A Baltimore worker affixes a government-authorized inspection sticker to packages destined for the seafood counter.

Bluefish fresh off the boat are given a temperature check as part of a Baltimore plant's HACCP inspection plan.

A state inspector examines scallop meat at a plant in Seaford, Virginia, for compliance with health and safety laws.

Randomly selected albacore from a just unloaded batch are examined by a staff biologist at a Puerto Rico tuna cannery.

A federal official watches as croaker are headed and gutted for processing under a Baltimore plant's approved HACCP plan.

Though some nearshore pollution is obvious, unseen contaminants may be far more deadly to fish and shellfish.

Many of the documents discussing seafood safety are produced by the seafood industry.

The catch of this woman in Beaufort, South Carolina, is not subject to inspection.

This famous Gloucester, Massachusetts, memorial is a somber reminder of the Atlantic's deadly toll on fishermen.

Julius Collins, owner-operator of several large shrimp trawlers based in Brownsville, Texas, has long been tireless advocate for industry involvement in government regulatory processes.

The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1996 requires measures to prevent overfishing.

Regional Fishing Council meeting.

Members of the fishing community attending a meeting proposing conservation measures to cut the number of allowable fishing days.

Fisheries managers, like NOAA's Penny Dalton, try to balance conservation and utilization needs.

Boats stacked in a Long Island boatyard await the openings of seasons for nearshore New York fish.

State officials, such as this Delaware fish and wildlife officer in Lewes, have the largest role in fisheries enforcement.

Mississippi fisheries agent checks required documentation at a Pascagoula bait shop.

The U.S.-Morocco fisheries meeting is one of many each year for sharing information and management needs.

A Virgin Islands fisheries officer visits with workers at a dockside filleting operation in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas.

A federal enforcement officer discusses closed areas with the crew of a shrimp boat in Bayou La Batre, Alabama.

Federal fisheries researchers.

A gear researcher observes a shrimp-net turtle excluder device as part of a program to reduce turtle captures.

Small-scale fishermen in Crashboat, Puerto Rico, sell their catch - snapper, mackerel, and dolphin fish- locally.

Old friends from past fishing adventures gather to mend nets.

Small-scale fishermen and yachtsmen co-existing peacefully

Immense power winches, like this one loading nets onto a Los Angeles tuna boat, helped build the purse seine industry.

A crewman offers up grilled salmon at a dockside barbecue in Kodiak, Alaska, to benefit his fishing organization.

Charter boat and party boat fleets are characterized by both intense competition and strong cooperation.

Fishermen depend on navigational aids, such as these buoys that will mark a channel

The dory fleet market attracts both tourists and buyers.

Rockfish and sablefish are the dorymen's big sellers, but other species, like the mackerel shown here, help keep the market going when the rockfish are scarce.

A two-man crew moves the morning's longline catch from dory to customers, all within a hundred yards.

Dories are trailered to the beach every day, a strategy that saves time and docking fees as well as maintaining the little fleet's traditional operations.

Fish are filleted or sold whole within hours of being hauled up from the relatively deep water off Southern California.

Eager buyers make their selections from the morning's bountiful catch of rockfish and sablefish.

Fishing is a complex business requiring fishermen to obtain and display myriad licenses, permits, and registrations.

Gene Stanford, a Maryland waterman, who sets his lines and traps for blue crabs by himself.

The number of women entrepreneurs, like this seller of skates for lobster bait in Pt. Judith, Rhode Island, is increasing in fishing communities.

Fishermen's boats always seem to need painting.

Many fishermen, like these Gloucester, Massachusetts, swordfish longliners, enjoy the independence of a two-man crew.

On board or on shore, relaxation is wherever and whenever one can get it. At a net shop in Cut Off, Louisiana.

Women have found places as both skilled fishermen and owners in some places such as Kodiak, Alaska.

A Tarpon Springs sponge fisherman displays his heritage with this traditional Greek fisherman's cap.

Family affair fish market as husband and wife fillet fish.

Private consultants like Seattle's Dr. Lee Alverson are important to both fishing groups and government agencies.

Representatives of a fisheries trade magazine canvassing the docks for information.

Trade journals like are a growing influence on the operations and decisions of American fishermen.

Boys on a pier in Seaford, Virginia, handlining for blue crabs.

Colorful lures with specialized hooks are meant to mimic the color pattern and action of a target species' prey.

Specialized wooden traps are used to take whelk in shallow Delaware Bays.