Saving Seafood

New Bedford to host meeting on New York Bight offshore wind

August 4, 2021 — The Port of New Bedford is hosting an in-person meeting for fishermen and industry advocates in the city Aug. 6, with Bureau of Ocean Energy Management officials to discuss the impact of offshore wind development in the New York Bight.

BOEM representatives will attend the 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. session virtually, in a follow-up to a July 20 conference call with port officials and the Fisheries Survival Fund that discussed potential dangers for the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast scallop fishery.

Friday’s meeting at the Fairfield Inn and Suites at 185 MacArthur Drive, New Bedford, Mass., “will highlight fishing industry concerns over offshore wind development, particularly in relation to the valuable scallop fishery, which has helped make New Bedford the nation’s most valuable fishing port for 20 consecutive years,” according to an announcement from the port agency Tuesday.

“We want to focus on every fishery we have in the port,” said Blair Bailey, the port’s general counsel. It’s important to get fishermen together in person, so port officials are getting a meeting room with seats for about 50.

“This is the fishing industry, these people deal in person,” said Bailey. “At this time of year, it’s not easy for these captains to get the time” away from working at sea, he said.

A digital flyer is circulating around the fleet, encouraging attendance at the meeting.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Zoom Registration for August 6 Meeting on New York Bight Offshore Wind

August 4, 2021 — This Friday, August 6, from 3 to 5 PM, the Port of New Bedford is hosting a joint in-person/virtual meeting with fishermen, industry advocates, and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to discuss proposed offshore wind leases in the New York Bight.

Those who are able to attend the meeting in-person are encouraged to do so. Those who are unable to attend in-person are encouraged to join virtually via Zoom. The Zoom registration link is below. Please stay tuned for a detailed agenda in the coming days.

https://cbuilding.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIscOyhqTMtG93NnQLguiGkEE5m_Tlrb4vC

Representatives from BOEM, including director Amanda Lefton, are slated to attend the meeting virtually. The Port of New Bedford will be hosting an in-person gathering at the Fairfield Inn and Suites.

More information on the event is included below.

WHO:
Representatives from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
Stakeholders in New England’s Commercial Fishing and Scallop Industry

WHEN:
August 6, 2021 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM

WHERE:
Fairfield Inn and Suites
185 MacArthur Drive, New Bedford, MA
Waypoint Meeting Facility

MASSACHUSETTS: New Bedford Whaling Park Gets Visit From Former Speaker Boehner

August 4, 2021 — Summertime in New Bedford draws in visitors from all over, but one very special visitor from Ohio stopped by the Whaling National Historical Park.

Former Speaker of the House John Boehner stopped by the Visitor’s Center on William Street, and took a moment to snap a photo with the ranger who provided him with a tour that was then posted to the park’s official Facebook page.

Boehner, a Republican, was the 53rd Speaker of the House, holding the position from January 2011 until October 2015. He was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio’s 8th district in 1991, after serving six years in the Ohio state legislature.

Read the full story at WBSM

New ‘slow zone’ to protect rare whales off Massachusetts

August 4, 2021 — The federal government has announced a new voluntary speed restriction zone to try to protect rare whales off the Massachusetts coast.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the new “slow zone” is located southeast of Nantucket and began on Aug. 1. It’s in effect through Aug. 16.

The zone is designed to protect North Atlantic right whales, which number only about 360.

The agency is asking mariners to route around the area entirely or transit through it at 10 knots (11.5 miles per hour) or less.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Gloucester Daily Times

MASSACHUSETTS: Expanded commercial season for black sea bass proposed

August 3, 2021 — The state Division of Marine Fisheries is looking to add more open fishing days to the 2021 commercial black sea bass schedule, as well as increase trip catch limits.

The in-season adjustments, for which DMF is seeking public comment, are designed to provide fishermen with more access to the coveted stock and guard against fishing days lost to inclement fall weather.

Under current 2021 regulations, the commercial black sea bass schedule calls for three open fishing days per week — Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.

Under the new proposals, open fishing would be allowed five days per week, Sunday through Thursday, effective Aug. 30.

Then, effective Oct. 1, the state would eliminate all closed fishing days and allow commercial harvesting of black sea bass seven days per week until the end of the season.

“This will provide the commercial fishery with additional access to the quota during the fall period to account for potential days lost to weather, as this small boat fishery is frequently limited by worsening fall weather,” DMF stated in the solicitation for public comment.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

MASSACHUSETTS: Light shows to honor fishermen’s wives

August 3, 2021 — Twenty years ago on the morning of Aug. 5, Angela Sanfilippo, president of the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association, was attending to the final details of the public dedication celebration of the 12-foot Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Memorial on Stacy Boulevard along Gloucester’s historic harbor.

Her joy would soon turn to utter despair.

“We had a wonderful event planned but it was very painful because we lost a boat that day,” she recalled. Early that morning, the Gloucester fishing vessel Starbound was struck by a freighter; one crewman survived and three died at sea.

But the women of the fishermen’s wives association carried on with the event which attracted an estimated 5,000 people.

