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International seafood buyers visit waterfront
By Joe Cohen
Standard-Times staff writer
 NEW
BEDFORD — A group of international fish buyers spent
Tuesday on the city's waterfront and then got a lesson
in the science of scallops — being told that marine
science led to "best practices" that increased scallop
harvests and protected the shellfish from becoming
overfished.
The European and Asian buyers came to the city from the
2008 International Boston Seafood Show and toured the
working scallop boat Pacer, which is operated by Fleet
fisheries, and were taken on tours of city fish plants.
Among the lighter highlights was the opportunity to hold
a 45- to 50-pound lobster, something Dennis Yen of the
Taiwanese firm Yens said was particularly interesting.
Despite the diversions, the trip was largely about
business, with buyers from nations including Serbia,
Poland, France and Mexico touring facilities such as
Mar-Lees Seafood, Northern Pelagic Group and the Whaling
City Seafood Display Auction.
With its status as the top commercial fishing port in
the United States based on value of catch landed, the
city was showing off its plants and products to the
international buyers in the hopes of generating
increased and new business.
They were brought to the waterfront in large part
through the efforts of the Massachusetts Export Center.
They wrapped up their visit with lunch at Cafe Funchal.
It was there that keynote speaker Dr. Kevin D.E.
Stokesbury of the UMass School for Marine Sciences and
Technology explained how the fishing and marine science
communities collaborated for years on research for
scallops and other fish to the benefit of all parties.
Dr. Stokesbury said records kept since 1890 reflected
the "boom and bust cycles" of fishing. He noted the
changes brought about by the implementation of the
200-mile limit in 1984 and the 1994 regulations that
altered fishing restrictions from the amount of fish
taken to the amount of time boats spend fishing.
Restrictions put in place to protect fish species
threatened to bankrupt some fishermen, Dr. Stokesbury
said.
Then marine science came into play, he said. Through the
collaboration of the industry and the UMass marine
sciences program, it was learned that there are optimum
locations and times to take scallops, which would allow
boats to fish for less time with better results.
With better management, he said, the scallop industry
dramatically increased the value of its catch.
Other species can benefit from marine science research
and the results being applied to fishing management and
regulation, as well, he said.
Contact Joe Cohen at jcohen@s-t.com
February 27, 2008 |
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