By John Pappalardo
Our meeting room, what used to be a dilapidated barn beside an old sea captain’s home in Chatham, both handsomely restored thanks to help from so many of you, was full of great people and spirit on Wednesday, January 22.
The occasion? An annual meeting of the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance to pull us together and share a sense of life and times.
This moment has become a great tradition. We’ve been doing it for 35 years now, which sometimes I find hard to believe. If I want to boggle my mind, I ponder that this had been happening for 14 percent of the time this nation called the United States has existed.
That perspective struck me again as we talked about the year’s accomplishments, and next year’s goals, because there is so much big-picture uncertainty hovering over us, turmoil and controversy. Maybe this isn’t new, but there is a strong feeling that we are in roiling waters, not well charted.
That made our meeting even more meaningful, because I think we all came away feeling that the Fishermen’s Alliance is strong, stable, on a clear course to continue to advocate for our fishing community and meet challenges that are on the horizon.
Our structure is as solid as I’ve ever known it. We have added great new staff, including talented people from what I’ll call the next generation, full of good energy and already steeped in our fishing tradition. We also have celebrated several older fishermen who termed off our board of directors while adding great replacements, another younger hands-on captain as well as a deeply committed, experienced community member.
As presentations unfolded, the breadth and depth of what we are trying to accomplish, many elements presented one after another, kind of blew me away.
We have supported our fishing community by helping buttress working waterfronts and harbors.
We’re at the cutting edge of partnerships between great scientists and fishermen to understand how to keep people working on the water and respecting and protecting habitat and stocks.
We provide direct, hands-on support to dozens of captains and vessels, from fishing quota to technology, gear, and stipends to stay engaged in research and creative collaborations.
We have seats at key federal and state councils where regional and national policies are debated and adopted.
We work with other entities like our community college to create training for future fishermen, build skills like welding that create economic independence.
We join fishing communities around the country, convening in Washington DC to make sure small-boat independent fishermen are seen and heard, taking our fishermen to speak for themselves.
We continue to build the Small Boats Big Taste program, delivering healthy local seafood to thousands of people on the Cape and across Massachusetts who otherwise would not be able to afford it, and might not have a good meal.
We fund and help produce great documentaries about the amazing people who hold the lines, and continue the tradition.
We keep looking ahead, again despite all the uncertainty, and add our voice to national debate about issues like offshore wind development; this year’s meeting wrapped up with a wonderful presentation from a respected Cape captain who reported on his journey (with our support) to Scotland to witness offshore wind there, lessons that could be learned to mitigate impact should those plans come back to our table.
And let’s not forget that we also still know how to throw a good party, as last year’s Hookers Ball proved yet again.
Stability, creativity, energy, vision, clear priorities and long-term strategies, bringing a new generation not just into the mix but into leadership. It was all evident, and there was nothing bragging about it, nothing exaggerated, no boasts and no attempts to confront or divide. I felt great pride to be a part of this, a renewed commitment to play my small role as well as I can.
So for our team, your team really, thank you for the support. Thirty-five and counting.
John Pappalardo is CEO of the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance