National Fisherman articles from August 2007

National Fisherman archives from August 2007

August 2007: this month's highlights.(The hail)
August 1, 2007... Every now and then a story comes along that an editor can't pass up. So it was this spring, when, as we rounded up news for our daily updates on NationalFisherman.com, we began seeing stories about seal boats, scores of them, stuck in the ice...

Creating economic development in remote communities.(VIEWS from Alaska)
August 1, 2007... The Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation is one of six Community Development Quota Program groups representing 65 coastal communities in western Alaska. The Norton Sound corporation's 15 communities stretch from Stebbins up to Little...

A tuna fisherman's life.(Editor's log)(Editorial)
August 1, 2007... If selling your product on the New York market for 2 cents a pound is giving it away, what do you call it when you're told you just spent 5 cents a pound trucking it there? You call it fishing, and on the East Coast, that was the bluefin...

'Iron men in wooden boats' at the heart of the American whaling revolution.(Fo'c'sle library)(Brief article)(Book review)
August 1, 2007... Leviathan The History of Whaling in America By Eric Jay Dolin W.W. Norton & Co., 2007 Hardcover, 465 pp., $27.95 www.wwnorton.com Whenever I hear the phrase "whalebone corset" I think, "Ouch. Who needs a second set of ribs?" As it turns...

Open up your plate and palate to easy, healthy and smart seafood choices.
August 1, 2007... Fish Forever By Paul Johnson Wiley, 2007 Hardcover, 448 pp., $34.95 www.wiley.com "Fish Forever" is mostly cookbook chock full of mouth-watering and healthy modern seafood recipes, but it's also part history lesson and what I like to call...

Be your own Hercules.(From Another Perspective)
August 1, 2007... Hercules--or Heracles to you Greek scholars out there--had 12 labors to perform. The sixth was to clean out the stables of King Augeus, and to do it in a single day. The maintenance of those stables, home to a huge herd of cattle, had been...

Fishing back when.(NF classics)
August 1, 2007... 50 YEARS AGO The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service research boat the Delaware had her second successful tuna reconnaissance mission of the year. The result is rising hopes for a thriving New England tuna fishery, perhaps one that rivals the...

Building a better conflict.(From the town landing)
August 1, 2007... Many environmentalists maintain that allowing fishermen to be a part of fisheries management is letting the fox guard the hen house. This argument helped propel reauthorization of the Magnuson Act, which unquestionably strengthens the hand of...

New England council defends its management practices.(Dock talk)
August 1, 2007... It's unfortunate that we must continually correct distorted facts about the New England Fishery Management Council and the fishery management plans we develop. Anne Hayden and Philip Conkling, authors of the July 2007 National Fisherman article...

Properly installed heaters keep you warm, dry and safe.(Consequences)
August 1, 2007... A skipper and two crewmen were groundfishing off of Massachusetts, on a 24-year-old wooden plank-on-frame boat with a fiberglass reinforced plastic outer hull. The skipper and his crew were making day trips to a fishing area five to 10 miles...

Gulf VMS: no lemonade from these lemons.(Mail buoy)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2007... I have always been taught that when life hands you a lemon, make lemonade. However, when it comes to the government mandated vessel monitoring system, the best I can come up with is a sour-tasting concoction called Unnecessary Government...

Zero-tolerance herring rule ripples the waters in Maine.(Mail buoy)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2007... The following is a letter to Laurice U. Churchill of the Maine Department of Natural Resources. We wish to voice our opposition to the proposed Technical Addendum 1 to Amendment 2 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic...

Florida fishermen call for Southeast council to resign.(Mail buoy)
August 1, 2007... The following letter was sent to Bill Hogarth, NMFS director. This letter is being written with complete outrage that Dr. Roy Crabtree has not been removed from his position as the Southeast regional director of NMFS, as well as the rest of...

Cap'n Sane says ...
August 1, 2007... We all had a meeting up at Amos' Store Sat'day night after supper. The subject on the cracker barrel was the price of seafood we catchers are gettin', which Shorty Gage described as lower than a slime eel's belly button. We knew we were...

