National Fisherman articles from July 2009

National Fisherman archives from July 2009

Honoring 50 years of visionaries.(VIEWS from Alaska)
July 1, 2009... The history of fishing in Alaska is intertwined with our half century of statehood. The need to take control over our state's then-depleted salmon fisheries was a driving force in the 1950s movement toward statehood. Since becoming a U.S. state...

Not buying it.(Editor's log)
July 1, 2009... By my calculations, there will soon be more seafood lists than there are varieties of fish. The most recent I have come across is "Canada's Sustainable Sushi Guide." This list is for folks who are conflicted about their consumption of...

Debated: factors of the ocean's demise versus missing the boat on the diagnosis.(Fo'c'sle library)
July 1, 2009... Endangered Oceans Edited by Louise I. Gerdes Greenhaven Press, 2009 Hardcover, 234 pp., $25.95 www.gale.cengage.com/greenhaven [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The title "Endangered Oceans" might trigger an image of a...

The margin of error.(From Another Perspective)
July 1, 2009... "To relegate to an unimportant or powerless position within a society or group," says MerriamWebster's OnLine, is to marginalize. Does that ring a bell or two? If you're in any seafood-related business--or if you just fish for fun--the Bells of...

Between a rock and a hard place: from UK Marine Accident investigation branch reports.(Consequences)
July 1, 2009... Worldwide, skippers, vessel owners and crew members are struggling to find a balance between low dock prices and the cost of manning and equipping commercial fishing vessels. Ireland's crabbing fleet is no exception. How would any industry...

Research, then respond.(From the town landing)
July 1, 2009... Now that the new president has reinstated an elevated role for "science" in federal decision-making, and hired an eminent ecosystem scientist, Jane Lubchenco, to head NOAA, does this mean that New England may be on the path toward sustainable...

Sustaining the bureaucracy.(Washington lookout)
July 1, 2009... Recently, Congress passed, and President Obama signed into law, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, better known as the stimulus bill. The purpose of $787 billion in ARRA funds--of which NMFS' parent agency, NOAA, received $830...

Maine lobsterman would cut government, not traps.(Mail buoy)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2009... We face higher cost of living and a government that imposes endless regulations on fishermen and surrounding businesses. Recently some special interest groups described the possibility of government taking half of Maine lobstermen's traps as a...

A seafood education opportunity.(A letter from James W. Balsiger)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2009... The United Nations has officially designated June 8 as annual World Ocean Day. This signals broader recognition of the critical role marine resources play in global society. While fishermen don't need a designated holiday to remind them of...

In search of the sun.(In search of the simple life)
July 1, 2009... I finally found some sun. The Mojave Desert. Drove down there with Rocket Mary, veteran salmon troller from way back when... well, not that far back. Better be careful here. We saw some amazing sights. Mono Lake in the eastern Sierras,...

Second wind for turbines follows new energy policy: rules for northeast projects remain unclear.(ATLANTIC)
July 1, 2009... The Obama administration sharply turned the future of offshore energy policy with a revised assessment that stresses the potential for offshore wind turbines in the northwest Atlantic, while leaving the door open for natural gas or oil...

Ted Stevens, Sarah Palin headline ComFish gala dinner: Trade Show's gathering in Kodiak celebrates 50 years of Alaska statehood and fishing.(ALASKA and PACIFIC)
July 1, 2009... "In Alaska, sustainability isn't a fad or a gimmick; it's a long-held, heartfelt commitment to our resources." --Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin ComFish, Maska's largest and longest running trade show, took place April 23-25 this year at the...

Home port: where we live: Nenana, Alaska.
July 1, 2009... Commercial openings for salmon in the area around Nenana, Alaska, which has a year-round population of 500, are dictated largely by escapements in the lower Yukon River. Chinooks arrive at Nenana, at the confluence of the Tanana and Nenana...

Landings tax proposed in California Assembly: fish and game claims revenue shortfall.(ALASKA and PACIFIC)
July 1, 2009... Citing shortfalls in revenue needed to manage the state's commercial fisheries, the California Assembly has introduced legislation that would tax landings based on their ex-vessel value. Under the proposal, the initial tax rate would be 1.5...

NMFS bans Gulf of Mexico longliners inside 50 fathoms: turns down alternative turtle protection rule approved by fishermen and conservationists.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC)
July 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "They destroy the fish houses; they destroy small businesses." --Bob Spaeth, owner Madeira Beach (Fla.) Seafood Long-held fears of many grouper fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico have h natty come true with a...

State budget crunch hits N.C. fisheries management: field surveys, management plans held up.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC)
July 1, 2009... State cutbacks are forcing the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries to halt field survey work, holding up progress on fishery management plans and stalling proposed interim rules. "It isn't over yet," said Gov. Bev Purdue after...

Georgia shrimp boat turns tide to the passenger trade: skipper jumps ship to stay on the water.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC)
July 1, 2009... These days commercial fishermen have to explore new ways to stay competitive and on the water at the same time. For some, that has meant jumping ship altogether from the harvest trade to tourism. For Capt. Larry Credle of the Lady Jane, docked...

Sardine spaghetti: John Mangiapane San Diego.(GALLEY WATCH: AT-SEA CUISINE)
July 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] So you think you love Italian food and seafood? Well, grab a fork because here is a recipe for the full-blooded Sidlian seafood lover. "You have to like fish," says San Diego-based swordfish fisherman John...

