New Bedford Archives - Page 101 of 113

Federal ocean planning effort met with skepticism

June 19, 2016 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — No commercial fishermen attended a Wednesday meeting about a new ocean planning initiative, and a local port leader warned that mistrust of the government — widespread on the waterfront — could be spurring skepticism about the federal effort to gather and utilize public input.

State and federal officials including Betsy Nicholson of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) led the event, which drew about 20 people to a third-floor room in New Bedford’s downtown library. The intent was to hear public comment on the draft Northeast Regional Ocean Plan. The plan culminates a four-year effort to compile input from numerous marine industries, environmental groups, public and private officials, tribal entities and others, across all six New England states, for a document that could guide future ocean planning.

Neither the final plan nor the regional group that created it will have law-making authority, but Nicholson said Wednesday that NOAA is “committed to using this information in our regulatory and management decisions” in the future.

David Pierce, director of the state’s Division of Marine Fisheries, acknowledged that there could be doubts about how much weight NOAA will give to public input used to create the plan.

“Can the commercial and recreational fishing industries actually trust what comes out of this plan when it’s in its final form? That’s an understandable concern,” Pierce said at the meeting. “It’s going to be hard to convince the fishermen that they should trust the federal government. … We’re all going to have to work on that.”

A key part of the initiative, for example, is the Northeast Ocean Data Portal, which is envisioned as a tool for the collection of ocean data from numerous sources, government and otherwise, to guide planning decisions.

One contributor is scientist Kevin Stokesbury, of UMass Dartmouth’s School for Marine Science & Technology (SMAST). Stokesbury said he worked with The Nature Conservancy to contribute scallop survey data from 2003 to 2012, and link it with oceanographic data from SMAST professor Changsheng Chen.

“It’s a way to bring everyone to the table and make sure they all have a voice,” Stokesbury, who was not at the meeting, said by phone Thursday. He then raised a caveat.

“I’m always optimistic they’re going to use my data – they don’t always do it,” he said.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

NOAA grants SMAST $1.6 million for monkfish study

June 9, 2016 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass — Researchers at the UMass Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology have won a federal grant valued at $1.6 million to conduct research into the growth and movement of monkfish, NOAA announced Tuesday.

The grant is part of a unique “research set-aside” program that pays for at-sea research not with direct dollars but with fishing opportunities whose proceeds pay for the researchers and for the boat they are using.

In the case of SMAST, where Dr. Steven Cadrin and research technician Crista Bank will be doing the study, 250 days at sea allocated in the grant each year for 2016 and 2017 should produce $1.361 million to pay for the boat and $270,000 for the research over two years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The research set-aside program began with scallops, according to Ryan Silva of NOAA. “There are no federal funds awarded, instead there are fisheries resources,” he told The Standard-Times

Cornell University also won an award that is slightly larger than that of SMAST.

Silva said that the research set-asides are the concept of the New England Fisheries Management Council, and are unique to the Northeast fishery. “Periodically we hear from other regions,” he said, but to date none have duplicated this program.

NOAA said in its announcement that “SMAST will tag juvenile monkfish to improve monkfish growth estimates, a critical parameter for the model used in the monkfish stock assessment.”

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

MASS. STATE REP. BILL STRAUS: Baker has the right to change board’s makeup

June 9, 2016 — To the editor:

On May 24, your paper published an article regarding the action of the Baker administration in replacing seven of the nine members of the state’s Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission.

All seven members whom Gov. Baker replaced were serving as hold overs whose statutory terms had long expired; five of them had begun on the panel as appointees of Republican governors going back to 1991.

I believe the new appointees reflect a diverse experience in fisheries and no one quoted in your article could credibly assert that the new members aren’t qualified for this panel.

Read the full letter at the Gloucester Times

MASSACHUSETTS: New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center to Open June 25th

June 8, 2016 — The following was released by the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center:

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — The New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center opens to the public on Saturday, June 25^th. A Grand Opening Celebration is slated for 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. A ribbon cutting and remarks will be followed by a mini-festival. The event is free and open to the public. The Center is located at 38 Bethel Street in the heart of New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park. The 3000 square foot space will accommodate changing exhibits, public programs, school groups, archives, and community gatherings.

“The commercial fishing community deserves a place to preserve and present its stories and artifacts, share its skills and knowledge, and educate the public about its rich traditions, heritage, and contemporary existence. We are excited to provide that opportunity.” Executive Director, Laura Orleans.

