PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The number of fish on the government’s overfishing list sunk to a new low last year in a sign of healthy U.S. fisheries, federal officials said. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released an updated analysis of American fisheries late last week via its annual “Status of the Stocks” report, which […]
Patrick Whittle | Associated Press
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Sea off New England had one of its hottest years in 2023, part of a worldwide trend
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The sea off New England, already warming faster than most of the world’s oceans, had one of its hottest years on record in 2023. The Gulf of Maine, which abuts New England and Canada, had an annual sea surface temperature nearly 2 degrees Fahrenheit above normal last year, scientists with the Portland, Maine-based […]
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Right whale is found entangled off New England in a devastating year for the vanishing species
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A North Atlantic right whale has been spotted entangled in rope off New England, worsening an already devastating year for the vanishing animals, federal authorities said. The right whales number less than 360 and are vulnerable to entanglement in fishing gear and collisions with ships. The entangled whale was seen Tuesday […]
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Another endangered right whale dies after a collision with a ship off the East Coast
An increasingly deadly year for the endangered North Atlantic right whale got worse this week when another member of the species was killed in a collision with a ship, federal authorities said Thursday. The giant species of whale numbers less than 360 and is vulnerable to ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear. The whales have suffered […]
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Bird flu is decimating seal colonies. Scientists don’t know how to stop it
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Avian influenza is killing tens of thousands of seals and sea lions in different corners of the world, disrupting ecosystems and flummoxing scientists who don’t see a clear way to slow the devastating virus. The worldwide bird flu outbreak that began in 2020 has led to the deaths of millions of domesticated birds […]
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How a wandering white shark’s epic journey could provide clues for protecting them
As sharks go, LeeBeth is something like a long-haul trucker with gills and giant teeth. Swimmers at the beach might not be excited to see the 14-foot (4.3-meter) white shark, but scientists following LeeBeth’s movements are thrilled that the big fish’s epic journey could provide valuable clues to help the species. And they’re curious where she’ll […]
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What is a whale native to the North Pacific doing off New England? Climate change could be the key
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Scientists have confirmed the presence of a whale off New England that went extinct in the Atlantic Ocean two centuries ago — an exciting discovery, but one they said that illustrates the impact of climate change on sea life. Researchers with the New England Aquarium in Boston found the gray whale […]
Posted inFood & Drink, News
Lobster catch dips to lowest level since 2009 as fishers grapple with climate change, whale rules
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — America’s lobster fishing business dipped in catch while grappling with challenges including a changing ocean environment and new rules designed to protect rare whales. The lobster industry, based mostly in Maine, has had an unprecedented decade in terms of the volume and value of the lobsters brought to the docks. But […]
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Lack of snow cancels longest sled dog race in eastern United States
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The organizers of the longest sled dog race in the eastern United States said Monday they are canceling the event due to a lack of snow on the ground. The Can-Am Crown International Sled Dog Races have taken place in northern Maine for more than three decades, including a 250-mile event […]
Posted inCity & Government
It’s time for Northeast to prep for floods like those that hit this winter. Climate change is why
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — After back-to-back storms lashed the Northeast in January, rental properties Haim Levy owns in coastal Hampton, New Hampshire, were hammered by nearly two feet of water, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage and causing him to evacuate tenants to safer ground. “Put them in hotels and everything. So it […]
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Rare whale found dead off Massachusetts may have been entangled, authorities say
A rare whale found dead off Massachusetts shows potential evidence of injury from entanglement in fishing gear, which is one of the most pressing threats to the vanishing species, federal authorities said. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it was notified about the dead female North Atlantic right whale on Sunday off Martha’s Vineyard, […]
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Lobster fishers sue to block monitoring laws designed to help save a rare whale
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A group of lobster fishermen has sued fishing regulators in federal court, claiming that new electronic monitoring requirements designed to protect rare whales are unconstitutional. The new rules went into effect on Dec. 15 and require fishermen with federal lobster fishing permits to install 24-hour electronic tracking devices on their boats. The Maine […]
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To help rare whales, Maine and Massachusetts will spend $27 million on data and gear improvements
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Scientists and officials in New England hope to collect better data about a vanishing whale species, improve fishing gear to avoid harming the animals, and make other changes as Maine and Massachusetts receive more than $27 million in public funding. The money is intended to aid the North Atlantic right whale, […]
