National Fisherman articles from November 2006

National Fisherman archives from November 2006

Will a new governor bring new direction?(VIEWS from Alaska)
November 1, 2006... Fish politics in Alaska, never dull, is about to become more interesting with a new governor coming into office in December. One focal point will be the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. Alaska's governor nominates six of the 11...

Good intentions ...(Editor's log)(fishery conservation)
November 1, 2006... There's a three-way intersection along Route 1 in Ogunquit, Maine--known as The Square--that gets quite busy in the summer. When I was a child, cars tended to back up out of proportion with the duration of red lights. The state added a...

The Grand Banks races immortalized the ebbing decades of the schooner era.(Fo'c'sle library)(A Race for Real Sailors The Bluenose and the International Fishermen's Cup, 1920-1938)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 1, 2006... A Race for Real Sailors The Bluenose and the International Fishermen's Cup, 1920-1938 By Keith McLaren David R. Godine, 2006 Hardcover, 250 pp., $40 Sailor and lifelong boat lover Keith McLaren captures the excitement and drama of the...

A social scientist examines the living history of Hawaii's trollers.(Fo'c'sle library)(Hawaiian Fishermen)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 1, 2006... Hawaiian Fishermen By Edward W. Glazier Thompson-Wadsworth, 2007 Softcover, 145 pp., $27.95 Edward Glazier is a fisheries social scientist based in Honolulu and Wilmington, N.C. In this book, which is part of the Case Studies in Cultural...

Not so sure about that.(From Another Perspective)(fishery management)
November 1, 2006... I am skeptical of efforts by "conservationist" organizations to help the fish or the "fishers." There are folks who feel this skepticism is misplaced, that those well-meaning "conservationists" are on the side of the angels and their...

Fishing back when.(NF classics)
November 1, 2006... Ernest Thornhill of West Dover, Nova Scotia, receives Canada's second highest civilian honor, the George Medal. When the Cape Agulhas sank off Portuguese Cove, Nova Scotia, last January, Thornhill reportedly jumped from the ship with a...

Global scientists will look to fishermen at Boston forum.(Dock talk)
November 1, 2006... This fall, Boston will play host to a gathering of international scientists vitally interested in Fishing Technology in the 21st Century: Integrating Fishing and Ecosystem Conservation, the title for the symposium, which will be presented by...

Flood prevention made easy: be watertight.(Consequences)
November 1, 2006... From U.S. Coast Guard reports A fishing vessel with a captain and two other crewmen onboard departed its home port of Plymouth Harbor, Mass., on a Tuesday evening in November. The trip was intended primarily to test new fishing gear. ...

Herring group seeks trawl ban in Gulf of Maine.(Mail buoy)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2006... On Aug. 30, 2006, Peter Baker sent a letter to NMFS Assistant Administrator for Fisheries Bill Hogarth and Regional Administrator Patricia Kurkul on behalf of CHOIR Coalition. The letter was undersigned by more than 30 organizations. This...

Cap'n sane says ... Saturday Cove, Maine.
November 1, 2006... Well, we ain't quite finished with the Marblehead Yachties on their annual Cove raft-up. Things went pretty good 'til Puddy Hall went missing. Seems the Commodore n'wife brought along their blonde 17-year-old granddaughter. She's also...

New York town makes moves to secure fishing.(Mail buoy)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2006... Over two years ago, you ran an editorial about commercial fishermen in East Hampton, N.Y.'S attempt to convince the town government to establish a Department of Commercial Fisheries ("Town Politics," NF March '04, p. 4). It's the...

Working toward transparency.(A letter from Bill Hogarth)(National Marine Fisheries Service)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... As the assistant administrator for fisheries for the United States, I've continued to work to build transparency and inclusiveness into all of our agency activities. I am extending that process to the International Commission for the...

The naming of Captain Hollywood.(In search of the simple life)
November 1, 2006... How Captain Hollywood got his name--I promised I'd get around to telling the story. It was Pat Burns of Blue North Fisheries who gave him the moniker. "That was back in 1989," Burns recalls, the year the Exxon-Valdez went aground, dumping...

