National Fisherman October 2021 by National Fisherman

Windows, Hatches, Doors & More / Offshore Wind Update October / 2021

Incorporating

I N F O R M E D F I S H E R M E N • P R O F I TA B L E F I S H E R I E S • S U S TA I N A B L E F I S H

Steel stretch Bering Sea king crab catcher leaves Fred Wahl with an 83-foot addition

NATIONALFISHERMAN.COM

YOUR PRIDE IS OUR PRIDE. Together, We Make Alaska Seafood Stronger. From ocean to table, the heavy lifting doesn’t stop here. Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute works to put your product into a variety of markets, from restaurants and grocery stores to university dining halls to hospitals and school lunch programs. 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

In this issue

National Fisherman / October 2021 / Vol. 102, No. 06

BOEM’s offshore wind plans march on

Cover Story \ Rebuilding Keta

The best in hatches, doors and windows

Cut 60 feet, add 83, toss in a new power package, and this Bering Sea crabber and salmon tender could be ready for another 45 years in the industry.

Keeping the sea where it belongs — outside your boat.

Features / Boats & Gear

On Deck 05

A letter from NMFS

Larry Chowning

A $3 billion rescue plan offers help to fishing communities through many avenues.

Around the Yards Libby lobster boats pack the weight; offshore supply vessel becomes oyster planter; stretching crabbers in Oregon.

Northern Lights Sodexo’s executive chef, Lloyd Mann, on supporting sustainable seafood.

Editor’s Log

Fishing Back When

Mail Buoy

Around the Coasts & Markets Reports

Boat of the Month

Crew Shot

Snapshot

Last Set / Cedar Key, Fla.

Product Roundup Two-speed outboard transmission; balanced blackcod trap haulers; Furuno’s new sea-surface software.

Reader Services 40

Classifieds

Advertiser Index

National Fisherman (ISSN 0027-9250), October 2021, Vol. 102, No. 06, 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 Subscription Service Department, 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.

Paul Molyneaux

Fred Wahl Marine Construction

Fishermen vie for influence on wind power siting; compensation possible.

ON DECK

Editor’s Log

When the wind blows Jessica Hathaway Editor in Chief jhathaway@divcom.com

hether or not fishermen have a seat at the table where their livelihoods are being discussed is a recurring theme. But it has become a searing pain point in the last 18 months, as the industry has been saddled by regulatory hoops and the added expenses that have come with reinventing market access across the board to secure domestic food supplies and reroute around the collapsed restaurant and foodservice industries. While fishermen were navigating multiple learning curves to access customers on social media, package their catch to be familyfriendly, get permitted to make direct sales, and even get permission to cut their own fish for customers, they were also attending more meetings (can’t say no if it’s on Zoom, right?), preparing materials for lawsuits over pot gear,

fighting recreational fishing interests on quota allocations, coping with pandemic-related delays for gear and parts, and fighting for waterfront access in a booming residential real estate market that drove people out of cities and into smaller towns across the country. But wait, that’s not all! The drive to develop offshore wind power has created an unusual maelstrom of eco-consciousness fueled by oil companies and a federal government eager to make a splash with alternative energy. Once again, mixing with better-funded players, fishermen are left begging for a seat at the table. NF Associate Editor Kirk Moore has kept a tight beat on offshore wind. He provides an extended update on the wind industry’s swift and expansive march to offshore development.

On the cover Equipped with a crane built and designed by Fred Wahl, the lengthened F/V Keta will be able to handle more Bering Sea crab pots and quota. Fred Wahl Marine Construction photo

Read the story on page 18. When you’re in an actual blow, you might find yourself zeroing in on your hatches, windows and doors. Boats & Gear Editor Paul Molyneaux’s deck equipment feature highlights some of the new fixtures going into a pair of powerhouse Bering Sea boats — F/V Wizard and F/V Progress — that both faced the consequences of big seas blowing out wheelhouse windows. But window and hatch upgrades aren’t just for the big boats, as Paul notes. Trusted and established manufacturers make durable and reliable products in a full range of sizes, price points and materials. Read the full feature on page 22. Speaking of big Bering Sea boats, the F/V Keta launched from Fred Wahl Marine Construction in Oregon at the end of the summer with a major addition. Check out the story on page 26. In the meantime, catch us on www. nationalfisherman.com and follow us on Facebook for updates on Expo in Seattle this fall. Registration goes live soon!

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 GROUP SALES DIRECTOR: Christine Salmon / csalmon@divcom.com / Tel. (207) 842-5530 CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING: (800) 842-5603 classifieds@divcom.com SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION 847-504-8874 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 \ October 2021

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ON DECK

Fishing Back When October By Jessica Hathaway

1991— Ray Wadsworth has been building diesel-powered seiners in Alaska. But his new Order of Magnitude is a 56-footer with a gas turbine hooked to a water jet. It crossed the Gulf of Alaska at 30 mph.

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On the cover: Blue crabbing off Ocracoke Island, N.C. More people are entering the fishery, which is easy to learn and inexpensive to get started in. Many new crabbers have dropped out of other declining or heavily regulated fisheries. But the glut, along with increasing imports, is flooding the market.

On the cover: Kenton Geer brings aboard a yellowfin tuna he caught in June on the Cross Seamount, offshore of Hawaii, onboard the Makana.

Albacore boats crowd the Star-Kist dock in San Diego, Calif., during a peak day of the Southern California run. A joint program designed to find out more about this fishery is slated to begin soon. F.J. O’Hara and Sons, led by Frank O’Hara, launches two New England ocean perch boats from the Harvey Gamage yard in South Bristol, Maine. Construction was subsidized by the federal Fishing Fleet Improvement Act. 4 National Fisherman \ October 2021

Fish Expo ’91 runs at the Seattle Trade Center in October, marking the show’s 25th anniversary, which has alternated between Seattle and Boston. “It’s kind of a big party for the industry. Fishermen come not only to shop, but to see people they haven’t seen since the last Fish Expo.”

As the FDA takes on the potential approval of an application to produce genetically modified salmon by AquaBounty Technologies, eight U.S. senators and 15 representatives sound their opposition to the so-called Frankenfish. The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010 sets load line requirements for commercial fishing boats 79 feet and longer, and classification standards for boats 50 feet and up.

www.nationalfisherman.com

ON DECK

Mail Buoy

Scallop fleet worried about turbine effects [The Fisheries Survival Fund released this summary as the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management conducted listening sessions with fishermen this summer over plans for offshore wind energy areas in the New York Bight.] n Tuesday, July 20, scallop fishermen and industry advocates called for changes to proposed offshore wind leases in the New York Bight. In an online call with Bureau of Ocean Energy Management officials, industry representatives highlighted the need for a buffer zone to protect the most valuable scallop area in the

What’s on your mind? Send letters to jhathaway@ divcom.com. Submissions may be edited for length, clarity and style.

Mid-Atlantic and expressed concern over environmental and fisheries impacts of offshore wind development generally. Proposed lease areas need to be thoroughly re-evaluated to reduce impacts to scallops and scallop fishermen, who operate in the most valuable federally managed fishery. The Port of New Bedford often comes to mind when thinking about the scallop industry, and rightfully so since it is America’s highest-value fishing port. But the fact is that coastal communities from Massachusetts to Virginia depend on scallops. According to the New England

A Letter from NMFS

$3 billion available By Janet Coit

want to make sure fishing and coastal communities are aware of $3 billion in funding opportunities available to invest in distressed and underserved communities impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. This historic investment, funded by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, will support economic development focused on advancing equity, creating good-paying jobs, helping workers to develop in-demand skills, building economic resilience, and accelerating economic recovery for the industries and communities hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic. This includes commercial and recreational fishing and aquaculture, and the businesses and communities that depend on them. The Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration is implementing a series of programs, collectively called Investing in America’s Communities (online at

To subscribe, call 1-800-959-5073

Fishery Management Council’s 2021 Scallop Fishery Management Plan update, Atlantic scallops comprise the majority of landed value in eight of the largest East Coast fishing ports, and over 40 percent in four others. Damage to the scallop industry will have far-reaching consequences for working families in ports throughout the Atlantic coast. The harm will extend beyond fishermen and processing plant employees — many of whom are recent immigrants — to fuel docks, marine equipment suppliers, restaurants, and markets. Coastwide, scallops were worth well over half a billion dollars to coastal economies in 2019 and nearly three-quarters of a billion dollars when taking into account their processed value. And this does not include the additional economic value added by the remainder of the supply chain until the product ultimately reaches consumers in markets and restaurants. One of the most consequential Continued on page 33

www.eda.gov/ARPA), to equitably invest in infrastructure innovation and workforce training to create good-paying American jobs and strengthen our nation’s global economic competitiveness. The six innovative challenges include: • Build Back Better Regional Challenge ($1 billion) • Good Jobs Challenge ($500 million) • Economic Adjustment Assistance Challenge ($500 million) • Indigenous Communities Challenge ($100 million) • Travel, Tourism, and Outdoor Recreation Grants ($750 million) • Statewide Planning, Research and Networks Grants ($90 million) I invite you to review these funding opportunities and consider how they can be used to address infrastructure needs related to fishing and ports, seafood, climate resilience, and outdoor recreation. Applications for some funding challenges start as soon as October 2021 and others go into 2022. Janet Coit is the assistant administrator of the National Marine Fisheries Service. She oversees the federal agency responsible for recreational and commercial fisheries.

October 2021 \ National Fisherman 5

ON DECK

Northern Lights VIEWS FROM ALASKA

Q&A with Sodexo’s Chef Lloyd Mann

for Sodexo and its chefs in 30,000 locations, working to implement responsible sourcing guidelines to protect important fish populations. Mann believes Sodexo must lead with a bold vision and embrace sustainable practices in all of its kitchens to be good stewards of the ocean’s bounty. He recently talked with us about Sodexo’s commitment to sourcing responsibly.

Sodexo photos

What does responsible sourcing mean to Sodexo?

Alaska cod sandwich with pickled vegetables.

n the quaint — and unbridged — tidal island of Mersea, about an hour northeast of London, Chef Lloyd Mann lives among the local oyster fishermen. The Blackwater Estuary, where oysters are believed to have been harvested for more than a thousand years, is just across from Mersea Island. This marshy coastline along County Essex provides daily inspiration for Mann, who’s been a chef for more than 28 years. Mann serves as the Global Executive Chef and vice president of Culinary for

“With our restaurant guests responding favorably to messages of sustainability, we’re able to offer a wide range of sustainably sourced seafood and broaden the species we feature.” 6 National Fisherman \ October 2021

Sodexo, the worldwide food services company present in 67 countries. He’s seen the impact of human actions on the oceans, both in his community and his career. He’s also played a vital role in supporting a sustainable seafood policy

We recognize that responsible seafood sourcing has both environmental and social implications, and it’s important that we find transparency in our seafood supply chain. Sodexo has committed to sourcing 100 percent sustainable seafood by 2025, and we’re currently at 77.7 percent of our goal. We’ve been working with our suppliers to source increasingly from responsibly managed fisheries and seafood farms, and collaboration and partnerships have been instrumental.

Which partners are helping you progress toward your goal? We’ve partnered with numerous organizations to help us shape our vision and develop guidelines. The Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative, a partnership with more than 90 industry stakeholders, provides global benchmarking tools for the seafood certifications we recognize. With Sodexo’s Future Food Collective, we’ve brought together experts in the food industry to carry out research and work with our chefs on sustainable seafood, and health and wellness initiatives.

Chef Lloyd Mann, Global Executive Chef and Vice President of Culinary for Sodexo

How do you drive awareness of sustainable seafood with your teams? Our chefs and culinary teams take www.nationalfisherman.com

ON DECK

“Sodexo has committed to sourcing 100 percent sustainable seafood by 2025, and we’re currently at 77.7 percent of our goal.”

the lead in the sustainable seafood space to attract guests to our restaurants. To help them make the best choices for responsible sourcing of the fish and seafood assortments we serve to our guests, our supply management team put together a comprehensive Sustainable Seafood Sourcing Guide. The guide features a simple red, amber, and green rating that makes it easy to identify which species we should be buying and using in our menus to best protect our oceans. The guide homes in on species “not at risk,” as well as species that are sustainably managed, to inform our development chefs who are creating dishes and menus.

How are you influencing consumer behavior on the topic of sustainable seafood?

Maritim Grilled salmon with red quinoa.

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Consumers have the power to positively effect change in the industry. Our insights show that they want to know where the food they eat is sourced, and they want to be sure it’s been sourced responsibly. With our restaurant guests responding favorably to

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www. October 2021 \ National Fisherman 7

AROUND THE COASTS

Northeast Report finds most ships don’t brake for right whales

NOAA

AIS analysis confirms earlier NOAA findings of routine violations on ship speed limits

NOAA regularly calls for 10-knot speed limits when right whales are in the vicinity.

n analysis of automated ship tracking data shows that nearly 90 percent of vessels transiting mandatory speed zones to protect endangered northern right whales are violating the speed limits, according to a new report. The highest level of compliance — with about one-third of vessels obeying the 10-knot limit — was documented

in the Off Race Point seasonal management area, near Cape Cod in Massachusetts, where NOAA regularly announces speed restrictions to protect migrating whales. The lowest levels of compliance — with nearly 90 percent of vessels busting the 10-knot limit — was off the coast between Wilmington, N.C., and Brunswick, Ga. That reach includes

approaches to the burgeoning ports of Charleston, S.C., and Savannah, Ga., where cargo traffic and containership sizes are growing. The automatic identification system data comes via Global Fishing Watch, an international nonprofit organization founded by Oceana in partnership with Google and SkyTruth. The new fi ndings back up an earlier analysis by NOAA itself, reported in January 2021. Oceana analyzed self-reported vessel speeds and location data to track vessel speeds and positions in North Atlantic right whale conservation areas. NOAA delineates two types: seasonal management areas, based on previously documented right whale movements, where the 10-knot limit is mandatory, and dynamic management areas, announced as whales are tracked by NOAA aerial surveys and vessel report, where 10 knots is recommended. With an estimated 366 animals left, the northern right whale is one of the most endangered species on Earth, with ship strikes and fishing gear entanglement considered the top threats. The analysis showed non-compliance was as high as almost 90 percent in mandatory speed zones, and noncooperation was as high as almost 85 percent in voluntary areas.

MARKET REPORT: Northeast Oysters

based on large volumes, and lower prices.

After disaster loomed in pandemic, ‘markets are slamming’

brand, adds Parsons. “I’m like the happy

“

’ll put it to you this way: If someone

crazy busy.”

has oysters or clams and they can’t

With

hour oyster guy.” While boutique oysters can markets,

get ~$1.50-$2 per oyster, Parsons typically

sell ‘em, they should just quit!” says

and tourism all coming back to life, and

wholesales for about 50 cents apiece, and 65

Dale Parsons, owner of Parsons Seafood in

consumers’ taste for oysters seemingly

cents for retail.

Tuckerton, N.J.

insatiable, prices have been stable or higher,

In some parts of the East Coast, volume

with East Coast operations returning to a pre-

producers are earning 60-70 cents per oys-

covid pricing structure.

ter, and $1 each for smaller sizes. In other

A fifth-generation oyster and clam business operator, Parsons has seen the industry

restaurants,

“My oysters are not the $4 hipster oyster

seafood

evolve over the years. Some of the current

“Prices are up. Demand is stronger than

places, such as Cape Cod, growers who sell

boom can be attributed to reopenings after

it’s ever been.” And to think, adds Parsons,

to dealers are earning 45-55 cents per piece.

the pandemic shutdowns, says Parsons.

“20 years ago, nobody thought oyster farm-

“It’s beyond what anyone would have

ing was a thing!”

“Markets are slamming,” agrees Bob Rheault, executive director of the East

predicted. The vacationers have extra money

Parsons — whose company mostly

Coast Shellfish Growers Association, which

to spend, so what else can they do but go on

wholesales to distributors and only sells to

represents over 1,500 shellfish farmers from

vacations and spend money? Right now, it’s

a few select restaurants — says his model is

Maine to Florida.

National Fisherman \ October 2021

— Caroline Losneck

www.nationalfisherman.com

AROUND THE COASTS

Among other fi ndings, the group reported seasonal management areas with the worst compliance on mandatory speed limits were: • Wilmington, N.C., to Brunswick, Ga., with almost 90 percent non-compliance. • The port of New York and New Jersey, almost 80 percent not complying. • Right whale calving and nursery grounds off Georgia and Florida, where more than 70 percent of vessel transits exceeded the limit. • The entrance to the Chesapeake Bay, almost 65 percent non-compliance, and the entrance to Delaware Bay, with more than 55 percent of vessels over the limit. — Kirk Moore

Boat of the Month Gotta Luv It

Big Pine Key, Fla. / Stone crab, lobster

Ben Zdan

The analysis showed non-compliance was as high as almost 90 percent in mandatory speed zones, and noncooperation was as high as almost 85 percent in voluntary areas.

en Zdan’s purpose-built lobster

He fishes 6,000 stone crab traps and

and stone crab boat was built

2,500 lobster traps from summer through

in 1973 in Marathon, Fla., way

spring in waters deep and shallow from the

before its current skipper was born. Zdan, 31, acquired it five years ago from a fellow commercial fisherman who

Atlantic to the Gulf of Mexico west to the remote Dry Tortugas, enabled by a tunnel hull that drafts only three feet.

was getting out of the business and kept

Zdan began his career as a charter

its name because he felt it would be bad

boat captain, running a 52-foot Viking

luck to change it.

sport fisher for a Middle Keys couple who

Zdan performed such painstaking

decided to get into commercial trapping

renovations on the fiberglass 48-footer

and then made him a partner. Zdan has a

that it could pass for new. New deck,

free hand in running the business.

gunwales,

hydraulic

“I’ve been fishing down here my whole

Maine salmon farm gets permit from Army Corps

systems, AC-cooled cabin, and two-year-

life,” Zdan said. “Lobster and stone crab,

old diesel engine.

that’s all I do.”

Norwegian company’s land-based complex would be first in Northeast

Boat Specifications

ordic Aquafarms has obtained a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit that was the last official permitting obstacle to its planned construction of a recirculating aquaculture system farm to grow Atlantic salmon in Belfast, Maine. The Fredrikstad, Norway-based company announced the acquisition of the permit and said it is “now ready to move into the fi nal stages of engineering and construction planning” for the facility. The company was granted a state permit for the project by the Maine Board of Environmental Protection in November 2020.

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wheelhouse,

“It has been a long and comprehensive process, and we would like to thank all the hardworking permitting authorities that have been involved,” Nordic Aquafarms President Erik Heim said. “They have dotted every I and crossed every T — the

— Sue Cocking

permits are robust. We are now the fi rst fully permitted larger RAS project in Maine, and the most centrally located one.” The company fi rst announced its plans to build a facility in Belfast in January 2018 and has since been October 2021 \ National Fisherman 9

AROUND THE COASTS

“With the facility being entirely land based, with the sole exception being the supply and discharge pipes for the brackish water, that really helped to give me a certain level of peace of mind.” Nordic Aquafarms

— Travis Otis, Maine lobsterman

Nordic Aquafarms plans a $500 million land-based salmon farm near Belfast, Maine.

navigating local, state and federal permitting. It had originally planned to break ground in 2019 in order to begin growing out 66 million pounds of farmed salmon annually. The site proposal includes nine buildings,

featuring hatcheries, freshwater smolt facilities, grow-out facilities, and support facilities that include office space, a central utility plant, and a water treatment plant. “As a commercial fisherman in

Harwich Port, Mass. Sergio Lima, the tuna buyer for Seafresh, gives Stella Rose a lesson on grading tuna after the bluefin was caught by her grandfather, John Our, and dad, Jesse Rose, on the F/V Barbara O out of Harwich Port.

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

10 National Fisherman \ October 2021

northern Penobscot Bay, I did have some questions pertaining to the supply of water going into the fish as well as any discharge they would be introducing into my area,” said Travis Otis, from nearby Searsport, after a public meeting hosted by Nordic in 2018. “With the facility being entirely land based, with the sole exception being the supply and discharge pipes for the brackish water, that really helped to give me a certain level of peace of mind. When they further explained the process during their presentation as to how they would reduce the levels of discharge in comparison to a water-based operation — claims of 90 percent — I was very pleased to hear about how important the local environment is to them.” Opponents of the project filed multiple objections. And according to Heim there are still some outstanding appeals on some of the company’s permits. “We have assessed those thoroughly and are very comfortable with the risk. We won every argument against local opponents and their misinformation in the permitting process. We look forward to moving ahead in short order,” Heim said. A separate dispute over the ownership of intertidal land where the company plans to route inflow and outflow pipes may be nearing resolution after the Belfast City Council voted unanimously in August to pursue eminent domain to take over the area. — Chris Chase and Jessica Hathaway www.nationalfisherman.com

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AROUND THE COASTS

Gulf/South Atlantic Florida fishermen work with NMFS to track red tide

NOAA

Battered by 2018 outbreak, captains carry water test kits and report data

Dead fish washed up on southwest Florida beaches after a massive 2018 red tide.

nother eruption of red tide on the southwest Florida coast has brought fish kills and public health advisories to beaches, and commercial fishermen are pitching in the help scientists map out the effects. Fishermen who work offshore of the Tampa Bay region are providing oceanographic data to NMFS’

“It just wiped out our fisheries completely… the red tide went way offshore.” — Casey Streeter, fisherman and organizer

Southeast Fisheries Science Center, as part of the center’s ongoing collaboration

MARKET REPORT: Florida Stone Crab Crabbers look forward to good year, despite shorter season

espite the lingering covid pandem-

season coming.”

with Florida Commercial Watermen’s Conservation. The non-profit group is dedicated to science-based water quality testing and marine stewardship, founded and operated by commercial fishermen in response to devastating red tide blooms of the last five years. The group trains and outfits fishermen with water monitoring kits, for its mission “to quantify the environmental and oceanographic conditions before, during, and after red tide blooms to better understand their dynamics and provide timely decision-support to increase the resilience of fishermen and fishing communities on the west coast of Florida to red tide events.” The group got its start with those outbreaks, culminating with the extreme bloom and fish kills of 2018, said fisherman and organizer Casey Streeter of Matlacha, Fla. “It just wiped out our fisheries completely… the red tide went way offshore,” said Streeter.The Southeast Fisheries Science Center was seeking information on what effects fishermen had seen on red grouper, and Streeter said he contacted Mandy Karnauskas, a research fishery biologist at the center. That led to a meeting between fishermen and biologists, and “they had more

requirements would take about three to four years. Another provision will require escape rings on traps beginning in the 2023-24 season.

ic and new state regulations that

While state harvest data for the season

“The goal was a five-year plan to gain 1

shortened the season and upped

that closed May 2 is incomplete, Graves

million pounds,” Graves said, adding “we are

the minimum size for claws, Florida’s 2020-21

estimates production at between 1.9 million

going to have to have some trap reduction.

stone crab harvest appears to have improved

and 2 million pounds — what he calls a

The state allowed too many [trap] certificates.

from the year before and looks strong going

“normal” year. He said boat prices ranged

The fishery is over-capitalized.”

into October’s 2021-22 season opening.

from $10 per pound for medium claws all the

Captain Shane Dooley, who runs stone

“This year was better than last year,”

way up to between $28 and $29 for colossal.

crab traps in the Gulf of Mexico near Fort

said Gary Graves, operator of Keys Fisher-

Asked if he felt any impact from Florida’s

Myers, was satisfied with last season and

ies in Marathon — the state’s major stone

new regulations that shortened the season

crab producer. “The market was good. Even

by two weeks and increased the minimum

“We had to work at it, but yeah, it was a

with restaurants closed, there was enough e-

size of claws by 1/8 inch, Graves said the

pretty good year,” Dooley said. He said boat

commerce business. I expect a normal year.

shorter season “probably helped a little bit,”

prices for jumbos were around $25.

