State and Local

Gov. Patrick released the following statement on the NEFMC scallop decision. “Chairman Pappalardo and the New England Fisheries Management Council did right today by Massachusetts scallopers," said Governor Patrick. “By revisiting the scientific data and revising their previous decision on scallop catch, they struck a better balance for fishermen and the resource on which they depend. I look forward to continuing a strong partnership with the Council to use sound science and fair regulation to manage our precious fisheries resources. I also commend Congressman Barney Frank and New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang for their continued tireless advocacy on behalf of this industry and the families that depend upon it."

DURHAM — The state of New Hampshire has been notified by the National Marine Fisheries Service of vacancies for New Hampshire's obligatory seat and two at-large seats for the New England Fishery Management Council. New Hampshire's obligatory seat is currently held by David Goethel.

To assist in filling these vacancies, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department's Marine Fisheries Division will host a candidates' interview night on Monday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m. at the Urban Forestry Center in Portsmouth.

Potential candidates must be prepared to present their qualifications at the session. Interested candidates should contact Doug Grout, chief of Marine Fisheries for the Fish and Game Department, at 868-1095.

Read the complete story at The Eagle Tribune. 

The commonwealth of Massachusetts is seeking interested individuals for nomination to open seats on the New England Fishery Management Council. Candidates “by reason of their occupation or other experience, scientific expertise or training must be knowledgeable and experienced in ways related to fishery resources of New England.”

Two at-large seats, currently held by Rip Cunningham of Massachusetts and Frank Blount of Rhode Island, will be open to nominations.

The NEFMC is one of eight regional councils that manage U.S. marine fisheries seaward of state territorial waters. Responsibilities include development of fishery management plans that are submitted to the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Secretary of Commerce for approval and implementation.

Read the complete story at Wicked Local Rockport. 

"…there is more than one “right” decision recommended to you by Council staff. On behalf of a vital but already struggling industry, I ask you to choose the recommendation that has a less drastic impact on their livelihoods." — Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick
Read the letter from Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick

The Rhode Island Fishermen's Alliance stands with the unified voice of it's Massachusetts commercial fishing brethren by supporting the scallop industry.
Rhode Island does in fact have scallop boats that not only own vessels but are working waterfront lease holders that employ tax payers.

The issue or in this case vote at hand is not that of scallops vs. yellow tail flounder but a direct attack at a sector of the commercial fishing industry that has picked it's self up off the bottom of the barrel and has become the best model model in the world for fisheries management.

It is with just cause that Rhode Island Fishermen's Alliance and its membership support the country's most successful commercial fishing industry.

Richard Fuka
President
RHode Island Fishermen's Alliance

As winds whipped through Seabrook Harbor on a frigid January day, Lissa Vogt of Haverhill, Mass., had plenty of motivation to brave the elements and claim the prize waiting for her at the end of a pier.

For $72, Vogt had jumped at a first-time opportunity to be a shareholder in the seasonal shrimp harvest off New Hampshire’s seacoast. Now the time had come to reap half of her reward: 20 pounds of shrimp – enough to share with friends and family, and fresher than any she’d find in a supermarket.

“It’s healthy, it’s fresh, and we’re supporting a local industry off our own shores,’’ Vogt said. “I want these fishermen to succeed. Some have been doing this for generations, and I don’t want to see it die out.’’

About 80 area households are eating extra helpings of shrimp this winter as they participate in a pilot program designed to help local fishermen, consumers, and the environment. They’re members of a new community-supported fishery, launched this month by the Yankee Fisherman’s Cooperative, which includes more than 60 fishing vessels on the seacoast.

Read the complete story at The Boston Globe.

A new book designed to provide its readers with a window into New Bedford's complex and colorful fishing industry was released Jan. 14.

Titled "Voices from the Waterfront," the book is just that — allowing 40 people, who derive their livelihoods from a business that annually contributes $5.5 billion to the New England economy, to tell their stories in their own words.

Subtitled "Portrait of the New Bedford Fishing Industry," the book was produced as a collaborative effort between Laura Orleans and Kirsten Bendiksen, co-founders of the annual Working Waterfront Festival in New Bedford, and Connecticut's Mark Starr, a professional photographer who has previously produced photo books on the commercial fishermen of Point Judith.

The personal narratives, each one a page in length, are accompanied by luminous black and white photographs of the subjects.

Read the complete story at The South Coast Today.

WINTER HARBOR, Maine — “It’s not a secret,” fisherman-scholar Ted Ames said Saturday night.

“There aren’t too many fishermen here anymore. There aren’t too many fish, either. About 5,000 square miles off the Maine coast no longer produces fish. Gone are the haddock, cod, white hake and halibut,” he said.

Ames was addressing a large crowd at the Schoodic Education and Research Center on the issue of Maine’s groundfishing industry and how to secure its future.

“It can’t happen overnight,” he said. “But we sincerely believe the stocks can be restored.”

Ames and Aaron Dority, director of the Downeast Groundfish Initiative, talked about the massive decline in Maine’s fishing fleet as fish populations have shrunk.

Read the complete story at Bangor Daily News.

Menhaden – an oily, bony baitfish – attracts more than stripers and bluefish. It attracts Virginia lawmakers by the score.

Omega Protein, which harvests menhaden for industrial purposes and processes them in Reedville, has carved out the privileged status of having its fishery in the Chesapeake Bay regulated by politicians to whom it gives thousands of dollars in donations each year.

The commercial exploitation of creatures in state waters is ordinarily controlled by the Virginia Marine Resource Commission. The VMRC regulates oysters, blue crabs, striped bass, bluefish, speckled trout and much, much more. What it doesn't regulate – by law – is menhaden, one of the largest commercial catches in Virginia waters. Instead, the fishery is the only one overseen by the General Assembly, where marine scientists are in short supply.

Read the complete story at The Virginian-Pilot.

Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office issues the following statement in response to “Review of North Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Enforcement Programs and Operations” issued today by the Inspector General of the Department of Commerce.

BOSTON July 21, 2010— “Our fishing communities are critical for our economy and enforcement by federal regulatory authorities needs to be fair. The Inspector General’s report released today confirms many of our concerns about the approach NOAA has taken toward enforcing fishery conservation laws and how that approach may have contributed to the abrupt attempt by federal regulatory authorities to close the Gloucester Fish Exchange last summer. We are hopeful that this report will lead to an overhaul of the agency’s enforcement procedures.”