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Jigging albacore in a 32-foot, 30-year-old, creaky wooden troller packed with World War II engine-room machinery (like a 60-pound Jeep generator that probably helped somebody chase Rommel across North Africa) [...]

Greenhorns, or people who are new to fishing, can be easily spotted. Clues include their foul-weather gear bought from Kmart, a huge scallop shell pinned to their fisherman's hats, or their schoolboy back packs. Bringing along a greenhorn on a fishing expedition comes with risks. Experienced fishermen suggest assigning greenhorns with tasks that do not require experience, such as operating winches or icing fish. Only experience will allow greenhorns to get used to the realities associated with commercial fishing, including long hours, close quarters, danger and isolation.

Collaboration between fishermen, scientists and regulators in the US has resulted in some of the best-run state fisheries in the nation. These include the Alaska salmon, New England shrimp, California herring and Maine lobster fisheries. The willingness of the collaborators to implement new fishing methods based on what they have learned has enabled these fisheries to maintain sustainability and gave fishermen more control and security in their business.

A fisherman often experiences a number of body ailments brought about by the hard work inherent in the occupation. There are several common body aches and discomforts experienced by fishermen, namely, hand and foot pain, backache, fish wounds, lack of sleep, ill effects of sun exposure, hunger, seasickness, separation from family and coping with other members of the fishing vessel. Backache may be alleviated by wearing a back support while foot pain may be prevented by using the appropriate footgear.

Fishermen accuse environmental groups, led by SeaWeb, of misinformation as regards North Atlantic swordfish overfishing. The latter has led the boycott 'Give Swordfish a Break' to force the government to come up with a plan to rebuild the fish's population, prompting consumers and restaurateurs to veer away from swords. The industry believes the ban is unfair to U.S. fishermen who, citing National Marine Fisheries Institute and International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas figures, have been consistent in harvesting within their quota.

Skipper Scott Honaker and his 39' Critters crew make a living by catching live sheepheads in the sea and selling them to Asian restaurants in Los Angeles, CA. Honaker and his crew use live rock crabs as baits for sheephead traps. According to Honaker, crabs not only are better baits than mackerel and anchovies, but crabs make the sheephead fishery unusually selective.

The United Nations has drafted the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fishing to address the problem of decreasing fish stocks around the globe. The move has gained the support of environmental and commercial groups such as the Marine Stewardship Council, Unilever, the World Wildlife Fund and the National Marine Fisheries Service. Fishermen in the US such as shrimpers have come up with environmental programs that will help restore the dwindling turtle population through the use of turtle excluder devices and through the protection of nests.

The National Fisherman's yearly examination of local fishing conditions revealed mixed results for 1996. British Columbia showed a decline in salmon while the opposite was true for Alaska. The West Coast showed superb albacore and herring stocks while bad weather limited crab and swordfish. The Gulf of Mexico exhibited a decrease in shrimps due to cold weather while the Mid-Atlantic experienced an increase in oysters and a drop in crab and clam catches. New England's stocks showed an increase in scallops while lobsters were lower than 1995 catches.

Reports on events around the global coasts are presented. Among the stories are a 170,000-gallon oil spill in Portland Harbor which has shut down lobstering and shellfish harvesting, a plan to ban fishing on Jeffreys Ledge, New England, and plans for the construction of a schooner called the Thomas Edward Lannon using traditional tools and native woods., 170,000-gal. spill halts lobstering A 560[feet] oil tanker spilled 170,000 gals. of thick oil into Portland Harbor in late September, shutting down the harbor and much of Casco Bay to [...]

Californian fishermen lament that the sea lion population in the region is rapidly diminishing the supply of salmon and could lead to the extinction of entire stocks. The growth of the sea lion population is an aftermath of the Marine Mammal Act. Concerned sectors add that sea lions also pose threats to facilities and equipment and may attract great white sharks to popular beaches. At least one group, the Fishermen's Alliance of Monterey Bay, is batting for changes in regulations that encourage the expansion of marine mammal herds., Swollen herds are pushing fish and fishermen to the brink, and nobody is quite sure what to do next. When Andy Russo skiffs out to his 78' purse seiner, the [...]

