The Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission (MFAC) represents recreational and commercial fishing interests from various parts of the Massachusetts coast. Proposed regulatory changes affecting the management of marine fisheries are approved or disapproved by a majority vote of the MFAC.
Who we serve
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 Meeting:
Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at 10AM at SMAST East.
2024 MFAC Meeting Dates:
Tuesday, June 18 - Time and location to be determined
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 is the President of the Stellwagen Bank Charter Boat Association and participates in fishery management matters that impact recreational anglers and the for-hire industry on the regional, national and international level. He is the Appointed Massachusetts Obligatory Member on the New England Fishery Management Council and serves as a recreational advisor on the ICCAT Advisory Committee and the HMS AP.
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 earned a Ph.D. in Biology from Northeastern University. His professional career spanned over 30 years as an educator and administrator in the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District. In addition, Kalil held a US Coast Guard Master's License, and upon retirement from public education, he owned and operated a fly fishing and light spin tackle charter boat business targeting striped bass and bluefish. He was an Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide, and his charters practiced catch and release of striped bass and bluefish. He retired from his charter boat business in 2016, after 19 years of operation.
Tim Brady of Plymouth is a USCG Licensed Master Oceans and Tonnage Unlimited with over 40-years of experience in the charter and headboat industry. He is currently the owner and CEO of Capt. Tim Brady and Sons Deep Sea Fishing Inc., and is the Vice President of the Stellwagen Bank Charter Boat Association. Tim also serves on the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council. Tim is a Professor of Marine Transportation at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy and holds a Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation from MMA and a Masters Degree in Business from Cambridge College.
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.
Christopher McGuire of Falmouth is a former research vessel captain who has directed the Ocean Program for The Nature Conservancy in Massachusetts since 2011. He has been the principal investigator on several collaborative fisheries research projects with MA fishermen on iconic species like Atlantic cod and halibut, and on innovative fisheries monitoring. Chris earned a Master of Marine Affairs from the University of Rhode Island and holds a 1600-ton USCG Ocean Master License. He serves on state and federal committees, including chairing both the New England Fisheries Management Council’s Habitat Advisory Panel and the Stellwagen Bank Sanctuary Advisory Council.