Saving Seafood

Massachusetts Gains Foothold in Offshore Wind Power, Long Ignored in U.S.

May 24, 2018 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — On the waterfront of this fabled former whaling hub, the outlines of a major new industry are starting to appear.

Crews of research boats perform last-minute tuneups before heading out to map the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. A large weather buoy decked out with gear for measuring wind speeds waits on the quay for repairs. And a 1,200-foot stretch of the port has been beefed up to bear enormous loads.

New Bedford hopes to soon be the operations center for the first major offshore wind farm in the United States, bringing billions of dollars of investment and thousands of jobs to the town and other ports on the East Coast.

New England is particularly well suited to offshore wind farms. There is not enough land for wind turbines onshore, and the area is not ideal for solar power. At the same time, Massachusetts has been under pressure to find new sources of energy to replace aging conventional and nuclear plants, as well as meet targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions blamed for climate change.

“We know in light of Northern Europe’s experience with offshore wind that many U.S. ports will benefit from the arrival of the industry here,” Jon Mitchell, the New Bedford mayor, said in an interview.

Whether Massachusetts can pull of its ambitious plans will depend to some degree on local issues — and not everyone in the area is enthusiastic.

In particular, some of New Bedford’s fishermen are worried. The city’s port is already home to hundreds of fishing boats, as well as seafood auction houses and processing plants. It generates about $3.3 billion a year and supports about 6,200 jobs, according to the local authorities.

Eric Hansen, a scallop fisherman, said that he and his colleagues were concerned about threading their way through a relatively narrow allotted path through spinning turbines.

“Think fog, heavy seas,” he said.

Read the full story at the New York Times

Scallop sales to pay for projects to help turtles, fisheries

May 18, 2018 — PORTLAND, Maine — The sale of scallops will help pay for projects designed to study subjects such as the impact of fishing on sea turtles and how to make the New England shellfish fishery more efficient.

The New England Fishery Management Council announced awards to 15 such projects on Wednesday. The projects are funded via a program that uses sale of scallops to pay for science.

The projects are awarded pounds of scallops that have been set aside from the rest of the fishing quota, and applicants partner with fishermen to harvest the shellfish and generate money.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Seattle Times

 

SMAST Receives Scallop Awards to Fund Drop Camera Surveys

May 17, 2018 — The NOAA Fisheries Northeast Fisheries Science Center and the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) are pleased to announce 15 projects have been selected for funding through the Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program, including three projects proposed by the UMass Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) in New Bedford.

“The Scallop RSA Program truly has become one of the flagships of the scallop fishery,” said New England Council Chairman Dr. John Quinn. “The collaborative efforts that take place at sea between fishermen and researchers go a long way toward enhancing our understanding of what’s happening with the resource. The results of this RSA work funnel back to the Council and support stock assessments. Without a doubt, the Scallop RSA Program helps us better manage our extremely valuable scallop fishery.”

Projects will address research priorities established by the NEFMC, with particular focus on resource surveys. The awards are expected to generate more than $12 million; $3 million to fund research, and $9 million to compensate industry partners that harvest set-aside quota.

Read the full story at WBSM

 

Scallop RSA Program: NEFMC and NOAA Announce 15 Awards Selected for 2018-2019 funding

May 16, 2018 — The following was released by New England Fishery Management Council:

 

The New England Fishery Management Council and NOAA Fisheries’ Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) are pleased to announce that 15 projects have been selected for 2018-2019 funding through the Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program.

“The Scallop RSA Program truly has become one of the flagships of the scallop fishery,” said New England Council Chairman Dr. John Quinn. “The collaborative efforts that take place at sea between fishermen and researchers go a long way toward enhancing our understanding of what’s happening with the resource. The results of this RSA work funnel back to the Council and support stock assessments. Without a doubt, the RSA program helps us better manage our – Virginia Institute of Marine Science photo extremely valuable scallop fishery.”

