National Fisherman articles from May 2009

National Fisherman archives from May 2009

May 2009: this month's highlights.(The hail)
May 1, 2009... Up until recently, if someone said "Tennessee" I might have responded "walking horse," "Jack Daniels," or "Bristol," as in Bristol Motor Speedway, but certainly not "commercial fishing." Little did I know, the Volunteer State is home to...

Global food aid in the pink.(VIEWS from Alaska)
May 1, 2009... The Alaska Global Food Aid Program was established in 2004 as an economic development and marketing tool, to address some significant difficulties in the Alaska salmon industry. Alan Austerman, who was serving as fisheries policy advisor to...

Toward truth in tuna.(Editor's log)
May 1, 2009... The largest players in the global tuna business and the World Wildlife Fund have gotten behind a new organization dedicated to the conservation of tuna. Bumble Bee, Chicken of the Sea, StarKist, and others, joined by WWF and a number of...

Fishing back when.(NF classics)
May 1, 2009... The headline on the cover reads "Hulls by the half hour... " and it's not much of an exaggeration. The accompanying story and photos inside reveal how a new Maine business venture, Boothbay Boats, is combining the fine craftsmanship of the...

Gritty, modern Whaling city faces its past and present as a fishing icon.(Fo'c'sle library)(Down at the Docks)(Brief article)(Book review)
May 1, 2009... Down at the Docks By Rory Nugent Pantheon Books, 2009 Hardcover, 304 pp., $24.95 www.randomhouse.com/pantheon [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I'm not sure native New Englanders fully appreciate the way the Old World pervades...

Groundfish management yields ideas for fixing long-standing problems.(Fo'c'sle library)(An Enormous Immensely Complicated Intervention: Groundfish the New England Fishery Management Council and the World Fisheries Crisis )(Brief article)(Book review)
May 1, 2009... An Enormous, Immensely Complicated Intervention Groundfish, the New England Fishery Management Council, and the World Fisheries Crisis By Spencer Apollonio and Jacob J. Dykstra E-Book Time, 2008 Softcover 256 pp., $14.95 ...

When is a subsidy not a subsidy?(From Another Perspective)
May 1, 2009... "Fair is foul and foul is fair," territory that William J. Shakespeare carved out just over 400 years ago with his three witches in Macbeth, came to mind as I read a report on a study, "Quantification of U.S. Marine Fisheries Subsidies," funded...

Southeast Alaska association awaits your vote.(Dock talk)
May 1, 2009... Money is on everyone's mind these days, especially fishermen's: How much will I get for my fish? How will I pay for rising fuel costs? How will I finance boat repairs, equipment purchases, new permits? These are all questions Southeast...

Only you can prevent vessel fires.(Consequences)
May 1, 2009... From U.S. Coast Guard reports More than 20 percent of fishing boats lost from 1992 to 2007 traced the cause to a fire, making fire the second leading cause for sinking. More than 70 percent of those fires started in the engine room or...

Area management will benefit more areas.(From the town landing)
May 1, 2009... As the New England Fishery Management Council lurches toward a deadline for ending the current days-at-sea approach to management, let's imagine what groundfishing in the Gulf of Maine might look like under a couple of different scenarios. ...

What's in new National Standard 1 guidelines?(Washington lookout)
May 1, 2009... The new National Standard 1 guidelines are now effective after a temporary delay by the incoming Obama administration. In general, they address the Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization Act's new requirement that fishery management plans must...

Alaskans not on the lookout for penguins.(Mail buoy)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2009... I love your magazine. I'm not a commercial fisherman, but I like to pretend I will be one day. I really do appreciate the talent that goes into this publication. In your latest issue (April 2009), there is an article titled "Icepack...

Marine alliance co-founder corrects Stolpe on Pew funds.(Mail buoy)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2009... I remain stumped as to why a trade magazine with such long-standing integrity would offer monthly space to an individual, Nils Stolpe, who clearly has a witch-hunt agenda and uses the space to attack others. Over the years, as coordinating...

