August 24, 2021 — The New Bedford Ocean Cluster (NBOC) has announced its official incorporation as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.
The NBOC aims to enhance the city of New Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S.A.’s maritime industries while “advancing new programs, start-ups, and technology partnerships with a primary focus in four different industry areas,” NBOC said in a press release.
August 23, 2021 — Sharks were back in the news last week, which should make our pal Bob Masjoan at the Crow’s Nest happy. He is all sharks, all of the time.
One time, during Shark Week, a misguided Irish soul, we’ll call him Cormac, asked Bob to turn the bar’s largest television to a European Cup soccer match instead of the shark fest. His request was rebuffed with extreme pelagic prejudice.
Anyway, no shortage of sharks last week. One viral video showed a herd of sharks — whites, blues et al — feasting on the carcass of a dead humpback whale out on Stellwagen Bank while an intrepid shark researcher on a tagging project lingered in his sea kayak mere feet away.
Us? We would have requisitioned a Los Angeles-class submarine.
Then came a fisherman’s photo — we spied it on the website of radio station WOKQ 97.5 — of a huge hammerhead shark swimming somewhere off the coast of Maine, looking for all the world like the most evil creature on the planet.
The accompanying story said hammerhead attacks on humans are rare — only 16 documented throughout the world, none fatal.
The piece also said the hammerheads are more afraid of us than we are of them. We here at FishOn are here to tell you that is not even remotely true.
August 23, 2021 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The Atlantic herring Area 1A (inshore Gulf of Maine) fishery regulations include seasonal spawning closures for portions of state and federal waters in Eastern Maine, Western Maine and Massachusetts/New Hampshire. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Herring Management Board approved a forecasting method that relies upon at least three samples, each containing at least 25 female herring in gonadal stages III-V, to trigger a spawning closure. However, if sufficient samples are not available then closures will begin on predetermined dates.
There are currently no samples from the Eastern Maine spawning area to determine spawning condition. Therefore, per Addendum II default closure dates, the Eastern Maine spawning area will be closed starting at 12:01 a.m. on August 28, 2021 extending through 11:59 p.m. on October 9, 2021. The Eastern Maine spawning area includes all waters bounded by the following coordinates:
Maine coast 68° 20’ W
43° 48’ N 68° 20’ W
44° 25’ N 67° 03’ W
North along the US/Canada border
Vessels in the directed Atlantic herring fishery cannot take, land or possess Atlantic herring caught within the Eastern Maine spawning area during this time. The incidental bycatch allowance of up to 2,000 pounds of Atlantic herring per trip per day applies to vessels in non-directed fisheries that are fishing within the Eastern Maine spawning area. In addition, all vessels traveling through the Eastern Maine spawning area must have all seine and mid-water trawl gear stowed.
For more information, please contact Emilie Franke, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at 703.842.0740 or efranke@asmfc.org.
The closure announcement can also be found at http://www.asmfc.org/files/
August 23, 2021 — The following was released by the New Bedford Ocean Cluster:
The New Bedford Ocean Cluster (NBOC) today announced that it is now is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. The NBOC’s mission is to leverage New Bedford’s coastal position, marine knowledge base, and landside capacity to drive employment and wealth creation in Greater New Bedford. The NBOC looks to accomplish this through a dynamic approach, combining recruitment of targeted businesses, creation of unique economic infrastructure, workforce development, and support for homegrown ocean economy companies.
The New Bedford Ocean Cluster will seek to enhance the City and Port of New Bedford’s existing strengths in maritime industries, while advancing new programs, start-ups and technology partnerships with a primary focus in four different industry areas. These four industry areas include: Commercial Fishing and Processing, Aquaculture, Offshore Renewables, and the Innovation & Technology Sector. The NBOC was originally formed in 2015 as a program of the New Bedford Port Authority. In 2019, the NBOC merged with the former New Bedford Wind Energy Center, which focused on business development in the offshore wind industry.
