National Fisherman articles from November 2007

National Fisherman archives from November 2007

November 2007: this month's highlights.(The hail)
November 1, 2007... Any editor will tell you that good reporters and writers are hard to find. Imagine trying to find capable journalists to write about commercial fishing. National Fisherman therefore is extremely fortunate (and proud) to be the beneficiary...

A point of view from St. George Island.(VIEWS from Alaska)
November 1, 2007... Haginaa kidul: helping to grow. This is the corporate motto of our Aleutian Pribllof Island Community Development Association and its member communities of Atka, Nikolski, Akutan, False Pass, Nelson Lagoon and St. George Island.The board of...

Right whales, wrong tactic.(Editor's log)
November 1, 2007... Abundant stocks may be a sign of a well-managed fishery, but they will not inoculate you against management miscues, past or yet to come. Consider the Maine lobster industry. State regulations protect small, oversize and female lobsters,...

Fishing back when.(NF classics)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 50 YEARS AGO The search for a deep-draft Northwest Passage is over. In a journey of more than four months' duration a U.S. Coast Guard cutter is the first to circumnavigate North America, including previously...

Prolific Massachusetts photographer chronicles decades of a bygone fleet.(Fo'c'sle library)(White-Tipped Orange Masts The Gloucester Dragger Fleet That Is No More by Peter Prybot )(Brief article)(Book review)
November 1, 2007... White-Tipped Orange Masts The Gloucester Dragger Fleet That Is No More By Peter Prybot History Press, 2007 Softcover, 256 pp., $19.99 www.historypress.net [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Peter Prybot has dedicated much of his professional life...

The secret lives of American sushi chefs meets encyclopedia of seafood.(Fo'c'sle library)
November 1, 2007... The Zen of Fish The Story of Sushi, From Samurai to Supermarket By Trevor Corson Harper Collins, 2007 Hardcover, 384 pp., $24.95 www.trevorcorson.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Trevor Corson made a big splash with "The Secret Life of...

Improving the best available science.(From Another Perspective)
November 1, 2007... Two of the most unfortunate words associated with fisheries management are "anecdotal" and "best available." The first is used far too often to discount on-the-water observations by fishermen and the second to justify important fishery...

Swordfish stakes.(Dock talk)
November 1, 2007... Since ratification of the treaty establishing the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas in 1969, the United States has been a leader in developing conservation agreements for most major Atlantic highly migratory...

Avoid nightmares by staying awake and alert.(Consequences)
November 1, 2007... A collision will ruin your whole day. Collisions are preventable, whether they are the result of equipment failures, weather conditions, human factors or, as is often the case, some combination of these. Navigation rules were adopted to provide...

One small step for ecosystem-based management.(From the town landing)
November 1, 2007... Forage fish, the poor cousins of the fish world, are finally getting some respect. From our human perspective, they seem smaller and less appetizing than their more delectable relatives. But from an ecosystem perspective they are a crucial rink...

Cooperative effort rigs NOAA research vessel.(Mail buoy)
November 1, 2007... Thank you for discussing the Northeast Fisheries Science Center trawl surveys with me following the commissioning of the FSV Henry B. Bigelow. As you are aware, the transition to a new survey vessel and a new trawl net is of utmost importance...

Texas reader dreams of returning home, to sea.(Mail buoy)(Letter to the editor)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2007... I had to take the time to extend a word of thanks to you and your staff, for the work you do has been instrumental not only in allowing me to stay current and cognizant of the industry I grew up in (I was primarily a scalloper out of Seaford,...

Cap'n Sane says ...(Perc Sane, airplane)
November 1, 2007... We were startled outa our patched boots the other mornin' by this growlin' roar from a seaplane divin' on our cove. Shorty Gage thought that World War III had started n'ran for his 10-gauge goose gun. We're used to the Frenchy Coastie jets...

