October 21, 2024 — A new study finds that lobsters are relocating to new habitats in the Gulf of Maine.
The findings could have implications for how the lobster stock is measured and how the fishery is eventually managed.
Lobsters have typically favored rocky boulders and used those habitats as shelter. But a research team with the University of Maine found that the use of those habitats dropped by 60% over the last 25 years or so.
October 21, 2024 — It was a blessedly calm day as Scott Landry’s team set out in their inflatable boat to scan the glistening waters of Great South Channel between Rhode Island and Massachusetts for an endangered whale affectionately known as Wart. They were on a mission to save her life.
The group, from the nonprofit Center for Coastal Studies located in nearby Provincetown, had spent the better part of three years monitoring Wart after an aerial team spotted the North Atlantic right whale with a large piece of rope lodged in her mouth.
Instead of coming loose on its own, the fishing rope slowly tangled itself deeper into Wart’s baleens, hindering her ability to eat and reproduce. Finally, Landry’s team decided to take a more hands-on approach—a dangerous but necessary last resort.
“The first thing that people need to realize is that the animals do not know that we’re trying to help them out,” said Landry, the director of the center’s Marine Animal Entanglement Response Program. “These are just wild animals that we are approaching at a moment in their life that is quite horrible.”
October 21, 2024 — Chris Powell knows the score when it comes to coastal regulations in Rhode Island.
A retired wildlife biologist who spent decades working for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) in its marine fisheries program, Powell knows the ins and outs of environmental permitting and regulations. His stint as a state employee included a temporary assignment to the state Coastal Resources Management Council, during a time when the regulatory agency was particularly short-staffed.
Powell had nothing but praise for the agency’s staff, both when he was assigned to the agency and after, when he interacted with CRMC staff as a member of the public. But he has concerns about the 10-member, politically appointed council that makes final decisions for the agency.
“CRMC has always had good staff where they try to do the right thing,” said Powell. “I attended many meetings, however, where the council overrode the recommendation of staff.”
Lifelong Rhode Islander and chairman of Warren’s Harbor Commission, Woody Kemp, has similar concerns. Warren is one of the smaller towns in Rhode Island, and thanks to sea level rise and coastal flooding, the town is shrinking. Kemp offered praise for the work completed by agency staff, but, he said, the council moves too slowly when making decisions. “It took us maybe 10 years to get approval for our harbor management plan,” he said.
“I would like to see more staff for timelier reviews of agency applications,” added Kemp.
Powell and Kemp were part of more than a dozen members of the public testifying in a state Department of Administration conference room recently about their experiences — on both sides of the table — with CRMC. The testimony is part of the evaluation process conducted regularly by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of all the state coastal programs for which it provides funding and oversight as part of the 1972 Coastal Zone Management Act.
The CRMC is charged with regulating, developing and conserving the state’s 400 miles of coastline and ocean waters. But the agency’s council has a long history of controversy, of ignoring the broader public and, at times, the recommendations of CRMC staff when it comes to permitting decisions and project approvals.
Advocates of reforming the agency are putting pressure on NOAA to advise a restructuring of CRMC into a shape that abolishes the executive authority of the council.
October 17, 2024 — In the wake of two hurricanes that devastated states in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic, the Maine fishing community shows resilience and solidarity that define their way of life, coming together to share resources in times of need. Hurricane Helene devastated parts of North Carolina, leaving communities in ruins. Sources report that the total damages are estimated to be about $20 billion to $34 billion, while rescue efforts have been underway weeks after the storm. Many people around the U.S. have donated to non-profit groups, ensuring North Carolina and Tennessee locals get the resources they need to put their homes and lives back together.
Kathleen Kirby and her husband, Jacob Schreiner, are commercial fishermen from Deer Isle, Maine, and were inspired by something they wear every day- boots. Over the past weeks, their idea quickly gained momentum to support the affected communities. The project, which started as a personal response to friends living in hard-hit areas, has quickly transformed into a widespread effort fueled by community collaboration and compassion. Kirby is calling the project ‘Maine Fishing Boots on the Ground”.
Kirby and Schreiner have fished in many industries, from bairdi crab (Tanner crab) in Alaska to lobstering off the coast of Maine. The couple had time off planned for the first time in two years to take a break from fishing. This gave them time to come up with the idea of collecting personal protective equipment (PPE) for those involved in cleanup efforts in North Carolina.
“I saw someone post that they needed PPE for cleaning up, and that’s when I thought of bringing boots from Maine. Everybody I know has extra boots here, so that’s how the idea began,” Kirby shared.
October 17, 2024 — The federal agency that suspended the Vineyard Wind project following the July 13 blade failure is now requiring the company to complete a new study evaluating the “environmental harm” caused by the incident in the waters southwest of Nantucket, according to a document obtained by Nantucket Current.
