Saving Seafood

MASSACHUSETTS: A third run for lobster processing law

March 18, 2019 — Perhaps the third time will be the charm. We shall see.

State Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr is back with his bill that would permit processing of fresh and frozen lobsters in Massachusetts and cease the mandate to send Massachusetts-landed lobsters out of state for processing into parts.

The Senate passed the bill. But then the Senate passed the measure the previous two times it appeared on the calendar, only to have the House each time put the kibosh on it.

This year, Tarr and supporters of the bill took a different route. They attached the bill to a supplemental budget already passed by the House.

That means the bill, now before the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture, still has a chance to live on if it remains in the supplemental budget following the conference committee.

And it should.

As we’ve previously written, supporters have made a strong case that changing the law would provide expanded and more efficient markets for lobstermen, create jobs and other platforms of growth for the processing industry, help coastal communities, such as Gloucester, diversify their waterfront infrastructure, and provide consumers with more choices.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

International buyers find ‘world-renowned seafood’ in New Bedford

March 15, 2019 — Seafood buyers from 14 countries visited the city’s leading seafood companies on Friday.

Buyers from Asia, Europe and the Middle East toured BASE New England Seafood Auction, Bergie’s Seafood, Atlantic Capes Fisheries and East Coast Seafood. Countries represented on the tour included China, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom and Vietnam.

“As the most valuable commercial fishing port in the nation for the 18th year in a row, New Bedford is also home to 50-plus seafood processors,” said Ed Anthes-Washburn, executive director of the Port of New Bedford, in a statement. “More than a million pounds of seafood enters and exits the port on a daily basis, so it’s always a pleasure to showcase the port to potential international buyers”

The buyers are in Boston for the 2019 Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America, the largest seafood trade event in North America.

Food Export Northeast, a nonprofit export promotion group, sponsored the foreign buyer tour, which consisted of 19 “vetted serious buyers,” said Colleen Coyne, Seafood program coordinator for Food Export-Northeast.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

 

MASSACHUSETTS: EXPANDED IN-STATE LOBSTER PROCESSING PROPOSAL BACKED BY SENATE

March 12, 2019 — The following was published by the office of Senator Bruce Tarr:

The State Senate has approved a measure authored by Gloucester Senator Bruce Tarr, and championed by a bi-partisan coalition of state Senators, that will reform state lobster laws would permit licensed wholesale dealers to process unfrozen lobster parts, import unfrozen shell-on lobster parts, and allow for the sale of processed lobster parts.

While the sale of live, cooked, canned lobster and tails is legal in the state, the law currently requires Massachusetts lobstermen and seafood vendors to sell or transport lobster out-of-state for processing for parts. This often means that Bay State lobsters are brought back for sale to consumers with a ‘Product of Canada’ label. Up to 80% of lobsters landed in the state are sent away for processing.

The legislation, adopted as part of S.2181, the Senate’s $144 million supplemental budget bill, mirrors similar language the Senate adopted last session, a move that government and industry experts say will remove constraints on consumer product options and give the multi-million dollar seafood industry capacity to grow.

“We have the second-largest lobster catch in the nation yet, without this bill, our raw and frozen lobster parts are processed in Canada or Maine only to then be brought back to local consumers,” said Senator Tarr. “This legislation modernizes those lobster laws to bolster the fishing industry and give consumers, including local restaurants and food stores more choices while sustainably supporting coastal fishing communities.”

In January, Tarr filed Senate Docket 1, an Act Regulating the Processing of Lobsters, the first bill of the session. That bill is now before the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture.

A Division of Marine Fisheries report has recommended adoption of the proposal citing an evolving interest from consumers in value-added lobster in the form of shell-on tails and claws.  The report says that the global market for Massachusetts landed lobster would be more readily accommodated with the new law.

“The Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association greatly appreciates Senator Tarr’s ongoing efforts with his colleagues to allow for the complete processing and sale of lobster parts in the state,” said Beth Casoni, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association. “We are looking forward to getting these operations running in the near future.”

Shifting handling from Maine and Canada will boost the viability and prosperity of the industry which will result in job creation.

