National Fisherman articles from February 2002

National Fisherman archives from February 2002

Creating a niche. (Editor's Log).(Brief Article)(Editorial)
February 1, 2002... I am a free marketer. I believe that free and enterprising people will always thrive in the competitive arena. But as any commercial fisherman knows, nothing is ever that simple. Month in, month out, our market updates report on U.S. fisheries...

At Sea.(journalist writes about crab boat)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... A VETERAN of more than a decade as an observer with the Bering Sea fleet and one of Alaska's most accomplished photographers, Daryl Kyra Lee writes this month about life aboard the red king crabber Northern Orion.

Commercial group blasts individual fishing quotas. (Mail Buoy).
February 1, 2002... We cannot support the Fisheries Recovery Act of 2001 (H.R. 2570), as there is no provision for the extension of the moratorium on Individual Fishing Quotas. IFQs are a means by which a relatively small number of currently active commercial...

Canadian boatbuilders find U.S. market closed to them. (Mail Buoy).
February 1, 2002... The National Fisherman has several Canadian boatbuilders that advertise in the U.S. market and attend the various boat shows throughout the country. I recently bought a new boat (40-footer) from one of them in the hopes of using it as a...

Icelandic student fishing for `cod wars' information. (Mail Buoy).
February 1, 2002... I am an Icelandic PhD student of history at the University of London, writing about the Anglo-Icelandic "cod wars." I would like to get in touch with trawler-men and others who were somehow involved in these conflicts. All information and...

Scallop report good, but illustration wrong. (Mail Buoy).
February 1, 2002... You wrote an excellent Northeast scallop Market Report ("Prices dip, but greater abundance, landings show recovery continues," NF July '01 p. 16), but you included an illustration of a bay scallop instead of a sea scallop. The shells (and...

Grand Banks fisherman doubts sea turtle takes. (Mail Buoy).
February 1, 2002... My name is Joe Martin and I worked the Grand Banks swordfishing from 1975 to 1982. In all that time I never saw, let alone caught, a sea turtle of any kind. We did however catch sea turtles on Georges Bank and the east coast of Florida. They...

Cap'n Sane says.... (Mail Buoy).(party for fishers)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Well, the reports are filterin' in on our annual Cove Christmas Party. We went sorta committee formal this year 'cause for the last few parties, we didn't break even. Last year, f'rinstance, everybody had to chip in a quarter to settle up our...

Of fish and men. (Forum).(similarities between hurdles of fish and fishers)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Sometimes we get the fish and sometimes the fish get us. The struggle to survive and the instinct for self-preservation are shared between fish and fishermen and our common fates are intertwined more than we know. The salmon spilled over...

No rest for the dead. (Consequences).(death of worker on fishing boat caused by fatigue)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Fishermen are so used to working when they are exhausted that they forget that doing so is not the natural order of things. Indeed, such labor is less satisfying -- and more dangerous -- than toiling under more moderate conditions. Early...

The Width of the Sea. (In review: the tourism thing).
February 1, 2002... THE WIDTH OF THE SEA Michelle Calfoun Harper Trade Hardcover, 336 pages, $25 Writing about what you know is one of the many "rules" impressed upon would-be writers. For some this seems limiting, but if you happen to be novelist Michelle...

Red crab fishery heads towards limited-entry plan: management council scientists say stocks can sustain 5-million-pound annual harvest. (Northeast).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Boat owners who can prove to NMFS that they've harvested an average of 250,000 pounds of red crab off the New England Coast for three years before March 1, 2000 will probably want to dig up old fish tickets and trip logs, because red crab is...

Chinese oysters succeed in Virginia experiments: strain proves disease-resistant, grows fast. (Northeast).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Virginia watermen, the Virginia Marine Resource Commission and several local county governments are endorsing the introduction of Chinese or Suminoe oysters (crassostrea ariakensis) into the Chesapeake Bay in an effort to revive the bay's...

R.I. fishermen overcome while working in hold: fumes claim one life as three are felled. (Northeast).(Rhode Island)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... A tragic and not yet understood chain of events aboard a Rhode Island dragger has left authorities and fishermen in New England confused and apprehensive. The Katrina Lee, a 96-footer out of Point Judith, was about 125 miles southeast of...

