August 9, 2023 — The Portland, Maine, U.S.A.-based Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI), an independent marine nonprofit dedicated to studying the Gulf of Maine ecosystem and the people who depend on it, recently announced the hiring of Glenn Prickett as its next CEO. Prickett, who was previously president and CEO of the World Environment Center in Washington, D.C., has 35 years of environmental, climate, and business development experience working with NGOs, volunteer organizations, and the private sector. He will start his tenure at GMRI in September. In an interview with SeafoodSource, Prickett discussed his new role and what he hopes to accomplish during his time at the helm of GMRI.
SouthCoast Wind appeal highlights project’s risk
August 8, 2023 — SouthCoast Wind Energy LLC petitioned the Rhode Island Supreme Court on July 28. SouthCoast said that the unanimous decision of the Rhode Island Energy Facility Siting Board to suspend the review of the project’s permit application for its offshore power cable traversing the state “is contrary to law and should be vacated.”
SouthCoast Wind’s 149-turbine, 1,200-megawatt offshore wind farm project planned for federal waters over 30 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard and 20 miles south of Nantucket is in limbo. Power was to be delivered to several Massachusetts utilities until the company determined its power purchase agreements generated inadequate revenues to finance the project, so it moved to terminate the agreements.
MAINE: Fishermen’s Alliance Highlights Offshore Wind Threat to Haddock, Lobster Fisheries in Gulf of Maine
August 8, 2023 — An alliance of groups representing New England’s fishermen is highlighting scientific research that suggests offshore wind development could have “population-scale effects” on key fish and crustacean species in the Gulf of Maine, including electromagnetism-induced deformities in lobsters.
The New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association (NEFSA) on Monday released an “Offshore Wind Research Summary” summarizing the existing scientific research on the environmental impact of offshore wind power development.
The scientific evidence, they believe, shows that offshore wind development would have unpredictable and potentially harmful consequences for key marine species, such as lobster and haddock.
“The studies featured in the Research Summary indicate that there is no scientific consensus as to the effects of offshore wind on ocean ecosystems and marine life,” said Jerry Leeman, NEFSA CEO and a longtime commercial fishing captain.
“We cannot industrialize the Gulf of Maine until we understand how the wind industry interacts with the fisheries that wild harvesters have stewarded responsibly for decades,” Leeman said.
The interaction between wind power development and marine species is generally understudied. That means there could be massive unintended or unforeseeable consequences from an unprecedented industrial project in the Gulf of Maine.
Warmer waters are affecting fish and coral in Long Island Sound, experts say
August 7, 2023 — Warming waters are affecting a variety of marine life in Long Island Sound.
The sound is actually home to coral – the Northern Star Coral – and the species is helping New England scientists learn how warmer water linked to climate change might affect coral found in the tropics, too.
Shawn Grace, a marine ecologist and biology professor at southern Connecticut State University, is studying the long-term effects of Northern Star Coral that never went dormant last winter. He said temperatures were too high in Long Island Sound, so the coral stayed active.
“We brought some in just to check what they were feeding on. And yeah, they were actively feeding throughout the entire winter,” Grace told Connecticut Public’s “Where We Live.” “For me, this is the first winter that we’ve ever experienced this.”
Grace said there are thousands of colonies of corals to study – both in Long Island Sound and Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island.
Oregon crabbers feeling pressures akin to Massachusetts lobstermen
August 7, 2023 — Oregon crab fishermen are feeling a similar pinch to their Massachusetts lobstermen counterparts as state lawmakers there weigh increased regulations to protect whales.
Humpbacks, which migrate off Oregon’s coast, and other whales can get caught in the vertical ropes connected to the heavy traps and drag them around for months, leaving the mammals injured, starved or so exhausted that they can drown.
The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission was expected Friday evening to vote on whether to permanently set stricter rules and pot limits put in place in 2020 to protect whales. The restrictions, which were originally supposed to end after this season, would reduce the number of traps, known as pots, and how deep they can drop in the spring and summer months when humpbacks are more likely to encounter them. The commission did not take up the measure that night.
