Tag Archives: sea scalloper Sam Hopkins

Saving the Small Fishing Industry, One Permit at a Time

Mr. Hopkins has the Island’s lone sea scalloping permit, a million-dollar commercial fisherman’s license the trust purchased and now leases to Mr. Hopkins. The trust works as a permit bank, buying pricey fishing licenses, lobster tags, and other permits so they can lease them to independent fishermen on the Island at less than market price. In a wide-ranging interview with the Gazette this week, trust president John Keene and executive director Dr. Shelley Edmundson discussed the work of the organization and its efforts to maintain an economically viable, independent fishing community on the Island. >click to read<11:44