Page 20. MAINE COASTAL NEWS October 2013 PORT SAFETY FORUM MEETING - 17 SEPTEMBER
The Port Safety Forum held their fall meeting at the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on 17 September. These meetings are held three times a year to inform all those interested what is going on along the coast of Maine and New Hamp- shire. There are a number of presentations given by a number of different entities, mainly government agencies such as the U. S. Coast Guard, NOAA, and Army Corps of Engineers.
After the last meeting’s minutes were
accepted, Tom Shyka give a presentation on NERACOOS. They are the overseers of the buoys along the coast and out in the Gulf of Maine which collect and deliver ocean information. This information goes to NOAA and is viewable on their national data buoy website. Tom said that they will be able to maintain the existing buoys under the current funding. He added that they can now give weather predictions two to three days out and that the website has been optimized for smart phones or tablet. They also have text-a-buoy for those that are in an area with poor reception. You can learn how to do this from their website. Tom also said that they have been assist- ing with a study in the Hampton/Seabrook estuary with NHDES. They are using a radar to measure the height of the tides and this data is available on the website. They are also working on the infra- structure to minimize data outages during storms/improved visualization and access to ocean predictions including waves, wind, and water temperatures; directional wave data from buoys; and harmful algae bloom sensors (funding is from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute). Next was a briefi ng on the North East
Regional Ocean Council briefi ng, by Dan Hubbard of the United States Coast Guard. This is the regional planning body and their goals are on the website. Workgroups will be formed from maritime commerce work- ing groups and they are looking for input to assist in making their decisions. Their next meeting will be in Boston.
Nickie Hunter discussed the New Hampshire Memorial Bridge project. This consisted of three bridges being removed and replaced. There was the Kittery Ap- proach Bridge; the Scott Avenue Bridge and the Memorial Bridge. The Memorial Bridge was constructed in 1923 and the lift section spanned a distance of 302.5 feet. The original bridge was closed in July 2011 due to structural issues. The new bridge that was just completed is very similar in design. The successful bidder was Archer-Western and they were approved on December 14, 2011. Demolition began in January 2012 and the bridge opened on 8 August this year. Nickie said that there were some is- sues that needed to be overcome. The U. S. Coast Guard requires a 90 day advance notice when there’s going to be a waterway closure. One of the lessons they learned was never assume and communicate. The fl oat out of the 1923 lift span, which weighed 1.8 million pounds, needed a 72 hour closure to accomplish. A number of calls were needed to keep the Coast Guard updated and they were not ready and were delayed a week. Once the crane was back up and running they were able to accomplish the lift with six hours to spare. The lift section was then taken to Boston to be scrapped.
The new bridge was constructed in sections just north of the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge, Route 1, on the New Hamp- shire side. To fl oat in the new lift section
PAUL E. LUKE, INC. Fireplaces - Automatic Feathering Propellors - 3-Piece Storm Anchors
Full Service Boat Yard 15 Luke's Gulch, East Boothbay, Maine 04544
TEL. (207) 633-4971 A. Franklin Luke FAX: (207) 633-3388 RALPH STANLEY, INC. is now
they needed a fi ve-day closure. However, a problem developed when the crane broke and this took four days to repair. Following a brief delay they then learned that they need- ed to make fi nal adjustments. This included tensioning, machinery room work, sheave and bearing adjustments, which should have been known, but had not been scheduled. To accomplish this they had to work around the deep drafted vessels that need to enter or leave the river.
Future projects scheduled on the Piscataquis River: presently they are now working on the Newcastle/Rye bridge. The Little Bay Bridge is for traffi c and Cianbro is currently building a new bridge between the Little Bay Bridge and the General Sullivan Bridge, which is used for foot traffi c is slated for repairs in 2017. This project will be done this fall and there may be some water restric- tions in the area. In 2014 the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge is scheduled to be replaced and could take as long as three years to complete. This bridge was built in 1940 and last May was hit by a vessel that had parted her lines at a nearby dock and severely damaged it. In 2017 the I-95 bridge will need to have her topsides rehabilitated.
