Saving Seafood

New buoy line changes benefit whales

June 11, 2021 — Earlier this month, the Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission unanimously approved a proposed plan for new buoy line marking rules for lobster and crab fishermen. The buoy line markings proposal was first introduced to the commission in January, which took recommendations from a public hearing in May.

According to Bob Glenn, a member of the Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF), these markings are important for the protection of the North Atlantic right whales in Massachusetts waters. In 2020, DMF provided comments to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) saying Massachusetts should have its fisheries, specifically lobster and crab fisheries, listed separately, based on its “very conservative” management program to protect the whales. The list is usually published in September or October, which is why the buoy line markings proposal is being pushed for this year. However, the NMFS was not willing to provide a separate designation, because the gear Massachusetts fishermen use was not different enough from other states in New England and the Mid-Atlantic.

The Center for Coastal Studies spotted 89 right whales in March in the Cape Cod Bay area. The whales had migrated elsewhere by May 13, allowing fisheries to open a little earlier than usual. Daniel McKiernan, director of the DMF, said these whales are routinely photographed via aerial surveys within a range from Plymouth to Provincetown. McKiernan said in the past 12 years, there have been only two nonlethal, off-season entanglement cases in Massachusetts. According to a risk reduction model DMF received from NMFS called a decision support tool, the estimates say DMF’s efforts since 2015 have helped reduce marine life mortality by 85 to 95 percent.

Read the full story at MV Times

MASSACHUSETTS: Count of elvers visiting Rockport high

June 9, 2021 — Consider the full life of the American eel and what it takes for the wee critters to find their way from their birthing grounds in the Sargasso Sea to the town’s historic Mill Brook.

Once born, eel eggs float to the surface of the salt water spawning grounds northeast of the Bahamas and southwest of Bermuda. They hatch into transparent larvae. If they had thumbs, this is when they would stick them out. No appendages mean no thumbs. Still, they manage to hitch a ride.

Largely left to the whims of wind and currents, the larvae begin a year-long journey to fresh water portals. Some land as far south as the north coast of South America. Others travel as far north as Greenland.

And some hit the sweet spot, crossing the Atlantic Ocean to the Mill Brook and from there up into Rockport’s Mill Pond and Loop Pond, and perhaps as far away as Briar Swamp in Dogtown. In all, they swim more than 1,000 miles.

Waiting for them is Eric Hutchins and his merry band of volunteers, nature’s own census takers for the eels that have by now matured from larvae into translucent elver stretching roughly 2 to 4 inches.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

MASSACHUSETTS: Harbors hold challenges for fishermen

May 20, 2021 — Gloucester remains the state’s second-most valuable commercial fishing port by landings despite the decline of its groundfisheries and the challenges facing its aging waterfront and fleet.

A new analysis of the Massachusetts commercial fishery ranked Gloucester second among Bay State commercial ports with $53.2 million — or 8.2% — of the $647 million in state seafood landings in 2018.

For that year, America’s oldest commercial seaport trailed only the scallop-fueled ex vessel dominance of New Bedford ($431 million, or 66.6%), while more than doubling the value of landings from No. 3 Chatham ($19 million).

But the analysis also warns of storm clouds on the horizon for Gloucester and the state’s other commercial fishing ports, particularly related to shrinking access to harbors and deteriorating waterfront infrastructure.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Massachusetts waters remain closed to lobstermen

May 6, 2021 — The state Division of Marine Fisheries is reminding lobstermen and other trap fishermen that state waters north and east of Cape Cod remain closed to all commercial harvesting because of the continued presence of North Atlantic right whales.

DMF and the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies continue to fly aerial survey flights to gauge the scale of right whale presence in state waters as the imperiled stock continues its northward feeding migration.

The agency said its most recent flight, on April 28, 2021, observed 86 right whales in the waters of northern Cape Cod Bay, southern Massachusetts Bay, and Stellwagen Bank, a fishing ground located about 15 miles southeast of Gloucester to about six miles north of Provincetown.

“Additional surveillance flights are anticipated to occur over the next several days,” DMF stated. “DMF will reevaluate the status of this closure based on the presence or absence of whales. Should observational data demonstrate right whales have migrated out of Massachusetts waters, DMF may lift the trap gear closure prior to May 15.”

Also, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute’s Slocum underwater glider on Sunday acoustically detected the presence of North Atlantic right whales north of Cape Cod and NOAA Fisheries on Monday instituted a voluntary right whale slow zone north of Cape Cod until May 17.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

High Density of Right Whales in Massachusetts Waters

April 23, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Update from Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries

The Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) is closely monitoring the presence of North Atlantic Right Whales in Massachusetts coastal waters. From the period of April 6, 2021 through April 20, 2021 aerial and acoustic surveillance conducted by the NOAA Fisheries and the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies (PCCS) has detected moderate to high densities of right whales in Massachusetts coastal waters including; Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts Bay, Stellwagen Bank, state waters on the backside of Cape Cod, and the nearshore federal waters south of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.

Trap fishermen in Lobster Management Area 1 and Outer Cape Cod are reminded that the  state waters portion of these areas are closed to lobster trap fishing until May 15, 2021. NOAA Fisheries and PCCS are conducting routine aerial surveillance throughout Massachusetts’ coastal waters and adjacent federal waters multiple times per week. DMF will continue to monitor surveillance information and could open portions or all of state waters as early as May 1, 2021 if less than 3 right whales are detected in an area.

Mariners are reminded that there is a 10-knot small vessel (less than 65’ overall) speed limit in Cape Cod Bay to protect endangered right whales from the threat of ship strikes that remains in effect until April 30, 2021. During the late winter and early-spring, right whales migrate into and aggregate in Cape Cod Bay where they feed on zooplankton. As we move into the spring, these whales begin to feed closer to the surface and become more susceptible to ship strikes. Ship strikes are a significant source of mortality to these endangered whales. However, the lethality of ship strikes is greatly reduced when vessels are operating at less than 10-knots speed.

