Last US sardine cans being packed in Maine

[Mr. Sandman]

Last US sardine cans being packed in Maine - Yahoo! News


How's that "Hope and change" working for ya?

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by Mr. Sandman

Last US sardine cans being packed in Maine - Yahoo! News

How's that "Hope and change" working for ya?

From the article, it seems like this is a process that started a long time ago. Demand has steadily been decreasing. "Hope and change" had nothing to do with it. American Capitalism was the demise of the industry. Sardines are nasty anyway.

"Even without the quota cuts, the plant was under pressure from shrinking consumer demand, increased foreign competition — primarily from China and Thailand — and thin margins and low prices on the retail market."

"Sardine consumption began falling decades ago, he said, after canned tuna came on the market and Americans' tastes changed. The closing of the last U.S. cannery is the end of an era, he said."

"We recognize the American public turns their noses up at sardines," Sutton said. "It may be a challenge and it may be insurmountable, but our motto is 'It's not your grandfather's sardine.'"

[Mr. Sandman]

I don't think capitalism had much to do with the demise. Changing tastes and over seas comp. were the causes. I just could not resist the Hope and change jab...more jobs lost in a region that really can't afford it. I bet the packing plants in china and taiwan stay in business...How do they do it???health care, minium wage, retirement...hmmm)

Reasons and politics aside, there is nothing like a sardine and onion sandwich on rye toast when you are offshore fishing.

[The Dad Fisherman]

I love sardines.....straight up or on a cracker

[MAKAI]

Reasons and politics aside, there is nothing like a sardine and onion sandwich on rye toast when you are offshore fishing.[/QUOTE]


Talk about an acquired taste.
How much scope do you gotta chase that bad boy down with ?

[Fish_Eye]

I think I'll open a can right now. One of the best things you can eat. I'm going to Maine next week to film one of the healthiest herring runs on the east coast. The runs up there are improving while our runs are not doing well at all.

[Swimmer]

Originally Posted by Fish_Eye

I think I'll open a can right now. One of the best things you can eat. I'm going to Maine next week to film one of the healthiest herring runs on the east coast. The runs up there are improving while our runs are not doing well at all.

Thats because the mainers V-notch the females

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by Mr. Sandman

Reasons and politics aside, there is nothing like a sardine and onion sandwich on rye toast when you are offshore fishing.

I tried once... couldn't even take a bite. Power to you guys that eat them right out of the can.

[DZ]

When I was in the Navy we always had some smart ass sailor that would microwave sardines and smell up half the ship during the midwatch. I couldn't get by the odor to try them.

DZ

[fishsmith]

Originally Posted by DZ

When I was in the Navy we always had some smart ass sailor that would microwave sardines and smell up half the ship during the midwatch. I couldn't get by the odor to try them.

DZ

Sorry bout that , I never nuked em, but sardines in mustard sauce or smoked oysters were a favorite of mine when the seas picked up. I miss seeing the clear bags filled with bug juice puke. ...

[MAKAI]

If smoked oysters is high on your yummy food list, you should never eat higher than Taco Bell. Your palate wouldn't know the difference. Save your money for new plugs and cheap booze.

[spence]

I wonder how the buggy whip industry is doing?

-spence

[stripermaineiac]

Maine sardines taste a lot better than the imports. Grew up on them an still love em. Shame the poleticians don't make free traders go by the agreement to improve standards in free trade countries. Drove our sardine industry out of the market as they couldn't compete with giant netters that didn't have to go by American fishery rules.MMMMMM No limits,no health care,no vacations,no OSHA,very little pay,no workers comp,no sick time an on an on. I wonder when they're gonna start worrying about our economy instead of everyone elses on the planet.Who gives a damn if theirs no work in China. The schmucks don't import hardly anything from here no how. Sorry but it's a sore point as every day another freind tells me they got laid off as their job has gone over seas. Ron

[Backbeach Jake]

Originally Posted by The Dad Fisherman

I love sardines.....straight up or on a cracker

Road trip, I'll bring the beer and crackers..

[WoodyCT]

Originally Posted by The Dad Fisherman

I love sardines.....straight up or on a cracker

Did I ever mention the time my buddy whipped out a can of sardines and a bag of pork rinds with a Mountain Dew chaser while we driving to a different trout stream?

I almost hurled...
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[The Dad Fisherman]

You guys don't know what you're missing........

[MAKAI]

Originally Posted by The Dad Fisherman

You guys don't know what you're missing........

Yes we do !

[basenjib123]

because the fishing regulations diminished their catch by 50 PER CENT. I got this first hand from one of the employees.

[stripermaineiac]

Our poleticians spend more time making rules that put our businesses out of business than they do trying to make things better and create more jobs. All for the benefit of foreign jobs to build economies elsewhere. I wonder how much they get paid to keep working for these foreign governments cause they sure as hell aren't doing a damn thing for our country anymore.Time to vote the whole bunch out of office and start from scratch.we need people working for us and not lining their own pockets at our countries expense.

[Mr. Sandman]

Originally Posted by stripermaineiac

Our poleticians spend more time making rules that put our businesses out of business than they do trying to make things better and create more jobs. All for the benefit of foreign jobs to build economies elsewhere. I wonder how much they get paid to keep working for these foreign governments cause they sure as hell aren't doing a damn thing for our country anymore.Time to vote the whole bunch out of office and start from scratch.we need people working for us and not lining their own pockets at our countries expense.

You sound like my father!