There are two major dredging projects
scheduled. The last time the Portland harbor had been dredged was in 1998 – 1999. J
Cashman has been awarded the contract to dredge from the turning basin up by Merrill out to Bug Light. They will be removing approximately 70,000 cubic square yards of mud and 1,500 cubic square yards of rock ledge. They will also over dredge two feet in the channel which should be 35 feet in depth. A 70 yard bucket will be used in this project and this is being fabricated. They hope to be able to remove 16,000 cubic yards a day and they will be working 46 days to accomplish this.
Due to the dredging there is a lobster relocation plan which will start in mid Oc- tober. They will use 150 standard traps with no escape hatches and once they are down to .5 lobsters per trap dredging can begin. This is a DEP requirement. In 1998 they did the same thing and they remove several thou- sand lobsters. The lobsters that are caught will be banded to see if any of them moved back into the area and how fast. Moorings will also need to be removed and this is any mooring that is within 105 feet on either side of the slopes of the channel. As for Searsport, an environmental study has been done and public comments have been made which they receive a lot of. They are compiling the comments and this
Continud on Page 21.
MISC. COMMERCIAL FISHING NEWS to grow and prosper.
Continued from Page 13.
ber 4 featured discussions on the challenges and opportunities in the Atlantic fi shing and aquaculture industries.
Ministers discussed the challenges fac-
ing the Atlantic lobster industry and ways to improve viability. They also discussed the importance of improving market access through trade agreements, for this fi shery and the sector in general, particularly those currently under discussion with the Euro- pean Union, members of the Trans-Pacifi c Partnerships, Japan and India.
Ministers were updated on the work of the Maritime Ministers’ Lobster Panel with a focus on what was heard during consulta- tions. Ministers look forward to receiving the fi nal report with recommendations in the fall.
GreatHarborBoatworks.com
MAINE COAST LUMBER, INC. 17 White Birch Lane
4 Warren Ave.
York, ME 03909 (207) 363-7426 (800) 899-1664 Fax (207) 363-8650 M-F 7am-4:30pm
Westbrook, ME 04902 (207) 856-6015 (877) 408-4751 Fax (207) 856-6971 M-F 7:30am-4:30pm
Ministers also discussed how they will work together to protect Canada’s fi sheries. Specifi cally, federal and provincial repre- sentatives approved a work plan for collab- oration on the new approach to protecting recreational, commercial and Aboriginal fi sheries. Attendees were also provided an update on the recently announced Recre- ational Fisheries Conservation Partnership Program, which will help protect, restore and rebuild recreational fi sheries habitat and allow Canada’s thriving recreational fi shery
Federal, provincial and territorial gov- ernments have worked successfully over the past years to prevent the entry into Canadian waters of aquatic invasive species. One of these initiatives is the federal, provincial and territorial collaboration on development of new regulations that will provide a key tool to manage the threat of aquatic invasive species. Ministers re-affi rmed their com- mitment to continue to work together in a manner consistent with the respective juris- dictions of the two levels of government to bring this most important project to fruition. At the meeting, Ministers also endorsed the renewed National Code on Introductions and Transfers of Aquatic Organisms, which is intended to protect aquatic ecosystems while encouraging responsible use of aquat- ic resources for the benefi t of Canadians. The updated code will improve and strengthen current practices around the introduction and transfer of aquatic animals by simpli- fying the process and avoiding duplication, while also strengthening transparency, ac- countability and service delivery. These three projects were highlighted by Ministers as concrete examples of the positive collaboration that makes the Cana- dian Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers such an important and productive intergovernmental forum.
HISTORY FOR YOURWALLS
From Maine’s Outstanding Photography Archive For Homes, Offices, B&Bs, Lobbies
Custom Framing
Free
*HARDWOOD LUMBER*SOFTWOOD LUMBER* *HARDWOOD PLYWOODS*MELAMINE*MDF*MARINE PLYWOODS*MDO*PARTICLE BOARD*SLATWALL*LAMINATE* *EDGE BANDING*VENEER*HARDWOOD MOLDINGS* *CUSTOM MILLING*DOVETAILED DRAWER BOXES
We Deliver ME, NH, VT, MA, RI
www.mainecoastlumber.com info@mainecoastlumber.com
Photo Search Image
Licensing
Study CD Available
YOUR CITY OR TOARM & COUNTRWAT We Ship UPS
40 E. Main St. (U.S. Rte.), Searsport www
enobscotMarineMuseum.org
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32