Failure declaration issued for Klamath chinook season: federal officials meet with fishermen and farmers, discuss problems plaguing river users.(ALASKA and PACIFIC)
November 1, 2006... It took officials most of the summer, but the federal government officially declared the commercial salmon season a fishery failure on Aug. 10. U.S. Commerce Department Deputy Secretary David Sampson, Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) and NMFS...

Alaska summer season serves up salmon surprise; pinks lag in Southeast, thrive in Kodiak.(ALASKA and PACIFIC)
November 1, 2006... Alaska's salmon season yielded a few twists this year. In Southeast Alaska, where the industry has typically been inundated with pink salmon, lagging escapements forced fishing closures. In recent years, huge runs have tested processing...

Calif. trap fishermen wary of marine reserves impact; eying move to other crowded fish grounds.(ALASKA and PACIFIC)
November 1, 2006... In August, the California Department of Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously to create a marine reserve system that will close about 8 percent of central California state waters to all fishing. The marine reserve system will consist...

Historic New Jersey schooner loses oystering permit; officials rule license donated to the restored A.J. Meerwald was transferred improperly.(ATLANTIC)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... The restored Delaware Bay oyster schooner A.J. Meerwald has taught schoolchildren about the history and hopes of oystermen since it started sailing the bay again a decade ago. But a dispute over the 85-looter's donated oyster license has...

Stock rebuilding efforts failing, scientists report; rigid law hinders councils, lawyer counters.(ATLANTIC)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... As Congress and interest groups maneuvered to rewrite federal fisheries law this summer, a former regional director for NMFS released a scientific study asserting that just three of 67 over-fished stocks have been rebuilt since the law's last...

Where we live: Emmonak, Alaska.(HOME PORT)
November 1, 2006... THE TOWN Population: Around 800 year-round but can jump to 1,000 when salmon fishing season is in full swing Estimated fleet size: 100 or more boats when commercial season is underway TOP LANDINGS IN 2005 The only commercial...

NMFS keeps EEZ closed to striped bass harvests; cites dip in spawners, rising mortality rate.(ATLANTIC)
November 1, 2006... Striped bass fishing will remain limited to state waters as NMFS recently nixed a bid to reopen the federal Exclusive Economic Zone to striper harvests. In 2003, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission asked NMFS to evaluate the...

La. storm landmark burns, Miss. receives relief funds; federal dollars start to reach storm-ravaged region, non-profit distributes checks as well.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC)
November 1, 2006... Recovery efforts continue for the fisheries so heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast, where plans approved by various states for distribution of federal relief dollars appear to be moving ahead. One icon of the storm's...

Morning-after omelet: Dave Datz, San Diego.(GALLEY WATCH: AT-SEA CUISINE)(Recipe)
November 1, 2006... This is "our morning after the lobster feast" I omelet, says Dave Datz, who goes lobster fishing, dives for sea urchins and works traps for the live fish market. The recipe is a tasty way to use lobster scraps or leftovers, and it is easy to...

Tanya Kait: scallop boat.(BOAT OF THE MONTH)
November 1, 2006... A round the Atlantic City, NJ., surf clam docks, boats tend to be burly with big linebackers' shoulders and high wheelhouses. So that other boat with svelte Southern lines stands out. "it's a beautiful, stable boat, great at sea," says Curtis...

Florida fish house defies waterfront development; dealer banks on diversification to stay afloat.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC)
November 1, 2006... In many cities along the Gulf of Mexico, industry-hostile waterfront zoning and tax policy are clearing the working waterfront for retail and residential developers. In Panama City, Fla., seafood dealer and fisherman Greg Abrams decided to...

Ocean group urges quicker stock rebuilding efforts; speed can't be sole factor, manager asserts.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC)
November 1, 2006... A research report released this summer by the Lenfest Ocean Program, a research and advocacy organization associated with the Pew Charitable Trusts, declares that most fish stocks, including red grouper and red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico,...

