Tag Archives: Angela Sanfilippo
Seafood Day 2023 to celebrate Bay State’s fishing industry
In a building on Beacon Hill where a carved wooden effigy of an Atlantic cod known as the “Sacred Cod” hangs in the House of Representatives’ chamber, an event at the Statehouse on Wednesday, Oct. 25, plans to celebrate the importance of the seafood industry to the Bay State and coastal communities such as Gloucester, America’s oldest seaport. Seafood Day 2023 at the Statehouse is designed to highlight the fact that for generations, the seafood industry has contributed to Massachusetts’ food security while employing tens of thousands of workers and promoting tourism in coastal towns, organizers say. That’s why several organizations are teaming up to celebrate the sea’s bounty and the fishermen who catch it with an event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Hall of Flags of the Statehouse in Boston. >>click to read<< 10:07
‘We were never alone, the Coast Guard was always there with us’ — City celebrates Station Gloucester
As Gloucester 400+ committee members and speakers honored the long service of Coast Guard Station Gloucester during an Appreciation Day at the station Friday morning, rain and wind lashed the windows of the mess deck where the ceremony took place. As the squall intensified, the wind drove water under the outside door and onto the floor as if the small boat station on Harbor Loop were taking on water. Some said this symbolized the way Coast Guard Station Gloucester has been watching over Gloucester’s fishing fleet and boaters caught in storms since 1901. and station members appreciated being a part of America’s oldest seaport. Photos, >click to read< 11:52
Gloucester celebrates its finest kind
The launch of Gloucester Fisheries Heritage Month in the city’s 400+ anniversary year in front of the Fishermen’s Memorial on Stacy Boulevard on Tuesday evening celebrated the finest kind of the nation’s oldest fishing port. About 200 people cheered for the fishermen ages 80 and older who sat in the front row of chairs, and who were given a commemorative Gloucester 400+ medal as a way to honor them. “I couldn’t think of any better way to kick off this month than to honor the gentlemen here in front of me. I just want you to know you are all very near and dear to my heart,” said Al Cottone, a commercial fisherman and the executive director of the Gloucester Fisheries Commission. “You blazed the trail for what this industry is and hopefully what it will be in the future, and I just want to say thank you all, and today is for you.” 6 photos, >click to read< 07:47
Sanfilippo invited to Rose Garden for salmon fight
For more than a decade Angela Sanfilippo, president of the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association, has helped advocate for the cause to protect Bristol Bay in Southwest Alaska and the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery from a proposed open-pit gold and copper mining project near the bay’s headwaters. She did so even though Gloucester, the nation’s oldest seaport, and Bristol Bay are some 3,600 miles apart on opposite coasts of the United States. On Thursday at 4 p.m., Sanfilippo attended a celebration in the Rose Garden of the White House that marked the protection of Bristol Bay from the Pebble Mine project. Sanfilippo recalls being contacted by Katherine Carscallen of Dillingham, Alaska, who today is the director of the Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay and a salmon fisher as captain of the F/V Sea Hawk. >click to read< 07:33
16-hour Coast Guard tow brings F/V Miss Trish II home
The crew of a Gloucester fishing vessel spent about 12 hours adrift far from shore after its transmission failed and before the Coast Guard towed it home. Coast Guard officials, responding to an emergency call from the Miss Trish II were able to reach the boat about 75 miles offshore over the weekend and tow her safely back to port. Jim Bridges, commanding officer at U.S. Coast Guard Station Gloucester said none of the six men aboard the Miss Trish II were injured during the incident. Crew on the Miss Trish II called the Coast Guard around 5 p.m. Saturday, Bridges said, indicating the ship’s engine would not start. >click to read< 18:34
Candidates for governor, AG, tackle fishing industry concerns
Representatives of the Gloucester fishing industry caught the ears of Democratic candidate for governor Attorney General Maura Healey, and a Democratic candidate for attorney general, Andrea Campbell, during a meeting at the Gloucester House Restaurant on Rogers Street around noon before a campaign canvass kickoff. The pair heard concerns about the high cost of fuel and offshore wind, among others. “The price of fuel is killing us right now,” said fisherman Joe Orlando, president of Northeast Fishery Sector II. “I can’t even imagine. How much does it cost?” Healey asked. Orlando said the cost went from $2,000 to $6,000. Healey said it is important for the state to support the fishing industry economically, culturally and historically. >click to read< 10:38
