Trawl nets being stretched and mended in the ‘Net-Yard’ - located adjacent to the Fish Exchange
The F/V Aaron Melissa preparing to offload fresh, Gulf of Maine groundfish at Pier #1 of the Exchange
Baskets of groundfish coming from the hold into the unloading hopper
The Exchange staff verifies individual fish for accurate culling weight using electronic scales
The Exchange staff sorts groundfish by species and cull
The scale master scans, weighs and bar-codes each individual container of groundfish
Containers of groundfish are stacked & iced onto pallets in the backfield and tagged with the bar coded label
Completed ‘lots’ of groundfish are arranged & displayed in the Exchange’s temperature controlled cooler for inspection by registered buyers
The Exchange has one of the largest refrigerated spaces in the State!
Buyers and sellers are seated at the Exchanges auction room computers preparing for the Internet Auction
The Exchange provides after-auction reprocessing services for our buyer clients to expedite shipments to larger metropolitan cities
Exchange staff ‘steaking’ large pollock for boxing and shipment to the New Fulton Market in New York
The Exchange expedites loading buyers and LTL carriers using our fleet of forklifts and powered pallet jacks
The Exchange not only handles just groundfish – but can accommodate large trips of pelagic species – like tuna & swordfish and provides space to unload herring and menhaden harvesting vessels
Courthouse News Service
New Fishing Rights in Gulf of Maine Upheld by Judge
WASHINGTON (CN) – A federal judge upheld a rule Monday that opens up a portion of the western Gulf of Maine to commercial and recreational fishing for the first time.
The Conservation Law Foundation had challenged the rule last year, claiming the National Marine Fisheries Service wrongly prioritized economic considerations over its conservation duty when it reduced the protected area in that portion of the Gulf by about 25%.
While the rule offered habitat protection in the eastern Gulf of Maine for the first time, the conservation group said the agency and the New England Regional Council should have closed more of the Gulf to fishing. rest of story