Canadian Fishermen Visit New England Counterparts

I love introducing fishermen to each other because they always have lots to talk about.  Last week, EDF brought fishermen from British Columbia to six New England fishing communities.  More than 100 fishermen from Massachusetts, Maine and Rhode Island attended the meetings, 35 people showed up in New Bedford, MA alone.  The BC fishermen also met with 30 fishery managers. 

The meetings focused on how catch shares work in B.C.  New England fishermen are intensely interested in what’s going on in BC because the fisheries in New England are likely moving to catch shares in the near future. Becky Evans from the New Bedford Standard Times wrote an excellent story on the visits. 

EDF has been brining fishermen together for years.  We’ve arranged for fishermen to come to BC several times a year because we’ve found that fishermen are the best spokespeople for better fishing management.  In fact, EDF brought fishermen from Belize to BC earlier this year.