Tag Archives: Rep. Ann Margaret Ferrante
Ferrante urges state officials to ‘step up’ advocacy for fishing
As the Beacon Hill political crowd munched on ceviches and chowders in the Great Hall on Wednesday, they heard a message from the seafood industry aimed more at Washington, D.C., than the halls of the State House. Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante, the daughter of a fisherman and a 30-year advocate for the fishing industry, spoke at the annual Seafood Day in the state capitol about “what the federal government does to us.” The Gloucester Democrat found fault with how the feds survey fishery resources and shrink local fishing quotas, saying that the industry will perish unless a new course is charted. She wasn’t alone: Roger Berkowitz, formerly of Legal Sea Foods, told the crowd about NOAA’s past use of “boats with broken gear” to formulate their stock assessments. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:30
‘It’s all about the people’ Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante said about her run
She’s a Gloucester native. Her parents came from immigrant families. She’s the only child of her father, Joseph, who worked as a fisherman until an injury forced him out of the job, and her mother, Frances, who worked in the schools’ libraries. She has her supporters. Helene Nicholson, “I think she brings the things to Gloucester like the waterfront and she works well with other candidates even though Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr is a Republican, you know, she works well across the aisles, which I like, and she’s a fair player. She’s honest.” Her father’s injury turned out to be a blessing in disguise. In 1994, a few months after his accident, the fishing vessel F/V Italian Gold sank. “That’s the boat my father would have been on. All four men were lost at sea,” Ferrante said. Her father asked her to promise him she would help those crew members’ families. >click to read< 12:14
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
Gloucester: Open Door, fishing vessel win food security grants
The Open Door and a Gloucester fishing company will share in $5.9 million in state grants to help ensure a secure food supply chain for Massachusetts residents,,, The Open Door, which operates food pantries in Gloucester and Ipswich and other food delivery services, received $201,073,,, Also, the Russo Fishing Co., which operates the F/V Miss Trish, received $95,000 to develop an automated fish-gutting and conveyor system on the deck of the vessel to reduce the amount of time its catch remains on deck. The award to the Russo Fishing Co. is one of eight to seafood harvesters, producers and processors, as well as aquaculture operations throughout the state. The inclusion of fishing industry elements among the grant awards was a key point of emphasis, according to state Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester. >click to read< 16:10
China tariffs sinking overseas sales, Provincetown lobstermen not feeling the pinch
“It’s killed our price. It’s killed our markets,” said state Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante of Gloucester.,,, Multiple Massachusetts businesses, especially those in Gloucester, have been adversely affected as they cannot compete with Canadian wholesale prices. But the lobstermen themselves are not feeling the pinch, and if anything are seeing their prices rise, Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association Executive Director Beth Casoni said. “The fishermen are happy,” Casoni said. “They’re making money.” >click to read< 09:29
Cape Ann Seafood Exchange plans to reopen Tuesday
The Cape Ann Seafood Exchange expects to resume landing fish Tuesday, almost two weeks after the U.S. Labor Department effectively shuttered the business by seizing its bank accounts because of unpaid court-ordered damages. Kristian Kristensen, the owner of the fish auction on 27 Harbor Loop, said Thursday night that he had received final paper work from Labor Department officials that unfroze his business and personal bank accounts. “Now we can start putting things back in order, pay some people and hopefully start landing fish again on Tuesday, the day after the holiday,” Kristensen said. “That’s the plan.” >click to read<15:54
Fishing fund hires ex-AG for probe
Former state Attorney General Scott Harshbarger is under contract to — and has already begun an assessment of — the “governance,
policies and operations” of the Gloucester Fishing Community Preservation Fund, the locally-based nonprofit corporation announced.
Fund President Vito Giacalone declined comment Wednesday, a day after the fund announced the hiring of Harshbarger
who agreed to take on the task last month, the former attorney general said in a telephone interview. Instead,
Giacalone referred questions to the fund’s newly hired spokesman, David Guarino.
http://www.gloucestertimes.com/topstories/x550074880/Fishing-fund-hires-ex-AG-for-probe
