http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/index.htmlMaritime roundupsenscuppers1314@gmail.comCopyright 2009 Jesse Nankin2009-11-10T15:36:37-05:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 Fri, 11 Sep 2009 23:13:42 -0400scuppers1314@gmail.comEnvironment2009-11-10T15:36:37-05:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/f0f2454dbf77058e109b74fe07f9ef6d-37.html#unique-entry-id-37http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/f0f2454dbf77058e109b74fe07f9ef6d-37.html#unique-entry-id-37On December 31, Massachusetts will become the first state with a management plan for its roughly 2,100 square miles of ocean and the often-competing interests of conservationists, the fishing industry, recreation and development.

Since June this plan has been circulating in draft form for the public’s consideration. The nearly two-volume tome is rich in data, but many fear it doesn’t go far enough to protect the Commonwealth’s more delicate marine assets—the so-called “special, sensitive or unique” (SSU) resources the plan identifies.

“The big problem with the plan—it is not really a plan,” said Mason Weinrich, executive director and chief scientist of the Whale Center of New England, based in Gloucester. “What they have done is gather a really valuable series of data sets to understand where these areas may be. But there isn’t really any more protection than what was already there.”]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comSeafood2009-11-03T21:44:10-05:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/d1f7b1ed8b2fde399d5e2d3254a880dd-36.html#unique-entry-id-36http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/d1f7b1ed8b2fde399d5e2d3254a880dd-36.html#unique-entry-id-36Mercury levels. Sustainability. Poaching. Wild. Farmed. It isn't just sashimi anymore--it's a decision with ecological, ethical and health-related consequences. The Monterey Bay Aquarium has published a new list to help consumers determine those fish that are both friendly to your diet, and consider the ocean's health, too.]]>scuppers1314@gmail.commarine lifemaritime2009-10-26T22:45:54-04:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/00542e3765e000b0e45b368a770d37dc-35.html#unique-entry-id-35http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/00542e3765e000b0e45b368a770d37dc-35.html#unique-entry-id-35Each week LFM brings you a new tidbit from the deep.

