National Fisherman articles from January 2003

National Fisherman archives from January 2003

All the rage. (Editor's Log).
January 1, 2003... Forget high technology. The money's in aquaculture--or so they tell me. I read recently that fish farms are sprouting like dandelions in the Midwest, where traditional farmers see aquaculture as a logical way to diversify. Today there are...

Fishing back when. (NF Classics).
January 1, 2003... 50 YEARS AGO this month A quirky radio saves the lives of the five-man crew of the burning dragger Evzone of Portland, Maine. The crew had been battling an engine-room fire for an hour and was losing ground when the radio, which had been...

`The Tide' is high.
January 1, 2003... "Dancing with the Tide," Mick Blackistone's sequel to "Sunup to Sundown," is an indispensable account of the Chesapeake Bay--a shoreline about which one visiting Japanese dignitary is rumored to have said, "If we had the Chesapeake Bay we could...

Halibut heaven. (Forum).
January 1, 2003... Presorting halibut--I never dreamed that would be what people would remember my fishing career to be about. I got caught, talked about it, and now I'm writing about it. I really wanted to finish fishing on my terms. The existing laws are...

Procedural errors. (From Coast Guard Reports).
January 1, 2003... The captain noticed water on the 33-footer's afterdeck while en route to Ocean City, Md., carrying 113 conch pots, each weighing about 40 pounds, stowed aft. He accelerated the engine to allow the standing water to drain through the...

December article elicits a thanks to the Coast Guard. (Mail Buoy).
January 1, 2003... I have just finished reading the article on the Coast Guard cutter Marlin ["Searching for Perfection," NF Dec. '02, p. 32] and would like to comment. Being a hook-and-line commercial fisherman in Fort Myers Beach [Fla.], I am very familiar with...

Plymouth lobster landings missing from October issue. (Mail Buoy).
January 1, 2003... I read the Home Port in the October issue. One important landing that was left out was lobsters. In 2000 (because the 2001 figures are not available yet), 953,593 pounds were landed in Plymouth, making Plymouth No. 3 in Massachusetts for...

Skipper offers bycatch plan to support longline fishery. (Mail Buoy).
January 1, 2003... I think it would be wonderful if I were a chef at an exclusive restaurant visited regularly by politicians and lawmakers. I could change the world of fishing. What would that do to the fishermen and their families that rely on the income that...

Cap'n Sane says ... (Mail Buoy).
January 1, 2003... This year's Cove Christmas Party was la little different but it didn't seem t'make much difference. First off, Beulah Banning was voted out as Santa. We all felt Beul was takin' the role too seriously seeings she wore her Santa suit t'our...

Correction.
January 1, 2003... In the product story on ACR's new searchlight on page 72 of the November 2002 issue of National Fisherman, the searchlight should have been identified as the RCL-75.

Partnerships. (Mail Buoy).
January 1, 2003... In last month's column I talked about the importance of partnering with our many stakeholders in cooperative research efforts. But there is another aspect to partnering that I consider key to successful fishery management. That is, working...

Combined efforts rescue crew in Bering Sea blaze: four die after the 180-foot Galaxy explodes into flames, but remaining crewmen saved. (North Pacific).
January 1, 2003... Quick-thinking skippers and the U.S. Coast Guard saved 22 lives in what could have been one of the industry's worst commercial fishing accidents following an explosion and a fire aboard the 180-foot, freezer-longliner Galaxy. The Galaxy...

H&G trawlers eye co-op as way to end bycatch: fleet says ending derby will cut fish waste. (North Pacific).
January 1, 2003... Alaska's head-and-gut trawl fleet says its biggest problem isn't finding flat-fish like yellowfin sole and rock sole--it's bumping up against strict halibut bycatch limits. Now plans are afoot to form a cooperative. Under the co-op, the...

Cruise line facing ouster from Glacier Bay waters: wastewater violation sparks investigation. (North Pacific).
January 1, 2003... Alaska's robust cruise ship industry could be sailing into more hot water for polluting seafood-rich Southeast waters. In a quarterly financial report filed in October with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Carnival Corp.,...

