National Fisherman May 2021 by National Fisherman

Scandies Rose / Sanitation: Heads Up / Scalloper Launch May / 2021

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In this issue

Brian Hagenbuch

National Fisherman / May 2021 / Vol. 102, No. 01

Weak links in the Bering Sea crab fleet

No. 15 for Nordic

Cover Story \ Lights, camera, excluder New nets and digital monitoring technology help pelagic trawlers beat back bycatch.

Features / Boats & Gear

On Deck 06

Northern Lights

Editor’s Log

Fishing Back When

Mail Buoy

A Letter from NMFS

Dock Talk

Gulf of Maine wind research is an ‘array’ indeed, and not in a good way.

Around the Coasts & Market Reports

Permit News

Last Set / Dutch Harbor, Alaska

Larry Chowning

Shared values are one way to connect with your seafood customers.

08 34

Around the Yards A Maine-built longliner for the West Coast; landing craft doubles in salmon and crabs; gillnetter returns to Carolina birthplace.

Duckworth Steel Boats delivers another scalloper for the Nordic Fisheries fleet.

Product Roundup Turbo toilets; Headhunter’s latest MSD; DeckHand Pro’s new electronic logbook system.

Reader Services 40

Classifieds

Advertiser Index

National Fisherman (ISSN 0027-9250), May 2021, Vol. 102, No. 01, is published monthly by Diversified Business Communications, 121 Free St., Portland, ME 04112-7438. Subscription prices: 1 year - U.S. $22.95; 2 years U.S. $43; 3 years U.S. $62. These rates apply for U.S. subscriptions only. Add $10 for Canada addresses. Outside U.S./Canada add $25 (airmail delivery). All orders must be in U.S. funds drawn on a U.S. bank. All other countries, including Canada and Mexico, please add $10 postage per year. For subscription information only, call: 1 (800) 959-5073. Periodicals postage paid at Portland, Maine, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes only to National Fisherman, PO Box 176 Lincolnshire IL 60069. Canada Post International Publications Mail product (Canadian Distribution) Sales Agreement No. 40028984, National Fisherman. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Circulation Dept. or DPGM, 4960-2 Walker Rd., Windsor, ON N9A 6J3. READERS: All editorial correspondence should be mailed to: National Fisherman, Portland, ME 04112-7438.

Duckworth Steel Boats

Katherine Hellen-Schneider

The Scandies Rose investigation looks at stability, icing regs and more.

ON DECK

Editor’s Log

Safety first Jessica Hathaway Editor in Chief jhathaway@divcom.com

nvestigators may never know exactly what motivated Gary Cobban Jr. to drive the Scandies Rose into a storm just before New Year’s Day 2020. In all likelihood, a combination of factors informed his decision. As he captained the boat with his son David onboard, it’s hard to imagine the elder Cobban was inclined to take unnecessary risks — though anyone who plies those waters understands the inherent danger of the Bering Sea. Based on the testimony at the Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation, held in the late winter this year, it’s likely he believed he was driving a fortress of a vessel, loaded within her carrying capacity.

Following the Bering Sea crabber Destination sinking in 2017, which had no survivors, broad speculation was that the vessel was likely overloaded with pots and laden with ice, both common occurrences at the start of the opilio crab season in some of the worst winter weather the North Pacific has to offer. The loss of a well-maintained and wellrun boat with an experienced crew was so shocking that it led to a run of new stability assessments across the fleet. Now with the Scandies Rose hearings, we have learned that those assessments may be inherently flawed. The fact that IMO standards do not account for icing inside of pots strapped to the decks of Bering Sea boats as they drive through freezing spray is frankly

On the cover On a 2019 research trip aboard the Pacific Explorer, Crewman Lauti Tuipala directs the setting of a pollock net with a salmon excluder.

Noelle Yochum/NOAA photo

shocking. (Read the full feature on the hearings starting on page 18.) One thing that stuck with me as I watched survivor Jon Lawler’s testimony was how critical his muscle memory was to his survival. Everything Lawler did was the next right thing to do. Though it seemed clear that his memories were forged from the shock of the loss of his friends on the Destination, drills conducted properly can do the same. NF’s next Expo Online webinar will focus on industry safety with an expert panel. I hope you will join us for this free live discussion on April 8. Go to our home page and click on Webinars in the top nav to sign up. You’ll get access as well as a link to the recording after the live panel. My heart goes out to the families of those who did not make it out, and also to Lawler and Gribble.Your testimony, though clearly painful to relive, may well save lives in the future. Thank you both, and to everyone who testified, for telling your stories.

In partnership with Pacific Marine Expo The largest commercial marine trade show on the West Coast, serving commercial mariners from Alaska to California. www.pacificmarineexpo.com

PUBLISHER: Bob Callahan EDITORIAL DIRECTOR: Jeremiah Karpowicz EDITOR IN CHIEF: Jessica Hathaway ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Kirk Moore BOATS & GEAR EDITOR: Paul Molyneaux PRODUCTS EDITOR: Brian Hagenbuch ART DIRECTOR: Doug Stewart NORTH PACIFIC BUREAU CHIEF: Charlie Ess FIELD EDITORS: Larry Chowning, Michael Crowley CORRESPONDENTS: Samuel Hill, John DeSantis, Maureen Donald, Dayna Harpster, Sierra Golden, John Lee, Caroline Losneck, Nick Rahaim ADVERTISING COORDINATOR: Wendy Jalbert / wjalbert@divcom.com / Tel. (207) 842-5616 NATIONAL SALES MANAGER: Susan Chesney / schesney@divcom.com / Tel. (206) 463-4819 CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING: (800) 842-5603 classifieds@divcom.com SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION (800) 959-5073 or nationalfisherman@omeda.com Producer of Pacific Marine Expo and the International WorkBoat Show Theodore Wirth, President & CEO | Mary Larkin, President, Diversified Communications USA Diversified Communications | 121 Free St., Portland, ME 04112 (207) 842-5500 • Fax (207) 842-5503 • www.divcom.com

2 National Fisherman \ May 2021

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ON DECK

Fishing Back When May By Jessica Hathaway

1971— Set for a fast trip across the Everglades for a first-hand view of water problems in Florida is the state’s new Secretary of State Richard Stone (left).

1 9 7 1

1 9 9 1

2 0 1 1

On the cover: Battered and swamped against a pier in Rockland, Maine, during a winter gale, the Coast Guard tries in vain to pull a lobster boat off the rocks. The 1-year-old 38-footer owned by John Faulkingham was lost to the breakwater.

Exxon settles with the state of Alaska as well as federal civil and criminal claims stemming from the Valdez oil spill in 1989. The oil company agrees to pay $1.1 billion after showing a profit of $5 billion in 1990 and declaring that the settlement “will not have a significant effect on our earnings,” according to Exxon Chairman Lawrence Rawl.

On the cover: Matt Marinkovich fishes for Puget Sound chum salmon in Washington’s Hood Canal.

J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding of Tacoma, Wash., launches a tuna boat and delivers another. The Aquarius and the Trinidad are the first two of five 184foot seiners being built at the yard with Marco hydraulics and power blocks. An Alaska Superior Court judge strikes down the state’s requirement to show fish history to acquire a salmon permit. 4 National Fisherman \ May 2021

NMFS Director William Fox confirms forthcoming emergency swordfish regulations resulting from November’s annual ICCAT meeting, including a 15 percent harvest reduction. Fox was considering area closures, quotas and “gear controls.”

West Coast ports begin to pick up the pieces in the aftermath of a tsunami that struck some harbors with an 8-foot surge, following an 8.9 earthquake near Japan on Friday, March 11. Despite a complicated history with environmental activists, the Atlantic scallop fishery seeks ecolabel certification through the Marine Stewardship Council. “We have a global market; we have a robust resource,” said Ross Paasche with the American Scallop Association.

www.nationalfisherman.com

ON DECK

Mail Buoy

United against Pebble Mine resident Joe Biden has the perfect opportunity to make good on his promise to unite our ideologically fractured country by moving quickly to preserve Bristol Bay, Alaska, one of our nation’s greatest natural and cultural treasures. Bipartisan support for this issue makes it a popular and easy win early in his presidency. And on top of that, protecting Bristol Bay supports thousands of American jobs and promotes food security both domestically and internationally. Pebble Limited Partnership, a subsidiary of a Canadian mineral exploration and development company, is seeking to extract copper, gold and molybdenum from Bristol Bay, which could permanently damage more than 100 miles of rivers and streams and 2,200 acres of wetlands in the surrounding area. The Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and independent technical experts have all determined that even without an accident or a catastrophic event, the Pebble Mine would destroy critical fish habitat and aquatic resources in the near-pristine watershed. Bristol Bay needs federal protection to forever preserve this

unique ecosystem from the potential harm this mine would inflict. Wildlife from belugas to eagles to brown bears inhabit this region, but the economic and cultural heart of this area is salmon. Bristol Bay’s annual wild sockeye salmon runs are the largest on Earth. The area supports a $1.5 billion annual commercial fishery, creates 14,000 jobs in fishing and tourism, and produces more than half of the world’s supply of wild sockeye. Additionally, this region is the traditional territory of 31 federally recognized Yup’ik, Dena’ina, and Alutiiq tribes, all of whom rely on fishing, hunting, and gathering around Bristol Bay. Salmon have sustained Alaska Natives as an important food source for thousands of years and are vital to the cultural and spiritual heritage of the region. Widespread industry, environmental, Tribal, and local opposition to the Pebble Mine project has been ongoing for years, and we cheered in November when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers denied Pebble Limited Partnership a permit for the project to move forward. While this was a step in the right direction, it fails to provide lasting protections for

A Letter from NMFS

Fish for the future By Paul Doremus

y fi rst column as the acting assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries highlighted our recent report on covid-19 impacts to the nation’s fishing industries. I thought it appropriate now to share an update regarding our path forward over the next several months. I am very much looking forward to working with you on our sustainable fisheries mission until the Biden administration names a permanent assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries. As always, my colleagues Sam Rauch, our

To subscribe, call 1-800-959-5073

Correction Treena Brunelle took this shot of Elijah Brice’s Perseverance on page 22 of our January 2021 issue.

the region and does nothing to prevent future threats. In fact, the Pebble Limited Partnership is appealing the U.S. Army Corps’ Record of Decision on the project. In the early days under the Biden administration, the EPA should veto the Pebble Mine project under section 404c of the Clean Water Act, which contains the strongest protections that the federal government can extend under current law. With immediate threats to Bristol Bay eliminated, Congress should then look to permanently codify protections for Bristol Bay with new legislation. Robert C. Vandermark

Marine Fish Conservation Network Executive Director

Lindsay Layland

United Tribes of Bristol Bay Deputy Director

deputy assistant administrator for regulatory programs; and Dr. Cisco Werner, our chief science advisor, will be with me every step of the way as we chart our course forward. Our core missions remain the same, and our 2021 Priorities and Guidance continue to guide us. While in this role, my priorities will focus on maximizing commercial yield supplemented by aquaculture production and sustainable recreational fisheries. In my time, I hope to shepherd our agency and the U.S. fishing industry out of the covid-19 pandemic and set up the next official assistant administrator for maximum success. I look forward to working with you all! Paul Doremus is the acting administrator of the National Marine Fisheries Service. He oversees the federal agency responsible for recreational and commercial fisheries.

May 2021 \ National Fisherman 5

ON DECK

Northern Lights VIEWS FROM ALASKA

How is fishing a part of your life? The seasonality created by fishing relates every day to the life I live with my husband, Adam, and our two little kids. Our life is a mix of land and sea, with lots of family time. Our daily routine in Sitka, Alaska, is connected to the seasons of harvest, the winds and tides. In the winter, our family is together on land, enjoying a quiet season. In spring, Adam longlines full time on my parents’ operation, F/V Kariel, while the kids and I are in town. We switch gears in the summer to freezer troll on our boat, F/V Myriad. The kids and I jump aboard periodically, enjoying life and work on the water with Adam and our crew. In the fall, we longline with our extended family. This family crew varies, but includes my parents, Adam and me, our kids, my brother and sister, my uncle, etc. This is the season for boat school! Amidst the fishing seasons, I direct market our catch (king salmon, coho salmon, sablefish, rockfish, ling cod) to restaurants and households around the Pacific Northwest. We began this venture by selling to restaurants desiring a high quality, single-boat source of wild fish. A couple of years ago, we began retailing our catch by the 10-pound box, so now we have a small-scale option available for households. It is really fun and gratifying to have a direct connection to so many customers who love wild fish as much as we do. What made you decide to get into direct marketing? We consider our catch — frozen at sea, troll caught, ocean run salmon — to be very special. Freezer trolling is a labor of love, and we want to see our product reach people who appreciate it for its full worth. One of our business goals is to be an employer of choice; maximizing fish value and crew shares are important elements of this. We know who is cooking up our fish, and our customers know who caught it. This direct connection motivates us even when fishing is slow, and inspires us to process each fish with respect and care — it makes the whole job more fun and meaningful. What has been easier or more challenging than you anticipated? I’d say the most challenging aspect of this business has been marketing, which I really had to dive into once I 6 National Fisherman \ May 2021

Hackett family

Fish & Family: Q&A with Lexi Hackett

Lexi and Adam Hackett with their children, Isla and Leo.

“We know who is cooking up our fish, and our customers know who caught it. This direct connection motivates us even when fishing is slow, and inspires us to process each fish with respect and care.” started retailing to households. It was helpful to have the foundation of working with chefs and restaurants, because I knew the type of customer I was looking to find, and I was used to telling the story of our fish. The difficult (and rewarding) part of marketing is simply finding the customers who we connect with via our shared values. It’s a big world out there, and can be difficult to niche down. Has the pandemic played a part in that? With the pandemic, we have experienced more uncertainty with our restaurant customers, because of closures or reduced demand. The pandemic has required every business to practice patience and flexibility, and we are no exception. We started retailing fish boxes to households in 2019, which was really lucky timing. That aspect of our business has seen a notable increase because so many people are cooking at home and stocking up their pantries. How has your fishing background influenced you as a registered dietitian? Growing up an Alaskan kid and being connected to the wild food sources around me has served me well as a nutrition professional. I got into nutrition because I love food www.nationalfisherman.com

ON DECK

“There is a reason local food, slow food, and knowing your fishermen or farmers has become so popular. We humans naturally seek a connection to the food that sustains us.” and cooking, which were a big part of my life growing up in a fishing family. I live in a region originally inhabited by Tlingit people; harvesting wild food has been a tradition and way of life here since time immemorial. I consider it a privilege to live here and to be connected to the wild food around me. I believe a deeper connection to food is healing in many ways. This connection shows up differently for every individual — your sense of place, harvesting or growing your own food, or cultural and family traditions around food. I try to bring this awareness into working with clients for nutrition

therapy and overall wellbeing. There is a reason local food, slow food, and knowing your fishermen or farmers has become so popular. We humans naturally seek a connection to the food that sustains us.

What advice do you have for other fishermen thinking about direct marketing? I recommend researching the potential customer or market you want to attract. What characteristics do your ideal customers have, and what values do you share with them? Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. What do you have to lose?

What do customers say, what are their questions and feedback? There are two common themes: Customers love the quality of our fish, and they enjoy being able to connect with us directly. They really appreciate knowing the story behind the fish they are cooking up to share with their loved ones.

“Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. What do you have to lose?” Lexi Hackett is a lifelong Alaskan, commercial fisherman, direct marketer and registered dietitian.

