Saving Seafood

Lobstermen Raise Concerns Over Proposed Regulations to Protect Endangered Whales

December 10, 2020 — The state is asking for public feedback on new rules to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales from entanglement in fishing gear.

At a public hearing on Tuesday, the Massachusetts Department of Marine Fisheries (DMF) shared its recommendations to extend a seasonal commercial-gear closure to areas north and east of the Cape from February 1 through April 30.

Dan McKiernan, DMF director, also explained new requirements for vertical buoy lines that would mandate that they break apart when exposed to 1,700 pounds of pressure.

“A recent study by the New England Aquarium on whale entanglement showed ropes with low breaking strength can reduce serious injury and mortality by at least 72 percent,” he said.  “Cooperative research with commercial lobsterman has demonstrated that ropes of these breaking strength are strong enough in most cases to allow for the successful hauling of lobster gear.

“In essence,” he said, “this research and proposal tried to hit the sweet spot for a line that is safe for the industry and beneficial for right whales.”

Read the full story at CAI

Texas Organizations Help Cold-Stunned Sea Turtles from Massachusetts

December 8, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

On Monday, December 7, 120 sea turtles flew south thanks to Turtles Fly Too. These sea turtles were found on Cape Cod, Massachusetts beaches suffering from hypothermia and other complications in recent weeks. They will continue to receive treatment and care from seven facilities in Texas.

Of the more than 500 cold-stunned sea turtles that have washed up so far this year, the vast majority are endangered Kemp’s ridleys. Green and loggerhead sea turtles have been rescued, as well. Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary responds to all of these cold-stunned turtles. They transport live turtles to two Massachusetts rehabilitation facilities: the New England Aquarium and the National Marine Life Center.

Sea turtles are cold-blooded and rely on heat from their environment to maintain their body temperatures. When water temperatures drop rapidly, they become lethargic and unable to swim due to the cold. Many of the turtles have pneumonia, and some have other medical conditions or injuries from being washed against rocks. They require expert care—but with so many turtles, the rehabilitation facilities are filling up. And it’s only early December. The cold-stun season usually lasts until late December or early January.

Read the full release here

International consortium created to study the white shark

December 7, 2020 — Shark research groups and government agencies in the United States and Canada announced Tuesday the establishment of an organization that will unite over a dozen agencies to collaboratively study the white shark.

The New England White Shark Research Consortium joins organizations and universities in Massachusetts—such as the New England Aquarium and University of Massachusetts Dartmouth—with researchers in Maine, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Arizona and Canada.

The group has two primary goals: advance researchers’ current understanding of the white shark, and enhance public education and safety within the region.

Gregory Skomal, the senior fisheries scientist for the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (which is a consortium member), said the fatal shark attack of a 63-year-old woman off the coast of Maine this summer prompted the creation of the consortium.

“It really pointed to a need for us to coordinate research here in New England,” Skomal said, noting many people were surprised by the location of the attack even though researchers knew white sharks are historically found in Maine waters.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

Vineyard Wind pauses U.S. permitting over switch to GE turbines

December 3, 2020 — Vineyard Wind, which is developing the first major U.S. offshore wind farm, has temporarily withdrawn the project from the federal permitting process so the company can incorporate turbines from a new supplier, General Electric Co, in its design.

The move, which requires a technical review that will last several weeks, will almost certainly delay a federal decision over whether to approve the project until after President-elect Joe Biden takes office on Jan. 20.

Calling the decision to pause the permitting process “difficult,” Vineyard Wind Chief Executive Lars Pedersen said in a statement issued on Tuesday that he hoped it would help avoid further delays.

Read the full story at Reuters

UMass Dartmouth and Farm to Institution New England Host Virtual Sea Summit

December 3, 2020 — The following was released by the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center:

How can New England institutions better leverage their influence to support local seafood and seafood producers? With the nation’s top dollar fishing port in New Bedford, why do we not see more local fish on the menu at colleges and other institutions? Can our institutional supply chains take advantage of underutilized species to help address these issues?

UMass Dartmouth and Farm to Institution New England welcome you to attend an online Sea Summit focused on these questions. Join us for an engaging panel and stakeholder dialogue, where speakers will share how a team of colleges and supply chain partners tackled these issues through a 2018 New England Food Vision Prize from the Henry P. Kendall Foundation. Learn more about the challenges and opportunities of producing and sourcing farmed kelp and underutilized fish species in New England. Speakers will also share how they worked to bring underutilized species into community and university dining programs, even with the added challenges presented by a global pandemic.

The goal of the Sea Summit is to educate and unite anyone who is interested in: local and sustainable purchasing, procurement, food service operations, supply chains, and sustainable seafood. This event will highlight the importance of local food initiatives, and encourage restaurants, hospitals, schools, colleges, and universities to help our region produce at least 50% of our food by 2060.

About the New England Food Vision Prize

The New England Food Vision Prize was designed by the Henry P. Kendall Foundation to accelerate progress towards the New England Food Vision, a bold vision that calls for our region to produce at least 50% of our food by 2060, while supporting healthy food for all, sustainable farming and fishing, and thriving communities.

