Massachusetts Archives - Page 300 of 362

MASSACHUSETTS: Working Waterfront Festival Returns September 23, 2017

February 13, 2017 — New Bedford, MA – The following was released by the Working Waterfront Festival:

The Working Waterfront Festival returns to the working piers of New Bedford, the nation’s most valuable fishing port, on Saturday, September 23, 2017. This free, family friendly event celebrates the history and culture of New England’s commercial fishing industry in a way that is authentic, hands-on, and educational. The flagship event is back with a new co-producer, a new format, and a new festival director.

This year, the Festival is partnering with the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center. Located in the heart of the City’s historic downtown, the Fishing Heritage Center opened its’ doors last June. Its mission is to tell the story of the fishing industry past, present, and future, through exhibits, programs, and archives. This partnership is a natural fit for two organizations dedicated to celebrating the commercial fishing industry.

The 2017 Festival will be presented in two locations: on Steamship Pier and at the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center. These two sites will be linked by a free shuttle bus, allowing visitors to enjoy all the Festival has to offer.

Steamship Pier will host the Contest Stage; demonstrations of industry skills and fisheries science; dockside vessel tours; kids’ activities; a tug boat muster, whaleboat races; corporate and non- profit exhibitors; maritime artisans; and a Food Court featuring fresh, local seafood and cooking demonstrations. The Fishing Heritage Center will host performances of music and fisherpoetry; author readings and signings; kids activities; and the exhibit – Nautical Tattoos and the Stories Behind Them. Visitors will also be able to visit the Center’s gift shop and main exhibit From Boat to Table, featuring a full-sized wheelhouse and a variety of hands-on activity stations.

In addition, the Festival is pleased to announce long time Development and Exhibits Manager, Jessica Bailey, has been named Festival Director. Ms. Bailey brings a wealth of knowledge about the industry as well as significant experience in event production. Founding Director, Laura Orleans, will continue to be involved as Director Emeritus during this transition year, focusing on Festival programming.

To learn more or become a sponsor, visit www.WorkingWaterfrontFestival.org or like us on Facebook.

*******

The Working Waterfront Festival is a project of the Community Economic Development Center of Southeastern MA, a non-profit organization, and is co-produced by New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center. Navigate to us at www.WorkingWaterfrontFestival.org.

MASSACHUSETTS: Regulators: Loophole in striped bass fishery needs closing

February 9, 2017 — Massachusetts fisheries officials want to to close a loophole in state regulations that resulted in what they believe were illegal landings of striped bass last year.

At a public hearing at Massachusetts Maritime Academy Wednesday night, Division of Marine Fisheries Deputy Director Dan McKiernan said the state is looking to reduce the number of striped bass that commercial fishermen could land from 15 down to two, if they’re fishing from shore.

“What happened last year was disgusting,” said Patrick Paquette of the Massachusetts Striped Bass Association, which is composed of both commercial and recreational fishermen. “There was a rampant black market at the (Cape Cod) canal. Plenty of guys were taking fish from friends, putting them in coolers, and selling them under their boat permit.”

Under state striped bass fishing regulations, a commercial fisherman can buy a boat permit that allows him or her to catch and sell up to 15 fish a day. There is also a less expensive individual permit under which he or she can land two fish a day from shore. The state limited commercial fishing to two days a week. In bad weather, some fishermen with boat permits fished from shore, and could technically land their 15 fish.

Read the full story at the Cape Cod Times

Commercial Fishing Interests Fight New York Offshore Wind Project In U.S. District Court

Heat map of scallop fishing effort in the area around the proposed New York wind energy area. The proposed wind energy area is in blue.

WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) – February 9, 2017 – Lawyers representing a host of fishing communities, associations, and businesses, led by scallop industry trade group the Fisheries Survival Fund, argued in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., yesterday against the lease sale of 127 square miles of ocean off the coast of Long Island for wind energy development. A ruling is expected in the coming days.

The plaintiffs are seeking a preliminary injunction against the wind farm lease, which the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) preliminarily awarded to Norwegian oil and gas company Statoil for $42.5 million at auction in December, arguing that the site of the project is in the middle of important fishing grounds, particularly for the valuable scallop and squid fisheries. They claim that allowing the lease sale to go through would cause irreparable harm to commercial fishermen and is unlawful.

The plaintiffs argued that the lease sale would have an immediate impact on fishing interests by giving the government and Statoil free rein to conduct a number of harmful actions, including installing a meteorological tower that could damage scallop beds, and performing sonic testing that studies suggest hurts fish populations. The plaintiffs also said that, should the lease proceed, additional investments make it nearly certain that a wind farm will be constructed, permanently restricting fishermen who make their livelihoods in the area.

