The Gloucester Fisheries Commission was established by a home rule petition to the state Legislature in 1956, but times and the fishery have changed and the commission’s inability to net a quorum of its 13 members has snagged its ability to operate effectively. That was until Oct. 16 when Democratic Gov. Maura Healey signed into…
As the Beacon Hill political crowd munched on ceviches and chowders in the Great Hall on Wednesday, they heard a message from the seafood industry aimed more at Washington, D.C., than the halls of the State House. Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante, the daughter of a fisherman and a 30-year advocate for the fishing industry, spoke at…
This Wednesday is Seafood Day on Beacon Hill, and plans are to celebrate the myriad cultural, economic, and food security benefits of the Massachusetts fishing industry. Seafood Day is being held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Massachusetts State House Hall of Flags in a building were a wooden Sacred Cod effigy, highlighting…
The CEO of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, Emily Reichert, Cape Ann’s lawmakers and Mayor Greg Verga were among those who dropped by the Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute on Main Street on Friday to hear how its scientists are pioneering the use of environmental DNA to gauge the effect of wind farms on fisheries, and…
The Massachusetts House of Representatives unanimously passed an economic development bill, which utilizes American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) surplus funds, and bonds to make significant investments across several vital sectors of the economy, and to give back to low and middle-income residents in Massachusetts by providing one-time rebates and significant…
The Baker administration and the Massachusetts Legislature have been gung-ho about pursuing offshore wind power and preparing the state’s infrastructure to deal with the consequences of climate change, but lawmakers last week impressed upon the administration the importance of keeping the state’s historic fishing industry in mind as well. “We’ve been taking steps over the…
Continuing its ongoing efforts to support a resilient, secure local food supply chain in Massachusetts, the Commonwealth announced today $5.9 million in grants to address urgent food insecurity for residents across Massachusetts as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, including nearly $300,000 in grants to Cape Ann businesses and nonprofits. This funding is being awarded as part…
During the ongoing Massachusetts 191st General Court’s 2019-2020 session – which has been extended through action taken by the Legislature – the House of Representatives has passed emergency legislation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as major legislation relating to education, transportation, and climate change. Following a decisive vote in July to extend the…
The Commonwealth’s Division of Marine Fisheries is distrubuting $27.8 million in federal disaster relief funding to mitigate the financial impacts to the fishing and seafood industries from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) worked with fishing industry stakeholders and legislators to develop a plan to distribute the federal fisheries assistance, which has…
I am pleased to announce that today the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR), in collaboration with the Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF), has launched the MassGrown Exchange online platform to link food system channels and help facilitate business-to-business connections within the local food system for products and services. When COVID-19 hit in earnest in March of…