Wild-caught and farmed seafood can coexist.(Mail buoy)
November 1, 2007... Remember the 18th century cattlemen who grazed their mostly wild cattle on the open range? They faced competition from farmers who raised crops and beef. While the cattlemen fought change, farming became a way of fife because America needed the...

A man for all seasons.(In search of the simple life)
November 1, 2007... A gathering of the clan to celebrate the life of a great guy Rudy Petersen 1928-2007, at the Seattle's Shilshole Bay Beach Club, sun sparkling through the windows, an open bar, platters of king crab, and familiar faces, many of them walking...

Alaskans show industry appreciation by flinging pinks: Frozen Fish Toss honors fishing at a festival that pays tribute to the state's big industries.(ALASKA and PACIFIC)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] If there's an afterlife for freezer-burned pink salmon, it lies with the Frozen Fish Toss during the Industry Appreciation Day each year in Kenai, Alaska. "It's one of the most popular events of the day,...

Small-boat owners fear threat of runoff permits: ruling nixes Clean Water Act exemptions.(ALASKA and PACIFIC)
November 1, 2007... What began as an effort to reduce the propagation of invasive aquatic species could have ramifications for anyone who owns a vessel larger than a canoe. A 2006 lawsuit environmental groups brought against the Environmental Protection...

Jumbo squid clog waters, devouring target fisheries: Calif. and Ore. fishermen fight to compete.(ALASKA and PACIFIC)
November 1, 2007... Swarms of voracious jumbo squid, armed with retractable tentacles, swiveling hooks and toothed suckers, have invaded California and Oregon waters, clogging fishing nets and eating untold numbers of anchovies, sardines, rockfish and hake. ...

Irish whitefish fleet agrees to cut a third of its vessels: decommissioning plan provides $90m in compensation, marketing stragety and security.(NATION/WORLD)
November 1, 2007... The Irish fishing industry should begin to see some of $90 million (66 million euros in compensation for a state fleet decommissioning plan during 2007, according to the chief executive of one of the country's leading fishing associations. ...

Tainted seafood imports no surprise to fishermen: Bill proposes requiring U.S. Safety standards.(NATION/WORLD)
November 1, 2007... Concern over the safety of imported food--and seafood in particular--has been on the rise in Congress because of the recent problems with Chinese imports. Several proposed laws would require imports to meet the same safety standards as...

Where we live: Gustavus, Alaska.(HOME PORT)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... THE TOWN The summer population in Gustavus is 438, about double the year-round total. There's only one year-round boat in the harbor, but there are six in summer. When the coho run enters the waters near Gustavus, up to 50 boats anchor...

Lobster paella: Chris Miller, Santa Barbara, Calif.(GALLEY WATCH: AT-SEA CUISINE)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "The secret of paella"--a saffron-flavored Spanish rice dish--"is knowing your pan, and practice," says Santa Barbara, Calif.-based lobsterman Chris Miller, a 2003 NF Highliner." I use a copper chef's pan that is 2...

Ocracoke fishermen invest in a fish house of their own: community fund-raisers and N.C. development grant help secure local fishing industry.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC)
November 1, 2007... Ocracoke fishermen say they couldn't be more proud of how their village pulled together to help save the last fish house on this small Outer Banks island in North Carolina. "The entire community was behind us," fisherman Hardy Plyler says....

Federal judge says NMFS cannot ignore rebuilding: N.C. files in support of fishing communities.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC)
November 1, 2007... A federal judge agrees with North Carolina fishermen who asserted that federal fishery management plans are obliged to rebuild stocks as well as end overfishing. The North Carolina Fisheries Association and other plaintiffs charged that...

N.C. protects waterfront access with $20m fund: commercial properties may get tax break.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC)
November 1, 2007... The North Carolina legislature is taking steps to hold back the tide of explosive residential development that threatens to sink working waterfronts along the state's shoreline. Owners of waterfront land used for fish houses and commercial...

Tenacious: Dragger, Montauk, N.Y.(BOAT OF THE MONTH)(fishing vessel)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With a sailboat, a motor yacht and inflatable runabout all in their path, Vince Carillo and Ronnie Cocuzza make a few hand signals before they nimbly turn the 72-foot dragger Tenacious into the town dock at Montauk....

