Science

March 25, 2012 – A disappointing pace of the rebuilding of inshore cod stocks, which hit the fishing industry with a shock in a new assessment late last year, has now been extended to the offshore cod stock in Georges Bank, according to a new assessment of 13 stocks by the NOAA Science Center at Woods Hole.

The new bad news about Georges Bank cod is that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration now believes the biomass in the offshore waters is 46 percent smaller than the previous assessment estimated in 2008.

That assessment estimated the offshore cod biomass at 17,672 metric tons. The new assessment estimates the stock at 9,494 metric tons.

Based on the new estimates and modeling, NOAA dropped the hypothetical size of the rebuild stock from 148,084 metric tons to 140,424 metric tons.

"There is concern (about Georges Bank cod)," said Teri Frady, chief of research communications for the NOAA Science Center. "There has not been good recruitment, and there is low biomass."

The dramatic reduction in the "estimated" size of the Georges Bank stock emerged from a peer-reviewed process that used the same modeling as used previously, factoring in annual trawl survey data with catch reports.

The inshore cod crisis was triggered by a benchmark assessment of Gulf of Maine cod which found the biomass was about one third the size of the previous benchmark assessment in 2007.

Read the full article at the Gloucester Times.

 

When diners sit down to a lobster dinner, they look forward to seeing a glistening red shell that tempts them to dig underneath – not a speckled, scabby brown crust thin enough to poke a fork through.

That’s why wholesalers pay less for lobsters with shell disease and why many fishermen will just throw a lobster back if it is diseased. By the time the lobster is caught again, hopefully, it will have molted and grown a smooth new shell.

No one knows precisely what causes lobster shell disease, a bacterial infection that does not affect the meat and seems to strike mainly in the warm coastal waters off Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York. Though it is unlikely to pose a threat to the heart of the industry farther north, researchers are trying to understand why these crustaceans get sick and what, if anything, can be done to protect them.

Scientists at the New England Aquarium are concerned that the combination of warmer waters and human-generated pollution are triggering the disease, and that the same combination of effects might threaten other species.

Read the complete story from The Boston Globe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 16, 2012 – Faulty fish stock estimates from the federal government permitted Georges Bank fishermen to catch twice the amount of cod than what is considered sustainable, according to a new report released Thursday.

Updates to projections from 2008 showed that scientists were far too optimistic in estimating the population of Georges Bank cod and some other bottom-feeding stocks, known collectively as groundfish.

The latest population stock assessment, released by the National Marine Fisheries Service, incorporated new information, such as commercial and recreational landings, and data from three new research cruises.

Read the complete story from The Cape Cod Times.

Read the reports where this data was published.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 17, 2012 – Local supporters are trying to flex enough political muscle, in addition to employing their powers of persuasion, to keep open a marine laboratory at Sandy Hook which they see as crucial to the Shore’s environment and thus its economy.

With federal officials still moving toward closing the James J. Howard Marine Laboratory, the advocates are trying to get New Jersey and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to negotiate the lab’s future.

One argument they make is the lab’s legacy of distinguished contributions to protecting the Shore environment. Founded in 1961 expressly to study the region’s economically important recreational fishing, the lab has a close relationship with the region’s sport angling and diving communities and science institutions.

Read the complete story from The Asbury Park Press.

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 16, 2012 – As ocean scientists probe what ails some of the largest creatures in the sea, a wave of new research is urging them to look at the little things — specifically the tiny schooling fish that make up the cornerstone of ocean food webs.

Species like herring, smelt, sardines and squid are the food of choice for many of the ocean's top predators. But there is increasing pressure globally to harvest marine "forage fish" for everything from hog feed and fertilizer to fishmeal in tuna pens or as bait for recreational or commercial fishing.

And these creatures are often the fish scientists understand the least.

"The idea that forage fish are important isn't new," said Phil Levin, a biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service in Seattle. "But if you take the fish out of the system … what are the costs if those fish are no longer there to be eaten by birds or mammals or other fish? That's what we're talking about now."

Read the complete story from The Republic.

 

 

 

 

The Northeast Cooperative Research Program has prepared a report “A Mid-Course Review of the Strategic Direction for the Cooperative Research Program in the Northeast” based on input from regional workshops with the Mid-Atlantic and New England Councils and five public outreach meetings held in 2011.  Workshops and outreach meetings were held to gather recommendations to assess and evaluate progress made on the Cooperative Research Strategic Plan for 2010-2014.

The following themes were articulated during the review of the cooperative research  strategic plan and they reflect the current needs identified by stakeholders:  

 The fishing industry desires a greater understanding and role in the stock  assessment process. Fishermen would like to meet with scientists in small fishery-specific working groups early in the stock assessment process.  They need to become  familiar with the stock assessments, understand how data that they provide are used, and  be invited to take a more proactive role in the stock assessment improvement plan.   

 Communication and outreach with the industry requires continual attention.  The  industry wants to know more about how to get involved in cooperative research, what  research is being done, and, most importantly, how the results are incorporated into  fisheries management plans.  

 – Stakeholders are concerned about the accuracy of discard estimates and fishermen  continue to seek ways to avoid by-catch. The institution of ACLs and sector  management has increased the incentive to avoid by-catch species while maximizing catch  of healthy species. Many fishermen expressed concern about discard estimates and NCRP  was encouraged to move beyond gear work and assist the industry with by-catch  avoidance strategies. 

