From the Editor

From the Editor: Mexico’s IUU Fishing
Fishermen's News Online, From the Editor, News

From the Editor: Mexico’s IUU Fishing

In the October issue of the print version of Fishermen’s News, you’ll find a news brief about NOAA’s 2023 Report to Congress on Improving International Fisheries Management, which identifies seven nations and entities, including Mexico, that are engaged in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. One of the more important parts of the document states that the Mexican government has not done enough to stop illegal fishing vessels in its territorial waters, despite the U.S. bringing the problem to Mexico’s attention numerous times since 2015. The fishing vessels in question, known as lanchas, are catching finfish stocks that are regulated by the United States, including red snapper. Because of this, the U.S. government has decided to keep in place sanctions that have been in ...
From the Editor: Oregon Crabbing Restrictions Extended
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From the Editor: Oregon Crabbing Restrictions Extended

Bad news for crab fishermen in Oregon was delivered on Aug. 4. On that date, the state’s Fish and Wildlife Commission voted to extend, with no sunset date, restrictive crabbing measures that were originally supposed to expire after the current season. The rules restrict the number of crab traps in the water and how deep the traps can drop in the late-season months when humpback whales are more likely to swim there. The restrictions were first put into place due to the fact that humpbacks migrate off Oregon’s coast and they, along with other types of whales, can get caught in the vertical ropes connected to the heavy traps and drag them around for an extended period of time, in the process becoming injured, starved and exhausted, leaving them susceptible to drowning. The ODFW i...
From the Editor: Maritime Publishing Acquires The Log
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From the Editor: Maritime Publishing Acquires The Log

The Maritime Publishing family of periodicals has gotten bigger. On June 12, the company announced the acquisition of The Log newspaper from Newport Beach-based Duncan McIntosh Co. Inc. For those who aren’t familiar, The Log is a biweekly publication based in Orange County, Calif. It been a boating and fishing essential for recreational anglers throughout Southern California since 1971. “The Log is an iconic publication,” Maritime Publishing owner Dave Abrams said in a statement announcing the acquisition. “I’ve been reading almost every issue since 1990, and I look forward to (acquiring) it. As a boater, it keeps me apprised of everything going on in the SoCal maritime community and provides a great resource for finding service providers, slips, equipment, etc. I’m really proud ...
From the Editor: MPAs and Commercial Fishing
Fishermen's News Online, From the Editor, News

From the Editor: MPAs and Commercial Fishing

For some time, the conventional wisdom has been that designating certain waters as Marine Protected Areas – where commercial fishing is off limits – hurts the fishing industry due to a corresponding reduction in catch, and that the reduction, in turn drives seafood prices higher globally. But is this really accurate? A new study published in the scientific journal Science Advances, says it is not. According to the study, which was published in the magazine’s June 2023 issue, the largest Marine Protected Area (MPA) in North America, located in the Mexican Pacific, does not harm industrial fishing. In fact, the information uncovered by four researchers concludes that the protected area has actually helped commercial fishing in the long run. The researchers, including a marine ecologist ...
From the Editor: Commercial Fishing v. NOAA Fisheries
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From the Editor: Commercial Fishing v. NOAA Fisheries

In case you missed it, the Supreme Court on May 1 agreed to take up a dispute between the Biden administration and East Coast commercial fishing companies that could eventually have a huge impact on the U.S. commercial fishing industry as a whole. The court’s eventual judgment has the potential to overrule a nearly 40-year-old decision that gives deference to federal agencies. The case, Loper Bright Enterprises et al. v. Raimondo, is expected to be heard in the Supreme Court’s next term. The court is being asked to override the 1984 Chevron v. National Resources Defense Council ruling, in which the justices determined that courts should defer to an agency’s reasonable interpretation of statutes when laws are ambiguous. The case revolves around Atlantic herring fishermen who say the Nati...
From the Editor: Stamping Out Illegal Fishing
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From the Editor: Stamping Out Illegal Fishing

We all know that IUU (illegal, unreported and unregulated) fishing is bad for the commercial fishing industry. But a new editorial from the World Economic Forum, an international non-governmental and lobbying organization, serves as a strong reminder of the multiple reasons why. Among the reasons cited in the editorial are the physical danger to crew members, the threat to marine ecosystems and human rights abuses. The editorial, which can be found on the World Economic Forum’s website, begins with the harrowing tale of an IUU fisherman who said it had been normal for anglers to work 20 hours or more per day and that some people were driven to commit suicide or were killed trying to escape into the sea. “Illegal fishing is commonplace because no one is watching,” the fisherman, 52-yea...
From the Editor: Borealization
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From the Editor: Borealization

The first-ever cancellation of Alaska’s Bering Sea snow crab harvest due to population declines was a shock to the state’s fishing industry last fall, but in the decades to come, the ocean conditions that triggered the snow crab crash and harvest closure are expected to become common. This is according to according to several scientists who gave presentations at the Alaska Marine Science Symposium that took place in late January. Mike Litzow, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientist based in Kodiak, Alaska said that the conditions that triggered the crash can be expected about once every seven years. By the 2040s, those conditions can be expected to occur one out of every three years, he said. Litzow said that the cause of the snow crab disaster is something called “b...
From the Editor: BC Fisheries in Flux
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From the Editor: BC Fisheries in Flux

Inside the February 2023 issue of Fishermen's News, you’ll find an excellent article on the status of the British Columbia fishing industry. In the article, reporter Norris Comer states that “A myriad of challenges face B.C. fisheries, with the threatened Pacific salmon stocks taking center stage.” But in addition to the article in this issue, there’s an article published by Canada’s National Observer, a news and analysis website. In the National Observer article, reporter Rochelle Baker declares that British Columbia’s commercial salmon fleet is “clearly in the midst of transformative change.” The federal government in Ottawa has shuttered about 60% of B.C.’s commercial fisheries since 2021, and in December, launched a buyback program to lure fish harvesters to exit the industry to pro...
From the Editor: Happy New Year
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From the Editor: Happy New Year

Hello and Happy New Year, This is just a reminder that starting with this edition, the Fishermen’s News Online newsletter is being sent out at 10:15 am each Wednesday rather than at 11 am. However, despite the change in time, each edition will still contain five stories that are of importance to the commercial fishing industry. In fact, as 2023 gets underway, I’d like to take a moment to renew our commitment to our readers, and let you know that you can continue to expect high quality content in the print edition of Fishermen’s News, as well as its online newsletter. And of course, the newsletter is still free and will remain so. As always, thanks for reading. If you have any questions or comments about the content in Fishermen’s News of Fishermen’s News Online, feel free to contact m...
From the Editor: Pacific Marine Expo ‘22
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From the Editor: Pacific Marine Expo ‘22

In mid-November, I had the privilege and pleasure of representing Fishermen’s News at one of the largest and longest running commercial fishing and commercial marine trade shows in existence, Pacific Marine Expo, which took place Nov. 17-19 in Seattle. Maritime Institute, the parent company of Maritime Publishing, which runs Fishermen’s News, operated Booth 220 at this year’s expo. A handful of Maritime Publishing representatives, including Publisher Dave Abrams, Advertising Manager Katie Higgins and yours truly, Managing Editor Mark Nero, were at the booth during various times over the course of the three days, as were other folks who help create content for the magazine, including Senior Designer Kathy Samuelson, Business Manager Sarah Spangler and Writer Norris Comer. Not only would ...