National Fisherman articles from June 2009

National Fisherman archives from June 2009

Seafood for thought.(From Another Perspective)
June 1, 2009... I don't know how widespread the use of seafood consumer guides is or how much attention consumers pay to articles telling them how to be "green." After a brief stint hopping from Web site to Web site, however, I came to the not-too-surprising...

Fishing back when.(NF classics)
June 1, 2009... 50 YEARS AGO The harbor of the fishermen's town of New Harbor, Maine, is filled with fishing boats of various types: Novi, Friendship, Bremen, and other Maine builders' hulls, from dinghy to dragger. One of the Atlantic Coast's busiest...

Crying wolffish.(Washington lookout)
June 1, 2009... For an industry inured to an endless barrage of scientific advocacy, negative press, and aggressive anti-fishing campaigns, the recent petition to list Atlantic wolffish as endangered may seem like more of the same. But it is worth taking a...

Making friends of fishermen.(Dock talk)
June 1, 2009... What do a pharmaceutical salesman, an author, and a Scituate, Mass., fisherman have in common? They are all volunteering their time to serve on the board of directors of Friends of South Shore Fisheries, a new non-profit organization formed to...

Not going overboard.(Consequences)
June 1, 2009... From U.S. Coast Guard reports Any fisherman worth his salt knows the corrosive effects of seawater, whether you've replaced electronics more times than you'd like to count or jury-rigged your gear to keep your extremities dry and,...

Sectors, everyone?(From the town landing)
June 1, 2009... Although the economics of most of New England's fishing industry has been in a steady decline for 20 years, no one has seen as bad a time as the present. New England lobstermen were devastated by the October price collapse that still shows no...

Fishermen deserve a place in the aquaculture market.(Mail buoy)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2009... "Fertile waters" (NF Jan. '09, p. 22). I found to be very informative. The subject matter, however, offers little hope for the commercial fisherman who may be considering getting into the aquaculture business. The exorbitant financial outlay...

Report examines 200 fishing communities.(A letter from James W. Balsiger)(Report)
June 1, 2009... NMFS has recently released a new report that highlights the rich diversity of more than 200 commercial fishing communities across the United States, from tropical zones to the Arctic. "Fishing Comnmnities of the U.S., 2006" is the first...

Name that fish!(In search of the simple life)
June 1, 2009... The best-tasting fish in the world? Silly question, you say? I have two of them in my freezer. No question about it. True, tastes vary from person to person, culture to culture--as in tipnuk, an Eskimo delicacy of raw fish dug up from the...

New NOAA chief negotiates compromise on groundfish; Jane Lubchenco also promises $16 million for cooperative research, transition to sectors.(ATLANTIC)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The interim rule for New England groundfish is less severe than anticipated, with reduced cuts in days at sea, but a virtual closure for much of southern New England's troubled winter flounder fishery. In early...

States, U.S. reject foreign oysters in Chesapeake Bay; longtime proponents gave way in March.(ATLANTIC)
June 1, 2009... Virginia, Maryland and federal agencies in early April officially rejected the use of non-native oysters in Chesapeake Bay. A five-year study conducted by U.S. Army Corps of Engineer officials was part of the long-standing debate on whether...

South Atlantic council shuts down red snapper fishing; interim rule indicates NMFS is 'out of control,' says director of N.C. Fisheries Association.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC)
June 1, 2009... Fishermen in South Atlantic states are finding their reef fish options increasingly limited as the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the National Marine Fisheries Service use drastic means to meet imminent Magnuson-Stevens...

$5 million loan program to help California fishermen; Environmental Defense Fund promotes sustainable fishing and rebuilding communities.(ALASKA and PACIFIC)
June 1, 2009... The non-profit Environmental Defense Fund has launched a $5 million revolving loan program to promote sustainable fishing and rebuild California fishing communities. The first two recipients of California Fisheries Fund loans were announced at...

State making deep cuts in fish and wildlife funding; Wash. axing programs, shutting hatcheries.(ALASKA and PACIFIC)
June 1, 2009... Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire's proposed budget for the Department of Fish and Wildlife would include the closure of five hatcheries, resulting in a reduction of non-endangered salmon production, and a 40 percent reduction in fishing and...

Canadian, U.S. lobstermen gather for annual meeting; stakeholders in North Atlantic fishery discuss joint marketing, sustainability, traceability.(NATION/WORLD)
June 1, 2009... "A tremendous meeting" is the way Morell, Prince Edward Island, lobsterman Kenny Drake described the annual Canadian-U.S. Lobstermen's Town Meeting held in St. John, New Brunswick, March 27-28. "At the town hall meeting, no one is under any...

