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 13, 2021 — The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is working to expand and improve how it uses information from fishing communities in planning offshore wind energy development, BOEM Director Amanda Lefton says in a new letter to the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance.
The Aug. 10 letter came a few days after a public meeting with fishermen in New Bedford, Mass., the latest in the agency’s contentious relationship with the industry.
In the letter Lefton set a conciliatory tone with RODA, a coalition of fishing communities and advocates – while defending the agency’s efforts and promising to continue improvements.
“Since RODA’s founding, BOEM has been committed to collaborating with you and the fishing communities that your organization represents throughout the offshore wind leasing and development process, as well as through our environmental studies program,” wrote Lefton. “I look forward to continuing and enhancing that spirit of collaboration.”
The letter is a direct response to an April 6 document RODA submitted to the agency as part of public comment on the approval process for the 800-megawatt Vineyard Wind project off southern New England. Lefton cited that project as an example where the agency heard RODA’s recommendations, but ultimately came to a different conclusion.
“We recognize that your membership has serious concerns about the process and whether your input is being taken into account. We value the fishing communities’ input, give it serious consideration, and have incorporated it into many offshore wind decisions,” wrote Lefton.
August 11, 2021 — With the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management preparing to open more lease areas on the Continental Shelf to wind farm developers by the end of the month, the fourth and last meeting between fishermen and BOEM officials took place Aug. 6 in New Bedford, Mass. with fishermen calling for a halt to leasing until more science on potential environmental impacts could be completed.
The comment period on the proposed sale of six lease areas in the New York Bight ends Aug. 13; then the BOEM will take some time to prepare the auction details before holding an auction late this year.
The New York Bight is a triangle in the ocean between Montauk Point at the end of Long Island and Cape May at the southern tip of New Jersey. A total of eight leases will be for sale there. The larger portion of the lease area is located 35 miles off New Jersey and can’t be seen from shore, but it does pose hazards for fishing ships transiting the area and impacts the quahog, surf clam, squid and scallop fisheries.
BOEM representatives included Director Amanda Lefton, New York Bight Project Coordinator Luke Feinberg and marine biologist Brian Hooker.
Patrick Field, managing director of Consensus Building Institute, was the moderator and led off with what BOEM has heard from the fishing community so far: offshore wind energy is happening at an accelerated pace; commercial fishermen are concerned for their livelihood and the ecosystem; there’s a need for corridors for fishing within wind farms, as well as a semi-annual report on progress plus a way for commercial fishermen to voice concerns during the development of the wind farms; and finally, there needs to be accountability of BOEM and the developers.
Blair Bailey, an attorney for the Port of New Bedford, Mass., said, “Engagement is an important feature, but it can’t be based on the premise that there is no opposition. We have continually said that it is difficult for the scallop industry to fish within wind farms, and we feel we’ve been completely ignored. … Look around the world – there is not one place where you see scallop fishing in wind farms. It’s different fishing gear. Developers should be prepared for real conflicts.”
Annie Hawkins, executive director of the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, said the federal government has done nothing to address the safety of fishermen transiting the proposed wind farms or to protect key habitats of clams, scallops and squid. “Collaboration between fishermen and government agencies has been futile. … The process must be driven by fishermen.”
August 9, 2021 — The following was released by the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center:
Join us for a fascinating conversation with Cassie Canastra and Heather Haggerty, two local Women in Seafood!
Thursday, August 12th
7:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Free of Charge
Find out about a day in the life of two women who work in New Bedford’s seafood industry. Cassie Canastra (left) is Director of Operations for BASE Seafood Auction. Heather Haggerty (right) is the owner/operator of Big G Seafoods, a New Bedford based conch business. This program is part of the Center’s Women’s Work project, a year long exploration of women’s involvement in the fishing community. Women’s work is supported by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Marion, Mattapoisett, New Bedford, and Westport Cultural Councils, and a donation from the Women’s Fisheries Network.
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. For more information, visit the Center’s website at fishingheritagecenter.org or email programs@fishingheritagecenter.org.
New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center is open Thursday-Sunday, 10:00am-4:00pm. Beginning July 1st, admission is $5/adults; $4/seniors and students; free for children under 12 and Members of the Fishing Heritage Center. Click here for more information.
August 5, 2021 — Tim Malley, a founding partner of Boston Sword & Tuna, is currently investing nearly a million dollars into purchasing and repurposing an idle fishing vessel in New Bedford, Massachusetts. But a proposal in Washington to reimpose commercial fishing restrictions in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Monument threatens New Bedford’s iconic fishing industry and undermines the fisheries management system that sustains it, Mr. Malley writes in an op-ed for New Bedford’s Standard-Times.
The following is an excerpt from Mr. Malley’s op-ed:
I was a founding partner of Boston Sword & Tuna, which today employs over 180 Massachusetts residents with good wages and benefits. The company processes and distributes swordfish and tuna harvested by American vessels in the waters off New England and the mid-Atlantic. After selling my ownership in the company several years ago, I decided to return to my origins as an owner-operator of commercial fishing vessels. Recently, at the age of 74, I signed an agreement to purchase and re-purpose an idle fishing vessel in the port of New Bedford. This project will cost me close to a million dollars, but I consider it an investment in the future of Massachusetts’ storied fishing industry.
But that future is at risk from a proposal in Washington.
Last month, the Washington Post reported on a confidential memo sent by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to the White House, urging President Biden to enact a full ban on sustainable American fishing in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument. Located 130 miles southeast of Cape Cod, this monument covers over 3 million acres and nearly 5,000 square miles – a vast stretch of ocean approximately the size of Connecticut.
