State and Local

NEWTON – When word came that Barney Frank was retiring, Alex Khitrik looked as if he had been socked in the stomach, eyes bulging, mouth agape. At 27, he could not recall a time before Frank and could scarcely imagine the district and the country without him.

“I’m shocked,’’ said Khitrik, co-owner of Inna’s Kitchen, a Jewish deli and caterer, and one of many people in Newton with direct connections to Frank. Khitrik was a summer intern in a constituent office eight years ago. He glided from the cash register to his laptop, to confirm the news.

“He was like one of the biggest voices in government; he wasn’t afraid to say it like it was,’’ Khitrik added, shaking his head. “And he was funny.’’

As word spread from Newton to New Bedford, constituents in Frank’s Fourth Congressional District shared that look of surprise. From steadfast admirers to sometime supporters and even critics, many interviewed said they had imagined that Frank, first elected in 1980, would remain a fixture for years to come.

Read the complete article from The Boston Globe

 

 

 

 

 

A new Congressional Redistricting map revealed this week would eliminate New Bedford from Congressman Barney Frank’s district, while also eliminating Fall River from Congressman Jim McGovern’s District.

Barney Frank, a champion of the New Bedford’s fishing industry will also lose his place on the local docks. He remained tightlipped on Wednesday. His sadness was palatable.

“They said they were going to make it more logical, they made it less logical,” he told O Jornal. “This new district seems to be to me, less coherent. Splitting Fall River from Westport makes no sense.

Frank admitted to being pained by the split.

“I feel it strongly,” he said. “It is a little like being a kid and all of a sudden you are moving away in the middle of the school year and have to say goodbye to all our friends. I have invested a lot of energy and time in working with the people of New Bedford and the fishermen. We were beginning to make some gains but it is disappointing. Districts do not exist for our egos and personalities, I am really sad that in the future I will not be as much help to the fishermen whom I admire greatly.

The fishermen, who ply trade on the docks, had found in Barney Frank a reliable advocate and now he is being cast off by the new map.

"We are going to miss him over here in the fishing industry,” said Tony Pereira, who has captained a dragger for 34 years. “Him and Kennedy were the best for the fishing industry, Kennedy passed away and now this. Barney was with us draggers and Scallopers in Washington a few years ago. The fishing industry is going to miss him a lot, that is for sure.”

That sentiment was echoed by the man known as the “Codfather “ of the docks, Carlos Raphael, who owns his own fleet of fishing vessels out of the nation’s largest fishing port.

“It leaves us in a very bad predicament,” said Raphael. “The industry is at a disadvantage now. He is very familiar with the industry’s problems. All I know is however it works out, it is not good for the industry. He knows all to well the problems that need to be straightened out. If you get somebody new to take his footsteps, they are going to need to learn all the needs of the industry and it is something you do not learn overnight.”

Read the complete story 

A letter from 109 New England groundfishermen advocating for the regulatory status quo set off a fierce, internecine war of words Friday between haves and have-nots in catch share fishing allocations, leaving the mayors of Gloucester and New Bedford surprised and dismayed as well.

Rhode Islander Tina Jackson, president of the American Alliance of Fishermen and Their Communities and a fierce opponent of catch share commodification, which typically brings with it the fleet consolidation New England is experiencing, said the drafters of the letter "have started a war."

New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang called the signers "collaborators," fishermen willing to validate an inequitable system for a price.

Facilitated by officers of influential industry groups — including members of the Gloucester-based Northeast Seafood Coalition — the letter signed by the 109 fishermen, roughly a quarter of the current New England groundfishing fleet, included 15 from Cape Ann and asserted that elected officials, while responding to minority calls "amplified in the media," have put their businesses at risk with "a series of increasingly dangerous proposals."

Read the complete story from The Gloucester Times.

 

 

 

 

 

Governor Deval Patrick today sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce John E. Bryson renewing the Commonwealth’s request for $21 million in federal fisheries disaster assistance for Massachusetts fishing communities impacted by the federal “catch shares” program. The Governor’s request is accompanied by two new economic reports that document significant financial losses and dramatic consolidation in the Massachusetts-based groundfish fleet.

