National Fisherman articles from July 2008

National Fisherman archives from July 2008

July 2008: This month's highlights.(The hail)
July 1, 2008... Wasn't it Sgt. Joe Friday on the old TV show "Dragnet" who used to say, "Just the facts, ma'am"? Friday would have loved to read the work of Wesley Loy of the Anchorage Daily News, because although his stories convey both drama and...

U.S. must protect fisheries and consumers.(VIEWS from Alaska)
July 1, 2008... Alaska's commercial fishermen reap the bounty of some of the world's most productive fishing grounds, which produces nearly half of America's wild seafood harvests each year. Thanks to the diligence of our North Pacific Fishery Management...

The right whale stuff.(Editor's log)
July 1, 2008... The endangered northern right whale is once again making news. The Washington Post reported on May 1 that the federal Office of Management and Budget had a year ago placed a hold on a rule that would require cargo ships to reduce speed to 10...

50 years ago.(Fishing Back When)(archives)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... The Arthur D. Maxwell, a swordfisherman out of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, picks up one of her boats in the frenzy of the swordfish chase. As long as there are billfish on the banks, the Maxwell won't rest. Every second counts when you're racing...

10 years ago.(Fishing Back When)
July 1, 2008... March 23, 1989, is a date of infamy for many Alaskans. Now, more than nine years after the Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound and spilled 11 million gallons of crude oil, the oil company has yet to pay a dime of the $5 billion...

30 years ago.(Fishing Back When)(archives)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Joseph Michael Brancaleone, of Magnolia, Mass., submits the winning shot in National Fisherman's photo contest. "Steaming into a 50-knot headwind" captures the Gloucester, Mass.-based dragger Joseph and Lucia II....

Radio host turns to print to preserve diverse voices in Chesapeake project.(Fo'c'sle library)(Voices of the Chesapeake Bay)(Brief article)(Book review)
July 1, 2008... Voices of the Chesapeake Bay By Michael Buckley Geared Up Publications, 2008 Softcover, 464 pp., $19.95 www.getgup.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mid-Atlantic radio listeners may be familiar with the radio show "Voices...

British Columbia poet-fisherman dedicates tome to salmon grounds.(Fo'c'sle library)(Tides at the Edge of the Senses: New and Selected Poems)(Brief article)(Book review)
July 1, 2008... Tides at the Edge of the Senses New and Selected Poems By John Skapski Libros Libertad Publishing, 2007 Softcover, 132 pp., $16.95 www.libroslibertad.ca [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] John Skapski grew up along the...

Balancing act.(From Another Perspective)(fishery management)
July 1, 2008... We're all familiar with rants about the lack of balance on the regional fishery management councils, with the negative effects on our fisheries of undue influence and rampant "conflicts of interest," which are always attributed to the...

Alaska's mixing zone loophole.(Dock talk)
July 1, 2008... Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin should be applauded for moving Alaska s habitat biologists from the Department of Natural Resources to their rightful place in the Department of Fish and Game. Regardless of where the biologists are located, however,...

The error chain.(Consequences)
July 1, 2008... From Transportation Safety Board Reports The circumstances surrounding the sinking of a Canadian fishing vessel off the northeast coast of Newfoundland in September 2005 and the loss of four of the eight crew constitute an error chain. That...

Charting at-sea communities.(From the town landing)(ocean mapping)
July 1, 2008... Fishermen telling a professor where they fish? You'd think it could never happen. But Kevin St. Martin, a geographer at Rutgers University, has accomplished just that. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] St. Martin set out to map what he calls the...

Trading globally, losing locally.(Washington lookout)
July 1, 2008... With the current daily news reminders of a slowing economy, many Americans are concerned with how regulations affect our economy and industries. And we should be concerned. In the fisheries context, with successive reauthorizations of the...

Call to attend whiting and groundfish hearing.(Mail buoy)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2008... The future of the West Coast seafood industry is at risk. Already anticipating economic devastation from a canceled salmon season, communities may soon receive another blow to jobs and economic security. During the week of June 9, the...

