Friday, October 8, 2010
Who's your fisherman?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa9yFpWisEsAnd... And while you're at it, let's shout it out: Who Fishes Matters! http://www.change.org/nama
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Read my newest article!
Fisheries Management Relocalized - NAMA Newsletter August 2010
Observations from a Traveling CSF Shareholder
By Ellen Parry Tyler - MS Candidate Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy Tufts University; And, NAMA Intern
As a local foodie interested in supporting community based food systems, one of my first investments moving to the Bay State was to purchase a share in a Community Supported Fishery (CSF). Operating much the same way that Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares do, members in a community participate by investing in a “share” or portion of a boat’s total catch, sharing some of the risk inherent in the trade, and enjoying the freshest, best tasting seafood around. Since moving to MA, I have come to learn how to cook with local and seasonally available fish species firsthand through my weekly share of Cape Ann’s Fresh Catch CSF.
Moving to Maine for the summer, I looked forward to showing off some of my new recipes, but quickly learned that the Gulf of Maine is not a uniform ecosystem and what fishermen are catching changes based on very local situations. These observations have profound implications for regional fisheries management decisions, which are currently applied like a blanket, uniform across whole regions.
In Massachusetts, more often than not, my CSF share delivered Cod.
Drawing on the memory of near collapse of the Gulf of Maine cod fishery in the 1990s, I was tepid about filleting and eating these beautiful creatures; but Steve Parkes, my CSF coordinator, assured me that the cod is coming back. “We did what we were supposed to do,” he said, referring to a scaling back of the amount of cod caught from the Northwest Atlantic, “and the fish came back! This is a story of success.” Indeed, this success is apparent in my CSF share, where I see that fishermen are catching more cod than any other fish, and it is reflected in a New England Fishery Management Council News Release (June 25,2010) which verified: “Gulf of Maine cod is no longer overfished and is at a stock size that has not been seen in 30 years.” But what both reports miss is that the cod stocks are not rebuilding at the same rate, or in the same way throughout their historical range. Instead, stocks are showing up only in distinct areas, particularly in the western Gulf of Maine where the fishermen who supply Cape Ann Fresh Catch happen to be fishing.
Many miles to the south, around Martha’s Vineyard, and many miles to the east, beyond Portland into Downeast Maine, fishermen have not witnessed the same return of cod. I learned this first hand when, moving this summer to Maine, I again invested in a local CSF based out of the Penobscot Bay called Community Fish. This CSF is a part of a Sentinel Fishery Groundfish Project, designed and operated by Penobscot East Resource Center in Stonington. Immediately, I was shocked by how different my experience, and the experience of this fishing community, has been. Despite being in the same regional management jurisdiction, and following the same manaSouth Shore fisherman Ed Barrett with the "Cod end" of the net.South Shore fisherman Ed Barrett with the "Cod end" of the net.gement policies, the fishermen here are in an entirely different situation. Between Penobscot Bay and the Canadian border, where it has been over a decade since anyone has been able to catch a marketable amount of cod or any other bottom-dwelling groundfish, the cod are not returning.
A large component of the Sentinel Fishery is to research the status of local groundfish stocks to figure out exactly why the groundfish that are showing up elsewhere are not showing up in the Penobscot Bay. Scientists suspect that these differences have to do with genetically distinct sub-populations of cod, which are quite loyal to their home territory. If the subpopulations in the northern Gulf were depleted, they must recover on their own schedule, and are not likely to be replenished by different populations doing well in the western Gulf of Maine around Gloucester and Boston.
Currently, all U.S. fisheries are managed through 8 regional management councils. The New England Fishery Management Council considers the Gulf of Maine as a single unit and treats fisheries within that area uniformly; but treating the whole ecosystem as one ignores the scales on which ecosystems and community-based fishermen generally operate, with negative health consequences for both groups. Because of these miss-matched scales, scientists trying to understand the impact of fishing fail to capture critical information in their regionally-focused research. Some scientists now are coming together to advocate for finer scale management, which takes into account that sub-populations of fish migrate and spawn within geographically distinct locations throughout the region.
