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Wiscasset, Maine debates using drones to catch clam poachers

September 17, 2015 — Wiscasset selectmen heard a second proposal involving drones at their Tuesday, Sept. 15 meeting, this time from a representative of the shellfish committee. The committee is investigating the use of drones to enforce the shellfish ordinance and prevent poachers from depleting a hard-fought-for resource in Wiscasset, Richard Forrest said to selectmen.

The issue was brought to the attention of selectmen because the committee did not want to investigate the matter further unless the town supported the initiative, Forrest said. Selectmen advised the shellfish committee to bring the proposal in front of the selectmen and the budget committee during the next budget season, in part because the estimated $2,000 expense for drone use was not incorporated into the committee’s 2015-2016 budget.

The approximate price of a bushel of clams three weeks ago was $200, Forrest said, a price which has attracted poachers to Wiscasset’s mudflats. “This really bothers me,” Forrest said. “We put in so much to get this resource to the point where harvesters can make a living.”

While not a dire situation, there have been scattered instances of poachers digging clams in Cushman’s Cove and Polly Clark Cove, Forrest said. The poachers are sophisticated, oftentimes travel by water, and are difficult for Shellfish Warden Jon Hentz, who serves three municipalities, to catch.

Read the full story at the Bangor Daily News

Seafood Takes Center Stage at the 2015 Working Waterfront Festival: Program Includes Cooking Demonstrations, Book Signings, and a Seafood Throwdown

September 17, 2015 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — The following was released by the New Bedford Working Waterfront Festival:

Come hungry to the 2015 Working Waterfront Festival, an educational celebration of the commercial fishing industry. The free event takes place on the working piers of New Bedford’s historic waterfront on September 26 & 27. The Foodways Area features hourly cooking demonstrations followed by tastings. Visitors are invited to learn the basics of preparing fresh seafood at home as well as ethnic approaches to seafood cooking and galley fare. Some highlights this year include North African Style Monkfish Stew, Bacalhau A Bras, and Begali Fish Chowder. Ann Pieroway, author of Tastes and Tales of Cape Cod and the Islands and A Lobster Tale and Some Tastes Too, will demonstrate her recipe for Haddock Chowder on Saturday at 12:30 followed by a book signing at 1:30. Heather Atwood, author of In Cod We Trust, will demonstrate Nantucket Scallop Pie, also known as “Boyfriend Pie,” on Sunday at 1:00 followed by a book signing at 2:00. Carlos Rafael, owner of Carlos Seafoods, will demonstrate his expert fish filleting at 4:30 on Saturday.

The Festival culminates on Sunday afternoon with a Seafood Throwdown, in which two chefs compete to create a winning seafood dish using a surprise seafood ingredient which is revealed to them at the event. Chefs can bring three of their favorite ingredients and, once the secret seafood is revealed, they are given $25 and 15 minutes to shop the Festival Farmers’ Market for their remaining ingredients. After their shopping spree, they have one hour to cook and plate their entry for the judge’s consideration. This year’s contest will pit Chef Chris Cronin of Padanaram’s Little Moss Restaurant against Rob Pirnie, Executive Chef of Warren, Rhode Island’s Trafford. Judges include food writer Heather Atwood (author of In Cod We Trust), Chef and Culinary Arts Instructor Henry Bousquet, and Margaret Curole Executive Chef for Commercial Fishermen of America. The Seafood Throwdown is a collaboration between the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance and the Working Waterfront Festival.

All of this activity is sure to whet the appetite. Festival attendees will be able to enjoy a wide variety of fresh, local seafood. The Seafood Hut will serve a full menu of the finest local seafood including fish and chips, fried scallops, and clam cakes. Newburyport Crab Company will offer crab cakes, lobster quesadillas, salmon tacos, and more. Littlenecks and oysters on the half shell will be available from R. Shucks Raw Bar and Oxford Creamery’s Ox-Cart will serve up lobster rolls, quahog chowder and more. Looking for fresh ingredients? The festival farmer’s market features produce and specialty items from a number of local farms as well as fresh local seafood provided by Revolution Lobster which will be sold directly off their boat.

