National Fisherman articles from September 2008

National Fisherman archives from September 2008

September 2008: this month's highlights.(The hail)(Editorial)
September 1, 2008... Every now and then a story sneaks up on an editor. Such was the case with me this month with Susan Chambers' story on wave energy buoys (p. 22). When she pitched the story, I got it, but I didn't really get it. The gist was clear. Buoys...

Exxon's empty promise.(VIEWS from Alaska)
September 1, 2008... On March 24, 1989, the supertanker Exxon Valdez grounded at Bligh Reef, Prince William Sound, Alaska. Over 11 million gallons of oil quickly spread with the currents, oiling over 3,000 miles of the Alaska coastline stretching from Bligh Reef to...

'Evidently leaking some oil'.(Editor's log)(Exxon Valdez spill)
September 1, 2008... So there you have it. Nearly 20 years--and 6,000 fewer plaintiffs--after Capt. Joseph Hazelwood broadcast those words from his perch high above Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, the ultimate verdict in the ExxonValdez case is in, proving once...

50 years ago.(Fishing Back When)
September 1, 2008... One of Hugo Lehtinen's two seiner crews is hauling herring off of Tenants Harbor, Maine. Lehtinen also employs three fish-spotting planes, but they may not do much good this year. Unlike the booming season of 1957, Maine's '58 herring fishery...

30 years ago.(Fishing Back When)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "One Man, One Drag: Bay Scalloping from a Skiff" is our final featured National Fisherman prize winning photo. Milton Moore, of the Cape Cod (Mass.) Times submitted the photo and won first place in the at-sea...

10 years ago.(Fishing Back When)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... For the second straight year, Bristol Bay's salmon gillnet drive is more of a meander. Weak landings in the opening days of July 1 and 2 lead to an 18-hour hold, and the sock-eye season continues the frustration of last year. In 1995, Bristol...

New England fisheries stakeholders band together and strive for progress.(Fo'c'sle library)(Brief article)(Book review)
September 1, 2008... Sharing the Ocean Stories of Science, Politics, and Ownership from America's Oldest Industry By Michael Crocker Tilbury House, 2008 Softcover, 160 pp., $20 www.tilburyhouse.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Written for...

International environmental group compiles report on salmon markets.(Fo'c'sle library)
September 1, 2008... The Great Salmon Run Competition Between Wild and Fanned Salmon By Gunnar Knapp, Cathy A. Roheim and James L. Anderson Traffic, North America, 2007 Softcover, 300 pp. www.traffic.org [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] What...

For the record.(From Another Perspective)(Correction notice)
September 1, 2008... Richard Gaines writes for the Gloucester (Mass.) Daily Times. He covers fishing. Writing for the hometown paper of one of the country's oldest commercial fishing ports, and appearing to be one of the more conscientious journalists around, it's...

No flukes in fisheries management.(Dock talk)
September 1, 2008... "So, Mr. Fred D'Fluka, I'm glad you could make it to our little meeting." "Well, here I am. What's up?" "Take a look at yourself Mr. D'Fluka, it's obvious that you have been overeating. We here at Citizens Who Speak for The Food are...

Cutting your losses.(Consequences)(ocean safety)
September 1, 2008... From U.S. Coast Guard Reports We all know how important it is to run drills and practice emergency procedures. And your inclination may be to stay with your boat unless and until it's going down. However, sometimes knowing when to give up...

Maine witnesses the illogic of rationalization.(From the town landing)
September 1, 2008... Last spring, the governor of Maine forwarded his choices to NMFS and the secretary of commerce for appointment to an upcoming vacancy on the New England council. Based on a recommendation from the commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine...

NMFS' precautionary overdose.(Washington lookout)
September 1, 2008... Belatedly issued at a time when one pines for light summer reading, NMFS has published two dense, but important, proposed rules stemming from the 2006 reauthorization of the Magnuson Act: the new environmental review guidelines--better known as...

