White House to host Asian carp talks

1/31/2010
By The Blade, Toledo, Ohio
Feb. 1--The Obama Administration said it will host a White House summit on Feb. 8 to discuss the Asian carp crisis with Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, and Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn.

The 2:30 p.m. meeting, which the administration has closed to the public, will include Nancy Sutley, chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the U.S. Coast Guard. Read More from Workboat.com 

COAST GUARD PROPOSES CHANGES TO AIS CARRIAGE REQUIREMENTS

By WorkBoat Staff
2/1/2010

At present, you are required to have an AIS unit if your boat is over 65' in length and goes on international voyages or operates in a vessel traffic service area, or if you carry 150 passengers or more for hire. (Towboats at least 26' long and over 600 hp are also included).

Proposed U.S. Coast Guard changes to AIS regulations call for adding boats with 50 or more passengers for hire, high-speed boats (30 knots or faster) that carry 12 or more passengers for hire, dredges or floating plants operating near channels, and vessels that haul hazardous cargo. Plus, the VTS-area requirement is being expanded for all U.S. navigable waters.

  Read More from Workboat.com 

AISIAN CARP SUMMIT

Sent: Wednesday, January 27, 2010 4:28 AM

Subject: AISIAN CARP SUMMIT

WHITE HOUSE AGREES TO GOVRNORS' REQUEST FOR SUMMIT ON ASIAN CARP!

Nancy Sutley, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, has agreed to a request from Michigan Governor Granholm and Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle for a summit between Great Lakes governors and senior White House Officials to identify a rapid response to the threat of Asian carp entering the Great Lakes.

Sutley suggested a meeting during the first week in February to discuss the strategy to combat the spread of Asian Carp and ensure a coordinated, effective response to the threat across all levels of government.

 

LORAN-C navigation system is shutting down in February

Members - FYI

 

The federal government is shutting down the LORAN-C navigation system in February.  It is now official and here is a website for further information.   

http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/loran/default.htm

Carp Saga Update

The U.S Supreme Court issued a one sentence order today denying Michigan’s request to immediately and permanently shut down the Chicago and O’Brien locks.

http://www.supremecourtus.gov/orders/courtorders/011910zor.pdf  (page 3).

Submitted by Wayne Toberman

'Irreplaceable': Angler Matt Ridley holds 'Benson' the UK's biggest carp. The notorious fish has been found dead, leaving the angling community 'devastated'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1204012/Famous-British-carp-dies-Anglers-mourn-Benson-lord-lakes.html#ixzz0d5y73fd1

Supreme Court doesn’t take action today on Asian carp

Posted: 6:01 p.m. Jan. 15, 2010
Supreme Court doesn’t take action today on Asian carp

BY TINA LAM
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

The U.S. Supreme Court, which met today in a closed conference, took no action on the Michigan attorney general’s request for an injunction to shut down Chicago-area locks to keep Asian carp out. The court is closed Monday. No dates are set for the court to decide on the injunction or even whether to accept the case.  More info. 

Nautical Terms: As the Crow Flies.

As the Crow Flies -

When lost or unsure of their position in coastal waters, ships would release a caged crow. The crow would fly straight towards the nearest land thus giving the vessel some sort of a navigational fix. The tallest lookout platform on a ship came to be know as the crow's nest.

Picture courtesy of NAI'A,  Please check out NAI'A - the best liveaboard scuba diving adventures in Fiji 


The Devil to Pay -

To pay the deck seams meant to seal them with tar. The devil seam was the most difficult to pay because it was curved and intersected with the straight deck planking. Some sources define the "devil" as the below-the-waterline-seam between the keel and the the adjoining planking. Paying the Devil was considered to be a most difficult and unpleasant task.

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea -

The devil seam was the curved seam in the deck planking closest to the side of the ship and next to the scupper gutters. If a sailor slipped on the deck, he could find himself between the devil and the deep blue sea.

for more Nautical expressions visit

Big Fish Stories

Giant tuna fetches $177,000 at Japan fish auction

By SHINO YUASA, Associated Press Writer Shino Yuasa, Associated Press Writer – Tue Jan 5, 6:28 am ET

TOKYO – A giant bluefin tuna fetched 16.3 million yen ($177,000) in an auction Tuesday at the world's largest wholesale fish market in Japan.
The 513-pound (233-kilogram) fish was the priciest since 2001 when a 440-pound (200 kilogram) tuna sold for a record 20.2 million yen ($220,000) at Tokyo's Tsukiji market.
The gargantuan tuna was bought and shared by the owners of two Japanese sushi restaurants and one Hong Kong-based sushi establishment, said a market representative on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose the information.  More Info