Dr. Sam McClatchie
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fishocean.bsky.social
Dr. Sam McClatchie
@fishocean.bsky.social
Fisheries oceanographer (retired, NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center). Led the NOAA CalCOFI program for 11 years (2007-2011) prior to returning to New Zealand. Developer of Fishing Maps (www.fishingmaps.info).
Interpreting satellite maps for gamefishing involves looking for consistent patterns in SST, fronts, currents and chlorophyll (when available) over several days. Selecting the frontal zones is made easier by using the SST frontal gradient maps. 

#gamefishing #biggamefishing #yellowfin #marlin
January 17, 2026 at 10:48 PM
Reposted by Dr. Sam McClatchie
Senate boosts funding for NASA, NOAA, and NSF beyond Trump's request, emphasizing science and research investment.
Congress passes bill to fund U.S. science agencies, rebuffing Trump’s requested cuts
Senate boosts funding for NASA, NOAA, and NSF beyond Trump's request, emphasizing science and research investment.
www.nbcnews.com
January 16, 2026 at 12:24 AM
Nothing like a few sunny days in New Zealand to bring out the chlorophyll in Fishing Maps.

www.fishingmaps.info

#oceanography #fisheries #sportfishing #marlin #tuna
January 11, 2026 at 5:01 AM
Are single pass Sea Surface Temperature (SST) images the best way to detect fronts for gamefishing? Checkout the new blog on the Fishing Maps (zurl.co/zlvlj) website.

zurl.co/9DtXs
January 8, 2026 at 6:00 AM
Consistent patterns in the sea surface temperature, currents, and chlorophyll create the structure that allows plankton concentrations to develop over several days. In this example off Tutukaka, New Zealand, over a 4 day period, SST is cool inshore of the 100 metre line.
January 7, 2026 at 8:55 AM
Yellowfin tuna are back in New Zealand and the summer recreational gamefishing is going off. What's going on?
zurl.co/qs0oh
January 3, 2026 at 4:05 AM
Reposted by Dr. Sam McClatchie
Our first direct hit. Oddly our oyster work is the most popular thing we do. Great return on investment for taxpayers funding bay restoration.

cambridgespy.substack.com/p/horn-point...
Horn Point Confirms Deep NOAA Cuts
A nearly 50 percent reduction in federal funding for oyster restoration threatens to sharply reduce oyster production in the Chesapeake Bay, jeopardizing one of the region’s most successful environmen...
cambridgespy.substack.com
December 21, 2025 at 1:45 AM
We know the southern hemisphere is special, but what's that got to do with ocean eddies? In the northern hemisphere, high sea surface height (SSH) in the centre of an eddy is associated with clockwise rotating currents.
December 29, 2025 at 6:00 AM
There are strong sea surface temperature (SST) contrasts off the Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand, with cool water nearshore. The gradients are not sharp enough to produce well defined fronts, probably due to recent windy weather.
December 26, 2025 at 6:00 AM
Cloud-free Sea Surface Temperature off the Mahia Peninsula, on the east coast of New Zealand reveals distinct temperature variations north and south of a significant eddy. 🌊 #Oceanography #NewZealand
December 24, 2025 at 4:15 AM
“Deliberately dismantling an institution so central to weather forecasting and climate change prediction would not only undermine scientific research, it would leave people across the nation less prepared for the dangers of a warming world."

www.ucs.org/about/news/t...
December 17, 2025 at 7:11 AM
open.substack.com/pub/contrari...

The barbarians are attempting to burn down the nation.
Stephen Miller is the Poster Boy for the Rabid MAGA Movement
The more voters see of him, the more repulsed they’ll be
open.substack.com
October 8, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Trump is meeting with Vought today to see how they can advance this destructive plan.

thebulletin.org/2025/09/whol...
‘Wholesale destruction’: Government shutdown or not, critical science programs are at risk
The Trump administration has proposed devastating cuts to federal Earth and climate science programs, and a government shutdown could give them an opportunity to begin implementing those cuts.
thebulletin.org
October 2, 2025 at 2:48 PM
It's becoming ever more apparent that ships should focus on what the autonomous vehicles cannot do.

#fisheries #oceanography
ABS Issues Full Class for Saildrone Surveyor, Setting New Benchmark for USVs
Saildrone USVs are the world’s only unmanned platform to receive classification from ABS—no other USV or UUV has been fully classed by any classification society.
www.saildrone.com
August 28, 2025 at 9:33 AM
August 25, 2025 at 8:22 PM
August 23, 2025 at 7:24 PM
There are times when the patterns of temperature on the ocean are simply beautiful, whether you are into the science or not.

www.fishingmaps.info
#fisheries #oceanography
August 22, 2025 at 8:31 AM
Great to see Congress pushing back on this one.

ecomagazine.com/news/policy/...
August 21, 2025 at 9:31 PM
This sort of underhanded planning makes it very uncertain what the final U.S. 2026 science budget will actually look like.

eos.org/research-and...
August 19, 2025 at 9:09 PM
Lying is an epidemic among the tribal groups populating our nations. People lie to themselves to support their beliefs, and they believe the lies of leaders and influencers without checking sources.
Big Lie - ECPS
Big Lie
www.populismstudies.org
August 13, 2025 at 2:58 AM
There has been a lot of relief over the push back by congressional appropriations committees on the proposed massive funding cuts to science. But the battle is far from won.

www.espadvisor.com/post/pocket-...
Pocket Rescissions Could Quietly Gut Ocean and Science Funding
A little-known budget maneuver called a pocket rescission could quietly cancel millions in approved federal funds before they're spent—threatening ocean, science, and coastal programs in FY25. Learn h...
www.espadvisor.com
August 6, 2025 at 8:42 PM
Here's a success story about the epidemiology of the sea star wasting disease, which is now a solved mystery, at least in terms of the culprit pathogen.

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/04/s...
Scientists Finally Identify Killer Microbe Behind ‘Terrifying’ Sea Star Disease
www.nytimes.com
August 4, 2025 at 8:55 PM