Saving Seafood

State and Local

For California salmon, summer of truck rides, bucket lifts

May 16, 2015 — What do you do when you have 30 million young salmon ready for their big journeys downstream, but drought and development have dried your riverbeds to sauna rocks? In California this year, you give the fish a ride.

State and federal wildlife agencies in California are deploying what they say is the biggest fish-lift in the state’s history through this month, rolling out convoys of tanker trucks to transport a generation of hatchery salmon downstream to the San Francisco Bay. California is locked in its driest four-year stretch on record, making the river routes that the salmon normally take to the Pacific Ocean too warm and too shallow for them to survive.

“It’s huge. This is a massive effort statewide on multiple systems,” said Stafford Lehr, chief of fisheries for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which since February has been rolling out four to eight 35,000-gallon tanker trucks filled with baby salmon on their freeway-drive to freedom.

“We’re going to unprecedented drought,” Lehr said. “We’re forced to extreme measures.”

Drought and heavy use of water by farms and cities have devastated key native fish in California. Last year, for example, 95 percent of the state’s winter-run of Chinook salmon died. The fish is vital for California’s fishing industries and for the food chain of wildlife.

For the first time, all five big government hatcheries in California’s Central Valley for fall-run Chinook California salmon — a species of concern under the federal Endangered Species Act — are going to truck their young, release-ready salmon down to the Bay, rather than release them into rivers to make the trip themselves.

And California’s wild native fish should pack a sandwich and something to read; they’ll be spending a lot of the summer on the road too.

“Bone dry. Bone dry,” said fish biologist Don Portz of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, who is six years into an effort to restore the southernmost salmon stream in the U.S., the Central Valley’s San Joaquin River.

Read the full story from the Associated Press here

 

Politics, preservation, and salmon fishing

May 17, 2015 — Hundreds of thousands of salmon used to ascend the rivers of New England. But by 1992, no adult salmon returned to the Kennebec River. Seventeen came back to the Androscoggin, and only eight to the Saco. Their banks were empty of salmon anglers.

On the Penobscot, the second largest river system in New England, Claude Westfall’s fish was the first of 2,386 salmon that would return to the river that year, more than 70 percent of the total returns along the entire East Coast, but only 2 percent of the river’s historic population.

After two and a half hours on the highway, Claude took the Route 1 exit and followed the signs to Kennebunkport. He drove on through the village of antique shops, art galleries, restaurants, and souvenir stands just opening up for the summer tourist season. White-fenced inns and yacht clubs overlooked sailboats in the harbor. Kennebunkport looked nothing like the worn college town of Orono, where Claude and Rosemae lived, on the banks of the Penobscot River.

Claude crossed the sparkling Kennebunk River and turned right on Ocean Avenue. Soon they came to a roadblock. Claude stopped.

“Where are you going?” asked a security guard.

“I have an appointment,” said Claude.

The guard scanned his clipboard.

“Oh, yes, Mr. Westfall. Go right ahead.”

Claude drove on, and from an overlook their destination came into view: a large gray-shingled home, buildings, tennis courts, and lawn, all neatly arranged on a point jutting into the sea. Claude turned right at the entrance and stopped before a tall iron gate flanked by stone pillars crusted orange with sunburst lichen.

More guards examined the bottom of the car, looked under the hood, glanced at the fish in the cooler in the back seat, and inspected the other gifts. There was a blue cap from the Veazie Salmon Club — one of the three clubs on the Penobscot that served as social networks for sport fishermen, provided access to the best fishing pools, and advocated for the restoration of Atlantic salmon and the Penobscot River. A carved wooden box held hand-tied salmon flies, including one Claude had tied for the first lady: wings of peacock sword feathers and fur from a squirrel’s tail, dyed a fluorescent green, wrapped on a lapel pin with silver, black, and green floss — the CZ Special. Claude’s namesake creation was one of many fly patterns he had developed in nearly 40 years of fishing for Atlantic salmon.

Read the full story at the Boston Globe

 

New Jersey rallies opposition to offshore drilling

May 16, 2015 — State residents joined hands with the New Jersey Sierra Club, Surfrider Foundation, Bradley Beach Mayor Gary Engelstad, and U.S. Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) in opposition to offshore drilling. The annual event, held across the country and around the world is even more serious this year because of the 2017-2022 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program proposed by the Obama Administration.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy and Management (BOEM) proposal could open up areas from Georgia to Virginia to offshore drilling, putting the New Jersey coast at risk. The gathering promoted the need to move away from dirty fossil fuels and call to move us into a clean energy future.

