President & CEO
National Fisheries Institute Statement on the Passing of Hans “Harry” Frisch
President & CEO
January 13, 2023 — Deadliest Catch, the reality television series that follows crab fishermen aboard fishing vessels will return next April, despite the red king crab season being closed by Alaskan authorities.
The reality television series that premiered on the Discovery Channel on April 12, 2005, and has been the base for a series of spinoffs will enter its 19th season this year. But the decision by the Alaskan Department of Fish and Game to close both the red king crab fishery and the Bering Sea snow crab fishery raised doubts about the viability of the show.
The show follows crab fishermen aboard fishing vessels in the Bering Sea during the crab fishing seasons. The base of operations for the fishing fleet is the Aleutian Islands port of Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Produced for the Discovery Channel, the show’s title is derived from the inherent high risk of injury or death associated with this line of work.
The show emphasizes the dangers on deck to the fishermen and camera crews as they duck heavy crab pots swinging into position, maneuver hundreds of pounds of crab across a deck strewn with hazards, and lean over the rails to position pots for launch or retrieval, while gale-force winds and high waves lash the deck constantly.
Deadliest Catch draws consistently high ratings for Discovery Channel; season 3 attracted more than 49 million viewers throughout the season and over 3 million viewers per first-run episode, making it one of 2007’s most successful programs on cable TV. Overall ratings for Deadliest Catch have always been good enough for the show to be renewed.
January 10, 2023 — Sometime in the 1970s, once a week every week, along the narrow streets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a fish truck came around. It came to neighborhoods of North and West Philly, their brick row houses one room wide, set tight against each other right along the sidewalks; some houses with a little grass and trees, some with concrete; some with porches, some just with steps on which people can sit and talk.
The fish truck stayed gone, but in the Philly neighborhoods, the fresh fish came back. An outfit called Fishadelphia buys fish from the New Jersey docks, then drives it to a high school in North Philly where it’s packed into coolers, which people take home to their own porches, where neighbors pick up their assigned fish. Fishadelphia’s founder and executive director is Talia Young, whose PhD is in ecology, who’s a visiting assistant professor in environmental studies at Haverford College in Pennsylvania, and whose goal in life has never been to sell fish.
“I’m sort of a scientist,” she says. “I’m not doing science but I can. I’m an academic by default, I’m a teacher for sure, I’m sort of an activist, and technically I’m a business person but I know nothing about it.”
So why is she selling fish? “I’ve spent my professional life figuring out how to occupy a space that includes the environment, science, and social justice,” Young says. Scientists don’t usually combine science with activism, worrying that the combination would undermine a reputation for unbiased research. Young, however, has only ever cared about finding the nexus between her three interests and, she says, “Fishadelphia is the closest I’ve come.”
January 6, 2023 — Two processing vessels, owned by Phoenix Processors Limited Partnership (PPLP), the M/V Excellence and the M/V Phoenix, have achieved the FISH Standard for Crew Certification.
The vessels operate as American flagged vessels in the Alaska pollock and Pacific whiting fisheries.
January 3, 2022 — Scientists often find oddities on the seafloor, but NOAA researchers were baffled when a camera dropped off Maine landed on top of a large propeller 100 miles from shore.
No shipwreck, mind you. Just the propeller “lying among the rocks, sea stars, and sea anemones.”
The mystifying discovery was made in the Gulf of Maine, as the fishing vessel Mary Elizabeth was participating in a NOAA Fisheries seafloor survey.
December 29, 2022 — The 2022 Seafood Expo North America, which took place 13 to 15, March in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., and the 2022 Seafood Expo Global, 26 to 28 April, 2022, in Barcelona, Spain, featured a comprehensive conference program of live panel events focusing on topics chosen to be of vital interest to the seafood industry.
The 28 individual presentations from SENA and the 21 sessions from SEG featured exclusive information and insight from seafood industry experts, including economic forecasts and analysis on the trends and topics impacting the global seafood industry as it navigates issues of trade, food safety, traceability, aquaculture, sustainability, and consumption trends. Now, a video recording of each of these sessions is available for on-demand replay.
December 1, 2022 — In the mountains of the U.S. state of West Virginia, defunct coal mines dot the landscape near towns that have suffered from country’s shift to new energy sources.
