National Fisherman articles from March 2006

National Fisherman archives from March 2006

March 2006 this months highlights.(The hail)
March 1, 2006... For a while, anticipating reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act was like waiting for the cows to come home. But at long last the Senate Commerce Committee has reported out a bill, and by all accounts, the House Resources Committee was...

Welcome aboard.(Alaska Fisherman's Journal, National Fisherman merge)(protecting lobsters, coral reefs)(Editorial)
March 1, 2006... I'm not sure I want to say, "Welcome to the new National Fisherman," because it seems trite, but there's much that's new about us this month. Most noticeable, perhaps, is the magazine's size, 10 inches by 12 1/2 instead of 11 by 14. This...

50 years ago.(Fishing Back When)
March 1, 2006... William E. Scheville of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is interested in whale sightings, including blackfish, grampus, dolphins and the common porpoise--or as it is sometimes referred to by Yankees, snuffer, puffing pig or herring...

10 years ago.(Fishing Back When)
March 1, 2006... Booming salmon harvests from both aquaculture and fishing prompt worries of a glut. Glut forecasts are a fact of life in the salmon business: buyers plead poverty and fishermen promise to tie up if the price is low. But 1996 began with low...

30 years ago.(Fishing Back When)
March 1, 2006... Popular with trollers from the Oregon port after which it's named, today's Pacific City dory is a far cry from its ancestral Grand Banks dories of the late 19th century. Although it retains their flat, raking sides and the high raking bow, the...

A Georgia shrimper who's seen most, if not all of it.(Fo'c'sle library)(The Life and Times of a Shrimp Fisherman)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
March 1, 2006... The Life and Times of a Shrimp Fisherman By John J. Keating, Jr. Infinity Publishing.com, 2005 Softcover, 173 pp., $15.95 The first book by author John Keating Jr., "The Life and Times of a Shrimp Fisherman is a true account of one man's...

Why it doesn't pay to run aground off Alaska in winter.(Fo'c'sle library)(Farallon Shipwreck and Survival on the Alaska Shore)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
March 1, 2006... Farallon Shipwreck and Survival on the Alaska Shore By Steve K. Lloyd Washington State University Press, 2000 Softcover, 201 pp., $18.95 On a snowy morning in January 1910, the Alaska Steamship Co.'s steamer Farallon struck Black Reef in...

An homage to Michael Crichton.(From another perspective)(agenda-driven science)
March 1, 2006... According to one of the main characters in Michael Crichton's latest bestseller, "State of Fear," "Modern people live in abject fear. They are afraid of strangers, of disease, of crime, of the environment. They are afraid of the homes they live...

New markets for Alaska salmon?(Dock talk)
March 1, 2006... Is there a Latin American market for Alaska salmon? The question dogged me during a trip I made to Peru last May. I was surprised to see salmon fillets available in a supermarket chain, for about $4.70 (USD) a pound. I found out that the...

Know thy emergency procedures.(Consequences)(accident prevention)
March 1, 2006... Transportation Safety Board of Canada Lest we forget, because we are conscientious and foresighted, accidents can happen aboard well-maintained boats with appropriately certified crews and the latest in survival gear. In this case, the...

Fla. fisherman opposes 'managing' cownose rays.(Mail buoy)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2006... I have been a reader of your magazine for about 25 years and a paid subscriber for more than half of that time in one form or another. I am and will continue to be a commercial fisherman my entire working career. We own and operate a highly...

Lifelong recreational angler praises Nils Stolpe article.(Mail buoy)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2006... As a private boater and recent subscriber to National Fisherman, I found Nils Stolpe's article "Towards a rational oceans policy" ("From another perspective," NF Dec. '05, p. 7) to be well written and right on the mark regarding the role of...

New N.Y. tuna outfit values National Fisherman articles.(Mail buoy)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2006... We have recently entered the commercial fishing industry and want to thank you for all the valuable information contained in your publication. Our company is a commercial tuna fishing operation based out of New York City, and as a novice...