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ON DECK

Dock Talk

An array of risks n June 2019, Maine’s Gov. Janet Mills signed a bill requiring the state Public Utilities Commission to approve the contract for an offshore wind farm in Maine. This proposed array would cover 16 square miles of prime fishing ground in the Gulf of Maine, with miles of underground cables installed 2 meters below the ocean bottom to transport the energy. The array would operate for 20 years before being decommissioned. Though touted as a research array to explore clean energy alternatives, this project is an experiment. And during this experiment, power generated will be sold for profit, likely to out of

state consumers. Information from this research will not just benefit scientists, but also big-money energy investors who want to develop wind farms throughout the Gulf of Maine. “When you a look at a chart of where all the preferred wind farm leases are on the East Coast and compare that to the chart NMFS has made showing the most heavily fished areas, almost every lease is based directly on or adjacent to the best grounds,” said fisherman Glen Libby. There is a lot more at stake here than may meet the eye. Drilling the ocean meters down, placing cables and topping with an artificial cover for miles will at the very least disrupt and at the very worst

Nieuwkerk family

By Shelley Wigglesworth

Eben Nieuwkerk, Knoep Nieuwkerk, Hannah Nieuwkerk Smith and her daughter Julia are three generations of Maine fishermen.

destroy countless marine life habitats, ecosystems and breeding grounds, which will influence the food chain from there on up, not to mention the unknown long-term effects chemicals coating the underground cables may have on the environment and consumers. Electromagnetic fields and noise from offshore wind turbines can

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Michael Myers

Erik Waterman

SmartCatch™

Third-generation lobsterman Michael Myers also fishes bluefin, halibut and pogies on the Alaina & Olivia out of Tenants Harbor.

Arnold “Buzzy” Kinney and fourth-generation lobsterman Erik Waterman harvest scallops on the F/V Sea Star of Spruce Head.

interrupt the natural cycles of robust native species as well as endangered and protected marine species — including right whales, for which lobstermen have changed fishing practices and gear to avoid doing any potential harm. “If this goes through, it’ll forever change fishing families’ lives in a negative way,” said Eben Nieuwkerk, a fisherman who has started an online petition to stop the wind array, which be found at tinyurl.com/gulfofmaine. European wind arrays have resulted in some surrounding areas deemed no-fishing areas because of the proximity to the turbines, resulting in fishermen losing access to fish and areas they have depended on for generations to harvest fish. This is a risk many Maine fishermen do not want to gamble on. “Every bit of where they have marked (for potential offshore wind farms) is prime tuna and lobster bottom,” said fisherman Michael Myers. Then there is the financial concern. Rhode Island’s Block Island wind array energy started at 24.4 cents per kwh, more than double the price paid for power from conventional sources. Add to this annual increases of 3.5 percent for life of the contract. Energy consumers have taken the wind power company to court about this. With right whale regulation struggles, seafood trade tariffs, a global pandemic, and government and state restrictions and regulations prohibiting the numbers of days fishermen can fish and limiting what they can catch, now is not the time to experiment with a wind array. The Gulf of Maine should not be used as a guinea pig. “My biggest concern is that fisherman from all types of fisheries will lose bottom and never get it back,” said fisherman Erik Waterman. “This is our livelihood; our pie keeps getting sliced. I’m afraid that if we allow one wind turbine power cable ashore it is going to snowball up and down the coast.” Shelley Fleming Wigglesworth is a freelance journalist based in Kennebunkport, Maine.

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May 2021 \ National Fisherman 9

AROUND THE COASTS

Gulf/South Atlantic Louisiana diversion project will alter fisheries

NOAA

Environmental study predicts ‘major, adverse, permanent’ effect on shrimp, oysters

The Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project would be built on the right descending bank of the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish, La.

n Army Corps of Engineers environmental impact statement for the planned $1.4 billion Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project acknowledges it will drastically alter the south Louisiana shrimp and oyster fisheries — all in the name of saving the state’s coast. “Moderate to major, adverse, permanent direct and indirect impacts are anticipated on shrimp fisheries in the

project area due to expected negligible to minor, permanent, beneficial impacts on white shrimp, and major, permanent, adverse impacts on brown shrimp abundance,” states an executive summary of the report, issued March 5. While it may be possible for fishermen to target other species, that “would require additional investment by individual fishers, which may or may not be financially feasible,” the report adds.

MARKET REPORT: Blue Crabs Crabbers watching nearby states after tight supply in early 2021

“Declines in shrimp abundance may also exacerbate trends in the aging workforce to leave the industry.” Projected to be built over five years, the diversion plan by the state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority could be the first of similar projects for bringing new sediment into south Louisiana’s steadily eroding coastal lands and marshes, instead of sediment washing out from the river mouth straight into the Gulf of Mexico depths. Project supporters say it’s essential to maintaining the state’s land mass and hurricane protection for New Orleans and other communities. Critics — including much of the state’s seafood industry — want to see alternatives that won’t dramatically alter their livelihoods. “All of us in the fisheries industry knew this all along,” said George Ricks, president of the Save Louisiana Coalition, which has argued for dredging and other methods to move sediment instead of freshwater diversion. “The CPRA has always downplayed the effect on fisheries.” “The Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion is the largest project of its kind ever undertaken in U.S. history, and represents an unparalleled, innovative coastal restoration effort unlike anything else in the world,” said Chip Kline,

Gerica, chairman of the Louisiana Crab Task Force. “So right now, the prices are going out of the box. This has been a trend now for the

ulf of Mexico crabbers navigated

States, and a lion’s share of Gulf of Mexico

past three years, and the demand is for more

into the uncertain waters of spring

landings.

than the amount of product being produced.”

2021, a year that began with a

dearth of product. “There’s nothing since Christmas,” said

High prices at the dock don’t have a posi-

A three-year program of halting crab har-

tive effect on fishermen when catches are

vesting during specified months in Louisiana

small, particularly with rising fuel prices.

— recommended by crabbers and proces-

long-time crab dock owner Trudy Luke of

Currently, Louisiana crab prices for the

sors — has had positive population effect.

Houma, La., whose family members also

largest specimens in March were as high as

This is one reason why crabbers are opti-

regularly harvest blue crabs. “The demand is

$4.25 per pound, industry participants said.

mistic that as waters warm, the supply will

so high that docks are throwing money out

Number 2 crabs were fetching $2.25 per

be greater.

there. I’ve got a fisherman here who usu-

pound, and very small males about $1.

ally brings in 100 55-pound pans. Today he

Since the creatures migrate east to west,

“Something happened with the weather,

Louisiana crabbers anticipate good indica-

the wind and the cold, so in eastern Louisiana

tions of a comeback when Mississippi, Ala-

Louisiana accounts for more than 30 per-

crabbers are working the offshore edge right

bama and Florida show increases.

cent of all blue crab landings in the United

now, but it’s mostly female crabs,” said Pete

brought in 10.”

10 National Fisherman \ May 2021

— John DeSantis

www.nationalfisherman.com

AROUND THE COASTS

“All of us in the fisheries industry knew this all along. The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority has always downplayed the effect on fisheries.”

Boat of the Month Home-built Carolina net reel boat

North Carolina / mullet, spots, Spanish mackerel

chairman of the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, in a statement after the EIS release. Overall, the Barataria Basin has lost more than 276,000 acres of land since the 1930s, a process accelerated by damage from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, according to NOAA. With other government agencies NOAA foresees spending up to $2 billion on restoration; a series of public comment and virtual hearing events online were scheduled through May 4. CPRA planners say the project would add more than 17,300 acres of land in the Barataria Basin over 30 years and reduce hurricane storm surge levels by a foot in communities north of the project location in Plaquemines Parish. Project boosters say building the new land can generate 12,400 jobs. But it will come at a long-term cost, according to critics. The Corps paper bears out their fears. Freshwater species could thrive amid the redirected river flow, but commercially valuable saltwater species would decline, as would the Barataria Bay population of bottlenose dolphins, the report says. While rebuilding marshes would eventually increase habitat for shrimp, those later years “would not substantially alter the stated impacts on the shrimping industry in the project area,” the Corps review predicts. Louisiana fishermen landed $34.6 million worth of brown shrimp in 2019, “and 31 percent was from Barataria Bay, so right out of the gate (with diversion), you lose $11 million,” said Ricks. — Kirk Moore To subscribe, call 1-800-959-5073

Jacob Willis

— George Ricks, SAVE LOUISIANA COALITION

orn and raised in North Carolina,

Jacob

but with a little luck, a lot of faith and

started fishing at age 15. Ten

hard work, I was successful. I couldn’t

years later, he’s learned a lot.

have done it without the help of a lot of

Willis started his journey dropnetting with his father. While the rest of the family enjoyed fishing, Willis fell in love with the profession. He

“It was a huge learning curve for me,

Willis

started

saving

local fishermen that extended a hand to me.” Willis has a plan to grow larger and add boats to work strictly in the ocean.

money,

“The best part about it is I really love

purchased his fishing license and

the profession,” says Willis. “Knowing it’s

started buying flounder and speckled-

all on me — I don’t have to be at a place

trout nets.

at a certain time, I don’t have to report

At age 18, Willis moved to Georgia

to a job where I have a boss, and I love

to work on the deck of a 75-foot

the fact that I can provide a part of the

trawler named Lady Susie II.

freshest seafood in our state.”

He moved up the chain to captain but quickly learned that life on a

Willis also knows there will still be difficulties.

trawler wasn’t for him, so he returned

“What I really want people to know

home and started fishing for flounder

is that it’s hard being controlled by the

and trout full time in North Carolina.

prices and a new law popping up every

“In 2019, they passed the large-

other month. Unfortunately most people

mesh net ban and it about knocked

don’t like commercial fishermen, but

me down,” says Willis. “But I knew I

I’m not out there to take from anyone or

had to go bigger, so I started building

destroy a fishery.”

my net reel boat.

— Maureen Donald

Boat Specifications HOME PORT: Oriental, N.C. OWNER: Jacob Willis BUILDER: C-Hawk YEAR BUILT: 1984 FISHERIES: Primarily sea mullet, spots, croakers and Spanish mackerel HULL MATERIAL: Fiberglass LENGTH: 25 feet DRAFT: 2 feet CREW CAPACITY: 2 PROPULSION: 250-hp four-stroke Suzuki outboard TOP SPEED: 35 mph FUEL CAPACITY: 75 gallons

May 2021 \ National Fisherman 11

AROUND THE COASTS

Alaska Despite high demand, Bristol Bay base price sinks

BBRSDA

BBRSDA paper cites covid-related costs and suggests solutions for fishermen

espite record retail prices and a consistently strong demand, Bristol Bay salmon fishermen saw a nearly 50 percent drop in their base ex-vessel price in 2020 — from $1.35 a pound in 2019 to $0.70 in 2020. That’s a 65-cent drop in a single year. The Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association published a new report that lays out likely reasons for the low base price. It also offers the

A new report details factors behind the sharp drop in base price for 2020 Bristol Bay salmon.

region’s fishermen a range of solutions to consider for the future, and is seeking feedback from stakeholders to help set goals for the association. “Demand for Bristol Bay sockeye is very high. Retail prices are at record levels. Anecdotally, wholesale prices are flat to up compared to last year

MARKET REPORT: Pacific Cod Gulf cod stocks creep back, but Bering and Aleutian still down

— significantly so for once-frozen fillets,” says the BBRSDA’s white paper, released March 1. “When consumer prices are high or increasing for a product, the underlying raw material price usually goes up, not way down. In short, 2020 should have been a terrific season for Bristol Bay fishermen and ex-vessel prices, but it wasn’t (or at least it hasn’t been thus far).” Though the 2020 season is long over, the vast majority of bay fishermen operate under the “open-ticket” system, according to Andy Wink, executive director of the association. That system typically results in an additional payment the following year. Under the open ticket system, the boat owner/operator communicates with a processor ahead of the season to establish a commitment to deliver or purchase fish, “but no price is committed to,” Wink told NF. With each delivery during the season, fishermen receive a fish ticket from the processor, which is a receipt of the delivery and transaction. The price is typically left blank until after base prices are announced — usually at least halfway into the season, according to Wink. The base price is capped off with a bonus or retro, which is based on processor gains or losses in the market long

the pot fleet had landed 1.89 million pounds, slightly over their 2020 TAC of 1.88 million pounds. Most of the early-season effort took

acific cod stocks have begun to re-

Stocks also continue to decline in the

bound in the Gulf of Alaska, but the

Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands harvest ar-

“Fishing in February was pretty middle of

TAC for 2021 remains low at 17,321

eas. The 2021 TAC for the Bering Sea has

the road, neither fast nor slow,” says Nathan-

metric tons. Last year managers curtailed

been set at 111,380 metric tons with a TAC

iel Nichols, an area management biologist, in

the fishery in federally managed waters after

of 13,796 metric tons for the Aleutian Islands.

Kodiak. “There was a good mix of fish size

stock assessments put the biomass near the

The 2020 TACs for the respective areas

reported from vessels. Average weights were

bottom of the threshold for conducting the

had been set at 141,799 metric tons and

fishery.

14,214 metric tons.

place in the waters near Kodiak.

a little higher than usual.” According to a NMFS ex-vessel value

Though the recruitment of younger cod

As for this year’s harvest the cod and pol-

database, prices ranged from 35 to 39 cents

and the uncaught fish from last year have

lock fleets got off to a rocky start after co-

per pound going into 2021. Dockside deliver-

added to the abundance in most recent as-

vid cases caused the intermittent closure of

ies to processors in Kodiak during February

sessments, full recovery of the stock could

large processing plants in Dutch Harbor and

ranged from 30 cents to 55 cents per pound,

take years. The warm-water blob of 2014 has

Akutan. In state-managed waters the Alaska

depending on size and quality.

been blamed for the crash.

Department of Fish and Game reported that

12 National Fisherman \ May 2021

— Charlie Ess

www.nationalfisherman.com

AROUND THE COASTS

after the season has closed in July. (The 2020-21 retail year closes at the end of May 2021.) Though the payout timing on retros varies, “usually they are announced in the spring,” Wink adds. “As the largest organization representing Bristol Bay fishermen whose mission is to maximize fishery value for the benefit of its members, ex-vessel price is obviously a key concern for the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association,” the paper says. “This lower [2020] price equates to loss of $130 million in total ex-vessel value compared to 2019, or roughly $75,000 per driftnet vessel,” the organization reports. As bay fishermen look ahead to their retro pay for the 2020 season, there’s been a lot of chatter about the processors’ risks — as well as rewards — for a highly successful Bristol Bay sockeye salmon season in an otherwise extremely difficult year. “Frustration and confusion over the ex-vessel price were common themes in nearly every interaction BBRSDA board and staff members have had with the fleet since last season,” the paper says, “in addition to numerous social media posts and comments.” A recent BBRSDA survey of fishermen showed that transparency on the part of processors’ reasoning for setting a low base price was the most important issue facing the fleet. As the association attempts to take next steps in securing fair prices for its fleet in the years to come, it notes in the paper that technically the majority of the region’s processors are under no obligation to do more. “We’ve heard that processors deeply value fishermen as key partners, and some have expressed a desire to have more transparent communication,” Wink told NF. “However, there is concern about having too much transparency and public disclosure, and uncertainty about how to be more detailed in their communications without sacrificing privacy.” And there is still a possibility for a To subscribe, call 1-800-959-5073

“This fishery has a bright future. And although it may feel as though the fishermen’s options are limited, you own something truly unique: access to world’s most abundant supply of premium wild salmon.” — Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association 2020 base price report

good retro check to come. “It’s certainly possible that fishermen will be paid significant retros ahead of [the 2021] season,” the white paper says. “However, let’s be clear about two things: processing companies are not contractually obligated to 1) pay any more than they have already committed to or 2) share any more information

about sales performance than they choose. Even if processors could pay a higher price, there is no contractual requirement to do so without Silver Baystyle profit sharing agreements.” Processor prices are “based on what suits their short and long-term needs best,” the paper says. The BBRSDA notes the primary factors for the low base price: Increased business risk and additional operating costs because of covid, two tough years for processors in 2020 and 2019, and a compressed season that led to lower production of higher-value product forms. The next step, however, is up to fishermen, says the BBRSDA. “This fishery has a bright future,” the white paper says. “And although it may feel as though the fishermen’s options are limited, you own something truly unique: access to world’s most abundant supply of premium wild salmon.” — Jessica Hathaway

Warrenton, Ore. Skipper Stewart Arnold snapped this pic of his crew on the Pacific Future: Trenton Garlock, Jose Abundiz and Leo Rodriguez. After many months of domoic acid, we finally got to go fishing. And some good fishing it was! With 42x14 pots, it’s smiles all around. The price is high, and the crabs are plentiful.

