National Fisherman articles from January 2007

National Fisherman archives from January 2007

January 2007: this month's highlights.(Linc Bedrosian )
January 1, 2007... Senior Editor Linc Bedrosian doesn't get his photograph in the magazine every month, but he's a crucial part of the picture at National Fisherman. He's our longest serving editor, having signed on in 1994, when we were still in Rockland,...

Several shades of sustainability.
January 1, 2007... For Alaskans, it begins right in our constitution. "Fish... belonging to the State... shall be utilized, developed, and maintained on the sustained yield principle" and, like all other natural resources, "for the maximum benefit of its...

Paved paradise.(biodiversity affects marine ecosystems)(Editorial)
January 1, 2007... Most of you have by now heard the uproar following the publication of research in the Nov. 3 journal Science suggesting that loss of biodiversity has drastic impacts on marine ecosystems. The report, authored by Boris Worm of Nova Scotia's...

Fishing back when.(NF classics)
January 1, 2007... 50 YEARS AGO President Eisenhower announces his rejection of the U.S. Tariff Commission's recommended increase on groundfish tariffs in what he labels an effort to preserve our nation's friendship with Canada, Iceland and Norway. The...

New England fisherman's close call inspires memoir of life on the coast.(Fo'c'sle library)(F/V Black Sheep)(Brief article)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... Gloucester, Mass., fisherman Mark Williams was setting lobster traps alone aboard his boat, the Black Sheep, on a quiet September afternoon. When his leg became tangled in a trawl line, the weight of his traps threatened to drag him underwater....

Employment guide helps maritime workers navigate waters of the trade.(Fo'c'sle library)(Mariner's Employment Guide)(Brief article)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... If you're thinking of jumping ship to escape the confines of your maritime or office job, hold off just long enough to get your hands on a copy of this guide. Painstakingly researched and compiled by U.S. Merchant Marine Staff Officer and...

Pardon my observation.(From Another Perspective)(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
January 1, 2007... You've probably read about the former observer who admitted to falsifying reports for 59 trips he had supposedly made. According to NOAA, following a plea deal, he "was sentenced to five years probation and ordered to pay restitution of...

VMS is much bigger than Big Brother.(vessel monitoring system)
January 1, 2007... Back around 1990, I was one of the first scallop captains who had to use a vessel monitoring system (vessel traffic system, or VTS, at the time). This came about as part of a resolved settlement my company had to make with the NOAA General...

Experience, integrity of repairs are crucial to survival at sea.(Consequences)
January 1, 2007... From U.S. Coast Guard reports On the morning of Sunday, Jan. 23, 2000, a 61-foot commercial fishing vessel set out from Portland, Maine, with a crew of three for a three- to four-day fishing trip for multispecies groundfish in the Gulf of...

Engineer uses facts to bust bottom-trawling myth.(Mail buoy)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... Opponents of bottom trawling have done a good job of duping the public and, unfortunately, many fishery scientists into believing bottom trawling is the same as bulldozing the sea bottom. This is almost laughable; yet, if the public hears it...

Young R.I. fisherman says he just wants to fish.(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... I have benefited from National Fisherman since before I ever threw the lines on my first fishing trip. Through the years, I have enjoyed getting my new issue every month and talking about everything in it with my fishing buddy till the old lady...

Cap'n Sane says ... Saturday Cove, Maine.
January 1, 2007... Well, we finally got our Christmas Party all figgered out. The big hang-up was who'd be Santa this year. Santa is the only paid party one, three bucks an hour, n'for the past 10 years Beulah Banning has been Santa. We even chipped up f'a...

The once and future goals of management.(Brief article)(Column)
January 1, 2007... How quickly a year goes by! As I write this column, the passage of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation Management Act is uncertain. And it appears we must reintroduce our offshore aquaculture legislation in the next session. These two...

Seagoing cooks.(In search of the simple life)
January 1, 2007... Cap Pringle never thought he'd go into the ship supply business, but quirky circumstances ruled otherwise, and before he knew it, he was in the business. And has been for the last 25 years. Today, not counting tankers, he supplies some 20...

