Saving Seafood

MASSACHUSETTS: Port of New Bedford Launches New Bedford Seafood Brand

July 28, 2017 — The following was released by the Port of New Bedford Harbor Development Commission:

The Port of New Bedford Harbor Development Commission (HDC) will officially unveil their newly created New Bedford Seafood brand at the Seafood Throwdown on July 27 at Custom House Square, beginning at 6pm.

“As America’s top grossing commercial fishing port and largest seafood processing center, New Bedford can rightfully claim the title of America’s Seafood Capital.  But we need to do a better job proclaiming our status to the rest of the world, and that’s where this campaign comes in,” said Mayor Jon Mitchell, who also serves as Chairman of the HDC.

The HDC hired Moore & Isherwood Communications to develop the logo, which features the ever-familiar western rig fishing vessel, the backbone of the Port of New Bedford’s successful commercial fishing industry.

“Outside of our region few people know how important New Bedford and our fishing industry is to providing sustainable, fresh, delicious fish to buyers and consumers everywhere,” says Ed Anthes-Washburn, Port Director.  “The fishing industry and our waterfront is the cultural, economic and political center of our region.  We think it’s important to showcase New Bedford’s seafood at the same level as other brands like Alaskan salmon or Maine lobster.”

In addition to the logo, the HDC worked with students from UMass Dartmouth’s Charlton College of Business and Moore & Isherwood Communications to develop a website where national and international buyers can browse all of New Bedford’s processors and fish houses, and the seafood they sell.

In the future, the HDC has plans to work with local restaurants and fish markets to further identify locally-landed fish and seafood for local residents in an effort to highlight some of the underutilized species, or less popular fish, that are landed in local waters.

Said Anthes-Washburn, “Wild-caught seafood landed in New Bedford is among the last wild protein available to consumers.  It’s healthy, sustainably managed, and by purchasing it you’re supporting local fishermen that reinvest in our communities.” Anthes-Washburn also suggests branching out to species you may not recognize and don’t be afraid to ask your server or seafood purveyor questions. “One of the easiest ways to support our local fishermen is to engage with people in the industry, try new species and ask about different menu items or suggestions!”

The HDC will be unveiling the logo at the Seafood Throwdown, an event they’re hosting in collaboration with the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance (NAMA), the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center, and the New Bedford Farmers Market.

The entire project was generously funded by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) through their Seafood Marketing Program.

The Port of New Bedford is managed by the New Bedford Harbor Development Commission which aims to implement best management practices over port resources and develop economic growth strategies. To this end, it is the goal of the Harbor Development Commission to keep New Bedford on top as the #1 U.S. fishing port, expand existing businesses and capitalize on new opportunities that will maximize The Port’s potential as an economic engine to create jobs and strengthen the New Bedford economy.

MASSACHUSETTS: Live Music, Matchups, and More for all ages at Seaport’s Fish Pier Sunday, August 13th, Boston’s Landmark Fish Pier

July 27, 2017 — BOSTON, Mass. — The following was released by the Boston Seafood Festival:

Live music from popular local performers and blue-grass bands, kids’ favorites like face-painting and costumed pirates and all-day festivities make this summer’s Boston Seafood Festival on August 13, 11am – 7pm, a must for seafood lovers of all ages.

Some of the festivities in store for attendees of Boston’s biggest and tastiest seafood festival include a live performance from headliner American Idol alum and rising country star Ayla Brown as well as numerous activities for children and families.

Along with fish cutting demonstrations by celebrity chefs, a lobster bake tent, and a beer garden, Boston Seafood Festival guests are able to enjoy a plethora of activities ranging from face painting to photos with roaming pirates and costumed characters. Attendees will also be entertained by live music including the rhythmic rock band La Joya, a soulful jazz band and the vivacious bluegrass inspired band, Wheelhouse Rodeo.

Sunday, August 13

Over All Activities

12:00 – 1:30pm         Fish Cutting Demonstration (Pier)

12:00 – 6:00pm         Lobster Bake Tent (Throughout Pier)

12:00– 6:00pm          Beer Garden (Throughout Pier)

12:00 – 6:00pm         Kids Activities (Throughout Pier)

12:00 – 6:00pm         Acoustic Aaron (Lobster Bake)

12:00– 6:00pm          Chef Demos (Throughout Pier)

1:30 – 4:30pm           Pirates (Throughout Pier)

2:30– 3:30pm            Battle of the Shuckers (Pier)

Main Stage

11:30 – 12:15pm       Welcome Program

12:30– 1:30pm          A Jazz Band

2:00 – 2:30pm           Interfaith Unity Blessing

2:30 – 3:15pm          Two Way Radio

3:30 – 4:30pm          Wheelhouse Rodeo

4:45– 5:40pm           Ayla Brown

5:30 – 6:30pm          La Joya Band

Scheduled times are subject to change

Tickets are $15.00 and are available at http://www.bostonseafoodfestival.org/. Proceeds underwrite Boston Seafood Festival and in part support the work of the Boston Fisheries Foundation, a not-for profit organization that preserves and protects the local seafood industry’s long-term viability as well as safeguards the ocean’s present and future natural resources.