Projects will address research priorities established by the Council, with a particular focus on resource surveys. The awards are expected to generate more than $12 million: $3 million to fund research; and $9 million to compensate industry partners who harvest set-aside quota

“We are excited to be able to work with the New England Fishery Management Council, industry, and scientists to fund sea scallop science through the Research Set-Aside Program,” said NEFSC Science and Research Director Dr. Jon Hare. “The projects funded support surveys, bycatch mitigation, and biological studies, all with the purpose of improving the information used in the management of the sea scallop resource.”

The New England Council established the Sea Scallop RSA Program to address research questions that support management of the scallop resource. The Council sets the research priorities and researchers compete for funding through a federal grant competition managed by NOAA Fisheries.

No federal funds are provided to support the research. Instead, projects are awarded pounds of scallops, which have been “set aside” from the annual fishery quota for this purpose. Successful applicants partner with the fishing industry to harvest their set-aside award to generate funds for the research. There are active research set-aside programs for Atlantic sea scallops, Atlantic herring, and monkfish.

2018-2019 Scallop RSA Award Summary

The awards fall into three categories: scallop surveys (dredge, drop camera, and HabCam); bycatch mitigation; and sea scallop biology.

Scallop Surveys

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) received new awards to conduct dredge surveys in Closed Area I, Closed Area II, and the Nantucket Lightship. Under an existing award from last year, VIMS also will conduct a dredge survey of the Mid-Atlantic Bight. As part of ongoing efforts to better understand scallop survey dredge performance, VIMS investigators received an award to evaluate the hydrodynamic characteristics of both lined and unlined survey dredges in the largest flume tank in the world, located in St. John’s, Newfoundland at Memorial University’s Marine Institute.

The University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) received three awards to conduct surveys using a drop-camera array. Through these awards, researchers plan to conduct high-resolution surveys of the Nantucket Lightship, Closed Area I, Great South Channel, and select portions of the Northern Gulf of Maine Scallop Management Area.

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) will conduct Habitat Camera Mapping System (HabCam) optical surveys throughout the Mid-Atlantic Bight and on the northern flank of Georges Bank. In addition to these surveys, researchers will continue to evaluate dredge effects on habitat and habitat recovery in the Closed Area II Habitat Area of Particular Concern. Coonamessett Farm Foundation will conduct a HabCam survey of the Nantucket Lightship and Southern Flank of Georges Bank.

Bycatch Mitigation

Coonamessett Farm Foundation will continue its seasonal survey on Georges Bank, collecting information on bycatch rates for yellowtail flounder and other species relative to scallop meat yield. These data also will be used to evaluate sea scallop health and meat quality, biological questions about several flounder species, and to examine lobsters for shell disease.

Coonamessett Farm Foundation will continue its loggerhead sea turtle tagging program, receiving funds to tag up to 20 loggerheads with water activated tags. Tag data will be used to evaluate spatial and temporal overlap between loggerhead sea turtles and the scallop fishery.

Coonamessett Farm Foundation also will be testing a dredge twine-top cover net in an attempt to quantify dredge selectivity characteristics.

Sea Scallop Biology

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science will investigate sea scallop density-dependence factors that may be affecting growth, mortality, and reproduction of scallops in the Nantucket Lightship and Elephant Trunk areas. In addition, VIMS will conduct a pilot study to extend the current stock assessment model to better account for sea scallop ages with a particular focus on the Mid-Atlantic Bight and Nantucket Lightship areas.

WHOI will receive support to determine if a gonadosomatic index (GSI) can be calculated from Light Field 3D images of shucked scallops collected during fishing operations. The GSI is used to assess maturity and spawning events in many species of fish and shellfish, including scallops. If successful, this could improve the ability to collect and quantify scallop maturation and spawning data during the course of routine fishery sampling procedures.

The 2018-2019 award listings can be found on the Northeast Fisheries Science Center website at: https://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/coopresearch/news/scallop-rsa-2018-2019/.

RSA award announcements and answers to “frequently asked questions” also are available at https://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/coopresearch/rsa_program.html.

Visit the New England Council’s scallop webpage: https://www.nefmc.org/management-plans/scallops.

View the release in its entirety here.

