Saving Seafood

Maryland oysters are having a bad year, and here’s why

August 19, 2019 — People, aside from oyster researchers and farmers, likely won’t feel the impact for at least another 18 months.

But, eventually, everyone will know just how bad a year it has been for Maryland oysters.

Thanks to record levels of persistent rainfall throughout the bay watershed, salinity levels in the Chesapeake Bay have remained perilously low since May 2018. The absence of salt in the bay and its tributaries has been annihilating oyster spat production and oyster growth at hatcheries and farms around the region.

At the University of Maryland’s Horn Point Hatchery, the largest oyster hatchery in the state, the carefully controlled operation is on course to produce hundreds of times fewer larvae this year than it would during a regular season, its manager said. This is bad news both economically and as an indicator of bay health, which data shows has suffered greatly under the deluge.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at The Baltimore Sun

Ocean Moment with Congressman Rob Wittman

August 9th, 2019 — When you hear from residents in your district or state about ocean-related issues, what concerns them most? Why do these issues matter so much to them?

The number one issue I hear from constituents on oceans/marine ecosystems issues is marine resource sustainability. As more and more folks enjoy recreational fishing, they have developed a greater interest in protecting fish stocks for themselves and generations to come. They have an interest in fisheries management, water quality, and access to marine resources. These issues matter because of the connection they feel to these marine ecosystems and the resources within; they enjoy the experience of pursuing the capture and catch and release of the finfish, shellfish, and crustacea.

We have worked hard to protect, preserve and enhance the marine resources folks hold dear. The Chesapeake Bay is the life-blood of our region’s economy, the home to countless species of fish and other wildlife, and a true natural treasure that needs to be maintained and protected. I grew up enjoying the natural wonders of the Bay and the watershed area and know countless people, including my son, who make their living on the water.

During my time in Congress, I’ve authored bipartisan legislation, now signed into law, The Chesapeake Bay Accountability and Recovery Act. Aimed at preserving the environmental health of the Chesapeake Bay, this legislation increases coordination and transparency within Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts. I’ve also worked with my colleagues to introduce The Chesapeake Bay Program Reauthorization Act. The program coordinates data collection and distributes grants to states for Bay restoration efforts, of which a majority goes to states in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed to help control pollution and manage runoff into the tributaries that feed into the Bay.

Read the full interview at Marine Fish Conservation Network

Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board Approves Draft Addendum VI for Public Comment

August 9th, 2019 — The following was published by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board (Board) approved Draft Addendum VI for public comment. The Addendum was initiated in response to the 2018 Benchmark Stock Assessment which indicates the resource is overfished and experiencing overfishing. The Draft Addendum explores a range of management alternatives designed to end overfishing and reduce fishing mortality to the target level in 2020.

“The Draft Addendum is a critical first step to stem overfishing as quickly as possible and begin efforts to rebuild the biomass,” said Board Chair Dr. Michael Armstrong with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. “Following approval of the Addendum, the Board will likely initiate a new amendment to consider a longer-term strategy to fully rebuild the resource.”

The Draft Addendum proposes management options for both commercial and recreational sectors in the ocean and in the Chesapeake Bay in order to reduce total fishery removals by 18% relative to 2017 levels. The proposed measures include reduced quotas for commercial fisheries, and changes in bag limits, minimum sizes, and slot size limits for the recreational sector. Since catch and release practices represent a significant component of overall fishing mortality, the Draft Addendum also explores the mandatory use of circle hooks when fishing with bait to reduce release mortality in recreational striped bass fisheries.

It is anticipated the majority of Atlantic coastal states will conduct public hearings on the Draft Addendum; a subsequent press release will announce the details of those hearings once they become finalized. Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the Draft Addendum either by attending state public hearings or providing written comment. The Draft Addendum will be available on the Commission website (www.asmfc.org) under Public Input by August 19th. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on September 27, 2019 and should be forwarded to Max Appelman, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St, Suite A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or at comments@asmfc.org  (Subject line: Draft Addendum VI). Organizations planning to release an action alert in response to Draft Addendum VI should contact Max Appelman at mappelman@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

Read the press release here

Chesapeake Bay blue crabs are booming this year — so why are they still so expensive?

July 29, 2019 — Chesapeake Bay crabs have been so plentiful this year — a 60 percent increase over last year, according to an annual population survey — that locals such as Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) have cheered the bumper crop as a sign of good stewardship for the bay and its fisheries.

And yet market prices for blue crabs seemed barely to move at all.

Around the Fourth of July — when crabpicking reaches its peak — prices for premium male crabs known as jimmies were about as high or higher than they were last year, at $325 and up for a bushel.

Jimmy’s Famous Seafood in Baltimore — a restaurant that has been in a running feud with PETA over whether to eat crabs at all — was advertising Friday a price of $79 for a dozen crabs, dining in only.

Read the full story at The Washington Post

Report: Pennsylvania must do more to help Chesapeake Bay

May 29, 2019 — A nonprofit that tracks pollution in the Chesapeake Bay lambasted Pennsylvania on Tuesday, saying that the state is failing to protect the nation’s largest estuary from farm manure and dirty stormwater.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation released a report saying Pennsylvania’s plan to reduce pollution from farms and cities is “woefully inadequate” and underfunded by about $250 million a year.

The foundation also warned that the Environmental Protection Agency has failed to keep Pennsylvania on track. It’s one of six states, along with the District of Columbia, federally required to significantly reduce bay pollution by 2025.

