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MASSACHUSETTS: Lt. Gov Polito: Monument Should โ€˜Support Fishing Industryโ€™

August 28, 2017 โ€” FALL RIVER, Mass. โ€” Even though she was visiting the city for a ribbon cutting ceremony at a new UMASS Dartmouth facility, Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts Karyn Polito couldnโ€™t escape questions surrounding the fishing monument controversy.

The Seamountโ€™s Marine Monument was designated as a national monument by former President Barack Obama in 2016 along with 27 others nationwide. The monument status placed on the roughly 4,900 square mile fishing area south of Cape Cod restricts any commercial activity within it, including fishing.

The designation of this area as a Monument Status is to prevent offshore drilling for oil off the coast of Massachusetts. This prevents any and all commercial activity in that designated area for any reason, leaving a considerable effect on the fishing industry in the south coast of the state.

Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke announced on Thursday that he completed his review of the 27 monuments. Zinke says that none of the 27 national monuments will be rescinded under the Trump administration, but suggested the possibility of changing the borders to a handful of monuments, none of which were specified.

Read the full story at WBSM

Using Fishermenโ€™s Ecological Knowledge to map Atlantic cod spawning grounds on Georges Bank

August 11, 2017 โ€” The following abstract is from a research paper on Atlantic cod spawning grounds on Georges Bank. It was written by Gregory R. DeCelles, David Martins, Douglas R. Zemeckis, and Steven X. Cadrin, all from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology in New Bedford, Massachusetts. It was published in the July-August 2017 issue of ICES Journal of Marine Science:

The spawning dynamics of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) on Georges Bank and Nantucket Shoals are not well understood. To address this uncertainty, we combined Fishermenโ€™s Ecological Knowledge (FEK) with traditional scientific data to develop a more holistic understanding of cod spawning on Georges Bank. Data from historical reports, trawl surveys, fisheries observers, and ichthyoplankton surveys were used to describe the spatial and temporal distribution of cod spawning activity. We also collected FEK regarding cod spawning dynamics through semi-structured interviews (nโ€‰=โ€‰40). The fishermen had detailed knowledge of the spatial and temporal distribution of cod spawning, and identified persistent fine-scale (i.e. <50โ€‰km2) spawning grounds that were often associated with specific habitat features, including spawning grounds that were previously unreported in the scientific literature. The spawning seasons and locations identified by fishermen generally agreed with information from traditional scientific data, but it was evident that seasonal scientific surveys lack the spatial and temporal resolution needed to fully characterize the distribution of cod spawning activity. Our results will help inform management measures designed to promote the rebuilding of Georges Bank cod, and also provide a basis for further investigations of cod spawning dynamics and stock structure.

Read the full paper at ICES Journal of Marine Science

NEFMC Chairman Testifies Tuesday in D.C.

August 1, 2017 โ€” NEW BEDFORD, Mass. โ€” John Quinn will appear in front of the U.S. Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard as a representative of the nationโ€™s fisheries on Tuesday at 10 a.m. in Washington D.C.

The Director of Public Interest Law Program at UMass Law School in Dartmouth is also the chairman of the New England Fishery Management Council and the national chair of the Council Coordinating Committee.

The hearing is the first in a series to examine the nationโ€™s fishery laws and the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, which is discussed about every decade. The second is scheduled for Aug. 23 in Alaska.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

SCeMFiS Announces $200,000 for Fisheries Management Research on Mammals, Menhaden, Ocean Quahogs, Surf Clams

WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) โ€“ May 23, 2017 โ€“ The Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCeMFiS) Industry Advisory Board (IAB) announced $200,000 in funding today for seven fisheries research projects and marine mammal-related work. The funding was approved during the Spring IAB Meeting held in Ocean Springs, Mississippi from April 26-27.

The selected projects will research species such as menhaden, ocean quahogs, surf clams, and marine mammals. They will also address critical management issues related to how fisheries managers conduct and implement stock assessments. Grant recipients include researchers from the Gulf  Coast Research Laboratory at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM), the School for Marine Science and Technology at UMass Dartmouth (SMAST), the Virginia Institute of Marine Science at the College of William & Mary (VIMS), and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES).

