May 1, 2020 — The following was released by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries:
An informative and nuanced message from DMF’s Dan McKiernan about the status of the seafood industry and dynamic response efforts during the Spring of 2020.
Lawmakers question status of USD 300 million fisheries aid
April 30, 2020 — Lawmakers from the U.S. state of Massachusetts sent a letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on Wednesday, 29 April, citing their “frustration and concern” over the lack of action on a USD 300 million (EUR 274.1 million) relief package for American fisheries that Congress passed a month ago.
In the letter, U.S. Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, along with U.S. Reps. Seth Moulton and Bill Keating, sent Ross a list of five questions regarding the aid that was part of the USD 2.2 trillion (EUR 2.01 trillion) CARES Act. President Donald Trump signed the bill into law on 27 March.
Elizabeth Warren demands government sort out $300 million aid package for fisheries
April 30, 2020 — US Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey on Wednesday joined a growing chorus of voices calling “for the immediate release of federal guidance” for how fishery participants can access $300 million (€276.6 million) in emergency funds promised through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES).
In their letter to US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, the Massachusetts lawmakers, both Democrats, stated “bureaucratic inefficiencies” are behind the failure to distribute the funds.
“The Commerce Department needs to issue guidance as soon as possible so that fisheries aid can reach those who desperately need it,” the letter reads.
Sens. Markey & Warren, Reps. Moulton and Keating Demand Immediate Guidance for Fisheries Disaster Assistance Funding During Coronavirus Emergency
April 29, 2020 — UPDATE: The following release has been updated with a new link to the letter, available HERE.
The following was released by Massachusetts Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, and Representatives Seth Moulton and Bill Keating:
Today, Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Representatives William Keating (MA-09) and Seth Moulton (MA-06) called for the immediate release of federal guidance for how fishery participants can access the designated $300 million in disaster assistance funding included in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. In their letter to the Commerce Department, the Massachusetts lawmakers report that it appears to be bureaucratic inefficiencies that are behind the failure to issue guidance in a timely manner and ask when it will be issued, as well as when assistance will be distributed. The CARES Act was signed into law more than a month ago, and while other programs have already released funding to provide economic relief to various communities and industries, the Commerce Department has yet even to release guidelines for how disaster assistance can be accessed by struggling fishing and seafood businesses.
“This silence and delay poses a particular problem because fishery participants do not know how to determine whether they will be eligible for the CARES Act assistance,” write the lawmakers in their letter to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.“The Commerce Department needs to issue guidance as soon as possible so that fisheries aid can reach those who desperately need it.”
A copy of the letter can be found HERE.
In the letter, the lawmakers ask for responses to questions that include:
- Which Commerce Department entity is principally responsible for the preparation and promulgation of this guidance?
- When will the guidance be finalized and published? What issues remain to be resolved before this can happen?
- Will the guidance be open for public comment before it is finalized or will it be issued in final form?
- After guidance is issued, when does the Commerce Department expect to begin distributing CARES Act assistance to fishery participants?
On April 2, Senators Markey and Warren led a letter urging the Department of Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to act swiftly, equitably, and transparently in allocating fisheries disaster assistance funding. On March 23, Senators Markey and Warren, and Alaska Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan called on Senate leadership to include support for the fishing industry in coronavirus economic relief packages.
NOAA extends protection zone for rare whales off Cape Ann, Boston
April 29, 2020 — Federal ocean managers are asking mariners to continue slowing down east of Boston and Cape Ann because of sightings of rare right whales in the area.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it is asking mariners to go around the area or travel through it at 10 knots or less until May 9.
The group of whales was spotted on April 24. Right whales number only about 400 and are one of the rarest large ocean animals. Their population was decimated by whaling, which is now illegal. Their population remains in jeopardy because of recent high mortality and poor reproduction.
NOAA Fisheries Seeking New Marine Mammal Stranding Partners in Massachusetts
April 29, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
As of May 1, the New England Aquarium will no longer respond to stranded marine mammals in order to focus their efforts on sea turtle response given the increasing number of sea turtle strandings in our region. Going forward, NOAA will receive calls about stranded seals, dolphins, and whales from Rockport through Plymouth, MA.
