Saving Seafood

MAINE: What’s the biggest threat to the lobster industry?

September 1, 2026 — Lobstermen are under threat. They all agree on that much. The threats they describe vary from one to the next. But they are worried about their future, and the future of a livelihood that many learned from their fathers and grandfathers and want to pass to their children and grandchildren.

The risks are larger than any one lobsterman — or even the industry as a whole. Lobstering “is not only an economic driver of coastal and island communities, it is an identity of our communities,” said Kristin Garabedian, a community development officer with the Island Institute’s Center for the Marine Economy. In other words, losing lobstering would make a town like Harpswell less like Harpswell.

Most lobstermen see the biggest threats coming from outsiders pursuing their own aims without regard for the lobstermen who live and work here. Those might be wind-power proponents, whale protectors, big businesses or homebuyers.

Few, if any, see climate change as an immediate or catastrophic threat, although they are deeply in tune with the changes happening in the Gulf of Maine and are worried about human impacts on the environment they depend on.

Read the full article at Harpswell Anchor 

NORTH CAROLINA: Bronze statue ‘Samuel’ unveiled at Beaufort park honors Black menhaden fishermen legacy

August 27, 2026 — A new bronze statue along the Beaufort waterfront is helping preserve a key part of the town’s commercial fishing history.

The statue, named “Samuel,” was recently unveiled at John Newton Park.

It honors the thousands of Black menhaden fishermen who helped build Beaufort’s fishing industry and shape the community once known as “Fishtown.”

“Samuel is bringing a face to those individuals that have worked hard to contribute to Beaufort. More than just what they did on the water or in the processing plant, it helps you see them as people.”

After the Civil War, menhaden became a major part of the local economy.

Read the full article at ABC News 12

NORTH CAROLINA: “Samuel” sculpture unveiled in Beaufort to honor Menhaden fishing history

August 24, 2026 — A new addition at John Newton Park is honoring Beaufort’s long connection to the menhaden fishing industry.

The Town of Beaufort held a ribbon cutting Friday to unveil “Samuel,” part of the Menhaden Tales project created and donated by Arts In Beaufort NC.

Town officials say the project recognizes the lasting legacy of the menhaden industry in Beaufort. Menhaden fishing has played a major role in the town’s history and coastal economy.

Community members gathered at the park for the unveiling of the new artwork, which is designed to help share that history with visitors and residents.

Read the full article at ABC News 12

MASSACHUSETTS: Who’s the toughest shucker in New Bedford?

August 19, 2026 — Captain Eddie Dellecese, of the fishing vessel Buckeye, won the Fishing Heritage Center’s second annual Scallopalooza contest, shucking 100 scallops in under five minutes

New Bedford crowned a champion last week at its annual scallop shucking contest, which celebrates the intricate flick of the wrist that helps generate over $300 million in annual seafood revenue for the city.

Eddie Dellecese, captain of the fishing vessel Buckeye, shucked 50 scallops in under two and a half minutes in both rounds of last Thursday’s Scallopalooza contest.

With two thrusts of his knife, Dellecese can pop open a scallop and separate its white circular meat from the colorful guts and shell, which he flings forward into a trash pile. On average, the whole motion takes under 3 seconds.

Read the full article at NENC

MASSACHUSETTS: Scallopalooza Returns to New Bedford With Bigger Crowds and a High-Stakes Shucking Contest

August 10, 2026 — Scallopalooza is back. The New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center is celebrating the fishing industry on Thursday, August 13 with the second annual Scallopalooza. The event is a three-hour party that features vendors, food, and music, plus the much-anticipated scallop-shucking contest to determine the best shucker in the area.

Joe Ritter, Programs Director at the FHC, visited Townsquare Sunday to promote the event. “It will be a smashing success,” Ritter said. “I’m calling it now.”

Last year’s Scallopalooza drew about 500 people to downtown New Bedford, but bigger crowds are anticipated this year, prompting organizers to make a small change in the event’s layout.

New Layout and Jumbotron Added for Bigger Crowds

This year’s shucking contest will move slightly from the FHC parking lot to Bethel and Elm Streets, with the downward slope of the street providing a type of amphitheater for spectators. There will also be a large Jumbotron screen located behind the stage to provide a closer look at the stage.

Read the full artilcle at WBSM

MASSACHUSETTS: Scallopalooza shucking contest returns to New Bedford

July 28, 2026 — The New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center will once again celebrate the city’s iconic scallop fleet with the return of its annual Scallopalooza Scallop Shucking Contest during August AHA! Night on Thursday, Aug. 13.

The free community event will run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Bethel Street in front of the Fishing Heritage Center, bringing together commercial fishermen, seafood lovers, local businesses, and families for an evening centered on New Bedford’s scallop industry.

The highlight of the evening begins at 6:30 p.m., when 15 local scallop fishermen will compete for the title of New Bedford’s best scallop shucker and a championship trophy.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

NORTH CAROLINA: Beaufort sculpture will honor Black fishermen vital to menhaden fishing industry

July 28, 2026 — The importance of Beaufort’s menhaden fishing industry and the significant role African-Americans played in that history will be honored with a new life-sized work of art.

“Menhaden Tales” is a bronze sculpture that will be gifted to the town by Arts in Beaufort, a local non-profit. The sculpture of a fisherman and the accompanying bench he will sit on are meant to commemorate the contributions of African Americans to Beaufort’s historic menhaden fishing industry, while providing an artistic photo opportunity for the public.

The sculpture will be accompanied by a seven minute audio clip narrated by a former local fisherman, Wardell Johnson, which can be accessed through a QR code leading to the Arts in Beaufort website, https://www.artsinbeaufortnc.org/listen. Though there will be no speaker on site to listen to the audio through, the narrative can be accessed by way of a cell phone and enjoyed at the listener’s leisure.

At their June 17 meeting, the Beaufort’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board unanimously voted to recommend the acceptance of the sculpture and its placement in John Newton Park, in the mulched area where a picnic table currently sits

Beaufort was once nicknamed “Fishtown,” a moniker that originated during the years when the menhaden fishery dominated the local economy and the majority of the work was done by local Black residents.

Read the full article at NEWS-TIMES