NEW BEDFORD, MA / ACCESSWIRE / October 10, 2022 / Last week, the New Bedford Light and ProPublica reported on questions being raised about potential antitrust issues in the New England groundfish fishery, which includes boats operated by Blue Harvest Fisheries. In light of these questions, Blue Harvest Fisheries reiterates that it complies with all federal regulations in operating its groundfish fleet, including rules regarding fleet consolidation and foreign investment.
Blue Harvest Fisheries actively manages its quota and follows all federal regulations. This includes limits on the amount of quota that we are able to own, and keeps us below the caps set by law. The sector system is designed to allow the amount of quota leased among members within sectors at any given time to fluctuate, mirroring the natural fluctuations and availability of different species in a multispecies fishery.
Our leasing of quota is in no way an attempt to get around the ownership limits, and is in fact standard practice in the fishery. Leasing additional quota gives our boats flexibility to target abundant species, and allows them to remain active and avoid shutting down all activity due to a shortage of quota in one species. This kind of leasing is what saved the economic opportunity of the fishery when active participation was impossible for many fishermen during the extreme reduction of biomass and quotas in the 1990s and early 2000s.
The amount of groundfish quota owned by Blue Harvest Fisheries is not enough to create antitrust issues in the groundfish fishery. In addition to the limits placed on ownership to encourage domestic competition, the overwhelming majority of U.S. seafood is imported, subjecting groundfish prices to the pressures of international market forces. We compete not just with local supply, but also directly with supply from countries like Iceland and Norway.
Blue Harvest Fisheries also follows all requirements relating to foreign investment in the fishery, and the limits placed by U.S. law on foreign ownership of fishing vessels. Blue Harvest Fisheries has supplied the U.S. Coast Guard with all information regarding its ownership structure, which was approved on the original formation of the company.
Reporting by the New Bedford Light is also incorrect in stating that Blue Harvest Fisheries supported a recently defeated proposal before the New England Fishery Management Council that would allow for the leasing of scallop permits. Blue Harvest Fisheries did not support the measure, and has played no part in the debate over the measure. The company is currently in the process of divesting itself from its stake in the scallop fishery in order to focus more on groundfish.
About Blue Harvest Fisheries
Blue Harvest Fisheries is a leading supplier of premium quality seafood sustainably harvested from MSC certified fisheries in the U.S. The company operates its own fleet of scallop and groundfish vessels as well as offload facilities in Newport News, VA and Fairhaven, MA and an SQF certified waterfront manufacturing facility in New Bedford, MA. The Blue Harvest Fisheries product line features sea scallops, Pacific cod, haddock, ocean perch (Acadian redfish) and Atlantic pollock (saithe). The company also offers swordfish and tuna from approved third-party vessels. Blue Harvest Fisheries products are sold fresh and frozen under the Blue Harvest brand to leading restaurants, wholesalers and distributors across the U.S. and abroad. The company also offers custom processing and is a supplier of private label products to retailers and food service distributors. For more information visit www.blueharvestfisheries.com.
Press Contact:
Robert Vanasse
Stove Boat Communications
(202) 333-2628
bob@stoveboat.com
SOURCE: Blue Harvest Fisheries
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