National Fisherman articles from October 2006

National Fisherman archives from October 2006

October 2006: this month's highlights.
October 1, 2006... Some of our writers and photographers get around, no doubt. But among the commercial fishermen who contribute to National Fisherman, none have an itinerary that can compete with Corey Arnold's. One minute, Corey's in the Bering Sea catching...

Alaska gives Gulf Coast fishermen AFIRM helping hand.(VIEWS from Alaska)
October 1, 2006... A year ago fishermen across the country watched and read of the devastation hurricanes Katrina and Rita wrought on Gulf of Mexico communities. A widely reported congressional appropriation to help the gulf seafood industry rebuild was cut by...

Show us your face!
October 1, 2006... Those of you who were regular readers of Alaska Fisherman's Journal will recall that each year the January issue featured crew shots. We think celebrating the men and women who work the decks of America's fishing vessels is a great...

A beginner's guide to Canadian and U.S. commercial fisheries.("The Fisheries of North America: An Illustrated Guide to Commercial Species")(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2006... The Fisheries of North America An Illustrated Guide to Commercial Species By Robin W.A. Rodger Canadian Marine Publications, 2006 Softcover, 213 pp., $78 This illustrated guide to North American fish covers 99 percent of commercial...

A fisherman angles for all the right words in odes to life in Alaska.(The Bering Disease)(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2006... The Bering Disease By Micheyeala Outskirts Press, 2006 Softcover, 153 pp., $24.95 www.outskirtspress.com Under his nom de plume, Micheyeala, Michael Scott Rabine is a Bering Sea fisherman cum poet. His poetry, however, is not...

This mess we're in is no fluke.(From Another Perspective)
October 1, 2006... Since 1996, our fisheries have been on a collision course with the Sustainable Fisheries Act. The impossibility of meeting the 10-year "rebuilding" schedule is in the public eye now because of what it's on the verge of doing to the summer...

Fishing back when.
October 1, 2006... 50 YEARS AGO The Maine Lobstermen's Association prevails in a fight with Casco Bay lobster dealers who dared to dip below the 35-cent minimum price for lobslers. When the organization's Vice President Rodney M. Cushing heard that a...

Senate must ratify the Law of the Sea treaty.(United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea )
October 1, 2006... The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea sets forth a comprehensive agreement for law and order in the world's oceans. The convention was open for signature by the world's nations in 1982 and entered into effect in 1994. Today,...

Practicing to survive in cold water.(immersion suits)
October 1, 2006... A 37 1/2-foot steel vessel out of Sitka, Alaska, rigged for a combination of trolling and longlining, departed port on Wednesday, April 20, 2005, and anchored in Redfish Bay. The next morning, the vessel moved to fishing grounds approximately...

A mother pleads for the remaining watermen.(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2006... I am really grateful for all the recent press in The (Manteo, N.C.) Coastland Times and the League of Women Voters' effort to bring to light the plight of the waterman in Dare County and North Carolina as a whole. I made the trip to Hatteras...

Cap'n Sane says ...
October 1, 2006... Come Friday, we Cove-ers are hiring a bus takin' us t'the state fishcrat headquarters t'support our clam cop, Bubba Beal. Last week Bubba got a due-postage postcard t'appear f'a hearing on him gettin' fired. Bub's always had problems with...

Commercial capital: put a marker on your money!(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2006... Most of us have some sort of bumper sticker on our cars or trucks supporting our fisheries and/or commercial fishing. I would like to propose an idea to other fishermen and their families. I have made up labels for checks and envelopes that...

Mapping the future of the ocean.(Mail buoy)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2006... I have tasked the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee, a body of top fisheries policy leaders and consultants that provides guidance to NOAA Fisheries Service, to develop a "vision document" that will project the state of domestic fisheries and...

Fishing with Little Hollywood.(In search of the simple life)
October 1, 2006... I've been fishing with my grandson all week at a local lake while his dad takes an emergency response class in Seattle before heading up to the Bering Sea. He's taken the class before (one of the excellent offerings of the North Pacific Fishing...

