Saving Seafood

Climate Change, and Cod, Are Causing One Heck of a Lobster Boom in Maine

June 15, 2017 — Maine has had a commercial lobster industry since the 1700s, and the lobster’s place in food has changed a lot during that time.

Today, Maine is faced with an unprecedented glut of lobsters–so many that the price of lobster is on the way down. But it wasn’t always so. And it may be different tomorrow.

In the 1600s and 1700s, writes Daniel Luzer for Pacific Standard, there were so many lobsters around Massachusetts Bay Colony, for instance, that they washed up on the beach in piles two feet high. “People thought of them as trash food,” Luzer writes. The ocean bugs were regarded as food for lower-class people and convicts, and used as fertilizer at times.

That began changing in the 1800s. Lobster prices–and interest in eating lobster–began to go up and down according to price, culinary innovations (like cooking lobster alive rather than dead) and availability. A century and a half later, he writes, “lobster was firmly established as a delicacy; lobster was something movie stars ate when they went out to dinner.”

On the coast of Maine, lobster culture became a way of life. But all was not well. .In the early twentieth century, once-abundant lobster had become rare, writes the University of Maine’s Lobster Institute, and “there were plenty of rumors about lobstermen turning to rum-running along the Maine coast during Prohibition days.”

According to Gwynn Guilford for Quartz, lobster stocks dwindled and the number of boats fishing lobster went up–a pattern, she writes, that looked like that of “other fisheries on the eve of collapse.” But today, Maine is in the midst of a lobster boom.

Maine now produces 80 percent of American-caught lobster, writes Justin Fox for Bloomberg View, and more than seven times the average take in a pre-2000 year.

Read the full story at Smithsonian.com

Finding Fish Habitat: There’s a Map for That

June 16, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA:

Say you are in charge of a town with an eroding beach. You want to bring in 500,000 cubic yards of sand to rebuild your beach. Where are you going to get the sand?

When the town of Winthrop, Massachusetts wanted to rebuild their beach, they requested a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to get sand and gravel from an offshore site in Massachusetts Bay. After consulting with NOAA, the Army Corps denied the permit. The area happened to be “essential fish habitat” for 26 species of fish, including the much-prized Atlantic cod. With NOAA Habitat Conservation’s help, the Army Corps was able to point Winthrop to another source of sand that would not harm fish populations.

Every year, NOAA’s regional fisheries offices advise federal agencies on hundreds of projects, including the dredging of harbors, the filling of wetlands, the production of offshore energy, and fishing. These consultations ensure that projects funded by your tax dollars do not unwittingly damage “essential” marine habitats.

But, how does anyone know where the essential fish habitat (EFH) is?

It’s All about Location, Location, Location

This real estate mantra also applies to fish, shellfish, and other underwater creatures. Some species, like winter flounder, spawn in shallow waters with temperatures under 50°F. Others, like red crabs, spawn in depths of 200-1800 meters. Some fish need certain salinities or bottom cover, like gravel or cobble, to spawn, breed, feed, or grow (Figure 1).

The more of these small fish that survive to adulthood, the larger the populations of fish that will be available to sustain our fisheries.

To build our EFH Mapper, we first figured out where the essential fish habitats are through surveys. Then, we found out what the important parts of the habitat are – for one fish, it may be the silty bottom, while for another, the salinity or depth may be the key—and how the habitat feature could be affected by human activity. We worked with partners like the regional fishery management councils to use the best available scientific information to identify, describe, and map EFH.

Anyone who wants to do a project in the marine environment that may require a federal permit can see and download data for EFH maps. The maps also link to written descriptions for all the species and life stages managed in any of the seven NOAA Fisheries regions of the U.S.

One of the most useful features of the Mapper is a Location Query that allows a user to “drop a pin” on a specific location. The Mapper brings up a table listing all the species and life stages that are mapped at that location with descriptions for each one (Figure 3).

In the Greater Atlantic Region, our staff in the Habitat Conservation Division are continually updating the Mapper. The New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils provide information for updates to the EFH maps and text descriptions for the 37 species that they manage. We are also adding features to make it more useful to the public, such as more information on coastlines and estuaries, where salt water extends inland for miles.

