Saving Seafood

Maine Marine Patrol Focusing on Boating Under the Influence

June 23, 2016 — The following was released by the Maine Department of Marine Resources:

The Maine Marine Patrol will be on heightened alert for those violating Maine’s boating under the influence laws during the national Operation Dry Water weekend, June 24-26.

Operation Dry Water is a national awareness and enforcement campaign coordinated by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) that focuses on deterring boaters from boating under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

“Marine Patrol Officers will be conducting patrols on Maine’s coastal waters from Kittery to the Canadian border focused on boaters who may be under the influence of alcohol or drugs,” said Maine Marine Patrol Major Rene Cloutier.

“They will also be taking every opportunity possible to provide information on safe boating practices and the importance of wearing life jackets.” According to US Coast Guard statistics, 85 percent of drowning victims in 2015 were not wearing a life jacket.

Nationally, alcohol use is the leading contributing factor in fatal boating accidents. According to the US Coast Guard, in 2015 alcohol use was the primary factor in nearly one-fifth of boater deaths.

Law enforcement agencies from every U.S. state and territory are expected to participate in Operation Dry Water weekend, focusing their efforts on detecting impaired boaters and educating the public about the dangers of boating under the influence.

“The decision about whether to boat under the influence is a choice,” said Major Cloutier. “Boating under the influence is a 100 percent preventable crime. The Maine Marine Patrol strongly encourages boaters to stay safe by staying sober while boating.

“Environmental stressors such as wind, noise, and the movement of the boat while on the water intensify the effects of alcohol or drug use on an individual while boating. Boaters can become impaired more quickly on the water than on land.”

In 2015, law enforcement officers from 582 local, state and federal agencies across the U.S. made 278 BUI arrests for both drugs and alcohol, issued 17,942 citations and made contact with over 125,087 boaters during the annual three-day weekend.

The Maine Marine Patrol participated in 11 Operation Drywater details in 2015. The operation involved 21 Officers. Patrols took place in the Penobscot River, the Kennebec River, Boothbay Harbor, Southport Island, Portland, Harpswell, Bar Harbor, Rockland, Matinicus Island and Castine.  A total of 107 boats were checked with 329 persons on board. 30 warnings were issued for various safety equipment deficiencies.

Operation Dry Water is a boating under the influence awareness and enforcement campaign with the mission of reducing the number of alcohol and drug related accidents and fatalities through increased recreational boater awareness and by fostering a stronger and more visible deterrent to alcohol and drug use on the water.

Cutback mulled for herring catch

June 23, 2016 — PORTLAND, Maine — Federal regulators are considering a slight cut to commercial fishermen’s catch limit for Atlantic herring, a fish that is important both to the industry and the ocean’s food web.

The small fish gather in schools that can number in the millions, and are a critical food source for bigger fish, seals and whales. They also are important to humans as food and bait.

The National Marine Fisheries Service might reduce the herring catch limit by about 3 percent to slightly less than 105,000 metric tons. The limit was a little less than 108,000 metric tons for the 2013 to 2015 period; any new limit would apply to the years 2016 to 2018.

The proposal is up for public comment until July 21.

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

Maine Marine Patrol Investigates Death of Two Kayakers

June 23, 2016 — The following was released by the Maine Department of Marine Resources:

The Maine Marine Patrol is working to notify relatives of two people who died yesterday while kayaking near Corea, Maine. Members of Marine Patrol responded last night after being notified at 7 p.m. that a party of three was missing after leaving for a day on the water at approximately noon. One member of the party survived and was transported to Eastern Maine Medical Center.

The two deceased individuals have been transported to the Medical Examiner’s office in Augusta for an autopsy.

According to the surviving member of the party, the trio encountered rough seas at some point during their day trip, likely caused by a passing weather front.

The waves, reportedly three to five feet high, caused all three kayaks to capsize in the approximately fifty-two degree water.  After failing to return at a previously established time, the boaters were reported as overdue to United States Coast Guard authorities and Maine State Police Dispatch, which then notified the Maine Marine Patrol.

A search and rescue effort was immediately launched and involved Coast Guard vessels, Maine Marine Patrol a Maine Marine Patrol Protector vessel, a Coast Guard Helicopter, and area fishermen.

Responding from Marine Patrol were Sergeant Colin Macdonald, Officers Royce Eaton, Richard Derberghosian, Tom Reardon and Jeff Turcotte.

According to Marine Patrol reports, shortly after 8 p.m., a female victim was recovered by a local lobster fisherman.  After being transferred to a Coast Guard vessel and transported to shore, the female victim was taken to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor by Lifeflight of Maine where she is recovering.

Approximately a half hour later, a second victim, was recovered by a local lobster fisherman and was unresponsive.  The male victim was transported to shore and pronounced dead by local EMS personnel.