[stripermaineiac]

Hi Jim, after watching the damage economically that they've done to my state over the last 4 years and are doing to the rest of our country well time to kick them out and get people in office that care about our country and not the so called world economy.Between giving people that don't/won't work so many give aways and freerides that they have a better life style than those of us that work and making most business have to jump through so many hoops that they're going out of business up here whole sale.We have so many business goin under up here that it's crazy and the rules just keep coming but no he;p to get more jobs in place. If things don't change soon Maine and a lot of other states have had it.The sardine plant is just one of many goin under up here right now. Ron

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by basenjib123

because the fishing regulations diminished their catch by 50 PER CENT. I got this first hand from one of the employees.

Or maybe because they work on slim margins and, as stated by one of the people in the article, Americans aren't buying sardines any more.

[stripermaineiac]

Every one in America works on slim margins now. A shame when all it takes is a change in a law or a limit to put an American business under.Especially when the foreign competition doesn't have to go by the same rules.Free trade is supposed to mean fair trade also.Thats why I try my best to only buy American.Nice thing now is that it's catching on and there're actually site to find American made product.I'd rather pay a higher price and keep someone working than higher taxes to pay someones Welfare and free medical.At least money spent on American products gets spent in America to keep the economy going. Ron

[MAKAI]

Just coming up from the basement, sharpening the tines on the pitchfork.
Enjoy your Birkenstocks while you can my Liberal comrades.
The next Revolution draws nigh.

[striprman]

I like Beach Cliff sardines. Looks like King Oscar's will now be in the shopping cart.

I didn't realize that sardine forks were once part of a "full" set of silverware. Antique sardine forks are expensive collectibles. Hmm

[BasicPatrick]

Boo Hoo Hoo...Here is some information to think about.

The reason the atlantic herring quota was reduced this year is that in the five years prior the atlantic herring fleet has failed to harvest the quota. Instead of berate the us government, national marine fisheries service and new england fisheries management council we might just send them all a thank you note for reducing a quota on a very important forage fish that it looks like might be in some trouble. See many op eds from last fall.

Another point we might want to understand is that the atlantic herring fleet that supplied this plant is our old friends the midwater trawl and pair trawl fleet. Yep...the industrial trawlers that catch and dump or mix and sell 1-3 million pounds of river herring by catch is the same poor industry being referred to in this article.

Now do not get me wrong, there is no debate that the closing of this plant is a tragedy to the workers...however...the traditional small boat herring fleet in maine might have considered this outcome when they on multiple occasions have stood in the corner of the mid water fleet that has now done real damage to their coastal community.

I also want to point out that the lack of herring for this plant is very confusing to me when I consider that over the last three years the "industry", including boats and dealers has been fined over 1.1 million for being caught mis reporting over 43million (with a m) pounds of unreported catch.

I further find it a bit suprising that Bumble Bee has not even menitioned the maine lobster industry at all. The maine lobster industry buys every last boat load of low qualtiy herring so why would the industrial fleet care about handling food quality herring. Yep...this plant is being lowballed by not by China, but by the lobster industry.

Just a few Things that make you go....hmmmm

[stripermaineiac]

You still miss the point Pat. The rules we put on our fisheries are not the ones that tje foreighn fleet go by which is none. Our poleticians know this and put no sanctions on them and still allow them to be sold in our markets even though the treaty they signed says that if the don't meet the same rules and restrictions as our fisheries and industries that they will be penalized to even the playing feild IE. Import Tariffs.Many industries make bad business choices but it doesn't mean that the competition should be allowed an unfair advantage by being given plitical passes on the agreements they sign into with us.As far as comparing sardines to herring well sardines are fished for in the northern waters not by pair trawlers. a 4 in fish won't stay in a net thats made to keep 7 in fish.I worked on a sardine boat one summer as a kid. we went north to fish not south.
In our zealousness we should be carefull not to again make the mistake that because someone is a freind of so to speak an enemy that they are our enamy also. This problen is a large political one where agreements are made for personal profit that hurt our economy as a whole. When the tariffs where in place many of these businesses flourished very well as the small guy had a chance .
Think about this your a fly fisherman. 20 yrs ago most of the flies we used were tied right here in America by 1000;s of small time at home flt tiers. Umpqua feather Marchants stepped into the picture and started buying up all the top quality materials and having their flies tied in Laos,Thialand and several other countries and then selling them on the American market for a small fraction of what it cost us to tie them let alone sell them. Those tiers get paid pennies a fly and work in sweat shop enviorments. The very thing that the agreements made by our government were suposed to stop and be made better and on par.Sanctions were supposed to be put in place but weren't for political and personal gains by our poeticians.I know this cause I'm one of the many fly tiers that used to tie 4 to 5 thousand flys a yr to sell. LL Bean,Cabelas,Bass Pro, Gander Mountain and most of our tackle shops buy from Umpqua efefectively shutting American tiers almost completely out of the market.
Same problem just another vinue.My cost for tying a fly is more than Umpque sells them for here. HHHHHMMMMM and the problem must be me and all the other tiers like me.We expected our government to look out for our interest being American citizens ist.Not the foreign economy .
As far as the lobster industry goes well like all lobter boats everywhere the spoiled and ruined fish end up in the bait bags used to be red fish till people found out it taste good now herring ,mackeral and whatever else is on hand is used. But again instead of dealing with the poleticians lets keep throwing spears at each other so no one works together to fix the problem.The poleticians. Haven't we learned enough with the bull crap with the health care debates to see the real problem. They need to work for us not the world economy. Period.

[stripermaineiac]

Oh by the way these sardines I'm eating now with mustard sauce an garlic bread toasted are some sweet. MMMMMM

[MAKAI]

MMMMEEEEEOOOOOWWWWW!!!!!!

[stripermaineiac]

Sorry already told my cat I ain;t sharin them LOL