Saving Seafood

Conservationists Making Headway In Rebuilding Oyster Populations in New Jersey Barnegat Bay

July 30, 2015 — BARNEGAT BAY NJ — A team of animal conservationists have begun re-establishing the local colony of oyster in New Jersey by releasing more than a million seedlings of the shellfish, known as spat, off of Barnegat Bay.

Members of the American Littoral Society sent off around 1.5 million oyster spat in Ocean Gate, which were then taken to an artificial reef system located around a quarter-mile off of the township of Berkeley known as Good Luck Point.

The group was joined by several other volunteers on boats in taking the seedlings to the reef, where they released the oysters into Barnegat Bay before returning to shore.

The goal of the Littoral Society with the oyster colony is to improve the quality of the water in the bay through the shellfish’s natural ability to filter out impurities and pollutants in the ocean.

The group also believes that by bolstering the number of oysters found in Barnegat Bay, the creatures can help strengthen the shoreline against the effects of devastating weather occurrences such as Superstorm Sandy. The hard shells of oysters and the raise profile and irregular shape of their beds can considerably reduce the impact of storm surges waves on the bay’s shoreline.

The presence of the oyster colonies also boosts the local boating and recreational fishing industries as it provides habitats for other sea creatures such as crabs and fish.

Read the full story at the Tech Times

 

NEW JERSEY: Legislators call for less restrictive fluke quota

July 24, 2015 — As the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Science and Statistical Committee met this week to ponder quota cuts for the 2016 summer flounder season, three of New Jersey’s lawmakers called on the SSC not to make those cuts too steep.

Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr., D-NJ, submitted a letter to the Council on Wednesday requesting less restrictive quota limits than the 25 percent recommended in a recent Council staff memo. Such a reduction wrote Pallone, “would significantly impact the recreational and commercial fisherman whose livelihoods depend on a fair summer flounder quota.”

U.S. Senators Robert Menendez and Cory Booker ( D-NJ) both signed the letter.

Read the full story at Asbury Park Press 

 

NEW JERSEY: Massive reduction in allowable flounder catch a possibility

July 18, 2015 — There is one topic and one topic only dominating the discussions going on at bait shops, on docks and aboard boats this past week. That is the genuine possibility of a massive reduction in next year’s allowable summer flounder catch in New Jersey. The proposal for an upwards of 43 percent slashing of the catch was disclosed by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), citing overfishing and a huge decrease in the flounder stock. The decision can be challenged by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, but the final say still belong to NOAA.

This year’s quota is 18.45 million pounds, with 60 percent of that going to the commercial fleet, the rest to recreational anglers. The proposal for next year has the allowable catch down to 10.5 million pounds.

Now, if you talk to just about anyone who has fished for summer flounder this season, the last thing they will they will tell you is there is a shortage of fish. They may be undersized and have to be thrown back but finding fish is not a problem this season.

South Jersey already has what I think are overly strict flattie regulations, especially when compared with neighboring Delaware. Such a huge reduction in the number of fish you can bring back home, coupled with strict sea bass catch restrictions, quite possibly will wreck much of the state’s charter and party boat fleet. A large percentage of anglers who pay to fish in New Jersey come from Pennsylvania and if the rules make it nearly impossible to catch enough fish for dinner, the ride to Delaware ports is not much of a hardship.

Read the full story at The Mercury

 

Success of scallops gives hope to fisheries managers

July 20, 2015 — Now, as part of its scallop population survey to plan the rotating closure of dredging grounds, NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service has found an underwater realm nearly the size of South Jersey with at least 10 billion sea scallops – and it’s just 50 miles off the Jersey Shore.

Scallop fishermen are hoping for a sustainable harvest of 50 million pounds a year for a decade. That would ensure one of the region’s most important non-tourism industries remains robust.

The management of the scallop fishery is a great example of what’s possible when public and private interests collaborate and natural resources cooperate. It should give fisheries managers the encouragement to persevere in restoring more challenged species such as summer flounder.

Read the full story at the Press of Atlantic City

 

NJ/NY Boaters: Watch for Whales Close to Shore

July 17, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Stay safe, stay alert, and keep your distance

On Monday, an adult female humpback whale and her calf were seen close to the shore, off Sandy Hook, NJ, reportedly feeding on menhaden. 

 Asbury Park Press posted a story, with photographs of the whales against a backdrop of people on the nearby beach.

It is not unusual for humpback whales to come close to shore when they are following their food.

NOAA Fisheries asks boaters off New Jersey and in New York Harbor to keep a close eye out for these feeding whales, and to remember to follow safe viewing guidelines, which include staying 100 feet away from the whales for your safety and theirs. Humpback whales can reach lengths of 60 feet, and can weigh around 40 tons. 

In addition to the potential risk of a collision, the close proximity of a boat may cause a whale to stop feeding. All whales in U.S. waters are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which makes it illegal for people to harm, injure, kill, chase, or harass whales or any other marine mammal. Harassment includes any activity that results in changes to the whales’ natural behaviors, such as feeding. Penalties for Marine Mammal Protection Act violations are fines of up to $20,000 and up to one year in prison. In addition, some whales, including humpback whales, are also protected under the Endangered Species Act.

Get more information on safe boating near whales.