Back to Southeast.(In search of the simple life)
August 1, 2007... Heading up to Southeast to do a little salmon fishing this summer, nothing serious, just along for the ride. I'm not like one of those fish writers who insist on working on the boats they write about--setting a bad example for the rest of us....

Charting the whaling commission.(A letter from Bill Hogarth)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... The United States recently hosted the 2007 annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Anchorage, Alaska. A critical focus this year was review of U.S. and several other countries' aboriginal subsistence whale hunting quotas. ...

Gulf Coast shrimpers granted $110m in hurricane aid: Iraq war funding bill also includes money for debris removal, navigation improvements.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC)
August 1, 2007... The battle over funding for the war in Iraq has resulted in a landfall for Gulf Coast fishermen still struggling as a result of the 2005 hurricane season. In May, President Bush signed the bill that includes $110 million in fisheries disaster...

State helps N.C. fishermen fight snapper-grouper cuts: lawsuit asserts quotas unfairly allocated.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC)
August 1, 2007... Sean McKeon says North Carolina fishermen appreciate their state government stepping in to support a legal challenge to the quotas and trip limits in Amendment 13C to the South Atlantic Snapper-Grouper Fishery Management Plan. "To say...

Threat of limited entry looms over day-boat scallopers: New England council's summer meeting will address transition from open access fishery.(ATLANTIC)
August 1, 2007... In June, inshore scallopers from the Gulf of Maine to North Carolina were bracing for negotiations on limited entry permits at the New England Fishery Management Council meeting. In 1994, Amendment 4 to the scallop fishery management plan...

Mainers trade lobster line for sinking-rope vouchers: program eases shift to whale-friendly gear.(ATLANTIC)
August 1, 2007... A new program is under way to help Maine lobstermen defray the cost of new right-whale-friendly sinking ground lines. The Kennebunk-based Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation is using a $1.4 million federal grant to help lobstermen make the...

Home port: where we live Port of Siuslaw, Florence, Ore.(AROUND THE COASTS: News for the nation's fishermen)(Oregon)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... THE TOWN Population: 8,270 Number of boats: 12 TOP FIVE LANDINGS IN 2003 * By value Blackcod--90,906 pounds worth $270,522 Chinook salmon--107,441 pounds worth $208,373 Dungeness crab--94,612 pounds worth...

Maryland governor signs clamming and turtle bills: bans terrapin harvest, hydraulic dredging.(ATLANTIC)
August 1, 2007... Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley effectively killed two of the state's commercial fisheries in April when he signed bills approving bans on hydraulic clam dredging and the harvest of wild terrapins. The law does allow terrapins to be...

Lee Crockett joins Pew as federal fisheries policy director: Marine Fish Conservation Network looking to fill his former position of executive director.(NATION/WORLD)
August 1, 2007... One national environmental organization's loss became another's gain when Lee Crockett announced at the end of May he's leaving the Marine Fish Conservation Network, to join the Pew Charitable Trusts Environment Group. Crockett, the...

John Phillips: Croyden, Pa.(SNAPSHOT: WHO WE ARE)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Two years after a harrowing winter sinking, John Phillips is back in the game. "A divorce is one thing. But that took everything at once," Phillips says with a laugh, on his new boat, the 40-foot Dirty Martha. On the Belliveau-built...

In decade, chub catch falls by 65% in Lake Michigan: survey suggests cyclical population pattern.(NATION/WORLD)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Andy LaFond moved up his retirement by a couple of years because the chub fishing in northern Lake Michigan has become close to nonexistent for him. The decline is about 90 percent over the past three or four years, he says. "I've sold...

Florida seafood chowder: Austin and Kit Johnson Everglades City, Fla.(GALLEY WATCH: AT-SEA CUISINE)
August 1, 2007... Austin Johnson, 17, sometimes works on the boat with his dad, veteran stone-crabber Kit Johnson, while his mom, Brenda, keeps the books for the family business and keep things together on the hill. The Johnsons have finally gotten back in their...