 – Stakeholders encouraged NCRP to focus its efforts on data poor stocks, schooling  semi-pelagic species, high volume fisheries, protected resources (turtles, sturgeon)  and species of concern (river herring). Fishermen raised concerns about a variety of  specific species.  The ideas ranged from predator/prey considerations to additional gear  work to information on the effectiveness of closed areas.   

 – Highly Migratory Species (HMS) has specific research needs that should be  addressed by HMS managers. There were a series of recommendations by stakeholders  in the Mid-Atlantic specific to HMS.  

– The Henry B. Bigelow trawl survey is not well understood by the industry and  additional outreach is needed. The NEFSC fishery-independent trawl survey continues  to receive significant attention by the fishing industry as the information is considered a  critical component in determining the status of fish stocks.  There remains a high level of  frustration among some industry members regarding the survey methods and costs  associated with running the new vessel. 

 – There is an increased interest from the recreational community to be involved in the  cooperative research process. The 2010-2014 Cooperative Research Plan noticeably  lacks specific recommendations for engaging with the recreational fishing community  and this was seen as a major oversight, particularly in the Mid-Atlantic where there is a  greater recreational fishing presence.  

 – Community leaders are interested in designing socioeconomic and community  development programs to support fishing communities. Determining the social and  economic health of the fishing communities, especially in light of recent management  changes, was raised as an important issue for NCRP to consider. 

 – There continues to be a need to foster upfront conversations among researchers,  fishermen, and managers to align their expectations and to foster use of cooperative  research results in management actions.  In addition, concerns were raised about the  capacity of the scientific community to engage with the fishing industry on research of  relevance to fisheries management. NCRP was encouraged to become more proactive in  promoting the review of cooperative research results within the management process. 

 – The fishing industry would like NOAA Fisheries to play a greater role in supporting  marketing and public relations. Although perhaps beyond the scope of cooperative  research, there were participants who expressed concern regarding marketing of catch  and NOAA Fisheries’ role in improving the public’s perception of US fisheries.   

 – Stakeholders raised concerns regarding the NCRP programmatic issues, but these  were not the primary focus of the discussions at the meetings. The Pate report  highlighted the issue of transparency with the grants and contract process, especially with  regard to RSAs, yet these issues received surprisingly little attention during the  cooperative research meetings. However, some suggestions were made to explore new  methods of distributing research set-asides and improve the process.  Permitting issues  and concerns about the Letter of Acknowledgement process were also raised, but to a  lesser extent.   

Read the final draft.

 

 

 

 

NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center has issued a new report in its Reference Document Series: Updates for 13 Northeast Groundfish Stock Assessments. This report updates 2008 assessments, including those for Georges Bank cod and haddock, Gulf of Maine haddock, and Cape Cod-Gulf of Maine yellowtail flounder.

Read the complete report from NOAA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 13, 2012 – The marine nutraceutical industry is booming in Europe and Asia, and it has taken off in recent years in Canada as well. While the industry is still in its infancy in the United States, University of Rhode Island researcher Chong Lee says that with a little federal research support, it could become a growth industry.

Lee, a professor emeritus of food sciences, describes nutraceuticals as a cross between pharmaceuticals and nutrition, something that "provides health benefits above and beyond traditional nutrients. The nutraceutical market is dominated by terrestrial sources, like cranberries that provide antioxidants. Marine nutraceuticals are something new, and now it is getting a lot more attention," he said.

The URI food scientist says that the "big ticket item" among marine nutraceuticals is fish oil, which contains omega 3 fatty acids that provide cardiovascular disease risk reductions, immune function improvements, brain health, and reductions in inflammation from rheumatoid arthritis. Most fish oil products are derived from anchovies and sardines caught in the waters off Peru and Chile.

In Rhode Island, seaweed could play a role in the nutraceutical industry, as some varieties are a source of compounds beneficial to human and animal health. One species of seaweed called rockweed (Ascopyllum nodosum) that Lee is studying is abundant along the coast of New England and is already being used as an agricultural fertilizer and as an additive to animal feeds. Lee says it also has bioactive components that are useful in managing weight, lowering cholesterol and slowing the digestion of sugars and carbohydrates.

Read the full article here.

 

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—7 March 2012 – Pacific Coast fishermen can start gearing up for what's expected to be the best salmon fishing season in years.

Federal fishery managers are forecasting robust populations of chinook and coho salmon off the Pacific coast and in California and Oregon rivers.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council on Wednesday approved several options for managing West Coast salmon fisheries this year. All of them give sport and commercial anglers plenty of time to fish later this spring and summer.

The regulatory council plans to hold public hearings in California, Oregon and Washington to get feedback on the alternative fishing plans over the next few weeks before choosing a final plan when it meets in Seattle in early April.

Read the complete story by The AP from The Boston Globe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Digital cameras make it easy to take a lot of photos – so many, in fact, that they can be difficult to sort through.

Try having more than 250,000. That is how many images researchers took of the ocean floor last summer as part of a new approach to estimating the mid-Atlantic sea scallop population. Now they are tasked with examining each photo, searching for scallops within the frame and counting exactly how many and what size.

It’s a big job, and one in which they hope to enlist the help of science-minded volunteers. Art Trembanis, associate professor of geological sciences in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment, is developing a website where citizen scientists can log in, pull up individual photos and click on the small, sandy circles indicating scallops.

“We are excited to have the public assist in this,” Trembanis said.

Read the complete story from the University of Delaware.