Saving Seafood

MASSACHUSETTS: Tarr, Ferrante Secure Passage of Legislation Strengthening the Gloucester Fisheries Commission

October 27, 2025 — The following was released by the Office of State Senator Bruce E. Tarr:

Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R–Gloucester) and Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante (D–Gloucester) have secured the passage of S.2566, An Act further regulating the Gloucester Fisheries Commission reaffirming the City of Gloucester’s long-standing commitment to its historic fishing industry. Tarr and Ferrante filed the bill as a joint home rule petition, S.2507, An Act establishing the Gloucester Fisheries Commission, at the request of Gloucester’s Mayor Greg Verga and City Council, which approved the request unanimously. Enacted by the House and Senate on Monday, October 6, 2025, it was officially signed into law by Governor Maura Healey on Thursday, October 16, 2025.

 
Established 69 years ago under Chapter 260 of the Acts of 1956, the Gloucester Fisheries Commission (the Commission) has served as a vital advisory body for nearly seven decades—investigating, advocating for, and recommending measures to promote, preserve, and protect the Gloucester Fishing Industry. As the Commission approaches its 70th anniversary in 2026, this legislation updates its structure and governance to ensure continued effectiveness in an ever-changing economic, regulatory, and environmental context. 
 
“Since its inception, Gloucester’s commercial fishing industry has provided an unsurpassed protein resource, supported fishing families, and written chapters in American history,” said Tarr. “Now, as the port works to lead with innovation that builds sustainability and environmental stewardship along with prosperity, it needs the forum the commission provides for stakeholders to exchange ideas and build the fisheries policy of the future.” 
 
This legislation formally establishes the Commission as a public body tasked with investigating, advocating for, and recommending measures to promote, preserve, and protect the Gloucester Fishing Industry. It also amends Chapter 260 of the Acts of 1956, defining the commission’s status, official seal, and sponsorship by the City of Gloucester. 
 
“For nearly 70 years, the Commission has been central to protecting Gloucester’s maritime heritage, and these updates will help it continue that work with renewed purpose and clarity,” added Tarr. 
“As the daughter of a fisherman, I know firsthand how deeply the fishing industry has shaped Gloucester’s families, economy, and identity,” said Ferrante. “By updating the Fisheries Commission, we are giving it the ability to adapt to the challenges that didn’t exist when it was established in 1956.”

“Gloucester’s Fisheries Commission plays a vital role in preserving, promoting, and protecting our fishing industry, which remains a cornerstone of our community and economy,” said Gloucester Mayor Greg Verga. “When it became clear that the original legislation was creating challenges for the Commission, I worked with our team to propose a home rule petition to modernize outdated provisions, ensuring the Commission can more effectively meet quorum requirements and continue its important work. I’m grateful to Senator Tarr and Representative Ferrante for filing this legislation on our behalf and remain committed to supporting Gloucester’s fishing industry, especially during these challenging and uncertain times.” 

 
Verga worked with his team towards a legislative solution after the Commission expressed challenges around the current language of the law. After partnering on a solution, Verga and Gloucester General Counsel Suzanne Eagan presented a memorandum for consideration to the Gloucester City Council’s special meeting held by the Ordinance & Administration Committee on January 21, 2025. 
 
Egan stated that “the motion before the council was meant to amend the home rule petition that currently existed that had created the Fisheries Commission.” and that “the Fisheries Commission is currently having difficulty meeting a quorum, and reducing the number of committee members from 13 to 7 – two alternative members would allow the Fisheries Commission to properly conduct business.” 
 
After Egan’s statement, the Ordinances & Administration Committee voted 3 in favor, 0 opposed, to recommend that the City Council vote to authorize the mayor to petition the General Court for a special act substantially. Gloucester City Council approved the home rule petition at the January 28, 2025 City Council meeting by a roll call vote (8 in favor, 0 opposed, 1 absent) to authorize the mayor to petition the Massachusetts Legislature which Tarr and Ferrante jointly filed on behalf of the city. 
 
A home rule petition in Massachusetts is a legislative tool that allows a city or town to request special authority from the state legislature to address matters that are normally governed by state law, essentially giving a local government the ability to create laws or make changes that would otherwise require statewide approval. 
 
“I want to thank Senator Bruce Tarr and Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante for their leadership in advancing this important Home Rule legislation for Gloucester,” said Gloucester City Council President and Councilor-at-Large Tony Gross. 
 
