National Fisherman articles from January 2008

National Fisherman archives from January 2008

January 2008: This month's highlights.(The hail)(National Fisherman Magazine)
January 1, 2008... National Fisherman launched its Web site in 1997, not because we knew what we were doing, but because we did not: Everyone was launching Web sites, and we didn't want to get left out. In fact, my predecessor as editor, Sam Smith, was...

Returning home.(VIEWS from Alaska)
January 1, 2008... "And so, you're doing what? You two are moving off Maui to live in Juneau? Mmm... and why?" Kirk and I have been asked this question many times in this past year. Our response has been our simple motto: "We believe in a better way." The...

Homeland insecurity.(Editor's log)
January 1, 2008... Happy New Year. If you were ashore on Halloween you may have read in the Oct. 31 edition of USA Today that Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has ordered agency leaders to "raise the protection level with respect to small boats."...

British Columbia former gillnetter makes a passionate plea for the Fraser.([ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Lost Coast Salmon, Memory and the Death of Wild Culture )(Brief article)(Book review)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Lost Coast Salmon, Memory and the Death of Wild Culture By Tim Bowling Nightwood Editions, 2007 Hardcover, 256 pp., $29.95 www.nightwoodeditions.com Poet, three-time novelist and former fisherman Tim Bowling...

Whaling fleet ventures well beyond the banks to close a chapter of fishing history.(The Lost Fleet A Yankee Whaler's Struggle Against the Confederate Navy and Arctic Disaster)(Brief article)(Book review)
January 1, 2008... The Lost Fleet A Yankee Whaler's Struggle Against the Confederate Navy and Arctic Disaster By Marc Songini St. Martin's Press, 2007 Hardcover, 448 pp., $25.95 www.msongini.com As whale populations began to dwindle off the New England coasts...

Top down management.(From Another Perspective)(bass fishing)
January 1, 2008... In the last couple of months we've seen two attempts to force major management actions onto commercial fishermen with absolutely no justification in science, one from the White House and one from Congress. In the first, President Bush made...

Fishing back when.(NF classics)
January 1, 2008... 50 YEARS AGO In Bremen, Maine (that's pronounced "Breemun"), artist John Upton hopes owners of pleasure boats will turn to the age old art of marine wood carving to differentiate their boat from the masses. His specialty is eagles and he...

Gear change alone won't protect right whales.(From the town landing)
January 1, 2008... As if entanglement and ship strikes weren't enough, it now appears right whales are also suffering from toxic contamination. Scientists at the University of Southern Maine in Portland recently determined that right whales in the Gulf of Maine...

A call for accountability.(Dock talk)
January 1, 2008... We, the people, legal residents of the United States and members of the commercial fishing community, to achieve a more sustainable fishery and fishing industry, request formal congressional oversight hearings on the National Marine Fisheries...

Risk management reduces hazards.(Consequences)
January 1, 2008... From U.S. Coast Guard reports In August, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics re leased a preliminary report, "National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2006," that shows fishing and related jobs resulted in...

One-size turtle rules do not fit all gulf vessels.(Mail buoy)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2008... After the vessel monitoring system debacle I thought there would be a break from frivolous and unnecessary government fishing regulations, but I was wrong. Just recently I received a package from NMFS containing NOAA Technical Memorandum...

Surprise at praise for South Atlantic council.(Mail buoy)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2008... Mr. Anthony Iarocci's letter ("Council member rallies around stronger alliances," NF Oct. '07, p. 12) stating that he is a strong supporter of the council process was offensive to me. I challenge him or any member of the South Atlantic council...

New England group seeks transparent council process.(Mail buoy)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2008... The following is excerpted from a letter written to Paul Howard, executive director of the New England Fishery Management Council. I am writing on behalf of all the people who participated in the Area Management Coalition, a group of...

Cap'n Sane says.(Mail buoy)(Captain Perc Sane)
January 1, 2008... In days passed all but in memories, fisherboys come November helped their dads close down their weirs, haul pile driver scows t'winter safe births far up the high tide creek n'strip the pocket twine from the fish-catching circle of wooden...

Old dogs.(In search of the simple life)
January 1, 2008... I'm still waiting for the kid to come down from the Bering Sea. Bought him a rifle and scope, figuring it was a good investment for some venison, but now the deer season is almost over and he's still cod fishing. By the time he gets down...

2007 a busy, productive year.(Mail buoy)
January 1, 2008... This has been a busy year. We have seen an increased awareness and importance on the quality of seafood imports, a greater focus on the relationship between our domestic and international stewardship activities, and continued progress on long...

Gamefish declaration bears down on North Carolina: harvesters envision federal rule on stripers, redfish becoming a hot topic at state level.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] North Carolina fishermen say President George W Bush's executive order declaring striped bass and red drum gamefish in federal waters and encouraging states to do likewise derails the management process. Neither...

Gulf council considers IFQ for grouper fishery: one of five options to thin fleet by 2010.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC)(individual fishing quota )(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... After the first anniversary of the red snapper individual fishing quota program, Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council members are pondering a second IFQ, this time for the gulf grouper fishery. The council's grouper individual fishing...

Valdez plaintiffs brace for new Supreme Court decision: teased with hints at an early '08 settlement, fishermen will monitor the reopened case.(ALASKA and PACIFIC)
January 1, 2008... Optimism of an Exxon Valdez case settlement was running high in October, when many Alaska fishermen received electronic transfer forms that would presumably land settlement money in their bank accounts. However, now that the Supreme Court...

Calif. Dungeness season murky after bay oil spill: herring fleet also fears effects of incident.(ALASKA and PACIFIC)
January 1, 2008... An oil spill in San Francisco Bay discombobulated the California Dungeness crab opening and threatened to derail the herring fishery's December start, too. On Nov. 7, the outbound 900-foot containership Cosco Busan sideswiped a San...

Home Port: where we live Port Canaveral, Fla.
January 1, 2008... THE TOWN Population: 8,829 in 2000 census Fleet size: Approximately 10 to 20 vessels, depending on the time of year TOP LANDINGS IN 2006 Shrimp, hard dams and rock shrimp were the three most productive fisheries in Port...

Marine protected areas expand off central Calif.: Oregon towns oppose plans off their coasts.(ALASKA and PACIFIC)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... In late September, California Department of Fish and Game wardens began enforcing the Central Coast Marine Protected Areas regulations. This network of protected waters, which spans the stretch of coast from Santa Barbara to San Mateo, bans...

NMFS rejects disaster plea for northeast groundfish: agency argues stocks, remaining fleet preclude failure; Mass. fleet has hope in $15m bill.(ATLANTIC)
January 1, 2008... NMFS has rejected a tri-state plea for a fishery disaster declaration that would have paved the way for New England's struggling groundfish fishermen to seek financial relief from Congress. Agency officials say the declaration--requested by...

Bataan: Troller, Bodega Bay, Calif.(BOAT OF THE MONTH)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... "All boats have personality," says boat owner Dave Yarger of Bodega Bay, Calif. "The Bataan is passive, hard-working, comfortable. It would work a lot harder than I can." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The boat also has quirks, and like any...

New England council set to study herring bycatch: trawlers make 2008 agenda by one vote.(ATLANTIC)
January 1, 2008... A single vote pushed herring onto a list of six management priorities fishing regulators will tackle in 2008. The 9 to 8 vote by the New England Fishery Management Council at its November meeting in Newport, R.I., reflects stakeholders'...

Chuck Lewis: Kodiak, Alaska.(SNAPSHOT: WHO WE ARE)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... With 37 years of fishing under his belt, Chuck Lewis, of Kodiak, Alaska, appears to have hit his stride. Lewis, 58, came to Alaska from California in 1971 to try his hand at catching salmon with his dad, Chuck Lewis Sr., and brother, Gary. The...

Trawlers on notice in wake of feds' loggerhead report: closures ruled out for the NE scallop fleet.(ATLANTIC)
January 1, 2008... In U.S. Atlantic waters, time and area closings, circle hooks for longlines and turtle chains for scallop dredges have been used in the last few years to reduce the accidental take of loggerhead turtles. So tempers flared when a federal update...

Child health alliance causes stir over fish consumption: coalition rubs some the wrong way with its effort to encourage women to eat seafood.(NATION/WORLD)
January 1, 2008... Seafood is widely recognized as being especially beneficial for fetal and newborn brain development. So how much seafood should pregnant women eat? This fall, a children's health coalition that includes government agencies and professional...

Norwegian seibiff: Reidar Bendiksen Dartmouth, Mass.(GALLEY WATCH: AT-SEA CUISINE)
January 1, 2008... When the Working Waterfront Festival in New Bedford, Mass., puts on seafood demonstrations for crowds in late September, experienced galley cooks hold center stage. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "This is a pollock recipe I used to make on the...

Women take up the fight against trawlers off P.E.I.: group aims to protect inshore herring stocks.(NATION/WORLD)
January 1, 2008... Prince Edward Island fishermen have been fighting to keep two large midwater herring trawlers out of the island's inshore waters, and now a women's organization is taking a major role in the battle. Federal Fisheries and Oceans Minister...

News from the regional management councils.(COUNCIL UPDATES)
January 1, 2008... New England The New England Fishery Management Council in late October set levels of scallop fishing that will be allowed over the next two years on Georges Bank and in areas off the Mid-Atlantic coast. The fishery has been managed for...

IFQ's first year raises ex-vessel prices, but quota cut leaves room for imports.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC: RED SNAPPER)
January 1, 2008... At the end of the first year of a new individual fishing quota program, the outlook for the Gulf of Mexico red snapper fishery is mixed. Ex-vessel prices are rising--as expected--according to federal and Florida state data. But NMFS is...

Supply may outstrip ability of market to move clams, with depressing results.(NORTH PACIFIC: GEODUCK)
January 1, 2008... Too much of a good thing--landing more product into Asian live markets--could crimp ex-vessel values for Southeast Alaska geoducks throughout the 2007-08 dive season and beyond. In the past couple of years, the dive industry has enjoyed...

Balancing act needed to maintain pace of profits in a fishery of many factors.(PACIFIC: PETRALE SOLE)
January 1, 2008... The harvest pace of the petrale sole fishery in the early season--often predicated by time and area restrictions inside conservation zones where the sole mix with rockfish species--and the availability of substitute species in the retail chain...

Right whale gear rules, bait prices emphasize need for a strong market.(NORTHEAST: LOBSTER)
January 1, 2008... In April 2007 those who could find lobsters scarcely believed their luck, with prices around $10 a pound. By Halloween the price was half that, and some blamed lower consumer demand on those high spring prices. With little lobster in the...

Crew shots.(This is your life)(Cover story)(Photograph)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Uyak Bay setnetters Pete Danelski, Dan Jones, Peter S. Danelski, Andrew Frye and Rob Pederson take a break as the season draws to a dose at their Kodiak Island, Alaska, site. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Cliff...

Control of his future: a federal shakeout is coming in his fishery, but N.J. scalloper Ed Blaine says he isn't going.(At sea)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A few minutes past midnight, Ed Blaine is bouncing with energy at the helm as he takes the Laura Marie out of Sea Isle City, N.J., through Townsend's Inlet, toward an abundance of scallops that lies 41 miles east....

Small scale, big time: an Alabama shrimper returns to the business of building vessel reproductions.(Model operation)
January 1, 2008... Baldwin County, on the eastern shore of Alabama's Mobile Bay, is rich farm country blanketed with shady pecan groves and a patchwork of potato, peanut and cotton fields. Somewhat less visibly, the bucolic county has also become a major model...

Innovation is his oyster: a Washington boatbuilder sells his customers on aluminum dredge boats with water jets.(Boats&Gear: Boatbuilding)
January 1, 2008... Mention "oyster dredge" and most people think of a high-sided, slow moving slab of a thing that has trouble getting out of its own way. "Barge" might be an apt term for such craft, but that image certainly doesn't describe what Burlington,...