Efficiency, not regulations, harming the industry.(Mail buoy)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2008... You need advocates who are thinking about fisheries issues much more honestly and clearly than David Frulla does ("Trading globally, losing locally" NF July '08, p. 9). Frulla starts by implying that regulations are the cause of the loss of...

Lack of midwater trawls helps New England stocks.(Mail buoy)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2008... Just over a year ago, the herring purse seine/fixed gear only rule went into place in the inshore Gulf of Maine, prohibiting "midwater" trawling for herring from June through October. I can say without a doubt that in my 30-plus years of...

Cap'n Sane says ...(Mail buoy)
September 1, 2008... We Cove-ers have had some kind of a week. We knew something was fishy when this big, black sedan with blacked out windows n' somethin' that looked like a gun turret on the trunk was seen poking 'round the area. Well, first thing we...

U.S. fish stocks moving in right direction.(Mail buoy)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2008... Each year, NMFS reports to Congress on the status of U.S. marine fish stocks. The 2007 report has some very good news: seven stocks are no longer subject to overfishing, four stocks have increased biomass and are no longer overfished, and three...

Small is beautiful.(In search of the simple life)
September 1, 2008... "Are these bluegill, papa?" That's what they called them on the lake. We had a batch of them in the sink waiting to be cleaned for breakfast. "I don't think so. Look at all the yellow around the gill plate... more like a pumpkinseed." ...

Survey breaks new ground by sampling inshore waters; fishermen and scientists join Virginia-based project, complement NOAA's offshore research.(ATLANTIC)
September 1, 2008... When the 90-foot dragger Darana R came into Northeast ports this spring, it brought back fishermen and scientists who had a much better understanding of each other's work. "It's a total inshore survey, and it's a complement to the Woods...

Union hopes to organize fishermen on Long Island; membership offers alluring lobbying power.(ATLANTIC)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A union that represents some 1.4 million workers in seafood, food processing and grocery industries has reached out to recruit commercial fishermen, starting with Long Island, N.Y., ports that supply the new Fulton...

Chesapeake crabs turn up, but dock prices are sinking; fuel costs pinch fishermen and processors.(ATLANTIC)
September 1, 2008... Chesapeake Bay crabbers are catching crabs, but price at the dock is sinking in a year when fuel and other expenses have gone through the roof. In Virginia, the spring hard crab and peeler catch have been "pretty good," says Michael J....

Exxon plaintiffs frustrated by dramatic cut in damages; Supreme Court reduces payout to $507.5 million and oil company denies interest owed.(ALASKA and PACIFIC)
September 1, 2008... The 32,000 plaintiffs affected by the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill had grown skeptical of the size of the settlement--and when the courts would rule on the award of punitive damages in the case. Now the Supreme Court has left many Alaska...

Calabash, N.C.(HOME PORT: Where we live)(Geographic overview)
September 1, 2008... THE TOWN Population: 1,325 Fleet size: Seven trawlers TOP LANDINGS IN 2007 Brown shrimp--13,020 pounds worth $15,081 White shrimp--8,389 pounds worth $12,704 The remaining top fisheries are blue crab, spot and mullet....

Yukon River king salmon are slow to arrive in Alaska; outlook predicted numbers similar to '07.(ALASKA and PACIFIC)
September 1, 2008... Yukon River kings were slow to show through June while the Copper River crop was lagging, spawning theories that something is awry with the ocean. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Counts of about 30,000 kings past the sonar at Pilot Station on...

West Coast fishing group opposes offshore drilling; Bush lifts his father's ban 16 years later.(ALASKA and PACIFIC)
September 1, 2008... The largest West Coast commercial fishing group is calling to "halt the drumbeat of drilling" and in July announced opposition to the Bush administration's then-proposal to lift a 16-year executive moratorium on drilling in federal waters. ...

Su-Jan Salmon, tuna, sea bass and lingcod dory: Pacific City, Ore.(BOAT OF THE MONTH)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Su-Jan is named after Shawn Farstad's sister Susann and his mother, Janet. His grandfather built the hearty orange and white dory for his father, who was also a commercial salmon fisherman. "I am a...

