National Fisherman

01/08/2026

I know you’re probably thinking a National Fisherman Boat of the Month named after one of the team’s editors, Carli? It’s spelled with an “i” on the end, so it must be her. Well, you’re right.

I know you’re probably thinking a National Fisherman Boat of the Month named after one of the team’s editors, Carli? It’s spelled with an “i” on the end, so it must be her. Well, you’re right. 

01/08/2026

It’s 6 a.m. and still dark on the beach in Puerto Escondido, Mexico. Members of the local cooperative are already launching their boats, mostly 20- to 24-foot fiberglass skiffs with high flared bows for slamming through the choppy seas.

It’s 6 a.m. and still dark on the beach in Puerto Escondido, Mexico. Members of the local cooperative are already launching their boats, mostly 20- to 24-foot fiberglass skiffs with high flared bows for slamming through the choppy seas. But this morning is calm, and fishermen arrive by truck, taxi...

01/08/2026

Black sea bass, once considered primarily a mid-Atlantic species, has become increasingly common in Massachusetts waters over the past several decades. The species is now a staple for recreational anglers and an emerging consideration for commercial fisheries.

Black sea bass, once considered primarily a mid-Atlantic species, has become increasingly common in Massachusetts waters over the past several decades. As biomass has grown, fishing effort has followed, particularly in southern New England, where the species is now a staple for recreational anglers....

01/07/2026

Sea trials are set for mid-January on a vintage Southeast Alaska fishing vessel being equipped with a hybrid engine that will save on diesel fuel.

Sea trials are set for mid-January on a vintage Southeast Alaska fishing vessel being equipped with a hybrid engine that will save on diesel fuel and make for a cleaner ocean.

01/06/2026

Coast Guard helicopter crew rescued all nine men aboard the crab boat Arctic Sea on Monday, 12 hours after the 110-foot vessel went partially aground on the north side of St. George in the Pribilof Islands.

A Coast Guard helicopter crew rescued all nine men aboard the crab boat Arctic Sea on Monday, 12 hours after the 110-foot vessel went partially aground on the north side of St. George in the Pribilof Islands.

01/05/2026

Juvenile salmon experienced a mix of favorable and challenging ocean conditions off the West Coast in 2025, according to an annual analysis by NOAA Fisheries and Oregon State University researchers.

01/05/2026

The long-delayed commercial Dungeness crab season in the San Francisco Bay Area was expected to open by today. Still, due to unsafe weather conditions and an unresolved pricing dispute, boats are staying tied to the dock.

01/05/2026

There’s plenty of boatbuilding work going on at Wesmac Custom Boats in Surry, Maine. “We’ve got so many boats that we’re buried in work; we’re turning them away every day. We are full up to our scuppers,” said Wesmac’s Stephen Wesell.

01/02/2026

There may be good news on the horizon for U.S. fishermen if Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., can get legislation passed that would add “economic cause” as a trigger for economic relief for industries affected by low-priced imports.

12/28/2025

This month marks publication of the last issue of Commercial Fisheries News, a regional newspaper based in Stonington, Maine, highly regarded throughout its 53-year run for its comprehensive and eloquent coverage of the fishing life in its home state and throughout the Northeast. It’s a sad passin...

12/24/2025

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) will open the commercial Dungeness crab fishery in the Central Management Area — covering the Sonoma/Mendocino County line to Point Conception — on Jan. 5, 2026, at 12:01 a.m., with a pre-soak period beginning Jan. 2 at 8:01 a.m. Fishing Zone...