N.C. fishermen challenge federal move to lower quotas: Tarheels file suit saying so-called snapper-grouper plan fails to meet Magnuson standards.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC)(National Marine Fisheries Service sued by North Carolina Fisheries Association)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... North Carolina fishermen are challenging a plan that would lower quotas and trip limits for black sea bass, snowy grouper, golden tilefish and vermilion snapper. In September, Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez approved the new rules,...

Distribution of tariff funds upsets shrimpers: processors seen gaining again on imports.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC)
January 1, 2007... The U.S. Customs agency is beginning to distribute to qualified applicants money collected under Byrd Amendment anti-dumping legislation, but questions remain about who will benefit from the shrimp tariffs. Debbie Hattaway, state treasurer...

Weakfish biomass decline may spawn harvest limit: commission seeks industry advice on plan.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC)(Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission )(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... East Coast fishermen will have to wait until January before the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission makes a decision on weakfish restrictions. Addendum II to the interstate fishery management plan for weakfish was developed in 2005...

Liberalized quotas on inshore dogfish may be in offing: Bay State pushing for greater access within three-mile limit; NMFS is seen going along.(ATLANTIC)
January 1, 2007... Years of fierce debate may finally be edging regulators back toward reopening targeted fishing on spiny dogfish, with both the commercial and recreational sectors supporting Massachusetts state officials' effort to raise the annual East Coast...

Processing plants to keep foreign workers for 2007: extension critical for crab, oyster houses.(ATLANTIC)
January 1, 2007... For at least one more year, Chesapeake Bay seafood processing houses will be allowed to rehire their regular returning seasonal foreign workers. U.S. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) was able to include language in a Department of Defense...

Where we live: McClellanville, S.C.(HOME PORT)(South Carolina)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... THE TOWN Population: 500 Fleet size: About 12 vessels TOP SPECIES IN 2005 * Shrimp Oysters Clams SOME LOCAL BOATS AND THEIR FISHERIES Betty H--shrimp Mary Margaret--shrimp Regulus--shrimp ...

Could video camera take the place of human observer? Gillnetter believes fishermen can document operations and save money at the same time.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Make way for the virtual NMFS observer--a video camera system that will digitally record what comes up in your nets. This is the high-tech idea that Morro Bay, Calif., gillnetter Jeremiah O'Brien began testing in November. His vessel is now...

Calif. MPA group makes plan for no-fishing zones: envisions program spreading beyond West.(marine protected areas)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The West Coast is viewed as fertile territory for a no-fishing marine protected area pilot program, which, if successful, could spread to other regions. Charles Wahle, director of the Marine Protected Areas Center Science Institute in...

Baked flounder with garlic and asparagus: Phil Ghigliotty, Cedar Run, N.J.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... They call it summer flounder, but the biggest Mid-Atlantic hauls often happen in winter and spring. On those trips, Phil Ghigliotty likes to pair flounder fillets with asparagus, those first green shoots out of the ground. "I'm a big...

Harvesters of land and sea are finding common ground: unite on consolidation, resource issues; a Maine vessel owner is elected to farm board.(Craig Pendleton becomes president of Association of Family Farms)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Could it be something in the water? Fishermen and farmers on both coasts seem to be coming together. Most likely it has to do with resources issues, family enterprise and pressure to consolidate. But during the Merrill, Ore., Potato...

March Gale: lobster boat.(BOAT OF THE MONTH)
January 1, 2007... "The March Gale rides really low in the water and is really stable down swell," says her owner, Charlie Graham, a 39-year-old lobster and crab fisherman in Santa Barbara, Calif. "A lot of other East Coast boats turn sideways in swells,...

DFO: illegal foreign fishing on Grand Banks must end: agency criticizes international oversight.(NATION/WORLD)
January 1, 2007... Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans Minister Loyola Hearn returned from September's annual meeting of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization with major reforms that some media reports have described as having teeth. At issue...

Micah Ess: Cordova, Alaska.(SNAPSHOT: WHO WE ARE)(salmon fisherman)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Just when we weren't looking, Micah Ess, my brother's son, grew up and settled down to a career gillnetting salmon out of Cordova. Micah, 26, has been fishing the remote reaches of Prince William Sound during the summers, then blasting off on...

Study claims sea lice are killing young wild salmon: alleges fish farm infestations are to blame.(NATION/WORLD)
January 1, 2007... Up to 95 percent of young wild salmon die after migrating downstream through sea lice from infected fish farms in British Columbia, states a U.S. Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences report about sea lice and salmon farms. The...

