The island s commercial scalloping fleet will take to the harbors today, hoping for a rebound in the fishery after two straight years of disappointing scallop harvests. Harbormaster Dave Fronzuto said the Marine Department has issued approximately 145 commercial licenses, and he expects about 50 to 60 boats to participate on opening day. Last year and the year before, with the biomass so low, a majority of commercial fishermen dropped out, so that relieved a lot of the pressure on the...

Gansler also is uncomfortable that only about 10 percent of the state's farms are inspected each year and suggested that a farmer's records should be public record. As a state inspector plowed though Messix's records looking for any violation of pollution laws, the state attorney general and his top environmental assistant were sitting at the table. The legislation was precipitated by toxic outbreaks of Pfiesteria piscicida in 1997, which resulted in fish kills, the closing of parts of...

The charges of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil spaced 10 feet apart along two miles of earthen dike allowed water to start dribbling into 2,500 acres of the Williamson River Delta. Over the past century, 350,000 acres of marsh in the Upper Klamath Basin was reduced to less than 75,000 by farmers and federal agencies building dikes to create rich farmland. It is part of a series of marshland restoration projects on the northern end of Upper Klamath Lake that will ultimately approach 20,000...

Memories of the not too long devastating flood which washed away many families and farmlands across different parts of the world, linger in the minds of many. The project, which was probably the "first big" initiative of Governor Mamman Ali when he assumed office in May 2007 saw the investment of N70 million into a 1000 virgin land along the Damaturu-Potiskum road with the hope of engaging about 1000 youths in the agricultural endeavour. In Yobe the state, one of the worste hit by the...

The 10-man crew will take on an extra four Moroccans when they arrive in order to get local knowledge about the best fishing grounds. Scientists claim farmers could balance their books by converting disused outhouses to rear tilapia - which usually thrive in the warm waters of Africa and Asia. The four-week trip is possible under an EU agreement allowing a certain number of European vessels to catch in Moroccan waters each year. Last month, Scotland on Sunday reported how farmers are being...