Court upholds $2.5 billion in Exxon Valdez damages: almost two decades after spill, 33,000 Alaska fishermen may receive long-overdue checks.(ALASKA and PACIFIC)
August 1, 2007... The epic Exxon Valdez court case took a big step toward conclusion in May, spawning hope that 33,000 commercial fishermen, cannery workers and others might soon see checks in the mail for damages sustained in the 1989 oil spill in Alaska's...

Disaster funds approved for 2006 chinook season: Iraq funding bill supplement offers relief.(ALASKA and PACIFIC)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Congress in May approved more than $60 million in disaster funds for California and Oregon salmon trollers affected by the 2006 chinook season restrictions and closures. The funds were included in an Iraq funding bill signed by President Bush...

Miss Molly: salmon drift gillnetter.(BOAT OF THE MONTH)
August 1, 2007... The Miss Molly has been a fixture in the salmon drift gillnet fisheries on the north and south sides of the Alaska Peninsula since the 1980s. James Gould bought the boat in 1989 from Archie Gould and has since leased it to area fishermen who...

SeaShare helps fill bellies on Hunger Awareness Day: Wash. serves up 51,000 pounds of seafood.(ALASKA and PACIFIC)
August 1, 2007... The bellies of needy Washington residents were a little fuller on Hunger Awareness Day, June 5, thanks in part to the efforts of SeaShare, the seafood industry's national hunger relief organization, and Food Lifeline, the state's largest food...

Council updates: news from the regional management councils: New England.(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... The New England Fishery Management Council in June allocated time for member comment on procedures related to the Magnuson-Stevens Act requirement for a referendum on any individual fishing quota program under consideration. Following...

Council updates: news from the regional management councils: North Pacific.(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... The North Pacific Fishery Management Council will limit charter boats fishing halibut in southeast Alaska to two fish a day, with one of those being no longer than 32 inches. Additionally, charter boats will be limited to four halibut per...

Council updates: news from the regional management councils: Gulf of Mexico.(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council in June established a commercial red snapper quota of five million pounds per year, down from 9.1 million pounds as in past years (although this year's quota was set at 6.5 million pounds in advance...

Council updates: news from the regional management councils: South Atlantic.(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council's meeting in June in Key West. Fla., represented the last opportunity for fishermen to speak their minds to regulators about re-opening waters to commercial longlining for swordfish and closing off...

Council updates: news from the regional management councils: Pacific.(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... NMFS has approved Amendment 1 to the Pacific Fishery Management Council's management plan for highly migratory species, which speaks (as does the Western Pacific Council's Amendment 14) to curtailing overfishing of bigeye tuna. The...

Council updates: news from the regional management councils: Mid-Atlantic.(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council at its June meeting was to review "Taking the Bait: Are America's Fisheries Out-Competing Predators for their Prey?" a report by the National Coalition for Marine Conservation. The report examines...

Council updates: news from the regional management councils: Western Pacific.(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council was one of several sponsors of a one-day workshop in Saipan, in the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, about traditional fishing techniques practiced by the indigenous Chamorro and...

Council updates: news from the regional management councils: Caribbean.
August 1, 2007... The Caribbean Fishery Management Council will meet Aug. 14-15 at the Carambola Beach Resort and Golf Club on St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. For more information please contact Diana T. Martino at diana_martino_cfmc@yahoo.com or council...

Likelihood of even fewer days at sea spurs call for management by regions.(NORTHEAST: GROUNDFISH)
August 1, 2007... Even in a fishery where bad news has long been the norm, Maine's surviving groundfish crews and dealers are dreading the outcome of this summer's New England Fishery Management Council deliberations. Some say the potential for still more...

Reduced quota pushes price upward despite good overall health of stocks.(NORTH PACIFIC: BLACKCOD)
August 1, 2007... Ex-vessel prices for North Pacific blackcod started strong and will likely remain that way as markets hustle to get their share of a lower volume than the industry has seen in years past. "The quota for off the lower coast...