F/V Grace Marie: ‘They knew what to do and they saved their lives’
Seven fishermen are home safe in Gloucester after their fishing vessel sank about 92 miles east of Gloucester. The crew of the trawler F/V Grace Marie were rescued by the good Samaritan gillnetter F/V Dawn T. after their boat began taking on water Friday night. The Grace Marie issued a mayday around 10 p.m. saying the boat was experiencing rapid flooding, according to Coast Guard Petty Officer Ryan Noel. The Coast Guard put out an urgent marine information broadcast, asking any vessels nearby to answer the Grace Marie’s mayday. F/V Dawn T answered the call, according to the Coast Guard, and was able to bring all seven crewmen aboard and ferry them home. There were no injuries reported, Noel said. The crew arrived back in Gloucester around 1 p.m. Saturday, he said. >click to read< 18:00
Massachusetts lobstermen back in water facing new challenges
Lobstermen in Massachusetts are back in the water and facing a variety of challenges. Fishermen were grounded due to right whale protections. The battle now is a combination of high fuel costs and lower prices at fisheries, raising the cost of fishing operations. “If the fuel price doesn’t get lower and the price of lobster doesn’t get into a stable – I’m not even going to say high price but a stable price – things are going to be tough,” >click to read< 21:10
Massachusetts Seafood Collaborative calls for sanctions on Russian fish imports
The Boston-based Massachusetts Seafood Collaborative, which has several Gloucester members, is calling for sanctions to take a bite out of Russian fish imports because of the war in Ukraine. The collaborative, which counts the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association as a member, said that in 2021, the U.S. imported $4 billion worth of Russian fish for processing, leading directly to jobs and paychecks for Massachusetts residents. “Though Russia blocks imports of American fish,” the collaborative said, “our commitment to free trade and open markets allowed this one-sided relationship to bear fruit. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia has forced our industry and our nation to decide between our ideals and our wallets.”>click to read< 08:42
Light shows to honor Gloucester fishermen’s wives
Twenty years ago on the morning of Aug. 5, Angela Sanfilippo, president of the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association, was attending to the final details of the public dedication celebration of the 12-foot Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Memorial on Stacy Boulevard along Gloucester’s historic harbor. Her joy would soon turn to utter despair. “We had a wonderful event planned but it was very painful because we lost a boat that day,” she recalled. Early that morning, the Gloucester fishing vessel Starbound was struck by a freighter; one crewman survived and three died at sea. “It wasn’t easy that day but we carried on and we wanted to acknowledge the pain of the widows. As women in the fishing industry, we carry on to help with the needs of fishermen, their families and the community. That comes with the title of being a fisherman’s wife,” >click to read< 07:50
‘This film is a love letter to Gloucester’ – Sundance winner ‘CODA’ premieres before local crowd
The charms of Gloucester exploded on the big screen at the local unveiling of the film “CODA,” a four-time winner at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. The special event Thursday evening, intended for those who worked or assisted in some way with the film, turned out to be “the” premiere after director Sian Heder learned that the West Coast screening was canceled.,, Heder thanked everyone involved in the film and the support of her family. “You don’t make a movie alone, and this was not an easy film to make,” she told the full house. “All this fishing stuff is such a crazy undertaking.” >click to read< 09:35
Fighting for the fishing grounds in the face of offshore wind farms
For almost a half century, Angela Sanfilippo has spearheaded campaigns to protect the physical and economic health of commercial fishermen, their families and the communities in which they live.,, The Vineyard Wind 1 project is positioned as the primary vanguard in the development of U.S. offshore wind farms. The project calls for the installation of 84 wind turbines about 12 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard. Beyond the benefits of clean energy and conservation, developers say the project also will create 3,658 full-time jobs in Massachusetts between 2019 and 2047. “Nowhere have they said how many people, how many fishermen, they’re going to displace,” she said. “It’s like we don’t exist and the fishing grounds don’t exist.” >click to read< 08:13