“Massachusetts fishermen have suffered severe economic hardship due to the implementation of the catch shares program,” said Governor Patrick. “Under the federal program, we have seen a loss of jobs, vessels and businesses. I am requesting federal disaster assistance to mitigate these losses, and protect the economic viability of our historic fishing industry.”

In November 2010, Governor Patrick made a request to the Department of Commerce asking for $21 million in direct economic relief to the Massachusetts groundfish fleet for the impact caused by the transition to the catch shares system. The Administration’s request was accompanied by a comprehensive Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Institute Report (MFI Report), which detailed the economic challenges Massachusetts fishermen have faced under catch shares.

Read the complete story at The New England Post.

 

 

 

 

 

 

NEW BEDFORD — Mayor Scott W. Lang, in his pitch to the New England Fisheries Management Council Thursday, backed cameras on vessels instead of federal observers, pushed for $21 million in federal disaster relief for fishermen and articulated the ripple effect of the federal fishing regulations.

Lang said he was driven to make an appearance at the meeting because of a letter, signed by dozens of New England commercial fishermen, including several from New Bedford, sent to this region's Capitol Hill delegation earlier this week. The letter states that a "few voices calling for the overturn for the entire" sector management system has led to a series of "increasingly dangerous proposals that truly put the future of our business and fisheries at risk."

"Perhaps too many of us in the industry have been too busy making the new system work to consistently weigh in," reads the letter.

Reductions to key stocks in 2010, according to the letter, would have been required "regardless of what management system was in place at the time."

Such reductions were necessary to meet rebuilding goals and comply with provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, according to the letter. Some of the New Bedford-based names attached to the letter include Albert Lees, Paul Lemieux, Carlos Rafael and Peter Reposa.

Read the complete story from The South Coast Today.

 

 

 

 

 

November 16, 2011

To: The New England Fisheries Management Council

From: Scott W. Lang, Mayor of New Bedford, Massachusetts

Dear Council Members:

As the Mayor of the nation's number one fishing port, I write to you today to draw your attention to pressing issues facing the groundfish industry and call on you to take action.   From the long history of top-down fisheries management, we are seeing an abrupt exit of several fishing vessels from the groundfish fleet resulting in job loss and economic harm.   In a letter dated November 14, 2011, to New England’s Senators and Congressman, scores of local and regional commercial fisherman took a stance and called on our nation's leaders to address the litany of unfair flaws in restrictive fisheries management policies and inadequate management infrastructure [see letter attached].  On November 15, 2011, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick  called on Secretary John E. Bryson of the U.S. Department of Commerce to approve a federal disaster declaration and $21 million in relief assistance, citing the original Marine Fisheries Institute (MFI) Report and new scientific studies authored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFs), the Commonwealth's Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) and the Massachusetts Dartmouth's School of Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) [see letter attached].  

I support the Governor's request and bring to your attention a few of the staggering facts indicated in these reports:
*      Economic loss to the groundfish industry is estimated at $21 million (MFI Report)
*      In 2010, 10% of the fishermen accounted for 57.7% of the total ground fish revenue up from 47.7% in 2009, demonstrating the continued trend of consolidation with no remedy for those harmed (NOAA's 2010 Performance Report).
*      The groundfish fleet decreased by 109 vessels from 2009 to 2010 (Break-Even Analysis)
*      The groundfish revenue in just one sector fell by 52% (Sector 10 Analysis)
 

Disaster relief money will provide a much needed band-aid, but is not the ultimate remedy.  Allocations need to be adjusted to reflect scientific realities and frameworks implemented that balance conservation with socioeconomics.  It is not an overstatement to note that underfishing can be reduced by as much as 50 percent without compromising the sustainability of our various fisheries and species. This must involve careful examination of stock assessments, overfishing levels, and annual catch limits.  In fact, the entire management structure requires a dramatic overhaul.  A clear example of this is demonstrated in anecdotal accounts around the still-in-progress assessment for the Gulf of Maine cod. Such accounts claim the fishery went from healthy to severely unhealthy in just three short years.  Those assessments are more indicative of a clearly uncertain system than an actual indication of a radical shift in the health of the species' population.  A further concern stems from yet another unsubstantiated assertion that there may be an unusually large 2010-year class of haddock.  The opening or shifting of areas that are now closed to fishing also merit consideration.  The impacts of these closures, particularly George's Banks need to be assessed.  Real-time science is required to best understand the health of ocean resources and drive smart management.  Collaborative research is the answer to obtaining good science.  In addition cameras and sophisticated surveillance technology can replace costly observers.

