CONCORD, N.H. (AP) โ June 8, 2015 โ Gov. Maggie Hassan has signed into law a bill that would allow the Fish and Game Department the closing of clam, oyster and other bivalve areas for restoration efforts in the Great Bay.
Read the full story from the Associated Press at SeacoastOnline.com
June 6, 2015 โ GLOUCESTER, Mass. โ The specter of increased observer coverage on the decks of their boats is not sitting well with Massachusetts lobstermen, whose resistance to the NOAA Fisheries plan was in full flower at a public meeting Thursday night in Gloucester.
Resistance? It was more like rebellion.
โWe donโt want to end up like the groundfish guys,โ Arthur โSookyโ Sawyer, the longtime Gloucester lobsterman who serves as president of the Massachusetts Lobstermenโs Association, told NOAA representatives at federal agencyโs regional headquarters in the Blackburn Industrial Park. โI donโt need anybody to measure my lobsters. I can measure my own lobsters.โ
That was one of the milder comments, as the audience of about 50 lobstermen from the North Shore and other Massachusetts coastal communities peppered NOAA representatives with questions and concerns about the regulatorโs plan to expand its Northeast Fisheries Observer Program (NEFOP) in the New England lobstering industry and as far down the East Coast as Maryland.
The lobstermen were particularly livid over two issues: what they perceived as National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrationโs inability to grasp the extent of the safety issues that will be created by putting observers and their gear onto already-cramped lobster boats and the lack of definitive answers on whether boat owners will carry any of the financial liability if an observer is injured while at sea.
โIโll get rid of my permit before Iโll let these guys on my boat,โ yelled one lobsterman from the back of the crowd.
The NOAA team, which included representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard and the private MRAG Americas company that supplies observers to monitor the lobster industry, planned to give a visual and oral presentation and then open the floor up to questions.
Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times
June 5, 2015 โ NEW JERSEY (AP) โ The Christie administration is trying to again block a Rutgers University-led research group from blasting sound waves on the ocean floor, saying it will harm marine life and disrupt the stateโs $1 billion commercial and recreational fishing industry.
In a complaint filed in U.S. District Court on Friday, the state Department of Environmental Protection says the study that began this week off the coast of Long Beach Island violates federal laws protecting marine animals such as humpback whales making their spring migration up the East Coast.
The study, which received federal permits last year, intends to collect data about sediment on the ocean floor to determine historic trends of sea level rise along the Jersey Shore dating back 60 million years. In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, Rutgers researchers have said the study could be used to help make decisions on where to elevate houses, build protective barriers or relocate critical infrastructure.
Read the full story at The Record
June 5, 2015 โ REEDVILLEโ Gov. Terry McAuliffe traveled to the Omega Protein menhaden rendering plant Thursday to sign a proclamation officially raising this yearโs catch limit by 10 percent.
The ceremony comes on the heels of last monthโs decision by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to allow an increase in menhaden harvests along the Atlantic Coast after scientists reworked models and found a healthier stock than first determined.
Omega Protein, which employs about 300 workers from the Northern Neck, says it is bringing back the Reedville, making a total of eight ships in its fleet that fishes the Chesapeake Bay and the southern part of the Atlantic Coast.
Monty Deihl, vice president of Omegaโs operations, said he has hired 16 fishermen and another eight people to work at the plant.
โThatโs why Iโm here today,โ said McAuliffe. โAn additional $7โ8 million in annual revenues will now flow through this plant, which has been in operation for more than 100 years.โ
Read the full story from the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star
June 5, 2015 โ LOWER TOWNSHIP โ A railroad spur, an unknown treasure trove of sea scallops, and diesel motors replacing sail all played a huge part in catapulting the Port of Cape May into the second largest fishing port on the East Coast.
You can have that education with some fresh seafood.
It all happens this Saturday and Sunday at the first Cape May Port Commercial Fishing Festival here at the Lobster House docks on Schellengerโs Landing.
The festival will have plenty of fresh seafood, but organizers also want to give the public an education on the history of the port and the process of getting fish from the briny deep to the dinner plate.
June 3, 2015 โ The following was released by Sustainable Seafood Week National:
NEW YORK CITYโJune 2, 2015โGet ready, fish fans: The third annual Sustainable Seafood Week NYC returns Monday, June 22 and runs to Sunday, June 28. The weeklong celebration will unite acclaimed chefs, restaurateurs, environmentalists, fishermen, culinary business leaders and everyday diners for a lively celebration of responsible seafood sourcing.
