State and Local

BOSTON — June 23, 2014 — The state Division of Marine Fisheries partially lifted the widespread local red tide closure of shellfish harvesting areas on Thursday, and a state fisheries official said today that a complete reopening of all areas for all shellfish species is “about a week away.” The state Division of Marine Fisheries partially lifted the widespread local red tide closure of shellfish harvesting areas on Thursday, and a state fisheries official

DMF, which instituted the closure on June 4 in shellfish harvesting areas stretching from Newbury to Gloucester, reopened harvesting areas in Ipswich, Essex and Gloucester for razor clams, soft-shell clams and sea scallop adductor muscles.

The agency also reopened harvesting areas along Plum Island Sound for those same species.

Mike Hickey, chief biologist for DMF’s shellfish program, said the toxicity levels for other shellfish species continues to drop as well.

“If they continue to decline and we can demonstrate there are no ongoing (red tide) blooms, we’re about a week away, if not less, from a total reopening,” Hickey said.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

ST. GEORGE, Maine — June 23, 2014 — A November bond referendum would dedicate $7 million in public money to Maine seafood and lobster processing.

The Canadian Maritimes have long dominated the lobster processing industry, but Maine officials are hoping an upcoming bond referendum will allow the state to claw back the revenue, taxes and jobs it has been sending north of the border for years.

Maine’s lobster processing industry, virtually nonexistent a quarter century ago, has grown steadily in recent years, and state officials are taking notice. In 2013, Maine lobstermen caught 126 million pounds of lobster and Canada received nearly 60 million pounds from the state for processing. Industry officials say they need more money and manpower to ensure the state can compete.

“There’s a multiplying effect because if the product is produced in Maine, then it’s generating work and dollars and taxes,” said Luke Holden, owner of Cape Seafood in Saco.

The November bond referendum would dedicate $7 million in public money to Maine seafood and lobster processing. Sen. Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, said he threw his support behind the referendum after meeting with lobster industry workers, who told him the biggest barrier to adding value to Maine’s lobster industry is the state’s lack of processors.

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

June 20, 2014 — The following was released by the Maine Department of Marine Resources:

Pursuant to the passage of LD 1830, An Act To Further the Implementation of the Rockweed Fishery Management Plan, Maine Department of Marine Resources is seeking self-nominations from individuals interested in participating in the Working Group created by the legislation.
 
The legislation (Public Law 2013 c. 558) specifies that the Commissioner of Marine Resources shall create a Working Group whose purpose is to complete the work initiated by the Rockweed Plan Development Team (PDT). Specifically, the Working Group will aid the Department in developing criteria for areas closed year-round or seasonally to the harvest of rockweed, and identifying such areas for closure through Department rule-making. The Working Group will also recommend a process by which such designations can be maintained and adjusted as necessary.
 
The Working Group must consist of scientists and other individuals with areas of expertise relevant to the fishery, or to the issues discussed by the PDT in the course of their work, relevant to no-harvest determinations. These include but are not limited to the potential impact of rockweed harvest on sensitive wildlife areas (e.g., shorebird habitat, seal haul out, previously mapped critical areas) and conserved lands. It is anticipated that the Working Group will meet monthly between August and December.  The Department is required to report on the progress of the Working Group to the Joint Standing Committee on Marine Resources in January 2015. 
 
Meetings of the Working Group will be public and there will be ongoing opportunity for public input throughout the process.
 
Individuals unfamiliar with the work that has been done to date can review the Rockweed Fisheries Management Plan (FMP) at: http://www.maine.gov/dmr/rm/rockweed/DMRRockweedFMPJan2014.pdf. 
 
Anyone who is interested in being considered for appointment by the Commissioner to the Working Group should submit their name and qualifications, in the form of a resume or CV, to Deirdre Gilbert at Deirdre.Gilbert@maine.gov, by July 11th.  

 

June 20, 2014 — Through the implementation of a six-pronged plan it has been intended to revive the US Northeast's struggling groundfish fishery and to expand the New Bedford port's overall functionality.