The NBOC is governed by a ten member Board of Directors who represent key focus areas of the organization. Recently, elections were held to nominate and select members of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors. Former New Bedford Mayor John Bullard will serve as the President of the Board, along with former New Bedford Port Director Edward Anthes-Washburn as Vice President, and Jennifer J. Menard, Vice President, Economic and Business Development, Interim – Bristol Community College, as Treasurer and Secretary. The remaining board members are as follows: Keith Decker (CEO of Blue Harvest Fisheries), John Quinn (Assistant Dean for Public Interest Law & External Relations: University of Massachusetts Dartmouth), Anthony R. Sapienza (President, New Bedford Economic Development Council), Chris Rezendes (Professor Emeritus – Marine Biology & Aquaculture Extension Specialist: Roger Williams University), and Michael Quinn (Co-Owner: Quinn Fisheries, Inc.).
NBOC President John Bullard had this to say about the organization and his role within it, “I have often said you can describe New Bedford in one word: seaport. We send our people to sea. The mission of the New Bedford Ocean Cluster is to build on that centuries old relationship to create economic opportunity for future generations by building on our dominance in commercial fishing, leading the way in offshore wind, breaking new ground in marine technology, and joining the fast growing field of marine aquaculture. These four fields and the relationships between each of them create the potential for thousands of local jobs that pay well and that involve every segment of our diverse community. I am honored that Mayor Mitchell invited me to serve on this mission for New Bedford’s future. We have a dynamic Board with world class expertise in all the fields where we will operate and I am humbled to have been asked to lead them.”
Mayor Jon Mitchell serves on the NBOC’s Board of Directors in an Ex Officio role, stated, “The NBOC will be instrumental in ensuring New Bedford achieves its full potential as a leading maritime center. We seek to capitalize on our advantages in fishing, offshore wind and other industries so that we can create new and sustainable opportunities for the residents of our region.”
More information about the NBOC can be found on the organization’s website: www.newbedfordoceancluster.org
August 19, 2021 — A lawsuit filed by two waterfront businesses against the city and the New Bedford Port Authority was dismissed in Superior Court this week.
Marine Hydraulics and Nordic Fisheries sued the city in January, alleging it was breaching a 99-year lease contract and misleading the companies regarding the expansion of the North Terminal, located on the west side of the harbor.
Nordic Fisheries bought Marine Hydraulics’ assets and lease in 2015 according to court records, but both companies filed the lawsuit. The city filed a motion to dismiss it in March.
The crux of the lawsuit is direct water access. According to site plans issued for bids dated Nov. 25, 2020, the terminal expansion would, as the complaint states, landlock Marine Hydraulics by filling the waterfront area with approximately 250,000 square feet of sediment. The fill would cover Marine Hydraulics’ boat ramp and establish a bulkhead a few hundred feet from the current shoreline.
August 17, 2021 — The Coast Guard said Tuesday it has suspended the search for a man who fell off a fishing vessel southeast of Nantucket late Sunday night.
The search was suspended after combing 1,444 square nautical miles, the Coast Guard said in a tweet.
The fishing vessel Blue Wave out of New Bedford contacted the Coast Guard late Sunday night when the 36-year-old man failed to report for his night watch and could not be found on the boat, Petty Officer Ryan Noel said.
The man was not believed to be wearing a life jacket. His name has not been made public.
August 17, 2021 — As sections of ocean off the coast of New York near auction to offshore wind developers, local fishermen have called on the federal government to do a better job not only engaging with the fishing industry, but also heeding its concerns and implementing its recommendations.
At stake for fishermen, wind developers and the Biden administration is the New York Bight — an area of shallow waters between Long Island, New York, and the New Jersey coast. Within the bight, commercial fishermen fish for scallops, summer flounder and surf clams, among other species.
In June, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced a proposed sale of more than 600,000 acres of the bight for offshore wind development. Before the public comment period for the proposed sale closed on Aug. 13, the U.S. Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management held virtual meetings with fishermen, during which many shared their frustration and concern.
During a meeting on Aug. 6 with BOEM officials, city officials and fishermen from along the East Coast shared concerns about engagement, accountability, transparency and safety. The top BOEM official, Director Amanda Lefton, appeared virtually and spoke directly to local representatives. The meeting took a hybrid format with more than 100 people via Zoom and about 20 people at the city’s Fairfield Inn.
David Frulla, an attorney who works with industry group Fisheries Survival Fund, told the Standard-Times it was “notable” Lefton was present at the meeting and directly responding to attendees. He said in his recollection, there hasn’t been communication at this level between the BOEM director and fishermen — including during the Obama and Trump administrations.
