Massachusetts Archives - Page 349 of 353

Massachusetts 2015 Commercial Summer Flounder and Bluefish Quotas Reached

September 16, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries announces no commercial landings of summer flounder or bluefish will be allowed in Massachusetts through December 31.

Vessels issued Federal commercial summer flounder permits may not land summer flounder in Massachusetts as of 0001 hours on September 17.

Vessels issued Federal commercial bluefish permits may not land bluefish in Massachusetts as of 0001 hours on September 19.

Massachusetts has harvested its commercial summer flounder quota and its commercial bluefish quota.

These closures are concurrent with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ closure of its commercial summer flounder fishery effective 0001 hours on September 17 and bluefish fishery effective 0001 hours on September 19 to state permitted vessels and dealers.

Vessel owners issued Federal permits must continue to complete and submit vessel logbooks for all other species landed. Dealers issued Federal dealer permits for summer flounder and bluefish may not purchase these species from federally permitted vessels that land in Massachusetts for the remainder of the calendar year. Federally permitted dealers must also continue to report all fish purchases from any vessel.

Read the rule as filed in the Federal Register, and read the permit holder Bulletin on our website.

Questions? Contact Reid Lichwell, Regional Office at 978-281-9112 or Reid.Lichwell@noaa.gov.

Seafood Takes Center Stage at the 2015 Working Waterfront Festival: Program Includes Cooking Demonstrations, Book Signings, and a Seafood Throwdown

September 17, 2015 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — The following was released by the New Bedford Working Waterfront Festival:

Come hungry to the 2015 Working Waterfront Festival, an educational celebration of the commercial fishing industry. The free event takes place on the working piers of New Bedford’s historic waterfront on September 26 & 27. The Foodways Area features hourly cooking demonstrations followed by tastings. Visitors are invited to learn the basics of preparing fresh seafood at home as well as ethnic approaches to seafood cooking and galley fare. Some highlights this year include North African Style Monkfish Stew, Bacalhau A Bras, and Begali Fish Chowder. Ann Pieroway, author of Tastes and Tales of Cape Cod and the Islands and A Lobster Tale and Some Tastes Too, will demonstrate her recipe for Haddock Chowder on Saturday at 12:30 followed by a book signing at 1:30. Heather Atwood, author of In Cod We Trust, will demonstrate Nantucket Scallop Pie, also known as “Boyfriend Pie,” on Sunday at 1:00 followed by a book signing at 2:00. Carlos Rafael, owner of Carlos Seafoods, will demonstrate his expert fish filleting at 4:30 on Saturday.

The Festival culminates on Sunday afternoon with a Seafood Throwdown, in which two chefs compete to create a winning seafood dish using a surprise seafood ingredient which is revealed to them at the event. Chefs can bring three of their favorite ingredients and, once the secret seafood is revealed, they are given $25 and 15 minutes to shop the Festival Farmers’ Market for their remaining ingredients. After their shopping spree, they have one hour to cook and plate their entry for the judge’s consideration. This year’s contest will pit Chef Chris Cronin of Padanaram’s Little Moss Restaurant against Rob Pirnie, Executive Chef of Warren, Rhode Island’s Trafford. Judges include food writer Heather Atwood (author of In Cod We Trust), Chef and Culinary Arts Instructor Henry Bousquet, and Margaret Curole Executive Chef for Commercial Fishermen of America. The Seafood Throwdown is a collaboration between the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance and the Working Waterfront Festival.

All of this activity is sure to whet the appetite. Festival attendees will be able to enjoy a wide variety of fresh, local seafood. The Seafood Hut will serve a full menu of the finest local seafood including fish and chips, fried scallops, and clam cakes. Newburyport Crab Company will offer crab cakes, lobster quesadillas, salmon tacos, and more. Littlenecks and oysters on the half shell will be available from R. Shucks Raw Bar and Oxford Creamery’s Ox-Cart will serve up lobster rolls, quahog chowder and more. Looking for fresh ingredients? The festival farmer’s market features produce and specialty items from a number of local farms as well as fresh local seafood provided by Revolution Lobster which will be sold directly off their boat.

The Working Waterfront Festival is a project of the Community Economic Development Center of Southeastern MA, a non-profit organization. The FREE festival, a family friendly, educational celebration of New England’s commercial fishing industry, features live maritime and ethnic music, fishermen’s contests, fresh seafood, vessel tours, author readings, cooking demonstrations, kid’s activities and more. It all takes place on working piers and waterfront parks in New Bedford, MA, America’s #1 fishing port, on the last full weekend in September. Navigate to us at www.workingwaterfrontfestival.org.

