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Puffin

The Gulf of Maine Oil Business – a Century Ago

Gooden Grant and the Giant Right Whale

I was poking around my library this weekend and among the treasures I took home was the June, 1974 edition of now defunct “Oceans”, one of my favorite magazines – good content and good design that holds up to today’s computer driven slicks. There, tucked away in an article about 98 year old Gooden Grant, the last old time fishermen from Head Harbor, Isle au Haut, was a description of a right whale that had drifted into the Harbor. The whole article gives a brilliant portrait of life one hundred years ago, but the whale tale was particularly revealing as it spoke to the continued pressure right whales have suffered along our Gulf of Maine coast for hundred of years.

Towed a whale in here to blubber him. Big whale, right whale, eighty-ninety feet long. Big as a mountain that fellow. Always thirty or forty fellas in here waiting for the weather. Happened to be an old whaler in here on a vessel, a mackerel catcher. He’d been around the Horn a good many times on whaling ships you know. They looked that big whale over and couldn’t see what killed him.

The old fellow come ashore and ‘Well,’ he said. ‘That whale right there’s got a bomb lance in him. That’s one of the best whales there is in the ocean. That’s one they pride themselves on. What they call a right whale,’ he says.

There was some laughed at him so he called for a ladder. Just to see the fun they fetched it for him. Had to be a long ladder and they put it up on the whale.

He went off and put his oil clothes on and came back with his own box of knives and sharp lances. He climbed aboard the head and started cutting in right around the blowhole.

He ripped up about a fifteen-foot-long piece of blubber and then he carved himself right in out of sight. We couldn’t see him unless we climbed up too. He cut himself right in along the backbone, said he was following the wound of the lance.

By and by he held a ten-foot harpoon in his hand. The old man climbed down and handed the harpoon to me. He took off his oilskins and nobody laughed at him again. My father had the lance on exhibition for years.

You can hear a song about Gooden here and access an interview about Gooden and his neighbours here.

Quote and photo from Gooden Grant Isle au Haut, Oceans, Vol. 7, No. 3, May-June, 1974. Copyright Lynn Franklin, 1972. Currier & Ives print of “A New England Whaler” from Wikipedia.com. Creative Commons License.

LNG Fire Demo Sparks Serious Debate

I fell in to a burning ring of fire
I went down, down, down
and the flames went higher.
And it burns, burns, burns
the ring of fire
the ring of fire.

Well …. Bay of Fundy residents will be interested to learn that LNG actually burns in spite of some promoters’ claims to the contrary. This interesting photo gallery shows a test conducted in Beaumont Texas. Click the title to see the original story. Click here to see the photo gallery.

Check groups.google.ca/group/quoddy for an interesting listserv debate by some pretty knowledgeable people. The main concern seems to be the scaling up to a realistic size, realistic sea conditions, and realistic access to appropriate chemicals. What’s your thought. Add it here or at the listserv.

The AP story describes the event as follows:

The exercise was the final event of the Industrial Fire World 2008 conference and was intended to show the properties and effects of the fuel source. With a strong south wind blowing, the afternoon was on the cool side. But when firefighters touched off the pool of liquefied natural gas, onlookers were suddenly drenched in heat exceeding that of a Southeast Texas summer afternoon. At first, firefighters had difficulty igniting the pool, which issued billows of white steam like a geyser or a caldron, because the wind dispersed the gas so rapidly. But once ignited, the wind whipped flames high. Liquefied natural gas does not explode the way gasoline does and burns cleaner as well, according to the presentation Thursday at the Beaumont Emergency Services Training complex.

LNG facilities have a good safety record overall, according to an Associated Press story, but it cited causes for concern.

The AP story – citing a 2005 report, based on government reports and various studies – reported that should an LNG tanker be the target of a missile or bomb, its liquid cargo would instantly become a gas and ignite, resulting in “an extremely hot fire, as wide as three football fields.”

The intense fire “would cause major injuries and burn buildings as far as one-third of a mile away,” with people as much as a mile away vulnerable to suffering second-degree burns.

Photo from Beaumont Enterprise – Lyrics Johnny Cash

Blogger Questions if Irving Is Really Doing the “Right” Thing?

