Saving Seafood

In New England, Plenty of Fish in the Sea, But Red Tape Keeps Them There

July 2, 2015 — Many of the fisheries around the Vineyard have declined as a result of commercial fishing. In 2009 a new regulatory system based on sectors and annual quotas replaced the previous system, which worked by limiting fishing trips and days at sea. But the new system tends to favor larger companies that can afford to purchase quota from other fishermen and reinvest in equipment.

The fisheries have largely rebounded, Mr. Brighton said, but the Island’s commercial fishing fleet is struggling to compete with companies in New Bedford and other large fishing ports in New England.

Along the coast, however, community groups have emerged to reclaim some of the access to their local waters. The Martha’s Vineyard Fishermen’s Preservation Trust, a small group of fishermen, businessmen and others, is now working to establish a permit bank to make permits and quota affordable and keep them in the community.

The most active fisheries on the Vineyard — conch, lobster and monkfish — are managed by limited access (only a certain number of permits are issued). But groundfish, which include cod, flounder, haddock and other bottom-dwelling species, are regulated in part by quotas, which can be bought and sold on the open market. As one project, the trust plans to raise money through loans, grants and donations to buy quotas and lease them to fisherman at an affordable rate.

Obtaining a quota, however, requires first obtaining a state or federal permit, and most permits are already in use, placing them in high demand. A conch permit, for example, might sell for $40,000. A monkfish permit might exceed $50,000. A full-time scalloping permit for a large boat could easily run in the millions.

Quotas can be owned and leased by anyone, but permits are tied to individual vessels, so the trust would be hard-pressed to lease a permit without relinquishing control. “There is nothing keeping me from going to any other place in the world at fair market value and just selling it,” said Mr. Brighton, who is also a trustee for the fishermen’s trust.

“Obviously the hope is to one day be able to have boats that could lease quota,” said Shelley Edmundson, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of New Hampshire who is studying conchs and also working as treasurer for the trust. But the trust has raised only about $20,000 so far and has no immediate plans to purchase a boat.

Read the full story at the Vineyard Gazette

 

MASSACHUSETTS: ‘Generals’ in fish fight honored

July 2, 2015 — The bully pulpit for the commercial fishing industry was a crowded place on Wednesday, when past and present Massachusetts attorneys general made their way to Gloucester to meet with one of their most fervent and beleaguered constituencies.

The event at the offices of the Northeast Seafood Coalition, largely organized by state Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante with the help of the coalition, was a show of force and appreciation for the efforts of former Attorney General Martha Coakley and current Attorney General Maura Healey in helping the Gloucester fishing community as it continues to wrestle against the clutches of the ongoing fishing disaster.

But it was more than that. For more than an hour, the gathering had the feel of a reunion and the vibe of comrades who waged — and continue to wage — battle together.

“Usually, we’re referred to as ‘General’ because of our position,” Coakley said to the two dozen fishermen, public servants and other stakeholders gathered in the coalition’s board room above the Institution for Savings building on Parker Street. “But when we come to Gloucester, we’re happy to be called ‘Captain’.”

This was a lighter, more relaxed citizen Coakley than the candidate who lost to Charlie Baker in last November’s hard-fought Massachusetts gubernatorial election. The meeting was set to begin at 10 a.m., but Coakley wandered off course on her way up from Boston and didn’t arrive until 10:26 a.m.

“I’m getting a built-in GPS in my car next week,” Coakley said, laughing easily. “For 16 years, I didn’t drive myself around.”

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

 

 

NOAA recommends $2.6 million for Massachusetts

June 25, 2015 — WASHINGTON — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Thursday that it has recommended a dozen Massachusetts-based marine research programs receive funding this year through the Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program.

The 12 projects are among 88 nationwide that have been recommended to receive funding totaling $25 million. The goal of the research is to maximize fishing opportunities and jobs, improve key fisheries observations, increase the quality and quantity of domestic seafood, and improve fishery information from U.S. territories. The Department of Commerce must still sign off on the projects before applicants will receive funding.

