Tag Archives: New England groundfishery
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 on Fridays: A ‘Day of Reckoning’ for the New England Groundfishery by Michael Conathan and a real ass kicking rebuttal
Center for American Progress – On May 1, 2013, New England’s groundfishermen began operating under a harsh new set of catch limits that will curtail fishing effort and inflict massive economic pain on an industry that’s already struggling to remain afloat. As fishermen come to grips with their new regulations, and regulators fret about the impact that their unpopular decisions will have on one of America’s most historic industries, we should take a moment to consider the fate of a similar fishery just a few hundred miles northwest. continued Link to a real slam against this foolishness by our own Dick Grachek here
Pictures of lobster boats that are supposed to represent the ground fish fleet! lol
NOAA report ignores ‘disaster’
Without acknowledging the socio-economic disaster that has befallen the Northeast groundfishery, endangering the scale of the nation’s oldest fishery and the viability of small ports like Gloucester, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Thursday released its annual status of the stocks 2012 — proclaiming “significant continued progress to “end overfishing and rebuild fish stocks.” continued
“Today,NOAA has responded to a declared disaster by creating a crisis.” NOAA sticks to cuts in fish limits
“Want to buy a boat?” said Orlando, who fishes from the 70-foot vessel Padre Pio. “I put it up for sale. I have no choice.” “Rather than take the true advice of the New England Fisheries Management Council, the New England states and Congress and go forward with a second Interim Rule, NOAA instead to chose deliver a ‘death’ sentence to an industry, a way of life, and local economies and communities up and down the New England coast,” Ferrante wrote in an email. “I cannot say that I am surprised, but today, we dig in and fight harder.” Damned RIGHT! continued
‘Take the ‘no’ out of NOAA,’ rally speakers urge
It was Attorney General Martha Coakley, a leading advocate for the fishing industry along with Gov. Deval Patrick who put it directly to NOAA’s Gloucester-based Northeast regional administrator while addressing the roughly 300 fishermen present as well.
“I hope, Mr. Bullard,” she said, speaking beneath a big canvas tent, “that you can take the ‘no’ out of NOAA.” continued
Feds officially propose cuts in NE fish catch
“The big boats are taking over and they’re killing the little guys off,” Small fishermen’s plight discussed at forum in city
PORTSMOUTH — Participants in the Who Fishes Matters Tour fisheries forum Monday night discussed ways to improve the beleaguered catch share system of fisheries management. Read more
Lubchenco leaves NOAA, ‘disaster’ behind
Jane Lubchenco’s provocative tenure as NOAA administrator ended Thursday, three years, 11 months and nine days after it began, with the groundfishery she promised to save in an apparent death spiral – Read more here
Liz Warren declines to accept Barney Frank’s proposal to press President Obama for relief for the fishing industry
“Senator Warren appreciated the opportunity to meet with fishermen, family members, local small business owners, and advocates earlier this week in Gloucester and New Bedford to talk about the future of the New England fishing industry,” said Bruno Freitas, a senior advisor to Warren who, for many years, served as Frank’s fisheries advisor. “It’s clear that the rules that are in place are not working for fishermen or their families. ”Senator Warren will use the tools she has available to provide them the help they need,” Freitas’ statement continued. “She has worked closely with Congressman Frank on this and other issues, and she will continue developing a strategy to most effectively assist Massachusetts fishermen.” Read more
Video of Richard Burgess, “the entire fishery between the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank, whether it’s big boats or small boats, will be entirely put out of business.” Burgess concluded the segment with a renewed call for fishery disater relief for the region. “We’d like to see President Obama step in and help this Northeast region with disaster relief immediately, because we’ve got mennow that have not had paychecks in months,” he said. Watch video
Fishing’s decline looms; will fish consumers notice?