“I’m proud that the Senate is working to ensure the sustainability and viability of the state’s lobster industry, which will give consumers more choices and benefit lobstermen in coastal communities statewide,” said Senate Committee on Ways and Means Chair Michael Rodrigues (D-Westport).  “The lobster industry is a vital part of the Commonwealth’s economy and identity, and I applaud Senator Tarr and my Senate colleagues for supporting it.”

“Easing archaic constraints on lobster processing operations will allow a thriving industry to further invest in our local economy through expanding operations and creating new jobs, especially in New Bedford. I am proud to be a partner on this bipartisan measure, and it is my hope the House will finally accept this provision in conference and get it on the Governor’s desk.” said Senator Montigny(D- New Bedford), the lead cosponsor of the legislation.

Up to 80% of lobsters landed in the state are sent to out of state processing facilities and industry leaders say the move will facilitate opportunities to create and grow jobs in the state. The Marine Fisheries report notes that the lobster demand has spiked and has continued to evolve in favor of processed lobster parts.

“I am glad to join my colleagues in the Senate in support of our Massachusetts lobster fishermen,” said Senator deMacedo (R-Plymouth). “These advancements in our approach to lobster processing will provide an important benefit to the lobster industry and the fishermen who play such an important role in our communities and economy.”

The Senate’s supplemental budget bill will now be reconciled with the House’s version, which was also recently adopted.  Once a final version is approved by both branches the bill will advance to Governor Charlie Baker’s desk.

Free training prepares fishermen because ‘every second counts in an emergency at sea’

March 1, 2019 — Fishing Partnership Support Services is offering programs in New Bedford to make life safer for those who have one of the world’s most dangerous jobs, commercial fishing.

Safety and Survival Training will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 7 at the School for Marine Science and Technology of the University of Massachusetts, 706 S. Rodney French Blvd. Drill Conductor Training will be at the same location from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 8. There is no charge for either program, and lunch is provided both days.

Drill Conductor Training prepares and certifies fishermen to conduct emergency drills at sea, as federal regulations require monthly drills on commercial fishing boats operating beyond the U.S. boundary line. Emergency situations addressed in this training include: man overboard, fire, damage control, and abandon ship. There will be an emergency procedures class in the morning and practice drills aboard a docked vessel in the afternoon.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

Massachusetts awards New Bedford Port Authority, UMass Dartmouth combined $390K

March 1, 2019 — The state awarded $6.4 million in grants Wednesday, including $390,000 for projects in SouthCoast for revitalization and business development.

Seaport Economic Council grants awarded include $150,000 for the creation of a regional marine science and technology collaborative to encourage growth in relevant industries at UMass Dartmouth and the SouthCoast Development Partnership and $240,000 for planning of the redevelopment of a waterfront property in New Bedford.

“This region’s historic connection to the ocean is a powerful unifying asset,” said Hugh Dunn, Executive Director of Economic Development at UMD, in a statement. “This project is designed to identify and marshal our marine economy assets to expand economic opportunity. To date, nothing of this scale has been executed on the Atlantic Coast.”

The funding will create an environment where relevant regional institutions, businesses, and universities can collaboratively develop the Southeastern Massachusetts Marine Science and Technology Corridor, according to a news release.

“I want to thank the Baker-Polito Administration for supporting UMass Dartmouth and our region as we develop our blue economy corridor from Rhode Island to Cape Cod,” said UMD Chancellor Robert E. Johnson in a statement. “In awarding this grant, the Seaport Economic Council is demonstrating the Commonwealth’s commitment to an industry sector that can transform our economy.”

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

The secret lives of New England sharks

February 28, 2019 — The New Bedford Science Café returns Wednesday March 6 with fisheries biologist Megan Winton, a PhD candidate at the School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST), UMass-Dartmouth.

His presentation, “You’re gonna need a bigger dataset: How statistics are shedding light on the secret lives of sharks,” is slated for 6 to 8 p.m. at Greasy Luck, 791 Purchase St., New Bedford. Open to everyone. Free, except for beer and food.

Little is known about the great white sharks that swim in these waters. Sharks are notoriously difficult to study in the wild, especially as they migrate vast distances, are elusive and difficult to capture, a press release about the event states. But, as Winton will relate, that’s changing thanks to the rapid development of electronic tags that are capable of recording a tagged shark’s location, movement patterns, and local environment. Scientists now have unprecedented volumes of information to make sense of.

