Saving Seafood

News for the New England Region

MASSACHUSETTS: Immigrant Voices Exhibit Coming to New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center

October 7, 2024 — The New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center has a new look and a host of events coming up in October and November, including interesting films, live music and a new exhibit entitled “Casting a Wider Net.”

We talked this week with Joe Ritter, the FHC’s Director of Programs, about the upcoming schedule and the new look of its Bethel Street headquarters.

“A lot of hard work went into the design and creation of our new exterior look,” Ritter said. “Our recently-hired Marketing Specialist Matt Moyer Bell, a local artist, designed the project with help from Reidar’s Trawl Gear and Marine Supply. He also worked with local photographers to curate their photos of New Bedford’s Working Waterfront. ‘Catch the Tradition’ is a permanent art installation for us.”

Read the full article at WBSM

NOAA confirms link between Maine lobster fishing and right whale death

October 4, 2024 — NOAA investigators have for the first time confirmed a link between the death of a critically endangered North Atlantic right whale and the Maine lobster industry.

The whale, right whale #5120, was found dead off the coast of Massachusetts in January 2024, and a necropsy in February found it was entangled in gear with markings that NOAA said were consistent with rope used in Maine state water trap/pot buoy lines used for lobster fishing.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

AI transforms scallop stock assessments for greater accuracy

October 3, 2024 — Artificial Intelligence and machine learning help researchers take a giant step toward more accurate stock assessments.

Since the early 2000s, New England and Mid-Atlantic scallop fisheries have been managed sustainably through temporary area closures and periodic harvests by vessels limited to seven-person crews. This sound management depends on accurate numbers, and the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) relies on data drawn from different sources for its Atlantic sea scallop stock assessments. “We get data from Coonamessett Farm Foundation (CFF), Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation, and others says Teri Frady, communications chief at NOAA Fisheries. But Frady is particularly interested in new AI-augmented data coming from the work of Dvora Hart at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center—NEFSC—in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. “I’m always interested in what Dvora is doing,” says Frady.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

NOAA officials confirm fishing gear led to death of endangered right whale off New England coast

October 3, 2024 — Federal investigators said Maine fishing gear is to blame for the death of an endangered right whale.

Maine lobstermen said they’re sad to hear about the whale’s death, but they also fear new regulations will endanger their livelihoods. The female right whale was found dead near Martha’s Vineyard in January.

This death and investigation come as new lobster fishing regulations are up for debate.

One lobsterman said fishing without using a rope isn’t that simple and it would cost significantly more.

“It’s been an ongoing battle for a number of years. We have taken and modified our gear over the years to reduce the amount of rope that we use in the water, so the industry has done a lot that it’s been asked of,” John Drouin, a lobsterman, said.

Read the full article at WMUR

MASSACHUSETTS: Oyster farmers find northernmost blue angelfish ever reported off the coast of Cape Cod, org says

October 2, 2024 — Cape Cod husband and wife oyster farmers were flipping bags on their oyster grant in Little Pleasant Bay in Orleans last week when a colorful little fish caught their eye.

When Tim Silva was working on flipping the 5,000 floating bags of oysters on Wednesday to help clear them of debris and establish the oyster shapes, he noticed a blue.

“Not a normal blue,” Silva said. “It was moving, and it was fish that was not supposed to be there.”

The fish, which would later be identified as a blue angelfish, gravitated towards Danielle Orcutt, his wife’s hands, presumably to keep warm. Since colder waters were approaching, Silva and Orcutt knew they needed to find a place where the fish could survive. So, they called Wild Care, a wildlife rescue nonprofit on the Cape.

Read the full article at Boston.com

MAINE: How Canada salmon farmer Cooke became one of Washington County’s largest employers

October 2, 2024 — Cooke Inc., an aquaculture company based in New Brunswick and led by CEO Glenn Cooke, has operated salmon farms and hatcheries in Maine as Cooke USA for two decades.

One of Washington County’s largest employers, Cooke supplies farmed Atlantic salmon throughout New England and the U.S.

“Cooke, and salmon aquaculture in general, is woven into the fabric of Washington County’s economy,” said Chris Gardner, executive director of the Eastport Port Authority and chairman of the Washington County Commission.

Read the full article at Mainebiz

Nantucket group appeals to Supreme Court to end offshore wind projects and protect endangered whales

September 30, 2024 — A group of Nantucket, Massachusetts, residents are appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court in their challenge to the industrialization of parts of the Atlantic Ocean, where they say offshore wind farms – developed with the blessing of the federal government – are putting an endangered whale species at risk.