Eliminator trawl fisherman thanks those who came first.(Mail buoy)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2008... As a member of the team that won the World Wildlife Fund's 2007 Smart Gear award for the Eliminator trawl, I would like to give credit for this gear to those who came before us in the evolution of this style of net. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

Dragger with pedigree ready for a Mystic launch.(Mail buoy)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2008... Thank you for covering our Roann restoration project at Mystic Seaport Museum ("Museum saves Maine dragger, rebuilt icon to launch in May," NF May '08, p. 40). We are eagerly looking forward to relaunching her on May 17 after three years of...

West Coast salmon is Alaska's wake-up call.(Mail buoy)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2008... All the recent news on king salmon declines, season reductions, and fishery closures should serve as a reminder to Alaskans that although we've still got it pretty good here, maintaining the health of our salmon fisheries is a matter of choice,...

Cap'n sane says ...(Mail buoy)
July 1, 2008... Things are hopping here at the Cove, mostly 'bout the cost of fuel n'alien sternmen. We been buying diesel off Amos up at the store n'luggin' it t'the wharf in 5-gallon cans. Mostly 'cause we don't trust Amos too much nor his gas pump,...

Agency offers U.S. perspective at European expo.(A letter from James W. Balsiger)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2008... The recently concluded European Seafood Exposition held in Brussels, Belgium, is a gathering place for the world's seafood producers and buyers who negotiate products and prices for much of the world's catch. More than 1,600 exhibitors attended...

Matching the hatch.(In search of the simple life)
July 1, 2008... The phone rang. "The hatch is on! You'd better get here right away." It was Mike Moline, outfitter and guide on the Bitterroot River in Hamilton, Mont. "But it's snowing on the passes. I just saw on the Internet, the temperature is down to...

West Coast shifts focus to salmon recovery and relief: tribes, fishermen and conservationists protest PacifiCorp dams at Nebraska headquarters.(ALASKA and PACIFIC)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The West Coast chinook season collapsed long before it started, but a different kind of work took its place. Sport and commercial fishermen, tribes, environmental groups and coastal communities now are working...

Calif. task force proposes 24 marine protected areas: additional closures would protect seabirds.((ALASKA and PACIFIC))(California)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's Blue Ribbon Task Force has advised banning or limiting fishing in 24 zones between Pigeon Point and Mendocino. About 20 percent of state waters in the north central region would be affected. Fishing would be...

Twelve fishermen honored at Seattle's annual service: names added to the terminal's memorial.(ALASKA and PACIFIC)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Twelve names were added to the Seattle Fishermen's Memorial during a large turnout at Fishermen's Terminal on Sunday, May 4. Alaska Ranger's captain, Eric Peter Jacobsen, and the names of the four crewmen who...

Governors mandate cuts in Chesapeake Bay crab fishery: Virginia commission eliminates winter dredge fishery, watermen band together for aid.(ATLANTIC)
July 1, 2008... Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley mandated in a joint environmental statement in April that their regulatory agencies reduce the annual harvest of female blue crabs on Chesapeake Bay by 34 percent. The...

Home port: where we live: Perryville, Alaska.(AROUND THE COASTS: News for the nation's fishermen)(County overview)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... PERRYVILLE, ALASKA POPULATION: 120 Tucked into a bight on the Gulf of Alaska side of the Alaska Peninsula between Kupreanof Point to the south and Chignik to the north, the village of Perryville began in 1912 as an Alutiiq settlement...

N.J. markets sustainability with fresh seafood venture: revised program promotes local products.(ATLANTIC)
July 1, 2008... New Jersey's revised seafood marketing program stresses its fish are fresh, locally caught and sustainable--taking a page from environmental campaigns that try to spur consumers' behavior. "This is national in scope. People are taking a...

Boston seafood auction gets off to a strong start: founders foresee international marketplace.(ATLANTIC)
July 1, 2008... Two brothers have opened a new seafood display auction in Boston, which they hope will strengthen the region's seafood industry by providing buyers with a more constant supply of fish and seafood. The Boston Seafood Display Auction,...

Ala. Legislature agrees to lifelong net licenses, buyout: commercial and recreational fishing representatives, wary of debate, sought compromise.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC)(Alabama)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... In what was becoming a rite of spring as inevitable as the migration of Spanish mackerel across its coast, Alabama's Legislature debated a Coastal Conservation Association--backed bill to end gillnet fishing in the state's coastal waters. ...

