Saving Seafood

Plan to change New England ocean stewardship up for debate

November 24, 2017 — The federal government is close to enacting new rules about New England ocean habitat that could mean dramatic changes for the way it manages the marine environment and fisheries.

The National Marine Fisheries Service has been working on the rules for some 13 years and recently made them public. They would change the way the government manages the Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank and southern New England waters, which are critical pieces of ocean for rare whales, unique underwater canyons and commercial fishermen.

The new rules would affect the way highly valuable species such as scallops and haddock are harvested, in part because it would alter protections that prohibit fishing for species in parts of the ocean. The proposal states that its goal is to minimize “adverse effects of fishing on essential fish habitat.”

Read the full story from the Associated Press at ABC News

 

Massachusetts: Despite Gloucester dialogue, Sector IX fishermen on ice

November 24, 2017 — In late October, about a month after the New England Fisheries Management Council insisted by vote that NOAA Fisheries hold Northeast Fishing Sector IX accountable for allowing the illegal actions of its most dominant member, Carlos Rafael, the Northeast Seafood Coalition brokered a meeting at the NOAA Fisheries office at Blackburn Industrial Park.

The Gloucester-based fishing advocate sought to bring together officials of the sector’s reconstituted board of directors with federal fishery regulators. It’s mission was to begin sifting through the rubble of the Rafael-induced damage to the fishery and begin focusing on future reforms to bring the sector into compliance with its operation plan to preclude widespread abuse from occurring again.

“We facilitated the meeting to open up a dialogue,” said Jackie Odell, executive director of the coalition. “That’s our role. We understood the severity of the charges and we certainly don’t condone Carlos’s actions. We just wanted to try communicating in a calm, reasonable manner.”

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

 

New England Council: Massachusetts Offshore Wind Public Open Houses – November 27-30, 2017

November 22, 2017 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The following public open houses may be of interest to the New England Fishery Management Council’s stakeholders who are following offshore wind developments.  Four events are scheduled for the week following Thanksgiving, all in Massachusetts.  Here are the details.

WHAT’S GOING ON:  Bay State Wind LLC is proposing to develop a new offshore wind farm 15-to-25 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard in the area known as the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Lease OCS-A 0500.

WHO’S INVOLVED:  The project is being developed as a 50/50 joint venture between Orstead (formerly DONG Energy) and Eversource Energy, which together make up Bay State Wind.

WHEN AND WHERE ARE THE OPEN HOUSES:  The four public open houses will be held on the following dates in the following locations:

  • Monday, November 27 – Somerset Berkley Regional High School, 625 County Street, Somerset, MA, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Tuesday, November 28 – The New Bedford Whaling Museum, 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, MA, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Wednesday, November 29 – The Barn Bowl & Bistro, 13 Uncas Avenue, Oak Bluffs, MA, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Thursday, November 30 – The Sea Crest Beach Hotel, 350 Quaker Road, Falmouth, MA, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

PROJECT DETAILS:  The developers stated, “In December 2017, Bay State Wind will participate in the first state-led procurement of offshore wind power in the United States in response to a solicitation led by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources and the Electric Distribution Companies.” More information about the initiative is available at http://baystatewind.com/About-bay-state-wind#0.

QUESTIONS:  For more information contact Bay State Wind Fishery Liaison Officer John Williamson at (207) 939-7055, john@seakeeper.net.

Uncertainty surrounds NOAA banning Carlos Rafael’s vessels from groundfish

November 22, 2017 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — The effects of NOAA’s decision to ban Carlos Rafael’s fleet from groundfishing on Monday remains unclear.

Mayor Jon Mitchell, who criticized NOAA’s approach to the case, said it’s “really hard to say” how big an effect the suspension of about 20 vessels from groundfishing will have on upwards of 70 fishermen.

“I think it’s fair to say there will be certain folks on the waterfront that will lose the opportunity to make a full livelihood this winter,” Mitchell said.

There’s a number of reasons that contribute to the uncertainty with NOAA withdrawing the operational plan for groundfishing of Sector IX, one of 19 fishing divisions in the Northeast primarily made up of permits held by Rafael.

It’s unknown how long the the vessels will be prevented from landing groundfish. There are few precedents to follow in a measure NOAA said it hasn’t been done before.

Monday’s order extends through the 2017 fishing year. However, Sector IX could submit a new plan at any time. If NOAA approves it, business would return as usual.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

Carlos Rafael’s fraud leaves New Bedford fishing permits on ice

November 22, 2017 — BOSTON — South Coast officials and seafood industry interests were stunned by Monday’s federal decision to shut down a sector with ties to disgraced fishing magnate Carlos Rafael, a decision they say will cut into the livelihoods of fishermen during the holiday season and beyond.

“The ruling itself was unexpected,” said Andrew Saunders, a New Bedford attorney retained two months ago by Northeast Fishery Sector 9, one of 19 non-profit entities set up to manage fishing industry operations in the face of strict catch limits imposed by the federal government.

The decision stems from the fraud perpetrated by fishing magnate Carlos Rafael – dubbed the ‘Codfather’ in local media coverage – but New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell says there’s collateral damage involved for people in the New Bedford area whose jobs are tethered to the harvesting of groundfish such as cod, flounder and haddock.

