National Fisherman articles from June 2005

National Fisherman archives from June 2005

Small timers in the Big Apple.(Editorial)
June 1, 2005... And you thought we needed country-of-origin labeling to protect consumers who buy fish? Turns out we need it to protect some of the clowns who sell it--from themselves. According to the New York Times of April 10, six of eight New York...

Fishing back when.
June 1, 2005... 50 YEARS AGO this month Broad policy recommendations adopted by the American Fisheries Advisory Committee at its first session have been submitted to the Fish and Wildlife Service. The committee recommended continuance of the program...

Take the kids lobstering via video.
June 1, 2005... LET'S GO LOBSTERING! Produced by Barking Lobster Entertainment www.letsgolobstering.com 30 minutes DVD, $19.95, VHS $21.95 Parents have a tough task of figuring out what kind of TV programs they should let their kids watch. Certainly...

They've got message management down to a science.(American Association for the Advancement of Science)
June 1, 2005... Environmental groups and scientists have learned that managing the message is like managing fisheries: It all revolves around access. For example, at its recent annual meeting in Washington, D.C., the American Association for the...

A lack of communication.
June 1, 2005... FROM U.S. COAST GUARD REPORTS At 2:05 p.m. Dec. 10, 2002, the Coast Guard marine safety detachment in Ketchikan, Alaska, received notification from a sergeant with the Metlakatla Police Department of a diving accident that had occurred...

Angry angler says industry hurts tuna fishing.(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2005... In the April 2005 issue, the Around the Coasts article on page 10, "Abrupt end to tuna season sends boats north empty," I was taken aback by Richard Ruais' comments about the commercial tuna quota being lumped in with the recreational sector....

Bycatch problems remain, exemptions are suspicious.(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2005... It is good to read that "bycatch reduction" and "ecosystem management" are gaining increasing attention among the seafood industry ("Bye-Bye Bycatch: Turning a Corner on Selectivity," April 2005, p. 17). However, the jury is still out as to...

Oyster opponents include wary Chesapeake citizens.(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2005... Oyster grower Peter Nixon says in his April '05 letter regarding the introduction of non-native Asian oysters to the Chesapeake Bay, "It appears that the only parties who oppose our going forth are those who stand to gain financially from our...

The business of fishing.(a letter from Bill Hogarth)(Brief Article)(Column)
June 1, 2005... In previous columns, I have mentioned my goal of operating fisheries more as a business. What does that mean? For fishermen it means several things. By stopping the race for fish, fishermen can better plan and operate their individual...

Cap'n Sane says ...
June 1, 2005... Growing up boy fisherman, my Old Man was friend, father, boss n'if need be--God. His words in any category were final. But as I learned over my young years, it was the silent words that had the most meanin'. Winter daytimes belonged to...

Maryland seeks MSC stamp for striped bass fishery: state and fishermen work together to gain certificate they hope will boost rockfish sales.(Marine Stewardship Council)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Maryland's commercial striped bass fishery, whose 2003 landings totaled 1.8 million pounds, is the first on the East Coast to seek Marine Stewardship Council certification. In March, Maryland's Department of Natural Resources, in...

Groundfish ruling favors NMFS in habitat lawsuit: but judge calls for better bycatch data.(National Marine Fisheries Service )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Overall, a March ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle was a big victory for Amendment 13's framers. Huvelle rejected the central argument brought in suits filed by Oceana, the Conservation Law Foundation and the Natural...

Corps warns clammers they could get shelled: harvesters finding munitions off N.J. coast.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... A year after World War I grenades and other explosives showed up on new clamshell driveways in Delaware and Maryland, Army experts and the clamming industry are still on the lookout for an uncharted munitions dump site off New Jersey. ...

Efforts targeting promotion of wild shrimp industry: a national branding program and a Texas bill aim to raise consumer interest, dock prices.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... New efforts at several levels are underway to market the U.S. wild shrimp catch as a unique product in order to off set the effect of low-priced imports that have crippled some segments of the domestic industry. Lawmakers in Texas, whose...

Fla. harvesters support bills to amend net ban: seek use of larger mesh in state waters.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... July 1, 2005 marks the 10-year anniversary of the Florida constitutional amendment banning gill and entangling nets in state waters. Yet the battle over gillnets rages on. Sponsoring state House and Senate bills to amend wording in the net...