The Center’s inaugural exhibit From Boat to Table presents all aspects of the industry from the time a keel is laid on a vessel to the time the catch is landed and brought to market. A variety of interactive components include a net mending activity, dress up area, and Eastern Rig style pilothouse designed and built by Fairhaven Shipyard with electronics provided by Furuno USA. The Center worked with Chris Danemayer and Neal Mayer of Proun Design to take the exhibit from concept to fabrication. A team of volunteer carpenters have assembled many of the exhibit components.

The June 25^th Grand Opening is envisioned as a mini-festival with demonstrations of industry skills such as net mending, dredge making, shucking, and filleting, as well as safety demos, model boat making, author signings, fishermen-led walking tours, and hands on kid’s activities. The Oxford Creamery will offer lobster rolls, chowder, and ice cream for sale and Center exhibits will be open free of charge during the event.

During 2016 the Center will continue to present Dock-u-mentaries, its monthly film/speaker series and Something Fishy, its free summer camp program presented in collaboration with the National Park and Whaling History Alliance. Weekly cruise ship programs and fishermen-led walking tours will be offered during the summer months. A variety of public programs including author readings, talks, occupational demonstrations, and performances will be presented. The Center is also working in collaboration with MIT Sea Grant, UMass Dartmouth, UMass Boston, and the New Bedford Free Public Library on a year-long initiative to create a digital archive of fishing community history with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Chairman Rob Bishop Named Conservationist of the Year

June 6, 2016 — Last week, on the same day Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT), Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, was touring New Bedford to see for himself the dramatic impact a potential marine monument would have on New England’s fishing industry, it was announced by the Center for Coastal Conservation that he was the 2016 recipient of the Conservationist of the Year award.

In a statement accompanying the award, Center for Coastal Conservation President Jeff Angers lauded Rep. Bishop for his leadership of the House Natural Resources Committee and his recognition of the economic impact of the recreational fishing industry:

U.S. Representative Rob Bishop (R-Utah) was named the Conservationist of the Year for championing policies promoting healthy fish and wildlife populations and access to America’s public lands and waters. Center for Coastal Conservation President Jeff Angers presented Congressman Bishop with the award at the joint gathering of the American Boating Congress and Center Focus on Washington.

Congressman Bishop has served as the Chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources since 2015 and has been a steadfast ally to America’s sportsmen. His leadership was instrumental in the House passage of H.R. 1335, the Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act. Due in large part to Chairman Bishop’s leadership, H.R. 1335 includes several amendments to the Magnuson Stevens Act (MSA) to better manage recreational fisheries. The measure awaits action in the Senate. In addition, Chairman Bishop helped usher through the House the Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act, H.R. 2406, which will enhance fishing opportunities on federal lands and waters and protect anglers from unnecessary restrictions.

Hundreds of marine recreational fishing and boating industry representatives and conservation leaders converged at the annual event, which included remarks from political pundits Paul Begala and Tucker Carlson, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D- R.I.), Congressmen Garret Graves (R-La.), Patrick Murphy (D-Fla.) and Austin Scott (R-Ga.), among others.

“Chairman Bishop has taken the time to recognize the significant social, economic and conservation benefits that recreational fishing provides to the nation, a quality that has made him an invaluable partner on Capitol Hill,” said Angers. “Congressman Bishop fully appreciates that saltwater recreational fishing generates over $61 billion in annual sales and has a major economic impact that expands beyond our nation’s coastal communities. Almost 500,000 jobs across America – particularly in the manufacturing and retail sectors – are tied to our industry. These jobs are in jeopardy unless we fix our nation’s broken federal marine fisheries management system.”

Read the full statement from the Center for Coastal Conservation

New Bedford Standard-Times: Cooperation pushes fishery advocacy to next level

June 6, 2016 — Last Thursday, House Natural Resources Committee Chair Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT) joined Rep. Bill Keating (D-MA) and Mayor Jon Mitchell in New Bedford, Mass., to discuss issues relevant to the local seafood and fishing industries. The National Coalition for Fishing Communities (NCFC), which helped organize Rep. Bishop’s visit, hopes to continue working with the Natural Resources Committee and its staff to arrange bipartisan visits to all the seaports where NCFC members conduct their business.The following editorial about Rep. Bishop and Rep. Keating’s visit to New Bedford was published yesterday by the New Bedford Standard-Times:

Geography is both a blessing and a curse for commercial fishermen in the U.S. They have access to rich fishing grounds along thousands of miles of seacoast, but the distance between the fish they catch and the American consumer prevents a full understanding of the lives of fishing communities.

