Our Working Waterfronts are the Future of Fishing

Our Working Waterfronts are the Future of Fishing

Photo: Boatyard in Toledo, Oregon Since its inception, the Marine Fish Conservation Network has advocated on behalf of fishing communities. Working waterfronts are a vital part of the coastal ecosystem: commercial docks, provisioners, small-boat marinas and boatyards, charter operators, day boats, tackle shops, wholesale and retail fish markets, processing plants, restaurants, aquaria, ecotourism, and a […]

The Fish Are Losing Their Voice

The Fish Are Losing Their Voice

Steve Brustein of Portland, ME with a 23″ summer flounder (fluke) caught last month north of the Jamestown Bridge in Narragansett Bay, RI. It’s nine months into a 48-month presidency, and the fish are losing their voice. With all that is going on in our country it seems odd to talk about the plight of […]

My Daughter’s First Salmon

My Daughter’s First Salmon

Photo: Katri and her first salmon My daughter, Katri, caught her first salmon last week, just in time to bring it back to Chicago and share it with Grandma JoJo and some long-time family friends. They just don’t get this kind of quality seafood back in Chicago all that often… actually, never. It feels extra […]

Who Will “Access” Salt Water Fisheries?

Who Will “Access” Salt Water Fisheries?

Top Photo by John McMurray. The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens) has been a success. Even its critics admit that. In 2000, 72 fish stocks were subject to overfishing; today, that number is down to 30. During the same period, the number of overfished stocks was reduced from 92 to 38. Since 2000, […]

On Bunker, It’s Time To Show Up

On Bunker, It’s Time To Show Up

Starting next week, ASMFC is holding Menhaden Amendment 3 hearings… and we need to be there. I’m not going to wax this time about how recent aggregations of menhaden have created extraordinary conditions for fishermen targeting striped bass, sharks etc., or all the other life the massive pods have drawn, most notably the whales. It’s […]

Mates with Masters

Mates with Masters

Photo: Mates Katie Viducic, Claire Hodson & Lauren Benoit of Snappa Charters. Early on a Saturday morning Capt. Charlie Donilon of Snappa Charters and mate Lauren Benoit picked up nine passengers in Newport. It was a foggy morning, with big rollers from an ocean storm pushing the boat forward through the East Passage in front […]