Saving Seafood

Connecticut offshore wind may face some rough seas

August 27, 2019 — As Connecticut races to get its first offshore wind projects on track for construction, a collision of factors appear to be working against them.

To start with, the timing couldn’t be worse.

The state and its offshore-wind-loving neighbors all face a year-end expiration of a federal tax credit that helps finance these projects – the first major attempts in the U.S. But in Connecticut some problems – including at least one self-inflicted one – could mean forgoing that money.

Most critical are two issues. The first is the controversy at the Connecticut Port Authority (CPA), which has placed the quasi-public agency under audit and so far sent three people to the exits. The CPA runs the state-owned Pier in New London – now angling to be the premier staging area for offshore wind construction in the state, if not the region.

Read the full story at the Hartford Business Journal

Connecticut Seeks Up To 2 GW Of Offshore Wind

August 21, 2019 — Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has released a request for proposals (RFP) seeking up to 2 GW of offshore wind energy.

The RFP is required under Public Act 19-71, An Act Concerning the Procurement of Energy Derived from Offshore Wind, signed by Gov. Ned Lamont, D-Conn., in June. DEEP sought comments from stakeholders on a draft of the RFP in July.

As part of the RFP process, DEEP commissioner Katie Dykes convened a Commission on Environmental Standards to provide input on best practices for avoiding, minimizing and mitigating any impacts to wildlife, natural resources, ecosystems and traditional or existing water-dependent uses, such as commercial fishing. The commission held a series of meetings over the course of two months and released a report on Aug. 7 that provided recommendations to DEEP.

Read the full story at North American Wind Power

Humans Altered the Genetic Make-up of a Species Through Fishing

August 5, 2019 — Over recent decades, many commercially harvested fish have grown slower and matured earlier, which can translate into lower yields. Scientists have long suspected that rapid evolutionary change in fish caused by intense harvest pressure is the culprit.

Now, for the first time, researchers have unraveled genome-wide changes that prompted by fisheries – changes that previously had been invisible, according to a study published in Science by a team of researchers including Hannes Baumann, UConn assistant professor of Marine Sciences, who collaborated with researchers at Cornell University, the University of Oregon, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and Stanford University.

In unprecedented detail, the study shows sweeping genetic changes and how quickly those changes occur in fish populations extensively harvested by humans, says Baumann.

Read the full story at UConn Today

Climate Change and its Effect on Our Coastal Ecosystem

July 16, 2019 — Climate change and rapidly warming water mean a major impact on our coastal ecosystem.

The North Atlantic shelf, which includes our Connecticut shoreline and extends all the way up to the coastal waters of Canada, is warming faster 99 percent faster than our global oceans. Scientists are concerned for what the future holds.

“There’s a lot of concern about what climate change can do. The Gulf of Maine which is an incredibly productive body of water which includes Cape Cod and parts North is warming at an alarming rate. And it will be interesting to see how that changes the distribution of both the predator and prey,” said Dr. Greg Skomal of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries.

In the case of great white sharks, climate change will likely affect the prey before the predator.

Read the full story at NBC Connecticut

New RAS proposal entered for former Garbo Lobster facility in Connecticut

July 9, 2019 — Officials in Groton, Connecticut, U.S.A. announced recently a private company is interested in buying a recently shuttered lobster facility in the city and turning it into a land-based fish farm.

East Coast Seafood’s Garbo Lobster facility caught the eye of Deaderick SSB, a Delaware-based limited liability company, according to The Day.

The 34,700-square-foot former facility at 415 Thames Street, built in 2002, is located along the Thames River and is owned by Just in Case LLC under East Coast Seafood Group of Topsfield, Massachusetts, U.S.A., according to land and business records. East Coast, which owns Garbo Lobster, shuttered the lobster facility in January. The company said at the time it planned to shift Groton’s operations to a Prospect Harbor, Maine, facility that East Coast Seafood and Garbo Lobster acquired in 2012, as well as to its facility in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

Mark Branse, a lawyer hired by Deaderick SSB to work on local land-use issues, told The Day the company plans to purchase the property and raise fish in the facility.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Connecticut Governor OKs 2 GW Offshore Wind Bill

June 11, 2019 — On Friday, Gov. Ned Lamont, D-Conn., signed a bill authorizing Connecticut to purchase up to 2 GW of offshore wind, or the equivalent of 30% of the state’s load, by the end of 2030.