And you thought Cruella Deville was cold-blooded. The ice fish, less commonly known as "Chaenocephalus aceratus," was officially discovered in the 1930s in Antarctica, confirming stories passed on by whalers of its existence. This two-foot long, ashen-colored fish has a fierce set of jaws. It is also lacking in a certain sticky substance.]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comFishing Industry2009-10-17T20:32:49-04:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/28a8be57f020b9d1b54521ddd68dc84c-34.html#unique-entry-id-34http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/28a8be57f020b9d1b54521ddd68dc84c-34.html#unique-entry-id-34A proposal to cut the herring quota nearly in half for the next three years has the fishing fleet, as well as lobstermen (and women) from Maine to New Jersey, concerned. (Herring, a little too fishy for some palates, is a favorite for baiting lobster traps.) ]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comSailing, Maritime2009-10-08T13:24:11-04:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/67f2871f5becd52d1618d6fa6a0f4202-33.html#unique-entry-id-33http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/67f2871f5becd52d1618d6fa6a0f4202-33.html#unique-entry-id-33Today's spotlight is dedicated to sea captains everywhere. Consider the story below the next time you take your pen to your logbook. What you note just might play a crucial role hundreds of years from now--and not just in terms of the post-sail rum you like best. ]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comEnvironment2009-10-05T21:10:46-04:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/1f4c348ebb0c24476107c7ca5e1135f1-32.html#unique-entry-id-32http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/1f4c348ebb0c24476107c7ca5e1135f1-32.html#unique-entry-id-32In all of its beauty and wonder, the ocean can also be an awesome, devastating force. This week, the Samoan islands and Tonga experienced the desolation of a tsunami. There was little warning; it came in the middle of the night. At least 149 lives were lost, likely more. And while scientists have warning systems in place this is a reminder that we remain vulnerable to the wrath of the seas. ]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comdevelopment2009-10-03T23:12:40-04:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/bcee2d4d8fc0aa67dd96aa428e0e43d3-31.html#unique-entry-id-31http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/bcee2d4d8fc0aa67dd96aa428e0e43d3-31.html#unique-entry-id-31Waterfront development is a touchy topic. Period. Environmentalists are concerned for the impact on marine life and water quality, they raise issues of runoff and erosion and place the sanctity of the earth before any commercial interests. ]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comSailingmaritime2009-06-21T15:52:12-04:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/f3bc37ab68d320bf8c9ea961cd3d6059-30.html#unique-entry-id-30http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/f3bc37ab68d320bf8c9ea961cd3d6059-30.html#unique-entry-id-30With less than a week to go, we’re all getting to the end of our motivation to do, well, anything at all. Like drinking an ice slushy, or a bottle of Jäger for that matter, cruise at first is wonderful. But then it hits--the indelible pain in the head, the constant throbbing of over-stressed and overworked body parts, and the unmistakable feeling that this in all aspects was a completely stupid idea. That isn’t to say we haven’t all learned. We have all reached a point where we can say we have gotten something out of our experiences here on the boat. ]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comSailingmaritime2009-06-17T09:45:06-04:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/2d58de5cd3b6b3ff4e51b58604cbde64-29.html#unique-entry-id-29http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/2d58de5cd3b6b3ff4e51b58604cbde64-29.html#unique-entry-id-29Here we float rocking 20 degrees or more from side to side in no more then a five-foot swell--I’m convinced the deck department doesn’t believe in ballasting a boat—and thinking about when we will return home and what we will be doing when we get there. ]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comTall ShipsSailingSail training2009-06-15T23:29:25-04:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/b26b784f119124b7861595211f4bc38f-28.html#unique-entry-id-28http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/b26b784f119124b7861595211f4bc38f-28.html#unique-entry-id-28 Last week I gave a talk at St. Joseph's Hall, in Salem, Mass., on the state of this summer's Tall Ship's festival in Boston. The organizers of the lecture series asked me to give the talk because of my Tall Ship sailing background, and my budding experience reporting on maritime issues. I touched on the controversies that arose after Sail Boston 1992 and 2000, as reported by the Boston Globe, and talked to city, state and federal officials, as well as representatives of Sail Boston and the American Sail Training Association.]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comSailingmaritime2009-06-12T01:06:31-04:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/4069c1fd82b32b8253efe0bbcfe1cd73-27.html#unique-entry-id-27http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/4069c1fd82b32b8253efe0bbcfe1cd73-27.html#unique-entry-id-27I am huddled on the 04 observation deck wearing a sweatshirt and jacket, and fighting a 30 degree wind chill. I look across the fogged-in ocean at an iceberg the size of a small condo, and think of how lucky we are to be on a Caribbean cruise this year. ]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comSailingmaritime2009-06-08T11:31:44-04:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/60f15a66bac75c604e9a7b2134240e91-26.html#unique-entry-id-26http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/60f15a66bac75c604e9a7b2134240e91-26.html#unique-entry-id-26We sit here, 1200 miles from land, riding this large steel beast that we call a ship across a torrent of cresting waves and green water. Anyone calling for the excitement of a good storm, in my mind, clearly has not spent any great deal of time on the water or they would know high seas, wind, and rain on any ship is a pretty poor time. And, quite frankly, I have no interest in seeing what other people had for breakfast strewn across the side of our ship. ]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comSailingmaritime2009-06-06T22:17:18-04:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/ae8733c5b6a52fdd4f7c21970da911c7-25.html#unique-entry-id-25http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/ae8733c5b6a52fdd4f7c21970da911c7-25.html#unique-entry-id-25Last night as I lay on the aft deck, the true beauty of a calm night at sea struck me as never before. Not a breath of wind blew last night as the boat rolled and heeled with the long ocean swells, probably from some far off storm we should never see. The sky glowed and for the first time in more than a month I felt a striking realization that this is really what I am supposed to do.