โ€œThe projects, both shellfish and finfish, that have been funded by SCeMFiS have already shown positive results in contributing to the โ€˜Best Scienceโ€™ available,โ€ said Guy Simmons, Vice President of Marketing and Product Development at Sea Watch International and Chairman of the IAB, in a SCeMFiS release. โ€œI believe the success of the past four years has been validated by new membership recruitment and the acceptance of the science from management agencies. I am especially proud of the work that went into the development and approval of our seven new research projects.โ€

SCeMFiS is sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) through its Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers Program, which matches industry, government and other organizations with relevant academic specialists. The SCeMFiS IAB is composed of members of the shellfish and commercial finfish industries and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrationโ€™s Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

โ€œAs participants in the Atlantic surf clam and ocean quahog fisheries, many of its stakeholders have been involved in cooperative research with the goal of reducing uncertainty in the fisheries management plan for many years,โ€ said Mr. Simmons. โ€œSince the formation of SCeMFiS, these efforts have been dramatically enhanced by the involvement of all the members as well as the guidance from the National Science Foundation.โ€

The IAB will review funded projects at its next meeting in Cape May, New Jersey October 31-November 1. A full list of SCeMFiS research projects already underway can be found online here.

Descriptions of the seven new research projects, provided by SCeMFiS, are below:

Risk-Based Catch Advice 

  • Evaluation of Alternative Approaches to Risk-Based Catch Advice โ€“ this project will review and evaluate methods applied by Scientific and Statistical Committees of regional fishery management councils to evaluate forecast error and improve optimal yield within an appropriate consideration of uncertainty and risk. Principal Investigator: Steve Cadrin, UMass Dartmouth [SMAST]

Stock Assessment

  • Stock Assessment Team โ€“ the stock assessment team will provide external support to NMFS for benchmark assessment working groups with a focus in 2017 on the Atlantic mackerel assessment. Principal Investigator: Eric Powell, USM

Marine Mammals

  • Independent Advisory Team for Marine Mammal Assessments โ€“ Phase V โ€“ this team addresses uncertainties in slow growing marine mammal populations and the interactions between marine mammals and fishing operations. Principal Investigator: Paula Moreno, USM.

Atlantic Menhaden

  • Evaluation of Sampling Adequacy for Atlantic Menhaden Fisheries โ€“ this project will evaluate the current Atlantic sampling program for the characterization of menhaden fishery catch leading to recommendations designed to increase sampling efficiency. Principal Investigators: Geneviรจve Nesslage, UMCES & Robert Leaf, USM

Ocean Quahog

  • Ocean Quahog Population Dynamics: Validation of Estimation Procedures for an Age-at-Length Key โ€“ this study builds on previous work that developed the first population age frequencies for the U.S. stock by developing and testing approaches for deriving age-at-length keys from sparse datasets. Principal Investigators: Eric Powell, USM & Roger Mann, VIMS
  • Ocean Quahog Population Dynamics: Population Modeling to Interpret Population Age Frequencies โ€“ this project will develop a population dynamics model to explain observed changes in abundance at age over the past 250 yr since ocean quahogs first colonized their present Mid-Atlantic range. Principal Investigator: Eric Powell, USM

Surf Clams 

  • Survey of Surf Clams (Spisula solidissima) Southeast of Nantucket โ€“ this will be the first survey of a region providing substantial surfclam catch to determine the need to expand the NMFS stock survey and to evaluate the distribution of complex habitat within the Great South Channel Habitat Management Area. Principal Investigators: Roger Mann, VIMS & Eric Powell, USM

Read a release from SCeMFiS here

New camera can help assess cod stocks in Gulf of Maine

January 26, 2017 โ€” Researchers from UMass Dartmouth say they have successfully tested an underwater video-survey system that they hope will provide an accurate method to assess Atlantic cod stocks.

In collaboration with fishermen, the research team recently placed high-resolution cameras in an open-ended commercial trawl net on Stellwagen Bank in the Gulf of Maine, known as one of the worldโ€™s most active marine sanctuaries.

The cameras captured images of cod and other groundfish as they passed through the net. Periodically, researchers from UMDโ€™s School for Marine Science & Technology closed the net for short periods to collect length, weight, and take other biological samples from some of the fish. The fish are unharmed and are returned to the sea.

Read the full story at the Boston Globe

NEW BEDFORD STANDARD-TIMES: The long view on offshore wind

December 12, 2016 โ€” A consortium of entities with fishing interests โ€“ including the City of New Bedford โ€“ aims to block Thursdayโ€™s auction for wind rights in the ocean off of Long Island, claiming the fishing industry hasnโ€™t had a full seat at the table.

