Daily Archives: April 21, 2020
Gloucester Fisherman Nicolo Vitale, ‘He was the type of guy who would do anything for you’
On Monday, Vitale died after going overboard from the Miss Sandy as the vessel returned from fishing for haddock with a handful of Gloucester day boats. About a mile outside the breakwater, Capt. Vince Taormina turned from the wheel and the deck was empty. Vitale was gone. “We’re so grateful for everybody that helped,” said Joe Orlando, who owns and operates the Santo Pio. “We’re especially grateful to the Coast Guard for how quickly they came and for everything that they did.” Orlando was the captain that located Vitale’s body floating facedown and unresponsive in the water on Monday. “He was the type of guy who would do anything for you,” Orlando said. “He was a jewel.” By all accounts, Vitale lived life to the fullest and on his own terms. He fished on boats throughout the harbor, including the Angela + Rose, which is owned and captained by his first cousin, Paul Vitale. 9 photos, >click to read< Rest in Peace, Captain. 22:30
Coronavirus: Seafood industry post COVID-19, an overhaul to trigger growth of small fisheries
The coronavirus outbreak spread through the planet at an unprecedented scale and brought the whole world to a halt, plummeting demand in the majority of the sectors including the seafood industry. Seafood producers across the world are without a market for their product as demand slumps and supply chains cripple due to restrictions imposed to contain the outbreak. The seafood sector is known to have some of the most complex and repressive supply chains but the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for change that would benefit fishermen as well as consumers. >click to read< 19:01
U.S. Senate passes nearly $500 billion coronavirus bill aiding small business
The U.S. Senate on Tuesday unanimously passed legislation providing nearly $500 billion in additional federal aid to help small businesses hurt by the coronavirus pandemic and to aid hospitals dealing with large numbers of seriously ill patients. The bill, which is supported by the White House, now goes to the House of Representatives where it could be voted upon as soon as Thursday. >link< 17:25
Coronavirus: High Liner Foods suspends production at New Hampshire plant
Nova Scotia-based frozen seafood producer High Liner Foods has temporarily suspended all production at its plant in Portsmouth, N.H., because of confirmed COVID-19 cases. The company will redirect some of its production to plants in Lunenburg, N.S., and Newport News, Va. In a news release, High Liner Foods said it will carry out deep cleaning, contact tracing and risk assessment in Portsmouth. “Our priority is the health and safety of our employees who are doing essential work supplying food to families across North America,” Rod Hepponstall, the company’s president and chief executive officer, said in a statement. >click to read< 12:26
New Zealand rock lobster industry back in action with exports to China
The New Zealand lobster industry was among the first and hardest hit by Covid-19, with the export of live lobsters from New Zealand stopping in late January when China closed its restaurants and freight to the country was restricted. However, Te Anau-based Fiordland Lobster Company, which exports about 40 percent of New Zealand lobster to China, has started up again this week and its product will begin arriving in Shanghai this weekend. Lobster Exporters of New Zealand chairman Andrew Harvey confirmed lobster exports into China had resumed after “stopping dead” in late January. >click to read< 10:21
Coronavirus: Maine Fishermen still waiting to access pandemic relief funds
On March 27, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that, among other provisions, authorized one-time “economic impact payments” of $1,200 to adult U.S. residents with incomes of under $99,000 plus an additional payment of $500 for each child in a household. The CARES Act also established the Paycheck Protection Program to provide $349 billion in loans to businesses affected by the coronavirus shutdowns. Fishermen were eligible to apply for those loans as well as loans under the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, but many did not realize that was the case. “Due to unclear guidance, many fishermen were initially told by their lenders they were not eligible for the Paycheck Protection Program,” lobster fisherman and state Rep. Genevieve McDonald (D-Stonington) said Monday. >click to read< 07:49