GLOUCESTER, Mass. — His city’s best fishing days are long past it, but lifelong Gloucester resident Ron Gilson still sees what once was when he drives past what remains. “This is the lowest point,” he declared on a
February day. “Tomorrow will be lower.” “They’re (govt) going to wipe it out!” said Gilson. “The only thing that’s going to be the same is the ocean you’re looking at.” In May, New England’s fishermen will again see a cut to the number of fish they can catch, this time so deeply that the historic industry’s existence is threatened from Rhode Island to Maine. But as hard as the cuts are likely to hit fishing communities, local seafood eaters may not notice at all. In the region’s markets, grocery stores and restaurants, imported fish dominate, and the cuts make that less likely to change. Read more
Just Released – NOAA’s Intent on Groundfish Carryover in 2013 – John K. Bullard, Northeast Region Administrator
Today, as I promised the fishing industry I would do, I am announcing our intent to allow carryover of unused 2012 quota into the 2013 fishing year. Current fishery management regulations allow up to 10 percent of unused quota to be carried forward. This provides fishermen with some flexibility on when they fish — so they can avoid bad weather and take advantage of times of year when fish are available and prices are highest. Read more here
Fishermen saw cuts coming
When previous catch reductions have been rolled out by the New England Fishery Management Council, fishermen have reacted with some degree of anger. This time, though, the council’s announcement of a stiff drop in the allowable catch of cod and other groundfish has been met by many on the Cape with something else: resignation. Fisherman Greg Walinski of Dennisport was one who saw this coming, but he said there’s more to the problem than just overfishing. Read more
Remember this guy? “Gloucester, New Bedford Mayors foolishly endorsing crazies in New England” a few fisheries malcontents??
SEAFOOD.COM NEWS by John Sackton (Editorial Comment) – June 15, 2011 A
Here is our editorial today, and a video.
Gloucester, New Bedford Mayors foolishly endorsing crazies in New England while the industry thrives, sickness has descended on the political class in New England that has so tied themselves to a few fisheries malcontents that they have lost sight of how they might really support their industry. Read and watch the video
NOAA N.E. chief eyes delay on limits
The New England Fishery Management Council approved the proposal from the Gloucester-based coalition at its special meeting Wednesday in Wakefield. The move came in conjunction with a decision to defer setting catch limits for the groundfishery until the regularly scheduled January meeting – a time frae tha would benefit from a benchmark Gulf of Maine stock assessment and the vetting of it by the council’s Science and Statistical Committee. The coalition wrote last Monday to the council laying out a legal theory derived from an interpretation of the Magnuson-Stevens Act by NOAA last year that became the basis of a one-year interim emergency action on inshore cod that kept the reduction in landings to 22 percent. Read more
Rep. Antonio F.D. Cabral-Fishing industry needs research money as well as disaster relief
The elections may be over, but the current Congress still has work to do…..We need reliable, independent science. And Massachusetts is best equipped to provide it….That’s because there has not been adequate, sustained funding for independent research centers…..environment using scientific evidence that is, by its own scientists’ admission, often unspecific, unproven and unreliable. NOAA has been put in the position of acting not only as judge and jury, but as prosecution, defense and expert witness…..In particular, the School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) at UMass Dartmouth is uniquely suited to provide this research. SMAST has an ideal location as well as a history of fostering positive collaboration between all fishing stakeholders. SMAST can also boast a proven record of success in fishery research. In the 1990s the scallop industry was on the verge of collapse when SMAST pioneered new research on a very tight budget that proved the scallop population wasn’t devastated, http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20121118/OPINION/211180303
Economic relief needed for fishermen – US Senator Jeanne Shaheen
In recent years, New Hampshire fishermen have seen their incomes decline as federal regulations designed to end overfishing have limited the amount of fish they can catch. To make matters worse, these often-onerous regulations haven’t helped the cod population rebound as expected. In fact, a 2011 scientific study by the National Marine Fisheries Service found so few codfish in the Gulf of Maine that the quota for the upcoming fishing year must be set extremely low — so low that it jeopardizes the survival of New Hampshire’s fishing industry. The Survey SUCKS!BH
http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20121021-OPINION-210210309
SMAST professor Brian Rothschild, and the SMAST Team are coming to the rescue! (There is a God!) It ain’t NOAA either.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHSkMwUa2i4
I’m willing to bet my sou’wester that the SMAST Team will get some real results that the industry can believe.
SMAST plans independent groundfish survey to assist groundfishermen By DON CUDDY
DARTMOUTH — Frustrated by doubts surrounding the accuracy of fish stock assessments conducted by NOAA and with the groundfish industry in crisis, UMass Dartmouth’s School for Marine Science and Technology plans to launch an independent survey of groundfish stocks. “(NOAA Fisheries) is saying they don’t have time to review the assessments that are on the table,” said SMAST professor Brian Rothschild. “But this is really high stakes and we need to do something before May 1.” The new fishing year, with cuts of 50-70 percent projected for key stocks, begins May 1. Such drastic cuts threaten to force many independent fishermen out of business.