“The language of the original legislation that created the Fisheries Commission was long overdue for modernization. As the fishing industry continues to evolve and adapt to remain viable, these updates will strengthen the framework that supports Gloucester’s working waterfront and ensure that our fishing community remains a vital part of the city’s future.” 
 
Highlights of S.2566, An Act further regulating the Gloucester Fisheries Commission 
 

·         Defining the Commission’s structure: 

o    Composed of a seven-member board 

o    One member is the mayor or the mayor’s designee 

o    Six additional members are appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the City Council 

o    Appointed members serve staggered three-year terms 

o    All board members (including alternates) must be residents with knowledge of the fishing industry

·         Defining the role of the mayor relative to the Commission: 

o    The mayor is authorized to appoint an Executive Director 

o    The mayor also determines the Executive Director’s compensation 

 
About the Gloucester Fisheries Commission 
 
The mission of the City of Gloucester Fisheries Commission is to investigate, advocate, and recommend measures for the promotion, preservation, and protection of the Gloucester Fishing Industry. 
 
“I would like to thank Senator Tarr, Representative Ferrante, and the entire Legislature for their efforts in passing important updates to the Gloucester Fisheries Commission, said Al Cottone, the Executive Director of the Commission. “Their support and commitment to strengthening our local fisheries are greatly appreciated.” 
 
The Gloucester Fisheries Commission meets in person on the third Thursday of each month, with meeting notices and locations posted 48 hours in advance on the City of Gloucester’s Public Meeting Notices page. Meetings are typically held at City Hall in the first floor Conference Room, but location subject to change based on meeting space availability. Recordings of previous virtual meetings are available under Past Remote Public Meetings on the city’s website. 
 
The Commission “welcomes public participation and input as it continues its work to sustain and strengthen the fishing industry that defines Gloucester’s identity as America’s oldest seaport.” 
 
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Fishermen to New England Council: Trust in data needed

September 28, 2017 — One by one, the Gloucester fishermen settled in front of the microphone for those with something to say to the New England Fishery Management Council and, one by one, they delivered their thoughts.

Some of the remarks, such as those from Tom Orrell of Yankee Fleet and Paul Vitale, captain of the Angela & Rose, were short and to the point. Orell wanted to know why the for-hire boats faced so many restrictions in the Gulf of Maine and Vitale simply wants more fish quota. Now.

Joe Orlando of the Santo Pio talked science and cod, while longtime fishermen Al Cottone and Rick Beal adopted more philosophical tones, speaking to the council on the need for a two-lane channel of trust and truth.

“There is a unique opportunity here to bridge the gap,” Cottone, captain of the Sabrina Maria and executive director of the city’s Fisheries Commission, told the council. “You need to restore faith within the industry that you’re actually seeing what we see (on the water).”

It was a rare home game for the Gloucestermen, the first time in more than a decade that the council had pitched camp in America’s oldest seaport for a full meeting.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

MASSACHUSETTS: Group plans to promote commercial fishing

March 27, 2017 — In many ways, the upcoming year for the Fishing Partnership Support Services organization will be a journey back to its roots in Gloucester, where it all began in 1997.

The Gloucester-based fishing stakeholder, which provides a bevy of financial, medical, safety and other support services to fishermen and fishing families, is planning a yearlong marketing campaign to promote the economic, cultural and health benefits provided U.S. consumers by the commercial fishing industry.

J.J. Bartlett, FPSS executive director, laid out the pillars of the campaign in a quick presentation Thursday night to the Gloucester Fisheries Commission at City Hall.

Bartlett told commission members FPSS envisions the campaign as a vehicle for closing the gap between fishermen and consumers buying their fish, as well as a platform for uniting the industry in the face of the ever-growing appetite for sustainability and accountability.

“The connection between the people that do the work and the people that eat the fish has been lost,” Bartlett said.

The campaign will stretch fully across the state using social media, traditional marketing tools and events, he said.

“It’s really going to be a 12- to 18-month process, starting this spring,” Bartlett said.

He said the schedule includes a large event in Gloucester sometime in August, followed by another in Boston in September.

“We’re going to keep pushing until we change the conversations about what fishermen do and how they’re recognized,” Bartlett said. “Uniting the industry will get us 90 percent of the way there.”

Bartlett also offered some chilling statistics to reinforce the rigors of commercial fishing and the high physical costs that often come from a career on the water.

They include:

Northeast groundfishermen are 37 times more likely to die on the job than police officers. New England waters, according to Bartlett, are the nation’s deadliest.