This is your life. Submit your Crew Shot www.nationalfisherman.com/submit-your-crew-shots

May 2021 \ National Fisherman 13

AROUND THE COASTS

Atlantic Department of Interior reverses on Vineyard Wind BOEM report seen as Biden administration green light to offshore wind power

Vineyard Wind would install 84 GE Haliade-X turbines on its lease off southern New England.

oving quickly on the Biden administration’s renewable energy agenda, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management completed its environmental review of the 800-megawatt Vineyard Wind plan, clearing the path for the first truly commercial-scale U.S. offshore wind project. “The United States is poised to become a global clean energy leader,” said

Laura Daniel Davis, a deputy assistant secretary in the Department of Interior, in announcing the step March 8. “To realize the full environmental and economic benefits of offshore wind, we must work together to ensure all potential development is advanced with robust stakeholder outreach and scientific integrity.” Located about 15 nautical miles off Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.,Vineyard Wind

MARKET REPORT: Herring

is viewed as a bellwether for the nascent U.S. offshore wind industry. Its rapid progress in recent weeks is a 180-degree turnaround from December, when Trump administration appointees at Interior moved to kill the permitting process. Fishing advocates saw that as a major victory in their effort to get the industry a bigger say in BOEM’s wind energy siting and permitting processes. But with the Biden administration strongly committed to developing more renewable energy, the tide is running the opposite way, to the dismay of those advocates. “It would appear that fishing communities are the only ones screaming into a void while public resources are sold to the highest bidder, as BOEM has reversed its decision to terminate a project after receiving a single letter from Vineyard Wind,” said the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, a coalition of fishing groups and communities. BOEM should “at least hold public hearings explaining to the public how a private company can resume a project terminated by the federal government without further inquiry,” the group said. “Unlike offshore wind advocates who lack an intricate understanding of our

just isn’t here,” Willis says. “Last season, I

As catch limit screws tighten, bait dealers seek alternative sources

think we expected the herring price to sky-

ew rules in the herring fishery

fishery.” Reichle says the fleet has stayed

were so abundant, the prices for herring

aimed at improving sustainability

within quota the last few years, so the low

weren’t as high as expected.

for the important lobster bait fish

biomass and poor recruitment is “attribut-

Meanwhile, adds Reichle, “domestic

are impacting fishermen, dealers and others.

able to the stress of a cold-water fish being

markets will meet demand using other do-

rocket more than it did. But because pogies

The 2021 fishing season started Jan.

challenged by a warming ocean.” Many say it

mestic species or importing herring from

1, with an annual catch limit of 11,571 mt.

is too early to predict to what extent herring

other origins.” This year, a lot of bait deal-

However, once Framework 8 to the herring

supplies will affect prices, given the newest

ers have turned to other states or Canada to

management plan is implemented, the total

reductions. In mid-March, prices in Maine

fill herring supply gaps. “And the menhaden

ACL will be set to 4,128 mt. The 2020 stock

were about $250 per barrel at the docks.

fishery has definitely helped fill that gap,”

assessment shows spawning stock biomass

Brittany Willis, general manager of JBR

says Willis. “We’re really focused on trying

to be at its lowest value since the late 1980s.

Maine, a wholesale bait and lobster company

to find those new species,” says Willis, “to

Wayne Reichle, president of Lund’s Fish-

with four locations in Maine, says this year

fill the gap with all the restrictions on herring

may not look much different than last.

and pogies.”

eries in Cape May N.J., calls the quota reductions “a disaster for the region’s herring

14 National Fisherman \ May 2021

“Demand is always high, but the supply

— Caroline Losneck

www.nationalfisherman.com

AROUND THE COASTS

“It would appear that fishing communities are the only ones screaming into a void, while public resources are sold to the highest bidder, as BOEM has reversed its decision to terminate a project after receiving a single letter from Vineyard Wind.” — Responsible Offshore Development Alliance

marine ecosystems, the late stages of the environmental review projects do not leave many commercial fishing communities with optimism, excitement, or hope for their existence.” Other maritime industry groups hailed BOEM’s move. “A timely and effective permitting regime is a necessity in developing the generational energy and economic opportunity of offshore wind. With Interior’s announcement, we are closer to that reality,” said Erik Milito, president of the National Ocean Industries Association. It has been a twisting path for the Vineyard Wind plan review, which appeared to be on a smooth glide path in summer 2019. Vineyard Wind had obtained its offshore lease from BOEM at auction in 2015, submitted permit applications in 2017 and the following year won an offshore power contract with Massachusetts. But then the Greater Atlantic regional office of NMFS refused to sign off on a draft environmental impact statement, citing a need for more fisheries data and study of potential cumulative impacts of wind energy development off the East Coast. BOEM went back to the drawing board and in June 2020 completed a supplemental impact study. As the agency moved closer toward a final record of decision,Vineyard Wind officials abruptly withdrew their construction and operations plan, saying they needed To subscribe, call 1-800-959-5073

Snapshot Who we are Ben Ahrens / Butte and Ekuk, Alaska tart with a good bit of Bristol

Bay mud, sand and powerful

Ahrens immediately took to the fishing life and couldn’t wait to return.

tides, toss in huge sockeye

Time and tides have a way of

salmon runs and a fishing family that

sparking romance, and it wasn’t long

runs four generations deep, and you’ve

before Ahrens presented Shelby with

got the recipe for what keeps Ben

an engagement ring.

Ahrens returning each year.

“I proposed to my wife with a ring in

Ahrens, 41, came from Nebraska

a fish’s mouth and everything,” he says.

to Alaska on a scholarship, then met

That was in the summer of 2006, and

his wife-to-be, Shelby, in a student

the couple married in 2007.

teaching gig during the school year. “It was only supposed to be for a semester,” Ahrens says. When the season turned to summer, Ahrens got swept into an extended fishing family in a full-blown setnet operation about 5 miles outside of the small settlement of Ekuk.

That

lugging

meant

1,800

feet

of 3/4-inch line from shore to beyond the low

tideline,

driving

stout metal stakes into the deep mud and learning to

Along

came

their

three

sons,

Brayden, 11, Colben, 9, and 7-year-old Laeth. These days, Ahrens works for the Alaska Railroad, but he racks up all of his vacation time for the glorious time he gets to spend out in the fish camp each summer. “It’s

going

camping

for

three

weeks,”

says,

adding that his family bunks in a 20-by-20-foot cabin on the beach. “But we leave all the phones and the

pull nets to shore with four-wheel-drive

electronic devices back at home (Butte,

pickups.

Alaska, in the off-season). It makes us

“It was different — and interesting,” he says.

to update it for using larger, more powerful GE Haliade-X turbines, reducing the number of installations to 84 machines. With little more than a month before the end of the Trump administration, its top Interior officials said Vineyard Wind’s decision meant it would need to reapply and started the process over. Two days after President Biden’s Jan. 20 inauguration, the company sent BOEM a letter asking to resume the environmental review. Now, BOEM is working toward “a

grow so close together as a family.” — Charlie Ess

record of decision whether to approve, disapprove, or approve with modifications the proposed project,” Interior officials said. “The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the National Marine Fisheries Service will sign this joint record of decision for their respective authorization decisions.” — Kirk Moore

Looking for more news? National Fisherman is the only publication that covers the entire U.S. commercial fishing industry. For daily updates, visit nationalfisherman.com/news May 2021 \ National Fisherman 15

AROUND THE COASTS

West Coast/Pacific Two crew die in dangerous Dungeness season

Washington Department of Ecology

Deadly capsize on Tillamook Bay bar one week after ‘dump day’ distress calls

The F/V Coastal Reign capsized outside of Garibaldi, Ore., on Saturday, Feb. 20, killing two members of its four-person crew.

he 38-foot Dungeness crab boat Coastal Reign capsized while crossing the bar in Oregon’s Tillamook Bay, heading into Garibaldi on Feb. 20. Of the four crew members, two survived the capsizing. It was already a troubled week for the Dungeness fleet, when the Coast Guard issued small craft restrictions but had not closed the Tillamook Bar. On its crossing, the Warrenton, Ore.-based Coastal Reign

turned sideways in the surf and capsized at 4:40 p.m. The Coast Guard responded with rescue boats and a helicopter from Astoria, as other fishing boats assisted. Three crew members were rescued form the water, while a third was able to climb the rocks of a jetty and get rescued by the aircrew. Two crew members, Todd Chase and Zach Zappone, died. The season had started with “dump day” on Feb. 13, when fishermen

MARKET REPORT: Spiny Lobster

dropped pots ahead of the official open on Tuesday. The Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment responded to three distress calls that morning. Station Cape Disappointment and Station Grays Harbor launched 47-foot lifeboat rescue crews at 7:30 a.m. for the Terry F. as it was taking on water near Willapa Bay. A Coast Guard helicopter hoisted three crew and the captain’s dog off the capsized crab boat.

“The actions of the Coast Guard small-boat crews throughout the day were phenomenal, but so were the actions of the crews we assisted.” — Lt. Jessica Shafer, COAST GUARD STATION CAPE DISAPPOINTMENT

The crew was then diverted at 9:15 a.m. to the vicinity of Gearhart, Ore., to assist another fishing vessel with a crew member who had been injured after the boat was struck by a wave. The lifeboat rescue crew transferred a first responder to the vessel in 16- to 18-foot seas. With a head laceration and foot injury, the injured crew member and was able to remain on the fishing boat while it

scientist with the Invertebrate Program with

After pandemic low-price worries, season could bring new highs

the California Department of Fish and Wild-

f this year’s season goes anything

of $27.34 per pound for revenues of $5.36

raised about a depressed market and con-

like last year’s, California’s spiny

million.

tinued low price, when the 2020-21 season

life, in San Diego. “Though concern was

lobster divers can expect on-

Those are the averages. Conditions var-

opened in October 2020, spiny lobsters sold

again-off-again product flow to mainstem

ied widely during the 2019-20 season, which

for an average of $14.88 per pound during

markets in Asia in sync with rhythms of co-

began in early October of 2019 and ended on

the first week of the season.”

vid outbreaks and recessions. But trade wars

March 18, 2020.

between China and Australia could jack exvessel prices to new highs. According to data from PacFIN, spiny lobster divers in 2020 landed 329.5 metric

By the end of December, Hofmeister

Covid set in right at the tail end of the

notes that the ex-vessel prices jumped to a

2019-20 season, and prices dropped from

record $38.70 per pound. In March, she re-

$13.92 per pound at the tail end of January to

ported that prices had stabilized and were

$10.62 per pound.

hovering near $20 per pound.

tons of the critters for an average ex-vessel

“This decrease was a direct result of the

As for the coming season, Hofmeister

price of $19.09 per pound for revenues of

impact of the covid-19 pandemic and the

and her team anticipate increases in effort as

$13.87 million. So far in 2021 the fleet put in

closing of international seafood markets,”

based on last year’s prices that went through

88.9 metric tons at average ex-vessel prices

says Jenny Hofmeister, an environmental

the roof .

16 National Fisherman \ May 2021

— Charlie Ess

www.nationalfisherman.com

transited the Columbia River bar with the lifeboat crew as an escort until the 62-foot crab boat was moored in Ilwaco, and the patient was safely transferred to EMS. Meanwhile, another lifeboat crew was assisting the crew of the 66-foot F/V Noyo Dawn off Long Beach, Wash. With five people aboard, the vessel was disabled and drifting to shore, dragging its anchor. In 16- to 18-foot seas, the lifeboat crew placed the vessel in tow and began the transit south. With the increased risk of crossing the bar, the lifeboat crew from the Terry F. rescue joined to assist with the tow of the Noyo Dawn.The ebb tide was strong enough that at several points, all three vessels were unable to make any headway. The Noyo Dawn was taken to a pier in Warrenton, Ore., and safely docked around 9:30 p.m. “The actions of the Coast Guard small-boat crews throughout the day

Facebook

AROUND THE COASTS

Family members have disclosed that those lost were Todd Chase and Zach Zappone. Both families have started GoFundMe pages to help recover from the loss of their loved ones.

were phenomenal, but so were the actions of the crews we assisted,” said Lt. Jessica Shafer, commanding officer at Station Cape Disappointment. “When our boat arrived on scene with the distressed vessel in Long Beach, the fishing vessel's crew had already donned their survival equipment. They knew what attachment

points would be the strongest to use, and they were efficient at bringing our assistance lines over and attaching them. Those precious few moments can make all the difference.” In all, the Cape Disappointment boat crews spent 28 hours underway in seas up to 20 feet. — Jessica Hathaway

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May 2021 \ National Fisherman 17

FEATURE

LOOKING AT LOSS

Tipping points Scandies Rose hearings bring to light weak links in industry practices By Jessica Hathaway

he Scandies Rose was built to last.” Those were the words of longtime marine surveyor Erling Jacobsen, who had inspected the F/V Scandies Rose several times over the last two decades before she was lost to the Bering Sea with five of her seven crew on New Year’s Eve in 2019. From Feb. 22 to March 5, U.S. Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board called for public testimony from witnesses, investors, employees and a range of experts on vessel stability; industry safety; hull modifications and maintenance; and lifesaving practices, protocol and devices.

Brian Hagenbuch

Jessica Hathaway

Deborah Rhoades

“

Scandies Rose sank Dec. 31, 2019.

Coast Guard swearing in at the hearing.

Scandies Rose captured by ROV.

Those who followed the hearings closely were reminded with each new witness of those lost with the Bering Sea crab and pot-cod boat, as they offered their condolences to the survivors and loved ones of Captain Gary Cobban Jr., David Cobban, Seth Rousseau-Gano, Arthur Ganacias and Brock Rainey. Some of the most memorable moments included the testimony of the accident’s two survivors — deckhands Dean Gribble and Jon Lawler. But the full span of testimony may result in more than one tipping point in regulations, protocol and best practices for Alaska’s winter pot fisheries. Among the most compelling — and

telling — testimony was a panel of naval architects. Paul Zankich, Bud Bronson and Jonathan Parrott, testified together, offering decades of expertise on vessel stability, icing and gear loading. The panel members referred to the International Maritime Organization’s “shoebox” analogy, which assumes ice collecting on vertical and horizontal surfaces but not inside the webbing of pots stacked on deck because the standards are general and not written specifically for that kind of gear. “We understand how the IMO came up with the standards they have for icing,” Bronson added. “But the crab fishery in the Northwest Pacific is significantly

different than anywhere else.” Zankich specifically pressed for better data specific to pot gear. “If you’re a crabber, you have to believe the Coast Guard standards, you have to believe the IMO standards, you have to believe your naval architect,” he said.“All of these three beliefs need review in this inquiry, because we are the naval architects who are asking our owners and operators to believe.And we rely upon the Coast Guard standard to believe and the IMO standard to believe. And honestly, I don’t believe those standards now.” Regulations account for as much as 6/10 of an inch of ice accumulation on vertical surfaces and 1.3 inches on

18 National Fisherman \ May 2021

www.nationalfisherman.com

FEATURE

USCG

Coast Guard sprayed-down pot.