Fertilizer runoff triggers algal blooms, study says: effluence from farms in Mexico's Yaqui River Valley sparks events in Gulf of California.(PACIFIC)
June 1, 2005... A recently published study further validates fishermen's concerns that coastal water pollution threatens the health of commercial fisheries. The new study, authored by Stanford University researchers, shows that fertilizer runoff from...

Klamath woes shorten troll fishing by weeks: low water flow blamed for light fish run.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Commercial salmon trollers snagged a bad season this year. The Pacific Fishery Management Council agreed in March to shorten the first few months of the season for some southern Oregon and northern California fishermen because of Klamath...

Home port: where we live: Point Pleasant, N.J.
June 1, 2005... THE TOWN Population: Point Pleasant Beach, whose year-round population is 5,403, is home port for most commercial fishing vessels that use Manasquan Inlet. Fleet size: Thirty or more depending on season, ranging from 30 feet to new sea...

U.K. groups want out of European fisheries policy: legislation filed in Parliament to withdraw from plan, regain control over national waters.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... United Kingdom fishing organizations, fed up with European Union fisheries policy they see as disastrous for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, are rebelling. Members of Parliament from England and Scotland have introduced...

Pew-funded study says predator species waning: but Irish leader says overfishing not cause.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Following up on results published in the U.S. journal Nature in 2003, researchers at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, say independent research has confirmed their conclusion that some top-of-the-food-chain fishes are in danger of...

Probe nixes DFO theory on missing Fraser River fish: finds 1.6 million sockeye lost to black market, lack of enforcement, not to warmer water.(Department of Fisheries and Oceans )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... A Canadian Parliamentary standing committee investigating the disappearance of millions of sockeye salmon has dismissed government claims that warm water temperatures were to blame. The standing committee on fisheries' report, submitted to...

Last Samurai: shark and Spanish mackerel gillnetter.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Mike Baker, a fisherman for 30 years, bought the Last Samurai 15 years ago. He and his crew take the boat out primarily at night, ranging 100 miles from Port Salerno to Cape Canaveral in search of sharks. Numbers of boats that use drift...

Production quota plan spurs crabbers to strike: union leader calls decision 'a bombshell'.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Newfoundland crab fishermen voted in late March to keep boats tied to the docks to protest provincial Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Trevor Taylor's decision to implement a "raw material shares" system for processing plants. The system...

Five-year catch limits receive mixed reviews: P.E.I. pans shares for snow crab, shrimp.(Prince Edward Island Fishermen's Association)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... A new five-year federal fishing quota allotment plan for Atlantic Canada has generated mixed reactions from the region's fishermen. Calling the allotment plan "stabilization," Geoff Regan, the federal minister of Fisheries and Oceans,...

Coast Guard cutter rescues drifting fish processor: the 204-member crew of the Independence is towed to safety after losing its steering.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... A Coast Guard cutter towed the Independence, a 360-foot fish processing ship belonging to Trident Seafood Corp., and its 204 crew members to safety after it lost its rudder on the way across the Gulf of Alaska. Earlier in the day, the port...

Kasitsna Bay halibut casserole: Ann Daigle, Kasitsna Bay, Alaska.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Though the Daigles--Patrick, 47, Ann, 42, and their children, Simeon, 16, Benjamin, 14, Aspen, 7 and Autumn, 2--usually dine on salmon as part of the family's commercial setnet operation in Kasitsna Bay, this halibut recipe is one of theft...

Blue king crab research yields surprising results: sea monkey diet helps boost survival rate.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Researchers have racked up a couple of surprising discoveries in their attempts to get to the bottom of declining populations of blue king crab in the northern Bering Sea. Since the closures of blue king crab commercial seasons in areas...

Fishermen laying plans to develop national group: harvesters meet in New Orleans to identify goals, issues, prepare for spring meeting.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Fishermen from all over the country met in New Orleans in late March for a real get-together. Convening for a two-day conference, fishermen laid plans to form a national coalition to give harvesters a unified voice in advocating national...