Herring fleet's monitoring shouldn't be one size fits all.(Mail buoy)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2009... Over the last decade, fishermen in New England have been concerned about the monitoring system in the Atlantic herring fishery. Many of us feel this system has been entirely inadequate, and as a result, managers have not had the data they need...

Cap'n Sane says ...(Mail buoy)
May 1, 2009... Well, it arrived just in time t'save us. The Sea Grant Haddockmobile blew inta the Cove last night with our Fishcrat Stimulus Package. The Haddockmobile has a new Call t'Meetin' Horn, which was developed over the winter at the Sea Grant...

Entering the Jane Lubchenco era at NOAA.(A letter from James W. Balsiger)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2009... I'd like to introduce Dr. Jane Lubchenco, who at press time was awaiting confirmation as the new undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. Testifying before the Senate, Dr. Lubchenco described her first...

Conrad revisited.(In search of the simple life)(Joseph Conrad's book "The Shadow-Line")(Book review)
May 1, 2009... I just finished rereading Joseph Conrad's "The Shadow-Line," about a young man s first experience as captain of a vessel. It's quite a story. At first you're wondering why the author is taking so long getting into the plot--I mean, the way...

Voluntary groundfish data system improves bycatch cuts; fishing Wikipedia turns aggregated fleet info into e-mail alerts to avoid incidental takes.(ALASKA and PACIFIC)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] You've heard of Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia that lets anyone contribute. Well, the idea of leveraging the collective knowledge of a group is now being applied to fisheries management. Instead of risking...

Navy's training proposal a concern for Pacific fleets; insufficient notice, fishery threats top woes.(ALASKA and PACIFIC)
May 1, 2009... The U.S. Navy wants to expand its training exercises off the Northwest --and fishermen aren't very happy about it. The Navy first proposed its plan when it published a notice in the Federal Register in 2007, but since then has held only two...

Dismal chinook fall run in Sacramento curbs trollers; suggest season options to Pacific council.(ALASKA and PACIFIC)(Pacific Fishery Management Council)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Salmon trollers had a tough decision: Go for broke and try to get a short salmon season or scrap it all and push for another round of disaster assistance. Oregon trollers and sport fishermen gathered in Newport in late February to review...

Mississippi shrimper brings cause, catch to the people; takes his 62-footer into fresh waters in hopes of swaying inland buyers to eat local fish.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC)(Tim Harrison)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Frustrated with dismal shrimp prices, Long Beach, Miss., fisherman Tim Harrison decided to do something "totally off the wall" to raise consumer consciousness. This spring, he was planning an eight-day May journey up the Tennessee-Tombigbee...

Southport/Oak Island, N.C.(HOME PORT: Where we live)
May 1, 2009... Southport and Oak Island are just inside Cape Fear, the southernmost of North Carolina's dangerous capes. The population of about 9,600 supports 15 to 20 trailer/day boats, 20 or so vertical line boats and about 25 shrimp boats. TOP FIVE...

Louisiana oyster license law shorts reef harvesters; qualifying period too brief, says manager.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC)(Patrick Banks)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... A 2008 state law that limits new permits on Louisiana's public oyster reefs has some harvesters shaking their heads in disbelief and Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries officials enforcing a troublesome law they had no part in...

Capriccio: Morro Bay, Calif. Salmon and albacore troller.(BOAT OF THE MONTH)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This schooner is as romantic as any fishing at can be. Even its name, Capriccio-- Italian for a free and fanciful musical piece--conjures visions of Venice, gelato and well groomed Italian men.=My wife didn't want...

Bay of Fundy lobstermen consider whale protection; Canada's Fisheries and Oceans looks at sinking line among other protective measures.(NATION/WORLD)
May 1, 2009... Lobster fishermen in the Bay of Fundy were startled early this year to learn Canadian fisheries officials are considering adopting the sinking groundline rule recently imposed on New England fishermen. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Hubert...