Best of Boats & Gear 2007: never let it be said that a guy working in his own shop can't come up with something that makes a difference in fishermen's lives.(Boats&Gear: Design Showcase)(Product/service evaluation)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This year's National Fisherman's annual review of innovative gear and boat designs includes two representations of individual ingenuity. One is a way to keep the packing nut on the rudder port from backing off--which...

Seakey offers the Seakey 2DM, a dual-mode wireless response monitor that keeps track of bilge-water levels and battery voltage as well as your boat's position with its own GPS.(Short takes)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SEAKEY offers the SEAKEY 2DM, a dual-mode wireless response monitor that keeps track of bilge-water levels and battery voltage as well as your boat's position with its own GPS. Seakey reports to its own response...

Weems & Plath's latest navigation tool, the ROADrule, identifies common U.S. aids to navigation, rules of the road and maneuvering and warning signals.(Short takes)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WEEMS & PLATH's latest navigation tool, the ROADRULE, identities common U.S. aids to navigation, rules of the road and maneuvering and warning signals. The ROADrule shows what buoys look like with corresponding chart...

Dr. Shrink sells the Rebag as the environmental answer to the question, "come spring, what do I do with the shrink wrap that's been on my boat all winter?".(Short takes)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] DR. SHRINK sells the REBAG as the environmental answer to the question, "Come spring, what do I do with the shrink wrap that's been on my boat all winter?" Simple: instead of throwing the shrink-wrap in the local...

Dickson has a recording device for fishermen who do their own processing and store the product for a short time before selling it.(Short takes)(Buyers guide)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... DICKSON has a recording device for fishermen who do their own processing and store the product for a short time before selling it. The Dickson TH800 temperature, humidity and dew point chart recorder is a scaled-down portable version of the...

Chemline, a manufacturer of spray-applied, high-performance coating systems, has developed a corrosion and saltwater resistant coating for fish holds.(Short takes)
January 1, 2008... CHEMLINE, a manufacturer of spray-applied, high-performance coating systems, has developed a corrosion and saltwater resistant coating for fish holds. CHEMTHANE 7015 is applied directly to plywood to create a seamless barrier. Chemthane is a...

MARPORT says its new HYBRID CATCH SENSOR is the first catch sensor that operates on both 40 kHz and 70 kHz frequencies.(Short takes)
January 1, 2008... MARPORT says its new HYBRID CATCH SENSOR is the first catch sensor that operates on both 40 kHz and 70 kHz frequencies. The sensor also has an optional angle inclinometer that indicates if the cod end has twisted, as well as the net's rising...

Maine ships out Dungie boats and a New Jersey purse seiner.(NORTHEAST)
January 1, 2008... PenBay Boat Co. finished off an H&H Marine--built Osmond 38 for a California Dungeness crabber, put it on a trailer at the end of October and shipped it west. PenBay Boat, a Sedgwick, Maine, boatbuilding shop is talking with a second Dungeness...

Crabber goes to California; bulbous bows are all the rage.(WEST)
January 1, 2008... Howard Moe has built probably 250 boats for the North Pacific and Alaska fishing industries. The past few years have been a dry spell for his Little Hoquiam Boat Shop, in Hoquiam, Wash., as far as commercial fishing boats go, but that might be...

Yard keeps Big John in shape; a different Iva W. comes home.(SOUTH)
January 1, 2008... Several wooden Florida-built fishing trawlers have been converted to scallopers and are now operating in the Mid-Atlantic scallop fishery. Smith Marine Railway in Dare, Va., is picking up some of the business of maintaining and repairing these...

Under the hood: protection with range: Guy Cotten's new jacket has a hood that moves with you.(Product roundup)
January 1, 2008... Look at old photos of banks fishermen hauling their lines into dories by hand or pitching fish over the schooner's rail, and there's not much to differentiate one fisherman from another, except for the hats. It's the hats that stand out and...