MASSACHUSETTS: Interim director to lead state’s marine fisheries

September 11, 2015 — The state Marine Fisheries Commission in July rejected the candidate Fish & Game Commissioner George Peterson had put forward to replace Paul Diodati as the director of the state Division of Marine Fisheries, but on Thursday, Peterson shifted gears to give the commission what it wanted.

He provided an internal candidate from the current pool of DMF senior staff and the commission gave Peterson a new DMF director to succeed the retired Diodati.

The commission, in a process that required almost no comment and took about five minutes, voted unanimously to appoint longtime DMF staffer David Pierce as the agency’s new director, effective immediately.

Read the full story from the Gloucester Daily Times

MASSACHUSETTS: Whale Advocates Seek Commercial Fishing Gear Ban

September 10, 2015 — Environmental activists want voters to ban commercial fishing nets and gear in state waters to prevent entanglements of whales and turtles, but fishermen and even some animal welfare groups say the move would be ineffective while devastating the struggling fishing industry.

The effort is being led by Max Strahan, an activist known in environmental circles as the “Prince of Whales” for sometimes radical campaigns to protect the North Atlantic right whale, one of the planet’s most endangered species.

Strahan’s proposal, which cleared an initial hurdle two weeks ago when it was certified for the fall 2016 ballot by Attorney General Maura Healey, seeks to create a committee to implement a ban on commercial fishing nets and gear known to hurt or kill whales, turtles and other marine life.

Read the full story from the Gloucester Daily Times

The Aging Oyster And Clam Hatchery That’s Behind A Multimillion-Dollar Industry

September 7, 2015 — As traditional fish stocks in New England continue to decline and the industry endures greater restrictions, fishermen have been creating a new line of work: They are becoming farmers — shellfish farmers.

The cultivation of oysters and clams has become big business in Massachusetts, especially on Cape Cod, but the one source for the state’s $25 million aquaculture industry almost shut its doors.

From Oyster Seeds The Size Of ‘Pepper,’ A Family Business Grew

Myron Taylor is out on Wellfleet Harbor. He’s 74 and has been been raising clams and oysters here since he was a kid.

“And back in the old time when we had to pick up all the oysters seeds on the beach, in order to get them to grow, and it took about four years to get an oyster to grow,” he says.

Those wild oyster seeds Taylor picked up off the beach years ago were juvenile oysters and clams that he would plant in nearby waters. But that traditional method for growing shellfish was very slow and often did not yield much product. So like most fishermen on the Cape, Taylor caught cod, flounder and other groundfish to earn a living.

In the late 1980s, when those stocks became scarce, Taylor turned to lobstering. It was around that time he heard about some scientists in Dennis who were harvesting tiny clam seeds and selling them to fishermen to grow.

Read the full story and listen to the audio at WBUR

New Bedford Working Waterfront Festival to debut Fishing Gear Fashion Show

September 10, 2015 — The following was released by the New Bedford Working Waterfront Festival:

On the eve of Boston Fashion Week, fishermen in New Bedford, the nation’s top dollar fishing port, will strut their stuff in the world’s first fishing gear fashion show. Fishermen will model the latest product lines as well as gear from different fisheries and different eras to provide an entertaining look at how workplace clothing has evolved over time. The fashion show will take place on Saturday, September 26^th at 2PM as part of the 2015 Working Waterfront Festival, an annual event celebrating commercial fishing culture.

Local businesses that manufacture and retail clothing for the commercial fishing industry have stepped up to provide the gear to be modeled. Skips Marine, Euro Fishing Gear, and Guy Cotten will present the latest in foul weather gear including outerwear, sea boots, and work gloves. Hercules LLC will model safety gear such as PFDs and survival suits. The Landing will show off its line of gear for women who fish commercially as well as specialized aprons developed for fish cutters. In addition, the event will include examples of gear from earlier times to provide a historical perspective.

According to Festival Director, Laura Orleans, “Like most occupations, the fishing industry has its own particular clothing much of which is designed to keep fishermen dry and warm while at sea. The fashion show concept was inspired by Jon Campbell’s (a Rhode Island singer songwriter) song Fredericks of Galilee which he will perform live at the event. I think this will be a fun way to promote these products and the local businesses that sell them.”

The Working Waterfront Festival is a project of the Community Economic Development Center of Southeastern MA, a non-profit organization. The FREE festival, a family friendly, educational celebration of New England’s commercial fishing industry, features live maritime and ethnic music, fishermen’s contests, fresh seafood, vessel tours, maritime authors, cooking demonstrations, kid’s activities and more. It all takes place on working piers and waterfront parks in New Bedford, MA, America’s #1 fishing port, on the last full weekend in September. Navigate to us at www.workingwaterfrontfestival.org.