Spanish trawler sinks off Newfoundland, 22 rescued; proximity to patrol boat causes skepticism.(NATION/WORLD)
May 1, 2009... A Canadian Coast Guard boat on routine patrol off Newfoundland on Sunday, Feb. 22, was able to respond quickly to the distress call of a Spanish trawler, saving all 22 aboard. The Leonard J. Cowley rescued the crew of the 98-foot Monte...

Scallops au gratin: Kris and Ernie Panacek Barnegat Light, N.J.(GALLEY WATCH: AT-SEA CUISINE)
May 1, 2009... A parking lot at the Viking Village dock in Bamegat Light, N.J., is crammed with pickup trucks and odd bits of scallop dredges and other gear--and cars of customers who come to sample the catch. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Viking Fresh off...

Squid captains propose solutions to butterfish bycatch; lobster lines constrain fleet, which offers to improve communication, gear boundaries.(ATLANTIC)(Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... The East Coast loligo (longfin) squid fishery's biggest threat is butterfish bycatch. Better communication among the fleet and adjusted gear area boundaries are ways to deal with it, according to captains who met with the Mid-Atlantic Fishery...

Judge compels regulators on mixed stock exception; lawsuit by 2 states aids groundfish fleet.(ATLANTIC)(Edward F. Harrington)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... The rubble bounced in New England's groundfish industry as a federal judge briefly suspended rules then reinstated all but one: the expansion of two-for-one days at sea charges for boats in the Gulf of Maine. U.S. District Court Judge...

Steve Tutt: pink, chum, silver and sockeye salmon Homer, Alaska.(SNAPSHOT: WHO WE ARE)
May 1, 2009... If it's a fishing father's dream for his child to grow I up and follow him to sea, Steve Tutt, 46, of Homer, Alaska, has had his wishes quadrupled: His twin sons, Eric and Joel, 21, were his deckhands and now run boats of their own in Bristol...

Md. flounder season cut, green light on yellow perch; river fishery revived after 20-year closure.(ATLANTIC)(Maryland)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... This spring, Chesapeake Bay watermen were contending with flounder cuts but some may have found relief in a minor revival of yellow perch fisheries. Maryland's Department of Natural Resources officials must impose a one-third closure on...

Pacific.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)
May 1, 2009... The Pacific Fishery Management Council has released its report, "Stock Abundance Analysis for 2009 Ocean Salmon Fisheries." This is the second report in an annual series of four reports prepared by the Salmon Technical Team of the Pacific...

Gulf of Mexico.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... NMFS has received two requests for emergency rulemaking to reduce loggerhead turtle bycatch in the reef fish bottom longline fishery in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. One is from the non-governmental organization Oceana, and the other is included...

South Atlantic.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)
May 1, 2009... The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is in the process of establishing a revised control date of Dec. 4, 2008, for the commercial black sea bass pot segment of the snapper-grouper fishery in the South Atlantic EEZ. This control date...

North Pacific.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... NMFS has proposed changing the time at which the amount of retained groundfish must be calculated to comply with the maximum retainable amounts of selected groundfish species. The change would apply to trawl catcher/processors that are not...

Western Pacific.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... NMFS has specified a total allowable catch of 241,000 pounds for Deep 7 bottomfish in the main Hawaiian Islands, as recommended by the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council. The Deep 7 bottomfish category includes the following species:...

Mid-Atlantic.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... A new final rule establishes 2009 specifications and management measures for Atlantic mackerel, squid, and butterfish. This action maintains quotas for Atlantic mackerel, illex squid, and butterfish at 2008 levels, while increasing the quota...

New England.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(Maine's Midcoast Fishermen's Association files case regarding continuous fishing of herrings)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Wrangling over New England's midwater herring fishery continues. Maine's Midcoast Fishermen's Association decided it will go forward with a lawsuit to compel NMFS to prohibit midwater boats from fishing in groundfish spawning areas. The...

Caribbean.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)
May 1, 2009... The Annual Catch Limit Plan Development Group and the Scientific and Statistical Committee of the Caribbean Fishery Management Council were meeting in late February. For more information, contact the Caribbean council at (787) 766-5926.