The move comes during a turbulent period as Oregon’s Dungeness crab fishery contends with warming oceans, smaller crabs and shortened or canceled seasons due to high levels of an acid that makes the crabs inedible.
MAINE: Maine approves lobster innovation fund as study reveals high costs of ropeless gear
August 4, 2023 — The U.S. state of Maine recently passed an act to create a Lobster Innovation Fund to provide financing to commercial fishermen to test new lobster fishing technologies, just days before the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) released a report finding a full transition to ropeless lobster gear would cost the fishery in more ways than just higher equipment costs.
The new fund, created through a law signed by Maine Governor Janet Mills on 27 July, would pay lobstermen to test new gear to learn how the gear would impact their fishing. The testing would add to the growing body of scientific data obtained through studies of alternative in both Maine and Massachusetts.
Vineyard Wind wind plans to deliver power in mid-October
August 3, 2023 — The first clean wind power generated by the Vineyard Wind 1 project is expected to flow onto the regional grid by mid-October and the first-in-the-nation offshore wind project should be fully operational by this time next year, project officials said Wednesday during a boat tour of the construction.
Project developers have maintained for years that the $4 billion project they are building about 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard would start to generate cleaner energy by the end of 2023, but they told a group of state lawmakers, clean energy advocates, organized labor representatives and others that the target is now mid-October, or just over two months from now.
At first, the project will send power generated by a string of six turbines onto the grid, totaling about 78 megawatts, with plans to ramp the project up to between 200 and 300 MW by the end of the year and full commercial operations of 806 MW expected by mid-2024, according to Sy Oytan, Avangrid’s chief operating officer for offshore wind.
Vineyard Wind, a joint venture between Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, began offshore construction activities in June by setting the foundations for the 62 turbines that will make up the project that has been years in the making.
On Wednesday, about 15 representatives and two senators were among those who got to see the progress of that construction from aboard the Captain John and Son II, which was chartered for the tour by Avangrid, the Environmental League of Massachusetts and the New England for Offshore Wind Coalition.
When they are fully assembled, each of Vineyard Wind 1’s 62 turbines will stretch about 850 feet above the Atlantic Ocean — taller than any building in New England. There was not much to see in the way of towers or turbines Wednesday — those on the boat tour saw a series of foundations with “transition pieces” sticking up out of the water, each arranged one nautical mile away from others in a grid pattern.
MASSACHUSETTS: Senator Warren speaks on port infrastructure in New Bedford
August 3, 2023 — On a visit to the city’s storied waterfront, Senator Elizabeth Warren on Wednesday praised New Bedford’s use of federal funds to prepare for natural disasters and develop new infrastructure to protect against climate change.
“I love seeing the activity over on the port now — you guys should be so proud,” Warren told New Bedford Mayor Jonathan Mitchell at the New Bedford Port Authority. “This is government at its best, because this is about partnership.”
Mitchell thanked Warren for helping pass federal legislation including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, which included funds to invest in the nation’s ports, and the American Rescue Plan Act, through which New Bedford has scored grants to sustain and build out its economy.
MASSACHUSETTS: Massachusetts Dam Removals to Allow Return of River Herring After 200 Years
August 3, 2023 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
Below the Armstrong Dam in Braintree, Massachusetts, a desperate scene has played out for decades. “Currently, thousands of river herring are massed below the dam trying to come upriver to spawn,” says Eric Hutchins, a NOAA Fisheries restoration biologist. “But, after beating their heads against the dam for weeks, most females will just drop their eggs or reabsorb them.” Exhausted from this effort, they are unlikely to reproduce elsewhere.
But change is finally coming, with the injection of $2 million in funding from NOAA under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. The Town of Braintree began moving equipment to remove the obsolete Armstrong and Ames Pond Dams (PDF, 111 pages) in July. Soon, river herring and other migratory fish will have access to 36 miles of high-quality spawning habitat along Monatiquot River for the first time in nearly 200 years.