From Oregon to Massachusetts, fishermen’s wives associations are the backbones of their communities
In spring 2020, the fishing community of Newport, Oregon, shuttered along with the rest of the country. A coronavirus outbreak at a local Pacific Seafood processing plant left fishermen sitting on docks with no buyers for their Dungeness crabs, while restaurants closed and families found themselves housebound. That’s when Taunette Dixon and her organization, the Newport Fishermen’s Wives, stepped in.,,, In Massachusetts, the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association was founded in 1969. “We were shore captains,” said Angela Sanfilippo. “We would make sure when the boats came in, they’d get everything they needed so they could go back out the next morning at 2.30. The wife would be responsible to make sure these things happened. As their wives, we knew more than them.” >click to read< 11:32
New England Fishery Management Council chooses 100% monitoring option on all groundfish trips
The council, which expects to take final action on the amendment at its meeting in late September and early October, has selected putting monitors on 100% of all groundfish trips as its preferred alternative for accomplishing the goal of the amendment — improving catch accountability, maximizing the value of collected data and minimizing costs. 0% monitoring levels and flatly proclaiming that forcing the industry to pay for 100% monitoring would bring an end to the historic commercial fishery. “The numbers you have up there make no sense to me,” said David Leveille,, “This will accelerate the expiration date of the fishery,” said Al Cottone, longtime Gloucester fisherman and the city’s fisheries director. “Once the federal money (which currently pays for at-sea monitoring) runs out, it’s over.” >click to read< 09:59
Can New England’s cod fishing industry survive? (How can the scientists and regulators ignore the ever increasing seal predation?!)
Gloucester, Massachusetts, grew up around cod. The waterfront teemed with boats and fishermen, heaps of fish thrashing in wire baskets. Boats were inherited from fathers and shipyards boasted of operating since 1684. As late as the 1980s, the cod were so abundant and large (30-50lb each) that the fishermen still brought in big hauls. Cod remains the state fish of Massachusetts., “We’ve been regulated out of existence,” former Gloucester fisherman Sam Sanfilippo said in 2017. “This used to be the biggest fishing community in the world. Ice companies, wharves, fish dealers, truckers, supermarkets … All through high school, I was always a fisherman. And here I am today: recycler, bike seller, furniture-maker. “I’m 50 years old and I don’t know what the hell I am.” >click to read< 07:30
Canada to ban ‘nuisance seals’ killing to keep access to U.S. market – Canada will abolish permits that allow the killing of “nuisance seals” by commercial fishermen and aquaculture in an effort to maintain access to the lucrative U.S. seafood market, Fishery management failure enacted for fish farmers >click to read<
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
WTF?!!! A mile wide toxic waste site sits on the ocean floor near Stellwagen Bank
About 19 miles east of Boston Harbor, beside a national marine sanctuary that’s home to one of the world’s richest fishing grounds, lies one of the nation’s largest offshore dumping sites of radioactive waste.,,, David Wiley, the sanctuary’s research coordinator, led a seminal study of the area in the early 1990s. His report, which found that the federal government kept few records of what was dumped there, estimated that there could be as many as 80,000 barrels of toxic waste, most from hospitals, universities, and companies throughout the region. At least 4,000 of them were thought to contain radioactive waste, from the same sources >click to read< 09:11
Fishermen look to DC delegation for aid, Fish bill like farm bill touted, but monitoring costs biggest concern
Former fisherman Sam Parisi appeared before the city Fisheries Commission on Thursday night to tout his campaign for national legislation to help fishermen as the federal Farm Bill helps farmers. “We need someone to draft a fish bill like the farm bill,” Parisi told the commission members at City Hall.,, The commission members, in the end, decided the best course is to work with Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken to set up a meeting — a fish summit of sorts,,, >Click to read< 13:06
December 15, 2017 – Lets meet and build a consensus to have Congress enact a U.S. Fisheries Bill – Sam Parisi >click to read Sam Parisi’s posts<
Why aren’t they there? Cod still overfished, feds say
