Saving Seafood

Opening day results point to disappointing scallop season

November 8, 2016 — On the first day of Peconic Bay scallop season Monday, local fishermen and seafood retailers were lamenting what they called a rough start out on the water.  

While the windy weather was a factor in reaching some of the better spots, baymen said they mostly just weren’t finding the sort of volume they normally encounter on opening day.

The results so far indicate you won’t find bay scallops on too many restaurant menus this year or for very long.

“It will be a short and sweet season,” said Southold Fish Market owner Charlie Manwaring, who only had five bushels at his store by 1 p.m. Monday. “We’re going to have scallops, but it’s not going to be what it has been the last few years.”

By 3 p.m. Mr. Manwaring reported having 30 bushels, less than a quarter of what he had at the same time on opening day 2015, which was also considered a slow start.

Things weren’t much different a little farther west on Main Road at Braun’s Seafood in Cutchogue, where manager Keith Reda said there “seems to be a lot less scallops” than usual.

Read the full story at the Suffolk Times

MAINE: Island fishermen learn (more) about aquaculture in Japan

October 27, 2016 — Local fisherman Marsden Brewer and his son, Bobby Brewer, have recently returned from a one-week excursion to Aomori, Japan, where they spent time studying the Japanese methods of growing scallops through aquaculture.

Growing scallops, as opposed to fishing them, has become a topic of interest in the area over the last few years; however, Brewer said it is something the Japanese have been doing for decades.

“They’ve long since brought their fishing industry to its knees as of several years ago, so they had to come up with an alternative way to still use the ocean to feed their families,” said Brewer at his home Tuesday, October 18. “That’s why we went over there, to learn how they do it, because they’ve discovered so many ways of becoming more and more efficient. It’s really quite amazing.”

Brewer said the technique he was most impressed with was a 600-foot-long line that went 15-feet down into the water. Scallops are hung on that line to grow.

“The thing I liked most about that is the line is hung from three buoys. So, if you look at it from above, all you see on the surface are those three buoys. It doesn’t look like a whole system coming out of the water,” he said.

Read the full story at Island Advantages

WHFF Brings ‘Sustaining Sea Scallops’ To Coonamessett Farm

October 3, 2016 — The Woods Hole Film Festival will launch its 2016-2017 “Dinner & A Movie” series on Sunday, October 9, with a sea-themed dinner at Coonamessett Farm featuring the film “Sustaining Sea Scallops,” a short documentary by Woods Hole filmmakers Elise Hugus and Daniel Cojanu. The dinner will begin at 6 PM.

“Sustaining Sea Scallops” is a 35-minute film featuring the history and resurgence of the Atlantic sea scallop as told through the lens of local fisherman and researchers invested in keeping the scallop industry alive through sustainable fishing. In 1999, facing fisheries closures and bankruptcy, the scallop industry began funding a research program to minimize impacts on the marine environment. Fifteen years later, the Atlantic sea scallop is hailed as one of the most sustainable and lucrative fisheries in the world. From New Bedford to Seaford, Virginia, the film also highlights how cooperative research can serve as a new way to unite not only the fisheries, but also entire communities.

Made with support from the Coonamessett Farm Foundation, “Sustaining Sea Scallops” will screen outdoors at Coonamessett Farm with a question-&-answer session to follow with the film’s directors and Coonamessett Farm owner Ron Smolowitz, who is featured in the film.

Read the full story at The Enterprise

MAINE: DMR to set winter scallop season dates

September 8, 2016 — ELLSWORTH, Maine — Labor Day Weekend has just ended and the Blue Hill Fair just closed, but winter is almost here.

On Monday, Sept. 12, the Department of Marine Resources will hold the first of three public hearings on a proposed rule setting the dates for the 2016-2017 scallop season. The hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Ellsworth City Hall.

In 2015, dealers reported scallop landings of 452,672 pounds to DMR, worth nearly $5.8 million. Those figures cover landings from Jan. 1 through April 11 — considered part of the 2014-2015 “season” — and December of last year. Landings from January through April of this year will be included in the 2016 statistics even though those scallops were harvested in the “last” season.

As there was last winter, the fishery will be subject to daily possession limits. In zones 1 and 2, from the New Hampshire border to Cobscook Bay, the limit is 15 gallons of scallop meats. In Zone 3 — Cobscook Bay — the possession limit is 10 gallons per day.