]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comSailingmaritime2009-06-03T10:34:11-04:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/c5abab7517b58c0bbfdc9452217c201b-24.html#unique-entry-id-24http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/c5abab7517b58c0bbfdc9452217c201b-24.html#unique-entry-id-24We have reached the halfway point here on our little journey, and suffice it to say we are all pretty tired. With one port down, we have 15 days at sea this coming month with 9 port days and two holidays. And the state in which we find our engine room is frightening as once again we battle a mechanical difficulty and attempt to baby our engine in hopes of making it back to Maine without a need for a very long and costly tow home. ]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comSailingmaritime2009-06-02T09:36:09-04:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/5efca189f7ff0e2c9f2545aab0c2e74d-23.html#unique-entry-id-23http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/5efca189f7ff0e2c9f2545aab0c2e74d-23.html#unique-entry-id-23San Juan, the land god, and the land of homes and dreams for any weary traveler or a boatload of sailors with money to burn on expensive booze. And with the taxi services over-charging anyone seeking a cheap ride to the beach and with beer costing $4 and up, we managed to squeeze every dollar we had to enjoy the most out of San Juan and even more out of the bars that seemed to beckon all of us for just one more drink before the boat. ]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comSailingmaritime2009-05-28T14:29:52-04:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/5197a72ba86f8a59c6cb40694a2ea266-22.html#unique-entry-id-22http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/5197a72ba86f8a59c6cb40694a2ea266-22.html#unique-entry-id-22It is surprising the disparity one sees between the two majors here aboard the training ship. On one side you have deck majors who one day aspire, God forbid, to become captains of our ocean going ships on which they will safely lead these great whales across the world’s deepest oceans from port to port. Thank God for GPS. Some of those aspiring for their licenses are still stuck on book two of the riveting “Hooked on Phonics” series. ]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comSailingmaritime2009-05-26T21:09:51-04:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/bdad2af81e0a601b1ff0ae5a66b8a37a-21.html#unique-entry-id-21http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/bdad2af81e0a601b1ff0ae5a66b8a37a-21.html#unique-entry-id-21We have finally reached paradise, and it comes in the form of unbearable humidity and constant thunderstorms. Not that it matters much, but we found some reassurance in the days we spent at sea with the knowledge that we will one day enter a port where we may relax and enjoy cruise. ]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comSailingmaritime2009-05-23T23:56:45-04:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/2496357f665bcf610c7a8593e9113561-20.html#unique-entry-id-20http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/2496357f665bcf610c7a8593e9113561-20.html#unique-entry-id-20Today was a day of rest aboard the TS. Most of us spent the day lounging, shooting guns, and receiving third degree burns. One person felt obligated to sunburn his own name into his back using tape. Hilarious and entertaining, and demonstrating how very bored we are.
]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comSailingmaritime2009-05-21T10:27:52-04:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/2272d76c6ec71cc56ae07655a9cdc2e5-19.html#unique-entry-id-19http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/2272d76c6ec71cc56ae07655a9cdc2e5-19.html#unique-entry-id-19 To you who read my posts--why I will never know as they are usually filled with mindless rants, which I was motivated to write tonight after today’s little escapade with the regiment. Instead, though, I have decided to share an experience of pure luck that I found myself in today. ]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comSailingmaritime2009-05-19T10:07:59-04:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/352d3f206307fedf8a51bdfacce04e7a-18.html#unique-entry-id-18http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/352d3f206307fedf8a51bdfacce04e7a-18.html#unique-entry-id-18A weird sense of satisfaction has occurred now that this boat is actually going somewhere. Original suspicions that we were just some type of large float in a parade have been quashed --there is now an unusual roll to the ship and, unless we have spent millions on building a Hollywood backdrop, there is water out there instead of Searsport. ]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comSailingmaritime2009-05-18T23:10:43-04:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/440b04b7698a7d4929574a6fae9f7371-17.html#unique-entry-id-17http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/440b04b7698a7d4929574a6fae9f7371-17.html#unique-entry-id-17Today we clean. We have been cleaning for the last two days. I have been habitually cleaning the same wall, and I’m sure that at one point I may strike the outer paint of the ship. But at least I know how to shine bulkhead steel. And with our engine still broken and the broken record of the promise that we will, in fact, leave tomorrow, we will continue to clean until we are underway or someone attempts to discover the combustion temperature of our walls.]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comSailingmaritime2009-05-17T08:38:16-04:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/1c847fd51b18b3293acdd8adcc3374fc-16.html#unique-entry-id-16http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/1c847fd51b18b3293acdd8adcc3374fc-16.html#unique-entry-id-16We have all had roommates in our lives, and more often than not, living with someone can push you over the edge to the point where most time at home is spent simply trying to do things to piss each other off. Such circumstances are found aboard a ship and on land, and most commonly found in the marriages of aging Irish couples for some reason. (For all of you who are politically correct, I’m Irish.) ]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comSailingmaritime2009-05-13T14:29:29-04:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/a6d1591668c81d7048b098c182c0aadc-15.html#unique-entry-id-15http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/a6d1591668c81d7048b098c182c0aadc-15.html#unique-entry-id-15Welcome to beautiful Searsport. As a result of our minor engine trouble, I say that loosely of course, we are proud to arrive at our first port of call only five miles away from our starting destination. Ironically, our cruise shirt that commemorates our trip shows our training ship beached on shore. We should have been more aware of the bad omen we clearly created for ourselves. ]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comSailingmaritime2009-05-12T14:53:02-04:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/9699d359cbaf453de3e066a43a11ff4a-14.html#unique-entry-id-14http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/9699d359cbaf453de3e066a43a11ff4a-14.html#unique-entry-id-14Today, it seems, my 17 roommates and I have received the prodigious title from the commandant staff as possessing the dirtiest room in 10 years. We have worked hard over the last four days to achieve this title, and I am proud to hold this honor high knowing full well we have earned it. ]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comRacingSailing2009-05-11T21:37:25-04:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/0cc6dfdfac303f8c0751cc657bb73db9-13.html#unique-entry-id-13http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/0cc6dfdfac303f8c0751cc657bb73db9-13.html#unique-entry-id-13The yachts competing in the Volvo Ocean Race raced in Broad Sound on Saturday. The winds were light and shifty, the sun struggled to shine all day and at one point a dense fog all but swallowed the impressive and powerful fleet. But it was without question a treat for all those who could be there to watch. Telefonica Blue took the prize in both of the day's races.