Lawyers representing BOEM and Statoil countered that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate immediate and irreparable harm to their livelihoods, saying that any impact on fishermen would not happen for years, and that there would be time to address fishing concerns in future environmental assessments.

Federal law requires a balanced process that considers all stakeholders when developing wind energy projects, but the plaintiffs said that fishing concerns have not been properly addressed in the siting of the New York wind energy area.

BOEM estimates the value of fishing grounds in the proposed wind energy area at $90 million, a figure that the plaintiffs argued is too low because the government used less precise vessel trip reports instead of more accurate satellite-based vessel monitoring systems. The defendants argued that the lease siting process was transparent, including meetings with fishermen and multiple requests for information.

The plaintiffs responded that their more accurate information was ignored, the location of the wind farm was chosen in private, and fishermen never had a chance to advocate for alternative sites.

The plaintiffs maintained that their complaint was not against wind energy as a whole, pointing out that Mayor Jon Mitchell of New Bedford, Mass., a plaintiff in the case, has been an outspoken proponent of wind energy development. Specifically, they are challenging the use of the unsolicited bid process that allows private entities to claim part of the ocean for wind energy development.

The plaintiffs in the case are the Fisheries Survival Fund, the Garden State Seafood Association, the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association, the Narragansett Chamber of Commerce, the Fishermen’s Dock Cooperative, the Rhode Island Fishermen’s Alliance, the City of New Bedford, Mass., the Borough of Barnegat Light, N.J., the Town of Narragansett, R.I., SeaFreeze Shoreside, Sea Fresh USA, and the Town Dock. The case was heard by Judge Tanya S. Chutkan.

Fisheries scientists teach science of marine mammals to Woods Hole-area elementary students

January 26, 2017 — New England has a rich maritime tradition, with the livelihood and leisure activities of many residents associated with the ocean in some way. The NOAA Outreach and Education on Protected Species (NOEPS) program strives to build connections between NOAA Fisheries science and local communities, enriching and supplementing the current science program. In order to achieve a significant impact in nearby small communities, the NOEPS program targeted all K-4th grade classrooms in the Falmouth Public School District.

In its third year, NOEPS gave classroom presentations to 10 schools in the New England area. The program, based out of NOAA Fisheries’ Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, reached 1,790 students in 95 classrooms from preschool to high school in the 2015-16 school year. Educators had expressed a need for hand-on activities to engage students so the Northeast Fisheries Science Center designed a program to enrich and supplement the current science program as well as bring in marine science at the elementary level. Presentations focused on key marine mammal species and research conducted by NEFSC scientists, offering free one-hour lessons with hands-on activities, presentations, and projects on marine mammals for K-6 classrooms, and emphasizing the conservation and stewardship goals behind the science. In 2015-16, the program expanded to include K-3 classes in the Mashpee School District. In addition, NOEPS lessons and core educational materials are available for download by teachers.

Read the full story at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center unearths unusual catches

February 4, 2017 — Fishermen have been telling stories of the strange and unusual things they find in their nets for years.

On Saturday at the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center fishermen from around the area had the opportunity to share their deep-sea findings and figure out, with the help of several maritime archaeologists, what their findings were and when they were made.

“Over the years I’ve heard about all the crazy stuff people have pulled up from torpedoes to human body parts to airplane wings to fossils,” New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center’s executive director Laura Orleans said.

“Everything. Even including a kitchen sink,” she said.

At the first annual Unusual Catch Day, fishermen were welcomed to bring in their deep-sea treasures and put them on display for the public and have them examined by maritime archaeologists.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

MASSACHUSETTS: A civil exchange of fish numbers

February 5, 2017 — Every now and then, the discussion of fisheries management breaks the stranglehold of graphs and numbers and jargon and entries into the Federal Register that read as if they were compiled by a computer whose native tongue is Drone-on.

Now and then, the discussion distills into rational conversation between two people who find themselves on opposite sides of the regulatory equation. It may happen in person or by email. It doesn’t matter. They are moments to be celebrated.

One such moment happened last week, when life-long (and highly respected) Gloucester fisherman Rick Beal penned a letter ostensibly to the New England Fishery Management Council, but really meant for all fisheries regulators.