Why fishermen who used to welcome the Coast Guard have started to dread it. There was a time not long ago when, to most commercial fishermen, the mention of the […]

Veteran fisherman Tim Athens is the first to use live-bait longlining in fishing for sea bass or halibut. The hook-and-line method is not a popular one among fishermen but has proven to be effective for Athens. Longlining was a preferred fishing method until gillnets were introduced in the 1940s. The nets were prohibited in 1990 under Proposition 132, an initiative which Athens claims was pushed by recreational fishers to keep commercial fishers from catching sea bass and halibut. Athens has only used longlining since Sep. 1995, and still uses vertical or horizontal lines for rockcod or black-gill rockfish., On the run from a gillnet ban and with the driftline shark fishery shut down by the sport-angling lobby, a veteran fishermen pioneers a productive but little-used hook-and-line method. With [...]

Ken Bates, a fisherman at Humboldt Bay, has discovered that using a nylon lampara net enables one to catch sardines and anchovies. He markets the anchovies to halibut sport fishers or commercial albacore fishermen. His discovery came after a long research that had him poring over the history of lampara nets and seeking experts on the subject for pointers. He also examined mesh and twine size and net length and depth.

Dungeness crab fishermen in southern California have experienced low catch rates since the beginning of the crab season. Crab populations in this area are notably erratic, and the reasons for this are still unknown. The California legislature has enacted a permit system for the fishing of Dungeness crab and a moratorium on new entrants to the industry. A survey of fishermen from California, Oregon and Washington found that most favor limited entry. This will be taken into account by the respective state legislatures in deciding measures to assist the industry.

With surgical precision, skipper John Alioto pushes as 14-gauge hypodermic needle through the skin of a rockfish that lays slapping its tail on the edge of a fiberglass 'live-tank'. An [...]

Ask 10 fishermen why they go to sea, and nine will rattle off the virtues of freedom, independence and mobility. They're in it for the elbow room, they'll tell you, [...]

Sharks of many types are neither threatened nor benign. The fishing industry complains that the political reaction against finning resulted in overprotection of some species of shark that now threaten fish habitats.

An Oregon-based trawler of Pacific whiting relates his techniques for netting two-hundred and eighty-thousand pounds of fish.

Fishermen in the live-fish business have discovered several innovative ways of better handling their catch and delivering them alive and fresh to the market. Air stones are among the popular equipment used in this type of fishery. The stones usually feature a pump that pushes air through a porous rock, crushed coral or a sand-filled tube. Other equipment used to provide captured fish with enough oxygen are onboard homemade venturi systems, micro-bubble diffusers and titanium chillers.

The competitive squid fishery in California has hounded and attracted fishermen such as Dave Tibbles, skipper of the seiner Talia. The Talia is owned by Alaskan Dennis Eames and is operated to augment Eames' herring and salmon operations. Talia's crew consider squid fishing as easier and more profitable than fishing salmon and herring. Aside from providing alternative sources of income for commercial fishermen, squid fishing is a profitable endeavor which harvested an unprecedented 110,000-ton season in 1996-1997.

Drift net fishing in California has relatively remained the same since it began in the late 1970s as shark fishing. Driftnetting evolved into shark and swordfishing when fishermen realized that large meshes could also catch shortfin makos and swordfish aside from thresher sharks. Driftnetters of today fish only near coastal areas for sharks and channel islands for swordfish.

The Pacific City along Oregon's north-central shores is noted only for the rockfishes that awash the place, but the number of dories sailing its waters, as well. Dorying has become the region's primary means of living and source of recreation for nearly 7 decades now. Despite the hazardous nature of the job, dorying in the Pacific City has become virtually safe and enjoyable. Records show that only five cases of death and a number of minor injuries have been reported.

Fleet buybacks are becoming common in many US fisheries but fishermen maintain that it would be ineffective in controlling overfishing as they fishermen catch fish and not the boats. Buying back licenses and boats would not guarantee that bought out fishermen would not return to fishing. However, if modified to some degree, fleet buybacks could effectively limit fishing vessels to sustainable numbers.

The events and obstacles encountered in 1997 have helped shape the future of the fishing industry. These events, including the El Nino phenomenon, the resulting hysteria caused by a single-celled microbe Pfiesteria, the disappearing act in Bristol Bay and the fate of the factory-trawlers, have forced fishermen to focus more on other aspects of the business that they can control such as marketing, industry-funded stock assessments and habitat rehabilitation.

Mike McCorkle is renowned for memorizing the histories of old wooden boats by heart, particularly the Theresa Ann, a Monterey clipper which is a descendant of a small, Mediterranean sailing fish boat. The boat has a flaring forward section with a sharply uplifting sheer and chicken beak that rises from the stent. McCorkle, during the restoration of the Monterey clipper, discovered evidences of the vessel's history which was passed on to several owners and had at least four name changes.