This area was managed successfully by the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) for nearly half a century before it was designated as a marine monument in 2016. The management was so successful that even advocates for the monument designation argued loudly that the area was “pristine.” Fishermen had been active partners in keeping it in that “pristine” state, collaborating on projects like the New England Fishery Management Council’s Omnibus Deep-Sea Coral Amendment, which protects over 25,000 square miles of corals and their habitat, including 82 percent of the monument area.
Nevertheless, over the protests of fishermen and fisheries managers, fishermen were booted from the area when it became a monument in 2016. Even fishermen targeting swordfish and tuna, like the ones who supply fish to the company I helped found, were not spared, despite the fact that they fish well above the corals the monument purports to protect, and do not come close to interacting with them.
Thanks to the combined efforts of fishermen, fisheries managers who unanimously called for their expertise to be respected, and fisheries scientists who have questioned the environmental benefits of marine protected areas, sustainable American fishing was restored in the monument last year. But now the Biden Administration may consider reimposing the ban, without so much as meeting with fishermen first.
August 4, 2021 — The Port of New Bedford is hosting an in-person meeting for fishermen and industry advocates in the city Aug. 6, with Bureau of Ocean Energy Management officials to discuss the impact of offshore wind development in the New York Bight.
BOEM representatives will attend the 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. session virtually, in a follow-up to a July 20 conference call with port officials and the Fisheries Survival Fund that discussed potential dangers for the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast scallop fishery.
Friday’s meeting at the Fairfield Inn and Suites at 185 MacArthur Drive, New Bedford, Mass., “will highlight fishing industry concerns over offshore wind development, particularly in relation to the valuable scallop fishery, which has helped make New Bedford the nation’s most valuable fishing port for 20 consecutive years,” according to an announcement from the port agency Tuesday.
“We want to focus on every fishery we have in the port,” said Blair Bailey, the port’s general counsel. It’s important to get fishermen together in person, so port officials are getting a meeting room with seats for about 50.
“This is the fishing industry, these people deal in person,” said Bailey. “At this time of year, it’s not easy for these captains to get the time” away from working at sea, he said.
A digital flyer is circulating around the fleet, encouraging attendance at the meeting.
August 4, 2021 — This Friday, August 6, from 3 to 5 PM, the Port of New Bedford is hosting a joint in-person/virtual meeting with fishermen, industry advocates, and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to discuss proposed offshore wind leases in the New York Bight.
Those who are able to attend the meeting in-person are encouraged to do so. Those who are unable to attend in-person are encouraged to join virtually via Zoom. The Zoom registration link is below. Please stay tuned for a detailed agenda in the coming days.
https://cbuilding.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIscOyhqTMtG93NnQLguiGkEE5m_Tlrb4vC
Representatives from BOEM, including director Amanda Lefton, are slated to attend the meeting virtually. The Port of New Bedford will be hosting an in-person gathering at the Fairfield Inn and Suites.
More information on the event is included below.
WHO:
Representatives from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
Stakeholders in New England’s Commercial Fishing and Scallop Industry
WHEN:
August 6, 2021 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
WHERE:
Fairfield Inn and Suites
185 MacArthur Drive, New Bedford, MA
Waypoint Meeting Facility
August 4, 2021 — Summertime in New Bedford draws in visitors from all over, but one very special visitor from Ohio stopped by the Whaling National Historical Park.
Former Speaker of the House John Boehner stopped by the Visitor’s Center on William Street, and took a moment to snap a photo with the ranger who provided him with a tour that was then posted to the park’s official Facebook page.
Boehner, a Republican, was the 53rd Speaker of the House, holding the position from January 2011 until October 2015. He was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio’s 8th district in 1991, after serving six years in the Ohio state legislature.
August 3, 2021 — The following was released by the Port of New Bedford:
On Friday, August 6, from 3 to 5 PM, the Port of New Bedford will host an in-person meeting with fishermen and industry advocates on the impacts of proposed offshore wind leases in the New York Bight. Representatives from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will attend the meeting virtually. The meeting will highlight fishing industry concerns over offshore wind development, particularly in relation to the valuable scallop fishery, which has helped make New Bedford the nation’s most valuable fishing port for 20 consecutive years.
Fishing industry owners and boat owners are encouraged to post the attached flyer to ensure their staff know about the meeting and can make their voices heard. Reporters are also encouraged to attend the meeting, which will help shape the future of offshore wind in the New York Bight.
While representatives from BOEM will be attending virtually, the in-person gathering hosted by the Port of New Bedford will take place at the Fairfield Inn and Suites. Discussion topics to be covered include:
More information on the event is included below.
WHO:
Representatives from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
Stakeholders in New England’s Commercial Fishing and Scallop Industry
WHEN:
August 6, 2021 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
WHERE:
Fairfield Inn and Suites
185 MacArthur Drive, New Bedford, MA
Waypoint Meeting Facility
July 19, 2021 — Kids are getting down and dirty with hands-on activities through Sea Lab’s summer program.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from Woods Hole Laboratory arrived at the school in the South End with a truck load of fish for advanced levels to dissect. Ranging from flounder to mackerel to butterfish, students learned to look at both the external and internal characteristics to determine its diet based on stomach contents.
“Based on how big the mouth is, and how sharp the teeth is, the bigger the diet,” said Mia Colangelo, a rising ninth-grader.
Simone Bourgeois, Sea Lab facilitator, was thrilled to include NOAA in the curriculum.
“To offer Sea Lab opportunities to measure, weight and analyze contents, it’s a pathway for the future, to have our students participate in the analysis of fish on Buzzards Bay,” Bourgeois said.
Two biological science technicians, Christine Kircun and Josh Dayton, were helping students identify difference between fish. Kircun said NOAA is a large part of the fishing industry, and New Bedford a large fishing port.