Saving Seafood

MASSACHUSETTS: Sixth Annual Boston Seafood Festival

July 13, 2017 — The following was released by the Boston Seafood Festival:

The sixth annual Boston Seafood Festival, the biggest and tastiest seafood event of the summer, takes over Boston’s historic Fish Pier on Sunday, August 13, 2017 from 11am–7:00pm.

Presented by Boston Fisheries Foundation, Boston Seafood Festival combines a terrific family friendly day of delicious seafood sampling, live music, local chef demonstrations, children’s activities and more with a rare opportunity to learn more about preserving Boston’s essential seafood and maritime heritage.

“We encourage everyone to visit our annual must attend seafood event just brimming with New England favorites like our all day lobster bake, the legendary battle of the shuckers, and great seafood sampling from Boston’s finest seafood vendors,” said Chris Basile, president of Boston Fisheries Foundation. He added, “It’s also a great way to celebrate Boston’s heritage as the seafood hub of our country by engaging with entertaining educational exhibits and demonstrations by real working fishermen right from the dock at Fish Pier.”

Tickets are $15.00 and are available at http://www.bostonseafoodfestival.org/. Proceeds underwrite Boston Seafood Festival and in part support the work of the Boston Fisheries Foundation, a not for profit organization which preserves and protects the local seafood industry’s long term viability as well as safeguards the ocean’s present and future natural resources.

Event highlights also include food for purchase, a blessing of the fleet, notable speakers, face painting, costumed characters, among other festivities.

The Boston Seafood Festival is presented by Boston Fisheries Foundation along with generous sponsors that include; Massport, Harpoon, Stavis Seafoods, Channel Fish, The

John Nagle Company, Quarterdeck, JCDecaux, Carpenter’s Union, Ipswich Clambake, East Boston Savings Bank, and F.J. O’Hara & Son’s. Boston Seafood Festival is managed and produced by Conventures, Boston’s leading events management and communications agency.

For more information and a complete list of activities, please visit http://bostonseafoodfestival.org.

NEW BEDFORD STANDARD-TIMES: Under-loved fish need a home right here

July 12, 2017 — A recent report from the social policy researchers at NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole shed some light on what happens to local fish after its caught by commercial fishermen.

The report is part of ongoing research, and has yet to be finalized in an academic paper, but the first findings indicate that most of the groundfish landed in NOAA’s Northeast region is sold and consumed locally. And it’s no surprise that most of the scallops landed are shipped around the country and the world.

Trucks carry much of the groundfish landed between Maryland and Maine, hauling along the coast and inland for 75 or 100 miles. Some is frozen and shipped far away, but the fish we buy locally is frequently locally caught.

Cod, haddock, pollock and different flounders find their way into local restaurants, fish markets and grocery stores, then onto local plates.

The local consumption of this groundfish is a function of the difficulty of NOAA Fisheries’ management of the multispecies fishery that includes about 20 different species. The complex interplay between abundant and scarce species that intermingle has thwarted attempts to harvest the Total Allowable Catch of the abundant species and confounded attempts to avoid the scarce ones. Groundfish landings today are a shadow of those from the early 1980s.

Even as traditional regional species have become harder to harvest, new species have moved into warming state and federal waters managed by the Northeast Fisheries Management Council, which is the management arm of federal fisheries management in this region. Skate and spiny dogfish have become the abundant species, and their harvest is less complicated than those from among the traditional groundfish stocks. But skate wings don’t get the price at the dock of those other species. Last Friday at the local seafood auction, skate wings fetched 30 cents a pound; flounder, cod and haddock were all paying 5 to 10 times that at the dock, some 20 times more.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

HILDE LEE: Cod has special place in nation’s food history

July 11, 2017 — I have a certain curiosity about food, particularly seafood. I am not shy about asking, “Is the fish fresh? When did it come in?”

Thus, one day I got the definitive answer from one a man at one of our local grocery store fish counters. “Yes, the fish is fresh and we get it frozen. I only thaw out what I think will sell daily. Thus, the fish is very fresh.” Well, it may be fresh, but it was frozen. After all, we are not on the seacoast.

I like cod and the various members of the cod family — haddock, hake, pollock and Atlantic cod. The flesh of these fish is usually firm, making it ideal for a variety of dishes — broiled, baked, and stewed. Cod is also a good receiver of sauces, particularly tomato-based ones with herbs.

Just like the bison and the eagle, cod can be considered a symbol of America. It was here even before the first settlers came to New England, where cod was plentiful.

When Giovanni Caboto sailed from Bristol, England, on May 2, 1497, he, like Columbus, was searching for a western sea route to Asia. But Caboto — known as John Cabot, a Venetian navigator sponsored by King Henry VII — returned from his first voyage not with exotic spices, but tales of the sea. He told of the many fishes that could be caught simply by lowering weighted baskets into the water.

