Saving Seafood

MASSACHUSETTS: Whale safety cited as state Senate votes to ban plastic bags

July 16, 2018 — The Massachusetts Senate went on record again in favor of a statewide ban on single-use plastic bags with sponsors pointing to the harm such bags have done to whales.

The Senate then rejected a proposal that Minority Leader Bruce Tarr of Gloucester said was intended to reduce the risk of sea mammal entanglement.

Debating an environmental bond bill Thursday, the Senate adopted a Sen. Jamie Eldridge amendment to ban stores from providing single-use carryout bags to customers at the point of sale starting in August 2019. Speaking on the amendment, Eldridge mentioned a whale that died in Thailand in June and was found to have 80 plastic bags in its stomach.

“There is no need for our sea life or wildlife to have such an ending of their lives,” Eldridge said.

Sen. Cynthia Creem also spoke in favor of the amendment, holding up a photo of a whale and pointing senators to the internet to find examples of other animals dying as a result of plastic bag waste.

“If we care not only about our environment but we care about those that live in the ocean and we care about our children and our future, we cannot have these plastic bags strewn around,” Creem said.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

It’s Summertime – And New England’s Seafood Shacks Are Now Open

July 16, 2018 — We may be biased, but there is no better destination for summer road trips than the New England coast. The scenery is gorgeous and the seafood is at its prime, so locals and tourists alike pack in cars in search of the quintessential summer shack experience! Take note that reservations and fancy pants aren’t required for this journey, just a little bit of patience (for the inevitable traffic) and a passion for getting your hands on some of the best seafood around.

Below is by no means a comprehensive list, just a little something to get your mouth watering, and your seafood road trips started! So pack up the car – those lobster rolls are waiting for you.

Chauncey Creek Lobster Pier, located in Kittery, will enliven your senses. From the moment you step out of your car and smell the salty air, to when you finally set in to devouring your seafood platter, you feel as if you caught your food yourself and are eating it on a boat floating down the eponymous creek.

The picnic tables -on a deck located directly on Chauncey Creek- offer a variety of seating, from completely covered to full sunshine. And it’s a BYOB establishment, so you’ll often see people tables with coolers full of food and drinks they’ve brought to enjoy in addition to their heaping plates of steamers and lobster.

Read the full story at WGBH

MASSACHUSETTS: Senate Support For Fishing And Farming Secured in Environment Bond Bill

July 16, 2018 — The following was released by the Office of State Senator Bruce Tarr:

Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr today successfully championed the adoption of a legislative proposal to stimulate and support an expansion of fishing and farming in Massachusetts. The Gloucester Republican obtained support from his Senate collogues in adding the measure as an amendment to the Senate’s environmental bond bill.

The amendment supports two major food producing industries by creating two innovation funds, one for fishing the other for agriculture, and each is designed to foster economic growth and sustainability by prioritizing the awarding of grants and technical assistance to fuel energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions, expand sustainable practices, promote access to safety equipment, stimulate research and development, and make greater use of local food processing.

“All across our Commonwealth we are seeing a rise in interest in conserving and protecting our natural resources,” said Tarr. “The professionals that we rely on to harvest and produce our food need our assistance more than ever. We can help these businesses to survive while creating sustainable environments for them to grow.”

The bill establishes funding mechanisms which will distribute grants to support farming and commercial fisheries in order that they may accelerate the direct application of recent advances in technology, food processing techniques, and changing market conditions.

“I want to thank Senator Tarr and my colleagues in the Senate for their hard work on this important issue,” said Senator Vinny deMacedo (R-Plymouth). “I represent many coastal communities who rely not only on our fishing industry as an economic engine but are also the home of many cranberry growers who have provided food and stability for our Commonwealth over many generations. I look forward to continuing to work with them to support and encourage the growth and prosperity of their industry.”

“Hardworking fishermen and farmers have played a pivotal role in our economy for generations,” said Rules Chairman Mark Montigny (D-New Bedford). “I am pleased to join Senator Tarr on this bipartisan effort to better support our local fishing and agricultural industries so that they may continue to strengthen our economy in the face of increasing pressure and burdensome regulations.”

Each fund will be supported by an advisory committee appointed by Governor Charlie Baker and comprised of experts and industry leaders from diverse geographic locations and industry perspectives. The Commercial Fishing Advisory Committee will include experts in marine sciences and will include representatives who fish with different gear types including trawls, hooks, gillnets, and traps; the panel will be led by the Director of the Division of Marine Fisheries.