Tom Diehl: Melrose, Fla.(SNAPSHOT: WHO WE ARE)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Tom Diehl, 49, has done most of what fishermen in Florida do, chasing blue crab, stone crab, reef fish and inshore finfish over the past couple decades. Diehl now works the inshore mullet fishery during the fall and winter migration, and hunts...

Atlantic bluefin decline reaches beyond herring stock: scientist says lack of international regulations and climate change affect regional catch.(ATLANTIC)
November 1, 2007... After several years of declining numbers and quality of giant Atlantic bluefin tuna in the Gulf of Maine, tuna fishermen and other activists last summer persuaded regulators to keep midwater herring trawlers out of the inshore gulf in part to...

Rebuilding delay fails to sustain '08 flounder quota: fishermen expect 10 to 30 percent cut.(ATLANTIC)
November 1, 2007... The 2008 quota for summer flounder may be cut sharply, despite assurances to Mid-Atlantic fishermen that pushing back stock rebuilding schedules by three years to 2013 would prevent the 30 percent reduction that's now possible. With...

Western Pacific.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission Scientific Committee )(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... The Western and Central Pacific tuna fishery had near record landings of 2.2 million metric tons in 2006 and is now valued at about $3 billion. As reported to the approximately 150 fishery scientists at the third meeting of the Western and...

Gulf of Mexico.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council planned to convene a meeting of its ad hoc grouper individual fishing quota advisory panel Oct. 1 to discuss the scoping document for Amendment 29 to the Reef Fish Fishery Management Plan. Reef...

New England.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(New England Fishery Management Council )(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... The New England Fishery Management Council plans to set aside 3 percent of the total allowable herring catch from each of the four management areas, 1A, 1B, 2 and 3, to support cooperative herring-related research activities. The research...

North Pacific.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(North Pacific Fishery Management Council for Pacific )(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... NMFS has published rules implementing changes to the commercial individual fishing quota system established by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council for Pacific halibut and sablefish in Alaska. The new regulations became effective...

Pacific.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(Pacific Fishery Management Council; overfishing of grounfish species)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... NMFS has published a final rule to establish catch accounting requirements for persons who receive, buy, or accept Pacific whiting deliveries of 4,000 pounds or more from vessels using midwater trawl gear during the Pacific whiting primary...

South Atlantic.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)
November 1, 2007... NMFS has determined that South Atlantic gag grouper is undergoing overfishing and is approaching an overfished condition, and that South Atlantic vermilion snapper is also experiencing overfishing. NOAA has notified the South Atlantic Fishery...

Mid-Atlantic.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's consensus)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... For the first time in the past three years the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's summer flounder, scup and black sea bass and bluefish boards achieved consensus on their...

Increase in shell size evokes optimism; Louisiana bets on lease restoration plan.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC: OYSTERS)
November 1, 2007... As the winter harvest season begins, oyster industry insiders in the Gulf of Mexico's top three oyster-producing states are cautiously optimistic. Louisiana may well have a decent crop of market-size (3 inches or larger) oysters for the...

To a large extent, landings and prices during holidays set stage for season.(PACIFIC: DUNGENESS)
November 1, 2007... Less crab and market timing triggered higher ex-vessel prices in the 200607 West Coast Dungeness crab season. The fleet engaged in a two-week strike and started harvesting significant volumes on Dec. 1 instead of Nov. 15. Delaying the...

Lack of demand cools harvesting effort; fishermen urge local marketing strategy.(NORTHEAST: SHRIMP)
November 1, 2007... Under market conditions of just a few years ago, a 151-day season and a restored resource would have made northern shrimp an attractive alternative for beleaguered Gulf of Maine fishermen. But they don't expect much improvement in prices and...