Opponents of gulf reef vessel monitoring win appeal; case returns to U.S. District Court in Florida to weigh privacy concerns, constitutionality.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC)
September 1, 2008... After two years of litigation, a court challenge to federal vessel monitoring system requirements for Gulf of Mexico reef fish vessels remains alive. In June, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta sided with the fishermen's arguments and...

Jim Duffy: Russian Mission, Alaska.(SNAPSHOT: WHO WE ARE)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Jim Duffy of Russian Mission, Alaska, has seen the thick and thin of commercial fishing in more than 20 years of working his nets in the lower Yukon River. Some years, the kings fetch prices of around $2 per...

Fledgling N.C. commission gets watermen's expertise; county strives to protect fishing industry.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC)
September 1, 2008... The atmosphere on the docks brightened after county officials created the Dare County (N.C.) Commission for Working Watermen in May. The watermen's commission is charged with developing and protecting the commercial fishing industry in the...

Whaling commission members agree to one-year truce; organization hopes negotiations can ease gridlock between anti- and pro-whaling nations.(NATION/WORLD)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... At the annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Santiago, Chile, pro- and anti-whaling nations agreed to a one-year truce in which to resolve their differences. A central issue for anti-whaling nations is Japan's continued...

Jimmy's clams: Jim Hogge, Warner, Va.(GALLEY WATCH: AT-SEA CUISINE)(Jim Hogge)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In more than 50 years of fishing on Chesapeake Bay, Jim Hogge learned to tastefully improvise in the galley with salted fish, a little bit of meat and potatoes. But a haul seine trip on a hot day steered one of...

MSC pledges to approve only wild-caught seafood; board nixes inclusion of farmed products.(NATION/WORLD)
September 1, 2008... It appears only wild-caught seafood will be eligible to receive the Marine Stewardship Council's stamp of approval. The London-based independent, nonprofit organization, which promotes sustainable fishing, announced in June that its board...

Caribbean.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(Caribbean Fishery Management Council)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Members of the St. Thomas (U.S.V.I.) Fishermen's Association) have written Jim Balsiger, the acting director of NMFS, expressing their dissatisfaction with the way in which the Caribbean Fishery Management Council is setting annual catch...

Gulf of Mexico.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... NMFS is seeking public comment on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Amendment 29 to the fishery management plan for the reef fish resources of the Gulf of Mexico. The impact statement evaluates the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management...

New England.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(National Marine Fisheries Service)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... NMFS this summer has caused a stir by rejecting Maine's top pick for the New England Fishery Management Council. Gary Libby of Port Clyde, a draggerman and lifelong fisherman whose efforts to sustain his fishery have garnered favorable...

Western Pacific.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council voted to delay the opening of the 2008 main Hawaiian Islands bottomfish fishery from Sept. 1 to Nov. 15. The purpose of the extension is to allow the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science...

South Atlantic.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(South Atlantic Fishery Management Council)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council has given final approval to Amendment 15B to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan. The amendment includes a management measure that will require a federal snapper grouper commercial permit in...

Pacific.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)(Pacific Fishery Management Council)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... The Pacific Fishery Management Council has adopted a preliminary preferred alternative for trawl fishery rationalization that it will consider at its November meeting, when it will adopt its final preferred alternative. Hearings will be held in...

North Pacific.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)
September 1, 2008... The issue of chinook salmon bycatch in the pollock fishery has caught the attention of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, which is contemplating putting a cap on bycatch. "We are working to balance the ability of the pollock...

Mid-Atlantic.(COUNCIL UPDATES: News from the regional management councils)
September 1, 2008... The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council is taking heat over squid management. The East Hampton Star in late June reported that a Montauk, N.Y., seafood buyer was circulating a petition opposing butterfish discard-reduction measures the...

'Statutory,' not biological overfishing has their backs to wall, fishermen say.(GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC: SUMMER FLOUNDER)
September 1, 2008... As total allowable catch for Atlantic summer flounder shrink to historic lows and the biomass increases at a healthy rate, industry concern has shifted from market dynamics to the management regimes that artificially restrict the market. ...

