FISHERMEN ON FISHING

Don’t be Afraid to Fly the Flag of Revolution – Tom Osmers

Tom Osmers, the Martha’s Vineyard fisherman, advocate, radio personality, and documentarian whose kind wisdom touched Islanders from Chappy to Aquinnah, died on March 12, 2010. The depth of his effect on the Island was evidenced by the letters and thoughts shared in the newspapers and on the Vineyard’s little corner of the Internet, reported the Martha’s Vineyard Gazette. In the photo Tom is at one of the many council meeting where he spoke for small boat fishermen and fishing communities.

Mr. Osmers was an advocate and activist who continuously worked for the preservation of fishing rights, and the fishery resources. Osmers regularly traveled long distances to attend and speak at fisheries council meetings from Rhode Island to Portland, Maine. He was also involved in structuring a sector plan with Maine fishermen.

Tom prepared the sector application to the New England Fisheries Management Council last year by himself, and had this to say about it. “There will be significant reduction in fishing effort for all parts of the industry. But at least we, on Martha’s Vineyard have a part. We have a place, “We got right up at the table,” the West Tisbury shellfish constable and pioneering commercial fisherman who is largely responsible for the Vineyard’s place at the table in the first place.

Without the sector system, Mr. Osmers said his fear was that the Vineyard fishermen would be locked out, and an important cultural and economic engine in the community would be lost. The Vineyard used to have as many as 50 commercial federally permitted fishermen and now has five. There is one Menemsha fishing boat left that can fish the waters of Georges Bank.

“This is a time for great change,” he said. Osmers told the Martha’s Vineyard Gazette, “We are switching to a different system that will hopefully move into less discarding of fish. That has been my biggest issue in fishing. So much has been thrown overboard. It benefits nobody. It is almost a crime.”

Osmers, for many years a Martha’s Vineyard fisherman, was reported in the Fishermen’s Voice, to have told fishermen at the Maine Fishermen’s Forum in 2009, that, “We are trying to leave opportunities for the young, and fish for communities to have access to. We rolled over on scallops, and now 95 percent of the scallops go to 320 big boats and the balance, 5 percent, to all others. Don’t be afraid to fly the flag of revolution. This is a public resource and it belongs to the people, all the people, of all the states.”

 

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Carlos Raphael, New Bedford Fleet Owner

If there are no more fish, then buy back the permits. If NMFS cut its $300 million budget by 50 percent they could solve the problems in fishing by buying back the permits and boats. They could help fishermen get out with dignity. If they were so anxious to solve the problem, this would leave more fish for those remaining.

The allocations are low because there is not enough research, and NMFS is using 3-year-old data. NMFS says they don’t have time to study the daily information fishermen provide.
Why is there a 10-year rebuilding schedule? Why not a 15-year schedule, it would still be rebuilding? 5

The management process is full of injustice. In Framework 42 when days-at-sea went to just 88 days, there was also some uncertainty on flounder. Rather than define that uncertainty, there was no flounder allocation at all.

The head of NMFS law enforcement being caught shredding documents to cover his tracks is another indication of injustice. Dr. Andy Rosenberg has been an upper-level NMFS manager, now he has a fisheries observer company and a weigh masters company. It is not right for them to profit from our misery.

I’m a believer in the system. I want my kids, and my grand kids to be able to fish. I’ve been a fisherman for 30 years, I’m 57 years old.