June 17, 2014 — The following was released by the North Carolina Fisheries Association:
REMINDER:
Public Hearing on Spot & Croaker Draft Addendum is tonight, June 17, 2014 at DMF Central Office in Morehead City at 6PM
Click here for more info
Maine Department of Marine Resources Concludes Annual Assessment of Atlantic Salmon Smolt Population
June 14, 2014 — The following was released by the Maine Department of Marine Resources:
The Maine Department of Marine Resources Division of Sea-run Fisheries and Habitat staff recently concluded annual assessments of Atlantic salmon smolt populations in the Narraguagus River, the East Machias River, the Piscataquis River, and the Sheepscot River. The work will help the Department and its partners at the state and federal level understand the status of Atlantic Salmon and the quality of habitat in Maine waters.
The four rivers are chosen because their geographic range provides an indicator of Atlantic Salmon and habitat health along the coast. A smolt is the life stage of Atlantic salmon that transitions from freshwater river and stream habitats to saltwater coastal and open ocean areas.
Listed as an Endangered Species since 2000, the Atlantic salmon is one of Maine’s iconic fish species, long the favorite of recreational anglers. However factors including overexploitation, degradation of water quality, and damming of rivers have been associated with the decline in abundance. The populations of Atlantic salmon present in the Gulf of Maine represent the last wild populations of U.S. Atlantic salmon.
“Our efforts to preserve and protect the Atlantic salmon population in Maine include the spring trapping and evaluation of both wild and hatchery grown smolts to assess their abundance and related management actions, as well as adult returns,” said Oliver Cox, Director of DMR’s Division of Sea-run Fisheries and Habitat. “Our objective is to increase the population of smolts through management actions including stocking and habitat restoration. Data from these assessments, which will be reviewed over the next year, will help us determine future management actions.”
On their way to the sea, migrating smolts were captured for DMR assessments in rotary screw traps which were suspended from a cable and float on pontoons. A “cone” portion of the traps has vanes inside that prevent fish from swimming out. The fish were directed to the back of the trap where they end up in a container called a live car.
During May and June DMR scientists tended the traps on the four rivers daily, counting trapped fish, recording biological data such as length, weight, age, and origin before releasing the smolt to continue their migration.
The scientists estimated the total number of smolts passing by the traps since all the smolts leaving the river cannot be captured. “Use of smolt traps gives the best estimate of smolt production in salmon habitat located above trapping sites,” said Cox. Data obtained during the smolt trapping season is used by DMR scientists to estimate freshwater and marine survival when used in conjunction with the juvenile or adult abundance of the same year class.
Since 1996, Atlantic salmon smolts have been monitored on the Narraguagus River in Cherryfield. “This is the longest series of smolt data Maine currently has,” said Cox. “This project is part of a long term program of monitoring Atlantic salmon in the Narraguagus River. The data collected from the smolt trapping activities combined with juvenile assessments and adult trap data form a complete picture of salmon biology in the Narraguagus River and can be used to indicate the health of Atlantic salmon across Maine.”
For a second year, assessment on the East Machias River was done in partnership with the Downeast Salmon Federation as part of a larger project that uses juvenile salmon known as fingerling parr which are raised at the East Machias Aquatic Resource Center. The project, an effort to increase juvenile salmon production in the drainage, uses two rotary screw traps located downstream of the Route 191 bridge in Jacksonville.
The population in the East Machias River is comprised of 2 and 3 year old wild smolts resulting from natural reproduction, as well as hatchery smolts resulting from fall fingerling parr stocking.
Since 2008, Atlantic salmon smolt production has also been evaluated in the Upper Piscataquis River to understand how smolt produced from direct adult releases compared to previous fry stocking efforts. In 2009, adult Atlantic salmon were trapped at the Veazie Dam and transported to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery. The fish were held at the hatchery until October when they were released in to the Upper Piscataquis to spawn on their own. “Since 2012, smolts handled at this site have been the result of adults spawning in the wild. Preliminary results indicate that this management action can successfully produce smolts at densities equal to what we would expect for a healthy Atlantic salmon run,” said Cox.
The Sheepscot River Atlantic salmon smolt trapping project has been operated annually since 2001 to document smolt migration timing and run size. “Since 2009, population estimates for smolts have been used to assess management changes,” said Cox. “In 2004, we started stocking parr in the fall instead of fry in the spring. The population estimates from parr releases indicated that smolt production double due to this change.”
“More recently, smolt population estimates have been used to evaluate a watershed wide egg planting project,” said Cox. “Most of the juvenile habitat is now being supplemented by Atlantic salmon egg planting. Starting in 2014 the majority of the naturally reared smolts, in the Sheepscot River, will have been a result of this egg planting effort.”
Funding and equipment for smolt assessments is provided by NOAA Fisheries through a Cooperative Agreement with Maine Department of Marine Resources.
Atlantic salmon return as adults during the spring and summer and spawn in the fall. Their eggs typically hatch in April and fry emerge in May. The juveniles then spend one to three years in the stream before smolting and leaving for the ocean. There they spend an additional one to three years gaining size before returning to their natal streams to spawn and start the life cycle over. Atlantic salmon can spawn repeatedly if they survive the migrations.
“Atlantic Salmon are the king of fish and the DMR is working hard on many fronts, from partnering with other agencies on dam removal efforts to stocking and trapping projects like these to protect this once abundant and still remarkable fish species,” said Cox.
The Maine Department of Marine Resources Division of Sea-run Fisheries works in partnership with other state and federal agencies to protect, conserve, restore, manage and enhance diadromous fish populations, including Atlantic salmon, and their habitat in all waters of the State. For more information on the Maine DMR Division of Sea-run Fisheries visit http://www.maine.gov/dmr/searunfish/index.shtml.
States worry about Coast Guard’s new power push
June 15, 2014 — New rules proposed by the U.S. Coast Guard might dilute states’ power to prevent and prepare for oil spills — for instance, by overriding Washington’s requirement that tugboat escorts accompany supertankers into Puget Sound.
The controversy is prompted by a Coast Guard effort to assert federal authority over maritime issues.
State officials in Washington, California and New York have asked the Coast Guard to withdraw rules it proposed in December. They say the rules would limit the states’ role in protecting citizens from vessel accidents and pollution.
In Alaska, officials are worried the proposal would take precedence over state regulations requiring tanker escorts for Prince William Sound, where the Exxon Valdez spilled a load of heavy oil in 1989.
In December, the Coast Guard released proposed rules that outline a number of regulations it says would override state and local law.
The proposal clarifies the Coast Guard’s federal authority over areas such as vessel safety and inspection, small passenger vessels, marine accident reporting, among matters.
But in comments to the federal agency, some state officials say the rules are too broad and sweeping. The rules would interfere with or create confusion about state-specific laws regarding spill reporting, tugboat escorts or oil- spill contingency plans, they say.
Read the full story from The Associated Press at The Seattle Times
Maine Department of Marine Resources Conducts Water Survival Training
June 16, 2014 — Read the following story from The Maine Department of Marine Resources:
Working on the water can involve serious occupational hazards, not the least of which is the water itself. That’s why Maine Marine Patrol Officers recently spent two days in the pool working on skills designed to keep them safe and healthy should they go in the drink.
The Officer Water Survival (OWS) course is an intensive two-day training program developed by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) that involves a variety of skills tests designed to build comfort and confidence in the water.
“It is critical that Marine Patrol Officers take this course to supplement the training that we already have,” said Marine Patrol Lieutenant Marlowe Sonksen. “Every day our officers are working on or around the water so this training provides them another unique skill set to protect their own lives and the lives of others.”
The training was conducted over two days in the pool at the Alfond Center in Waterville. “This training allows officers who work on the water to train in a controlled environment for the variety of situations they might encounter,” said Lieutenant Sonksen. “If it happens in the Gulf of Maine, regardless of the time of year, the water is cold and panic can set in without the proper training.”
The Officer Water Survival Course, as part of NASBLA’s Boat Operations and Training (BOAT) Program, was created to establish a national standard of training, qualification, and credentialing of marine law enforcement officers and emergency first responders. It is the purpose of this course to establish a basic understanding of officer survival on the water.
Wearing full uniforms, participants learned how to get quickly into a life jacket in the water, swam an obstacle course in gear that included a ballistic vest and simulated side arm, and learned to deal with a combatant while in the water. “This was both mentally and physically challenging, even for the strongest swimmers,” said Lieutenant Sonksen.
Participants were also required to demonstrate proficiency in the freestyle, breast stroke and side stroke as well as underwater swimming. In addition, officers swam 100 yards, treaded water for 10 minutes, and performed a head-first dive to retrieve an object on the floor of the pool.
“Successful completion of the proficiency test does not guarantee success in OWS training,” said Lieutenant Sonksen. “But it can be used to identify a person who requires basic training before progressing to the more skilled activities. Fortunately all of our officers demonstrated proficiency in the swim test as well as the more challenging skills tests.”
