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Feature Articles
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Maine Fishermen's Cooperative Assoc. elects new officers
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This article is reprinted with permission of Commercial Fisheries News, the Northeast's fishing newspaper for over 30 years, ©2003 Compass Publications Inc. Commercial Fisheries News is published monthly; annual subscriptions are $21.95. To subscribe or request a sample issue: call (877) 263-4496; fax (207) 367-2490; e-mail (cfoster@fish-news.com); or click on the hot link.
WEST BATH, ME - The Maine Fishermen's Cooperative Association held its annual meeting here on April 21 and ushered in a whole new slate of officers.
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Marshall Alexanders
(Peter K. Prybot photo)
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The membership elected Marshall Alexander of Biddeford Pool as president, Terry Alexander and Willis Spear as vice presidents, and Allyson Jordan as secretary.
Alexander replaces Proctor Wells, who has since broken off from the co-op and now heads a new association called IFISH - Independent Fishermen Investing in Sustainable Harvesting (see related story this page). Several other members also dissented from the co-op to become founding IFISH members.
The Maine Fishermen's Cooperative Association was initiated in the late 1960s and has a long-standing history of being involved in critical groundfish issues.
But the complexity of problems confronting today's fishing fleet - the ongoing groundfish lawsuit, US District Judge Gladys Kessler's order, Amendment 13, the potential loss of latent effort, and the subsequent fundamental changes in the composition of the industry - has resulted in inevitable differences of opinion among fishermen.
And these differences came to a head at the co-op's annual meeting, making it be one of the most turbulent annual meetings since the group's formation.
According to newly elected secretary/treasurer Jordan, the new slate of officers is hoping to return the co-op to its "original mission," which she said is "to bring all fishermen within the state of Maine together to work on issues."
Jordan said the new board and officers are encouraging all Maine fishermen to join the co-op to strengthen the industry throughout the state.
The Maine Fishermen's Cooperative Association board of directors, elected at the annual meeting, includes: Steve York, Gary Hawkes, Bryan Bichrest, Chuck Plummer, Leonard Young III, Genaro Balzano III, Bill Doughty, John Williamson, and David Osier.
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