Prices will be strong. I feel good about the

but that gauging the effects of the larger claw

12 National Fisherman \ October 2021

looking forward to the next.

— Sue Cocking

www.nationalfisherman.com

AROUND THE COASTS

questions than we had answers,” Streeter recalls. That led to fishermen joining on a research trip. “They were blown away, and we were blown away by the dead bottom,” said Streeter. Florida Commercial Watermen’s Conservation got organized and raised $50,000 in the southwest Florida communities to buy testing equipment. Monitoring water quality benefits the broader coastal economy, and in the long term, fisheries management, said Streeter. Data from red tide effects offshore have been very valuable for gauging impact on red grouper, and “saved us some fish” when managers set limits, he said. NMFS officials say the fishermen’s data will help the agency plan research activities and choose the best locations to focus those efforts. Red tides are difficult to track because they often occur as multiple,

shifting algae blooms along the Florida coast and its estuaries. Most recently the Tampa Bay outbreak seems to be fading, but high concentrations of red tide continue off Manatee and Sarasota counties. Equipped with monitoring kits, fishermen can record data on temperature, salinity, oxygen concentrations and other physical characteristics, all “necessary information for forecasting bloom behavior. It also helps us to gather data faster and has been crucial in filling information gaps between research missions,” according to NMFS. NMFS workers interviewed fishermen about the impact of the severe 2018 red tide events and are looking to do the same this year. Fishermen who want to share their observations about red tide can contact Matt McPherson at (305) 365-4112 or Mandy Karnauskas at (305) 361-4592. — Kirk Moore

Nation/World Huffman starts Magnuson-Stevens reauthorization Climate change, better science and data, and offshore wind top list of concerns

he Sustaining America’s Fisheries for the Future Act, a bill to amend, reauthorize and update the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, was introduced in Congress July 26 by Reps. Jared Huff man (D-Calif.) and Ed Case (D-Hawaii). Some of the most significant changes include mandating assessments for fi sheries’ climate readiness at the regional council level; changing the term “overfi shed” to “depleted”; streamlining access to disaster relief funds; increasing funds to support seafood marketing and working waterfronts; and improving flexibility on rebuilding timelines for certain stocks. “We’re not just reauthorizing a really important law. We’re trying to reset a really important process,” To subscribe, call 1-800-959-5073

Crew Shots

The Magnuson-Stevens Act is the primary law that governs marine fisheries management in U.S. federal waters.

Huff man told National Fisherman. “Through our stakeholder-driven, science-based approach, we have crafted legislation that rises to the challenges of the 21st century and

includes critical updates to this landmark law,” he added in a release with the legislation on Monday. Huff man, who serves as chairman of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife, conducted a yearlong tour consisting of eight listening sessions at fi shing ports on every coast of the country. He and Case, a subcommittee member, introduced a discussion draft of the reauthorization in December. The revamped bill incorporates more changes following feedback on the draft. Huff man, Case and their staff s took additional input from stakeholders and industry leaders in the intervening months to ensure that the bill meets the needs of the industry while also propelling fi shery management into the modern era and allowing flexibility for each region to manage fi sheries based on local needs. “You really have to do a deep dive and listen to everyone and think through the different proposals, including unintended consequences,” Huff man told NF. “The goal throughout has been to modernize and improve without doing harm.” “There have been some stakeholders in some regions calling for flexibility, feeling like some of the framework is too rigid or arbitrary,” Huff man told NF. “But I think there’s also very broad consensus that if you take the scientific rigor and the teeth out of the framework, you’re going to be on the fast track to overfi shing. So that’s a tricky balance to strike. And we’ve really tried to hang onto the rigor, that I think is really one of the keys that has made Magnuson successful.” “We heard concerns about climate change everywhere,” Huff man told NF. “But the concerns are different depending on where you are. So in the North Atlantic, it’s ground zero for shifting stocks. Back when Magnuson was written and reauthorized, nobody was thinking about that. Even though Continued on page 17 October 2021 \ National Fisherman 13

AROUND THE COASTS

Alaska Salmon habitat protections return to Tongass forest

USFS/Joe Serio

Agriculture Department reverses Trump administration tack to expand logging, mining

Pink salmon in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest.

n mid-July U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it will bring back protections for critical salmon habitat in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest. The department’s new Southeast Alaska Sustainability Strategy, which includes a proposal to restore watershed protections for more than half of the forest’s 16.8 million acres, is

touted by the department as helping to “support a diverse economy, enhance community resilience, and conserve natural resources.” “This approach will help us chart the path to long-term economic opportunities that are sustainable and reflect Southeast Alaska’s rich cultural heritage and magnificent natural resources,” said Department of

MARKET REPORT: Alaska King Crab Fleet awaits word on new season after highest prices on record

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. The Tongass National Forest provides critical habitat for 25 percent of the U.S. West Coast salmon catch and 80 percent of the commercial salmon harvest in Southeast Alaska. Twentysix percent of jobs in the region come from tourism or commercial fisheries, which are supported by the forest and the 2001 Roadless Rule, according to the Department of Agriculture. “We’re thrilled that this announcement recognizes how valuable the Tongass is, both to the people that live here and to the rest of the world,” said Mary Catharine Martin, communications director for SalmonState. The Roadless Rule protected 9.2 million acres of the Tongass from the roads required for clearcut logging. In 2020, the Trump administration stripped those protections and reopened more than half of the forest to logging and industrial development. The decision ran contrary to feedback from public comment, in which 96 percent of commenters and more than 90 percent of rural subsistence commenters opposed removing the rule. As a key part of the new strategy, USDA plans to initiate a rulemaking

has seen a precipitous drop. A puzzling development among biologists in recent years has been that the average size of

laska’s red king crabbers were

TACs began with around 20 million pounds

harvestable males has increased to more

hopeful of having a season for

for the 2008-09 season, and the TACs have

than 7 pounds, which launches the theory

2021-22, and with trawl survey

fallen precipitously since then.

that crabbers are fishing on the last of an

information becoming available in Septem-

“We ended up having a small season,”

abundant age class. This year, however,

ber, the fleet was expecting an announce-

says Miranda Westphal, the Alaska Depart-

the average weight of the males dropped

ment about a potential season and the size

ment of Fish and Game’s Bering Sea and

slightly, according to Westphal.

of the TAC within the month.

Aleutian Islands area management biolo-

“Every year it’s been going up and up,

gist, in Dutch Harbor. “The numbers have

but last year it dropped. We’re not sure

been declining for a long time.”

exactly what that means,” says Westphal.

Last year the fleet fished on a TAC of 2.6 million pounds, and crabbers fished on a TAC of just 3.8 million pounds in the Bering

The biomass threshold to open the

Ex-vessel prices last year averaged

Sea during the 2019-20 season. Low bio-

fishery remains at 14.5 million pounds of

$9.10 per pound. The 2019-20 ex-vessel

mass brought king crab closures to the Ber-

crab as determined by extrapolation of

prices averaged $9.12 per pound, which is

ing Sea king during the 1983, 1994 and 1995

trawl surveys and other harvest-derived

the highest on record, according to ADF&G

seasons. The most recent decline in the

information. In recent years the biomass

data in Dutch Harbor.

14 National Fisherman \ October 2021

— Charlie Ess

www.nationalfisherman.com

AROUND THE COASTS

Snapshot Who we are Paige Bower / Petersburg, Alaska / Salmon, halibut, blackcod, herring roe-on-kelp, Dungeness crab, and sea cucumber diving mong that which falls within

Bower quickly made connections and

learning a new craft of leatherworking,

the expertise of fishermen are

hopped on a salmon tender in June 2018

Bower continued to develop her fishing

knives: There’s the ubiquitous

to learn the ropes on the water. Tendering

career crewing on Dungeness crab and

Victorinox utility knife, bleeding knives,

is slow compared to actual fishing, so in

salmon seining boats in Southeast Alaska

fillet knives, and knives to gut and clean

September that year, she joined a seiner to

in 2019. The following year, she continued

specialized in shape and size to the

fish for chum salmon outside of Sitka. Her

with those two fisheries, but also picked up

species at hand, among many others.

timing couldn’t have been better. For most

longlining for halibut and blackcod.

Learning how to use and maintain these

the

fishing

This year Bower has been fishing

blades is often part of the trade typically

Dungeness crab, salmon, halibut and

learned through experience.

blackcod, but added the purchase of a Southern Southeast Alaska herring roe-

But for Paige Bower it was a love of

on-kelp permit and leased a sea cucumber

knives, or more precisely knifemaking, that brought her to her burgeoning

dive permit — with the expectation of

career as a fisherman in Southeast

buying into the latter next year.

Alaska. And after three short years of

Her precociousness, self-confidence

working as crew, she’s found enough

and skill has allowed Bower’s career

satisfaction on the to start buying into

on the water to take off quickly, but

fisheries even as she looks to invest in

there have been challenges and learning

her knifemaking operation.

experiences along the way — seasickness and stinging jellyfish notwithstanding.

“One of the reasons I started fishing was to support my knifemaking,” says

“I think the biggest challenge at first was

Bower, 25. “It is definitely doable — fish

being teachable and open to criticism,”

in summer and work on my knifemaking,

industry it

the

she says. “I had to change my attitude a

leatherworking in the winter.”

confluence of a stellar catch and market

lot to let things roll off and not take things

Bower moved to Petersburg, Alaska, in

price happen just a few times a decade,

personally.”

2018 from her home in Zillah, Wash., for

but for Bower it happened on her first

adventure and to work with a community

opener.

seems

With so much time on the water and growing responsibility on boats, Bower

of knifemakers to further her metal-

“I don’t think I’m allowed to talk about

hasn’t let go of the craft that first brought

working craft. Petersburg also happened

specifics of what we caught and how

her to Alaska. She’s looking to downtime

to be a bustling fishing port with plenty of

much we made, but I will say my captain

this winter to build her own hydraulic

work for those willing to work hard.

looked at me and said, ‘This isn’t normal,’”

press, which would allow her to make

“Zillah is in the middle of a desert, and

Bower says with a chuckle. “I did realize

layered Damascus steel blades in her own

Petersburg is in the middle of a rainforest,”

how much opportunity there is in fishing, if

shop. If you’re interested in checking out

she says. “They’re very different, but both

you work hard and get lucky, you can make

Bower’s knifework, you can find her at

are small towns with a strong sense of

a lot really fast.”

shawleatherworks.com and on Instagram

community.”

this summer that will propose to restore Roadless Rule protections for the Tongass National Forest, “returning stability and certainty to the conservation of 9.3 million acres of the world’s largest temperate old growth rainforest,” according to the department’s announcement. To subscribe, call 1-800-959-5073

After a winter of knifemaking and

“We see today’s announcement as a big win for our fisheries and maintaining a sustainable economy,” said Linda Behnken, executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, based in Sitka. The Tongass National Forest is the largest intact temperate rainforest

@shawleatherworks.