Dean Pruitt: Madeira Beach, Fla.(SNAPSHOT: WHO WE ARE)(Florida)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Third-generation Florida fisherman Dean Pruitt, 8, voices some robust opinions. Probably the issue that most frustrates him is that fishermen are forced to waste fish under the 20-inch red grouper minimum size limit....

N.C.'s low 2007 landings result of strict regulations: banner year for shellfish boosts total value.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC)(North Carolina)
July 1, 2008... Commercial landings in North Carolina fell to a record low in 2007. Fishermen landed 62.9 million pounds of fish and shellfish, an 8.5 percent drop from 2006, according to harvest data from the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries. ...

Lady of Grace sinking inspires federal safety standards: Mass. fishermen give input on safety training, stability tests after four men are lost at sea.(NATION/WORLD)
July 1, 2008... The U.S. House has approved a slate of fishing safety measures inspired in part by suggestions from New Bedford, Mass., fishermen after the January 2007 sinking of the dragger Lady of Grace in Nantucket Sound. The loss of four fishermen...

South Jersey clam garvey: Great Bay, N.J.(BOAT OF THE MONTH)(Fred Kalm)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Still tonging dams at age 76, Fred Kalm does it from a traditional platform. "My dad, this is the last one he built," Kalm says before setting out. "It's one of the last wood garveys left. It's a flat bottom so you...

PEI's spring herring catch shows low numbers again: shortage of bait fish will boost lobster costs.(NATION/WORLD)
July 1, 2008... For the past few years the spring herring catch on Prince Edward Island has been poor. This spring is proving to be no exception. "It's still not great," says Ken Campbell, communications officer for the Prince Edward Island...

White House delays rules for right whale protection: council challenges NOAA's speed data.(NATION/WORLD)
July 1, 2008... Proposed rules to protect endangered northern fight whales from ship strikes were delayed by the White House this spring and became a political issue when environmental activists complained the shipping industry was getting a break. "The...

Garlic-butter baked halibut: John Leach, Charleston, Ore.(GALLEY WATCH: AT-SEA CUISINE)(Recipe)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Charleston, Ore., fisherman John Leach started fishing when he was 9, in 1977, and to this day, his favorite fish dish on board is baked halibut. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "It just melts in your mouth," he says. Leach started working...

Mass. lobsterman takes Fisherman of the Year title: Dons survival suit in 33 seconds for prize.(NATION/WORLD)(Kurt Martin)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Kurt Martin sealed up the face flap of his survival suit and wrapped up the East Coast Fisherman of the Year title at Fish Expo Atlantic in April. The show, sponsored by National Fisherman and owned by Hugger Event Management of South...

Western Pacific.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Regulations that came into effect in April have closed waters within 200 miles of the main Hawaiian Islands to all fishing for the so-called Deep 7 bottomfish species (onaga, ehu. gindai, kalekale, opakapaka, lehi and hapuupuu) until Aug. 31....

New England.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)
July 1, 2008... In an April 21 letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Army Corps of Engineers, New England Fishery Management Council Chairman john Pappalardo expressed concern about the proposed Cape Wind Energy Project off Massachusetts and...

Mid-Atlantic.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... In a column dated May 3, columnist John Geiser of the Asbury Park (N.J.) Press criticized the American Sportfishing Association for "letting summer founder anglers down in a big way." The ASA announced a six-point plan to address problems...

South Atlantic.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council in mid-May was holding a series of public meetings on alternatives to end overfishing for gag grouper, vermilion snapper, and red snapper, three economically important species in the snapper grouper...

Gulf of Mexico.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council in late May held a joint public hearing with the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council to solicit public comment on a draft aquaculture amendment for the Gulf of Mexico. The draft amendment...

Pacific.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(Pacific Fishery Management Council)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... The Highly Migratory Species Management Team and the Highly Migratory Species Advisory Subpanel of the Pacific Fishery Management Council were scheduled to meet June 3 and 4 in Carlsbad, Calif., to discuss: * preparation of the HMS stock...

North Pacific.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)
July 1, 2008... The North Pacific Fishery Management Council will meet in June to take final action on Bering Sea Aleutian Island crab loan program fees and halibut subsistence. The council will also review: * its fixed gear limited license program;...

