Tag Archives: Rhode Island fishing industry

Rhode Island fishermen fear offshore wind farm project could jeopardize thriving squid industry

On the coast of Narragansett lies the pulse of the Rhode Island fishing industry. Dozens of boats travel to sea multiple times a day to reel in fish, which are then brought back to shore to be processed at fish houses and packaged for sale. Squid dominates the fishing industry in Rhode Island, but a group of fishermen worry a major wind farm project will put everything they work for at risk. The concerns prompted SeaFreeze to file a federal lawsuit in 2021 to stop the project, which will place 62 turbines off Martha’s Vineyard to power 400,000 homes. Construction is already well underway and by the end of the year, the installation could produce up to 300 megawatts of power. Video, photos, >>click to read<< 07:53

Vineyard Wind and R.I. strike bargain. R.I. Fishery Advisory Board chairman doesn’t like settlement. Nobody does.

“I just think it was a [expletive] deal for the industry, but it’s the deal that we got,” Newport, R.I. lobsterman Lanny Dellinger, chairman of the Rhode Island Fisheries Advisory Board, told The Times.
“I just don’t think the negotiations were set up fairly,” he said.,, Richard Fuka, Rhode Island Fishermen’s Alliance president, said squid fishermen, who comprise the most lucrative part of the Rhode Island fishing industry, weren’t represented on the board and were therefore cut out of negotiations. When asked if Vineyard Wind was aware squid fishermen may have not had a seat at the table for negotiations, Vineyard Wind spokesman Scott Farmelant declined to talk about any part of the deal and referred The Times to the Vineyard Wind release. >click to read<16:20

LifeWear Donates Manufacturing “Seconds” to Local Rhode Island Fishing Industry

51zAduOgNALLifeWear Technologies of North Kingstown, the leading supplier of both branded and private label sports medicine products, has found a unique way to support the local fishing industry and reduce waste. LifeWear is now taking high quality CryoMAX ice packs, that for a variety of reasons don’t meet LifeWear’s standards for its consumer products, and donating them to local commercial fishermen. The donation program, first proposed by Congressman Jim Langevin, diverts these ice packs from the local landfill and helps reduce costs for local seafood vendors. The CryoMAX cold packs are manufactured at LifeWear’s factory at Quonset Point and are sold throughout the country in Walmart, CVS and other national chains. Approximately 2 percent of ice packs produced do not pass LifeWear’s stringent quality control standards. These “seconds” may have insufficient pressure, air bubbles, are improperly cut or have other deficiencies that make them unsuitable for consumers products. While perfectly good ice packs, these seconds were usually discarded. Read the story here 15:38

WPRO’s “Fishing for Answers” – a conversation about the Rhode Island fishing industry and where it’s headed

Published on Jul 26, 2013 – WPRO continued our Debate Series with “Fishing for Answers,” a conversation about the local fishing industry and where it’s headed. Hosted by WPRO’s Tara Granahan, the discussion  featured panelists Rick Fuka of the Rhode Island Fishermen’s Alliance; Representative Joe McNamara; Narragansett Baykeeper Tom Kutcher, and Tina Jackson, President of American Alliance of Fishermen and their Communities. Filmed July 24, 2013 at Rhode Island College. Watch the 56:45 video here