June 15, 2017 — State Senator Bruce Tarr and state Representative Brad Hill were among those who turned out at Tonno in Gloucester June 12 to try owner Anthony Caturano’s best soft-shell green crab dish. The tasting was the latest for the Ipswich-based Green Crab R&D Project , which is addressing the invasive species problem by creating a market for its use. In recent weeks, green crab also has appeared at the Ipswich Ale Brewery and at Woodman’s in Essex. “We’ve been on a full-court press to try to confront the green crab from an environmental perspective and an economic perspective, but if we can find a way to market them, then the market forces will control the population,” Tarr said. Caturano’s creation received high praise all around. “I’m a big seafood person,” Hill said, “and if you’re a fan of seafood, this is something you’re going to like.”
Sharks should be happy about new Google Earth survey of seal populations
June 14, 2017 — Gray seals are booming. They’ve flocked to coastal Massachusetts, where hunters once killed the animals wholesale — a dead seal’s nose could fetch a $5 reward in the 1960s.
Twenty years ago, there were about 2,000 seals near Cape Cod and Nantucket. A new estimate, published Wednesday in the journal Bioscience, suggests there are now as many as 50,000.
‘‘We should be celebrating the recovery of gray seals as a conservation success,’’ said David Johnston, an author of the study and marine biologist at Duke University .
Where seals go, sharks often follow. Great white sightings in Cape Cod increased from 80 in 2014 to 147 in 2016. Johnston said the shark spike may be linked to the seals. ‘‘One of our tagged animals was killed by a white shark,’’ he said.
Maine and Massachusetts once placed bounties on seals because fishermen feared they would gobble up valuable fish such as cod. (There is little evidence that seals actually compete with fishermen, Johnston said.) The century-long bounty hunt claimed up to 135,000 animals.
The seals bounced back after 1972’s Marine Mammal Protection Act outlawed the killings. ‘‘I’m a firm believer if you just stop doing bad things to wildlife they will recover,’’ Johnston said. The seals’ recovery raised a question infrequently asked in conservation: What happens after success?
‘‘We haven’t done a great job of preparing people,’’ he said, ‘‘that they would be back again.’’
Part of that means quantifying the success. In 2011, a National Marine Fisheries Service aerial survey estimated 15,000 seals swam in southeastern Massachusetts waters.
At U.N., Brett Tolley Touts Small-Scale Fisheries
June 14, 2017 — Fisheries activist Brett Tolley of Chatham has told many people about the plight of small-scale fishermen like his father, who left the industry because he couldn’t compete with big corporate interests. Last week, he told that story to world leaders in a special forum at the United Nations in New York.
A proud member of a fourth-generation fishing family, Tolley works as a community organizer and policy advocate for the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance, which lobbies for healthy fisheries and fishing communities. Last week, at the invitation of the Slow Food International Network, Tolley testified as part of a panel at the U.N. Ocean Conference.
In contrast with fast food, Slow Food represents traditional and regional cuisine from local plants, livestock and seafood.
“It’s good, clean and fair food for all,” Tolley said. The movement was born around the same time as the agricultural crisis in the 1980s, acknowledging that high-volume, low-cost industrial farms were destroying small family farms and the communities they supported.
“The industrial food system is not working,” Tolley said. Mega-farms not only cause social problems, but they don’t actually achieve the goal of providing healthier food for the masses, he added. Intense industrial farming can also leave tracts of land unusable because of pesticides and other environmental threats. With small-scale farmers, “they inherently care about the health of the land,” Tolley said. The parallels between agriculture and commercial fishing are clear, with small-scale day boat fishermen battling against large corporations to stay profitable.
Tall Ships bringing Super Bowl-like security to Boston
June 14, 2017 — The city is bracing for massive security at this weekend’s Tall Ships extravaganza, with the historic event given the feds’ highest terror alert — Super Bowl-level — amid heightened concerns over ISIS attacks.
Homeland Security officers are set to meet today to go over the security net being planned for Sail Boston 2017. An estimated 2 million people are expected to attend the harborfest that kicks off Friday.
The dire warning comes after a suicide bombing in Manchester, England, in May that killed 22 concertgoers followed by an ambush around London Bridge that left seven dead earlier this month.
Former Boston police Commissioner Edward F. Davis, who now runs a security firm that will be working the event, said the worry is warranted.