Caribbean.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(Caribbean Fishery Management Council)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... The Caribbean Fishery Management Council has established an Annual Catch Limits Plan Development Group comprising federal and non-federal scientists, council staff and others. The group will assemble information on species and species...

Roe harvesters say conditions are right for good year, but the market is dicey.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC MULLET)
July 1, 2008... Fishermen looking to the 2008-09 mullet roe season are likely hoping it won't mimic the '07-08 season. There are plenty of fish, and the red tide wasn't much of a factor, finally, but the volatile roe market let them down. "Price was...

Recession fears, fuel cost dampen prices as day boats give way to IFQs.(NORTHEAST SCALLOPS)
July 1, 2008... Consumer recession fears and fuel costs are putting brakes on Atlantic scallop prices, just as new regulatory changes fold up the general category day boat fishery, and introduce new individual fishing quotas that some in the industry have...

Lower quotas, global shortage point to good prices for Alaska longliners.(NORTH PACIFIC HALIBUT)
July 1, 2008... This year's smaller harvest quota and high demand kicked the halibut season into high gear for Alaska longliners. World markets are short on overall whitefish supplies, let alone flesh whitefish like halibut. But that didn't stave off the...

Albacore trollers may see demand rise with absence of salmon on the market.(PACIFIC TUNA)
July 1, 2008... One industry's loss could be another's gain. In this case, the closure of the salmon season for most of the West Coast could benefit albacore trollers. Seafood processors and Wayne Heikkila, executive director of the Western Fishboat...

Lost ranger: an incredible life-saving effort comes up five fishermen short; tough questions remain.(Marine investigation)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The chilling call came across the Bering Sea less than three hours into the Easter morning. "Mayday, mayday, mayday. This is the Alaska Ranger," said David Silveira, the 50-year-old first mate. "We are...

Grand canyons: the Freedom pursues lobsters in the deep water below Georges Bank.(Cover story)
July 1, 2008... On the way out to the fishing grounds in early November, the Freedom rolls. The day before we leave, Hurricane Noel has torn across Georges Bank, moving quickly--it blows out fast, consumed by cold water. Behind Noel a swell moves like mirrored...

Generational shift: stay current with your options for electricity.(Boats & Gear: Onboard power)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] All boats with engines have generators on board. Even a skiff with a hand-started outboard has a magneto, which is a type of generator. That said, every rule has its exceptions, and for this rule I can think of...

Ten for ten: a Bristol Bay netter is totally rebuilt.(Boats & Gear: Boatbuilding)
July 1, 2008... A lot of gillnetters have left Petrzelka Brothers boat shop in Mount Vernon, Wash., some new, some rebuilt, some repaired. Some are aluminum, some are fiberglass. Even so, the Bristol Bay gillnetter Ten is unique. "We haven't done quite so...

The digital depths: echo sounders expand in capabilities, a 5-mile sonar makes it to the market, and sensors are software defined.(Boats & Gear Fishfinders)
July 1, 2008... Digital. It's replaced film for most cameras and is the coming thing for television. And for the first time, it's on echo sounders for commercial fishermen. In this year's look at some of the new fishfinding electronics, both Furuno and Koden...

New Yorker gets Maine netter; lobster boat racing looks wild.(NORTHEAST)
July 1, 2008... Earlier this year, Farrin's Boatshop in Walpole, Maine, started finishing off a 36-foot Wayne Beal hull as a spec boat. Well, it didn't take long before word got around and Rich Larocca, a Long Island, N.Y., fisherman bought the boat and had it...

Boat carpenter is well traveled; Oregon yard builds squid seiner.(WEST)
July 1, 2008... If a fisherman operates a wooden fishing boat anywhere off the coast of northern California or Oregon, there's a pretty good chance he's heard that the place to go for repairs to the hull, deck, wheelhouse, bulwarks--anything wood--is Eureka,...

38-footer going, to Delaware; a netter likes his little Jimmy.(SOUTH)
July 1, 2008... Evans Boats of Crisfield, Md., continues to build fiberglass commercial fishing boats, but most of them are not going to Chesapeake Bay watermen. And there might be fewer newboatsgoingtowatermen as a result of recently approved regulations...

