Saving Seafood

MASSACHUSETTS: Fish Fry Fundraiser to benefit Fishing Heritage Center

July 17, 2017 — The following was released by the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center:

The New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center will hold its second annual Fish Fry Fundraiser on Friday, July 22nd from 6-11 pm at Cotali Mar Restaurant (1178 Acushnet Avenue).

Guests will enjoy platters of fresh local fish donated by Bergie’s Seafood and prepared by the chefs at Cotali Mar. Live music will be provided by Paul Savoie and Richie Canastra. The event will include a cash bar, and silent and live auctions. Tickets are $35 ($15 for kids 12 and under) and may be purchased by phone or in person at the Center or on line through the Center’s Facebook page. All proceeds will benefit the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center, a 501c3 non-profit organization. For more information contact the Center at 508-993-8894 or info@fishingheritagecenter.org.

The New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center opened to the public on June 25th. Current hours of operation are Thursday-Sunday 10-4. Located at 38 Bethel Street in the heart of New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, 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.

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.

The 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 www.fishingheritagecenter.org.

Court documents suggest Carlos Rafael may sell all permits

July 17, 2017 — Documents filed in U.S. District Court on Thursday suggest that Carlos Rafael’s time as the New Bedford’s “codfather” may be coming to an end.

As part of a motion requesting a sentencing delay, Rafael’s attorney sought “additional time to resolve a critical component” in the case, specifically, “the possibility of a global settlement, which may involve Mr. Rafael exiting the commercial fishing business.”

The request suggests not only the 13 permits subject to forfeiture, but all of Rafael’s fishing permits may wind up with someone else before the sentencing.

″… The parties need additional time to resolve this issue — the result of which may be a critical component of the defendant’s argument to the court at sentencing and may obviate the need for briefing and hearing on the forfeiture issues left open in the plea agreement,” according to court documents.

The parties include Rafael’s defense and counsel for NOAA.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

MASSACHUSETTS: New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center to host Seafood Throwdown

July 17, 2017 — The following was released by the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center:

The New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center, in collaboration with the Port of New Bedford, Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance, Mass in Motion New Bedford, and New Bedford Farmers’ Market, is pleased to present a Seafood Throwdown on Thursday, July 27, 2017. Funded through a Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries grant secured by the Port of New Bedford, this free event will take place beginning at 5:30 p.m. in Custom House Square located in downtown New Bedford. This evening also marks the launch of the New Bedford Seafood brand by the Port of New Bedford.

Chef Edward Roszak, Executive Chef at How on Earth, and Chef Joe Rego, Executive Chef at Cask and Pig Kitchen and Alehouse, will compete to create a winning dish using a surprise, locally caught seafood ingredient and local produce purchased at the New Bedford Farmers’ Market. The secret ingredient is an abundant, underappreciated, and underutilized species of seafood.

Judging their creations will be Chef Chris Cronin, Executive Chef at Farm & Coast Market and two-time Seafood Throwdown Champion; Dan Medeiros of the Herald News and contributor to the Dine Out column in the Standard-Times’ Coastin’; and Diane Nanfelt, co-owner of Kyler’s Catch Seafood Market.

Seafood Throwdowns are a collaboration between the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance and fishing communities, providing a unique opportunity for the public to learn more about our local seafood, local fishing fleet, and fisheries related issues. The chefs can bring three of their favorite ingredients. When the secret seafood ingredient is revealed, they are given $25 and 15 minutes to shop the New Bedford Farmers’ Market for additional ingredients. After their shopping spree, they have one hour to cook and present their entry for the judges’ consideration. LImited sampling will be available for audience members.  This year’s secret ingredient is generously donated by Kyler’s Catch Seafood Market.

Through a grant with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, the Port of New Bedford created a New Bedford Seafood logo to better brand the seafood landed in the Port of New Bedford – the #1 fishing port in the country by value.  A website will also be launched as a central location for buyers to find and directly connect with all of New Bedford’s fish processors and wholesalers.