Fishing for local markets, as in the CSF model, encourages management based on smaller areas and enables finer scale observations and data collection, which in turn helps scientists to understand marine ecosystems at multiple scales. Local fish stocks are influenced by a multitude of interacting variables, and local fishing communities may have a useful knowledge about how, when, and where cod and other fish sort themselves into groups, contributing to the larger body of information upon which decisions are based. The successes of individual CSFs ultimately depend on healthy and diverse coastal communities and fisheries that are managed at local ecosystem scales linked into larger regional management systems. As a shareholder in any Community Supported Fisheries, I am taking an active role in helping to make such a system possible.
Observations from a Traveling CSF Shareholder
By Ellen Parry Tyler - MS Candidate Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy Tufts University; And, NAMA Intern
As a local foodie interested in supporting community based food systems, one of my first investments moving to the Bay State was to purchase a share in a Community Supported Fishery (CSF). Operating much the same way that Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares do, members in a community participate by investing in a “share” or portion of a boat’s total catch, sharing some of the risk inherent in the trade, and enjoying the freshest, best tasting seafood around. Since moving to MA, I have come to learn how to cook with local and seasonally available fish species firsthand through my weekly share of Cape Ann’s Fresh Catch CSF.
Moving to Maine for the summer, I looked forward to showing off some of my new recipes, but quickly learned that the Gulf of Maine is not a uniform ecosystem and what fishermen are catching changes based on very local situations. These observations have profound implications for regional fisheries management decisions, which are currently applied like a blanket, uniform across whole regions.
In Massachusetts, more often than not, my CSF share delivered Cod.
Drawing on the memory of near collapse of the Gulf of Maine cod fishery in the 1990s, I was tepid about filleting and eating these beautiful creatures; but Steve Parkes, my CSF coordinator, assured me that the cod is coming back. “We did what we were supposed to do,” he said, referring to a scaling back of the amount of cod caught from the Northwest Atlantic, “and the fish came back! This is a story of success.” Indeed, this success is apparent in my CSF share, where I see that fishermen are catching more cod than any other fish, and it is reflected in a New England Fishery Management Council News Release (June 25,2010) which verified: “Gulf of Maine cod is no longer overfished and is at a stock size that has not been seen in 30 years.” But what both reports miss is that the cod stocks are not rebuilding at the same rate, or in the same way throughout their historical range. Instead, stocks are showing up only in distinct areas, particularly in the western Gulf of Maine where the fishermen who supply Cape Ann Fresh Catch happen to be fishing.
Many miles to the south, around Martha’s Vineyard, and many miles to the east, beyond Portland into Downeast Maine, fishermen have not witnessed the same return of cod. I learned this first hand when, moving this summer to Maine, I again invested in a local CSF based out of the Penobscot Bay called Community Fish. This CSF is a part of a Sentinel Fishery Groundfish Project, designed and operated by Penobscot East Resource Center in Stonington. Immediately, I was shocked by how different my experience, and the experience of this fishing community, has been. Despite being in the same regional management jurisdiction, and following the same manaSouth Shore fisherman Ed Barrett with the "Cod end" of the net.South Shore fisherman Ed Barrett with the "Cod end" of the net.gement policies, the fishermen here are in an entirely different situation. Between Penobscot Bay and the Canadian border, where it has been over a decade since anyone has been able to catch a marketable amount of cod or any other bottom-dwelling groundfish, the cod are not returning.
A large component of the Sentinel Fishery is to research the status of local groundfish stocks to figure out exactly why the groundfish that are showing up elsewhere are not showing up in the Penobscot Bay. Scientists suspect that these differences have to do with genetically distinct sub-populations of cod, which are quite loyal to their home territory. If the subpopulations in the northern Gulf were depleted, they must recover on their own schedule, and are not likely to be replenished by different populations doing well in the western Gulf of Maine around Gloucester and Boston.