All signs pointing to a market much improved in California's No. 2 fishery.(PACIFIC: SQUID)
September 1, 2008... If the winter 2007-08 fishery is any indication, the upcoming fall season should be good for squid fishermen. "The squid fishery is a lot better this year," says Mike Okoniewski, pelagics manager at Portland, Ore.-based Pacific Seafood....

With quota sinking and demand rising, questions about affordability of fillets.(NORTH PACIFIC: POLLOCK)
September 1, 2008... Catch reductions for Bering Sea pollock are leaving markets short, worldwide, and supplies coming out of Alaska could remain crimped for the next couple of years. This year's 26 percent quota slash is a result of previous stock...

Commercial and recreational fleets see stock assessment as key to the future.(NORTHEAST: SUMMER FLOUNDER)
September 1, 2008... Northeast states took extreme measures to conserve their tightening shares of summer flounder, from compressing the January winter season into a single day to imposing early summer trip limits as low as 30 pounds. Scarcity pushed prices...

Making waves: wave energy buoys are being hailed as a clean source of electricity, but they are also generating controversy.(The seascape)
September 1, 2008... A ew wave is threatening to swamp some parts of the fishing industry. This time it's not regulations or environmental concerns, per se, that are giving fishermen headaches. It's clean energy. With the price of diesel nearing $5 a...

LAPP trap: nothing could be finer than to fish in Carolina without limited access privilege programs, watermen say.(Excess vs. access)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Jeff Oden cuts off the welding torch, pushes aside the mustard-colored rail he has just smoothed out, and steps away from his garage to check the weather again. "The forecast was calling for it to blow pretty...

You make the call: cell phones usually work on land, but how seaworthy are they?(Boats & Gear: Communications)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Two billion units is the number of cell phones projected to be sold in 2008. Last year 1.6 billion were purchased. When I look around me--driving down the street, on the highway, at the mall, in restaurants,...

A tradition continues: engineless skiffs remain important for Chesapeake Bay fisheries.(Boats & Gear: Boatbuilding)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] If someone tells you they've seen bats and tow bats lately, and they've been to Chesapeake Bay, you can be just about 100 percent sure they aren't referring to baseball games, night-flying creatures or characters...

Tackling tuna: want to make money catching bluefins? Invest in good gear.(Boats & Gear: Deck equipment)
September 1, 2008... Anthony Siniscalcbi fishes for tuna out of Atlantic Beach, N.Y. Near shore, he fishes Maine, Rhode Island and the Mud Hole. (He says, "It's 20 miles off Jersey and 40 miles from us") Farther offshore, he works the canyons--Hudson, Tom's,...

Lobster boat clocks 64 mph; Uncle's UFO dominates race.(NORTHEAST)
September 1, 2008... "That was 62.7 [mph]. I'll get more out of her. We've got something here," said Richard Weaver, after the 30-foot Foolish Pleasure crossed the finish line in her first race of the day at the Searsport (Maine) Lobster Boat Races on July 12. ...

'Bulbs' get new rule, save fuel; Bristol Bay gillnetter is rebuilt.(WEST)(bulbous bows)
September 1, 2008... A lot of West Coast fishermen have selected Platypus Marine in Port Angeles, Wash., to outfit their fiberglass fishing boats with bulbous bows. Pillar Bay, a 58-foot Delta Marine--built seiner is the most recent boat out of Platypus Marine...

Oyster skiff gets a new stern; scallop boats keep yard busy.(SOUTH)
September 1, 2008... Shores and Ruark Seafood Co. of Urbanna, Va., has a couple of its boats in for repairs. The first is a 23' x 5' wooden deadrise crabbing skiff built in the late 1980s by Chesapeake Bay boatbuilder Edward Diggs of I Mathews County, Va. Ed...