North Pacific.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(North Pacific Fishery Management Council )
January 1, 2007... The North Pacific Fishery Management Council has received from staff a discussion paper concerning the potential application of use caps for vessel fishing cooperative allocations in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands crab fisheries subject to...

Gulf of Mexico.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The reef fish management committee of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council had a full agenda for its November meeting, driven largely by the council's final rule requiring vessel monitoring systems on all boats with a valid reef fish...

New England.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(fishing for monkfish regulated )(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The council's Monkfish Advisory Council was preparing to make final recommendations for adoption by both the Mid-Atlantic and New England fishery management councils. So-called Framework 4 includes alternatives for total allowable catch, trip...

South Atlantic.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(South Atlantic Fishery Management Council )(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council has taken considerable heat for its snapper-grouper management plan. The council's position is that it is dealing with overfishing. Gear restrictions, minimum sizes and seasonal closures have been...

Mid-Atlantic.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council on stock rebuilding)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... In a letter published in the New Bedford (Mass.) Standard Times of Oct. 25, Ronal W. Smith, chairman of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, makes a case for leavening the 10-year stock rebuilding requirement: "Should the council...

Pacific.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(Pacific Fishery Management Council)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The Pacific Fishery Management Council in November was holding public hearings on its 15th amendment to the Pacific Cast Salmon Plan, with the objective of allowing de minimis ocean fishing impacts on Klamath River fall chinook during years...

Western Pacific.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council regulates shark feeding)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council has voted to amend the Pelagic Fishery Management Plan for federal waters surrounding the U.S. Pacific Islands to prohibit "shark feeding" The measure would prohibit "the introduction...

Finding bait may prove the toughest obstacle to Maine harvesters in 2007.(NORTHEAST LOBSTER)
January 1, 2007... Fluctuating bait and fuel costs crimped lobstermen's balance sheets in 2006. But one upscale supermarket chain's decision to stop selling live lobster had little effect on the rest of the marketplace. The natural and organic foods chain...

Gulf of Mexico fleet poised to begin life under IFQ management system.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC SNAPPER)(individual fishing quota)
January 1, 2007... Years of advocacy and hard work soon will pay off for the solid majority of Gulf of Mexico red snapper fishermen who support individual fishing quotas. The IFQ program is scheduled to begin in February 2007 at the latest. "I'm looking...

Stable, high-quality product, demand bode well for sea cucumber divers.(NORTH PACIFIC SEA CUCUMBER)
January 1, 2007... Stability in management, product quality and demand in the markets add up to good times for Alaska's sea cucumber industry. Since 2000, guideline harvest levels throughout Southeast Alaska have stayed healthy at around 1.4 million pounds....

Quick pace of landings could prompt alterations to bimonthly catch limits.(PACIFIC PETRALE SOLE)
January 1, 2007... Landings of petrale sole, one of the trawl fleet's staple flatfish, have been steady all summer and fall, and processors expect that trend to continue through the winter. That is, providing fishery managers don't close it early or put...

Crew shots.(This is your life)
January 1, 2007... Nathan Andruski, F/V Miss Abby Long Island Sound [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Jeff Oden, Dennis Melton, F/V Seabound Hatteras Village, N.C. [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Chuck Carpenter, Jonny Stevens, Landon Carpenter, F/V Ten Bristol...

The unsinkable Bucktown boys: Katrina came and went, but they're sticking around.(Home ports)(Hurricane Katrina, 2005)
January 1, 2007... Fishermen who regularly work south Louisiana's Lake Pontchartrain like to tell the story of a pair of super-sized double-riggers that steamed confidently into the lake one shrimp season. Two days later, they left with their tails between their...

'Gators by the tail: riled up Florida fishermen file suit over VMS requirement.(Gulf monitoring)(vessel monitoring systems)
January 1, 2007... Without a doubt, the irony was unintentional. But NOAA could hardly have picked a worse date--Dec. 7, Pearl Harbor Day--to saddle law-abiding reef fishermen with vessel monitoring systems, which many of them regard as the maritime equivalent of...

