Saving Seafood

MASSACHUSETTS: Shortage Of Oysters And Quahogs Expected In The Next Few Years

October 16, 2020 — The number of quahogs and oysters in Falmouth waters will drop precipitously in upcoming years as a result of the pandemic and a lack of manpower needed to manage the shellfish.

The normal 2020 shellfish growing efforts by the Falmouth Marine and Environmental Services department was canceled as the town took social distancing precautions. R. Charles Martinsen III, deputy director of Falmouth’s MES department, estimates there will be a loss of 750,000 to 1 million oysters and a couple million fewer quahogs in years to come.

“We will start to see the loss on recreational oysters in the fall of 2021,” Mr. Martinsen said, based on the animals’ growth cycle. Future recreational oyster propagation will continue as planned in the 2021 growing year.

“Quahogs take an extra year to grow, so that loss is expected for 2022 in both the commercial and recreational shellfishing area. The harvestable oysters were grown last year, and harvestable quahogs were propagated two to three years ago,” he said.

The legal minimum size for oysters is 3 inches in length. The legal minimum harvest size for quahogs is a 1-inch thickness at the hinge.

Read the full story at The Falmouth Enterprise

East Coast remains committed to Maine Fair Trade Lobster brand, despite sale of Gouldsboro facility

October 16, 2020 — East Coast Seafood Group told SeafoodSource on Friday, 16 October, it remains committed to its Maine Fair Trade Lobster brand despite the announcement it had sold its 100,000-square-foot facility in Gouldsboro, Maine, U.S.A. to salmon aquaculture start-up American Aquafarms.

The New Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S.A.-based company did not disclose the sale price, but said it will continue operations there until the transfer is finalized.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

MASSACHUSETTS: Dana Rebeiro hired as community liaison by Vineyard Wind

October 14, 2020 — Vineyard Wind announced the hiring of former New Bedford City Councilor Dana Rebeiro as Community Liaison with a particular focus on New Bedford, the South Coast and Cape, according to a news release from Vineyard Wind.

Her hiring comes at a time when the company is gearing up to bring both clean, renewable energy and job opportunities to the area, the release said.

“We’re pleased to bring Dana on board at this critical juncture for our first project,” said Chief Development Officer Rachel Pachter in the news release. “Vineyard Wind 1 is going to need a well-trained and diverse workforce to meet the needs of this growing industry as well as frequent opportunities to engage with the company. Dana’s experience will be a tremendous asset as we work to ensure that local communities receive the greatest possible benefit when it comes to jobs and other opportunities and are well informed as the project moves forward.”

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

Cape Cod’s oyster growers struggle to recover from pandemic losses

October 12, 2020 — When Gov. Charlie Baker shut down restaurants and bars in March, Zack Dixon’s world, and that of hundreds of other shellfish farmers in Barnstable County, dropped off a cliff.

“Restaurants are our customers. When they closed in March, our business revenues went to zero,” said Dixon, who co-owns the Holbrook Oyster company with Justin and Jacob Dalby.

Over the past couple of decades, oysters have become the darling of the culinary world and aquaculture has expanded exponentially. Massachusetts landed nearly 8.7 million pounds of oysters, mostly from aquaculture farming, in 2018, worth $28.3 million. The Cape is home to 265 of the 391 licensed growers in the state, cultivating nearly 661 acres, half the state total of 1,203 acres.

When the East Coast Shellfish Growers Association surveyed larger dealers and wholesalers following the shutdown, they found that 98% of the market for oysters had evaporated overnight, said association president Bob Rheault.

“We knew we were inextricably tied to the food service industry, we didn’t realize how tied in we were,” said Rheault. “I don’t think any one of us would have guessed that amount.”

Read the full story at the Cape Cod Times

Industry tackles the role of fish monitors

October 12, 2020 — Commercial fishermen invest a great deal in their businesses, both in terms of money — boats, equipment and crew to name a few expenses – as well as time — marketing, selling and scouting, again to name just a few tasks.