Pew report recommends fee to remove bioinvaders: oceans commission estimates cost of eradicating marine pests could reach $50 billion. (National).(Pew Oceans Commission)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Government officials consider invasive species a worldwide threat to the oceans, and recently, one group claimed commercial fishermen should be partly responsible for their removal, since they are partly responsible for their arrival. A...

Home port: where we live.(fish industry in Boston, Massachusetts)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... BOSTON, MASS. THE CITY Population: 600,000 Fleet size: about 40 vessels TOP FIVE LANDINGS IN 2000 The total value of landings in Boston for 2000, the last full year for which data is available, is $9.1...

Researcher: eel decline is bad sign for fishery: cites a drop in number of mature adults. (National).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The American eel population is showing signs of sharp decline that is threatening the fishery's survival, according to researcher John Casselman of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. "It is time to accept the fact that we have a...

Bleak 2002 harvest forecast for Bristol Bay sockeye: Alaska officials predict that this summer's commercial catch will total only 9.7 million fish. (North Pacific).(sockeye salmon)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Alaska's richest salmon harvest, the Bristol Bay sockeye fishery, will yield mostly misery this summer, if state fishery managers' forecasted runs and prices hold true. In November, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game delivered the grim...

Board rejects proposal to delay opilio opening: fleet says later start would enhance safety. (North Pacific).(Alaska Board of Fisheries will not change date for snow crab fishing season)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... To the chagrin of many crabbers, the Alaska Board of Fisheries rejected proposals that would have postponed the Bering Sea snow crab fishery opening until April. The board voted 6-1 to keep the season opening scheduled for Jan. 15. In...

Last Arctic Rose session yields no breakthrough: owner's testimony doesn't solve mystery. (North Pacific).(cause of shipwreck still unknown)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... A Coast Guard marine board investigating the sinking of the Bering Sea trawler Arctic Rose wrapped up hearings in November with testimony from owner Dave Olney, who spoke only after receiving limited immunity from prosecution. Olney, whose...

Lady: combination boat. (Boat of the Month).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Tim Daniels and Lady are both survivors. The boat has been Daniels' steady companion though 20 years of fishing the Florida Keys and has brought him home many times when conditions turned nasty. Daniels remembers one particular trip 12...

Suddenly seafood salad: Kevin Kristovich, Ketchikan, Alaska. (Galley Watch: At-sea cuisine).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Countering hunger is only part of the challenge if you tag along for a long fishing season with Kevin Kristovich. As cook, engineer and skiff man aboard the Alaska Rose during the herring, salmon and blackcod seasons, Kristovich doesn't have a...

Alaska group boosting salmon in the heartland: health campaign raises research funds. (North Pacific).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Alaska wild salmon, known for its cardiovascular attributes, has been making its presence known in the prevention of cancer. During October -- National Breast Cancer Awareness Month -- the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute promoted the healthy...

Squid fleet ends strike, but pace of fishing is slow: low dock prices and shrinking profit margins result in vessels working every other day. (Pacific).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Channel Islands squid fishermen ended a second unsuccessful strike at the end of October when it, like a previous 10-day strike earlier that month, failed to increase dock prices. Fishermen in California's most productive squid fishery...

Biologist sees leveling of sardine population: cites of evidence of decline in recruitment. (Pacific).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... After 15 years of skyrocketing growth, California sardine stocks may be leveling off, or even dipping slightly, according to a NMFS senior biologist who presented his findings at the Trinational Sardine Forum in San Diego in late November. ...

Utility agency's decision focus of salmon lawsuit: plaintiffs take issue with power emergency. (Pacific).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Following a year of drought in the Pacific Northwest, fishermen and environmental groups are suing the Bonneville Power Association for failing to give fish equitable treatment with the region's power needs. The lawsuit claims the federal...

Dean Vanallen: Seattle. (Snapshot: who we are).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Washington longliner Dean Vanallen, after 25 years of fishing, recently made a bold career move: he sold his 1920-vintage 50-foot longliner and bought a Harley. That doesn't mean he's out of the fishery, though -- he's just approaching it...

Provincial blockade prompts call for intervention: ministry asked to resolve herring fishery dispute between inshore fishermen and seiners. (Canada).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... A dispute between Prince Edward Island inshore herring fishermen and New Brunswick purse seiners was placed in the hands of the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans at press time. DFO entered the picture at the request of Prince...

Canadian harvest weighing heavily on minds of West Coast shrimpers. (Pacific Pink Shrimp).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... With the year winding down, it looked as if the 800-pound gorilla that's been sitting on the West Coast shrimp fleet had gone on a drastic diet. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be any immediate decrease in pressure. The low dock price...