“This training can save lives,” said Lieutenant Sonksen. “And if we can keep our selves safe, we can keep others safe as well.”
The Marine Patrol is a Bureau of the Maine Department of Marine Resource that provides law enforcement, search and rescue, public health, maritime security, and public safety services on Maine’s coastal and tidal waters. More information about the Maine Marine Patrol can be found at http://www.maine.gov/dmr/bmp/homepage.html.
Survival of the fishiest: From giant Japanese scallop nets to domed shrimp cages, how marine farms around the world are caring for the ocean
June 14, 2014 — Down in the depths, a diver swims among cages of netting that look like underwater Towers of Pisa. Sitting inside the many 'floors' of each one are giant Japanese scallops that are keeping the delicate ecosystem in balance. The molluscs form part of an experimental aquatic farm devised by Dr Stephen Cross from the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada.
Aware of the pollution in the farmed fish industry, he has come up with a 'polyculture' system whereby only one species in the chain needs to be directly fed by him – as can be seen in this fascinating set of pictures from National Geographic magazine
Off the coast of Vancouver Island, he only feeds sablesfish (also known as black cod), which are native to the Pacific Ocean.
Nearby hang the baskets containing scallops, along with oysters, mussels and cockles – which feed on the fish's organic excretions.
Beyond them lie lines of sugar kelp – a brown algae used in sushi, and also as a component of bioethanol fuel.
These plants mop up the rest of the waste by converting nitrates and phosphorus into plant tissue.
Read the full story from The DailyMail
Newly minted Maine chef spreads word on sustainable seafood
June 16, 2014 — The alarming headlines are everywhere: “Overfished and under-protected: Oceans on the brink of catastrophic collapse”(CNN); “Scientists predict saltwater fish extinction” (Huffington Post); “The end of fish” (The Washington Post). They reflect real issues, but according to sustainable seafood expert Barton Seaver, they tell only part of the story.
Seaver, who moved to South Freeport with his wife, Carrie Anne, last November, is a chef, not a scientist. Yet his pragmatic and nuanced approach to sustainability have made him one of the world’s leading voices on the issue, which he left a restaurant career to focus on in 2010.
“Sustainable seafood was started as a campaign as we became aware of the failing state of the oceans,” he said. “The campaign was: ‘The oceans are in trouble. We must save the oceans.’ Not a mention of humans. And if you identified overfishing as one of the principal causes of the detriment on the oceans … Just looking at that language: If overfishing is the problem, then the logical solution to the layperson, is underfishing. But the causalities of the issues facing our oceans and the solutions to them are far more complex.”
Seaver isn’t the first to include humans in efforts to save the environment. This approach, called “community-based conservation,” has been the focus of conservation organizations for several years. But he takes the
concept further, saying that the nature, culture, economics and health should all be included in the sustainability discussion (see sidebar).
Beyond his culinary background, Seaver, 35, has the resumé to back up his (big, brainy) ideas. He is a National Geographic Fellow; the director of the Healthy and Sustainable Food Program at the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard University’s School of Public Health; and the New England Aquarium’s first Sustainability Fellow.
His work at Harvard primarily involves institutions, and how their food-purchasing decisions can affect human and community health. At the aquarium, he helps translate the organization’s conservation efforts to people’s dinner plates. All three appointments require him to travel extensively, lecture and serve on many boards and panels.
Read the full story from The Portland Press Herald
UNH embraces sustainable seafood
DURHAM, N.H. — June 15, 2014 — Skate wing tacos, redfish tempura, miso soup with kelp were among many unconventional menu items served to University of New Hampshire students and guests April 16 at the Holloway Commons Dining Hall, raising awareness about underutilized fish species found off the Seacoast.
Slow Fish of UNH, an offshoot of a worldwide movement, is thought to be one of the first programs of its kind in the country on a college campus.
Last fall, students from Slow Food UNH coordinated a pilot program at UNH. This included a “Slow Fish Workshop” where 20 students learned how to filet and cook with seven different “under-loved” species of fish. The workshop was featured on NH Chronicle and served as the driving force behind the adoption of the program this spring at UNH.
Katy Allen is a sophomore from Lyme and the UNH Slow Food president. “The pilot program allows us to raise the awareness of students to ‘odd’ fish and hopefully the dishes will gain in popularity, which will mean the program has worked,” said Allen.
Students dined with David Goethel, a local fisherman with more than 40 years at sea. He is captain of the “Ellen Diane,”a fishing vessel out of Hampton Harbor.
