National Fisherman articles from September 2007

National Fisherman archives from September 2007

September 2007 this month's highlights.(The hail)
September 1, 2007... It seems like Hoyt Childers, our Gulf and South Atlantic bureau chief, has been on Florida's commercial fishing beat forever. Unless, of course, you're comparing his time on the scene to Rodney Thompson's. Thompson, 77, first caught shrimp...

Let's join forces with our allies.(VIEWS from Alaska)
September 1, 2007... In the 29 years that my husband and I have been commercial salmon trollers in Southeast Alaska we have seen many changes and experienced the highs and lows of our fishing industry. Fishing is more than just earning a living; it is the way of...

The vice presidential seal.(Editor's log)(Dick Cheney)
September 1, 2007... By the time most of you read this, we'll know whether Vice President Dick Cheney showed up for a July 31 congressional hearing to look into the role he may have played in the development of a 10-year water plan for the Klamath River in...

Fishing back when.(NF classics)
September 1, 2007... 50 YEARS AGO A land called Galilee hosts half a dozen menhaden boats geared up for a 13 million pound season. In Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay, this small fleet of pogy seiners runs from the bay's port town of Galilee, which hosts a...

Lifelong Rhode Island fisherman recounts his Snug Harbor days.(Fo'c'sle library)(In Danger at Sea: Adventures of a New England Fishing Family By Capt. Samuel S. Cottle)(Brief article)(Book review)
September 1, 2007... In Danger at Sea Adventures of a New England Fishing Family By Capt. Samuel S. Cottle Down East Books, 2007 Hardcover, 320 pp., $22.95 www.downeastbooks.com In true New Englander fashion, Capt. Samuel S. Cottle tells the wildest tales...

Guide to marine electronics offers easy to follow expert techniques.(Fo'c'sle library)(Advanced Marine Electric and Electronics Troubleshooting: A Manual for Boatowners and Marine Technicians)(Brief article)(Book review)
September 1, 2007... Advanced Marine Electric and Electronics Troubleshooting A Manual for Boatowners and Marine Technicians By Ed Sherman International Marine, 2007 Hardcover, 192 pp., $34.95 www.internationalmarine.com From Ed Sherman, a senior staff writer...

An amateur economic strategy.(From Another Perspective)
September 1, 2007... Do you have a hobby that involves growing or building stuff, or do you know anybody who does? If so, you know it can get really expensive. Amateur gardeners pay way above market price to grow their own tomatoes and eggplants and squash. Amateur...

The mistress: a shoreside perspective of the fishing life.(Dock talk)
September 1, 2007... My husband had a teaching contract soon after we wed. At the last minute, he changed his mind, saying that the confinement of a classroom wasn't for him. No, he's an outdoor man, an independent person. Earlier I had made the statement that...

Close call fails to impress safety board.(Consequences)
September 1, 2007... From Transportation Safety Board Reports For a boat to sink it must first fill with water. This came happen despite our best efforts--because of weather or structural failure, for example--or it can result from our incompetence, in which...

Propose alternatives--actually don't bother.(From the town landing)
September 1, 2007... Changing a fisheries management plan in New England, organized as an amendment to an existing plan, has always been an excruciatingly painful process. To begin with, it is glacially slow--three years from opening the discussion to amendment...

Battle continues for Calif. groundfish fleet.(Mail buoy)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2007... The following is a letter to NMFS Director Bill Hogarth regarding Southern California's Cowcod Conservation Areas, established in 2001. Several years ago I heard your presentation as the keynote speaker at the Fish Expo in Seattle. I...

Cap'n Sane says ...
September 1, 2007... Well the Marbleheaders showed up nearly on raftin time Sunday morning. Shorty Gage is raft-up director this year, elected by one vote over Beulah Banning. Beul don't have a boat, so's she shouted mooring directions from shore with a rolled...

