Monthly Archives: July 2010

Fishing’s Ultimate Challenge

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If you're on the lookout for a fishing experience that will get your heart racing and your adrenaline pumping, tarpon fishing should be right up your alley. These massive, prehistoric fish have been capturing the imaginations of fishermen for years. Learn more about tarpon, where you can find them – and about some of the largest catches on record – by reading on below.

TarponBasic Facts About Tarpon

Thanks to their unique coloring and glittering scales, tarpon are often referred to as "silver kings." These gargantuan fish have been around since prehistoric times; funnily enough, their anatomy suggests that they are, essentially, oversize minnows. In addition to being close relatives of herring and sardines, tarpon distinguish themselves by being the only fish that have air bladders.

The tarpon's air bladder is a critical distinction. "Rolling," or appearing at the surface of the water and flailing around, is a trademark of the tarpon. They don't do it for kicks, though – their air bladder requires it of them. While the tarpon's unique air bladder requires them to access the surface periodically, it also allows them to live in oxygen-deprived water. This ability gives them a greater range and lets them thrive in areas where other fish simply cannot. Tarpon can be found in freshwater as well as saltwater; they do well in water that is brackish or crystal-clear.

If one thing's for sure, it's that tarpon are incredibly resilient. The average lifespan for this fish is 55 to 60 years; the oldest tarpon in captivity lived to the ripe old age of 63. Mature tarpon grow to be five to eight feet long and can wei

gh between 80 and 150 pounds. They achieve their massive size through a strictly carnivorous diet that usually consists of crabs, insects, grass shrimp and smaller fish. Prey is caught nocturnally and is typically swallowed whole.

The Allure of the Tarpon

"Most people assume that people fish tarpon exclusively for their massive size," notes Anthony Ricigliano, a longtime angler. "Size definitely plays a role in its popularity, but it's not the only important factor." What's the other thing that makes tarpon fishing so addictive? The fish's notoriously feisty nature. "Reeling in the average tarpon is no easy feat," notes Anthony Ricigliano. "They are known for their fighting spirit and for their ferocity." Although fishermen are often clued in to their whereabouts through their trademark rolling exercises, it's nearly impossible to catch a tarpon that's in the middle of doing so. As you can see from the included shots of Ricigliano and a 120-pound tarpon in flight – after being hooked – they are anything but tame.

Where to Find Tarpon

There are many prime places to go fishing for tarpon. Florida's Gulf coast is a popular hunting ground for this tenacious fish. Tampa's Homosassa Springs is considered one of the best places to find exceptionally large tarpon. The Florida Keys is another topnotch tarpon habitat. Some fishermen swear by the western Gulf Coast – South Padre Island is a prime place to enjoy first-rate tarpon fishing. Outside of the U.S., Puerto Rico, Belize's Punta Gorda and Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula are all hot tarpon fishing locales.

Tarpon Catching Records of Note

Tarpon catching tournaments are extremely popular, especially in Florida. In fact, a 217-pound tarpon was reeled in during a June 2009 tournament in Boca Grande. For many years, the tarpon fishing record was held by a man who caught a 283-pound specimen at Lake Maracaibo on March 19, 1956. A 202-pound silver king was nabbed at Chassahowitzka, Florida not very long ago. The largest tarpon on record – a massive, 286-pound specimen – wasn't caught in North America; that fish was caught in Africa's Guinea-Bissau republic.

Huge, feisty and thrilling – the mighty tarpon encompasses all of those characteristics. If you're after an exhilarating fishing experience, you should put this prehistoric fish at the top of your to-do list.

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Investing In Pre-1933 U.S. Gold Coins

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By Anthony Ricigliano: Collecting and investing in gold coins, also known as numismatics, got its start in the late 16th and early 17th century when British royalty and nobles began assembling catalogues of precious coins, predominantly from the Roman Empire. The collectors of the time were driven by the quality and rarity of the coins, as well as their history.

Like the Roman pieces which went into collections over 400 years ago, gold coins minted in the U.S. prior to 1933 offer the same characteristics of quality, rarity, and history. The craftsmanship of these coins, which were first minted in the United States in the late 1700’s, lends to level of quality that ranks them as some of the most beautiful coins in world.