Summit explores aid options for Canadian fishermen; Northumberland Strait lobstermen burdened by poor landings, low prices, high overhead.(NATION/WORLD)
November 1, 2006... Low dock prices, high operating costs and poor landings have officials and fishermen in the Northumberland Strait lobster fishery between Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick seeking ways to ease the fleet's financial burdens. Ed...

Sinkings, deaths plague Ireland's fishing industry; five boats, seven lives lost since January.(NATION/WORLD)
November 1, 2006... So far, 2006 hasn't been a good year for fishing industry safety in Ireland. At least five vessels have sunk since January with at least seven lives lost, according to Irish news media reports. Pat Gallagher, Ireland's minister of state for...

Wave patterns may signal weather events by satellite; sea surface data could steer boats to safety.(NATION/WORLD)
November 1, 2006... Safer sailing for fishermen is the goal behind a Pennsylvania study deciphering sea surface conditions from satellite imagery. Armed with a three-year $230,000 grant from the Office of Naval Research, Todd Sikora, assistant professor of...

Richard (Rick) Waites: Cortez, Fla.(SNAPSHOT: WHO WE ARE)
November 1, 2006... Longline skipper Richard WaRes--Rick to his friends in Cortez, Fla.--stands on the clean, white foredeck of the Rachel J. Belle pondering life as a fisherman with his dog, Fat Boy. A few hours earlier, the Rachel J. Belle was the last of...

North Pacific.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)
November 1, 2006... The North Pacific Fishery Management Council is working to develop a decision tool for evaluating proposals regarding changes to Steller sea lion protection measures in the Atka mackerel, Pacific cod, and pollock fisheries in the Bering Sea and...

South Atlantic.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(South Atlantic Fishery Management Council)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Opponents of a plan by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council to create eight marine protected areas that would put the kibosh on snapper and grouper fishing may be justified in thinking this is just the tip of the iceberg. "That's...

Pacific.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Following Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez's declaration earlier this month of a commercial fisheries failure off the coasts of California and Oregon, senators and governors from the three western coastal states have called for emergency...

Mid-Atlantic.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)
November 1, 2006... A new final rule requires sea turtle conservation measures for sea scallop dredge vessels fishing south of a designated boundary at Long Island, N.Y. NMFS has determined that the use of a dredge modified with a chain mat will prevent most, if...

New England.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... A new rule is proposing the creation of the Georges Bank cod fixed gear sector. If approved, the fixed gear sector would be eligible for an annual allocation of up to 20 percent of the annual Georges Bank cod total allowable catch. A...

Caribbean.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(fishery management)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... There is a seasonal prohibition on fishing for or possession of black, blackfin, vermilion and silk snapper from 12:01 a.m., local time, Oct. 1, 2006, through Dec. 31, 2006. Caribbean federal waters extend to 200 nautical miles offshore...

Gulf of Mexico.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is holding a series of training workshops for an individual fishing quota system in the red snapper fishery. NOAA law enforcement officials are conducting the workshops to provide IFQ...

Western Pacific.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... A study produced by the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council and others indicates that measures have been extremely effective at reducing interactions with endangered sea turtles in the Hawaii-based longline swordfish fishery. The...

Abundance isn't enough: harvesters need to enhance market for product.(NORTHEAST SHRIMP)
November 1, 2006... The season will still last 140 days this winter, with plenty of shrimp. But prices that reached as low as 20 cents per pound last January are spurring efforts to build a better future for the Gulf of Maine shrimp fishery. "What we saw last...

Crabbers expect another big year, but hypoxic zone, pot limits are worrisome.(PACIFIC DUNGENESS)
November 1, 2006... In Oregon, the 2005-06 Dungeness crab harvest was the second best on record despite late molting and rough weather that largely nixed fishing from December to mid-January. The 27.5 million pounds landed between January and August trails...

Beds bounce back from Katrina, but expectations for harvest remain low.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC OYSTERS)
November 1, 2006... As the winter oyster harvesting season begins in the Gulf of Mexico, the outlook is surprisingly positive. Things could be a lot worse in Louisiana, considering the devastation Hurricane Katrina wrought last August in the primary public...

