May 25, 2018 — Massachusetts should increase its public commitment and investment in the state’s commercial fishing industry to help foster innovation and partnerships among diverging stakeholders and the private sector, according to a report commissioned by the Seaport Economic Council.
The report, produced by the Urban Harbor Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston and titled “Building the Massachusetts Seafood System,” also recommended that major Bay State fishing ports such as Gloucester commit to a prominent role in growth and redevelopment of the fishing industry.
“It is at the local level where face-to-face information sharing and institutional support typically lead to new technology and product development, new businesses or non-profit programs and ecosystem restoration projects, and where the benefits of cultural and community development are most directly felt,” the report stated.
Lt. Gov. Karen Polito, the chairwoman of the council, traveled to Gloucester on Thursday — along with former Gloucester Mayor Carolyn Kirk, now deputy secretary of housing and development in the Baker administration — to hear the presentation of the final report at City Hall.
The presentation also drew Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll and Gloucester Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken on the dais and some members of the Gloucester City Council and fishing stakeholders in the audience of about two dozen.
Read the full story at the Gloucester Times