View photos of the fleet at the dock and on the water.

Watch video from one of the day's races.

Read the coverage from Sail World here.]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comSailingmaritime2009-05-10T20:26:27-04:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/8de7bf7924c54c00272b74a8a84e0603-12.html#unique-entry-id-12http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/8de7bf7924c54c00272b74a8a84e0603-12.html#unique-entry-id-12For most of us, there is an unquestioned sense of security we feel when we return to our homes, our place of rest. We expect to relax, to unwind from our long days and to find comfort in the fact we can have peace of mind for just a few hours before returning to the outside world. But sometimes we find our homes invaded, whether it is through theft or vandalism, and we are left with an unmistakable feeling of being on edge even when we are safe in our beds. A car owner might wake in the middle of the night thinking his car is being stolen once more only to find it was a neighbor starting his own car. We are instantly unnerved when our feeling of security is invaded, and on a ship, where the only true relaxation is the few hours of sleep we grab between watches, this feeling is almost necessary to achieve any rest at all. ]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comSailingmaritime2009-05-09T09:24:01-04:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/efd424849bfb4baf7feca12aee9a542b-11.html#unique-entry-id-11http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/efd424849bfb4baf7feca12aee9a542b-11.html#unique-entry-id-11With little to do but simply accept the fact that the boat is going nowhere, we settle into a routine. Each day we wake up to the same harbor, only miles away from our starting point just days ago. For the deckies, things couldn't be worse. They can only take the same GPS coordinates so many times before it strikes them that writing the same number down for three weeks is a little less than pointless. The engineers are, on the other hand, happy as a pig in, well, you know. ]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comSailingmaritime2009-05-07T15:10:26-04:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/4932883f18d1cff7ad48841026e84b6c-10.html#unique-entry-id-10http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/4932883f18d1cff7ad48841026e84b6c-10.html#unique-entry-id-10May 6- Six hours into our first day at sea, and cruise has come to a halt. A massive explosion ripped through the exhaust manifold forcing a very large piece of cast iron to burst away from the fitting. The engine is without a doubt and with all sincerity, f*****. ]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comSailingmaritime2009-05-05T21:01:27-04:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/dee5011fefea809dd91faa99986f9139-9.html#unique-entry-id-9http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/dee5011fefea809dd91faa99986f9139-9.html#unique-entry-id-9Each spring students from Maine Maritime Academy set sail on their training ship the State of Maine for a two-month cruise. One student, Paul Kemp*, has agreed to share his experience.

Students reported to the ship on Saturday, May 2. They leave the dock tomorrow for their first port, Key West, Fla. The ship will also be stopping in Ponce and San Juan, Puerto Rico, St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada and Baltimore, Md. They will return to Castine, Me., in late June.