The federal government last week released data showing that cod stocks in the area remain overfished. “Overfishing is occurring”, says NOAA, “Abundance is very low, says Mass DMF Director David Pierce, “It just doesn’t make sense right now that the cod hasn’t rebuilt,” Fisherman Ed Barrett added. Angela Sanfilippo, president of the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association, called cod a “bycatch,” citing an abundance of haddock over the past 18 months, and said fishing fleets operate under strict regulation. >click to read<
Bruce Tarr: Ground Fishing rules don’t match industry realities
The federal government on Wednesday released data showing that cod stocks in the area remain overfished and are not on target to be rebuilt by 2024. “Abundance is very low, not the way it used to be, so that’s obviously of great concern to us,” said Division of Marine Fisheries Director David Pierce,,, Calling the report “concerning,” Sen. Bruce Tarr, “I’m still reading through the details but I think it points to the fact that we should be doing things differently than we are today.” Tarr said there’s “too much regulatory discard” of cod “and there’s mortality that’s being caused by a set of rules that don’t recognize the practical reality of groundfishing.” >click to read< 19:32
SOLD OUT EVENT!!! Spreading Gloucester’s story
On Monday night, Angela Sanfilippo of the Fishermen’s Wives Association, longtime fisherman Al Cottone and former Gloucester Mayor John Bell — along with J.J. Bartlett of the Fishing Partnership Support Services — were the true centerpieces in a food-and-film gala that highlighted the plight of American commercial fishermen and the bounty that is Gloucester seafood. The sold-out event, titled From Sea to Sustainable Sea: Supporting American Wild Seafood, combined the Midwest premier of the Gloucester-centric fishing documentary “Dead in the Water” by Rockport native David Wittkower sandwiched between a cocktail hour and a seafood feast featuring Gloucester-landed monkfish, redfish, crabs, lobsters and other seafood delights. >click to read <09:29
Massachusetts Fishermen’s Partnership says wind farm lacks scientific support
The Massachusetts Fishermen’s Partnership claims that the 84-turbine offshore wind project soon to be developed by Vineyard Wind lacks scientific backing and will inevitably harm the local ecology and way of life for fishermen and boaters. The release states that the growing wind energy industry is developing at a “rapid pace without adequate science and risk management.”Executive director of the Massachusetts Fishermen’s Partnership Angela Sanfilippo told The Times the partnership’s comments are based in part on the response of NOAA to the draft environmental impact statement released by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).>click to read<20:38
Fishing documentary “Dead in the Water” wins film prize
Filmmaker David Wittkower knew he had to do something or his commercial fishing documentary “Dead in the Water” might indeed be dead in the water. Following eight months of showings throughout Massachusetts and other parts of coastal New England, Wittkower’s film, which traces the erosion of the once-proud Gloucester groundfish fleet, was largely rejected by most of the film festivals the director tried to enter. The over-arching criticism was that the film lacked balance, failing to properly include the perspective of federal fishing regulators — most specifically NOAA Fisheries — and environmentalists as the counterpoint to the already powerful message of an industry in trouble. >click to read<09:18
HR-200 – Gloucester fishermen ‘desperate’ for federal bill to ease catch limits
A bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this week is being cheered by fishermen in Gloucester who are hoping for a lifeline for the struggling industry. “It’s desperate. We are in a desperate situation. We need a change,” said Angela Sanfilippo, president of the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association. “It’s a good start.” The new law would allow more flexibility for fish populations to be rebuilt, and give more authority to the regional fishery management councils, which may be more in touch with the local industry.,,, Fishermen in Gloucester say the industry is in danger of disappearing without changes. “We’re down to about 60 fishermen, and every day it gets worse,” Sam Parisi said. >click to read<13:14
‘Dead in the Water’ screened in Gloucester – ‘We knew it was bad, but we had no idea how bad’
There have been almost a half-dozen screenings now of the “Dead in the Water” documentary on the commercial fishing crisis and one things is clear: Most people who don’t fish for a living have no real grasp of the complexities and challenges that fishermen face every day just to keep fishing. That, of course, was one of the motivating forces in the making of the film, both for director David Wittkower, a Rockport native, and stakeholder producers John Bell and Angela Sanfilippo.,, “It’s accurate and it’s painful,” Sanfilippo said Saturday morning before the first of two sold-out screenings at the Cape Ann Museum. “But it’s the truth.” >click to read< 18:25