The visit to New Bedford’s waterfront Thursday by the chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources, U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, was more than a step in the right direction, it’s proof of treading the right path. The committee is responsible for ocean issues, including the current reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

City support

The National Coalition for Fishing Communities was formed with city-directed grant money, and the Harbor Development Commission’s membership in the coalition emphatically states the city’s commitment and leadership. Their advocacy is often first to be heard, which means they’ll wait longest for remedy.

Advocacy

Saving Seafood’s years of advocacy in Washington on behalf of the Port of New Bedford and the East Coast has enabled the creation of the coalition. More than two dozen municipalities, businesses, and associations from around the country are represented: Alaska, Hawaii, West Coast, Gulf Coast and East coast. Members from Rhode Island, Long Island, New Jersey and around New England had their voices heard by the chairman on Thursday. An industry with such diversity had its voice heard on national issues and discovered new resources to address local issues more effectively.

The coalition’s website says: “We are committed to the tenets of National Standard Eight of the Magnuson-Stevens Act,” which is summed up in the balancing of the sustainability of both the ocean environment and the fishing community. For the record, The Standard-Times is similarly committed.

Good government

There seems little good to be done recounting the sins of either fishermen or government agents, but it is instructive when considering the case of an alternative for the monument designation proposed to protect corals in fishing grounds south of Cape Cod. Industry representatives cooperated at the White House Executive Office level, the Council on Environmental Quality, to produce an alternative that satisfies preservation and fishing goals alike.

In addition, the CEQ’s counsel can influence how frequently deference might be claimed by regulators, nudging court decisions more in line with the statutory balancing act of National Standard 8.

The chairman’s visit to New Bedford is a recognition that there remain injustices and inequities in the administration of Magnuson-Stevens; reaching out leads to better decisions.

Bipartisanship

Chairman Bishop’s congressional district in Utah borders on the Great Salt Lake, which sees millions of pounds of brine shrimp eggs landed each year. The industry can move more than a billion dollars through the economy annually, but its fortunes are fickle. The lake’s changing salinity affects shrimp reproduction, which can shut the season down if severe enough.

The chairman may have seen the workers in his district reflected in those at the display auction in New Bedford on Thursday, icing down Gulf of Maine flounder. Or at Northern Wind, where workers use machines to process vast amounts of scallops, the port’s signature harvest.

The only “politics” surrounding the chairman’s visit was of the traditional variety: How can we get the people’s business done? New Bedford’s Democratic U.S. Rep. Bill Keating could readily see eye to eye on the issues of fishing communities as they toured the New Bedford waterfront together.

Managing ocean resources may never be easy, but cooperation is what gets the people’s business done, moving toward National Standard 8’s goal of a sustainable balance between humanity and the environment.

Read the editorial at the New Bedford Standard-Times

Rep. Bishop Discusses Federal Policy Reforms with Regional Fishing Leaders in New Bedford

From left: Rep. Bill Keating (D-MA), Mayor Jon Mitchell, and Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT) talk with representatives of New Bedford’s seafood industry on Thursday, June 2. (Photo: House Committee on Natural Resources)

June 3, 2016 — The following was released by the House Committee on Natural Resources:

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — Today, House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) spent the day touring the United States’ highest grossing commercial fishing port in New Bedford, Massachusetts and meeting with Mayor Jonathan Mitchell, Rep. Bill Keating (D-MA) and local fishing leaders. June 1, 2016 marks the one-year anniversary of the House passage of H.R. 1335, legislation reauthorizing the Magnuson-Stevens Act. This legislation tailors federal fishery management plans to allow more flexibility and local input while also supporting a more robust domestic seafood industry.

Despite bipartisan support in the House and backing from Democratic elected officials in many of the nation’s coastal fisheries communities, the bill waits for action in the Senate.

“I thank Mayor Mitchell, local fishermen and area residents for the warm welcome during today’s visit. I’m also thankful that Congressman Keating was able to join me during this educational experience.

“Today’s trip to New Bedford was another reminder of the challenges facing America’s fisheries and how lackluster policies from Washington are a root cause of the problem. As we heard today, the science and data used to regulate the industry is inadequate, outmoded and must be reformed.

“Threats from Washington of a unilateral national marine monument designation off the coast of Cape Cod is another major concern for these communities. This will only worsen access and do irreparable damage to the fishery industry in the Nation’s top grossing port and others.

“I look forward to working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to modernize our fishery laws and bring hope to our coastal communities that rely upon a robust and enduring fishing industry.”

The trip included a tour of a shipyard, seafood processing plant and the New Bedford Whaling Museum.