 

Safety training is a must for all who go to sea

May 14, 2018 — On December 20, 2004 the 75-foot New Bedford scalloper Northern Edge went down in the Nantucket Lightship Closed Area. Five men perished. It was a loss that rocked the city. Pedro Furtado, the only survivor, was a 22 year-old man who had been through safety training in his native Portugal before coming to the United States. He had the presence of mind to jump into the wintry sea while the other men froze. It was this disaster that prompted the city to introduce safety training for those who earn their livelihood from commercial fishing, the most dangerous occupation in the United States.

It has been very successful, according to Ed Dennehy, director of safety training for the Fishing Partnership which runs these one and two-day programs in fishing harbors up and down the coast. “We’ve been all over, from Jonesport, Maine to Jones Beach, Long Island, he said. “We like to bring the program to where the fishermen are and it has grown over the years.”

In response to the loss of the Northern Edge the city received some funds from National Marine Fisheries in 2005 in order to develop safety and survival training. At the time Dennehy, a retired Coast Guard captain, was running New Directions in New Bedford and with the help of SMAST and others, like Rodney Avila, along the waterfront the program began. Since then more than 3500 fishermen have taken the safety classes which are offered free. The Fishing Partnership began running the program in 2012.

I had the opportunity to participate in the training myself on Thursday last. It was held at UConn’s Avery Point campus in Groton and there were 40 participants, a testament to the growing awareness and demand for this vital service.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

 

Massachusetts: Elizabeth Warren packs a town hall meeting, sits with Markey, Keating over fishing

May 14, 2018 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., came to the city Saturday to hear the concerns of fishermen who wanted a faster resolution to the Carlos Rafael problems that have closed two fishing sectors, maybe throwing fishermen permanently out of their jobs.

These cases of licensing and ownership, and repayment of overfishing, “need to be resolved as quickly as possible,” Warren said later.

Warren also heard from Mayor Jon Mitchell and fishing representatives who contend that the wind energy companies that are the finalists for an exclusive contract are not listening to the concerns of the fishing industry, mainly scallopers.

Warren along with U.S. Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass, and U.S. Rep. Bill Keating, D-Mass., listened about these matters in a meeting at the Wharfinger Building on City Pier 3, organized by Bob Vanasse of the industry lobby Saving Seafood.

They parted ways when Warren and her campaign staff went to the Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School to conduct a town hall style meeting.

The event had an atmosphere much like a campaign rally, with Warren on stage answering questions from attendees who signed up in a lottery.

She touched on a dozen topics, taking her talk where the questions went, on everything from her late mother, poverty, and U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, who rejects a bill that would insulate special prosecutor Robert Mueller from being removed from office by President Donald Trump.

She also condemned the recent trillion-dollar tax cut while Medicaid recipients are threatened by cuts and 90 percent of Americans claim zero percent in the rise of the economy in the past several decades.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times 

 

Grant awarded to investigate Japanese “ear-hanging” scallop production in Maine

May 11, 2018 — The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), a U.S. nonprofit organization established in the 2014 Farm Bill, has awarded a USD 300,000 (EUR) grant for pioneering new scallop production techniques in the state of Maine.

The grant, announced 23 April, is going to Brunswick, Maine-based Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI), which will manage the program. CEI offers business advisory services to small businesses as well as financing and project management.

The purpose of the project is to investigate the economic viability of the Japanese “ear-hanging” scallop production technique in Maine. The grant, which will fund a three-year program, will cover market analysis and hiring a consultant with a background in wild scallops.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

 

NEFMC Council Update – May 8, 2018

May 8, 2018 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:   

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS, NOAA Fisheries) recently implemented or released announcements about several actions that were developed by the New England Fishery Management Council (Council) or have Council involvement. The actions relate to groundfish, skates, monkfish, and Atlantic sea scallops. Here they are at a glance, followed by a list of upcoming New England Council committee meetings and Atlantic herring public hearings.

GROUNDFISH:  NOAA Fisheries implemented the following groundfish-related actions in time for the May 1 start of the 2018 fishing year.

SKATES:  The New England Council developed Framework Adjustment 5 to the Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan, which contains 2018-2019 specifications and management measures. At the end of April, NMFS announced that the framework would not be in place by the May 1 start of the 2018 fishing year and, as such, the fishery would continue to operate under 2017 regulations until further notice. Framework 5 proposes to allow possession of barndoor skates in the skate wing fishery under certain constraints. IMPORTANT: Possession of barndoor skates currently is prohibited until Framework 5 is implemented. The agency anticipates publishing a proposed rule later this spring. More information about Framework 5 is available at Council action and Skate Framework 5.

MONKFISH:  NOAA Fisheries announced that, on June 4, the agency will implement specifications for the 2018 monkfish fishing year. Days-at-sea allocations, possession limits, and total allowable landings will be the same as those implemented in 2017. The specifications are part of Framework Adjustment 10 to the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan, which was developed jointly by the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils for fishing years 2017-2019. NOAA Fisheries approved the framework on July 12, 2017. View the latest permit holder bulletin at 2018 monkfish specs.

SCALLOPS:  The Council developed Framework Adjustment 29 to the federal Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan. This framework contains management measures and specifications for the 2018 scallop fishing year and default measures for 2019, among other provisions.

  • NOAA Fisheries implemented Northern Gulf of Maine (NGOM) Management Area measures on April 1, the start of the 2018 scallop fishing year. The permit holder bulletin is available at NGOM Management Area Open April 1.
  • Limited Access General Category (LAGC) fishermen harvested their 135,000-pound total allowable catch during the month of April. Effective May 2, NOAA Fisheries closed the NGOM area to LAGC fishermen but provided an exemption for: (1) Maine and Massachusetts vessels fishing exclusively in state waters; and (2) limited access vessels fishing “compensation trips” under the Scallop Research Set-Aside Program. Details are available at NGOM closed to LAGC.
  • NOAA Fisheries implemented all other measures in Scallop Framework Adjustment 29 on April 19. The agency issued two permit holder bulletins to explain allocations and measures that apply to:
  • Limited Access Scallop Vessels
  • LAGC vessels

SCALLOP AND HERRING STOCK ASSESSMENTS:  Members of the New England Council staff and relevant Plan Development Teams are serving on working groups that are preparing benchmark stock assessments for Atlantic sea scallops and Atlantic herring.

  • The Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s 2018 benchmark assessments website is located here.
  • The scallop and herring benchmark assessments will be peer reviewed June 26-29, 2018 during the 65thStock Assessment Workshop/Stock Assessment Review Committee (SAW/SARC) meeting. The science center will provide a presentation on the assessment results to the New England Council during the Council’s September 25-27 meeting in Plymouth, MA. The science center’s Northeast Regional SAW webpage can be found at SAW/SARC 65.

UPCOMING MEETINGS:  Many of the New England Council’s committees will be holding meetings throughout the rest of May and into June. Follow these links for details.

Learn more about the NEFMC by visiting their site here.

 

Alaska: NOAA vet named head of crab group

May 8, 2018 — Jamie Goen, a veteran of NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service as well as the International Pacific Halibut Commission, is the new executive director of Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers.

Goen most recently worked as branch manager with the International Pacific Halibut Commission, overseeing its fisheries data collection programs.

Before that, she worked as the congressional affairs liaison to the head of NOAA. While at NOAA for 15 years, she worked on fishing quota programs, including serving as the lead on implementation of the Trawl Rationalization Program. In addition, she also worked in New England on the Atlantic Sea Scallop Quota Program.

“Goen comes with a wealth of experience in fisheries management, starting in her career traveling the world on oceanographic vessels running scientific equipment, having sailed every ocean except the Arctic,” Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers said in a press release.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

 

Market Grows for Community Supported Fisheries Bringing Expanded Benefits to Fishermen

May 3, 2018 — SEAFOOD NEWS — Fishermen from every coastal state in the nation are expanding markets for their catch through community supported fisheries (CSF), a way to get fresh-caught fish into the hands of discerning customers who also want to know more about how and where the fish were caught, and even who the fisherman was.

The growth of CSFs, modeled largely after community supported agriculture (CSA), has been impressive. The first one began in Port Clyde, ME, in 2007 as an effort to revitalize a small village’s fishing legacy. Port Clyde Fresh Catch sold shares in the early days and subscribers got whatever the small (about a dozen vessels) fleet caught that season.

