National Fisherman

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Paul Molyneaux

Editor

Paul Molyneaux is the Boats & Gear editor for National Fisherman.

Author Archive

British Columbia spot prawn fisherman, Mark Urwin, has brought Australian boat design to North America with his new boat, the Kaitiaki. “It means, ‘guardian’ in Maori,” says Urwin, who originally hails from New Zealand. Photo courtesy of Toura Boat Craft

Canadian prawn boat breaks barriers in vessel design

The crew of the USCG Cutter Mellon, formerly based in Seattle, is using Russ Trombley mallets to clear ice off their vessel’s bow. Photo courtesy of USCG

In winter, ice mallets can keep a vessel afloat

Imtra thrusters. Photo courtesy of Imtra

Imtra Marine products in New Bedford

The Twin Disc hybrid transmission allows vessel operators to switch from diesel to electric power, or combine both. Photo courtesy of Twin Disc

Twin Disc turns to hybrid

MotionInfo of Orleans, Massachusetts, manufactures the StationKeeper, an AIS transceiver that receives AIS information from vessels and can be used to send those vessels whale alerts and other safety and navigation information. Photo courtesy of MotionInf

Saving whales and mariners, MotionInfo expands the uses of AIS

Although vessels in the Bering Sea Fleet can legally turn off AIS, temporarily, their VMS signals continue to report their positions to NOAA. Photo courtesy of Paul Molyneaux

The increasing advantages of AIS

In January 2025, Garmin acquired the SeaStar information service and added it to its ecosystem of hardware and software. The software provides numerous data layers intended to make commercial fishing operations more productive and efficient. Photo courtes

Garmin brings SeaStar information service into its ecosytem

The remains of the Dora F in a Brunswick, Ga., bone yard. After owning the boat for 55 years, Johnny Bennett said goodbye to the vessel he had raised his children and grandson on. Walker Owens photo.

The life and times of the Dora F and the Dora F II

Fishermen using the Fiobuoy gear must meet certain criteria and agree to a number of data gathering requirements. Photo courtesy of Fiomarine

Gear lending library helps Dungeness crabbers go ropeless

dgeTech’s on-demand buoy system—with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background—is now approved for use in areas otherwise closed to Dungeness crab fishing. The company has been making acoustic release mechanisms for forty years. Photo courtesy of Rob Morri

EdgeTech on demand buoys get California approval