Rallying spirit
There is something about the spirit of the people in the fishing industry that keeps bringing me hope that things will work out all right. I don't mean to sound like Pollyanna, because I know every region faces major hurdles right now. But looking back on 2011 for this yearbook issue, I see hurdles being cleared.
Northeast
Mass. shop builds oyster boat;
lobsterman goes for visibility
Last April Winninghoff Boats in Rowley, Mass., delivered an aluminum 24-foot V-bottom boat to oysterman Robert Krause in Charleston, R.I.
Gulf/So. Atlantic
Sun shines on Florida Keys fisheries,
but not on shrimpers and oystermen
WINNERS
Several Southeastern fisheries did well in 2011, but many fishermen, particularly in the Gulf of Mexico, find their hopes for 2012 balanced with concern.
Fighting fatigue
From U.S. Coast Guard reports
One late April evening a skipper and his lone crewman prepared their 44-foot, wooden hulled fishing vessel for a salmon fishing trip off the California coast. During the 58-year-old boat's transit south, steering problems emerged.
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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