Saving Seafood

Sens. Markey, Warren support right whale legislation

July 11, 2018 — Sens. Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren will co-sponsor the SAVE Right Whales Act, filed June 7 by four other Atlantic Coast senators.

“Senator Markey wanted to ensure that all of the stakeholders in Massachusetts that would be impacted by the legislation were briefed on the bill, understood its provisions, and had the opportunity to share their perspectives before he committed to co-sponsorship,” a spokesman for the senator said.

On Monday, Markey and Warren both became co-sponsors of the bill joining Democrats from New Jersey, Delaware, New Jersey, Florida and New York.

U.S. Rep. Rep. William Keating, D-Mass., introduced a similar bill in the House on June 7 with three other representatives.

The legislation would allocate $5 million annually in grants through 2028 for conservation programs, and the development of new technology or other methods to reduce harm to right whales from fishing gear entanglements and ship collisions. Grants could promote cooperation with foreign governments, affected local communities, small businesses, others in the private sector or nongovernment groups. The National Marine Fisheries Service has funded North Atlantic right whale protections at more than $8 million annually since fiscal year 2009, with another $128,000 released last year with announcement of an unusual mortality event after 17 right whales were observed dead in Canadian and U.S. waters.

The Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association gave its nod of approval on June 20 to the SAVE Act. The Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance has endorsed the bill as well.

Read the full story at the Cape Cod Times

MASSACHUSETTS: Sen. Elizabeth Warren pushes for new lobster markets

July 2, 2018 — U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren moved Friday to try to protect international markets for American lobsters, urging the U.S. trade representative to explore new markets to compensate for the detrimental impact of new Chinese import tariffs.

In a letter to Robert Lighthizer, the U.S. trade representative, Warren said the 25 percent tariffs to be imposed on American lobster imports after July 6 will economically harm American lobstermen and the fishing communities in which they live and operate their businesses.

“China is a large and growing market for lobsters, with total lobster imports from America topping $100 million in recent years,” Warren said in her letter. “Large Chinese tariffs on American lobster will effectively close off that market because China can substitute cheaper lobsters from Canada or Europe for American lobsters.”

The new Chinese tariffs on $50 billion worth of American goods, imposed in response to new tariffs ordered by President Donald Trump on Chinese imports into the United States, actually will mean that American lobster exporters will be paying the new 25 percent on top of the current 7 percent tariff — resulting in a tariff of 32 percent on imported American lobsters.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

MASSACHUSETTS: Warren challenger Lindstrom tours Gloucester’s fishing infrastructure

June 25, 2018 — The road to the state Republican Party nomination to run against incumbent U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren clearly runs through Gloucester.

At least it has in the past week, as two of three GOP candidates for the U.S. Senate have traveled to America’s Oldest Seaport to state their cases in advance of the September primary that will determine which Republican candidate lands on the ballot in November.

Thursday evening, state Rep. Geoff Diehl, who won the GOP endorsement at its April state convention, was here to unveil his plan to help the fishing industry.

On Saturday morning, first-time candidate Beth Lindstrom motored to Gloucester to tour the city’s iconic waterfront by water, visit some of the shoreside infrastructure for a firsthand look at the economic perils faced by commercial fishing stakeholders and take part in the blessing and christening of Intershell’s new surf clam boat, Bing Bing.

“Obviously, the fishing industry has shrunk and it’s really hard for these people to make a living,” Lindstrom said when asked what she took away from her tour. “I guess I didn’t really realize the extent of the problem.”

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

MASSACHUSETTS: GOP Senate candidate Geoff Diehl outlines plan to help fishermen

June 22, 2018 — Geoff Diehl made his second visit to New Bedford this week to speak with fishermen.

The state representative and candidate running for U.S. Senate against Elizabeth Warren spoke to about five people within the fishing industry at Pier 3 on Thursday. It came just days after he attended a fishing roundtable discussion at the Whaling Museum, which discussed the groundfishing ban affecting the industry.

This second trip of the week was to unveil a set of guidelines he plans to follow to help fishermen if elected.

They involved repealing the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument Status, keeping Carlos Rafael’s fishing licenses in New Bedford and reducing the regulatory burden.

Diehl suggested establishing a NOAA headquarters in New Bedford to better facilitate discussions between the agency and fishermen in the nation’s most valuable seaport.