Ohio fishermen fighting proposed $4m license buyout; +a response to exceeded quotas, the legislation would eliminate trapnetters and seiners.(NATION/WORLD)
October 1, 2006... Lake Erie harvesters are fighting a bill that would buy out licenses and snuff out commercial fishing in Ohio. According to Dean Koch, president of the Ohio Fish Producers Association in Sandusky, Ohio, the state's 18 trapnetters and 25 seiners...

Prime minister rekindles Native fisheries debate: Canadian leader's remarks spark protests.(NATION/WORLD)
October 1, 2006... Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper stirred the waters of British Columbia's salmon fishing grounds in July when he said his government would try to end Native-only commercial fishing openings. In a letter to a Calgary newspaper, Harper...

Commission halts a bid to overturn whaling ban: Japan plans to increase 'scientific' program.(NATION/WORLD)
October 1, 2006... At the annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission in June, Japan-led pro-whaling nations narrowly won a vote calling for the eventual resumption of commercial whaling but couldn't corral enough of a majority to overturn the...

Study: fewer lobster traps could mean more profits; computer model also disdains minimum size limit, evoking skepticism among harvesters.(Dick Allen, Hauke Kite-Powell )(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... A computer modeling study that shows lobstermen would catch more and bigger lobsters with fewer traps--and no minimum size limit--flies in the face of accepted knowledge, Dick Allen admits. Except for one thing. "If you talk to fishermen,...

Scallop boat slams shoal, Coast Guard rescues crew: 71-footer salvaged from bird sanctuary.(ATLANTIC)
October 1, 2006... A July scalloping trip ended in disaster hen the New Bedford fishing vessel Midnight Rider ran aground in Muskeget Channel, between Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, Mass. "It was a nightmare," said crewman Donald Bachand, who was sleeping...

Where we live: Belford, N.J.(fishing in New Jersey)
October 1, 2006... THE TOWN Population: 1,400 people Number of boats: About 40 to 45 boats in all. The biggest boats are about 50 feet long. TOP LANDINGS Belford is home to hand--rake bay clammers, lobstermen, pound netters and a fleet of small...

Picking houses' fate rides on guest worker program: Senate vote vital to Md. blue crab industry.(ATLANTIC)
October 1, 2006... Pending federal legislation aims to continue exempting returning seasonal workers from the national guestworker limit. But if the bill, sponsored by U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) fails, those foreign workers won't be able to return next...

Scott Hawkins: San Diego.(SNAPSHOT: WHO WE ARE)
October 1, 2006... Thinking outside the box is paying off for longtime San Diego albacore fisherman Scott Hawkins. Hawkins says he is excited about Bonita, Calif.-based American Tuna, the brand name of a high-end canned albacore product he and fellow San...

California sea bass boat capsizes, claiming two lives: captain is the sole survivor after gillnetter crew attempts to swim 1 1/2 miles to shore.(ALASKA and PACIFIC)
October 1, 2006... When their 36-foot aluminum gillnetter sank suddenly at 9 p.m. on July 10, three Santa Barbara--area fishermen swam for their lives toward Santa Cruz Island, 1 1/2 miles away. Only one survived. Clifton Kent, 43, the survivor and owner of...

Salmon cutback puts chill on Oregon ice production; shortage eventually afflicts other fisheries.(ALASKA and PACIFIC)
October 1, 2006... One of the most visible signs of infrastructure collapse caused by this year's truncated salmon season in Oregon and California happened in Charleston, Ore. Pat Houck, owner of Charleston Ice, had to close his business in the spring. ...

Seafood lasagna: Bill and Lillian Sager, King Cove, Alaska.(GALLEY WATCH: AT-SEA CUISINE)
October 1, 2006... With an abundant supply of fresh seafood around King Cove, this recipe is a favorite of Lillian Sager's husband, Bill, who fishes the salmon gillnetter Mr. Bill. If salmon isn't available, "you can use miscellaneous seafood says. "Whatever you...