How does the collected data tell scientists what an animal is actually up to? What can be revealed about the broader population? Since 2015, Winton has been working with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries and the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy to unravel mysteries about great white sharks off the coast of Cape Cod. As a quantitative fisheries biologist, she employs both math and her knowledge of species biology to gain insights into fish populations. The science, in the long run, can lend to better ways of protecting sharks and improving safety for humans.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

R.I. fishermen, Vineyard Wind reach deal on compensation

February 25, 2019 — A Rhode Island fishing board on Saturday voted in favor of a revised compensation offer from offshore wind developer Vineyard Wind in a decision that boosts the New Bedford company’s chances of securing a key approval from state coastal regulators later this week.

In a unanimous vote at the special meeting, the Fishermen’s Advisory Board accepted the new offer that includes $4.2 million in payments over 30 years for direct impacts to commercial fishermen from Vineyard Wind’s 84-turbine wind farm proposed in Rhode Island Sound, as well as the creation of a $12.5-million trust set up over five years that could be used to cover additional costs to fishermen resulting from the project.

The Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council is now set to vote Tuesday night on whether it believes the $2-billion project is consistent with state coastal activities, including fishing. With the vote by the fishermen’s board, the prospects of Vineyard Wind winning approval appear much improved from just weeks ago when the two sides were mired in negotiations.

But the board’s decision does not amount to an endorsement of the 800-megawatt proposal, which is aiming to be the first large-scale offshore wind farm in the nation, following the completion two years ago of a test project off Block Island.

Read the full story at the Providence Journal

Feds propose rules for scallop fishery with season coming

February 22, 2019 — This year’s Atlantic sea scallop fishing year begins in several weeks, and federal regulators are proposing new management measures for the valuable fishery.

The fishing season for scallops begins on April 1. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says it plans to set quota and other allocations that are similar to those set for the previous year.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at WABI-5

Lund’s adds former Sea Born owner Lang, customer services pro Pimental

February 22, 2019 — Lund’s Fisheries, the Cape May, New Jersey-based squid, scallop and pelagic species harvester, processor and exporter, announced two new additions to its team this week, both with ties to New Bedford, Massachusetts.

Jeffrey Lang, a nearly 30-year seafood veteran who most recently served as the president of Sea Born Products, in New Bedford, has joined the Lund’s sales and marketing squad. He is expected to add a considerable amount of scallop sourcing knowledge while providing retail, wholesale and commodity sales advice.

Lang started Sea Born 18 years ago after working seven years for Seafood Resources, in East Providence, Rhode Island, he told Undercurrent News in an email.

Lund’s also has added Donna Pimental, who it says will be heading a customer service team in New Bedford, while also integrating sales and purchasing with the Cape May corporate office. She “brings a wealth of knowledge in facilitating imports, domestic supply chain logistics and order fulfillment”, the company says.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

MASSACHUSETTS: Lund’s Fisheries Hires Seafood Veterans for Sales, Customer Service

February 21, 2019 — SEAFOOD NEWS — Lund’s Fisheries is welcoming some new faces to their sales and customer service teams. The Cape May, New Jersey, based company announced on Wednesday that they have hired seafood veterans Jeff Lang and Donna Pimental.

Lang will be joining Lund’s Fisheries as a member of their Sales and Marketing team. With over 30 years of experience in the industry, Lang brings “extensive scallop sourcing knowledge to his role.”

“Jeff’s expertise in scallop imports is recognized throughout the seafood business, and we look forward to his input in expanding our imported scallop and squid offerings,” said Randy Spencer, Director of Sales & Marketing at Lund’s.

Meanwhile, fellow seafood veteran Pimental will be a part of the Lund’s Customer Service team. With background in facilitating imports, domestic supply chain logistics and order fulfillment, Pimental will be working to head up support functions at the New Bedford Lund’s location. In addition, she will be integrating sales and purchasing functions at the Lund’s corporate office in Cape May.

“With the addition of Jeff and Donna, Lund’s will continue to focus on building and maintaining long term relationships with customers as well as suppliers,” said Lund’s Fisheries president Wayne Reichle. “Trust and confidence are integral to our success.”

This story was originally published by SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.