Page 40: of Marine News Magazine (May 2020)

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Reeling in the Bene?ts

Kelly Hinkle of Upgraded Boat Controls

A ?sherman from a popular reality television series recently out?tted his vessel with a new electronic control system—giving him the edge in a high-stakes ?shing competition.

he waters of the North Atlantic Ocean can be treach- developed a special relationship with their boats. This bond erous—especially for ?shermen pursuing the elusive extends to Dave Marciano, captain of the 38-foot Novi boat blue?n tuna. This pursuit is the subject of the popu- named Hard Merchandise, as well as the Falcon—the boat

T lar reality television series, “Wicked Tuna,” which chronicles featured in a later spin-off series. Over the years, Marciano the competition between commercial blue?n tuna ?shermen and his crew have competed against other boats to haul in in Gloucester, Massachusetts. The show has run on National as many tuna as they can and even wore the “Wicked Tuna”

Geographic since 2012, with its ninth season set to premiere crown in the show’s fourth season.

March 1, at 9/8c. In 2014, a new spin-off series brought Marciano to the un-

Fishing for blue?n tuna—which can reach 8 feet in length relenting waters of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. There, the and weigh 1,000 pounds—is not for the faint of heart. The captain realized he couldn’t compete with the other ?shermen ?shing season is short, the tuna population is declining and due to the setup of his older vessels, which included outdated the pressure to deliver boatloads of the popular ?sh remains boat controls. But all that changed—thanks to a unique collab- high. Throughout these ups and downs, the ?shermen have oration with Emerson, a specialist in automation technologies.

May 2020 40 MN