Put the Coast Guard on call
Few seasoned vessels can boast they have never taken on water. When and if you and your crew are faced with a flooding problem, your best course of action to avoid a life-threatening situation is to identify the source, control it with dewatering equipment, and slow or stop the flow.
Gulf/South Atlantic Shrimp
Fuel costs recede, dock prices rise as consumers turn to affordable shellfish
For the first time in years there is some good news for the hardcore remnant of the American shrimp industry that has survived absurd prices, ruinous fuel costs and devastating hurricanes.
Presumptions of guilt
The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that would expand the universe of vessels that must be equipped with automatic identification systems, more commonly referred to as AIS, to include fishing boats 65 feet in length and longer. In addition, AIS would be required in all navigable U.S. waters.
Cover Story Excerpt: Haddock hunter
By eliminating cod and flounder bycatch, the Ruhle trawl enables New Englanders to target more abundant stocks
By John Lee
Carl Bouchard has a haddock tow in mind: deeper water on the edge of Jeffreys Ledge. "We'll start there," Bouchard says, pointing at his plotter. "If we don't find 'em there we'll move up shallower." Bouchard, 68, has been trawling and lobstering the western Gulf of Maine for long enough to know some things: "There are no guarantees about finding haddock," he notes, "especially when nobody's been out in three months."
Northeast
A 47-footer has Mass. appeal;
Maine builder buys Beal molds
H&H Marine is building several boats at its shop in Steuben, Maine, for commercial fishermen in New England, the West Indies and California.
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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