State and Local

July 1, 2014 — The final closures placed last month on commercial shellfish harvesting are scheduled to be lifted at sunrise tomorrow morning, state fisheries officials said today.

Jeff Kennedy, regional shellfish supervisor for the state Division of Marine Fisheries’ Annisquam River Marine Fisheries Field Station, said today that tests showed that it is now safe for soft shell and razor clams to be commercially harvested from the Annisquam River in the northern sections of Gloucester.

“This would be the last area that is reopened of importance to the commercial clammers,” Kennedy said.

Other shellfish remained banned from the daily catch, Kennedy said, but those are typically caught recreationally.

“The major species is blue mussels,” Kennedy said, adding that there is “not a large commercial fishery for those on the North Shore.”

While red tide has not completely dissipated, Kennedy said it may not be long before more positive results roll in.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

GLOUCESTER, Mass. — July 1, 2014 — The following was released by Maritime Gloucester :

GLOUCESTER SCHOONER FESTIVAL TO FOCUS ON 30TH ANNIVERSARY:

The 30th annual “Gloucester Schooner Festival” will be held from August 29 to August 31, 2014. This highly anticipated weekend is expected to draw particularly large crowds as the Festival celebrates thirty extraordinary years of schooner sailing and the City welcomes the Coast Guard Barque Eagle for the weekend.

At 295 feet in length, the Eagle is the largest tall ship flying the stars and stripes and the only active square-rigger in the U.S. government service. With more than 23,000 square feet of sail and six miles of rigging, the Eagle is a sight to see. It will be berthed at Cruiseport’s marine terminal in Gloucester Harbor and the training vessel will be open to the community for free, weekend tours while it is in port (Exact hours will be announced at a later date).

Twenty schooners have signaled their interest in participating in this year’s Festival. Schooners in the large boat category (greater than 80’) will include American Eagle, last year’s winner, as well as the Adventure, Virginia, Roseway, and Amistad. Rival schooner captains have already signaled their intent to try to pry the trophy away from John Foss, the formidable skipper of the American Eagle. An additional fifteen schooners, ranging in size from 30’ to 80’, will compete for the trophies in the small and medium size schooner categories. A number of schooners will accommodate paying passengers.

Following the arrival of the Eagle on Friday afternoon and the Mayor’s Welcome Party on Friday evening, the Festival weekend also includes Maritime Heritage Day on Saturday, a community Lobster Bake on Saturday evening and the Parade of Sail and the races on Sunday.

“We expect a fantastic Festival,” said Schooner Committee captain Daisy Nell, “and we are preparing for a blockbuster 30th anniversary. We are predicting and promising fair winds, tasty lobster, good music and much revelry – and we are expecting some very competitive sailing.”

Specific information on the 2014 Festival is posted on the Schooner Festival (www.gloucesterschoonerfestival.org ) web site and Facebook page.

June 30, 2014 —  Maine’s elver fishers want to continue to be responsible participants in the fishery but fear a regulatory agency might reduce their catch so other states can cut in on the tiny-eel-harvesting industry.

In May, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission board approved Draft Addendum IV to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for the American eel, which proposes a range of “management options” aimed at reducing mortality rates and increasing conservation of American eel stocks.

The changes were proposed in response to a 2012 benchmark stock assessment that found the American eel population in U.S. waters was depleted, according to the commission.

The biggest concern for Maine eel fishers is the regulations surrounding glass eels, or elvers. In the 2014 season, Mainers caught 9,300 pounds — or 85 percent — of the statewide quota for the young American eels.

More than 50 fishers from across the state gathered on Monday afternoon at Jeff’s Catering in Brewer to learn more about what the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is considering and offer its opinions.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission offered 10 ideas for conserving the elver fisheries.

There was heavy support among fishermen, the American Eel Sustainability Association and Maine Elver Fishermen Association for Option 1, which could allow the state to restore eel quotas to 2013 levels. However, both associations also said they’d be willing, if not more willing, to back Option 2, which would maintain regulations and quotas set in 2014 and show good faith toward ensuring cooperation with the state and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

Read the full story at the Bangor Daily News

BOSTON — July 1, 2014 — The following was released by NOAA:

Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Maeve Vallely Bartlett today announced that EEA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are soliciting proposals to improve habitat for native coldwater fish in the Sudbury, Assabet and Concord rivers watershed using $300,000 from the Nyanza Chemical Superfund site settlement.

