Every day, thousands of ships dock at American ports. They arrive with
a crew of sailors who don’t know anyone and often don’t speak the
language. At many ports, volunteers run mariner’s centers. They provide
food, clothing, and most importantly, a connection to home. The Great
Lakes Radio Consortium’s Karen Kelly visited one of these centers and
has this report:
Tag: shipping
Great Lakes See Increase in Foreign Shipping
1998 was a record-setting year for foreign shipping on the Great Lakes.
And as the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Mike Simonson reports, the
shipping boom meant an unexpected increase in port jobs and grain trade
for Midwestern farmers:
Canada Forces Ships to Pay for Ice Breaking
Canada will begin charging ships for ice breaking this week (December
21, 1998), the first time a fee has been levied for this service on the
Great Lakes. Maritime industry officials fear the next move will be the
U-S Coast Guard reviving its proposal to charge for breaking ice. The
Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Mike Simonson has more:
Ships May Freeze Before Lakes Do
The National Weather Service’s end of season freeze-up forecast for the
Great Lakes is out. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Mike Simonson
reports that even though the outlook is mild for the rest of December
and January…all is not sunny in the shipping forecast:
Seaway Appointment Irks Port Authorities
The appointment of a congressional aide from California to head up the Saint Lawrence Seaway system has drawn fire from all of the Great Lakes’ Port Authorities. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Mike Simonson reports that critics are calling the appointment process a sham
Screening Out Exotics
Efforts to find new technology to stop the spread of exotic speciesentering the Great Lakes continue, even as some worry that a virus-basedthreat could make its way here. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s MikeSimonson has more:
Explosive Cargo Heads for Great Lakes Ports
A new cargo heading for the Duluth-Superior port this month is calling for special precautions. As the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Mike Simonson reports, the potentially explosive goods must be handled with care:
Restocking Program Restores Walleye
At one time, the St. Lawrence River was home to some of the best walleye fishing in the world. But by the mid-1980’s, the spawning runs that once brought thousands of fish to this region had dropped off dramatically. As the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Karen Kelly reports, a group of local fisherman decided to tackle the problem themselves:
Policing Ballast Water
Controlling exotic species in the Great Lakes hasn’t been easy. Scientists have been unable to slow the spread of things like the zebra mussel. But they still have a chance to prevent other non-native species from infesting Great Lake waters. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Steve Frenkel reports on a potential breakthrough:
Illinois River to Be Protected
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the State of Illinois are teaming up to save the heavily polluted Illinois River. The project is being hailed as the nation’s "largest effort to save an ailing river." The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Steve Frenkel reports: