Saving Seafood

Commercial fishing takes a blow in North Carolina

October 9, 2018 — BEAUFORT, N.C. — With Hurricane Florence’s effects still to be determined, commercial fishermen seem sure to have taken hard hits, short- and long-term.

Commercial fishermen are no strangers to losing time on the water because of bad weather. However, according to commercial fisherman Brent Fulcher, who owns and operates both Beaufort Inlet Seafood and B&J Seafood in New Bern, local fishermen lost more than just a day or two.

“We lost one-and-a-half to two weeks of fishing,” Mr. Fulcher said. “A lot of people haven’t even been able to get back to work yet because they’re occupied with their personal recovery.”

Mr. Fulcher is also the chairman of the N.C. Fisheries Association, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting the state’s seafood industry. Association Executive Director and commercial fisherman Glenn Skinner said there’s been a lot of damage to the commercial fishing infrastructure along the state coast, such as to fish houses.

Read the full story at the Carteret County News-Times

 

Following Florence: Carolina fishing families assess damages, prepare for fall fishing

October 3, 2018 — “We may be bruised, but we are not broken.”

These words were posted on Facebook by staff at R.E. Mayo Seafood shortly after Hurricane Florence pounded coastal North Carolina. Owned by Birdie and Carroll Potter, the business is located on the Intracoastal Waterway in Hobucken, N.C., and has long been known as the hub for locally caught fish, crabs, scallops and shrimp.

A bit further down the coast in Oriental, Endurance Seafood took a devastating hit, putting the company out of business.

“We are wiped out. No dock, no cooler, no freezer, no ice – Florence took it all. This storm was bad, it actually beat my walk-in cooler and freezer into pieces,” said owner Keith Bruno. Despite the destruction, he is optimistic.

“The important part is we are all safe,” said Bruno. “The rest — not so good.”

“You’ve got to move forward, you’ve got to keep going… because that’s what we do. We every once in a while have to pay a price to live so close to beauty. There is no doubt we’ll be back and stronger than ever. We will live up to our name and then some.”

Pamlico County fishermen were hit the hardest, according to Glenn Skinner, executive director of the North Carolina Fisheries Association.

“Some fish packing operations in Oriental and Vandemere were completely destroyed. It’s going to be a real hard winter for the industry,” said Skinner.

“We are kind of like farmers, we have a fall crop,” he explained. “The fall fisheries are big. We use that money and put it away for the winter time. The fisheries are going to be gone after this strong blow for several days. It will be next spring before we can make that up.”

Jerry Schill, government affairs liaison for NCFA, says these types of storms have a big impact on the mental health of fishermen and other working class North Carolinians.

“If these guys don’t catch anything, they get nothing. It doesn’t matter how hard they work. That’s a lot of stress on a family,” said Schill.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Risky Work: Commercial Fishing’s Health Toll

July 23, 2018 — North Carolina fishermen work long hours, and many fish alone. When harvesting shrimp, they can stay out on the water four to five days at a time.

Broken bones and lacerations are common. Fishermen are disproportionately affected by skin cancer. Most complain of back pain and others lose limbs, even as many don’t have health insurance.

Some die by drowning.

One hurricane or unexpected cold front can move their crop. The stakes are high.

But they don’t think much about these things and they didn’t see why a health care reporter was interested in talking to them, even as they admitted health care concerns have changed how many approached their fishing careers.

For Glenn Skinner, 45, fishing is freedom. It’s in his blood. He’s a fourth-generation fisherman from Carteret County who has been on fishing boats since he was 4 years old.

“That’s the way most people get into it,” he said. “I have farmers and fishermen on both sides of my family. I was going to do one or the other.

Read the full story at Costal Review Online

North Carolina: Seafood Lobby Day hopes to bring change to coastal fishing industry

May 24, 2018 — CRYSTAL COAST, N.C. — Fishermen and seafood lobbying groups spent their Wednesday in Raleigh for North Carolina Seafood Lobby Day, talking to legislators about fishing laws.

On the Crystal Coast, commercial fishing is a huge driver of employment and the economy.

Local businesses on the coast are dependent on commercial fishing.

Marc Smith, the owner of Captain Jim’s Seafood said, “It actually employs quite a number of people in this area. And through time it’s been one generation after another.”

And lately, they say the industry has faced harsh regulation that makes it hard to do their jobs.

Wrenn Johnson, the owner of Atlantic Beach Seafood Market said, “We like to keep everything as local as possible. The shrimp and everything is the stuff that’s made here. We like to do local because we always have, and it gets tougher and tougher each year as more regulations come into play.”

Glenn Skinner is the executive irector of the North Carolina Fisheries Association. He said going to Raleigh gives local fishermen a chance to create change in the industry.

Read the full story at WNCT

 

North Carolina: Nearly 200 Fishermen Travel To Raleigh For Second Annual Seafood Lobby Day

May 23, 2018 — RALEIGH, N.C. — The following was released by the North Carolina Fisheries Association:

Today, commercial fishermen will forego a day working on the water and instead work the halls of the Legislative Building for the 2nd Annual Seafood Lobby Day. The event, coordinated by North Carolina Fisheries Association (NCFA), provides an opportunity for legislators to meet the individuals that provide fresh, NC-caught seafood to their communities across the state and to hear directly from commercial fishermen about the challenges they face. Nearly 200 fishermen from up and down the coast traveled to Raleigh for the event.

