National Fisherman

Paul Molyneaux

Editor

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

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After a 5-year moratorium, the state of Florida plans to reopen the Apalachicola Bay oyster fishery on Jan. 1, 2026. Harvesters will be allowed to harvest one bag a day (60 pounds) from reefs in the bay that meet the ecological threshold of 400 legal-size

Return of the Apalachicola Oyster

It has been over a decade since landings of northern shrimp crashed, leading to a moratorium. While some fishermen continue to question the validity of the data, regulators have extended the moratorium for another three years. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Maine shrimp fishery closed for three more years

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock

Leveling the playing field for domestic and imported seafood

Miss Denise Blount’s book, Memories of a Southern Girl, tells stories of a childhood in the fishing community of Swan Quarter, North Carolina, back in the 1950s. Now in her 70s, she is still picking shrimp. Photo by Paul Molyneaux

Stories from the margins of the industry

The 40-foot wooden albacore troller Jo El was built in Sunnyside, Washington, in 1967. Every year, owner Brett Montague hauls her out for a new coat of paint, new zincs, and other maintenance. Photo courtesy Brett Montague

Boat of the Month, the Jo El

Sitka, Alaska, fisherman, Jeff Farvour, gaffs a salmon aboard his 40-foot troller, the Apollo. A lawsuit by the Wild Fish Conservancy almost closed the Southeast Alaska salmon troll fishery in 2023, and the fishermen’s struggle with the litigious organiza

The Wild Fish Conservancy’s never-ending lawsuits

Mike Rudolph of the US Coast Guard uses a model in a tank to demonstrate some stability basics to a very interested young man named Valour. The idea is to give vessel operators the information they need to avoid the most egregious mistakes. Photo courtesy

Stability basics save lives

Alexandra Morton started off presenting fisheries science aimed at protecting wild salmon. “When I saw the science wasn’t bringing change, I became an activist,” she says. Simon Fraser University photo.

Removal of BC salmon farms coincides with rebounding wild runs

Imagery from NOAA's “Blobtracker” shows the intensity of the 2014-16 Pacific sea temperatures, compared to 2024 which also saw record sea surface temperatures in some areas of the Pacific, as did the 2025 blob. NOAA graphic.

Keeping an eye on the ‘Blob’

Students on the water participate in a Sea Potential program. Sea Potential photo.

Maritime Blue, Sea Potential and the next generation of seafarers