National Fisherman

Paul Molyneaux

Editor

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

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The Honolulu-based tuna longliner, Pacific Sun, hauled out at Ventura Harbor Boatyard. “She was a little too big for another yard I sometimes use, so I brought her to Ventura for a shave and a haircut,” says owner Peter Webster.

Ventura Harbor Boatyard eyes growth for West Coast fleet

NGOM scallop fishing is known for big scallops and easy shucking. Most boats carry only one or at most two crew besides the captain. But the scallops are coming harder than usual in 2026, with some boats making as many as 15 tows to get their limit. Photo courtesy of Jay Fleming

Northern Gulf of Maine scallop payday

Johansen, the new owner of Jonesport Shipyard, has already more than doubled the boat storage capacity and upgraded the store and shop. He plans to serve the local fleet and attract boats from other nearby ports. Photo courtesy of Molyneaux

Keeping the Jonesport waterfront working

Ocean Integrity has a patent pending on its Aquatherm Disruptor. According to CEO Kieran Kelly, it consists of a huge net pulled through deep water to create upwelling and bring as much as one million tons of colder water per minute to the surface. Photo

Geo-engineering a healthy ocean

A NMFS observer, Steve Polak, measures and weighs an undersized haddock on a hook and line groundfish vessel out of Portsmouth, NH. Like all observers, Polak has undergone safety training, must wear a life vest, and can refuse a trip if he has safety conc

The training and safety of observers

The Oceanbotics software, SubNav, is user-friendly and allows the ROV operator to see via the ROV's camera system or Optimus sonar. It can also show the ROV's position using GPS and a DVL. Photo courtesy of Oceanbotics

Oceanbotics makes ROVs for lost vessel recovery and more

The Canadian company, OnDeck AI, is working with halibut and blackcod longliners to develop VLM for reviewing electronic monitoring data in fisheries. Designed to reason like humans, VLM could replace the currently used computer vision AI. Photo courtesy

OnDeck AI could revolutionize electronic monitoring

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