Charting the way forward: fishermen take part in a Boston symposium on fishing and ecosystem conservation.(In the cradle of codfish)
January 1, 2007... It is appropriate that Boston hosted the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea's 2006 symposium. After all, the Bay State has a cape named for its abundance of codfish, a species that for some 400 years has symbolized the...

Lightened up! Every pound counts on tuna chaser David Linney's new one-off 36-footer.(Boats & Gear: Boatbuilding)
January 1, 2007... Around Ogunquit, Maine, mates on Dave Linney's tuna boats have always feared that if they weighed too much on a particular day, he might not take them. And if they passed the scale test, then what about their lunch? A few ounces too heavy, and...

The best of boats & gear--2006.(Boats & Gear: Design Showcase)(Buyers guide)
January 1, 2007... Efficiency and safety are always part of the scope of National Fisherman's review of innovative gear and boat designs that made their debut in the last year. Construction techniques and methods, electronics, and communications at sea are...

Suzuki just pushed the competition in four-stroke outboards to a new level with the introduction of the DF300.(Gear in a glimpse)
January 1, 2007... SUZUKI just pushed the competition in four-stroke outboards to a new level with the introduction of the DF300. If you like plenty of power, you'll love this 300-hp V6 four-stroke outboard. And since Suzuki is the first to come out with a...

Sea-Fire Marine's automatic fire-suppression system uses an alternative to Halon.(Gear in a glimpse)
January 1, 2007... SEA-FIRE MARINE's automatic fire-suppression system uses an alternative to Halon. FIRE FOE uses Envirogel, a Coast Guard-approved gelled, non-corrosive gas powder that is safe for people and equipment. Fires are extinguished with a...

AR Engineering has released two fanless marine computers, the Alpha And Reliant.(Gear in a glimpse)
January 1, 2007... AR ENGINEERING has released two fanless marine computers, the ALPHA and RELIANT. Without fans, the Alpha and Reliant aren't prone to overheating failures from dust buildup and corrosion caused by salt air, The Reliant, with computer to run a...

Marineeast's newest product, the Fire Port, lets you check a closed compartment to see if there s a fire inside, without opening a door or hatch and feeding the flames with more oxygen.(Gear in a glimpse)
January 1, 2007... MARINEEAST's newest product, the FIRE PORT, lets you check a closed compartment to see if there s a fire inside, without opening a door or hatch and feeding the flames with more oxygen. A quick look through the Fire Port lets you check for...

Beier Radio's newest IVCS2000 Integrated Vessel Control System make boats a lot easier to maneuver at sea or at the dock.(Gear in a glimpse)
January 1, 2007... BEIER RADIO's newest IVCS2000 INTEGRATED VESSEL CONTROL SYSTEM make boats a lot easier to maneuver at sea or at the dock. It works best on boats with a bow thruster, twin props, independent rudders and electronically controlled engines. Beier...

Samyung Enc, a new entry into this country's marine electronics market, introduced its NAVIS 3000 combination chart plotter and fishfinder.(Gear in a glimpse)
January 1, 2007... SAMYUNG ENC, a new entry into this country's marine electronics market, introduced its NAVIS 3000 combination chart plotter and fishfinder. The Navis 3000 has a 10.4-inch 16-color display. It works with C-Map NT electronic charts. The machine...

Boatyard gets new 46-footer; a 'glass crabber is built for ice.(NORTHEAST)(H & H Marine )
January 1, 2007... In early November, H & H Marine in Steuben, Maine, was completing the plug for a new 46' x 19' design. By the first part of December, the mold is scheduled to be completed. Two hulls already have been sold to lobstermen. The first will be...

Repowering job will save fuel; Calif. yard builds Dungie boat.(WEST)
January 1, 2007... In Reedsport, Ore., the crew at Fred Wahl Marine Construction was completing repowering work on a dragger, renovating a boat for scalloping and launching a new 58-footer. In mid-November, the new 58' x 26' Arctic Fox was expected to leave...

Oyster season packs Va. yard; Bay builder revisits workboats.(SOUTH)
January 1, 2007... The Virginia oyster season opened Oct. 15, and boats based along the Rappahannock River headed for marine railways just prior to the opening. One of the busier boatyards on the south side of the Rappahannock is Cambrook Boatyard in...