The Working Waterfront Festival is a project of the Community Economic Development Center of Southeastern MA, a non-profit organization. The FREE festival, a family friendly, educational celebration of New England’s commercial fishing industry, features live maritime and ethnic music, fishermen’s contests, fresh seafood, vessel tours, author readings, cooking demonstrations, kid’s activities and more. It all takes place on working piers and waterfront parks in New Bedford, MA, America’s #1 fishing port, on the last full weekend in September. Navigate to us at www.workingwaterfrontfestival.org.

Conservation groups, fishermen divided over NOAA plan for marine national monument

September 15, 2015 — Hundreds of people filled a conference hall Tuesday night to speak out on a federal proposal to permanently protect a network of deep-sea canyons and underwater mountains off New England by creating the first marine national monument on the Atlantic coast.

The crowd at the meeting hosted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was divided between environmental groups and marine scientists on one side who have been pushing President Obama to preserve in perpetuity the area that starts about 100 miles southeast of Cape Cod and, on the other, commercial fishermen who say that the monument consideration process is flawed and amorphous.

As exhibit A, those in the fishing community pointed to the scope of the area under consideration, which was still not entirely clear at the hearing. Although the agenda listed three canyons — Gilbert, Lydonia and Oceanographer — as well as the seamounts south of them, as part of the proposal, NOAA officials said the area could change.

“There is not a specific proposal on the table,” said Christine Blackburn, NOAA senior adviser, adding that the agency will consider all comments on the plan.

Read the full story from the Providence Journal

Fishermen Unite In Opposition to Atlantic Marine National Monument

WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) — September 15, 2015 — Tonight, at a NOAA town hall meeting in Providence, Rhode Island, representatives from two of the largest fishing industry organizations in New England presented a letter that will be sent to President Obama opposing calls for a new marine National Monument in the waters off the coast of New England.

READ SAVING SEAFOOD’S ANALYSIS OF THE NEW ENGLAND MARINE MONUMENT PROPOSAL

Drew Minkiewicz, of the Fisheries Survival Fund, and Jackie Odell, Executive Director of the Northeast Seafood Coalition, will present the letter. In just 24 hours, over 630 fishermen, seafood industry workers, and members of our nation’s fishing communities have signed the letter. Signatures will continue to be collected, and the letter will be submitted to the White House, with copies to the Secretary of Commerce, the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Administrator of the National Marine Fisheries Service.

The meeting in Providence is being called to discuss the possibility of declaring Cashes Ledge, as well as the New England Canyons and Seamounts, as National Monuments. The signers of the letter strongly oppose the proposal as unnecessary and harmful to current management efforts. The letter notes that Cashes Ledge is currently protected, as has been so for over a decade. It also notes a National Monument designation, which would result from unilateral Presidential action under the Antiquities Act, would remove the areas from the open, democratic regulatory process that is currently responsible for managing them.

The Fisheries Survival Fund represents the majority of the full-time Limited Access scallop fleet. The Northeast Seafood Coalition represents members of the commercial groundfish fishery in New England.

The Northeast Seafood Coalition is a non-profit membership organization representing commercial fishing entities in the northeastern United States on political and policy issues affecting their interests as participants in the multispecies (groundfish) fishery.

The text of the letter is reproduced below:

We, the undersigned, in conjunction with the Fisheries Survival Fund and the Northeast Seafood Coalition, object to any attempt to manage New England’s offshore marine habitats through the use of the Antiquities Act and the designation of National Monuments. Doing so undermines the public and democratic processes that are now in place to manage these areas, shuts out important stakeholders, and prevents meaningful outside input. Considering that the current public process has led to the substantial habitat protections already in place throughout the region, such a designation is both unnecessary and damaging to the long-term management of these areas.

New England’s marine habitats are currently managed through a consultative process that considers the experience and input of expert scientists, fishermen, environmentalists, and regulators. It is where the best available science and analytical approaches are vetted in an open and transparent venue. Large-scale closures, enacted by executive fiat and not based in science, are not only undemocratic but they can have substantial unintended adverse impacts on bycatch composition, region-wide habitat, and the economies of coastal communities.

Recent actions by the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC), specifically the recently passed Omnibus Habitat Amendment 2 (OHA2) reinforce habitat protections in New England waters into the foreseeable future.

