Saving Seafood

Atlantic States Marine Fishery Commission to debate 2017 shrimp moratorium

October 19, 2016 — The Atlantic States Marine Fishery Commission will decide in November whether the Gulf of Maine shrimp fishery, which has been closed for the previous three seasons, will remain closed for the 2017 season.

The commission is scheduled to meet Nov. 10 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, first to review the most recent stock status report for northern shrimp and technical recommendations from the shrimp advisory panel. It will then set the specifications for the upcoming season.

Tina Berger, ASMFC spokeswoman, said the 2016 status report has not been finalized, but said she would be surprised if the stock status report revealed anything resembling an extraordinary comeback for the species.

“I haven’t seen the report, but I would be surprised if there was a season,” Berger said. “If there is one, it would probably be a very small one. But again, I haven’t seen the report.”

The stock status reports dating back to 2012 reveal a species in free fall, with record low levels of abundance and biomass and poor recruitment since 2012. Those assessments showed problems with overfishing, warming water temperatures and a dwindling number of spawning females.

The dire state of the fishery and the resulting closures also have given rise to a discussion among New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts about future fishery management options for the beleaguered fishery — including limiting access to what historically has been an open fishery.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

MASSACHUSETTS: Norovirus confirmed in oysters

October 17th, 2016 — No oysters at OysterFest? It’s not just painful for those coming to indulge in the region’s favorite bivalve. Everyone, from those who grow the oysters and shellfish religiously consumed by the hundreds of thousands over the two-day event, to the shuckers who unshackle oyster from shell, to the cashiers, all lose out on valuable income.

At least they now have confirmation that it was indeed a norovirus that sickened more than 75 people who ate Wellfleet oysters last weekend.

“It’s beyond speculation,” said Mike Hickey, the chief shellfish biologist for the state Division of Marine Fisheries. On Friday the norovirus was confirmed in the laboratory by analysis of stool samples, he said.

Unfortunately, it could be a long wait until Wellfleet shellfish can again be sold to be eaten raw.

“If there’s a chance that shellfish are not safe in any way, then they did the right thing,” said longtime shellfisherman Barbara Austin of the state decision this week to shut down Wellfleet shellfish beds and the OysterFest board of directors’ ban on selling any raw shellfish at the festival this weekend.

“This maintains the idea that Wellfleet oysters are safe. We want a clean, healthy, organic food for everybody,” Austin added.

Still, it’s a bummer, she said. She’s already put in the days to cull the shellfish and pack them in bags ahead of time and move them to the Wellfleet Shellfish Company to have them chilled and certified as being in compliance with state and local health regulations. Plus, she’s purchased everything from wood to build the booth to cutlery and napkins to furnish what is essentially a small restaurant for the weekend.

Read the full story at the Cape Cod Times 

MASSACHUSETTS: Aw-shucks! No raw oysters at Wellfleet OysterFest

October 14th, 2016 — If you’re headed to the Wellfleet OysterFest this weekend, you might be surprised to learn that there will be no raw oysters served.

The state has closed all shellfish beds in the Cape Cod town because of an outbreak of suspected norovirus illness that is believed to be linked to consumption of shellfish from that area, according to the state Department of Public Health.

Shellfish harvested from the area has also been recalled, the department said in an advisory issued Wednesday.

Organizers of the OysterFest said they have decided not serve any raw oysters during the two-day event that starts on Saturday.

Read the full story at The Boston Globe 

Will scallops become extinct?

October 13th, 2016 — Nantucket resident and documentarian John Stanton examines the declining sea scallop harvest threatening Nantucket’s bay scallop fishery. Environmental factors have spread this problem throughout the East Coast and, even in decline, Nantucket remains the last commercially viable scallop fishery. Beyond the industry that is at stake, Stanton profiles the vital communities of fishermen who are being impacted. Stanton will lead a post film discussion.

The film will be shown at 7 p.m., Oct. 21, at the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center, 33 William St.

Dock-U-Mentaries is a co-production of New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center. Films about the working waterfront are screened on the third Friday of each month. All programs are open to the public and presented free of charge. This monthly program is co-sponsored by Buzzards Bay Coalition.

Read the full story and watch the video at The New Bedford Standard-Times 

MASSACHUSETTS: Fish processor seeking tax subsidy from Gloucester

October 13th, 2016 — National Fish & Seafood, a tenant at Americold’s sprawling waterfront property in East Gloucester, is looking to buy the facility.

National Fish has approached the city about supporting its application for a Tax Increment Financing subsidy. The TIF is part of its plans to purchase the two-building site at 159 East Main St. from a real estate subsidiary of Americold called ART Mortgage Borrower Propco.

The sale price included in a circulating draft of the purchase-and-sale agreement, according to Gloucester Economic Development Director Sal Di Stefano, will be in the neighborhood of $4 million. The property and structures carry an assessed value of $8.28 million.

“They’ve approached us about supporting their application for a TIF and we’re in the very early stages of that process,” Di Stefano said. “We’re always happy to work with any company that is looking to expand and invest here in Gloucester, especially on the waterfront.”

National Fish employs about 155 at the site, where it processes and markets more than 40,000 tons of frozen seafood annually under the National Fish, Matlaw’s and Schooner brands. The property, along with the Gloucester Marine Railways, are the last two East Gloucester waterfront parcels still within the city’s Designated Port Area. Fifty percent of properties in the DPA are required to be dedicated for marine industrial uses. 

