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Alaska: Bow of World War II submarine discovered off the coast of the Aleutian Islands - The bow of WWII Submarine USS Grunion (SS-216) has been discovered in 2700 feet of water off the Aleutian Islands, Alaska by a team pioneering robotic ocean exploration.

The finding of the lost bow section of the USS Grunion completes a vital missing part of the puzzle and answers the questions posed on many expeditions undertaken 13 years ago by John, Bruce and Brad Abele, sons of the USS Grunions captain, Mannert L. Abele, USNA class of 1926. Taylor states, "I am honored to add to the discovery that was accomplished by the Abele bothers."

USS Grunion was a Gato-class submarine commissioned on April 11, 1942 under the command of Lieutenant Commander Mannert L. Abele. On her way through the Caribbean to her first posting in Pearl Harbor, she rescued 16 survivors from USAT Jack, which had been torpedoed by a U-boat. Her first war patrol was, unfortunately, her last. Sent to the Aleutian Islands in June 1942, she operated off Kiska, Alaska, where she sank two Japanese patrol boats. Ordered back to the naval operating base in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, on July 30th, the submarine was never heard from again. She was declared overdue from patrol and assumed lost with all hands-on October 5th, 1942. She is the final resting place for 70 Sailors.

She wasn't seen again until the sons of the Grunion's commanding officer began searching for it and found the wreckage in 2007 off the coast of the Aleutian Islands.

In October 2018, the Lost 52 Project team returned to the site of the main wreck and found that the ship's bow had slid down a steep volcanic embankment, Taylor said. The announcement of the discovery was made publclly by the Lost 52 Project last week.

The Lost 52 Project team put together a 3D scan of the bow and presented it to the family of USS Grunion's Commanding Officer Lt. Cmdr. Mannert L. Abele.

The historic discovery was made utilizing a combination of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV's) and advanced photogrammetry imaging. These ground breaking new technologies and methods are at the forefront of underwater business technology and forging a new frontier in subsea exploration.

The ongoing WWII submarine discoveries lead by ocean explorer Tim Taylor are applying comprehensive 3D imaging pioneering a new frontier in ocean exploration.

The project is taking the large data sets collected on their discoveries and having them processed into amazing 3D archaeological photogrammetry models. This scientific approach extracts geometric information from equipment that is already integrated in most of the modern underwater remote filming systems, advancing imagery collection into high-quality 3D data sets that will be used in archaeological research, historical archives, virtual and augmented reality, and educational programs and applications.

"This goes so far past video or still imagery, it truly is the future of recording historical underwater discoveries. Spending minimal time on site collecting a comprehensive 3D historical baseline model allows archaeologists and historians to spend months back home performing detailed research," states Taylor. who coordinates his discoveries with the Naval History and Heritage Command.

"Our mission at the Naval History and Heritage Command is to make certain the memory of our Sailors' service will always be remembered, honored and valued. As Tim Taylor, and others like him, discover the final resting place for our lost Sailors, they help to carry out that mission," said Robert S. Neyland, Naval History and Heritage Command's Underwater Archaeology Branch Head. "We are grateful for the respectful, non-intrusive work he performs and the closure he brings to their families, their shipmates, and to the Navy."

The Navy says 52 US Pacific Fleet submarines were lost during World War II, and more than 3,500 submariners remain on "eternal patrol."

The USS Grunion expedition is part of the ongoing "Lost 52 Project" supported in part by STEP Ventures and has been recognized by JAMSTEC (Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology) as the first and most comprehensive offshore underwater archaeological expedition in Japanese waters.

Taylor proudly states that the "Lost 52 Project honors the men, their memory and their mission". The USS Grunion expedition marks the fourth WWII Submarine discovery by Tim Taylor, CEO of Tiburon Subsea - founder of Ocean Outreach, Inc. based in New York City.

Also recently discovered was the final resting place for the 49 Sailors of the U.S. submarine S-28 (SS-133) off Oahu, Hawaii. The U.S. Navy recently validated the identity of the wreck, which Taylor located in 2017. - More...
Monday PM - August 05, 2019

Fish Factor: Trade wars are the seafood industry’s biggest challenge By LAINE WELCH - It’s been one year, so how’s that trade war with China working out for the nation’s seafood industry? 

As with farmers, there’s not much winning and ongoing tweeted skirmishes have global fish markets skittish.

