Ebb and flow
Loss and opportunity has been a recurring theme for me this month. Where you have the former, you almost always have the latter. At the end of the cycle for this issue, we learned that we had lost our longest-running columnist, Allen D. "Mike" Brown, who authored the "Cap'n Sane Says..." stories of Saturday Cove, Maine, for nearly 50 years.
Though it is never easy to say good-bye to an old friend, Mike's passing offered us the opportunity to examine his life and his history with the magazine, which is truly inspiring. Our Mail Buoy section quickly turned into a dedication to Mike and his work, first for Maine Coast Fisherman and eventually for NF, on page 12.
I hope Cap'n Perc Sane's loyal readers will take an opportunity to share with us their favorite memories of Mike and his stories. I personally most enjoyed the columns he wrote about his time with his own father. Mike may have occasionally been crass and often pushed the envelope, but he always got to the heart of things. Based on the community outpouring and the stories shared at his service in Belfast, Maine (his hometown), I was not the first or the last to be touched by Mike's words.
Also in this issue, Boats & Gear Editor Michael Crowley homes in on new trawl designs (and one old design rejuvenated) that can help Gulf of Mexico shrimpers and Northeast draggers reduce bycatch (p. 32). And Willy Goldsmith writes about a new fishermen-driven gear-improvement project (p. 18) coordinated by the Gulf of Maine Research Institute that aims to help Northeast draggers reduce bycatch and increase fuel efficiency.
Tightening regulations and quotas lost have forced the hand of many fishermen in these regions. My fondest hope is that gear improvement will keep some of the fleets afloat until the rising TACs can lift all boats.
Finally, I am happy to share a story about my trip to Petersburg, Alaska, this summer (p. 24). I was in town for the height of the salmon season, and yet, many folks in town took ample time out of their busy days to talk to me about fishing, the history of Petersburg, processing and their personal connections to the fishing industry. Several of them even took me out on their boats and welcomed me into their homes. The only loss there is that my time in Petersburg was limited. I'd go back anytime.
—Jessica Hathaway
Callifornia crabbing: Here's a fun video shot on the decks of the Majestik while catching Dungeness crab off the coast of northern California.
Over 500 lots of seafood processing equipment formerly owned by Adak Seafood will be sold at auction on Tuesday, June 18, starting at 10 a.m. Hawaiian-Aleutian Daylight Time at the Hilton Garden Inn in Anchorage Alaska.
The equipment is located in a recently updated 250,000 square foot state-of-the-art processing facility in Adak, Alaska. Farmington Hills, Mich.-based Hilco Industrial, which conducts 75 machinery and equipment auctions in a wide range of industries annually, will conduct the auction.
Adak Seafood opened originally as Ada Fisheries in Anchorage in 1986. The facility, updated in 2005, is located on the island of Adak, the southernmost city in Alaska near the western end of the Aleutian Islands. The facility processed cod primarily, as well as halibut, blackcod, crab and pollock, Hilco says.
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.
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