In addition to protecting features such as the kelp forests on Cashes Ledge under OHA2, the regional management councils have gone to great lengths to further safeguard essential habitats such as corals. The NEFMC is considering the Deep-Sea Coral Amendment, which would preserve the coral habitats in the New England Canyons and Seamounts, areas that have also been frequently under discussion for National Monument designation. The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) also recently acted to protect over 38,000 square miles of deep-sea coral. These are clear demonstrations that current habitat management is remarkably sensitive to conservation and the need to protect unique habitats.

Replacing this collaborative, open management with top-down Presidential action undermines these successful efforts. It makes it less likely that local voices are heard in the deliberations, narrows the decision-making process from broadly democratic to single-handed, and in consequence disregards crucial stakeholder input and expertise. It ultimately results in a regulatory process that is not responsive to feedback and is not accountable to the people who are most affected by it.

As members of the fishing communities whose livelihoods depend on inclusive, responsive management we recognize that such a fundamental altering of the regulatory process is unacceptable. Any management of public resources needs to preserve public input and involvement, not disregard it. We oppose unilateral Executive Action to declare marine National Monuments in New England.

Click here to add your name to the letter

NOAA Fisheries Announces Increase in Common Pool Gulf of Maine Cod Possession and Trip Limits

September 15, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA:

NOAA Fisheries announces an increase to the trip and possession limit for Gulf of Maine cod for common pool vessels.

We had reduced possession and trip limits to zero on June 15, 2015, to prevent the common pool from exceeding its Trimester 1 quota. To date, the common pool fishery has harvested approximately 31% of its annual quota for Gulf of Maine cod.

Through this action, we are increasing the possession and trip limit from zero to 25 pounds per trip for the remainder of the fishing year, though April 30, 2016.

This new limit goes into effect with publication in the Federal Register on Wednesday, September 16.

Read the rule as filed in the Federal Register today, and the permit holder bulletin available on our website.

Questions? Contact Jennifer Goebel, Regional Office, at 978-281-6175 or Jennifer.Goebel@noaa.gov.

Proposal to create ‘marine national monument’ off New England coast up for discussion in Providence

September 13, 2015 — Federal officials on Tuesday will present a proposal to permanently protect three deep-sea canyons and nearby underwater mountains off New England in a move that would create the first “marine national monument” on the eastern seaboard.

Although environmental groups and marine scientists have been pushing for the special designation for the area that starts about 100 miles southeast of Cape Cod at the edge of the Outer Continental Shelf, they say the current proposal under consideration by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration doesn’t go far enough.

At the upcoming Town Hall meeting in Providence, the groups’ focus won’t be so much on Oceanographer, Gilbert and Lydonia canyons and the seamounts that lie south of them but on other areas in the region that haven’t been included for protection in the plan.

At the top of the list for the Conservation Law Foundation, the Natural Resources Defense Council, The Pew Charitable Trusts and others is Cashes Ledge, a swath of waters in the Gulf of Maine that they describe as a one-of-a-kind fish nursery and feeding ground for important species that range from cod to tuna to endangered North Atlantic right whales.

Read the full story from the Providence Journal

Keep America Fishing Expresses Concern on Vast “No Fishing” Proposals for New England Waters

September 11, 2015 — Do you believe that the only way to conserve our public lands and waters is to lock recreational fishermen out? Do you view recreational fishing as an extractive activity on par with oil drilling and commercial bottom trawling?

Of course you don’t.

But right now, that’s what some anti-fishing organizations are actively accusing us of. When demanding areas off the New England coast be designated as “fully protected” marine monuments, their real agenda is to set up no-fishing zones.

The federal government is currently exploring this issue. There is the potential for all recreational fishing to be banned, even though there’s no evidence to suggest we pose a threat to the habitat or fish populations in these areas.

Read the full story from The Fishing Wire

Pew Circulates Cashes Ledge Monument Petition

September 10, 2015 — The Pew Charitable Trusts is circulating a petition calling for President Obama to designate Cashes Ledge and areas of the New England Canyons and Seamounts as National Monuments. Such as designation would permanently close these areas to fishing and other commercial activity, but would also remove them from the current public management process. Several of the areas, most notably Cashes Ledge, are already off-limits to fishermen under existing habitat protections.

The text of the petition is below:

MAKE HISTORY BY ASKING THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO CREATE THE FIRST MARINE NATIONAL MONUMENT IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN!