Connecting rivers and streams to the sea is critical for the survival of both river herring and coastal species popular on dinner menus. “River herring are the potato chips of the ocean,” says Hutchins, “everything eats them.” Commercially and recreationally important fish like bluefish, cod, and striped bass rely on river herring as a key food source. “It is especially important to build the river herring population now as other forage species like Atlantic herring and mackerels are crashing,” Hutchins adds. Birds such as herons and osprey and mammals like otters and whales also eat river herring.
A Big Dam Problem
More than 3,000 dams block nearly every river in Massachusetts. Most serve no purpose. Remnants of the Industrial Revolution, the Bay State’s decrepit dams block migratory fish from reaching upstream habitat. They also collect layers of contaminated sludge in stagnant ponds, pose flood risks, and prevent local people from enjoying the river.
That’s certainly the case for the 12-foot-high, 92-foot-long Armstrong Dam. The surrounding area is densely populated, with a significant number of minority residents. In the event of a major storm, the Armstrong Dam contributes to upstream flooding; if the dam fails, the community would experience serious damage. Spray-painted and crumbling, the ugly industrial site sprawls across both sides of the river. “For at least the past 100 years, the public has been unable to access the Monatiquot River,” says Hutchins. “It’s all fenced off.”
Restoring the Monatiquot River for Fish and People
Taking down dams and restoring rivers to conditions where fish—and people—can thrive is a high priority for NOAA. But it isn’t easy. NOAA, the Town of Braintree, and its partners have been working on plans to eliminate the Armstrong and Ames Pond Dams for the last 15 years. In 2017, NOAA provided an initial investment of $100,000 to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Restoration. It supported design and permitting work that was crucial for early project planning. This followed many years of feasibility studies and field work that were led by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. Hutchins, who has worked on more than 50 dam removals, lends his experience to partners like the Town of Braintree to ensure success. “Most local proponents of a project may only work on one dam removal in their careers,” says Hutchins. “So, I help them through the entire complicated process including project design, community engagement, permitting, and implementation.”
This summer and fall, construction crews will demolish both dams, remove 6,800 cubic yards of contaminated sediment, and restore the river channel. River herring will once again be able to reach the calm inland ponds where juveniles have a better shot at survival. American eel, which are born in the ocean but spend most of their lives in freshwater, will also be able to return.
“I love seeing dams come down,” says Hutchins. “The most exciting part is standing in the water and watching the reformation of the river. I’ve been standing in the water right after a dam comes down and witnessed American eel swim past my feet.” Despite the passage of centuries, the instinct to return remains.
The community will also be invited back to the river. The Town of Braintree will restore wetlands around the dam site and build a boardwalk trail with wildlife viewing points and interpretive signs. “There is strong community support for this project,” says Kelly Phelan, Braintree’s Conservation Planner. “People are excited to see the fish return and to reconnect with the river.”
Project Partners
- Fore River Watershed Association
- Hollingsworth Pond, LLC
- Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
- Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Ropeless Lobster Gear Study Released: Could Cost Industry $40 M in Annual Revenue
August 2, 2023 — The second phase of a multi-year project evaluating the operational, technological, and socioeconomic impacts of ropeless lobster gear was released yesterday by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF). If the gear had been deployed fleet-wide last year, the loss of annual revenue was estimated to be $40 million and the foregone harvest was pegged at 3.5 million pounds less. An overall recommendation was to explore further using more variables.
Alternative or ropeless lobster gear consists of submerged buoyancy devices that are activated using time-release mechanisms or acoustic signals transmitted from the surface. This innovative design would replace traditional vertical buoy lines, which can result in entanglements with marine mammals including North Atlantic right whales.
Estimating the Cost of Using On-Demand Gear in Massachusetts Lobster Fisheries authors Noah Oppenheim of Homarus Strategies LLC, Dr. Robert Griffin of SMAST, and Dr. Andrew Goode of the University of Maine, took a deep dive into the financial impacts of using the gear onboard lobster fishing vessels. They present a new model that can be used to estimate these operational costs, providing important information that will assist in the consideration of fishery management scenarios involving entanglement risk-reducing fishing gear.
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