Read the full release here

NOAA grant would fund study of tuna, lobster, climate change

June 12, 2017 — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is recommending more than $1.3 million in federal funding for fisheries research projects in Maine.

The money would fund five projects. The largest grant of nearly $300,000 would fund a University of Maine project to evaluate the life history of yellowfin tuna in the northwest Atlantic Ocean.

Another grant of nearly $290,000 would go to the Gulf of Maine Research Institute to address the issue of “choke species” in the era of climate change. Choke species are fish with small quotas for commercial fishermen. Catching too many of them can force fishermen to shut down operations.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Alva Review-Courier

Lawmakers move to protect funding for climate change research

June 8, 2017 — A bipartisan group of lawmakers is urging appropriators not to cut funding from one of the federal government’s climate change research accounts.

In a letter penned by Reps. Don Young (R-Alaska) and Jared Polis (D-Colo.), the members told appropriators to preserve the $25.3 million in funding for the National and Regional Climate Adaptation Science Centers.

The program, established in 2008 during the George W. Bush administration, provides climate-related research to fish and wildlife managers as a way to help them “prepare for, respond to, and reduce the negative consequences of climate extremes,” according to the letter.

The Trump administration has requested $17.3 million for the program in 2018, a $7.9 million cut from current levels.

In a letter to Reps. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) and Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), the chairman and ranking member of the Appropriations Committee’s Interior and Environment panel, the members said the program has “helped natural and cultural resource managers assess climate-related vulnerabilities in their local jurisdictions as a first step in enhancing preparedness.”

“We support the reputable and important work of the [Department of Interior’s] National and Regional Climate Adaptation Science Centers,” they wrote. “We understand that their return-on-investment is large and we encourage continued stable support and full funding for the program.”

The Trump administration proposed slashing funding for several science research accounts in its 2018 budget request, which lawmakers are beginning to consider this week.

Read the full story at The Hill

UN chief warns oceans are ‘under threat as never before’

June 7, 2017 — UNITED NATIONS — Secretary-General Antonio Guterres opened the first-ever U.N. conference on oceans Monday with a warning that the seas are “under threat as never before,” with one recent study warning that discarded plastic garbage could outweigh fish by 2050 if nothing is done.

The U.N. chief told presidents, ministers, diplomats and environmental activists from nearly 200 countries that oceans — “the lifeblood of our planet” — are being severely damaged by pollution, overfishing and the effects of climate change as well as refuse.

The five-day conference, which began on World Environment Day, is the first major event to focus on climate since President Donald Trump announced last Thursday that the United States will withdraw from the landmark 2015 Paris Climate Agreement — a decision criticized by Bolivia’s President Evo Morales and other speakers.

Guterres said the aim of the conference is “to turn the tide” and solve the problems that “we created.”

He said competing interests over territory and natural resources have blocked progress for far too long in cleaning up and restoring to health the world’s oceans, which cover two-thirds of the planet.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the New Bedford Standard-Times

SeaWeb Seafood Summit Panel Tackles Impact of Climate Change on Fisheries and Aquaculture

SEATTLE (Saving Seafood) — June 7, 2017 — Conference sessions on climate change generally include lots of tables and figures illustrating projected changes in greenhouse gas emissions, ocean temperatures, ocean pH, etc. under a range of scenarios. But while projections were discussed at Monday’s session on climate change at the SeaWeb Seafood Summit, “Adaptation and Infrastructure: Fisheries and Aquaculture in a Changing Climate,” the panel emphasized the reality that we are already seeing marine ecosystem changes, and that these changes can only be expected to become more severe. In different ways, each of the four speakers began with this premise, and discussed strategies for adaptation.

Two of the speakers, John Norgren of the Climate Resilience Foundation and Lara Hansen of EcoAdapt, spoke directly to the strategic challenges posed by climate change. Mr. Norgren discussed the process of initiating and maintaining change; the need to be intentional and holistic; and the importance of considering human dimensions and responses, both to change itself and to actions intended to address climate change. He highlighted issues such as changing baselines (when the past is a poor predictor of the future), the importance of monitoring and adjusting approaches, and the value of online resources.