 

NEW JERSEY: Christe Administration Announces $2.1 Million in Federal Grants to Help Fishing-Related Businesses Impacted by Superstorm Sandy

July 16, 2015 — The Christie Administration announced that 266 fishing-related businesses will share more than $2.1 million in federal grants to help them recover some costs resulting from damages sustained as a result of Superstorm Sandy.

The grant program focused on helping smaller businesses. Owners of bait-and-tackle shops, commercial dealers, commercial fishermen, for-hire party and charter boat operators, marinas and those involved in shell-fish aquaculture businesses were eligible to apply to the DEP for grants of up to $10,000 to help offset some of the costs of the storm on their operations.

“The DEP and our Marine Fisheries staff have worked tirelessly since Sandy to help these businesses get back on their feet,” said DEP Commissioner Bob Martin. “Our economically vital commercial and recreational fishing industries are coming back after the devastation caused by Sandy. This grant program will help our smaller fishing-related businesses recover some of their losses.”

Grants were provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as part of a federal fishery disaster declaration for states impacted by Sandy.

Applicants had to document a minimum of $5,000 in losses as a result of Sandy. Grants were awarded to help with repair or replacement of equipment that was not covered by other programs. Activities already paid for out-of-pocket as part of a business’ or individual’s recovery effort also were eligible.

Read the full story at the Cape May County Herald

 

 

NEW JERSEY: Shellfish mother lode found off Cape May

LOWER TOWNSHIP, N.J. (Press of Atlantic City) — July 10, 2015 — It may be fortunate that nobody has asked Dvora Hart to count the Atlantic sea scallops recently captured by camera images off the New Jersey coast.

Hart, a mathematical biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, knows numbers. She could count that high. The problem: It would take awhile.

“Ten billion is my best guess. It’s probably conservative and it’s very preliminary,” said Hart.

It’s being called one of the biggest scallop sets ever recorded, eclipsing one in 2003 fishermen harvested for years. The estimate of 10 billion is only for the most concentrated area, scallop grounds called the Elephant Trunk just southeast of Cape May covering more than 1,500 square nautical miles. The set actually extends as far north as Long Island and Block Island and as far south as the Delmarva Peninsula. Hart is still working on the overall numbers.

“The big concentration is southern New Jersey, a little north of Cape May, down to Delaware. You start to see them at 35 meters and the highest density is 50 to 60 meters. They drop off at 70 to 80 meters,” said Hart.

NOAA’s underwater camera recorded about 4 million images off the Mid-Atlantic coast earlier this year. Each picture is one square meter of ocean floor and Hart was seeing up to 350 scallops per image. Hart, the chief scallop assessment scientist with NOAA, puts that into perspective.

“Normally we’d see one scallop per square meter, which is actually good recruitment. We had a wide range of more than 100 per square meter and several places where they were on the order of 350 per square meter. This is an extreme event. It’s pretty amazing,” said Hart.

The find is great news for the Port of Cape May, where scallops are still the No. 1 catch but recent East Coast harvest cutbacks, about 20 percent averaged over the last two years, hurt the industry.

Read the full story at the Press of Atlantic City

 

N.J. ocean blasting research completed; Fishermen halt fight to stop it

July 9, 2015 — Seismic testing that involved blasting the ocean floor off the New Jersey shore with sound waves has been completed, and fishing groups have stopped seeking a court order to halt it.

Five fishing groups had sued to stop the research, led by Rutgers University and involving the National Science Foundation, and the University of Texas, claiming it disturbs and possibly harms marine life including dolphins, whales, turtles and many fish species.

But in a joint court filing Wednesday, both sides acknowledged the testing had been completed on Monday, and that a restraining order shutting it down is no longer needed. The lawsuit itself remains active.

Gregory Mountain of Rutgers, the lead researcher, told The Associated Press on Thursday that the survey teams managed to cover 95 percent of the target area off Long Beach Island.

The project used sound waves to study sediment on the ocean floor dating back 60 million years to see how sea level rise has changed the coastline. They also say the research can help coastal communities understand sea level change over millions of years to better protect against storms like Superstorm Sandy. The findings could be used to help make decisions on where to elevate houses, build protective barriers, relocate critical infrastructure or retreat from certain spots.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at NorthJersey.com

 

Gender-bending fish under Rutgers microscope

July 7, 2015 — We’ll say this for the sea bass: It’s sure good at keeping its options open.

If it surveys the mating landscape and fails to see enough prospects, it simply switches gender.

Problem solved.

This ability bodes well for New Jersey’s commercial and recreational fishing industry, for it offers natural protection from over-fishing, says one Rutgers researcher.

A fish may begin life as a female, only to switch to male if that looks like it will improve its chances of reproduction. Smaller males, called “sneaker males,” may impersonate females so they can fertilize eggs on the sly without attracting hostile attention from other males.

“The relative benefit of being male or female changes throughout their lives,” said Olaf Jensen of Rutgers’ department of marine and coastal science.

But until lately, no one has really known how often sea bass switch genders, or when that switch typically takes place.

And why should anyone but a marine biologist care?

Because without understanding what’s happening, state fishing bureaucrats have no firm idea on how to set catch limits for the fishing industry.

Read the full story at NJ.com