The Boston Seafood Festival is presented by Boston Fisheries Foundation along with generous sponsors that include; Massport, Harpoon, Stavis Seafoods, Channel Fish, The John Nagle Company, Quarterdeck, JCDecaux, Carpenter’s Union, Ipswich Clambake, East Boston Savings Bank, Boston Sword & Tuna, and F.J. O’Hara & Son’s. Boston Seafood Festival is managed and produced by Conventures, Boston’s leading events management and communications agency.

About Boston Seafood Festival:

Presented by Boston Fisheries Foundation, Boston Seafood Festival combines a terrific family-friendly day of delicious seafood sampling, live music, local chef demonstrations, children’s activities and more with a rare opportunity to learn more about preserving Boston’s essential seafood and maritime heritage.

For more information and a complete list of activities, please visit http://bostonseafoodfestival.org.  Check out event updates on the Seafood Festival Facebook page, @BostonSeaFest on Twitter, or follow the conversation using #BostonSeaFest

Change in Area 1A Trimester 2 Effort Controls and Meeting Notice

July 27, 2017 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Herring Section members from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts revised the effort control measures for the 2017 Area 1A Trimester 2 (June 1 – September 30) fishery. The revised measures are underlined and become effective Sunday, July 30, 2017.

Days Out of the Fishery

  • Vessels with a herring Category A permit that have declared into the Trimester 2 Area 1A fishery may land herring five (5) consecutive days a week. One landing per 24 hour period. Vessels are prohibited from landing or possessing herring caught from Area 1A during a day out of the fishery.
    • Landing days in New Hampshire and Massachusetts begin on Monday of each week at 12:01 a.m.
    • Landings days in Maine begin on Sunday of each week at 6:00 p.m.
  • Small mesh bottom trawl vessels with a herring Category C or D permit that have declared into the Trimester 2 fishery may land herring seven (7) consecutive days a week.
 Weekly Landing Limit
  • Vessels with a herring Category A permit may harvest up to 680,000 lbs (17 trucks) per harvester vessel, per week.
  • 120,000 lbs out of the 680,000 lb weekly limit can be transferred to a carrier vessel (see below).
 At-Sea Transfer and Carrier Restrictions
The following applies to harvester vessels with a herring Category A permit and carrier vessels landing herring caught in Area 1A to a Maine, New Hampshire or Massachusetts port.
  • A harvester vessel can transfer herring at-sea to another catcher vessel.
  • A harvester vessel is limited to making at-sea transfers to only one carrier vessel per week.
  • Carrier vessels are limited to receiving at-sea transfers from one catcher vessel per week and can land once per 24 hour period. A carrier vessel may land up to 120,000 lbs (3 trucks) per week.  The carrier limit of 3 trucks is not in addition to the harvester weekly landing limit.
  • Carrier vessel: a vessel with no gear on board capable of catching or processing fish. Harvester vessel: a vessel that is required to report the catch it has aboard as the harvesting vessel on the Federal Vessel Trip Report.

The initial Area 1A sub-annual catch limit (ACL) is 31,115 metric tons (mt) after adjusting for a carryover from 2015 and the research set-aside. The Section allocated 72.8% of the sub-ACL to Trimester 2 and 27.2% to Trimester 3. After incorporating the 295 mt fixed gear set-aside and the 8% buffer (Area 1A closes at 92% of the sub-ACL) the seasonal quotas are 20,625 mt for Trimester 2 and 7,706 mt for Trimester 3.

These effort controls are projected to extend the Trimester 2 fishery through mid-September. Landings will be monitored closely and the fishery will be adjusted to zero landing days when the trimester’s quota is projected to be reached.

The Atlantic Herring Section members from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts are scheduled to reconvene via conference call to review fishing effort on:

  • Wednesday, August 9 at 10:00 AM

Please noted the new passcode for the next call: To join the calls, please dial 888.394.8197 and enter passcode 499811 as prompted.