Nitrox, a new mixed gas system, has a higher concentration of oxygen and lower nitrogen gas levels than normal air and compressed air. Recreation divers who have shifted to Nitrox have experienced reduced risk of developing caisson disease and nitrogen narcosis, which is caused by too much nitrogen in the blood and tissues. Nitrox gives divers more dive time and maximum lower depth. Excessive use of Nitrox, however, causes drying of the lungs and sinuses.

Many southern California fishermen have taken to trapping Pandalus platyceros, more commonly known as spot prawns, in view of the high prices they fetch. The spot prawn business remains quite lucrative despite the declining stocks, the large number of fishermen engaged in the activity and the increasingly stringent regulations being imposed by state regulators.

Around 125 full-time fishermen engage in dip-netting for smelt along California's far-northern coast. Smelt fishing in the area has changed little since the 1800's, when Native Americans waited for birds to signal that smelt were present. The modern fishermen use A-frame dip-nets and rubber waders to hunt 7-10-in. surf smelt from Jun.-Sep. and 5-10-in. night smelt from Jan.-Jul. They catch an average of one million pounds annually, with the most successful fishermen earning $35,000-$50,000.

Sea cucumbers are providing a livelihood for small fishing boats operating in Santa Barbara and San Diego, CA. Local fishermen use boom winches equipped with nets to drag sea cucumbers from the sea bottom, and reportedly catch as much as $15,000 worth of cucumbers a day and 293 tons a year. The cucumbers are marketed to Asian buyers in the US and other countries. The fishery's managers have set the number of divers and trawlers allowed to harvest cucumbers to 104 to maintain a sustainable harvest.

The light detection and ranging system (LIDAR) has been tested as a means of identifying schools of fish to reduce dolphin bycatch among tuna schools. Preliminary tests indicated the soundness of the technique,but when field-tested, the system is wanting. It cannot identify purse seine nets and the vibration from the helicopter causes system malfunctions. LIDAR has potential if the problems are ironed out.

Lobster fishing in California and Florida waters is attracting a lot of interested fishers. Veteran lobsterman Tom Dabney is fascinated by the coming and going of lobster fishers. Dabney has been fishing lobster in the area for 12 years already but claims he is still in the learning stages of the job. He says the job is not that glamorous and simple as some people think it is. Many things run against easy success in the undertaking such as poachers, bait availability, weather, competition and trap costs. In spite of these, however, there are as many newcomers as there are quitters.

The Monterey clippers are fishing boats adapted from the late-19th century sailing feluccas of the Mediterranean Sea. The boats are usually 26 to 36-foot double-end clippers built in San Francisco or near the ports of Sacramento and the San Joaquin Delta, CA. The high, raked bow and wide, full-bodied hull of the Monterey clipper can easily split and slough through the waves of California's north coast.

A new 44-foot fishing boat built by Seaboard Marine Ltd has several features that set it apart from ordinary fishing boats. The hull is made of fiberglass with the keel cut down from 4 feet to a 6-inch slipper configuration. The other structural parts are made of urethane foam, commonly known as surfboard foam. It is fitted with two 210-hp Cummins diesel engines coupled to a hydraulic V-drive transmission. The engines are set further aft than usual, thus aiding the boat's trim. Noise and vibration insulation are given high priority, and unusual floating frameless windows were installed.

US commercial fishermen who ply Mexican waters is a riskier proposition since they are liable both under US and Mexico laws. Mexico has never granted permits to US fishermen and may be arrested by the Mexican navy. Any US boat caught fishing in Mexican waters is also liable under the US Lacey Act which prohibits trading, transport and sale of any fish caught or possessed under violation of any foreign or state law.

As the seine net of the Panamanian tuna boat Maria Luisa I pursed tighter, dolphins - both dead and alive - trapped in its red webbing began a horrifying climb [...]

Swinging circles in the sky, high above a school of menhaden off the Rhode Island coast, Mark Silva, an executive with Ampro Fisheries, stared helplessly at the sea in disbelief. [...]

Amid a maelstrom of old political battles, California fishermen forged some new beginnings in 1991, including new fisheries, new markets and some new clout. The big news came in March, [...]

'Cordage is more important than looks; it's more important than web. It's what holds everything together'. The braiding machine is two stories tall and as big as a room. From [...]

Ecosystem and industry both would benefit from breaching the dams Environmentalists and seafood purveyors seldom agree, but in the Pacific Northwest, the two sides see eye to eye on one [...]