Reidar Bendicksen is the founder of Reidar's manufacturing in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. Reidar's original invention and product was the "Latching Safety Hook" used on nearly all scallop vessels today. U.S. Patent No: 4,813,170 was issued to Reidar for the invention of the "Sweepline Roller Stopper", a chain stopper made to use on roller and rockhopper gear to stop lateral movement along the sweep. Reidar also invented the "Bolshline Hanging Spacer" in 1986.
I am writing in a comment to The Standard-Times in response to a sponsored forum on the fishing industry catch-share system, held at the Fairfield Inn on Nov. 9, which I attended.
My interest in this issue is from a supplier's point of view at this present time. But being a former fisherman, boat owner and captain, this issue falls on familiar ground and is close to my heart.
The panelists gave testimony in support of their view on the industry, and, judging from comments and audience reaction, the consensus was that of disapproval of the catch-share system. Richie Canastra's testimony pointed towards the unbelievable number of only 16 boats actually fishing successfully under these rules. This was quite sobering in view of the fleet we see tied up to the piers permanently.
However, pro-catch-shares groups such as Pew and the Environmental Defense Fund have been able to infiltrate the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration seemingly to the point of no return. Because of this I have noticed all people who work for NOAA have become more and more anti-fishing. They most certainly have an agenda on how the fishing industry is supposed to look in the future. Public meetings are merely protocol. The sad truth is, the small-business, small-boat owner/operators no longer fit their plans for the future, so no pleading, begging or hardship stories are going to find a sympathetic ear within any of the above-mentioned groups.
In short, it is social engineering almost at its worst. Only Hitler has one up on them, because he used to kill his victims by the millions after he kicked them out of their businesses and stripped them of anything of value. He called it the Final Solution.
To me, catch-share management looks like it is being viewed as the only way out. In other words, it looks like the final solution — according to EDF and NOAA.
I believe EDF and NOAA would do anything to fulfill their agenda, including lie, cheat, skew numbers, rearrange statistics, promote false propaganda, break laws, or whatever else to reach their goal. At this forum, I witnessed one fisherman after another get up and tell them (EDF/NOAA) horror stories, and there was no sign of remorse or sympathy. They just sat there with smirks on their faces and dismissed it all.
I say their actions are unconstitutional and criminal. They belong in jail for doing this to hard-working people — especially at a time in our country where unemployment is through the roof and the economy in the toilet.
For people who do not know, when boats had to sign up for catch-share sectors, they did so on lofty promises of quota based on the boats' landing history. They signed on to it on a wing and a prayer so to speak, just like buying a car used, unseen and with no warranty except for the owner's testimony.
Boats had different histories. Some had significant haddock history, others cod, pollock or flounder. All the smaller boats that could not venture offshore to chase haddock had catch limits, 2-to-1 counted days at sea, rolling closures, and anything else that was thrown their way in order to discourage them from catching fish that would show significant landings. These boats ended up with low quota history.
National Marine Fisheries Service and its EDF-infiltrated New England Fishery Management Council practically screwed up the days-at-sea system knowingly to pave the way for sectors, knowing right along the majority of the fleet would be short of landing history.
After sectors where established, NOAA finally passed out the individual quotas — which turned out to be only a fraction of anyone's yearly landings, plus a no-discard clause and very low quotas on just about anything except haddock. This made everything except haddock a choke species.
Only the largest boats along the coast had haddock quota of significance. All the rest did not have enough quota of anything, unless they could buy it from other boats. Most owners choose to sell their quota to others and tie up their boats. Result: unemployment.
"Is all this coincidence?" you may ask. Not likely. By design? Very likely.
There is a good reason for fishermen to be angry at Pew, EDF and NOAA. And now when fishermen hear any of these characters spew their rhetoric and lies, they simply no longer believe them, and therefore do not applaud for them when they speak.
As a supplier I have lost a good 50 percent of my small and owner-operated boats, people who were honest, hard-working, good citizens, and were our bread and butter for cash flow.
I do not believe any of today's remaining working boats would be hurt much if the above 50 percent was able to make a living also. Will stability ever come our way again?
Read the complete story from The South Coast Today.