Trawling company Northern Pelagic Group (NORPEL) has suddenly shut down its plant on Fish Island saying it can no longer make profits due to extreme fishery management regulation. It has laid off 119 of its 120 employees and quit operating its two boats.
The New Bedford-based company fishes for herring and mackerel and is one of the largest open-sea operators in the country.
It is an example of the plight of New England fishers, which has led to a year of lobbying efforts in the country’s capital, meetings, lawsuits and hearings that have generally proved futile.
"The Department of Marine Fisheries in Massachusetts and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) encouraged investment in herring and mackerel," said Eoin Rochford, operations manager and the only remaining employee, reports South Coast Today. "The boys put up their money and, once it was invested, they turned the tables on them."
Although the next fishing season will launch soon – on 1 May — Rochford was unable to say if the plant could operate again soon or later in the future.
Read the complete story from FIS Worldnews.