At approximately 10 p.m. the third victim, a 54 year old male, was located by a local lobster fisherman. Maine Marine Patrol personnel recovered the third victim who was also pronounced dead at the scene.

According to Marine Patrol reports, the victims were wearing t-shirts and shorts. All members of the party were wearing life jackets. The victims and survivor were recovered approximately half way between Cranberry Point and Petit Manan Island. Water temperature was in the low 50s.

Pending next of kin notification, the names of the victims are not being released at this time.

The investigation into the cause of this incident is ongoing and involves the Maine Marine Patrol and the U.S. Coast Guard.

Mercury findings prompt Maine to widen lobster fishing ban in Penobscot River estuary

June 22, 2016 — Maine has expanded its ban on lobstering and crabbing in a small section of Penobscot Bay after finding elevated mercury levels in lobsters tested south of the existing no-fishing zone.

The Maine Department of Marine Resources had declared seven square miles of the Penobscot River estuary off limits to lobstermen and crabbers in 2014 after a federal court-ordered study detected elevated mercury levels in lobsters found as far south as Fort Point on the west bank and Wilson Point on the east bank. On Tuesday, based on the results of state-funded tests done after the initial closure, the department announced it would add 5.5 square miles to the no-fishing zone, extending it south to Squaw Point on Cape Jellison and Perkins Point in Castine.

The average amount of mercury found in the tails of legal size lobsters harvested off Cape Jellison in testing done in 2014 was about 292.7 nanograms per gram of tissue, according to state findings. That exceeds the 200-nanogram threshold recommended by the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention – the Department of Marine Resources uses that level to decide if an area is unsafe to fish – but is lower than the 350 nanograms of mercury per gram of tissue found in canned white tuna, officials said.

“We are adding this very small, targeted area to the closure so consumers can continue to be confident in the exceptional quality of Maine lobster,” said Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher.

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

MAINE: Small Area Added to Penobscot Closure in Response to Monitoring Program

June 21, 2016 — The following was released by the Maine Department of Marine Resources:

The Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) announced today that it will add a small area to the current lobster and crab fishing closure in the mouth of the Penobscot River in response to data gathered during 2014. The area will be added through rulemaking that takes effect Tuesday, June 21, 2016 and will extend the closure’s southern boundary to between Squaw Point on Cape Jellison and Perkins Point in Castine.

In February 2014, the department closed an area in the river that extends from Wilson Point across to Fort Point and north into the river after receiving information from a federal court-ordered study, the Penobscot River Mercury Study (PRMS). The area within the 2014 closure where lobster harvesting had occurred is approximately 7 square miles out of more than 14,000 square miles in the Gulf of Maine where lobsters are harvested. The additional area adds nearly 5.5 square miles to the closure.

To confirm the methodology and results in the PRMS and to determine whether or not to change the closure boundaries, the Department conducted monitoring in 2014 and 2015 of lobster and crab in the closed area and beyond it. Results of 2015 monitoring work are not yet available but will be evaluated as soon as they are.

Data from DMR monitoring work done in 2014 are from areas inside the original closure, including Odom Ledge, South Verona, and Fort Point, and three areas outside the closure, including Cape Jellison, Turner Point, and Sears Island. All areas had been previously sampled except Cape Jellison. Results from the PRMS and 2014 DMR sampling were similar in that mercury concentrations in lobster tail and claw tissue decreased geographically from north to south.

Levels in lobsters sampled from the Cape Jellison shore, an area immediately adjacent to the closure, and the shore adjacent to Turner Point, were lower than most of the other areas sampled in 2014, yet elevated enough to warrant including in the closure.

On average, tails in 40 legal size lobsters harvested for testing during 2014 along the south eastern shore of Cape Jellison contained 292.7 nanograms (a billionth of a gram) of mercury per gram of tissue (ng/g) while claws contained much less, at 139.2 ng/g. According to the FDA, canned white tuna contains 350 ng/g of mercury.

In addition to lobsters, crabs were also included in the original closure and evaluated in the on-going monitoring work. “Despite insufficient data on crabs in the PRMS study, we wanted to include them in the initial closure as a precaution,” said Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher. “While the 2014 study does not show levels of concern for crabs, the closure will continue to include crabs because of enforcement challenges and to provide time to continue to analyze the data.

“We are adding this very small, targeted area to the closure so consumers can continue to be confident in the exceptional quality of Maine lobster,” said Commissioner Keliher.

The department will host a public meeting to discuss the closure at the Bucksport Area Performing Arts Center at the Bucksport Middle School at 100 Miles Lane in Bucksport on Tuesday, June 28 at 5:30 p.m.

A Frequently Asked Question document, a chart of the closure area, and a copy of the report titled “Penobscot River Estuary Lobster and Rock Crab Mercury Study” can be found here.

