Maine’s medium and large commercial fishing boats are heading south, cutting the local fish supply for seafood processors and the Portland Fish Exchange and costing businesses that serve the fleet lost revenue. They are leaving Maine in search to earn extra money selling lobster which they caught accidentally.
Due to few commercial boats in Maine seafood companies find it difficult to run the business smoothly. Cozy harbour Seafood, Maine’s four larger seafood processors, now imports 95 percent of its groundfish, says President John Norton.
Angelo Ciocca of Nova Seafood informed that the Maine processors find it difficult to compete with companies that have access to local fish. He states that the groundfish-harvesting in Maine is at the dead end.
Allyson Jordan of Scarborough, whose family has been fishing in Maine for three generations, moved to Gloucester for a better way of life. Sam Viola, a Portland-based fisherman, said he and other boat owners believe they have exhausted all options and are now justified in moving to the Bay State. According to him Maine is out of business right now.
