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MASSACHUSETTS: Ed Anthes-Washburn Leaving Port of New Bedford for Private Sector

January 15, 2021 — Ed Anthes-Washburn is leaving his job as director of the the New Bedford Port Authority for a position in the private sector.

Washburn is joining Crowley Maritime as director of business development for the Northeast and for the company’s work in the offshore wind space. Crowley is a U.S.-owned and operated logistics, government, marine and energy solutions company headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, the firm’s website states.

“I’m incredibly excited,” Washburn said. “Crowley’s maritime knowledge and shipping capacity is second-to-none.” He said he won’t be moving, and can work for Crowley from New Bedford.

Washburn has been with the port authority for 11 years, six of those years as director. He said moving on is “bittersweet” but that he’s convinced his new position will help him continue to support the city and the port.

Washburn said Crowley already operates vessels within the Jones Act trade in the Gulf Coast and the Northwest. He said in the Northeast, Crowley will develop business relationship as it grows its shipping and logistics presence within the maritime economy.

Read the full story at WBSM

New Bedford Port Director Proposes Reforms to Magnuson-Stevens Act in Latest Congressional Listening Session

October 2, 2020 — The following was released by the Port of New Bedford:

This week, Ed Anthes-Washburn, Director of the Port of New Bedford, proposed improvements to the Magnuson-Stevens Act during the latest fisheries listening session conducted by Congressman Jared Huffman (D-CA), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife. As part of his testimony, Director Washburn called for changes to the term “overfishing”; more collaboration between fishermen, regulators and scientists; greater flexibility in rebuilding periods and catch limits; a legislative fix for the conflict between fisheries management and national monuments; and maintaining and enhancing funding for fisheries research.

Representing the nation’s highest grossing fishing port, Director Washburn called for threatened fish stocks to be labeled as “depleted” instead of “overfished,” a charged term that may not accurately describe why a stock is diminished, and may innacurately imply that fishermen are to blame.

“There can be a number of reasons for the loss of biomass of a given fish stock that have nothing to do with fishing activity, including the effects of climate change, pollution, changes in migration patterns, or other reasons,” Director Washburn said.

Chairman Huffman agreed, saying, “I know that we have situations, salmon in California for example, where the overfish framework applies because the numbers are down, but it is not the fishermen’s fault.” Chairman Huffman cited drought impacts and diversions of water that have forced the closure of the salmon fishery, making the term “overfishing” “a completely inaccurate term that many fishermen feel like is highly disparaging.”

Chairman Huffman also asked Director Washburn specifically about the success of the Atlantic scallop fishery, which Director Washburn attributed to buy-in from industry, regulators, and scientists. Programs like NOAA’s Scallop Research Set-Aside, in which a portion of the industry’s scallop profits go to research projects, as well as collaborative research from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s School for Marine Science & Technology have led to high confidence in the fishery’s management. Director Washburn called for a Magnuson-Stevens Act reauthorization that encourages a systematic approach to cooperative research.

In his testimony, Director Washburn expressed support for flexibility in rebuilding periods and annual catch limits. The current 10-year rebuilding requirement places unrealistic mandates on fishery managers since many stocks lack proper scientific data, leading to overly conservative catch limits. Greater flexibility for managers in setting catch limits would also help to achieve the Magnuson-Stevens Act’s goal of optimum yield on a continuing basis.

Director Washburn also called for a legislative fix to the conflicting goals of the Magnuson-Stevens Act and the Antiquities Act. While President Trump recently allowed fishing to resume in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, Director Washburn reiterated the industry’s concerns with the process that led to the monument’s creation. “The process that led to the designation lacked the scientific rigor and industry input that ordinarily come with temporary ocean closures, much less a permanent closure,” Director Washburn said.

Director Washburn concluded his testimony by calling for maintaining and enhancing funding for fisheries research. He recommended using funds from offshore wind lease sales to ensure NOAA has the funding to adequately review offshore wind plans and conduct vital stock assessments.

Twelve of Carlos Rafael’s vessels officially sold to Blue Harvest

February 20, 2020 — The boxing match over a large portion of the Codfather’s fleet with its counter punches and knockouts has come to an end and Blue Harvest Fisheries is left standing to take its victory lap.

Blue Harvest announced in a statement Thursday that they closed a deal with Carlos Rafael for 12 of his groundfishing vessels and 27 of his permits.

