Mad Mariner - News Stories

Biologists Save Fish After Landslide

Shannon Dininny — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

NILE, Wash. (AP) — A gigantic landslide that buried a highway, uprooted homes and rerouted a river in Washington state's Cascade Range left hundreds of smaller victims: fish.

The landslide that inundated the Naches River last month created a barrier of millions of cubic yards of silt, mud and rock that slowed — and likely confused — spawning salmon and hungry trout. Then workers opened a freshly dug river channel that stranded small fish in ponds and marshes.

Navy Finds Lax Behavior Aboard Sub in Collision

The Associated Press — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

GROTON, Conn. (AP) — The crew of a U.S. submarine made dozens of errors before the vessel collided with an American warship in the Persian Gulf, an accident that exposed lax leaders who tolerated sleeping, slouching and a radio room rigged with music speakers, a Navy review found.

Navy investigators placed blame for the March collision on the submarine's "ineffective and negligent command leadership," including what they called a lack of standards and failure to adequately prepare for navigating the busy Strait of Hormuz.

Pirates Again Attack US-flagged Maersk Alabama

Jason Straziuso — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Somali pirates attacked the Maersk Alabama for the second time in seven months on Wednesday, but guards on board the U.S.-flagged cargo ship repelled the takeover attempt, the EU's naval force said.

Pirates hijacked the Maersk Alabama last April and took ship captain Richard Phillips hostage, holding him at gunpoint in a lifeboat for five days. Navy SEAL sharpshooters freed Phillips while killing three pirates in a daring nighttime attack.

Madoff Boats Head to Auction Block

The Associated Press — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Interested buyers are getting the chance to bid on a vintage 55-foot yacht and two smaller boats that were once owned by imprisoned financier Bernard Madoff.

Madoff's 1969 Rybovich sportfisher, a 38-foot Shelter Island runabout and a 24-foot Maverick center console are headed for auction in South Florida on Tuesday. Bids will also be taken on Madoff's black 1999 Mercedes-Benz CLK 320 convertible and a 61-foot fishing yacht that was formerly owned by his right-hand man.

Spanish Judge Indicts 2 Suspected Somali Pirates

The Associated Press — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

MADRID (AP) — A judge indicted two suspected Somali pirates captured in connection with the hijacking of a Spanish tuna trawler, moving Monday for swift resolution of a case that is prolonging the six-week hostage crisis.

Fellow pirates are holding the Alakrana and its crew of 36 just off the coast of Somalia. Besides a ransom, the hijackers are demanding the release of the two colleagues in custody in Madrid as a condition for freeing the vessel and the sailors. They were captured Oct. 2 in open waters of the Indian Ocean.

Jellyfish Swarm Northward in Warming World

Michael Casey — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

KOKONOGI, Japan (AP) — A blood-orange blob the size of a small refrigerator emerged from the dark waters, its venomous tentacles trapped in a fishing net. Within minutes, hundreds more were being hauled up, a pulsating mass crowding out the catch of mackerel and sea bass.

The fishermen leaned into the nets, grunting and grumbling as they tossed the translucent jellyfish back into the bay, giants weighing up to 200 kilograms (450 pounds), marine invaders that are putting the men's livelihoods at risk.

8 Rescued From Capsized Boat Off Tijuana Coast

The Associated Press — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Seven men and a pregnant woman clinging to a capsized boat have been rescued in Mexican waters off the coast of Tijuana.

The Coast Guard says the eight were picked up by a Canadian sailing vessel, the Island Princess, and taken to Shelter Island in San Diego.

U.S. Customs spokeswoman Jacqueline Dizdul says five of the men were taken to a hospital and treated for hypothermia. One also had a cut on his arm.

They claimed to be Mexican citizens, but authorities are working to confirm their statements.

Search Halted for 3 Missing Fishermen

Wayne Parry — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

CAPE MAY, N.J. (AP) — Nearly a day after a commercial fishing boat sank off New Jersey, the Coast Guard ended its search Thursday for the three crew members.

The presumed deaths of the captain and two others aboard the 44-foot Sea Tractor bring to nine the number of commercial fishermen based in Cape May who have died at sea this year.

Boats, planes and helicopters began searching the storm-tossed ocean shortly after the boat went down around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in treacherous weather due in part to the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida.

Warming Drives Off Cape Cod's Namesake

Clarke Canfield — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Fishermen have known for years that they've had to steam farther and farther from shore to find the cod, haddock and winter flounder that typically fill dinner plates in New England.

A new federal study documenting the warming waters of the North Atlantic confirms that they're right — and that the typical meal could eventually change to the Atlantic croaker, red hake and summer flounder normally found to the south.

Pirates Seize Cargo Ship With 22 Crew

The Associated Press — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Somali pirates on Wednesday seized a cargo ship in the Indian Ocean with 22 crew members on board, the European Union Naval Force said.

Naval spokesman Cmdr. John Harbour said that there are three Greeks and 19 Filipinos among the crew of the Greek-owned Filitsa. The ship is registered in the Marshall Islands.

A press release by the EU said the ship was taken 400 miles northeast of the island nation of the Seychelles. It had been heading for the South African port of Durban but has now turned around and is heading north.