This small vessel speed limit— established in 2019—applies from March 1 – April 30 within those waters of Cape Cod Bay south of 42° 08’ north latitude, as well as those waters north of Cape Cod that are west of 70°10’ west longitude. A complementary federal speed limit applies to all vessels 65’ overall length and greater. DMF may extend or rescind this seasonal small vessel speed limit based on the continued presence or absence of whales. This small vessel speed limit does not apply to emergency and enforcement personnel, including federal whale disentanglement teams. Additionally, small vessel traffic operating within the inshore waters of Plymouth, Duxbury, Kingston, Barnstable and Wellfleet Harbors are exempt.

Read the full release here

$23.6M in fish aid coming to Massachusetts

April 2, 2021 — Elements of the Massachusetts seafood industry are set to receive another $23.6 million as part of continuing federal and state efforts to mitigate the detrimental impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Massachusetts allocation represents 9% of the total $255 million in new federal fisheries assistance funding and supplements the $28 million allocated to the Bay State fishing industry from the CARES Act in March 2020.

“It’s basically the same as the first round,” said Dan McKiernan, director of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. “We’re being urged to get the money out as quickly as possible.”

McKiernan expects the process for distributing the money to be almost identical that in 2020 when the state distributed the $28 million from the CARES Act appropriation.

As in 2020, the Massachusetts allocation is the third largest among all states. Only Alaska and Washington, at $40 million each, received more.

Elsewhere in New England, Maine was fifth among all states with a $17.14 million allocation. New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Connecticut each received $3 million.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Massachusetts sets rules for recreational catches

February 26, 2021 — Massachusetts has set fishing regulations for the upcoming 2021 recreational fishing season, retaining the status quo in state waters on seasons and limits for most species.

The exceptions are the striped bass circle hook requirements, as well as the Gulf of Maine haddock and cod seasons and a pending recommendation on gear restrictions for blue crabs.

The Division of Marine Fisheries expects to announce the new regulations on the three pending measures in late March. It has scheduled a virtual public hearing for March 2 at 6 p.m. Participation requires advanced registration at http://bit.ly/3pRGpBZ.

Here are the 2021 regulations on seasons and limits for a variety of recreational species:

Black sea bass — The season will run May 18 to Sept. 8. The minimum size is 15 inches and the trip possession limit is five fish per angler.

Bluefish — The season runs all year, with no size limits. Possession limits are three fish per day for anglers fishing from the shore or aboard private vessels. The trip possession limit for anglers aboard for-hire craft is five fish.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

MASSACHUSETTS: Task force: State needs shelllfish lab

February 19, 2021 — The Massachusetts Shellfish Initiative has developed a five-year strategic plan that could overhaul the management of the state’s shellfish resources, including a recommendation for a dedicated state shellfish laboratory.

The 2021-2025 strategic plan, developed by the 21-member MSI Task Force that includes Gloucester Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken, recommends increased public funding for additional staff and resources at the Division of Marine Fisheries. It also seeks more public funds to promote “the economic, environmental and social benefits” of the state’s shellfish resources.

“In many cases existing state and local government resources provide insufficient support to adequately manage the state’s shellfish resources and shellfish fisheries,” the draft of the plan stated.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Inshore lobstering ban to begin in March

February 17, 2021 — The seasonal closure of virtually all Massachusetts waters to commercial lobstering will not begin before March 5 and could be delayed another two weeks into March.

Daniel McKiernan, executive director of the state Division of Marine Fisheries, said the recently enacted state rules to help protect North Atlantic right whales remain under review by federal regulators.

“If not March 5, then it will be two weeks later,” McKiernan said in a text message.

The Feb. 1 to May 15 closure, imposed in all state waters except those south and west of Cape Cod, is the centerpiece of a rules package approved Jan. 28 by the Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission, based on recommendations from DMF.

“We think this is surgical and appropriate,” McKiernan told the commission. “We believe this is the most responsible way to manage the fishery.”

The closure is set for the period in the late winter and early spring when the North Atlantic right whales travel north through the waters off the Massachusetts coast on their feeding migration into the Gulf of Maine and on into Canadian waters.

The closure, which is two weeks longer than DMF’s initial recommendation, is designed to reduce the number of vertical buoy lines in the water to help avert injuries and deaths from right whale entanglements in lobster and other commercial trap gear.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

MASSACHUSETTS: Fish panel bans inshore lobstering during whale migration

January 28, 2021 — The Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission on Thursday approved additional protections for the endangered North Atlantic right whales, including a three-and-a-half month trap gear closure throughout state waters and mandated use of weaker buoy lines.

Meeting via webinar, the MFAC overwhelmingly approved five of the six recommendations presented by the state Division of Marine Fisheries, setting the stage for a hectic start to the state’s 2021 lobster fishing season.

“We think this is surgical and appropriate,” DMF Director Dan McKiernan told commission members. “We believe this is the most responsible way to manage this fishery.”

As the state faces challenges on two fronts — the federal take reduction team initiative to stem whale entanglements and deaths and ongoing federal litigation that names Massachusetts as a defendant in a lawsuit filed under the Endangered Species Act — the commission approved:

* A Feb. 1 to May 15 closure to commercial trap gear in all state waters — including off Cape Ann — to help mitigate whale entanglements, injuries and deaths during the period when the right whales are most prevalent in state waters. The closure is roughly two weeks longer than DMF’s initial recommendation, but the measure gives DMF the power to lift all or part of the closure between May 1 and 15 “based on the presence and absence of right whales.”

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times