Expanding lobster supplier hires New England seafood veteran

June 14, 2016 — York, Maine-based live lobster wholesaler Maine Coast has hired a general manager for its new Boston Fish Pier facility, which will open later this month.

Peter Kendall, a New England seafood sector veteran who’s previous role was operations manager at Mazzetta’s Gloucester Seafood Processing factory, is joining Maine Coast.

“We are happy to welcome Peter Kendall to our growing team,” said Tom Adams, founder and owner of Maine Coast, in a release. “This is a critical position as we expand our live lobster wholesale business to Boston. I needed someone with a strong understanding of the seafood business and real leadership skills. We found both with Peter.”

Kendall started in the seafood industry when he was 15 working summers as a lumper at the Portsmouth fisheries co-op. He studied resource economics at the University of New Hampshire and continued working seasonally at the co-op.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

A Revolution in Southern Farmed Oysters

June 14, 2016 — On a recent Tuesday morning, Brian Rackley ate oysters for breakfast. He slipped a little knife into the neck and popped the shell, cut the foot. He took in a long, deep breath, quietly considering the bivalve’s aromatics, and slurped the thing out of the shell. After a moment’s thought, he scribbled a couple of words in a Moleskine notebook: “Driftwood, Shrimp Bisque.”

Rackley runs the oyster program at Kimball House, a restaurant that occupies a former train station in Atlanta, Georgia. It is a fine place, where diners sit in tufted leather booths and order caviar service and cocktails that arrive in chilled, antique glassware. The oyster menu that Rackley maintains is suitably elaborate, an ever-changing list of 20-odd varieties of oysters sourced from across the continent: Puget Sound, Washington, to Edgecomb, Maine.

Rackley eats oysters for breakfast, before even a cup of coffee, so that his palate will be unadulterated when he writes his tasting notes, those subtle distinctions of flavor and aroma that help his customers navigate the qualities of oysters. His notebook is filled with little phrases and lists of words: “citrus, lettuce & cucumber”; “celery salted wild mushroom”; “cedar and spinach”; “rich clay & minerals, perfect with Muscadet.”

Oysters are a finicky business. Those subtle distinctions in flavor can be erased into blandness by a heavy rain. They can take years to produce but days to spoil. The vagaries of water and air temperatures, the complicated seasonal intersections of rainfall and tides, all the uncontrollable whims of nature conspire to affect oyster production. Rackley is constantly changing his menu to accommodate new oysters, removing unavailable ones.

The most notable change on Rackley’s menu, though, is the growing presence of farmed oysters from the Gulf of Mexico. High-end oyster bars have long depended on well-known oyster farms like Hama Hama, Island Creek, and others where oyster farming techniques go back decades, if not longer.

Read the full story at Pacific Standard

Maine scallop farmers borrow from Japan in test to expand fishery

June 13, 2016 — Maine sea farmers are taking a page from Japan (again), an industry titan, to test a new method of farming scallops they hope will grow larger mollusks, and grow them faster than current methods do.

The experiment, in which sea scallops are pinned in pairs to vertical ropes suspended in the ocean water, exposes the animal to more water flow. That, in turn, causes them to open and close their shells more often to feed and helps their adductor muscle, the part that Americans eat, grow larger through exercise during the scallops three-year seed-to-harvest cycle. Farmers hope the “ear-hanging” method will allow them to develop their test farms into commercial-scale operations, which are needed to keep up with rising consumer demand.

And they hope that three scallop pinning, drilling and cleaning machines that a Maine-based investor is bringing to the state from Japan will help them rein in the high labor costs of ear hanging, so they can turn a bigger profit.

The state has granted a handful of limited leases to test the potential market, tapping into the small, tight-knit network of farmers who already raise oysters, clams, and mussels in leased state waters up and down Maine’s 3,500-mile shoreline. These demonstration projects will help scientists determine which husbandry methods, nutrient mix, hanging heights and water temperature grow the biggest, fastest, and healthiest scallop meats, and if it’s profitable enough to become a commercial aquaculture fishery.

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

Monkfish Money to Allow Study of the New England Fishery

June 13, 2016 — PORTLAND, Maine — The federal government says two projects designed to improve the future of the monkfish fishery will receive more than $3.7 million in grants.

The grants are going to the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology and Cornell University Cooperative Extension.

The monkfish fishery was worth more than $18 million in 2014. It is based in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Fishermen also land monkfish in other states including New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Maine.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Maine Public Broadcasting Network

Fishing Partnership Named Community Health Worker Program of the Year

Fishing Partnership Support Services has been named “Program of the Year” by the Massachusetts Association of Community Health Workers in recognition of the work performed by the partnership’s patient navigators. Several of the navigators gathered after the award with partnership leaders. From left, are: Angela Sanfilippo, J.J. Bartlett, partnership president; Lori Caron, Shannon Eldredge, Nina Groppo, holding award trophy; Lauren Hakala, partnership director of community health; Morgan Eldredge and Monica DeSousa. Navigators Debra Kelsey and Verna Kendall were not present.