— Nick Rahaim

in the world, representing nearly a third of the planet’s remaining oldgrowth temperate rainforests. It holds more biomass per acre than any other rainforest in the world and stores more carbon than any other national forest in the United States. — Jessica Hathaway October 2021 \ National Fisherman 15

AROUND THE COASTS

West Coast/Pacific Critical habitat for killer whales extended south

NOAA

NMFS says expanded waters designation will not bring big management changes

The critical habitat designation for the endangered Southern Resident orca population covers nearly 16,000 square miles.

he Biden administration extended critical habitat designations for the endangered Southern Resident orca population, to cover nearly 16,000 square miles of Pacific waters from Washington south to Point Sur, Calif. The whales currently have had critical habitat protected in the inland waters of Washington state, where the Southern orca population of just 75

animals is highly dependent on king salmon — stocks that themselves are in danger from habitat loss in the region. A fi nal order from NMFS, published in the Aug. 2 Federal Register and taking effect Sept. 1, maintains the Puget Sound protected region and extends the critical habitat designation out to the 200-meter (656-foot) sea floor contour. “This revision is based on over

MARKET REPORT: Pacific Urchins Covid delayed removal, harvesters pin hopes on kelp recovery

a decade of research that improved our knowledge of Southern Resident killer whales’ geographic range, diet, and habitat needs, including their movements up and down the West Coast,” according to a NMFS announcement. The new area covers 15,910 square miles off Washington, Oregon, and California from the U.S. international border with Canada south to Point Sur. During a lengthy public comment period, the agency heard from groups and individuals with a wide range of positions — from contending the rule does not do enough to protect the whales, to worries that habitat designation would impose new burdens on maritime and fishing industries. But in its own Federal Register responses, NMFS says it does not expect the habitat designation to force management changes. “Designation of critical habitat does not establish a refuge or sanctuary for the species or automatically close areas to specific activities, but rather it guides federal agencies to consult with NMFS if their actions may affect critical habitat,” agency officials wrote. “In the case of commercial fisheries… we consider it unlikely that the

stormy weather in November hampered their ability to work underwater. In surveys this year, divers noted that the purple urchins

he pandemic put the kibosh on

Since a combination of the warm-water

did not re-enter the cleaned tract near Men-

last year’s efforts to remove purple

blob and El Niño in 2016, California has seen

docino, while some migrated back into the

urchins and restore plots to natu-

an explosion in the population of purple ur-

cleaned test area near Monterey.

ral kelp habitat on the recreational dive side

chins. The purple urchins have decimated

But the greatest discovery the divers

of the program, but commercial divers were

kelp forests, which are prime habitat to the

found was that kelp beds had recovered in

able to remove purple urchins from 10-acre

commercially marketable red urchins. The

the tracts.

tracts near Mendocino and Monterey.

proliferation of the purple urchins and the

“If we could do this in several locations,

“The recreational side during covid was

resultant “urchin barrens” have spurred joint

we could keep the kelp coming back,” says

pretty much halted,” says Josh Russo, presi-

efforts by commercial and recreational divers

Russo. “To go from bare ground to a flourish-

dent of the Watermen’s Alliance in Suisun

to reclaim habitat by removing and grinding

ing kelp forest in one year is amazing.”

City. Stiff protocols with travel and visitation

up the purps for use as compost.

Red urchins are still in decline, down to

to some of California’s coastal communities

As for commercial efforts to remove

1.9 million pounds in 2020. This year’s cu-

kept divers from participating in the eradica-

purple urchins last year, divers were able to

mulative harvest stood at just over 1 million

tion of the purps.

gather up more than 30,000 pounds before

pounds as of Aug. 1.

16 National Fisherman \ October 2021

— Charlie Ess

www.nationalfisherman.com

AROUND THE COASTS

designation of critical habitat would result in different fishery management measures than would already be implemented for the protection of Southern Resident killer whales, endangered salmon, and other listed species.” The rule grew out of a 2014 petition to NMFS from the Center for Biological Diversity seeking revisions to the critical habitat designation to include “inhabited marine waters along the West Coast of the United States that constitute essential foraging and wintering areas,” specifically the region between Cape Flattery, Wash., and Point Reyes, Calif. The Center for Biological Diversity sued the agency in federal court to expedite rulemaking and set a deadline, and an April 2019 settlement required NMFS to complete and submit a proposed rule later that year. — Kirk Moore

Nation/World Continued from page 13

it’s a really good policy framework that’s stood the test of time. It’s not set up to deal with shifting stocks driven by climate change. So we have to tackle that.” Better science and data have been the rallying cry of fi shermen around the country for more than a decade. Recognition of climatic shifts has opened the door to legislate improving scientific standards across the board. “Rigorous science and accountability across all sectors should be the fi rst response to the call for developing climate-ready fi sheries,” said Chris Brown, a Rhode Island commercial fi sherman serving as president of the Seafood Harvesters of America. Brown also called out the now widely recognized value of domestic

seafood and the importance of balancing fi sheries access with industrial scale development of the ocean. “The concept of our Blue Economy didn’t exist during the last reauthorization; now, we must ensure that the impacts of the everquickening pace of development in our nation’s ocean and its impacts are accounted for in our management system,” said Brown. Huff man notes that bringing fi shing communities and federal managers to the table is the fi rst step, specifically regarding the development of off shore wind power. “Right now, NOAA Fisheries doesn’t really have the authority to be at the table on off shore wind. But they should be. And so should local fi shing communities in these conversations,” Huff man said. — Jessica Hathaway

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FEATURE

OFFSHORE WIND UPDATE

BALANCE OF POWER BOEM and states look at compensation for fishermen displaced by offshore wind energy; endangered whales pose major challenge to developers By Kirk Moore

he federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is working with coastal states to come up with plans for potentially compensating fishermen for lost fishing grounds and other negative effects of developing offshore wind turbine arrays. Fishing industry advocates are pushing anew to get fishermen deeply involved now to minimize impacts from sweeping plans to rapidly develop a U.S. offshore wind industry — and hoping to limit damage to the U.S. food supply. The government’s drive toward creating more offshore wind energy areas in the New York Bight is looking like a repeat of its mistakes in planning southern New England projects and needs to be braked, fishermen said at an Aug. 6 meeting in New Bedford, Mass. “It’s going to be responsible for the destruction of a centuries-old industry that’s only been feeding people,” Bonnie Brady, executive director of the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association, told officials of the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. “If you really want to do that right thing, stop everything” until wind energy areas can be better assessed to accommodate power generation while maintaining fisheries, said Brady. Speaking with fishermen via a Zoom online link, BOEM Director Amanda Lefton opened the meeting by saying the agency has learned from experience and is working to

18 National Fisherman \ October 2021

engage better with the fishing industry and head off conflicts. “We have to improve our engagement with the fishing industry,” said Lefton. “We are doing our best to make changes.” Some changes are coming in how BOEM will review plans for the New York Bight — the arm of the Atlantic between Long Island and New Jersey, adjacent to the voracious New York regional energy market and already targeted for major offshore wind projects. Future new leasing will include requirements for wind developers to report more frequently and be more accountable for how they will deal with issues of environmental impact and effects on fishermen and other maritime users, BOEM officials said. Fishermen said they are skeptical after seeing past performance by the agency and wind developers. “When we give feedback… we want to see it taken seriously and put into the project,” said Katie Almeida, senior representative for government relations at The Town Dock, Point Judith, R.I. “We just need to see some of what we’re saying brought forward… and incorporated into wind farm planning.” “We’ve only been asking for this for six years,” Almeida added. “This can’t be just going forward” with future leases, but should be applied to approved projects like Vineyard Wind and South Fork off southern New England, she said. www.nationalfisherman.com

FEATURE

Fishing advocates urged BOEM to approach planning on a wide regional basis, saying the experience in southern New England has been project by project. “It’s a divide-and-conquer approach, and it’s not a reasonable approach for a federal agency,” said Peter Hughes, general manager of Atlantic Capes Fisheries in Cape May, N.J. BOEM is trying to do better with the New York Bight wind energy areas, including proposed vessel traffic lanes, said Luke Feinberg, a project coordinator with the agency. The need to think regionally should have been evident from the start, said Brady. “I was the one who had to tell them there were like six other states (fleets) that fished there” from Virginia to New England, she said. “That’s where these guys live.” Compensation may take shape One week earlier, the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, a coalition of fishing groups and coastal communities, heard about compensation possibilities in an informal conference call with Lefton and her staff , said RODA Executive Director Annie Hawkins. Lefton mentioned that her agency would be working with state government officials to explore “compensatory mitigation” for fishermen forced out of work by wind farm development, and would begin scheduling meetings for that effort. It also came up during a BOEM presentation to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council in June, said Hawkins. But Hawkins says that process is backward in not including fishermen at the onset of discussions. The funding method needs to be publicly discussed, too, she said. “It’s an impact fee; it’s not mitigation,” said Hawkins. The funding should be calculated early and could be incorporated into wind developers’ power purchase agreements with states, “not doing this at the 11th hour,” she said. To subscribe, call 1-800-959-5073

BOEM

OFFSHORE WIND UPDATE

BOEM is considering changes for New York Bight wind energy areas, including vessel transit lanes (blue corridors) and a buffer zone for the Hudson Canyon scallop access area (blue area).

It must be a regional approach, not project by project, and compensation should come after regulators and developers have done everything possible to minimize negative impacts, Hawkins added. “We want that at the end, after we’ve done everything possible to eliminate the need,” she said. That must include goals for minimizing disruption to the U.S. food supply, Hawkins and other industry advocates say. They foresee potential losses across fisheries, from high-value products like scallops to routine commodities like surf clams that go into canned chowders. In online BOEM scoping meetings, longtime clam industry spokesman David Wallace emphasized the fleet is at risk of losing large parts of its traditional grounds. “If there are no marginal areas to fish, we go out of business,” said Wallace. The government and developers could step in with dedicated funding to compensate for losses, assessed on a per-megawatt basis to pay reimbursement for gear damage and loss of fishing grounds, he said. Surf clam and scallop fishermen said

the deeper ecological and hydrological impacts of building potentially hundreds of turbines need intense study. “Nothing has been done,” said Guy Simmons, senior vice president for marketing, product development, fisheries science and government at Sea Watch International, a major East Coast surf clam operator, during the Aug. 6 meeting. Adding those new structures could alter the Mid-Atlantic cold pool, the seasonal stratification in ocean water temperatures that is a key factor in marine species’ life cycles, said Simmons. “The currents around the turbines are exactly what breaks down the cold pool,” said Simmons, adding “they need to stop everything right now… until the proper environmental considerations” have been studied. “We are taking a hard look at the hydrodynamic implications,” replied Brian Hooker, a marine biologist with BOEM, who added that scientists at the University of Massachusetts and Rutgers University are likewise investigating how new structures might change ocean conditions. “We know that when you put a structure in the water, you change October 2021 \ National Fisherman 19

FEATURE

OFFSHORE WIND UPDATE

Scallop fleet recommends buffer areas The industry group Fisheries Survival Fund and the Port of New Bedford say the New York Bight plans will threaten the entire East Coast scallop fishing industry that brings in more than $425 million dockside annually and much more to the larger U.S. economy. They say one immediate step should be creating a 5-nautical-mile buffer zone between the southeastern edge of the Hudson South Lease Area that’s been proposed by BOEM, and the Hudson Canyon Access Area, highly productive scallop grounds that have supported the industry’s immense success over the last 20 years. In the late 1990s, fishing pressure, declining scallop numbers and fishermen catching smaller scallops brought the fishery to crisis. But fishermen, scientists and regulators regrouped, creating a system of rotational scallop area management that federal scientists say has added more than $1 billion in revenue to coastal communities. The proposed buffer zone would create a 5-nautical-mile strip inside BOEM’s mapped Hudson South wind energy area, standing off any future turbine construction from the southeastern edge that borders the Hudson Canyon scallop access area, said David Frulla, a lawyer with the Washington, D.C., firm Kelley Drye & Warren, who has represented the fund and other fishing groups. “The buffer zone’s purpose is to make sure there is not a wind farm hard up against an access area,” said Frulla. Scallops were worth well over $500 million to coastal economies in 2019 and nearly $750 million “when taking into account their processed value. And 20 National Fisherman \ October 2021

Quintana-Rizzo et al. 2021/Endangered Species Research

currents,” said New Bedford scallop fisherman Eric Hansen. Other effects from building towers and their rockarmored foundations will be increases in blue mussels — competitors to scallops for food in the water column — and scallop predators, including moon snails and sea stars, said Hansen.