In a Sept. 27 letter from the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) addressed to Vineyard Wind CEO Klaus Moeller, the agency ordered the offshore wind energy company to “conduct a site-specific study that evaluates the environmental harm and other potential damage flowing from” the blade failure, and to identify potential mitigation measures for that damage.
The order was obtained by Nantucket Current through a Freedom of Information Act request to the U.S. Department of the Interior.
The Vineyard Wind project remains under a suspension order from BSEE following the disastrous turbine blade failure on July 13 that left Nantucket’s beaches littered with foam and fiberglass debris. That order was modified in August to allow Vineyard Wind to continue installing turbine towers and nacelles, but it is forbidden from producing power or installing blades.
According to the BSEE order signed Kathryn Kovacs, the deputy assistant secretary for land and minerals management at the U.S. Department of the Interior who is exercising the delegated authorities of the BSEE Director, Vineyard Wind was required to submit a plan for the study on Oct. 11, but was eligible to appeal the order. It’s not yet clear if the company appealed the order or not.
Both Vineyard Wind and BSEE officials did not immediately return requests for comment on Wednesday.
The required study “should characterize the subsea debris field resulting from the blade failure and the potential impacts or damage to onshore, coastal, and offshore resources from the blade debris.”
October 17, 2024 — A recovery effort commenced this weekend to collect the pieces of a broken Vineyard Wind turbine that snapped off and sunk to the ocean floor this summer.
GE Vernova, the manufacturer of the blade that doubled over in July and poured down into the sea, had vessels at the malfunctioning turbine Sunday with the goal of retrieving the large pieces of the 305-foot blade, according to the town of Nantucket.
The town, which has been providing regular updates on its communications with GE Vernova, said a first piece of debris was successfully lifted and no pieces broke off. The recovery was expected to continue Tuesday and a vessel was going to be on standby to collect any debris that floated away.
The broken turbine is about 20 miles away from the Vineyard, at the southernmost point in Vineyard Wind’s lease. The water depth is between 120 and 160 feet.
GE Vernova Tuesday said it had done a survey of the seabed in August and was following a plan it had previously outlined to officials.
October 16, 2024 — The Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) will hold its Annual Weekend & Trade Show 2025 at the newly renovated Margaritaville Cape Cod Resort in Hyannis, MA, from January 30th to February 2nd, 2025 (the 30th is the set-up day). The show hours are Friday and Saturday, 9:00 AM—4:00 PM, and Sunday, 8:00 AM—10:00 AM.
The Annual Weekend & Trade Show is to provide an opportunity for commercial lobster-men, commercial fishermen, seafood dealers and equipment suppliers to get together and talk about ALL things fishing related, educational seminars and, to have some fun too.
The MLA provides annual educational grants to college bound children of our members and has given out over nine thousand dollars per year for the last many years.
October 15, 2024 — New Bedford takes great pride in its port, and its scallopers account for a significant portion of its value.
It’s proven that the Port of New Bedford has great value.
New Bedford still ranks as the top commercial fishing port by value as recently as 2022, according to figures released by the National Marine Fisheries Service, Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, known as NOAA Fisheries.
New Bedford had landed $443.2 million worth of seafood in 2022, again placing it at the top of NOAA Fisheries’ revenue list.
That’s thanks in large part to all the scalloper landings in New Bedford contributing to the port’s value. Scallop landings accounted for 84 percent of the value.
Read the full article at the Standard-Times
October 15, 2024 — Efforts began on Sunday to retrieve a large piece of a 350-foot turbine blade that broke off and sank to the ocean floor at the Vineyard Wind project in July.
Nantucket town officials said GE Vernova informed them at around 4 p.m. Sunday that the salvage work had begun earlier that day.
“In addition to the vessel tasked with retrieving the larger pieces of debris, an additional vessel has been deployed to recover any smaller fragments that may break off during the process,” says the town’s press release.
October 15, 2024 — Several nonprofit fishing organizations are getting federal funds to help develop the next generation of the industry.
Ben Martens, Executive Director of the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, said the business has changed a lot in the last 20 or 30 years.
“It’s not about who can catch the most the fastest. It’s about quality,” Martens said. “We have less in our oceans. We have to bring it in when it’s worth the most. My board member, a lifelong fisherman, said it best when he said you have to fish smarter not harder.”
Martens said there’s real opportunity in the ocean, but we have to plan for it with young adults who want to pursue fishing careers.
“We spend a lot of time managing natural resources and investing in science and data, which are crucial. We also need to be making investments in our people, that are the real asset that Maine brings to the table,” Martens said.