Among the Massachusetts research projects recommended for funding are:

– $497,060 for the Coonamessett Farm Foundation to conduct to research projects that seek to improve ecosystem-friendly scallop dredges and research offshore essential fish habitat of southern New England winter flounder;

– $912,079 for the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth to conduct four projects that will improve the cost-effectiveness and capacity for observations and maximize fishing opportunities and jobs;

– $774,640 for four New England Aquarium projects related to haddock, skates and cusks, and field test an electric decoy for reducing shark bycatch in longline fishing;

– $96,181 for a Center for Coastal Studies project to reduce bycatch in the sea scallop fishery;

– And, $363,604 for Cape Ann Seafood Exchange to support infrastructure and innovation.

Read the full story from the Worcester Telegram

 

MASSACHUSETTS: Great White Sharks Are Swarming Cape Cod and It’s the Government’s Fault

June 20, 2015 — CAPE COD, Mass. — 40 years ago, Jaws terrified beach-goers from swimming too far from the shore. Now, in real life, great white sharks are filling the waters off Cape Cod.

Forty years ago this month, Jaws, Peter Benchley’s best-selling toothy fish tale, was made into an iconic movie that helped usher in a new era of blockbuster films. Set in a fictional New England town, it told the tale of a bloodthirsty great white shark that developed a taste for humans and a penchant for gory mischief. Filmed primarily on Martha’s Vineyard, off the coast of Cape Cod, the irony was that while sharks such as the porbeagle, thresher, tiger, and mako were abundant, great whites were relatively a rare encounter.Fast-forward forty years, and that is no longer the case. Great whites are now in abundance in the waters around Cape Cod. These regular seasonal visitors have reached the point of tourist attraction, drawing throngs to the Cape’s sandy beaches in hopes of a glimpse of one of the toothy beasts. Even with an uptick in attacks—several have been reported in recent years—the community vibe is more welcoming than menacing.

“If anything I’ve noticed, among the business community of the town of Chatham, which is the epicenter of white shark activity, they’ve embraced these animals as a way to make money and draw people to the town,” says Dr. Greg Skomal, a senior biologist with the Massachusetts Marine Fisheries department, leading expert on these apex predators, and essentially the New England great white guru. “Virtually every shop on Main Street is selling some kind of shark trinket or shirt, you name it. I think it’s been a positive response, one of people trying to embrace these animals.”

Read the full story at The Daily Beast 

 

http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dfg/dmf/contact-information/skomal-dr-greg.html

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/2014/09/04/year-the-shark-all-the-local-sightings-and-attacks/5NuvvxKTPe09pVxS4M0JbO/story.html

http://www.livescience.com/27338-great-white-sharks.html

Experts: Shark attacks ‘extremely rare’ in New England

June 19, 2015 — LOWELL, Mass. — While news of a shark attack tends to heighten beachgoers’ fear of the ocean predators, swimmers in New England don’t have much to worry about, officials say.

“The chance of incidents with sharks in New England waters is extremely rare,” said Tony LaCasse, a spokesman for the New England Aquarium.

Fears of shark attacks on the East Cost rose this week following an incident in Oak Island, N.C., on Sunday. Two young people were injured in separate shark attacks, both in waist-deep water. A 12-year-old girl lost part of her arm and suffered a leg injury, and a 16-year-old boy lost his arm, according to The Associated Press.

Though an attack makes headlines, people have been injured by sharks New England waters only a handful of times in decades.

People help Kiersten Yow, 12, of Asheboro, after she was bitten by a shark in Oak Island, N.C., Sunday. She lost her left arm below her elbow. Such attacks are rare in New England. Steve Bouser/The Pilot, Southern Pines, N.C. via AP

Only three people have been injured by a shark in Massachusetts since 1936, according to the International Shark Attack File, the official capacity for collecting such data. The 1936 incident was the state’s only fatal attack, the according to the data, which has been collected since 1837.

Injuries are rare, but sightings can be more common. Last summer shark sightings occurred in coastal areas including Duxbury. From Chatham to Provincetown, there were 19 shark sightings last year, according to Leslie Reynolds, the chief ranger at the Cape Cod National Seashore. In September a shark approached two women in kayaks off the coast of Plymouth. The shark bit one of the kayaks, subsequently knocking the women into the water, state police said in a statement. Neither kayaker was injured.

Read the full story at Lowell Sun News