Researchers mapped out hot spots of right whales sighted in seven wind energy areas off southern New England, and how those have shifted in recent years.

this does not include the additional economic value added by the remainder of the supply chain until the product ultimately reaches consumers in markets and restaurants,” according to the Fisheries Survival Fund. Scallops are a colossal part of New Bedford’s economy, bringing in $265 million in 2019, or 80 percent of the city’s dockside value that year, according to the New England Fishery Management Council. With their high per-pound values, scallops have an outsized value for ports large and small. Right behind New Bedford in 2019 was Cape May, N.J., with almost $54 million, or 81 percent of its dockside value. Sixty miles north on Long Beach Island, scallops brought in $19.4 million that year, 77 percent of the sales. While offshore wind development may bring new jobs and economic development to coastal communities, “the benefits should not come at the expense of those who have historically relied on the scallop fishery to provide for their families,” the group says. Right whales, wrong areas North Atlantic right whales, one of the most endangered species in the world, are spending more time in southern New England waters where

immense offshore wind energy installations are to be built. An analysis published in the July 29 edition of the journal Endangered Species Research shows how measures to protect the whale population — estimated at only around 366 animals — will be crucial if the Biden administration’s drive to develop offshore wind is to succeed. “We found that right whale use of the region increased during the last decade. And since 2017, whales have been sighted there nearly every month, with large aggregations occurring during the winter and spring,” said Tim Cole, lead of the whale aerial survey team at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center and a co-author of the study, in a summary of the fi ndings issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service. Marine mammal researchers at the New England Aquarium and colleagues at the science center and the Center for Coastal Studies examined aerial survey data collected between 2011-15 and 2017-19 to quantify right whale distribution, residency, demographics and movements in the region. The New England Aquarium used systematic aerial surveys, and the science center and the Center for Coastal Studies directed surveys conducted in areas where right whales were present, www.nationalfisherman.com

FEATURE

The Block Island Wind Farm, the first commercial project in U.S. waters, had four turbines offline for maintenance this summer.

Their movements up and down the East Coast expose the whales to danger from ship strikes, a leading cause of death and injury, along with fishing gear entanglement. NMFS and lobster fishermen are already working under federal court orders to reduce whale encounters, and environmental groups insist more be done in other maritime sectors. NMFS regularly issues advisories for mariners to reduce large ship speeds to 10 knots when whales are sighted during aerial surveys. But studies by NOAA and the environmental group Oceana found that AIS data shows

BOEM

to document aggregations of right whales. Aerial photographs of individual right whales help estimate the whales’ abundance and residency times, and the photos identify individual whales by distinctive patches of raised tissue on their head, lips, and chin, and by scars on their body. Photographs were matched to catalogued individuals in the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium Sighting Database. A total of 327 unique right whales were photographed in the area over the study period. The study used the photographic data in a mark-recapture model to estimate the right whales’ abundance in the area. It showed that between December and May, almost a quarter of the right whale population may be present in the region. The study also found that the residence time for individuals in the area during the winter and spring has increased three-fold to an average of 13 days over the last decade. Up to 23 percent of the right whale population was estimated to be using the wind areas, off Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard and Rhode Island from December to May. That included 30 percent of the population’s females — critical to its survival.

OFFSHORE WIND UPDATE

BOEM is planning new wind energy access areas in the New York Bight, between existing wind leases off southern New England (upper right) and New Jersey. To subscribe, call 1-800-959-5073

shipping routinely violates those speed limits. “The regular presence of right whales in southern New England deserves more attention,” the authors wrote. “The effects of offshore wind development on right whales are unknown, but this enormous development could have a local impact on right whales at a critical time when they are becoming more reliant on the region.” The changing behavior of right whales shows offshore energy planning cannot rely on historic migratory patterns, the authors wrote. Wind developers’ mitigation plans will be critical to whale protection. Vineyard Wind has already agreed to “enhanced mitigation procedures to detect and protect right whales from early winter to mid-May, to avoid pile driving from January to April, and to maintain a comprehensive monitoring effort during the other months of the year that construction might take place,” the paper notes. Amid the offshore wind debate, wind power skeptics saw a shutdown of four turbines at the Block Island Wind Farm — the fi rst U.S. commercial project off Rhode Island — as a warning sign. But a spokesman for operator Ørsted called the summer outage a break for normal scheduled maintenance. Responding to news media inquiries, the company said that included structural inspection of the turbines, in operation since fall 2016. “Part of the work being conducted is the repair of stress lines identified by GE in the turbines,” according to an Aug. 11 statement from the company. “We put four turbines on pause as a precautionary measure and carried out a full risk assessment, which showed the turbines are structurally sound. We expect to complete those repairs and all maintenance in the next few weeks as scheduled.” Kirk Moore is the associate editor for National Fisherman. October 2021 \ National Fisherman 21

BOATS & GEAR

DECK EQUIPMENT

WE GOT YOU COVERED

In rough seas, a vessel’s integrity depends on sound hatches, doors and windows

By Paul Molyneaux

nyone who has ever seen their deck under waves of green water and lived to tell knows the value of reliable hatches. A casual perusal of Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board accident reports will reveal numerous cases of downflooding from hatches that fail or have been poorly secured. Faulty hatches in watertight bulkheads, or over shaft alleys, can also lead to water loss and free-surface effect in live tanks or RSW holds, or flooded engine rooms. Everyone who works on the water has heard horror stories of these sorts of things at one time or another. In this writer’s first blow, September 1978, 200 miles off the northern California coast, a few dozen albacore boats and at least as many lives were lost. “I remember it well, even though I was only in grade school,” says Debbie Spencer, of Brookings, Ore. “I was out with my dad, Howard Rigel, on his 36-foot wooden boat the F/V Dorothy V, 250 miles out. Waves washed all our hatch covers off. We had to turn around, pick them up, and nailed them all on. Listening to all the radio traffic, maydays and the Coast Guard, all night. I looked at my dad and said, ‘We’re going to die, aren’t we?’ My dad responded, ‘Hell no, we’re not going to die. Now you go lay 22 National Fisherman \ October 2021

Paul Molyneaux

Bomar hatches have been around for decades, as has this standard square aboard the New England groundfish and scallop vessel Finlander II. www.nationalfisherman.com

BOATS & GEAR

DECK EQUIPMENT

Eric MacDonald photos

you get up, we’ll be safe.’” Aware that seaworthy hatches, doors and windows are vital for any boat, manufacturers are doing their best to give fishermen what they need. At the Snow & Co. yard in Seattle, the Wizard, of “Deadliest Catch” fame, is getting new doors from a Norwegian manufacturer, Libra. “She took a wave that went through the wheelhouse,” says Eric MacDonald, Pacific Northwest sales manager for Imtra, a New Bedford, Mass.-based company that sells the Libra doors. “That wiped out everything. So when they were redoing the wheelhouse, they decided to replace the doors, too.” According to MacDonald, the Wizard owners chose aluminum doors in steel

The king crabber Wizard took a sea through the wheelhouse. The rebuild includes new Libra doors, sold by Imtra Corp. of New Bedford, Mass.

have to be exact, but with the L it has a little play.” MacDonald measured the area, and they sent the specs to Norway, where the doors are manufactured and then shipped by sea or air freight. “Because of the quick turnaround time on this one, we used air freight.” The original doors of the king crabber Wizard required each Imtra sells three kinds dog to be turned. of Libra doors — alumiframes with the largest possible ports. num, steel and GRP, which is a type of “I went down to the Snow yard here fiberglass. in Seattle and measured for the new “We also sell UV shades,” says Macdoors. We have two types of frames, flat Donald, noting that he supplied some and L. With the flat, the measurements for the Progress, which also had its To subscribe, call 1-800-959-5073

wheelhouse windows smashed, and the wheelhouse flooded, while fishing in the Bering Sea. “We try to get people to use the UV shades when they’re building. It’s easier than when it’s an afterthought.” Windows are important, too. And Bomar, the well-known maker of hatches, has brought out a new line of windows that includes steel frames. “We’ve been making hatches forever,” says Bomar Sales Manager Bob Touton. “But coming out of the recreational boatbuilding recession of 2008, it became apparent that we had to diversify across different product lines. It took a few years to get the right people in, but we’re fortunate to have Tom Norton, October 2021 \ National Fisherman 23

BOATS & GEAR

Skippers Fisheries

DECK EQUIPMENT

Skippers Fisheries in Nova Scotia makes a variety of hatches for fishing vessels of all sizes.

“Our hatches have a stainless-steel frame that is screwed into the deck of the boat, and that holds a 3/4-inch rubber gasket. And the covers are made from 1/4-inch aluminum.” — Tristen Goodwin, Skippers Fisheries/Comeau Sea Food

if you don’t need a Lloyds certificate, it can get the job done and save you some money.” Different agencies certify the integrity of hatches and doors on commercial vessels. In the United States, hatches, doors and windows exposed to the elements generally need to be watertight or weathertight. According to Coast Guard rules, watertight means “designed and constructed

Baier Marine

from Maine, and he’s been working with our engineers in New Hampshire. And we now have an entirely revamped line of commercial products.” Touton notes that Bomar products are aimed at smaller fishing vessels, so they can cross over into other markets. “We still make our cast aluminum hatches, which we’ve been making for decades. And over the last several years, we’ve made deck access plates, where

to withstand a static head of water without any leakage.” Weathertight means that “water will not penetrate into the unit in any sea condition.” “A hinged window or a sliding window is at best going to be weathertight,” says Touton. “With a fixed window, there are different ratings, depending on the size and the thickness of glass you’re going to float into it, and then the frame has its own integrity.” Bomar’s new line of windows includes the option of steel frames for welding into steel vessels, and aluminum frames for aluminum and fiberglass vessels. The glass can be tempered, laminate, and even fire rated. Skippers Fisheries, in Lower Woods Harbor, Nova Scotia, has been making flush-mount deck hatches for Canadian lobster boats for years, and the company’s products are common on U.S. lobster boats. “A lot of lobster boats are open stern now, and they like the flush mount so they can stack the traps on deck and set them without anything to catch on,” says Tristen Goodwin, assistant welding manager at Comeau Sea Foods, which owns Skippers. “Our hatches have a stainless-steel frame that is screwed into the deck of the boat, and that holds a 3/4-inch rubber gasket. And the covers are made from ¼-inch aluminum,” says Goodwin. “We have a special recipe for aluminum that’s made for us to use for hatches, and those dog down into the rubber, which makes a really nice watertight seal. A lot

Baier Marine makes hatches that can be found on many vessels, including the F/V Keta. 24 National Fisherman \ October 2021

www.nationalfisherman.com

BOATS & GEAR

of fishermen really like that, especially when they’re covering up their fish hold. Because they don’t want contaminants in the fish.” The U.S. Coast Guard also has strict regulations regarding coamings on some hatches. “We make hatches for coamings on swordfish boats and draggers,” says Goodwin. “Where they have ice and want to keep the hold cold. We also make insulated hatches.” Skippers makes reinforced hatch covers for engine rooms, and hatches that are dogged using a special wrench. On the West Coast, Baier Marine is putting hatches on many commercial vessels including the Alaska king crab vessel Keta, which underwent a major conversion at Fred Wahl’s yard in Reedsport, Ore. (See the full story on page 26.) “Our aluminum hatch sales are continuing strong,” says Alexander R. “Sandy” Smith, director of Business Development at Baier Marine. We saw a little dip because of covid, but not much.” Baier makes a range of hatches, including flush-deck (hinged and pull-up) and internal hinge watertight hatches. According to Smith, Baier has designed a high-quality hatch that works, and the company appears to be following the old saying: If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.

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DECK EQUIPMENT

Freeman produces rugged, long-lasting products, like these aluminum deck hatches.

Freeman Marine Equipment began in 1976, making hatches in a garage in Gold Beach, Ore. Since then it has grown to become a recognized and highly respected international name in

commercial boat products. Today, Freeman sells to more than 50 countries, from the Bahamas and China to Turkey and Uruguay. According to Harmony Poisson, the marketing specialist at Avantec, which now owns Freeman, the company has several new products in the pipeline. “Unfortunately, we are not ready to talk about them yet,” she says. At present, the company makes everything from cast aluminum oval deck hatches to watertight and weathertight doors. Freeman’s fi xed and opening portlights and heavy-duty windows have also found homes on many commercial fishing vessels. In addition to its hatches, doors and windows, Freeman also provides several online services, including instructional videos, documents, product support, and the company’s own naval architects. When it gets breezy offshore and rigging starts to sing, a vessel’s integrity — and the lives of her crew — depends on sound hatches, doors and windows, and the companies that make them. Paul Molyneaux is the Boats & Gear editor for National Fisherman and author of “The Doryman’s Reflection.”