Read the full story at the Ellsworth American

First US off-shore wind farm to start generating power

September 7, 2016 — The first off-shore wind farm in the U.S. is nearing completion off the coast of Rhode Island. In the past there’s been opposition to these ventures. But this one, which has been planned as a demonstration project, has managed to go forward.

A Rhode Island company, Deepwater Wind, is behind this nearly $300 million project. The five turbines were recently finished after more than a year of construction.

“The first off-shore wind farm in America will be ready to start spinning its blades, and that’s a momentous occasion, believe me,” said Jeffrey Grybowski, Deepwater’s CEO and a former chief of staff for Rhode Island Gov. Donald L. Carcieri.

But there is another constituency which isn’t so keen on these off-shore wind farms: commercial fishermen. In this part of the Atlantic they catch squid and cod, and there’s a scallops fishery, which alone generates a half billion dollars a year. They’re worried that their livelihood will suffer. And in fact, in Rhode Island commercial fishing was disrupted during construction and one operation had to be relocated.

Read the full story at WBFO

Maine fishermen want scallop harvest to stay the same

August 29, 2016 — ELLSWORTH, Maine — Maine’s fishing managers are proposing that fishermen be allowed to catch about the same amount of the state’s beloved scallops in the coming winter fishing season as they did this year.

Maine divides the coasts into three scallop fishing zones. The state Department of Marine Resources says next year fishermen in the zones covering southern and midcoast Maine should be allowed to possess up to 15 gallons of scallops per day.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at Central Maine

Fishing crew rescued from sinking boat off NJ coast

August 16, 2016 — POINT PLEASANT BEACH, N.J. — Early Monday, before the sun was up, the Lady Gertrude was about 35 to 40 miles southeast of Sandy Hook in a fishing ground called the Chicken Canyon when she started to take on water.

The canyon is a deep depression on the ocean floor and a ground known for scallops — what the Lady Gertrude, a 78-foot commercial fishing vessel from Point Pleasant Beach, was after when she left Manasquan Inlet on Sunday night.

By 2 a.m. though, something had gone wrong as the boat’s hull started filling with water.

Capt. Jim Lovgren was far away on the boat Shadowfax, towing his nets for fluke two miles off the beach when he heard the Gertrude’s first emergency call over the VHF radio. His heart dropped into his stomach. His 34-year old son Keith Lovgren was on the boat.

“I’m worried, but I do know my son’s been through this before and he knows what to do,” said Lovgren, whose boat Viking sunk in 2012 with both him and his two sons on board.

They all made it home safe that day. Keith, who was back at his Brick home by Monday afternoon, made it home safe this time, too.

Read the full story at the Asbury Park Press

“Good Catch!” Campaign Bolsters New England’s Sustainable Seafood Businesses

August 10, 2016 — The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council:

BOSTON — According to new independent research, seafood consumers in New England are significantly more likely than national consumers to purchase fresh fish at a seafood counter, 58 percent and 40 percent, respectively. New England consumers’ affinity for fresh seafood is renowned, and the region benefits from a concentration of certified sustainable fisheries, which work to protect fish stocks, ecosystems and local fishing communities. However, consumer awareness of the abundant sustainable seafood offerings from area sellers remains low. To address this, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), an international non-profit dedicated to safeguarding the seafood supply, will launch a campaign to educate New England consumers about identifying sustainable seafood products.

MSC will take its “Good Catch!” campaign directly to consumers this month with events at Whole Foods and Big Y grocery stores, which feature MSC at their fresh fish counters, in greater Boston, Springfield and Great Barrington, as well as at Green Fest and the Quincy Farmers Market.

“As consumers are developing greater awareness of their impact on the world, they are demanding more ways to validate that the products they buy support their values,” said Brian Perkins, MSC Regional Director – Americas. “You should have confidence that what you are buying really is what it says it is and that it originates from a sustainable source. The blue MSC label ensures that the seafood was caught wild, using methods that don’t deplete the natural supply or come at the expense of other ocean life.”