NEW BEDFORD STANDARD-TIMES: Under-loved fish need a home right here

July 12, 2017 — A recent report from the social policy researchers at NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole shed some light on what happens to local fish after its caught by commercial fishermen.

The report is part of ongoing research, and has yet to be finalized in an academic paper, but the first findings indicate that most of the groundfish landed in NOAA’s Northeast region is sold and consumed locally. And it’s no surprise that most of the scallops landed are shipped around the country and the world.

Trucks carry much of the groundfish landed between Maryland and Maine, hauling along the coast and inland for 75 or 100 miles. Some is frozen and shipped far away, but the fish we buy locally is frequently locally caught.

Cod, haddock, pollock and different flounders find their way into local restaurants, fish markets and grocery stores, then onto local plates.

The local consumption of this groundfish is a function of the difficulty of NOAA Fisheries’ management of the multispecies fishery that includes about 20 different species. The complex interplay between abundant and scarce species that intermingle has thwarted attempts to harvest the Total Allowable Catch of the abundant species and confounded attempts to avoid the scarce ones. Groundfish landings today are a shadow of those from the early 1980s.

Even as traditional regional species have become harder to harvest, new species have moved into warming state and federal waters managed by the Northeast Fisheries Management Council, which is the management arm of federal fisheries management in this region. Skate and spiny dogfish have become the abundant species, and their harvest is less complicated than those from among the traditional groundfish stocks. But skate wings don’t get the price at the dock of those other species. Last Friday at the local seafood auction, skate wings fetched 30 cents a pound; flounder, cod and haddock were all paying 5 to 10 times that at the dock, some 20 times more.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

Police identify New Bedford man reported missing from Miss Shauna

July 6, 2017 — Police identified the New Bedford fisherman, who presumably fell overboard on Monday, as Thomas Quintin Jr.

The 55-year-old was born into a fishing family. Both his grandfathers were fishermen and both were lost at sea, according to police, who also said his father, two nephews and sister all fished.

Quintin entered the fishing industry at 17 and was the captain of a New Bedford-based vessel for more than two decades before working aboard the Miss Shauna, police said.

According to Quintin’s Facebook page, he received a 200 ton masters license from Northeast Maritime Institute in 2014-15. A deeply religious man, he graduated from Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School in 1979.

The Coast Guard suspended a 28-hour search for Quintin on Wednesday.

Sabrina Clarke, of the Coast Guard, said a variety of reasons contribute to a suspension of a search including weather, water temperature and safety equipment the person may have been wearing.

The search for Quintin in the Atlantic Ocean began Monday afternoon after he didn’t report to his post when the Miss Shauna was about 25 miles south of Montauk, New York. He was last seen by the crew at around 4 p.m.

The vessel has since returned to New Bedford, according to an employee at Miss Shauna LCC at 1 Cape St.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

MASSACHUSETTS: New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center and National Park Team Up to Present Something Fishy Camp

July 6, 2017 — The following was released by the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center:

New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center, New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, and the Whaling History Alliance have teamed up to offer a free summer camp at the Park for New Bedford children entering grade 4 in the fall of 2017.  Something Fishy Summer Camp is designed to give kids an introduction to the history and culture of the working port from whaling days to present day commercial fishing.

Camp activities will include hands-on marine science with fisheries scientists; storytellers; marlinspike ropework; arts and crafts; a harbor tour; and a fishing vessel tour. In addition, campers will explore the Park to learn about New Bedford’s whaling history and the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center to learn about present day commercial fishing from a fisherman.  They will also visit the Seaman’s Bethel, Casa dos Botes Discovery Center; and Buzzards Bay Coalition.

The camp curriculum is designed to engage local youth in learning abut the history and culture of New Bedford’s whaling and fishing industries. For campers whose families are connected to our working waterfront, these programs honor the lives and experiences of their families.  For those who are not directly connected to the port, the opportunity to learn about this part of our community is equally important. Unlike many waterfront communities that have lost their working waterfront to development, New Bedford remains a working harbor. Continued support and preservation of our working waterfront requires a citizenry that understands its’ essential value.  It is the children of today who will be shaping the port of the future.     

