National Fisherman

National & International

Todd Meadows, 25, a deckhand on the F/V Aleutian Lady, died Feb. 25 in an overboard accident about 170 miles north of Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Captain Rick Shelford via Facebook.

‘Deadliest Catch’ crew member dies in overboard accident

NF Staff

H.R. 3692 has passed in the U.S. House of Representatives, reauthorizing the Young Fishermen’s Development Program through FY 2031. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock

Young Fishermen’s Development Act renewed

NF Staff

Two commercial fishing boats tied up on Lake Erie. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock / Scottshoots

Lake Erie fisherman fined for abandoned nets, reporting violations

NF Staff

The Twin Disc hybrid transmission allows vessel operators to switch from diesel to electric power, or combine both. Photo courtesy of Twin Disc

Twin Disc turns to hybrid

Paul Molyneaux

The Cape Town Agreement will set mandatory fishing safety standards for 28 nations, representing 3,754 qualifying vessels, when it goes into force in February 2027. International Maritime Organization photo.

Argentina joins Cape Town Agreement on fishing vessel safety standards

NF Staff

MotionInfo of Orleans, Massachusetts, manufactures the StationKeeper, an AIS transceiver that receives AIS information from vessels and can be used to send those vessels whale alerts and other safety and navigation information. Photo courtesy of MotionInf

Saving whales and mariners, MotionInfo expands the uses of AIS

Paul Molyneaux

Although vessels in the Bering Sea Fleet can legally turn off AIS, temporarily, their VMS signals continue to report their positions to NOAA. Photo courtesy of Paul Molyneaux

The increasing advantages of AIS

Paul Molyneaux

In January 2025, Garmin acquired the SeaStar information service and added it to its ecosystem of hardware and software. The software provides numerous data layers intended to make commercial fishing operations more productive and efficient. Photo courtes

Garmin brings SeaStar information service into its ecosytem

Paul Molyneaux

Maine Sea Grant Program announced in January that it has received $1.4 million from NOAA to support research and outreach under the NOAA Sea Grant-funded American Lobster Initiative. Photo courtesy of Darryl Brooks

Sea Grant funding holds steady in 2026

Carli Stewart

Fishing boat docked in Pillar Point Harbor, San Mateo County. Photo by Gilberto Mesquita / Shutterstock

Federal officials restore commercial fishing safety jobs

Margaret Bauman

Fishermen using the Fiobuoy gear must meet certain criteria and agree to a number of data gathering requirements. Photo courtesy of Fiomarine

Gear lending library helps Dungeness crabbers go ropeless

Paul Molyneaux