Picking houses hope labeling lures consumers to quality U.S. product. (Northeast Crabs).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... After learning that the International Trade Commission wouldn't offer blue crab harvesters and processors protection against cheap imports of crabmeat from low-wage countries like Thailand and Indonesia, the industry has pursued a new strategy...

Japan economy, transport issues deter all but most stubborn divers. (North Pacific Urchins).(sea urchin fishery)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Alaska's hardiest urchin divers continue to invest in the fishery despite transportation boggles and the depressed economy in Japan. With ex-vessel prices hovering around 35 cents per pound as the 2001-02 season began in September, some...

Georgia, South Carolina praying for rain; everybody wants a price. (Gulf/South Atlantic Shrimp).(effects of drought of shrimp fisheries and pricing)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... South Atlantic shrimpers, coping with two poor fall shrimp seasons in a row, are hoping the drought will finally lose its grip, a good crop of roe shrimp will turn things around next spring -- and that they can hang on until then. "There's...

Fishing for clout: N.Y. draggerman Dave Aripotch wants the U.S. fleet to replicate the success of others.(governmental aid to commercial fishing development)(Interview)
February 1, 2002... Dave Aripotch, skipper of the Corey & Leah, a 70-foot dragger that fishes out of Montauk, N.Y., sits in the wheelhouse reading a copy of Fishing News International, a monthly magazine that covers the world's commercial fishing industry. ...

Cents and sensibility: lessons for navigating fishing's economic straits. (Take Care Of Business).(financial management)
February 1, 2002... It's your money. Over the past year, you studied the markets and the weather, sharpened your hooks and mended your nets, tossed off the lines and headed out of port. Made big sweat on the water. But where's all that money now? We...

Observations: a veteran of 10 years tallying the catch of the Bering Sea crab fleet offers her insights during a short but hectic opening. (Keeping Count).
February 1, 2002... It's five days until the opener for the 2000 Bristol Bay red king crab season and the fleet is anchored at Dutch Harbor, Akutan, King Cove, and St. Paul Island. I'm assigned to the Northern Orion, a 185-foot catcher boat built in 1944, now...

Graceful racers: the grand old oyster skipjacks of the Chesapeake remind us that speed isn't everything. (Boats & Gear).(Deal Island Skipjack Race)
February 1, 2002... Traveling along Maryland's eastern shore, through the middle of the long peninsula that reaches down into Virginia, past the urban sprawl lining the road and the little hideaways where commercial watermen still live and fish and tie up their...

The scoop on the scope: new technology improves detection capabilities, but safety still requires vigilance. (Boats & Gear Radar).(boat radar systems)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2002... Depending on who you want to listen to, there are two views on commercial fishermen and the marine electronics they use, especially radars. The first says that commercial fishermen are skilled radar operators because they make their living on...

Three well-traveled diesel doctors come to the rescue of sick engines when time is money. (Power Plant T.L.C.).(marine engine repairmen)
February 1, 2002... Morning dawns in the middle of a salmon season. Last night's rain has all but evaporated from the deck. The fog has burned off, the tide is slack and the wind is calm. The fleet begins firing up its engines. The radios are crackling now....

Not only will new paint make your iron shine, it will inhibit rust and highlight any oil leaks. (Power Plant T.L.C.).(painting marine engines)
February 1, 2002... It might not spring to mind to jot it down on your maintenance to-do list, but painting your engine is a task that deserves a place there. A properly painted diesel prevents rust from forming. It also impresses a prospective boat buyer, And if...

New arrivals: foreign entrants vie for place in North American markets.(marine diesel engines)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2002... There are numerous reasons why a particular engine is selected by a commercial fisherman. The most common rationalizations are horsepower, fuel consumption, weight, size, price and word-of-mouth: "Bubba -- the local highliner -- says `it's...

2002 diesel lineup.(marine diesel engines)(Buyers Guide)
February 1, 2002... The diesels in our 2002 directory offer nearly every horsepower level a commercial fisherman could use, from 40 hp to the 5,000-, 6,000-, 7,000-hp range and beyond. Whether you're checking out manufacturers joining our list for the first time,...

