FRIENDSHIP, ME – An era has ended. Winfield “Winnie” Lash – boat builder, designer, and co-founder of Lash Brothers Boatyard back in 1946 – passed away on November 9. He was predeceased by his son, Wesley A. Lash, in 2013. Wesley had taken over the reins of the Lash Brothers shop in 1984 when his …
Category: 2015
Editorial: We need to know more about impact of warming ocean waters
For years fishermen, fisheries managers, and the academic/scientific community have been trying to understand the near collapse of Gulf of Maine cod stocks and explain the apparent failure of decades of rebuilding effort. We all know the conversation. Overfishing depleted the stocks and only a near-total suspension of effort would allow the species time to …
Saving fuel by the barrel
Liberty outfits with the GenTech GT50/60 by Ben L. Evridge NEW BEDFORD, MA – Fifty gallons per day of fuel saved, and 100 days of working his big steel boat offshore. That’s how vessel owner Dan Eilertsen describes the benefits so far of his new patented GenTech T50/60 AC power generation system. The 108’ x …
Wesmac’s Steve Wessel: In for the long haul
by Brian Robbins SURRY, ME – Mention Steve Wessel’s name to anyone familiar with Maine boat building and their reply is likely to be: “You mean the Wesmac guy? Man – they’ve built some boats over the years.” Which is true – a good 600 and counting, if you begin the tally from back …
A year in the life of a lobster: Part 2 – Lobsters in winter
What lobsters are doing in winter depends a great deal on where they are living. The lobsters that live next door to me in the lobster pound seem to be downright inactive, but that doesn’t really mean they aren’t doing anything at all. When I get the opportunity to look closely, I see them flick …
EDITORIAL: Time to rediscover the spirit of Fish Expo
When the trade show now known as Commercial Marine Expo (CME) returns to New Bedford next spring, organizers are planning an event reminiscent of the old Fish Expo gatherings. Next year marks the 50th anniversary of Fish Expo, which in its heyday was the commerical fishing industry’s huge annual gathering, national in scope, alternating between …
CFN Shakedown Cruise: Osmond 42 “Extra Wide”
by Brian Robbins JONESPORT, ME – The fact of the matter is, Shane Farris didn’t start out thinking about building a new lobster boat – he was simply pondering how to get a little more room out of the boat he already had. Shane had experimented with a 3’ extension mounted on the transom of …
Lobster Market Report – November 2015
Fall landings slow, but boat prices soar; summer ‘15 ends strong for happy fishermen all along the coast The week before the reporting week for this issue’s Lobster Market Report, a northeaster made fishing nonexistent in most places in New England. Depending on the area, the storm ran its course for from three days to …
New England council adds ASM relief measures to Framework 55
PLYMOUTH, MA – At its Sept. 29-Oct. 1 meeting here, the New England Fisheries Management Council added alternatives to Framework Adjustment 55 to the Northeast Multispecies (Groundfish) Fishery Management Plan (FMP) to include enforcement, adding a new sector, and to make the at-sea monitoring program more efficient and cost effective. Changes in federal policy on …
Light’s Fiberglass: New location and plenty to do
There was a time when a trip down to Cranberry Point in Corea, ME would put you right in the middle of some serious boat building activity, between the Young Brothers and Light’s Fiberglass. These days, SW Boatworks in Lamoine is the source if you’re looking for a Young Brothers hull … and the YB …