The House Committee on Natural Resources has jurisdiction over federal fisheries laws.

Click here for additional information on the H.R. 1335.

Federal Legislators Tour New Bedford Fisheries, Discuss At-Sea Monitoring

Rep. Bill Keating (left) and Rep. Rob Bishop (right) discuss at-sea monitoring in a visit to New Bedford on Thursday, June 2. (Photo: House Natural Resources Committee)

June 3, 2016 — The following is excerpted from a story published yesterday by WBSM:

The City of New Bedford welcomed a possible congressional ally for the fishing industry Thursday to tour fisheries along the harbor.

Congressman Rob Bishop (R-UT) took a tour of the Whaling City Seafood Auction and seafood processing plant Northern Wind along with Congressman Bill Keating (D-MA), New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell and representatives of the local seafood industry.

Elected officials and members of the fishing industry have expressed grave concern over the federally mandated costs by NOAA for at-sea monitors aboard select fishing vessels across the east coast.

Keating said it’s difficult for legislators outside maritime districts to fully understand the impact of the at-sea monitoring costs.

“It creates a greater challenge to get the understanding why this is so important,” said Keating. “The cost of monitoring $800 a day could be enough to be the difference between success and failure of a small business.”

Read the full story at WBSM

Seafood Industry Airs Views During Congressman’s Visit to New Bedford Waterfront

New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell (left) and Rep. Rob Bishop (right) discuss fishing issues in New Bedford on Thursday, June 2. (Photo: House Natural Resources Committee)

June 3, 2016 — The following is excerpted from a story published today by the New Bedford Standard-Times:

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — A congressman from the Mountain West got a full dose of a New England coast Thursday, as seafood and fishing industry representatives aired their views on several contentious issues — including the ongoing marine monument debate — during a whirlwind tour of New Bedford’s waterfront.

U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop, a Utah Republican and chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources, visited the city to get a firsthand look at the highest-value commercial fishing port in the country. Numerous industry leaders from across the region took the opportunity to speak to the committee chairman, particularly about the push for monument status in the New England Canyons and Seamounts, about 100 miles southeast of Cape Cod.

Eric Reid, a general manager with Rhode Island frozen fish business Seafreeze, told Bishop during a noontime forum at the New Bedford Whaling Museum that economic impacts from monument status, which would restrict commercial fishing, could cost $500 million and “countless jobs.”

Reid unfurled a map of ocean waters on a Whaling Museum table and pointed out to Bishop where he felt commercial fishing businesses could, and could not, survive if a monument status was put in place. Reid suggested a line of demarcation in the Canyons and Seamounts area, where bottom-fishing would be allowed north of the line but not to the south.

“We can protect the industry, and we can protect the corals,” Reid said, urging that “pelagic” fishing, or fishing that occurs well above ocean floors, be allowed in both zones.

Bishop called the map an “extremely good” start to alternative proposals for which he could advocate as the issue unfolds in coming months, during the final stretch of President Barack Obama’s administration.

Bob Vanasse, a New Bedford native and executive director of Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization Saving Seafood, said Bishop’s visit hopefully was the first of many lawmaker visits facilitated by the National Coalition for Fishing Communities (NCFC). Saving Seafood launched the coalition last fall, with members that span the country and include New Bedford’s Harbor Development Commission.

“We want to bring these members of Congress who have jurisdiction over the fishing industry, to visit the ports that their laws regulate,” Vanasse said. “This is the kind of communication effort that the National Coalition is about.”

Read the full story at the New Bedford-Standard Times

Statement of the American Bluefin Tuna Association on ASMFC Marine Monument Policy

June 2, 2016 — In a mid-May letter to President Obama, the American Bluefin Tuna Association joined seven other fishing organizations, as well as New Bedford’s fishing port – the most valuable in the country – to back an Atlantic State Marine Fisheries Commission resolution opposing existing proposals for a marine monument off the coast of New England.

“The greatest difficulty ABTA has with the Atlantic monument proposal is the fact that it contains a prohibition on all forms of fishing including the types of fishing gear used by our fishermen. In this connection, we cannot state more emphatically: our fishing methods cannot possibly have a negative effect on deep sea coral or any other sea bottom attributes because we are using “surface” and “sub-surface” fishing gear, sustainable fishing methods that do not come into contact with the sea bottom. It is important to keep in mind that deep sea coral exists in this Region on sea bottom located at great depths. The fish stocks our fishermen are targeting, however, preferentially inhabit the top, not the bottom, of the water column.”

Read the full letter to the White House here