F R O M   T H E   C R O W E ’ S   N E S T

The Writing on the Wall



At the top, even when considering that it is spring and all things can seem possible, there are indications of positive developments for commercial fishing in New England.

The conviction of the “Codfather,” New Bedford’s Carlos Rafael, may prove more than a soundbite. Rafael was enabled by consolidation-driven federal policies, his taste for fraud and quotable disdain for small-boat-fleet fishermen. Publicity around this case has not been lost on a few in Congress. The B-television movie story plot of his arrest has led journalists to at last look past the official NMFS version of what New England ground fish management has been for 40 years.

Ben Martens of the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association (MCFA), in response to the conviction, wrote of the hope that we can “make a clean break from the dirty history of this fishery based off exploiting loopholes and thumbing one’s nose at regulations.”

In Maine generational access to fisheries has been the focus of the Skippers Program developed by the Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries (MCCF). The program is more broadly focused on fisheries’ occupational options and hands-on experience for young people.

Community-supported fisheries, begun a decade ago by Port Clyde Fresh Catch (PCFC), have grown in popularity. They bypass the industrial marketing-of-fish model, thus preserving a local supply of fresh fish. They also leave more of the profits in the communities that catch the fish.

Nationally, organizations like MCCF, MCFA, PCFC and others related to fisheries and agriculture indicate a recognition of the need for organization and action at the local level for their industries and communities. Together these groups can develop the means to influence the retention of rights to public resources and representation by public officials.

The federal government has funded research, grants and university programs to foster the development of privately owned fin fish and other aquaculture. Shellfish and seaweed aquaculture can be done on a small business scale. The momentum behind it indicates it will soon be a part of Maine’s coastal economy. Building in barriers to consolidation by the Codfathers of the world will likely only come from these new grass roots organizations.

These groups are the beginning of leverage against the power of consolidation and ownership which lobbyists steer the government to support. Programs begun with taxpayer seed money brought us industrial agriculture, industrial fishing and the industrial food distribution system. The people’s common sense and vision see the writing on the wall.