“For centuries, our economy has relied upon productive use of agriculture and the harvesting of food from the ocean,” said Senator Michael Rodrigues (D-Westport). “The men and women who engage in these occupations work hard and what they do makes a difference to all of us who want the freshest and best food available. Now we can support their efforts by helping keep their equipment and processes safe, efficient and productive.”

A 13 member panel of farmers representing horticulture, crop raising, cranberry growing, dairy farming, and the livestock raising sectors of the state will be supported by the Department of Agricultural Resources under provisions of the bill.

“We lead the nation in public and private marine research and our contributions to the country’s agricultural heritage are renowned; it’s vital that we support these industries, which go all the way back to our colonial history,” said Tarr. “Farmers and fishermen work hard, we should support them with and by connecting them with resources to help them prosper and grow.”

According to a report by UMass Dartmouth, the state’s maritime economy is responsible for more than 90,000 jobs. The report points to the need for infrastructure improvement to expand capacity and growth. With 2,000 miles of coastline, annual sales of fish and other seafood in Massachusetts top more than $2 Billion.

The state also claims more than 8,000 farms which produce more than 16,000 jobs. Agricultural activity ranging from dairy farming, cranberry growing, fruit and vegetable farming, and raising livestock and poultry take place over hundreds of thousands of acres requiring vast resources to operate efficiently and effectively.

NEFMC may limit access to whiting fishery

July 13, 2018 — The New England Fishery Management Council has scheduled five public hearings — including one in Gloucester — to collect public comment on a proposal that could establish a limited access program for five small-mesh stocks including whiting.

The Gloucester public hearing is set for next Thursday, July 19, at 4 p.m. at the state Division of Marine Fisheries’ Annisquam River Station on Emerson Avenue. The schedule calls for additional public hearings in Tinton Falls, New Jersey; Montauk, New York; Warwick, Rhode Island; and New Bedford.

The council already has demonstrated its lack of enthusiasm for the proposal contained in draft Amendment 22 to its Northeast multispecies fishery management plan. In its vote last December to send the amendment out for public comment, the council listed “no action” as its preferred alternative.

Still, in announcing the public hearings, the council said “public input is highly encouraged on all options.”

The amendment, which proposes a limited access plan for the three stocks collectively regarded as whiting — northern silver hake, southern silver hake and offshore hake — as well as northern red hake and southern red hake.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Deepwater Wind says it can coexist with commercial fishermen

July 13, 2018 — Saying it wants to be “a good neighbor” to commercial fishermen, Deepwater Wind – the company with wind energy turbines off Rhode Island’s coast – announced Thursday it has adopted what it calls “first-of-its-kind” procedures to avoid damaging fishing gear.

Beginning this month, Deepwater said it will provide fishermen with frequent updates on its offshore activities, and the company is requiring all its vessels and personnel to comply with the initiative.

The procedures involve Deepwater’s fisheries liaisons and a team of fisheries representatives in regional ports, as well as online updates for mariners and twice-daily updates on VHF channels.

While Deepwater expects there will be only “limited impact” on fishing gear, the company said it also has adopted a process for handling claims of loss and damage of fishing gear.

Read the full at Providence Business News

Massachusetts could boost dredging projects

July 12, 2018 — Sediment is piling up on the bottoms of rivers and harbors, putting cities and towns on Cape Ann and elsewhere into a multimillion-dollar bind.

State and federal funding for local dredging has dried up in recent decades, forcing local officials to dig into reserves or borrow money to remove silt in order to make their waterways deep enough for boats to navigate.

Gov. Charlie Baker has pitched a new program — with $50 million in grant money — to help coastal communities pay for dredging as part of a more than $660 million economic development proposal, which cleared the state House of Representatives late Tuesday.

The measure still needs approval from the state Senate.

Under Baker’s plan, communities would compete for matching grants and be required to cover half the costs of each project.

Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, said the money would go a long way because many communities along the coast haven’t dredged in decades. In many instances, he said, silting is making waterways less navigable.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Sens. Markey, Warren support right whale legislation

July 11, 2018 — Sens. Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren will co-sponsor the SAVE Right Whales Act, filed June 7 by four other Atlantic Coast senators.

“Senator Markey wanted to ensure that all of the stakeholders in Massachusetts that would be impacted by the legislation were briefed on the bill, understood its provisions, and had the opportunity to share their perspectives before he committed to co-sponsorship,” a spokesman for the senator said.

On Monday, Markey and Warren both became co-sponsors of the bill joining Democrats from New Jersey, Delaware, New Jersey, Florida and New York.

U.S. Rep. Rep. William Keating, D-Mass., introduced a similar bill in the House on June 7 with three other representatives.

The legislation would allocate $5 million annually in grants through 2028 for conservation programs, and the development of new technology or other methods to reduce harm to right whales from fishing gear entanglements and ship collisions. Grants could promote cooperation with foreign governments, affected local communities, small businesses, others in the private sector or nongovernment groups. The National Marine Fisheries Service has funded North Atlantic right whale protections at more than $8 million annually since fiscal year 2009, with another $128,000 released last year with announcement of an unusual mortality event after 17 right whales were observed dead in Canadian and U.S. waters.

The Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association gave its nod of approval on June 20 to the SAVE Act. The Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance has endorsed the bill as well.

Read the full story at the Cape Cod Times

Feds might allow fishermen to catch more skates

July 10, 2018 — The federal government is looking to allow fishermen to catch more Northeastern skates, which are caught for use as food and bait.

Skates are bottom-dwelling fish that are often sold in fish markets as “skate wing.” The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is proposing to increase the annual catch limit for skates by about 8 percent, to nearly 70 million pounds.

The proposed rule changes would apply to a management plan for Northeastern skate fishery.

The biggest skate producing states are Alaska, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, though the fish are brought to land as far south as California on the West Coast and North Carolina on the East Coast.

The full proposed rule may found at https://bit.ly/2NDexjm

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Gloucester Daily Times

‘How are we going to get paid?’; fishing ban continues to suffocate local businesses

July 9, 2018 — Anne Jardin-Maynard is an accountant. She doesn’t own a commercial fishing vessel. The New Bedford native works within an office on Centre Street.

Yet for more than seven months, a groundfishing ban implemented by NOAA has prevented Jardin-Maynard from receiving a paycheck. That doesn’t mean the owner of Jardin & Dawson, a settlement house, which handles payroll and accounting for fishing boats, has stopped working.

“If the boats aren’t fishing, how are we going to get paid,” Jardin-Maynard said.

NOAA announced the groundfishing ban at the end of last November as a result of Carlos Rafael falsifying fishing quota. It was also meant to delay operations for Sector IX, the fishing division where Rafael’s boats were associated, so it could draft provisions to prevent repeat offenses.

Since that time, though, the sector has assigned new board members multiple times, provisions have been drafted, and quota has been gathered as potential repayment, but the ban remains.

“I think they need to move it along,” said Jardin-Maynard, who is a new board member of Sector IX as well. “This has been a long time coming. The person that was involved in it (is penalized). It’s not fair for the other people to be involved in this. He’s paying his price.”

Rafael is serving a 46-month prison term in part for falsifying fishing records. While he serves his time in federal prison in Fort Devens, about 80 fishermen have been out of work sending a ripple effect throughout shoreside businesses from ice houses to processors to settlement houses.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

HANK SOULE: Revitalizing waterfront is still up to sectors and Carlos Rafael

July 9, 2018 — Carlos Rafael misreported his groundfish catch, and in its piece “Time for NOAA to let Sector IX fish again,” the Times is misreporting the facts.

First, NOAA didn’t calculate, as the piece states, that Rafael misreported just 72,000 pounds of grey sole. He openly admitted to stealing over 10 times that amount, of several different fish stocks. Rather, NOAA has apparently calculated that all but some remaining grey sole has been repaid, with quota seized earlier to cover the debt.

Second, neither Sector IX nor Sector VII has submitted a plan to return to fishing. Sector IX purged itself of nearly every vessel and permit enrolled there, retaining the bare minimum required to maintain legal status. It submitted an operations plan — which explains how a sector and its boats will track and report their quotas — which states that Sector IX has no immediate intent to resume fishing.

Sector VII is even more explicit. It absorbed the many Rafael vessels and permits shunted from Sector IX under the condition that they “will be enrolling as a non-active member and will not be authorized to fish” until Carlos Rafael sells them. In fact, Sector VII explicitly requested NOAA’s help to DENY those vessels permission to harvest.

Read the full opinion piece at the New Bedford Standard-Times