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October 2021 \ National Fisherman 25

BOATS & GEAR

BOATBUILDING

Equipped with a Fred Wahl designed and built crane, the lengthened Keta will be able to handle more crab pots and quota.

Fred Wahl Marine Construction photos

IN THE LONG RUN

The 45-year-old F/V Keta gets a stretch to increase her capacity in Alaska’s king crab fishery By Paul Molyneaux

he Hansen Boat Co. of Everett, Wash., built the F/V Keta in 1976. Since then, the vessel has made a name for herself, landing king crab from the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska. At 83 feet, the Keta was considered a small boat for working in the Bering Sea crab fishery, especially in winter. She is currently at Fred Wahl Marine Construction in Reedsport, Ore., undergoing her second conversion and growing into a 123-foot vessel. According to Gary Isaksen, a Bristol Bay salmon fisherman and model-boat builder, his father, Bert Isaksen and two partners had the boat built. “The name Keta comes from the names of the owner’s wives,” says Isaksen. “The K was for Kay Leland, and

26 National Fisherman \ October 2021

the E for Elsie Langeseter. The T is for Togetherness, and the A is for Arlene, my mother. It’s unfortunate my father is no longer alive to talk about the boat. He hung on for 93 years. He immigrated from Norway and fished Bristol Bay back when it was still sail.” Isaksen recalls that his father sold the boat to Buddy Bernstein of Sand Point, Alaska, brother of current owner David Wilson, who has taken on a new partner, Leif Manus, formerly of Trident Seafoods. Both have graciously condoned this story but declined to be interviewed. Sometime in the 1980s the Keta was reportedly sponsoned and lengthened at Marco Shipyard in Seattle out to 100 feet. A photo posted by Ralph Pelkey on Facebook purports to show her at Akutan, Alaska, in www.nationalfisherman.com

BOATS & GEAR

BOATBUILDING

After cutting 60 feet off the Keta, the crew at Fred Wahl Marine Construction added 83 feet of new steel, making the new Keta 123 feet overall.

1984, before she was widened. Another fisherman familiar with the Keta, Dylan Hatfield, understands that the owners are putting crab quota from other vessels onto the Keta, hence the need to further extend and slightly widen the boat. “She was laid up somewhere,” Hatfield says. “And as far as I know, they weren’t going to fish her, just as a tender.” The Keta will still be a tender, and will likely be active again in 2022. The plan was to have the boat ready in April of this year, but covid-19 delays slowed the project. Nonetheless, the team at Fred Wahl has hammered away at what has been the vessel’s biggest transformation so far. “We cut off 60 feet and added 83,” says Mike Wahl. “She’ll be 123 feet overall.” According to Wahl, all the design and engineering work was done in-house by the yard’s people. Wahl’s engineers scanned the Keta’s To subscribe, call 1-800-959-5073

hull in April 2020, and the vessel arrived at in Reedsport in September that year. By December, the yard had cut off more than half the vessel and moved the forward section into the one of its large

steel buildings for the serious work. With the original engine and generators — a 3508 Cat and a couple of 3306 Cat packages — removed, the yard installed a new main engine and three gensets.

The Keta as she arrived at Fred Wahl Marine Construction in Reedsport, Ore., in September of 2020. Coronavirus problems added seven months of delays to the conversion. October 2021 \ National Fisherman 27

BOATS & GEAR

BOATBUILDING

We cut off 60 feet and added 83. She’ll be 123 feet overall.” —Mike Wahl, FRED WAHL MARINE CONSTRUCTION

The stretch gave the Keta increased fish-hold capacity. Upgrades included two new 50-ton IMS refrigerated seawater systems for handling salmon when she’s tendering.

“David [Wilson] has been a good customer of ours,” says Curtis Clausen of Hatton Marine, the company that supplied the engines. “We put an S6R2 into Wilson’s other boat, the Lady

Joann. But the Keta is a bigger boat. We put an S12R in her with a Twin Disc MG540 gear with 5.1:1 reduction. They also put in three Bollard MER gensets, two 250-kW 6060 John Deeres, and a

65-kw 4045 John Deere.” According to Clausen, Hatton provides some support to Wahl’s. “We wired up the engine room panel and the helm panel,” he says. Having the stern off made the repowering much easier. “It’s the time to do it,” says Mike Wahl. “We’ve done it that way once or twice before, or with the deck off. We had to build up the bed for the main, but the gensets were on skids, so we could slide them in.” The 1,100-hp S12R Mitsubishi is a Tier III engine. “Because it was a repower of a Tier 0, they didn’t need to go to Tier 4,” says Wahl.

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BOATS & GEAR

BOATBUILDING

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pre-engineered steel plate. “It’s all precut from DNC files with our plasma cutter,” says Wahl. “We used all new steel, 3/8" and 5/16".” The new hold will keep king crab in live tanks and is also equipped with two 50-ton RSW systems for tendering salmon. “If a vessel needs a 100-ton system or more, we prefer to do two or more smaller systems,” says Kurt Ness of Integrated Marine Systems, which

The new extension marks the latest in a long series of transformations owners have made to the Keta, which was launched in 1976 as an 83-footer.

With the engines in, Wahl put in an all new Aquamet 22 6-inch-diameter tail shaft and two or three middle shafts and tubing. “We start with a preliminary laser, and then use optical alignment as

we start putting on the new stern. It’s pretty intense. We put guides on to keep everything in line as we build.” Having scanned the vessel, Wahl built up the new stern and hold with

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BOATS & GEAR

BOATBUILDING

supplied the RSW packages for the Keta. “That way, if one goes down, you don’t lose your season.” According to Ness, IMS works frequently with Wahl, and usually just supplies the components. “We hang it all and install the compressors and everything,” says Mike Wahl. “Then IMS comes down and does the initial charging of the system.” Carrying so much water and slush in the hold of a vessel that size might raise some stability concerns. But according to Wahl, tonnage frames and bin boards reduce the movement of the water and the free surface effect that can cause problems. Crabber Dylan Hatfield confirms that the water is not a problem for most vessels. “We keep the tanks pressed all the time,” he says. “The water flows up over the coaming and down under the false deck, as long as you have scuppers enough to get rid of that water, it’s

To subscribe, call 1-800-959-5073

The Keta’s new main engine is equipped with a 5.1:1 Twin Disc MG540 gear, turning an 82 x 60 three-blade stainless steel propeller.

not an issue.” Hatfield adds that live tanks keep crab remarkably well, even when packing thousands of pounds. “We don’t see more than 2 percent mortality,” he says. “We usually get less

than 1 percent.” The team at Fred Wahl Marine Construction finished off the aft section with a new propeller and rudder, and then moved forward. “We put in a

October 2021 \ National Fisherman 31

BOATS & GEAR

BOATBUILDING

Ready for launch, the Keta has been repainted her original blue. Keta’s owners hope to have her back in Alaska making money soon.

couple of transducer tubes,” says Mike Wahl. “Then we put on a bulbous bow and made the ice belt thicker. We did some repair work on the crew quarters. She has room for about six crew members.”

Wahl’s team did not do anything new with the electronics. According to Steve Wallace at Lunde Marine Electronics, the last time the Keta got a big electronics package was when the wheelhouse was replaced in 1994.

“She got a couple of Furuno radars, a sounder, a gyro, an autopilot and a couple of sidebands,” says Wallace. “All we did this year was sell them a new computer. It’s a navigation computer they use with ECC-Globe. That’s a chart system all the boats use up in the Bering Sea.” With the Keta painted her traditional blue, Wahl launched the boat in July 2021 with sea trials scheduled for August. “We did the preliminary stability work,” he says. “But the final stability report will be done after sea trials.” Because of pandemic-related delays, Keta missed tendering this year’s sockeye season in Bristol Bay. But for a vessel that has already put 45 years of fishing under her keel, a new hull and repower should bring many more to come. Paul Molyneaux is the Boats & Gear editor for National Fisherman and author of “The Doryman’s Reflection.”

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ON DECK

Mail Buoy

Northern Lights

Continued from page 5

Continued from page 7

concerns expressed by fishermen on the call was the need for a buffer zone between the southeastern edge of the Hudson South Lease Area and the Hudson Canyon Access Area. Stakeholders argued in favor of a five-mile buffer zone, which would help protect the HCAA from the negative environmental effects of offshore wind development. According to estimates in a published scientific paper leadauthored by the lead federal scallop scientist, the HCAA has added well over a billion dollars in revenues to coastal communities in the last two decades. Offshore wind presents many potential environmental threats to marine ecosystems. The assembly of turbines displaces large amounts of sediment on the seafloor, creating scour and sediment plumes that can interfere with scallop growth and fi lter-feeding processes. The turbine arrays themselves can disrupt ocean currents and thus scallop larval flow and settlement. Wind farms create habitats for other fi lter feeding species like mussels, which compete for available phytoplankton, change the biological makeup of the surrounding area, and interfere with the sustainability of the resource. Young scallops also face increased predation from marine life known to proliferate in wind energy installations such as starfish and moon snails. Seismic activity involved in wind farm site assessment activities has also been shown to damage scallops. During the meeting, representatives from both the scallop industry and the Port of New Bedford argued that BOEM has been more responsive to concerns of wind developers and other ocean user groups like the military and commercial shipping interests than to those of fishermen. They called for in-person meetings with fishermen to discuss impacts from the proposed wind lease areas. By conducting meetings strictly online, BOEM is excluding many fishermen who are not accustomed to and well-equipped for Zoom and other online platforms. Meaningful personal engagement is necessary to ensure equity and reduce negative impacts of offshore development in the New York Bight area. While the Fisheries Survival Fund appreciates that new jobs in coastal communities and economic growth could accompany offshore wind development, the benefits should not come at the expense of those who have historically relied on the scallop fishery to provide for their families. The Fisheries Survival Fund hopes to engage in meaningful, honest discussion with both developers and BOEM to mitigate impacts, preserve access, and protect the livelihoods of fishermen throughout the East Coast.

messages of sustainability, we’re able to offer a wide range of sustainably sourced seafood and broaden the species we feature — and we’ve set a target to have fish and seafood comprise 10 percent of the dishes on our menus.

What’s next for Sodexo with sustainable seafood? This fall, we’re launching global Love of Seafood campaigns to celebrate sustainable fish and seafood. Our messaging will help our restaurant guests learn more about sustainable seafood, its benefits for the environment, and the overall health and nutrition benefits it offers. As part of this months-long effort, our chefs are creating new ways to feature fish and seafood as a delicious choice in our cafés. These campaigns feature stunning food photography and visuals to entice our guests to try new fish and seafood dishes, and we’re highlighting regional and local species in our restaurants whenever possible as part of our educational efforts.

