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by Mark_Ockerbloom from Dedham

Last Post 6 hours Ago


Fishing Industry Drowning
May 11, 2008 | 5:18 PM
Category: News
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The fishing industry in New England is drowning as fewer and fewer boats head out to sea. The reason? Rising costs and numerous government restrictions including regulating how many days fishermen can fish and how much they can haul aboard. Those on the other side of the issue say they're not out to sink the industry, instead they’re trying to protect fish supplies for future generations.

Tonight on the FOX25 News at Ten we take an in-depth look at the industry that has been a staple of the New England economy for more than 400 years. As one Gloucester fisherman told me, there was a time in that seaport community when he and others were viewed as heroes.  Now, he says, they're viewed more like zeros because they're a dying breed.

The fishing industry is glorified on many cable shows, but many of those stories take place in the Pacific Ocean. Our story uncovers the grim reality of the local fishing industry, an industry that in Massachusetts has seen 800 fishing vessels reduced to 400 in just the past ten years.

How do you feel about this issue?

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Member Comments Total Comments: 5
Page 1 of 1
legendkiller34 read my blog
May 11, 2008 | 10:57 PM

Mark,
As someone who just got a commercial
shellfish licence this year, I see first hand
how hard it is for these guys to make money.
While we all enjoy steamers, quahogs, oysters,
and whatever very few people know what it's like for these guys that dig for them.
They are outby first light, sometimes staying all day, in every type of weather,
in all type of seas, trying to get their
limit's for the day.
And each day you never know how much you'll be able to sell them for because the price is always bouncing.
So next time we all bite into those steamer's
and complain about the price we pay to get them
maybe we could stop and say "I wonder how long and how much the DIGGER got?
Jeff_I read my blog
May 11, 2008 | 11:18 PM

I don't understand how fishers from other countries like Canada don't have to follow the same rules and regulations as everyone else.

Someone from a country where the legal drinking age is younger than 21 can't come here at age 19 and buy a beer.

I don't get it.
NorthernObserver read my blog
May 12, 2008 | 4:52 PM

Our fishermen are getting screwed while foreign fishing boats have no restrictions and they are the ones depleting the fish in the grand bank area. What is being done about them?
saltycod view my photos
May 12, 2008 | 6:40 PM

Mark,

I am a commercial fisherman and I have been doing this for over 14years. I cannot understand why the NMFS has such strict regulations when I have seen an increase in the fish stocks in New England. It hurts to see how much fish we kill and throw overboard to bring in our daily limits because the NMFS feels this is the way to preserve fish stocks for future generations. I don't know how or what they are doing to reach such extreme measures when we are seeing more fish than ever in our waters and they are not allowing us to bring it in. They have NOAA research vessels out there that have no clue on what they are doing and for that they base there information on with Captains that have no prior fishing experience. Something major has to take place or they will place the fishing industry in the Northeast out of business very quickly. They should realize that without a fishing industry that there is no need for so many NMFS employess and if you tell me I think there are too many of them which currently there are over 2,000 employess which happens to be more than commercial fishterman in the Northeast. With the diesel prices around $4 and with these strict regulations its going to be very hard and very few fishermen will be able to survive.
C_Fox read my blog view my photos
May 13, 2008 | 2:12 PM

It seems to me regulations should not be inflexible. If reducing fishermen's catches have enabled population numbers of fish, then there should be an increase in catch to keep it all in balance.

Researchers don't have to be fishermen; their job is number crunching. They're looking at fish populations and whether numbers are going up or down and putting restrictions on fishermen accordingly. But, have they put a hard and fast rule in place? If so, that does not make sense if there is an abundance at a given time; that is, what held true five years ago may not be true right now as far as quantity goes.

And, I don't know exactly what the rules are, but it seems that we are only allowed to control the fishing industry within our own waters and not international waters. If Canadian vessels are outside our coastal waters, I would assume they can catch any amount they want. Maybe saltycod can give me a better understanding of this.
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Mark_Ockerbloom

I anchor the Fox 25 News at 5, 10 & 11pm and want to hear from you. Feel free to drop me a line anytime.

Member Since: 10/17/2006


 

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