Pot Luck is well-equipped; Spain to deliver scalloper. (North).(H and H Marine builds hull for fishing boat; construction of boat Atlantic Leader)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... NORTH H & H Marine in Steuben, Maine, continues to turn out a lot of hulls for fishermen throughout New England. One of the recent ones went to Phil Mason, a Marshfield, Mass., lobsterman. The Pot Luck is a well-equipped Osmond 42. Few...

Alrita hauled at Wash. yard; U.S. boats head to Victoria. (West).(fishing boat repair; services offered by Victoria Shipyards)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... WEST The first week in December, the Alrita, a 73-foot wooden halibut boat that was built in 1945, was hauled at Baird Boat Co. in Port Townsend, Wash. The boatyard will be fixing a leak in the Alrita's 1 3/4-inch fir decking and...

$500 boat is a real bargain; Sintes builds a new skimmer. (South).(refurbishment of fishing boat The Ruby; Sintes Fiberglass Design Co.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... SOUTH Tiffany Crockrell of Glebe Point, Va., is known worldwide for the construction of high-dollar, plush yachts and most certainly does not build the type of boat that would make the pages of commercial fishing magazines. But Tiffany's...

Lights that last for pelagic longliners: using LEDs, the Electralume should avoid the drawbacks of other illumination sources.(lighting device)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2002... A new product from Lindgren-Pitman, a developer of longline fishing systems in Pompano Beach, Fla., appears to have overcome the drawbacks to existing fishing lights used by swordfishermen. For a long time, longline fishermen have been...

Fisherman of the year. (Inside The Industry).(Mundo Estillads)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: FISHERMAN OF THE YEAR. Mundo Estillads, of Des Moines, Wash., and the F/V Miss Twyla, captured the honor for the second year in a row, on Nov. 17 at Fish Expo in Seattle. Estillads won three out four events...

Riverdale Mills Corp.(David S. DeMoulpied is appointed vice president of Business Development)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... DAVID S. deMOULPIED has been named vice president, Business Development by RIVERDALE MILLS CORP., an international manufacturer of welded wire mesh. He will be responsible for global market evaluation and development of the aqua-culture and...

Comnav Marine.(Bruce Ramsay is appointed to outside sales position)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... BRUCE RAMSAY has been appointed to an outside sales position by COMNAV MARINE, an autopilot manufacturer in British Columbia. Ramsay's primary responsibility will be overseeing sales for the West Coast of North America. He was previously a...

Certified.(Taylor Made Environmental's facility in Pompano Beach, Florida, receives ISO 9001 certification)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... CERTIFIED. Taylor Made Environmental's facility in Pompano Beach, Fla., won ISO 9001 certification last fall after a 20-month evaluation process conducted by ABS Quality Evaluations. Taylor Made was one of the first U.S. companies to be...

Safety training.(online seafood safety training programme)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... SAFETY TRAINING. Seafood businesses seeking to comply with regulations imposed by the federal Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point program can now get the training they need online, thanks to a distance-education program put together by the...

New focus.(American Group changes name)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... NEW FOCUS. The American Group has Consolidated its operating divisions under the corporate identity Samson Rope Technologies. The Samson name, coupled with the logo of Samson and the lion, is the oldest continuously registered trademark in the...

Building opens.(Northern Lights with new inventory facility)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... BUILDING OPENS. Northern Lights/Lugger, known primarily for manufacturing diesel marine generator sets and propulsion engines, has unveiled its Northeast Regional Facility in Andover, Mass. Although no manufacturing will take place at the site,...

Relocation in Seattle.(Doc Freeman's moves to a new facility)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... RELOCATION IN SEATTLE. Doc Freeman's, a full marine services store in Seattle with a vast inventory of engines, parts and hardware, has moved from Leary Way to 6400 8th Ave. N.W. The new store will feature 15,000 square feet of retail space and...

New member of park fleet.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... NEW MEMBER OF PARK FLEET. The National Park Service has taken delivery of its newest boat, Sea Ranger II, built by Modutech Marine, of Tacoma, Wash. Sea Ranger II is equipped to transport park personnel, supplies, and construction materials to...

Slippery when wet -- no more: Pro-Tred steps, mats are designed to help keep you on your feet.(new products by Pro-Tek Coatings Co.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Your wheel turn is over and you're heading out the wheelhouse door to go and wake up the next guy. It's two steps down from the open door to the deck and then across the main deck and into the fo'c'scle where your relief is sleeping. You never...