Cap'n Sane says ...
March 1, 2006... Well, we had a bang-up feisty meetin' last night up at Amos's store. It all came about when Shorty Gage did a ten-house t'house canvass complete with paper petition on formin' a Sat'Day Cove Co-op. We never had one before 'cause no two...

Fish farm growth is inevitable, reader says.
March 1, 2006... Thank you for publishing the excellent feature article entitled Betting the Farm?" by Paul Molyneaux (NF Dec. '05, p. 28). Marine aquaculture projects are going to grow over the next few decades, as the human population is expected to reach...

NMFS in the new year.
March 1, 2006... With the 135th anniversary of the National Marine VV Fisheries Service and the 30th anniversary of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act both occurring in 2006, now is a good opportunity to discuss some key issues of...

It can only get better.(In search of the simple life)(Alaskan fishery)(Column)
March 1, 2006... "Chicken pox? You gotta be kidding..." The kid got the call on his cell phone while we were having breakfast at the Bay Cafe at Fisherman's Terminal. It was from his relief skipper on the Pathfinder, a 180-foot cod boat fishing on the...

Lingcod stock recovers ahead of managers' projections: species removed from overfished list, but harvest restrictions remain to protect rockfish.(PACIFIC)
March 1, 2006... One of the key species caught by West Coast fishermen using all gear types has been removed from the overfished list--four years ahead of projections. In December, NMFS declared lingcod rebuilt. It's now at 64 percent of its unfished...

Calif. fishermen develop marine reserve proposal: strive to keep vital fishing grounds open.(PACIFIC)
March 1, 2006... Central California fishermen, knowing that the move to establish marine reserves is marching forward, and is now focused on central California, are proposing a plan that would minimize reserves' impact on them. A group of 33 fishermen are...

Complex issues surround groundfish rationalization: council studying obstacles to Alaska plan.(PACIFIC)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Groundfish rationalization in the Gulf of Alaska will top fishery management issues in terms of controversy throughout 2006. The North Pacific Fishery Management Council has held discussions in the surly task of dividing up shares of cod,...

Fluke quota cut by 20% to meet rebuilding standards: commercial sector blames recreational overages; anglers say NMFS catch estimates faulty.(ATLANTIC)(National Marine Fisheries Service)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Summer flounder should be a fisheries management success story. But rebuilding schedules and recreational catch estimates led managers to slash the 2006 quotas by more than 20 percent. "I've been fishing 50 years, 40 years commercially, and...

Elfin Cove: Alaska.(HOME PORT: Where we live)
March 1, 2006... THE TOWN Population: There are 26 year-round residents, but there are 150-plus folks when the Southeast salmon troll season revs up in late summer. Number of boats: There are 30 year round, but the number doubles in late summer. TOP...

Conservation effort cites millionth V-notched bug: goal is to rebuild R.I., Mass. lobster stock.(ATLANTIC)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... It was in January of 1996 that a barge went ashore off Point Judith R.I., spilling more than 800,000 gallons of No. 2 fuel oil and killing an estimated eight million lobsters. In the aftermath the responsible party agreed to fund an ambitious...

Shipwreck plan giving mariners sinking feeling: could restrict fishing in Stellwagen Bank.(ATLANTIC)
March 1, 2006... A Plan for protecting historic shipwrecks in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary has recreational dive groups raising alarms about possible access restrictions, including one proposal for 1-mile square restricted zones that would bar...

John Banyas: Cortez, Fla.(SNAPSHOT: WHO WE ARE)(Brief Article)(Interview)
March 1, 2006... One of the new breed of young, professional fishermen who have learned to adapt and survive despite Florida's industry-hostile fisheries policies, John Banyas, 40, had to cope with severe natural adversity to hang on to his business in 2005....

Sinking off Newfoundland spurs questions on rescue: four crew members lost when vessel rolls.(ATLANTIC)
March 1, 2006... Questions have arisen about the sinking of the fishing vessel Melina and Keith II off the Newfound land coast in September, 2005, which resulted in the drowning of four of the eight crew members. The Canadian Coast Guard "did everything it...