Because the Aquarium will no longer be responding to stranded marine mammals, we are seeking new partners to join our Regional Marine Mammal Stranding Network to serve communities in this area and aid in our response. Network participants are volunteer organizations trained and federally authorized to respond to sick or injured dolphins, seals, and whales that strand along our shorelines. For more information and to learn how to become an authorized response organization, please contact Mendy Garron, NOAA Regional Marine Mammal Response Program Coordinator at 978-282-8478 or mendy.garron@noaa.gov. To report a stranded marine mammal, please call the NOAA Regional Marine Animal Hotline at 866-755-6622. For more information about our Marine Mammal Stranding Network, visit our website.
Seafood prices have dropped, but Southcoast fishermen still fish amid pandemic
April 29, 2020 — Though the coronavirus pandemic has limited some seafood markets and lowered prices, SouthCoast fishermen are still going out on trips when the stormy weather isn’t keeping them ashore.
“We’re still going out, everything’s running right along for us,” groundfisherman Antonio Cravo and co-owner of F/V United States said on Monday.
Cravo, who is based in New Bedford, said the prices have dropped and he’s getting less money for the fish he catches, but it’s still worth going out on trips.
“We offloaded last night and just got paid today, the prices dropped, but it’s still worth it to keep going,” Cravo said,“We still get a paycheck, not as much, but we still get a paycheck to keep up with our bills.”
MASSACHUSETTS: Mazzetta sells fish plant for $9.3M
April 29, 2020 — llinois-based Mazzetta Company has finally sold the Gloucester facility that housed its Gloucester Seafood Processing operations. It was sold to The Grossman Companies for $9.3 million, according to records obtained from the Essex County Register of Deeds.
The Grossman Companies, based in Quincy, is a family-run real estate investment and management firm that owns about 2.5 million square feet of commercial and residential properties throughout New England and specializes in acquisitions, private lending, property management and brokerage.
Jacob M. Grossman, president of The Grossman Companies, said Tuesday the company is looking to lease the 65,000 square-foot property at 21-29 Great Republic Drive to a single tenant. The facility, Grossman said, is proving especially attractive among a range of food-related businesses.
“There’s been really, really good interest already,” said Grossman, the fifth generation of his family in the business whose Eastern Massachusetts roots date back 120 years, starting with Grossman Lumber. “We hope to have news on a tenant in a relatively short time.”
He said the facility in the Blackburn Industrial Park, which originally housed the Good Harbor Filet company, is emblematic of the types of properties The Grossman Companies seek for its real estate portfolio.
Atlantic Herring: NEFMC Receives Progress Report on Two Framework Adjustments
April 28, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:
The New England Fishery Management Council received a progress report during its April 14-15, 2020 webinar meeting on two framework adjustments to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan. Here’s what’s in the works.
Framework Adjustment 7 – This framework is being developed to protect Atlantic herring spawning on Georges Bank. Here’s the discussion document. During this meeting, the Council voted to clarify that:
- The goal of this action is to “develop measures to protect spawning adults of Atlantic herring and/or Atlantic herring egg mats to increase overall herring biomass”; and
- The objective is to “consider similar measures as in Area 1A – the inshore Gulf of Maine – for other spawning components of this resource,” namely on Georges Bank and Nantucket Shoals.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) and the Council collaboratively manage the Area 1A fishery. The Council is discussing the role of state versus federal herring management with the Commission.
MASSACHUSETTS: Blue Harvest Responds to COVID-19 Situation; Plans to Reopen Monday
April 24, 2020 — In an interview with SeafoodSource, Blue Harvest President and CEO Keith Decker said the first employee tested positive on 14 April, having gone on medical leave on 3 April. A second employee tested positive 20 April in what Decker called an unrelated case. A third case is suspected but not confirmed, Decker said.
In response, Blue Harvest “immediately notified the city and Board of Health proactively,” Decker said.
“We have been in close contact throughout the week, and it’s standard protocol to notify the board of health if you have a positive diagnosis,” he said.
Blue Harvest had already arranged for a third-party contractor to sanitize the facility prior to the issuance of a cease and desist letter, and that cleaning took place Thursday, 23 April. The plant is scheduled to reopen on Monday, 27 April, Decker said.
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