National Fisherman welcomes story ideas, features and photography from people who know the commercial fishing industry. Our coverage focuses on commercial fishermen, fishing vessels, gear, fisheries, working waterfronts and the people who keep the industry moving.

We follow Associated Press style and reserve the right to edit submissions to meet National Fisherman editorial standards. We generally do not cover sport fishing, recreational boating, cruising, boat racing or pleasure-boat equipment unless there is a direct connection to the commercial fishing industry.

Features

Features generally run from 1,200 to 2,000 words and should be accompanied by strong photography or other compelling visuals.

Topics may include:

• At-sea reporting from commercial fishing trips
• Profiles of fishermen, fishing families and communities
• Fishing industry history
• Analysis of current issues affecting commercial fishing
• The business of fishing, including efficiency, markets and technology
• Fisheries science, habitat, weather and ocean conditions

Boats & Gear

Boats & Gear coverage focuses on vessels, equipment and technology used by commercial fishermen.

Boat stories should include relevant design and construction details, major equipment, the owner and builder, and the fisheries or operations the vessel is being built for. Gear stories may cover propulsion, electronics, deck machinery, fishing systems, onboard handling equipment and other technology used in commercial fishing.

Submitting a Story

Submit stories as Microsoft Word documents. Photos may be attached by email or shared through Dropbox or Google Drive.

Please include:

• Your story or manuscript
• A short author bio
• A headshot
• Your preferred byline
• Available photography and caption information

We try to acknowledge submissions as soon as possible, but response times may vary during magazine production deadlines. Payment is generally made upon publication unless otherwise arranged.

Rights

National Fisherman purchases first and limited reprint rights to submitted copy and accompanying photography, including use in the magazine, website, newsletters, digital editions and social media. These rights do not prevent an author from selling an article elsewhere after it has appeared in National Fisherman.

If you are pitching the same story to multiple publications, please let us know.

Questions or ready to submit a story?

Contact the Editor

Photography Guidelines

Photo submissions should include photographer credit, contact information, names of people pictured, vessel name when applicable, location, home port, fishery, gear type and a brief caption describing the image.

Photos may be submitted by email, Dropbox or Google Drive. For large collections or high-resolution files, contact the art director for help coordinating delivery.

 Contact the Art Director