Click here to read more

 

June 30, 2014 — The following was released by the Office of the Mayor of New Bedford, Mass.:

New Bedford, Massachusetts- On Tuesday, July 1, 2014 Mayor Jon Mitchell will speak on the topic of fisheries management at special listening session in Gloucester, Massachusetts hosted by Congressman John Tierney and Congressman Peter DeFazio, the Ranking Member on the House Committee on Natural Resources. 

The House Committee on Natural Resources has jurisdiction over the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the primary law governing marine fisheries management in federal waters. 

At the session, Mayor Mitchell will present the recently released “Groundfish Port Recovery and Revitalization Plan for the Port of New Bedford and Fairhaven,” which includes recommendations for the Northeast's struggling groundfish fishery. 

Among the Plan's recommendations are; adoption of new camera technology to improve the accuracy of stock surveys; maximizing yield within the constraints set by regulations; setting conservation goals based on the best available scientific information and derived from collaborative research between the government, fishermen, and marine scientists; minimizing bycatch; considering fisheries' respectively unique distinctions when setting management goals; minimizing costs; and considering efficiency when allocating resources, including non-economic considerations.

The listening session will be held on Tuesday, July 1, 2014 10:30-11:30AM at Gloucester City Hall, 9 Dale Avenue, Gloucester, Massachusetts.
   
New Bedford is the Number One commercial fishing port in the United States of America.

Read the original media advisory from the Office of the Mayor of New Bedford, Mass.

HONOLULU, Hawaii — June 28, 2014 — The waters off the Hawaii's largest island are home to a half-million brightly-colored tropical fish that are scooped up into nets each year and flown across the globe into aquariums from Berlin to Boston.

Scientists say the aquarium fishery off the Big Island is among the best managed in the world, but it has nevertheless become the focus of a fight over whether it's ever appropriate to remove fish from reefs for people to look at and enjoy.

Activists have launched a campaign to shut down the buying and selling of fish for aquariums, saying the practice from Hawaii to the Philippines is destroying coral reefs.

"In this day and age, where the ocean faces a crisis … there's absolutely no justification for a fishery for hobby," said Mike Long of Seattle-based Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which is spearheading the campaign.

A coalition of fishermen, state regulators and even local environmentalists say the group should focus its attention elsewhere, noting comprehensive aquarium fishery regulations and scientific research that shows fish stocks there are rebounding.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at CBS News

SEAFOODNEWS.COM by John Sackton — June 30, 2014 — Fish are pouring into Bristol Bay, with three days – Thursday through Saturday – all seeing landings of over 2 million fish.

On Friday, the total run was over 3 million fish, with more than 2.6 million fish harvested and 920,000 fish going to escapement.

As of Saturday, the total run exceeded 12 million fish.

The amount of fish coming in Friday was the most in a single day since 2008, and the earliest large day since 1970. This amount of harvest has only been achieved 14 times since 1970.

The strong run has lead both the University of Washington and the Bristol Bay Science & Research Institute which is affiliated with the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association to raise their forecasts for the total run.

The ADF&G preseason forecast of 26.5 million fish has been raised by BBSRI to 30.9 million fish, while the University of Washington Fisheries Research Institute has raised their own model slightly, after lowering it in their first in season update. The UW model predicted a run of 29.425 million, and they are now predicting a run of 29.435 million. This is mostly significant because their first in season analysis last week pegged the run at 28.3 million fish.

Most observers say that now either the run is early, or it will be greater than forecast. According to scientists at Port Moller test fishery, Saturday indicated there was still strength in the run. The BBSRI model uses a comparison between fish see at Port Moller and harvest levels when those fish reach Bristol Bay, and they create an index that interprets Port Moller data based on the current year’s harvesting. It is this index that has led them to revise their estimates upwards.

There is increased capacity in Bristol Bay this year, and the large runs will help utilize the new capacity.
No processors have posted prices to harvesters, but some harvesters are seeking $2.00 a lb., which would be a $. 50 cent increase over last year.

