New York Harbor Archives - Saving Seafood

Whale sightings and ship strike danger surge off New York

May 31, 2019 — Humpback whales are seen much more often around the approaches to New York Harbor, and with them comes the potential for more deadly encounters with vessels, according to a new study.

“Whales feed in close proximity to the entrance of the Port of New York and New Jersey, creating potentially dangerous situations for both vessels and whales. Documenting humpback whale presence and identifying the risks are crucial for both short- and long-term management,” wrote researchers at George Mason University in Virginia and Gotham Whale, a nonprofit group in New York City.

Published in the journal Marine Policy, authors Danielle M. Brown, Paul L. Sieswerda and E.C.M. Parsons report humpback whale sightings – along with strandings of dead whales – have substantially increased around the apex of the New York Bight since 2011. The team makes a case for stepping up whale monitoring in the Bight, for both conservation and the safety of mariners and whales.

A humpback whale and vessels near New York. Tugs and tows travel at lower speeds but can still be at risk of collision with whales feeding close to shore, according to a new study.

Read the full story at WorkBoat

Seaweed matters: Eat your vegetables

April 26, 2019 — When I sat down at a Portland kombucha bar to attend a local Seaweed 101 session, I fully expected a love story about wild, vegan kelp and how we can change the world by eating more sea vegetables. What I didn’t expect was an in-depth exchange about federal fishery management and how it has decimated the industry’s communities in New England.

VitaminSea owner, and host of the session, Tom Roth was a commercial tilefish captain out of New Jersey a lifetime ago. He transitioned into New York Harbor tugboats as the industry declined, and started diving for kelp in his spare time from his home base in southern Maine about 15 years ago.

These days he goes out in a 40-foot boat that carries three other divers, two wooden skiffs and two Zodiacs. Each diver takes a small craft out on his own; they spread out, harvest, then meet back at the boat to help each other unload.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

NEW JERSEY: Rebirth of the artificial reef program

August 10, 2016 — A little before 8 a.m. a small group of fishermen resumed a ritual that was nearly lost due to a territorial war.

They formed their boats into a semi-circle two miles off the coast of Point Pleasant Beach to watch a 65-foot former New York Harbor crew boat be purposely sunk on a reef.

It was a perfect morning to do it.

The ocean Tuesday was as smooth as glass and visibility was such that the pastel colors of boardwalk amusements on shore and the tops of inland water towers could be discerned from the distance.

“Once she fills up with water she’s going to go down pretty quickly. The only question is, will she go bow up or transom up?” said Ken Warchal, a trustee of the Manasquan River Marlin and Tuna Club, the sport fishing club that purchased the boat.

The club was sinking the boat in the name of the late Jack Murray, a former club president and champion of marine conservation who served on various fishery management bodies. The goal is to have a site in his honor teeming with fish for anglers to catch.

“We’ll probably have a contest to see who can catch the first fish on it,” said Warchal, who expects black sea bass, tautog and summer flounder will inhabit the locale within a year.

Read the full story at the Asbury Park Press

Atlantic Scallop Fishery Opposes Location of Long Island Wind Energy Area

WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) — March 16, 2016 — Earlier today the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, a division of the U.S. Department of the Interior, announced its finalization of the first Wind Energy Area off the coast of New York. The Wind Energy Area is located approximately 11 miles off the coast of Long Island and totals about 81,130 acres. The Fisheries Survival Fund (FSF), which represents the majority of the full-time Limited Access scallop fleet has issued the following statement opposing the decision:

In 2011, the New York Power Authority, on behalf of the Long Island-New York City Offshore Wind Collaborative, selected a 127 square mile portion of the New York Bight (shown in the figure below) and applied for a commercial wind lease there. In accordance with its “Smart from the Start” policy, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (“BOEM”) then issued a request to determine whether there was any competitive interest for the site. Two other companies responded affirmatively. In 2014, BOEM issued a Call for Information for the same area. Responses to the Call revealed that the proposed area is critical to a wide range of maritime activities.

Despite the abundance of uses in the area, BOEM is moving forward with an environmental review of the project. The “Smart from the Start” process allows any company to submit an unsolicited bid for an ocean area of its choosing, without consideration of existing uses. Only far later, after costly site selection and physical suitability analyses have occurred, does the agency even request information from the public. Then, that information is merely presented in environmental impact statements, with no guidelines for how much conflict is too much to proceed. This process makes the burden of showing that a wind farm is not appropriate in a given area almost impossible, and it amounts to adverse possession of ocean lands.

Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) data showing scallop fishing activity in New York Bight. Values increase from green to yellow to red. Proposed wind area is shaded triangle left of center.

A Sea of Conflicts:

The fishing industry refers to the area in question as the “Mudhole” or “Cholera Bank.” The commercial scallop fishery alone catches several million dollars of scallops per year in the proposed wind energy area, and many more fisheries also operate there, including for squid, monkfish, summer flounder, herring, and quahog. These fish are landed in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut New York, New Jersey, and Virginia. It also hosts recreational angling, and contains designated Essential Fish Habitat for more than 35 federally-managed fish species including Atlantic cod, yellowtail flounder, bluefin tuna, and several skate and shark species.

The Mudhole is sandwiched between the vessel traffic separation lanes for New York Harbor, which require substantial buffer zones for safety. The World Shipping Council and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey have already expressed concerns about the area’s proximity to sea lanes.

A wind energy facility in this location would also interfere with the operation of eleven high frequency radars in NY, NJ, and RI, according to comments from the National Ocean Service and Rutgers University. The radar network provides information critical to search and rescue activities, oil spill response, and beach closures due to high bacterial levels.

Finally, the Mudhole is teeming with wildlife. It is an important migratory area for numerous bird and bat species, and contains several federally-endangered species including North Atlantic right, humpback, and fin whales, Atlantic sturgeon, and several sea turtle species. A wind farm would impact all of these species.

View a PDF of the release

Waters Surrounding New York City Contain At Least 165 Million Plastic Particles — Making Its Way Into the Food Supply

February 13, 2016 — The waterways surrounding New York City are a soup of plastic, ranging from discarded takeout containers down to tiny beads that end up in the food supply, according to a new report by an environmental group.

The study, by the group NY/NJ Baykeeper, estimated there are at least 165 million plastic particles floating in New York Harbor and nearby waters at any given time.

The report was based on samples collected by trawlers that plied the city’s East River, the mouth of the Hudson River and New Jersey’s Passaic River and Raritan Bay between March and August 2015.

The average concentration of plastics was 256,322 particles per square kilometer, according to the report.

To maybe nobody’s surprise, the highest concentration, 556,484 particles per square kilometer, was found in New York City’s East River, which separates Manhattan from Brooklyn and Queens and is known for its floating filth.

“It just goes to show you big problems need big solutions,” said Sandra Meola, a spokeswoman for Baykeeper.

The New York-New Jersey study was modeled on a pioneering study of the Great Lakes conducted by Sherri Mason, a chemistry professor at the State University of New York in Fredonia.

That study found plastics pollution in all five lakes, with the highest concentration in Lakes Erie and Ontario, which are ringed by urban centers and industry.

Read the full story at the New York Daily News