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20121017/NEWS/210170334
Letter: Trip limits would make fisheries worse Captain PAUL COHAN F.V. Sasquatch, Gloucester
To the editor: Wasn’t one of the big selling points for catch shares — or as I call it, catch scams — the elimination of trip limits and their inherent discards? 
So now NOAA and the enviros are talking about re-instating “inshore” trip limits to solve a problem of their own making,
when they can’t even differentiate between George’s Bank cod and Gulf of Maine cod when it comes down to where they were landed or caught.
This represents a giant step backwards. It is the worst of both worlds. and once again the smaller day boats will pay the bill.
http://www.gloucestertimes.com/opinion/x674146257/Letter-Trip-limits-would-make-fisheries-worse
Gloucester fishermen in spotlight — again History Channel’s ‘Nor’easter Men’ debuts this week – By Nancy Gaines
The fish and fishing boats are fewer and farther between, but the media fascination with the nation’s oldest, imperiled industry is spawning like guppies.
In addition to “Wicked Tuna,” back for its second season on National Geographic TV, this fall’s small screen lineup includes a miniseries on the History Channel called “Nor’easter Men.”
The three-hour documentary follows four draggers out of New England ports, including one from Gloucester, Capt. Gus Sanfilippo’s 80-foot fishing vessel
The program debuts this Thursday from 9 p.m. to midnight.
The two cameramen who accompanied the crew “asked us to do a couple of things, but there was no script,” said crew member Sal Ciolino, “and they didn’t try to make us do anything that might get us hurt.
“But that time of year, we had some good weathers,” he added, meaning rough seas, “and it was real cold. All you can see of me is my eyeballs.”
http://www.gloucestertimes.com/topstories/x708370797/Gloucester-fishermen-in-spotlight-again
Socio Economic Studies and the Piss Poor Science of Fishery Mismanagement.
Listening to the NEFMC meeting over the past three days, I’ve noticed some blatant flaws of connectivity on a number of issues. Where to begin? Thats as confusing as the information was.
I’m just going to ramble my way into it with something that has me scratching my thin haired head. The socio economic information issue. NOAA has decided that there must be a socio economic study, and they apparently decided the survey was important, but not so much important enough to include the fishermen. For clarity, I will be using that term for the guys that actually go to sea http://bore-head007.newsvine.com/_news/2012/09/28/14127887-socio-economic-studies-and-the-piss-poor-science-of-fishery-mismanagement
NEFMC Meeting – Plymouth, Ma Sept. 25 – 27, 2012 Audio Tapes
AUDIO: NEFMC’s Sept. 26 Meeting Reviews Assessments for Yellowtail, Scallops and Herring
Listen to the public’s comments regarding the SSC’s report on ABC recommendations for herring stocks for fishing years 2013 through 2015. Peter Mullen asks a very important question, and the answer should raise eyebrows. He kicks it off, and the ENGOs throw in their two cents. They keep saying, “they think”. Do they?
Listen to the public’s comments on the overview of SAW/SARC 54. This public comment period includes input from the Mayor of New Bedford, Massachusetts, Jon Mitchell.This is a great tape, and the common sense of Owen Rochford, Norpel can be found at 25:30 if you slide the button with your cursor.
Plenty of audio, plenty of examples of a broken management system, exacerbated by piss poor science, and special interest groups. Plenty of fun for the whole family.
Long-closed fishing areas may be reopened
PLYMOUTH — New England fishery managers have agreed to consider allowing fishermen back into areas that have been closed to them for decades. Such a move would give fishermen more access to healthy fish stocks and boost their businesses next year, when they face cuts in their catch so severe that it threatens the industry. The unanimous vote Thursday at a meeting of the New England Fishery Management Council came amid concerns about the environmental effects of reopening the three closed areas, located in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank. The year-round closures are intended to protect species of bottom-dwelling groundfish, such as cod, haddock and flounder. Some environmental groups vowed to vigorously oppose any re-openings. The council will consider giving final approval to measures to reopen the closed areas during its November meeting.
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1061163717&srvc=news&position=recent
The environ kooks are pissed! Peter Shelly threatened a lawsuit! The rest of them chimed right in! National Standard 8, fellas.
EDF actually approves! Is this the beginning of an eco nut civil war? Getting my can of combustible fuel and bellows ready!