“It wasn’t easy that day but we carried on and we wanted to acknowledge the pain of the widows. As women in the fishing industry, we carry on to help with the needs of fishermen, their families and the community. That comes with the title of being a fisherman’s wife,” said Sanfilippo.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Nonprofit launches “Is your lobster whale-safe?” campaign

August 3, 2021 — Nonprofit organization Mainers Guarding Right Whales has launched a campaign featuring advertisements and a billboard that asks “Is your lobster whale-safe?”

The billboard is located along roadways in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and is targeted at travelers heading into the nearby state of Maine (billboards along roadways are banned in Maine). The billboard, according to the organization, is intended to inform travelers that “lobster dinners at seaside harbors come at a steep price to North Atlantic right whales.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Port of New Bedford to Host Joint In-Person/Virtual Meeting with BOEM on Proposed New York Bight Offshore Wind Leases

August 3, 2021 — The following was released by the Port of New Bedford:

On Friday, August 6, from 3 to 5 PM, the Port of New Bedford will host an in-person meeting with fishermen and industry advocates on the impacts of proposed offshore wind leases in the New York Bight. Representatives from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will attend the meeting virtually. The meeting will highlight fishing industry concerns over offshore wind development, particularly in relation to the valuable scallop fishery, which has helped make New Bedford the nation’s most valuable fishing port for 20 consecutive years.

Fishing industry owners and boat owners are encouraged to post the attached flyer to ensure their staff know about the meeting and can make their voices heard. Reporters are also encouraged to attend the meeting, which will help shape the future of offshore wind in the New York Bight.

While representatives from BOEM will be attending virtually, the in-person gathering hosted by the Port of New Bedford will take place at the Fairfield Inn and Suites. Discussion topics to be covered include:

  • Enhanced fishermen engagement requirements in the Final Sale Notice
  • Number, size, orientation, and location of the proposed lease areas
  • No build transit routes through the lease areas
  • Potential prescribed layouts in the leases
  • Science, Monitoring and Mitigation

More information on the event is included below.

WHO:
Representatives from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
Stakeholders in New England’s Commercial Fishing and Scallop Industry

WHEN:
August 6, 2021 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM

WHERE:
Fairfield Inn and Suites
185 MacArthur Drive, New Bedford, MA
Waypoint Meeting Facility

New Slow Zone Southeast of Nantucket to Protect Right Whales

August 3, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries announces a new voluntary right whale Slow Zone.  On August 1, 2021, our aerial survey team sighted the presence of right whales southeast of Nantucket, MA.  The Slow Zone is in effect immediately through August 16, 2021.  Mariners are requested to route around this area or transit through it at 10 knots or less.

VOLUNTARY Right whale “SLOW Zone”  

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

Slow Zone Coordinates:

Southeast of Nantucket Island, MA

41 01 N
40 21 N
069 00 W
069 52 W

Give Right Whales Room

North Atlantic right whales are on the move along the Atlantic coast of the U.S. NOAA is cautioning boaters and fishermen to give these endangered whales plenty of room. We are also asking all fishermen to be vigilant when maneuvering to avoid accidental collisions with whales and remove unused gear from the ocean to help avoid entanglements. Commercial fishermen should use vertical lines with required markings, weak links, and breaking strengths.

Right Whales in Trouble

North Atlantic right whales are protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Scientists estimate there are only about 400 remaining, making them one of the rarest marine mammals in the world.

North Atlantic right whales are NOAA Fisheries’ newest Species in the Spotlight. This initiative is a concerted, agency-wide effort to spotlight and save marine species that are among the most at risk of extinction in the near future. 

In August 2017, NOAA Fisheries declared the increase in right whale mortalities an “Unusual Mortality Event,” which helps the agency direct additional scientific and financial resources to investigating, understanding, and reducing the mortalities in partnership with the Marine Mammal Stranding Network, Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and outside experts from the scientific research community.

More Information

Recent right whale sightings

Find out more about our right whale conservation efforts and the researchers behind those efforts.

Download the Whale Alert app for iPad and iPhone

Acoustic detections in Cape Cod Bay and the Boston TSS, as well as other regions along the eastern seaboard.

Details and graphics of all vessel strike management zones currently in effect.

Reminder: Approaching a right whale closer than 500 yards is a violation of federal and state law.

Spread the Word!

All boaters, or interested parties, can sign up for email notifications  and selecting “Right Whale Slow Zones” under the Regional New England/Mid-Atlantic subscription topics. You can also follow us on Facebook (@NOAAFisheriesNEMA) and Twitter (@NOAAFish_GARFO) for announcements.

Watch our video on Right Whale Slow Zones.

Recent Feature Stories about Right Whales

Listening for Right Whales in the Gulf of Maine

Make Way for Right Whales

10 Things You Should Know About Right Whales

Questions?

Media: Contact Allison Ferreira, Regional Office, 978-281-9103

Study Reveals Right Whales Use Area Intended for Wind Energy

August 2, 2021 — Areas off the coast of Massachusetts slated for wind energy projects have also shown to be new areas of import for the endangered Right Wales.

Survey data collected over the last decade shows increased number of whales travelling through the Massachusetts and Rhode Island wind energy areas.

Whales were identified by distinctive markings found in aerial photos.

The study showed about a third of the population making significant use of the area.

Reproductive female use of the area is also of high importance as one of the reasons for the declining numbers that the species has faced is a reduction in calving rates.

Read the full story at CapeCod.com