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October 2021 \ National Fisherman 33

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BOATS & GEAR

AROUND THE YARDS

NORTHEAST

Libby boats designed to pack a lot of weight; diesel record set at Maine lobster boat races

The East Side Boat Shop launched the “Yes Dear,” a 41 Libby, for a Rockland lobsterman.

he East Side Boat Shop in Machiasport, Maine, launched the “Yes Dear,” a 41' x 15' 8" Libby with a 1,000-hp FPT, for a Rockland, Maine, lobsterman. Frank Coffin, the shop’s owner, figures the FPT will easily get the “Yes Dear” to 32 or 33 knots. He describes the “Yes Dear” as a “standard plain-Jane lobster boat. Nothing fancy.” It is composite constructed with a split wheelhouse, V-berths forward, an open stern with a tailgate, but no lobster tanks or rope lockers. The East Side Boat Shop has the Libby 34, 38, 41 and 47 molds. Coffin has found the Ernest Libby designed hulls to be very good at carrying a lot of weight. The owner of a 47 Libby that Coffin built a few years back reported that with 220 lobster traps aboard, along with all its trawl ropes and bay ropes and full fuel tanks, she was able to cruise at 15 to 16 knots. The boat’s owner told Coffin, “I’d like to see any of these other hulls go that fast with that much weight in them.” Coffin attributes the Libby weightcarrying capacity to the hull’s rocker. “The Libby’s got a different type of

rocker in her. They don’t jump up; they just rise as they are going along. They ride their weight more on the middle of the boat.” The fourth week in June, another 41 Libby was nearly completed for a lobsterman on Bailey Island, Maine. She’s outfitted a bit more extensively than the “Yes Dear,”with lobster tanks, a rope locker, aluminum framed windows, stainless steering and an on-demand hydraulic system. A 700-hp Volvo should have her cruising at 28 to 29 knots. In the yard outside the shop is a hull that will be a plug for a new 41 Libby mold. This one will have a 10-inch

34 National Fisherman \ October 2021

Friendship Boats

East Side Boat Shop

By Michael Crowley

deeper keel to allow for a bigger wheel and 5- to 7-inch-higher sides. “These guys are running such horsepower now,” says Coffin, “that you can’t get a wheel under her. The average now is 800 to 1,000 hp.You don’t need it.” Maine’s lobster boat racing passed the halfway mark with races at Stonington on July 11, Friendship on July 18 and Harpswell on July 25; 142 boats showed up for the three races. More boats would undoubtedly have come were it not for heavy rain and choppy racing conditions at Friendship and Harpswell. The Harpswell “races were fun to watch to see if they could keep them on the bottom; (the boats) were mostly in the air,” says Jon Johansen, president of Maine Lobster Boat Racing. The rainy conditions also meant that speeds weren’t available for most races. Though that wasn’t an issue at Stonington with 75 boats, including Wild Wild West, a West 28 with a 1,050-hp Isotta, which showed up for its first race of the season. She set a new diesel record, hitting 61.6 mph in the Non-Working Boats, any length, and any horsepower class. Blue Eyed Girl, a Morgan Bay 38 with a 900-hp Scania, which won several races earlier in the season, took first in Diesel Class K, 701 to 900 hp, 28 feet to 39 feet 11 inches, the Fastest Lobster Boat Afloat race and the Andrew Gove Memorial Cup — Fastest Working Lobster Boat. Andrew Gove died at 90 after a long career of fishing and racing his boat Uncle’s UFO, a Northern Bay 36 with a Continued on page 37

Downeast Nightmare was the top boat at the Harpswell races.

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BOATS & GEAR

AROUND THE YARDS

SOUTH

OSV becomes oyster planter in Alabama yard; museum shop finishes last of late builder’s deadrises

Larry Chowning

By Larry Chowning

Hopeful Harvest is a Gulf of Mexico offshore supply vessel converted to a Chesapeake Bay oyster planter.

he 96' x 24' Hopeful Harvest recently made the eight-day voyage from the Gulf of Mexico to Chesapeake Bay with its captain and crew from Bayou La Batre, Ala. As mentioned in the August column, Bayou Shipbuilding & Services in Mobile, Ala., converted the offshore supply vessel into an oyster planter for W.E. Kellum Seafood in Weems,Va. The hull of Hopeful Harvest was built in 1982 as an OSV used to haul supplies, and certified then to carry 32 passengers to and from oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. Jeff Kellum, one of three brothers who own W.E. Kellum Seafood and Kellum Brothers, says he purchased the boat in Venice, La., at a bank foreclosure sale. Bayou Shipbuilding & Services

Larry Chowning

sandblasted and painted the boat and made changes to accommodate the Kellums’ oyster planting business. As an OSV, starboard and port deck sides were solid from the house to the stern. The yard cut rectangular slots in the sides so spat and shell can be blown through the slots off the deck and into the water. A high-pressure water cannon was installed just aft of the house to blast the shell and spat off the deck. The cannon pump runs off a Caterpillar 3208 Diesel engine. Hopeful Harvest can carry 3,000 bushels of shell or spat which can be offloaded in 20 minutes. The yard also reworked the wheel and shaft and built a containment trough under the shaft so when water collects it can be pumped out by way of a bilge pump.

This 25-foot deadrise bottom was sent to the Deltaville Maritime Museum boatshop to be finished. To subscribe, call 1-800-959-5073

New World Electronics of Bayou La Batre installed a Furuno radar, Si-Tex satellite compass, Simrad A2004 autopilot pack, Comnav Jog Lever steering system, and a VHF radio. The boat has a stateroom with four bunks and a full galley to accommodate crew. Hopeful Harvest is powered by two 12V-71, 450-hp Detroit Diesel engines, and it has two Detroit 3-71 30-kW marine diesel generators to run the electrical system. Since the boat arrived in Weems, the Kellumses have used it to plant six loads of spat and shell on Temple Bay oyster rock in the Rappahannock River for Virginia’s Oyster Replenishment Program. A couple years ago, I was invited to see the last boat built by Francis “Pap” Harper Jones of Ocran, Va., who on his death left a wooden deadrise hull unfinished inside his shop. His death in 1979 brought an end to the work on the boat and the operation of his boatshop. The unfinished hull sat inside the shop for 40 years. For a longtime boating writer, it was like an archaeologist entering an Egyptian tomb and finding a pharaoh’s golden casket. There was an array of planks, fasteners and old tools left from the last day Jones worked, and the hull was perfectly preserved. This brings up an interesting aspect of boatbuilding seldom mentioned: What’s to be done with that last boat, still in the shed and no one left to finish it? That was the dilemma of Martha Oliver and Willard “Tuna” Norris of Deltaville, Va., whose father, Willard Hamilton Norris, passed away on Jan. 7, 2021, at 94 years of age. (See the April 2021 column). When Norris died, there was a 25' x 9' deadrise hull under construction in his shop and the family ended up giving it to the Deltaville Maritime Museum boatshop. “Martha and Tuna were getting ready to sell the house and boat shed, and needed a place for the boat to go,” says John England, museum boatshop director. “We used the block and tackle in the ceiling of Willard’s boatshop to hoist the Continued on page 37 October 2021 \ National Fisherman 35

BOATS & GEAR

AROUND THE YARDS

Oregon yard extends a couple of crabbers; dragger and crabber repaired at Washington shop By Michael Crowley

Fred Wahl Marine Construction

Fred Wahl Marine Construction sponsoned and lengthened the Winona J.

he Winona J arrived at Fred Wahl Marine Construction in Reedsport, Ore., measuring 68' x 22'. The West Coast crabber and shrimper left at the end of June, after being sponsoned and lengthened to 70' x 31' 8". And whereas she could only use the front fish hold before, “now it can use both tanks and still have crab pots onboard,” says Fred Wahl Marine’s Mike Wahl. A much more extensive rebuilding job involved the 98' x 32' Bering Sea crabber Keta that was hauled out at Fred Wahl Marine Construction for seven months. It didn’t take long before that length measurement changed, starting with cutting off the hull aft of the engine room bulkhead and discarding it. Its replacement stretches back 83 feet, giving the Keta an overall length of 123 feet. While the new stern section was being built, the engine room was gutted out, rewired, and given new generators and a new 1,100-hp Mitsubishi main engine. The Keta’s additional length increased its fish hold

36 National Fisherman \ October 2021

and fuel carrying capacities. (See the feature story on page 26.) After the Keta left on sea trials at the end of July, work continued on a 58' x 30' spec boat. It should be completed by mid-August when the Alaska Trojan, which fishes out of Dutch Harbor, is due in to be sponsoned from 130' x 30' to 130' x 41'. The additional beam will give her “more pot carrying capacity and allow her to fish in harder weather,” says Wahl.

Smaller projects included the 68' x 24' Noyo Dawn, a shrimper and crabber out of California that was hauled for some work on her prop and a paint job. Another short-term project was the 72-foot shrimper and crabber Excalibur that received a paint job and a new Nautican system. Instead of buying a new engine, “he’s trying to gain as much efficiency as he can out of the (existing) engine,” says Wahl. Expanding its appeal to owners of larger vessels, Fred Wahl Marine Construction, which currently has a 685-ton travel lift, will have a new 820-ton travel lift in operation this fall. Hansen Boat Co. in Everett, Wash., had a couple of boats in from Seattle’s Fury Group for dry-docking and repairs. They were the Arctic Fury, a 135-foot pollock, hake and whiting dragger, and the 125-foot Ocean Fury, a crabber and salmon tender. The Arctic Fury had corrosion issues at the ends of its two generators. They needed to be removed from the boat but couldn’t be taken out through the interior passageway. So a hole was cut in the deck, and the two generator ends were pulled up through the opening, rebuilt and then reinstalled. Before leaving, the Arctic Fury’s hull and bottom were painted. Work on the Ocean Fury was more extensive. She was in for nearly two

Hansen Boat Co. dry-docked the dragger Arctic Fury to have its generators overhauled and bottom painted.

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Hansen Boat Co.

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BOATS & GEAR

AROUND THE YARDS

months for engine and shaft work. N.C. Machinery did most of the engine work with some assistance from Hansen Boat. “They had the head off and basically did a rebuild, though not 100 percent,” said Hansen Boat Co.’s Rick Hansen. One of the shaft bearings was replaced. Then on the dripless stuffing box, the seal was removed and replaced by the spare seal that’s around the shaft, and a new spare seal went on the shaft. The split clamping plate for the seal was worn and needed to be remachined. In addition, the water supply hose that lubricates it was replaced. “So, there’s a little bit of messing around with their stuffing box,” says Hansen. It’s not a matter of pulling the packing out and putting packing back in “because it’s set up with a mechanical seal on it.” The deck crane also had issues that required general maintenance, including resealing the bottom of the crane to prevent hydraulic leakage. Hansen said the Ocean Fury is an early Marco boat, built sometime in the 1970s “as a standard Marco crab boat. They’ve kept it up. It comes in about every two years with a wish list of things to do.”

Around the Yards: Northeast

Around the Yards: South

Continued from page 34

Continued from page 35

900-hp Mack. He raced up until the last couple of years of his life. At Friendship, where 30 boats showed up, Blue Eyed Girl also won her races. But La Bella Vita, a Northern Bay 38 with an 815-hp FPT, was close in both the Diesel Class K and the Diesel FreeFor-All, losing by only a boat length. Foolish Pleasure, a 30-foot Riley Beal with a 650-hp 455 Stroker, which usually runs in the low-40 mph range, was the fastest gas-powered boat at Friendship, winning Gasoline Class D, V-8, 376 hp and over, 28 feet and over and the Gasoline Free for All. The attendance was a little better at Harpswell but not great, with just 37 boats arriving. No one came from the eastward or Downeast, as Mainers say. Among those deciding to stay home were Blue Eyed Girl,Wild Wild West and Foolish Pleasure. The top boat of the day was Downeast Nightmare, a Mussel Ridge 28 with a 1,000-hp Chevy with a blower. She won her class, Gasoline Class E, V-8, Over 525 cid, 28 feet and over, supercharged/turbos, as well as the Gasoline Free For All and the Fastest Lobster Boat race.

boat up onto our trailer and then we hauled it to our boatshop,” he says. “We are going to finish it off exactly the way Willard would have done it.” The museum plans to sell the boat on completion. But before it’s sold, the organization plans to hold a celebration to honor Norris and to thank the Norris family for donating the boat, says England. “We are delighted and honored to have the opportunity to finish Willard Norris’s last boat!” he says. The structural elements of the boat — including the 8" x 8" keel, chine log and timbers — are made from yellow pine. The cross-planked bottom and longitudinally laid sides are made of spruce. The bottom will be glassed over with 1208 biaxial cloth and resin. England says the museum boatshop has built several deadrise boats of this size. Oystermen find the platform to be ideal for working in Virginia’s wintertime public oyster dredge fishery. “I don’t think we will have any trouble finding a home for this boat,” says England. “It is ideal for working crab pots and dredging oysters, and it is Willard’s last boat.”