The programme, called "Groundfish Port Recovery and Revitalization Plan for the Port of New Bedford and Fairhaven," was designed by the New Bedford Harbor Development Commission (HDC) to improve fisheries by applying similar video survey technology as that which helped revive the region's now-successful scallop fishery.

HDC considers the plan presents a counterpoint to NOAA's recently released Fisheries Economics of the US 2012 report and that coupled with help from local leaders and academics, signifies a collaborative and proactive effort to reinvigorate the northeast groundfish fishery and solidify the port's sustainable future.

"In the nineteenth century, New Bedford became the center of American whaling and today it remains one of the most important ports in the world," said New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell.

And he added: "New Bedford is the nation's number one fishing port, and we intend to keep it that way for the next hundred years. We're the best, and we're going to stay the best. To do that, we need the best science in stock surveys and assessments–that is critical for both scallops and groundfish."

Meanwhile, State Senator Mark Montigny, who considered “poorly-implemented federal regulations” have failed to protect their ecosystems, congratulated Dan Georgianna and his colleagues at the School for Marine Science and Technology at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth on compiling this report.

The Plan calls for the expanded use of video survey technology in groundfish assessments to more accurately measure the abundance of key groundfish stocks, like yellowtail flounder, whose population is presently estimated by conventional techniques to be low.

Read the full story at FIS

STONE HARBOR, N.J. — June 19, 2014 — In an announcement June 16, New Jersey Audubon was awarded $1,280,000 from the U.S. Department of Interior’s National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Hurricane Sandy Coastal Resiliency Grant Program…

In an announcement June 16, New Jersey Audubon was awarded $1,280,000 from the U.S. Department of Interior’s National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Hurricane Sandy Coastal Resiliency Grant Program to work in partnership with Niles and Associates, the Wetlands Institute, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, Stockton College and the Borough of Stone Harbor to restore and enhance beaches at Stone Harbor Point that will increase available quality habitat for migratory and beach nesting birds and coastal resiliency for the Borough and its residents…

Read the full story from The Cape May County Herald

June 19, 2014 — North Carolina Sea Grant and the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries are accepting applications for a fellowship opportunity for students nearing completion of an advanced degree program in natural resources or marine sciences.

The one-year N.C. Marine Fisheries Management Fellowship, co-sponsored by Sea Grant and NCDMF, is open to graduate students nearing completion of, or who have recently completed, their advanced degree program at southeastern universities and colleges from Maryland to Texas.

The selected fellow will be placed with NCDMF and N.C. State University’s Center for Marine Sciences and Technology, beginning this fall semester. Both facilities are in Morehead City.

Read the full story from North Carolina Sportsman

June 19, 2014 — As a prelude to the city’s annual St. Peter’s Fiesta paying homage to the patron saint of fishermen, Local Colors Artists’ Cooperative hosts a show each year to celebrate both the fishing community and beauty of Cape Ann.

Now in its 25th year, the art gallery is once again hosting this special exhibit, titled “Fish Tales,” as its annual tribute by the artists, with a free public reception at Local Colors in Gloucester on Saturday, June 21, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. with refreshments.

Each of the 18 artists is called upon to interpret the theme according to their artistic calling. For special events like this, the artists are encouraged to create works outside their usual media to allow for growth and expansion of their creative talents.

“This event is so meaningful to me on many levels” said Kathy Bucholska, a mixed media artist and jewelry designer at Local Colors. “Not only is it a celebration of the fishing industry and way of life, but the fish symbol brings special meaning to me. In my work, I use the fish to represent abundance and spiritual nourishment.”

Read the full story from The Gloucester Daily Times

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SCOM] — June 19, 2014 — After a short delay the Alabama shrimp commercial season commenced yesterday at 6 am after officials determined the stocks had grown to harvestable sizes.

Officials from the Alabama Marine Resources Division said commercial shrimping could now take place in waters not permantely closed.  The areas open for fishing include: All waters in the Mississippi Sound; all waters in Mobile Bay and Bon Secour Bay south of N30 28.000’ latitude; all waters east of the charted position of GIWW Marker #103, including all waters of Wolf Bay, Perdido Bay, Arnica Bay, Bay La Launch, and Bayou St. John; and all waters in Little Lagoon.