They also invest in the industry’s future, weighing in on myriad edicts that make commercial fishing one of the most heavily regulated industries in the country.

So when Congressman Jared Huffman, D-California, took his Magnuson-Stevens Act listening tour to New England – albeit virtually on account of the pandemic – Captain Eric Hesse was there. Hesse, representing the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance, was appreciative of the chance to share thoughts.

“We all have things we think about and we muse about as we spend our time on the water and certainly accountability in New England’s groundfishery is one of those big issues for me,” Hesse said, sitting at his computer late last month, pictures of his boats in the background.

Accountability – keeping strict tabs on the catch – has been talked about for decades. Hesse, who has monitoring cameras on his boat for every trip, believes that 100 percent coverage would drive better science and help bring back the iconic cod fishery. Others disagree on the need for full coverage either through human observers or cameras.

Read the full story at Wicked Local

MASSACHUSETTS: Functional harbor infrastructure vital to industry’s future

October 9, 2020 — Green Harbor in Marshfield is located 14 miles from the tip of Stellwagen Bank’s southwest corner, a trip that take most fishing vessels just a few hours. Provincetown is closer, but a trip over land adds hours.

“That makes Green Harbor ideal for day trippers to go out there, potentially catch a tuna fish, and land it,” Marshfield Harbormaster Mike Dimeo said. “It’s not a big harbor, but it’s the location.”

The geographic location is an advantage for Marshfield, which is home to roughly 100 tuna boats and 50 lobster boats, but maintaining the harbor proves a near constant effort by the town.

Misaligned jetties at the entrance to Green Harbor provide a nearly yearly headache for the town, Dimeo said. The existing design of the rock structures leads to a faster buildup of sediment than in other harbors, which requires frequent dredging.

The entrance is typically 100 feet wide, but sediment can half that and create a dangerously shallow depth at low tide – sometimes preventing fishermen from heading out or coming back in.

Working around the tides, a boat might head out in weather that’s more dangerous than would be advisable or fish more during off hours.

Read the full story at Wicked Local

MASSACHUSETTS: Long a lifeblood, South Shore fishing industry faces numerous challenges

October 6, 2020 — Over his more than five decades fishing commercially, Frank Mirarchi has watched the business evolve from thriving and straightforward to complicated and diminished, with skyrocketing costs, foreign competition and changing regulations choking an industry synonymous with the South Shore.

In the late 1960s, when he purchased his first of three successive boats, fish was abundant enough to make a solid living off of.

“You worked hard, you caught a lot of fish, the fish were actually enough to compensate you for their cost,” he said.

In the 70s, he had two other men work on his boat with them, and their catch was enough to support all three families.

But the technologically-advanced equipment and permits have gotten prohibitively expensive for many, while regulations aimed at replenishing overfished populations have not been successful, Mirachi said.

Up until the 1970s, fishing was largely unregulated. In 1976, the US government extended its jurisdiction from 12 miles off coast to 200, eliminating foreign competition and leading to a rush of new US fishermen, creating a fish scarcity from overfishing.

“By 1985 or so, fishing was pretty bad,” Mirachi said. With profits dropping, he switched from having two other crew members to one.

Read the full story at Wicked Local

Extended: Slow Speed Zone South of Nantucket to Protect Right Whales

October 5, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

In Effect to October 20

NOAA Fisheries announces an extension to the previously triggered voluntary vessel speed restriction zone (Dynamic Management Area  or DMA) south of Nantucket.

This DMA was originally triggered by an August 31, 2020, sighting of an aggregation of right whales and previously extended until October 9, 2020. A  New England Aquarium aerial survey observed an aggregation of whales in this area on October 4. Since the current DMA is set to expire in less than a week we are extending it until October 20, 2020.

Mariners, please go around this areas or go slow (10 knots or less) inside this area where groups of right whales have been sighted.