Fishery recovering from hurricanes, but fishermen fear reduction in traps.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC: SPINY LOBSTER)
August 1, 2007... Florida's spiny lobster industry is recovering from severe gear losses to the 2005 hurricanes. The fishery's surviving fishermen are hoping prices will remain strong and landings will increase when the 2007-08 season opens in August. At...

Declining South American production, lower U.S. quotas lift domestic market.(PACIFIC: WHITING)
August 1, 2007... Worldwide whitefish supply shortages and declining production of whiting species continue to drive ex-vessel prices upward for trawlers either processing at sea or delivering to Washington, Oregon and California ports. In terms of volume,...

Sealed in: pack ice strands harp seal fleet off Newfoundland.
August 1, 2007... After days of blasting northeasterlies over the region, followed by some weak southwesterlies, the night of May 1 was still. A fog settled down over the compacted Arctic ice field. Skipper Dean Patey, his brother Dave and remaining crewman...

Plotting options: new software gives you fuel savings, more coverage and remote capability.(Boats & Gear: Chart forms)
August 1, 2007... In this year's lineup of new electronic navigation systems, there aren't any major breakthroughs. It's mostly been a case of adding value to what already exists, though the merger of Nobeltec and C-Map via Jeppesen Marine may bring about some...

Old time religion: Va. boatbuilder Francis Haynie remains dedicated to building traditional Chesapeake deadrise boats out of wood.(Boats & Gear: Boatbuilding)
August 1, 2007... Walk inside Francis Lee Haynie's boatbuilding sheds in Northumberland County on Virginia's Northern Neck and you swear you've gone back more then 30 years, to a period when Chesapeake Bay watermen fished exclusively from wooden deadrise boats....

Sustainable science: Brian Rothschild takes the long view on fisheries.(In profile)
August 1, 2007... As a child, Brian J. Rothschild was captivated by the fish swimming around the 10-gallon aquarium in the waiting room at his physician-father's office. Young Rothschild's fascination with the cold-blooded creatures has stayed strong...

Surefire plan: fire-prevention safeguards are best employed during a refit or construction.(Boats&Gear: Safety)
August 1, 2007... Fire safety is a critical element that should be built into a boat as it is being constructed. During the building stage, you can create a stem to stern fire-fighting strategy, and it's the easiest time to install equipment. Doing a good,...

Dory schooner gets $3m rebuild; wooden lobster boat may race.(NORTHEAST)
August 1, 2007... America--unlike countries such as England, Norway and France--has a miserable record when it comes to preserving the historical craft used in its fisheries. You can't bring back what has been lost, but you can preserve what you still have. ...

Crabber finally finds a railway; 58-footer takes Wash. pit stop.(WEST)
August 1, 2007... On March 1, Dennis Deaver, owner of the 126-foot Pacific Sun, which at various times of the year can be found crabbing, halibut longlining, salmon tendering and cod potting, started making calls to have his boat hauled after it left Alaska. ...

Va. watermen haul their own; log deck boat will be restored.(SOUTH)
August 1, 2007... Guinea Neck in Gloucester County, Va., still has a large group of traditional commercial fishermen living and working there. Throughout the Chesapeake Bay region, fishermen from here are known as guineamen. As the story goes, they got the...

Let your boat keep in touch with you: Marine Magellan's wireless alarms send the right message.(Product roundup)
August 1, 2007... A couple of years ago, the owner of a lobster boat in Belfast, Maine, climbed out of his pickup in the early morning, pulled a few new traps off the truck, unloaded 5-gallon containers of bait, then started down the ramp to get his skiff and...

Open up a small box of damage control: SeaKits have a variety of patches, clamps, and tools to keep your boat afloat.(Product roundup)
August 1, 2007... There are a few good things that can happen on a fishing boat; a lot of tedious, mind-numbing boring activities; and seemingly, a million-and-one bad things. The unpleasant incidents generally start out as minor problems that if dealt with...

