National Fisherman

Paul Molyneaux

Editor

Paul Molyneaux is the Boats & Gear editor for National Fisherman.

Author Archive

The crew of the 58-foot Lucid Dream, out of Cordova, Alaska, empty black cod from a string of slinky pots. Trademarked as Cod Coils, the pots are easy to handle, and all 50 in a string can be collapsed and safely stacked on deck. Photo by Ezekiel Brown

The skinny on slinky pots

King crab vessels are particularly vulnerable to weather changes because they load their pots in port and may steam for more than 24 hours before reaching their fishing grounds. Photo by Hockema Group

Safety rules still lacking five years after Scandies Rose and Destination losses

The Sitka-based troller/ longliner Mirage, owned and operated by Jeff Turner, is slated to be the first boat in the ALFA to be outfitted with a diesel/electric hybrid system. Photo by Kempy Energetics

Leading the way to hybrid diesel electric propulsion

The Scania E-Machine at Pacific Marine Expo is one modular component of Scania’s suite of single-source hybrid solutions. It can be coupled with any Scania engine and offers power ranging from 150kW to 230kW. Photo by Paul Molyneaux

Scania offers a single source hybrid solution

Tor Bendiksen, owner of Reidar’s Manufacturing, Captain Mark Phillips, and Dr. Pingguo He of UMass Dartmouth hold four sections of helix twine joined to make a mesh. Bendiksen continues to design the right self-spreading net for East Coast fishermen. Phot

New helix twine net enhances efficiency and reduces bycatch

Ecomotus, a UK company, has developed a hydrogen electrolyzer that enables diesel engines to burn fuel thoroughly and cleanly. They have equipped almost 40 boats—more than 20 fishing boats.

Ecomotus' EcoPro: Reducing fuel costs for UK fishermen

Ken and Linda Bates circle a school of anchovies with their lampara net in Humboldt Bay, near Eureka, California, and prepare to haul the set back aboard the 32-foot F/V Ironic. Photo by Cloudburst Fishing

Crafting the perfect lampara net for California’s evolving bait fishery

Built in 1992 for gillnetting herring, the F/V Ironic was rigged for fishing a lampara net for anchovies. The 32-foot fiberglass over plywood Ironic can also be rigged for salmon trolling. Photo by Ken Bates

Boat of the Month: F/V Ironic

The GenTech hydraulic generator developed by Erling Skaar, Dr. Odd Arild Olsen, and the GenTech team has been available since 2013. It provides fishing vessel owners with a cost-effective means of increasing the efficiency of a vessel’s main engine and re

Two companies, two approaches: Innovating power capture and wear reduction for gensets

Fred Wahl Marine Construction specializes in building and repairing commercial fishing vessels for the West Coast and Alaska. Their shipyard is located on the Oregon Coast. Photo on Fred Wahl Facebook page

From humble beginnings to iconic vessels: Celebrating 50 years of Fred Wahl Marine Construction