Saving Seafood

NOAA recommends $2.6 million for Massachusetts

June 25, 2015 — WASHINGTON — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Thursday that it has recommended a dozen Massachusetts-based marine research programs receive funding this year through the Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program.

The 12 projects are among 88 nationwide that have been recommended to receive funding totaling $25 million. The goal of the research is to maximize fishing opportunities and jobs, improve key fisheries observations, increase the quality and quantity of domestic seafood, and improve fishery information from U.S. territories. The Department of Commerce must still sign off on the projects before applicants will receive funding.

Among the Massachusetts research projects recommended for funding are:

– $497,060 for the Coonamessett Farm Foundation to conduct to research projects that seek to improve ecosystem-friendly scallop dredges and research offshore essential fish habitat of southern New England winter flounder;

– $912,079 for the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth to conduct four projects that will improve the cost-effectiveness and capacity for observations and maximize fishing opportunities and jobs;

– $774,640 for four New England Aquarium projects related to haddock, skates and cusks, and field test an electric decoy for reducing shark bycatch in longline fishing;

– $96,181 for a Center for Coastal Studies project to reduce bycatch in the sea scallop fishery;

– And, $363,604 for Cape Ann Seafood Exchange to support infrastructure and innovation.

Read the full story from the Worcester Telegram

 

DON CUDDY: If it’s the same, it will never be different

June 23, 2015 — DON CUDDY — We are having a serious problem in New England with the performance of the models used in fishery management. To remedy a situation that, along with some other factors, has led to the current crisis in the groundfish industry, we need new data … and maybe we need new models.

All the researchers will tell you that the existing models have trouble performing well when fish stocks, such as Gulf of Maine cod, Georges Bank cod and Georges Bank yellowtail are low. With healthy stocks, a certain amount of scientific uncertainty can be factored in as a buffer. But with low abundance, the margin for error is very thin, and fishermen and their families pay the price. When catch limits are cut, a small variation can mean the difference between an independent fisherman remaining on the water or being forced out of business.

I had a call last Monday from a producer of the “Today” show in New York. They were looking to profile a day in the life of a New England fisherman. I contacted veteran fisherman Frank Mirarchi, whose opinion pieces will be familiar to readers of The Standard-Times. In fact, his latest one, advocating electronic monitoring of the catch, ran that same day. But Frank told me he just sold his boat and is an ex-fisherman. This is what is happening to the single-boat owner around New England.

Getting better data is a theme familiar to anyone with connections to the fishing industry in New England. It is central to the mission at the Center for Sustainable Fisheries and was the focus of the forum CSF sponsored at the New Bedford Whaling Museum in May.

Read the full opinion piece from The New Bedford Standard-Times

 

THE SEAQUALIZER GIVES DOOMED FISH A FIGHTING CHANCE

June 21, 2015 — It’s got to be one of the worst ways to go: pulled to the surface against your will, changes in pressure attacking your body, only to be tossed away, no relief in site.

Fish inadvertently caught by sport and commercial fishers are known as “bycatch” and billions of them die every year. The ones affected by shifting pressure experience barotrauma and often due senseless deaths, but a new device wants to give them a fighting chance.

Hoping to find innovative solutions to the larger problems of bycatch, the World Wildlife Fund launched the International Smart Gear Competition in partnership with industry leaders, scientists, and fishermen. As sophisticated as the competition sounds, its solutions aren’t being made in a James Bond-esque lab: According to WWF, most are being pioneered by the people closest to the problem—fishermen themselves.

One of the most innovative tools to come out of the competition is the SeaQualizer. Created by two fishing buddies from South Florida, this hydrostatic descending device returns victims of bycatch to their native depths. Unlike fish caught in shallow lakes, many deep-water dwellers won’t survive if you simply toss them back, because as they ascend toward the surface, changes in pressure wreak havoc on their internal organs. By the time you reel them in, they’re experiencing barotrauma and will only pull through with assistance.

Fishermen historically helped bycatch recompress by venting, a process that involves puncturing the fish’s swim bladder to release the gas that built up during ascension. It’s as barbaric as it sounds and often leads to injury or death, but until around four years ago fishermen had no alternative—in some places, venting was even required by law.

Read the full story and watch the Youtube video at Wired