Latest evidence suggests Steller population rising: scientists report sea lion stock is up 5.5%. (North Pacific).
January 1, 2003... Steller sea lion populations along Alaska's coastline are a far cry from what they were 25 years ago. But scientists and the commercial fishing industry report a small glimmer of hope. Scientific data and anecdotal evidence, which includes...

Gloucester demonstrators protest groundfish science: other fishermen also question the agency's need for a new $54 million research vessel. (Northeast).
January 1, 2003... Fishermen's dissatisfaction with the science being used to calculate groundfish stocks--and the fishery's future--became crystal clear during a Nov. 7 protest in Gloucester. About 400 fishermen marched to the "Man at the Wheel" statue to...

Home port where we live: Madeira Beach, Fla.
January 1, 2003... THE TOWN Population: 4,511 Number of boats: According to the Florida Marine Research Institute, there are 355 licensed vessels in Pinellas County, including 70 longline vessels and 49 vertical line boats. TOP 5 LANDINGS IN 2002...

Chesapeake `Kings' nab workboat race crowns: watermen square off for fastest-boat title. (Northeast).
January 1, 2003... Old and new, and large and small Chesapeake Bay workboats roared down Back River on Oct. 13 to the glory that comes with competing in Virginia's annual Poquoson Seafood Festival Work Boat Race. There were 15 races with three final...

New cull panel keeping pound netters on water: help design device to cut weakfish waste. (Northeast).
January 1, 2003... Potomac River pound netters are proving that necessity is indeed the mother of invention. Pound netters faced season cutbacks under weakfish plan requirements, so they helped design a cull panel they hope will keep them fishing, save their...

Bruce Schactler: Kodiak, Alaska. (Snapshot: who we are).
January 1, 2003... Bruce Schactler is making headway in his quest of putting Alaska's wild salmon and other species on consumers' minds--and dinner plates. "It's been tough, but we're gaining ground," says Schactler, 50, a herring, salmon and tanner crab...

Longliner efforts pay off in swordfish recovery: self-imposed restrictions help fish rebound. (Northeast).
January 1, 2003... So exactly who helped North Atlantic swordfish stocks recover? Well, SeaWeb and the Natural Resource Defense Council are willing to take a bow. Their joint October press release gives the impression that the 1998-2000 Give Swordfish a Break...

Billfish bycatch puts sport tournaments in spotlight: weight-based game fish records aren't conservation-friendly to species, fisherman says. (Gulf/South Atlantic).
January 1, 2003... "It's about time they cleaned up their own backyards." --Bob Spaeth, Southern Offshore Fishing Association Sport fishermen continue to criticize commercial fishermen for alleged bycatch and overfishing of swordfish and other species....

Gulf dead zone growing larger than ever before: at 8,500 square miles nearly big as N.H. (Gulf/South Atlantic).
January 1, 2003... This year the Gulf of Mexico's dead zone, a low- to no-oxygen area that forms annually in the gulf, is swelling larger than ever before and is roughly the size of New Hampshire. At more than 8,500 square miles, it's already spread from the...

Terry K: sardine and anchovy seiner. (Boat of the Month).
January 1, 2003... Mark Kuljis made his first trip aboard the Terry' K in 1964 when he was 8 years old. He steamed up from Bellingham, Wash., and spent the summer fishing in Alaska. His father, Steve, had bought the 53-foot yellow fir purse seiner new just...

Council approves MPA sites for South Atlantic: pelagic trolling allowed in protected areas. (Gulf/South Atlantic).
January 1, 2003... After four years of negotiations and public meetings, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council has approved seven areas in the South Atlantic as "preliminary candidate sites" for marine protected areas. In addition, the council proposed...

Lobsterman says bridge cause of troubled waters: asserts Northumberland Strait lobster catch has declined since structure opened in 1995. (Canada).
January 1, 2003... Lobster hauls in the Northumberland Strait are bad and getting worse. And a fisherman out of Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick, blames the Confederation Bridge connecting his province and Prince Edward Island. "This was a bad season," says...