Cod comeback heads west from North Sea to Canada; EU seal ban threatens recovery prospect.(NATION/WORLD)
June 1, 2009... Several years of anecdotal reports of cod's comeback in the North Atlantic have at long last been confirmed by increased quotas for the fishery in the North Sea. Now the numbers are looking up in Maritime Canada, as well. In early April,...

Alaska forecast rosy with pricier pinks; West Coast trollers again face closure.(ALASKA/PACIFIC: SALMON)
June 1, 2009... While Alaska fishermen ready their nets for this season's projected harvest of 175 million salmon, the West Coast industry is bracing for another tough year. Alaska's pink salmon prices climbed sharply in 2008, and with bountiful harvests in...

One-time 'ethnic' fish is now making inroads with foodies, fine diners alike.(NORTHEAST: SCUP)
June 1, 2009... Scientists' reassessment of scup data this winter pegged the East Coast stock at 130 percent of the biomass rebuilding goal. That takes porgies way out of the overfished status of recent years that veteran captains always disputed. "The...

They're certifiable! (or else!): consumers, especially in Europe, want assurance that whoever catches their fish is doing the right thing.(Market forces)
June 1, 2009... To be or not to be--as in, certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council--that is the question some U.S. fisheries are wrestling with. They know the MSC is a marquee name in seafood eco-labeling. Some wonder whether they can afford...

What's it worth? Some factors in a boat's value are beyond your control.(Boats & Gear: Money matters)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The guy on the phone was a Maine lobsterman from up the coast a bit, looking for help. "I'm wondering if you could give me an appraisal of the value of my boat," was how he started out, which is not unusual at all....

Lightweights! More power, less glass were keys to development of speed demon lobster boats.(Boats & Gear: Mainers on the move)
June 1, 2009... "It's an awful job to build a boat that will do everything they want it to do." That's Ernest Libby Jr., Maine boatbuilder and boat designer on Beals Island who's been designing and building lobster boats since about 1962. It's a short...

38-footer can get up and go; free hull at lobster boat races.(NORTHEAST)
June 1, 2009... In Addison, Maine, just across the town line from Jonesport, Guptill Custom Marine finished off and launched a Northern Bay 38 from Downeast Boats and Composites in Penobscot, Maine, on April 2. Powered with a flex-mounted 330-hp Volvo...

Railway may take workboats; watermen change to outboards.(SOUTH)
June 1, 2009... Chesapeake Marine Railway and Dry Dock Co. was a cornerstone of the Baltimore waterfront in the 1800s. Baltimore was a center of commerce for the entire Chesapeake region, and the marine railway was an important part of the waterfront's...

Fresh flush: Raritan's head saves space and money, and it looks good.(Product roundup)
June 1, 2009... OK, let's face it, you are not going to find a lot of fishermen putting Raritan's new head on their boats. The Sea/Fresh Marine Elegance toilet with its one-piece vitreous china bowl and full size toilet seat is going to be a bit too stylish...

Intellian Technologies introduced its Dish network Multi-Satellite Interface Module.(At a glance)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] INTELLIAN TECHNOLOGIES introduced its Dish network MULTI-SATELLITE INTERFACE MODULE. When you change channels on a TV, the satellite receiver switches between Dish satellites, and instead of manual satellite...

Marine Flotation Products is now representing Murrenhil's ROC Barrier, which is billed as the "world's fastest and least expensive first-response oil containment system.".(At a glance)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] MARINE FLOTATION PRODUCTS is now representing Murrenhil's ROC BARRIER, which is billed as the "world's fastest and least expensive first-response oil containment system." Murrenhil's ROC Barrier uses a combination of...

Thrane & Thrane will release in mid-2009 three new VHF radios, the Sailor 6210, 6215 and 6216.(At a glance)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THRANE & THRANE will release in mid-2009 three new VHF radios, the SAILOR 6210, 6215 and 6216. The model 6210 is the basic radio, the 6215 is DSC class D, and the 6216 is also DSC class D and FCC approved. The radios...

Algae-X International's latest fuel-polishing system, the Smart FPS series combines fully automated controls and monitoring with fuel decontamination, water and sediment removal.(At a glance)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ALGAE-X INTERNATIONAL'S latest fuel-polishing system, the SMART FPS series combines fully automated controls and monitoring with fuel decontamination, water and sediment removal. The Smart FPS series functions as an...

A new quality control program at Alaska Air Cargo is designed to keep seafood cold.(COMPANY NEWS)
June 1, 2009... A new QUALITY CONTROL PROGRAM at ALASKA AIR CARGO is designed to keep seafood cold. Alaska Air Cargo's new training program is for employees who handle perishables like fresh Alaska seafood. Defined by the seafood industry as "cool chain," the...

Stellwagen Bank, off Gloucester, Mass.(Last set)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Pete Shoares, a crewman on the 35-foot Gloucester gillnetter Gillian Anne, is pied piper to a flock of gulls after dumping cod entrails during the steam home in January.