The Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission is a nine member board, representing recreational and commercial fishing interests (including seafood dealers), from various parts of the Massachusetts coast. The MFC was established by the Legislature in 1961, and its members are “qualified in the field of marine fisheries by training and experience.” Commissioners are appointed by the governor to three-year terms, and attend monthly business meetings as well as quarterly public hearings. Regulatory changes and public proposals are approved or disapproved by a majority vote at the Commission’s monthly business meetings, Commission members are not compensated monetarily for the time they commit to the MFC; they are dedicated to working with DMF to ensure a sustainable resource for all.

MFC members are:

Mark Amorello, Chairman. Mark is a charter boat owner and commercial tuna and lobster fisherman. He has served on the New England Fishery Management Council and is the former Chairman of the Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission. Mark currently serves on the ICCAT (International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna) Advisory Committee. Mark also owns Ocean Works, Inc., a custom metal fabrication company established in 1988 and is the owner/operator of a wholesale seafood companies.

Bill Adler, Vice-Chairman. Bill is a commercial lobsterman and the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association. While Bill has been fishing commercially since 1963, he holds a Master’s degree in English from Northeastern University and received the “Teacher of the Year Award” at English High School in Boston in 1973. Bill serves as the Governor’s appointed Commissioner to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and is a member of the Stellwagen Bank Sanctuary Advisory Council. Bill also served as a member of the Massachusetts Ocean Task Force.  

Chuck Casella, Clerk . Chuck is a devoted saltwater angler and charter boat captain who has served as the President of the Massachusetts Striped Bass Association and is a founder of the Sea Party Coalition, a group that works to preserve fishing rights for recreational fishermen. He is a member of the Plum Island Surfcasters and the New England Fishery Management Council’s Skate Advisory Board, the New England Representative and member of the Board of Directors of the Gulf of Maine Recreation Fishing Association . Chuck graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1987.  

Vito Calomo. Vito is a third generation commercial fisherman with many years experience as a boat captain and owner. He held the position of Executive Director of the Gloucester Fisheries Commission from 1995 to 2001, after which he was named the new Executive Director of the Massachusetts Fisheries Recovery Commission. Vito has served on the New England Fishery Management Council and continues to serve as a proxy for the Legislative Commissioner to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

Joseph Huckemeyer. Joe is the owner/operator of the Helen H Offshore Fishing Corporation, a charter & party boat company that provides fishing excursions from the Massachusetts South Coast .  He also has experience dragging, crabbing and hook fishing for groundfish. In addition he is a member of the Cape Cod Commercial Hook Association and the Recreational Fishing Alliance. Through years of involvement with the Division of Marine Fisheries, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, New England Fishery Management Council and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, Joe has promoted sustainable fisheries and wise use of the Commonwealth’s ocean resources in both recreational and commercial fisheries.

Raymond W. Kane, II. Ray, the newest member of the Commission, has three decades of experience in marine operations and fisheries. As the former owner/operator of a commercial lobster and groundfish vessel, Ray reorganized his business and vessel design to accommodate summer blue-fin tuna and winter groundfish fishing. Ray is an active member in several fishing organizations, including the Executive Committee of the Massachusetts Fishermen’s Partnership and Board of Directors of the General Category Tuna Assocation. Ray also is an outreach spokesman for the Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen’s Association. 

Edward Nasser. Ed is the Owner and President of International C. Food in New Bedford . He has worked for over 35 years in the fishing industry in various capacities, acquiring signficant experience and expertise in seafood marketing. Ed brings his first-hand knowledge of the New Bedford area to the MFC and a desire to balance local environmental and conservation issues with a viable commercial fishing industry.  

John Pappalardo. John is the Policy Analyst for the Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fisherman’s Association and the current Chair of the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC). John is a certified charter boat captain and a commercial hook fisherman. He serves on the NEFMC’s Law Enforcement Advisory Panel and the Mid-Atlantic Council’s Dogfish Advisory Committee as well as the Division’s Striped Bass Advisory Panel.  

For more information about the MFC, please contact Melanie Griffin, Assistant to Paul Diodati at MarineFisheries Boston office at (617) 626-1528 or by email at mfac@state.ma.us.

Marine Fisheries Commission Meetings