Even before Cabot’s reports of great schools of cod along the northern shores of the new continent, fishermen from Scandinavian areas had spent any years fishing the North Atlantic.

By 1602, Bartholomew Gosnold ventured south beyond Nova Scotia seeking sassafras — believed to be a cure for syphilis — but found French and Portuguese fishermen harvesting numerous fish along the Great Banks, an area 350 miles of coast south of Newfoundland. There, the cold Labrador Current and the Gulf Stream joined, creating ideal conditions for a variety of fish. Gosnold named the land, which jutted out to sea, Cape Cod.

Read the full story at The Daily Progress

GLOUCESTER TIMES: Saving a species in danger

July 11, 2017 — The revival of the right whale should be one of America’s great conservation success stories, standing alongside the grey wolf, the American bison and the bald eagle.

Once hunted to the edge of extinction, the right whale made strong strides toward recovery in recent decades, in large part due to conservation efforts. Today there are thought to be about 500 of the mammals swimming in Atlantic waters.

Recent events, however, show just how tenuous the species’ hold on survival really is, and make clear the need for continued, innovative conservation efforts. A new effort to educate recreational and competitive sailors about the dangers of vessel strikes is a step in the right direction.

Six right whales were found dead in the waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada, late last month. Early evidence suggests two of the whales died after being struck by boats, and one after becoming entangled in lost or discarded fishing gear.

Meanwhile, fewer right whale calves have been born in recent years.

“Including the right whale killed by a ship strike in Cape Cod this past April, we have now lost seven right whales in a year where only five calves were born,” said Regina Asmutis-Silva, executive director of the Plymouth-based research and advocacy group Whale and Dolphin Conservation. “Only 20 years ago, over 500 (vaquita whales) swam in the Gulf of California but today only 30 remain because of human impacts. Where will the right whales be in 20 years if we do not make meaningful changes that reduce their threats of ship strikes and entanglements?”

Massachusetts researchers, who warned the species was in trouble last year, remain concerned.

Read the full opinion piece at the Gloucester Times

MASSACHUSETTS: Cape Cod shellfish bed closures await lab results

July 10, 2017 — Shellfish growing areas in six towns that were closed by the state Division of Marine Fisheries on Friday remained closed Monday pending lab results of bacteriological water samples from the affected areas, according to Katie Gronendyke, spokeswoman for the state Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

The state closed shellfish growing areas east of the Cape Cod Canal in the towns of Sandwich, Bourne, Falmouth, Mashpee, Barnstable and in Lewis Bay in Yarmouth because of extreme rainfall. Shellfish beds in Sandwich are open only from November through May, according to the Sandwich Department of Natural Resources.

Friday’s rain, which accumulated up to 4 inches in two to three hours in some areas, overwhelmed roads, parking lots and storm drain systems, Gronendyke wrote in an email. The flooding can cause contaminated water to accumulate and release into coastal waters, she wrote.

The towns in which the shellfish growing areas were closed received the heaviest rainfall, she wrote.

Read the full story at the Cape Cod Times

Police identify New Bedford man reported missing from Miss Shauna

July 6, 2017 — Police identified the New Bedford fisherman, who presumably fell overboard on Monday, as Thomas Quintin Jr.

The 55-year-old was born into a fishing family. Both his grandfathers were fishermen and both were lost at sea, according to police, who also said his father, two nephews and sister all fished.

Quintin entered the fishing industry at 17 and was the captain of a New Bedford-based vessel for more than two decades before working aboard the Miss Shauna, police said.

According to Quintin’s Facebook page, he received a 200 ton masters license from Northeast Maritime Institute in 2014-15. A deeply religious man, he graduated from Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School in 1979.

The Coast Guard suspended a 28-hour search for Quintin on Wednesday.

Sabrina Clarke, of the Coast Guard, said a variety of reasons contribute to a suspension of a search including weather, water temperature and safety equipment the person may have been wearing.

The search for Quintin in the Atlantic Ocean began Monday afternoon after he didn’t report to his post when the Miss Shauna was about 25 miles south of Montauk, New York. He was last seen by the crew at around 4 p.m.

The vessel has since returned to New Bedford, according to an employee at Miss Shauna LCC at 1 Cape St.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

MASSACHUSETTS: New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center and National Park Team Up to Present Something Fishy Camp

July 6, 2017 — The following was released by the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center:

New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center, New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, and the Whaling History Alliance have teamed up to offer a free summer camp at the Park for New Bedford children entering grade 4 in the fall of 2017.  Something Fishy Summer Camp is designed to give kids an introduction to the history and culture of the working port from whaling days to present day commercial fishing.

Camp activities will include hands-on marine science with fisheries scientists; storytellers; marlinspike ropework; arts and crafts; a harbor tour; and a fishing vessel tour. In addition, campers will explore the Park to learn about New Bedford’s whaling history and the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center to learn about present day commercial fishing from a fisherman.  They will also visit the Seaman’s Bethel, Casa dos Botes Discovery Center; and Buzzards Bay Coalition.