Scandies Rose loading pots.

“Capsizings like this are associated with the opilio fishery, almost always when the boat has a full load on and is going out for the initial drop,” Chris Woodley, a retired U.S. Coast Guard captain, longstanding safety advocate and now executive director of the Groundfish Forum, told NF. The Scandies Rose was readying for opilio crab season, but first the crew would fish as much of the Pacific cod pot season as they could squeeze in. “Are these boats overloaded? If you are using the icing criteria, then what you could carry would probably be a lot less. A boat that could carry 200 pots in non-icing conditions could be, say, 150 in icing conditions,” Woodley told NF. “From an enforcement perspective, the Coast Guard never really crossed that threshold because there are so many other variables.” The inquiry heard testimony on a wide range of those variables, including loading and stability, weather, fatigue, safety equipment, hull maintenance, and fishing seasons. Lawler testified that they

seemed to be in a hurry to get out, and that cod season was possibly why. The over-60 cod boats had had a short season the year before, starting on Jan. 1. “The year prior to this, their season closed on the sixth of January,” Lawler testified. “They only had enough time to get their gear out in the water, barely make a trip, and then they had to stack out again.” And this wasn’t just any year. Cobban Jr. knew January 2020 could be the last season of the derby-style cod fishery, before the fishery transition to a proposed individual fishing quota management system, Gribble testified. Those final days of the old fishery would be critical to establish vessel catch history, and in turn future IFQ shares. “We were already a day or two late, so it was really important for us to get to the grounds,” Gribble told the board. The added scramble to secure fishing history before rationalization can create unintended consequences in eliminating the race to fish. Lincoln, Commercial Fishing Safety Research and Design Program director for NIOSH, showed a spike in Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands crab fleet fatalities in the 2004-05 season, the year before the fishery was rationalized, with the loss of the Big Valley in January 2005. “When creating or modifying fishery management policies, policy makers should consider the potential safety repercussions of those policies and make efforts to enact policies to mitigate these hazards,” Lincoln testified. During testimony on Thursday, March 4, Scandies Rose majority owner Dan Mattsen denied that building cod

Jon Lawler

Dean Gribble

Jennifer Lincoln

Erling Jacobsen

NF file photos

horizontal surfaces — and uniform accumulation on those surfaces. “Crab pots… can accumulate ice on the inside of the pots,” said Parrott. “And if you’ve got wind and weather coming from a certain direction, the pots on that side are going to be heavier, are going to accumulate more ice in it than pots on the other side.” Parrott made the point that better data on pots is critical for the Bering Sea crab fishery, but especially so because pot fisheries are expanding in Alaska as the longline blackcod fishery incorporates pots to protect the catch from sperm whale depredation. Stability has long been a focus for Alaska’s crab fleet. After the Coast Guard implemented vessel stability and safety checks for the Bering Sea pot fleet in October 1999, fatalities dropped from eight deaths a year in the 1990s to eight deaths over the next five years, according to a report presented by Jennifer Lincoln and Samantha Case, representing the Commercial Fishing Safety Research and Design Program under the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. In 2005, managers rationalized the fishery, giving each boat a set quota in place of the derby-style fishery. NIOSH reports just one death in Bering Sea/Aleutian crab from 2005 up until the sinking of the Destination in 2017.The recent losses of the Destination and Scandies Rose — both with reputations of well-maintained boats with experienced captains and crews — have rocked the industry.

USCG

LOOKING AT LOSS

Cory Fanning

To subscribe, call 1-800-959-5073

May 2021 \ National Fisherman 19

FEATURE

USCG

Jessica Hathaway

LOOKING AT LOSS

Scandies majority owner, Dan Mattsen.

catch was part of their fishing plan but added that Cobban Jr. had autonomy over the vessel as a 30 percent owner. “Gary had much more experience than I did as a captain,” Mattsen testified. “I would never second-guess Gary’s decision making. I would just trust that he would do the best for himself, for the boat, and for the crew.” Mattsen’s second round of testimony before the board of investigation on March 4 followed testimony from naval architect Bruce Culver, who completed the last stability report for the Scandies Rose in April 2019. A naval architect from the Coast Guard’s Marine Safety Center found Culver’s stability report contained “significant errors and omissions,” in particular regarding stability criteria and downflooding points. Culver, who said he has provided more than 200 stability reports in his 30-year career, defended his work, and Mattsen refused to blame him. “It’s for other engineers to judge the quality of the work. I’m not throwing Mr. Culver under the bus. I’m a fisherman,” Mattsen said. However, Mattsen’s prior testimony on the first day of the hearings revealed that he hired Hal Hockema to do the stability test on another of his vessels. Barton Barnum of the NTSB asked why he had hired a different naval architect. “Excuse my French, but my fucking boat sank,” Mattsen testified. “So I wasn’t going to go back to the same naval architect until we found out what the hell was the cause of that.” But the ice, the weather and

the stability report weren’t the only question marks in the Scandies Rose’s seaworthiness that night. Though the boat was known for being well maintained, the crew documented a recurring issue with the starboard bycatch chute, which had been repaired twice that year — the second time right before the season after a failed repair at the dock in Seattle, which Mattsen referred to as “a cluster.” The crew found it was still leaking while they were getting ready for the upcoming season and flagged it for repairs. “There’s a void underneath [the starboard crab waste disposal chute] from the forepeak to the engine room, and Gary [Cobban] noticed there was water in it,” Mattsen testified. “It turned out to be a crappy weld job. So they had it redone before the winter crab season.” They hired Highmark Marine Fabrication in Kodiak, where welder Jordan Young did the work. He said the previous fixes on the chute had not rooted out the corrosion. “They did a doubler, so they didn’t

20 National Fisherman \ May 2021

USCG evidence

Marine forecast the night of departure.

replace the wasted metal, they just put a patch over the top of it,” Young testified, referring to the patch job done in Seattle. “There was significant wasting, and my job was to cut it out, get down to solid metal, and install all new material.” Kerry Walsh, the project manager for Global Diving and Salvage, led a team that surveyed the wreckage in February 2020. “Before we left the dock, it was obvious there were questions about the fabrication work that went down prior to the ship sailing,” Walsh testified. His team sent a Falcon ROV to take images and video of the wreckage, but Walsh said the vessel was on its starboard side, and they could not access the chute. “There is no obvious reason, no obvious sign why it went down in our eyes,” he said. Following the welding work in Kodiak, the Scandies Rose crew was set to make its way to Dutch Harbor on Dec. 30, 2019. The trip had begun after three days of nonstop gear work, according to Lawler. They were bustling to switch the pots for the pot-cod season before they moved on to catching opies. “A typical day on the Scandies was 20 hours. Most days we would run and haul gear for 20 hours and then take a six-hour nap,” testified Cory Fanning, a former engineer on the Scandies Rose. “Gary worked hard. The crew worked. He maybe pushed too hard sometimes. He wanted to be the best at what he did, whatever that was. And maybe at times that didn’t make the crew so happy, but he was an incredible fisherman.”

Photos of the leaky starboard bycatch chute before it was repaired for the second time in 2019. www.nationalfisherman.com

FEATURE

The fatigue caused by the race to fish is one of the big drivers for quota implementation. Ultimately, crab rationalization reduced disasters significantly, Lincoln testified. However, meeting delivery deadlines to processors (scheduling deliveries avoids a flood of product, but also creates pressure to meet the deadline) and minimizing days at sea to reduce operating costs still leads to long days on deck. “Rationalization provides the ability to err on the side of safety. Nobody else is going to catch your fish, so that buys you time,” Woodley told NF. “But there are still other operation pressures, which are going to cost you money.” Lincoln also acknowledged the operating costs of reducing fatigue and noted that the biggest hurdle may be the cultural perception of sleep being a luxury to be bypassed when working hard. “It would be great to overcome the

Jennifer Lincoln/NIOSH

LOOKING AT LOSS

The tactical advantages of a rested crew.

culture that sleep is for the weak and instead embrace the culture that somehow sleep is a tactical advantage,” she testified. “We have to manage risk. The more fatigued someone is, the more other safety measures should be put in place,” Lincoln added. “What controls should be put in place around the wheel watch? What controls need to be put in place around gear handling when you’re fatigued?” In the same presentation, NIOSH

BRI DWYER PHOTO

epidemiologist Samantha Case testified that weather had been a significant contributing factor in Alaska fishing fatalities. In the Bering Sea, survival depends on getting out of the water quickly, and heavy weather can be the difference between getting in a survival suit or not and then into a life raft or not. Lawler testified that he thought between the crew being tired after gearwork in Kodiak and the forecast, they’d leave the next day. “You know we’d been working our asses off getting the boat ready. And then we heard the weather forecast. And I’m thinking, ‘Oh, the boys are gonna have a bar night. We’re gonna go into town and get some beers because we’re definitely not leaving in that.’” He remembered Cobban Jr. warning the crew about the weather they were heading into and to ensure the gear was secure on deck.

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FEATURE

Jennifer Lincoln/NIOSH

LOOKING AT LOSS

Between the implementation of stability checks in 1999 and Bering Sea quota implementation in 2005, the only vessel sinking occurred the season before rationalization/quotas began.

22 National Fisherman \ May 2021

“There has to be some investigation into the pattern of all of them,” Lincoln replied. “And if some of our underlying assumptions aren’t valid, then adjustments should be made.” Former Coast Guard rescue swimmer and maritime safety expert Mario Vittone testified on the importance of proper safety gear and drills, as well as some possible changes to required safety gear. He noted that flares are practically useless as safety equipment. “I would trade every flare on my boat for three waterproof flashlights,” he testified. Vittone advised being sure you have a survival suit that fits and training with your specific raft. “There is a need to go back and evaluate the usefulness of this gear and how drills are done,” Woodley told NF. “Fishing vessel safety requirements

Jeff Pond

“I knew we were leaving into a storm, and it just didn’t feel right,” Lawler said. “Nothing about it felt right.” Daniel DeLaurentis, captain of the F/V Ruff & Reddy, had anchored in the lee of an island early the next morning, on Dec. 31, 2019. That evening, a satellite phone call from their company dispatcher alerted them that the Coast Guard was requesting help after hearing a mayday radio call at 10 p.m. from the Scandies Rose, 28 miles away. DeLaurentis testified that he had to decline. “I could not travel with a load of gear” in those conditions, he said. Mike Barcott, attorney for the vessel owners, encouraged the study of the human factors, decision-making that led to vessel loss. “Let me characterize something I see in these five events — and there may be others,” Barcott said in response to Lincoln and Case’s presentation at the hearings. “St. George — good captain, good boat, in icing — capsized. Northwest Mariner — highliner, good captain, icing, capsized. Lynn J — good captain, good boat, icing, capsized. Destination — good captain, good boat, icing, capsized. And now Scandies Rose, by all accounts a very good boat and a very good captain.”

The loss of the Destination in 2017 inspired many new stability assessments in Alaska’s Bering Sea crab fleet.

and regulations are pretty darn good. But captains and crews really need to think outside the box and be creative. It isn’t enough to stand around in the wheelhouse and put on a suit. You have to run drills as if an actual emergency is occurring. Your heart needs to be racing — you need to feel pressure. Getting to that level requires more of a cultural change than a regulatory change.” Woodley remembered his time as a safety inspector with the Coast Guard, making changes to drill oversight requirements after the freezer-longliner Galaxy sinking in 2002. The change, he said, dramatically improved drill quality in the fleet. “What the Coast Guard pays attention to is the stuff the captain is going to prioritize,” Woodley told NF. “So if the Coast Guard comes onboard and wants to see your drills, you’re going to pay attention to that.” Nothing will ever eliminate the risk of fishing in the dark, cold and isolated waters of the Alaska winter fishery, Lincoln testified. “It’s crab fishing in the Bering Sea,” testified Bryce Buholm, most recently master of the Western Mariner. “It’s not safe. We do what we’ve got to do.” Buholm testified the Scandies Rose was the first house-aft vessel to roll over in the fishery. No matter what you do, you’re still fishing in the Bering Sea. “I call it the freezer hold of hell,” Buholm testified. Still, the loss of the Scandies Rose was a shock, as was the Destination before it. The conclusion is yet to come.The Coast Guard and NTSB are expected to publish separate reports on the accident and loss, following the testimony and evidence provided in the hearings. So for now, the fleet is still fishing, waiting for the reports, recommendations and possibly a new slate of regulations aimed at improving safety and outcomes for our fishermen who work some of the harshest grounds in the world. Jessica Hathaway is the editor in chief of National Fisherman. www.nationalfisherman.com

MAY

PERMIT NEWS

Dock Street Brokers

(206) 789-5101 (800) 683-0297 www.dockstreetbrokers.com For all the latest permit & IFQ listings please call or visit our website.

IFQ NEWS

*Price differences reflect the range from small blocks of D or C class on the lower end to unblocked B class unless ortherwise indicated.*

HALIBUT At the time of this writing, the 2021 QS:IFQ ratios have been published and the season is about to start. Demand remains strong for 3A and 3B, with lack of supply the only hurdle for 3B buyers (sellers wanted). Increasing interest in 2C, but limited sales as a result of high price expectation by sellers. Activity in other areas continues to be limited, but there have been recent transactions. We expect grounds price to be the next factor to have a significant effect on the quota market. The latest is as follows:

AREA

ESTIMATED VALUE

2C $40.00/# - $55.00/# - Increasing interest at reduced prices. 3A $37.00/# - $44.00/# - Recent sales, prices remain steady. 3B $23.00/# - $29.00/# - Strong demand, sellers wanted. 4A $10.00/# - $15.00/# - Some sales activity at reduced asking prices. 4B $10.00/# - $18.00/# - No activity despite low asking prices. 4C $10.00/# - $18.00/# - Recent activity at reduced asking prices. 4D $10.00/# - $18.00/# - Blocked and unblocked available.

SABLEFISH

While everyone was able to benefit from sablefish TAC increases, quota prices adjusted accordingly, with slight decreases on a per pound basis. However, there has been increasing interest from buyers, evidenced by recent and ongoing sales of CG, SE, and BS. Demand remains limited for AI, WG and WY. It is reasonable to speculate that any improvement to grounds prices would create a significant increase in demand from buyers. The latest is as follows:

AREA

ESTIMATED VALUE

SE $12.00/# - $16.00/# - Little activity, reduced asking prices. WY $12.00/# - $16.00/# - Recent price reductions, make offers. CG - Steady demand, recent sales.

$9.00/# - $13.00/#

WG - Slow, little unblocked available.

$6.00/# - $10.00/#

AI $1.50/# - $7.00*/# (A class) - Unblocked available, no recent sales. BS $1.50/# - $8.00*/# (A class) - Increased interest from buyers, sellers wanted.