Thermoboat's new Poly Flex flexible disc couplings reduce driveline vibration and keep electrical currents from flowing between the engine and the shaft.(At a glance)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... THERMOBOAT's new POLY FLEX flexible disc couplings reduce driveline vibration and keep electrical currents from flowing between the engine and the shaft. If the shaft stops when the boat hits something, the coupling shatters within a quarter...

Delta "T" Systems offers a high-flow ventilation blower with its DC MARINE AXIAL FAN.(At a glance)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... DELTA "T" SYSTEMS offers a high-flow ventilation blower with its DC MARINE AXIAL FAN. The fan is supposed to deliver two to three times the air volume of small DC centrifugal marine blowers and has black Teflon epoxy coating for corrosion...

Suzuki Marine's latest outboard to be introduced for 2008 is the 250SS V6 four-stroke.(At a glance)
August 1, 2007... SUZUKI MARINE's latest outboard to be introduced for 2008 is the 250SS V6 four-stroke. The 250-hp engine has a maximum output range of 5,300 to 6,300 rpm. The 4.0-liter displacement outboard has dual overhead cams and four valves per cylinder....

John Deere Power Systems has introduced the 610-hp at 2,100 rpm 6125SFM75.(At a glance)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... JOHN DEERE POWER SYSTEMS has introduced the 610-hp at 2,100 rpm 6125SFM75. This 12.5-liter diesel is the largest engine John Deere builds. It has a seawater aftercooler, viscous damper, closed crankcase ventilation, electronic unit injectors, a...

Pettit Paint's newest bottom paint is vivid free.(At a glance)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... PETTIT PAINT's newest bottom paint is VIVID FREE. It has no metals in it at all, including copper, and was introduced because San Diego was considering restrictions on the amount of copper in anti-fouling paints. This EPA-approved paint can be...

Rhino Hide's bioactive, microbial coating goes on as a dried film designed to reduce odors, mold and mildew spores.(At a glance)
August 1, 2007... RHINO HIDE's bioactive, microbial coating goes on as a dried film designed to reduce odors, mold and mildew spores. ULTRABAN-PRO can be used inside boat hulls, cabinets and hard to reach areas where odors and mold might be a problem....

Bulletin board.(Brief article)(Calendar)
August 1, 2007... NOV. 15-17 Pacific Marine Expo Qwest Field Event Center, Seattle * www.pacificmarineexpo.com Pacific Marine Expo has you covered from bow to stern with more than 450 exhibitors showcasing the latest technology in engines,...

Michael Whitney is the new general manager of Bellingham, Wash.-based KMI Sea-Lift, a division of Krause Manufacturing.(ON THE MOVE)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... MICHAEL WHITNEY is the new general manager of Bellingham, Wash.-based KMI SEA-LIFT, a division of Krause Manufacturing. Whitney comes to the job with more than 12 years of experience with Krause's parent company, CP Manufacturing. K/VII...

Immediate Response Spill Technologies, or IRST.(ON THE MOVE)
August 1, 2007... DR. TOM HANLEY, professor of chemical engineering at Alabama's Au burn University, has joined the staff of Immediate Response Spill Technologies, or IRST, as an engineering consultant. Hanley has 40 years of engineering experience. Louisville,...

The U.S. Coast Guard and the Power Squadrons presented an Eagle Award to Bellingham, Wash.-based Mustang Survival.(COMPANY NEWS)
August 1, 2007... The U.S. Coast Guard and the Power Squadrons presented an EAGLE AWARD to Bellingham, Wash.-based MUSTANG SURVIVAL. The Eagle Award is presented annually to honor contributions to boating safety. Mustang, a manufacturer of safety and survival...

Navico International.(COMPANY NEWS)
August 1, 2007... NAVICO INTERNATIONAL, Simrad's Lysaker, Norway-based parent company, recently announced its acquisition of Brunswick New Technologies' marine electronics division, based in Lake Forest, Ill. The deal adds Navman and Northstar to Navico's...

Belford, N.J.(Last set)
August 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: With the day's catch off-loaded at Compton's Creek. Bern Yahara. aboard his trawler Miss Callie, inspects the trawl net.