There is also quite a bit of the nation’s history depicted in these coins. Both designs of the 1907-1933 Eagle and the 1908-1929 Half-Eagle coins present profiles of tribal chieftains in full headdress and regalia while the series of Carson City gold coins owes its existence to the Gold Rush in California which started in 1849.

The rarity of the coins is the result of two factors; the first being that gold coin production levels dropped to extremely low levels at times, particularly in the late 1800’s. For instance, many $20.00 gold coins issued in the 1880’s had mintages which ranged in quantities from the high hundreds to a few thousand pieces. The second factor relates to President Franklin Roosevelt’s demand during the Great Depression that all U.S. citizens surrender their gold to the Treasury. The surrendered gold coins were then melted down and turned into gold bars.

One of the most popular gold coins for collectors and investors is the $20 St. Gaudens Double Eagle. The Double Eagle coin, minted from 1907-1933 is considered to be one of the most beautiful coins ever minted. The beauty of the coin is further emphasized by its large shape and heft. Investment value aside, many collectors and investors enjoy collecting this coin just for its beauty and uniqueness. The design includes images of Lady Liberty, the Capitol building, and 46 stars which represented the number of states in the Union in 1907. Of historical significance and irony is that the coin was commissioned by President Theodore Roosevelt and then called in for melting by his cousin, FDR, twenty six years later.

The history, beauty, and rarity these pre-1933 gold coins combine to make them an excellent investment for portfolio diversity and as a hedge against inflation. The coins carry additional value due to the fact that they trade at a small percentage above their bullion value. This small premium contrasts favorably against silver numismatics, which often trade at double their bullion value.

About Anthony Ricigliano

Going Big in Renewable Energy Projects

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From their very modest beginnings, renewable energy projects around the world are now growing in size to the point where the biggest ones rival the size of traditional fossil fuel powered electrical plants.

There are many reasons for the increasing size and capacity of these renewable energy projects. These reasons include:

  1. Advances in generating capacity – The technology behind renewable energy projects continues to deliver higher generating capacity at lower costs. Combined with economies of scale, large renewable projects can deliver power with more efficiency than ever before.
  2. Faster returns – Renewable energy projects have huge upfront costs including regulatory paperwork, studies, and construction expenses. Building larger projects allows for faster amortization of those costs.
  3. Government policies – Federal, state, and local governments continue to raise the bar on renewable energy objectives and are backing them up with financing models that favor large projects. These incentives are now drawing utilities into the game with proposals and designs on large projects drawn up to meet mandatory renewable energy portfolio standards.

A proposed project doesn’t equal a completed project, however. Even large projects with high profile backing can end up pulling the plug for a variety of reasons. The wind farm proposed and then shelved by T. Boone Pickens is just one example. In May of 2008 Mr. Pickens announced plans to construct the biggest wind farm in the U.S., as measured by the amount of installed megawatts. The Pampa Wind Farm project, which was to be located in the Texas panhandle, was shelved eight months later due to financing difficulties brought on by low natural gas prices. Another factor in the project’s postponement, until at least 2013, was the breakdown in the negotiations for the building of transmission lines which would have been necessary to get power generated at the wind farm to the grid.
Still, there are massive projects in the pipeline for energy alternatives including solar, wind, wave, geothermal, and tidal power. Here’s a list of the largest proposed project in each category:

  • Solar – Desertec, located across North Africa and the Middle East, the Desertec project will generate 100 gigawatts (GW), the equivalent of 100 nuclear generators.
  • Wind – Dogger Bank located in the United Kingdom. If completed as proposed, the wind farm will generate up to 13 GW, dwarfing the output of the largest producing wind farm; the 782-megawatt onshore farm in Roscoe, Texas, which went online in October 2009.
  • Wave - Costa Head is the wave farm proposed for Orkney, Scotland. The project will generate 200 MW.
  • Geothermal – Proposed for Sarulla, Indonesia, this project will generate 330 MW.
  • Tidal – Proposed for Incheon, South Korea, this tidal power project will generate 1.32 GW, five times more electricity than today’s largest producing plant, France’s 240 MW Rance plant.