Sorbent Products Co.(company presents new mercury sensor)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2002... SORBENT PRODUCTS CO. introduces the MERCURY REGULATOR KIT for safely cleaning up mercury that can spill while replacing gas regulators, thermometers, relays and other instruments. Sorbent says spilled mercury can become trapped in cracks,...

Next Generation Power Engineering.(Evaluation)
February 1, 2002... NEXT GENERATION POWER ENGINEERING says its vertically oriented, ultra-compact UCM1-3.5 KW DIESEL GENSET can provide power for electrical appliances despite a lack of generator space. It features a Kubota engine running at 2,800 rpm mounted on...

Poly-Planar.(new speaker mounts)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2002... POLY-PLANAR says its new M1 PIVOT MOUNT is the solution for mounting speakers in confined locations. The mount is constructed of corrosion-resistant ABS plastic and allows speakers to turn 360 degrees and tilt up or down 90 degrees. Its...

Alliance/Ohaus.(new scale)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2002... ALLIANCE/OHAUS introduces its ES SERIES BENCH SCALE, featuring two control buttons, a stainless steel platform and a sealed membrane LCD display. The scale provides 1-inch digital readouts in kilograms, pounds and pound:ounce units with...

VDC Electronics.(Brief Article)(Buyers Guide)
February 1, 2002... VDC ELECTRONICS calls its BATTERYMINDER a "charger-desulphator with a brain" that can virtually "stop batteries from dying." The fully automatic chargers/desulphator-conditioners are available for 12-, 24- and 36-volt setups, and can handle up...

ITT Standard.(heat products manufacturer)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2002... ITT STANDARD says its new PLATEFLOW HEAT EXCHANGERS yield heat transfer coefficients that are three to five times greater than other types of exchangers, and models are available with up to 9.180 square feet of heat transfer surface. Plateflow...

Honda.(boat engines)(Brief Article)(Buyers Guide)
February 1, 2002... HONDA claims its new 198-pound, 50-HP FOUR-STROKE OUTBOARD ENGINE is the lightest 50-hp four-stroke on the market. The fuel-efficient outboard already meets EPA emission standards for 2006. It offers an overhead-cam, three-cylinder, 49.3-cubic...

Shurhold.(Brief Article)(Buyers Guide)
February 1, 2002... SHURHOLD says its SNAP-ON HANDLE system is the solution for optimizing storage space. Shurhold handles can fit over 30 accessories, including brushes, mops, squeegees and scrubbing pads, and are available in a wide range of both fixed and...

Sea-Fire Marine.(boats equipment)(Brief Article)(Buyers Guide)
February 1, 2002... SEA-FIRE MARINE has released its new H-SERIES FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEM with FM-200 extinguishing agent. The H-Series engineered systems are designed for large craft, including pleasure boats, megayachts, transport vessels, workboats and offshore...

Transcyko.(boats)(Brief Article)(Buyers Guide)
February 1, 2002... TRANSCYKO announces that its new CYCLOIDAL SPEED REDUCERS are now available in a wide range and combination of sizes, ratios, input power, mountings and configurations. Reduction ratios range from 6:1 through 119:1 per stage, through 7,569:1...

Report says cruise ships threaten Inside Passage: cites sewage concerns on Canadian side. (Canada).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The Inside Passage, renowned for its scenery, migrating birds, whales, and salmon runs, is the preferred route of most ships bound for Alaska. Now, a report says cruise ships traveling along the Canadian portion of the Passage pose a threat to...

Michelle damage slight, but lobstering disappoints: some lay drop-off in lucrative keys fishery to natural cycle; scientists remain perplexed. (Gulf South Atlantic).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Florida Keys fishermen hammered by the worst lobster season in memory and big declines in ex-vessel prices in other fisheries after Sept. 11 generally escaped harm from Hurricane Michelle. Greg DiDomenico, executive director of the...

Red tide outbreak plays Grinch in Fla. panhandle: bloom prevents oyster harvest for holidays. (Gulf South Atlantic).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Northwestern Florida shellfishermen were recently confronted with an unwanted holiday visitor their southwestern counterparts are welt acquainted with -- red tide. The Florida red tide is a bloom of a neurotoxin-producing dinoflagellate...

Last set.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... IT'S HARD TO MISS the alligator gar's profile. Although they are harvested commercially, this one was caught during a study of pilot fish in Lake Pontchartrain, La. Jeff Thompson of the Department of Fish and Wildlife lifts the gar clear of the...