News

The Alliance has worked to achieve success for the policy issues small-boat fishermen care about.  Scallops At the November meeting of the New England Fishery Management Council, the Alliance’s scallop fishermen secured a resounding victory in their ongoing efforts to protect their small-boat way of life. Within the New England scallop fishery, there are two fleets: the small boats and the big boats...

From electronic video monitoring to new conch bait options, the Fishermen's Alliance has worked hard to address current fisheries management challenges with innovative and lasting solutions. Videos Onboard This year, the Fishermen’s Alliance and Cape Cod fishermen enrolled in the Fixed Gear Sector have worked closely with the National Marine Fisheries Service to develop a comprehensive electronic video monitoring program that can replace and improve upon the current system of putting human observers on boats...

The Fishermen's Alliance is proud to be on the cutting edge of innovation within sustainable fisheries management.   Scoop on Skates This past spring, a small group of Cape Cod commercial fishermen received an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to catch barndoor skates. This is an unparalleled opportunity for our fleet to be directly involved in all levels of the management of this rebounding fishery...

By Doug Fraser CHATHAM – In August, Tom Dempsey was reappointed by Gov. Deval Patrick to his second three-year term on the regional fishery management council. But in October, Dempsey, the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance policy director, resigned from the New England Fishery Management Council because he had taken a job as senior fisheries policy director with The Nature Conservancy in Monterey, California...

By Elizabeth Saito On Monday evening, December 1, two fishermen from Chatham handed out frozen fillets of dogfish caught last month in the waters off Cape Cod to clients of the Falmouth Service Center’s food pantry. A little past 5 PM, Tammy M. Corey of Woods Hole pushed her cart down the food counter to where the two fishermen, Doug R. Feeney and Luther J...

By Amy AnthonyLifelong fisherman Doug Feeney recently built a new 32-foot boat. He named it after his new son, Noah. And Feeney had a new focus: dogfish. A Chatham resident, Feeney has seen firsthand how the decline of groundfish like cod has hindered the region’s commercial fishing industry. But the abundance of dogfish, Feeney said, could give the industry the boost it needs...

By Doug Fraser HARWICH – Reeling in a bluefin tuna - an ocean predator averaging 6 feet long and weighing as much as 1,500 pounds - has been compared to hauling a refrigerator onto a rooftop using a rope and a 2-by-4. “For sure, it’s a very big adrenaline rush and tense moments when you are fighting it,” said Harwich commercial fisherman Jesse Rose...

Small Boats. Big Ideas. Our fall newsletter is stock full of the latest from the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen's Alliance. First read an indepth look into the skate fishery; specifically barndoor skates. This front page article showcases how the Fishermen's Alliance took action in collecting scientific data and research to help improve management...

By Emily Yehle, E&E reporter The New England Fishery Management Council failed yesterday to adopt emergency measures to protect a diminishing population of cod, instead passing a vague measure that asks the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to take action. The move means fishermen will have to wait to find out what restrictions they face for the rest of the 2014 season...

By Doug Fraser HYANNIS — Fishery regulators requested emergency action by the federal government Wednesday to deal with the rapid decline of Gulf of Maine cod stocks. As many as 80 percent of legal-size Gulf of Maine cod die each year from fishing and natural causes. The stock, however, is not being adequately replaced because there are fewer spawning fish...

The Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance joined forces with other community-based, small boat commercial fishing groups from across the nation to form a coalition in order to give a bigger voice to the specific concerns of our fleets on a national level. Together, as the Fishing Community Coalition, we want to improve the management and success of our nation's fisheries, especially regarding the reauthorization of our nation’s primary fisheries law, the Magnuson-Stevens Act...

By Deborah G. Scanlon John Pappalardo believes a strong fishing industry is important to the Cape’s economy and character. A lifelong Chatham resident and commercial fisherman, the CEO of the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance wants Cape Codders to know about the many day-boat fishermen in all Cape Cod ports who last year brought in some 12 million pounds of seafood, worth $16 million...