In a letter sent April 28 to Lefton, Mayor Jon Mitchell wrote the wind energy areas, particularly the Central Bight and Hudson South, were established on “significant” scallop fishing grounds. He proposed the removal of a five-milestrip along the eastern boundary of Hudson South to minimize fishery impacts.
Blair Bailey, general counsel for the Port of New Bedford, told BOEM officials that it appears to the fishing industry that fishermen have a greater burden to prove something than other stakeholders.
He said when they requested a buffer, the “immediate” response from BOEM was a request for the city to provide scientific support. He said the city can and will provide it, but that BOEM’s response “doesn’t seem to apply” to others who provide input.
“When somebody doesn’t want to see a turbine from their house that’s on shore, that wind energy area disappears,” he said. “But when the fishermen say, ‘We need this area, therefore we need you to move things or change things,’ the response doesn’t appear, again from the outside, to be as quick and as accepted as the input from other people.”
Eric Hansen, a retired New Bedford scallop fishermen who owns and operates a few commercial vessels, told the Standard-Times that wind development in the bight is “very concerning.” He said every scallop fisherman on the East Coast uses the bight because they have allocations to catch a certain amount of scallops from an access area there.
For the 20th consecutive year, New Bedford was the nation’s top-earning fishing port. Scallops account for 84% of the port’s value of landings, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service.
The trip from New Bedford to the bight can take 12 to 20 hours and last one to two weeks, Hansen said. The amount of scallops caught in the bight annually can vary, but he said it makes up a “significant” portion of a scallop fisherman’s catch.
August 17, 2021 — Thinking about safely taking to the high seas or just tooling responsibly around the harbor? FishOn has you covered with the news you can use. Let’s go to Manchester. No really, get in the car. This is good.
The Manchester Harbor Department is offering a two-day Safe Boating course on Aug. 23 and 27, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. The full course will be conducted in the classroom and students must attend both days to receive their certificate. No skipping. And no gum chewing.
The course is not limited to Manchester residents, but the class size is limited. So, don’t dawdle. Upon completion of the course, participants will receive a nationally recognized safe boating certificate good in all states that require them, as well as for the two-for-one specials at Cala’s.
Those interested in attending should email Harbormaster Bion Pike at harbormaster@manchester.ma.us. Make sure you include your name, address and phone number, as well as birthday, hair color and eye color. They’re not looking to clone you or anything. The latter information will be included on the certificate.
August 16, 2021 — The Coast Guard said Monday it is searching for a man who went overboard southeast of Nantucket.
The Coast Guard in a tweet said the man was on the fishing vessel Blue Wave out of New Bedford.
The vessel contacted the Coast Guard late Sunday night when the 36-year-old man failed to report for his night watch and could not be found on the boat, Petty Officer Ryan Noel said.
The search is taking place about 70 miles southeast of Nantucket.
August 16, 2021 — The following was released by the National Fisheries Institute:
The National Fisheries Institute announces it has hired Morgan Bell as its new Director, Public Policy. Bell spent four years as a part of Massachusetts Congressman Seth Moulton’s staff. Among other duties, she served as both a Regional Director and as a Fisheries Policy Advisor to the Congressman
“We’re thrilled to have Morgan on board,” said NFI’s Vice President for Government Affairs, Robert DeHaan. “She brings a unique perspective to our work that combines fisheries policy and sustainability with trade and commerce. It’s a valuable mix that will greatly benefit NFI’s members.”
Bell earned a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from Tufts University’s Fletcher School of International Affairs.
“Morgan was the local, district, and federal fisheries liaison for a Hill office. She knows fisheries from water to table,” said NFI Chairman, Seattle Fish President & CEO, Derek Figueroa. “Seafood isn’t just wild capture or aquaculture, imports or exports. It’s all of those things. Having a professional who understands that policy impacts the entire value chain is vital. I am excited to see Morgan bring her expertise and passion to NFI’s important work representing our members.”
Bell grew up in Gloucester, Massachusetts and did her undergraduate studies at Wheaton College in Massachusetts.
“From policy and funding matters on the Hill, to promotion of sustainable aquaculture and blue technology innovation, seafood is a common thread running through my professional and academic work as well as my personal background,” said Bell. “Joining NFI is a natural next step, and I am excited about the challenge.”
NFI members will have the opportunity to meet Bell during the association’s 2021 Political Conference in Washington, D.C., starting September 20.