November 23, 2009 - When men in a small boat harpooned a whale and the whale swam for dear life they were towed on what Melville called a "Nantucket sleigh ride." What do you call it when you're alone in a kayak being towed at 15 mph by a blue fin tuna? Dave Lamoureaux calls it “the most fun thing I’ve ever done.” Since the end of July, Lamoureux has caught three bluefins this way, paddling a couple of miles off Race Point, at the tip of Provincetown, hooking a tuna and holding on. Here's the full story from Charles McGrath in the NY Times.

November 5, 2009 - Early this morning a Wall Street trader from Chicago caught a 157-pound tuna from his kayak off Race Point Beach in Provincetown. Here's the full story from Mary Ann Bragg.

October 30, 2009 - Fishermen from across New England are gathering today in Gloucester to protest against new policies that are making their lives difficult. The fishermen say that the new system of sector management unfairly allocates the amount of fish that can be caught and will wipe out the small boat fleet. They are demonstrating in front of the federal fisheries office with approval from the Gloucester PD and federal authorities. Here's more from the Gloucester Daily Times.

October 14, 2009 - Ask any fishermen in Chatham about the spiny dogfish and you'll receive a stream of invective against creatures that are compared to locusts and rats. The dog fish wreck nets and eat more valuable species such as cod and haddock. They're considered an endangered species and severe limits are placed on catching them. Last May an unprecedented alliance of commercial, recreational and party/charter boat fishermen and associated businesses formed Fishermen Organized for Rational Dogfish Management (FORDM) to deal with them. FORDM has requested assistance from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in dealing with what they call an out-of-balance species that is depleting other Northeast and Mid-Atlantic fisheries. The dogfish dispute has prompted regulators to do a fresh assessment of the stock and how it's measured. This coming January the National Marine Fisheries Service will reconsider the status of the dogfish. In the late 1990s, the dogfish population fell to critically low levels as fishermen targeted females in an effort to reduce the population. Regulators say that while the stock is now stronger and more abundant near shore, where fishermen see them, it is not so strong offshore and remains vulnerable. Scientists project declines in coming years because males outnumber the slow-maturing, unproductive females. Here's more from Jay Lindsay of the AP.