To subscribe, call 1-800-959-5073

ALASKA PERMITS

ESTIMATED VALUES

Power Troll

$26k

Area M Drift

$180k

Area M Seine

$140k

Area M Setnet

$55k

Bristol Bay Drift

$188k

Bristol Bay Setnet

$55k

Cook Inlet Drift

$22k

Kodiak Seine

$35k

PWS Drift

$125k

PWS Seine

$140k

SE Dungeness (75 - 300 pot)

Variable - Sellers wanted

Southeast Drift

$55k

Southeast Herring Seine

$100k

Southeast Salmon Seine

$150k

SE Chatham Black Cod

$405k

WEST COAST PERMITS

ESTIMATED VALUES

California Crab Variable - Call for info Very little activity in the permit market while the season is ongoing. Prices remain steady, but will likely change as new listings come up after the season. Call for more information. The latest is as follows: - 175 pot: $30k - $50k range - 250 pot: $45k - $60k less than 40’. $50k - $100k for 40’ - 60’ + - 300 - 350 pot: $70k - $150k, low availability - 400 - 450 pot: $100k - $280k, value dependent upon length - 500 pot: $250k - $400k+, highest value in 58’ and above CA Deeper Nearshore CA Halibut Trawl California Squid

$35k - Sellers wanted $50k - $80k Variable - call for info

CA Squid Light/Brail

Variable - call for info

Oregon Pink Shrimp

$60k - $80k - Sellers wanted

Oregon Crab Variable - call for info Steady demand for 500 pot permits over 50’ - 200 pot: $45k - $60k - 300 pot: $100k - $200k - 500 pot: $200k - $300k for <50’ & $6k - $7k per foot for >50’ Puget Sound Crab

$157k

Puget Sound Drift

$10k

Puget Sound Seine

$85k

Washington Crab Variable - call for info Reduced interest at current asking prices. - 300 pot: $90k - $160k depending on length - 500 pot: $300k - $400k depending on length Washington Pink Shrimp Washington Troll

$40k - Leases available $20k

Longline - Unendorsed $90k - $120k - Leases available at reduced prices. Longline - Sablefish Endorsed Variable - Reduced prices resulting in sales, more available. A-Trawl

Variable - Call for info

See all our listings at www.dockstreetbrokers.com

May 2021 \ National Fisherman 23

BOATS & GEAR

PELAGIC TRAWLING

BYE-BYE BYCATCH Net design and electronics help fishermen keep their catch clean

Katherine Hellen-Schneider photo

By Paul Molyneaux

atching hake and rockfish swimming hard as they slip down the narrowing throat of a midwater trawl, it’s clear the net catches everything. But not everything belongs in the net. Alaska salmon, certain Pacific rockfish, and Atlantic cod are among the species midwater trawler captains work to avoid. Under the banner of conservation

24 National Fisherman \ May 2021

engineering, fishermen, regulators, marine electronics manufacturers, and net makers are working on a number of innovations — new bycatch excluder designs, LED lights, and cameras — that are helping midwater trawlers reduce bycatch. “Bycatch is the number one reason fishermen buy the system,” says Jason Whittle, vice president at Ocean Systems. Ocean Systems’ SeaTrex, according to Whittle, is

BOATS & GEAR

PELAGIC TRAWLING

a simple but robust color camera that runs on a third wire and uses 1,500-lumen white lights and a wide-angle lens to help fishermen see what’s going into their nets. “With rockfish, you have to see the colors to know which ones you’re getting, and that requires white light,” Whittle says, noting that his company’s focus is on imagery. (Whittle offers up a YouTube video of fish going into a net to lure curious fishermen: tinyurl. com/seatrex.) Whittle points out that all camera controls are preset when the device goes overboard in the net. That means all the capacity of the third wire is used for transmission from the camera. “Our cameras are very simple,” he says. “The less information you have going up and down that wire, the better the quality of the image.” Keeping it simple makes the cameras affordable and easier to service, Whittle points out. “Our system is under $50,000,” he says. “And in the

two years we’ve been selling them, we haven’t really had any service issues.” Other marine electronics companies — including Simrad, Wesmar, and the newcomer SmartCatch — are using cameras to monitor bycatch as well as performance of escapement designs that use fish behavior to help salmon and other species get out of the net before it is hauled. Rob Terry, co-founder and CTO at SmartCatch, also touts the price points of the $40,000 SmartCatch system. In response to the needs to the fishermen he works with, SmartCatch has a moveable camera with adjustable lights. “We’re designing the next version so you don’t have to take it off when the net goes onto the reel,” says Terry. The F/V Constellation in Alaska, and the Excalibur out of Newport, Ore., are among the vessels using the SmartCatch system, and Terry reports good results. “Mike Retherford, who runs the

“With rockfish, you have to see the colors to know which ones you’re getting, and that requires white light.”

NOAA scientist Noelle Yochum (left) helps fisherman Lauti Tuipala set a net with an experimental salmon excluder on the F/V Pacific Explorer.

Ocean Systems photos

— Jason Whittle, OCEAN SYSTEMS

Simplicity is the name of the game for Ocean Systems’ SeaTrex camera system, including the onboard hardware. Fishermen use it to identify and avoid rockfish bycatch.

May 2021 \ National Fisherman 25

BOATS & GEAR

SmartCatch photos

PELAGIC TRAWLING

The DigiCatch Deep Sea camera and light system from Smart Catch is being used on several Bering Sea boats.

SmartCatch is developing a new system that will offer a number of camera angles and lighting options with fewer moving parts.

Excalibur, makes more money on hake than rockfish,” says Terry. “He can clearly see on camera when rockfish are going into the net and move right away to where he can fi nd hake.” Besides being used to avoid bycatch, most of these camera systems are also being used to monitor bycatch excluders. “Simrad started making its FX80 trawl cam in 2012,” says Mike Hillers, general manager at Simrad Fisheries. “Fishermen were putting together salmon excluder devices

per regulation, and not getting good results. Then the government put a hard cap on salmon bycatch and said just do it. Every fisherman was trying something, but they could not see what was getting out.” According to Hillers, fishermen checked the effectiveness of their salmon excluder efforts with a recapture bag to see how many fish were getting out. “The thing is, that killed the fish, and they had no way to see what was actually happening. Some companies were using recording cameras, and it was somebody’s job to watch

26 National Fisherman \ May 2021

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BOATS & GEAR

LFS photos

PELAGIC TRAWLING

Kites help keep excluder panels open in the LFS nets. Designers hope to take advantage of fish behavior to increase escapes.

all that recorded footage. We put a camera system on a third wire, and fishermen could watch the flaps on the salmon excluders to see if they were open, or if they closed when turning, and if they were going too fast, so they could make adjustments.” According to Hillers, the FX80 runs for around $80,000. He notes that it has proven reliable and had only a few upgrades. “Not a lot,” he says. “We’ve resized it and added color cameras.” Hillers notes that he works with NOAA, holding workshops that involve fishermen and netmakers to help figure out better ways to reduce bycatch. “It’s mostly theoretical, we talk about what we’re doing and what we

think might work. We’re also working on a number of projects on the East Coast, and we’d like to do more. Not too many boats there have a third wire, so we’re looking at using wireless echo-sounders to monitor what’s going into the net,” says Hillers. Cod is the choke species East Coast fishermen try to avoid. “We want to fly the net just off bottom,” he adds. “So we catch haddock and not cod.” Seattle-based marine electronics manufacturer Marport is not making cameras yet. “We’re looking at it,” says Patrick Belen. “When we get ready to roll something out, it has to be the best.” Marport currently works with fishermen using the company’s net sensors to reduce bycatch. “We have a pitch and

Karsten Breddermann

LFS offers excluder panels for salmon and halibut in the Alaska pollock fishery, and rockfish in the Pacific hake fishery.

The RTF (rope tunnel and funnel) salmon excluder designed by NOAA’s Noelle Yochum and Michael Stone has produced variable results. 28 National Fisherman \ May 2021

roll feature we add to the catch sensor, and it can detect when the excluders are working,” says Belen, noting that he works directly with fishermen via video link to learn how to interpret the information they are getting from their sensors. “They correlate that with other parameters to know when the panels are open.” NOAA’s Noelle Yochum is a regular contributor to these innovation efforts. “I started working on reducing bycatch in the East Coast scallop fishery,” says Yochum. “I fell in love with fishing gear and working with fishermen on how to make this work. Fishermen are the real innovators.” Yochum moved to the West Coast and started looking at the salmon problem for Alaska’s midwater trawlers. Working with a number of net designers, including Swan Nets, LFS, and Net Systems, Yochum is looking at how to convince more salmon to leave the net. “We were seeing high variability in escapement,” says Yochum, whose paper on the subject details the unpredictability of salmon escapement, even with the rope tube and funnel salmon excluder she helped design. “The question is: What are the behavioral mechanisms driving escapement?” says Yochum. “Michael Stone and I started thinking about what would happen if there is no barrier to escapement. There were a lot of napkin drawings,” Yochum adds. She and Stone came up with a salmon excluder that amounts to a section of net near the cod end that consists of nothing but a tube of ropes. A funnel that extends into the rope tube, shoots the pollock toward the cod end while letting the stronger swimming salmon escape. “Seamus Melly at Swan Nets put it together for us, and we took it to the flume tank in St. John’s [Newfoundland] in 2019.” The trials in 2020 led to higher but variable escapement. “Even with almost no barrier, we still www.nationalfisherman.com

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On a 2019 research trip aboard the Pacific Explorer, crewman Lauti Tuipala directs the setting of a pollock net with NOAA’s rope-tunnel and funnel salmon excluder.

had 42 percent retention,” says Yochum. “The fish were not perceiving a threat, they were not motivated to escape.” “The fish don’t know they’re in a net,” says Koji Tamura, a designer at Net Systems in Seattle. “We’d like to put a sign: Pollock this way; others that way.” To that end, Yochum has worked with folks at Net Systems to design kites that increase excluder openings, and noting that fish behavior appears to be affected by what’s happening in their visual field, she is also working on using LED lights to help guide fish out of the net. “We tried putting them around the edge of the excluder,” she says. Besides salmon, Yochum wants to use LEDs to reduce halibut bycatch. “Next summer we’re going to try use blue LEDs to keep halibut from even going into the net,” she says. Shea Kirkpatrick, a net designer at LFS in Seattle, has built a salmon excluder that uses fluid dynamics to encourage escapement. “We call it the Baskin-Robbins,” says Kirkpatrick. “It has a top scoop held open by floats and a bottom scoop that’s weighted. The top and bottom scoops touch on the inside, creating water flow down the inside side panels. This is to allow the target species to pass through to the cod end while the openings created by the scoops allows salmon to escape.” Like Yochum, Kirkpatrick also has some ideas for reducing halibut bycatch. His halibut excluders feature panels in the throat of the net that shunt halibut toward grids made of stiff vinyl cable, giving the flat fish a chance to escape. While some of the techniques and devices for bycatch reduction have been in play for a number of years, net designers and electronics companies continue to push the envelope and enable fishermen to fish clean. Paul Molyneaux is the Boats & Gear editor for National Fisherman and author of “The Doryman’s Reflection.” To subscribe, call 1-800-959-5073

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May 2021 \ National Fisherman 29

BOATS & GEAR

BOATBUILDING

BOATS & GEAR

BOATBUILDING

F/V HERITAGE Nordic Fisheries builds an innovative and nimble 85-foot scalloper

Ready for the trip from Florida to Massachusetts, Nordic Fisheries says the 85' x 28' Heritage is enough boat to get the job done.

ou can tell a healthy fishery when people are building new boats for it, and the Atlantic scallop fishery fits solidly in that column. Nordic Fisheries, the company that Roy Enoksen started in 1968 with the purchase of the venerable Sea Trek, is now in the process of replacing much of its extensive fleet. The latest addition, the 85-foot F/V Heritage, came out of Junior Duckworth’s yard, Duckworth Steel Boats, in Tarpon Springs, Fla., in early February 2021. Junior Duckworth watched boats being built as a kid. “There was a yard near where I grew up where they were building wooden boats, steaming the ribs in and all that,” says Duckworth. But when he got out of the Army in 1965, he went to work building steel boats at a local yard. “I learned a lot, and worked my way up,” he says, and in 1978, he launched his own company. Duckworth builds his steel boats the old-fashioned way, stick built, fitting and cutting each piece of plate onto the frames.

30 National Fisherman \ May 2021

Duckworth Steel Boats

By Paul Molyneaux

“It takes a little longer, but you don’t waste as much material,” he says. Maine-based naval architects Farrell & Norton send Duckworth a set of offsets, and he lofts them full-size in a roofed section of his yard. Duckworth takes the three-dimensional shapes of the frames off the two-dimensional loftings, the same as the wooden boatbuilders he watched as a kid. “I do it the way we’ve always done it. I’m too old to learn all the computer stuff,” says Duckworth, 78. The vessel’s full dimensions are 85 feet long, with a beam of 28 feet, and a draft of 9 feet. With the frames set up and faired, Duckworth’s crew begins sticking on the plate. “We built the hull out of A36 steel,” says Duckworth. “We use 3/8ths on the bottom and sides up to the main deck, quarter-inch on the wheelhouse except in the front where the waves hit.Where the dredges land on deck can be as much as an inch thick, and along the sides where the dredges come banging up is 3/4.” Duckworth figures the Heritage is the 15th boat he

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“Wing stabilizers give us a more stable platform. There’s less rigging, and they work in both directions.” —Peter Anthony, NORDIC FISHERIES

Inside the F/V Heritage Home Port: New Bedford, Mass. Owner: Nordic Fisheries Builder: Duckworth Steel Boats, Tarpon Springs, Fla. Hull material: Steel Year built: 2020-21 Fishery: Atlantic scallop Length: 85 feet Beam: 28 feet Draft: 9 feet Propulsion: Diesel Engine: Cummins QSK38 800-hp Power train: Twin Disc MGX5321dc at 6:1; 6-inch diameter Aquamet 17 shaft; 69-inch propeller in nozzle

“Actually we can do it either way, in the hold or on deck,” says Anthony. “It’s a quality consideration, especially in the summer. With the wash tank in the hold, near all that ice, it stays cooler. Once the scallop comes out the shell, the closer it

Hydraulics: Cummins 450-hp drive pump for all winches Fuel capacity: 13,500 gallons Speed: 12 knots top, 9 knots cruising Hold capacity: approximately 240,000 pounds Crew accommodations: 9 bunks Electronics: Furuno depth sounder, 2 Furuno radars, 2 Simrad GPS units, a weather station, a Furuno satellite compass, intercom, 2 Icom VHFs, AM/FM audio, a Furuno AIS, and a Timezero bottom builder Deck gear: Main winches, lifting winches, take-out winches and stabilizer winches built by Marine Hydraulics in New Bedford, Mass.

is to the ice, the better.” Forward of the fish hold sits the Heritage’s powerhouse, an 800-hp Cummins QSK38. A 65-kW John Deere runs the hotel and electronics, and a 450-hp Cummins drives all the hydraulics. The May 2021 \ National Fisherman 31

Duckworth Steel Boats

xxx

has built for Nordic Fisheries over the last 10 years. He runs a crew of around 15 welders, fitters, electricians, and mechanics, more when he’s building two boats at a time. “I like to keep things small,” he says. “That gives me more control over things. The most we ever built was three at a time, but I was a lot more agile then.” Besides his crew, specialists from New Bedford, Mass., such as Tony Vieira of TK Electronics and technicians from Marine Hydraulics, travel to Florida to install equipment. “They come down, and some of our guys will help them,” says Duckworth. The hull is pretty much a standard scallop boat. Measuring in at 85 feet, the owners skipped putting in a bow thrusters. What’s new is that instead of outriggers and birds, they opted for wing stabilizers from Marinexpert Plus in Gaspe, Quebec, to help give the crew a more comfortable and steady work platform. “They start just above chine and then go under from there,” says Duckworth. “A lot of guys are going that way. It’s less maintenance. You don’t have all those extra cables and losing those birds all the time.” The wing stabilizers came at the recommendation of the architects, notes Peter Anthony, a co-owner of Nordic Fisheries. “They give us a more stable platform.” The wings extend from below the water line on the hull and can be raised up when at the dock. “There’s less rigging,” says Anthony. “And they work in both directions, where the birds only really work when they’re being pulled up.” Trying something else new, the crew of the Heritage can sort and bag scallops in the 28' x 24' x 8' hold. “They have a 4-inch pipe in the shucking house, and scallops go down into a big vat. They got a tumbler down in the fish hold to separate and wash them. Then they bag them and ice them,” says Duckworth, noting that, like most scallop boats, the Heritage will use ice to keep its catch fresh.

