on the water

On The Water - New York State Assembly has written Governor Andrew Cuomo to request that the State of New York drop its appeal of the December 14, 2010 decision enjoining the implementation of the State Saltwater Fishing License in the waters of seven Long Island Towns including all Town waters on the East End.

On The Water - New York State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. is pleased to announce the passage of budget legislation which includes the repeal of the Saltwater Fishing License and replaces it with a free registry.

On The Water - Thiele has announced that the final 2011 State Budget agreement will include $200,000 for the State DEC to operate the Conditional Shellfish Harvesting Program.

On The Water - New York lawmakers and the Cuomo administration have reached an agreement to end the state's $10 annual saltwater fishing license and replace it with a free registry for the state's coastal waters.

On The Water - New York State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I, D, WF-Sag Harbor) reported that the State Legislature has reached an agreement to repeal the Saltwater Fishing License enacted in 2009.

On The Water - A bill to help commercial fishermen by allowing them to aggregate their daily catch limits over a seven day period and conserve fuel, unanimously passed the Senate.

On The Water - The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) informs this winter's heavy snows and resultant high, cold stream conditions will not be friendly to early season trout anglers.

On The Water - Rita Goldberg can't believe some people still teach kids to swim by proverbially throwing them in the water to see if they sink or swim instinctively.

On The Water - There isn't a single visitor to the Hamptons who does not wax poetic about the pristine beaches which stretch for miles along the Atlantic Ocean - rated the number one reason to visit the Hamptons followed closely by rich husband hunting, social climbing, and farm stand tomatoes. Unless you walk, bike, or get a piggyback ride to the ocean beaches you will need to understand the rules.

On The Water - Floating 12 miles off the coast of Long Island lies the vanished kingdom of Rum Row. For over a dozen years schooners, steamers, and converted fishing trawlers sold Canadian whiskey and Bahamian rum to thirsty Americans during the Prohibition years. From the harbors at Greenport and Montauk, to the small bays of the South Shore, rum runners in small boats would head to sea to load hundreds of cases of contraband and then evade, outrun, or bribe their way past Coast Guard and local police patrols.

On The Water - Sailing through Gardiner's Bay brings a realization that you are really on the edge of the world. On the west you have your home, the Twin Forks of Long Island. To the east is nothing but the sea - an expanse of waves and sky and clouds that stretch your imagination. You know that Block Island, Newport, and the Cape are out there but the Bay conjures up images of the East End's mythical past.

On The Water - My crew and I aboard my catamaran sailboat went completely around Long Island and came to realize it is really long. It took eight days to travel 226 nautical miles, including several stops between Montauk and Manhattan, eight drawbridges, a dozen or so lighthouses, two thunderstorms and crossing paths with one fin in the Atlantic - a sunfish - but I swear I heard the theme music to “Jaws” the whole time we circled it. Here is the first part of our journey.

On The Water - Dropping anchor anywhere from Montauk to Block Island to Shelter Island to Greenport (or beyond) a flurry of pre-boat/boarding activity is generated, not so much by the need for supplies - although necessary - but more by the feeling of excitement you get that for at least 24 hours or more you are charting your own destiny.

On The Water - Sullivan and Tompkins are passionate about what they do – sailing and teaching others how to sail. Since its opening in 1997, the outfit has been the headquarters for hundreds of sailing enthusiasts, no matter the experience.

On The Water - In an unprecedented and historic show of solidarity, recreational and commercial fishermen will protest on the steps of the Capitol over regulations that have a strangle hold on the fishing community.

On The Water - Congressman Tim Bishop and 12 House and Senate Members met with Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and NOAA administrator Jane Lubchenco to express unified opposition to onerous new regulations proposed for the Northeast fishing industry.

On The Water - The Long Island fishing community was recently granted its first opportunity to meet personally with the woman in charge of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

On The Water - Senator Kenneth P. LaValle announced that legislation he sponsored in the Senate to protect the permits of commercial fishermen with large boats has been signed into law.

On The Water - Citing recent bacteriological surveys, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced emergency regulations to close or limit shellfish harvesting areas.

On The Water - Bluefin tuna have been a staple among fishermen along the northeast coast for decades and now there is a movement to have them placed on the Endangered Species list.