Everybody’s Happy About the Harbor Porpoise Decision! Well, Except the Enviros. Here’s a bunch of link’s!
Senator Kerry Welcomes Changes to Gillnet Fishery Closure
New Bedford fishermen hail feds’ change of heart on porpoise closure
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120926/NEWS/120929902
Northeast Seafood Coalition thanks NOAA for “win-win” decision on Harbor Porpoise Closure
Today John Bullard, New Leader of NOAA’s Northeast Region, earned respect
I was almost sure, JB was gonna do what fishermen in New England are used to. I just knew he would follow suit. He did not. He gave the netters a reprieve from extinction. Many would not have survived had it not been for Bullard’s common sense move. He is not in lock step with his superiors.
A renegade?
I hope!
Been listening to the council meeting for the past two days. I’ve heard John Bullard say a few times he should’ve thought things through when he took the job. I believe he could be right. I’ve heard plenty in the last couple of days to convince me that we don’t have a fishery failure. We have a fishery management failure compounded with fishery science that is not the best available, but the only science available.
Peter Mullen, a mid-water herring boat owner asked about something I’ve brought up a number of times after reading an article written by Gloucester’s Carmine Gorga, PhD. He brought up the predator/prey issues that apparently, from the answer Mr Mullen received, have not been considered by the scientist trying to figure out fishery issues like cod and yellow tail. The Pew whores and their pixies are convinced herring is forage for cod, but would never consider codling would be forage feed for the superabundant herring.
The relationship is this. The larvae of the bottom fish need to go to the surface of the ocean in order to obtain food – plankton – and light. While they go up, they become a feast for the pelagic. When those larvae that survive become codling, they want to go back to their friends and relatives. While they descend to their native habitat, they become a second feast for the pelagic. a Fish and Future
Between an exploding number of predators, skate, dogfish, seals, and yes, herring, is it any wonder that fish stocks are in trouble, if they are indeed in trouble, while the regulators, pushed by the NOAA socio economic counted interlopers have allowed the ecosystem to become over run in the name of,,,,,,conservation.
If John Bullard has administrators remorse, who could blame him?
You hang in there John. You’re gaining respect. Something very unique when it comes to NOAA. BH
a, http://carmine3.newsvine.com/_news/2010/11/04/5408211-fish-and-future
BREAKING—-John Bullard comes through for Gulf of Maine and New England Gill Netters!
John Bullard, the new regional administrator for the National Marine Fisheries Service, decides in favor of fishermen, justifiably so! A pending closure for an area of ocean extending from southern Maine to Gloucester, Mass., slated to go into effect on Oct. 1 to protect harbor porpoise, unintentionally caught in gill nets. Information will be forthcoming as it arrives!
Editorial: Ex-AG’s ‘probe’ of fishing fund hardly independent – Gloucester Daily Times
The Gloucester Fishing Community Preservation Fund’s naming of former state Attorney General Scott Harshbarger to carry out an investigation into its own “governance, policies and operations” might seem like a good move 
— one that could clear up the clouds raised last winter by fishermen who voiced conflict-of-interest and concerns to Gloucester’s two state lawmakers.
Harshbarger, after all, has extensive experience both as attorney general and private attorney dealing with regulatory and fiscal issues involving nonprofit organizations. And that fits the fishing preservation fund, which largely serves as a commercial fishing permit bank handling the $12 million in mitigation money granted to fishermen as compensation for having a liquified natural gas terminal plunked down in the middle of some of the regional’s most lucrative fishings grounds five years ago.
But it doesn’t take much looking beneath the surface to find all sorts of red flags and questions marks regarding a purported “investigation” that is not at all as it seems.
Deep sea of distrust – Catch-share controversy, and an uncertain future
Editor’s note: This is part one of a two-part look at the tensions between local fishermen and regulators, and the beginning of a series on the fishing industry in general. Part 2 in next weekend’s Seacoast Sunday will feature the input of a NOAA scientist, new regional administrator John Bullard and David Goethel, a Hampton fisherman and member of the New England Fishery Management Council.
PORTSMOUTH — The new regional administrator for the National Marine Fisheries Service says his goal is to rebuild trust with fishermen, but fishermen are able to rattle off a litany of complaints against the federal agency and its scientists that indicate the relationship may be beyond repair.
http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20120923-NEWS-209230338
