May 9, 2016 — The Dock-U-Mentaries Film Series continues on Friday, May 20th at 7:00 PM with Fishing for Knowledge: Cooperative Research for Sustainable Fisheries in New England. Dock-u-entaries is a co-production of New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center, and the Working Waterfront Festival. Films about the working waterfront are screened on the third Friday of each month beginning at 7:00 PM in the theater of the Corson Maritime Learning Center, located at 33 William Street in downtown New Bedford. All programs are open to the public and presented free of charge.
MASSACHUSETTS: House budget includes money for SMAST
April 29, 2016 — Next year’s state budget, passed by the House on Wednesday, includes increased funding for city public schools; money to expand fisheries research; and money for community programs.
“This is a big victory, I was able to secure most of what we asked for,” Rep. Antonio F.D. Cabral, D-New Bedford, said Thursday. The budget awaits approval by the state Senate.
Notable funds set to come the city’s way include $450,000 for fisheries research conducted by UMass Dartmouth’s School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST).
“This is critically important,” said SMAST Dean Steven Lohrenz. “Funds have been tight lately so this will allow us to continue to do the kind of pioneering work we’ve been doing with our collaborative fisheries research.”
The research conducted by SMAST looks at ways to improve accuracy in fisheries data collection. Lohrenz said that the new funds will allow researchers to conduct new projects including video survey techniques of cod and other groundfish.
“Their progress with data collection is very important for our fisheries industry especially with federal regulations that could cut quotas for the next fishing cycle,” Cabral said. “We’re hoping down the road that they can do for ground fish what they did for the scallop industry.”
Eye on the Catch: New Bedford becoming hub for emerging fishing technology
April 25, 2016 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — On a March afternoon at The Black Whale restaurant on New Bedford’s waterfront, steps away from docked fishing boats, Chris Rezendes signaled to waitstaff as his party gathered for lunch.
He was going to need more tables.
Guests included Ed Anthes-Washburn, port director for the city’s Harbor Development Commission; Kevin Stokesbury, chairman of the Department of Fisheries Oceanography at UMass Dartmouth’s School for Marine Science & Technology (SMAST); John Haran, manager of fishery Sector 13 and newly elected member of Dartmouth’s Select Board; and Rezendes, founder of INEX Advisors and an affiliated Internet connectivity company, IoT Impact LABS, based in New Bedford.
Also present for the informal lunch were representatives from computer giant Dell and several other tech firms.
The subject was Internet of Things (IoT), generally defined as the merging of physical objects with connected, network technology.
Massachusetts State Legislators Write to NOAA on SMAST Funding
April 14, 2016 –Members of the Massachusetts state legislature have written to Dr. William Karp, the head of Science and Research at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC), in response to a recent rejection of a scallop research set-aside proposal from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth School for Marine Science & Technology (SMAST).
In their letter, the legislators asked Dr. Karp to renew the funding, which they contend has been critical in producing accurate, independent estimates of the scallop resource. They state that past SMAST studies “have stood the test of time,” and have “positively helped the [New England Fishery Management] Council in its regulatory functions under Magnuson [Stevens Act].”
They conclude that “cutting out the independent approach provided by the University of Massachusetts is not only scientifically questionable, but undercuts the ability of the Federal government to make sound assessments, formulate plans and explain those actions in the very complicated areas of fisheries management.”
Dr. William Karp: NOAA choices on scallop studies relies on science
April 14, 2016 — I am writing regarding your recent editorial and news coverage of the Atlantic Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Program and the projects that have been selected for 2016-17. The Scallop RSA Program is one of the best examples of cooperative fisheries research with industry in the nation, serving an important role in supporting the management of this fishery, which is such a part of New Bedford’s economy. Your readers should know that the program is very competitive, that all proposals are evaluated using independent reviews, and that although all have worthy points, not all can be funded.
As director of NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center, it is my goal to build stronger strategic partnerships with regional research partners, including UMass Dartmouth’s School for Marine Science and Technology, an institution with a strong record in educating students and in carrying out research that is directly relevant to managing living marine resources. NOAA funds a faculty member at SMAST and there are many examples of productive collaborations involving SMAST students and faculty, and NEFSC researchers. A number of these activities include Dr. Kevin Stokesbury, a member of the SMAST faculty who is recognized for his work on survey methodology and scallop assessment, and for his effective collaboration with industry.
When Dr. Stokesbury’s RSA proposals for further sea scallop surveys were not selected for funding in 2016, I was greatly concerned about how this would be received. I appreciate his concern over the result, well publicized in your paper, but I believe his criticism of the grants process is unfounded.
SMAST scallop researcher rejected for NOAA funding for first time since 1999
April 13, 2016 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — For the first time since 1999, internationally known SMAST scientist Kevin Stokesbury has been denied federally administered funding for annual scallop surveys, as government officials questioned the cost and design of his latest proposal.
Many local fishermen credit Stokesbury’s work with reviving the scallop industry over more than a decade, and a prominent scalloper said Tuesday that it was hard to make sense of the funding denial this year.
“We as an industry are very upset about this — it’s very disturbing,” said Dan Eilertsen, who owns six scallopers based on Fish Island. “Our fishery has been managed based on the published work that (Stokesbury) does.”
The National Marine Fisheries Service, under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), told Stokesbury on March 29 that his proposal for a $2.65 million scallop survey project had been denied for the 2016-17 grant cycle.
