Saving Seafood

MASSACHUSETTS: Right Whales Seen in High Numbers in Cape Cod Bay

May 19, 2019 — Whale researchers at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center are observing large numbers of North Atlantic right whales and other whale species in Northeast waters.

An aerial team flying for the Center out of the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station at Joint Base Cape Cod and from Hyannis, are continuing their long-term survey for right whales.

The effort supports a range of research and is part of an annual seasonal distribution and abundance survey of protected marine animals along the East Coast.

Read the full story at CapeCod.com

NOAA Fisheries Seeking Nominations for Committee

November 26, 2018 — HYANNIS, MASS. – NOAA Fisheries is accepting nominations to fill vacant positions on the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee (MAFAC).

The committee advises the Secretary of Commerce and NOAA on developing and implementing regulations, policies and programs critical to the mission and goals of the NOAA Fisheries Service.

Committee members represent commercial, recreational, subsistence, and aquaculture fisheries interests; tribes; seafood industry; protected resources and habitat interests; environmental organizations; academic institutions; consumer groups; and other living marine resource interest groups.

Read the full story at CapeCod.com

Fisheries Researchers Map Habitats Ahead of Offshore Wind Development

November 9, 2018 — HYANNIS, Mass. – NOAA Fisheries researchers are helping to inform federal managers and developers on the impacts that construction and operation of offshore wind facilities will have on ocean bottom habitats and fisheries.

The Northeast Fisheries Science Center conducted four years of research to build a database of information, including water temperatures, topography, sediments, currents and marine life in the eight Wind Energy Areas authorized by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management along the East Coast.

The designated WEAs encompass just over 4,000 square nautical miles of seafloor from Massachusetts to North Carolina. About 40 percent of the area has actually been leased to date, including the Vineyard Wind project development south of Martha’s Vineyard.

Read the full story at CapeCod.com

DON CUDDY: An independent fisherman struggles to hang on in an uncertain fishery

July 24, 2017 — It was 4 a.m. as I crossed a deserted Sagamore bridge but the night sky was already beginning to lighten.

When I turned into the lot on School St. in Hyannis I could see the boat, its white hull splashed with green from the glow of the starboard running light. I clambered aboard.

On the Angenette, a 40-foot wooden dragger built in 1946, Captain Ron Borjeson waited along with his grandson Trent Garzoni. Lost amongst the tourist hordes and tricked-out sportfishing boats crowding the Hyannis docks these are guys you don’t notice anymore — independent commercial fishermen, struggling to pursue their traditional livelihood. Reductions in the catch limits and rising expenses are constant worries. The fluke quota was cut by 30 percent last year and again this year, while just to tie up in Hyannis for the season costs eleven grand.

We headed out to Nantucket Sound just as dawn broke. The inshore squid season ended on June 1. Ron got eighty-six days out of that and now he is into fluke. In state waters, he can take three hundred pounds daily though no fishing is permitted on Fridays or Saturdays.

After steaming for about an hour to the chosen ground we made the first tow. It was quiet except for the throb of the diesel. The sky was clear, the sea sparkled and the breeze was like a caress. On such a morning it was easy to feel the tug of the seafaring life. We hauled back and a representative cross-section of our multispecies New England fishery spilled from the dripping net.

We easily filled two totes with fluke, white side up to keep them pristine. There were baskets for keeping sea bass, conch and scup. There is no limit on scup but if Angenette lands 500 pounds the price is 65 cents per pound and if they bring in 1400 pounds it drops to 50 cents so there you go.

Read the full opinion piece at the New Bedford Standard-Times

Local Fishermen Urged to Complete NOAA Fisheries Survey

December 14, 2016 –HYANNIS, Mass. — In August, approximately 2,500 vessel owners in the Northeast were asked to provide data on 2015 business costs, in an effort for NOAA Fisheries to have a better understanding on how management actions impact the bottom line of fishing businesses, and the deadline to complete these surveys is rapidly approaching.

While completing the survey is voluntary, NOAA Fisheries is hoping for a strong response.

“Every response is important if we are to end up with sufficient data to reflect costs,” said Tammy Murphy, the Northeast Fisheries Science Center economist.

Read the full story at CapeCod.com

NOAA Fisheries Announces Public Hearing and Comment Period for Amendment

September 26, 2016 — HYANNIS – The public comment period is now open for a new amendment that allows for industry-funded monitoring over the past several years.

The Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils have worked on the amendment, which includes alternatives that would modify all the fishery management plans managed by the councils to allow for future industry-funded monitoring programs.

The public will have a chance to comment on the various amendment alternatives, including cost responsibilities, processes, administrative requirements and priorities.

The public meetings begin on October 4 in Gloucester and continue until November 1.

Read the full story at CapeCod.com

Former mariner Luis Catala teaches fishermen safety on the water

April 5, 2016 — Being a commercial fisherman is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world, and the ocean off New England is the deadliest in the country. The fatality rate in its groundfishing and scalloping fisheries surpasses even Alaska’s “Deadliest Catch” crab fishery.

“People often don’t realize that, and even if they do, they might not understand the scope,” said J.J. Bartlett, the president and CEO of a nonprofit group called Fishing Partnership Support Services. “An example that I use is that if public schoolteachers in Massachusetts died at the same rate as our Northeast ground fisherman, over 400 schoolteachers would die on the job every year.”

The nonprofit group has trained nearly 3,000 fishermen since it started safety training for fishermen in 2005. It offers about 10 sessions a year across New England, recruiting instructors from various companies and organizations involved in fishing safety and equipment.

The sesssions cover a wide variety of safety lessons and skills, including plugging leaks, putting out fires, wearing inflatable immersion suits and shooting flares.

“You don’t want to be doing this stuff for the first time when you’re out on the water,” said safety instructor Luis Catala at a training in Hyannis in October. “This is a great chance for them to practice and learn.”

Read the full story at The Cape Cod Times