Bushel of bait still a big-ticket item for lobstermen in the Gulf of Maine.(NORTHEAST: HERRING)
May 1, 2009... Even in this economy lobstermen shouldn't expect herring prices in 2009 to fall below a newly established floor in the lower $20s per bushel, between the downsized quota for the nearshore Gulf of Maine and various restrictions. But when...

North Carolina watermen enjoy spoils of 50 percent increase in crab harvest.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC: BLUE CRAB)
May 1, 2009... After years of shrinking landings, made all the more worrisome by the near collapse of the Chesapeake Bay crab fishery, North Carolina watermen finally had a good year in 2008. Not only did landings spike from a dismal 20.6 million pounds...

Economic crunch pops P-cod balloon; fast fishing pace stymies sardine fleet.(ALASKA/PACIFIC: PACIFIC COD)
May 1, 2009... Last year might mark the apex of Pacific cod ex-vessel prices as markets in the United States and abroad react to strangled economics. Meanwhile, West Coast sardine seiners have healthy markets--but not much fish to send their way. The...

U.S. targets Gloucester auction: some New Englanders say charges against Massachusetts buyer are NMFS' latest salvo at industry.(Illegal seafood?)(National Marine Fisheries Service)
May 1, 2009... Anthony Giacalone kneels before plastic totes, laying codfish, one after another, on a measuring board. Gus Macintosh, the unloading boss at the Gloucester (Mass.) Seafood Display Auction, tosses a pair of those fish back onto the deck of a...

Roe, roe, roe your boat down in Tennessee; paddlefish harvesters work to sustain their "egg fish" fishery in the Volunteer State.(Cover story)
May 1, 2009... Cold, gray, and wet, the late-November afternoon seemed ideal for hunting ducks. Instead, Allen Fine and Dale Roberson were laying out paddlefish nets in eastern Tennessee's Chickamauga Lake. Hung with foot-square webbing, the nets were...

High on upkeep: care of the Odin is not so much maintenance as it is improvement.(Boats & Gear: Boatbuilding)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When a fisherman shows up at Hansen Boat Co. in Everett, Wash., and asks, "What does it cost to build an Odin?" the boatyard's Rick Hansen usually replies, "Is that the way we built it or the way it is right now?...

Unsuited for survival: old immersion suits have enough problems to kill you.(Boats & Gear: What to wear)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] If a commercial fisherman looks around at the things he relies on when he's ashore, a pickup and a DVD player to name two, it's fairly safe to say those things are replaced before they get to be 10 or 12 years old....

Antifouling answers: foul-release paints can reduce your fuel consumption by up to 10 percent.(Boats & Gear: Coatings)
May 1, 2009... Estimates of excess fuel consumption caused by fouling of the bottom of a boat range from 10 to 40 percent. But even if you have a fresh coat of antifoulant, don't think you aren't in that group throwing away money on wasted fuel. A study...

Business is brisk in Beal hulls; wooden boat gets decked out.(NORTHEAST)
May 1, 2009... At the end of the first week in March, the Maine Fishermen's Forum was being held in Rockport. It's an annual gathering of the state's fishery tribes from Eastport to Kittery, along with Maine boatbuilders and equipment dealers from as far away...

Alaskan finally builds a boat; 58-footers are the hot ticket.(WEST)
May 1, 2009... Corey Wilson "was a guy that we'd see every year at Fish Expo. He'd come by and look at me pictures and say, 'One of these days I'm going to build one.' And he did," says Fred Wahl Marine Construction's Mike Lee. When Wilson and his new...

Shipyard repairs fishing boats; crab-pot skiff is built on spec.(SOUTH)
May 1, 2009... Colonna's Shipyard on the Eastern Branch of the Elizabeth River in Norfolk, Va., is located in a good area for military ship repair work, but commercial fishing businesses around Chesapeake Bay also use the yard. Colonna's Shipyard was...

