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NEWTON, MA – Congressman Barney frank today released the following statement about New Bedford resident Howard Nickerson. “Howard Nickerson was not only one of the very first people to teach me about the fishing industry in New Bedford; he was also one of the very best. Howard’s knowledge of both the technical and practical aspects of fishing, his deep understanding of the fishing community, and his long experience fighting for fairer regulations, made him an invaluable asset as I began to learn how I could best help New Bedford’s fishermen.  He was a good friend and I deeply regret his passing.”

Reflecting on Nickerson's accomplishments

What a pleasure it was for me to read John K. Bullard's wonderful tribute to the late Howard Nickerson which the newspaper published recently ("My friend Howard: Transformer of the waterfront," Jan. 29).

My father, the late Harry C. Tripp, spent his career in the insurance business and had many clients in the fishing industry. He became acquainted with Howard Nickerson; the two men forged a bond of friendship based on respect and trust.

Howard explained the challenges and rewards of fishing and helped my father grapple with the realities of life on the sea and its constant uncertainty. Howard went on to serve the community in many different roles. His goal was always the same: to promote the fishing industry and the community of New Bedford. At the time of my father's untimely death in 1962, Howard was just at the beginning of his career.

Read the complete story at The South Coast Today [subscription site]

note: The Standard-Times is a subscription site.  Unregistered visitors are able to read three stories per month, and registered visitors may view ten.  For unlimited access, please follow the subscription instructions on the site. 

Beginning January 1, the Federal government officially tasked the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to begin a registry of all saltwater anglers in the United States and territories.

Any angler either fishing in coastal waters or fishing in state waters for certain types of fish, including striped bass, shad and salmon, are required to sign up for the registry.  There are exemptions, such as if you already have a saltwater fishing license in a state that has an information sharing arrangement with the Federal government. 

Unfortunately for anglers on the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland is not one of those states, meaning anyone fishing on the Bay or any of its tributaries, including the Susquehanna River into Pennsylvania, are required to register.  Other exemptions include:  anyone under the age of 16, anyone with state license exemptions such as seniors or active-duty military, anyone who pays to fish on a licensed charter or party boat, and anyone who fishes under a commercial license.

Read the complete story at The Mariner.

To the [Gloucester Times] editor:

It's time to chime in and ask that marine fishing communities step back and gain perspective on what recently has happened in recent weeks — and, more importantly, why.

I must question the following actions as to whether or not they possibly are mostly meant to diminish the impact of the national fishermen's rally scheduled in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 24.

First, the Inspector General's report on NOAA and NMFS's overtly severe enforcement tactics was released early, before it was complete. It provided an opportune response for the head of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to call for a summit seeking answers to their own ineptness — and in portraying a spirit of cooperation.

Read the complete editorial at The Gloucester Daily Times.

TAD AMES’S op-ed “Wind site bill misses the point of conservation’’ does a disservice to all those concerned with the environment.

I suppose that if the trade-off is as he suggests, between protecting the environment and powering our 47-inch TVs, it might be a close call. But until Ames and others acknowledge that electrical power also keeps our New England residents from freezing to death and even powers the very presses that were used to help him make his case, they will make no headway.

Read the entire editorial at The Boston Globe.

The author of a bill to ban commercial striped bass fishing and severely limit recreational catches in Massachusetts does not think it will go very far.

State Rep. Matt Patrick, D-Falmouth, said Tuesday it was "highly unlikely" his bill would make it out of the Joint Committee on the Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture.

But he said he was open to compromises, including a limited commercial fishery.

The original bill banned the sale of striped bass in Massachusetts and cut the number of fish recreational fishermen could keep from two to one per day.

It also sought to protect fish between 26 and 40 inches in length while allowing fishermen to keep fish as small as 20 inches. The current minimum size is 28 inches.

Read the complete story at The South Coast Today.

Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke Friday, January 15, determined that there has been a commercial fishery failure for the Yukon River Chinook salmon due to low salmon returns.

“Communities in Alaska along the Yukon River depend heavily on Chinook salmon for commercial fishing, jobs and food,” said Commerce Secretary Gary Locke. “I have determined that a fishery disaster has occurred due to consecutive years of low Chinook salmon returns. Alaska fishermen and their families are struggling with a substantial loss in income and revenues.”

Because of low Chinook salmon returns, the state of Alaska reduced the 2008 commercial Chinook salmon harvest to 89 percent below the recent five-year average. No commercial Chinook salmon fishery was allowed in 2009 on the Yukon River. The state also restricted subsistence harvests.

Read the complete story at AFS Blog.

Leslie Barnes was not born in the Fulton Fish Market, but almost. As a sprat of 5, he accompanied his father on predawn forays to buy seafood for their restaurant, London Lennie’s on Woodhaven Boulevard in Rego Park, Queens, founded in 1959. Leonard, the father, a cockney sailor who parlayed four fish and chips stands in London into his stake in the colonies, is gone, so Leslie Barnes, 54, the father of four daughters, is the big fish now.

Origins: My father had run away to sea. When he came to New York in ’58, a cab driver told him about the new Rego Park apartments. We settled there. There was a fish store five blocks away. He could control his destiny.

Earliest memory: I’m 5 or 6 or 7. My father would get me up at 3. We’d have a cup of tea, and off to the market. My father would buy four tins of filet, 100 pounds of filet. He’d sit me on top and say, “Don’t move.” He was afraid they’d switch the tins with lesser quality.

Read the complete article at The New York Times.

In the Northeast groundfishery beat down and suppressed by national policy — with more ebbing to come when West Coast fishery management will come east in May — does Gloucester's 37-year-old Paul Vitale represent the future commercial groundfisherman here?

Vitale, a multi-generational fisherman on both sides of his family and a vessel owner, is a part-timer with full-time expenses.

He says he "saw the light" at a New England Fisheries Management Council (NEFMC) meeting in 2006 and made that choice then.

How did Vitale get from there to here? He fished "on and off" aboard his father Capt. Leo Vitale's, 97-foot, 850-horsepowered offshore steel stern trawler, Stella Del Mare, during schooling at Gloucester High School, at Massachusetts Maritime Academy, and later between post-academy maritime work, licensed as a third mate unlimited officer.

Read the complete story at The Gloucester Daily Times.

The "NOAA in Your State" document for Massachusetts has been updated for 2010, and is available on Saving Seafood.

For other New England states and states around the nation, visit NOAA's legislative affairs website.

Each state's document lists all NOAA operations in that state.