Tag Archives: Town Dock
All about freshness: Local seafood rushed to markets near and far
As the crew of the Jenna Lynn II offloaded its catch earlier this month at the Town Dock, Eddie Gambardella watched as six of his employees quickly filled about 30 boxes with ice and 60 pounds each of fluke, scup, ling, sea bass, squid and other species that slid down a sorting table. The owner of Gambardella Wholesale Fish Dealers already had orders for the catch from his customers, mostly wholesalers in New York City. He credits his late uncle Mike Gambardella, a fierce supporter of the Town Dock fishing community who died in March 2020, as his inspiration. A color photo of him hangs on the wall, along with black-and-white images of Gambardella’s grandfather and great-grandfather. “Everything I learned was through my uncle. He was my teacher. I never went to college. He showed me everything,” Gambardella said. “I owe everything I have to him. It sucks that he’s not here. I miss him every day.” >click to read< or here 08:17
Town Dock to offer vaccine clinic for commercial fishermen, employees
The Town Dock in Narragansett is partnering with the Governor’s Office, the Department of Health, and the Department of Environmental Management to host a vaccine clinic this week. The free, walk-up clinic is for crews of the commercial fishing fleet, as well as employees of shoreside businesses in the Port of Galilee. The clinics will be held Tuesday, July 13 and Wednesday, July 14 from 12-4 p.m at The Town Dock. Clinicians will be administering the single shot J&J vaccine. Coronavirus testing will also be offered at the clinic. >click to read< 07:35
Commercial fishermen being ignored on wind farm projects
For the past three decades, Town Dock fishermen and their counterparts across the Northeast have struggled to stay afloat in the face of strict regulations designed to rebuild depleted stocks of cod, flounder and other species. But now that many of the species have rebounded and government regulators are increasing the amounts of fish they can land, the fishermen face a new threat: offshore wind farms. Longtime Town Dock fisherman Bob Guzzo said the federal government is giving away land that fishermen have used to feed people for more than 300 years. “I’d like to pass this on to someone else who wants to go fishing,” he said. >click to read< 18:54
This comment is excellent-Seems like we can add to the list of lies from big wind, if anyone is keeping score. I would doubt it, their whole industry is based on lies!
Huh! Town Dock was meeting spot for man arrested on terrorism charge
A West Haven man who was led to believe he could travel from the Town Dock en route to Turkey to fight for ISIS was arrested by the FBI on Sunday afternoon. The man, Khalil Elshazly, 22, was taken into custody by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force at the Town Dock in Stonington Borough, according to federal court documents.,, Elshazly was arrested after arriving at the Town Dock to meet a supposed fishing captain who would provide him with transportation, officials said. He was taken into custody without incident. >click to read< 07:49
Connecticut’s last commercial seaport — Stonington — shines in Mystic shadow
It’s a hodgepodge of a parade for sure, but one that holds the same significance year after year in this Connecticut fishing village. Upon completing their lap around the square, the pirates, pipers and hot rods, along with the spectators, move en masse the short distance to the Town Dock for the annual Blessing of the Fleet.,,, The blessing and its reason for being, too, have evolved. What once was a way of life for this little village has literally sailed out to sea. “We don’t have enough fish coming through the door,” said Mike Gambardella, whose family owns one of the last packing facilities and wholesale fish houses in Connecticut. >click to read<12:34
New England Fishery Management Council scale back Atlantic herring catch
The New England Fishery Management Council unanimously approved a new management approach that will dramatically cut the catch limits for herring over the next three years, but the regulatory board stopped short of temporarily shutting down the fishery, as one option on the table would have required. The new rules adopted by the council, which put in place a formula for setting annual catch limits, were applauded by some environmental advocates as recognition of the fish’s key role in the larger ocean ecosystem. But the decision was made over the objections of groups representing commercial fishing boats that catch herring and lobstermen who use the fish as bait. >click to read<08:02
Today, from noon to 4 p.m. – Stonington fishermen holding open house to promote freshly caught seafood
As part of the Blessing of the Fleet, the fishermen of Stonington are sponsoring an open house at Gambardella Wholesale Fish Dealers at the Town Dock from noon to 4 p.m. to provide an inside look at how seafood is caught, processed and distributed. Local fishermen will be on hand to explain how the fishing equipment works and what it’s like to bring in the catch from out at sea. Visitors will also be able to tour the Regulus, a scallop boat, and the Tradition, a trawling boat. And there will be food. >click to read<09:33
Stonington fishermen to hold open house on Saturday at Gambardella’s Wholesale Seafood at the Town Dock
The town’s commercial fishermen will hold an open house from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 28, at the Gambardella’s Wholesale Seafood location at the Town Dock. The event is being billed as an opportunity for residents to meet fishermen, local retailers and restaurants and find out what types of seafood are for sale locally this time of year and how the fish are processed and prepared for the local market. There will be an opportunity for people to go aboard a working fishing boat and learn how it operates as well as meet fishermen, ask them questions and learn what issues are concerning to them. >click to read<17:32
Connecticut – Stonington commercial fishermen to recycle old gear
Commercial fishing boats at the Town Dock have begun participating in the Fishing for Energy partnership, a program that offers fishermen a way to recycle old fishing gear for free. The gear will be stripped of metals for recycling with the help of Schnitzer Steel and processed into clean, renewable energy at the Covanta SECONN Energy-from-Waste Facility in Preston. The Town Dock is the first port in the state to participate in the program and fishermen can deposit gear in a collection bin at the dock. >click to read<15:39