Sea urchin linguini: Mike Neil, Ramona, Calif.(GALLEY WATCH: AT-SEA CUISINE)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Mike Neil, a long-time sea urchin diver in Ramona, Calif., says urchin roe (uni) isn't just for sushi anymore. "There are more conventional ways for eating it," he says. You can add it to pasta dishes, as in the recipe that foi lows, mix it in...

Fishermen approve grouper buyout plan in referendum: permit proposal receives 70 percent of votes cast, heads to Congress for consideration.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC)
March 1, 2006... With a grouper permit buyout approved by margin of nearly 70 percent in a referendum last year, the next steps are up to federal regulators and Congress, says Eric Schmidt, vice chairman of the industry committee that formulated the plan. ...

Alaska boat lift tackling high and dry blues in La.: Valdez rig to move vessels stranded inland.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC)
March 1, 2006... Fishermen in hurricane-ravaged south Louisiana are getting a helping hand from northern neighbors who know what it's like to have to pick up the pieces after a natural disaster strikes. The city of Valdez, Alaska, has donated a marine...

Salty's Tours: combination boat.(BOAT OF THE MONTH)
March 1, 2006... Diversity is the name of the game for New Jersey fisherman Brick Wenzel, who ranges along more than 130 miles of coast using one of the few jet-drive boats in the Mid-Atlantic fisheries. "We're pretty happy with it. That boat can get up and...

N.C. project to promote locally caught seafood: program aims for economic, cultural gains.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC)
March 1, 2006... Seafood enthusiasts will soon discover an easy way to find fresh, local seafood in Carteret County, North Carolina. Restaurants and seafood markets participating in a new marketing project called "Carteret Catch: Select N.C. Seafood from...

Experts prescribe seafood to Americans for best health: U.S.D.A recommendation to eat two meals a week extends to pregnant and nursing women.(NATION/WORLD)
March 1, 2006... Following a December conference that brought many of the world s leading scientists, academics and dieticians to Washington, D.C., to discuss the relationship between seafood and health, U.S. Department of Agriculture dietary guidelines will...

Tsunami-relief effort helps replace lost fishing boats: boatbuilding program provides 360 vessels.(NATION/WORLD)
March 1, 2006... While U.S. fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico were fighting to obtain federal assistance to recover from the devastation wrought by the 2005 hurricane season, on Dec. 26 their counterparts in Southeast Asia marked the anniversary of the massive...

News from the regional management councils.(COUNCIL UPDATES)
March 1, 2006... North Pacific The North Pacific Fishery Management Council got top marks from the Ocean Conservancy, based on its improvement in controlling overfishing. In addition, a study by the group Oceana determined that Alaska's fishing industry...

Mid-summer closures loom again, but high demand buoys dock price.(PACIFIC SALMON)
March 1, 2006... Salmon trollers stung by last year's middle-of-the-summer closures may find little relief in 2006. Columbia River gillnetters, too, may face more limited seasons. But they also may also receive similar ex-vessel prices, which in some '...

Political climate a greater menace than storms to Florida's hook fleet.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC GROUPER)
March 1, 2006... Despite consecutive severe hurricane seasons in the Gulf of Mexico, grouper landings have remained generally good and prices high. The real storm bearing down on Florida's west coast ports, which account for most of the fishery's domestic...

Fishermen report signs of abundance; states say seasons key to production.(NORTHEAST SCUP)
March 1, 2006... Last year the fish were there, but scup prices were so low that few fishermen could make money on the rebounding stock. By early 2006, low porgy prices ranging around 20 cents to $1 per pound--plus a stock calculation that headed south...

Product supply, exchange rate play significant role in off-the-boat price.(NORTH PACIFIC HERRING)
March 1, 2006... Markets have been holding steady for Alaska's herring roe. But harvest volumes and the relative strength of the Japanese yen against the dollar could be crucial factors in determining ex-vessel prices in the upcoming season. According to...

For a B.C. skipper, doubt rises with the seas: the Royal Canadian can't escape the ground swell; can she find 200 tons of hake?(At sea)(Esko Huopalainen)
March 1, 2006... A stiff westerly blows up the Fraser River as a shore crew finishes loading 26 tons of ice and we prepare to leave the community of Steveston, south of Vancouver, British Columbia, for the last trip of the hake fishery season. "It's been...