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Deadly storm batters Northeastern US, knocking out power, grounding flights and flooding roads
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A storm barreled into the Northeastern U.S. on Monday, flooding roads and downing trees, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands, forcing flight cancellations and school closures, and killing at least four people. More than 5 inches (13 centimeters) of rain fell in parts of New Jersey and northeastern Pennsylvania by […]
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Commercial fishermen need more support for substance abuse and fatigue, lawmakers say
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A federal program that protects the health and wellbeing of commercial fishermen should be expanded to include substance use disorder and worker fatigue, a group of lawmakers from New England and Alaska said. The lawmakers want to expand a federal commercial fishing occupational safety program that funds research and training. The […]
Posted inBusiness, Food & Drink, News
New England’s decades-old shrimp fishery, a victim of climate change, to remain closed indefinitely
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — New England’s long-shuttered shrimp business, which fell victim to warming waters, will remain in a fishing moratorium indefinitely, fishery regulators ruled on Friday. The shrimping business was based mostly in Maine and produced small, pink shrimp that were a winter delicacy in New England and across the country. The industry has […]
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Young lobsters show decline off New England, and fishermen will see new rules as a result
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The population of young lobsters has declined nearly 40% in some of the most critical fishing waters off New England, officials said Wednesday, triggering new restrictions for the fishermen who harvest the valuable crustaceans. Officials with the regulatory Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission said surveys have detected a 39% decline in […]
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Coast Guard opens formal inquiry into collapse of mast on Maine schooner that killed a passenger
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The Coast Guard said Monday it has launched a formal investigation into a fatal accident aboard a historic schooner off the coast of Maine in which a mast fell and killed one person and injured three others. The main mast of the schooner Grace Bailey splintered and fell onto the deck […]
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Whales and dolphins in American waters are losing food and habitat to climate change, US study says
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Whales, dolphins and seals living in U.S. waters face major threats from warming ocean temperatures, rising sea levels and decreasing sea ice volumes associated with climate change, according to a first-of-its-kind assessment. Researchers with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration examined more than 100 stocks of American marine mammal species and […]
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Environmental groups demand emergency rules to protect rare whales from ship collisions
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A coalition of environmental groups is calling on the federal government to enact emergency rules to protect a vanishing species of whale from lethal collisions with large ships. The groups filed their petition with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Sept. 28 in an effort to protect the North Atlantic […]
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Climate change takes habitat from big fish, the ocean’s key predators
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — This year’s marine heat waves and spiking ocean temperatures foretell big changes in the future for some of the largest fish in the sea, such as sharks, tunas and swordfish. The rising temperatures of the oceans are especially dangerous for these fish because warming makes their open-water habitats less suitable, scientists who study […]
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Maine’s puffin colonies recovering in the face of climate change
EASTERN EGG ROCK, Maine (AP) — On remote islands off the Maine coast, a unique bird held its own this year in the face of climate change. Atlantic puffins — clownish seabirds with colorful bills and waddling gaits — had their second consecutive rebound year for fledging chicks after suffering a catastrophic 2021, said scientists […]
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Rare New England tornado lifts car from a highway as strong storms damage homes and flood roads
A rare Rhode Island tornado lifted a car off a highway Friday as severe weather swept already storm-weary New England, damaging homes, flooding roads and toppling trees. Tornadoes were reported in several spots in Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts. The National Weather Service said there were at least four tornadoes in the two states, and […]
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Titanic expert killed in sub explosion remembered for heeding ‘the explorer’s call’
The company that owns the salvage rights to the wreck of the Titanic held a virtual memorial Wednesday for one of the world’s foremost experts about the ship a month after he died with four others in the explosion. Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, died when the Titan submersible descended into deep North Atlantic waters on June […]
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OceanGate suspends operations after its Titan submersible imploded on its way to the Titanic
The company that owned a submersible that imploded on its way to explore the wreck of the Titanic, killing all five onboard, said Thursday it has suspended operations. OceanGate announced the action in a brief statement posted atop its website. Contacted for additional information, a spokesperson declined to comment further. Among those killed in the implosion was […]