince of Wales Collegiate to mark the construction site.

Heavy equipment will be operating from Monday to Friday ...

7. A video showing an accumulation of debris at the section of the East Coast Trail near Robin Hood Bay has been getting some attention online recently.

8. For now, the spring fishery “storm” has calmed, with most crab, shrimp and lobster fishers back on the water—but many say the pricing system is pushing rural communities towards economic collapse.

9. Three people were hospitalized following a three-vehicle crash at Portugal Cove Road and Major's Path in St. John's last Wednesday night. City staff have been monitoring the notorious intersection and are reportedly working on plans for improvements.

10. RecycleMyElectronics are holding a collection event at Rocky Harbour Volunteer Fire Department this Saturday.

[ainews]

Residents of a small town in the Midwest were treated to an unexpected surprise recently when a gleaming cryptid appeared during the hot summer months. The creature, described as a large, white, and ape-like, was spotted near a lake on the outskirts of town and has been observed exhibiting unusual behavior.

According to witnesses, the creature has been spotted lounging in the lake during the day, and taking long walks around the lake's edge at night. It has also been seen playing with local dogs and cats, and even chasing after rabbits and birds.

The cryptid has quickly become a local celebrity, and is now referred to affectionately as "The Summer Cryptid". Its friendly behavior has made it a popular attraction, and it has been spotted interacting with people as well as animals.

The local Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is currently investigating the creature, and experts have speculated that it is likely a new species. In the meantime, the townspeople are enjoying the presence of the friendly cryptid and are taking the opportunity to observe the creature in its natural habitat.

[onenettvchannel]

OneNETnews EXCLUSIVE: BFAR-R7 & DOH to be investigating and for re-training all of their Food Vendors at the Sibulan Public Market in Negros Oriental

(Prepared and Written by Rhayniel Saldasal Calimpong)

DUMAGUETE, NEGROS ORIENTAL -- The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources-Region 7 (BFAR-R7) in Sitio Canday-ong, Brgy. Calindagan, Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, along with the authorities & officials of the Department of Health (DOH) and the Local Government Units (LGUs) are in full force to investigate and a strict re-training its food vendors in Sibulan town at a local public market.

Provincial Fishery Officer head named Ms. Florencia T. Mepaña and Licensed Agriculturist named Mr. Ravin Romo spoke out exclusively in a lone media interview to OneNETnews, the Red Fish suspectedly identified as "redtail scad", per classified name of "decapterus kurroides". Symptoms of spoiled Redtail Scad can cause Vomiting and Lost Bowel Movement.

The cause of death ends with dehydration due to the fact of poor handling and other reasons in public market, resulting to histamine and contaminated bacteria for a few days without being preserved or refrigerated. Per cooperation with the DOH as according to Ms. Mepaña told our news team that they will conduct thorough an investigation with an issue of food poisoning in Sibulan, Negros Oriental.

BFAR-R7, DOH and the LGUs raps the management and staff of the Sibulan Public Market is to have a strict re-training in all workforce starting Monday onwards (March 13th, 2023 -- Dumaguete local time). If it fails to train all the food vendors with absolute ignorance and reasons, they will possibly face a total violation and temporal or permanent revocation in seafood business under the Republic Act #10611: Section 37.c-d-f and h or the Food Safety Act of 2013, which covers between the Food Vendors, establishment closure order of Sibulan Public Market or both. The Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO) possibly handles all the criminal offenses with a fine(s) ranging to 2 counts of PHP100,000 to PHP300,000 if proven guilty against their family of victims of food poisoning. OneNETnews cannot independently determine or verifying its prison sentence which was roughly unknown.

Sibulan officials say that they will give a financial assistance to Villacarlos & other local families and was set for burial at a local public cemetery in the aforesaid town. Government officials like BFAR-R7 to condolence their families in behalf and ensuring the Negrosanon people will not be repeated in the future.

Still for now... It is best to seek the alternatives in the food pyramid rule of seafood, aside from food poisoning incident here in Sibulan town.

PHOTO COURTESY for REPRESENTATION: BFAR-R7 BACKGROUND PROVIDED BY: Tegna

SPECIAL THANKS to both individuals by visiting Regional Office of BFAR in person for a media interview. This will use as a reference and for my writing in journalism.

SOURCE: *https://www.facebook.com/1132676468/posts/10227122114175385 [Referenced FB Post from Neil Ceriño Rio] *https://www.facebook.com/100059730272944/posts/594792859188385 [Referenced FB Post from NegOrWandererPH] *https://region7.bfar.da.gov.ph/WebsiteNavigation?id=6ea38e8d-5f73-4865-854f-952cac0af5cc&pageAction=aboutContentFrame [Referenced Directory from the BFAR-R7] *https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decapterus *http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=168733 [Referenced Classification Report from ITIS] *https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2013/ra_10611_2013.html and *https://www.fnri.dost.gov.ph/index.php/tools-and-standard/nutritional-guide-pyramid [Referenced Guide from Food and Nutrition Research Institute]

-- OneNETnews Team