While similarly concerned with strategy, Ms. Hansen focused on the marine sectors and fisheries. She spoke about adaptation strategies, changes in distribution and abundance of fish stocks, and concerns about future access to ports and processing facilities. She drew the audience’s attention to work by NOAA and other agencies on the vulnerability of marine populations and coastal communities to climate change. Ms. Hansen emphasized the importance of building capacity, addressing broad policy challenges, establishing priorities for conservation and natural resource management, and the necessity of fully recognizing infrastructure needs in the planning process. She shared a positive outlook on processes already underway as well as future opportunities, and recommended two important online sources: The State of Climate Adaptation in U.S. Marine Fisheries Management and the Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange.

Bob Young of the Center for Developed Shorelines at Western Carolina University spoke about failures by the U.S. government to rebuild and protect eroding shorelines. With sea level rise and increasing storm activity, shoreline erosion will only increase. Across the U.S., but especially along the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico, erosion and retreat of shoreline has been addressed through beach nourishment, which moves large quantities of sand from offshore to replace sand lost at the shoreline. This destroys benthic habitat. Furthermore, rebuilding coastal infrastructure following major storms precludes any possibility of allowing marsh and wetland development inshore of the current coastline, as would occur naturally. Ultimately, important nursery areas for marine stocks are lost, and coastal fish stocks and fisheries are harmed. Mr. Young emphasized the need for greater understanding and awareness of this process, which is greatly exacerbated by climate change.

Joseph Gellins of the Port of Seattle spoke about the Port’s strategies and actions to address climate change. He described the engineering and hydrological challenges associated with increased storm surges and sea-level rise and how this is taken into account in daily operations and future planning. He discussed the importance of tracking how other Pacific Rim ports, many of which are trading partners, adapt to the impacts of climate change, since changes to these ports could directly impact operational demands on the Port of Seattle itself. He also mentioned the importance of Seattle as a home port for many Alaskan fishing fleets, although one member of the audience pointed out that many of these vessels dock at Fishermen’s Terminal, which is protected from seal level change by the sea locks between Puget Sound and Lake Union.

Even though the audience for the climate change session was small, an energetic discussion followed. The conversation addressed topics like the impact of climate change on fish stocks and ecosystem dynamics, including the potential consequence of reduced catch levels due to reduced productivity and increased uncertainty. An audience member also raised, and the panel discussed, the impact of shifting distributions on regional fisheries, and the associated need to adjust regional and fleet allocations of harvested stocks.

Hawaii coral recovery efforts progress as Trump pulls support from Paris accord

June 5, 2017 — President Donald Trump’s decision Thursday to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accord will hamper efforts to stem global warming throughout the world — the primary cause of rising ocean temperatures that pose the single greatest threat to Hawaii’s marine ecosystems.

Responsible for more CO2 emissions than any country save for China, the United States’ exit from the Paris agreement was met with dissension not only from some within Trump’s own administration but also from environmental activists, business leaders across the country and political leaders across globe.

Scientists in Hawaii also balked at Trump’s move, saying the state will not escape the subsequent ripple effect as it works to mitigate environmental impact to coral reefs on the heels of back-to-back years of coral bleaching in 2014 and 2015, the latter of which was part of the third global bleaching event in history.

“If we don’t solve the global emissions (problem) … everything that we do on reefs is substantially harder,” said Thomas Oliver, ocean acidification program manager with the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center. “The Paris accord so far represents the best international response we’ve ever had to deal with the problem.”

Dr. Bill Walsh, West Hawaii aquatic biologist for the Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources, said concerns extend beyond a departure from the Paris agreement to the administration’s general attitude toward climate change and the federal agencies tasked with combating it.

“Even apart from the Paris accord, if the withdrawal or rather the attack of the administration on scientific organizations (like) NOAA or the Environmental Protection Agency — we work hand in hand with them,” he said. “A lot of our ability to effectively monitor the reefs over these years has been due to money the state gets directly from NOAA. We’re all sort of intertwined here.”

Walsh and Oliver each helped develop the Coral Bleaching Recovery Plan, a detailed report synthesizing input from international and local experts along with relevant scientific literature on the problem.