Those vessels and permits will be staying in New Bedford, according to the statement.

“This agreement ensures a major portion of the groundfish fishery remains in the Port of New Bedford, with vessels docked in New Bedford and crewed by local fishermen,” Blue Harvest Fisheries said.

New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell has long been vocal about his hope that the permits and vessels would remain in the Whaling City.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

It’s no April Fools’ joke: 2019-2020 US scallop season kicks off in New Bedford

April 1, 2019 — Ed Anthes-Washburn answered his cellphone on his way to work at the Port of New Bedford, Massachusetts — the US’s most valuable commercial port — on Monday morning by telling Undercurrent News that the 2019-2020 Atlantic scallop season is canceled.

“Didn’t you hear?” the port director asked. Then, with a chuckle, he proclaimed, “April Fools’!” and confirmed that he plans to play this prank all day long.

Contrary to Washburn’s joke, the 2019-2020 Atlantic scallop season has begun in New Bedford, and it promises to be another big one. After landing an estimated 56.8 million pounds of scallops between April 1, 2018, and March 31, 2019, harvesters are loosely projected to harvest 62.5m lbs over the next 12 months.

To make room, US scallop distributors spent last week clearing their inventory, while harvesters were using up the last of their quota from the 2018-2019 season. As Washburn put it, because of the constant work being done to boats and the 60 additional days limited access vessels have to work their quota from the end of the previous season, “The old season never really ends and the new season never really begins.”

Prices were high for the final flurry of 2018-2019 landings.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

More questions than answers emerge from New York wind meeting

December 3, 2018 — A horde of New Bedford fishermen and representatives from the city’s Port Authority shared a train ride down to New York City for a meeting involving an offshore wind project south of Long Island.

The Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force meeting was held to discuss a guide the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management released earlier this month outlining potential leasing sites. The day long dialogue, though, may have only introduced more questions rather than provided answers.

Executive Director of the Port Authority Ed Anthes-Washburn said no timeline emerged or what possible next steps lie ahead in the project only that the hope was that environmental studies could begin in early 2019.

BOEM confirmed that date last week to The Standard-Times.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

MASSACHUSETTS: New Bedford Port Authority to become fisheries rep to offshore wind

November 21, 2018 — The New Bedford Port Authority has reached an agreement with all offshore wind developers operating in the Massachusetts/Rhode Island market to serve as the designated Fisheries Representative of the commercial fishing industry to each of the development companies, according to a news release.

Under federal guidelines issued by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management offshore wind developers must establish a fisheries representative to be the fishing community’s primary point of contact for communicating project-related concerns to the developer.

“The NBPA has been contracted by the developers to represent the interests of commercial fishermen, and to be a conduit of information between the developers and the commercial fishing industry as offshore wind farms are developed on the Outer Continental Shelf,” said Port Authority Director Ed Anthes-Washburn in a statement. “We’re very excited to have all three developers on board for this timely announcement. Adequate and sustained engagement with the fishing industry will translate into more conciliatory communications and interactions with fishing communities up and down the eastern seaboard as the offshore wind industry begins in the United States.”

In this role, the Port Authority will act as a central clearinghouse of information, convene stakeholders, facilitate dialogue between fishermen and respective developers, and advocate for ways to mitigate impacts of wind projects on commercial fishermen, according to the release. The Port Authority will also work with state and federal agencies to adopt policies and regulations needed to ensure the viability of commercial fishing operations.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

 

MASSACHUSETTS: 50 people who met at SMAST believe they can change the fishing industry

May 25, 2018 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — About 50 people assembled inside a classroom at UMass Dartmouth’s School of Marine Science and Technology on Wednesday night.

They formed the first Ocean Cluster meetup, merging the worlds of fishing and Internet of Things.

Those in the room believed the collaboration, small at its inception, has the potential to revolutionize the industry.

“This night, while there are only 50 of us here, is exactly how this happens,” said Chris Rezendes of CONTEXT LABS, ImpactLABS and Spherical Analytics.

Those who spoke at the event included: Ed Anthes-Washburn and Eli Powell of the New Bedford Port Authority, Cassie Canastra of BASE New England and the Whaling City Display Auction, Mike Carroll of LegitFish, Jeff Young of Advanced Marine Technologies, Liz Wiley of Spherical Analytics and Kevin Stokesbury of SMAST.

