Saving Seafood

Striped Bass are Struggling; UMass Amherst Biologists Know How to Help

December 2, 2025 — While there are only four official seasons in the year, anglers in the Northeast recognize a fifth: striper season, the months from May to November when striped bass, which can grow up to 100 pounds and are renowned for their fight once hooked, migrate along the coastal waters between the Chesapeake and Canadian Maritimes within range of thousands of fishing lures. But the fishery, which generated approximately $13 billion in economic activity along the Eastern seaboard in 2016, is crashing, despite the fact that the vast majority of bass caught by recreational anglers are released back into the ocean.

A pair of recent papers, led by biologists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and published in Fisheries Research and Marine and Coastal Fisheries, sought to comprehensively pinpoint which catch-and-release fishing practices pose a considerable risk to striped bass, and to show that there’s a mismatch between what anglers know about catch-and-release best practices and how this knowledge translates into action once on the water.

Read the full article at UMass Amherst

Fish are shrinking around the world. Here’s why scientists are worried.

May 6, 2024 — There’s something fishy going on in the water. Across Earth’s oceans, fish are shrinking — and no one can agree why.

It’s happening with salmon near the Arctic Circle and skate in the Atlantic. Nearly three-fourths of marine fish populations sampled worldwide have seen their average body size dwindle between 1960 and 2020, according to a recent analysis.

Overfishing and human-caused climate change are decreasing the size of adult fish, threatening the food supply of more than 3 billion people who rely on seafood as a significant source of protein.

As fish get smaller, there is less meat to cook per catch. So scientists are working to piece together why exactly fish respond to rising ocean temperatures by getting smaller.

“This is a pretty fundamental question,” said Lisa Komoroske, a conservation biologist at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. “But we still don’t understand why.”

Read the full story at the Washington Post

Why are fish getting smaller as waters warm? It’s not their gills, finds study

February 22, 2024 — A collaborative team of scientists led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently found that there is no physiological evidence supporting a leading theory—which involves the surface area of fish gills—as to why many fish species are “shrinking” as waters grow warmer due to climate change. Known as the Gill Oxygen Limitation (GOL) theory, it has been proposed as the universal mechanism explaining fish size and has been used in some predictions of future global fisheries yields.

However, the researchers, representing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Geological Survey, the University of California Davis as well as UMass Amherst, conducted a series of long-term experiments on brook trout and found that though increased temperatures do lead to significantly decreased , gill surface area did not explain the change. The results of the study were recently published in the Journal of Experimental Biology.

“We know that global  is happening and our oceans and rivers are getting warmer,” says Joshua Lonthair, lecturer in biology at UMass Amherst and the paper’s lead author. “And we know that many animals—not just fish—are growing to smaller adult body sizes under . We even have a name for this, the Temperature Size Rule. But despite decades of research, we still don’t understand why size decreases as temperature increases.”

In both marine and freshwater , rising water temperatures have a critical effect on metabolism, reproduction and other life functions, but a critical factor that most of the models underlying  rely on is fish size. Commercial fisheries are often regulated by tonnage, and when fish shrink, it takes more of them to fill out a ton. Lower weight is also linked to reduced reproduction. Altogether, this means that managers need to adjust their models for our changing world.

Read the full article at PHYS.ORG

New research shows climate change impacts on whale habitat use in the warming Gulf of Maine

June 10, 2022 — New research finds climate change is having an impact on how large whale species, including the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, use habitats in the warming Gulf of Maine, showing that right whales’ use of Cape Cod Bay has shifted significantly over the last 20 years.

The study, led by the New England Aquarium and including researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the USGS Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center, the Center for Coastal Studies, UCLA, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and the Canadian Whale Institute was published this month in the journal Global Change Biology. The authors set out to better understand the impacts of ocean climate change on phenology, or the timing of recurring biological events such as when plants flower each year. Using more than 20 years of data, the scientists measured shifts in whale habitat use in Cape Cod Bay, evaluating trends in peak use for North Atlantic right whales, humpback whales, and fin whales. The study found that peak use of Cape Cod Bay had shifted almost three weeks later for right whales and humpback whales. Changes in the timing of whale habitat use were related to when spring starts, which has been changing as a result of climate change. The study suggested that highly migratory marine mammals can and do adapt the timing of their habitat use in response to climate-driven changes in their environment, with results showing increased habitat use by right whales in Cape Cod Bay from February to May, with greatest increases in April and May.

“The time of year when we are most likely to see right and humpback whales in Cape Cod Bay has changed considerably, and right whales are using the habitat much more heavily than they did 20 years ago,” said lead author Dr. Dan Pendleton, Research Scientist in the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life.

Read the full story at ScienceDaily

Study affirms bright future for blue economy

October 25, 2021 — Contrary to popular belief, the fishing industry is not dead.

And UMass Amherst’s Gloucester Marine Station has the numbers to prove it.

According to a study conducted by the marine station and presented at the Cape Ann Museum to city and state leaders on Friday, blue economy jobs grew faster than the regional economy as a whole from 2004 to 2020 as the number of people working the blue economy grew by 19.5% on the North Shore.

Over this period, all industries in the region had a growth of 12.2%.

“The strength of our North Shore Blue Economy is a combination of mature and emerging specialized industry clusters and opportunities in both traditional maritime industries and technology-based industries not always perceived as being connected to the ocean,” Katie Kahl, an assistant professor of sustainable fisheries and coastal resilience at UMass Amherst, wrote in the executive summary of the study.

The blue economy, as The World Bank defines it, is the “sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs and ocean ecosystem health.”