Monitors for sea conditions: night vision is not lost on Ambientnav displays.(Product roundup)(Alpha series)
September 1, 2008... A lot of monitors aboard fishing boats were never intended to spend time on the water. They generally work well in a land-based office or home, but not in a boat's wheelhouse. Ambientnav monitors are designed around core issues the...

Bait machine is a time saver; auger fills a bag in seconds and gives your hands a break.(Product roundup)(Bait Blaster)
September 1, 2008... Filling bait bags is tremendously time consuming and one of the more unpleasant tasks for a lobsterman. It's repetitive, boring, dirty work, and terribly hard on a fisherman's hands--from driving bones into your hands to the possibility of...

Raritan's updated Managerm marine sanitation device no longer has to be installed above waterline.(At a glance)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] RARITAN'S updated MANAGERM marine sanitation device no longer has to be installed above waterline. The new Managerm can be fitted 10 feet below the waterline with a pump-up kit. Using an aerobic process, the Managerm...

Night Vision Technologies has a new surveillance product.(At a glance)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] NIGHT VISION TECHNOLOGIES has a new surveillance product. The NV8000 series has four cameras: thermal imaging, high-resolution color, ultra-low light, and Gen III light intensifier. Customized zoom and range options...

Dr. Shrink has a way to keep a boat's surfaces from getting marred during repairs.(At a glance)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] DR. SHRINK has a way to keep a boat's surfaces from getting marred during repairs. BLUE-KOTE is a peel-off protective coating that can be applied with a spray gun or brush. It's a nontoxic, water-based liquid that...

ComNav's new G2 NAVIGATOR GPS compass display can be purchased as an add-on display or with the G2/G2B Vector for a single navigation system with GPS, gyro and a speed log.(At a glance)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] COMNAV's new G2 NAVIGATOR GPS compass display can be purchased as an add-on display or with the G2/G2B Vector for a single navigation system with GPS, gyro and a speed log. The G2 Navigator GPS compass display...

Innovative Lighting has a new light that's designed to add a lot of nighttime visibility to your boat trailer.(At a glance)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] INNOVATIVE LIGHTING has a new light that's designed to add a lot of nighttime visibility to your boat trailer. The 209 SERIES 2-inch, round LED PCP2 sidelight has two LEDs providing 180-degree visibility. There is a...

Cookmate's recently released double-burner stove doesn't have the explosive potential of stoves using fuels like butane or propane.(At a glance)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] COOKMATE'S recently released double-burner stove doesn't have the explosive potential of stoves using fuels like butane or propane. The COOKMATE 3100 uses alcohol for fuel and features the Safe-Flame non-pressurized...

Bulletin board.(trade show)(Brief article)(Calendar)
September 1, 2008... NOV. 20-22 Pacific Marine Expo Qwest Field Event Center, Seattle www.pacificmarineexpo.com Pacific Marine Expo is the largest commercial marine trade show on the West Coast. This annual event serves all aspects of the market,...

Prospec Electronics was founded 22 years ago in part by the company's current president, Dan Sykes.(ON THE MOVE)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] PROSPEC ELECTRONICS was founded 22 years ago in part by the company's current president, Dan Sykes. This year, Sykes is celebrating his 15th year of sole ownership of the marine audio equipment company based in Mount...

Marport, a leading developer of software-defined sonar technology, and Koden, one of the world's oldest marine electronics firms, have announced a strategic agreement.(COMPANY NEWS)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Marport, a leading developer of software-defined sonar technology, and Koden, one of the world's oldest marine electronics firms, have announced a strategic agreement. Koden will become an authorized distributor in Asia Pacific markets for...

Jeppesen Marine.(COMPANY NEWS)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... JEPPESEN MARINE, a subsidiary of Boeing Commercial Aviation Services, has unveiled a new corporate logo to reflect the evolution of the company's products and services, as well as its expansion into other transportation markets. "For our marine...

Freeport, Texas.(Last set)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] David Wright joins his skipper, James Mathison, manhandling trawl doors aboard the 68-foot shrimper Cookie Diana out of Aransas Pass, Texas. David's brother Freddie (red shirt) eyes the operation from the winch.