Management plan may open pipelines for product and elevate dock prices.(NORTH PACIFIC GROUNDFISH)
November 1, 2006... Alaska's rockfish harvesters have been anxiously awaiting a new fishery management plan that could raise the quality--and the ex-vessel prices--of trawl-caught Pacific Ocean perch and a variety of species comprising the northern rockfish and...

It's no fluke: the trouble with rebuilding timetables.(Floundering regulations)
November 1, 2006... Ten years ago, two guys from New Jersey said it would come to this. So when the issue of summer flounder recruitment called into question the practicality of the 10-year rebuilding mandate, maybe it shouldn't have been a surprise. As...

Lobstering off Cape Ann: in this excerpt from his new book, Massachusetts lobsterman Peter Prybot recalls how he began his life's work.(By the book)(Excerpt)
November 1, 2006... I'm one of those lobstermen who gradually worked his way into lobstering despite having neither any fishing family history nor roots in Gloucester. I was a true outsider who simply fell in love with lobstering as a 12-year-old back in 1960. ...

The Omega men: catching fish in rough weather is only one of the challenges facing the menhaden fleet of Reedville, Va.(At sea)(Virginia)(Cover story)
November 1, 2006... At the bitter end of Route 360 on the Northern Neck of Virginia lies the Victorian village of Reedville, population 300. Founded in 1874 by a Maine fisherman, Elijah Reed, Reedville, from its start, has been all about Atlantic menhaden. ...

Master builders: the fishing industry has spawned some great boatyards.(Boats & Gear: Boatbuilding)
November 1, 2006... Take a trip along America's coastlines, visiting as many builders of commercial fishing boats as possible, and you'll notice that few shops and the boats they build are the same. There are big boats and little boats; metal, wood and fiberglass...

Life by 1,000 cuts: knives and the hard lives they lead are among the common denominators of fishing.(Boats & Gear: Seeking an edge)
November 1, 2006... Knives carried on fishing boats are utilitarian items, whether they're used for cutting fish rope or twine. After a knife has mixed it up with salt water and sandy ropes--to say nothing of fish scales and backbones--and been left to rust on...

Long winter yields big house; lobster boat has 2-foot stretch.(NORTHEAST)
November 1, 2006... Bounty Hunter III, a multipurpose fishing boat capable of lobstering, gillnetting and dragging, was rolled out of Eaton's Boat Shop and Fiberglassing on Maine's Deer Isle in July. The 45-foot fiberglass hull was built by Mount Desert Island...

Boat gets second sponsoning; grounding damage is repaired.(WEST)
November 1, 2006... In August, the 110-foot dragger Nordic Fury and the 78-foot dragger Cape Kiwanda were at Hansen Boat Co. in Everett, Wash. The Nordic Fury was having her trawl control system changed out and general painting done. The big job was taking...

Builder uses hurricane wood; seed oysters keep boat going.(SOUTH)
November 1, 2006... A new Chesapeake Bay wooden dead-rise-style commercial fishing boat was launched in early July at Haynie's Boat Yard on Cod Creek, just off the Potomac River in Northumberland County, Va. The 29' x 9' x 2' 6" workboat was built for Malcolm...

Bulletin board.(Calendar)
November 1, 2006... NOV. 16-18 Pacific Marine Expo Qwest Field Event Center, Seattle www.pacificmarineexpo.com Pacific Marine Expo is the largest gathering of commercial marine professionals on the West Coast. From workboats to commercial fishing...

Onset Computer Corp.(ON THE MOVE)
November 1, 2006... ONSET COMPUTER CORP. named GREGG DALY as the company's new director of sales. Daly, who has more than 20 years of sales management experience, joined Onset in 1997 and most recently served as the company's sales manager. Since 1981, Onset has...

Capt. Willis L. Wilson, longtime owner of the Deltaville, Va., Montgomery and Wilson Railway, passed away in June at the age of 90.(ON THE MOVE)
November 1, 2006... CAPT. WILLIS L. WILSON, longtime owner of the Deltaville, Va., MONTGOMERY AND WILSON RAILWAY, passed away in June at the age of 90. In the 1920s, Wilson began working in the Chesapeake Bay's haul seine finfish fishery and crab dredging. In the...

