Orleans Shellfish Committee Pushes for Seat on 72 Tons-It Road Task Force

ORLEANS — June 30, 2026 — Orleans shellfish panel eyes Rock Harbor history walk as state striped bass permit cuts loom. The Orleans Shellfish and Waterways Advisory Committee, meeting June 30, launched planning for a "Captain's Walk" — a series of interpretive signs along Rock Harbor's sidewalk documenting the town's quahog fishing heritage — with Chair Craig Pusaician reporting that Town Hall's Amanda Converse has signed on to coordinate the effort under a broader place-making initiative tied to the recently completed bulkhead reconstruction. Pusaician also delivered an urgent briefing on a Division of Marine Fisheries proposal to reduce Massachusetts commercial striped bass endorsements from approximately 4,500 to 500 statewide, citing a 2022-to-2025 landing control date that he said disadvantages Cape Cod fishermen whose strongest seasons fell outside that window — including, by his own account, himself. The committee, which is down to six active members after the departures of Bill Amaru and John Quigley, voted on no formal actions and agreed to return to a second-Tuesday meeting schedule at approximately 6:15 p.m., likely resuming in August.