Researcher aims to turn pest into a profit maker: can't beat `em? eat 'em, scientist says. (Canada).
January 1, 2003... Can a marauding invader also be a main dish? A Prince Edward Island scientist thinks the green crab fits that description, and he's conducting research experiments to make it happen. "It has good flavor," says Camille Gallant, a...

California closures squeeze prime fishing grounds: new regulations putting some Channel Islands sites, more nearshore waters off limits. (Pacific).
January 1, 2003... If you're a California fisherman, you're probably spending a lot of time trying to figure out exactly where you can fish. Their latest challenge comes from the California Department of Fish and Game. The department has approved a plan to...

El Nino could put heat on drift gillnet fishery: loggerhead entanglements concern NMFS. (Pacific).
January 1, 2003... If the present mild El Nino heats up, Southern California drift gillnetters may have to cool it in January and the latter half of August. NMFS is proposing a ban on drift gillnet fishing off Southern California from Point Conception to the...

St. Anna bluefish: Dan Belforti, Arlington, Mass. (Galley watch: at-sea cuisine).
January 1, 2003... Dan Belforti, skipper of the St. Anna, is known among dragger-men in southeastern Massachusetts as a good cook. Whenever the fluke fleet gets tied up in Nantucket because of nasty weather, skippers end up in his galley waiting for a meal says...

Lack of oxygen prompts Hood Canal restrictions: main crab, salmon fisheries remain open. (Pacific).
January 1, 2003... Oxygen levels in Washington's Hood Canal are behaving like a limbo dancer. And area fishermen wonder, how low can they go? Low oxygen levels are common in Hood Canal, a natural inlet on the Olympia Peninsula. But in late October, dissolved...

Northeast lobster: New England fishery healthy, but Long Island Sound pulse weakens. (Market Report).
January 1, 2003... New England lobster landings and prices remained steady throughout most of 2002. Granted, the catch hasn't rivaled the record-breaking harvests of the 1990s. But it's good news compared with what's happening in most of Long Island Sound. ...

Gulf/South Atlantic: red snapper: prices this fall encourage the fleet, despite derbies, extending a trend. (Market Report).
January 1, 2003... Red snapper fishermen may be poised or a good opening Feb. 1 if the state of the market late in 2002 is any indication. After years of dismal, derby-depressed prices, fishermen finally were getting some decent money during the first fall...

Pacific sole: reductions in the harvest of some species could yield gluts in others. (Market Report).
January 1, 2003... Compared to other Pacific groundfish species, petrale sole is doing pretty well. Stock assessments indicate the fishery is at 43 percent of its unfished biomass. That looks good when compared with bocaccio, which is at two percent of its...

North Pacific: geoducks: new testing process may increase product and profits in live market. (Market Report).
January 1, 2003... Alaska's geoduck diving industry has taken steps toward resolving a longstanding sticking point between divers and state officials. Taking those steps may lead to a boost in the fishery's profits. In September, geoduck divers and the...

`Pull hard and she comes easy': reflections on life in the days of `arm-strong' power. (History In Essay).
January 1, 2003... The men of a contemporary West Coast purse seine fishery, as a case in point, are fortunate to be able to rely on numerous time-and labor-saving innovations. From Alaska to Southern California, effective innovations find their way to the seine...

Back in business: after decades of decline, Virginia's oyster fishery is enjoying a limited revival, and watermen like Tangier Island's Todd Parks are suddenly catching their quotas. (At Sea).
January 1, 2003... There is a soft, red haze across the sky on a Wednesday morning in February, as a fleet of oyster boats waits on slick, calm waters for the sun to break through the darkness and announce the start of a day's harvest. It is not a typical...

Carrying on a tradition: Capt. Mike Brewer and crewman Walter Boyko work one of the last of Maine's sardine carriers. (At Sea).
January 1, 2003... Mike Brewer leans back in a beat-up car seat that serves as a captain's chair. As the late October sun sets and the empty boat pounds into the south wind, he glances between the plotter and the horizon. "This business is an escape from...

Southern skimpin': U.S. shrimpers are contending with low prices and a market awash in imports. (Cover Story).
January 1, 2003... When 2001 drew to a close, Brad Friloux's biggest business headache stemmed from federal proposals for bigger turtle excluder devices. Within the first months of 2002, however, a dramatic drop in dockside prices made the hairs on the...

