The Northeast Seafood Coalition (“NSC” or “Coalition”) — the largest commercial fishing industry policy voice dedicated to working with government regulations and environmental concerns to preserve the long-term health of fishery resources, fishing communities and the fishing industry of the northeast United States – has named Nicolas Brancaleone as communications manager. In this new role, Brancaleone will oversee internal and external communications with NSC membership, stakeholders and the media. He will report directly to Jackie Odell, Executive Director of the Coalition.
“We are delighted that Nick has become part of the Northeast Seafood Coalition team! Nick has a strong background in marketing and communications and years of on the ground experience working with the fishing industry,” Jackie Odell, executive director of the NSC said.
A graduate of Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Brancaleone joins the NSC from Gloucester’s fixed gear sector, where he was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the organization and ensuring compliance with all federal regulations pertaining to the Sector and its membership. There, he developed critical communications platforms and acted as a liaison between the Sector’s members and NOAA Fisheries Service, the New England Fishery Management Council and other relevant parties. Brancaleone has been involved in the sector management system since 2010 and guided members through the difficult transition from the previous days-at-sea management system.
“After ten years since its founding, NSC and its members are in a challenging path where communications is more important than ever. Nick Brancaleone is the perfect candidate for NSC's first communications manager,” John Bell, chairman of the NSC board of directors said. “An advocate of New England's working waterfronts, Nick is both schooled in communications and experienced in the complex issues of fisheries policy. The NSC board and members look forward to a long working relationship with Nick.”
Brancaleone is keenly aware of the current turbulent nature of the commercial fishing industry and recognizes the need for fishermen to be knowledgeable and cognizant of policy that directly impacts their businesses.
“The NSC has a history of independent thinking and a respect for all commercial fishing entities of all sizes. I’ve had the privilege of working directly with the Coalition for two years as a sector manager, and I commend them for their dedication to the industry and fishing communities in the northeast,” Brancaleone said. “I’m thrilled to join the talented NSC team and look forward to effectively communicating with their membership and interested parties.”
Prior to working with the fishing industry, Brancaleone worked for Edelman, the world’s largest public relations agency. There, he worked in an internal communications team guiding organizations of all sizes through change while encouraging employee and member engagement.
About the Northeast Seafood Coalition
The Northeast Seafood Coalition is a non-profit organization of commercial fishing businesses in the northeast United States. NSC members are small, independent, entrepreneurial businesses that fish for – and support fishing for – cod, haddock, flounders, and other groundfish species along the northeast coast. NSC’s fishing business members’ fish from small and large ports all along the northeast coast. They fish small, medium, and large vessels, and they employ, among them, all groundfish gear types (trawl, longline, gillnet, and others). The number of fishing business members in NSC is approximately 255.
NSC’s mission is to work for the long term health of fishery resources, fishing communities, and thefishing industry throughout the northeast. Since 2002, NSC has worked in the policy process in efforts to help develop rules to rebuild the northeast groundfish fishery. NSC works for rules that embody real solutions to complex fishery problems.
Source: Northeast Seafood Coalition