This includes coastal tourism and recreation, living resources, marine transportation, marine construction, ship and boat building and repair, and offshore minerals.

The focus area of the study included Gloucester, Rockport, Manchester, Essex, Beverly, Ipswich, Salem, Marblehead, Swampscott, Nahant, Lynn, Peabody, Danvers, Wenham, Hamilton, Rowley, Newbury, West Newbury, Newburyport, Salisbury and Amesbury.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

 

New fishing tech may pose risks to fisheries

May 25, 2021 — New developments in recreational fishing technology — from the use of aerial drones and social media scouting reports to advances in hook design — are creating challenges for fisheries management and effective policy making, according to a new study.

With the opening of the spring fishing season, millions of recreational fishing aficionados across North America are dusting off their tackleboxes, fitting together their rods, and heading to the bait and tackle shop to purchase the latest in fish-catching gear. But what impact does all that new technology have on the fish themselves?

“There are still so many unknowns,” says Andy Danylchuk, professor of fish conservation in the UMass Amherst department of environmental conservation, and co-author of a new paper that investigates the relationship between fishing technology and fish ecosystems. “There’s more attention paid to products we use with our pets than to what we use to try to catch fish in our streams, lakes and oceans.”

Fishing technology has come a long way since the days of hook and worm. Today one can buy battery-powered, artificial lures that wriggle like minnows and are slathered in fish-attracting scent. Underwater cameras and fish finders help anglers not only seek out their targets but also observe as fish either approach or reject the bait. Aerial drones scan for fish and even deliver lures to them. Social media helps pinpoint, in real time, what fish are biting where. Even the seemingly simple hook has been completely redesigned to better reel in the big one. And it’s not as if recreational fishing in streams, lakes, and in the ocean is a niche-activity — it is the second most popular leisure activity in North America, falling just behind gardening.

Read the full story from the University of Massachusetts Amherst at Science Daily

The U.S. set ambitious offshore wind power targets – what will it take to meet them?

April 2, 2021 — The United States’ offshore wind industry is tiny, with just seven wind turbines operating off Rhode Island and Virginia. The few attempts to build large-scale wind farms like Europe’s have run into long delays, but that may be about to change.

The Biden administration announced on March 29, 2021, that it would accelerate the federal review process for offshore wind projects and provide more funding. It also set a goal: Develop 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind capacity this decade – enough to power 10 million homes with clean energy. To put that in perspective, the U.S. has just 42 megawatts today.

Several wind farm developers already hold leases in prime locations off the Eastern Seaboard, suggesting plenty of interest. So, will the government’s new goals and promise of additional funding be enough to finally launch a thriving offshore wind industry?

As engineering professors leading the Energy Transition Initiative and Wind Energy Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, we have been closely watching the industry’s challenges and progress. The process could move quickly once permitting and approvals are on track, but there are still obstacles.

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

2020 Ambrose Jearld Lecture to Focus on Practices that Reduce Participation in STEM Fields

July 10, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Nigel Golden will present the 2020 Ambrose Jearld Jr. Lecture on Diversity and Inclusion. Golden is a doctoral candidate in environmental conservation and graduate fellow in the Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

The event is sponsored by the Woods Hole Diversity Initiative and the Woods Hole Diversity Advisory Committee. Golden’s lecture, “Reducing Harm: A Politic to Address Institutional and Cultural Practices that Reduce Participation and Retention in STEM,” will take place online on July 23 at 2:00 p.m.(EDT) via Zoom. Registration is required.

A native of Milwaukee, Golden received his bachelor of science in wildlife ecology and biology from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. At the university, he cultivated his passion for conducting research in environmental conservation, and the importance of doing this work in conjunction with social justice issues.

Read the full release here

MASSACHUSETTS: Grants power seafood initiative at UMass-Amherst

June 25, 2020 — There might be something fishy about October at the University of Massachusetts Amherst this fall.

Thanks to a state grant reeled in by Our Wicked Fish Inc., students at the UMass flagship campus can expect plenty of local seafood and fishing-related events during “a month-long campaign for New England-caught seafood” coinciding with National Seafood Month.

“Components of the campaign will include social media content, on-campus contests, online giveaways, meet-n-greets with fishers, and could also include events such as a film screening, fish cutting demonstrations, cooking demonstrations, and brief before-and-after online survey,” the Baker administration said in a press release announcing the award of three grants through the Division of Marine Fisheries’ Seafood Marketing Grant Program.

The partnership between Our Wicked Fish and UMass Dining was awarded $31,240 in funding, the largest of the three grants.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

New study compiles Gulf of Maine seasonal wildlife timing shifts

April 24, 2019 — Many researchers and amateur naturalists keep track of dates for the first robin of spring, the first peepers or ice-out on ponds, and such records can offer decades of data on the timing of plant and animal life cycle events known as phenology.

While such observations are common in terrestrial systems, a new report by first author Michelle Staudinger and others at the University of Massachusetts Amherst shows there is a limited understanding of similar events in the oceans. They urge more researchers to increase observations and use more phenological datasets to understand how marine species are responding to climate change through phenological shifts in the Gulf of Maine and other coastal regions.

Staudinger says, “We only found 20 studies documenting shifts in phenology in the Gulf of Maine. This topic appears to have received less attention in the region compared to other responses to climate change. We provide a summary of the existing evidence and offer examples of the implications, remaining research questions and available long-term datasets appropriate for assessing shifts in the region. These data come from a range of federal, state, academic and citizen science monitoring programs.”

Read the full story from the University of Massachusetts Amherst at Phys.org