The Gypsy experiment: Steve Miller's boat was a little small, a little slow, and needed a little this, a little that. Here's the before-and-after story. (Boats & Gear).
January 1, 2003... Kodiak fisherman Steve Miller hadn't really been thinking about experimental hull designs when he decided he wanted more speed out of his 51-foot aluminum crabber and longliner, Gypsy. That changed when he went to NorthSound Marine in...

The buzz on interference: if your VHF radio, fish finder or GPS acts strangely, the culprit could be electromagnetic interference. (Electronics).
January 1, 2003... You're steaming out to the grounds, talking to a nearby boat on the VHF radio, when you move over to check something on the chart. Then you go back to the wheel and check your heading: You're way off course. Looking aft, you see the wake is...

Support your local mechanic: you can't say you weren't warned if you ignore the author's five rules for engine survival. (Maintenance).
January 1, 2003... No one really knows all they need to know on the subject of maintaining fishing boats, which is why it's important that you stay on top of things as much as you can. Otherwise you'll quickly find out how expensive and threatening to your...

2002's greatest hits: innovation through ideas. (Year In Review).
January 1, 2003... Thumbing through the past 12 issues of National Fisherman, it's hard not to find plenty of new products designed to make commercial fishing more profitable, safer and easier. For this year's choices, we have ideas from fishermen, a diesel...

Information sought for native fisheries of the Great Lakes. (Mail Buoy).
January 1, 2003... I have subscribed to NF for many years. I wrote to you several years ago about knowledge of Great Lakes fisheries and got a good report--thank you. Now I would like a rundown on some more fisheries. I was a commercial fisherman on Lake Huron...

Reader suggests sending NF's Aug. editorial to Congress. (Mail Buoy).
January 1, 2003... First I wanted to thank you for writing "Two pies in the sky," your August editorial. It very clearly lays out the facts and pitfalls facing individual fishermen. Second, I would recommend that every fisherman on all coasts find or make copies...

Technical assistance offered for exhaust pipe question. (Mail Bouy).
January 1, 2003... I need some technical help from you or your staff. I have a Perkins diesel with a dry exhaust system (4-236). It has been replaced once before, by the last owner. Does it matter that the ell on the exhaust pipe turns so sharply? Or should it...

Tuna boats get cored hulls; plenty of work at R.I. yard. (North).
January 1, 2003... Besides lobster boats and an occasional dragger, Maine's boatyards have been turning out a number of tuna boats. Though they are based on Down East lobster-boat hulls, a lot more time and money is put into the tuna boats than most lobster...

Glacier Bay now a longliner; crab boats for Puget Sound. (West).
January 1, 2003... The 154-foot Glacier Bay has certainly had her ups and downs. In fact, many people probably wrote her off a number of years ago, and few could blame them. Built in 1979 as the house-aft crabber Jeffron, the boat caught fire a few years...

Wooden gillnetter launched; Virginia gets new boatyard. (South).
January 1, 2003... George Butler of Reedville Marine Railway in Reedville, Va., recently launched the Iris Marie, a 39' 6" x 12' 4 1/2" x 4' 6" Chesapeake Bay deadrise. She will be used for gillnetting in the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay. Hudnall H....

Bulletin board.
January 1, 2003... MARCH 11-13 The International Boston Seafood Show Hynes Convention Center, Boston, Mass. www.bostonseafood.com The International Boston Seafood Show is the industry's choice for sourcing and selling seafood. Buyers at the show find it...

Beefing up the basic sounder package: Furuno's LS6100 model aims to redefine `entry-level.' (Product Roundup).
January 1, 2003... It used to be that entry-level sounders were everything that "entry-level" conjured up: unattractive, simple, bare bones, basic, no frills and inexpensive. You get the idea. It's not something you'd be pulling your fellow fishermen in off the...

Blue Sea Systems. .(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... BLUE SEA SYSTEMS of Bellingham, Wash., a manufacturer of marine electrical products and electrical system components for the boating industry, has named DAVID JOHNSON vice president of sales and marketing. Johnson will be responsible for...

