March 27, 2023 — Blue Harvest Fisheries is temporarily suspending operations at its processing plant in New Bedford, Massachusettsm U.S.A. as part of an overall strategy shift to “realize potential” of its groundfish operations.
The company announced on 24 March it is planning to continue a shift further into the New England groundfish fishery. It said as part of the shift, it was halting operations at its processing plant, laying off 64 employees, the New Bedford Light reported.
February 9, 2023 — Blue Harvest Fisheries in New Bedford, Mass., recently completed its purchase of the newly-christened Nobska, a 90’x30’ trawler built in 2019.
Designed by Farrell & Norton Naval Architects and built in 2019 at Fairhaven Shipyard, Mass., the dragger was originally known as the Francis Dawn and based in Maine.
It is one of the newest groundfish vessels operating in New England “and represents the first step in implementing the company’s plans for the future of its groundfish operations,” according to a statement from Blue Harvest Fisheries.
February 8, 2023 — Blue Harvest Fisheries has expanded its groundfish fleet, adding the former Francis Dawn as “part of the company’s strategy to assemble a new, modern fleet,” the New Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S.A.-based company said in a press release.
The vessel, now renamed the Nobska, will fish for groundfish in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank, landing its catch in both New Bedford and Gloucester, Massachusetts, Blue Harvest said. The Nobska’s current captain, Aldie Leeman, has agreed to work for Blue Harvest, and the company is in the process of transferring the groundfish permit from an older vessel that burned in 2021, also called the Nobska, to the new vessel.
February 8, 2023 — The following was released by Blue Harvest Fisheries:
Blue Harvest Fisheries has completed the purchase of its newest, most modern groundfish vessel, the newly-christened Nobska. The new vessel is Blue Harvest’s latest investment in its groundfish fleet, and represents the first step in implementing the company’s plans for the future of its groundfish operations.
The Nobska, built in 2019 in Fairhaven, Massachusetts and originally known as the Francis Dawn, is one of the newest groundfish vessels currently operating in New England. It has several innovative features that allows it to land in-demand, premium groundfish. These include a state-of-the-art electronics system, and a slurry ice/vat system for the fish hold that allows the Nobska to keep groundfish fresher for longer, and to land a higher-quality product at the dock.
The Nobska is the first of Blue Harvest’s new investments to upgrade its groundfish operations and will be the replacement for an older Blue Harvest vessel, also named the Nobska. The purchase is part of the company’s strategy to assemble a new, modern fleet. By investing in newer vessels that can spend more days fishing every year, run more efficiently, and require less maintenance, Blue Harvest hopes to maintain its position as an innovator in the New England groundfish fishery.
“We are excited for the opportunities that a new, modern vessel like the Nobska will provide for our groundfish operations,” said Chip Wilson, CEO of Blue Harvest Fisheries. “We are committed to the long-term future of this fishery, and this purchase is the first step in our strategy to remain involved here in Massachusetts for years to come.”
Originally based in Maine, the new Nobska will fish for groundfish in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank, landing its catch in both New Bedford and Gloucester. Blue Harvest will be working with the Nobska’s current captain, Aldie Leeman, who has been with the vessel since its initial launch and who brings decades of fishing experience to the company. Blue Harvest will also be working in the coming weeks to transfer the groundfish permit from the old Nobska to the new replacement vessel.
About Blue Harvest Fisheries
Blue Harvest Fisheries is a leading supplier of premium quality seafood sustainably harvested from MSC certified fisheries in the U.S. The company operates its own fleet of groundfish vessels as well as offload facilities in New Bedford and Fairhaven, MA and an SQF certified waterfront manufacturing facility in New Bedford, MA. The Blue Harvest Fisheries product line features haddock, ocean perch (Acadian redfish) and Atlantic pollock (saithe) as well as other groundfish harvested in the waters off New England. Blue Harvest Fisheries products are sold fresh and frozen to leading restaurants, wholesalers and distributors across the U.S. The company also offers custom processing and is a supplier of private label products to retailers and food service distributors.
October 11, 2022 — New Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S.A.-based Blue Harvest Fisheries is defending its business practices amid pressure about the fisheries’ legal structure, and signs of a potential antitrust probe by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The concerns were kicked off in July 2022 by a story published in ProPublica via a partnership with The New Bedford Light highlighting the growing influence of foreign equity in U.S. fishing interests as a result of changes to federal rules adopted in 2010.