Prince Edward Island fishermen gear up for branding: P.E.I. premium seafood aims to give Canadian fishermen a share in their own future.(NATION/WORLD)
July 1, 2009... "Our plan is to manage this resource from the boat to the wharf to the processing plant and on to delivery to the market." --Eric Wagner, P.E.I. Premium Seafood A group of Prince Edward Island fishermen hope their new company, P.E.I....

Marine protected areas unified in national system: feds will monitor, not manage, charter sites.(NATION/WORLD)
July 1, 2009... On April 22 this year, the departments of Interior and Commerce announced a partnership with federal, state and territorial agencies in launching a national system of marine protected areas. The system will be used to monitor 225 existing...

Florida's unsteady supply encourages foreign traders to enter roe business.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC: MULLET)
July 1, 2009... The Gulf of Mexico 2008-09 fall and winter roe season didn't halt discouraging declines in the mullet market, and it's difficult to find any encouraging signs for the near future. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The roe-mullet market, which...

Recession weighs down halibut price, but blackcod's value is rising with yen.(PACIFIC: HALIBUT & BLACKCOD)
July 1, 2009... The health of this year's ex-vessel prices for halibut and blackcod will be driven by the relative strength of the U.S. and Japanese economies. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Both species are harvested from March until mid-November. But the...

World of hurt: uncertain year awaits lobster industry in wake of Iceland banking meltdown.(Following the money)
July 1, 2009... With peak summer and fall lobster season on the horizon, Maine lobstermen continue to face challenges stemming from the world economic meltdown and the collapse of Iceland's banking sector last fall. Dockside lobster prices plummeted in the...

A bold step backward: a Bristol Bay salmon fisherman returns to his roots with a 49-year-old wooden gillnetter built by Bumble Bee.(Boats & Gear)(Cover story)
July 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It was a stubborn cold start, but once the old Perkins fired off it rolled along like a good diesel should. Mike Carr was like a kid on Christmas morning with his new toy, grinning in anticipation of the upcoming...

Cold logic: ice, applied one way or another, is vital to quality.(Boats & Gear: Refrigeration)
July 1, 2009... The Mendenhall Glacier outside of Juneau, Alaska, is a tourist destination. You get there by hiking, taking a bus or riding a tour boat. But for those who shipped out on halibut schooners in the early 1900s--the fishery was, by the way, the...

Martinique gets a Maine boat; P.E.I. lobsterman goes all glass.(NORTHEAST)
July 1, 2009... It was pretty obvious the 39-footer coming out of a bay at H&H Marine in Steuben, Maine, was not the typical lobster boat. Not with the name Rasta Family across its transom. Then there was the boat's owner Yves Hubert Amable, all 6-foot-7...

Gillnetters choose low power; more boats go to Copper River.(WEST)
July 1, 2009... In May Petrzelka Bros. in Mount Vernon, Wash., usually launches a couple of new salmon gillnetters for Alaska, and this year was no exception. The boatshop had finished off two hulls that were due to go in the water by the second week of the...

Ala. yard's forte is scallopers; a tug joins the menhaden fleet.(SOUTH)
July 1, 2009... In 1975, the La Force family started La Force Shipyard in Bayou La Batre, Ala., primarily to build commercial fishing boats for the Gulf of Mexico shrimp fishery. The most notable change over the years is the yard's name. Since 2005 La Force...

The bag is back: Mondo Polymer improves coloring and reduces leaks.(Product roundup)
July 1, 2009... You would see them washed up on the shores of western Canada and Alaska, with a number and the boat's name written across the faded red bag. In most cases the bags' rope eyes were torn away. You didn't find the bags as often 12 or 13 years...

West System has an epoxy that's designed to repair leaks in aluminum boats and adhere to other metals and plastics.(At a glance)
July 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WEST SYSTEM has an epoxy that's designed to repair leaks in aluminum boats and adhere to other metals and plastics. 650-8 G/FLEX is a waterproof two-part epoxy with a 1-to-1 ratio that is available as a liquid or a...

Northern Lights' Technicold has come out with an electrical load management system called Automatic Linear Load Bank System.(At a glance)
July 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] NORTHERN LIGHTS' TECHNICOLD has come out with an electrical load management system called AUTOMATIC LINEAR LOAD BANK SYSTEM. It s a freshwater-cooled load bank mat features variable outputs. A supplemental...

Auto-Maskin, a Norwegian company, offers the Marine Pro range of diesel engine monitoring and controls.(At a glance)
July 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] AUTO-MASKIN, a Norwegian company, offers the MARINE PRO range of diesel engine monitoring and controls. This is a series of self-contained modules that can be networked together or used as stand-alone units. Marine...

Dr. Shrink's latest product might be just the thing for smaller boats that tie up to docks with a lot of tidal range.(At a glance)
July 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] DR. SHRINK's latest product might be just the thing for smaller boats that tie up to docks with a lot of tidal range. TIDE MINDERS consists of nine balls--described as "virtually indestructible"--that are threaded...

Alfa Laval's Pure Bilge.(At a glance)
July 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ALFA LAVAL's PURE BILGE is a centrifugal bilge-water treatment system that isn't affected by the boat's motion, oil shocks or high solid loading. No back flushing is required, and nothing has to be pumped ashore at a...

MTU.(COMPANY NEWS)
July 1, 2009... German diesel engine company MTU this year celebrates its centenary. The company, headquartered in Friedrichshafen, German, is hosting a large program of events, including a May gala attended by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The new series...

Dutch Harbor, Alaska.(Last set)
July 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Some of the 676 bald eagles (according to an Audubon Society tally) that make their home in the environs of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, pick groundfish scraps from a trawl net being repaired at the local Swan Net shop in...