Fisheries film details its business crisis

09/19/08 - The University of Rhode Island's Coastal Society hosted a showing of "American Fisheries: A Cautionary Tale," last night. The film had previously been premiered in the Boston International Film Festival, and informed its viewers about the current state of the New England Fisheries.

The film was open for public viewing at 5 p.m. in the Weaver Hall of the Coastal Institute. Many special guests and members of the community attended the screening.

Film producer Bailey Pryor is the President of Telemark Films, and has written, directed and produced a number of documentary films and television series. Pryor attended the showing of the film and was a part of a panel that discussed the documentary and its implications on New England fisheries.

Other members of the panel included Dr. Richard Pollnac, a well-established researcher and consultant on coastal development and other ecological issues; Karen Alexander, a projected coordinator for the Gulf of Maine Cod Project; Dr. Bill Leavenworth, an expert on the New England maritime industry and the coastal environment from 1630 to 1850 and researcher for the Gulf of Maine Cod Project; Dr. Seth Macinko, a URI assistant professor and member of the Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Council; and Stephen Jones, the co-producer of the film.

The 40-minute documentary consisted mainly of footage of fishermen, members of the Rhode Island Fisheries Council and rapidly decreasing New England codfish.

The situation portrayed is dire, as there is an ongoing struggle between the livelihood and job security of the New England Fisheries.

From a historical perspective, cod supply has been in recess since the invention of steam powered engine in 1905. In 1930, the steam-powered engines enabled foreign vessels to come along the New England fishing grounds, sparking competition for the cod and ruining the sustainable fishing that the New England fishermen once enjoyed.

Fishermen have limited times and locations where they can fish; thus, over-crowding is a huge issue. Still, fishermen hold on to their jobs. "This is what we do," said a fisherman being interviewed.

For him and many others, fishing is not simply a job; it is a lifestyle.

After the film, the panel discussed with the audience the different aspects of the fishery crisis. One quote from the film that everyone continued to reiterate was, "The system is unsustainable."

The so-called "system" consists of the New England Fishermen, the New England Fishery Management Council and the members of the federal government who have active roles in the management council.

This fact was a subject the panel and the viewers kept coming back to throughout the discussions and debates. Although the system fails to help out the depleting supply of cod and the overall failure of New England fisheries as a whole, who is to blame?

The fishermen could be blamed for catching more fish than they have been instructed the council can be blamed for failing to provide and enforce regulations that would improve the failing fishing industry, and the Federal Government for getting involved in the council but failing to bring about any change for the better.

Everyone has a special interest. The council has been said to be serving its own special interests, and, according to panel speakers Bailey Prior and Seth Macinko, it spends most of the meetings arguing over who gets what share of the produce, rather than how they can be approving the collapse of the fishing industry in New England.

Fishermen do not respect the regulations provided by the council, and they harbor a general discontent with the situation they are faced with. Still, even with suggested guidelines from the council, the involvement of the federal government and the dedication of the fishermen towards their livelihood, no solution has been agreed upon or even enforced by any members of the system.

It is evident that there are many problems with the New England fisheries. The film "American Fisheries: A Cautionary Tale" is, however, a possible step in the right direction.

Pryor said if more people become aware of the grave state of the industry, there would be more accountability and motivation for the council to step up and work with the government and the fishermen to resolve the issue of over-depletion of the codfish.