Portland Fish Pier Authority

PORTLAND FISH PIER AUTHORITY BOARD OF DIRECTORS March 12, 2026, 3:30 PM Portland Fish Exchange Subcommittee Meeting Remote via Zoom Please use the meeting information below to join the meeting: https://portlandmaine-gov.zoom.us/j/85002579581?pwd=xoZRFcApOL32aVHvrrGyZ2im00tzsT.1 To submit written public comment on an Agenda item, please send an email to edd@portlandmaine.gov. Submissions must be received by 12:00 p.m. the day before the Portland Fish Exchange Subcommittee meeting to guarantee their inclusion in the Agenda packet. 1. Committee Chair Comments 2. Approval of January 8, 2026 Meeting Minutes a. See attached minutes from January 8, 2026 Action Item - Public Comment 3. Portland Fish Exchange Manager's Report a. Fish Exchange Manager's Report b. Expense/revenue items deviating from the budget c. Available space in the coolers. d. Discussion and clarification on lumping. Review of multi-tiered fee system with possible vote to recommend to the Portland 4. Fish Pier Authority. Discussion on funding opportunity for Portland Fish Exchange through SEA Maine 5. funding. 6. Old Business a. Public relations/Social Media b. Website Maintenance/Marketing the Exchange c. Student Internship 7. Other items not on the agenda. 8. Next Meeting: April 9, 2026 9. Adjournment Page 1 Page 2  DRAFT Draft Meeting Minutes Portland Fish Pier Authority - Portland Fish Exchange Subcommittee January 8, 2026 3:30 PM Subcommittee Member Attendees: John Arnold, Mary Hudson, Meredith Mendelson, Tracy Perce, and Rob Odlin (joined by phone). Staff present: Diane Albert, Kaela Gonzalez, Heather Moretti, Avery Novak, Robert Vanmeter Approximately two (2) members of the public attended. 1. Committee Chair Comments: Committee Chair Pearce opened the meeting and welcomed the new City of Portland Waterfront Coordinator, Heather Moretti, and asked the subcommittee to briefly introduce themselves. ​ 2. Approval of December 11, 2025 Meeting Minutes Motion to approve Meeting Minutes for December 11, 2025, with the amendment to correct the net yard usage fee rule: non-fleet members must start paying the $50/day fee after 48 hours, not immediately. Hudson, 2nd Mendelson Approved by consensus (Odlin not present at time of vote) 3. Portland Fish Exchange Manager’s Report ​ Robert Vanmeter presented the manager’s report verbally. Highlights are as follows: ●​ 8 Auctions in December ●​ 142,000 landed (budgeted 200,000) ●​ No contract unloads (budgeted 0) ●​ 720,000 in pumping YTD (budgeted 1.2M) ●​ Current receivables are $206,000 ●​ Checkbooks are at $94,000 ●​ Checkbook average $45,000 - $50,000 ●​ LOC and Cash reserve are available in full ​ Vanmeter also provided a more detailed account of the December Auction Sales, breaking down how the 142,176 pounds of fish were sold through the auction, were scratched, returned, or retained for sale on the following day. Monthly expenses to note include a new server, two computers, and a replacement battery backup for the fire alarm system. The fee income is a bundled line item that includes: buyer application fees, pumping fees, sales of totes/pallets, warehousing, cold storage, net yard usage fee, warehousing transfer fees, weighting fees, unloading, and re-ing. Page 3  DRAFT 4. Review of multi-tiered fee system with possible vote to recommend to the Portland Fish Pier Authority. Topic tabled for a future meeting. 5. Old Business ​ Vanmeter is working with the University of Southern Maine to hire an intern who will help with social media and possibly the website from May through the Fall. ​ 6. Other items not on the agenda. ​ Hudson invited the committee members to the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association's 20th birthday celebration on Thursday, January 15, 2026. ​ Vanmeter confirmed the Exchange’s operational limit is 40,000 pounds per auction day (max 45,000 lbs). The previous high volume of 60,000 lbs during Thanksgiving week was due to under-hailing by several boats, forcing the Exchange to manage an excessive load. Vanmeter confirmed they are now taking a "much firmer stance" on cutting off boats to manage the volume. Rob Odlin (joined the meeting at approximately 4:07 p.m.) suggested implementing