Fishing Partnership Support Services was named “Program of the Year” by the Massachusetts Association of Community Health Workers. Several of the navigators gathered after the award with partnership leaders. From left: Angela Sanfilippo; J.J. Bartlett, partnership president; Lori Caron; Shannon Eldredge; Nina Groppo, holding award trophy; Lauren Hakala, partnership director of community health; Morgan Eldredge and Monica DeSousa. Navigators Debra Kelsey and Verna Kendall not pictured.

June 10, 2016 — The following was released by the Massachusetts Association of Community Health Workers:

The Massachusetts Association of Community Health Workers has presented its 2016 Community Health Worker Program of the Year Award to Fishing Partnership Support Services, an organization serving commercial fishermen and their families.

Presented during the association’s recent annual conference in Norwood, the award honors the partnership for optimizing the work and impact of patient navigators, a category of employees within the field of community health work.

The Fishing Partnership employs patient navigators at four coastal sites in Massachusetts and one in Maine, where they help fishermen obtain affordable health coverage, enroll in free safety trainings, get tested for various health risks, and connect with providers of services that run the gamut from legal aid and financial counseling to substance abuse treatment and family counseling.

All Fishing Partnership navigators reside in the communities where they work; in most cases, they have resided there for years, if not for their entire lifetimes. The navigators also have personal histories that relate directly to the fishing industry. Their ranks include women who are spouses, partners, siblings and children of fishermen. One navigator is a fisher herself.

In designating the Fishing Partnership as its Community Health Worker Program of the Year, the Massachusetts Association of Community Health Workers recognized the deep community roots of the organization’s navigators.

“Fishing Partnership navigators are visible and trusted members of their communities,” said association director Lissette Blondet. “They know their communities well and are well known in their communities. This makes them especially effective and productive.”

Blondet said that her association regards the navigators as “living witnesses to the value and the dignity of their neighborhoods, their towns, and the people they serve.” She added, “We have many good community health workers and community health programs in Massachusetts but very few of them adhere to best practices, across the board, the way the partnership and its navigators do.”

The Massachusetts Association of Community Health Workers is a statewide professional organization for community health workers from all disciplines. It is dedicated to strengthening the profession of community heath work and raising awareness and appreciation of the vital roles community health workers play in society.

It is “extremely gratifying” to be given the Program of the Year Award, said J.J. Bartlett, president of the Fishing Partnership.

“Our navigators have all been with the partnership for years,” he said, “yet their commitment to helping fishermen and the families of fishermen has only gotten stronger. We owe this award to their extraordinary dedication.”

Established in 1997, the Fishing Partnership was originally a provider of health coverage to fishermen. It continued in that role until 2011, when it transitioned to being a provider of a various services to fishermen, acting like a virtual human resources bureau within the industry. “We continue to develop our programming to address the changing needs of this population,” said Bartlett.

The dilemma of a fisherman whose wife lost her job in 2013, and with it the family’s health insurance, is typical of those solved by navigators.

“Due to the nature of my business, my wife being close to retirement, and having some family assets, we did not ‘fit’ into the application scenarios envisioned by the Massachusetts Health Connector,” this fisherman recently recalled. “We ended up in a seemingly unending nightmare of red tape…Without your help, I would never have been able to find my way through this process – and I am a well-educated person. Words cannot express my gratitude and appreciation for your work and dedication in helping my family over the past 15 months.”

There are many instances when a partnership navigator, due to her knowledge, contacts and high local profile, is asked to help a person or a family from her community who is not a fisherman or a member of fisherman’s household. They always respond affirmatively.

A case like this, cited in the Community Health Worker Program of the Year award documents, involved a navigator who donated six hours to helping a homeless family of six enroll in MassHealth, the state and federally supported health coverage program.

“Our community health workers, our navigators, see their role as more of a calling than a job,” said Bartlett, the Fishing Partnership president. “They don’t stop helping at 5 o’clock. If someone is badly in need of assistance, they’ll see them on a Saturday or a Sunday. They always go the extra mile.”

The Fishing Partnership has its administrative office in Burlington and its patient navigator offices in Gloucester, Plymouth, New Bedford and Chatham, Massachusetts, and in Kennebunk, Maine. Its Massachusetts navigators are:

Angela Sanfilippo and Nina Groppo of Gloucester; Lori Caron of Plymouth; Debra Kelsey, Verna Kendal and Monica DeSousa of New Bedford; Morgan Eldredge and Shannon Eldredge of Chatham.