Tag Archives: Port of New Bedford
Fishermen, fleet owners hope Trump helps their industry
New Bedford fishermen fly many flags. There is the American flag, the skull and crossbones flag. There are flags expressing resistance to offshore wind development. And there are many — many — flags for former President Donald Trump. But one flag is rarely hoisted on the New Bedford waterfront. “I have yet to see a Harris-Walz flag on a fishing vessel,” said Drew Minkiewicz, an attorney representing the industry’s Sustainable Scalloping Fund. The vast support for Trump among fishermen boils down to a few main points, some specific to the fishing industry, some not. Trump has said that he would overturn the ban on commercial fishing in Marine National Monuments, which was first enacted by the Obama administration, repealed by Trump and then re-established under President Joe Biden. There are frustrations with immigration policy and with inflation, especially with gas and food, which have an acute impact on the profits of a fishing trip. But no issue has swayed the politics of the fishing industry more than offshore wind development. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 18:50
“Stand Clear the Line: Swordfishing on the SouthCoast. – New Swordfishing Exhibit at New Bedford Heritage Center
No one thinks much about commercial swordfishing and the Port of New Bedford, but 50 years ago or so, that line of work was fairly prominent on the waterfront. The New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center, located at 38 Bethel Street, is reviving those memories with a new exhibit, “Stand Clear the Line: Swordfishing on the SouthCoast.” Ritter said many of the fishermen who helped with the exhibit also went after swordfish back in the day. “We’re going to have a number of photos, artifacts, and media displays for people to explore the change of gear and technology used by local fishermen as they transitioned from harpooning to long-lining,” he said. more, >>click to read<< 11:51
New Bedford fishing industry considers compensation for offshore wind’s impact
Massachusetts and eight other Atlantic Coast states proposed the establishment of a regional fisheries compensatory mitigation fund administrator. In June, the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) issued a draft framework for mitigating impacts to commercial and recreational fisheries. Stakeholders have until Jan. 31 to submit comments to a Request for Information released by the states on Dec. 12 to guide the process. New Bedford Port Authority Executive Director Gordon Carr said the initiative and leadership of the nine states and the extensive work involved in issuing the scoping document for a regional fisheries mitigation fund administrator and seeking stakeholder input through the RFI process is greatly appreciated. >click to read< 08:06
Investigation reveals private equity firms dominate the New Bedford fishing industry
A debate is raging in the local scallop industry about whether fishermen should be allowed to lease their permits. Supporters say the proposal could help fishermen with a small catch share, or those who can’t get out to sea, stay in the business, because they could lease their permit to another captain. Opponents worry it would allow big companies to consolidate the industry and push small fishermen out, similar to what has happened in the groundfishing industry. CAI’s Kathryn Eident talked with Will Sennott, a reporter with the New Bedford Light, about his investigation into permit leasing in the groundfishing industry, and how he found that some of the biggest winners are multinational private equity firms, not small fishermen. >click to read< 16:21
Scallop fishermen and industry advocates call for changes to proposed NY Bight offshore wind farm area’s
In an online call with Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) officials, industry representatives highlighted the need for a buffer zone to protect the most valuable scallop area in the Mid-Atlantic and expressed concern over environmental and fisheries impacts of offshore wind development generally. Proposed lease areas need to be thoroughly re-evaluated to reduce impacts to scallops and scallop fishermen, who operate in the most valuable federally managed fishery. >click to read< 13:36
Fishing vessel taking on water at New Bedford City Pier III
First responders were down at Pier III Monday morning for a call of a vessel sinking. Upon arrival, they found the fishing vessel Tom Slaughter III taking on water, said John Ryan of the Port of New Bedford. He said the call came in just before 8 a.m. There were no immediate details as to why the vessel was taking on water. >photos. click to read< 13:28
Mobile Coronavirus testing site now available for New Bedford’s commercial fishing industry
The Port of New Bedford has partnered with Southcoast Health to provide COVID-19 testing for the city’s commercial fishing industry. Beginning Friday, the Southcoast Mobile Health Van was on-site testing fishermen slated to leave port after their results would be made available. The mobile testing site, located along the port’s waterfront, is a trial run to see if there is an increased need for fishermen to be tested. The pilot will also help New Bedford and Southcoast Health prepare for expanded testing capabilities, including for targeted essential workers. >click to read< 08:09
Coronavirus: Port of New Bedford, Southcoast Health to pilot COVID-19 testing for fishing industry