The group, Nantucket Residents Against Turbines, argues in its petition to the high court that “the federal government has lost sight of its statutory obligations to conserve endangered species that will be directly affected by the construction of thousands of wind turbines in the Atlantic Ocean.”

They argue that the federal agencies that authorized the leasing of the water area to wind turbine companies excluded certain data in their analysis to the benefit of offshore wind development.

“Despite the agencies’ explicit statutory duty to consider all ‘best information available,’ regarding the impacts its actions might have on an endangered or threatened species and those habitats, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), did not consider the cumulative impacts of other planned projects when they authorized and issued permits to construct the Vineyard Wind 1 Project.”

Read the full article at Fox News

NEFMC Seeks Applicants for Climate and Ecosystem Steering Committee

September 27, 2024 — The New England Fishery Management Council is looking for qualified candidates to serve on its new Climate and Ecosystem Steering Committee (Steering Committee).  The application deadline is Friday, October 18, 2024.  Appointment terms are for two years, starting in November 2024, with the possibility for reappointment.

 
COMMITTEE STRUCTURE: The Steering Committee will be comprised of members of the Council and its Scientific and Statistical Committee, NOAA Fisheries and Council staff, members of the fishing industry, and other government and non-government experts with experience in the following key areas:
 
  • Climate scenario planning and climate-resilient fishery management approaches;
  • Ecosystem approaches to fishery management;
  • Fishery stock assessment methods;
  • Governance, policy, and marine user management;
  • Biology, oceanography, and climate science; and/or
  • Social sciences and economics.
 
WHY IS THE COUNCIL CREATING A NEW COMMITTEE: The Council is facing unprecedented challenges associated with climate change and has identified the need to introduce additional flexibility into the management process to address changes in abundance, distribution, and productivity of managed stocks. In recognition of these challenges, NOAA Fisheries is providing funding from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to assist Councils in the transition to climate-resilient fishery management approaches.  Also, as part of its 2024 work priorities, the Council agreed to consider ecosystem approaches across all of its fishery management plans. The Council established the Climate and Ecosystem Steering Committee to provide overarching guidance and support for design and implementation of climate-ready management approaches.  The Steering Committee’s tasks are outlined in the solicitation announcement.
 
WHAT’S INVOLVED: The Climate and Ecosystem Steering Committee will be led by a Council-appointed chair and vice chair.  The committee is expected to meet at least twice annually as a full group with intersessional meetings as needed and report directly to the Council.  The Council will share the group’s recommendations with regional partners.
 
HOW DO I APPLY: Applicants must submit a resume and a summary of qualifications for the appointment.  Completed applications should be emailed to Sherie Goutier at sgoutier@nefmc.org  or mailed to Cate O’Keefe, Executive Director, New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950.  All application materials must be received no later than October 18, 2024.

Vineyard Wind contractor announcing hundreds of layoffs

September 26, 2024 — The contractor hired by Vineyard Wind to install 62 turbines south of the Island is reporting significant financial losses amid damages to turbine blades in multiple projects, and most recently, they are announcing intentions to downsize while pushing forward with billions of dollars in unfinished work.

GE Vernova, who have contracts to manufacture and install turbines around the world, said last week that they plan to cut as many as 900 jobs.

“The proposal reflects industry wide challenges for wind and aims to transform our Offshore Wind business into a smaller, leaner and more profitable business within GE Vernova,” a spokesperson told The Times in an email statement.

The announcement was made in a report to the European Works Council, which represents workers. Vernova did not specify where the job losses would be felt, but a spokesperson did say that they plan to finish out existing projects, including Vineyard Wind.

Read the full article at MV Times

MASSACHUSETTS: Bay State’s offshore wind prices about to reset

September 26, 2024 — Massachusetts residents already pay some of the highest electricity prices in the country and the state is going to need a lot more power as it tries to make a big shift away from fossil fuels. So how much will it cost to generate cleaner electricity with offshore wind?

The pricing details for the state’s latest slate of offshore wind projects won’t be available until contracts are put on file this winter and it is clearly a sensitive topic for the industry and its boosters in state government. The projects chosen this month are widely expected to cost ratepayers more than previous projects, and the Healey administration would only say that they will be cost effective when compared to the cost of building other power generation projects in the future.

Boston area electricity prices were 64 percent above the national average last month, federal data show, and Massachusetts abandoned its attempt at forcing a declining cap on offshore wind power prices in 2022 when it eliminated the legal requirement that each new project selected charge a lower price than the previous one.

Read the full article at the New Bedford Light