BOATS & GEAR

BOATBUILDING

Duckworth Steel Boats

xxxx

Marine Hydraulics

Old school: Junior Duckworth lofted the Heritage from Farrell & Norton’s offsets and stick-built the hull out of A36 steel.

The Heritage’s winches have pneumatic brakes and controls and are driven by Hägglunds’ motors mounted directly to the winch drums, delivering 30,000 pounds of line pull. 32 National Fisherman \ May 2021

main engine has a 6:1 Twin Disc MGX 5321 DC reduction gear that turns a 6-inch-diameter Aquamet 17 shaft. “That shaft is 36 feet long,” says Duckworth. “They have a 69-inch propeller in a Todd Horn-built nozzle. Todd’s over in Bayou la Batre [Ala.]. He does real good work.” All the winches on the Heritage are hydraulic. “The main winches, the lifting winches, take-out winches and the stabilizer winches,” says Duckworth, “all hydraulic. They have electric back-up to run the hydraulics. In case anything happens, they can get their gear back.” According to Jacob Enoksen at Marine Hydraulics New Bedford, the main winches and lifting winches are manufactured in-house and shipped to Duckworth Steel Boats for installation. “We make them here,” says Enoksen. “We use Hägglunds drives; they’re direct-drive, 30,000-pound maximum line pull on a bare drum.” The shucking boxes, a key feature on any scalloper, run fore and aft under the wheelhouse. “The shucking boxes are just about 10 feet long,” says Duckworth. “They have air conditioning and a sound system in there.” Crew accommodations consist of two four-person staterooms, one on the main deck, one down below, forward of the engine room, and a stateroom for the captain. While crews are limited to seven people, the boat may sometimes carry observers. “Farrell and Norton draw the lines for the galley, where they think things should be, but then the owners usually make changes,” says Duckworth. The wheelhouse above the galley and staterooms, has a basic electronics package installed by Tony Vieira of TK Electronics. “I went down and did it all in six days,” says Vieira. “I have to go back and take care of a couple of things.” The package includes a Furuno depth sounder, two Furuno radars, two Simrad GPS units, a weather station, a Furuno satellite compass, Intercom, two Icom VHFs, AM/FM audio, a Furuno www.nationalfisherman.com

BOATS & GEAR

Duckworth Steel Boats

BOATBUILDING

The Heritage’s layout includes winches mounted above the shucking houses, and a sorting and bagging station in the hold.

AIS, and a Timezero bottom builder. According to Anthony, the intent was to build a small and simple vessel.

“We were limited to 800 horsepower,” says Anthony, referring to the upper limit of a Tier III engine. “We didn’t want to build too much boat, but we wanted to make sure we had the bollard pull we needed, so we went with 85 feet. There’s a lot of boats here in New Bedford that are that size. They get the job done.” In the interest of simplicity, Nordic Fisheries made a number of design choices. In addition to the simpler wing stabilizers, they opted out of a bow thruster. “We come and go out of New Bedford 90 percent of the time, and there’s plenty of room in this harbor,” says Anthony, pointing out that only one of the company’s boats has a bow thruster. The Heritage was expected to make the voyage from Junior Duckworth’s yard to New Bedford in late March and begin fishing in the spring. With Nordic and other New Bedford scallopers constantly improving the harbor’s fleet, and healthy scallop resources to support their efforts, Duckworth is looking forward to building more boats for the fishery. Paul Molyneaux is the Boats & Gear editor for National Fisherman and author of “The Doryman’s Reflection.”

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BOATS & GEAR

AROUND THE YARDS

NORTHEAST

Maine yard building West Coast longliner; 44-footers popular at Downeast boatshop

H&H Marine

By Michael Crowley

&H Marine is building an Osmond 42 with a 17' 6" beam that’s going to the San Francisco area. Originally it was to be completed at the end of 2020, but that’s been pushed back to this coming spring or early summer. It’s the 11th commercial fishing boat H&H Marine of Steuben, Maine, will have sent to the West Coast. “It will do multiple fisheries,” including crabbing and longlining, says H&H Marine’s Bruce Grindal. The 42-footer is mostly composite construction, though the deck is plywood and fiberglass with 4" x 4" pressure-treated deck beams. She is being set up for overnight fishing, so there will be four bunks in the fo’c’sle, along with an enclosed head and shower. The wheelhouse is to be finished off with a small galley, a settee and a table. Besides the normal wheelhouse steering station, a second steering station is going on the wheelhouse’s rear bulkhead. A 750-hp John Deere and a 9-kw Northern Lights generator are going in the engine compartment. The 42-footer should be loaded on a trailer in late spring or early summer and trucked to

H&H Marine is sending this Osmond 32 to Montauk, N.Y., for commercial fishing and running 6-pack charters.

34 National Fisherman \ May 2021

Continued on page 37

Jon Johansen

the West Coast. In early February, H&H Marine began working on an Osmond 46' x 17' 6" lobster boat for a fisherman on Maine’s Mount Desert Island. Beneath a split wheelhouse will be a 1,000-hp Cat with a wet exhaust, and beneath the deck two live wells for storing lobsters. An Osmond 32' x 11' 3" is just

about completed but won’t be leaving for Montauk, on the eastern shore of New York’s Long Island, until spring. Once there, she’ll be commercial fishing and running 6-pack charters, says Grindal, who describes her as “a lobster boat style but with a full cabin.” An Osmond 40' x 14' 10" tuna boat going to Gloucester, Mass., is another spring delivery. A 675-hp Volvo will power the 40-footer and a 6-kw Northern Lights generator will run the air conditioner when needed, or the heating system. Like the San Francisco-bound 42-footer, this one is being outfitted with four bunks, an enclosed head and shower, and a settee in the wheelhouse, along with a galley. A tuna tank and bait tanks are being installed beneath the deck. Taylored Boats in Addison, Maine, whose lineup of boats is based on the Willis Beal-designed RP molds that now carry the Willis Beal name, is building a 44' x 17' 6" lobster boat for a Trescott, Maine, fisherman. She’ll have lobster tanks below deck and an open stern. The 800-hp Scania that’s to be bolted to the engine beds should get her up to 22 knots, says Taylored Boats’ Peter Taylor, “though she might be a little quicker. But I’ll err on the side of caution.” The 44-footer is scheduled to be completed in October or November. Taylored Boats delivered another

Taylored Boats is building this Willis Beal 44 for a lobsterman in Trescott, Maine. She’ll have an 800-hp Scania. www.nationalfisherman.com

BOATS & GEAR

AROUND THE YARDS

SOUTH

Offshore gillnetter comes home to Carolina; maintenance is part of a fisherman’s retirement plan By Larry Chowning

n North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Hatteras Boatyard in Buxton, N.C., caters mostly to commercial and charter boat fishermen hauling and maintaining boats up to 55 feet. Started in 1984, the yard was founded by Michael Scott and traded under the name of Scott Boatyard until he sold it in 2001. Back in the 1970s and early ’80s, however, Scott built boats under the name of Buxton Woods Boat

Rob and Susan West

Scott,” says owner and captain of the Lucy B, Rob West of Buxton. West purchased the boat in 1992 and works the Lucy B in the Atlantic Ocean gillnet fishery catching Spanish mackerel, bluefish, croaker, gray trout, spiny dogfish, and striped bass; and he fishes hook and line for king mackerel. West says Lucy B is the only all-wood gillnet boat working in North Carolina’s Atlantic gillnet fishery between Ocracoke Island and Oregon Inlet, N.C.

The Lucy B was featured in the October 1981 issue of NF and is still working today in North Carolina’s Atlantic Ocean gillnet fishery.

Works. Under that name, Scott started out building dory-style haul-seine and pound net skiffs, and restoring and converting old sail-powered Carolina shad boats to power. By 1980, Scott was building bigger boats. Former NF Field Editor Richard Lebovitz wrote a feature in 1981 called “Fuel-Easy: Lucy B finds roots in the past.” The detailed story was on Scott and crew building the wooden deadrise Lucy B, a 36' x 9' 10-1/2" offshore commercial fishing boat. Nearly 40 years after Lebovitz’s article appeared in NF, a call to boatyard manager Eric Ensenat in February 2021 revealed the Lucy B was at the yard, in for repairs. “She was built right here by Michael To subscribe, call 1-800-959-5073

The boat is at the yard for replacement of rotten wood in the cabin top, for hull and bottom painting, and mechanical work. “The yard can do most anything with fiberglass and wood boats,” says West. “We can depend on them to haul us immediately when we have a problem, and that’s important to a commercial fisherman.” There is also a Webbers Cove 34 fiberglass 35' x 10' 6" built in Blue Hill, Maine, at Hatteras Boatyard for repairs. The boat is named Devocean and is owned by commercial fisherman David Isbrecht of Buxton. Isbrecht had the boat built in Maine new in 1986 to work in the North Carolina ocean gillnet fishery. Over the years he has put about 45,000

hours on engines. “I haven’t sat idle at the dock,” he says. Speaking of engines, Isbrecht recently received notice that he has been awarded a $13,500 grant to go toward the purchase of a new Caterpillar C7.1 diesel engine for his boat. The grant was awarded by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Air Quality and funded by the U.S. EPA’s Diesel Emissions Reduction Act Program. Isbrecht says the new engine and his dedication to maintaining Devocean is part of his retirement plan. He has some good advice for fishermen nearing retirement age. “I’m not planning on retiring anytime soon, but part of my financial plan is the sale of my boat and permits,” he says. “Some fishermen, when they get towards retirement, let off on maintaining their old boat. That’s not a good plan. I look after the Devocean so she will continue to get me out to the fishing grounds and bring me home safe. I also see her as an important long-term investment for me — one I need to look after.” Boatyard manager Ensenat says Hatteras Boatyard was purchased in 2016 by an investment group composed of fishermen/investors determined to keep the property from being sold for condominium development. An ongoing issue with coastal commercial fishing communities is the loss of railways and boatyards to urban growth. Speaking of old boats, Deltaville Boatyard in Deltaville,Va., recently had the wooden deck boat Veteran up on the hard for replacement of two bottom planks and other maintenance. The hull of the Veteran is 107 years old, built in 1914 by J. Wood Tull in Irvington,Va. She was originally named Elsie Louise and has had a remarkable career, starting out as a freight and oyster dredge boat for Morattico Packing Co. of Baltimore, Md. She was used to haul freight, Continued on page 37 May 2021 \ National Fisherman 35

BOATS & GEAR

AROUND THE YARDS

WEST

Unusual landing craft coming out of Wash. shop; fire-damaged gillnetter is undergoing repairs

Velocity Marine

By Michael Crowley

elocity Marine and Fabrication’s Rob Smith calls it “a strange one but kind of a cool one.” He’s talking about the Helisa Marie, a highspeed 33' x 11' aluminum landing craft going to Puget Sound, Wash., that’s being built at Velocity Marine and Fabrication in Sedro-Woolley, Wash. But how many landing craft are gillnetting for salmon and crabbing when not engaged in typical landing craft work? That is what the Helisa Marie will be doing. The landing craft’s cabin is amidships with a 12-foot length of deck in front of it for a Kinematics hydraulic drum, roller horns that bolt to the top of the landing craft’s drop door and a 13-hp Honda power pack to run the hydraulic drum when gillnetting and a hydraulic davit when crabbing. Salmon and crab will be stored in totes filled with slush ice. Then when it’s time to unload, just “roll the totes down the ramp at the dock,” says Smith. What could be easier? Velocity Marine has built a number of landing craft and was getting ready to launch a pair of 33' x 11' landing craft at the end of February. “I’ve never seen another one like

The working end of Velocity Marine’s 33foot landing craft/gillnetter/crabber has a Kinematics hydraulic drum and roller horns.

36 National Fisherman \ May 2021

Petrzelka Brothers

[the Helisa Marie],” says Smith, adding that the design was the customer’s idea, though the customer had also never seen one. When the fishing season is completed, all the machinery needed for gillnetting or crabbing will be removed, turning the Helisa Marie into a normal looking landing craft, albeit a very fast one. Mounted on the Helisa Marie’s transom are two 350-hp

Petrzelka Brothers turned an aluminum hull from Norcraft Marine & Design into a 32’ x 16’ Bristol Bay gillnetter.

Suzuki outboards. Smith figures that power package will send her up to 50 mph. On a more conventional note, Velocity Marine is building two commercial crabbers, a 36' x 13' model with twin 350-hp Suzuki outboards for a Puget Sound fisherman and a 35' x 13' crabber, whose power package had not been settled on, that’s going to Westport, Wash. Work had just started in early February on a 26' x 10' setnet skiff for Bristol Bay. She will have a single 200hp Yamaha outboard that will be controlled from a standup center console with a windshield. “Most setnet skiffs are wide open,” without a center console, Smith noted. The skiff should be ready to barge up to Bristol Bay by mid-April. Petrzelka Brothers in Mt. Vernon, Wash., a family-owned and -operated boatshop since 1977, is getting closer to shutting its doors for good. “We are just working on our last boats,” says Jon Petrzelka. That’s two new Bristol Bay gillnetters and a couple in for repairs. One of the new 32' x 16' gillnetters being finished off came in as a bare aluminum hull from Norcraft Marine & Design in Anacortes, Wash. She’ll go out with a TraktorJet powered by a 730-hp Scania. “She’s a pretty deluxe package; lots of wood and Formica inside,” says Petrzelka. There’s hold capacity for 24,000 pounds that will be chilled with a PacWest RSW system. The second new gillnetter, built by Madden Metal Works in Bellingham, Wash., at 32' x 19' is “one of the larger Bristol Bay boats that’s been built,” says Petrzelka. It arrived at Petrzelka Brothers with a cabin, a pair of 800-hp MAN diesels and two Thrustmaster jets. “It has a very shallow draft and should go really good.” She’ll pack 20,000 to 24,000 pounds and will also have a PacWest RSW system. A gillnetter in for repairs was the Harlequin that Petrzelka Brothers www.nationalfisherman.com

BOATS & GEAR

AROUND THE YARDS

Around the Yards: South Continued from page 35

buying oysters and dredging for crabs and oysters until converted in the 1980s to work in the Chesapeake Bay’s menhaden snapper rig fishery. She was renamed the Georgeanna and rebuilt by her owner, Capt. Wesley “Dootsie” Walker of White Stone, Va., in the style of a menhaden steamer with the pilothouse forward on deck. The boat was sold to Eric Miller of Burgess, Va., in the early 2000s. He took off the menhaden-style house/pilothouse and masterfully converted the old Elsie Veteran's hull is 107 years old and up on Louise into a pleasure boat with a large the hard at Deltaville (Va.) Boatyard. house aft. He named her the Veteran. Today, she is owned by Michael Sheffield of Urbanna,Va., and is being used to carry charters on the Rappahannock River. For 107 years the hull of Elsie Louise has won from worms and rot and rust and barnacles. She has sailed through stormy and fair winds and rough and calm seas. Most of her former captains and mates are in graveyards now — but she’s still sailing. Hats off to Elsie Louise!