Here are his first posts in the days leading up to the departure.]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comEnvironmentSailing2009-04-24T21:07:45-04:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/69726dbfd1936d8b4b505da04439d98a-8.html#unique-entry-id-8http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/69726dbfd1936d8b4b505da04439d98a-8.html#unique-entry-id-8 It's spring in New England! Buds are appearing on trees, and tulips--a multitude of colors--are sprinkled throughout the city of Boston. And if you listen closely, you just might hear the high pitched whir of a sander, the gentle slap of a paintbrush against the side of a hull or the excited splash of a boat as it hits the water. ]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comOcean2009-03-25T21:36:38-04:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/93ba707dff519aeea11bd0df2e57c989-7.html#unique-entry-id-7http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/93ba707dff519aeea11bd0df2e57c989-7.html#unique-entry-id-7In elementary school, I was taught there are four oceans--the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Indian and the Arctic. Each one was neatly labeled on the pull down map that covered the chalkboard. And while it was a little more ambiguous on the globe where waters merged together unaware of the man-made lines dividing them, I grew up confident in my knowledge that there are four oceans.

]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comFishing IndustryRegulations2009-03-23T10:37:43-04:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/c7de71b7db488c2f447c898240a2c3ed-6.html#unique-entry-id-6http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/c7de71b7db488c2f447c898240a2c3ed-6.html#unique-entry-id-6Are you sure that's haddock you are eating? A new report out from the Government Accountability Office says seafood fraud is rampant, and cites a lack of coordination between the panoply of agencies charged with overseeing the fishing industry. Read the story from USA Today here.]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comPiracy2008-10-04T20:26:58-04:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/303d4c5e5c2bfe3366257a63eeb9d4aa-5.html#unique-entry-id-5http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/303d4c5e5c2bfe3366257a63eeb9d4aa-5.html#unique-entry-id-5For the last two weeks The New York Times, among a few others, have been following an unusual case of piracy off the coast of Africa. The act of piracy in and of itself is not entirely unexpected in these troubled waters. But this instance has attracted media attention for its almost Errol Flynn qualities or perhaps because the vessel seized is carrying $30 million in arms. ]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comPiracy2008-10-06T16:38:38-04:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/093b787fd08f984d14ed984ae262ee1f-4.html#unique-entry-id-4http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/093b787fd08f984d14ed984ae262ee1f-4.html#unique-entry-id-4The Gulf of Aden, an extension of the Indian Ocean that separates Africa from Asia, is a lawless frontier with the unrest of Somalia flowing out from its shores into the sea. A crucial thoroughfare for trade, nearly 16,000 ships pass through its waters each year with oil from the Middle East and Asian goods on their way to Europe or North America. ]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comPiracy2008-10-23T21:39:00-04:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/80b17c2174db2536c6e63a57df0b20ca-3.html#unique-entry-id-3http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/80b17c2174db2536c6e63a57df0b20ca-3.html#unique-entry-id-3The standoff continues. Somali pirates continue to hold the Ukrainian vessel Faina hosage. Reports from the U.S. Navy on Oct. 20 indicate that the crew remains in good health. ]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comEnvironment2009-01-30T21:17:08-05:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/9757a8047babe8fb234b8add25013659-2.html#unique-entry-id-2http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/9757a8047babe8fb234b8add25013659-2.html#unique-entry-id-2 Snip the plastic rings that hold together a six-pack of soda--you could save the lives of turtles and sea birds, my mom told me. But it wasn’t a panacea, and it failed to address a much larger problem: Our plastic waste, among other garbage, ends up in the ocean and stomachs of marine life.]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comPiracyFishing Industry2009-02-16T22:17:00-05:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/825e0da48bd284452feae5f9f78ce3eb-1.html#unique-entry-id-1http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/825e0da48bd284452feae5f9f78ce3eb-1.html#unique-entry-id-1The Indian Ocean supplies nearly 25 percent of the world’s tuna, according to the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission. But the recent upswing of piracy in the Gulf of Aden and surrounding waters, has negatively affected the region’s $6 billion industry, which saw a 30 percent decline in catches last year, reported the BBC. ]]>scuppers1314@gmail.comShipping2009-02-23T20:28:41-05:00http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/aab2986361d57402875c029c9b49a500-0.html#unique-entry-id-0http://www.lettersfromthemaritime.com/posts/files/aab2986361d57402875c029c9b49a500-0.html#unique-entry-id-0It’s called short-sea shipping, and it is being proposed as an alternative to trucks and trains for moving freight domestically, The Associated Press reported today.]]>