We found this to be interesting observation from thisweekonline.ca. Thanks to Kit
********************

Thinking about this story ….. when one of those Irving “What if” commercials came on…

It was the one where they re-arrange the bottom of the Bay of Fundy, post traffic signs and re-route the major super-tanker shipping lanes so that the whales can swim freely and uninterrupted.

And yet they can’t do the same for a few birds at Cambridge Narrows. In fact they’d rather have the Migratory Bird Act rewritten so they can build a road right through some prime nesting areas…

I know, birds are not whales, but my “what if” is that Irving’s message actually matched it’s deeds.

What ever happen in this story anyway? Haven’t heard anything in the news papers…

Posted by Kit

http://riverviewthisweek.canadaeast.com/blog/fromtheright,286756

Heron Rookery shots from Wikipedia

DFO Responds to Right Whale Recovery Team Concerns

We have received 2 calls from DFO about the article on the Right Whale Recovery Implementation Team. Our interpretation is supplied as a comment to the original article. We might not have gotten it right so we are reserving this space for a response from DFO.

We are pleased to have received the following response from David C. Millar of DFO. Thanks for the clarification David.

Hello Mr. MacKay,

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) acknowledges concerns raised about the role and future of the Right Whale Recovery Team, and would like to clarify the Department’s intentions.

The formal purpose of the Recovery Team for the north Atlantic right whale in eastern Canada was to provide advice on the development of a Recovery Strategy for the species, as required under the Species at Risk Act (SARA). The excellent work of the Team has produced a proposed Recovery Strategy, which is expected to be posted later this spring on the SARA Public Registry for comment. That valuable work is now essentially complete.

The development of Action Plans is the next task in the SARA process for the north Atlantic right whale, and that work involves identifying specific actions that can be taken for the recovery of the species, based on the goals and objectives defined in the Recovery Strategy. DFO will continue to draw on the expertise of the dedicated individuals and groups involved in the development of the Recovery Strategy as we move into action planning. Details of the approach for involving interested parties in the next phase of the recovery process will be determined over the coming months.

I hope this helps to clear up any misunderstandings about the Department’s intentions. We are extremely thankful for the substantial expertise and experience of the members of the Right Whale Recovery Team and their contribution to the development of the Right Whale Recovery Strategy.

Please feel free to contact me if you have questions.

Regards,

David Millar

Manager, Gestionnaire
Species at Risk Coordination Office/Bureau de coordination pour les espèces en péril
Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans/Pêche et Océans
Bedford Institute of Oceanography/Institut océanographique de Bedford
1 Challenger Drive,/ 1, promenade Challenger
Dartmouth, NS/Dartmouth (N.-É.)
B2Y 4A2

Tel/Tél: (902) 426-8503 Fax: (902) 426-2331
e-mail/Courriel: millardc@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Passamaquoddy Tribe on Porpoise Hunting

Members of the Passamaquoddy Tribe live in Maine and New Brunswick at the entrance to the Bay of Fundy. They have always depended for their sustenance on marine animals and plants, including porpoise and whales. The following is their current stand on these activities.

Indian porpoise hunters of Passamaquoddy Bay Canoe, rifle,
and lance for capture of porpoise.
From a photograph by T. W. Smillie
Image ID: figb0213, NOAA’s Historic Fisheries Collection Credit: NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service

Passamaquoddy Tribe at Pleasant Point
(link to original)

TRIBAL COUNCIL RESOLUTION
RESOLUTION NO: 8/5/97 #4

WHEREAS, the Pleasant Point Passamaquoddy Tribal Council is the recognized governing body of the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Pleasant Point Reservation; and

WHEREAS, the Passamaquoddy people have always found food for sustenance in the sea; and

WHEREAS, the Passamaquoddy people have a strong connection to Mother Earth and are determined to never break that connection; and

WHEREAS, the Passamaquoddy people always have had and always will continue to have a strong cultural and historic identity with Marine Resources; and

WHEREAS, our purpose , granted to us as Native People by the Creator, is to never abuse Mother Earth; and

WHEREAS, our Native Fisherman have historically, presently and in the future will always gather porpoise and other marine resources; and

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Tribal Council at Sipayik by this Resolution hereby request that our Native Fisherman come forward with whatever Marine Resources at their disposal, and supply these resources to any people or entities as the aforementioned Native Fisherman see fit; and

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the taking of Marine Mammals such as whales, seals, and porpoise be only for exchange within the Native American Community.

