Saving Seafood

$240K grant supports leatherback sea turtle study

August 18, 2016 — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has awarded the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries $240,398 to study leatherback sea turtles off Cape Cod in areas considered to be dense with fishing gear, according to NOAA.

The work is expected to provide critical animal behavior and habitat data needed to develop fishing gear that would help address significant leatherback entanglement problems in Massachusetts, according to a statement from NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Region.

Read the full story at the Cape Cod Times

MASSACHUSETTS: Thanks for all the fish!

August 16, 2016 — It can sometimes be difficult, depending on the choppiness of the waves, for pilot Wayne Davis to spot from his two-seater plane the dark silhouettes of great white sharks swimming off the coast of Chatham during research expeditions with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.

But there was no missing a giant school of fish this week as he flew near the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge.

The conservancy, a non-profit based on Cape Cod, shared a photo Friday taken by Davis from his Citabria earlier in the week of what looks to be hundreds — if not thousands — of menhaden, or forage fish.

The fish are gathered together not far from a lurking great white, forming a shape like a pinpoint on a Google map. The collection of fish creates a striking black dot in the middle of the blue-green Cape waters as though a shadow were cast over the sea.

The conservancy’s nearby boat is dwarfed by the mass of menhaden, which can live to be 12 years old and are known to swim in large schools close to the water’s surface during the spring, summer, and fall, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Read the full story at The Boston Globe

NOAA Establishes Marine Mammal Bycatch Criteria for U.S. Imports

August 16, 2016 — WASHINGTON – Nations that export fish and fish products into the U.S. will now have to meet the same standards for protecting marine mammals that American fishermen follow.

NOAA Fisheries published its final ruling last week which forces trade partners to show that killing or injuring marine mammals incidental to fishing or bycatch in their export fisheries do not exceed U.S. standards.

“Fishing gear entanglements or accidental catch is a global threat to marine mammal populations,” said Eileen Sobeck, the assistant NOAA administrator for fisheries. “Establishing these bycatch criteria mark a significant step forward in the global conservation of marine mammals.

Read the full story at CapeCod.com

Is Dogfish the New Cod in New England?

August 15, 2016 — On a wind-tossed autumn morning off the Cape Cod coast, the aft deck of Doug Feeney’s 36-foot fishing boat, the Noah, is buried beneath a squirming, slimy, shin-deep layer of sharks.

The Noah’s hauler growls under the weight of the 300-hook long line emerging from the froth-tipped Atlantic. The reek of gasoline mingles with salt. A procession of small gray sharks, each pierced neatly through the jaw by a steel hook, materializes from the depths. Feeney, a lean fisherman whose goatee and hoop earrings lend him a vaguely piratical mien, yanks the sharks from the line with the steady rhythm of an assembly-line worker. A drained cup of coffee perches on the dashboard; James Taylor warbles on the radio.

“Twenty-five years ago we’d catch 10,000 pounds of these things every day,” Feeney shouts over the roar of the engines and “Fire and Rain.” “We’d just throw ’em back over the side.”

Like many Chatham fishermen, Feeney is a jack-of-all-trades. He gillnets monkfish in early spring, he trolls for bluefin tuna in late fall. But no species occupies more of his energy than the spiny dogfish, the dachshund-size shark now piling up on the Noah’s deck. Though the word “shark” conjures visions of the toothsome great white, spiny dogfish, the most common shark in the world, bears little resemblance to Jaws. For starters, it rarely grows more than 4 feet long. White freckles dot its slate-colored back and its green eyes glow with an eerie feline light. Stroked head to tail, its skin is almost velvety to the touch.

What Squalus acanthias lacks in fierceness, it makes up for in abundance. From Florida to Maine, populations are flourishing, so much so that the annual quota—the total weight that fishermen are allowed to catch—has increased every year from 2008 to 2015, cresting at a whopping 50 million pounds before dipping to 40 million this year. Such bounty stands in stark contrast to the grim status of Massachusetts’ most iconic fish, the cod, so depleted that quotas have sunk below a meager one million pounds. With the cod industry in a state of collapse, dogfish represent perhaps the best hope for struggling local fishermen. “These guys have been through so many cuts,” says Tobey Curtis, a fisheries policy analyst with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). “When we have success, we want to be able to pay them back.”

Read the full story at Boston Magazine

New rules require fish imports to meet U.S. standards

August 12, 2016 — Nations selling seafood to the U.S. must maintain higher standards for protecting whales, dolphins and other marine mammals, according to new regulations announced Thursday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Other countries will be required to meet standards equal to what is required of U.S. fishermen under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act, NOAA Fisheries officials said, a change local fishermen groups applauded.

“It’s fantastic,” Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance CEO John Pappalardo said.

While the U.S. has some of the most conservation-minded fisheries laws in the world, American fishermen are selling in a global marketplace, Pappalardo said.

The cost of domestic regulations to U.S. fishermen cuts into their competitive edge, he said.

“It costs more money to produce that fish,” he said.

Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association members find it difficult to compete with fishermen from other countries because of gear modifications and fishing ground closures required under U.S. law, said Beth Casoni, executive director for the organization.

