The cooperative at Seabrook Harbor grossed more revenue in 2020 than 2019, according to president Jim Titone.
Titone said he received a $270,000 grant through the state’s Main Street Relief Fund, via the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery (GOFERR), which distributed federal CARES Act funds. He said he is concerned the cooperative will have to return the grant partially or in full, because on paper, it appears as though they were more prosperous, despite the pandemic, even though many of the facilities and equipment are at least 30 years old and are due for replacement.
Titone said the pandemic closed a number of wholesale fisheries in New England and many new fishermen joined Yankee Fishermen’s Cooperative. He said because of space limitations at the cooperative, lobsterman would have to rotate the crates through the existing lobster tank to keep them fresh. He said he had to hire additional repairmen, truck drivers and other workers during the pandemic to k