The camp curriculum is designed to engage local youth in learning abut the history and culture of New Bedford’s whaling and fishing industries. For campers whose families are connected to our working waterfront, these programs honor the lives and experiences of their families.  For those who are not directly connected to the port, the opportunity to learn about this part of our community is equally important. Unlike many waterfront communities that have lost their working waterfront to development, New Bedford remains a working harbor. Continued support and preservation of our working waterfront requires a citizenry that understands its’ essential value.  It is the children of today who will be shaping the port of the future.     

Campers were chosen by lottery for a one-week session. Sessions begin July 10th and July 17th. 

Something Fishy Camp is a collaboration between the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center, New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, and the Whaling History Alliance.  The 2017 camp program is made possible by grants from the United Way Summer Fund, New Bedford Day Nursery Foundation, the New Bedford Education Foundation, and support from BayCoast Bank.

Overdose suspected in fisherman’s death

July 6, 2017 — The death of a 26-year-old Maine fisherman, found aboard a vessel moored at the Jodrey State Fish Pier over the holiday weekend, is being categorized by the Essex District Attorney’s office as a suspected drug overdose.

Neither the state medical examiner’s office nor law enforcement authorities would confirm the identity of the man who was found aboard the FV/Titan at the fish pier off Parker Street early Saturday morning. A positive identification and definitive cause of death were, as of Wednesday, pending findings by state medical examiner’s office, said Carrie Kimball Monahan, spokeswoman for the office of Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett.

Massachusetts state police from the DA’s office, following a call from Gloucester police, responded to a report of an unattended death. The troopers and Gloucester police found drug paraphernalia at the scene, indicating a likely overdose, Kimball Monahan said. There were no signs of foul play, and the DA’s office is not actively investigating, she said.

“If there is a presence of drug paraphernalia on or in the vicinity of the deceased, we will categorize that as a suspected drug overdose,” Kimball Monahan said. The DA’s office tracks overdose deaths each year for Essex County.

John McCarthy, Gloucester’s interim police chief, said Wednesday that police and the Fire Department’s rescue squad had responded to a call from an “unknown party” around 5:30 a.m. Saturday reporting an apparent drug overdose on the fishing boat Titan.

He said police and Fire Department paramedics found the 26-year-old man on the boat, and administered nasal naloxone, a drug that temporarily reverses the effects of an opioid overdose often known by its trade name, Narcan. 

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

Watch Out For Whales South of Nantucket

July 6, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA:

NOAA Fisheries announces that a voluntary vessel speed restriction zone (Dynamic Management Area – DMA) has been established south of Nantucket, MA to protect an aggregation of 3 right whales sighted in this area on July 3, 2017. This DMA is in effect immediately through July 18, 2017. Mariners are requested to route around this area or transit through it at 10 knots or less.

VOLUNTARY DYNAMIC MANAGEMENT AREAS (DMAs)

Mariners are requested to avoid or transit at 10 knots or less inside the following areas where persistent aggregations of right whales have been sighted. Please visit www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/shipstrike for more information.

South of Nantucket, MA DMA — in effect through July 18, 2017

41 32 N

40 53 N

070 29 W

069 36 W

ACTIVE SEASONAL MANAGEMENT AREAS (SMAs)

Mandatory speed restrictions of 10 knots or less (50 CFR 224.105) are in effect in the following areas:

Great South Channel U.S. SMA — in effect through July 31, 2017

FOR RECENT RIGHT WHALE SIGHTINGS, VISIT:

www.nefsc.noaa.gov/psb/surveys/

DOWNLOAD THE WHALE ALERT APP FOR iPAD AND iPHONE:

stellwagen.noaa.gov/protect/whalealert.html

Questions? Contact Peter Kelliher at 978-282-8474 or peter.kelliher@noaa.gov.

Dogfish — it’s what’s for dinner on the Cape

July 5, 2017 — “Dogfish, you want to try the dogfish?” queried my companion as we eyed the menu at Provincetown’s Far Land on the Beach. With just $20 between us, we were wavering between sharing one $19 lobster roll, or each ordering our own $9 dogfish sandwich.

Dogfish, a small shark, was on the Memorial Day menu courtesy of the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance Pier to Plate Program, a first-of-its-kind initiative promoting local, sustainably caught but relatively unknown fish.

Hungry from biking, we opted for the dogfish sandwiches. We were not disappointed.

Dusted in cornmeal and deep-fried, the white fish patty was meaty and moist without strong flavor. It didn’t flake like cod, but it was piping hot, slightly crunchy, and served on a buttery brioche roll with lettuce, tomato, and a caper basil tartar sauce. It hit the spot.

Read the full story at the Boston Globe