In closing, I am pleased that Inspector General Todd J. Zinser authorized an investigation of the rule making process.  Accountability coupled with open and transparent rule making promises to renew industry trust, establish collaborative processes, and make the institutional fixes requisite to proper management of the fishery resources.

Thank you for your attention to these important matters.

Sincerely,

 

Scott Lang,

Mayor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has renewed his request for $21 million in federal fisheries disaster assistance for communities affected by new fishing rules.

Patrick was denied the same request last year, but the U.S. Commerce Department said future aid could be available.

Read the complete story by The AP at The Boston Globe.

 

 

 

 

A year after strict federal rules took effect to limit the catch of local fishermen, Governor Deval Patrick asked the federal government yesterday to provide $21 million in disaster assistance to the state’s fishing communities, arguing that “significant financial losses and dramatic consolidation’’ have harmed the state’s groundfish industry.

The request for aid, made after the US Commerce Department denied a previous appeal in January, cites new data for why the assistance is needed now.

“Massachusetts fishermen have suffered severe economic hardship due to the implementation of the catch shares program,’’ Patrick said in a statement. “Under the federal program, we have seen a loss of jobs, vessels, and businesses. I am requesting federal disaster assistance to mitigate these losses and protect the economic viability of our historic fishing industry.’’

The Patrick administration said a new economic analysis by the state Department of Fish and Game’s Division of Marine Fisheries found a 61 percent decline in the groundfish catch of mainly small fishing boats on the South Coast between 2009 and 2010.

Read the complete story from The Boston Globe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

BOSTON — November 15, 2011 — Governor Deval Patrick today sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce John E. Bryson renewing the Commonwealth’s request for $21 million in federal fisheries disaster assistance for Massachusetts fishing communities impacted by the federal “catch shares” program. The Governor’s request is accompanied by two new economic reports that document significant financial losses and dramatic consolidation in the Massachusetts-based groundfish fleet.

“Massachusetts fishermen have suffered severe economic hardship due to the implementation of the catch shares program,” said Governor Patrick. “Under the federal program, we have seen a loss of jobs, vessels and businesses. I am requesting federal disaster assistance to mitigate these losses, and protect the economic viability of our historic fishing industry.”

In November 2010, Governor Patrick made a request to the Department of Commerce asking for $21 million in direct economic relief to the Massachusetts groundfish fleet for the impact caused by the transition to the catch shares system. The Administration’s request was accompanied by a comprehensive Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Institute Report (MFI Report), which detailed the economic challenges Massachusetts fishermen have faced under catch shares.

The MFI Report estimated that fishermen would suffer $21 million in lost revenue considering the difference between the value of groundfish allocated to fishermen in 2010 and the annual landings produced by the same fishermen in 2009. The Department of Commerce denied the Governor’s request last January, but suggested that economic disaster aid could be available in the future, pending additional economic analysis.

In response to the Department of Commerce’s request, the Department of Fish and Game’s (DFG) Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) issued Comparative Economic Survey and Analysis of Northeast Fishery Sector 10 (Sector 10 Analysis), a new report that details losses in specific fishery sectors along the state’s coastline. The in-depth analysis of Sector 10, comprised mostly of small boats fishing from the South Shore, documented a significant 61 percent decline in groundfish landings between 2009 (under the previous Days at Sea regulatory program), and 2010 under catch shares. This decline in landings has resulted in a 52 percent drop in groundfish revenue by 27 small business owners – equal to more than $1.5 million. Furthermore, the Sector 10 Analysis shows 30 percent of permit holders have lost at least 80 percent of their groundfish revenue – worth $301,000, while 52 percent lost at least half their revenue, worth $667,000.

Additionally, DMF also compared the aggregate information for all sectors and common pool fishermen remaining in the Days at Sea management program, which shows that total revenues were down approximately $11 million for 12 of the 17 sectors and the common pool.