The state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is required to initiate a request for proposals (RFP) within 14 days of the passage of the bill. DEEP must then set up a future schedule for procurements.

“Connecticut should be the central hub of the offshore wind industry in New England,” Lamont says. “This emerging industry has the potential to create hundreds of good-paying jobs for the residents of our state and drive economic growth in towns along our shoreline. And by delivering zero-carbon renewable energy, we can increase our region’s fuel security while also making significant progress toward meeting our climate goals. By adopting this new law, we are sending a clear message: Connecticut is serious about becoming a major player in the clean energy economy.”

Lamont thanks the Energy and Technology Committee’s co-chairs and ranking members – Sen. Norm Needleman, D-Essex; Rep. David Arconti, D-Danbury; Sen. Paul Formica, R-East Lyme; and Rep. Charles Ferraro, R-West Haven – for their leadership in working with his administration to draft the bipartisan legislation, H.B.7156, and achieve its approval. The bill, which was approved last month in the House of Representatives, was given legislative approval last Tuesday in the State Senate.

“With the stroke of a pen [Friday], Governor Lamont made history,” says Erich Stephens, chief development officer for Vineyard Wind, a joint venture between Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Avangrid Renewables. “This legislation has the potential to make Connecticut a major player in offshore wind power, an industry that’s poised for tremendous growth in the coming years.”

Read the full story at North American Wind Power

All New England Senators Renew Push To Ban Offshore Drilling Off Region

May 3, 2019 — All 10 U.S. senators in coastal New England reintroduced a proposal Friday to bar oil and gas drilling from the region’s shores.

The group said President Trump’s administration was stalling on the release of a new draft of its five-year offshore leasing plan. The group of senators, led by Rhode Island Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse, said that means the Atlantic continental shelf off New England is still at risk of being opened up to drilling.

The senators said drilling off New England would be bad for the economy, tourism, wildlife and the environment. New Hampshire Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan said the region’s coast needs to be “off limits.”

The senators said tourism, fishing and recreation generate more than $17 billion for New England annually, according to the National Ocean Economic Program, and it would harm the five coastal states to jeopardize that revenue with drilling.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at WBUR

Fish council explores monitoring alternatives

April 19, 2019 — The New England Fishery Management Council continues to work on an amendment to improve monitoring within the groundfish fishery, with a particular emphasis on generating more options within the dockside monitoring alternatives.

Meeting for three days this week in Mystic, Connecticut, the council approved several additions and modifications to the original range of groundfish monitoring alternatives, with an eye toward completing a draft environmental impact statement in time to schedule public hearings later this year.

The council also requested its Groundfish Committee “expand the number of options to determine monitoring coverage levels based on catch” and explore an additional alternative for “vessel exemptions based on fishing location.”

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Groundfish Monitoring Amendment 23: NEFMC Approves Alternatives for Development

April 18, 2019 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

During its mid-April meeting in Mystic, CT, the New England Fishery Management Council approved a wide range of alternatives that will be further developed for consideration in Groundfish Monitoring Amendment 23. This step paves the way for the Groundfish Committee, Plan Development Team, and Groundfish Advisory Panel to continue working on these alternatives and advance the amendment to the next level of analyses.

The Council also dealt with three other groundfish-related issues. In short, the Council:

  • Modified its policy on gear standards in order to facilitate the use of new gear when accountability measures (AMs) are triggered;
  • Received an update on its Groundfish Catch Share Review, which covers fishing years 2010-2015; and
  • Received a quick overview of the ongoing listening sessions being conducted to solicit public comment on whether the Council should develop a limited access program for the recreational party/charter boat fishery under the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (groundfish plan).

Read the full release here

Dams still biggest impediment to Atlantic salmon recovery

April 16, 2019 — Addressing the problems caused by dams is still the biggest challenge facing the recovery of the Atlantic salmon.

That’s at the core of a presentation a federal fisheries biologist is scheduled to deliver to a regulatory board on Tuesday in Connecticut. Dan Kircheis of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will be speaking to the New England Fishery Management Council during its meeting in Mystic.

Atlantic salmon were once abundant in U.S. rivers, but now they only return to a handful in Maine. They’re on the endangered species list in America. Kircheis will be talking about a recovery strategy for the fish on Tuesday.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Connecticut Post