“Offshore drilling isn’t safe anywhere, and a spill in the Atlantic, as we’ve seen in the Gulf, would cause detrimental and lasting environmental and economic damage.  Instead of putting our coastal communities at risk with a dependence on dirty fuels, we should be seeking to protect our natural resources while boosting the economy through investments in clean energy,” said Pallone.

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf caused unprecedented environmental and economic damage. The 200 million gallon explosion killed 11 people, injured 17 others, and harmed thousands of fish and wildlife species. The spill was the largest recorded in U.S. history and affected 16,000 total miles of coastline.

Years later, oil is still washing up on the gulf’s shores and dozens of species have been affected including fish, oysters, and crab. Crabs and oysters have seen significant decreases in population growth. Noticeable declines in population and defects have also been recognized in fish like tuna and red snapper.

Read the full story at NJToday.net

 

North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries Clarifies Regulations

May 14, 2015 — The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries wants to clarify that it is not lifting the ban on gigging red drum or changing the gill net regulations in Spooners Creek.

The division is in the process of rescinding proclamations that are now written in permanent rule, meaning the proclamation is no longer needed, but the regulation remains in effect.

Several of these proclamations have been rescinded in the past couple of weeks and more will likely follow. This includes:

  • FF-40-2001 (Rescinded), regarding red drum commercial and recreational fishing operations, now found in Marine Fisheries Commission Rule 15A NCAC 03M .0501;
  • M-13-2002 (Rescinded), regarding gill nets and seines in Spooners Creek, now found in Marine Fisheries Commission Rule 15A NCAC03J .0402;
  • M-43-2014 (Rescinded), regarding the Atlantic Ocean Striped Bass Commercial Gear Permit, now found in Marine Fisheries Commission Rule 15A NCAC03O .0501; and
  • FF-71-2014 (Rescinded), regarding harvest restrictions of American eel, now found in Marine Fisheries Commission Rule 15A NCAC 03M .0510.

Read the full story at The Fishing Wire

 

MASSACHUSETTS: Counting change to help fishing families

May 13, 2015 — A national financial institution that has long had a presence on Cape Ann is launching a giving campaign aimed at “bringing change” to the community.

TD Bank will launch its Bring Change program Friday at its Gloucester outlet at 2 Harbor Loop. The program emphasizes that one person’s loose change can have a big impact when a community comes together for a cause.

The change donation program will run Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Gloucester bank branch. The bank will match a portion of the change counted at its Penny Arcade and give it to Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association, according to Kate Toy, TD Bank’s vice president of communications and corporate affairs.

The association fights to keep the Atlantic Ocean as a food supply for the world and assists active and retired fishermen and their families to live better lives.

Read the full story from the Gloucester Daily Times

Saltonstall-Kennedy grants: Fishermen’s Wives would fund seafood kitchen, tastings, education

May 13, 2015 — The Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association expects to hear in June whether NOAA will fund any of its three Saltonstall-Kennedy grant proposals that deal with elements of seafood culinary education, fishery sustainability and the expanded use of underutilized seafood species.

Jennifer Goebel, a NOAA spokeswoman, confirmed Wednesday the agency has informed applicants the grant application process has advanced to the final review stage and decisions on funding could come within the next month.

“We’re really trying to remain hopeful because we can do so much if we get these grants,” said Donna Marshall, director of Cape Ann Fresh Catch, which helped write the grant applications under the auspices of the GFWA. “It would really give us a great jump start and these are all projects we really believe in.”

The three GFWA grant applications seek a total of about $305,000 for several separate projects:

• About $120,000 to lease waterfront space for a kitchen dedicated to instructing institutional food service providers — such as schools and hospitals — how to cook fresh seafood. The facility also would serve as a site for monthly celebrity-chef demonstrations, drawing on local and regional culinary talents. “We envision this as a real community-based asset, where other nonprofits could utilize the space as well,” Marshall said.

• Approximately $70,000 to expand an existing program throughout Massachusetts and other parts of New England to show high school-aged students the benefits of fishery sustainability and healthier seafood choices, particularly those incorporating underutilized species. “This would help them see what sustainability really means and what they should be ordering or looking for when they’re purchasing seafood,” Marshall said.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

 

 

MASSACHUSETTS: Alma del Mar fourth graders dive deep into fishing industry

May 13, 2015 — The following was released by the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center:

Fourth Graders at Alma del Mar Charter School in New Bedford’s North End are gaining first-hand knowledge of the commercial fishing industry with help from the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center.  Since March, Executive Director Laura Orleans has been a “scholar in residence,” teaching  Alma scholars about the skills folklorists like her use to learn about and document local culture.  Scholars are using these skills to study the local fishing industry.  Over the course of 12 weeks, fishermen, lumpers, and gear designers are sharing their knowledge through classroom visits and scholars are doing fieldwork at a variety of shoreside businesses. The program, which is part of a unit on simple machines and the fishing industry, is being funded through a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s STARS Residency Program. The STARS program (Students and Teachers Working with Artists, Scientists, and Scholars) supports creative learning residencies of three days or more in the arts, sciences, and humanities.