Endeavor: reef fish longline/ bandit boat.(BOAT OF THE MONTH)
October 1, 2006... The sparkling blue and white Endeavor would be a credit to any seafood house, especially now, when hard times in the Gulf of Mexico make it harder and harder to find money for cosmetics. Panama City, Fla., seafood dealer Greg Abrams says he...

Alaska's False Pass begins construction of new harbor; seafood processing facility also being built.(ALASKA and PACIFIC)
October 1, 2006... After more than a decade of planning, construction of a new harbor began at False Pass, a tiny fishing community at the crossroads of the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea. "Harbor construction has begun," says Karen Montoya, public...

Florida's 2005 red tide woes trigger debate on cause; biologist bucks state's theory, sees connection between nutrient-rich runoff and blooms.(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Florida's severe 2005 red tide has spawned a robust debate in the scientific community. Red tide outbreaks in more typical years tend to be fall events; the 2005 event began in the spring and continued right into the fall. Larry Brand, a...

NMFS amendment could close Outer Banks fishery; socioeconomic effects deleted from draft.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC)
October 1, 2006... The North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission is asking Roy Crabtree, southeast regional administrator for NMFS, to explain changes made to the socioeconomic impact analysis in draft Amendment 13C of the snapper-grouper management plan. ...

Keys sanctuary bolstering marine stocks, studies say: catch benefits a ways off, advocate states.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC)
October 1, 2006... The Tortugas ecological reserve, part of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, has increasing numbers and sizes of important marine species, according to three recent studies. As the largest marine reserve reached its fifth...

New England.(United States. Coast Guard)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... With the closure in July of the fishing grounds known as the Nantucket Lightship Area to "general category" scallopers, a fleet comprised of small-scale or part-time vessels, New England Fishery Management Council and U.S. Coast Guard officials...

Mid Atlantic Council.(Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission decrease flounder quota)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission listened to concerns from Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) on behalf of himself, Congressman Jim Saxton (R-N.J.) and Senators Frank Lautenberg...

South Atlantic Council.(South Atlantic Fishery Management Council to close St. Lucie Hump)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Anglers along Florida's so-called Treasure Coast comprising the coastal communities of Palm Beach County--are expected to turn out at a mid-September public hearing the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is holding to discuss a proposed...

North Pacific Council.(Arne Fuglvog resigns )(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Rationalization of the Gulf of Alaska groundfish fishery will be on the council's agenda at its December meeting in Anchorage. The council elected to remove the item from the agenda of its October meeting in Dutch Harbor to better...

Pacific Council.(Oregon. Department of Fish and Wildlife on Pacific halibut season)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in August was holding meetings to discuss the 2007 recreational Pacific halibut season. "We will look at the allocation of Pacific halibut and the fishery structure such as the timing of the...

Western Pacific Council.(Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council believes commercial fishing should be part of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument, recently created by president George W. Bush, but the prospects seem uncertain....

Gulf Council.(Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council to consider individual fishing quotas)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... The Gulf of Mexico fishery Management Council has formed an ad hoc panel to consider individual fishing quotas for the grouper fishery. Such a program might reduce overcapacity and extend the season, which proponents say would improve...

Gulf scarcity and improving harvest plump up prices in the Mid-Atlantic.(oysters )
October 1, 2006... Anyone who needs a load of clamshells for their driveway is out of luck. But that could bode well for Delaware Bay watermen, as the shells are being snapped up to plant new shell beds in the bay, which are likely to yield more baby oysters. ...

Crabbers, ranks thinned by storms, hope to claw their way to profitability.
October 1, 2006... With October's opening fast approaching, fishermen are wondering whether the stone crabs they didn't catch during the hurricane-disrupted 2005-06 season have hung around for the 2006-07 season. "It's hard to tell," says stone crabber...

Consolidation boosts vessel earnings 200%, but high-grading is an issue.(NORTH PACIFIC: KING CRAB)
October 1, 2006... As expected, North Pacific crabbers found a few wrinkles in the newly rationalized fishery last year. Average earnings per boat in the king crab fishery jumped by 202 percent, according to a socio-economic study by Gunnar Knapp, economics...