Honors planned for Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association president
Angela Sanfilippo, president of the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association, will be the guest of honor at the Sea to Supper Celebration at 6 p.m. Aug. 24 at the Mile Marker One Restaurant & Bar, 75 Essex St., in the Cape Ann Marina Resort.,, Proceeds benefit nonprofit Fishing Partnership Support Services, which Sanfilippo helped found in the late ’90s, and on whose board of directors she has served ever since. Fishing Partnership Support Services helps commercial fishermen and their families through a variety of free services — from safety trainings, to health coverage enrollment assistance, to disaster relief support.,, While honoring Sanfilippo, the Sea to Supper Celebration will also highlight the contributions commercial fishermen have made to coastal communities and to the health of seafood consumers, according to J.J. Bartlett, president of Fishing Partnership Support Services. Tickets are available with links in the article 16:38
Northeast Seafood Coalition – Gov. Charlie Baker confirmed, attending annual fundraiser
When fishermen and supporters gather for the Northeast Seafood Coalition’s annual fundraiser Thursday night, they will be joined by one of their highest-profile backers. Gov. Charlie Baker has confirmed he will be on hand for the coalition’s gala, slated to begin at 6 p.m. at The Gloucester House restaurant. There, participants will raise money through ticket sales and a live auction to help the industry gain new inroads for developing effective science in tandem with federal and state regulators, all while sampling seafood caught in the previous 24 hours. “We see this event as the start of a push to obtain the science consultants and the help that we need,” said John Bell, the former Gloucester mayor who is a coalition co-founder and serves as head of its board of directors. (They may have a few tickets left!) click here to read the story 20:45
The Massachusetts fishing fleet confronts an opioid problem
A reputation for drug use has long followed the Massachusetts fishing fleet, whose fiercely independent crews often return to port flush with cash and ready to exhale after long and dangerous trips. Some fishermen link that reputation to a rugged cowboy culture; others to the pain medication taken by men and women whose bodies are battered by the job. But now, as opioid deaths rise relentlessly in Massachusetts, fishing captains from Cape Ann to Buzzards Bay are beginning to stock their boats with naloxone, a drug that reverses overdoses and is commonly sold under the trademark Narcan. click here to continue reading the story 09:46
Gloucester Fisheries Commission opposes limited access to the historically open-access whiting fishery
A mere two days after the NEFMC received its first look at the proposals being generated by its whiting advisory panel and whiting committee, Gloucester commission members raised concerns over the impact the proposals could have on the city’s whiting fleet — particularly the small boats. “We should not allow any other species to go under limited access,” said commission member Angela Sanfilippo, also the president of the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association. “This is a healthy stock and I am totally against limited access.” Sanfilippo’s views were echoed by member Joe Orlando and Chairman Mark Ring. The three proposals to potentially limit access to the fishery are contained in currently being developed by the council. The council’s whiting committee hopes to furnish a more finished product at the council’s next meeting in late January. The city fisheries commission, however, wasn’t waiting around for the council staff’s final analysis. It voted 6-0 to oppose any attempts to limit access to Ipswich Bay for the local whiting fleet. Read the story here 08:49
Gloucester’s Angela Sanfilippo, A Fisherman’s Wife, named to Seafood Hall of Fame
Angela Sanfilippo has spent this week, just as she did last year, helping plan the annual foray by the city and its fishing community into Sunday’s fifth Boston Seafood Festival. This year, however, will be different. While the Gloucester contingent will be dishing out its wildly popular redfish soup, Sanfilippo will also be on the receiving end of a distinctive honor when she is ushered into the Boston Seafood Hall of Fame at the festival’s opening ceremony on the Boston Fish Pier. “I was surprised and pleased at the same time,” Sanfilippo said Wednesday. “I had no idea.”Citing her life’s work as an unwavering voice of the Gloucester and Massachusetts fishing communities, the Boston Fisheries Foundation said her induction is due to her role with the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association (GFWA) and the Fishing Partnership Support Services as a “tireless protector” of the oceans those communities rely upon. Read the story here 21:35