a formal scenario for large catches (e.g., 40,000 lbs) that bypasses the traditional auction. The process would involve fish going directly into insulated vats provided by the buyer, utilizing a small team of PFE staff (hoist, forklift, icing), and taking place outside of auction hours. Odlin suggested setting a fee (e.g., 10 cents per pound) that ensures PFE profitability while being competitive for contract sales. Vanmeter confirmed that non-auction, contract offloading is already in place with tiered pricing and service options: ●​ Hoisted and loaded onto a truck for $30 per vat. ●​ PFE unloads the fish into vats and does not grade it for 10 cents per pound, plus a set lumper fee. ●​ PFE unloads, grades, and puts the fish into totes for 20 cents per pound, plus a set lumper fee. ●​ For large offloads, Robert stated that the best practice is for the buyer to supply their own vats to avoid PFE's cost and logistical predicament. ​ Vanmeter confirmed that employees do get paid for lumping outside of normal pay from the Exchange, but this is paid by the boat. ​ Following a brief discussion on the Exchange Rules and Regulations not clearly stating that the manager has the authority to approve new buyers, though it has been an informal past practice for quite some time. Motion to recommend to the Portland Fish Pier Authority Board that the rules and regulations for the Portland Fish Exchange be amended to allow the manager to temporarily approve a new buyer, provided the buyer has completed the full application process, including providing a line of credit. Mendelson, 2nd Arnold Approved by consensus. Page 4  DRAFT ​ The Exchange Manager will be asked to prepare a formal proposal to present to the board for discussion. 7. Next Meeting: February 12, 2026 9. Adjournment: ​ Motion to adjourn ​ Arnold, 2nd Hudsoni ​ Approved by consensus The meeting adjourned at approximately 4:53 p.m. Page 5  PORTLAND FISH EXCHANGE Management/Financial Report for February, 2026 GF Landings – Auction Actual Budgeted Variance February 2026 – 8 205K 175K 30K GF Landings – Auction Actual Budgeted Variance February 2025 - 7 83K 225K (142K) Contract Unloads - GF Actual Budgeted Variance February 2026 0 0 0 Total GF Land/Unloads Actual Budgeted Variance February 2026 205K 175K 30K Pumping Actual Budgeted Variance 2026 YTD 650K 1.2M (480K) Financial Report Net Income Budgeted Variance February 2026 $4670 ($17,855) $22,525 Financial Notes • $70K of $250K LOC currently in use. • $30K was repaid on 3-9-26 taking it from $100K to 70K owed • $50K Cash Reserve currently in use • Current receivables are $134K consisting of rent, buyer fees, berthing, net yard use, bait storage, barrel storage & warehousing • Current checkbook is at $110K before payments to vendors, fleet, and payroll • High checking balance for the month was $105K, a low of $41k, and an average of $55k. • Fiscal 2027 Budget was completed and submitted to the city on Feb 27 for review Page 6 February Auction Sales • Of the 204,480 pounds landed at the Exchange for the month of February, 110,800 pounds were sold during the normal bidding process to one of our Exchange buyers - seat holders. • 70,024 pounds were scratched or not bid on, but still sold through the auction. • 23,656 pounds were refused by the seller to be sold on the Exchange auction platform. All scratch and or no bid fees are applied and the fish is given back to the seller to do with as they will. As stated in the Exchange rules and regulations, ‘Refused or No Bid fish remains the property of the seller and may be removed or left for the next auction.’ • Zero pounds were left on the floor for the next auction. Operations Notes • Nothing to report Monthly Payments of Note • Nothing to report Facility Report • New condenser and compressors running well – no issues. • New control system installation is under way with electricians currently running conduits and wiring for new unit. Staff Report • We had one part time employee leave and another start who is currently in their 30-day trial period. The young man picks things up quickly, is a hard worker, and liked by the crew. New/Returning Vessels • Nothing to report New / Returning Buyers • Nothing to report Page 7