“If EPA does not hold Pennsylvania accountable, CBF and others must consider legal action,” foundation President William C. Baker warned in a news release.

Pennsylvania officials said the foundation’s assessment is inaccurate and failed to account for all of the state’s efforts. The EPA said in its own statement that Pennsylvania has made “significant” progress.

The foundation’s report is the latest note of caution about the Chesapeake Bay’s health, which appears to be improving after decades of unbridled pollution.

In recent years, the story of the 200-mile-long (325-kilometer-long) bay has mostly been about signs of recovery. Underwater grasses are spreading. Oxygen dead zones are shrinking. The latest survey of blue crabs showed the highest estimates in seven years.

But environmentalists say more work is needed and threats like climate change still loom. Last year, a punishing cycle of downpours led to increased pollution in the bay, according to a recent report from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.

Read the full story at the Associated Press

UMCES report: Low health scores rain on Chesapeake Bay’s recovery

May 23, 2019 — A year of historically heavy rainfall strained the Chesapeake Bay’s ecosystem — but not past the breaking point, according to a wide-ranging assessment released Tuesday.

The estuary’s overall health score in 2018 dropped from 54% to 46% but retained its “C” grade for a seventh consecutive year, according to the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s latest report card.

It marked the lowest grade since 2013 and reversed a streak of four years of improving or steady scores.

“We don’t have as good of news to report because of some record rainfall,” said Bill Dennison, UMCES vice president for science application. “The good news is it took a hit, but it did not crash.”

The federal government and the states within the 64,000-square-mile Bay watershed are working on a plan to reduce nutrient and sediment pollution under an agreement signed in 2010. The effort faces a 2025 deadline.

The resilience of that recovery faced one of its biggest tests last year. About 72 inches of rain inundated the Baltimore area during 2018, about 30 inches more than normal, according to the report.

From a scientific perspective, the deluge offered a glimpse of how the recovering ecosystem may respond as climate change leads to increasingly erratic weather, Dennison said.

Many scientists predicted that last year’s rains would dampen the restoration gains. The UMCES report bears out those projections, showing reductions in the scores for water clarity, nitrogen, phosphorus and aquatic grasses.

Read the full story at the Bay Journal

Chesapeake Bay health dips, but still rates a C in annual report card

May 22, 2019 — Bay health took a hit from record rainfall last year, but experts claim the Chesapeake’s growing resilience managed to keep a bad situation from getting worse.

The 2018 Chesapeake Bay Report Card was released by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, one of several groups that assess the bay’s health each year. It put the bay’s overall score at 46% — a drop from the previous year’s 54%, but still a C on its 20-point grading scale.

Bay resilience is critical because very wet years may no longer be an anomaly. Climate models predict an increase in weather extremes, and local marine experts are seeing some evidence of that.

“We’re encouraged that, in spite of the fact that we had a major insult to the bay with all the runoff and rainfall in 2018, that we took a dip but we didn’t crash,” said Bill Dennison, vice president for science applications at the center.

“Many of the living resources appear to be fairly resilient,” said Mark Luckenbach, associate director for research and advisory services at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. “But we need to understand that that’s likely to become more frequent — these really high rainfall events.”

VIMS, affiliated with the College of William and Mary, collected much of the data used to compile the report, particularly for bay-wide seagrass, Virginia fish and blue crabs.

Read the full story at The Daily Press

Fisheries Commission Looks to Manage Dropping Rockfish Population

May 6, 2019 — The goal is to save the striped bass population on the east coast.

But many watermen fear that further restrictions could affect their livelihoods.

Chesapeake Bay Foundation Eastern Shore Director Alan Girard says the dropping rockfish population are in need of some regrowth.  The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is looking to manage that population through these regulations.

Read the full story at WBOC

Fishery commission takes step toward reducing striped bass harvest by 17% in Chesapeake, along Atlantic coast

May 1, 2019 — The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission said Wednesday it will require new restrictions on striped bass next year, amid overfishing of the species known in the Chesapeake as rockfish.

The panel, which regulates a striped bass fishery that spans from Maine to North Carolina, launched a study of how a variety of conservation measures could reduce fish deaths by 17 percent. That includes reducing the number of fish that are caught and also the number that die from hook wounds after being caught and released.

Measures states from Maine to North Carolina will be asked to consider include:

  • New limits on the minimum size of fish that can legally be caught;
  • Possible new rules establishing “slot” limits on striped bass fishing, meaning only fish larger than an undetermined minimum size and smaller than 40 inches long can be legally caught;
  • Closure of some portions of striped bass fishing season; and,
  • Requirement that special equipment known as circle hooks be used coastwide while fishing with live bait. (The circle hooks already are required in Maryland.)

Read the full story at the Baltimore Sun

Federal fisheries managers will reduce striped bass catches

May 1, 2019 — After years of listening to anglers begging for a fix, federal fisheries managers on Tuesday decided to tighten regulations to help the striped bass population rebound.

In its 2018 stock assessment, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission declared the species as overfished. Virginia anglers reporting less fish in the Chesapeake Bay and none in the ocean have known this for a decade.

Now the ASMFC is looking for ways that states from North Carolina to Maine can help reduce mortality. Solutions will affect the number of fish taken by both recreational anglers and commercial fishermen.

Last week Virginia fisheries managers decided to do away with the annual spring trophy season, allowing anglers to take only two fish a day that fit into a 20- to 28-inch slot limit. That season runs from May 16 to June 15.

Read the full story at The Virginian-Pilot