Sunday, January 26, 2014
Friday, January 04, 2013
Friday, July 24, 2009
NOAA Fishery Enforcement Under Investigation
Richard Gaines, writing in today's Gloucester Daily Times, reports that "Fact-Finders" from the office of Todd Zisner, inspector general for the U.S. Department of Commerce, will be on North Carolina's Outer Banks next week as part of a national investigation into abusive law enforcement practices by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Read the full story
The 200-mile long sand-barrier island chain known as the Outer Banks is home to more than 2,000 commercial fishing boats and very different from New England's rocky coast. But complaints from fishermen up and down the Atlantic coast from Maine to The Carolinas report similar problems in dealing with NOAA law enforcement practices.
The Daily Times story quotes Susan West, a reporter for the Outer Banks Sentinel as saying, ". . . the feelings are nearly universal."
West tells the New England paper that "the attitude of law enforcement, which is part of a regional regime based in Gloucester, is to treat the fishermen as if they are outlaws or serfs, subject to the whims of the lords and masters and entrapped over and over again by irreconcilable regulations that bring them fines and penalties out of proportion to the severity of the crimes.
The inspector general's teams will hear from fishermen and industry employees and officers at two sites — New Bern, located on an inlet of Pamlico Sound, and Wanchese, a fishing village on the banks themselves.
The Gloucester paper quotes North Carolina Fisheries Association President Sean McKeon as saying, "Intimidation" is a constant quality of the federal-fisherman relationship. NOAA officers often behave like fictional "Smokeys" who enjoy using the authority of the badge.
North Carolina fishermen spend considerably more time than their New England counterparts fishing in state waters because the entire sound is inside the 200-mile exclusive economic zone that begins three miles east of the banks themselves. The feeling is the state folks can have a workable relationship and are easier to communicate with."
The inspector general undertook the investigation into NOAA law enforcement after receiving a plea from U.S. Sens. Edward M. Kennedy and John Kerry and the Massachusetts congressional delegation.
Similar requests were made by elected officials in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. The Department of Commerce's Inspector General's teams were in Massachusetts two weeks ago, and New York earlier this week.
Read the full story
The 200-mile long sand-barrier island chain known as the Outer Banks is home to more than 2,000 commercial fishing boats and very different from New England's rocky coast. But complaints from fishermen up and down the Atlantic coast from Maine to The Carolinas report similar problems in dealing with NOAA law enforcement practices.
The Daily Times story quotes Susan West, a reporter for the Outer Banks Sentinel as saying, ". . . the feelings are nearly universal."
West tells the New England paper that "the attitude of law enforcement, which is part of a regional regime based in Gloucester, is to treat the fishermen as if they are outlaws or serfs, subject to the whims of the lords and masters and entrapped over and over again by irreconcilable regulations that bring them fines and penalties out of proportion to the severity of the crimes.
The inspector general's teams will hear from fishermen and industry employees and officers at two sites — New Bern, located on an inlet of Pamlico Sound, and Wanchese, a fishing village on the banks themselves.
The Gloucester paper quotes North Carolina Fisheries Association President Sean McKeon as saying, "Intimidation" is a constant quality of the federal-fisherman relationship. NOAA officers often behave like fictional "Smokeys" who enjoy using the authority of the badge.
North Carolina fishermen spend considerably more time than their New England counterparts fishing in state waters because the entire sound is inside the 200-mile exclusive economic zone that begins three miles east of the banks themselves. The feeling is the state folks can have a workable relationship and are easier to communicate with."
The inspector general undertook the investigation into NOAA law enforcement after receiving a plea from U.S. Sens. Edward M. Kennedy and John Kerry and the Massachusetts congressional delegation.
Similar requests were made by elected officials in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. The Department of Commerce's Inspector General's teams were in Massachusetts two weeks ago, and New York earlier this week.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
VIDEO - Casey OConnor's Photo Art
A video overview of my trek to the Grand Canyon and British Columbia is now available on YouTube...
West Coast Trek
Click on the title above and check out a few photos from my recent trek west - through the Grand Canyon - and up into British Columbia ...
Monday, June 01, 2009
On the Road Again
Off this Wednesday for a cross-country trip to British Columbia with stops in Texas, Arizona, Utah and Oregon ...
Will report on the way ...
Will report on the way ...
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Bridge Walker Parkers' Heads-Up
The town of Mount Pleasant is considering a ban on free roadside parking on Patriots Point Blvd. near Coleman Blvd., a popular spot for those walking or running the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge.
Town Administrator Mac Burdette recently suggested the ban and a plan to allow walkers and runers to park at Memorial Waterfront Park when it opens on the West side of the bridge approach. The Wingo Way extension will connect the park with the Mount Pleasant bridge ramp.
Burdette suggested $1-per-hour parking fee at the park, or an annual pass of about $20.
At the present time, free off-street parking is available off Patriots Point Blvd., at the College of Charleston athletics complex.
The 14-acre Memorial Waterfront Park is expected to open by the summer of 2009, and will feature a visitors center, a Sweetgrass cultural arts center, a war memorial and a 1,250-foot-long pier.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Life through an open window
A nor'easter is bearing down on the Carolina coasts... a great day to open all of the windows, take a deep breath and explore the Lowcountry and its beaches ... Concerns for North Carolina's Outer Banks - hoping the damage is minimal since I plan to trek up that way at Thanksgiving...
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