MASSACHUSETTS: CCCFA Promotes Abundant Dogfish

September 8, 2015 — Tired of hearing about local surfers and swimmers terrorized by great white sharks?

Turn the tables with a knife and fork and dine on “Cape Shark”.

What’s that, you wonder? It’s what we used to call dogfish, and actually still do, but not when it’s on the menu.

The Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance has launched a marketing campaign to promote one of the most abundant local fish.

“We have a (two-year) grant from the government to explore domestic markets and we’re working with a whole team of people,” explained Nancy Civetta of the Alliance.

With many fisheries, such as cod, heavily restricted, dogfish, which has been viewed as a pest as much as a potential harvest, offer opportunity. The total permitted catch is 50 million pounds. In 2014 9.3 million pounds were landed in Massachusetts and so far this year 4 million pounds have been caught – an amazing 74 percent of what’s been landed nationally. Massachusetts is dogfish central.

In 2011 Chatham placed second nationally (to Gloucester) in pounds of dogfish landed with 2.8 million pounds (worth $14.2 million) and in recent years that number has gone way up. Civetta estimated it might’ve been close to 6 million pounds last year. But without local buyers the price is low.

Read the full story from Wicked Local

Activity increasing all along New Bedford, Mass. Harbor

September 6, 2015 — The Port of New Bedford is not only home to the vastly profitable scallop industry, making it the No. 1 value fishing port in the nation, it is also the No. 2 commercial port in Massachusetts, after Boston.

Commercial and recreational activity in the port has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years, with an occasional setback. Plans for a waterfront casino fell through this year when the developer could not find financing. The state-funded development of a $100 million-plus maritime shipping terminal in the South End wound up without its major client when the Cape Wind offshore wind energy project was abandoned.

Even at that, there is activity everywhere. This summer has seen a large increase in the number of recreational boaters who have decided to dock in New Bedford. Some of that is a reflection of the good publicity that the port received when the Boston 2024 Olympic Committee, now disbanded, chose New Bedford to be the home of the sailing competition in those games.

Shipping is also increasing. Cargo ships carrying clementines from Morocco or Spain have sharply increased their number of arrivals at State Pier in the last couple of years. Plans are in place to refrigerate the State Pier storage facility so clementines can be shipped through the port during warm weather, which they cannot do at present.

Read the full story from the New Bedford Standard-Times

MASSACHUSETTS: State floats new plan for fishing disaster money

September 5, 2015 — The state Division of Marine Fisheries listened to those who wanted a wider distribution of $6.7 million in federal fisheries disaster money. At a meeting of the groundfish disaster aid working group in New Bedford on Friday, the agency laid out a plan where more than $6 million of the money would be used in direct aid to fishermen.

While an earlier proposal set a fairly high bar of 20,000 pounds of groundfish landings in any year from 2012 to 2014 to qualify for aid, the new plan would require 10,000 pounds of groundfish or have at least one trip in 2014 on which a vessel carried an observer.

Groundfish once were the bread and butter of New England fishermen, and include bottom-feeding species such as cod, haddock and flounders.

According to DMF analysis, 138 vessels would have qualified under the 20,000-pound criteria and 164 can receive aid under the reduced landings or observed trip scenarios. Only 10 of the 24 vessels in the Chatham-based Georges Bank Fixed Gear Sector would have qualified under the higher amount and 18 now qualify under the new plan. Claire Fitz-Gerald, manager of the sector, believes this number is closer to 22 or 23 based on her own calculations.

Read the full story from the Cape Cod Times

Read Rep. William Straus’ letter to Massachusetts Gov. Charles Baker

Gloucester, MA seeks director for Fisheries Commission

September 4, 2015 — The quest to appoint an executive director of the Gloucester Fisheries Commission continues, with interim Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken saying she hopes to fill the paid position by the end of the year.

The position, which has been vacant since Vito Calomo left it almost two decades ago, remains on the books and Romeo Theken and the members of the Fisheries Commission seem to be in strong agreement that the time has come to put someone back in the job.

“I said right from the beginning of my term that this is something I want to do and something I think we need,” Romeo Theken said. “This would be someone not only to advocate for all of our fishermen and fishing-related industries, but enhance the profile of the city of Gloucester.”

Given the state of the commercial fishing industry, the job could be an arduous one, involving attendance at an unceasing schedule of meetings related to the regulation of the fisheries, as well as working with other city departments on economic development projects related to fishing and seafood.

Read the full story from the Gloucester Daily Times