Snowy start to demolition for $55 million SMAST expansion in New Bedford’s South End
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (March 22, 2016) — Monday morning’s snow didn’t change plans for the demolition of the Naval Reserve building in the South End, as an excavator sorted through piles of rubble amid falling flakes to get work rolling on the $55 million expansion of UMass Dartmouth’s School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST).
Broad sections of the two-story reserve building, which most recently housed SMAST offices, lay in heaps Monday. Michael West, assistant superintendent with Everett-based construction contractor BOND, said demolition of the two-story building should take another one or two days. As he spoke, crews sorted rubble into separate piles of copper, steel, heavy metal and more at the site on South Rodney French Boulevard.
“The main goal is to recycle as much of the old building as we possibly can,” West said.
New Video System Can Help Count Cod Population
February 16, 2016 — DARTMOUTH, Mass. (AP) — Researchers with the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth say a new video system will help provide data to better inform management of New England’s beleaguered cod population.
UMass Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology scientists say their new video system will help assess the species in the Gulf of Maine. The system uses open-ended fishing net with video cameras mounted on its frame to take pictures of fish passing through.
The university says the scientists tested the system on Stellwagen Bank in January with good results.
Cod are one of the most important food fish species in the Atlantic, but the stock has collapsed. Cod fishermen caught more than 33 million pounds of the fish in 2001 and managed only about 5.2 million pounds in 2014.
University of Massachusetts scientists improving cod counting technology
February 11, 2016 — A new video system designed by UMass Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) scientists to assess the population of cod has passed its first major test, giving the researchers confidence that they can use this new approach to help improve the accuracy of future scientific assessments of this iconic species. Recent stock assessments indicate that the Gulf of Maine cod population is low and struggling to recover. Members of the fishing industry contest those results, suggesting the stock is much healthier than depicted in recent assessments.
“Our goal is to provide all stakeholders in this issue with trustworthy science that leads to smart management of the Gulf of Maine cod fishery,’’ said Dr. Kevin Stokesbury, whose team conducted the test. “We are pleased with the initial results and are looking forward to scaling up our work.”
The Baker-Polito Administration provided $96,720 in capital money through the state Division of Marine Fisheries to fund research tows recently conducted on Stellwagen Bank. This work builds on similar research that Dr. Stokesbury’s team has conducted on yellowtail flounder, which is also facing difficulty. Of special note, Dr. Stokesbury’s approach has been successfully used over the last sixteen years to measure the scallop population of the east coast resulting in improved assessments integral to sustaining that fishery and keeping New Bedford the top-ranked fishing port in the U.S.
“The work by UMass Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology will complement work done by our federal partners by providing additional scientific data that will help us better understand what is happening to the cod stocks in New England,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “Improving the data used to make informed decisions is critical to preserving the economic viability of the Commonwealth’s fishing industry.”
The new video system uses an open-end fishing net with video cameras mounted on its frame to capture images of the fish passing through the net. Researchers then review the video to count the different species, and estimate the size of each fish.
The current practice of counting cod involves catching the fish in a net and hauling them onto the deck of the vessel, then counting, weighing and measuring them. Dr. Stokesbury believes this practice is less efficient because the nets are only left in the water for a short period of time (20-30 minutes), while the open-end net can be left underwater for hours at a time collecting a greater amount of data on fish populations across a larger portion of the ocean. In addition, the traditional survey method kills most of the fish that are caught, while the new open-net video method causes no damage to the fish.
The tests were conducted on Stellwagen Bank January 7 -9 aboard the F/V Justice, a New Bedford-based commercial fishing boat captained by Ron Borjeson. Dr. Stokesbury was joined on the excursion by graduate students Travis Lowery and Nick Calabrese, and technician Christa Bank.
The objectives of the test were to determine whether the video camera system design functioned properly; whether the video fish counts matched on-deck fish counts; and whether the system could be used to measure the population of cod in the area.
Eleven 30 minute tows with an open net were conducted, while seven half hour tows were made with a closed net. For closed net tows, the fish were carefully brought onto the boat, counted, measured, weighed, and returned to the sea. Fish survival was high due to the care shown by the research team.
A total of 6,423 fish, representing 21 species, were collected during closed tows, with the three most abundant species being haddock (2,062), yellowtail flounder (1,444) and Atlantic cod (1,096). Cod ranged from 28 cm (10 inches) to over 80 cm (32 inches). Numbers and size of each species observed during open net tows are currently being derived from video footage.
Biological samples of cod were collected for two collaborative research projects related to the genetics and evolution of cod. SMAST, Gulf of Maine Research Institute, University of New Hampshire, Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries and the Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute are participating in these studies.
“This experiment was successful beyond what I had hoped for,” Dr. Stokesbury said. “I was impressed with the abundance of cod and other species, particularly yellowtail flounder, winter flounder, and haddock.”
Read the story from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
UMass School for Marine Science and Technology – DFO Seminar – February 3, 2016
February 1, 2016 — The following was released by the University of Massachusetts School for Marine Science and Technology:
Department of Fisheries Oceanography
All Climate is Local: Lessons in communicating science to the public
Heather Goldstone
NPR Radio Station WCAI and
Science Editor & Host of “Living Lab”
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
SMAST II, Room 157
Note: Seminar will be simulcast to SMAST I, Room 204.
You can view the seminar live by clicking on “live event”
Please note: the earliest you will be able to log in is 15 minutes before the regularly scheduled time.
To view a video of an SMAST seminar (post-October 1, 2014), go to http://www.umassd.edu/smast/newsandevents/seminarseries/ and click on a highlighted title.
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