National Fisherman

Paul Molyneaux

Editor

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

Author Archive

Capt. Rene Hernández’s son, Rene Jr., talks fishing with four-year-old Juan Pablo Molyneaux. The Hernándezes also started at the same age, as do so many kids in the fish business, learning a way of life as much as a way to make a living. Paul Molyneaux photo.

Getting the next generation to sea

Acy Cooper, president of the Louisiana Shrimp Association, and other members of the organization at an informal 2023 meet-up in Delacroix, La., when shrimp prices were so low they could not cover fuel costs to fish. Paul Molyneaux photo.

Lawmakers seek to protect US fishermen from low-priced imports

Furuno’s GP-170D bears the wheelmark icon on the lower left corner of the front, indicating that it meets U.S. Coast Guard and IMO requirements for use with electronic chart systems ECS. Photo by Furuno

New navigation tools for new navigation rules

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