Yelloweye rockfish demand could rise on heels of Southeast longline closure.(NORTH PACIFIC: GROUNDFISH)
November 1, 2007... The closure of a fishery directed for longline harvests of yelloweye in Southeast Alaska could leave markets short, firming up demand, while a new pilot program in areas open to trawling in the Gulf of Alaska could bolster ex-vessel offers for...

The baiting game: if it isn't one thing it's another, say seiners hit with zero-tolerance rule on spawning herring.
November 1, 2007... It's a moonless night in the Gulf of Maine. In the wheelhouse of the blacked-out Western Sea, radar and sonar screens cast weird palls of blue and red on captain Danny Fill and his crew as they watch for herring on the sounders. The light...

Losing angle: the CCA misplays its hand in its efforts to ban gillnets in Alabama.(Southern strategy)
November 1, 2007... When the leaders of the Coastal Conservation Association's Alabama chapter tried to banish nets from that state's waters last spring, they pulled pages from the same game book that's brought the group so much success in other Gulf Coast states:...

Labor of love: West Coast halibut schooners have fished the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska for nearly a century, despite intense maintenance requirements.(Boats & Gear: Wooden boats)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The first halibut schooners were built in the early 1900s. Designed to fish in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska, the boats have ranged well past the end of the Aleutians, steamed above St. Matthew Island in the...

Boatshops of yore.(Boats & Gear: Boatbuilders)
November 1, 2007... Long before boatshops were heated, boatbuilders, especially in New England and the Pacific Northwest, built rugged, durable wooden boats that were also pleasing to look at. And they built them quickly--five or six months for a 132-foot...

Maine lobster boat races star in documentary series: local producer seeks 'Deadliest' success.(ATLANTIC)
November 1, 2007... A former Maine fisherman is hoping can turn his passion for Maine lobster boat racing into a television documentary series on the order of "Deadliest Catch." Gene Landry, who fished for scallops, lobsters and groundfish before embarking on...

Rx for Wx: high-tech weather options for every boat.(Boats & Gear: Early warning systems)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] At one time or another every offshore fisherman has been in the situation where a big storm front is moving into his path. Maybe it's such a massive wall of weather that there are no escape paths and you just hold...

Purse seiner for a Jersey crew; Nova Scotia allows 50-footers.(NORTHEAST)(Dan Axelsson)
November 1, 2007... In Surry, Maine, Wesmac completed the hull and deck of what will be a 54-foot purse seiner for New Jersey fisherman Dan Axelsson. "It will look like a lobster boat on the front part, but an old time seine boat on the back part, with her transom...

Calif. yard rolls out crabber; multipurpose boat for Alaska.(WEST)
November 1, 2007... Van Peer Boatworks in Fort Bragg, Calif., was scheduled to launch a 63' x 24' 6" steel boat on Sept. 29. The boat was built for Dennis Sturgell of Hammond, Ore., who will use it for Dungeness crabbing and pot fishing for blackcod, off the...

Va. crabbers net wood skiffs; diversity is vital for Md. yard.(SOUTH)(Virginia, Maryland)
November 1, 2007... Historically, small wooden skiffs have played a major role in Chesapeake Bay's commercial fishing industry, and there are still a few fisheries that support the building of wooden skiffs. Albert Carlton of Urbanna, Va., builds a 15' x 4' 6"...

The ultimate disconnect: Cole Hersee's new switch keeps your battery alive.(Product roundup)
November 1, 2007... You've shoved off from the dock and are rowing out to the boat on its mooring for another day of hauling when you remember that the night before, when working on the boat, you just turned the radio down--not off--as you hoisted yourself out of...

Preventative medicine for your engine: EngineCheckUp lets you test the oil quality in minutes.(Product roundup)
November 1, 2007... The reason you are tied up to the dock and your diesel is spread across the engine room in various pieces, while you're running up a hefty mechanic's bill, can be traced to a number of things: bad rings, leaky seals, low oil level and a turbo...

