National Fisherman

Paul Molyneaux

Editor

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

Author Archive

The North Carolina shad boat, Miss Marsha, was originally built in 1980 and restored by Ben Brown in 2020. Repowered with an 80-hp 4B Cummins in 2023, the Miss Marsha can reach a top speed of 30 knots. Photo by Ben Brown

The shad boat: The iconic craft of North Carolina

Knowing how to don and doff a survival suit and enter the water can make a difference in an emergency. Fishing Partnership is one of several organizations around the US coast that offer fishermen free training on how to handle themselves in a survival sui

The gear fishermen can’t afford to leave behind

Landon Hill came up with the idea for the LocalCatch seafood marketing app in order to facilitate communication between local fishermen and local buyers—both retail and wholesale. Photo by Landon Hill

How apps and markets are changing direct seafood sales

Young fishermen aboard the scallop vessel F/V Freedom out of New Bedford choose the Showa 477 gloves for comfort and dexterity, but the fastest shuckers on the boat stick with Maritek and Hycron. Asher Molyneaux photo.

For scallop gloves, it's all about comfort and speed

ACR Electronics’ ResQLink AIS personal locator beacon builds on the standard 406 MHz satellite transmitter by adding an AIS transmitter that can alert nearby vessels of an MOB event and the location of the victim. ACR Electronics photo.

Man overboard! How PLBs increase chance of survival

CatchCam cameras have been used on scallop dredges to see how the heavy steel gear interacts with the sea floor. Photo by Tom Rossiter

CatchCam Technologies revives underwater vision

Rachel Long has a long list of things she wants to have on board, including the tools and supplies needed to patch holes in a wooden boat. “I could keep going,” she says of her list. Photo by Rachel Long

Gear and items fishermen can't live without

Dungeness crab fishermen in Puget Sound try out Vallation Outerwear’s Ocean Rein Pullover. Made of PU Foam, the Ocean Rein is more flexible than PVC, and features designed to reduce snags, especially when handling nets. Photo by Bri Dwyer

Vallation Outerwear gains ground with fishermen

The Grundéns Sternman Armored Bibs, built with trap and pot fishermen in mind, can be used in a wide range of fisheries, along with the company’s other new 2025 for fishing in any weather. Photo by Grundéns

Gearing up in 2025 with Grundens

The shad fisheries of the East Coast once produced millions of barrels of salted shad. Fishing pressure and habitat destruction have depleted the stocks, but the ASMFC is working with states to restore the fishery. Photo by Holly White

Shad fishermen hang on in North Carolina