National Fisherman

Paul Molyneaux

Editor

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

Author Archive

The closed cod end on the FloMo with its reduced flow allows fish to swim naturally rather than being exhausted and crushed in a standard cod end. Holes in the retention modules (extension) can be adjusted to allow bycatch to escape. FloMo photo.

The gentle net

Fire Suppression Industries began making the Suppressall FS2-Max fire suppression tool in 2025, after launching the FS2 in 2024. Company partner Joe Kuesis, fishing boats on all coasts are adding the FS2-Max to their firefighting toolkits. Suppressall pho

Fire in the hole

Geoff Brunick aboard the Pacific Wind, fishing out of Warrenton, Ore., tells of his father being among the last American whalers. “It was in the ‘60s,” he says. “They were whaling here.” Paul Molyneaux photo.

America’s last whalers

An Atlantic Salmon Federation map showing Atlantic salmon migration routes to Greenland, where a 2018 agreement with ASF and other stakeholders has significantly reduced the take of salmon from US and Canadian rivers. ASF graphic.

Fisheries management and Greenland

After setting on a promising indication of bait fish, crewman Robert Boyd (right) and captain Tommy Danchise (left) haul back the first of two 400-yard gillnets, landing about 50 pounds of bluefish, Spanish mackerel, and other species. Paul Molyneaux phot

Carolina fishermen get home with a little help from friends

A Maine lobster boat is equipped with the Hondex HDX combination chartplotter/echosounder and the HE-7300 sounder. Hondex electronics are popular in small boat fisheries in the Northeast due to their simplicity, capabilities, and durability. Jason Philbro

No bells, no whistles

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration detected Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope, in shipping containers and shrimp samples from Indonesia. Shutterstock photo.

Radioactive shrimp gets consumers’ attention

The Hotspur was fortunate to have a handheld VHF for transmitting a distress call when it sank off Alaska in 2022. Most Marine Supply stores have a variety of handheld VHFs ready for fishermen to compare and buy. NTSB photo.

The handy VHF

Fisherman Joel Kawahara’s boat being towed empty into Eureka, Calif. Many small-scale fishermen work single-handed. The OLAS Guardian Pro kill switch can reduce the risk and give them a chance if they go overboard. Coast Guard photo.

MOB kill switch can save solo fishermen

The Black Eagle is a 65-foot, highly versatile fishing platform for the North Atlantic. The vessel can be rigged for sealing, crabbing, shrimping, trawling for turbot and redfish, and longlining cod. Jake Payne photo.

Boat of the Month: The Black Eagle