True North Salmon presents a diverse lineup of delicious events from Brooklyn to the Bronx that build public and industry awareness of the stories behind Americaโs seafood. The week is produced by sustainable seafood company Village Fishmonger NYC, the nonprofit Future of Fish and its affiliate Flip Labs.
โA fishโs journey from the water to your plate is generally complicated and hard to trace in our current seafood systemโ said Sean Dixon, a co-founder of Village Fishmonger. โSeafood is emerging as a crucial part of the American conversation about sustainable food, and this year we have even more partners and richer programming to further the dialog about transparency in the industry.โ
โSustainable Seafood Week NYC makes the discussion of complex issues fun, celebratory and communal,โ said Future of Fish and Flip Labs Founder Cheryl Dahle.
New for 2015, Sustainable Seafood Week will expand nationally to Seattle in August, and San Francisco and Washington D.C. in September.
Signature Events
The annual Sustainable Seafood Week NYC Gala kicks off on Tuesday, June 23. Presented by Blue Water Grill, the gala will feature top chefs Rick Moonen, Dave Pasternack and Sam Talbot, with BR Guest Hospitality Culinary Director Sam Hazen and Blue Water Grill Executive Chef Luis Jaramillo cooking the catch. New York Times best selling author Paul Greenberg will share stories about our regionโs seafood history. The intimate tasting experience will bring diners together to celebrate and connect with their food and the people who sustainably farm, catch and cook it. Proceeds will benefit local nonprofit NY/NJ Baykeeper.
On June 23, Future of Fish leads SSWNYCโs Industry Lab, an invitation-only convening at Riverpark restaurant that brings together professionals across the seafood supply chain including fishermen, chefs, wholesalers, distributors, retailers, marketers, resource managers and policy makers to discuss major topics in the sustainable seafood industry.
Seven Days of Sustainable Seafood Celebrations
For the duration of SSWNYC, select restaurants across the city will feature a special dish for the week created around a sustainable finfish or shellfish as a part of Sustainable Seafood Weekโs Dine-Out program with OpenTable. Participating restaurants include Crave Fishbar, Louro, Oceana, Print and ICI.
For the full event lineup that includes cooking classes, tastings, fish market tours, and supper clubs, and for future programming announcements, visit Sustainable Seafood Week NYC online at www.sswnational.com/nyc. Connect on Facebook at @SustainableSeafoodWeekNYC and on Twitter at @iloveseafoodnyc with the hashtag #SSWNYC.
Sustainable Seafood Week 2015 is supported by generous sponsors and partners including Whole Foods Market, Taylor Shellfish Farms, TriplePundit, OpenTable, FishChoice.com, True North Salmon, Blue Water Grill, GrowNYC, Edible, and Heritage Radio Network. Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch is Sustainable Seafood Weekโs national education partner. Other NYC event partnerships include Riverpark, Lukeโs Lobster, Pierless Fish, Grand Banks, Northern Divine Caviar, Natural Gourmet Institute, Sea to Table, Widowโs Hole Oyster Farm, InaHalfShell.com, and Mayanoki.
ABOUT SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD WEEK
Sustainable Seafood Week is a culinary-fueled celebration of responsibly sourced fish. Featuring exciting, educational programming and creative event collaborations, Sustainable Seafood Week will showcase the efforts of local fishermen, chefs, organizations and communities to promote traceable, renewable and trustworthy seafood. For more information visit www.sswnational.com.
SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD WEEK IS PRODUCED BY:
Village Fishmonger
Village Fishmonger is a sustainable seafood company in NYC looking to reinvent how people select, prepare, and eat fish. Village Fishmonger works to spark interest in fish provenance and to help people become more aware of the benefits of purchasing sustainable, local fish for themselves and for the planet. For more information, visit www.villagefishmongernyc.com or follow on Twitter at @VlgFishmongrNYC.
Future of Fish
Led by entrepreneur and journalist Cheryl Dahle, Future of Fish is a nonprofit systems change incubator that works with entrepreneurs, industry players and investors to create business solutions to ocean challenges. Visit Future of Fish online at www.futureoffish.org and on Twitter at @FutureofFish.
Flip Labs
Flip Labs is a Future of Fish affiliate that launched in 2014. This B Corporation-certified consultancy believes in the power of entrepreneurship, story and collective impact as forces for positive change. Find more information online at www.fliplabs.com and on Twitter at @ChangeUnstuck.