Chris Nelson: Oxnard, Calif.(Brief Article)(Biography)
June 1, 2005... You could call Chris Nelson the consummate California waterman--a surfer, diver, paddle boarder, former competitive swimmer, ocean lifeguard and commercial sea urchin diver. With this background, one might guess Nelson, 43, is a native...

Healthy 2005 run, greater demand is likely to boost return to vessels.
June 1, 2005... Alaska's salmon fishermen can look for another year of bumper crop production in 2005, and thanks to a favorable swing in demand, fishermen in some areas will receive higher ex-vessel prices than in years previous. Overall, the 2005 Alaska...

Soaring domestic demand keeps prices up despite abundant harvest.
June 1, 2005... Abundant loligo catches in midwinter filled the first-quarter 2005 quota faster than last year, closing the directed fishery Feb. 20. Rhode Island was the center of the winter fishery, landing 11 million pounds in the first two months, followed...

Experimental fishery paying off for Hawaii fleet and sea turtles.
June 1, 2005... After a court-imposed several-year-long hiatus, Hawaii swordfish fishermen began fishing again in April 2004--though at a reduced level of effort than in the past. Bad weather has been the toughest challenge this year, forcing boats...

Skyrocketing fuel costs may keep fleet from achieving profitability.
June 1, 2005... Not even the lure of high sale prices can ensure fishermen will chase tuna in the Gulf of Mexico and the Southeast Atlantic. The high cost of fuel may keep them at the docks. Steven Loga, part-owner of Louisiana-based dealer Tuna Fresh,...

Island times: their idyllic setting notwithstanding, St. Thomas fishermen uneasily contemplate regulatory sea changes.
June 1, 2005... Lady Lee eases out of her slip and heads out of Krum Bay as the sun edges over the peaks of St. Thomas, home of the U.S. Virgin Islands capital. Michael Berry rests his hands comfortably on the wheel with its lucky eight ball ornament. He...

Hogarth sets NMFS' course: he suggests U.S. fisheries are overregulated and says IFQs can empower fishermen to make "business decisions.".(National Marine Fisheries Service, Individual Fishing Quota)
June 1, 2005... The nation's top fisheries bureaucrat is talking like a man who's seen enough of regulation. "We regulate just about everything that can be regulated," says Bill Hogarth, director of NOAA Fisheries. Is this it, he asked, "or are we going...

Sweet siblings: five sister boats built in the 1940s by a prolific Oregon boatbuilder are known for their beaminess, durability and craftsmanship.
June 1, 2005... As a boat carpenter, lucky enough to grow up on the waterfront, I have always had a special interest in the boats that were built alike--sister boats as they are known to the seafaring. Boats are duplicated by builders for several reasons....

Extreme makeovers: converting or remodeling an existing boat can be an attractive alternative to building a new one.(boats and gear)(Cover Story)
June 1, 2005... A lot of people will tell you that very few new boats are being built for commercial fishermen and that generally speaking, boatbuilding is in the tank. To an extent that's true: excluding scallopers and large clam boats, there aren't a lot of...

Tools to go--fishing: don't leave port without them, because you can't walk to the local supply store if one is missing.(boats and gears)
June 1, 2005... A fishing boat at sea is a floating island, isolated from the rest of the world by a stretch of ocean. Sometimes it's just a mile or two of calm bay; other times the ocean is wide, and anything but calm. Either way, once a boat takes its...

The PFD conundrum: there is no shortage of personal flotation devices out there. The shortage is among fishermen who'll wear them on deck.
June 1, 2005... It's called cold-shock response. It's what happens to you or the guy on deck next to you when one of you falls into the water. As soon as you hit the cold water, you gasp for breath and there is a sudden increase in your breathing rate,...

Maximizing the picture: make sure you get what you need when buying a monitor.(boats and gear)
June 1, 2005... Recently I was looking at some back issues of National Fisherman and came across an item that reported the first installation of a radar unit on a scalloper out of Portland, Maine, was some 55 years ago. Back then, there were no video screens...

Industry mulls impact of EPA rule on mercury: fishermen agree on desire for clean seas.(Environmental Protection Agency)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a new rule in March, requiring coal-fired power plants to cut emissions. And as quickly as it was released, environmental groups and some states formed attack plans, asserting the rule doesn't...