“They should at least have a satellite if not maybe move their main offices here,” Diehl said. “I think that would make a lot of sense to have them interact with the actual fishermen.”

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

MASSACHUSETTS: Senate Candidate Geoff Diehl unveils plan to help fleet

June 21, 2018 — Geoff Diehl, the Republican challenger to incumbent U. S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, would retain Carlos Rafael’s forfeited groundfish permits in New Bedford and would push to repeal the creation of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Marine Monument, according to his plan to help the fishing industry.

Diehl, a state representative from Whitman, is set to release the plan, “A Good Diehl for Fishing,” at campaign stops Thursday in New Bedford, Scituate and Gloucester. The Gloucester event is set for 4 p.m. at the Fishermen’s Monument on Stacy Boulevard.

The Diehl fishing plan also calls for reducing the regulatory burden on commercial fishermen and finding “a balance between the necessary protections to ensure ocean preservation, and continuing to support the growth of a healthy marine industry across the state.”

His plan opposes mandated at-sea monitoring of the Northeast groundfish fleet, calling them “onboard watch dogs,” as well as an “egregious example of government overreach and a crippling cost to the fishermen.”

Diehl said transferring Rafael’s groundfish permits to “ready licenses” in New Bedford rather than dispersing them to other fishing concerns throughout the Northeast multispecies groundfish fishery “is critical for maintaining the livelihood of those individuals and for ensuring the survival of the fishing industry now and in the future.”

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Massachusetts: Federal delegation ‘solidly behind’ New Bedford in fishing fight

May 14, 2018 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — Prior to a town hall-style meeting in New Bedford on Saturday, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren quietly gathered with fellow senator Ed Markey and Congressman William Keating in the Wharfinger Building on Pier 3. Inside, the three legislators sat for more than an hour, listening to representatives of the fishing community relay their present and future concerns facing the industry.

About 80 fishermen out of New Bedford have been unable to fish or lease their quotas since NOAA shut down Sector IX in November. The shutdown remains in effect until the feds can estimate how much quota convicted “Codfather” Carlos Rafael depleted in his overfishing scheme.

Massachusetts’ two senators have been all but crucified for what many see as inaction on the Sector IX closure. Following Saturday’s meeting, Senator Warren told WBSM News what appears to some as inaction is, in fact, a more tactful approach in discussions with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“There are a lot of steps to go through to get Sector IX back up,” said Warren. “And NOAA seems committed to move forward on those. Senator Markey and I are pushing. We don’t want to turn this into politics. We want to facilitate this. We want to make it move forward.”

“But we have made it very clear that both of us and Congressman Keating are deeply committed to getting a fast process so that the innocent people that have been harmed by what’s happened here can get back out on the water and fish,” she said.

Read the full story at WBSM

 

Massachusetts: Elizabeth Warren packs a town hall meeting, sits with Markey, Keating over fishing

May 14, 2018 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., came to the city Saturday to hear the concerns of fishermen who wanted a faster resolution to the Carlos Rafael problems that have closed two fishing sectors, maybe throwing fishermen permanently out of their jobs.

These cases of licensing and ownership, and repayment of overfishing, “need to be resolved as quickly as possible,” Warren said later.

Warren also heard from Mayor Jon Mitchell and fishing representatives who contend that the wind energy companies that are the finalists for an exclusive contract are not listening to the concerns of the fishing industry, mainly scallopers.

Warren along with U.S. Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass, and U.S. Rep. Bill Keating, D-Mass., listened about these matters in a meeting at the Wharfinger Building on City Pier 3, organized by Bob Vanasse of the industry lobby Saving Seafood.

They parted ways when Warren and her campaign staff went to the Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School to conduct a town hall style meeting.

The event had an atmosphere much like a campaign rally, with Warren on stage answering questions from attendees who signed up in a lottery.

She touched on a dozen topics, taking her talk where the questions went, on everything from her late mother, poverty, and U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, who rejects a bill that would insulate special prosecutor Robert Mueller from being removed from office by President Donald Trump.