Passamaquoddy Bay Indians lancing and securing a porpoise

From a photograph by T. W. Smillie.
Image ID: figb0214, NOAA’s Historic Fisheries Collection Credit: NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service

More information about the Passamaquoddy Tribe

Drivers Do It! Pilots Do It? Will it save $$$ and Whales if Ship Captains Do It?

Drivers have long known that slowing down on the highway means getting more miles to the gallon. Now airlines are trying it, too — adding a few minutes to flights to save millions on fuel.

Southwest Airlines started flying slower about two months ago, and projects it will save $42 million US in fuel this year by extending each flight by one to three minutes. More at cbc …

Photo from New England Aquarium Press Release

Where the Ships Are

Its all about moving products and, if Atlantica developers have their way, there will be more ships and coastal freighters sailing the east coast then ever before. Not only is it more efficient than trucking, it is rapidly becoming as a cheaper way to move foreign goods up and down the coast to the markets of Atlantica and beyond.

As shown above web sites like sailwx which tracks world ship locations, will become increasingly more valuable. Try it here. Zoom in and check the ships and their tracks in near real time in your favourite part of the world.

Interested in information and photos of your favourite ships or ship type? Try:

shipspotting.com

World Shipping Register

The United States Coast Guard provides in depth safety, accident and casualty reports for all ships operating in US waters. This is located at:

homeport.uscg.mil

Maritime Business Strategies LLC has a ton of information on LNG and LPG Tanker, maritime history and more. Do a simple google search and you will be rewarded with company information from around the world.

Cheney Blocking Right Whale Protection Effort

AP Photo

A behind the scenes struggle has apparently been raging between the White House and US government scientists who want to force ships to slow down when passing through grounds of the almost extinct right whale.

Made public by Congressman Henry Waxman, it seems VP Cheney’s office has been actively trying to harpoon the ship speed legislation that recently passed committee in the Senate. The effort is directly related to the shipping industry’s perception that slower speeds will result in higher costs for shipping.

Whatever the motivation, it is clear that we continue with our culture of accelerating consumption of our planet. It is also clear that all the current hype about stopping global warming, population growth and the related global changes is really wishful thinking at best.

I think that we need to get ready for radical lifestyle changes. It’s gonna be “back to the future” folks and we no longer have the community skills or facilities to take care of ourselves. In the meantime we have a clear obligation to protect other creatures that share this planet with us.

That’s it this morning. For the full article Click here

Whale Neighbours – Harlequin Duck

Harlequin Duck
Histrionicus histrionicus

On April 22, 2008, Joyce Morrell of Campobello sent around a photo of a single drake at Head Harbour Light House. This reminded me of a very short story about one of the most beautiful of the Bay of Fundy marine birds.

I was once involved with an aquaculture application for White Head Island off Grand Manan in the mouth of the Bay of Fundy. There, slap dab in the middle of the proposed site was a small and very relaxed flock of these beautiful birds. Roosting on a nearby ledge, their daily flights tooks them directly across an embayment where the cages would be moored. Interestingly, the birds won because they were listed as endangered in both Canada and the United States. Times have certainly changed. Today, the truly endangered north Atlantic right whale doesn’t seemed to have stalled the steamroller of development from LNG, refineries, quarries, and other coastal developments.

Perhaps the little harlequin duck can do the trick? Located off Point Lepreau, the Wolves, White Head Island, Campobello, East Quoddy Head and elsewhere along the proposed route of LNG and aggregate ships entering Passamaquoddy Bay, they are certainly a species that must be considered.

The Harlequin Duck, Eastern population, is protected under the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA), the federal Migratory Birds Convention Act which is currently under assault by J.D. Irving in their defense against their violation of a great blue heron rookery. Under this Act, it is prohibited to kill, harm, or collect adults, young, and eggs. Harlequin Ducks are also protected in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador under their respective Endangered Species Acts.

Get more information at: http://www.sararegistry.gc.ca/species/speciesDetails_e.cfm?sid=22

Photo credit: wikipedia.com