Read the full story at The Gloucester Times 

Sean Horgan: We need the resources of the Coast Guard

March 14, 2017 — The news last week that the Trump administration was considering cuts to the U.S. Coast Guard budget to pay for the Mexican border wall was about as welcome as the late-winter blizzard bearing down on Cape Ann.

From national security experts to local harbormasters, there seemed to be profound disbelief in the logic of undermining the Coast Guard’s mission of public safety on the nation’s waters — not to mention its responsibilities for the interdiction of illegal drugs and undocumented immigrants — by funneling any of its operational funds into the construction of the wall.

“It shouldn’t even be a consideration,” said Mark Ring, chairman of the Gloucester Fisheries Commission. “It’s a far cry from people lost at sea to somebody climbing a wall.”

News reports and congressional sources reported the White House’s Office of Management Budget plans to reduce Coast Guard spending by $1.3 billion during the next fiscal year to reinforce the nation’s southern border with a wall and additional border agents.

The Coast Guard now operates with a $9.1 billion annual budget. Reportedly, one area of spending under scrutiny is the $43 million allotted to the agency’s drug interdiction teams.

Major cuts are also planned to the Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Administration to free money for border security.

Read the full opinion piece at the Gloucester Times

Locals wary of changes to whiting plan

November 21, 2016 — It didn’t take long for the Gloucester Fisheries Commission to oppose the proposals being developed at the New England Fishery Management Council that would introduce limited access to the historically open-access whiting fishery.

A mere two days after the NEFMC received its first look at the proposals being generated by its whiting advisory panel and whiting committee, Gloucester commission members raised concerns over the impact the proposals could have on the city’s whiting fleet — particularly the small boats.

“We should not allow any other species to go under limited access,” said commission member Angela Sanfilippo, also the president of the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association. “This is a healthy stock and I am totally against limited access.”

Sanfilippo’s views were echoed by member Joe Orlando and Chairman Mark Ring.

The three proposals to potentially limit access to the fishery are contained in Amendment 22 currently being developed by the council. The council’s whiting committee hopes to furnish a more finished product at the council’s next meeting in late January.

The city fisheries commission, however, wasn’t waiting around for the council staff’s final analysis. It voted 6-0 to oppose any attempts to limit access to Ipswich Bay for the local whiting fleet.

The three proposals, being developed by the NEFMC’s whiting advisory panel and whiting committee, essentially offer potential eligibility parameters for future access into the fishery.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Gloucester, MA seeks director for Fisheries Commission

September 4, 2015 — The quest to appoint an executive director of the Gloucester Fisheries Commission continues, with interim Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken saying she hopes to fill the paid position by the end of the year.

The position, which has been vacant since Vito Calomo left it almost two decades ago, remains on the books and Romeo Theken and the members of the Fisheries Commission seem to be in strong agreement that the time has come to put someone back in the job.

“I said right from the beginning of my term that this is something I want to do and something I think we need,” Romeo Theken said. “This would be someone not only to advocate for all of our fishermen and fishing-related industries, but enhance the profile of the city of Gloucester.”

Given the state of the commercial fishing industry, the job could be an arduous one, involving attendance at an unceasing schedule of meetings related to the regulation of the fisheries, as well as working with other city departments on economic development projects related to fishing and seafood.

Read the full story from the Gloucester Daily Times

Gloucester Commission Targets Disaster Aid to 2012-14 Groundfishing Fleet

August 5, 2015 —  The Gloucester Fisheries Commission on Tuesday night recommended a spending plan for the final phase of the federal disaster aid that would preclude using any of the nearly $7 million to pay for at-sea monitoring.

The Gloucester recommendation, which will be contained as public comment in a letter to the state Division of Marine Fisheries, closely mirrors the recommendation of the Gloucester-based Northeast Seafood Coalition by urging the state to use the money as direct financial assistance to fishermen who landed a minimum of 20,000 pounds of groundfish in any of the fishing years 2012, 2013, and 2014.

Commission members Joe Orlando and Al Cottone said using those three fishing years in the eligibility criteria would help expand the pool of potential beneficiaries in the small-boat groundfish fleet.

“Anyone who fished in 2012 caught at least 20,000 pounds of fish,” Orlando said, while Cottone pointed out it 2012 was the last full season of fishing before the deep cuts in groundfish catch allotments.

Read the full story from the Gloucester Daily Times