However, the Fraser river run is a source of huge uncertainty hanging over the market. The DFO is predicting a run of 23 million fish, but its estimates are anywhere from 7.3 million to 72.5 million. If the Fraser run were to come in significantly above forecasts, the market could be oversupplied with sockeye and may have to adjust.

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

GLOUCESTER, Mass. — June 30, 2014 — Waller has received a seARTs and Gloucester Cultural Council grant in preparation for a St. Peter’s Fiesta mural, which she calls the “Gloucester Fiesta People.” The St. Peter’s Club, unofficial hub of Gloucester’s annual Fiesta, has a fresh new window image of fishing’s, and the club’s, patron saint.

The image of St. Peter has been repainted on the club’s window by Rockport artist Susan Waller, who painted the window years ago and was called in to paint a new window because the previous one got a crack.

“I’ve been a fishermen’s advocate for years. I care a lot about these people. It’s a passion,” said Waller, who does not come from a fishing family. Her late father, Marvin Waller, was an artist, and her brother, William Waller, is an astronomer and teacher at Rockport High.

“I go to a lot of the meetings about the fishermen and I clip everything in the paper about it,” she added.

Waller has received a seARTs and Gloucester Cultural Council grant in preparation for a St. Peter’s Fiesta mural, which she calls the “Gloucester Fiesta People.”

“I did a lot of research over the years to get subject material approved by members of the St. Peter’s Club,” she said.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

June 30, 2014 — “Maine’s been making a lot of compromises,” said Mitchell Feigenbaum, co-founder of the American Eel Sustainability Association, an advocacy group for the fishery. He noted that a quota had been imposed and met this year, and said the association is willing to support the status quo because the state has been responsive to the issues facing the fishery.

Federal regulators will hear from Maine elver fishermen and state fisheries officials Monday in two public hearings that will help the government develop a plan to preserve one of Maine’s most valuable fisheries at a time of global concern over depleted eel populations.

The hearings in Hallowell and Brewer will be held by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which has the authority to set catch limits and establish other rules governing East Coast fisheries from Maine to Florida.

The panel will review its assessments of eel populations and harvests – frequently sore points among Maine’s elver fishermen. Commissioners also will provide an updated analysis of eel populations, with an eye toward fine-tuning management of the species at all stages of life, including glass (elvers), silver and yellow eels, said Kate Taylor, the commission’s senior fisheries management plan coordinator.

The commission’s plan for eel fisheries covers a wide range of potential management measures, “from maintaining the status quo to closure of the fishery and many options in between,” Taylor said.

The Maine Department of Marine Resources said preliminary figures show that fishermen harvested about 9,586 pounds of elvers in the season that ended May 31. That’s about half of recent years’ harvests. At the direction of the commission, DMR set a total harvest limit this year of 11,163 pounds, which was not reached. The agency also instituted a swipe-card system for fishermen and licensed dealers that tracked the harvest and sales and resulted in a 90 percent decline in illegal poaching, DMR said.

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

 

MILBRIDGE, Maine — June 29, 2014 — At the Milbridge town Marina Friday morning, Linden Perry bailed water from an old wooden skiff to ready it to fetch his lobster boat from its mooring in the Narraguagus River. The aging fisherman exchanged a few bits of conversation with James Robertson about outboard motors.

Robertson’s boat already was at the pier, and he was getting his vessel ready to go out into Narraguagus Bay and beyond. Unlike Perry’s work boat, the Captain Cole, Robertson’s gleaming, spotless Kandi Leigh would not be hauling any lobster traps. Robertson was getting his boat ready to take out a small group of tourists on an excursion.

Roberton is a fisherman — some of the time. But when he is not diving for scallops or urchins in the winter, he is fishing for tourists and offering them one of several types of short cruises on the Kandi Leigh.

He is proof that fishermen can develop add-on businesses catering to the many tourists who visit Maine each summer, as well as Maine residents, although it’s not for everyone.

There are other fishermen who operate similar ventures, including Stefanie Alley, a lobster fisherman from Islesford on Little Cranberry Island, south of Mount Desert Island.

Read the full story and watch the video at the Bangor Daily News