It's allocation, allocation, allocation: the Magnuson Act will tackle many issues, but it will be judged on consolidating fisheries.(Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 2005)(Cover Story)
March 1, 2006... When Congress finally passes the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 2005 this year, it will set a course for fishery management that reflects the world as it is today, not as it was in 1976, when Magnuson originally...

Party time at poor house cove: there's nothing like an old-fashioned boat launching--complete with a wooden boat--to bring folks out Down East.(Boats & Gear: Boatbuilding)
March 1, 2006... Tracking down a fishermen's party isn't hard. Just find a lot of pickups, most of them fairly new, like the muscular Dodge Rams, Ford F250s and Chevies (one had "LOBSTR" for a license plate number) that lined McFarlands Cove Road in South...

New antennas clear the air: advancements in durability and performance are resulting in improved communications.(Boats & Gear: Talk radio)
March 1, 2006... Someone once told me, "VHF antennas are one of life's big mysteries. All I'm totally sure of is that any antenna is better than no antenna, and the antenna should be as long and as high as possible." The last part of the statement isn't...

If fishing boats had tackle boxes ... here's what, you might find in new ones.(Boats & Gear: Rigging things)(Buyers Guide)
March 1, 2006... You can have a propulsion system that that runs faultlessly, a wheelhouse full of the latest electronics and a crack crew, but if the gear that goes over the side to catch the fish that the electronics have located and the propulsion system has...

Connecting with the customers: at New Jersey's Viking Village, fishermen conduct popular dockside tours and educate an eager public about the life and business of commercial fishing.(Public relations)
March 1, 2006... They say a picture tells a thousand words, so that's where scalloper Jim Gutowski starts talking, in front of a painted mural on one side of the dock shed at Viking Village. "How many people eat sea scallops?" Gutowski asks about 50 people...

Builder's 28 proving popular; PEI yard is almost too busy.(NORTHEAST)(Terry Jason)(Jamie Hustler)
March 1, 2006... Terry Jason, owner of T. Jason Boats in Steuben, Maine, runs lobster traps every summer. He fishes out of what he describes as "a great big skiff." For sometime now he's wanted to move up to a bigger boat, and four times he's started building...

Bulbs added to cut fuel costs; damaged crabber is repaired.(WEST)
March 1, 2006... For a lot of commercial fishermen, the mantra for 2006 might be "Focus on fuel." Plenty of money is being spent on ways to reduce fuel's cost. Money-saving measures include installing new A engines that don't burn as much diesel and...

Hurricanes, fire take their toll on region's boatyards in '05.(SOUTH)
March 1, 2006... The year 2005 was a rough one for southern boatyards as hurricanes devastated boatyards in Alabama and a fire hit a Maryland boatshop. Irvin Jemeson of Ocean Marine in Bayou La Batre, Ala., reports that his yard has recovered from Hurricane...

Bulletin board.(Calendar)
March 1, 2006... MARCH 12-14, 2006 International Boston Seafood Show Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, Boston, Mass. * www.bostomeafood.com Buyers at the International Boston Seafood Show, the industry's choice for sourcing and selling...

Applied Technology & Management.(ON THE MOVE)
March 1, 2006... APPLIED TECHNOLOGY & MANAGEMENT welcomes ROBERT DULLANTY, SR., who brings to the company over 20 years of experience as a structural engineer and principal of his own firm. Dullanty comes to the Charleston, S.C., office to support the...

Iridium.(ON THE MOVE)
March 1, 2006... IRIDIUM, the global supplier of mobile satellite communications services, has named JIM HAMANT as vice president of production and distribution and appointed DAVID SCHOEN to the newly created position of vice president of technology...

Furuno.(COMPANY NEWS)(National Marine Electronics Association awards)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... FURUNO won four awards out of eight categories at the 2005 National Marine Electronics Association Convention in Naples, Fla. Furuno reports it was recognized by NMEA more than any two manufacturers combined. The company has received a total of...