IMPACT ON LOCAL FISHING INDUSTRY: The fishing industry – at the heart of many New England communities – has seen first-hand the consequences of unsustainable fishing. Sustainable fisheries in New England, and globally, are the most important players in addressing these problems. The MSC certification program helps these fishing communities prove to the marketplace that their seafood supplies are healthy. In New England, the US Atlantic sea scallop; Maine Lobster; US North Atlantic swordfish; US Atlantic spiny dogfish; US Acadian, redfish, pollock and haddock fisheries are MSC certified.

“The fishing industry is vital to New England’s economy, and operating them sustainably ensures that our industry will continue for generations to come,” said Doug Feeney a commercial fisherman and member of the Cape Cod Fisherman’s Association. “Consumers want to know that the seafood they buy is responsibly sourced – MSC certification allows us to let local shoppers know that what they’re buying really does come from our sustainable sources.”

Consumers wishing to learn more about sustainable seafood can look for the MSC booth throughout August outside Whole Foods stores in the Boston area, Big Y stores in Springfield and Great Barrington, Green Fest, and the Quincy Farmers Market. Visit msc.org/goodcatch for information.

“By purchasing seafood that they know comes from a sustainable source, consumers help protect our oceans and ensure that seafood can be enjoyed for many generations to come,” said Perkins. “They have the power to impact the health of the ocean and the continuation of the fishing industry simply by the products they choose.”

About the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC): The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is an international non-profit organization. Our vision is for the world’s oceans to be teeming with life, and seafood supplies safeguarded for this and future generations. Our ecolabel and certification program recognizes and rewards sustainable fishing practices and is helping create a more sustainable seafood market. The MSC ecolabel on a seafood product means that it comes from a wild-catch fishery which has been independently certified to the MSC’s science-based standard for environmentally sustainable fishing, and it’s fully traceable to a sustainable source. More than 280 fisheries in over 35 countries are certified to the MSC’s Standard. These fisheries have a combined annual seafood production of almost nine million metric tons, representing close to 10% of annual global yields. More than 20,000 seafood products worldwide carry the MSC ecolabel. For more information, visit www.msc.org.

NEFMC Puts Out Call for Advisory Panel Applicants

August 2, 2016 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

Industry members who want to serve on one or more of the New England Fishery Management Council’s Advisory Panels (APs) still have time to submit applications. The deadline is Aug. 31, 2016.

“Our advisors are important to us,” said Council Executive Director Tom Nies. “They bring a wide range of experience and perspectives to the table and give us valuable insight into the practical, social, and economic implications of our actions.”

Selected AP members will be appointed to three-year terms running from January 2017 through December 2020.

IMPORTANT: Current advisors who want to continue serving on APs do not need to fill out new applications but MUST email Joan O’Leary at joleary@nefmc.org or fax a note to the Council at (978) 465- 3116 indicating their desire to remain on a particular panel.

Seats are available on the Council’s Habitat, Herring, Enforcement, Monkfish, Red Crab, Skate, Scallop, Whiting, and Groundfish APs, as well as the Groundfish Recreational Advisory Panel, commonly referred to as the RAP.

Potential qualified applicants include:

  • Commercial and recreational fishermen;
  • Seafood processors and dealers; and
  • Other industry stakeholders such as members of conservation groups, academia, or state and local

    management agencies or boards.

Application forms and additional information are available here.

To Help New England Fisheries, Cooking Up Invasive Crabs

July 26, 2016 — They have green backs, pink bellies and are only about 2 inches in diameter. The green crab is an invasive predator that’s been destroying clam and scallop populations from South Carolina to Maine — since they were introduced here two centuries ago.

Now, some New England chefs are looking for ways to put this invasive species – on the menu.

“I’m probably gonna upset some of my fisherman friends,” says Brendan Vesey, the chef at The Joinery, an upscale restaurant in Newmarket, N.H. “Because I think Tuna is delicious, and I understand why we catch it, but I currently don’t serve it.”

Why? He says – eating that one big predator at the top of the food chain throws off the whole ecosystem. Instead of seared tuna steaks Vesey serves invasive Green Crab Bisque, with seared fish, fresh peas, and house-made bacon.

Fisherman Everett Leach stops by the restaurant to drop 20 pounds of green crabs, clawing and crawling in a plastic bucket. As he stops one from escaping, another crawls out of the bucket.

“Keep an eye on ‘em, they’re runners,” he warns Vesey.

Read the full story at Rhode Island Public Radio