Get sound through the spray: Prospec Electronics' sealed speaker keeps out water and pumps out tunes.(Product roundup)
January 1, 2008... Most commercial fishermen aren't much different from anyone with an 8-to-5 job: They demand lots of good music. But only in the last decade have folks who spend much of their time on the water started to see some decent water resistant audio...

Marivion has come up with a power cord that might prevent accidents when you are tied up to shore power.(At a glance)(Buyers guide)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] MARIVION has come up with a power cord that might prevent accidents when you are tied up to shore power. The SAF-T-GLO power cords are coated with a glow in the dark material that's put on in a spiral pattern around...

Performance Metals offers a variety of Navalloy strap anodes that can be bolted or welded to the hull.(At a glance)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] PERFORMANCE METALS offers a variety of NAVALLOY strap anodes that can be bolted or welded to the hull. These are freshwater anodes that might benefit Great Lakes commercial fishermen. These anodes last up to 50...

Imtra has a new wiper arm, the Exalto Type 1 pantograph.(At a glance)(Buyers guide)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] IMTRA has a new wiper arm, the EXALTO Type 1 pantograph. This has an adjustable spring mechanism that lets you adjust the pressure of the wiper arm against the window. The Exalto pantograph is available in lengths...

West System took a 2007 Innovation Award at the International Boatbuilders' Exhibition and Conference with the newly introduced G/FLEX epoxies.(At a glance)(Conference news)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WEST SYSTEM took a 2007 Innovation award at the International Boatbuilders' Exhibition and Conference with the newly introduced G/FLEX epoxies. G/flex is a high-strength epoxy available in liquid and prethickened...

Turning point's new Legacy aluminum props feature the Mastertorque hub system.(At a glance)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] TURNING POINT's new Legacy aluminum props feature the Mastertorque hub system. The props maximize top-end speed, fuel efficiency and a quicker hole shot. The hubs are high-torque resistant with a shock-absorbing...

JRC's new FB250 satellite communication terminal was introduced at the same time as Inmarsat's new Fleet broadband service in November.(At a glance)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] JRC'S new FB250 satellite communication terminal was introduced at the same time as Inmarsat's new Fleet broadband service in November. Data speeds are up to 284 kilobits per second and streaming IP rates of 128...

Bulletin board.(Brief article)(Calendar)
January 1, 2008... FEB. 24-26 International Boston Seafood Show/Seafood Processing America Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Boston * www.bostonseafood.com The International Boston Seafood Show is North America's largest seafood exhibition....

IMP Fishing Gear.(ON THE MOVE)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] IMP FISHING GEAR of New Bedford, Mass., has announced the addition of RODNEY M. AVILA to its Safety/Industrial Marine Department. Rodney owns two ground-fish draggers and serves on the New England Fishery Management...

NOAA recognized Special Agent-in-Charge Andrew Cohen with an Administrator's Award.(ON THE MOVE)
January 1, 2008... NOAA recognized Special Agent-in-Charge ANDREW COHEN with an Administrator's Award. Cohen was awarded for his role in the conservation and management of Antarctic marine resources, particularly the Chilean sea bass, which is vulnerable to...

Arctic Storm.(COMPANY NEWS)
January 1, 2008... In October 2007, ARCTIC STORM, a Seattle fishing company, donated 250 seafood meals through the At-Sea Processors Association's Community Catch program in coordination with SeaShare, a local non-profit organization. Seattle's Million air Club...

Watsonville, Calif.-based West Marine, a nationwide boating supplies and accessories retailer, has partnered with Living Classrooms to clear debris from the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C.(COMPANY NEWS)
January 1, 2008... Watsonville, Calif.-based WEST MARINE, a nationwide boating supplies and accessories retailer, has partnered with LIVING CLASSROOMS to clear debris from the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. On Nov. 8, 2007, all West Marine stores in the area...

San Francisco.(Last set)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Deckhands Robert Eslick and Rick Metheny relax at the fuel wharf after delivering 1,500 pounds of king salmon (at $6 per pound) from the eight-gurdy troller Gladnik. Note the artfully fashioned wooden dipnet Eslick...