The association has about 1,800 members from Maine to New Jersey who fish lobster, scallop, conch, groundfish and more.

Read the full story at the Cape Cod Times

Plan to help lobsters survive climate change due in fall

August 5, 2016 — PORTLAND, Maine — A plan to try to save southern New England’s fading lobster population will come up for review as soon as fall.

The regulatory Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is working on changes to the way fishermen harvest lobsters south of Cape Cod.

Scientists say the population of southern New England lobsters has declined as ocean waters have warmed.

The fisheries commission is going to consider new management measures that could include seasonal closures and changes to the minimum and maximum harvesting sizes of lobsters. A plan will come before the commission as soon as October and will likely go out for public comment next year.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the New Jersey Herald

AMY MACKOWN: Marine monument drowns antiquities

July 27, 2016 — Let’s talk Antiquities. In 1607 when Capt. John Smith, Admiral of New England, sailed the Chesapeake Bay, he lowered a net, hauled in his catch, and fed his crew. Jamestown, and similar settlements were developed and despite disease and famine, early colonial America, by the skin of its teeth, held on through trade with the American Indians for produce, meat, and fish. And there you have it—commercial fishing in America was born.  It’s a time-honored tradition that has fed our nation’s families for years and there is no place better known for its seafood than New England.

Now, an ironically named act, The Antiquities Act, threatens that culture, that heritage, that living history. About a year ago the movement to establish a marine monument in the North Atlantic stirred anger and distrust among New Englanders, and rightfully so. That’s because the area proposed for a marine monument means eliminating fishing from some of the richest fishing grounds our nation has to offer. Fish from these waters has been the keystone to our country’s development and sovereignty. Oil from New England’s historic whaling grounds produced the light by which our nation’s Declaration of Independence, and Constitution were written. The favorite vacation spot of American presidents, Cape Cod, is named for the codfish native to our waters. Lobster boils, clambakes, and chowder festivals, are every bit American as baseball and barbeques.

The motivation behind shutting down commercial fishing in areas of southeastern Georges Bank and beyond is for one reason, and one reason only—to preserve our nation’s historic coral habitats. Corals? Yes. And there is a reason why none of us had heard about these corals in any of our American history classes. That’s because these coral grounds are the corals our nation has respectfully left in peace and ignored since 1607.  And what a time-honored tradition it has been.

Read the full opinion column at Southern Rhode Island Newspapers

UPDATE: Coast Guard Recovers Body of Missing Fisherman off Nantucket

June 20, 2016 — The following was released by the U.S. Coast Guard:

BOSTON — Coast Guard rescue crews located and recovered the body of a missing fisherman from the 42-foot boat No Regrets Monday at approximately 1 p.m. near Nantucket.

The search lasted nearly 4 hours and included a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat crew and 29-foot rescue boat crew from Station Brant Point, a 42-foot rescue boat crew from Station Chatham, an Air Station Cape Cod HC-144 Ocean Sentry crew and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew. Other agencies involved in the search included the Massachusetts State Police, Harwich Regional Dive Team, Nantucket Harbormaster, Chatham Harbormaster, Chatham Fire Department Dive Team, and three good Samaritans.

“Our thoughts go out to the family of the victim and the entire fishing community who is affected by this tragedy,” said Cmdr. Marcus Gherardi, Chief of Response for Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England. “Anytime we are not able to accomplish our goal of saving lives, we are deeply saddened as we also take it to heart.”

Read the release at the U.S. Coast Guard Newsroom

Regulators close scallop fishery southeast of Cape Cod

June 16, 2016 — NANTUCKET, Mass. — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is closing one of the key fishing areas off of New England where fishermen seek scallops.

The administration is closing the Nantucket Lightship North Scallop Access Area to scallop vessels that fish under “limited access general category” rules. The closure goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Portland Press Herald

MASSACHUSETTS: South Shore lobster fishermen seek exemption from closure

June 9, 2016 — Finding ways to share the seas with important marine creatures, such as right whales, while keeping business afloat is a priority for local lobstermen and fishermen.

Representatives from local fishermen’s associations may have a solution they hope can lead to an exemption in a federally mandated closure that grounds local fishermen from Feb. 1 to April 30.

The closure encompasses nearly 3,000 square nautical miles, including parts of Massachusetts Bay and the waters around Cape Cod. It was first implemented in 2015 and affects fishermen who use vertical lines, such as lobster fishermen.

The goal behind the closure is to protect the right whale from possible entanglements. Since before the closure began, the fishermen have been looking for a compromise so they can help protect the endangered species without hurting their livelihoods.

“The commercial lobstermen want to coexist with the right whale. I don’t want to kill the whale, and I want to catch lobsters. We need to come up with a plan to make everyone happy,” said John Haviland, a Marshfield fisherman and president of the South Shore Lobster Fisherman’s Association.

The solution that may be the key to an exemption is a type of sleeve local fishermen have been trying out for about two years.

The sleeves wrap around the vertical lines, which are cut into 40-foot segments. Though the lines themselves break at around 4,000 pounds of pressure, the sleeves break with about 1,700 pounds of pressure—about the strength of the whale.

Read the full story at the Marshfield Mariner