Fishermen's News - The Advocate for the Commercial Fisherman

Fishing ports and harbors from Kodiak to Unalaska/Dutch Harbor and Bristol Bay to Sitka will see millions of dollars in upgrades over the next few years, from ramps, floats and docks to an entire new... Full story

Despite predictions of a possible “bust” in a twice-delayed season, Oregon’s Dungeness crabbers have landed about 17 million pounds of the official state crustacean since January. In a news... Full story

Westport Marina, located in the Port of Grays Harbor, Washington boasts the state’s largest fish landing port. The marina is currently home to 285 annual boaters, two-thirds of which are the... Full story

‘From the Fleet’ is intended to allow individuals and organizations the opportunity to express their opinions on commercial fishing-related issues and concerns. The views expressed herein are the opinions of the author, and do not reflect nor... Full story

The 2013 season for one of California’s most lucrative commercial fisheries opened April 1 amid a lingering controversy that erupted late last season. Briana Brady with the California Department of... Full story

Oregon’s commercial fishing industry is alive and well. In fact, 2011 was an outstanding season with the highest landed value – about $148 million – since 1988, according to statistics from the... Full story

In last November’s election, Oregon voters overwhelmingly rejected Measure 81, which would have banned commercial non-tribal gill net fishing on Oregon’s “inland waters” and allowed the use of... Full story

Four-time Iditarod Sled Dog Race champion Lance Mackey was all smiles an hour before the start of the 2013 race to Nome, checking his sled bag over, when asked how much wild Alaska salmon he was... Full story

The Atka Pride Seafoods processing facility, a joint venture of APICDA Joint Ventures, Inc. and the Atka Fishermen’s Association, will open April 27, closely paralleling the anticipated seasonal clo... Full story

Analysis has been initiated by federal fisheries managers on a focused data collection program to be established prior to implementation of a trawl bycatch management program in the Gulf of Alaska. The North Pacific Fishery Management Council took...

If your refrigeration system is based on refrigerant R-22, then take notice! The life of one of the most successful halocarbon “Freon” refrigerants is coming to an end. Production of the refrigerant is being reduced every year, with a total ban... Full story

Planning is the key to timely and efficient drydocking, according to Al Turner, Sr. Project Manager at Alaska Ship & Drydock, one of Vigor Industrial’s seven shipyards. The two most important... Full story

The third time proved to be the charm for the opening of the 2012-2013 commercial Dungeness crab season in Oregon and Washington, but whether or not crabbers find the circumstances charming depends... Full story

An environmental saga that began in late December when a tug lost its towline to a $290 million drill rig in rough seas south of Kodiak Island has raised new issues about the adequacy of these tugs... Full story

An ugly primitive sea creature is fetching sort of pretty prices for some Oregon fishermen. With an abundantly available resource and willing buyers, a number of fishermen are cashing in on a... Full story

Salmon runs are notoriously variable: strong one year, and weak the next. New research shows that the same may be true from one century to the next. Scientists in the past 20 years have recognized tha... Full story

Another gigantic dock piece beached itself on a remote Pacific Northwest shore on December 18 – an early “Christmas gift” from the earthquake-spawned tsunami that devastated Japan in March... Full story

Commercial harvesters in the Southeast Alaska salmon drift gillnet fishery, mandated for observation under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act, say changes are needed in the program because it’s disrupting their fishery. “It’s just a colos... Full story

Sixteen egg-bearing blue king crab captured off St. Matthew Island in November have arrived at the Alaska King Crab Research, Rehabilitation and Biology program site in Seward to be studied for ways... Full story

When Gov. Sean Parnell presents his fiscal year 2014 budget to the Alaska Legislature, it will contain $10 million for the first component of a five-year, $30 million comprehensive Chinook salmon... Full story

The commercial Dungeness crab season from Point Arena, California to the Washington-Canada border was put on hold until at least Dec. 15, due to recalcitrant crabs who failed their first two meat quality tests. Officials from the Oregon Department... Full story

By most measures, the North Pacific albacore tuna fishery is thriving. Abundant stocks and environmentally-friendly fishing practices with very little by-catch have earned the albacore fishery off the shores of Washington, Oregon and California... Full story

Employment in Alaska’s fisheries is on the rise. The November issue of Alaska Economic Trends, a publication of the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, puts the average number of... Full story

The Columbia River Working Group held its third and final meeting in Seaside Oregon on November 15. The Working Group was established in September to consider Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber’s plan to change the Columbia River salmon harvest allocation... Full story

As a boat builder, I’m always looking for new markets and potential customers. The market for new bowpickers for fishermen who fish out of Cordova, Alaska appears to offer such an opportunity. The... Full story