For decades, miners extracted millions of tons of coal from the region, leaving behind underground voids that still exist to this day. Over time, those defunct mines have filled with billions of gallons of water – creating a new resource that Appalachian Salmon Founder and CEO Austin Caperton told SeafoodSource is waiting to be tapped into.
November 24, 2022 — Lucas Raymond has been working as a deckhand on a boat that catches monkfish, pollock, hake, and occasional cod out of New Hampshire’s Rye Harbor for the last decade. His fishing trips often involve navigating rough, stormy waters and typically last two to three days, but the 30-year-old enjoys doing physical work outside. “Even at the end of a very hard day, it’s rewarding,” Raymond says.
He considers fishermen to be some of society’s last hunters. “We bring in a very healthy, natural wild protein source, and that’s so important. It’s a shame to watch [the industry] struggle the way it is.”
Like many sectors, commercial fishing is facing a worker shortage, with too few young fishermen coming in to replace the aging workforce. The average age of groundfish and lobster captains in New England is 55 years old, according to the New England Young Fishermen’s Alliance (NEYFA). “It’s an industry that is truly dying,” Raymond said. “There are so few people getting into it. It’s incredibly disheartening.”
November 23, 2022 — The following was released by the National Fisheries Institute:
National Fisheries Institute (NFI) announces that the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, has officially created the “John P. Connelly ’84 Student Stipend Fund” in honor of the association’s late and highly-regarded President and CEO, John Connelly.
November 21, 2022 — The following was released by National Fisheries Institute:
Today we mourn the loss of a fierce advocate, a loving father, a cherished husband, a beloved brother, an esteemed leader, and to so many a mentor and simply friend. John Connelly was the third President of the National Fisheries Institute (NFI) and a man who drove fundamental change with wit, foresight, and honesty. His impact and loss is immeasurable.
In early 2003 John stood before the NFI Presidential Search Committee, dug back to his history degree from his beloved College of the Holy Cross and made the analogy that the seafood industry was like the German states in the 1860s. Each industry sector fought their own battles, like pre-Bismarck Germany. He suggested a better approach was to unify the seafood industry – and with that – the posture of an industry changed forever. From those early days John began to transform NFI into an effective advocacy group that commands respect across a global industry.
John was not afraid of hard work with a professional mantra of “no job too big, no job too small.” John was a master communicator who would weave in charming personal antidotes while breaking down complex issues like corporate responsibility, sustainability, free markets, and whatever was keeping the consumer awake at night – all in the manner of an affable sweater-wearing professor.
The catalog of John’s achievements is lengthy, including the creation of the Better Seafood Board; the merger of the National Tuna Federation and subsequent development of the NFI Council system; plus, the annual Global Seafood Market Conference; the conception of the Seafood Nutrition Partnership; and contributing his steady voice on multiple industry Boards. NFI members will long remember John’s unwavering presence and leadership during the early days of the pandemic. These are just a few of the contributions that will have a lasting impact.
The NFI staff will remember his indelible impact on our lives. He was a hard-working boss whose naval officer pedigree taught him to lead from the front. He was a warm-hearted father figure who cared deeply about those around him. He was a tough, honest and funny man – with a genuine twinkle in his eye and a story for every occasion. He was someone who wrote postcards to family and friends from his travels around the world. He was a man of deep faith and happiest spending time with his family.
Even before falling ill, John had announced his retirement for February 2023 and spent 2022 preparing for a smooth transition of leadership. As they say when a naval commander departs his ship for the last time, “We relieve you, Sir.”
Our sympathy and prayers are with his wife Margaret, his children Kate (Jack), Jack (Rui), Bridget (John) and Maggie (Ryan), his extended family, friends, and his colleagues from around the globe.
The NFI Staff
Memorial Contributions
To recognize John’s love of education, the seafood industry and the College of the Holy Cross, NFI has established “The John Connelly Intern Scholarship” at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, to benefit the Semester in DC Program. John mentored Holy Cross interns for 10+ years at NFI and took great pride in demystifying advocacy as a career.
The scholarship will be awarded annually to an NFI advocacy intern and benefit other interns at DC food trade associations. To contribute to the scholarship contact:
Phil Gibson
Holy Cross Advancement
1 College Street
Worcester, MA 01610
For payment via credit card, call the Office of Advancement at 508.793.3079 and reference the John Connelly Internship.
Arrangements
NFI will provide information on funeral arrangements as they become available.