The quick take is the 25 percent retaliatory tariff imposed by China on US imports last July caused a 36 percent drop in US seafood sales, valued at $340 million, according to an in-depth analysis of Chinese customs data by Undercurrent News.

“Chinese imports of US seafood fell from $1.3 billion in the 12 months prior to tariffs (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018), to $969m in the twelve months after (July 1, 2018-June 30, 2019), underlining the heavy impact of weaker demand for US seafood subject to tariffs, while poor catch of US wild-caught seafood was also to blame,” the News wrote.

Until then, China had been Alaska’s biggest seafood buyer purchasing 54 percent of seafood exports in 2017 valued at close to $1 billion.  

The tit for tat taxes hit nearly all Alaska seafood; exempted were millions of pounds of frozen Alaska pink and chum salmon and cod that are sent to China for processing into fillets or portions and exported back to the US and other countries. Those numbers took a big slide.

Over the past year, China imported $136 million of Pacific salmon, down 56 percent, and reflecting a 62 percent drop in volume.  Imports of frozen cod decreased to 53 million pounds valued at $91 million, both down 37 percent.

The 25 percent tax also pushed the US from China’s second largest seafood supplier to fourth place, behind Russia, Ecuador and Canada. 

The trade uncertainties have had a downward press on many fish prices and forced Alaska salmon buyers into a more “conservative mode,” especially with pink and chum salmon, said a major Alaska processor.

“The tariffs are not on but they are not off. Could they be on tomorrow or never hit? The threat is always out there,” he said.

Meanwhile, China is turning away from the US market, and selling products to Europe in direct competition with American producers, said John Sackton, market expert and publisher of SeafoodNews.com. 

“Products that China is not shipping to the US due to the trade war are going elsewhere, and where they compete directly with US products, it means US exporters face a more competitive situation,” he said, adding that American brands will suffer. 

“To the extent buying American in China becomes unpatriotic, the Chinese will begin to shun US seafood products and actively seek out other sources, such as Norway, Ecuador, and Russia,” Sackton said. “In my view, the greatest long term danger from the trade war is that it could lead to a generation of Chinese who look down on American products.”

Doug Vincent-Lang, commissioner of the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game, said he believes the escalating trade wars are the seafood industry’s biggest challenge.

“In talking with processors, they are uncertain as to the economic viability of delivering their products and getting them onto the shelves of their consumers,” Vincent-Lang said. “When I took this job I understood how we managed our fisheries but I didn’t really have a good appreciation of that dance between how we manage our fisheries in the context of the global economy and world markets.”

Meanwhile, Trump tweeted that beginning September 1 the US will impose a 10 percent tariff on the remaining $300 billion in goods the U.S. imports from China which will include more seafood.

The Wall Street Journal reports that: “The total value of bilateral goods traded with China, $271 billion in the first half of the year, fell short of that with both Canada and Mexico for the first time since 2005. Mexico is now the U.S.’s top trading partner.”   - More...
Monday PM - August 05, 2019

Alaska: Number of U.S. fish stocks at sustainable levels remains near record high Says Report - Friday, NOAA released the 2018 Status of U.S. Fisheries Annual Report to Congress that details the status of 479 federally-managed stocks or stock complexes in the U.S. to identify which stocks are subject to overfishing, are overfished, or are rebuilt to sustainable levels.

Building upon the trend of the past few years, the report notes that the vast majority of U.S. fish stocks were at sustainable population levels in 2018, and the number of U.S. fish stocks subject to overfishing remains at a near all-time low. The report also documents a newly-rebuilt stock, smooth skate in the Gulf of Maine. This brings the total number of rebuilt U.S. marine fish stocks to 45 since the year 2000, an encouraging indicator that the U.S. fishery management system is achieving its long-term sustainability goals.

“The U.S. is an international leader in fisheries management, and through our work in partnership with the regional councils, we're on track to maintain that high standard,” said Rear Admiral Timothy Gallaudet, Ph.D., NOAA’s assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere. “Our fishing communities continue to succeed and contribute to the Blue Economy. In 2016 alone, U.S. commercial fishing, recreational fishing, and the seafood industry generated $212 billion in sales, contributed $100 billion to the gross domestic product, and supported 1.7 million full- and part-time jobs.”