Coalition calls for observers in midwater herring trawl.(Mail buoy)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2007... The following is a letter to Congress from Peter Baker, now the former chairman of CHOIR. We write today to voice our support for increased observer coverage in the herring midwater trawl fishery in New England. These vessels employ...

It's time to end overfishing.(A letter from Bill Hogarth)
September 1, 2007... NOAA Fisheries Service recently released its annual report on the status of U.S. marine fisheries for 2006. The report tracks both population levels and harvest rates for species caught in federal waters. Of the 187 fish stocks and...

The year of the salmon.(In search of the simple life)(Craig, Alaska)(City overview)
September 1, 2007... I was sitting at the bar in Ruth Ann's, interviewing the mayor of Craig, Alaska, on the spiritual health of the community--which, judging from the general animation of the town (to say nothing of the bar), was excellent. He had just tied...

Klamath Riverkeeper sues over dam, hatchery discharge: conservation group claims toxic algae is the result of federal Clean Water Act violations.(ALASKA and PACIFIC)
September 1, 2007... Pacific Coast salmon trollers had an ocean fishing season this year, but troubles on Oregon and California's Klamath River are far from over. In May, the conservation group Klamath Riverkeeper filed a lawsuit against PacifiCorp, owned by...

Calif. takes 'before' photo of marine protected areas: will assess biological, socioeconomic effects.(ALASKA and PACIFIC)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... In June, scientists were awarded $2 million to begin monitoring the ecological and socioeconomic effects of California's recently designated central coast marine protected areas, which will ban or limit commercial fishing in about 18 percent of...

Loggerhead study reveals attraction to longline lights: blinking lights, shades, certain wavelengths may help reduce global sea turtle bycatch.(NATION/WORLD)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... A new study helps explain why an estimated 250,000 loggerhead sea turtles were bycatch in the global longline fishery in 2000: The turtles are attracted to the glow from light sticks used to lure big fish to bait. The glow is supposed to mimic...

New Bedford, Seattle hold annual fishing festivals: Mass. event celebrates women in industry.(NATION/WORLD)
September 1, 2007... On Saturday, Sept. 22, take your pick of East and West coast fishing festivals--the Fishermen's Fall Festival at Seattle's Fishermen's Terminal or the Working Waterfront Festival at Fisherman's Wharf in New Bedford, Mass. In Seattle, the...

Halibut quotas cut, license buyback canceled in P.E.I.: federal decisions upset island's fishermen.(NATION/WORLD)
September 1, 2007... The Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans announced in June two decisions, both of which have Prince Edward Island fishermen angry. First came the announcement that the island's share of the Gulf of St. Lawrence halibut quota would be...

Where we live: Pensacola, Fla.(HOME PORT)(Florida)(City overview)
September 1, 2007... THE TOWN Population: 55,000 Fleet size: 50 to 60 vessels and small boats TOP FIVE LANDINGS IN 2006 * By volume: Brown shrimp--252,631 pounds worth $255,902 Vermilion snapper--235,340 pounds worth $551,545 ...

Outer Banks mackerel fishermen won't face cuts in '08: South Atlantic council waits for new assessment to alter king and Spanish species quotas.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Ruffled brows turned smooth in North Carolina when Outer Banks fishermen learned that the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council does not plan to reduce king and Spanish mackerel catch limits for the 2008 fishing year. In June, the...

Fortress: South Bend, Wash.(BOAT OF THE MONTH)
September 1, 2007... Built in 1944, the Fortress is probably the oldest double-rigged wooden shrimp boat on the West Coast, says third-generation fisherman Willie Dickey, who runs the boat in summer "It is a tough boat, too," he says. "It has been hit by a...

Jacob Henry: Akiachak, Alaska.(SNAPSHOT: WHO WE ARE)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Jacob Henry walks the thin line between commercial fishing and subsistence each summer when the salmon return to his family's haunts on the lower Kuskokwim River or the nearby Bering Sea coastline. "We drift on the Kusko and setnet on the...