South of Nantucket DMA is in effect to October 20.

41 16 N
40 32 N
069 37 W
070 28 W

Read the full release here

Maine scallop fishermen secure important access to northern Gulf of Maine resources

October 2, 2020 — Three years ago, the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association (MCFA) began working with fishermen and local businesses to improve scallop management and give a voice to scallop fishermen on important regulatory issues. As a result of the work from these efforts, at a virtual meeting of the New England Fishery Management Council Oct. 1, the Council voted in favor of regulations that protect both the scallop resource and the smaller Northern New England scallop fishing businesses.

The outcome of the meeting ensures that there will be a scientifically set limit on scallops harvested from the Gulf of Maine and meaningful investments in science and accountability to ensure the resource continues to grow.

The Council also voted to set aside a portion of catch specifically for the federally permitted smaller fishing businesses from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. The scallop set aside will allow for preferential access for the small boats within this area and create stability for the small-boat fleet moving forward.

Read the full story at the Wiscasset Newspaper

New Bedford Port Director Proposes Reforms to Magnuson-Stevens Act in Latest Congressional Listening Session

October 2, 2020 — The following was released by the Port of New Bedford:

This week, Ed Anthes-Washburn, Director of the Port of New Bedford, proposed improvements to the Magnuson-Stevens Act during the latest fisheries listening session conducted by Congressman Jared Huffman (D-CA), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife. As part of his testimony, Director Washburn called for changes to the term “overfishing”; more collaboration between fishermen, regulators and scientists; greater flexibility in rebuilding periods and catch limits; a legislative fix for the conflict between fisheries management and national monuments; and maintaining and enhancing funding for fisheries research.

Representing the nation’s highest grossing fishing port, Director Washburn called for threatened fish stocks to be labeled as “depleted” instead of “overfished,” a charged term that may not accurately describe why a stock is diminished, and may innacurately imply that fishermen are to blame.

“There can be a number of reasons for the loss of biomass of a given fish stock that have nothing to do with fishing activity, including the effects of climate change, pollution, changes in migration patterns, or other reasons,” Director Washburn said.

Chairman Huffman agreed, saying, “I know that we have situations, salmon in California for example, where the overfish framework applies because the numbers are down, but it is not the fishermen’s fault.” Chairman Huffman cited drought impacts and diversions of water that have forced the closure of the salmon fishery, making the term “overfishing” “a completely inaccurate term that many fishermen feel like is highly disparaging.”

Chairman Huffman also asked Director Washburn specifically about the success of the Atlantic scallop fishery, which Director Washburn attributed to buy-in from industry, regulators, and scientists. Programs like NOAA’s Scallop Research Set-Aside, in which a portion of the industry’s scallop profits go to research projects, as well as collaborative research from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s School for Marine Science & Technology have led to high confidence in the fishery’s management. Director Washburn called for a Magnuson-Stevens Act reauthorization that encourages a systematic approach to cooperative research.

In his testimony, Director Washburn expressed support for flexibility in rebuilding periods and annual catch limits. The current 10-year rebuilding requirement places unrealistic mandates on fishery managers since many stocks lack proper scientific data, leading to overly conservative catch limits. Greater flexibility for managers in setting catch limits would also help to achieve the Magnuson-Stevens Act’s goal of optimum yield on a continuing basis.

Director Washburn also called for a legislative fix to the conflicting goals of the Magnuson-Stevens Act and the Antiquities Act. While President Trump recently allowed fishing to resume in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, Director Washburn reiterated the industry’s concerns with the process that led to the monument’s creation. “The process that led to the designation lacked the scientific rigor and industry input that ordinarily come with temporary ocean closures, much less a permanent closure,” Director Washburn said.

Director Washburn concluded his testimony by calling for maintaining and enhancing funding for fisheries research. He recommended using funds from offshore wind lease sales to ensure NOAA has the funding to adequately review offshore wind plans and conduct vital stock assessments.