Glenn Skinner, a commercial fisherman from Carteret County and NCFA’s Executive Director, said, “Last year’s inaugural Seafood Lobby Day was a huge success – it was a great way to start a conversation between legislators and commercial fishermen. We’re hoping this year will build on those relationships and give more fishermen an opportunity to talk to legislators about the importance of the commercial fishing industry to coastal families and communities.”

Skinner added that NCFA members have a number of priority issues to discuss with legislators, most notably the NC Marine Fisheries Commission’s (NCMFC) lack of openness and transparency. “The decisions of the Marine Fisheries Commission have a massive impact on how commercial fishermen make a living, both in the short- and long-term. They deserve to have their voices heard, and a fair and equitable Commission is essential for that to happen.” Other important topics for discussion include fair regulation of fisheries and ensuring that sound, reliable science is used in fisheries management.

Commercial fishermen established the North Carolina Fisheries Association, Inc. in 1952 to serve fishing families by protecting their heritage and promoting seafood. To achieve this, the association actively lobbies local, state and federal policymakers on behalf of the industry and engages in many outreach and education projects.

View the release in its entirety here.

 

North Carolina Fisheries Association: Call to Equitable Fisheries Management

April 30, 2018 — The following was released by the North Carolina Fisheries Association:   

Letters need to be sent to the governor.

NCFA recently sent a letter to Governor Cooper requesting that he replace all 9 members of the Marine Fisheries Commission.

NCFA letter to Governor Cooper

We are asking YOU to also send a letter to the Governor! We really need to let him know that the commercial fishing community is serious about GETTING THE MARINE FISHERIES COMMISSION FAIR AND EQUITABLE!

We can only do that with your help. If you click the link below you can print out a letter, then simply sign it and mail it. If you would rather do one in your own words, that’s even better, but keep it short and simple and ON MESSAGE!

If you have any questions, call Glenn Skinner at 252-646-7742 or Jerry Schill at 252-361-3015.

Letter to Governor Cooper for you to print, sign & send!

Here’s the address for mailing:

Governor Roy Cooper

20301 Mail Service Center

Raleigh, NC 27699-0301

Or by email: roy.cooper@nc.gov

 

North Carolina Fisheries Association Files Lawsuit Against Marine Fisheries Commission

April 2, 2018 — SEAFOOD NEWS — The North Carolina Fisheries Association filed a lawsuit against the Marine Fisheries Commission last week, claiming that the commission violated open meeting laws and lacks transparency and openness.

The lawsuit stems back to 2015 when state auditor Beth Wood found that several members of the commission violated open meeting laws. Wood found four separate email chains from 2015 where the legal counsel for the Marine Fisheries Commission stopped email communication to remind commission members about “open meeting laws.” The North Carolina Fisheries Association notified regulators and legislators about the findings in 2016, and claim that the violations have continued into 2018.

“Open meeting violations by the Marine Fisheries Commission have been an ongoing problem that is well known to many in state government including regulators and legislators,” said North Caroline Fisheries Association Executive Director Glenn Skinner. “While many complain about it, nothing has been done to stop it. Anyone that believes in an open and transparent process should applaud the action we’ve taken. It’s sad that we have to resort to such measures.

This story originally appeared on Seafoodnews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

 

NC Fisheries Association Files Lawsuit Against Marine Fisheries Commission for Lack of Openness and Transparency

March 29, 2018 — MOREHEAD CITY, NC — The following was released by the NC Fisheries Association: 

NC Fisheries Association yesterday filed a lawsuit against the Marine Fisheries Commission for violating open meeting laws and an overall lack of transparency and openness.

In February 2016, North Carolina State Auditor, Beth Wood, issued findings in connection with an audit of the Division of Marine Fisheries. The audit findings included, “there have been open meetings laws violated by several members of the commission.” Also included in the auditor’s findings were, “four separate email chains dated January 14, 2015, September 8, 2015, July 20, 2015 and February 10, 2015 that occurred between Marine Fisheries Commission Members. In each instance, the Commission’s legal counsel, Philip Reynolds, stopped the email communication and reminded the commission members about open meeting laws.”

The North Carolina Fisheries Association notified regulators and legislators about the auditor’s findings in 2016. Although warned, NCFA alleges that the Marine Fisheries Commission continued violating the open meetings laws culminating with the most recent meeting in Wrightsville Beach, NC in February of 2018. The result was a 5-4 vote recommending the General Assembly change the criteria for commercial fishing licenses. The close vote came after overwhelming opposition to any changes and with all three commercial fishing commissioners voting against the measure.

“Open meeting violations by the Marine Fisheries Commission have been an ongoing problem that is well known to many in state government including regulators and legislators. While many complain about it, nothing has been done to stop it. Anyone that believes in an open and transparent process, should applaud the action we’ve taken. It’s sad that we have to resort to such measures,” said Glenn Skinner, NC Fisheries Association Executive Director.

NC Fisheries Association (NCFA) is a non-profit organization promoting sustainable fisheries Since 1952.

Commercial fishermen established the NCFA to serve fishing families by protecting their heritage and promoting seafood. To achieve this, NCFA actively lobbies local, state, and federal policymakers on behalf of the industry and engages in many outreach and education projects.

View the release in its entirety here.