Saving Seafood

BEN MARTENS: Federal COVID response a missed opportunity to help Maine fishermen

June 26, 2020 — President Trump’s recent roundtable meeting with fishermen in Bangor was a unique opportunity to bring national attention to COVID-19’s catastrophic impact on fishing communities here in Maine and around the country. Most Americans are unaware of the devastation the crisis has inflicted on fishing economies, which support 40,000 jobs in Maine and 1.5 million jobs in the United States. The president’s visit put a spotlight on Maine’s fishermen for a brief moment during this time of crisis.

What resulted from this meeting was the opening of a national marine monument south of Cape Cod to additional commercial fishing, and the creation of a yet-to-be-defined fisheries task force. While significant, this action does not address the underlying economic challenge facing Maine fishermen because of the pandemic – the collapse of domestic and international demand for seafood.

Roughly three-quarters of the seafood consumed in the U.S. is eaten at restaurants. With restaurants closed or severely constrained, prices and demand have dropped dramatically – close to 70 percent for many New England species. As families struggled to find healthy, affordable food, fishermen were being told not to go fishing. Seafood is one of the healthiest food choices you can make for your mind, body and the environment. More access to heathy food should be our shared priority. Unfortunately, the pandemic has illuminated the cracks in our national food system, meaning that now is the time to invest in comprehensive solutions to protect local, sustainable seafood for our nation.

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

SEAFOOD PRICES REFLECT A COMPLEX SUPPLY CHAIN

June 25, 2020 — As restaurants and other foodservice operations began shutting down in March, the demand for seafood plummeted.

“The fishing industry is foodservice dependent, so once the demand decreased, the fishermen stopped going out in their boats,” says Barton Seaver, a Maine-based chef and lead educator for seafoodliteracy.com.

“About 75% of the seafood consumed in the U.S. is sold by restaurants,” confirms Ben Martens, executive director of Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, a nonprofit that supports sustainability and community-based fishermen.

Now that restaurants are reopening, it’s taking a while for the fresh supply to get back up to speed, leading to higher prices. Smaller fisheries and dayboat fleets that typically supply higher-end restaurants were told by wholesalers not to go out fishing during the pandemic. At the Portland Fish Exchange in Maine, prices were down by 34% as late as May, says Martens. Although fishermen were struggling economically, they were getting killed by low prices at the docks.

Read the full story at Restaurant Business

MAINE: MCFA’s Statement on today’s Climate Council Meeting

June 17, 2020 — The following was released by the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association:

“Today, the Energy Working Group proposed the development of offshore wind as a solution to address our state’s energy needs,” said Ben Martens, executive director of the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association. “The industrialization of the Gulf of Maine, through the development of offshore wind, is something the fishing community is increasingly concerned about. We hope that a real and robust outreach effort to fishermen is undertaken before any decision is made as to how to achieve our state’s goals for carbon reduction.”

Martens added, “Fishermen have been stewards of Maine’s marine environment for generations and they want to be included in discussions that have the potential to impact not just their livelihood but the environment that they love and depend on. Because of the lack of industry representation on the council and because of the poor precedent set by Aqua Ventus, we are worried that once again Maine’s fishermen will be last to be invited to the table.”

Maine fishing industry awaits distribution of federal stimulus money

May 19, 2020 — While Maine is due to receive $20 million in federal funding to help shore up fishing trade losses caused by the COVID-19 economic downturn, industry leaders say more relief is needed to address the full scope of the decline.

“It’s not a lot of money for the size of the problem that we are dealing with in Maine,” Ben Martens, Executive Director of The Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association (MCFA) told The Center Square. “The goal is to get the money out the door as soon as possible, at least that should be the goal, so we can all survive this.”

The $20.3 million going to Maine is part of $300 million allotted to the seafood industry under the CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act. The $300 million will be helping about 30 states, with Alaska receiving the highest amount, roughly $50 million, Martens said. Maine’s amount was the fifth highest in the nation.

Dividing the $20.3 million among Maine’s 18,000 licensed fishermen, seafood processors, charter fishing operators and aquaculture workers will be up to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and the Maine Department of Marine Resources.

Read the full story at The Center Square

Seafood industry waiting for $300M from CARES act gets good news

May 8, 2020 — The seafood industry has been hit hard by the closure of restaurants throughout the country but it could be a step closer to getting relief money after the federal government appeared to begin offering a state-by-state breakdown of the funds.

Confusion over who qualifies for CARES Act funding has delayed the money from being distributed to anyone, Ben Martens of the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association told FOX Business

“It’s great we’re finally seeing some movement getting that money out the door,” Martens said. “It’s not going to go very far in the state of Maine when you start thinking about the needs of the fishermen on the docks, the processors … Everybody needs help.”

Read the full story at FOX Business

Maine fishing industry hopes for more COVID-19 relief money

May 5, 2020 — It’s been more than a month since President Donald Trump put aside $300 million in relief money for the fishing industry, and Maine delegates have sent several letters urging the president to quickly release that money.

With restaurants and trade opportunities limited, the head of the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association says the current funding isn’t enough to cover all the expenses Maine fishermen face.

“In terms of lobster fishing we have a lot of expenses like fuel and bait,” Turner Family Lobster Company Owner Travis Turner said.

Travis Turner has lobstering in his blood, having grown up fishing with his father. He says it’s a job that’s especially tough to navigate through this pandemic.

Read the full story at WGME

Fishing groups have “Day of Action” to help fishermen access COVID-19 aid

April 24, 2020 — On Friday, 24 April, as U.S. President Donald Trump signed an extension of small business COVID-19 relief programs into law, a national group of independent fishermen set aside the day to make sure they and their colleagues had access to the programs designed to keep small businesses afloat during the pandemic.

It comes a day after the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association and others held a webinar for fishermen and crew members on the packages available to them.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Culinary events seek to build demand for Maine’s underappreciated fish

February 5, 2020 — A new series of events called “What’s the Catch?” seeks to build consumer awareness of Maine’s underutilized fish species.

Greater consumption of species like monkfish, redfish, flounder and hake could help fishermen who primarily depend on the lobster fishery to diversify their income. And that’s an important consideration if today’s robust lobster stocks ever decline, Ben Martens, executive director of the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, told Mainebiz.

The association is collaborating with Luke’s Lobster on the series, which features a different fish species at four monthly events and highlights fishermen and the working waterfront.

Hosted the second Wednesday of each month from January through April, the series is part social event and part educational.

The January event featured monkfish. The next event, featuring redfish, is scheduled for Feb. 12, from 6-8 p.m., at Luke’s Lobster on the Portland Pier. The March 11 event features flounder, and the April 8 event will focus on hake.

Read the full story at MaineBiz

Fishing industry mourns loss of two respected lobstermen

January 28, 2020 — Maine’s fishing industry is mourning the loss of captain Arnold Nickerson IV of Arundel and his crew Christopher Pinkham of Boothbay Harbor. The two died at sea off Portland while fishing aboard Nickerson’s lobster boat, the Hayley Ann, on Jan. 23.

Nickerson was known by most as Joe.

“I’ve known Joe for years, and he has been an incredibly valuable contributor for two terms on the [Department of Marine Resources] Advisory Council, especially with regard to the groundfish and elver fisheries with which he was most directly involved,” the department’s commissioner, Patrick Keliher, said in a news release.

“I chose him to serve on the council because of his perspective as an experienced, successful fisherman and his calm and constructive approach to problem solving,” Keliher continued. “He was committed to the proper management of Maine’s marine resources, and was willing to give his time to help his fellow fishermen. I always valued his insights and ideas. He was a first-rate fisherman, and an excellent representative for Maine’s fishing community.”

“It is hard to state the depth of the profound sadness that we have all felt at the news that Joe Nickerson and his crew Chris Pinkham perished at sea while out fishing,” Ben Martens, the association’s executive director, said in a press statement.

Read the full story at MaineBiz

Maine Aquaculture Association launches video to boost state’s farmers

January 21, 2020 — The Maine Aquaculture Association has kicked off a new video series focused on telling the personal stories of aquatic farmers throughout the state to increase public visibility and underscore how aquaculture complements existing marine industries in coastal communities.

The series, titled “The Faces of Maine’s Working Waterfront,” borrows a premise that has boded well for the state’s commercial fishing industry – interviewing industry members at work out on the water to give consumers an inside look at the trade. The Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association has been producing a video series called “Hard Tellin’” for a couple years.

Read the full story at Seafood Source