Each discussed the importance data plays in their respective organization.

Canastra and Carroll are working together to allow the fish auction to include blockchain technology for fishermen and purchasers.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

 

Massachusetts: ‘Just one more nail in the coffin,’ fishermen react to Vineyard Wind announcement

May 24, 2018 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — Ed Anthes-Washburn, the director of the New Bedford Port Authority, received a constant stream of calls Wednesday afternoon after the announcements of offshore wind contracts.

Those within the fishing industry have been preparing for the day when they’d have to share the ocean with offshore wind. However, they weren’t expecting two companies to be joining them so quickly.

“I think it’s fair to say the general reaction in the fishing industry is shock,” Anthes-Washburn said.

Massachusetts was scheduled to announce its bid winner on Wednesday, which was Vineyard Wind for an 800-megawatt wind farm about 14 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard. Rhode Island, unexpectedly, also offered Deepwater Wind a contract based on its pitch to Massachusetts for a 400-megawatt wind farm.

“The fishermen that we have been talking to have — from the outset — always advocated for start small and measure the impact,” Anthes-Washburn said. “So I was surprised that the project size for Vineyard Wind was as high as it was, but I didn’t even know that there could be 1,200-megawatts.”

Throughout the journey that led to Wednesday’s announcements, fishermen have voiced concerns regarding offshore wind and skepticism that their voices would be heard.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

 

MASSACHUSETTS: New Name, New Goals for New Bedford Harbor Officials

March 8, 2018 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — It’s tough to argue that the most-well known attribute of New Bedford is its internationally known commercial fishing port. After all, it is called the Whaling City.

Since its establishment on the shores of Acushnet in the 18th Century, New Bedford has grown into the highest grossing commercial fishing port in the United States, and has been an unmatched center of the industry on the East Coast for years.

Despite hundreds of years of success, port leaders and city officials are planning to grow and diversify it even more. On Wednesday, Port Director Ed Anthes-Washburn, Mayor Jon Mitchell, and Dr. Brian Rothschild announced that the Harbor Development Commission (HDC) has changed its name to the New Bedford Port Authority (NBPA) as part of a five-year strategic plan to further expand and diversify the port, as well as enhance its operations.

“We were formerly the New Bedford Harbor Development Commission which was developed in 1957. In 1957 the focus was on a smaller subset of things. Today we have our hands in a lot of different areas and we’re a very diverse and vibrant port,” Washburn explained. “We want regionally, nationally, and internationally to be recognized and the New Bedford Port Authority moniker does that a little better than the New Bedford Harbor Development Commission.”

Read the full story at WBSM

MASSACHUSETTS: US’ most valuable fishing port seeks $15m grant, wants to get bigger

October 16, 2017 — Ed Anthes-Washburn wants to make what is already the United States’ most valuable commercial fishing port even larger.

For the second consecutive year the director of the Port of New Bedford, Massachusetts, has submitted an application for a grant from the US Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program to add 600-feet of bulkhead and dredge areas that are now unusable at only three- to four-feet deep.

The changes, which would increase depths in those areas to 18- to 30-feet, would grow the number of berthing areas, allowing the port to expand from about 300 fishing vessels to more than 360. It would invite fishing companies that currently operate outside of New Bedford to make it their new base of operation or to simply offload there, and harvesters already using the port could overcome some frustrations and even grow their fleets, Anthes-Washburn told Undercurrent News.

“There are a minimum of three boats [rafted next to each other] at every dock, and in some cases there are five,” Michael Quinn, operations manager for Quinn Fisheries, said of the crowded situation in New Bedford. “When you have to climb across five boats, it takes all day to get [a boat] out.”

Quinn believes his family’s scallop fishing operation, which keeps six vessels at the port, would benefit by as much as $160,000 per year by the reduced costs and added efficiencies and revenue that could be created.

Having expanded dock space would allow Quinn Fisheries and others to bring in mobile cranes to load and unload, he said. Excess dock space also could be rented to a number of other vessel owners who are clamoring to get in.

Additionally, the changes – which also would include the expansion of roadways and connections to rail lines — would eliminate congestion and allow for direct vessel to truck and rail transfers of fresh seafood, Anthes-Washburn said.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

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