New England: Members Of Commercial Fishing Industry Oppose Proposed Changes To Herring Fishery
Commercial fishing companies are against proposed changes to the Atlantic herring fishery management plan. The New England Fisheries Management Council wants to establish a new process for setting the sustainable harvest limit, referred to as the “acceptable biological catch.” That control rule, which is set every three years, would be in place for a longer period of time. The Town Dock, a Rhode Island-based seafood dealer and processor, said in a statement changing that rule would be problematic for the fishery. >click to read<13:50
RI Delegation Commends Mid on Squid, introduce legislation in House and Senate – The Rhode Island Fishermen’s Fairness Act
After the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) recently voted 16-4 against a proposed squid buffer zone framework off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts that would have negatively impacted Rhode Island fishermen, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline commended the council. And this week Reed introduced legislation in the U.S. Senate and Langevin introduced identical legislation in U.S. House of Representatives to give Rhode Island a seat at the council table going forward so that the state and local fishermen have a direct say over matters that impact them. The Rhode Island Fishermen’s Fairness Act, which is cosponsored by Whitehouse and Cicilline, would add Rhode Island to the list of seven states with voting representation on the MAFMC, click here to read press release 19:42
Fishing Industry Takes More Action Against New York Offshore Wind Lease
A group of fishing organizations, businesses and communities, led by the Fisheries Survival Fund (FSF), has taken more action to halt the lease of Statoil’s planned wind farm off the coast of New York. The suit, filed against the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), is seeking summary judgment and requesting the court to invalidate the lease, which was awarded to Norwegian firm Statoil to develop the New York Wind Energy Area (NY WEA) late last year. click here to read the story 13:23
Rhode Island: Squid Fishing is a Boon to the Local Economy
Its high squid fishing season. Recreational anglers crowd the Calamari (Goat Island) Causeway at night, carrying floating water lights and special jigs to scoop them up in buckets. The commercial fleet is pumping squid into the Port of Galilee by the boatload. From the seabed to the boat to a saltwater flume that shoots them into the maw of a dockside processing facility, they are sorted, graded and flash frozen at minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit.,, The Rhode Island fleet has been so adept at maximizing this particular catch that Galilee is now the number one port for longfin squid landings on the East Coast. In 2015, for example, Rhode Island landed sixteen million pounds. New York, its nearest competitor, landed about 4.3 million pounds. click here to read the story 14:34
Stonington first selectman insulted by DEEP Capt. Keith Williams “keep them honest” comment about fishermen
Capt. Keith Williams stated “I’ll check when they’re offloading, doing surprise checks at the dock. We’ll go to the docks in Stonington frequently just to keep them honest, and let them know we’re out there.” (click here) First Selectman Rob Simmons has written a letter to state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Robert Klee, complaining about a comment that the new head of the marine division of the Environmental Conservation Police made about members of the town’s fishing fleet in an interview with The Day. The comments came as he discussed the responsibilities of the marine division. Simmons said this week that the comment implies that Town Dock fishermen are breaking the law or are considering it. In his letter to Klee, Simmons pointed out the long economic and cultural importance of the fleet, and said to “single out Stonington from all of the other coastal towns who support commercial and recreational fishing, and to suggest that we are not honest, is an unacceptable insult.” Read the rest here 07:13
Rhode Island: Investing in seafood industry pays off
Monday’s shoreline Port of Galilee ribbon-cutting ceremony was a perfect example of how investing in infrastructure can make the cash register ring for Rhode Islanders. “This dock was in rough shape. You couldn’t drive heavy vehicles on it. But thanks to the team here today, our capacity will be enhanced by 30 percent. This is big for our company,” said Ryan Clark, vice president of Town Dock, a fishing and fish processing company. Read the article here 15:24
Sunken lobster boat raised – Investigation continues
Police said their investigation into an early Wednesday morning fire at the Town Dock that sunk a lobster boat and damaged another boat that was tied to it is continuing Thursday morning. Capt. Todd Olson said this morning a crane was attached to the boat in order to lift it out of the water. The vessel is now out of the water, according to Cyndy Chanaca, a state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection spokeswoman. Read the rest here View seven additional photo’s here 10:30
Fire at Town Dock – Lobster boat sinks, another significantly damaged
A lobster boat sank, another was significantly damaged and a 50-foot section of the 
was destroyed by a fire reported around 4 a.m. Wednesday. The fishing vessel Lindy was on fire when the Stonington Borough Fire Department responded. The boat eventually sank at the dock. The Martha Elizabeth, docked next to the Lindy, suffered significant damage but remained afloat. The Connecticut State Fire Marshal arrived on the scene at 9:30 a.m., and is investigating the cause of the fire. Read the rest here 08:26
Connecticut: Keeping tabs on invasive shrimp in local waters
“Guys,” called Bors, a doctoral candidate at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, to the four marine sciences interns working with her at the Town Dock. “There’s huge … lots of shrimp here. And you know what’s interesting? I got all these from the sediment.” Read more here 16:31