IMP Fishing Gear.(ON THE MOVE)(appointment of Edward Williams)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... IMP FISHING GEAR of New Bedford, Mass., announced in July the hiring of EDWARD WILLIAMS as the company's new marine safety coordinator. Williams holds a Coast Guard Master of Towing license, is certified in Standards of Training, Certification...

SAAB Transpondertech.(COMPANY NEWS)
November 1, 2006... SAAB TRANSPONDERTECH has been making waves with international government contracts. In May, the company received an order from Argentina to provide AIS and other navigation systems for nine of the nation's coast guard cutters, as well as ECDIS...

Prospec Electronics.(COMPANY NEWS)
November 1, 2006... This year PROSPEC ELECTRONICS celebrates its 20th anniversary in the boating industry. Beginning with SeaWorthy marine audio products in 1986, the company has long provided the latest in marine audio technology. Owner David Sykes combined a...

A signal to depend on: FogMate automatically announces your boat's location.(Product roundup)
November 1, 2006... Thick, wet fog that drops a shroud on the world around you is one condition that makes most people on a boat a little nervous. That anxiety level goes up the closer you get to shipping lanes or areas where you know there are a lot of boats...

What your radar is really seeing at night: thermal imaging transforms a standard display.(Product roundup)
November 1, 2006... Recent advances in electronic charting features prove that seeing is believing. It used to be sufficient to plot a heading on an electronic chart that would safely take you into a harbor. Now charting software comes with photos of the harbor to...

Northport Systems has released the 4.1 version of the Fugawi Marine ENC software.(At a glance)
November 1, 2006... NORTHPORT SYSTEMS has released the 4.1 version of the Fugawi Marine ENC software. The new software gives PCs access to Navionics Gold+, Gold, Silver and HotMaps electronic charts. Future support of Navionics Platinum is also planned. Besides...

Yanmar Marine USA has just introduced its new lightweight diesel, the 110-hp 4JH4-HTE.(At a glance)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... YANMAR MARINE USA has just introduced its new lightweight diesel, the 110-hp 4JH4-HTE. At 478 pounds, the 4JH4-HTE is 20 pounds lighter than Yanmar's previous model and has 10 percent more power, without an increase in fuel consumption. Running...

Dr. Shrink might have a low-cost answer to a problem common to a lot of boat owners that shrinkwrap their boats each winter.(At a glance)
November 1, 2006... DR. SHRINK might have a low-cost answer to a problem common to a lot of boat owners that shrinkwrap their boats each winter. The uprights used to hold the shrinkwrap in place can slip on a boat's deck, causing water, ice and snow to pool up and...

Tiki Navigator.(At a glance)
November 1, 2006... TIKI NAVIGATOR is an electronic navigation software program that's just being introduced in this country by a Norwegian sailor whose goal was to make PC navigation software that's easier to use than existing products. The Tiki Navigator Pro and...

Davis Instruments' new product is the answer to a common fear of most people that spend any time around docks or boats.(At a glance)
November 1, 2006... DAVIS INSTRUMENTS' new product is the answer to a common fear of most people that spend any time around docks or boats. That's having your car keys, house key, post-office-box key go in the water and out of sight--forever. The plastic KEY BUOY...

Glendinning Marine Products has just introduced its Smart Actuator, which lets a boat's operator completely control the speed of a boat's engine(s), as well as forward and reverse, with a single lever.(At a glance)
November 1, 2006... GLENDINNING MARINE PRODUCTS has just introduced its SMART ACTUATOR, which lets a boat's operator completely control the speed of a boat's engine(s), as well as forward and reverse, with a single lever. The sensitive throttle and gear response...

Stellwagen bank.(Last set)
November 1, 2006... Demetri Yakuba, Arkadijis Petkuns and Jim Ford, owner-operator of the 58-foot, Newburyport, Mass.-based dragger Lisa Ann II, land a mixed bag of cod and dogfish off Gloucester, Mass. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]