Currently, all U.S. fisheries are managed through 8 regional management councils. The New England Fishery Management Council considers the Gulf of Maine as a single unit and treats fisheries within that area uniformly; but treating the whole ecosystem as one ignores the scales on which ecosystems and community-based fishermen generally operate, with negative health consequences for both groups. Because of these miss-matched scales, scientists trying to understand the impact of fishing fail to capture critical information in their regionally-focused research. Some scientists now are coming together to advocate for finer scale management, which takes into account that sub-populations of fish migrate and spawn within geographically distinct locations throughout the region.
Fishing for local markets, as in the CSF model, encourages management based on smaller areas and enables finer scale observations and data collection, which in turn helps scientists to understand marine ecosystems at multiple scales. Local fish stocks are influenced by a multitude of interacting variables, and local fishing communities may have a useful knowledge about how, when, and where cod and other fish sort themselves into groups, contributing to the larger body of information upon which decisions are based. The successes of individual CSFs ultimately depend on healthy and diverse coastal communities and fisheries that are managed at local ecosystem scales linked into larger regional management systems. As a shareholder in any Community Supported Fisheries, I am taking an active role in helping to make such a system possible.
Friday, January 15, 2010
By Land and By Sea
Connecting Maine's Farming and Fishing Communities
Could collaboration between Maine’s farming and fishing communities...
...strengthen our local food system?
...increase market shares and margins for local producers?
...break down common barriers and challenges?
The Eat Local Foods Coalition will be hosting a series of regional forums to address these questions in the coming months. Farmers and fishermen are invited to come together to discuss the challenges facing all of Maine’s food producers while exploring the potential for collaborative solutions.
Dates and locations to be announced soon!
http://eatmainefoods.ning.com/page/by-land-and-by-sea
Could collaboration between Maine’s farming and fishing communities...
...strengthen our local food system?
...increase market shares and margins for local producers?
...break down common barriers and challenges?
The Eat Local Foods Coalition will be hosting a series of regional forums to address these questions in the coming months. Farmers and fishermen are invited to come together to discuss the challenges facing all of Maine’s food producers while exploring the potential for collaborative solutions.
Dates and locations to be announced soon!
http://eatmainefoods.ning.com/page/by-land-and-by-sea
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
There used to be fish:The Decline of Fish and Fishing Communities in New England
“Fishermen around me have gathered the courage to stand together,” called a worn but yet unbroken speaker outside the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) offices in Gloucester, Massachusetts; “we’re asking you to come out,” he paused, turning to face a grid of glass windows, removing his navy hood and pointing the bull-horn up at the austere authority of the new office park. Raising his voice, he bid again, “We’re asking you to come out. [Pause] The issues we’re facing require congressional action. If the fleet size goes down any more we’ll reach the tipping point,” he sighed, “losing the infrastructure necessary to maintain the industry.” The building was silent. Thick glass held steadfast returning only mirror images, undecipherable signage, hung from the necks of folks bewailing: “20 Years of Sacrifice Only to be Sectored Out.”
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is the government body tasked with implementing fishery conservation and management policies developed by each of the eight Regional Fishery Management Councils (RFMC) established under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The act was formulated to include fishermen in the process of developing management policy, but clearly the 300 or so fishermen and their supporters who gathered in Gloucester last October do not feel that their concerns are being heard or that the Fisheries Service is doing an adequate job of representing their interests. Many now complain that the federal law has set fisheries up to fail in New England and across the nation (Northeast Seafood Coalition 2009).
This paper examines the tools and regulations that have precipitated declines in fish stocks and the people whose livelihoods depend on them. It begins with a short description of commercial marine fisheries since World War II, moves on to outline the unique managerial structure of RFMCs and the regulatory history of the Magnuson-Stevens Act in New England, and finally explores options to increase biological and social health in New England communities through improved regulatory and political support for marine aquaculture. Development of sustainable aquaculture in New England will bring tremendous opportunity to the region, potentially reversing longstanding negative environmental and economic trends, and employing people in ecologically beneficial work. Commercial fishermen stand to benefit from increased aquaculture production, especially if relationships between aquaculture and capture fishery stocks and habitats are strengthened and promoted. All fishers will benefit from the preservation of shared port infrastructure, processing, markets, machinery and repair shops necessary for small scale producers along New England’s bays and harbors.
