SavingSeaFood - Massachusetts Coastal towns back reseeding of shellfish beds damaged in oil spill

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Massachusetts Coastal towns back reseeding of shellfish beds damaged in oil spill

An ambitious plan to restore the bay scallop population in Buzzards Bay using a portion of the settlement from the 2003 Bouchard Transportation Co. oil spill is now awaiting approval from the trustees charged with oversight of the funds.

In May 2011, a federal district court ordered Bouchard to pay more than $6 million to settle a portion of the natural resource damage claims resulting from the spill.

The state's Division of Marine Fisheries, in partnership with the eight towns that have shoreline on Buzzards Bay, is now asking the trustees for $1.12 million of that money to plant up to 15 million juvenile bay scallops around the bay over a four-year period for the benefit of recreational fishermen.

The towns of Westport, Falmouth, Mattapoisett, Marion, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Wareham and Bourne have all submitted letters to the trustees supporting the proposal, according to Mattapoisett Town Administrator Michael Gagne.

Read the complete story from The Standard-Times.

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