State and Local

September 18, 2013 — People within the fishing industry have much more in common with people outside the industry than they think.

According to Working Waterfront Festival Director Laura Orleans, many are bound to draw this conclusion during the 10th annual festival Sept. 28-29.

The Working Waterfront Festival is a project of the non-profit Community Economic Development Center.

According to a written release, this free festival, a “celebration of New England’s commercial fishing industry, features live maritime and ethnic music, fishermen’s contests, fresh seafood, vessel tours, author readings, cooking demonstrations, kids’ activities and more.”

This free event takes place on three working piers in New Bedford and waterfront parks in the city.

Orleans says the festival — which once encompassed only one pier — has evolved since its inception in 2004.

“While many of the original programs continue (fishermen’s contests, vessel tours, cooking demonstrations, performances of maritime and ethnic music and fishermen’s poetry), over the years we have incorporated many new elements including a tug boat muster, whaleboat races, Blessing of the Fleet, and a farmers’ market,” Orleans said.

“In spite of these changes, we continue to stay true to our original vision of creating an authentic event to honor the men and women who work in the commercial fishing industry and provide the public with a window into this world.”

Read the full story at the Fall River Herald News

September 18, 2013 — The following was released by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission:

The 2013 recreational season for bay scallops will close Wednesday, Sept. 25. The final day of harvesting is Sept. 24.

FWC scallop researchers will conduct underwater surveys after the season closes to reassess the scallop population.

Read the full press release at WCTV 

September 17, 2013 — The following was released by the Maine Department of Marine Resources:

It’s the position of the Maine Department of Marine resources that statements made today by PETA are nothing more than another disingenuous attempt to advance their agenda and negatively impact Maine's most important coastal industry and the economy it supports.  PETA has not sought to change the animal-welfare statutes as they affect lobster through legitimate public processes, but prefers to seek media attention by attacking Maine businesses.

Furthermore, after consultation with the DMR’s lead lobster biologist Carl Wilson, it is the position of the Department of Marine Resources that what is shown in the video is compliant with state and federal laws and regulations, including Maine’s animal-welfare statute.

The Maine lobster industry is a state-of-the-art industry selling the best seafood in the world.  Through its strict adherence to all laws and regulations, the Maine lobster-processor sector consistently demonstrates its commitment to food safety, as well as the freshness of Maine’s iconic lobster. As a result, Maine lobster is known around the world as a unique, high-quality product.

 

September 16, 2013 — HAMMOND, Ore. — They came, they saw, they had fun with fish.

More than 1,000 people were on hand Saturday for the first day of the Commercial Fishermen’s Festival.

And none went away from the Hammond Marina disappointed, having had the opportunity to eat lots of fish, take part in competitions and meet fishing “celebrities.”

Among the latter were Capt. Rick and Donna Quashnick, of the fishing vessel Maverick. The couple, who appeared in the earliest seasons of Discovery Channel’s “The Deadliest Catch,” were on hand and people flocked to the boat throughout the day. They even conducted cooking demonstrations featuring tuna and crawdads, said Cyndi Mudge, one of the organizers.

“It was awesome to get a ride on the boat,” one visitor, Tina Protsman, posted on Facebook afterward.

Fans of “The Deadliest Catch,” which, while entertaining, has also helped the world learn about the perils of commercial fishers, waited in line throughout the day to meet visiting captains and crew, including Johnathan Hillstrand from the F/V Time Bandit and Bob Perkey from the F/V Seabrooke. Author Spike Walker, who now lives in his hometown of Yacolt, Wash., was also on hand. Walker’s much admired book “Working on the Edge,” about the dangers of commercial fishing in Alaska, helped spawn the TV show.

Read the full story at The Daily Astorian

September 16, 2013 — The National Marine Fisheries Service is offering vessel owners a chance to avoid having to carry a fishery observer in 2014.

The agency plans to exempt up to 14 boats that agree to take part in a pilot project to test electronic monitoring systems.

Find out more at the Deckboss Blog

 

August 16, 2013 — Alaska’s record salmon season has permit brokers hopping as buyers seek to break into or expand their opportunities in many fisheries. 

Notably, brokers say there is “a lot of great buzz” at Bristol Bay, despite a lackluster sockeye fishery that saw the bulk of the red run come and go eight days early.

“Prior to the season the drift permits went for under $100,000, but we just sold one for $125,000,” said Doug Bowen of Alaska Boats and Permits in Homer. Most of the bump is due to optimism about the sockeye base price of $1.50/lb, a $.50 increase from last year.

Data from the state Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission show that Bristol Bay driftnet permit values have remained near or well over $100,000 since 2010, and increased steadily each year after dropping below $20,000 in 2002.

This summer also was a great one for salmon seiners, which has driven up interest in those fishing permits.

“These folks had good seasons and made some money. They’re going to be looking to expand their operations, pick up another permit, another boat or upgrade,” Bowen said.

Salmon seine permits at Southeast Alaska have the distinction of being the highest priced at more than $300,000.

Read the full story at The Fish Site 

 

 

September 17, 2013 — BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has taken a step toward making his state’s battered fishing industry eligible for federal disaster assistance from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Earlier this month, Patrick officially certified that Massachusetts fishermen who chase bottom-dwelling groundfish had suffered ‘‘substantial economic injury.’’

He cited the poor health of key fish stocks and this year’s devastating cuts in the allowed catch.

Patrick wrote further in a letter to the SBA that the industry has been so economically damaged, that federal subsidized loans are essential.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Boston Globe

September 13, 2013 — After suffering from another plunge in fishing-industry business tied to federal catch limits, Scott Memhard wonders how much longer his Cape Pond Ice Co. can remain open.

A half-mile away on Gloucester’s waterfront, Sheree DeLorenzo Zizik wonders when she can finally start work on a new 101-room hotel at the site of a former Birds Eye food plant to serve the influx of tourists this city has seen over the past few years.

The plights of the two companies — a struggling ice maker serving fishing boats since 1848 and a partnership hoping to build a gleaming new hotel hosting out-of-town visitors — shows how this city of nearly 30,000 residents is slowly transforming amidst a depression-like downturn in the local fishing industry.

The transition hasn’t been painless or simple. The industry’s decline has prompted city officials to explore changes to the allowable developments within its port area, in anticipation of potentially opening up some of the land to non-fishing uses. These efforts have raised concerns that city officials could go too far and permanently alter the waterfront’s character, making it tougher for the fishing industry to rebound if the strict catch limits are eventually lifted.

For now, though, the fishing industry seems more concerned with survival. Commercial fishermen are reeling in the wake of new groundfish restrictions that took effect on May 1. “It’s horrible,” said Russell Sherman, owner of the 72-foot Lady Jane trawler in Gloucester. “My catch is way down (by more than 20 percent), and I’m trying to sell my boat. We operate on only a 10-percent margin. But I can’t sell the vessel because no one wants it. There’s no way out of this business, except maybe just to bail out.”

Read the full story at the Boston Business Journal

September 13, 2013 — Governor Andrew M. Cuomo visited Montauk on Thursday morning to call for updating flounder regulations that he argues stifle the state fishing industry—otherwise the state will sue. Mr. Cuomo urged the U.S. Department of Commerce to immediately reassess regulations on the number of summer flounder that may be caught legally by commercial or recreational fishermen and said the state is prepared to file suit to ensure that the fishermen get a fair deal.

Read the full story from The East Hampton Press