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Ropeless Gear Trial Divides California Crab Fishery
By Carli Stewart. A recent trial of innovative ropeless crab fishing gear off the California coast has sparked a heated debate within the Dungeness crab fishing community. While some accept the technology as a breakthrough in reducing whale entanglements, others view it as another complication in an already struggling industry.… SEE MORE
Virginia proclaims Commercial Waterman Safety Week
By Larry Chowning. As a reminder that commercial fishing is an important part of the State of Virginia’s economy, Commonwealth’s governor Glenn Youngkin issued a proclamation recently that the week of September 15-21 is “Commercial Waterman Safety Week.” The proclamation notes that the “Commonwealth’s commercial watermen and seafood industry generate… SEE MORE
The Skinny on Slinky Pots
By Paul Molyneaux. Ezekiel Brown started working on a Cordova, Alaska salmon seiner when he was 13 and now owns his own boat, the Lucid Dream, a 58-foot seiner. He fishes salmon in season and, in the spring and summer, sets 150 slinky pots for black cod. “They work great,” Brown… SEE MORE
Why Choose the Hard Life of Commercial Fishing?
By Carli Stewart. Why would anyone who has a choice want to fish for a living, given the cold, wet, uncertainty, danger, muck, dependence on weather for make or break, and general ass-busting hardship? For a skipper of any sized boat, add the government regulations, ruinous cost of fuel and… SEE MORE
Nine Charged in Multi-State Illegal Catfish Operation
By Carli Stewart. Multiple individuals face charges concerning illegal commercial catfish activity in multiple states, including Kentucky and Alabama. In a Facebook post, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife wrote that game warden Cody Fox and other law enforcement, including the division’s Special Investigations Unit, began investigating illegal commercial catfishing activity at… SEE MORE
Leading the Way to Hybrid Diesel Electric Propulsion
By Paul Molyneaux. In 2021, the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association (ALFA) initially received funding from the Energy Transitions Initiative Partnerships Project for modeling and analysis of alternative propulsion systems. Based on that work, the original plan—developed in conjunction with the National Research Energy Laboratory—was to put a Transfluid clutch, electric… SEE MORE
American Lobster Show Resilience Amid Climate Change
By Carli Stewart. Experiments conducted at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) have shown that female American lobsters groom their offspring, and the grooming behaviors appear to remain stable despite the temperature and acidity conditions projected for Maine’s coastal waters by the end of the century. A study by… SEE MORE
Port Meetings to Shape Future of King and Spanish Mackerel Fisheries
By nationalfisherman.com. Aseries of port meetings continue in late September and October, providing a unique opportunity for fishermen and others interested in the king mackerel and Spanish mackerel fisheries to share their perspectives and vision for the future. The port meetings are being hosted by the South Atlantic Fishery Management… SEE MORE
Neighborhood Digs
By Brian Payton. On the Pacific Northwest coast—and around the world—community archaeology is helping people reconcile with each other and their history. Tiny fountains rise, sparkle, and splash back down on the intertidal zone of Xwe’etay, or Lasqueti Island, British Columbia. It’s as if the clams squirt in response to… SEE MORE
In Graphic Detail: By-caught Birds
By Rebecca Heisman. New research estimates that some 200,000 birds are accidentally caught in fishing gear in Europe each year. When commercial fishers haul up their nets, they often find dolphins, sharks, sea turtles, and other creatures entangled amid their catches. These accidentally caught, nontarget species are known as by-catch,… SEE MORE
Do Marine Animals Need Wildlife Bridges, Too?
By Jack McGovan. Human infrastructure can hinder the mobility of marine animals. The ocean feels infinite. If you were to start swimming from shore, it’s easy to believe—fitness and oxygen aside—you could continue forever. That’s a far different experience to overland travel, where mountains, rivers, and six-lane highways buzzing with… SEE MORE
For the First Time, Part of the Ocean Has Been Granted Legal Personhood
By Isabella Kaminiski. By affording rights to its iconic waves, a Brazilian city is paving a new path to marine protection. The Brazilian city of Linhares has legally recognized its waves as living beings, marking the first known time part of the ocean has been granted legal personhood. In early… SEE MORE