She also condemned the recent trillion-dollar tax cut while Medicaid recipients are threatened by cuts and 90 percent of Americans claim zero percent in the rise of the economy in the past several decades.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times 

 

Massachusetts: GOP Senate candidate Geoff Diehl visits New Bedford waterfront

May 1, 2018 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — The endorsed GOP candidate for U.S. Senate visited the city’s Pier 3 on Monday promising to be more hands on for the city and fishermen, according to a news release.

“New Bedford deserves a dedicated senator who will put in the long hours to make a positive difference,” state Rep. Geoff Diehl said in the release. “Sen. (Elizabeth) Warren has been more focused on selling books than saving the fishing licenses in New Bedford. … Her lack of action will cost New Bedford vital jobs and cripple the local economy.”

Diehl, an early President Donald Trump supporter who served as co-chair of his Massachusetts campaign, was endorsed by Saturday’s state Republican convention with 55 percent of the vote.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

 

Massachusetts: Senate candidate Geoff Diehl talks with SouthCoast fishing industry

February 28, 2018 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — Geoff Diehl cruised around the Port of New Bedford in an RV Tuesday that maneuvered in and out of small entrances and exits. The red, white, and blue mobile home featured the slogan of the Republican U.S. Senate candidate, “The Real Diehl,” as he looked to learn the reality of the fishing industry in the area.

“If I’m going to be voting on any legislation that affects any industry,” Diehl said, “I better darn well be listening to the people who work in that field.”

Diehl made four stops in the area, which began with Mayor Jon Mitchell and concluded with a meeting with three members on the board of Sector 9 as well as the sector’s lawyer.

He spoke with the sector for more than a half hour as the members provided details of ban installed by NOAA that’s prevented about 80 fishermen from groundfishing since November.

“This thing that happened here showed how tragic it is for the support businesses,” Tor Bendiksen, manager of Reidar’s Trawl Gear and Marine Supply, said.

Diehl questioned what incumbent Sen. Elizabeth Warren has done to facilitate discussions between NOAA. The sector said it’s only met with U.S Rep. Bill Keating’s office, while it’s incurred challenges trying to meet with the Warren and Sen. Ed Markey.

“This is one of the most important industries in Massachusetts,” Diehl said before promising to look into the issue immediately.

Following Diehl’s meeting with Mitchell, the current state representative serving Plymouth’s 7th District stopped at New England Marine Engineering and Supply Inc. There, he spoke with President Paul Nosworthy, who emphasized that fishermen aren’t destroying the ocean.

“They’re blaming it all on the fishermen,” Nosworthy said. “But when you stop and you think about what the chemical companies and the sewer treatment guys, what they’re putting in the ocean is killing, literally killing (marine life).”

From North Front Street in New Bedford, Diehl crossed the the port and even waited in a bridge closure delay before discussing commercial fishing with Patrick Hughes II at Blue Harvest Fisheries in Fairhaven.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

 

Massachusetts: Rep. Keating optimistic after meeting with NOAA on groundfishing ban

February 9, 2018 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — William Keating left a meeting with NOAA’s new regional administrator feeling optimistic regarding the agency’s stance on Sector IX.

The U.S. House member representing New Bedford met Tuesday night with Michael Pentony, who replaced John Bullard at NOAA and began his new role two weeks ago. Keating wanted to discuss the groundfishing ban that’s holding about 80 New Bedford fishermen off the water.

“What can I do to get people back fishing as quickly as possible?” Keating said. “That is creating my strong feelings of urgency around resolving the operations plan. That has to be done to go forward. NOAA is very clear about that.”

Neither NOAA nor Pentony would comment on the groundfishing ban placed on Sector IX.

However, Pentony also left the introduction with Keating with a feeling of optimism.

″(It was) very positive,” Pentony said. “I’m looking forward to continuing to work with the Congressman and his staff.”

Keating said his office remains in contact with NOAA on a weekly basis. The dialogue first began last spring.

The urgency, from Keating’s perspective results from the belief that the groundfishing ban established last November affects more than New Bedford.

As the most valuable fishing port in the country 17 years running, any splash in New Bedford ripples throughout Massachusetts, Keating said.

“It’s not only for our city, not only for our region, but for Massachusetts as a whole,” Keating said. “Having this cohesive industry situated the way that it is and the growth that can come from that … that is important in terms of the economic side that should be factored in.”

Because of its widespread effect on the state, Keating said he’s working with U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey on urging an immediate solution.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times