State and Local

Tarpon Springs, Florida fishermen are very angry about restricitions imposed by the federal government, saying the feel forced out of the industry. See the video from ABC Action News at Youtube.

The first time there was a war over the Chesapeake Bay’s oysters — in the 1800s — it started because there were so many of the shellfish. For a share of the fortune on the bay’s floor, watermen fought police and one another with rifles and cannons.

This year’s oyster war is being fought with cellphones, glow sticks, fast boats, and night-vision technology, but for the opposite reason.

Maryland, trying to protect a species whose ranks have declined by 99 percent, is cracking down on watermen who catch oysters in protected sanctuaries or with banned equipment. Over the winter, officers with the Maryland Natural Resources Police conducted undercover surveillance operations in small fishing towns and on rivers, hiding on patrol boats in the dark.

The blitz is welcomed by the Maryland Watermen’s Association, which says bad oystermen are figuratively stealing from good ones. But some caught in the dragnet said that a shortage of oysters and tighter state laws have pushed them to break rules.

Read the complete story at The Boston Globe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Bizzell finds himself in a difficult position these days.

As chairman of the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission (MFC) he is trying to satisfy the federal government and environmentalists who are upset about gill net interactions with sea turtles. On the other hand, he is getting an earful from commercial fishermen worried about the loss of income and jobs as fishing regulations tighten.

In a meeting this week the MFC reversed course and decided to restrict NC gill nets more than they had originally planned to, essential banishing large mesh gill netters to night-time hours and plugging in some other restrictions to try and head off a lawsuit against the state by the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue Center.

Bizzell says that he thinks the MFC has done enough.

“Personally I feel really good about our efforts to comply with the Endangered Species Act and satisfy the sea turtle center,” said Bizzell. “What we have done will amount to an 88 percent reduction in large mesh gill nets, and I think that is very significant.”

Read the complete story at The Examiner.

It's not everyday that a family-owned and operated business celebrates a 100th year anniversary. First opened in 1910 on Atlantic Avenue in the heart of what was once Boston's industrial waterfront, Pier Fish expanded to the New Bedford waterfront in 2001.

But other than their size and number of employees, not much has changed in for the company, a major seafood processor.

Third generation president Richard Barry and his four brothers — Jim, Michael, Kevin and John are all still part of the business, as they have been since the 1970's. And Richard's daughter Jessica, 22, representing the family's fourth generation, joined the business six months ago.

"The initial idea of my grandfather was to service restaurants and local restaurants and we are still doing that," said Barry of Pier Fish, originally started as a small fish market.

As with any business open for 10 decades, the Barrys have faced their share of changes, both disruptions and opportunities.

From Boston's shifting waterfront landscape which forced the company to move in 1968, to the 1976 Magnuson-Stevens Act that opened up new opportunities by restricting coastal fishing to U.S. vessels, things have never been dull, said Richard Barry.

In the 1990s, sweeping regulation changes to the fishing industry began shrinking profit margins and Pier Fish was forced to look at new markets. Always counting on local retail locations, the company saw an opportunity in supplying supermarket chains.

Read the complete story at The South Coast Today [subscription site]

NOTE: The Standard-Times is a subscription site.  Unregistered visitors are able to read three stories per month, and registered visitors may view ten.  For unlimited access, please follow the subscription instructions on the site. 

 

 

 

 

 

Though most towns in Massachusetts officially close the bay scallop season at the end of next week, Edgartown shellfishermen can keep going in what has been a banner season for them. With an abundance of bay scallops still out there, on Monday the Edgartown selectmen voted to add another month to the season.

“This season is the best in a while,” said Paul Bagnall, Edgartown shellfish constable. “It hasn’t been this good since the 1990s.

“The down side,” he added, “is the price paid to the fishermen.”

Edgartown commercial and recreational fishermen landed over 8,000 bushels of bay scallops last year, most of it from Cape Pogue Pond. The bay scallop season runs from November through March; shellfish constables make their assessments on a calendar year from January to December. Most of those 8,000 bushels were landed in October through December.

The bay scallop fishery is the Vineyard’s traditional off-season industry and a number of Island residents depend on it.

Read the complete story at Vineyard Gazette Online.

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Jersey shark fishermen can breathe a collective sigh of relief now that the federal government has given the state more time to bring its management measures into compliance.

The state faced a moratorium on shark fishing this season due to non-compliance with regulations required in the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's (ASMFC) Atlantic Coastal Sharks Interstate Fishery Management Plan.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has agreed to give New Jersey until July 30 to implement the regulations necessary to avoid a moratorium on the state's shark fishery.

New Jersey's plan to implement the required regulations was outlined in a letter from DEP Commissioner Bob Martin to NOAA. As a result, the federal government has delayed imposition of the moratorium. One may still be imposed on July 30 if New Jersey fails to meet its implementation schedule.

Read the complete story at APP.

New Bedford, Massachusetts Mayor Scott W. Lang has called on NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco to temporarily delay the catch share/sector management program while the fish allocations are calculated.

The Port of New Bedford has been the nation's top fishing port in value of landings for nine year in a row, bringing in $241.3 million in 2008.