Lobster boat likes the jet set; deal offered for jet 40-footer.(Winninghoff Boats )
June 1, 2005... You would think that nearly 15 years lobstering without dragging a propeller, rudder and deep keel under a boat would be enough time to figure out if a water jet worked or didn't work as a form of propulsion. Well, it must work, at least...

Crabbers get bulbous bows; yard set for salmon season.(Fred Wahl Marine Construction)
June 1, 2005... The first week in April, a new 50-foot steel crabber was framed up and her deck was being welded down at Fred Wahl Marine Construction in Reedsport, Ore. The boat started out being built on speculation, but the last week of March, Joe...

Work done on pound-netter; Yankee boat gets "gulf" look.
June 1, 2005... Creighton Palmer's Marine Railway in Abell, Md., on St. Patrick Creek, which runs into the mouth of St. Clements Bay on the Potomac River, would make a wonderful setting for an artist's brush, as nautical artifacts dating from the Model-T Ford...

Bulletin board.(Calendar)
June 1, 2005... NOV. 17-19 Pacific Marine Expo Qwest Field and Events Center, Seattle, Wash. www.pacificmarineexpo.com Pacific Marine Expo brings you the largest gathering of commercial marine professionals on the West Coast. From workboats...

Introducing an original band: a Nova Scotia lobsterman inspires a pneumatic lobster-banding machine.(product)
June 1, 2005... The idea originated as a joke. It ended being a 90-pound, stainless steel, pneumatically operated machine that bands the claws of 20 lobsters per minute, hour after hour. It started when Kenney Graham, a lobsterman on Nova Scotia's Brier...

United Fishermen of Alaska.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... The UNITED FISHERMEN OF ALASKA Board of Directors has named DOUG MECUM its second "Executive Man of the Year." The award recognizes a non-elected public official who made substantial efforts and accomplishments in the past year for the benefit...

Pelican Products.(appointments)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... PELICAN PRODUCTS, of Torrance, Calif., has appointed SCOTT ERMETI to be its vice president of marketing and international business development. He will be responsible for leading Pelican's global marketing, advertising and new business...

C-MAP.(appointments)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... C-MAP, manufacturer of electronic charts and charting systems headquartered in Mashpee, Mass., has announced the hiring of GLENN BUTT as its national sales manager for Canada. Butt's experience includes 13 years in the marine cartography...

Southeast Regional Office.(Brief Article)(Directory)
June 1, 2005... NOAA Fisheries Services' SOUTHEAST REGIONAL OFFICE has relocated to 263 13th Ave., South St. Petersburg, FL 33701. All e-mail addresses will remain the same but phone numbers will change as follows: Directorate, Office of the Regional...

North Sea Resins offers a quick fix: its Rapid Repair Kit is designed to stop pipe and tank leaks.
June 1, 2005... A water tank is leaking. Or maybe you've got to figure out a way to repair the connection at the fuel tank that has been dripping fuel in the bilge. And you have to do a good enough job so that you don't have to slither back to the tank in...

Mustang Survival says its ocean commander immersion suit is more flexible and easier to put on than conventional neoprene suits because it's 45 percent lighter.(AT A GLANCE)
June 1, 2005... MUSTANG SURVIVAL says its OCEAN COMMANDER IMMERSION SUIT is more flexible and easier to put on than conventional neoprene suits because it's 45 percent lighter. The suit features a detachable inner buoyancy liner of closed-cell AirSoft foam for...

Falk has released its Orange Peel Type PCG Pump Coupling Guards that are trimmed to length and attached to the foundation with four fasteners.(AT A GLANCE)
June 1, 2005... FALK has released its Orange Peel Type PCG PUMP COUPLING GUARDS that are trimmed to length and attached to the foundation with four fasteners. An end cap encloses the extension opening, which can be fitted around the pump seal cage when...

FCI Watermakers has released the aquamiser plus with an advanced control system that provides a fully automatic fresh water flush, which can be scheduled once a week or every two weeks, in addition to one-touch manual operation.
June 1, 2005... FCI WATERMAKERS has released the AQUAMISER PLUS with an advanced control system that provides a fully automatic fresh water flush, which can be scheduled once a week or every two weeks, in addition to one-touch manual operation. Automatic tank...