Domestic sushi market growing, but it's out of phase with harvest season.
October 1, 2006... California's sea urchin industry got hit this year with almost as many problems as an urchin has spines. Changing markets--and fishing seasons that may need to change with them--and higher air and water temperatures, among other issues, have...

A crabber's life: how a Southern Californian became addicted to pursuit of the 'Deadliest Catch'.
October 1, 2006... It's happening again. After a 16-hour work day followed by a couple of grueling hours of chipping ice off the bow with a sledgehammer, the fingers on my left hand have frozen beyond a reasonable temperature for human flesh. Wet gloves now lie...

A young man and the sea: Graham Harrison has no doubt his future is in fishing.
October 1, 2006... Fifteen-year old Graham Harrison takes a seat on one of the plastic chairs planted in rows so tight that the burliest fishermen in the Morehead City, N.C., meeting room practically sit cheek to cheek. The boy looks around the room and...

Weather proven: Southern storms test an Alabama-built trawler bound for New York--even before she is launched.(Boats & Gear: Boatbuilding)
October 1, 2006... In mid-August, the 102-foot trawler Jason & Danielle pulled away from the dock at Williams Fabrication in Coden, Ala., leaving behind the Alabama bayous to head into the Gulf of Mexico, around Florida and up the Eastern Seaboard to her home...

Downdraft: a deadly katabatic wind befalls a 49-foot dragger of British Columbia.(Ray Kevis)
October 1, 2006... The forecast called for 50-knot storm-force winds as the 49-foot wooden shrimp dragger Larissa approached Grenville Channel, 40 nautical miles south of Prince Rupert, British Columbia. On board were skipper Ray Kevis and his deckhand, Lorne...

Avoiding alcohol problems: things to consider if ethanol comes to a fuel tank near you.(Boats & Gear: Inside Outboards)
October 1, 2006... If you were fishing with an outboard engine in the cooler climates in the 1980s, you probably remember problems with ice forming in gas lines and engines being difficult to start. The culprit was water in the fuel. Water also caused algae...

Outboard directory.(Buyers guide)
October 1, 2006... Model Engine Type HP RPM Range (full -throttle) 9.8 to 20 hp Nissan NSF 9.8 4-stroke, 2-cyl, 9.8...

Lobster boat gets more beam; Canadian boats big in Alaska.(NORTHEAST)
October 1, 2006... Late last fall, there was a meeting of boat owners who tie up their boats at the Cardinal Medeiros dock in south Boston. Steven Holler, a lobsterman from Quincy, Mass., who keeps his 42-foot November Gale at the dock, was attending the meeting...

Crab boat needs flooded bulb; new rolling chocks for seiners.(WEST)
October 1, 2006... In early July, Fashion Blacksmith had pair of boats out of Crescent City, Calif., blocked up on shore, and more were due later in the summer. The 80-foot Dungeness crabber and shrimper Darin Alan, owned by David Evanow, is an older boat...

Travel lifts replacing railways; Alabama yard is back to work.(SOUTH)
October 1, 2006... As marine railways catering to commercial fishermen close down along Chesapeake Bay, the maintenance of the bay's commercial workboat fleet is increasingly dependent on travel lifts in boatyards that mostly cater to recreational boats. ...

Skimming to safety: life-saving device is the ultimate Frisbee.(Personal Retriever from Life-Safer Inc.)
October 1, 2006... That red life ring in a bracket on your boat is there in case someone goes overboard. Just toss it to them and they'll have some flotation, right? That's the theory. But the life ring is cumbersome and can be awkward to deliver to someone...

Plug-and-play chillers: portable deck-mounting units from Integrated Marine Systems.(Product roundup)
October 1, 2006... Fishermen who want to work more than one fishery and need a refrigerated seawater system to do it, often find the whole process intimidating. If you mount the system below deck, you're probably forced to put the equipment in a space already...