Fishermen are prohibited from landing more than 2,000 pounds of Atlantic herring per trip from Area 1A on no landing days. Please contact Toni Kerns at tkerns@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740 for more information.

MASSACHUSETTS: Annual Seafood Throwdown returns

July 26, 2017 — Two local chefs are preparing to go head-to head in hopes of creating an exciting seafood dish.

The catch? Limited ingredients and time, ensuring this food face-off will be anything but average.

The 9th Annual Seafood Throwdown is set to take place Thursday at Custom House Square, located in downtown New Bedford. This free event aims to entertain the public with fantastic food and new information about up-and-coming developments in the fishing industry.

Kyler’s Catch Seafood Market donated last year’s surprise seafood — Pollock — and will be donating a new fish this year.

Chef Edward Roszak, executive chef at How on Earth and Chef Joe Rego, executive chef at Cask and Pig Kitchen and Alehouse, will be preparing a fish dish and do not know what type of fish they will be cooking until the event begins.

The chefs are allowed to bring three ingredients from home, and upon the unveiling of the fish, they are given $25 to shop at the New Bedford Farmer’s Market, also located in the Square.

Chef Roszak and Chef Rego will have one hour to create a dish that will be evaluated by judges. The categories include use of whole animal, presentation, and originality. Small portions will be available to the public and the chefs will be giving out their recipes for anyone brave enough to re-create the dish.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

NOAA Requests Comment on a Change to Bluefin Regulations

July 24, 2017 — CAPE COD, Mass. — NOAA is seeking public comment regarding a request from the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance for an exemption from a regulation that prohibits having unauthorized gear on board while fishing for, retaining, or possessing a bluefin tuna.

In their application, the Alliance suggest that the use of electronic monitoring, already required by federal fishing authorities is a sufficient at-sea monitoring to verify that the catch of bluefin tuna occurred on authorized gear.

The regulation was designed to allow enforcement to not only verify that only the authorized gear type was used to catch the bluefin tuna, but also serves as an effort control for bluefin tuna as it limits the number of vessels that can actively pursue bluefin tuna to those with only authorized gear.

Read the full story at CapeCod.com

Sentencing Approaches for New England’s Carlos Rafael

July 23, 2017 — One of the biggest fishing magnates in the country could be sentenced to prison this coming week, and the forfeiture of his boats could be a big hit for the Massachusetts port where he amassed a small empire.

Between his scalloping and groundfishing boats, Carlos Rafael – nicknamed “the Codfather” — came to be the largest single owner of fishing vessels in New England, and possibly in the country.

But in 2015, undercover IRS agents posed as Russian criminals and convinced him they wanted to buy his entire fleet. Rafael unpacked an elaborate criminal enterprise to the agents — one he said he’d been carrying out for three decades.

Court records show that Rafael valued his business at $175 million. He told the undercover agents the value came from the way he cheated the government quota system. Rafael’s men would haul in a more valuable fish — like cod — and report it as a cheaper species with a much greater quota. Now Rafael is facing prison time for counts including tax evasion and bulk cash smuggling — all of which he admitted to.

But people in New Bedford want to know: What will become of the 13 fishing boats — and all the permits attached to them — that were tied to Rafael’s crimes? Will they be auctioned off on the open market, held by an entity such as the city of New Bedford or perhaps removed from circulation?

Read the full story at NPR

Marine group disentangles humpback whale off Cape Cod

July 22, 2017 — A marine conservation group says it has disentangled a young humpback whale off Cape Cod.

The Center for Coastal Studies says a charter vessel discovered the whale just outside Nauset Inlet on Friday afternoon. It had a bridle of heavy line looped though its mouth and twisted across its back. Two orange buoys trailed behind it.

The center’s Marine Animal Entanglement Response team cut away the gear and the twisted line, leaving the whale with just a short length of line in its mouth. As the whale moved away the remaining rope was pulled from its mouth and it sped off.

The Center for Coastal Studies urges boaters to report any entanglement sightings of whales, sea turtles or other marine animals.

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

CHRISTIAN PUTNAM: There are plenty of fish in the sea

July 20, 2017 — “The ocean has been over-fished, there are only a few more years of fish out there; and then they will all be gone.”

“There simply are not any more fish in the sea, they have all been taken!”

“The Northeast fishing industry is dead, they have fished themselves out of business.“

These are all common statements one might hear about commercial fishing in the Northeast, although each represents a misunderstanding of the situation. In fact, today these statements are just plain wrong. The Northeast ground fishing industry is in real trouble and has been for some time, which is true. The trouble is not the result of lack of fish. As Fishy Business often points out, the real culprits are poor fishery management by the federal government, incomplete fish stock assessments and bad science.

Be not heavy of heart, there is good news! To start with, there are plenty of fish in the sea. How do we know this? That’s even more good news. Instead of relying on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admiration’s (NOAA) Henry H. Bigelow (FSV 225) to survey the same areas of the ocean each year to create fish stock assessments (known by NOAA as, “Index of Relative Abundance”), more organizations are helping to create usable data and a more complete picture. You see, the Index of Relative Abundance tells us what the number of fish in a specific area are compared to prior years. The increase or decrease in fish counted is then extrapolated to represent the entire region.

This is sort of like polling the same people for every election and predicting the behavior or the entire Commonwealth of Massachusetts without taking other factors into account. What other factors? When it comes to fish stocks they might include; climate change (sea water temperature), mortality change, predatory change (for example, more seals), growth rate change and fraud. Fraud? Yes, one explanation as to why NOAA’s fish stock numbers don’t match reality is said to be because of the actions of Carlos Rafael, the “Codfather”, who notoriously underreported his catch. Carlos will be heading to prison for his misdeeds soon, so perhaps the assessments will become more accurate; don’t hold your breath. In short, the fish stock assessment environment is not optimal; but that is changing.

Read the full story at Wicked Local

Former sheriff’s deputy convicted of smuggling in fishing scheme

July 19, 2017 — A former Massachusetts sheriff’s deputy has been convicted of helping a fishing mogul known as “The Codfather” smuggle profits out of the country.

A federal jury in Boston found 47-year-old Antonio Freitas guilty Wednesday of charges of bulk cash smuggling and structuring the export of U.S. currency. The former Bristol County sheriff’s deputy will be sentenced in October.

Prosecutors say Carlos Rafael, who owns Carlos Seafood, Inc. in New Bedford, lied to federal authorities for years about the quantity and species of fish his boats caught to evade federal quotas.

Rafael pleaded guilty in March to federal charges of evading fishing quotas and smuggling money to Portugal.

Prosecutors say Freitas helped Rafael smuggle the profits to Portugal while also working as a Department of Homeland Security task force officer.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at Boston.com

National Coalition for Fishing Communities Members Testify on Magnuson-Stevens Act

WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) – June 19, 2017 – Two members of Saving Seafood’s National Coalition for Fishing Communities testified at the hearing, “Exploring the Successes and Challenges of the Magnuson-Stevens Act,” held by the Water, Power and Oceans Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee.

Mr. Jeff Kaelin, head of Government Relations at Lund’s Fisheries, Inc. in Cape May, New Jersey and a member of the Garden State Seafood Association, and Mr. Sean Martin, President of the Hawaii Longline Association in Honolulu, Hawaii, offered testimony.

Mr. Nick Wiley, Executive Director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in Tallahassee, Florida, was the third witness for the Republican majority.

Mr. Charles Witek, a Recreational Angler and Outdoor Writer from West Babylon, New York, tesitfied at the invitation of the Democratic minority.

In March, New Bedford, Massachusetts Mayor Jon Mitchell delivered written testimony to the Subcommittee on behalf of the NCFC, expressing concerns over the increasing use of marine monuments to manage fisheries in place of the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA). According to the mayor and NCFC members, this has undermined the more transparent and collaborative management process established by the MSA.

The following additional information was provided by the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans:

On Wednesday, July 19, 2017, at 2:00 p.m. in 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Water, Power and Oceans Subcommittee will hold an oversight hearing on “Exploring the Successes and Challenges of the Magnuson-Stevens Act.”

Policy Overview:

  • Recreational and commercial fishing industries are significant drivers of the U.S. economy. Together, the U.S. seafood industry and the recreational fishing industry generate $208 billion in sales impacts and contribute $97 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product. Additionally, these industries support upwards of 1.6 million U.S. jobs.
  • Unfortunately, in recent years, access for commercial and recreational fishing has eroded due to poor science, overbearing regulations, and abuse of Marine Protected Areas – such as Marine National Monuments and Marine Sanctuaries – that often prohibit various fishing activities.
  • According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), nearly 90 percent of federally managed fisheries that our commercial and recreational fishermen are not being allowed to harvest at maximum sustainable levels.
  • This hearing will begin to explore issues facing a number of federally managed recreational and commercial fisheries and identify possible solutions, including potential areas to update the federal fisheries framework via reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

Read the Subcommittee’s full memo here