The fishing situation may be tough right now, but New Englanders believe
they are tougher. A group of 30 New England processors and other seafood-
related industries have banded together to combat the negative images they see
plaguing their industry now and replace them with a picture more to their liking.
“The landscape has changed because of the environmental groups and the
action or inaction of National Marine Fisheries Service,” said John Norton,
president of Cozy Harbor Seafood in Portland. Norton is a member of an acting
board of directors for the newly formed New England Seafood Producers
Association (NESPA).
“Our consumers deserve to know that they are being hoodwinked by the
environmental fund raisers,” said Marion Kaiser, president of Aquanor Marketing
in Boston, a member of the interim board of directors and a founding member of
NESPA.
“The situation is now a threat to the whole infrastructure. Quite a few
companies on the land side of the business have decided there’s something
fundamentally wrong here,” said Norton. “Before, we saw a lot of what was
going on as regional harvesters’ issues. But what has happened here now went
to a basic misunderstanding, a basic lack of knowledge that allowed
environmental organizations to pursue their agenda.”
Norton referred to the lawsuit filed by environmental groups two years ago,
claiming federal regulators failed to protect New England groundfish stocks
adequately. The suit was decided in favor of the environmentalists in late
December.
U.S. District Court Judge Gladys Kessler issued new tough rules for New
England fishermen in late April, then withdrew her plan in favor of a slightly less
severe plan negotiated by NMFS, Conservation Law Foundation and several
intervening fishing groups. Those rules, which took effect June 1, give New
England fishermen a little more breathing room, but are still expected to have a
devastating effect on the industry.
“We haven’t spoken out and told our side, but we’re going to,” said Norton.
At a day-long meeting in Boston in early May, he and other directors chose a
mission statement and explored their approach to putting out the positive, factual
story about the New England industry. They interviewed a first round of public
relations firms, and Norton said the group intended to choose one before the end
of June.
“That’s our primary focus,” Norton said. “It’s not just targeted at the lawsuit, it
goes way beyong that.”
“Our basic function will be to communicate what’s really going with the
stocks, and the benefits of seafood,” said Norton. “The environmental groups
have done a hell of a good job beating up on fishermen, portraying them as the
rapists and pillagers of the ocean and that’s not right.”
The group’s mission statement is: “The New England Seafood Producers
Association’s (NESPA) mission is to advocate for, promote and sustain the
seafood industry of New England through positive public relations.”
“We may modify the mission statement somewhat” after by-laws are written
and the association is fully funded, said Kaiser. “But the specific mission of the
group is to have a more positive message to the consumer about their right to
have access to healthy seafood products without feeling they are somehow
environmentally irresponsible.”
“Consumers are getting the negative message, but not the message that
seafood is healthy or that fishermen are conservationists — they have the most
to lose,” said Kaiser. Although the name says New England, she said the group
will not limit itself geographically, and encourages any members of the seafood
industry to join.
They know they have their work cut out for them. A recent National Fisheries
Institute report said Pew Charitable Trusts, one of the biggest funders of
environmental organizations, invested $13.6 million last year just for fisheries
projects. The new group is starting small, but figures it will need millions to really
get the word out.
The first group of companies to become involved kicked in $5,000 apiece as
founding dues for a total of $55,000. A regular schedule for dues will be
determined by the membership committee, which was formed at the group’s
second meeting, along with committees for public relations, finance and budget,
and governance.
Interim directors include: Stuart Altman, Stavis Seafoods, Boston; David
Carnes, Chatham Fish and Lobster, Chatham, Mass.; Angelo Ciocca, Nova
Seafood, Portland, Maine; Charlie DiPesa, F.J. O’Hara, Boston; Ted
Heidenreich, Packaging Products, New Bedford, Mass.; Marion Kaiser, Aquanor
Marketing, Boston; John Norton, Cozy Harbor Seafood, Portland; Steve Parkes,
Whole Foods/Bread and Circus, Gloucester; N. Sonny Stanley, Bergie’s
Seafood, New Bedford; Norm Stavis, North Coast Seafoods, Boston. The interim
treasurer is Mike Vitale, Puritan Fish, Boston.
Norton said the new organization hopes to counter “groups who decided they
were better able to manage fisheries” when they mounted efforts such as a
campaign two years ago to keep swordfish off restaurant menus. “We will
provide the general public and the news organizations with balanced news of the
industry. We hope the association will be seen as a leading voice for industry.”
When its only executive director, Ken Coons, closed down the 20-year-old
New England Fisheries Development Association (NEFDA) last fall, the industry
was left without an advocacy group. Many of the interim directors on the board of
the new organization were active in NEFDA. Coons has expressed his support
for NESPA from the start.
“The misinformation onslaught from green groups has nearly destroyed the
reputation of fishermen in New England. The fishing and seafood industry has
got to start telling its side of the story,” said Coons. “This new group has the
horsepower to do the job for New England and I wish them well.”