“The tying up of these vessels will deprive crew members opportunities to earn a living and it will eat into the revenue of shoreside businesses that support the industry,” Mitchell told the News Service, citing impacts on fuel and ice suppliers, net menders and settlement houses.

The decision was handed down by NOAA Regional Administrator John Bullard, a former mayor of New Bedford. In his ruling Bullard zeroed in on Rafael, who was hit with a 46-month prison sentence in September after federal prosecutors convicted him of charges associated with falsifying records to evade federal fishing quotas and smuggling business proceeds to Portugal to avoid U.S. taxation.

Read the full story from the State House News Service at the Newburyport Daily News

Massachusetts: NOAA shuts down Rafael’s fishing sector

November 20, 2017 — NOAA Fisheries dropped the hammer on New Bedford’s Carlos Rafael-dominated Northeast Fishing Sector IX on Monday, withdrawing the sector’s operation plans for 2017 and 2018 and shuttering the groundfish elements of the sector for the remainder of this fishing season.

NOAA Fisheries, which announced the management action Monday morning, said the sector was derelict in its compliance of the previously approved plans and that noncompliance helped Rafael misreport the scope and nature of his catch in a scam that led to his conviction and 46-month jail sentence.

“The action follows the guilty plea of Mr. Carlos Rafael, a major participant in Sector IX, who admitted to falsely reporting catch information,” NOAA Fisheries said in its statement.

NOAA Fisheries said its review showed that Sector IX failed to uphold section plan requirements to the extent that it undermined “foundational principles” necessary for successful sector operations.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

 

UMass to study how fishing and wind industries can ‘coexist’

November 20, 2017 — DARTMOUTH, Mass. — The University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth is hoping to launch a new research project on how the offshore wind and commercial fishing industries can coexist.

The university said last week that creation of the “Blue Economy Initiative” is made possible by a $1 million commitment from Deepwater Wind, a Rhode Island-based company hoping to become a major player in the state’s nascent offshore wind industry.

Read the full story by the Associated Press at The Boston Globe

MASSACHUSETTS: New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center Hosts Scanning Day

November 17, 2017 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — The following was released by the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center:

The New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center will host Scanning Day on Saturday December 9, 2017 from 10:00 a.m. to noon. Scanning Day is an opportunity for the public to share and preserve a digital image of their fishing industry photographs, documents, and other records for future generations.

The Center invites the public to bring their fishing industry related photographs, both historic and contemporary, as well as documents such as settlement sheets, union books, or news clippings to be scanned. Staff will scan the materials and record any information the owner shares about each piece.  The owner will leave with their originals along with a digital copy  of the scans on a flash drive. The Center is working to create a digital archive of these materials which will be made available to researchers and the public. These documents will help us to tell the story of the fishing industry.  This event is free and open to the public.

If you have a collection you would like to contribute to the Center’s digital archive and you are not able to attend Scanning Day, please call (508)993-8894 or email Center staff at info@fishingheritagecenter.org to make an appointment to have your collection scanned. Future dates for Scanning Days are January 13 and February 10, 2018.

The New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center is dedicated to preserving and presenting the story of the commercial fishing industry past, present, and future through archives, exhibits, and programs. For more information, please contact the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center at programs@fishingheritagecenter.org or call (508) 993-8894.

Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito: Massachusetts, SouthCoast working to ‘unleash’ region’s potential

November 17, 2017 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — For about eight hours Thursday, the SouthCoast replaced Boston as the state’s hub for Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration.

Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito led the administration’s cabinet to the region beginning with an 8 a.m. stop at the SouthCoast Chamber of Commerce’s annual meeting in Westport and ending with a ribbon cutting of the new refrigeration system at State Pier in New Bedford.

“This is an area of our state that has tremendous natural assets and has great leadership assets,” Polito said. “Together, state and local, we can work to catalyze private development to unleash even more potential.”

Polito also visited UMass Dartmouth’s School for Marine Science and Technology, where she held a cabinet meeting, cut ribbon at the New Bedford Regional Airport and noted the progress of Noah’s Place Playground on Pope’s Island.

“I come away knowing that this area of the state should be a center for marine sciences,” Polito said. “And I believe that coupled with their manufacturing base, they can create a lot of opportunity right here locally.

So happy, so cold

Coats were required indoors as state Reps. Tony Cabral, Robert Koczera, Chris Markey and Bill Straus joined Polito in the refrigerated section of State Pier, which was filled with pallets of clementines.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

 

Feds seek comment on southern New England lobstering changes

November 15, 2017 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — Federal fishing regulators are soliciting public comments about possible changes to lobster fishing in southern New England.

The National Marine Fisheries Service is seeking the feedback about changes that could include restricting the number of lobster traps or permits an individual or a business would be allowed to own.

The agency says it’s considering changes to the lobster fishery because of the “continued poor condition of the southern New England lobster stock.” It says not enough young lobsters are being born in the area because of environmental factors and fishing.

Read the following story from the Associated Press at the Seattle Times