National Fisherman

Paul Molyneaux

Editor

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

Author Archive

Brady Rickert, the newest member of the Francescal Madre’s crew prepares to set an anchor for the vessel’s gillnets. Starting at 4 a.m., the boat is usually back at the dock by 9 a.m. Paul Molyneaux photo.

Six Men and a Fish Tug

Fishing boats moored in Ukedo, Japan. The British Academy.

Japan will dump Fukushima water into the Pacific

Getting on step and making 40 mph, the Battleship undergoing sea trials near Bellingham, Washington. The next step is a barge ride to Nanek, and the run to Egegik. Brad A. Meier photo.

Under Wraps

What was supposed to be an At Sea story turned into a Not At Sea story, as Louisiana shrimpers keep their boats at the dock in the face of prices too low for them to turn a profit. Paul Molyneaux photo.

Shrimp imports threaten U.S. Gulf fleet

An Atlas Meridan camera system in the net enables Danish fishermen to know when they are catching nephrops, a valuable small lobster harvested in northern Europe. Ludvig Ahm Krag photo.

Artificial intelligence joins the crew

Ports like Portland, Maine are struggling to maintain their infrastructure and commercial fishing fleets. As the catch share programs tends to shift quota to larger ports the Portland Fish Exchange has had to diversify in order to stay open. Paul Molyneau

Staying Alive

Living aboard for up to five days, Shane Slaughter rebuilt the fo’c’sle of his Nova Scotia-built Dixon 42 and extended the wheel house aft so that he and his crewman could add a hot shower, a step up from the deck hose. Shane Slaughter photo.

Cross country

MacGregor’s electric net reels aboard the Norwegian trawler, Libas. Like the company’s winches, the net reels are powered by four electric motors. MacGregor photos.

The Buzz on Electric Deck Machinery

Lobster buoys made of fungi and coated with a soy-based paint may replace the styrofoam buoys that are known to shed microplastics into the sea. Paul Molyneaux photo.

Make room for 'shrooms

For three generations, the McCurdy’s smoked herring in Lubec, Maine, with no problems. But in 1991, the Food and Drug Administration shut them down over food safety concerns.

A Lasting Grudge: FDA's Closure of the Historic Maine Smokehouse