March 1, 2018 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — The hits keep coming from NOAA’s groundfishing ban with financial losses spreading to businesses that support New Bedford’s fishing fleet.
“No one ever really paid attention to our shoreside businesses,” manager of Reidar’s Trawl Gear and Marine Supply Tor Bendiksen said. “We’re the last of the group. We all remember when there was companies like ours up and down this entire coast. The only reason that we’ve all survived in New Bedford is because we had not only groundfishing but we have the scallop industry to support us. But this one little incident with how important groundfish is has put us all to our knees.”
It’s been three months since NOAA installed a groundfishing ban on Sector IX, which halted operations of about 80 fishermen.
Though, the collateral damage of the ban extends beyond fishermen.
Virginia Martins, the president of Sector IX, also is the president of Bay Fuel, which has sold more than 1 million fewer gallons of gas this year compared to past sales.
John Reardon, also a board member and general manager at Hercules SLR, said sales of safety marine equipment is down 50 percent since the ban.
Bendiksen, a Sector IX board member, said sales at Reidar’s are down 30 percent. Reidar’s, which employs 14 people, manufactures fishing nets. In the past, a fisherman’s net would be in his shop at least once a week. Since November, they’ve done three total.
Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times