Performance Metals has developed a premium line of sacrificial anodes under the name Navalloy.
October 1, 2006... PERFORMANCE METALS has developed a premium line of sacrificial anodes under the name NAVALLOY. The anodes are made up of aluminum, 5 percent zinc and traces of indium. They are 2 1/2 times lighter than zinc and last 30 percent longer. A...

Hella Marine's new masthead light, the NaviLED PRO meets the international requirements for 3-mile visibility, while drawing less than 2.5 watts.(At a glance)
October 1, 2006... HELLA MARINE'S new masthead light, the NAVILED PRO meets the international requirements for 3-mile visibility, while drawing less than 2.5 watts. Each NaviLED Pro lamp is sealed in a high-impact acrylic housing to keep out water and resist...

ACR Electronics has upgraded two of its abandonship bags, the RapidDitch and RapidDitch Express.(At a glance)
October 1, 2006... ACR ELECTRONICS has upgraded two of its abandonship bags, the RAPIDDITCH and RAPIDDITCH EXPRESS. These are buoyant survival gear bags designed to hold essential lifesaving gear, including an EPIRB and a VHF radio. Modifications to the...

Simrad took advantage of Bluetooth class-1 wireless technology to develop the RemoteCommander.(At a glance)
October 1, 2006... SIMRAD took advantage of Bluetooth class-1 wireless technology to develop the REMOTECOMMANDER. The device lets you remotely control a number of Simrad electronics, including radars, chart plotters and autopilots. That means you can adjust the...

Turning Point Propellers' high-performance series of aluminum propellers for outboards now comes with the newly designed MasterGuard hub system.
October 1, 2006... TURNING POINT PROPELLERS' high-performance series of aluminum propellers for outboards now comes with the newly designed MASTERGUARD hub system. The MasterGuard hub is designed to improve a boat's maximum speed, yield a faster hole shot and...

Samyung recently introduced its Navis 3000 combination chart plotter and fishfinder into this country. The Navis 3000 has a 10.4-inch 16-color display.
October 1, 2006... SAMYUNG recently introduced its NAVIS 3000 combination chart plotter and fishfinder into this country. The Navis 3000 has a 10.4-inch 16-color display. It works With C-Map NT electronic charts. The machine is available as a single-frequency (50...

Bulletin board.
October 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...

On Sept. 3, Dr. John Boreman began his new job as director of the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service Office of Science and Technology.(ON THE MOVE)
October 1, 2006... On Sept. 3, DR. JOHN BOREMAN began his new job as director of the NOAA NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE Office of Science and Technology. He comes to the position from the Woods Hole, Mass.-based Northeast Fisheries Science Center, the...

Riverdale Mills Corp. President and CEO Jim M. Knott Sr. received an honorary doctor of Maine, Orono, for his service in the field of engineering.(ON THE MOVE)
October 1, 2006... RIVERDALE MILLS CORP. President and CEO JIM M. KNOTT SR. received an honorary doctor of sciences degree from the University of Maine, Orono, for his service in the field of engineering. One of Knott's most outstanding contributions to the...

Maryland Watermen's Association.(COMPANY NEWS)
October 1, 2006... Enter now for the Jan. 28, 2007, drawing to win an Evans 38' x 14' fishing boat or a Ford F-150 pickup truck from the MARYLAND WATERMEN' S ASSOCIATION. The boat has a 490-hp Cummins and is valued at $150,000. The association is selling 2,000...

Net Systems.(installs Ultra Cross Netting Loom )(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Bainbridge Island, Wash.-based NET SYSTEMS installed a computer-guided Ultra Cross Netting Loom that will provide customers with a tremendous range of mesh sizes and twin diameters. Ultra Cross looms use a patented knotless manufacturing...

Cook Inlet, Alaska.(Last set)
October 1, 2006... Skipper James Seitz and his sister and crew, Amy, tuck away a sockeye salmon aboard the drift salmon gillnetter Snug Two during the 1997 season.