Southeast awaits approval for eight protected areas: council approves amendment unanimously.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC)(South Atlantic Fishery Management Counci)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council has given final approval to a series of eight marine protected areas off the coasts of North and South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. The amendment establishing the areas--which passed with the...

Industry advice sways Delaware horseshoe fishery ruling: Virginia conch dealer crafts alternative to moratorium proposed by N.J. and Del. officials.(ATLANTIC)
September 1, 2007... Commercial fishermen scored an unusual court victory on Delaware Bay horseshoe crabs this spring, when a Delaware Superior Court judge opened the way for a three-week, males-only harvest in June to supply bait. In a June 8 ruling, Judge...

Parson's clam chowder: Dale and Wanda Parsons Tuckerton, N.J.(GALLEY WATCH: AT-SEA CUISINE)
September 1, 2007... Five generations of Parsons have brought dams to the Parsons Seafood dock on Tuckerton Creek. Dale Parsons says his mother, Wanda Parsons, has a recipe file in her head to match that history. "We've been trying to write them all down and...

Lag in herring catch report sparks threat of days off: Area 1A restrictions may affect lobster bait.(ATLANTIC)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... As the inshore Gulf of Maine closed to midwater herring trawlers in late spring, the fleet's opponents gathered into a new group, the Herring Alliance, and pointed to a late-May overrun of the herring quota as a sign of trouble to come. ...

Council updates: news from the regional management councils: 2007 council appointments.(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... The Commerce Department has announced the appointment of 19 members to the eight regional fishery management councils. The councils, established by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, prepare fishery management plans...

Council updates: news from the regional management councils: New England.(New England Fishery Management Council )(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... The New England Fishery Management Council includes members from the states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. The appointees for 2007 fill an obligatory seat for New Hampshire and two at-large seats. ...

Council updates: news from the regional management councils: Mid-Atlantic.(Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council )(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council includes members from the states of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The appointees for 2007 fill an obligatory seat for Delaware and three at-large...

Council updates: news from the regional management councils: South Atlantic.
September 1, 2007... The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council includes members from the states of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. The appointees for 2007 fill obligatory seats for North Carolina and South Carolina. Obligatory seats:...

Council updates: news from the regional management councils: Caribbean.
September 1, 2007... The Caribbean Fishery Management Council includes members from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The appointee for 2007 fills one at-large seat. At-large seat: Winston J. Ledee--U.S. Virgin Islands

Council updates: news from the regional management councils: Gulf of Mexico.
September 1, 2007... The Gulf Fishery Management Council includes members from the states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. The appointees for 2007 till obligatory seats for Mississippi and Texas and one at-large seat. Obligatory seats:...

Council updates: news from the regional management councils: Pacific.
September 1, 2007... The Pacific Fishery Management Council includes members from the states of California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. The appointees for 2007 fill an obligatory seat for Idaho and one at-large seat. Obligatory seat: * David W....

Council updates: news from the regional management councils: North Pacific.
September 1, 2007... The North Pacific Fishery Management Council includes members from the states of Alaska and Washington. The appointees for 2007 fill obligatory seats for Alaska. Obligatory seats: Duncan S. Fields--Alaska Samuel R. Cotten--Alaska

Council updates: news from the regional management councils: Western Pacific.(Western Pacific Fishery Management Council )(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council includes members from the American-flagged Pacific islands of American Samoa and Guam, the state of Hawaii and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The appointees for 2007 fill two...

Low quotas, high volume squeeze fleet; anglers seek new allocation.(NORTHEAST SUMMER FLOUNDER)
September 1, 2007... Some signs of growing abundance may offer hope of better seasons ahead for summer flounder fishermen. That would be welcome news, given that 2007's combined commercial and recreational quotas are down 57 percent from just a few years ago....

Foreign production could set the pace for ex-vessel prices paid to seine fleet.(PACIFIC SQUID)
September 1, 2007... With the biomass slow to show offshore of Monterey, Calif., this year, West Coast squid fishermen could only wait and hope that prices remained at $500 per short ton. "I think [last year] was an OK year," says Rob Zuanich, executive...