A stock is on the overfishing list when the harvest rate of that species is too high. Of 321 stocks with known status, 293 (91%) are not subject to overfishing. The remaining 28 stocks (9%) are subject to overfishing. Seven stocks were removed from the overfishing list, and five were added in 2018. As required under the Magnuson-Stevens Act (the U.S. ocean fisheries law), NOAA Fisheries works with regional fishery management councils and other partners to implement measures to immediately end overfishing.

A stock is on the overfished list when the population size of a stock is too low, whether because of fishing or other causes, such as environmental changes. Of 244 stocks with known status, 201 (or 82%) are not overfished, leaving 43 stocks (18%) listed as overfished. No stocks were removed from the overfished list in 2018, but eight were added. Several of these stocks are impacted by factors outside the control of domestic fisheries management. For example, for three stocks of coho salmon in Washington state, warmer water, drought or habitat degradation contributed to less than ideal spawning conditions. - More...
Monday PM - August 05, 2019

Alaska: Anchorage Doctor Pleads Guilty for Prescribing Medically Unnecessary Opioids in Health Care Fraud Scheme; As Part of Scheme, Physician received Portion of the Drugs and Profited from the Medicaid Claims - U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced that Michael Don Robertson, 67, an Anchorage physician, pleaded guilty last week before U.S. District Judge Sharon L. Gleason, to one count of conspiracy to commit controlled substance fraud and one count of health care fraud.  Robertson knowingly and intentionally distributed controlled substances outside the usual course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose. 

According to court documents, from May 2015 to March 2018, Robertson issued 465 prescriptions of meperidine to 30 different recipients, totaling 32,109 meperidine pills, knowing that the recipients did not truly need the medication for a legitimate medical purpose.  The investigation revealed that Robertson issued the meperidine prescriptions as part of a conspiracy in which the recipients filled the meperidine prescriptions and, then, distributed the meperidine to Robertson.  In exchange for the recipients diverting the meperidine to Robertson, Robertson provided prescriptions for controlled substances, including fentanyl and oxycodone, to the recipients.  Meperidine, commonly known as Demerol, is a Schedule II controlled substance, and is an opioid with an abuse liability similar to morphine. 

The investigation further revealed that Robertson failed to make and preserve accurate records regarding approximately 790 prescriptions for controlled substances, and failed to keep any medical records whatsoever regarding five patients to whom he wrote prescriptions for controlled substances.  In a scheme to obtain money from Medicaid, Robertson caused claims to be submitted to Medicaid regarding these 790 prescriptions, resulting in Medicaid paying $3,286.87 to Robertson’s medical practice.  Further, Medicaid paid $3,601.52 to pharmacies for these 790 controlled substance prescriptions.  - More...
Monday PM - August 05, 2019

TOM PURCELL: Elderly, Beware: Scams on Rise - A phone scammer made a mistake when he called my mother.

The young male caller pretended to be her grandson. He said he'd been arrested for fishing on an Indian reservation - unaware he was breaking the law - and needed bail money so a judge wouldn't throw him in jail.

My mother's response, which I'll share in a moment, is now a classic part of family lore - but the threat that increasingly sophisticated scammers pose to elderly Americans is nothing to laugh about.

In this era of smartphones, email and social media, scammers have their choice of tools to attempt to fleece us all.

They use fraudulent texts, "spoofed" emails that appear to be from people you trust, or robocalls and other phone scams - all with the goal of separating us from our hard-earned money.

Posing as U.S. government representatives is a preferred technique. The Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection says that this spring reports of such scams "reached the highest levels we have on record."

Scam callers pretend they're IRS agents demanding back taxes, or say your Social Security number has been suspended, or tell you the Department of Health and Human Services just made you eligible for some medical device. 

Such scams are increasing in number because they're profitable. In the past five years, the FTC received 1.3 million reports of government-impostor scams. About 6 percent of those targeted reported losing money.

People ages 20 to 59 fell for these scams more often than older people, but older victims lost considerably more money. People 80 or older reported a median loss of $2,700 per scam.

The solution: Be careful who you share personal information with - and protective of personal information you make public. - More...
Monday PM - August 05, 2019

Political Cartoon: Hate and violence
By John Darkow ©2019, Columbia Missourian
Distributed to paid subscribers for publication by Cagle Cartoons, Inc.