The U.S. Tuna Foundation. (On The Move).
January 1, 2003... THE U.S. TUNA FOUNDATION, the national organization representing U.S. canned tuna processors and boat owners, has appointed MELANIE MILLER director of communications and marketing. She will be responsible for developing, implementing and...

The United States Marine Safety Association. (On The Move).
January 1, 2003... THE UNITED STATES MARINE SAFETY ASSOCIATION has appointed JOHN H. THOMMEN of Guilford, Conn., its 2003 president. Thommen is president of Guilford-based Ocean Marketing, a marine equipment marketing firm. The Farmington, N.J.-based association...

Companies expand. (Company News).
January 1, 2003... All American Marine and Puglia Engineering have signed new leases for waterfront sites in Bellingham, Wash. All American Marine signed a-10-year lease with the Port Commission and expects to double the number of its employees and greatly expand...

Seven awards. (Company News).
January 1, 2003... Furuno, Camas, Wash.-based marine electronics manufacturer, received seven awards at the 2002 National Marine Electronics Association Convention in Fort Meyers, Fla. Furuno has won a total of 137 such awards since 1971. Furuno's NavNet Network...

Catalog site launched. (Company News).
January 1, 2003... Marine chart agency American Nautical Services in' Miami has launched an e-commerce Web site catering specifically to marine industry professionals. One feature includes a dynamic chart catalog for all NOAA and admiralty charts. The site...

Program offers savings. (Company News).
January 1, 2003... C-MAP/USA, a manufacturer of electronic cartography and charting systems, has developed the "Port Partners" program to increase savings for its club members. The participating Port Partner merchants offer discounts from 10 to 25 percent on...

Approval received. (Company News).
January 1, 2003... Sea-Fire Marine, a Baltimore-based designer and manufacturer of fire suppression systems for the marine industry, has received the approval of Transport Canada and the American Bureau of Shipping for its H-Series fire suppression systems. The...

School trustees honored. (Company News).
January 1, 2003... The Landing School of Boatbuilding and Design has named its new 17,000-square-foot facility in honor of John and Kitty Lastavica of Manchester, Mass. The Lastavicas have been active supporters of the internationally prominent school for more...

Company recognized. (Company News).
January 1, 2003... For the fifth year in a row, Stores magazine has named West Marine, retailer of recreational and commercial boating supplies, to its Triversity Top 100 Specialty Retailers of 2002 list. The list is compiled annually by the monthly periodical of...

Electronics Co. awarded. (Company News).
January 1, 2003... KVH Industries Inc., of Middletown, R.I., won the "best product" awards in the satellite television and satellite telephone categories at the 2002 National Marine Electronics Association conference for the fifth year in a row. The awards are...

New to sonar? Here's a unit to try: Simrad's SL35 offers fishermen a range of options.
January 1, 2003... Simrad has just introduced its newest searchlight sonar, the SL35 Hull Sonar, intended for owners of a dragger or seiner who hasn't previously used sonar but wants to take advantage of its fish-finding technology. In addition, because a sonar...

North Sea Resins has introduced a new line of cure-on-command resins that can be used as adhesives, fillers and sealants under adverse conditions. (At A Glance).
January 1, 2003... NORTH SEA RESINS has introduced a new line of CURE-ON-COMMAND RESINS that can be used as adhesives, fillers and sealants under adverse conditions. Based on Department of Defense-funded research, these one-part resins require no mixing and can...

Divelink International Technologies has released the latest in underwater communications technology: a specialized cellular adaptor that allows a cellular phone to be plugged into Divelink's headset surface unit, letting divers communicate with experts, advisors and other divers anywhere around the world. (At A Glance).
January 1, 2003... DIVELINK INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES has released the latest in underwater communications technology: a specialized CELLULAR ADAPTOR that allows a cellular phone to be plugged into Divelink's headset surface unit, letting divers communicate with...