Mastry Engine Center.(COMPANY NEWS)
March 1, 2006... At a recent Mainship Trawlers dealer meeting, marine distributor MASTRY ENGINE CENTER was honored with the Vendor of the Year Award. Mastry Engine Center has specialized in marine engines and parts since 1962 and the company supplies Yanmar...

Boattraderonline.com.(COMPANY NEWS)
March 1, 2006... BOATTRADERONLINE.COM, a division of Trader Electronic Media and the online portal to Boat Trader(r)Magazine, has launched SailBoatTraderOnline.com, an online classified site designed specifically for sailboat enthusiasts....

Honda Marine.(COMPANY NEWS)
March 1, 2006... HONDA MARINE announces the unveiling of its new True 5 warranty program, being introduced during the 2006 boat show season. The new offering, the company says, will offer Honda Marine customers an industry first: a "true five"-year,...

Little, but alert: Johnson Pump's bilge alarm is small, simple and reliable.(Product roundup)
March 1, 2006... You don't have to be the owner of an ill-kept old scow to have a boat slide out from under you and disappear beneath the waves. Even well maintained and designed boats costing hundreds of thousands of dollars have taken a straight shot to the...

Purifier gives water the boot: Dieselcraff's filterless separator keeps fuel flowing to the engine.(Product roundup)
March 1, 2006... Pull away from the fuel dock and there's a good chance your boat's fuel tanks are packing more than diesel fuel. There could be a good bit of freshwater. It probably comes from condensation in the fuel supplier's tanks. For that matter, your...

Airmar Technology Corp. has introduced a pinger that's designed to keep harbor porpoises and other marine mammals away from gillnets.(At a glance)
March 1, 2006... AIRMAR TECHNOLOGY CORP. has introduced a pinger that's designed to keep harbor porpoises and other marine mammals away from gillnets. The GILLNET PINGER emits a 132-decibel signal every four seconds. Its 10-kilohertz frequency is designed to be...

Foldy Pac Protective Solutions developed covers for the U.S. Navy designed to protect weapons from corrosion.(At a glance)
March 1, 2006... FOLDY PAC PROTECTIVE SOLUTIONS developed covers for the U.S. Navy designed to protect weapons from corrosion. They're now available for commercial use to protect winches and davits. ENVELOP PROTECTIVE COVERS are lightweight and flexible. They...

ACR Electronics offers a float-free voyage-data recorder that can be used after an accident to review procedures and instructions in the moments before the incident to help identify the cause of the accident.(At a glance)
March 1, 2006... ACR ELECTRONICS offers a float-free voyage-data recorder that can be used after an accident to review procedures and instructions in the moments before the incident to help identify the cause of the accident. The RAPIDTRACK S-VDR interfaces...

Sea-Fire Marine markets an automatic fire-suppression system that utilizes an alternative to Halon.(At a glance)
March 1, 2006... SEA-FIRE MARINE markets an automatic fire-suppression system that utilizes an alternative to Halon. FIRE FOE uses Envirogel, a gelled, non-corrosive gas powder that is safe for people and equipment. It is Coast Guard approved. Fires are...

Night Vision Technologies says its new 1018i Thermal Camera provides better imagery than the company's previous model.(At a glance)
March 1, 2006... NIGHT VISION TECHNOLOGIES says its new 1018i THERMAL CAMERA provides better imagery than the company's previous model. Thermal imaging reads heat from an object and works in total darkness, smoke or fog, whereas night-vision equipment requires...

Yamaha America has improved its ability to deliver data relating to engine functions and warning systems with its Command Link integrated information system.(At a glance)
March 1, 2006... YAMAHA AMERICA has improved its ability to deliver data relating to engine functions and warning systems with its COMMAND LINK integrated information system. This allows newly designed digital instruments to network with other devices over a...

Bivalve, New Jersey.(Last set)
March 1, 2006... The Ocean View, a shallow-draft oyster boat built in Deltaville, Va., in 1949, cools its heels in a back creek off the Maurice River. The Ocean View is similar in aspect and vintage to many of the boats at nearby Port Norris.