Beckson Marine might have made winterizing your boat's engine a little easier and a little less messy with its Antifreeze Drum Pump.(At a glance)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] BECKSON MARINE might have made winterizing your boat's engine a little easier and a little less messy with its ANTIFREEZE DRUM PUMP. The pump works with non-toxic, propylene glycol antifreeze and makes transferring...

Prospec Electronics'.(At a glance)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] PROSPEC ELECTRONICS' latest offering is designed to make sure you don't miss those low-bass notes as your tunes compete with the whine of the diesel. The JBL MPS-1000 amplified subwoofer's 10-inch speaker has a...

John Deere's new 6068SFM75 6.8-liter diesel has a power range from 249 to 400 hp and meets EPA Tier 2 emissions requirements.(At a glance)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] JOHN DEERE's new 6068SFM75 6.8-liter diesel has a power range from 249 to 400 hp and meets EPA Tier 2 emissions requirements. The M1 (249 hp), M2 (280 hp) and M3 (321 hp) are the fishing boat ratings and all are an...

ZF Marine Electronics has released the Minicommand control system for single-lever control of electronically actuated diesels and marine transmissions.(At a glance)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ZF MARINE ELECTRONICS has released the MINICOMMAND control system for single-lever control of electronically actuated diesels and marine transmissions. This can be used for one or two engines and includes as standard...

AMP Research has just the thing to make it easier to hoist yourself over your pickup's bumper and into the truck's bed.(At a glance)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] AMP RESEARCH has just the thing to make it easier to hoist yourself over your pickup's bumper and into the truck's bed. The BEDSTEP works with the tailgate open or closed. The Teflon-coated cast aluminum alloy,...

Ambientnav is coming out with a group of sunlight viewable monitors, the Alpha, with the first offering being a 17-inch monitor featuring an extremely wide viewing angle.(At a glance)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] AMBIENTNAV is coming out with a group of sunlight viewable monitors, the ALPHA, with the first offering being a 17-inch monitor featuring an extremely wide viewing angle. Using SeaEye technology, the monitor features...

Bulletin board.(conferences of maritime industry)(Brief article)(Calendar)
November 1, 2007... NOV. 15-17 Pacific Marine Expo Qwest Field Event Center, Seattle * www.pacificmarineexpo.com Pacific Marine Expo has you covered from bow to stern with more than 450 exhibitors showcasing the latest technology in engines, electronics,...

Richard C. "Dick" Hearn, co-founder of Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding in Somerset, Mass., died this summer at the age of 87.(ON THE MOVE)
November 1, 2007... RICHARD C. "DICK" HEARN, co-founder of GLADDING-HEARN SHIPBUILDING in Somerset, Mass., died this summer at the age of 87. Along with Preston Gladding, Hearn founded the shipyard in 1955 to build steel workboats and was widely recognized as an...

Marine Fish Conservation Network.(ON THE MOVE)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... The MARINE FISH CONSERVATION NETWORK announced the appointment of its new executive director, BRUCE J. STEDMAN. Stedman has more than 25 years of experience in marine and environmental policy and was selected after a nationwide search. The...

Globe Wireless has completed its acquisition of Seawave & Rydex.(COMPANY NEWS)
November 1, 2007... GLOBE WIRELESS has completed its acquisition of SEAWAVE & RYDEX. Globe Wireless, based in Palm Bay, Fla., provides maritime voice and data communications services and will continue to provide service to SeaWave & Rydex customers.

Iveco Motors announced its new name and structure as Fiat Powertrain Technologies of North America.(COMPANY NEWS)
November 1, 2007... IVECO MOTORS announced its new name and structure as FIAT POWERTRAIN TECHNOLOGIES OF NORTH AMERICA. The company is still based in Carol Stream, Ill., and is now part of the Fiat Group's sector Fiat Powertrain Technologies, based in Orbassano,...

Provincetown, Mass.(Last set)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] On a sunny late summer day, deckhand Ryan Nolan unloads bluefish from the Sea Wolf, owned and operated by Tom Smith of Orleans, Mass.