June 2022 – Page 3 – Fishermens News

Deck Machinery in 2022

The West Coast commercial fishing fleet is blessed with many dynamic deck machinery manufacturers of both independent-family owned and multinational-corporate varieties. New products are regularly announced and legacy products improved. Shop expansions move forward, increasing field-service capabilities, and bestselling trends shift. Companies rise and fall. For those in the commercial fishing industry, tracking the pulse of the region’s deck machinery scene is part of the lifestyle. Herein are a few notable highlights from the industry to help you stay informed. La Conner Maritime: La Conner and Mount Vernon, Wash. La Conner Maritime was founded by Ed Oczkewicz in 1978 to make deck gear for commercial fishing boats. The company started providing field service in Bristol Bay aroun...

IUU Fishing: An Ongoing Global Issue

For second-generation fisherman Dane Chauvel, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing goes against the very reason why he co-founded seafood delivery service Organic Ocean Seafood Inc. 14 years ago. Chauvel’s company in British Columbia was built on offering not only sustainably-harvested premium products to high-end restaurants and buyers, but also supporting responsible fishermen regionally and all over the world. IUU fishing undermines it. “Most people look at (IUU fishing) as being either a high seas or a developing nations issue,” Chauvel remarked. “And they think in the developed world … you wouldn’t have those issues. And sadly, that couldn’t be farther from the truth.” For decades, IUU fishing has been an ongoing issue globally, affecting all regions along multiple ...

Understanding Today’s Economic Trends to Plan for the Future

Your daily newsfeed is likely filled with stories of rising prices at both the pump and the grocery store. Economists point to a number of reasons, from the injection of pandemic relief funds to supply-chain disruptions and shipping delays. Meanwhile, the conflict in Ukraine has added a new layer of uncertainty. Commercial fishing is not insulated from these national and global trends. While the maritime industry has largely moved past disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the effect of international sanctions on Russia and rising prices at home are just beginning to be felt. Understanding what’s happening and how it directly impacts the commercial maritime industry is critical to making sound financial decisions in these turbulent times. Looking Back on the Pandemic The commer...

Upright and Watertight!

According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, between 2015 and 2019, there were 124 commercial fishing fatalities in the U.S. Of these fatalities, 57% were due to the loss of the vessel itself, and the vast majority of those losses were due to the fact that the vessel lost its watertight integrity. A well-designed and maintained vessel provides an excellent platform to protect you from a hostile environment, get you from here to there and to provide a means for making a living. Yet a vessel is only as good as its watertight envelope. Maintenance tip: conduct regular out-of-water critical inspections of the hull, through hull fittings, packing glands, cutless bearing, prop, shaft, zincs and paint. Inside the hull, inspect to see that through hull valves/se...