Tag Archives: New Bedford Seafood Consulting
How much have things not changed?!! BIG BOAT vs small boat
I really dislike the issues of big boat vs small boat, and single boat owner vs multi boat owner. Were it only that simple!,,, Lately for many, it’s become a simple wish for survival. For some others, it’s a case of how much of it can I own or control? When it comes to big and small boats all fishermen know, and should be the first to admit; that when at sea in a storm, there is no such thing as a “big” boat. At least not at that point in time! It’s often said that size doesn’t matter, but in the case of the NE Catch Shares/Sector (CS) program it does seem to be a factor in the early period of this ill-conceived management plan. By Jim Kendall, Oct. 18, 2011 >click to read< 08:57
New Bedford Ex-Fisherman: Marine Monument “ridiculous” and an “abuse of power.”
As conservation groups celebrate the White House’s restoration last week of a marine conservation area off the Cape Cod coast, one New Bedford fishing industry insider called the move “ridiculous” and an “abuse of power.” New Bedford Seafood Consulting Executive Director and former scallop fisherman Jim Kendall spoke out after President Joe Biden announced on Thursday the restoration of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument. >click to read< 07:38
Fishing industry unimpressed with Biden Harris’s NOAA/NMFS climate crisis notions. (Offshore Wind Farms, either!)
President Biden ordered NOAA to collect information from a wide range of groups on increasing the resilience of fisheries as part of his plan to address climate change and to protect 30% of U.S. ocean areas by the year 2030. The NOAA directive is included in the sweeping executive order Biden signed his first week in office that made “the climate crisis” a centerpiece of his presidency. “Fisheries, protected resources, habitats and ecosystem are being affected by climate change,” acting NOAA Fisheries chief Paul Doremus said at the beginning of yesterday’s conference call. >click to read< 07:55
Drag Net – New Bedford shocked by NOAA’s latest move in Carlos Rafael case
Jim Kendall sees fingerprints on NOAA’s most recent allegations that go beyond Carlos Rafael and loop 22 of his captains into the agency’s non-criminal civil action. “I’ll tell you right now, you can print it or not, but I think John Bullard still has his thumb on the scale,” the former fishing captain and executive director of New Bedford Seafood Consulting said. Kendall backed up his claims by saying, “because I know John. He’s a vindictive SOB.” Bullard is the former mayor of New Bedford, but in this case more importantly acted as the regional administrator for NOAA when Rafael was criminally indicted, pled guilty and was sentenced. Bullard also imposed a groundfishing ban on Rafael-owned vessels. “A comment like that is insulting to all the people who do very important and hard work in the enforcement arena,” Bullard said. >click to read<20:12
Stock assessment meeting erupts into lively talk between NOAA scientists and fishermen
Diagrams, life-like statues and pictures fill the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center to depict the history and future of the industry. NOAA scientists and local fishermen filled the small building on Bethel Street on Wednesday night to discuss future stock assessments. The meeting, though, told another aspect in the story of the Port of New Bedford: the decades old tension that continues to exist between the groups. “We all have to pull in the same direction,” Executive Director of New Bedford Seafood Consulting Jim Kendall said. Instead a powerpoint presentation listing stock limits led to a discussion, which evolved into an argument and ended with two fishermen abruptly leaving. Russ Brown, director of the Population Dynamics Branch of NOAA, ended his presentation to meet with the fishermen outside. They spoke outside for 20 minutes before parting ways with a semblance of mutual respect. click here to read the story 20:44
Mass. fishermen land $14.5 million in disaster relief
The funds announced by NOAA Wednesday are short of ideal, according to Jim Kendall of New Bedford Seafood Consulting. “It’s only $14.5 million?” Kendall said. “Jesus.” “The question is how it’s going to be utilized and who’s going to be the ones receiving it and how it’s going to be distributed”¦. There’s an awful lot of unknowns.” Kendall said with the discussion of relief allocation, the “average crewman or the regular deckhand” are left behind. In addition, he pointed to the businesses that support groundfishing that also suffer from the disaster. Read more here 06:49
Fish worker advocates push for ‘code of conduct’ for SouthCoast companies
NEW BEDFORD — To improve safety in industries dominated by immigrant workers, a local group will try to recruit city companies to sign a workplace code of conduct. “We want the fish companies to take measures so there are no more deaths, no more accidents,” said Adrian Ventura, director of Centro Comunitario Trabajadores. Read more here 03:44
“Decentralization” – Senate Appropriations Committee would dissolve NOAA’s Northeastern Regional Office, Provide $150 million in disaster relief, allocated to three regions
A key Senate committee approved a bill that would dissolve NOAA’s Northeastern Regional Office in a proposal some fisheries advocates say could make things easier for the region’s fishermen. “This new approach is seemingly advantageous,” said Jim Kendall, head of New Bedford Seafood Consulting and a longtime critic of NOAA and regulations affecting area fishermen. “Decentralization — it sounds good, and it sounds like it could be very beneficial if it works.” continued@southcoasttoday