To date, Rodney Avila (fisherman and safety instructor), Jim Dwyer (lumper), and Tor Bendiksen (net designer) have visited the school. For each classroom visit, scholars are assigned jobs as illustrators, photographers, interviewers, and note takers. Fieldtrips to Fairhaven Shipyard, Scandia Propeller, and Reidar’s Manufacturing have allowed scholars to experience the industry at work.  Over the next two weeks, scallop captain Chris Wright and scallop bag maker Mathieu Lemieux will visit the classroom. On May 21st, scholars will take their final fieldtrip to Bergie’s Seafood to learn about fish processing and to Eastern Fisheries where they will tour a working scallop vessel.  The program will culminate on June 9 when scholars present what they have learned as part of their Expedition Night.

Alma del Mar is a public charter school serving New Bedford. Our mission is to put every one of our scholars on the path to college and to challenge them to be service-minded leaders. We are achieving this mission by providing a highly demanding, highly supportive education to every student who walks through our doors. We currently serve 240 students in grades K-5. In the coming years, we will expand to offer grades K-8. Alma del Mar features a longer school day, a longer school year and outstanding teachers from across the country. We offer free transportation from anywhere in New Bedford as well as a free afterschool program for low-income families. Alma del Mar offers programs for students with special needs as well as students learning English.

New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center, Inc. (FHC) is a 501c3 non profit organization dedicated to preserving and presenting the history and culture of the New Bedford fishing industry through exhibits and programs. The FHC is a community driven organization with a board of directors made up of individuals who work in, or closely with, the fishing industry. Our mission is to educate the public about the history and culture of New Bedford’s commercial fishing industry by engaging them in authentic experiences, to document that culture and history for future generations, and to honor and support the men and women who make their living from the sea.

MAINE: New Striped Bass Size Limit Take Effect Today

May 13, 2015 — The following was released by the Maine Department of Marine Resources:

A new size limit on striped bass takes effect today, restricting Maine fishermen to one fish per day at 28 inches or greater.

The new limit is in response to an addendum to the interstate striped bass fishery management plan approved last year by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) which directed coastal states to reduce the harvest of striped bass by at least 25 percent from 2013 beginning in 2015.

The state’s previous daily bag limit also allowed recreational fishermen to keep one striped bass, but it could be from 20 to 26 inches long, or greater than 40 inches.

Maine has a year-round recreational only striped bass fishery. There are special regulations in effect from December 1 through June in the Kennebec, Sheepscot and Androscoggin Rivers and tributaries.

During March, the Maine Department of Marine Resources conducted public hearings to seek input on the 28 inch size limit, plus an option that proposed a change in the previous size limit to allow harvest of one fish between 24 and 26 inches.

After soliciting public input, the Department presented the 28 inch option as the preferred option to the DMR Advisory Council which voted unanimously in favor of it.

The ASMFC fishery management plan addendum responds to results of the 2013 Atlantic striped bass benchmark assessment which indicated that mortality in 2012 was too high, and female spawning stock biomass (SSB) has been steadily declining since 2006.

According to the ASMFC, this means even though the stock is not overfished and overfishing is not occurring, SSB is approaching its overfished threshold and stock projections show SSB will likely fall below the threshold in the coming years.

The new regulation can be found at http://www.maine.gov/dmr/lawsandregs/regs/dmrchapter42_05132015version.pdf.

For more information on the new regulation or on Maine’s striped bass fishery, contact Bruce Joule of the Maine Department of Marine Resources at 633-9505.

 

 

NORTH CAROLINA: “Sound Solutions” offers recommendations on better fishing practices

May 12, 2015 — Officials with the North Carolina Wildlife Federation (NCWF) and commercial fishermen met at the Crystal Coast Convention Center, all in an effort to raise awareness about some of the issues plaguing our coastal waterways.

Together, the group publicly presented what they’re calling “Sound Solutions”, a campaign to sustain our marine resources. With roughly two and a half million acres of sounds, wetlands, and waterways across the East, making sure all of this real estate is protected may seem like a daunting task. The long term sustainability of many of the state’s fisheries is in question. Popular fish like southern flounder and speckled trout are considered depleted and many more are headed in the same direction. But the group is offering up some solutions to the problem.

David Knight, marine resources policy advisor with the NCWF said this:
“We need to take a comprehensive approach to this challenge of protecting our sounds and estuaries now and sustaining them into the future.”

Read the full story and watch the video from WNCT