WASHINGTON โ May 29, 2015 โ Maineโs groundfishing industry will be paying close attention next week when the U.S. House of Representatives considers key changes to the law governing fisheries management in federal waters.
Supporters of a Republican-backed bill to re-authorize the Magnuson-Stevens Act say it would give regulators more flexibility in rebuilding fish stocks. But one groundfishing group says the measure would set back efforts to rebuild the severely depleted cod population in the Gulf of Maine.
Cod have been disappearing in the waters off New England for decades. In 2009, fishermen off Maineโs coast caught more than 500 metric tons of the fish. By last year, that total had dropped to less than 130 metric tons. Ben Martens runs the Maine Coast Fishermenโs Association.
FRANKLIN, Maine โ May 30, 2015 โ The 2015 elver fishing season has come to a disappointing end, local fishermen say.
โHorrible,โ fisherman Abden Simmons described it. โI donโt think Iโve caught half of what my quota was.โ
โNormally we have an eight-week season, but this year we had a four-week season,โ Darrell Young, head of the Maine Elver Fishermen Association, said.
The season actually began March 22, but Young didnโt catch his first elvers until May 3.
Before then the water was just too cold, he said.
โIt was a really cold winter,โ Jeff Nichols, spokesman for the Department of Marine Resources, said. โCold weather does have a tendency to reduce the fishery and slow things down and make it so the elvers arenโt moving up into the rivers and streams.โ
Elvers are juvenile eels that are born in the Sargasso Sea region of the Atlantic Ocean and then migrate to North American freshwater lakes and rivers. Elvers generally are caught at night in tidal rivers and streams by fishermen using funnel-shaped fyke nets or small, hand-dip nets mounted at the end of poles.
A lack of spring rain also hurt elver fishing. When water levels are low, eels swim up the middle of the streams and rivers instead of along the edges, where fishermen can catch them, Young said.
Read the full story from The Bangor Daily News
May 29, 2015 โ Young students throughout Massachusetts look on with wonder at the large wooden Sacred Cod during field trips to the State House. Down in Berkley, at the Dighton Rock Museum, a similar cod sculpture was unveiled in 2011, in what the former DCR commissioner called a symbol of friendship. The cod is very important to the local Portuguese community and culture, which was part of the reason for the formation of the Academy of Codfish of New England, in addition to promoting the health benefits of eating the white, protein-laden fish.
That beloved fish remains as important as ever and for that reason a group of Massachusetts researchers have been cutting open the abdominal cavities of cod, implanting acoustic transmitters and then tracking their movements using a system of receivers attached to anchors in the Gulf of Maine. Doug Zemeckis, a fisheries research technician for UMass Dartmouthโs School for Marine Science and Technology, said with declining cod populations in New England fisheries, he is glad that the research is actually being put to use as part of recommendations to state and federal regulators.
โMost of our work studying the remnant cod spawning areas is to understand their behavior, connectivity and movements during the year,โ said Zemeckis, who started his work in 2009 as a masterโs student, now finishing his doctorate.
Read the full story at The MetroWest Daily News
Not far from the waterfront palaces bordering this picturesque Eastern Shore town, a barge-mounted crane is busily building new homes โ in the water. Tons of broken clam shells and granite are going into the Tred Avon River to give a new start to millions of oysters.
Marylandโs ambitious campaign to restore the Chesapeake Bayโs once-legendary bivalves opened a new front this spring, continuing the largest shellfish restoration effort of its kind on the East Coast, if not anywhere.
But watermen, still bothered over losing harvestable waters to the restoration effort five years ago, have managed to get a few changes in the construction of new reefs in oyster sanctuaries in the Tred Avon and two other tributaries of the Choptank River. Officials are using less granite and suspending the use of fossilized oyster shell from Florida, both of which waterman complained about.
Those minor changes in construction of the sanctuaries โ plus the recent departure of the state Department of Natural Resources official overseeing shellfish programs โ could be signs of watermenโs growing influence in fisheries management under Gov. Larry Hogan, who has vowed to end what he has called his predecessorโs โwar on watermen.โ
โWeโre looking for some more changes, but the attitude has already changed,โ said Robert T. Brown Sr., president of the Maryland Watermenโs Association. โThey are sitting down and negotiating with us some.โ
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