Paul Molyneaux

1 week ago | nationalfisherman.com | Paul Molyneaux

Since 2006, WASSP multibeam transducershave givenfishermen a wide-angle view of the water beneath them, making it easier to target schools of pelagic fish such as mackerel and herring. Coupled with Furuno’s Time Zero bottom mapping software, the WASSP also gave scallopers and lobstermen a clear view of the seafloor. In its most recent upgrade, WASSP has added a highly sensitive Motion Reference Unit (MRU) developed by the Norwegian company, Norwegian SubSea.

1 week ago | nationalfisherman.com | Paul Molyneaux

Satcom companies around the world are adjusting to the impact of Starlink on the Satcom market. In 2023, SpaceX's Starlink subsidiary introduced high-bandwidth, low-cost satellite communication, or satcom, as a new option for commercial fishing and other marine users. “Since then, everyone else is trying to find their place in a new world,” says Ron Wright, director of commercial and government sales at OCENS, a Washington-based all-around satcom provider.

2 weeks ago | nationalfisherman.com | Paul Molyneaux

Brooke Cottrell started fishing on the Miss Tiffanie at age 39 and found that fishing is more than just a job. The Miss Tiffanie is a crab-catching machine that mostly fishes from Newport, Ore., and Alaska. Its fiberglass hull was purchased from the Delta Marine Industries yard in Tukwila, Wash., in 1982. The current owner, Kris Melling, whom friends affectionately call “The Machine,” bought it in 1993.

2 weeks ago | nationalfisherman.com | Paul Molyneaux

For many fishermen, the physical demands of fishing just come with the territory. Nothing will change that, and many just tough it out, but some fishermen are using supplements to help maintain their health and well-being. Some crews on New Bedford scallop boats, for example, have taken to using the herb turmeric as an anti-inflammatory. “Some guys take turmeric pills, others drink it as tea,” says one such crewman.

2 weeks ago | nationalfisherman.com | Paul Molyneaux

AMSEA, the Alaska Marine Safety and Education Association, has issued a Mayday call of its own as new funding cuts and reorganization under the Trump administration threaten to end safety training credited with saving lives. "Almost all our funding comes from NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health),” says AMSEA executive director, Leann Cyr, Ph.D. “And NIOSH has been effectively dissolved and most its employees fired, including Jennifer Lincoln.