August 25, 2022 — Ocean Fleet Services has announced that Daniels Trawlers has completed the acquisition of five double-dredge scallop vessels from New Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S.A.-based Blue Harvest.
The acquisition completes a reorganization of the company’s scallop fleet that Daniels Trawlers began in 2022, according to the company.
Read the full story at SeafoodSource
July 6, 2022 — Before dawn, Jerry Leeman churned through inky black waters, clutching the wheel of the fishing vessel Harmony.
The 85-foot trawler, deep green and speckled with rust, was returning from a grueling fishing trip deep into the Atlantic swells. Leeman and his crew of four had worked 10 consecutive days, 20 hours a day, to haul in more than 50,000 pounds of fish: pollock, haddock and ocean perch, a trio known as groundfish in the industry and as whitefish in the freezer aisle.
As sunrise broke over New Bedford harbor, the fish were offloaded in plastic crates onto the asphalt dock of Blue Harvest Fisheries, one of the largest fishing companies on the East Coast. About 390 million pounds of seafood move each year through New Bedford’s waterfront, the top-earning commercial fishing port in the nation.
Leeman and his crew are barely sharing in the bounty. On deck, Leeman held a one-page “settlement sheet,” the fishing industry’s version of a pay stub. Blue Harvest charges Leeman and his crew for fuel, gear, leasing of fishing rights, and maintenance on the company-owned vessel. Across six trips in the past 14 months, Leeman netted about 14 cents a pound, and the crew, about 7 cents each — a small fraction of the $2.28 per pound that a species like haddock typically fetches at auction.
“It’s a nickel-and-dime game,” said the 40-year-old Leeman, who wore a flannel shirt beneath foul weather gear and a necklace strung with a compass, a cross, and three pieces of jade — one piece for each of his three children. “Tell me how I can catch 50,000 pounds of fish yet I don’t know what my kids are going to have for dinner.”
Leeman’s lament is a familiar one in New Bedford, an industrial city tucked below Cape Cod on the south coast of Massachusetts. In recent years, the port of New Bedford has thrived, generating $11.1 billion in business revenue, jobs, taxes and personal income in 2018, according to one study. But a quiet shift is remaking the city and the industry that sustains it, realizing local fishermen’s deepest fears of losing control over their livelihood.
October 28, 2021 — American Aquafarms, a Maine-based aquaculture company with plans for ocean-based salmon operations, a hatchery, fish farm and processing plant, announced Wednesday that 30-year industry veteran Keith Decker will join the company as chief executive officer.
Decker has extensive experience in seafood production and processing, with particular experience guiding and directing fast-paced organizations through substantial change and development. He is currently CEO of Blue Harvest Fisheries, which he joined in 2018 as the firm moved from start-up to growth phase.
Read the full story at National Fisherman
August 24, 2021 — Blue Harvest Fisheries CEO Keith Decker told the Standard-Times last week that crew members met with Coast Guard officials when they returned to port on Tuesday. He said they were waiting for the investigation to determine what happened.
There were seven crew members on the vessel, including the captain and the man who went overboard. Decker said the man was a first-time crew member with Blue Harvest who had never fished with them before. However, he had heard the man was an experienced fisher.
The man was woken because he had the next watch, but never showed up, according to the Coast Guard. The agency said the man was not wearing a life jacket, which is only required under federal law for children under 13 years of age while the vessel is underway.
April 28, 2021 — Quinn Fisheries and Blue Harvest Fisheries filed a lawsuit last week against Carlos Rafael’s trustee and three arbitrators, alleging they are blocking a multimillion-dollar transaction of vessels and permits that was scheduled to happen April 16.
The permits are for scallops and multi-species fish. The fishing seasons have already started or will soon start and because the transaction cannot be finalized, Quinn Fisheries and Blue Harvest state they will experience serious and irreparable financial harm.
According to the 19-page complaint, Quinn Fisheries planned to transfer certain vessels and permits to Blue Harvest, and then purchase vessels and permits from Blue Harvest.
The companies state the transaction will not “significantly dilute or otherwise jeopardize” the Rafael trust. The trust was established in 2019 to hold certain assets that, if not for a settlement agreement, would be held by Rafael, according to a document.
Rafael was convicted in 2017 for conspiracy and falsifying federal records, but was recently released from prison. As part of his settlement with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), he was required to leave the fishing industry and sell his commercial fleet and permits.