National Fisherman's Melissa Wood shares her stories as a writer and editor covering the U.S. fishing industry.
Thursday, 13 December 2012
There's something special about watching a net slowly come out of the water and roll up over the winch. Even for me, whose paycheck is not based on what finally appears in the bag, there's a thrill of anticipation.
Last Saturday I spent the day on Jeffreys Ledge in the Gulf of Maine with David Goethel on his 44-foot dragger Ellen Diane. I made the trip for a story I'm writing about New England groundfishermen for an upcoming issue.
Being on the boat helped give me a sense of how thin the margins can be out there. Goethel, whose homeport is Hampton, N.H., has to decide where to go based on where he thinks the fish will be, but he also has to consider how much fuel he's using. Paychecks can get pretty small if you go too far and don't make up for it with your catch. That's why each haul up matters so much. Here's a video clip of our second of three tows that day:
As you can hear Goethel say at the end of the clip, it's an entirely different mix from our first tow, which had much more lobster (he's allowed to keep 100 legal lobsters per trip). Unfortunately much of the cod wasn't big enough to keep. I watched crewman Mike Emerson quickly measure and toss the smaller ones so that they'd survive.
Goethel, a longtime fisherman and a member of the New England Fishery Management Council says he's one of the last of the dinosaurs. He and other small boat fishermen out of New England are in danger of extinction as quotas for key groundfish species diminish. Other fisheries aren't making up for it either. This winter he is still deciding whether or not to go after shrimp. The quota for it is also so low (cut by 75 percent from last year) that he's unsure if processors will open for it.
I enjoyed going out with David not just because of his experience. He is fascinated with fish behavior. A good fisherman needs to think like a fish, and David, who is also a marine biologist, has some interesting theories, learned from 40 years on the water. Unfortunately it is this kind of expertise that will be most missed if this fishery keeps going in the direction it is headed.
Expect the story to appear in one of our spring issues (we are working on Febuary now). I'll keep you posted.
Here's Goethel (left) and Emerson sorting the catch.
Callifornia crabbing: Here's a fun video shot on the decks of the Majestik while catching Dungeness crab off the coast of northern California.
Alaska fisherman and commercial fisheries activist Kevin Adams was elected chairman at the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute board of directors meeting on May 9 in Anchorage.
The governor-appointed board consists of seven members: five seafood processors and two industry representatives actively engaged in commercial fishing. Adams was appointed to fill a harvester seat by Gov. Frank Murkowski in 2004.
With 38 years of fishing experience in Bristol Bay, Adams has long been an active member in the Alaska fishing industry, ASMI says. He has worked for both the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation and the Bering Sea Fisherman's Association, and represents Alaska fishermen on numerous boards.
The Northeast Regional Planning Body, a group of state, tribal and federal representatives from New England who are working to implement the National Ocean Policy and address critical New England ocean issues, is holding a series of public meetings in May and June.
The meetings are being held to discuss draft regional ocean planning goals and associated potential actions. The planning body seeks input on these goals and actions. Additional information on the group's progress can be found here.
The meetings will also provide an opportunity to review draft maps and products from initial efforts to gather information on the natural resources and diverse uses of the ocean, including fishing, transportation, energy and infrastructure, aquaculture, and recreation.
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