Today Port Clyde has a retail store, website, and drop-off locations for customers to pick up their fish or purchase without becoming a member.

The largest CSF in the country is Cape Ann Fresh Catch out of Gloucester, with over 700 members. This week, they are featuring “wicked fresh” spring scallops for $20/lb. But if you want something else, go online or to their retail store for smoked fish, fresh fish & shellfish, baked goods, and their own line of prepared foods.

While the structure of the 30-plus individual CSFs in the U.S. may differ — some sell shares or subscriptions, others have evolved to processing plants and storefronts — they all operate with three goals in mind: environmental stewardship, economic stability, and social improvements.

In the case of two Alaska-based CSFs, those goals are also the core mission of the organizations that formed the CSF. The oldest of the two, Alaska’s Own, is part of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association based in Sitka. All profits from Alaskans Own go directly towards supporting fishery conservation research, initiatives to keep fishing access rights local and ensure new entrants to the fishery are able to buy in.

Alaskans Own will deliver fish to their CSF cities of Sitka, Juneau, Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Seattle or will ship anywhere for custom orders.

The Alaska Marine Conservation Coalition, based in Anchorage, formed Catch 49 four years ago and so far are uniquely focused on Alaskans only. Many Alaskans would never have access to Norton Sound red king crab, Kodiak tanner crab or Prince William Sound spot prawns without Catch 49. The CSF delivers to a designated site in Anchorage, Fairbanks or Homer, about two weeks after the ordering period closes.

“Although the program is quite consumer focused, we have had a high level of interest from foodservice operators in Alaska,” Catch 49 spokesman Cassandra Squibb said in an interview with IntraFish earlier this year. All profits go towards AMCC’s fisheries conservation efforts.

The process is usually pretty simple. As the Port Orford Sustainable Seafood CFA says: “You Join. We Catch, Package and Deliver. You Enjoy.”

The reason fishermen in central Oregon created a CSF is a familiar story on both coasts.

The large traditional buyers still operating in the area bought fish from the fleet but shipped it elsewhere. “We set out to pay a fair-trade price to local fishermen for their fish, to process the fish right here in Port Orford and to pay processing employees a fair wage,” the CSF explained on their website.

“We wanted to sell Port Orford fish in Port Orford, and to provide high-quality, sustainable, traceable fish to Oregonians.

“In the beginning, we marketed fish at a handful of retail outlets, several high-end restaurants, and farmers markets. CSF members are closer to the communities that catch and process their local seafood. It encourages sustainable fishing practices, and it strengthens relationships between fishermen and consumers.

“The ocean is a public resource – it’s as much yours as it is mine.  Fishermen are just licensed agents to access seafood for you,” they said.

As with most CSFs, additional information on where the fish was caught, what gear was used, the name of the vessel and information on the skipper and crew is provided. Indeed, knowing each step in the supply chain and offering a much shorter delivery from dock to kitchen, is a key advantage to CSFs.

Another key is the ‘custom’ nature of CSFs — every fish is brought on board with care, the beauty of the environment and the responsibility commercial fishermen feel as stewards of it is described and photographed by people who obviously love what they do. Recipes are offered along with stories of the family.

There are now more than 420 locations across the nation where individual fishermen sell their catch.

Local Catch, a network of CSFs supporting the sustainability concept, offers an interactive map to find CSF delivery locations in Canada and the U.S. Among the hundreds shown is one in Wibaux, so far east in Montana it’s almost North Dakota.

It’s a delivery spot for Cedar Plank Seafoods, a family fishing operation out of Petersburg, AK.

The connection between a CSF delivery station on a ranch in eastern Montana and a third-generation fisherman from Petersburg entails a long-ago grandmother’s visit to Washington’s San Juan Islands, bringing Alaska salmon from her brother back to Wilbaux to serve during the annual cattle branding. Then decades later her granddaughter helps to host pheasant hunters at that ranch, meets hunters who fish in Alaska and who eventually invite her up for a season, where she, a little later, meets the fisherman who will become her husband from Petersburg.

Exactly the kind of story CSF members love to hear.

This story was originally published on Seafood News, it is republished with permission.