Using the Southcoast Mobile Health Van, testing began Friday afternoon for fishing crews whose vessels are slated to leave the port after their results are available. The testing Friday is a trial run to prepare for expanded testing capability by Southcoast Health as more COVID-19 testing becomes available. Targeted testing for essential and high-risk employees will be key to continuing to plan for reopening of the local economy and adjusting social distancing in the workplace. Medical interpreters will be on site, and literature in multiple languages will be available at the mobile testing site. This site will pilot best practices for mobile testing as more tests become available to healthcare providers, preparing Southcoast Health and the City of New Bedford for expanded testing capabilities, including for targeted essential workers. >click to read< 16:42
Port of New Bedford ranks No. 1 for 18th consecutive year
Death, taxes and New Bedford ranked as the most valuable fishing port in the country remain certainties in life. NOAA announced its annual fish landings data on Thursday for 2017, and for the 18th consecutive year the Port of New Bedford topped all others in terms of value. The port landed $389 million in 2017, more than $200 million more than Dutch Harbor, Alaska, which landed $173 million. Scallops accounted for 80 percent of the seafood landed in New Bedford.>click to read<15:23
There’s a Repulican Running for US Senate, He’s Listening to the Industry People in New Bedford
Geoff Diehl cruised around the Port of New Bedford in an RV Tuesday that maneuvered in and out of small entrances and exits. The red, white, and blue mobile home featured the slogan of the Republican U.S. Senate candidate, ” The Real Diehl,” as he looked to learn the reality of the fishing industry in the area. Diehl made four stops in the area, which began with Mayor Jon Mitchell and concluded with a meeting with three members on the board of Sector 9 as well as the sector’s lawyer. Diehl questioned what incumbent Elizabeth Warren has done,,,>click here to read< 18:47
Jose forces New Bedford fishing fleet to stay in port
The incoming storm has essentially shut down the fishing industry in New Bedford for at least a day or two. Fishermen are not taking any chances with Jose, and it appeared that nobody was heading out onto the water Tuesday morning. Tony Soares, who works for Carlos Seafood, spent the past 24 hours overseeing the massive effort of tying up and securing almost 40 fishing vessels in the Port of New Bedford “I call everybody [and] make sure everybody tied the boats,” said Soares, who was checking the lines by hand around 6 a.m. Tuesday. Video, click here to read the story 09:09
Don Cuddy: Port of New Bedford needs more dredging if it’s going to grow
It remains hugely frustrating that no one at the state level seems to recognize just how important this port is. When the Seastreak ferry recently broke down, it had to tie up at the State Pier for repairs. This in turn displaced the Voyager, a 130-foot fishing vessel, which had to move to Leonard’s Wharf, where boats are already moored five-deep. “We need updated infrastructure. When you have a 130-foot boat tied to a pier designed for 70-80 foot boats your infrastructure isn’t going to last long,” Ed Anthes-Washburn, the affable executive director of the Harbor Development Commission, told me as we toured the working waterfront in a HDC launch last week. “We also need to activate the rest of our waterfront.” click here to read the story 13:01
Martin Associates Study: Port of New Bedford has $9.8 billion value
The Port of New Bedford had a $9.8 billion economic value in 2015 and generates more than 36,000 jobs in the region, according to a new state-funded study that city and waterfront leaders hope will spur additional state investment in harbor dredging and other improvements. The study indicates the local port’s economic impact is comparable to that of the Port of Boston, which generated more than 50,000 jobs and had a total economic value of $4.6 billion in 2012, according to Martin Associates. The Pennsylvania-based firm also studied the Port of Boston’s economic impact in 2006, for the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport), and has examined economic impacts of seaport activity in more than 120 U.S. and Canadian ports, from Seattle to Tampa. Martin Associates also conducted the $80,000 Port of New Bedford study, which was funded by a grant from the state’s Seaport Economic Council and included interviews and surveys with 147 companies involved in local harbor-related business. Ed Anthes-Washburn, port director for the city’s Harbor Development Commission, said much of that impact comes from the waterfront’s seafood processing industry — and called the study’s results eye-opening. Read the story here 14:01
Activity increasing all along New Bedford Harbor
The Port of New Bedford is not only home to the vastly profitable scallop industry, making it the No. 1 value fishing port in the nation, it is also the No. 2 commercial port in Massachusetts, after Boston. Commercial and recreational activity in the port has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years, with an occasional setback. Shoreside fish processors, meanwhile, are bringing in fish from other sources to be put through value-added processing before shipping to distributors. Read the rest here 07:45