The “Grand Canyons,” sea mountains, and Cashes Ledge off New England’s coast are national treasures. These precious ecosystems provide refuge for hundreds of species of rare and unique marine wildlife, including whales, seabirds, and long-living cold-water corals. These remote areas are also critical to the health of our ocean fish, which are the lifeblood of Atlantic coastal communities.

Unfortunately, these fragile undersea places are under growing threat of destruction from overfishing and industrial exploitation as the deep ocean becomes more accessible to extraction. Now is the most crucial time to protect New England’s Grand Canyons, sea mountains, and Cashes Ledge—and we need your help!

SEND A MESSAGE. OVERWHELMING PUBLIC SUPPORT IS NEEDED TO CONVINCE THE ADMINISTRATION TO FULLY PROTEC THESE SPECIAL PLACES FOREVER!

Read the petition here

Read Saving Seafood’s previous coverage of the issue:

ANALYSIS: New England Marine Monument Proposals Overlook Existing Protections, Overstep Democratic Management

A Simple Map Shows Cashes Ledge Habitat is Already Protected

The Aging Oyster And Clam Hatchery That’s Behind A Multimillion-Dollar Industry

September 7, 2015 — As traditional fish stocks in New England continue to decline and the industry endures greater restrictions, fishermen have been creating a new line of work: They are becoming farmers — shellfish farmers.

The cultivation of oysters and clams has become big business in Massachusetts, especially on Cape Cod, but the one source for the state’s $25 million aquaculture industry almost shut its doors.

From Oyster Seeds The Size Of ‘Pepper,’ A Family Business Grew

Myron Taylor is out on Wellfleet Harbor. He’s 74 and has been been raising clams and oysters here since he was a kid.

“And back in the old time when we had to pick up all the oysters seeds on the beach, in order to get them to grow, and it took about four years to get an oyster to grow,” he says.

Those wild oyster seeds Taylor picked up off the beach years ago were juvenile oysters and clams that he would plant in nearby waters. But that traditional method for growing shellfish was very slow and often did not yield much product. So like most fishermen on the Cape, Taylor caught cod, flounder and other groundfish to earn a living.

In the late 1980s, when those stocks became scarce, Taylor turned to lobstering. It was around that time he heard about some scientists in Dennis who were harvesting tiny clam seeds and selling them to fishermen to grow.

Read the full story and listen to the audio at WBUR

New Bedford Working Waterfront Festival to debut Fishing Gear Fashion Show

September 10, 2015 — The following was released by the New Bedford Working Waterfront Festival:

On the eve of Boston Fashion Week, fishermen in New Bedford, the nation’s top dollar fishing port, will strut their stuff in the world’s first fishing gear fashion show. Fishermen will model the latest product lines as well as gear from different fisheries and different eras to provide an entertaining look at how workplace clothing has evolved over time. The fashion show will take place on Saturday, September 26^th at 2PM as part of the 2015 Working Waterfront Festival, an annual event celebrating commercial fishing culture.

Local businesses that manufacture and retail clothing for the commercial fishing industry have stepped up to provide the gear to be modeled. Skips Marine, Euro Fishing Gear, and Guy Cotten will present the latest in foul weather gear including outerwear, sea boots, and work gloves. Hercules LLC will model safety gear such as PFDs and survival suits. The Landing will show off its line of gear for women who fish commercially as well as specialized aprons developed for fish cutters. In addition, the event will include examples of gear from earlier times to provide a historical perspective.

According to Festival Director, Laura Orleans, “Like most occupations, the fishing industry has its own particular clothing much of which is designed to keep fishermen dry and warm while at sea. The fashion show concept was inspired by Jon Campbell’s (a Rhode Island singer songwriter) song Fredericks of Galilee which he will perform live at the event. I think this will be a fun way to promote these products and the local businesses that sell them.”

The Working Waterfront Festival is a project of the Community Economic Development Center of Southeastern MA, a non-profit organization. The FREE festival, a family friendly, educational celebration of New England’s commercial fishing industry, features live maritime and ethnic music, fishermen’s contests, fresh seafood, vessel tours, maritime authors, cooking demonstrations, kid’s activities and more. It all takes place on working piers and waterfront parks in New Bedford, MA, America’s #1 fishing port, on the last full weekend in September. Navigate to us at www.workingwaterfrontfestival.org.

News for the New England Region