Released in March after roughly a year of work, the strategies the report recommends revolve around establishing networks of no-take Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Herbivore Fishery Management Areas (HFMAs).

Strategies also include spatial management of coral reef areas with inherent resiliency to bleaching or a high potential for recovery from bleaching. The final recommendation involves increased enforcement.

Read the full story at West Hawaii Today

Maine’s climate already changing, with more to come

June 2, 2017 — Though people tend to talk most about climate change during a heat wave or in the wake of a terrible storm, the reality is that it’s a slow, subtle shift that’s scarcely noticeable except over the long haul.

But scientists say that Maine is very much feeling its impact.

From a rise in the number of ticks to the decline in the number of northern shrimp offshore, the state is seeing the consequences of an increase in the average annual temperature by 3 degrees since 1895.

The frequency of extreme weather events, from ice storms to torrential rains, has been increasing and will likely to become even more common as the world heats up further, scientists warn.

The accompanying rise in ocean levels, caused by melting glaciers, means that salt marshes are in trouble, flood zones are growing and agricultural zones shifting.

And some say it will get worse if the country fails to take action on climate change.

“Maine is especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, where our environment and economy are so closely linked,” said Lisa Pohlmann, the Natural Resources Council of Maine’s executive director.

“Rising sea levels will flood our coastal towns, smog from upwind states will harm the lives of those with asthma, fast-warming waters in the Gulf of Maine will put commercial fisheries at risk, and warming weather threatens vital elements of our economy, like skiing, maple syrup production and ocean fisheries,” she said in a written statement.

A 2015 study by the Climate Change Institute and Maine Sea Grant at the University of Maine that updated an earlier state report on the issue lays out a troubling scenario for a state that depends heavily on tourism, recreation, logging, farming and fishing — all of which are likely to feel the pinch if scientific projections of what’s to come prove prescient.

Already, though, historical data shows warming trends.

For instance, information from the U.S. Climate Divisional Dataset cited by the University of Maine study shows the state’s warm weather season is two weeks longer now than it was a century ago. It’s 34 weeks now, records indicate, compared to 32 in the two decades leading up to World War I.

Read the full story at the Maine Sun Journal

Data crunchers work to build comprehensive Alaska salmon database

June 2, 2017 — Scientists are gathering temperature data to determine what warming waters mean for salmon.

There’s still a lot scientists don’t know and it’s become a hot topic.

One of the first studies in Alaska was published in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences this month, as  part of a larger effort to design a statewide database on all things salmon.

The five-year study collected stream and temperature readings in 48 non-glacial streams every 15 minutes to capture high and low temperatures every hour.

Cook Inlet Keeper science director Sue Mauger led the effort and has been working for over a decade monitoring temperatures in salmon streams on the Kenai Peninsula.

Her results provide a baseline for salmon habitat in the Cook Inlet Basin.

“This kind of information that’s on a large regional scale but is site specific gives us that real important tool to decide where should we do one type of protection or conservation activity versus another kind of development  project,” she said.

Mauger studied multiple streams in a single watershed, streams fed by wetlands, lakes and at high and low elevations.

All of these factors play into how susceptible each stream is to climate change, which she said is a concern.

Read the full story at KTOO

West Coast Ocean Acidification Rates Among Highest In World

June 2, 2017 — Carbon emissions aren’t just causing climate change, they’re having a profound effect on ocean chemistry.

Our oceans are becoming more acidic and this is a major threat to fisheries.

Researchers have now recorded some of the highest levels of ocean acidification in the world,  right off the coast of the Pacific Northwest.

When oceans absorb carbon, they become more acidic, preventing oysters and tiny marine snails at the base of the food chain from forming shells.

A new study from Oregon State University documents ocean acidification off the coast of California and Oregon.

“What we didn’t know is that if you’re an animal living on the shore, how often do you see a bad day?” Francis Chan, a lead author, said. “And now because we have sensors that are actually taking a measurement of ocean PH every 10 minutes throughout the summer, we can start to build that picture.”

The study found that while there were persistent hotspots of destructive acid levels, there were also areas that stayed within healthy ranges.

Read the full story at Northwest Public Radio