The Northeast groundfish industry – what is left of it – and NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) are at an impasse over future funding of the at-sea monitoring program (ASM). NMFS is saying it is time to shift the cost burden to fishing vessel owners. Fishermen, and many friends and supporters of the industry, …
Category: September ’15
Real fishermen who help shape the process: This issue, meet Mark Phillips of Greenport, NY
GREENPORT, NY – Over the years, Mark Phillips has fished and held permits in most fisheries and gear types, including: weir, trawl, dragger, and dredge. Like many long-time fishermen, Phillips came into the profession through his family by lobstering with his uncle starting at age eight. Once he graduated high school, he forfeited going to …
Wheel Watch: Matt Finn – a Stanley Greenwood fan from way back
Matt Finn of Marblehead, MA knows his lobster boats – and he loves them, as well. Over the years, the 48-year-old Finn has owned 18 lobster boats (that’s not a typo: 18). And he’s not just an appreciator of boats – the guy is a heck of a craftsman, having done a lot of …
Ask the Lobster Doc: A year in the life of a lobster (Part 1) – Lobsters in autumn
Over the last 23 years, The Lobster Conservancy and I have gathered data recording what lobsters are doing throughout the year using various methods, including: • Collecting data on locations and hourly temperatures directly recorded by eggers tagged in Friendship, ME who traveled as far as Cape Cod, MA; • Taking repeated monthly census of …
New Bedford gears up to host its annual Working Waterfront Festival, Sept. 26-27
NEW BEDFORD, MA – The nation’s Number One fishing port hosts its annual Working Waterfront Festival – a free, family-friendly celebration of commercial fishing culture – once again this year on the working piers of New Bedford’s historic waterfront Saturday, Sept. 26 and Sunday, Sept. 27. More than simply a celebration, the Working Waterfront Festival …
FISH SAFE: The heart of the matter – AEDs on the waterfront
Since taking my CPR/AED (cardiopulmonary resuscitation-automated external defibrillator) certification in July, I have tried to be aware of where AEDs/defibrillators are located. The intention to look for them has to be “trained-in” as they are not as readily available or as obvious as fire extinguishers. Yet should you need one, knowing its whereabouts could save …
Reflections from the other side of a cod crisis on “The Rock”
A few weeks ago, I traveled with a film crew from New Hampshire Public Television (NHPTV) to Newfoundland. While there, we visited with scientists and fishermen to see what we could learn about their experiences since the 1992 Cod Moratorium. The trip was for a new NHPTV documentary being produced in partnership with NH Sea Grant/UNH …