By the time you read this, Pacific Marine Expo, one of the biggest trade shows of the year for the commercial fishing industry, will have already taken place Nov. 8-10 in Seattle.
But as I write these words, the first event is still a few days away. So, with that being the case, this column comes at an unusual point in time where I’m able to say that I look forward to seeing you at PME … and also that it was great seeing you this year at PME.
The Maritime Publishing staff, including myself, worked booth 220 at this year’s event; if you attended the expo, hopefully you got a chance to visit and say hello while you were there.
And although from my current perspective the event hasn’t happened yet, I’m sure it will be an engaging, informative gathering, as some of the items on the education program agenda includes (or included) very timely matters of import to the industry, including mental health for commercial fishermen, women in the fishing industry, offshore wind, vessel safety and industry innovations.
I will be/was on hand to cover some of these topics in person, and plan to have a recap for you in next month’s edition of Fishermen’s News.
On another note, this issue of the magazine was originally scheduled to include articles regarding health & wellbeing tips for fishermen and new commercial fishing legislation coming in 2024.
The health & wellbeing story was set to contain tips and advice for commercial anglers regarding how to well in mind, body and spirit while on the job, while the rules and regulations story would have detailed law changes at the regional, state and federal levels that are expected to come into effect next year.
Well, we’re still going to run both of those stories, just not in this issue.
Due to a scheduling error (which was completely my fault, and for that, I apologize to all involved) there was a mix-up regarding the issue’s production schedule. So instead of the two aforementioned stories running in the December issue of this fine publication, they’ll both be in the January issue.
So does this mean that the two feature articles planned for the January issue are being pushed back a month as a result of the shuffle? Fortunately, it does not.
In addition to the rescheduled articles, the two main stories already planned for the issue — our annual fishing gear, supplies and equipment roundup, as well as a regional report highlighting British Columbia Fisheries – will run in the magazine’s January 2024 issue.
The roundup will provide a look at the new and planned boating supplies & equipment geared toward commercial fishermen, while the regional report will delve into the status of fisheries in the province of BC, Canada.
So if all that is on tap for the next issue, what’s in this issue?
Good question. In the current issue of the magazine, we still have more of the quality content that you’ve come to expect from Fishermen’s News. Among the stories inside these pages is an article on the latest and greatest in deck machinery, because as you probably know, without quality equipment on deck, a fishing vessel is just a boat.
We also have a feature on Redd Zone, an Oregon-based technology company that supplies complete salmon hatcheries within 40-foot containers.
Additionally, we have a vessel profile on the Arctic Fjord, a brand new 326-foot factory trawler which departed Puget Sound in October, bound for her inaugural working season in the Bering Sea.
We hope that you enjoy what we’ve put together for you. Thanks for reading.
Managing Editor Mark Nero can be reached at mark@maritimepublishing.com or (619) 313-4351