“My police contacts and public safety contacts are telling me this is a very serious event,” Davis said. “There will be a significant show of force out there, no question. Due to the world situation they’ll see a significant increase in security personnel.”
A Coast Guard spokeswoman confirmed that the event, which runs from Friday to next Thursday, received a Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) of 1 from the Department of Homeland Security, the rating indicating the most risk for an event.
Level 1 events require extensive federal coordination and have significant national or international importance, and have included presidential visits and party nominating conventions.
In comparison, annual high-security events like the Boston Marathon or the Fourth of July parade are designated SEAR 2, Boston Police Department spokesman Lt. Michael McCarthy said, adding that other recent SEAR 1 events included the United Nations Assembly and the Rose Bowl Parade and game.
MASSACHUSETTS: New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center Celebrates First Anniversary
June 13, 2017 — The following was released by the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center:
The New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center invites the public to join us as we celebrate our 1st anniversary on June 24th and 25th. The weekend will feature a model boat show, walking tours, performances of maritime music and storytelling, and anniversary cake.
On Saturday, June 24th, Big Boats, Little Boats will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Center and on Pier 3. This free event features a model boat show; walking tours of the working waterfront; a fishing vessel tour; mini-tugs dockside at Pier 3; and Center exhibits. In addition, Whaling City Expeditions will offer harbor tours at a reduced rate with coupon.
That evening, The Souls of the Sea Trio will perform from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The benefit concert takes place under a tent at the Center and features Allen Estes, Sal Baglio, and Matt Leavenworth. These three nationally acclaimed singers, songwriters, and musicians perform musical tributes to the lives and experiences of the fishermen of the North Atlantic and their families. Their original and musically diverse songs are a unique interpretation of life around the working waterfront. A cash bar will be available. Tickets for the concert are $20 and all proceeds benefit the Center.
On Sunday, June 25th, the public is invited to the anniversary party from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The New Bedford Harbor Sea Chantey Chorus kicks off the event at 11:00 a.m. Following welcome remarks by Laura Orleans, Executive Director, and Phil Mello, Board Chair, anniversary cake by Ellen’s Creations and ice cream from the Ox Cart will be served. Storyteller Jackson Gillman will perform at 12:45 p.m. In addition, children’s craft activities will be available and the Ox Cart will be selling food and beverages.
The Center is grateful to BayCoast Bank and the National Endowment for the Arts for their generous support of these events.
The New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center is dedicated to preserving and presenting the story of the commercial fishing industry past, present, and future through exhibits, programs, and archives. The Center is open free of charge, Thursday through Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and is located at 38 Bethel Street, in the heart of the National Park. The Center is wheelchair accessible and has free off-street parking. For more information, please email programs@fishingheritagecenter.org or call the Center at (508) 993-8894.
Fish council likely give input on Rafael permits
June 13, 2017 — The New England Fishery Management Council could adopt a formal recommendation to NOAA Fisheries on the ultimate redistribution of Carlos Rafael’s groundfish permits when it convenes next week in Portland, Maine.
The council, set to meet next Tuesday through Thursday, faces a busy agenda of items, including a summary of public comments on groundfish monitoring, as well as possible final actions on the coral amendment and the framework dealing with skates.
But the question of what should happen to Rafael’s stable of more than 40 groundfish permits once the New Bedford fishing magnate is sentenced — now scheduled for July 28 — may generate the most heat at the three-day meetings.
“That issue has generated a lot of interest and opinion among the fishing community and the council could develop an official comment that could be positioned in a recommendation letter to (NOAA Fisheries),” said Janice Plante, council spokeswoman.
The council is set to hear from its Groundfish Committee late next Tuesday morning, including a discussion on the interim final rule for 2017 and 2018 fishing sector operation plans and “whether measures or restrictions should be recommended for Sector 9 due to misreporting by sector vessels.”
As part of an agreement with federal prosecutors, Rafael pleaded guilty in late March to falsifying fish quotas, conspiracy and tax evasion. The man known on the docks as “The Codfather” may have to surrender up to 13 of his groundfishing vessels — which continue to fish as members of Northeast Fishing Sector 9 — and will pay almost $109,000 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.
The commercial groundfish industry has roiled over the question of what to do with all of Rafael’s groundfish permits now that he has pleaded guilty to multiple federal charges.
Officials and fishing stakeholders in New Bedford have insisted the permits should remain there, even if divvied up to other groundfishermen. Other stakeholders — such as Maggie Raymond, executive director of the Associated Fisheries of Maine — argue that Rafael should be stripped of all of his permits.
Gulf of Maine Sea Scallop Surveys Planned
June 9, 2017 — Sea scallops in the Gulf of Maine will be the focus of surveys this summer, initiated by NOAA Fisheries and the New England Fishery Management Council.
The council needs updated scallop biomass estimates from the area to support upcoming management decisions.
At their request, NOAA Fisheries will add portions of the Northern Gulf of Maine Scallop Management Area to two existing surveys already planned on Georges Bank.
The additional work will be done through the Atlantic Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program under two current grants.
The Coonamessett Farm Foundation will survey portions of Stellwagen Bank and Jeffreys Ledge with the Habcam optical imaging system, complemented by the deployment of a scallop survey dredge to collect biological samples.
The University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, School for Marine Science and Technology will conduct a high-resolution drop-camera survey of a portion of Stellwagen Bank.
These additional surveys will generate scallop biomass estimates that will be provided to the council to support the development of Gulf of Maine management measures later this year.
Research set-aside programs are unique to federal fisheries in the Greater Atlantic Region.
Director of New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center to receive Massachusetts History Commendation
June 7, 2017 — The following was released by the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center:
The New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center is pleased to announce that its Executive Director, Laura Orleans, will receive the Massachusetts History Commendation at this year’s Massachusetts History Conference. The award recognizes individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the interpretation and presentation of Massachusetts history. The award ceremony will take place at the 2017 Mass History Conference to be held on June 12 at the College of Holy Cross, Worcester.
Ms. Orleans will be recognized for her more than 20-year commitment to documenting and presenting community history of New Bedford’s working waterfront. Her work emphasizes programming that gives voice to those who are often unheard and helps communities find common ground. These ideals drove her early career as an ethnographer and folklorist and also led her to more recent work as Founding Director of both the Working Waterfront Festival and the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center. Orleans is also an Archie Green Fellow with the Library of Congress, documenting workers in the shore-side trades of the New Bedford/Fairhaven fishing industry.
Now in its 13th year, the Massachusetts History Conference draws hundreds of organizations each year to discuss preserving, interpreting, and deepening the exploration of Massachusetts history. This year’s conference will focus on the ways that public history organizations and institutions large and small inspire and engage audiences and constituencies.
The event is co-sponsored by Mass Humanities and a coalition of historical organizations around the state. The full program and registration information are available online at masshumanities.org. Mass Humanities joins the rest of the conference committee in congratulating the awardees.
The New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center is dedicated to preserving and presenting the story of the commercial fishing industry past, present, and future through exhibits, programs, and archives.
Atl Herring Days Out Call on June 14 – Cancelled
June 7, 2017 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The previously scheduled Atlantic Herring Days Out call on June 14 at 10:00 AM has been cancelled. The Atlantic Herring Section members from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts are scheduled to reconvene via conference call to review fishing effort on the following days:
- Wednesday, June 28 at 10:00 AM
- Wednesday, July 12 at 10:00 AM
- Wednesday, July 26 at 10:00 AM
- Wednesday, August 9 at 10:00 AM
To join the calls, please dial 888.394.8197 and enter passcode 499811 as prompted.
MASSACHUSETTS: Seafood supplier tries to make inroads with local eateries for Gloucester-landed fish
June 7, 2017 — Frank Ragusa is making a point, leaning forward in his chair and punctuating each sentence by banging his hand on the conference table, producing thumps so loud they later sound like explosions on the recording of the conversation.
In between bursts of percussion, the chief executive officer and partner in Gloucester’s Finest Seafood makes the same impassioned point he has been making since he returned to Cape Ann two years ago from Seattle as the director of fresh seafood at Gloucester Seafood Processing.
The point is this: The Gloucester story still plays in the farthest reaches of the nation. The saga of America’s oldest commercial fishing port, of slicker-clad, fishermen wrestling fresh marine life out of the cold waters of the Atlantic, still strikes a chord.
Out there.
“Most of our biggest customers right now are outside New England,” Ragusa said while sitting in the conference room of the seafood processing company he founded last year as a tenant within the confines of the Cape Ann Seafood Exchange on Harbor Loop.
Rising from the ashes of GSP’s surreal closure last year by the Mazzetta Company, Gloucester’s Finest Seafood is at the heart of Ragusa’s crusade to help breathe new life into America’s oldest fishing community by promoting its bounty of freshly harvested seafood.
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