“The opening of shrimp season is always a joyous time in Coastal Alabama,” said Chris Blankenship, director of Alabama Marine Resources and program administrator for the Alabama Seafood Marketing Commission. “The opening of shrimp season is about a week or two later than usual due the cold winter and spring rains.  The abundances we saw during our sampling look good, so it should be a nice opening. I am looking forward to getting some fresh shrimp this weekend.”

Shrimp are the most abundant type of seafood landed in Alabama and along the Gulf Coast. In fact, over 25

million pounds of Gulf shrimp are landed in Alabama every year.

There are a few different types of shrimp caught here along Alabama’s Gulf Coast. Brown shrimp makes up the vast majority of Alabama shrimp available during the late spring and summer months, while white shrimp serves as the more abundant species in late summer and fall. Pink shrimp and royal red shrimp can also be caught in Alabama’s coastal waterways.

The opening of the 2014 shrimp season is in response to routine shrimp sampling that indicated the average size were larger than 68 head-on shrimp per pound within designated waters.

However, fisherman should be aware that state biologists will continue to sample in the open areas. Should sampling indicate a change in the average size of 68 head-on shrimp per pound, additional announcements will be made to complement the original opening.

All commercial fishermen are also reminded to provide boat registration (or documentation papers), boat owner’s driver’s license, and social security number or tax identification number when purchasing a commercial shrimping license.

This story originally appeared on Seafood.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

June 19, 2014 — Ask Amanda Compton why she is documenting the experiences of Southeast Alaska fisheries workers, and you’d best carve out some time for her answer.

Compton, a local journalist and cofounder of Juneau’s popular Mudrooms event, is passionate about the fishing industry, the art of storytelling, and her fellow Alaskans. All three come together in her current project, a radio program funded by a Rasmuson Foundation Individual Artist Grant.

“I guess I just have this inherent fascination with uncovering a tangle, whether it’s figuring out an industry or how something works — and then telling other people about it,” Compton said. “I want to figure out how these fisheries and parts of these fisheries work, and to tell the story through the lens of someone in particular — through this family that lives at a hatchery, through this guy that runs a boat that has people jumping off to dive for sea cucumbers, through this woman who runs a tender, through this skipper that plays the ukulele. That’s going to make it more approachable and that’s going to make it more interesting to people and make my job more fun — and harder too. To me, harder is more fun.”

Compton received her grant from the Rasmuson Foundation in mid-May and has a year to work on the project. The radio program she intends to create will be broken into eight to 10 five-minute segments focused on different components of Alaska’s fisheries. Together these elements will make up an audio portrait of the industry, filtered through the voices of the individuals who work in it, and through Compton’s narration as an observer.

Compton said the fishing industry is the perfect place to gather Alaskans’ stories.

“Just the nature of the fishery draws some of the most interesting, odd, quirky, charismatic people,” she said, “They’re the ones that make you excited to be alive. And they shake up your barometer on human individuality.”

A month in, Compton is already hip-deep in stories, forging friendships and accumulating knowledge as she goes.

Read the full story at the Juneau Empire

PALM BEACH, Fl. — June 19, 2014 — You don't mess with Palm Beachers during an election year. That's the lesson from this week's sudden postponement of the Port of Palm Beach dredging project.

For the past seven years, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been methodically going through the various permitting procedures to begin work on an $88.6 million project to deepen and widen the Palm Beach Inlet leading to the port.

The project has been authorized for construction by the Water Resource Reform and Development Act of 2014, and in April, the corps gave the project its final approval.

To get to this point, the federal agency engaged in a five-year feasibility study, spending $5 million to detail the environmental effects of widening the channel by as much as 150 more feet and dredging the bottom to make the channel 6 feet deeper than its current 33-foot depth.

That meant making sure that the dredging plan was in compliance with the following environmental protection measures:

Read the full story from Hispanic Business