Hands-free steering: ComNav's Admiral autopilot is designed to stay the course.(ComNav Marine Ltd.)
January 1, 2007... There's nothing quite as miserable as having an autopilot that can't maintain a course. It could be that the force of quartering seas overpowers the rudder response, or the effect of a strong breeze on a boat with a lot of windage keeps...

Weather station readouts: wind information and then some from Furuno and Airmar.
January 1, 2007... In mid-November, Furuno's newest product combo was ready for shipping, the RD30 and PB100, what Furuno is calling the ultimate weather station. Joining forces with Airmar, which had a design for an ultrasonic wind indicator, Furuno contributed...

SodaBlast systems provides an alternative to sanding and scraping for removing layers of bottom paint from a fiberglass hull, without damaging the gelcoat.(At a glance)
January 1, 2007... SODABLAST SYSTEMS provides an alternative to sanding and scraping for removing layers of bottom paint from a fiberglass hull, without damaging the gelcoat. SODABLASTING uses an air-driven, high-pressure stream of baking soda to remove...

Shields, a division of Teleflex Marine, has a hose for sanitation systems and wastewater holding tanks designed to eliminate odors that permeate sanitation hoses.(At a glance)
January 1, 2007... SHIELDS, a division of Teleflex Marine, has a hose for sanitation systems and wastewater holding tanks designed to eliminate odors that permeate sanitation hoses. The POLY X sanitation hose is made from two plies of wire-reinforced textile...

MasPower's new fire pump provides 75 psi of water, which is 10 more than the Coast Guard requires.(At a glance)
January 1, 2007... MASPOWER's new fire pump provides 75 psi of water, which is 10 more than the Coast Guard requires. The MP482FP is powered with a four-cycle, air-cooled Yanmar diesel, weighs 125 pounds. With an aluminum flame it measures 24" x 18" x 20"....

Northstar Technical has just released the NetMind Scientific Survey System to support the scientific assessment of fishing stocks and the promotion of sustainable fishing effort.(At a glance)
January 1, 2007... NORTHSTAR TECHNICAL has just released the NETMIND SCIENTIFIC SURVEY SYSTEM to support the scientific assessment of fishing stocks and the promotion of sustainable fishing effort. The Scientific Survey System uses the NetMind trawl system with...

Shakespeare's new 2-foot-long VHF antenna is designed for applications that require a short overall length.(At a glance)
January 1, 2007... SHAKESPEARE's new 2-foot-long VHF antenna is designed for applications that require a short overall length. The 5415 GALAXY 3-dB antenna has a solderless connector at the base of the stainless steel whip antenna for quick installation or...

Dr. Shrink tells you exactly how to keep the snow, ice and rain out of your boat this winter by shrink-wrapping it.(At a glance)
January 1, 2007... DR. SHRINK tells you exactly how to keep the snow, ice and rain out of your boat this winter by shrink-wrapping it. The hourlong instructional DS-0015 training CD takes you through the step-by-step process needed to shrink-wrap a boat. You...

Bulletin board.
January 1, 2007... MARCH 11-13 International Boston Seafood Show/Seafood Processing America Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Boston * www.bostonseafood.com The International Boston Seafood Show is the buyer's choice for sourcing and selling...

In October, Richard I. Eliason became the first Alaskan and first commercial fisherman to receive a nomination to the Wild Salmon Hall of Fame.(ON THE MOVE)
January 1, 2007... In October, RICHARD I. ELIASON became the first Alaskan and first commercial fisherman to receive a nomination to the WILD SALMON HALL OF FAME. As a member of the Alaska House and a longtime leader of the state Senate, Eliason worked to...

Nova Scotia Boatbuilders Association.(COMPANY NEWS)
January 1, 2007... In September, the first nine Nova Scotia boatbuilders received their trade certification from the NOVA SCOTIA BOATBUILDERS ASSOCIATION. In 2005, the province became the first jurisdiction on the continent to recognize "boat builder" as a trade...

Seawave.(COMPANY NEWS)(warranty programs introduced)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Middletown, R.I.--based SEAWAVE has announced new warranty programs as well as enhanced technical support services. All purchasers of Integrator hardware now have the option of purchasing an extended warranty and an advanced replacement...

Stonington, Conn.(Last set)
January 1, 2007... Mike Broniewski unloads the Regulus after an 18,000-pound-limit scallop run to the temporarily reopened Nantucket Lightship Area in late June 2006.