Whitefish shortages, labeling changes bode well for pollock, surimi products.(NORTH PACIFIC POLLOCK)
September 1, 2007... The continued worldwide whitefish shortage and positive tweaks to sea food labeling language requirements for surimi-based products is bolstering demand and raising export values for Alaska's pollock industry. Nor should it hurt pricing...

North Carolina's fishermen find themselves high and dry on quota.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC SUMMER FLOUNDER)
September 1, 2007... By now fishermen in North Carolina, the only South Atlantic state to receive a portion of the coastwide summer founder quota, know that with 91 percent of their disappointing 2.68 mil lion pound quota already caught during the early 2007...

Comfort and speed: a New Yorker's Maine-built tuna boat has it all.(Boats & Gear: Boatbuilding)
September 1, 2007... Anthony Siniscalchi fishes for tuna out of Atlantic Beach, N.Y. He runs 100 miles or more out to the offshore canyons--Hudson, Tom's, Atlantic, Fish Tails --chasing bigeye, yellowfin and bluefin. Like many of the tuna fishermen in his area,...

Managing to survive: New Englanders are determined to wait out groundfish recovery--one way or the other.(Cover story)
September 1, 2007... Groundfishing off New England isn't easy, and it hasn't been for more than a decade. Federal stock rebuilding mandates have triggered increasingly severe fishing restrictions and eroded to a precious few the number of days harvesters can fish...

Rocky steady: Rodney Thompson, rock shrimp and fiberglass pioneer, rides the industry waves with his family and fishery.(In profile)(Biography)
September 1, 2007... After a lifetime in boat-building and seafood, 77-year-old Rodney Thompson moves at a much slower pace as he climbs the stairs to the second floor office in Cape Canaveral, Fla., where his daughter Sherri McCoy now runs the Wild Ocean Seafood...

Safety night at the movies: survival DVDs for fishermen above and below the surface.(Boats & Gear: Education)
September 1, 2007... Believing that people sometimes forget basic safety practices, fishing vessel safety organizations have for some time been busy shooting, editing and producing safety-training videos that (hopefully) will lead fishermen to reconsider such...

Sounds quick: radio manufacturers' newest offerings emphasize speed, efficiency and versatility.(Boats & Gear: Communications)
September 1, 2007... Many factors contribute to your competitive edge. For one thing, you need dependable equipment. And it needs to be efficient: If it works but it's too slow or lacks options used by other fishermen, you'll be at a disadvantage. This applies...

Mass. builder takes on 'honest' job with Brockway-style skiffs.(NORTHEAST)(Massachusetts)(company Lady Bug Boats)(Company overview)
September 1, 2007... For a lot of boats being built these days, it seems you need degrees in chemical and structural engineering to figure out what you are getting. Think about the choices for a fiberglass boat: E-glass, S-glass, Kevlar, Spectra and carbon...

Hold fits moose, three caribou; crabber gets a plush day boat.(WEST)
September 1, 2007... When a fisherman gets ready to have a boat built, he and the boatbuilder likely have to hash out several details in determining how big the boat will be, including license restrictions, speed, trailered or not, offshore or inshore fishing, hold...

South blooms with scallopers; buy boat seeks deadwood pro.(SOUTH)
September 1, 2007... The Atlantic scallop fishery continues to keep several Southern yards busy with new boat construction. Williams Fabrication of Coden, Ala., is one of the boatyards profiting from the strength of that fishery. Having repeat customers often...

Furuno gets Sirius with weather data: NavNet vx2 offers a live, high-resolution weather overlay.(Product roundup)
September 1, 2007... First, what you won't get. There won't be any of Howard Stern's trash talk or Martha Stewart's latest epiphanies on home decorating, and Grand Master Flash, well he's off this channel. The channel is Sirius satellite marine weather...