Prevent shore power pier pressure: Shurite's alarm system shuts down excess heat.(Product roundup)(Shurite Marine Systems)
July 1, 2008... Most dockside fires are electrical, and one of the most common places for a fire to start is at the boat's power inlet--where the shore-power cord from the dock plugs into the boat's AC system. The culprit isn't excess current; it is first...

Loran is reborn as backup to GPS: Si-Tex's new sensor sidesteps the risk of signal jams.(Product roundup)
July 1, 2008... It seems like the Coast Guard has wanted to get rid of loran C for some time now--which is probably why a number of electronics companies dropped loran receivers from their product line. And just when you thought well, yes, loran is history,...

Airmar Technology has just released its SB264 switchbox that lets you use your existing 1-kW Airmar 200-kHz transducer in either a wide beam or a narrow beam configuration.(At a glance)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] AIRMAR TECHNOLOGY has just released its SB264 SWITCHBOX that lets you use your existing 1-kW Airmar 200-kHz transducer in either a wide beam or a narrow beam configuration. Using the waterproof panel-mounted switch,...

Tracer Products' answer for hard to find fluid leaks is the TP-8690 Optimax 3000, a powerful, portable fluorescent leak-detection flashlight.(At a glance)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] TRACER PRODUCTS' answer for hard to find fluid leaks is the TP-8690 OPTIMAX 3000, a powerful, portable fluorescent leak-detection flashlight. The Optimax 3000 uses super-high-flux LED technology to deliver a light...

DuraSafe's new universal electronics lock is for bracket-mounted electronics.(At a glance)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] DURASAFE's new UNIVERSAL ELECTRONICS LOCK is for bracket-mounted electronics. These items are easy to steal: Just unscrew the knob, unplug the wires and walk away with a fish-finder, chart plotter, or what have you....

ValvTect has a way to reduce fuel consumption for both gasoline and diesel engines.(At a glance)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] VALVTECT has a way to reduce fuel consumption for both gasoline and diesel engines. VALVTECT MARINE GASOLINE and ValvTect MARINE DIESEL FUEL clean up fuel-robbing carbon deposits that reduce fuel consumption....

ComNav's latest products to keep your boat on course are the G4 and G4B navigator, which use vector sensors for precise heading and global positioning.(At a glance)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] COMNAV's latest products to keep your boat on course are the G4 and G4B NAVIGATOR, which use vector sensors for precise heading and global positioning. With two antennas mounted 6 feet 6 inches apart, the Navigator...

Pettit Marine Paint's latest antifoulant, vivid free, will add some snazzy color to the bottom of your boat.(At a glance)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] PETTIT MARINE PAINT's latest antifoulant, VIVID FREE, will add some snazzy color to the bottom of your boat, and because it's copper free, it's better for the environment. Vivid Free protects against slime, algae,...

Bulletin board.(marine foods festival)(Brief article)(Calendar)
July 1, 2008... DEC 3-5 nternational WorkBoat Show Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans www.workboatshow.com The International WorkBoat Show is the largest commercial marine trade show in North America. The offerings include 1,000...

Navico.(ON THE MOVE)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] GORDON SPROUSE is the new director of marketing for all of Oslo, Norway-based NAVICO brands--B&G, Eagle, Lowrance, MX Marine, Northstar and Simrad. Sprouse will lead the Americas marketing organization from the...

The deadline for nominations to the Wild Salmon Hall of Fame is 5 p.m. on Friday, June 6, 2008.(COMPANY NEWS)
July 1, 2008... The deadline for nominations to the WILD SALMON HALL OF FAME is 5 p.m. on Friday, June 6, 2008. The PACIFIC NORTHWEST SALMON CENTER of Belfair, Wash., seeks a salmon hero to honor at a celebration on Sept. 13. Nominees must be from the...

Nova Scotia Boatbuilders Association.(COMPANY NEWS)
July 1, 2008... The Halifax-based NOVA SCOTIA BOATBUILDERS ASSOCIATION announced early this year the graduation of the first three apprentices to complete its training program, which began three years ago. The program, administered by the boatbuilders...

Sitka, Alaska.(Last set)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Tom Stafford, of Homer, Alaska, and his crew on the Infinite Glory set the all-time record for a single herring set on March 26 at 1.506 tons. or just over 3 million pounds. The previous record was 800 tons.