Tag Archives: Gösta “Swede” Lovgren

Pollution Kill of ’76

In 1976 Gosta “Swede” Lovgren of Point Pleasant N.J. witnessed first hand the destructive effects of a massive Fishkill, caused by an oxygen deprived dead zone that stretched from Long Island south to Atlantic city, and extended 40 to 50 miles to the east. In this article he describes firsthand not only the environmental aspects of the Fishkill, but his efforts to halt ocean sludge dumping. Swede was the leader of the commercial fishermen’s fight against ocean dumping which included filing a $500,000,000 lawsuit against the city of New York. Fascinating reading, well worth your time. >click to read< 09:09

Remembering Gosta “Swede” Lovgren

Early last summer the fishing industry lost one of their loudest voices from the early years of federally managed fisheries when Gosta Lovgren of Lavallette New Jersey passed away less than two months after his wife of 55 years, Carol, died. He was born December 9 th 1938 and lived in Ocean County all his life. Affectionately known as “Swede” he was one of the first fishermen to understand the politics of the fishing industry and knew that if the industry did not become aware of, and fight, what was going to happen to them through management measures supposedly to save the fish, then they would be doomed. >click to continue<, By Jim Lovgren and Nils Stolpe 12:05

Bycatch – From problem to opportunity. Nils E. Stolpe/FishNet USA

For as long as I have been involved in the commercial fishing industry, and that’s going back for what is approaching forty years, there has been a widespread feeling that “things would be better if this industry were administratively housed in the Department of Agriculture (DOA).” Whether at the state level, in state waters within three miles of the coastline, or the federal level beyond three miles, there’s always been a sort of wistful “wouldn’t it be great if we were over there” view of the DOA, and the reasons for this aren’t awfully difficult to fathom. The Department of Agriculture, no matter whether state or federal, is mostly focused on promotion, and fisheries agencies, no matter the level, are regulatory in nature, in organization and in attitude. This is glaringly obvious with the National Marine Fisheries Service, the federal fisheries agency, which in recent years has become almost totally focused to the virtual exclusion of anything else on limiting – rather than enhancing – the commercial production of fish and shellfish. >click to read< 15:06