Saving Seafood

Adverse impacts to commercial fishing from South Fork wind project, report says

August 20, 2021 — “Moderate to major” impacts on commercial fishing would be expected with construction of the planned South Fork offshore wind energy project south of Rhode Island, according to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s final environmental impact statement.

“These impacts would occur due to the increased presence of offshore structures (cable protection measures and foundations) that could reduce fishing access and increase the risk of fishing gear damage/loss,” the report states. “The extent of adverse impacts would vary by fishery and fishing operation due to differences in target species, gear type, and predominant location of fishing activity.”

Some for-hire recreational fishing operators could see long-term opportunities for fishing near turbines, when construction of towers and their rock scour protection creates an artificial reef effect to attract some species, the report notes.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Seafood fraudster targeted US Foods, other distributors and restaurants

August 18, 2021 — A man in the U.S. state of Rhode Island has been accused of bilking nearly USD 1 million (EUR 855,000) from major broadliners in the U.S. by fraudulently purchasing seafood from them.

Paul Diogenes, also known as Paul Dejullio, created a fictitious catering company – LePage Catering – in order to obtain credit from US Foods, Performance Food Group, and other distributors to purchase more than USD 831,700 (EUR 711,000) in product. Diogenes bought hundreds of thousands of dollars of lobster, sea bass, shrimp, scallops, filet, ribeye steak, and wild boar, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Study: Wind farm could have ‘major’ impacts on commercial fishing

August 17, 2021 — Development of the South Fork Wind Farm off the coast of Rhode Island would have an overall “major” adverse impact on commercial fishing, according to a newly released federal study.

Impacts to commercial fishing include navigational hazards from potential collisions, loss of fishing grounds and impacts from construction and operation, according to a final environmental impact statement released Monday by the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.

The study found that impacts to other categories studied such as the potential impacts to air and water quality, marine mammals and bats, were negligible to minor, with many offset by the benefits of wind energy in combating climate change.

The overall “major adverse impact” on commercial fishing reflects the finding that some “commercial fisheries and fishing operations would experience substantial disruptions indefinitely even if remedial action is taken,” the study said.

But it’s not just the turbines that will impact fishing operations, BOEM found, saying that impacts of climate change and fishing itself present greater threats to the industry.

BOEM “expects that regulated fishing effort and climate change will continue to be the most impactful impact-producing factor[s] controlling the sustainability of commercial and for-hire recreational fisheries in the area,” the study said.

Read the full story at Newsday

Warming R.I. marine waters force iconic species out, disrupt catch limits

August 9, 2021 — For generations, winter flounder was one of the most important fish in Rhode Island waters. Longtime recreational fisherman Rich Hittinger recalled taking his kids fishing in the 1980s, dropping anchor, letting their lines sink to the bottom, waiting about half an hour and then filling their fishing cooler with the oval-shaped, right-eyed flatfish.

Now, four decades later, once-abundant winter flounder is difficult to find. The harvesting or possession of the fish is prohibited in much of Narragansett Bay and in Point Judith and Potter ponds. Anglers must return the ones they accidentally catch to the sea.

Overfishing is easily blamed, and the industry certainly bears responsibility, as does consumer demand. But winter flounder’s local extinction isn’t simply the result of overfishing. Sure, it played a factor, but the reasons are complicated, from habitat loss, pollution and energy production — i.e., the former Brayton Point Power Station in Somerset, Mass., pre-cooling towers, when the since-shuttered facility took in about a billion gallons of water daily from Mount Hope Bay and discharged it at more than 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

Read the full story at The Westerly Sun

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

Rhode Island’s Warming Marine Waters Force Iconic Species Out, Disrupt Catch Limits and Change Ecosystem Services

August 2, 2021 — For generations, winter flounder was one of the most important fish in Rhode Island waters. Longtime recreational fisherman Rich Hittinger recalled taking his kids fishing in the 1980s, dropping anchor, letting their lines sink to the bottom, waiting about half an hour and then filling their fishing cooler with the oval-shaped, right-eyed flatfish.

Now, four decades later, once-abundant winter flounder is difficult to find. The harvesting or possession of the fish is prohibited in much of Narragansett Bay and in Point Judith and Potter ponds. Anglers must return the ones they accidentally catch to the sea.

Overfishing is easily blamed, and the industry certainly bears responsibility, as does consumer demand. But winter flounder’s local extinction isn’t simply the result of overfishing. Sure, it played a factor, but the reasons are complicated, from habitat loss, pollution and energy production — i.e., the former Brayton Point Power Station in Somerset, Mass., pre-cooling towers, when the since-shuttered facility took in about a billion gallons of water daily from Mount Hope Bay and discharged it at more than 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

The climate crisis, however, is likely playing the biggest role, at least at the moment, by shifting currents, creating less oxygenated waters and warming southern New England’s coastal waters. These impacts, which started decades ago, have and are transforming life in the Ocean State’s marine waters. The changes also impact ecosystem functioning and services. There’s no end in sight, as the type of fish and their abundance will continue to turn over as waters warm.