Shakespeare has released its new ART-3 antenna/radio tester, which allows skippers to avoid testing VHF radio and antenna systems by calling for a radio check.(AT A GLANCE)
June 1, 2005... SHAKESPEARE has released its new ART-3 ANTENNA/RADIO TESTER, which allows skippers to avoid testing VHF radio and antenna systems by calling for a radio check. The unit tests receiver function as well as transmitter output power and antenna...

AMSOIL has introduced a new universal synthetic marine gear lube with anti-wear protection, even when contaminated with as much as 10 percent water.(AT A GLANCE)
June 1, 2005... AMSOIL has introduced a new UNIVERSAL SYNTHETIC MARINE GEAR LUBE with anti-wear protection, even when contaminated with as much as 10 percent water. The extreme pressure formulation controls damage from shock loading caused by propeller...

Simrad is launching a new paperless electronic chart display and information system, the CS68 PLECDIS.(AT A GLANCE)
June 1, 2005... SIMRAD is launching a new paperless ELECTRONIC CHART DISPLAY AND INFORMATION SYSTEM, the CS68 PLECDIS. Based on the highly stable, marine dedicated MC50 computer, the CS68 PLECDIS will provide SOLAS vessels with fully approved electronic...

West System says its latest epoxy repair packs--the Handy Repair Pack and Maxi Repair Pack--include all the materials and tools needed to complete simple bonding, coating, fairing and laminating projects.(AT A GLANCE)
June 1, 2005... WEST SYSTEM says its latest EPOXY REPAIR PACKS--the Handy Repair Pack and Maxi Repair Pack--include all the materials and tools needed to complete simple bonding, coating, fairing and laminating projects. To prepare the epoxy, users mix a...

Viking Life-Saving Equipment has developed a new, more extensive line of immersion suits.(AT A GLANCE)
June 1, 2005... VIKING LIFE-SAVING EQUIPMENT has developed a new, more extensive line of IMMERSION SUITS. Ranging from traditional neoprene suits to more advanced polyurethane suits with a separate liner, all suits are approved to the latest Safety of Life at...

Fischer Panda has introduced an enhanced line of generators that feature a digital-control "smart panel" diagnostic system that will continuously monitor performance, alerting captains and owners of general maintenance, adjustment and troubleshooting issues.(AT A GLANCE)
June 1, 2005... FISCHER PANDA has introduced an enhanced line of GENERATORS that feature a digital-control "smart panel" diagnostic system that will continuously monitor performance, alerting captains and owners of general maintenance, adjustment and...

Bettcher Industries Inc. announces a new line of DuraWeigh Heavy-Duty bench scales with an innovative scale design that the company says improves calibration accuracy, operating performance and equipment durability while at the same time reducing equipment downtime, operating costs, and simplifying sanitation and maintenance operations.(AT A GLANCE)
June 1, 2005... BETTCHER INDUSTRIES INC. announces a new line of DuraWeigh Heavy-Duty BENCH SCALES with an innovative scale design that the company says improves calibration accuracy, operating performance and equipment durability while at the same time...

Plotting your life's course.(FINANCE)
June 1, 2005... Do you have the ideal life? Do you want to improve and progress? It's part of human nature to want to succeed, but have you ever sat down and figured out how you're going to get there? In today's times, it's difficult, as we are constantly...

Lobster trap reduction is not the best solution.(MAIL BUOY)(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2005... Every time there's a crisis in the lobster industry, the only solution seems to be a trap reduction. There are other variables that have a greater impact on the lobster than the trap. For example, nutrients, climate changes, water temperature,...

Reader laments changing times, salutes fishermen.(MAIL BUOY)(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2005... I wonder whatever happened to the articles in our local newspapers about the commercial fisherman? Those who venture into the blackness of early mornings and into the open sea. Individuals who live by their instincts, determination, grit and...

Last set.(Chico-Jess believed the oldest side trawler )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... STILL WORKING as an eastern rig, the venerable Chico-Jess, formerly the Michael Ann, is believed to be the oldest side trawler fishing out of Provincetown, Mass. She was built in Damariscotta, Maine, in 1925. Her captain, Francisco (Chico)...