Goethel that evening reminisced about the famous late chef Julia Child: “She was one of the pioneers of creating a need for underutilized species when she prepared dishes using monk fish. Now, monk fish is a popular dish.”
Goethel is eager to see the Slow Fish program succeed because it means more opportunity for him to sell more of the fish caught with his day-boat dragger. Typically, skate and red fish would be a nuisance and thrown back.
Read the full story from the Foster's Daily Democrat
In New England, Where do “Local Fish” Come From?
DURHAM, N.H. — June 15, 2014 — Locally caught seafood is traditionally considered any fish caught in the Gulf of Maine.
According to Wikipedia, the Gulf of Maine is a large gulf of the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of North America.
It is delineated by Cape Cod at the eastern tip of Massachusetts in the southwest and Cape Sable at the southern tip of Nova Scotia in the northeast. It includes the entire coastlines of New Hampshire and Maine, as well as Massachusetts north of Cape Cod, and the southern and western coastlines of the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia respectively.
Read the full story from the Foster's Daily Democrat
Korean Skate: It May Not Smell Nice, But Enthusiasts Love its Taste
HEUKSAN ISLAND, South Korea — June 14, 2014 — South Korea has a generous list of foods some find hard to swallow, among them boiled silkworm pupae and live baby octopuses, which have been known to attach their suction cups to the roofs of diners’ mouths in what appear to be desperate bids to escape.June 14, 2014 — South Korea has a generous list of foods some find hard to swallow, among them boiled silkworm pupae and live baby octopuses, which have been known to attach their suction cups to the roofs of diners’ mouths in what appear to be desperate bids to escape.
But fermented skate from this southern island tops them all. By far South Korea’s smelliest food, the fish, called hongeo, is described by lovers and detractors alike as releasing odors reminiscent of an outhouse. Served most often as chewy pink slabs of sashimi, hongeo is prized by enthusiasts for the ammonia fumes it releases, sometimes so strong they cause people’s mouths to peel.
“I used to think that people could not possibly eat this stuff unless they were crazy,” said Park Jae-hee, a 48-year-old marketing executive. “But like smelly blue cheese, it has no replacement once you fall in love with it.”
It is easy, of course, to poke fun at other nations’ cuisines: Consider Europeans’ wrinkled noses at the American penchant for slathering ketchup on everything from fries to scrambled eggs. But some South Koreans who are otherwise fiercely proud of their fiery, often odoriferous foods, like kimchi, admit to being repelled by hongeo and baffled by its rising popularity.
ALASKA: Where does the seafood industry rank among the major candidates?
June 14, 2014 (SitNews) — You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again: The seafood industry is Alaska’s largest private employer, putting more people to work than mining, oil/gas, timber and tourism combined. The annual revenue the seafood sector contributes to State coffers is second only to Big Oil. So where does the seafood industry rank among the major candidates running for Alaska Governor and the US Senate?
Here’s what a thorough look at each of their campaign websites reveals, starting with the race for Governor (all in alphabetical order) —
Byron Mallott (Democratic candidate) only mentions fishing commercially in Southeast in the “About Byron” section. www.byronmallott.com/
Gov. Sean Parnell (Republican, incumbent) only mentions fishing in the “Issues/Standing Against Federal Overreach” section, saying he “fought off the federal government’s attempt to implement “ocean zoning”—known as marine spatial planning,” and “To protect the livelihoods of our fishing fleet in Southeast, the State of Alaska petitioned to de-list the Eastern stock of Steller sea lions that had been protected by the Endangered Species Act.” An article about “Wal-Mart to keep buying Alaska salmon” appears in the Blog section. www.parnell2014.com/
Bill Walker (Independent candidate) has a complete section listed under “Issues/Fish Management” saying: “Having spent 30 years in Prince William Sound, I am familiar with the importance fisheries play in all aspects of the economy…. Furthermore, I will protect, maintain and improve the fish, game and aquatic plant resources of the State, and manage their use and development for the well-being of the people of the State, consistent with high-sustained yield principles.” www.walkerforalaska.com/
Candidates running for US Senate need to be aware that nearly 85% of Alaska’s seafood harvests fall under federal jurisdiction –
Senator Mark Begich (Democrat, incumbent) lists fishing resources under the “Priorities/Economy and Jobs” section saying: “In Alaska, fishing isn’t a hobby or a sporting event. More than 76,000 jobs in our state are directly or indirectly linked to the fishing industry. Our fisheries bring in $5 billion to our state’s economy. For us, fishing is a way of life.” Begich also mentions his ongoing fight against genetically modified salmon called Frankenfish. www.markbegich.com/
Read the full story from Sit News