Registration details coming soon.

Questions? Contact Kirby Roberts, kroberts1@umassd.edu.

Seafood Expo North America rescheduled for 11 to 13 July, 2021

December 3, 2020 — The 2021 edition of Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America will take place Sunday, 11 July, to Tuesday, 13 July, organizer Diversified Communications announced on 3 December.

The trade show, which brings together seafood suppliers and buyers and which also features an educational conference, will take place at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

MASSACHUSETTS: Stabilizing The World’s Last Commercial Wild Bay Scallop Fishery In Nantucket

December 3, 2020 — Standing at the water’s edge overlooking Nantucket Harbor, Tara Riley explained that she had never heard of the famed island before she applied to become the town’s shellfish biologist in 2009. But now, ten years later, she said, she can’t imagine being anywhere else.

Perched at the entrance to Nantucket Harbor at Brant Point, the Town of Nantucket Shellfish Propagation Facility resembles a one-room schoolhouse on stilts. And it’s where Riley manages what is essentially a shellfish fertility clinic, growing clams and oysters — and more importantly, wild bay scallops — that she will release into the harbor to grow and mature. With Riley’s help, Nantucket’s shellfish hatchery is producing billions of larvae to help stabilize one of the last commercially viable wild bay scallop populations in the world.

Her job is no less than to save an historic industry that was nearly lost to pollution in the harbor from sewage and fertilizers. Wild bay scallops have generated revenue in Nantucket for 150 years, replacing the whaling industry after it shifted to New Bedford. Like whaling, commercial scalloping provided an important independence from the mainland.

“It’s pretty rare to have the town have a program like we have,” Riley said. “It just speaks to the fact of how important the bay scallop fishery is to the community and how much they want to preserve it.”

Read the full story at WGBH

International consortium to study great white shark behavior in Atlantic Ocean

December 2, 2020 — The great white shark now has an international consortium of governments, universities, and private groups — including authorities from Massachusetts — studying the fearsome predator’s behavior in the northwest Atlantic Ocean.

The sharks have returned to coastal New England and southern Canada in increasing numbers during recent years, sometimes leading to fatal interactions with humans it encounters who are swimming or surfing in the ocean.

Among other completed and forthcoming research the consortium plans to use hundreds of receivers to acoustically track great whites from Rhode Island to Canada in hopes of eventually creating “shark forecast maps” that will alert swimmers when shark activity along beaches is at its most intense, said Megan Winton,chief research scientist for the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy which provides the popular SHARKTIVITY app.

Read the full story at The Boston Globe

Vineyard Wind pause may kick project decision to Biden admin

December 2, 2020 — On the heels of another federal permitting delay, Vineyard Wind announced Tuesday that it is temporarily withdrawing its construction and operations plan from further review by the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management but the company says its pause won’t delay the planned start of clean power generation.

The announcement came in conjunction with news that the 800-megawatt offshore wind project plans to use GE Renewable Energy’s Haliade-X wind turbine generators when it begins construction, which it called “industry leading” and “the most powerful in operation to date.”

Project developers told BOEM on Tuesday that they plan to launch their own “final technical review associated with the inclusion of the Haliade-X into the final project design” and have asked for a pause in the federal review, which had been expected to be completed this month before recently being pushed to January.

“While the decision to pause the ongoing process was difficult, taking this step now avoids potentially more federal delays and we are convinced it will provide the shortest overall timeline for delivering the project as planned,” Vineyard Wind CEO Lars Pedersen said. “We intend to restart the BOEM process from where we left off as soon as we complete the final review.”

Read the full story at WWLP

MASSACHUSETTS: Blue Harvest Relaunches Blue Water, Company’s Latest Upgraded Vessel

December 2, 2020 — The following was released by Blue Harvest Fisheries:

Blue Harvest Fisheries has relaunched the Blue Water, the latest vessel in the company’s fleet to undergo extensive refurbishment and restoration. Another significant investment in the company’s future, Blue Water now features many state-of-the-art improvements that set the standard for safe, sustainable fishing.

As one of eight scalloping vessels purchased from the Peabody Corporation in 2015, Blue Water has undergone two years of extensive upgrades to improve efficiency and safety. Blue Water rejoins Blue Harvest’s fleet of 15 scallop vessels, which fish out of Fairhaven, Massachusetts, and Newport News, Virginia.

“Over the last year we’ve made major investments in the long-term future of our company and the fisheries we work in,” said Keith Decker, President and CEO of Blue Harvest. “Blue Water is just one more example of these investments, which will help make Blue Harvest a leader in the scallop fishery for years to come.”

The restoration process included updating the vessel’s electronics, generators and hydraulic systems, as well as rebuilding two 400 horsepower engines. These upgrades allow Blue Water to operate far more efficiently than older vessels, lowering operating costs and reducing the vessel’s overall carbon footprint. The upgrades also include significant safety improvements, and the vessel’s interior was completely refitted to include quieter, more spacious rooms for the crews, to improve the workplace experience.

Read the full release here