He thanked the council for its Jan. 25 action nearly doubling the grey sole quota for 2017 and said he was “particularly encouraged” by comments of NOAA Regional Administrator John K. Bullard and Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Director David Pierce regarding the importance of industry input.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

MASSACHUSETTS: Gorton’s brings back its fisherman

February 2, 2017 — The Gorton’s fisherman, on sabbatical since about 2010, is back and the iconic marketing figure now will be at the center of a social media-centric campaign by the Gloucester-based frozen seafood company.

The new campaign kicked of this week with the release of “Coach,” a video vignette directed by “Saturday Night Live” director Mike Bernstein that projects a humorous side to the slicker-clad Gloucester fisherman while still reinforcing — Gorton’s hopes — the coveted image of ruggedness and serious custodianship of the ocean.

The video spots, according to Gorton’s Vice President of Marketing Chris Hussey, have been tailored for presentation on a variety of different social media platforms and not as traditional television advertising spots.

Read the full story at The Gloucester Times

New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center presents The Working Waterfront Photography of Peter Pereira

February 1, 2017 –New Bedford, MA — The following was released by the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center:

The New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center is pleased to announce the opening of The Working Waterfront Photography of Peter Pereira. An opening reception will take place on Thursday, February 9^th at 6:00 p.m. during AHA. The exhibit will run until April 2, 2017.

Like New Bedford, Peter Pereira’s life has been tied to the ocean. Many in his family have served on ships, sailing the seas as officers and deckhands. At the age of five, he crossed the equator twice with his family as a passenger on one of his father’s ships. Peter says, “The seeds had been planted for my perpetual fascination and respect for those who leave everything behind to be surrounded by the solitary embrace of the ocean.”

An award-winning photojournalist, Peter has spent years documenting the New Bedford fishing community. This exhibit provides a look at those who work on the waterfront, both on shore and at sea. From preparing their vessel for a fishing trip to the off loading of the catch upon their return, his photographs capture the work of those who make their living from the ocean.

Peter’s images have graced the pages of Time, Newsweek, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, Wall Street Journal, The Standard Times and various other national and international media outlets. In 2016, he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Infante D. Henrique by the President of Portugal, Anibal Cavaco Silva. Peter has won the New England Newspaper & Press Association – Photographer of the Year award eight times. His photographs can be seen daily in The Standard Times.

This event is free and open to the public. The Center is located at 38 Bethel Street in New Bedford’s historic downtown and is handicap accessible through the parking lot entrance. Free off-street parking available.

For more information, please contact the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center at: info@fishingheritagecenter.org or call (508) 993-8894.

New video system may hold promise for cod surveys

February 1, 2017 — Researchers at UMass-Dartmouth continue to refine a new video survey system they believe holds promise for providing more accurate assessments of the beleaguered Gulf of Maine cod stock.

The developers of the system, which employs high-resolution video cameras in an open-ended commercial trawl net to count the number of fish and identify their species as they enter the net, put it through another rigorous test last week and came away pleased with the results.

“This was definitely the best trip yet,” said Travis Lowery, chief scientist and technician on the project along with UMass-Dartmouth professor Kevin Stokesbury and graduate student Nick Calabrese. “We’ve been moving more toward using Go-Pro cameras and the images were crystal clear. It all worked really, really well.”

For six days, the researchers performed 31 survey tows on Stellwagen Bank, about 15 miles southeast of Gloucester, and said they found Atlantic cod aggregating over much of the open fishing grounds.

The test also included a number of closed tows so researchers could collect biological samples to measure the length and weight of the captured fish. In the biggest closed-trawl haul, researchers collected 345 cod in a half-hour, with the largest measuring up to about 33 inches.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

NOAA science director steers a new course

January 30, 2017 — It was last Halloween when Jon Hare took over as Science and Research Director for NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole. He was aware he was jumping into a cauldron but it hasn’t spooked him yet.

“I knew it was going to be a challenge and that’s why I was interested in it,” the career NOAA scientist said.

Hare does understatement well.

The director’s job description includes managing “the living marine resources of the Northeast Continental Shelf Ecosystem from the Gulf of Maine to Cape Hatteras,” according to the NOAA website.

If that in itself were not sufficient, these resources include commercial fisheries, and in New England that is synonymous with controversy.

Federal fishery management in general, and the efficacy of NOAA’s survey work on fish stocks in particular, have been heavily criticized by fishermen in the Northeast, almost without cessation for the past 15 years and the NEFSC has been at the sharp end of much of this disaffection.

Since his appointment Hare has launched himself upon these troubled waters with energy and candor, reaching out to industry stakeholders at every opportunity in the belief that there is common ground.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times