National Fish President Todd Provost did not return phone calls Wednesday seeking comment. An Americold official declined comment.

The East Gloucester property stretches over more than 4 acres on the eastern shore of Smith Cove, supporting two buildings with a combined area of 171,653 square feet, according to city tax records.

The larger of the two warehouse buildings — at 109,941 square feet — is used for cold storage and was built in 1961. The smaller warehouse, 65,712 square feet, is used for processing and was completed in 1962. The site also includes 14,800 square feet of docks.

Read the full story at The Gloucester Daily Times 

Massachusetts: DMF Expands Shellfish Harvest Closures to All Waters South of Cape Cod

October 12th, 2016 — Effective immediately, the Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) has expanded its recently announced shellfish harvest closures to include all waters south of Cape Cod due to a substantial bloom of a potentially toxic kind of phytoplankton termed Pseudo-Nitzschia.

As a result of the expanded closure, digging, harvesting, collecting and/or attempting to dig, harvest or collect shellfish, and the possession of shellfish, is prohibited in all waters from the Rhode Island border east to Nantucket Sound, including all of Vineyard and Nantucket Sounds and waters surrounding the islands.

This closure complements the state of Rhode Island’s shellfish harvest closures.

Pseudo-Nitzschia can produce domoic acid, a biotoxin that concentrates in filter feeding shellfish. Shellfish containing high concentrations of domoic acid can cause Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP) with symptoms that include vomiting, cramps, diarrhea and incapacitating headaches followed by confusion, disorientation, permanent loss of short-term memory, and in severe cases, seizures and coma.

Read the full story at Capecod.com 

MASSACHUSETTS: Toxic algae outbreak halts shellfishing in Buzzards Bay, Mount Hope Bay

October 11, 2016 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — The state’s Division of Marine Fisheries has banned shellfishing in the west side of Buzzards Bay and in Mount Hope Bay because of a breakout of toxic algae late last week.

The ban affects all SouthCoast towns and cities. “As a result of the closure, digging, harvesting, collecting and/or attempting to dig, harvest or collect shellfish, and the possession of shellfish, is prohibited in Bourne, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Falmouth, Gosnold, Marion, Mattapoisett, New Bedford, Swansea and Westport,” the state said in a press release.

The trouble concerns a toxic kind of phytoplankton termed Pseudo-Nitzschia.

This algae can produce domoic acid, a biotoxin that concentrates in filter-feeding shellfish.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

A Fish’s-Eye View Of The New England Drought

October 11, 2016 — Just as they do every fall, Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife workers are stocking dozens of rivers and ponds with rainbow trout, raised in hatcheries, for anglers to catch.

But this year, because of the drought, a few places won’t get fish. And  some anglers are choosing not to go after wild fish—to give them a break.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, most of western Massachusetts is in a severe or even extreme drought.  Stream flows are “much below normal” in most of the state, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. That’s tough on fish.

Brian Keleher, a fisheries manager with the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, took me to the eastern bank of Dufresne Pond in Granby, where lily pads are splayed out over mud flats.

“I really don’t think there would be anything of any size at least over here,” Keleher said.

There are small pools, but they’re not a great place for fish trying to hide from predators, like birds.

“Fish can be trapped and exposed,” explained Keleher. “They have no where to go, no where to escape. They can’t escape to the depths.”

Read and listen to the full story at New England Public Radio

Fishermen Test Weaker Ropes So Whales Can Break Through Them

October 11th, 2016 — Last year, 61 whales were tangled up in fishing gear off the West Coast of the United States, according to data from the NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service.

2015 was the worst year since tracking began in the early 1980s.

Fishing ropes can cut off circulation to the whale’s fins and can eventually lead to its death. It’s a growing problem across the globe. Warmer waters are forcing whales into different feeding grounds and successful conservation efforts are increasing the number of whales in the ocean, according to experts that track the issue.

In June, an 80-foot blue whale was found off the coast of Dana Point, California, listing in the water. The crew of Captain Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari filmed the animal dragging 200 feet of rope and buoys from what appeared to be a crab pot.

But what if the problem could be solved with simple modifications to the gear that fishermen use?

Massachusetts lobsterman John Haviland got a grant from the state to test fishing ropes that break more easily under the weight of the animals.

Read the full story at WBUR

Researchers feud over shark studies off Cape Cod

October 5th, 2016 — A battle is brewing on the high seas off Cape Cod between two groups of researchers trying to tag and track the growing population of great white sharks.

In September, OCEARCH, a non-profit that travels the globe studying marine animals, launched a short-term project called Expedition Nantucket in federal waters, between Cape Cod and the island of Nantucket.

But biologists from the state Division of Marine Fisheries, who are in the third year of a five-year study of the oceangoing predators, say OCEARCH’s vessel has come close to state waters, where they are conducting their own research. The state experts fear that OCEARCH’s methods of attracting and capturing sharks could alter the animals’ natural behavior, jeopardizing their work.

“We’re scared to death of introducing any bias into [our own research], so we are being very cautious,” said state biologist Greg Skomal, lead researcher of the shark population study, which is being funded by the non-profit Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.

Read the full story at The Boston Globe