Seeing through rain, snow and darkness: Night Vision Technologies puts three cameras in one package.(Product roundup)
September 1, 2007... After their initial reluctance to use the owner-installed thermal imaging camera on a boat, captains tell Mike Embree, "I'll never again go out without this camera." Embree, director of product development for Night Vision Technologies in...

Dr. Shrink has an alternative to preserving metal equipment with messy waxes or lubricants.(At a glance)
September 1, 2007... DR. SHRINK has an alternative to preserving metal equipment with messy waxes or lubricants. It's VCI SHRINKWRAP, a volatile corrosion inhibitor that's applied beneath shrink-wrap. VCI Shrinkwrap releases an invisible, odorless, non-toxic vapor...

Guest's newest product line of Beamer remote controlled halogen spotlights has eight models, all with 100-watt halogen bulbs that can produce 1 million candlepower.(At a glance)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... GUEST's newest product line of BEAMER remote controlled halogen spotlights has eight models, all with 100-watt halogen bulbs that can produce 1 million candlepower. The spotlights have a large mounting area and fortified neck bracing. They have...

Standard Horizon's latest loud hailer, the 30-watt VLH-3000 has connections for forward- and aft-located public address horns with a listen-back feature.(At a glance)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... STANDARD HORIZON's latest loud hailer, the 30-watt VLH-3000 has connections for forward- and aft-located public address horns with a listen-back feature. Depending on your conditions, you can choose from four automatic foghorns or use bells,...

Prospec Electronics' answer to improving the "sounds" on a fishing boat is a black-box stereo system designed to play digital audio files.(At a glance)
September 1, 2007... PROSPEC ELECTRONICS' answer to improving the "sounds" on a fishing boat is a black-box stereo system designed to play digital audio files. The JBL MBB3 has iPod, USB 2.0 and aux-in connections as well as storage space equal to 20 CDs. The black...

Ultra Dynamics brought out a new water jet in July.(At a glance)(Ultra Dynamics Marine's UltraJet 410 )(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... ULTRA DYNAMICS brought out a new water jet in July. The UltraJet 410 features a 16.1-inch-diameter impeller in an axial-flow pump unit. The 410 was designed for boats in the 40- to 52-foot range, typically set up as a pair and matched up to...

Hella Marine's new Hi-Intensity LED lamps are sealed and waterproof and require less than half a watt to operate.(At a glance)
September 1, 2007... HELLA MARINE s new HI-INTENSITY LED lamps are sealed and waterproof and require less than half a watt to operate. These are courtesy lamps and can be used ondeck or for interior illumination in passageways or in a locker. The lamps have a...

Bulletin board.(Brief article)(Calendar)
September 1, 2007... NOV. 15-17 Pacific Marine Expo Qwest Field Event Center, Seatde * 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,...

Bill Crowe.(ON THE MOVE)
September 1, 2007... The friends and family of BILL CROWE, founder of the Maine-based Fishermen's Voice monthly newspaper, have established a scholarship fund in his name for students interested in journalism and marine fisheries. Contributions may be made to:...

United Fishermen of Alaska.(ON THE MOVE)
September 1, 2007... The UNITED FISHERMEN OF ALASKA, a statewide commercial fishing trade association announced the start of term for new board-elected president, JOE CHILDERS, who takes over for the outgoing Bob Thorstenson Jr. Childers trolls for salmon out of...

Gregory Switlik Sr.(ON THE MOVE)(Obituary)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... In late May of this year, GREGORY SWITLIK SR. died at the age of 60. Switlik was one of three brothers who own the Trenton, N.J.-based Switlik Parachute Co., a manufacturer of marine survival equipment. Greg Switlik was committed to marine...

Wadmalaw Island, S.C.(Last set)
September 1, 2007... Skipper Rick Shatford hauls a swordfish on the morning of Dec. 17, 2006, aboard the Mary B, a 46-foot Novi owned by Tina Marie Fishing of Gloucester. Mass. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]