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October 2021 \ National Fisherman 37

BOATS & GEAR

PRODUCT ROUNDUP

An outboard with smooth moves ZF Marine introduces new two-speed outboard transmission By Brian Hagenbuch

F Marine recently rolled out the first two-speed transmission for outboards, the result of a four-year collaboration with outboard masters Mercury Marine. The new transmission is part of the recently revealed V12 Verado Outboard, and ZF is touting it as a “game changer.” “This project emphasizes our leading position in propulsion technology and successful collaboration with our long-standing partner Mercury Marine. The collaboration was defined with the objective of developing the most powerful and innovative engine in the market, and the trust in ZF Marine as the right partner,” said Federico Decio, ZF’s vice president of Industrial Technology. ZF has used two-speed transmissions before, but never applied them to

outboards, where they “perfectly match engine characteristics to different operative modes.” And regardless of operative modes, the two speeds help maximize propulsion demands by matching engine power and propeller demand. “In this particular case, the twospeed transmission delivers maximum torque and acceleration in the first gear, and then silently shifts to the second gear for cruising efficiency and thrilling top speed. Shifting is almost imperceptible,” ZF said in a press release. Proportional valves drive the transmission’s wet clutch and shifting, making for the smooth shifting while providing optimal low speed capabilities, perfect for trolling, docking and maneuvering in general. An available joystick system increases precision and

Switch hitting with slinkies Integrity Machining dials in perfect balance for blackcod haulers By Brian Hagenbuch

hen much of the West Coast blackcod fleet switched from longlining with hooks to slinky pots, their old hauling systems were not quite working out for them. They needed just a little more power to their hauler without the expense of completely changing the vessel’s hydraulic system. Washington-based Integrity Machining had the answer for them. Integrity Sales Engineer Brad Tibbs said in some cases his team simply doubled the amount of oil in the hydraulic system. “For example, most boats have 20 gallons for oil, and you have to put 40 gallons of oil in. That allows us to quadruple the amount of power that longline puller has,” Tibbs said.

38 National Fisherman \ October 2021

Tibbs added this can be too much power if skippers want to switch back to hooks, noting that it can snap lines if skippers turn their heads. But the engineers at Integrity had a solution for that as well. “We added an additional pressure relief valve to limit the amount of power that the hauler had, so when someone is fishing with hooks, they can dial it way back down to around 1,100 PSI, and that is perfect for hooks,” Tibbs said. Then when switching back to slinky pots, that valve can be bumped back up to a pulling power around 1,900 PSI, which provides ample force for pulling slinky pots. Integrity provides several sizes of the Nordic brand haulers, although Tibbs said most of the conversions have been on 58-foot limit seiners with

Two speeds are better than one.

smoothness. Tim Reid, the vice president of Product Development for Mercury Marine, explained that acceleration is fast and smooth with the two-speed transmission. “First gear is 20 percent lower than second gear, which generates high propeller torque, and the ability to accelerate the boat and get it on plane quickly. The engine continues to deliver power and accelerations through its power shift, all the way to rated speed,” Reid said. ZF MARINE www.zf.com

24-inch haulers. His new project, however, is to help usher smaller boats into the slinky pot revolution, which has him working on juicing up Enough power, but not too much. 17-inch haulers so they are able to pull in soft pots. “Right now it’s the big boats that are changing over, but there are a lot of smaller boats that have quota to catch, and I’ve seen a lot of interest in there in using slinky pots as well,” Tibbs said. Integrity also offers several kinds of 10-inch and 12-inch longline haulers in davit-style, bulkhead or hanging models. INTEGRITY MACHINING www.integrityseattle.com

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BOATS & GEAR

PRODUCTS AT A GLANCE

Stainless steel manufacturer ASANO has released a new DOUBLE AUTO SHACKLE, a new addition to the Japanese maker’s auto shackle line for purse seining. This new shackle has two gates on either end that open by sticking a stainless spike into a hole in the body. It allows for the net and purse ring to be connected without couplings or hammer locks, which reduces the need for hardware and makes connecting and disconnecting the net faster, safer and easier.

ASANO

www.asano-metal.co.jp/en

SCHMITT & ONGARO’S stainless steel DESTROYER WHEEL is a rugged option for both interior and exterior helm stations. Ten different diameters are available from 11 to 30 inches, with five or six spoke models that come in standard black or chrome plated. The wheels fit 1- or 3/4-inch tapered shafts, and finger grips and control knobs are available on some versions. All wheels are manufactured from strong, low-maintenance stainless steel, with polyurethane grips available.

GPS is great, but all boats still need a reliable compass. The RITCHIE SS2000 SUPERSPORT NAVIGATOR provides a heading in the fog and rolling seas. It can be also become indispensable in the case of loss of power. The compass combines PowerDamp technology and DirectiveForce magnets (to maintain a sure heading even in harsh weather) with a large clear dome with LED lighting. Plus, bright numbers and degree marks make it easy to read.

FURUNO’S new WV100 WAVE ANALYZER PC SOFTWARE uses the sensitivity of its X-Band and S-Band radars for real-time sea-surface monitoring. Detailed wave data shows the height, direction, and period of pending waves, important information for onboard safety. The Wave Spectrum Display is color-coded, which means just a glance can alert skippers to anomalous waves. Data can be shared with other vessels as well as with the shore, aiding in navigation around ports.

RITCHIE NAVIGATION

FURUNO

www.ritchienavigation.com

www.furuno.com

The CFX3 line from DOMETIC provides several ice-free cooler options that all work with 12-, 24- or 120-volt connections. Rated by the number of 12-ounce cans they can hold, the CFX3 line comes in sizes from 25 to 100. A strong compressor can cool down to 7.6 degrees F, and the temperatures can be adjusted via a smartphone app. The coolers are built for outdoor use, with rugged construction and a weatherproof interface that displays operating status.

MARINE SUPER DIESEL ADDITIVE from LIQUI MOLY is a simple, cheap, and easy way to keep your diesel engine running smoothly. Whether an older mechanical injection or a contemporary common rail diesel engine, this additive can help reduce wear and emissions while preventing build-up deposits. A 16.9-ounce container treats 66 gallons of diesel; the additive does not affect catalytic converters or filters, and can be used on boats with or without turbochargers.

SCHMITT & ONGARO

DOMETIC

LIQUI MOLY

schmittongaromarine.com

www.dometic.com

www.liqui-moly.com

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October 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. Price: $44,000 Contact: Doug 805-218-0626

2018 BRUCE ROBERTS 40’ TRAWLER She’s made of heavy steel, powered by 2018 turbo diesels 350 hp each only 25 hours.The boat is ready to go. Fully equipped with Electronics, Generator, Air conditioning and heat, galley, head, and more. Price: Only $179,000 Contact: Randy @ randyworstell@yahoo.com or call 903-870-6419 cell. 40 National Fisherman \ October 2021

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BOATS FOR SALE 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.

46’ NEWTON Totally new inside and out. 700 HP luggers, “0” hours. 8 KW new phasor generator. 3 steering stations. All new hydraulics by 3 steering stations. All brandnew electronics upstairs and down. Brand New Simrad NSO/NSS. All new wiring through the entire boat. Full bath, full showers. Too many extras to list. Beautiful Boat! Price: Asking $375,000 OBO Contact: Gary 305-393-1415

1999 ELLIS 36’ HARPOON BOAT Daytona Marine E7 Mack 600 hp, 4,000 hours harpoon boat. Boat was in storage from 2004-2014 when I purchased her, and rigged the boat back into a harpooning platform. The boat was fished both rod reeling and harpooning (harpoon category 20/21) Boat is available turn key, with all harpooning gear, rod reel gear optional. This boat is one of a kind, and one sneaky rig, for more information specs. Price: $200k Contact: Cork Decker 850-586-0817 email: maggierosaine@hotmail.com To subscribe, call 1-800-959-5073

October 2021 \ National Fisherman 41

CLASSIFIEDS

HELP WANTED **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

Seeking potential US Licensed Chief Engineers and Mates

LAW

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.

MARITIME INJURIES

Please contact: schikami@westpacfish.com 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.

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October 2021 \ National Fisherman 43

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MARINE GEAR

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CTAMD 63L—236 HP @2500 RPM- 1450 Bobtail Marries up to #3 bell house. 7000 plus hours.

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CALL Doug —805-218-0626 Only rely on the  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,

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44 National Fisherman \ October 2021

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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”

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(2) Brand N ew Volvo D11 Engines FOR SALE Includes: Drivelines, gauges, wiring and harness and one control head. Factory set up for keel cool and dry exhaust. D-11 625 hp, factory keel cooled ZF 305-3 1000 SAE 2 Package New- $183,000

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(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

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SE US clam and oyster farming, processing and marketing operation. Nationally recognized brand, national distribution, high end restaurant clientele Thirty-acre growout site, high salinity, high productivity and farmed clams supplier network. Excellent growth potential. Twenty-year old clam mariculture, oyster live storage and processing permits in place. On shore facilities available separately include processing plant, one bedroom apartment and a two bedroom house. Committed full transition services available.

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DEPENDABLE 12 VOLT ELECTRIC TRAP HAULERS

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

CLASSIFIEDS

MARINE GEAR

NOTICE

PERMITS

**FOR SALE VOLVO MARINE ENGINE** TMD 40A - Complete, Needs overhaul, Apart in crate- Asking $5000 Angle Inlet, MN Call: 218-556-9866 cell or 218-223-4281

ADVERTISER INDEX Boatswain’s Locker Inc ................................................................3

Landye Bennett Blumstein LLP .................................................37

Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute .......................................CV2

Marine Hydraulic Engineering Co Inc ........................................29

Blue Ocean Gear ........................................................................28

Maritime Fabrications - LaConner ...............................................7

Boatswain’s Locker Inc ................................................................3

Naust Marine USA Inc ................................................................31

Duramax Marine LLC .................................................................17

Nor’eastern Trawl Systems Inc dba NET Systems Inc .............32

Electric Fishing Reel Systems, Inc. ...........................................30

Pacific Marine Expo ................................................................CV3

Furuno USA .............................................................................CV4

Port Townsend Shipwrights Co-Op ...........................................31

Gaski Marine Fishing Supplies Inc. ...........................................37

R W Fernstrum & Company .........................................................7

Imtra Corp ...................................................................................25

Westec Equipment Int Ltd .........................................................29

Kinematics Marine Equipment Inc.............................................32

International WorkBoat Show ....................................................47

46 National Fisherman \ October 2021

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We know that the WorkBoat Show is your annual chance to network, shop, connect, and get in the know among the best in the business. It is a maritime industry tradition. And through good times and bad, this is the marine industry’s show. With many things changing in the world right now, we want you to know that the International WorkBoat Show will be held as scheduled, December 1-3, 2021. We also want to take this opportunity to assure you that the WorkBoat Show always has, and will continue to make the health of our visitors, exhibitors, partners and staff our absolute top priority as we continue to make preparations for the 2021 event. For over 40 years the WorkBoat Show has been here for you and this year, more than ever, we can’t wait to host you in New Orleans.

NEW IN 2021

WorkBoat + Wind and the WorkBoat Executive Forum “Doing the Business of WorkBoats” Go to workboatshow.com for more information.

DEC. 1 - 3, 2021 NEW ORLEANS Morial Convention Center, Halls B, C, D, E & F

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Last

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CEDAR KEY, FLA. Mikey Beckham, Steven Murphy, Josh McGowan, Robert McGowan and Jack Picknell use a jet pump on the Clamsmacker, loading fish baskets with clams for the week’s orders at Clamtastic Seafood, a family-owned business in Cedar Key. Photo by Pat Bonish @bonish_photo

48 National Fisherman \ October 2021

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BRI DWYER PHOTO

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National Fisherman October 2021

Articles inside

Product Roundup

Snapshot

Crew Shot

Around the Yards

Around the Coasts Markets Reports

Boat of the Month

Northern Lights

Editor’s Log

Fishing Back When