A second just-completed report, the Break-Even Analysis of the New England Groundfish Fishery for FY2009 and FY2010 (Break-Even Analysis), confirms that the Massachusetts groundfish fleet has experienced a significant 24 percent decline between 2009 and 2010. The Break-Even Analysis was the result of a collaborative effort between DMF, NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s School of Marine Science and Technology to further define economic impacts previously documented in the MFI Report to the Department of Commerce.

Finally, the recently released NOAA’s 2010 Final Report on the Performance of the Northeast Multispecies (Groundfish) Fishery May 2010-April 2011 provides further evidence to support Massachusetts' original request in 2010. This report found that, for the full 2010 fishing year, 10 percent of vessels accounted for almost 58 percent of gross groundfish revenue, up significantly from the prior three years. The report further shows revenues have become consolidated in fewer individual vessels, that smaller boats are being forced out of business and many larger boats have been negatively affected. 

Governor Patrick has partnered with congressional leaders, state legislators, city officials and industry representatives to address this challenge facing the industry.

“I’m hopeful the finish line is in sight,” said U.S. Senator John Kerry. “After our field hearing, Administrator Lubchenco agreed to an expedited review of our new data which we believe is incontrovertible in making the case for the economic relief our fishermen desperately need. Secretary Bryson renewed his commitment to get up to Massachusetts and work with us. Governor Patrick and his team have been working closely with us to crack the code on the disaster declaration and I’m hopeful that today’s new report gets us down to the short strokes of this process. It's absolutely vital for Massachusetts that we get our folks relief.”

“NOAA’s own data clearly shows what Massachusetts fishermen have been saying all along– they are struggling to survive under the catch share program,” said U.S. Senator Scott Brown. “I call on Secretary Bryson to swiftly approve Governor Patrick’s request for a disaster declaration to provide some much needed relief to our fishermen.”

“I appreciate the Governor making a follow-up request for disaster assistance to Secretary Bryson on behalf of groundfishermen,” said Congressman Barney Frank. “The sector program has consolidated the fleet and placed too many fishermen and boat owners in a difficult financial situation. Without the proper financial assistance, many of these men and women will be forced to leave an industry which is at the very heart of our fishing communities. My colleagues and I will continue to fight on their behalf as well as for the many businesses which rely on their future success.”

“In a time of consistently high unemployment and economic hardship, our first priority must continue to be bringing full and fair reparation to our harbors’ small boat fleets for the damages amassed in the past year,” said Congressman Bill Keating. “I thank Governor Patrick for his commitment to pursuing disaster aid funding for the fishermen of Massachusetts, and I thank the Sector 10 fishermen for their participation in this study. I will continue to work alongside my colleagues to ensure that this local industry is properly compensated.”

"Maintaining a vibrant fishing industry and fisheries is integral to the economy and the spirit of Massachusetts,” said Congressman Edward J. Markey. “The Commerce Department should look closely at this new economic data in evaluating the financial challenges facing some fishermen in our state."

“As the economic data and analysis continues to indicate, far too many of our fishing families are struggling to sustain their livelihood because of the catch-shares program,” said Congressman John Tierney. “One of the ways Secretary Bryson can demonstrate a renewed commitment to helping our fishing community and treating them with fairness is by approving the Commonwealth’s request for disaster assistance. I strongly supported the Governor’s request last November, and I do so again this year.”

“In Massachusetts and especially in my district, we have fisherman who are desperately trying to hold on to their boats, their houses and feed their families,” said Senate President Therese Murray. “Our larger commercial fleets have been decimated and the science used to determine the catch is antiquated and inaccurate. This federal disaster assistance would serve as a positive and constructive step to help our fisherman maintain their livelihood and stop the erosion of a bedrock industry here in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.”

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BOSTON—Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has renewed his request for $21 million in federal fisheries disaster assistance for communities affected by new fishing rules.

Patrick was denied the same request last year, but the U.S. Commerce Department said future aid could be available.

On Tuesday, Patrick wrote Commerce Secretary John Bryson to request the aid and sent two new reports he said detail the "severe economic hardship" caused by the fishing rules, which went into effect in May 2010.

Read the complete story by The AP at The Boston Globe.