In his letter, Mayor Lang expressed appreciation for Assistant Administrator, Eric Schwaab's participation in the Northeast Fisheries Summit.

He noted that "at the Summit, key NOAA officials admitted that the catch share/sector system is a “work in progress” and that they will adjust the management allocations as the program develops. An admission of this magnitude by the regulatory authority is disconcerting, and is an irresponsible way to launch a new program that we know will cause certain harm to the people who work in the industry if not done properly."

The mayor argued that "it is paramount that the system be implemented correctly based on solid scientific data, that NOAA has a real understanding of the socio-economic impacts of the system, and that it is fair to all fisheries."

He concluded that "Based on these very real concerns, I urge you to temporarily delay the implementation of the catch share/sector program until such time that these issues have been addressed and the government has a clear understanding of the effects of the new system on the fishing families of New Bedford. The individuals in this industry do not deserve to be subject to a system which is a “work in progress”."

Read the Mayor's letter.

To curb population declines, state officials have approved new regulations limiting the catch of weakfish, among other species.

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control said the official state fish, the weakfish, has experienced a major decline in recent years.

The recreational limit was reduced from six to one fish per person, per day, while the commercial limit is now 100 pounds per vessel, per trip.

Rick Cole, program manager for DNREC's Division of Fish and Wildlife, said the new weakfish limits are a precautionary measure to take one more stressor off the species.

Read the complete story at Delmarva Now!

Martha’s Vineyard lobsters are scarce. More lobsters are landed by the Steamship Authority ferry Island Home from afar than by local lobstermen, and the prognosis is not good for the future for the whole region. From Chatham to as far south as North Carolina, the lobster fishery is in trouble.

The seafood consumer doesn’t have to worry. Lobsters are alive and well in local fish markets, because they come from up north.

The biggest hardship is being felt by lobstermen in Menemsha, where already they are facing rising costs for fuel and a cheap price for what they harvest. Their lobsters don’t even look as good as the ones from Canada. Difficult economic times for consumers worldwide, and an abundance of lobsters from the north, have pulled the value out of a fresh lobster landed at the Vineyard dock. Meanwhile Island fishermen have been hit by restrictions as part a regionwide effort to save the fishery.

“It has been a struggle,” said Chris Stien, of West Tisbury, who fishes out of Menemsha. “It is pretty much collapsed, and it has been going on about a decade.”

Read the complete story at Vineyard Gazette Online.

The complete video record of the Northeast Fisheries Summit held on Monday, March 8, 2010 at the New Bedford Whaling Museum is available here.  The complete summit video is available in seven one hour segments.

The agenda is listed below.

NORTHEAST FISHERIES SUMMIT

Sponsored by the City of New Bedford,
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, and 
the Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Institute

Monday, March 8, 2010
9:00 a.m. – 5:45 p.m.
New Bedford Whaling Museum


Moderator: John Bullard – Mr. Bullard is president of the Sea Education Association in Woods Hole, is a former New Bedford Mayor, and was headed first federal Office of Sustainable Development under President Clinton.

9:00 New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang introduces Congressman Barney Frank and other elected officials.

9:10 Congressman Barney Frank 

9:20 Comments from other elected officials.

Panel Discussion 1 — Catch Shares and Sectors  

9:45-10:05 Brian Rothschild – Overview of meeting and Panel Discussion 1

10:05-11:05 Julie Wormser – New England Regional Director, Oceans Program, Environmental Defense Fund
Vito Giacalone- Policy Director, Northeast Seafood Coalition 
James “Bud” Walsh – Attorney, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
Carlos Rafael – Boat Owner, Port of New Bedford
Richie Canastra – Co-owner, New Bedford and Boston Display Auctions
Frank Mirarchi – Captain of F/V Barbara Peters, Dragger, Scituate MA

11:05-11:15 Governor Deval Patrick

11:15-12:30 Discussion 

12:30-1:30 Lunch

Panel Discussion 2 — Scallop and Scallop Bycatch

1:30-1:40 Brian Rothschild – Overview of Panel Discussion 2

1:40-2:40 Drew Minkiewicz – Attorney for the Fisheries Survival Fund 
Ron Smolowitz – Technical Consultant to the Fisheries Survival Fund
Kevin Stokesbury –Department of Fisheries Oceanography, UMass Dartmouth
David Pierce – Deputy Director, Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries 
Jim Kendall – New Bedford Seafood Consulting 

2:40-3:00 Discussion

Panel Discussion 3 — Amending the Magnuson-Stevens Act

3:00-3:15 Brian Rothschild – Overview of Panel Discussion 3

3:15-4:15 Rodney Avila – Fishing Boat Owner 
Harriet Didriksen –Scallop Boat Owner, Port of New Bedford
Pamela F. Lafreniere – Maritime Attorney Specializing in Fisheries Issues, New Bedford, MA
Jimmy Odlin – New England Fishery Management Council 
Jackie Odell – Executive Director, Northeast Seafood Coalition
Steve Ouellette – Maritime Attorney Specializing in Fisheries Issues, Gloucester, MA

4:15-5:15 Discussion

5:15-5:30 Jimmy Ruhle – Overview of Meeting

5:30 Mayor Scott Lang – Closing Remarks