Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission (MFAC)

The MFAC serves the recreational and commercial fishermen across the Commonwealth by working with the Division of Marine Fisheries to ensure sustainable resources for all. The group's nine members are qualified in the field of marine fisheries by training and experience. The Governor appoints Commissioners to terms of up to three years. The MFAC holds monthly meetings.

Next MFAC Meeting: 

• Tuesday, March 21, 2023 - 8:30AM - Via Zoom
  • Agenda (posted 10:20AM on March 16, 2023)
  • Meeting Materials (as of March  19, 2023)
  • Zoom Login
  • Call In: 1-312-626-6799
  • Webinar ID: 893 0519 0277

The MFAC meeting schedule for April - June 2023 is being adjusted to accommodate changes in DMF rule making timelines. DMF will publish the adjusted meeting schedule by the end of March 2023. 

View past MFAC meeting documents

For more information on the Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission, please contact Jared Silva at (617) 634-9573 or jared.silva@mass.gov.

The following is a list of Commission members and a short bio for each member:

Raymond W. Kane, Jr. (Chair) of Chatham has four decades of experience in marine operations and fisheries. He is the owner/operator of a commercial lobster and groundfish vessel. Ray is an active member in several fishing organizations, including the Executive Committee of the Massachusetts Fishermen’s Partnership. Ray is also the outreach spokesman for the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance.

Michael Pierdinock (Vice Chair) of Plymouth is a USCG-certified Captain and the owner of the charter boat “Perseverance". Mike serves on the Board of Directors of the Stellwagen Bank Charter Boat Association. He participates in fishery management matters that impact recreational anglers and the for-hire industry.

William Doyle (Clerk) of Plymouth has been in the seafood industry since 1980 and has extensive experience in seafood processing and marketing. He is currently involved with shellfish aquaculture as a co-owner of Plymouth Rock Oyster Growers and as a wholesale dealer of shellfish. Bill holds a degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Organizational Management and Marketing. In addition to serving on the MFAC, Bill is also a member of DMF’s Shellfish Advisory Panel and Seafood Marketing Commission.

Arthur “Sooky” Sawyer of Gloucester is a commercial fisherman and current president of the Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association. Sooky has over four decades of commercial fishing experience in both the lobster trap fishery and the groundfish fishery. He is the owner and operator of an active fishing vessel that operates from the port of Gloucester. He also serves as an industry representative on the federal Large Whale Take Reduction Team.

Kalil Boghdan of Hamilton has a Ph.D. from Northeastern University in Biology. He spent over 30 years as a high science department chair and middle school principal in the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District. Kalil owns and operates a sportfishing charter operation, Downriver Charters. He also holds a US Coast Guard Masters License.

Louis Williams of Salem holds an Associate’s Degree in Commercial Fisheries and Marine Technologies. He has owned and operated a commercial fishing business for close to 40 years. Lou has previously served as a member of both the New England Groundfish Advisory Committee and the Northeast Seafood Coalition.

Tim Brady of Plymouth is a USGC-certified Captain with over 40-years of experience in the charter and head industry. He is currently the owner and CEO of Capt. Tim Brady and Sons Deep Sea Fishing Inc., and is a long-standing member of the Stellwagen Bank Charter Boat Association. Tim also works as a full-time professor at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Science.

Bill Amaru of Orleans has been fishing commercially since 1972 and continues to fish onboard the 36’ F/V Paladin from ports along the Outer Cape. In his almost 50-years on New England waters he has accumulated professional experience in most aspects of commercial fishing, having fished inshore and offshore and fished longlines, gillnets, trawls, sea scallop dredges, and bay scallop dredges. Through Bill’s work in commercial fisheries, he has experience in conservation engineering and was awarded a Saltonstall-Kennedy grant to research, test, and promote the use of square mesh. He also previously served as a member of the New England Fishery Management Council from 1994 – 2000 and currently serves in advisory roles on local fisheries and marine matters.

Shelley Edmundson of Tisbury is the Executive Director of the Martha’s Vineyard Fishermen’s Preservation Trust. She holds a Ph.D. in Zoology/Marine Biology from the University of New Hampshire.  Her doctoral studies focused on channeled whelks, a species that supports one of the Vineyard's largest commercial fisheries. Throughout her research, Shelley collaborated with many local fishermen with the goal of helping protect the species and sustainably manage the local fishery. ​Shelley’s love of the marine biology, Martha’s Vineyard, and the commercial fishing community began in her youth exploring the island’s shores and fishing off her grandfather’s boat, the Seabird. This passion continues to drive her work today with the Martha’s Vineyard Fishermen’s Preservation Trust and the Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission.