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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 33 Number 7
March 2006
Mass Lobstermen’s Association celebrates its 43rd anniversary
HYANNIS, MA - After several years of getting together in Falmouth, the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) returned to Hyannis for its annual weekend and trade show at the Four Points by Sheraton Resort Feb. 2-5.
This event marked the association’s 43rd year of representing Massachusetts lobstermen.
Men, women, and kids roamed the trade show floor to chat with engine and electronics dealers, trap builders, wire and equipment suppliers, and to catch up on the latest regulatory and research information from state and federal officials.
A number of people sat in on seminars to learn more about lobster egg production, disease, and stock status. And there was help available for lobstermen from the Coast Guard to learn proven safety techniques and from an accountant to get their taxes under control.
MLA Executive Director Bill Adler reported that the weekend went well and that the grand auction, which is held annually to raise money for the MLA Scholarship Fund, netted more than $6,000 – the second highest amount ever raised.
At the same time, Adler acknowledged that turnout wasn’t as high as the association had hoped, which was, perhaps, a reflection of a new reality.
“All and all, it was a successful weekend, though we probably could have used a few more people,” he said. “There has been attrition in the industry. There are only 979 active lobstermen in this state and a lot of Rhode Island people are gone, unfortunately.”
Honorees
But that didn’t stop the MLA members who attended the annual Saturday night banquet from enjoying themselves and honoring several individuals who have helped make a difference.
Laddie Dexter, MLA president during the early 1990s, was the recipient of the Ralph Maling Award of Excellence.
“For years, Laddie’s been an ambassador for our industry and the association,” Adler said. “He’s well deserving of this award and it’s about time we got it to him.”
Relating a few anecdotes, Adler recalled the time the association asked Dexter to bring out a TV camera crew and producers from the news magazine show 20/20 for a story they were doing on a campaign by PETA, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, criticizing the industry for cruelty to lobsters.
“At the end, Laddie turned to the camera and said, ‘You know, these people have too much time on their hands,’” Adler recalled. “That went national. Laddie was hilarious.”
The association also honored Vin Malkoski of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. Malkoski is responsible for keeping track of and commenting on coastal and offshore development projects that can affect fisheries resources and habitat, including dredging, pipelines, LNG projects, windmills, and sand mining.
“We honored Vin for his outstanding responses on behalf of the division and in defense of the resource,” Adler said.
The other two awards went to Billy Souza of Provincetown and Warren Brow of Hingham, both MLA delegates who have consistently gone the extra mile to show up at meetings and work hard for the association.
Lorelei StevensBack to story list
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