Plumbing the Depths

When codfishing took a big hit in the Gulf of Maine close to a decade ago, longliner Eric Hesse went looking for something else to do in winter and found himself helping scientists test underwater research vehicles and gliders.

Chris King got into the commercial fisheries with his father, has been on his own for more than three decades, and has seen a lot of changes. Now comes warming waters.

Marine mammals eat fish, so more marine mammals equal fewer fish, right?

Fishing groups from every coast, representing virtually every size and gear, gathered in early fall to talk about what matters to them: science, accountability and stewardship, core tenets championed by Seafood Harvesters of America

The waters around Cape Cod are home to many types of birds that most non-fishing people will never see. Known as “pelagics,” they spend their entire lives at sea, returning to land only to nest and raise their young.

In Sweden, fishermen, regulators, and environmental organizations work with government funding dedicated to developing fishing gear that is safe for seals.

A 44-foot wide bottom trawl net went into the water time and again, bringing up a narrow slice of ocean life in hundreds of spots across the North Atlantic, much as it has done for close to 60 years.

Michael DeVasto is an oyster grower, wild harvester, and Wellfleet selectman, so when he was appointed to the Massachusetts Shellfish Initiative he had clear ideas about what he wanted to see happen.

Close to 15 years ago, after researcher Owen Nichols’ first season working with a fishing family, he came up with what he thought was an impressive chart that drew direct connections between wind direction, water temperature and the presence of squid.