Campers were chosen by lottery for a one-week session. Sessions begin July 10th and July 17th. 

Something Fishy Camp is a collaboration between the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center, New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, and the Whaling History Alliance.  The 2017 camp program is made possible by grants from the United Way Summer Fund, New Bedford Day Nursery Foundation, the New Bedford Education Foundation, and support from BayCoast Bank.

Crew member overboard on New Bedford-based fishing vessel Miss Shauna

July 5, 2017 — The search for a man overboard on the New Bedford-based fishing vessel Miss Shauna continued for a second day Tuesday off Long Island, the Coast Guard said through spokesman Petty Officer Steve Strohmeier.

As of 9 p.m. Tuesday four Coast Guard units continued to search the Atlantic, with the help of some nearby fishing boats, a Coast Guard spokesman said.

The unidentified 55-year-old man went overboard Monday afternoon when the boat was about 25 miles south of Montauk, New York. The crew member was last seen at 4 p.m., and according to the Coast Guard he was not wearing a life jacket. He was reported missing a half-hour later, The East Hampton Star reported.

The crew member did not report for watch, could not be found on the Miss Shauna, and was presumed overboard, the star reported.

The search was being coordinated from the sea and air and Coast Guard vessels, private fishing boats and Coast Guard aircraft taking part.

The Miss Shauna is a 51-foot vessel owned by Miss Shauna LLC, with an address on Cape Street in New Bedford’s waterfront, with Paul Weckesser listed as manager.

No one answered the phone at Weckesser’s office or Acushnet home on Tuesday afternoon.

The Coast Guard deployed a number of assets in the search for the crewmember. They include a 470-foot motor lifeboat from station Montauk; a second one from Station Shinnecock; an MH-60 Jayhawk Helicopter from Air Station Cape Cod; an HC-144 Ocean Sentry plan from Air Station Cape Cod; an HC Hercules plane from Air Station Elizabeth City; the Coast Guard Cutter Shrike; and the Coast Guard Cutter Juniper.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

U.S. Conference of Mayors Pass Resolution to Fight Ocean Acidification

June 26, 2017 — Today the United States Conference of Mayors approved a resolution on ocean acidification, citing the need for more research and coordination in addressing an ever-increasing threat to coastal communities. The resolution was introduced by Mayor Jon Mitchell of New Bedford, Massachusetts.

“I’m pleased to support the resolution approved today by the Conference’s Energy Committee and the Ocean Conservancy’s many efforts to highlight the threat posed by ocean acidification,” said New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Energy Committee. “As Mayor of New Bedford, Massachusetts, the top fishing port in the nation for the past 17 years, I understand well the threat to our fisheries and to those who rely on those fisheries to earn a living.  And I’m proud to join the many other mayors across the nation who are leading on this issue.”

The resolution states that “cities are at the forefront of preparing for, mitigating against, and responding to the consequences of changes in ocean chemistry like ocean acidification.” It encourages efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, the root cause of ocean acidification, and calls on Congress to fund research assessing the vulnerability of coastal communities to its impacts.

Ocean acidification hurts the fish, shellfish, and corals that anchor the fishing and tourism industries in states as varied as Massachusetts and Florida, threatening the economy of coastal communities and businesses.  The ocean absorbs about 25 percent of carbon dioxide pollution – as a result the chemistry of the ocean is changing rapidly.

About 40 percent of the U.S. population now lives in coastal counties, and that number is growing fast. The mayor’s resolution states that leaders need better information on the threat of ocean acidification to plan for and minimize the potential harm to vulnerable communities, local businesses, and economies.

Read the full story at Ocean Conservancy

New Bedford Mayor, Others In New England Weigh in on Rafael Permits

June 26, 2017 — The following is an excerpt from a story published June 24, 2017 by the New Bedford Standard-Times. As previously noted by Saving Seafood, New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell has written to officials at NOAA, citing legal precedent, asking that Carlos Rafael’s fishing permits be allowed to remain in New Bedford to protect the innocent parties who were not involved in criminal activity. The Mayor also notes that selling the permits, as well as the rest of Mr. Rafael’s fishing interests, whole to a New Bedford-based entity is likely the only way to have Mr. Rafael completely divested from the fishing industry, as his scallop business is not implicated in any crimes.

Mayor Jon Mitchell was the most recent party to lobby for the permits proposing that they remain in New Bedford in a four-page letter to Samuel Rauch, Assistant Administrator for Fisheries for NOAA. But his letter also shed the most light on the situation, including references to Rafael selling his entire fleet of ships and that the government appears to not have sufficient evidence to seize any scallop permits.

“All the decisions concerning Carlos’ sanctions are being discussed right now. They’re being discussed by the U.S. Attorney’s office and NOAA and Rafael’s attorney,” Mitchell said. “They’ve all heard from me over the last several months, more than once. I wanted to put my thoughts in writing on the record so it’s clear to everybody where New Bedford stood.”

In his letter, Mitchell focuses on the 13 permits’ influence on third parties. He pointed out that Rafael’s business, Carlos Seafood Inc., directly employs 285 fishermen and indirectly “supports a sprawling supply chain in the port that includes gear menders and manufacturers, fuel companies, vessel outfitters, settlement houses, welders, lumper, ice houses, truckers and many others.”

According to the mayor, Rafael’s fleet accounts for 70 percent of the fuel supplied to fishing vessels by Bay Fuels, 30 percent of the fishing gear manufactured by Reidar’s Trawling and 75 percent of the groundfish landed at Whaling City Display Auction.

“My concern is that if the government doesn’t exercise its discretion in a way that reasonably considers the interest of innocent third parties,” Mitchell said. “I believe there would be considerable harm to those folks.”

The concern extends to the New Bedford economy, which already heavily relies on scallops. Mitchell said that Rafael owns about 75 percent of the groundfish permits. Groundfish accounts for 10 percent of the port’s revenue.

“When industries in a place are less diversified, they’re more prone to economic shocks,” Mitchell said. “If we become almost exclusively reliant on scallop landings, we’re prone to all the risks that prevent themselves to that industry.

The one commonality among most of the written notes is the desire for Rafael to never fish again.

Mitchell is the only one who developed a scenario to make that a reality.

Rafael’s most valuable permits lie within his scallop vessels. There’s no evidence that the government can seize any permits other than the 13 listed in the original indictment.

“If, as it appears, the government does not have sufficient evidence or legal authority to pursue the forfeiture of all of Rafael’s permits and vessels not named in the criminal indictment, Rafael will be able to use his remaining permits…to profit from scallop landings — even from his cell in jail,” Mitchel wrote.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

MASSACHUSETTS: Fish council clams up about Carlos Rafael sector

June 22, 2017 — The New England Fishery Management Council on Tuesday opted not to adopt a position on whether restrictions should be enacted against Northeast Fishery Sector IX because of widespread misreporting by Carlos Rafael’s vessels.

The council, meeting for three days in Portland, Maine, refrained from pursuing formal comments, preferring to defer discussion on possible measures against the New Bedford-based groundfish sector until after Rafael is sentenced on July 28. The 65-year-old fishing mogul, known as the Codfather,  pleaded guilty in late March to falsifying fish quotas, conspiracy and tax evasion.

“Many people think it is more appropriate to wait for the sentencing hearing to take place and the criminal case to be fully settled first,” said Janice Plante, council spokeswoman.

The council spent nearly all of Tuesday deliberating other groundfish issues, including the selection of varied monitoring alternatives for the Groundfish Monitoring Amendment 23 aimed at “improving the reliability and accountability of catch reporting.”

The council voted to include electronic monitoring alternatives, a dockside monitoring program option, alternatives to determine the total monitoring coverage rate, proposals to improve sector reporting and an option to publicize the coverage rate at a time that assists the sectors in their business planning.

The council specifically identified aspects of electronic monitoring requiring more analysis and development, including electronic monitoring “as an approved alternative to at-sea monitors to directly estimate discards.”

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times