Multibeam sonar goes fishing; Simrad distributes wide-angle profiler that tracks fish schools in 3-D.(Product roundup)
May 1, 2009... The newest acoustic device for American fishermen is the WASSP multibeam sonar from Electronic Navigation in Auckland, New Zealand, and distributed stateside by Simrad Fisheries. On a port to starboard view, WASSP (which stands for...

Turn the night into light; Flir's M-Series thermal imager has improved resolution and range.(Product roundup)(FLIR Systems Inc.)
May 1, 2009... If you started out with an entry-level thermal night imaging camera and like its ability to pick out bags, flagpoles and navigation aids in the dark but want a camera with a little more range and resolution, without having to spring for a...

Konrad Marine has a new stern drive, the Konrad 560 Twin Prop.(At a glance)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] KONRAD MARINE has a new stern drive, the Konrad 560 TWIN PROP. Counter-rotating propellers greatly increase low-speed maneuver-ability for docking and when using reverse. The 560 reduces propeller slip, which...

Northstar's new BR24 broadband radar features superior target definition in close quarters with target separation at less than 3 meters.(At a glance)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] NORTHSTAR's new BR24 broadband radar features superior target definition in close quarters with target separation at less than 3 meters. That eliminates dose-in blind spots. The BR24 transmits at 1/20,000 the power...

Interphase Technologies launched the Chart Master Pro Series with GPS, chart plotter and sounder in one unit.(At a glance)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] INTERPHASE TECHNOLOGIES launched the CHART MASTER PRO SERIES with GPS, chart plotter and sounder in one unit. Chart Master uses Jeppesen Marine Max charting with Max '09 cartography. The cartography has smooth zoom...

Hella Marine's latest lamp is extremely durable, draws less power and costs less to operate than comparable lights.(At a glance)(Cargoled lamp)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] HELLA MARINE's latest lamp is extremely durable, draws less power and costs less to operate than comparable lights. The CARGOLED LAMP is completely sealed, resists saltwater, vibration and impact damage. The...

Pelican Products' new portable 0450 Tool Chest was built for the military as a general mechanics toolbox.(At a glance)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] PELICAN PRODUCTS' new portable 0450 TOOL CHEST was built for the military as a general mechanics toolbox. The polymer-constructed case has six shallow and one deep removable drawers. The top compartment has a...

Northern Lights recently introduced the M944T genset.(At a glance)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] NORTHERN LIGHTS recently introduced the M944T genset. It comes in 38-kW and 32-kW models. These are the first generators to have the sound enclosure share a base frame with the generator, which reduces noise and...

Bulletin board.(Calendar)
May 1, 2009... APRIL 28-30 European Seafood Exposition/Seafood Processing Europe Parc des Expositions, Brussels, Belgium * www.euroseafood.com Buyers and exhibitors from around the world convene in Brussels for the European Seafood Exposition and...

Eurofish.(ON THE MOVE)
May 1, 2009... On May 1, AINA AFANASJEVA takes over as director for EUROFISH. The international organization with 12 member countries was established in 2002 to assist the development of fisheries in central and eastern Europe, focusing on trade and...

SeaShare.(ON THE MOVE)
May 1, 2009... Bainbridge, Wash.-based SEASHARE, a hunger relief organization, has appointed a new executive director. JIM HARMON takes over for Tuck Donnelly, who retired in January but will serve on the organization's board of directors. Harmon served as...

Viking Life-Saving Equipment's Seattle Service Station opened in an expanded 6,000-square-foot facility on the Duwamish Waterway on March 1.(COMPANY NEWS)
May 1, 2009... VIKING LIFE-SAVING EQUIPMENT'S Seattle Service Station opened in an expanded 6,000-square-foot facility on the Duwamish Waterway on March 1. JOHN SANFORD will head the company's Seattle branch office and lead the West Coast sales division. The...

Point Pleasant, N.J.(Last set)
May 1, 2009... Mate Andrew Dunton (left) and skipper Bill Ford unload fluke from the steel western side-rig trawler Austin at the Point Pleasant Co-op on Manasquan Inlet as the Leah comes in astern. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]