- Division of Marine Fisheries
The Massachusetts Commercial Fisheries Commission (CFC) met for the first time on April 8, 2025. During the first meeting, leadership aimed to effectively concentrate the scope and goals of this new public body, and to develop strategies for implementation through feedback from Commission members. Areas of interest included economic development, port infrastructure, and economic sustainability of the industry, while increasing awareness within fishing communities and state government. With facilitation support from the Consensus Building Institute, the CFC determined several primary tasks during its first meeting, including (1) helping to inform DMF on an updated port profile assessment, (2) offering feedback on CZM’s ResilientCoasts Draft Plan, (3) discerning the scope of the CFC from that of the Fisheries Working Group for Offshore Wind, (4) sharing individual written support of commercial fishery representation on the Commonwealth’s Food Policy Council and comment on New England gas, oil, and minerals development proposals, and (5) addressing fishery science challenges given the anticipated limitation of federal surveys.
The CFC was established by the Massachusetts legislature in 2022 (Section 79 of the Chapter 179 of the Acts of 2022) – An Act Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind. The CFC will provide a forum in which stakeholders and commercial fishery representatives from across the Commonwealth’s coast will discuss and prioritize strategies to increase sustainability of the commercial fishing industry and to address the responsible development of offshore energy projects. As a unified voice, commission members will recommend strategies to be brought to the state legislature and effect change.
The CFC is a 19-member body, including the Secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, and the Directors of the Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF), Dan McKiernan, and the Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM), Alison Brizius, who serve as co-chairs. The remaining 14 members are appointed by the Governor and represent stakeholders of the commercial fishing industry and research organizations, including members of Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, Massachusetts Fishermen’s Partnership, Massachusetts Seafood Collaborative, Stellwagen Bank Charter Boat Association, New Bedford Port Authority, Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association, Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance, Gloucester Fisheries Commission, Gloucester Fishing Community Preservation Fund, Fisheries Survival Fund, Center for Sustainable Fisheries, Northeast Seafood Coalition, Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association, and the University of Massachusetts School for Marine Science and Technology. With its passionate, motivated, and knowledgeable members, the CFC will face its goals to strengthen collaboration across the state, advocate for industry sustainability, and create a unified voice for the industry head-on in the years to come.
By Bradlie Morgan, Communications and Policy Specialist
