Alaska coast plagued by ‘huge glob of goo’

Hunters from Wainwright, Alaska, first started noticing the thick, dark and “gooey” stuff drifting for miles in the cold Arctic waters, according to Gordon Brower with the North Slope Borough’s Planning and Community Services Department.

Brower and other borough officials, joined by the U.S. Coast Guard, flew out to Wainwright, on Alaska’s northern coast, to investigate. The agencies found “globs” of the stuff floating miles offshore Friday and collected samples for testing.

Click here to read a report in the Juneau Empire.

Research: Millions of anglers interested in boat ownership

The Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) revealed new boating and fishing research at the International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades (ICAST) Wednesday morning in Orlando, Fla. The Special Report on Fishing and Boating, conducted by RBFF and the Outdoor Foundation, provides detailed information on participation by gender, age, ethnicity, income, education and geographic region. The report revealed that of the 48.5 million anglers in the U.S., 8.5 million are interested in owning a boat.

Key findings on boat ownership included:

• 33 percent of all fishing participants own a boat (approximately 12.7 million) and males and females have nearly equal ownership rates among this specific group, 34 percent and 32 percent respectively.

• An estimated 427 million boating days were enjoyed by fishing participants in 2008.
8.5 million fishing participants are considering owning a boat.

• Greater access to more and better fishing is the leading motivation for fishing participants considering boat ownership (52 percent) followed by opportunities for recreation and relaxation (24 percent).

• For boating anglers, fishing is the most popular activity to do while boating with 91.1 percent saying they fish while on a boat.

The methodology and full study is available online at RBFF.org.

Marine businessman charged with fraud

A Florida man who authorities say was on the run since last August, was arrested last week on charges that he defrauded three South Florida residents out of nearly $90,000 for equipment that was never delivered and repair work that was never carried out.

The owner of a yacht detailing company allegedly received tens of thousands of dollars for engines, trailers and other equipment that the victims never received.

One of the victims paid more than $30,000 to restore a boat that was damaged in Hurricane Katrina, according to a report in the Naples Daily News.

Teen solo circumnavigator back in U.S. waters

California teenager Zac Sunderland sailed back into U.S. waters in the middle of the night and was one leg short of completing a solo circumnavigation.

The 17-year-old has about 100 miles to go to become the youngest person to sail around the world alone and expected to sail into Marina del Rey, near Los Angeles, at 1 p.m. EDT Thursday — 13 months and two days after he left.

Click here to read a report by the Associated Press.