Rhode Island’s warming water temperatures are causing a biomass metamorphosis that is transforming the state’s commercial and recreational fishing industries, for both better and worse. The average water temperature in Narragansett Bay has increased by about 4 degrees Fahrenheit since the 1960s, according to data kept by the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography.

Locally, iconic species are disappearing (winter flounder, cod and lobsters), southerly species are appearing more frequently (spot and ocean sunfish) and more unwanted guests are arriving (jellyfish that have an appetite for fish larvae and, in the summer, lionfish, a venomous and fast-reproducing fish with a voracious appetite).

Read the full story at EcoRI

Right Whale Use of Southern New England Wind Energy Areas Increasing

July 30, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Right whales are increasing their use of southern New England waters, including regions slated for offshore wind energy development, according to aerial survey data collected during the last decade. Offshore wind energy installations are proposed in waters off the south coasts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Understanding and minimizing the potential impacts from construction noise, increased vessel traffic, and habitat alteration will be crucial to protecting and conserving this endangered species. This research supports the Administration’s goal of deploying offshore wind while protecting biodiversity and promoting ocean co-use.

The study was published July 29 in Endangered Species Research. Marine mammal researchers from NOAA Fisheries and colleagues at the New England Aquarium and the Center for Coastal Studies examined aerial survey data collected between 2011–2015 and 2017–2019. The data was collected in offshore waters including the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Wind Energy Area. The data from these two time periods were used to quantify right whale distribution, residency, demographics, and movements in the region.

“We found that right whale use of the region increased during the last decade, and since 2017 whales have been sighted there nearly every month, with large aggregations occurring during the winter and spring,” said Tim Cole, lead of the whale aerial survey team at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center and a co-author of the study.

Read the full release here

Tracking trends and ocean temperatures could give R.I. fisherman an edge

July 27, 2021 — Tony Eliasen and Brian Amaral, the co-founders of Newport, Rhode Island-based Ocean State Sensing, are focused on sensing and mapping temperatures in the water to be able to observe and track events. (Amaral is not related to the Boston Globe reporter.)

In real time, they are able to measure and plot water temperature from the sea bed to the surface, a tracking system that they say reveals connections within the biosphere that are otherwise unknown.

Q: What does Ocean State Sensing do?

Eliasen: We are a temperature sensing services company focused on the maritime environment. We provide high-resolution, continuous, in-situ sensing services. Our goal is to improve the understanding of the dynamic shifts in our climate and oceans to affect positive change and stewardship of the marine industries and the planet.

Q: Are you conducting sensing and mapping temperatures just off Rhode Island’s coastline, or elsewhere?

Amaral: At the moment we are [focused on Rhode Island], but we have plans to conduct data collection events in multiple places. We are actively seeking collaborators, partners and funding to help us grow our services and applications. One event we are excited about is partnering with a local fisherman to tow our gear behind the boat and measure the entire water column temperature at once as the boat drives up and down Narragansett Bay.

Q: What is the difference between satellite and point-based measurements?

Amaral: Satellites provide temperature data of the surface of the ocean which for many places in the world is accurate only for the first few feet of water. It does not provide data beyond the surface. To get this data, a temperature probe is lowered into the water, and the probe records the temperature of the water touching it. This is a point-based measurement, because it is measuring the temperature at a single point in water depth, at the latitude and longitude it was lowered into the water.

We are able to measure the entire water column at once, and when we tow the equipment, we can measure swaths of data, all of which is measured continuously and in real time.

Read the full story at The Boston Globe

Janet Coit named to lead NOAA Fisheries; Rick Spinrad confirmed as NOAA administrator

June 22, 2021 — Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management head Janet Coit was named to lead the National Marine Fisheries Service, also known as NOAA Fisheries, on Monday, 21 June, a move met with wide approval from a variety of stakeholder groups.

Coit will oversee a governmental agency that employs 4,800 people in five regional offices, six science centers, and more than 20 laboratories in 15 states and U.S. territories. It is responsible for the management and conservation of recreational and commercial fisheries, including some aspects of marine aquaculture.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Meet the new NMFS director: Janet Coit

June 22, 2021 — Janet Coit has been appointed the assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries. She will also serve as acting assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere, and deputy NOAA administrator, according to a press release from NOAA.

Coit succeeds Paul Doremus, who has been acting NMFS administrator since January. The appointment is effective immediately.

“I have worked closely with Janet Coit for many years in Rhode Island, and I am thrilled to see her expertise and skillful leadership recognized by this administration,” said Chris Brown, a Rhode Island commercial fisherman and president of the Seafood Harvesters of America. “Janet will be a thoughtful and steady NMFS AA, carefully listening to stakeholders while keeping sound science, not politics, at the heart of the agency. She won the respect of commercial fishing industry in Rhode Island, and I expect her to do the same as NMFS AA.”

Coit directed the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management for more than 10 years, where she focused on improving natural resource conservation, promoting locally grown and harvested food, including seafood. She worked to improve new infrastructure for commercial and recreational fisheries and promote sustainable management of fisheries, including a new shellfish initiative.

Read the full story at National Fisherman