Please e-mail for full story
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is the government body tasked with implementing fishery conservation and management policies developed by each of the eight Regional Fishery Management Councils (RFMC) established under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The act was formulated to include fishermen in the process of developing management policy, but clearly the 300 or so fishermen and their supporters who gathered in Gloucester last October do not feel that their concerns are being heard or that the Fisheries Service is doing an adequate job of representing their interests. Many now complain that the federal law has set fisheries up to fail in New England and across the nation (Northeast Seafood Coalition 2009).
This paper examines the tools and regulations that have precipitated declines in fish stocks and the people whose livelihoods depend on them. It begins with a short description of commercial marine fisheries since World War II, moves on to outline the unique managerial structure of RFMCs and the regulatory history of the Magnuson-Stevens Act in New England, and finally explores options to increase biological and social health in New England communities through improved regulatory and political support for marine aquaculture. Development of sustainable aquaculture in New England will bring tremendous opportunity to the region, potentially reversing longstanding negative environmental and economic trends, and employing people in ecologically beneficial work. Commercial fishermen stand to benefit from increased aquaculture production, especially if relationships between aquaculture and capture fishery stocks and habitats are strengthened and promoted. All fishers will benefit from the preservation of shared port infrastructure, processing, markets, machinery and repair shops necessary for small scale producers along New England’s bays and harbors.
Please e-mail for full story
Saturday, July 18, 2009
On the Evening News!
My Mom and Dad were interviewed on the Evening News about their multiple twin-calf births. Pretty good story and super-cute footage! You can slide the timer bar over to skip the ad in the beginning.
♫ http://www.wabi.tv/news/6665/unexpected-delivery-at-blue-hill-farm
♫ http://www.wabi.tv/news/6665/unexpected-delivery-at-blue-hill-farm
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Sunday, June 7, 2009
West Coast East Coast
In California many farmers at a regional conference on sustainable agriculture complained about difficulties finding a market for their goods. So far I have not seen this problem so pronounced in central coastal Maine. In fact, overwhelmingly artisans here seem unable to keep up with demand and in fact 3 out of the 4 I interviewed actually tried to recruit me to their trade… It was tempting… very tempting… on par with moving to Hawaii tempting.
People seem willing to pay a fair price for artisan foods if they are able, and right now supply has not increased enough to meet the current demand. (And the demand will increase so long as we as citizens continue to decide that all people are worthy of real food, including ourselves, the impoverished and the working poor.) So, at least for now the major issues seem to be:
1. Farmers losing their land due to property tax structures and land easement
2. Environmental contamination (from runoff, genetic flow and a general lack of holistic agricultural planning) And
3. Change in the environment, including urbanization, loss of habitat and changes in climate.
I went to this discussion at the town library and we talked about what five things would you do (given benevolent dictatorship)?
5 things to change US Ag
1. Some way to reward farmers for being good stewards of the land and make it more economically viable to farm a beautiful place than to subdivide and build track homes on it.
2. Nutrition and Agricultural education for the general public (through public schools, and community services) andPaying those (farmers and artisans) who already know about Food and Agriculture (soil systems, year round growing, how to preserve the harvest) to develop curriculum for re-training efforts as we continue to transform our economy.
3. Stimulus money directed to building local food systems infrastructure (such as cooperatively controlled processing facilities, coordinated transportation and marketing, and municipal composting)
4. Higher safety testing for new agricultural developments including Genetically Modified Organisms, Growth Hormones and Pesticides, from a whole systems approach including economic feasibility studies, long term soil and water systems health, and human health.
5. Greater enforcement of existing labor laws including minimum wage and anti-slavery laws.
What are yours?
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