While not all of these plants will succeed, the sheer size of the proposals provides some validation of these technologies. These are promising steps on the path toward turning fossil fuels into the “alternative”.

Going Big In Solar

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The Desertec Solar Project which is proposed to span North Africa, The Middle East and Europe while generating 100 gigawatts is the most far reaching and complex renewable energy project ever put to paper. The backbone of the project will be massive concentrating solar-thermal projects in the Sahara Desert, other areas in North Africa, and the Middle East which will provide Europe, Africa and the Middle East, with electricity delivered through high-voltage direct-current transmission lines.

While primarily a solar project, the plan also incorporates wind farms on coastal areas of Europe and Africa, supplemented by geothermal, photovoltaic, hydropower and biomass projects located predominantly in Europe. The supplemental power producers’ primary role will be to smooth the massive grid’s power production levels.

Technological issues aside, the project has a long list of political, logistical, and financial challenges. It goes without saying that the region’s political landscape is already contentious and full of potential landmines. Regarding logistics, Desertec will likely be comprised of perhaps hundreds of disparate projects linked together by transmission lines crossing borders and continents. Procurement of materials, the setting of electricity standards, and the handling of security issues would be daunting tasks, even without political and religious in-fighting. The biggest financial challenge is the estimated price tag of $555 billion, a number that has a great chance of going higher if the previously mentioned challenges get any more complicated than they already are.

The size of the Desertec’s solar generation capacity would dwarf even the largest of today’s producing solar farms. Solar Energy Generating Systems, located in the Mojave Desert in California, has been the world’s largest solar project since it went online in 1990. The project is made up of nine solar power plants spread out over the Mojave. In total the nine plants produce 354 megawatts of power.

For all its challenges and difficulties, Desertec has drawn a consortium of big players including Siemens, Munich Re, E.ON, RWE and Deutsche Bank to assist in fund raising for the project. The group is giving themselves two years to raise the first tranche of investment money, in part because of the global recession and the financial instability of members in the EU. Even in the best of times, the project would require truckloads of government and private funding to get things started. If funding does not arrive, one possibility is that the project will be broken down into a series of stand-alone operations which could then be linked together as funding materializes. There’s plenty of time, Desertec’s completion isn’t expected until 2050.

Going Mainstream with Solar

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Cost and efficiency issues continue to make solar power a tough investment to sell against power generated by fossil fuels. At the present price levels for oil it could still take another ten years of research and development to get solar prices down to the point where they can compete with petroleum, according to some experts. Despite the long path ahead for solar, there is conviction that solar power can become a mainstream source of power.

The biggest challenge is reducing the cost of photo voltaic (PV) panels to the point where interest shifts away from coal, natural gas, petroleum, and other non-renewable sources of electricity. In other words, it has to make economic sense combined with providing other benefits for buyers to choose solar over the other options. Buying is now done with acknowledgement that the cost will be higher but that there are other benefits such as personal energy independence and environmental issues. The tiny size of that market sector will keep a lid on solar sales, even with government incentives such as rebates and tax credits. The math of equation works this way; PV generated energy costs about 35 to 50 cents per kilowatt-hour. The complex of fossil fuel options provides electricity at approximately 5-6 cents per kilowatt-hour, making solar energy six to eight times as expensive. Other challenges include developing cost-effective and longer lasting solar cells as well as reducing the amounts of toxic materials used in the production of the cells.

Experts in the field insist that solar energy doesn’t need to be equal to or less than the cost of electricity produced by traditional methods. Solar’s benefits as a renewable source of clean energy would make it a viable choice for many consumers if costs of photovoltaic energy can be reduced by technological and design advances to about 10 cents per kilowatt-hour. With growing acceptance by consumers, higher production levels for PV panels and other equipment would reduce kW per hour costs even further due to economies of scale.

Beyond electricity produced by photo voltaics is the use of solar panels to power the development of clean burning chemical fuels, splitting hydrogen away from water to be used as fuel, and the development of fuel cells. The promise of solar power may not be a cost effective reality at this point but sunlight as fuel has two powerful characteristics; sunlight is free and more of it hits the surface of the Earth in an hour than could be consumed for the needs of the entire planet in a year.

By Anthony Ricigliano