Around the Yards: Northeast

ANSWER

Continued from page 34

Willis Beal 44 this past October to a lobsterman in Jonesport. That one also has an 800-hp Scania and should pack 24 crates of lobsters below deck. An addition to Taylored Boats’ lineup of Willis Beal-designed hulls is the Willis Beal 50, which started out as a 42 that was then lengthened in the middle by 7 feet and given an additional 5 feet of beam, pushing it out to 19' 6". The only 50 built so far is the Paradigm, which was completed at the beginning of 2020 for a Jonesport lobsterman. She was built with all composite construction. The Paradigm is an overnight boat with four bunks up forward and a refrigerator. For power a 900-hp Scania is bolted to the engine beds. Fishermen have shown an interest in building another Willis Beal 50, but, so far, no one has ponied up the money. To subscribe, call 1-800-959-5073

NATURE’S CALL

WHILE AT SEA

xylem.com/jabsco

May 2021 \ National Fisherman 37

Larry Chowning

rebuilt several years ago. Last May there was a fi re in her engine room, which canceled the boat’s 2020 season before it started. The Harlequin was shipped down to Petrzelka Brothers. In February the crew there had nearly fi nished restoring her. The engine was pulled and sent out to be examined for damages and cleaned up. Destroyed wiring, hydraulic hoses and plumbing were replaced, and the interior was being repaired and cleaned. The second repair job involves a fiberglass 32-foot Jumbo Wegley built by Wegley Boat Enterprises in Bellingham, Wash., that’s getting a major repower. An 800-hp Man went in, and a 450-hp Caterpillar was removed. That much additional horsepower meant the 22-inch prop had to be replaced with a larger 28-inch prop, which, in turn, required repositioning the shaft log and dropping the strut and the keel to accommodate the larger propeller. “It may go pretty fast,” says Petrzelka. “No one we know put this much horsepower in a Jumbo Wegley.”

BOATS & GEAR

PRODUCT ROUNDUP

Turbine toilets Tecma’s pumps liquefy waste By Brian Hagenbuch

talian maker Tecma from Thetford Marine provides a wide line of ceramic toilets for commercial vessels across a number of fisheries. Their trademark turbine macerating pump is a quiet, clog-proof evacuation system. Richard Brunson, Thetford Marine’s U.S. field sales manager, said the proprietary pump creates a 200-mph vortex that liquefies waste. “The technology is that we liquefy everything, so you don’t have any clogging issues. Whereas other centrifugals, they just try to grind everything up. But then you have lot of large bits; they don’t emulsify to a liquid. Then you get clogging downstream,” Brunson said. The high-pressure turbine pumps can pump waste over 30 feet vertically

and 270 feet horizontally, outperforming traditional centrifugal pumps with low to medium pressure. “We’re the only ones in this industry that use this patented high-pressure turbine pump. Say if you’re low in a boat and you want to pump up 25 or 30 feet, the competition can’t do that,” Brunson said, adding the technology has come in handy for processors where crew quarters are added down low and waste is pumped up to the next deck. Brunson said the Tecma Silence Line is the most popular for commercial fishermen. It removes waste at an efficient 1.5 gallons per second and comes in a household size bowl — the Tecma Plus; and a marine size — the Tecma Standard. A patented water trap and two check valves keep odor at bay in Tecma toilets.

Strong, quiet pumps move waste farther away.

For smaller boats — gillnetters looking to scale up from the industry standard 5-gallon bucket, for example — Brunson said Tecma’s Compact Line is ideal. “It’s perfect because they can use salt or fresh water. Mostly (raw) because gillnetters don’t carry that much to start with,” Brunson said. Thetford Marine has a useful YouTube channel with clear, succinct instructional videos on how to install toilets and replace pumps, among other things. THETFORD MARINE

www.thetfordmarine.com

A fisherman’s e-logbook DeckHand Pro looks to crack U.S. market By Brian Hagenbuch

he electronic logbook Deckhand Pro from Real Time Data was born over a decade ago in Australia to streamline paper tickets. Ten years later, the logbook is being used for more than 30 gear types in New Zealand and now has its eye on the U.S. market. In March Deckhand Pro was awaiting approval from NOAA’s Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office for fishermen with federal permits. In the meantime, the company is refining its product through privately funded pilots with New England and Bering Sea fishermen. “Because new electronic reporting regulations are evolving at different speeds across state and federal jurisdictions, we are focusing first on deploying a useful logbook product to private

38 National Fisherman \ May 2021

fishermen while also working to integrate Deckhand Pro into the regulatory frameworks of their particular fishery,” said Lange Solberg, the company’s business development director for North America and a third-generation Bristol Bay fisherman. Deckhand Pro hopes to knock out some elbow room in a burgeoning market by being a “fishermen-first company” that can cater to the distinct realities of life on the water across diverse fisheries. One of the linchpins of this is Deckhand Pro’s malleability, which is in part facilitated by new code dubbed Catchflow. Catchflow is customization software that will be marketed to fishermen’s associations, processors, fleet managers and others who can tailor the logbook to suit

An electronic logbook built to fit your fishery.

the particular needs of their fisheries and fleets, and snap that customization on to the foundational software. Solberg added that Deckhand Pro strives to be more than a reporting device that fulfills regulatory and recording needs. It aims to be a way for fishermen to add data that will make their business more efficient, sustainable, and profitable. Fishermen, he said, are onboard. DECKHAND www.deckhandlogbook.com

www.nationalfisherman.com

BOATS & GEAR

PRODUCTS AT A GLANCE

No one wants to replace their marine sanitation diverter very often. Plastic valves will crack quicker than one would want, and bronze valves have a tendency to seize. That is why TRUDESIGN made the AQUAVALVE, a diverter valve made of a nylon composite that is beefed up with fiberglass and has stainless steel fasteners. The valve can withstand wide temperature swings, and diversion into the holding tank or overboard discharge is clearly marked. Sold in the United States by Raritan Engineering. RARITAN

www.raritan.com

Florida-based HEADHUNTER, at it since 1982, recently announced a new Coast Guard-approved MARINE SANITATION DEVICE for smaller vessels that are often working within the 12-mile discharge zone offshore. The compact TW-HMX-301LP treats up to 300 gallons of wastewater per day and provides a convenient alternative to holding tanks for boats that work in coastal waters. Treating black water only, the device can handle a crew of 12 people, and it can treat both black and gray water for up to six people.

The TWIST ’N’ LOCK COMPACT TOILET from JABSCO is a new design from a trusted old player in marine sanitation. Drawing on decades of experience, this new toilet features a safety pump handle that prevents flooding and back flow by way of a locking piston assembly. The toilet itself offers the same trusted features as Jabsco’s original Manual Head and is compact enough to fit in tight spaces. The toilet features a ceramic bowl, wood seat, and baked enamel finish, and the pump can be mounted on either side.

The new MULTIFUNCTION FLUSH PANEL from RARITAN takes care of your precious water supplies onboard while helping the heads work properly. The panel has three manually operated buttons — flush, empty and fill — that allow users to clear the bowl without wasting water. Silver-plated contact switches and no control panel mean the switch can be placed in a head with a shower. It can easily be connected to any prewired toilet and also meets Coast Guard safety regulations.

JABSCO

RARITAN

www.jabscoshop.com

www.raritan.com

HEADHUNTER’s STINGRAY SALTWATER PRESSURE SYSTEM is a reliable, robust pump that provides saltwater for flushing toilets, as well as hose downs, live bait wells, and anywhere else on deck pressurized or flowing water is needed. The quiet pump motor delivers up to 67 PSI, and a Remora control kicks the pump on below 40 PSI and off when there is no flow, which means the pump can run with or without a pressure accumulator tank. An LED control panel provides for easy monitoring.

The SANIMARIN 31C from SANIFLO is a classic, durable, no-nonsense electric boat toilet that is very compact and lightweight. Because it is small, it typically fits in the same spaces as older manual pump toilets, but a multifunction control panel does the pumping for you. The toilet is available in 12- and 24-volt versions with water consumption from 0.31 to 0.58 gallons, depending on the control system. The discharge pipe can be fitted at 1-inch or 1.5-inch with an integrated nonreturn valve.

HEADHUNTER INC

SANIFLOSTORE

www.headhunterinc.com

www.saniflostore.com

To subscribe, call 1-800-959-5073

May 2021 \ National Fisherman 39

CLASSIFIEDS

BOATS FOR SALE REDUCED! 31’ JC EAST COAST 1979 LOBSTER BOAT Split hull design, Wheelhouse raised about 16”, New B Series, Turbo Road 250h Cummins with 1500 hrs. Two bunks. 12” crab block and davit. Furuno radar model, a 1622 Furuno GPS navigator ICOM, ICOM 45 VHF, Garman GPS map 2006, ComNav auto pilot w/ exterior joystick, AM/FM CD player w/ interior & exterior speakers, Deck lights, new large electrical panel, 3 access points to engine room, two 8D batteries, Dripless shaft packing, Three blade bronze prop. VOLVO ENGINE- CTAMB 63L, 236 HP @2500 RPM, 1450 Bobtail, merries up to a #3 bell house, 7000 plus hours - $8,900 Price: $44,000 Engine: $8,900 Contact: Doug 805-218-0626

43’ CHESAPEAKE BAY - 1973 Build (1973) wood- Port Haywood, VA. “Margaret-Mary” documented. “Fishery”. Draft 5” – Net tons 13-17 GRTPower – Detroit, V8-71 235 HP, F.W.C., 2 ½ to Trans: 2” 5/5 shaft – 4 blade brass, enclosed head. Tow-Bar 6’ 5.5. open stern aluminum Tower Hydraulic – steer Diesel fuel tanks-100 gal-each (200.) Windlass/Bow 12 knots – 8 GAL/HR. Strong. Multi-use – Year 1991-2015, on hard restoration, fish plates. New “oak” keel – end – cutlass- skeg keel shoe. Rudder assembly rebuilt. R/E tow boat. Fishing Parties. Cruise. Mooring details. Recreational. Search and rescue. Needs Navigational electronics, Buzzards Bay, MA. Price: Priced to sell! Reasonable offers accepted! Contact: Earl 508-994-3575

70’ STEEL TRAWLER FREEZER 1987 70x22x8. 62” Kort Nozzle, 61 1/2X62 prop, 3408 Cat. with 6 to1 reduction gear, twin disc, 470 HP. 2 Isuzu 60 KW Gensets. 6000 gal fuel. 2500 gal water.Full Galley, 1 head, and 3 staterooms. Full Hydrolics. Loaded with Electronics! 2 radars,2 fish scopes, AIS, 2 GPS, 5 radios,AIS, 2 computers, hailer, camera system,Sat. TV,Phone,searchlight,SS anchor,spare parts and gear! Excellent condition. AND MUCH MORE! Please call for more details! Price: $425,000 Contact: Jimmy 252-671-9161

75’ RYSCO TRAWLER BUILT 1977 WITH FEDERAL + NJ PERMITS D343 cat, twin disc 514 6 to 1 clutch norpro 22.5 kw gen. presently fishing owner retiring, includes all gear, permits. Scup, sea bass, Summer flounder moratorium, loligo tier one, gen cat LA scallops with lbs, NEMulti species DAS, NJ Fluke, C bass.

Price: $550,000 Contact: Call Jim 732-840-9560

40 National Fisherman \ May 2021

www.nationalfisherman.com

CLASSIFIEDS

Dock Street Brokers (206) 789-5101 (800) 683-0297

CO21-003 56’x18’x10’ fiberglass combination vessel w/ permits, rigged for crab, shrimp, bottom trawl, and built by MTS in 1980. Cummins K19 main rated at 650 hp, new in 2020. Twin Disc 514 gear and 120 gpm hydraulic pump. 40 kW John Deere genset w/ 50 gpm hydraulic pump, and 20 kW Northern Lights genset, new in 2020. Packs 55,000 lbs crab in (2) tanked/insulated holds. Complete deck equipment for multiple fisheries, too much to list. Upgraded electronics and (3) computers w/ Rose Point & Time Zero. Completely turnkey vessel in excellent condition with OR 500 pot crab permit and shrimp permit available. Asking $890,000 for vessel, call for package price. SK20-007 20’x10’x3’ New aluminum seine skiff built by Kodiak Marine in 2019. Twin 5.9L Cummins, each rated at 150 hp. Advance marine gears w/ 2:1 ratio. 24x20, (4) blade props. (2) fuel tanks with a total capacity of 300 gallons. Electronics include VHF radio. Reduced to $88,000. CO20-021 58’x22’x10’ steel combination vessel built in 1986 by Mid Coast Marine. 650 hp Cummins KTA19 main w/ Twin Disc 517 gear. 65kW John Deere 4045 and 42kW John Deere 4039 gensets. Packs 110,000# in main hold and 30,000# in aft bait hold. 50 ton RSW system and bait hold has plate freezer system to -20. Includes complete deck equipment for multiple fisheries, including full bait shed and wave wall. Turn-key vessel in excellent condition. Asking $1,600,000. CR20-025 31’x11’4”x3’5” fiberglass JC 31 lobster boat rigged for crab and spot prawns, built by Eastern Marine in 1984. CAT 3116 main rated at 350 hp, w/ Twin Disc gear. 14 kt cruise and 18 kts WOT. 4.8 cube load sensing hydraulic pump. Packs 15 garbage cans on deck. 12” Junes block, Junes coiler, bait chopper, and stainless davit w/ ram. Excellent electronics. Very clean turn-key vessel. Asking $225,000. SE21-003 58’x19’x8’ steel seiner built by Johanson Brothers in 1972. Updated aluminum house and bulwarks. Cummins 855 rated at 350 hp w/ Twin Disc 509 reduction gear. Isuzu 4BG w/ 40 kW genset. 15 ton RSW system. Packs 65,000 in (2) insulated holds. 60/38 GPM off PTO and 25 GPM electric hydraulic pumps. Marco 28” block w/ gripper and Gig Harbor Machine deck winch. Electronics include GPS, (2) Furuno radars, sounder, AIS, (2) VHF and new inverter. Remodeled galley, (6) berths. Asking $625,000. TN21-002 92’x24’x11’ steel tuna boat rigged for jig/troll, built in 1985 by Green Boat Yard. CAT 3406 main rated at 440 hp, w/ 5,000 hrs on rebuild. Twin Disc MG 514. 50 kW Cummins and 50 kW John Deere gen sets. Packs approximately 110,000 lbs. New 30-ton blast freezer system. Rigged for jig w/ aluminum bait tanks and bait rack. All deck equipment and fishing gear included. Redundant electronics. Asking $335,000.

www.dockstreetbrokers.com To subscribe, call 1-800-959-5073

HALIBUT IFQ 2C-C-B: 3A-B-U: 3A-C-B: 3A-C-B: 4A-B-U: 4B-B-U: 4B-B-B:

3,000 lbs...........asking 10,400 lbs.........asking 1,100 lbs...........asking 1,200 lbs...........asking 15,000 lbs.........asking 15,500 lbs.........asking 6,300 lbs...........asking

SABLEFISH IFQ $48.00 $46.00 $40.00 $40.00 $19.00 $18.00 $14.00

AI-B-U: 80,000 lbs...........asking $1.50 CG-C-U: 51,000 lbs...........asking $14.00 CG-C-U: 25,000 lbs...........asking $14.00 SE-C-U: 5,000 lbs.............asking $17.00 WG-B-B: 6,000 lbs.............asking $10.00 WG-C-B: 10,700 lbs...........asking $8.00 WY-B-U: 4,600 lbs..............asking $16.00 WY-C-U: 16,000 lbs............asking $15.50

CH21-001 46’x14.5’x5.5’ fiberglass charter, built by Modutech in 1972. Twin Cummins QSL9 each rated at 400 hp w/ ZF 305 reduction gears. COI for 36 passengers and (2) crew. Major overhaul in 2006 includes (2) new engines, updated electrical, mechanical and navigation systems. 3000 hrs on top end engine rebuilt. 500 gallons total fuel capacity in (2) aluminum tanks. Electronics include (2) GPS, radar, sounder, VHF w/ AIS and inverter. Fridge, head, (5) berths and ample seating. Inquire for survey. Asking $245,000. CH20-002 70’x20’x4.5’ fiberglass expedition yacht/charter boat, built by Westport in 1986. Twin 360 hp Scania mains w/ Twin Disc gears. 20kw Northern Lights and 10kw Westerbeke gensets. Accomodations include a spacious salon w/ bar and galley, (12) berths in (6) staterooms, (5) heads w/ showers, hot water, and heat throughout. Redundant electronics. Turn-key vessel in excellent condition and ready to charter. Asking $495,000. SE21-001 58’x23’x10’ fiberglass combination seiner built in 2010 by Howard Moe Enterprises. Twin John Deere 6125 mains rated at 500 hp each. ZF 360 gears. John Deere 4045 65 kw and Isuzu 21 kw generators. Bulbous bow with bow thruster. 140,000# capacity in two fish holds. IMS 50 ton RSW system. Twin picking booms, main boom with slider, Rozema deck winch, Yaquina purse winch, and squid lights. Seine skiff, squid seines, and Sitka herring permit available. Call for survey and more. Asking $1,500,000. TR21-004 54’x16.5’x7.4’ steel freezer troller built by Noyo River Boat Shop in 1975. Detroit 671 rated at 210 hp w/ Twin Disc MG509 gear. Perkins 40 kW genset, new in 2018. Packs 30k lbs in insulated fish hold. Recold 3-fan blast freezer w/ updated Carrier 5F40 and 10 ton compressor. Aluminum poles, steel boom and mast. Nordic 17” LL hauler, and updated Kolstrand gurdies. Electronics include (2) GPS, VHF, Trac-phone, autopilot w/ (2) remotes, inverter, Furuno black box and FVC 1100 sounders. Refurbished galley, (7) berths, fridge, head, shower and diesel stove. Survey available. Asking $400,000. TR21-005 32’x11’x3.5’ fiberglass over wood troller built in 1982 by Gary Morris. GMC 353T main engine rated at 175 hp. Burns 2.5 GPH.makes 7 knots. 150 gallons fuel capacity in (2) tanks. 3650 watt gas generator. Packs 1200# tank in, 3k# dry. Deck equipment includes Junes crab block and hydraulic pump. Electronics include (2) VHF, GPS, plotter, sonar, and ComNav autopilot. Includes 400 pot CA crab permit good to 37’ and crab gear. Call for survey. Asking $180,000 for package.

May 2021 \ National Fisherman 41

CLASSIFIEDS

BOATS FOR SALE 55’ GILLNETTER Cat 3406 with a twin Disc 514 4.5 to 1 ratio. Recently rebuilt motor and transmission. Not many hours since rebuild.

Price: $85,000 Contact: Brian 781-724-4960

52’ CUSTOM BUILT SPORT FISHING BOAT Fifty-Two Foot Steel Trawler - ¼” Steel Plate Construction, Fresh Water Only Boat, LOA = 52’ - WOA = 16’ - Draft = 4’ GRT = 37, Dual Stations (Flybridge and Cabin) - Powered by twin Perkin diesel engines, Fuel Capacity (970 Gallons) - Fresh Water Holding Capacity (50 Gallons), Closed Head with Sink Holding tank (Integrated 70 Gallons), Four Births - Location = Sturgeon Bay Wisconsin. Price: $76,500 Contact: Dave 262-567-5134 / dave123@att.net

37’ LOBSTER BOAT WITH BUSINESS FOR SALE GALEFORCE II- Lobster Boat with business for sale - Big Pine Key, Florida37’ Key West built Monzon (1988) 2015 Caterpillar C-12 705 h.p.1633 Lobster “A” Certificates and Traps (American Pine) 799 Crab “A” Certificates and TrapsExcellent well maintained 2 or 3 man boat, 2 steering stations, 4 GPS, 1 Furuno 588, 2 Icom VHF radios, Simrad Auto Pilot, Garmin Radar, Pressure Washer, Barnacle Blaster, 12” Trap Hauler Recent Survey Available. Price: $385,500 Contact: Text for Inquires 305-797-2182

HELP WANTED Popular Seafood Restaurant for Sale!! Business Been Open for 25 Years! Retailer, Wholesale & Gift Shop Located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia of the Chesapeake. Tourist Route. 4200 square feet. Quality building, 6 acres.

Gross sales $1.6 M– Selling for $1.5 M FUN BUSINESS! - RETIRING

cobbisland@gmail.com 757-709-0480

Seeking potential US Licensed Chief Engineers and Mates That have experience operating and maintaining large scale tuna purse seiners operating in the South Pacific. Carrying capacity of the vessel is 1600MT of Tuna and trip lengths vary from 30 to 60 days. Contract is on a trip by trip basis.

Please contact: schikami@westpacfish.com 42 National Fisherman \ May 2021

SEEKING CREW!!! Looking for experienced purse seine crew for California spring/summer squid season.

Also looking for an experienced engineer

CALL - 562-491-2000

**LOOKING FOR A USCG LICENSED CHIEF ENGINEER** For an uninspected fishing vessel, a Tuna Purse Seine operation with 4000HP and 1500 MT Cargo Capacity. Must hold a current USCG Engineer’s License, have a minimum 3 years experience with this type of operation. This Full Time position operating out of American Samoa and several other Western Pacific Ports and Requires experience and working knowledge of EMD and CAT engines, R717 Refrigeration / Freezing system, Hydraulic Systems, etc.Please submit Resume and license info to PPFisheries@gmail.com www.nationalfisherman.com

CLASSIFIEDS

LAW

BOOKS

MARITIME INJURIES LATTI & ANDERSON LLP

Over 50 years experience recovering multimillion dollar settlements and verdicts representing Fishermen, Merchant Seamen, Recreational Boaters, Passengers and their Families nationwide.

CALL 1-800-392-6072 to talk with Carolyn Latti or David Anderson

www.lattianderson.com

MARINE GEAR

To subscribe, call 1-800-959-5073

May 2021 \ National Fisherman 43

CLASSIFIEDS

MARINE GEAR

THE L ARGEST

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90 Bay State Road Wakefield, MA 01880 Phone (781) 246-1810 Fax (781) 246-5321

SHOP NOW AT WWW.LEEFISHERFISHING.COM For further questions, please call 800.356.5464 or email graymond@leefisherintl.com

Place an Ad! Call Wendy (207) 842-5616 wjalbert@divcom

44 National Fisherman \ May 2021

www.nationalfisherman.com

CLASSIFIEDS

MARINE GEAR PARACHUTE SEA ANCHORS From PARA-TECH,the NUMBER 1 name in Sea Anchors Sea Anchor sizes for boats up to 150 tons Lay to in relative comfort and safety with your bow INTO the weather Save fuel, save thousands due to “broken trips”

PARA-TECH ENGINEERING CO.

1580 Chairbar Rd. • Silt, CO 81652 (800) 594-0011 • paratech@rof.net • www.seaanchor.com

FOR SALE: Radio Direction Finder/ 3 beacon buoys complete package

Complete RDF System: Taiyo TDL-2200 RDF, 25 foot cable, antenna and 3 KATO buoys, frequencies 1942, 1962, 1992 less than 100 hours use, one buoy new still in box!

CALL—401-374-2583

$4500.00

HOW TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED AD? ONLINE You can place your ad 24 hours a day, 7 days a week online at nationalfisherman.com Only rely on the

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To subscribe, call 1-800-959-5073

(New) SpinClearView S-300 Commercial grade marine clear view 12V window. Used on yachts, fishing, police, military, commercial vessels. The SpinClearView S-300 keeps a glass disk free of rain, snow and sea water by a nearly silent and fast rotation of 1500 rpm. $1495.00 OBO view more on tinyurl.com/ycob7ruh Cell/Tx: 707-322-9720 or Contact: david@satinbiz.com

DEPENDABLE 12 VOLT ELECTRIC TRAP HAULERS

ELECTRA-DYNE CO.

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P.O. BOX 1344, PLYMOUTH, MA 02362 508-746-3270 Fax: 508-747-4017

W W W. E L E C T R A - D Y N E . C O M May 2021 \ National Fisherman 45

CLASSIFIEDS

MARINE GEAR

Keel Coolers Trouble free marine engine cooling since 1927!

THE WALTER MACHINE CO, INC Tel: 201-656-5654 • Fax: 201-656-0318 www.waltergear.com

BEST BRONZE PROPELLER Sick of pitted and pink props after one session? Ours hold the pitch longer and recondition more times than the brand name props you have been buying and reconditioning every year for the few years they last. Built to your specs not taken off theshelf and repitched or cutdown. (781) 837-5424 or email at twindiscgears@verizon.net

COMPETITIVE PRICES!!

Commercial Longline, Troll and Tuna fishing hooks

All of our hooks are stainless steel and SHARP right out of the box!

Hooks Tested & Approved by Alaskan fishermen! For a list of distributors or to become a distributor go to:

www.qihooks.com

TWIN DISC MARINE TRANSMISSIONS, CATERPILLAR & CUMMINS ENGINES & PARTS. New and rebuilt, Biggest selection of used ENG & Gear parts in the world. Worldwide shipping. Best pricing. Call Steve at Marine Engine & Gear 781-837-5424 or email at twindiscgears@verizon.net

Used and New CAT, Fernstrum and Other Misc. Parts Sale PART # 245-2876 44953-054 44953-054 57-1755 15658-1 Custom CN1260W-Z D1839 12105U-Z BN1254W-Z ZN5007K ZN5005K ZN5009K 2624S 1874S 2874S

ITEM Caterpillar 3500 series Coolant Tank Gilkes water pump for 3500 series Caterpillar Gilkes water pump for 3500 series Caterpillar Caterpillar gear for water pump accessory Sen-Dure oil cooler, 376 with 1" fittings Stainless Steel Resevoir Tank, 13.5 US Gal Fernstrum CuNi Grid Cooler Fernstrum CuNi Grid Cooler, 3508 Jacket Water Fernstrum CuNi Grid Cooler, 3508 Aftercooler + Gear Fernstrum CuNi Grid Cooler Fernstrum Zinc Anode Fernstrum Zinc Anode Fernstrum Zinc Anode Fernstrum Zinc Anode Fernstrum Zinc Anode Fernstrum Zinc Anode

CONDITION QTY Used, Good 2 Used, Excellent 2 New, Rebuilt 1 New 3 Used, Excellent 2 Used, Excellent 1 Used, Excellent 1 Used, Excellent 2 Used Excellent 2 Used, Excellent 1 New 6 New 6 New 12 New 1 New 1 New 2

PRICE $2,000 $3,000 $3,000 $100 $1,000 $1,000 $2,000 $2,000 $2,000 $2,000 $80 $80 $80 $80 $80 $80

Contact Jim Rosenberg at (954) 654-1119 or jim.rosenberg@ringpower.com for details. 46 National Fisherman \ May 2021

www.nationalfisherman.com

CLASSIFIEDS

NOTICE

MARINE GEAR

 Manufacturers of Hydraulic Deck Equipment: Pot Launchers, Crab Blocks, Trawl Winches, Net Reels, Sorting Table, Anchor Winches  Dockside Vessel Conversions and Repairs  Machining, Hydraulics and Fabrications  Suppliers of KYB Motors, Rotzler Winches, Pumps, Cylinders,

Hydrocontrol Valves, Hoses

Phone: 541-336-5593 - Fax: 541-336-5156 - 1-800-923-3625 508 Butler Bridge Road, Toledo, OR 97391

PERMITS & SERVICES

ADVERTISER INDEX Alaska Marine Safety Education Assn............................ 21 Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute ............................ CV3 Boatswain’s Locker Inc ..................................................... 3 Dometic Marine ................................................................. 8 Duramax Marine LLC ........................................................ 7 Fishtek Marine Ltd........................................................... 29 Furuno USA .................................................................. CV4 Kinematics Marine Equipment Inc.................................. 33 LFS Marine Supplies ....................................................... 37 Marine Hydraulic Engineering Co Inc ............................. 29

Federal Black Seabass Permit for Sale Rod + Reels/Pots Fits up to 35 ft boat 260 HP max Asking $35,000

Wanted To Buy. Offshore Live Lobsters. Top Dollar $$ Paid. Call Pier 7 (located on Gloucester waterfront)

John (617)268-7797

Call Tom 732-322-7471

We BUY all Seafood!

Live lobsters, crab, shrimp and scallops

240-994-7845

Marport Americas Inc ...................................................... 27 National Fisherman ......................................................... 17 Naust Marine USA Inc ..................................................... 26 Nor’eastern Trawl Systems Inc dba NET Systems Inc .. 26 Pacific Marine Expo ........................................................ 21 R W Fernstrum & Company .............................................. 9 SmartCatch, Inc. ................................................................ 9 Thetford Corporation (Del) .............................................. 33 WESMAR - Western Marine Electronics ......................Cv2

SEAFOOD / BUSINESS

Covid Proof Cash Cow!

New England Seafood Restaurant For Sale Located in Southwest Florida

In business 11 years (owner retiring) selling New England Seafood. Increased gross this Covid year and still growing . We built it ready for you take it to the next level… Huge opportunity for grow… Landlord on board for expansion lease in place. Large New England population in area . Asking $699,000

To subscribe, call 1-800-959-5073

(401) 465-0227

May 2021 \ National Fisherman 47

Last

set

DUTCH HARBOR, ALASKA “It’s always hard to leave your family, but views like this make it a little easier,” says Jeff Johnson as he works on the back deck of the F/V Half Moon Bay, tightening the net during the pollock A-season. Photo by Jeff Johnson @jeffjohnson749

48 National Fisherman \ May 2021

www.nationalfisherman.com

You Make The Alaska Seafood Industry Strong. Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute provides sustainability certification, research and quality handling education to ensure Alaska continues to deliver the highest-quality seafood in the world. This is just one example of how Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute puts all hands on deck to tell the story of wild, sustainable Alaska seafood so you and your family can focus on fishing today and for generations to come.

alaskaseafood.org Stay updated via our fleet-focused page!

@ASMINewsAndUpdates

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National Fisherman May 2021

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