Shurhold Industries says its new nonabrasive scrubbing pad, Dip And Go, makes swabbing down the hull and deck quicker and easier. (At A Glance).
January 1, 2003... SHURHOLD INDUSTRIES says its new nonabrasive SCRUBBING PAD, Dip And Go, makes swabbing down the hull and deck quicker and easier. Encapsulated with nontoxic, biodegradable Simple Green degreaser/cleaner, the Dip and Go pad attaches to any of...

PYI Inc. has introduced Caravel, a new line of shaft bearings with an involute (spiral grooved) design. (At A Glance).
January 1, 2003... PYI INC. has introduced Caravel, a new line of SHAFT BEARINGS with an involute (spiral grooved) design. The company says the new design acts as a screw, drawing water in and forcing out foreign material; PYI says that the bearing therefore will...

J.W. Speaker has released Model 9770 Xenon high intensity discharge handheld spotlight, which combines the brightness of Xenon with the convenience of portability, and with no potential filament breakage. (At A Glance).
January 1, 2003... J.W. SPEAKER has released Model 9770 Xenon high intensity discharge HANDHELD SPOTLIGHT, which combines the brightness of Xenon with the convenience of portability, and with no potential filament breakage. Model 9770 produces a light of 2.5...

SeaArk boats has added two new models of 15-degree vee-bottom hulls to their existing line of all-welded aluminum boats. (At A Glance).
January 1, 2003... SEAARK BOATS has added two new models of 15-degree VEE-BOTTOM HULLS to their existing line of all-welded aluminum boats. The 1860-VPLD and the 1860-VPLDCC are welded of marine grade aluminum and feature as standard a center or side console with...

Blue Sea Systems has introduced its new line of 7050 Series Push-Button circuit breakers.(Circle #9)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... BLUE SEA SYSTEM HAS introduced its new line of 7050 Series Push-Button CIRCUIT BREAKERS. The breakers are available in 12 configurations, ranging from 3 to 40 amps, and their compact design allows for easy installation, even on smaller boats....

Diesel America West says it has combined a lightweight, air-cooled diesel engine and a tough, saltwater-capable pump to create a high-performance, 4-cycle maritime diesel trash pump. (At A Glance).
January 1, 2003... DIESEL AMERICA WEST says it has combined a lightweight, air-cooled diesel engine and a tough, saltwater-capable pump to create a high-performance, 4-cycle maritime DIESEL TRASH PUMP. Powered by a Yanmar `L' series diesel with a recoil starter,...

Wilson Distribution now offers a 36-inch diameter polyethylene pontoon for larger boats, barges and floating docks. (At A Glance).
January 1, 2003... WILSON DISTRIBUTION now offers a 36-inch diameter polyethylene PONTOON for larger boats, barges and floating docks. The 1/4-inch-thick walls with closed-cell polyurethane foam strengthen the overall module and ensure its toughness and shape...

Shakespeare's new 5235-XT AM/FM entertainment band antenna features an 8-foot length to pick up distant signals, and matches other 8-foot Galaxy antennas to give a uniform appearance on the boat. (At A Glance).
January 1, 2003... SHAKESPEARE's new 5235-XT AM/FM ENTERTAINMENT BAND ANTENNA features an 8-foot length to pick up distant signals, and matches other 8-foot Galaxy antennas to give a uniform appearance on the boat. The antenna uses copper elements for maximum...

Pollution problems remain despite Clean Water Act: research group study says 40% of nation's waterways too sullied for fishing or swimming. (National).
January 1, 2003... The nation's rivers and lakes aren't burning anymore, thanks in part to the 1972 passage of the Clean Water Act. But on its 30-year anniversary, one commercial fishing industry leader says the act has not aged well. "Any value it had has...

New campaign targets genetically modified fish: moratorium is sought on enhanced salmon. (National).
January 1, 2003... About 200 restaurants and other businesses in 40 states have signed a pledge not to buy, sell or serve genetically modified seafood, as part of a campaign started in September by three environmental groups. The Center for Food Safety and...

Last set.
January 1, 2003... WORKING THE RAIL, David Anderson of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game brings up a Pacific Cod during the annual longline survey in Prince William Sound. Results from this survey are used to set harvest quotas for sablefish and to determine...