Blogs at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism

Archive for January, 2008

Serenity by the Bay

January 17th, 2008 by Joe Filippazzo

This article appeared in the 17 January issue of am New York.

Most residents think of Little Neck as the best of both worlds, where they can enjoy the serenity of the suburbs and the commerce of the city without ever having to leave New York. Tucked away in the northeast corner of Queens, yet only a 45-minute commute to downtown Manhattan, this bustling peninsula on Little Neck Bay has managed to evolve with the rest of the city while retaining much of its original character.

La Baraka serves French cuisine with North African undertones.
La Baraka serves French cuisine with North African undertones.

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A Floundering Industry in Sheepshead Bay

January 7th, 2008 by Joe Filippazzo

This article appeared in the 7 January issue of The Brooklyn View.

“I think I just got screwed out of some money,” Bobby Fish said as he thumbed through the crumpled ball of fives and tens in his calloused, grease-stained hand. As second mate on the Sea Wolf, a dilapidated party boat that operates out of Sheepshead Bay, he and his first mate Kenny agreed that the commercial fishing industry here has seen better days.

The trouble for fishing boats began back in the 1930’s when business was great. But after decades of over-fishing, which has brought several species to the brink of collapse, the federal government passed the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act in 1976, which gets ratified annually by Congress. The goal was to end over-fishing and rebuild fish stocks by enforcing stricter regulations.

“They put these insane, asinine laws in place,” said Bobby Fish, “and they make it impossible.”

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