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In Maine, Last Sardine Cannery in the U.S. Is Clattering Out
NY Times ^ | 4/3/10 | Katleen Seeleye

Posted on 04/03/2010 9:14:00 PM PDT by pissant

PROSPECT HARBOR, Me. — The women in their smudged aprons here at the sardine cannery work together in mesmerizing synchronization. Their hands flying, they fill the empty tins that clatter along the conveyer belt, packing in pieces of cut herring like, well, so many sardines.

On April 18, the clanking will cease. The bells and buzzers that regulate the pace of packing will fall silent. The old plant, the last sardine cannery in the United States, is shutting down.

Once a thriving national industry — and the backdrop of John Steinbeck’s gritty “Cannery Row” — sardine canneries have been dwindling for the last half-century. They have fallen victim to global competition, corporate consolidations and a general lack of appetite, at least in the United States, for sardines, despite their nutritional value and attempts by chefs to give them an image makeover.

Bumble Bee Foods, which has owned the plant here since 2004, attributed the closing to federal regulations that have reduced the amount of Atlantic herring, sardines before processing, that can be hauled from the sea. (Although Bumble Bee is the owner, the cannery is still known as the Stinson plant, after the founding family.)

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; US: Maine
KEYWORDS: cannery; fisheries; sardines; theend
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To: pissant

When Obamacare starts in full swing they’ll be back employed placing handfuls of greenish food product into little ‘soylent green’ tins.

And, as one commenter said earlier, the larger ones mashed taste just like the smaller ones.


21 posted on 04/03/2010 9:47:35 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (I'd like to tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.)
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To: Revel
You were saying ...

When the Marxist’s finally bring about the Great Crash in the USA then Americans will be starving, and unable to take care of themselves.

Well, just talking about the sardines and looking at some West Coast information, it appears the sardine catch had collapsed over 50 years ago... so I don't know how the Marxists managed that one a half century ago... :-)

22 posted on 04/03/2010 9:47:44 PM PDT by Star Traveler (Remember to keep the Messiah of Israel in the One-World Government that we look forward to coming)
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

I live in Maine and drove past this plant a year ago.

The town of Prospect Harbor, Maine is a sleepy, quiet coastal town....it’s hasn’t changed much since the 19th century. Lot of lobster boats are anchored in the small harbor. The whole area looks like a picture postcard.

The governor of Maine and our two U.S. Senators having been trying to get another company to take over the sardine cannery. We’ll see.


23 posted on 04/03/2010 9:49:37 PM PDT by july4thfreedomfoundation (Palin / Ryan in 2012, or Ryan / Palin in 2012. Either combination will serve America with pride.)
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To: Secret Agent Man
ewww
that sent a chill up my spine.

Time for “Soylent Green” to be shown again. Maybe some people would get a clue - it's even more believable now.

24 posted on 04/03/2010 9:51:12 PM PDT by maine-iac7
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To: pissant

Yep, Beach Cliff with the lighthouse on it—that is my favorite.

The family HATES when I eat sardines, silly people don’t know what they’re missing!

A cracker with a piece of sardine and several splashes of Tabasco! num num num


25 posted on 04/03/2010 9:51:44 PM PDT by Irenic
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To: Secret Agent Man
Oh, and by the way - thanks a lot for posting to me "Secret Agent Man" - now I can't get the theme outta my head and I need to go to sleep!

(Never missed a show!)


26 posted on 04/03/2010 9:55:46 PM PDT by maine-iac7
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Comment #27 Removed by Moderator

To: Star Traveler

***I guess I’m gonna have to look for some foreign brand***

Aldi’s had a pretty good Thailand sardine and I like the Mexican brands also. I guess I will have to eat kippered herring from Morroco.


28 posted on 04/03/2010 10:00:14 PM PDT by Ruy Dias de Bivar (Obama's vision for America...Green shoots and skittles, where pancakes grow on fritter trees.)
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To: Star Traveler

Yep. Guess that’s why I was buyin salmon for $4.99 lb this year. Scarce as hens teeth, them salmon are.

And oil is running out and the earth is overpopulated. Just terrible.


29 posted on 04/03/2010 10:06:38 PM PDT by pissant (THE Conservative party: www.falconparty.com)
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To: pissant
You were saying ...

Yep. Guess that’s why I was buyin salmon for $4.99 lb this year. Scarce as hens teeth, them salmon are.

Well, being in Washington State, you should have known the severe restrictions there has been on Salmon fishing and how the runs were way down...

I'm surprised you didn't know that, because I've been away from Oregon for just a little while now and I knew that... :-)

Take a look at this snippet I took out of the Oregon Salmon Commission...

2009 Salmon Season

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) adopted the 2009 salmon season regulations which included Chinook and Coho fishing North of Cape Falcon.  Cape Falcon to Humbug Mt. will have an 11,000 Coho quota from September 1 through the earlier of September 30 or when the quota is met.

2008 Salmon Season

For three consecutive years, dismal salmon returns have resulted in disastrous seasons for West Coast fishermen and the communities that rely on the business they create. On Thursday, April 10, 2008, the Pacific Fishery Management Council adopted the most restrictive salmon fisheries in the history for the West Coast, in response to the unprecedented collapse of Sacramento River fall Chinook and the exceptionally poor status of coho salmon from Oregon and Washington. Cape Falcon, on Oregon’s north coast, to the U.S./Mexico border will be closed in 2008, with fisheries north of Cape Falcon to the Canadian line being severely restricted.

On April 10, 2008, Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski issued Executive Order No. 08-10 declaring a "state of emergency in Tillamook, Lincoln Coos, Clatsop, and Curry counties and coastal portions of Lane and Douglas counties due to limitations on ocean commercial and sport salmon fishing." The Governor allocated $500,000 from his strategic reserve funds, with the Emergency Board adding another $500,000, for distribution through the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) to Oregon ocean troll salmon fishermen and eligible ocean salmon charter fishers. ODA with an advisory group developed criteria and worked with the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW) and the Oregon State Marine Board (OSMB) to assist with fishermen lists. This state money has been distributed to qualifying fishermen.

Federal Disaster Funds:  The deadline to apply for these funds was December 31, 2008. No more applications will be accepted.  These funds were included in the Farm Bill and passed along to the Department of Commerce and NOAA. Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) wrote a contract with NOAA for distribution of those funds to Oregon ocean fishermen, processors/wholesalers, charterboat owners, Columbia River coho gillnet fishermen and processors as well as businesses affected by the closure.

I'm surprised that you're (1) from Washington State, and (2) unaware of the severe restrictions that there have been on Salmon, and (3) are actually posting heer on Free Republic that there aren't any problems with the Salmon fishing ... LOL ...

30 posted on 04/03/2010 10:37:01 PM PDT by Star Traveler (Remember to keep the Messiah of Israel in the One-World Government that we look forward to coming)
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To: Star Traveler

Well, being in Washington State, you should have known the severe restrictions there has been on Salmon fishing and how the runs were way down...

Nope. Start over. Sardines are swarming all over as well.


31 posted on 04/03/2010 10:38:10 PM PDT by pissant (THE Conservative party: www.falconparty.com)
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To: Irenic

>>The family HATES when I eat sardines

Same here.

>>A cracker with a piece of sardine and several splashes of Tabasco! num num num

In a sandwich with thinly sliced onions!


32 posted on 04/03/2010 10:38:15 PM PDT by Jeff Chandler (:: Happy Dependence Day!. ::)
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To: Star Traveler

Even the moronic tree hugging hippies at the Oregonian had to admit the obvious.

http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2010/02/columbia_river_salmon_runs_ple.html


33 posted on 04/03/2010 10:40:32 PM PDT by pissant (THE Conservative party: www.falconparty.com)
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To: HiTech RedNeck
Does Canada still can them?

Charlotte County, New Brunswick, Canada supports very strong traditional fisheries and aquaculture industries - and is home to the largest sardine canner in the world.

34 posted on 04/03/2010 10:43:37 PM PDT by pyx (Rule#1.The LEFT lies.Rule#2.See Rule#1. IF THE LEFT CONTROLS THE LANGUAGE, IT CONTROLS THE ARGUMENT.)
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To: pissant

At that price, I doubt you were buying wild caught salmon.


35 posted on 04/03/2010 10:44:08 PM PDT by Darth Reardon (Im running for the US Senate for a simple reason, I want to win a Nobel Peace Prize - Rubio)
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To: Darth Reardon

Yup. Sockeye and pinks. I know my fish and I don’t eat farmed


36 posted on 04/03/2010 10:49:16 PM PDT by pissant (THE Conservative party: www.falconparty.com)
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To: SatinDoll; Salamander; Markos33; Slings and Arrows; JoeProBono; humblegunner; Eaker
"Yeah, same here. We prefer the little sardines, the ‘Tiny Tots’."

I'm really surprised that this plant is closing.

Last I heard, the place was brisling with activity.
37 posted on 04/03/2010 10:49:55 PM PDT by shibumi (FReepMail me to get on the "Hippo Attack" ping list!)
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To: pissant
You were saying ...

Even the moronic tree hugging hippies at the Oregonian had to admit the obvious.

And you were expecting after disastrous runs and severe restrictions put on fishing Salmon -- that they were never going recover afterwards? LOL ...

I suppose you were hoping for their permanent disappearance, instead ... :-)

38 posted on 04/03/2010 10:56:48 PM PDT by Star Traveler (Remember to keep the Messiah of Israel in the One-World Government that we look forward to coming)
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To: pissant
You were saying ...

Nope. Start over. Sardines are swarming all over as well.

That last post you were replying to was about Salmon runs ... :-)

39 posted on 04/03/2010 10:59:01 PM PDT by Star Traveler (Remember to keep the Messiah of Israel in the One-World Government that we look forward to coming)
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To: shibumi


40 posted on 04/03/2010 11:03:51 PM PDT by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet)
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