Tag Archives: Kevin Norton

‘There’s no margin’ – Monitors final nail in coffin Feds propose up to 100% fish-counting, unclear on who’s on hook for costs

Groundfishermen, speaking Wednesday afternoon during the public comment period, drew a straight line from the increased monitoring costs to the economic collapse of the fishery. “I made 124 trips last year and each day was 10-14 hours,” said Gloucester fisherman Joe Orlando. “At $700 a day for 100% monitoring, that comes to $84,000 for the year. I didn’t even come close to making that. It would completely bankrupt the sector. And there’s only a handful of us left.” >click to read<  19:45

Scituate’s four remaining federal fishermen. Its time to revolt!

Jefferson Airplane – Volunteers (with Lyric) right click – Kevin Norton, Phil Lynch, Tom Bell and the Gustafson family operate five boats between them, down from 17 boats a decade ago and dozens 40 years ago. The decline, the fishermen say, is due to the massive influx of new fishing regulations over the years, coupled with recent changes in state and federal laws that make it nearly impossible for a new generation of fishermen to break into the industry. As a result, the five remaining boats could be the last to call Scituate home and the town’s once-rich maritime industry will be lost forever, they say. “If we don’t do something to change in the next year or so, we’re going to lose all the fishing boats in town,” Norton, who captains Miss Emily, said. “This harbor supports a lot of families, and that could go away really soon. >click to read<