One can readily see the value in the Edisonโ€™s saying above by comparing how the steadily advancing offshore wind industry has been greeted by fishing interests in New York and Massachusetts. While the federal government has been less than perfect in its consideration of Northeast fishing resources โ€“ see the recent ocean monument designations as an example where fishing interestsโ€™ reasonable options were ignored to the detriment of future harvests โ€“ the auctions that produced three leases for wind farms off the Massachusetts coast demonstrated effective outreach from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to fishermen. As a result, Massachusetts sits prepared, ready to answer when opportunity knocks, and New York is on tenterhooks.

This example illustrates the strategic commitment made in the Bay State and that has been broadly demonstrated regarding offshore wind. From academics and job training, to infrastructure and research, the coordination being described by varied activities should be cause for patient, measured optimism here.

Business and political leaders here have recognized that there are numerous assets waiting to be plugged in to the massive system required to support a mature and significant offshore wind industry. They have so far been patient enough to develop synergies organically.

Workforce development has begun with wind-specific programs in Bristol Community College and UMass Dartmouth, and at UMass Amherst, where wind energy research and development were born in 1971. The industry will benefit from the theoretical in Amherst to the most practical at UMass Dartmouth, where graduate programs in environmental policy and law help the legal framework to evolve, and where the rapidly expanding School of Marine Science and Technology provides unique, invaluable expertise on the geology and biology where turbines will be installed, in its backyard, so to speak.

Similarly, improvements to railways into New Bedford and assessments of waterfront land use will pay off as state assets like New Bedfordโ€™s South Terminal and the Charlestown blade testing facility become more and more useful.

Read the full editorial at the New Bedford Standard-Times

MASSACHUSETTS: SMAST celebrates expansion with topping off ceremony, hardhat tours and bay views

September 27th, 2016 โ€” Officials from across the state talked about what a game-changer the new marine sciences expansion will be for UMass Dartmouth and the region during a topping off ceremony in the South End on Monday.

The 76,000-square-foot building will double the capacity of the School for Marine Science & Technology on South Rodney French Boulevard and create a marine campus for the state when it opens next year. It will continue to provide responsible research to support fisheries, marine life, environmental stewardship and confront issues related to climate change, officials said.

The event represented the completion of the steel framework with the unveiling of the final beam signed by several in what Dean Steven Lohrenz called โ€œa unique partnership.โ€

The $55 million project is on track and and under budget, he said, thanks to the cooperation between the the UMass Building Authority (UMBA), project manager Hill International, construction manager Bond Brothers, architect Ellenzweig Associates, and the Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) that will have space on the third floor.

Read the full story at The New Bedford Standard-Times

Dartmouth attorney, former legislator voted chair of New England Fishery Management Council

September 21, 2016 โ€” A member for four years, John F. Quinn of Dartmouth has been elected chairman of the New England Fishery Management Council, a quasi-government group that develops rules for fisheries operating in federal waters.

Attorney Quinn, 53, ran his first council meeting as chairman in Danvers on Tuesday after the vote. He had been vice chairman for the last three years and switched positions with former chairman E.F. โ€œTerryโ€ Stockwell III of Maine. The two have led the council since 2014, according to a news release.

โ€œI am honored that my colleagues from across New England elevated me to this position,โ€ Quinn said. โ€œItโ€™s a great opportunity.โ€

The director of public interest law programs at the UMass Dartmouth law school, Quinn said he signed up for the council because of his experience as a lawyer and litigator on SouthCoast. Having worked with fishing issues in the region, it seemed fitting to be on the regulation side, he said.

โ€œI understand the waterfront and some of the challenges the industry is facing,โ€ said Quinn, who married into a fishing family.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

NEFMC to Screen Sustaining Sea Scallop Doc on September 21

September 19th, 2016 โ€” The following was released by Coonamessett Farm Foundation: 

On Wednesday, September 21st at 5:30 pm there will be a reception followed by a showing of the short movie โ€œSustaining Sea Scallopsโ€. The reception will begin at the end of the New England Fishery Management Councilโ€™s meeting that day at the DoubleTree Hilton in Danvers, MA and is hosted by the Fisheries Survival Fund. The Fisheries Survival Fund (โ€œFSFโ€) is an organization whose participants include the bulk of the full-time, limited access scallop fleet located from Virginia to Massachusetts.

The sea scallop fishery is one of the most lucrative wild-harvest fisheries in the United States. But just 15 short years ago this key fishery was facing closures and on the verge of bankruptcy. SUSTAINING SEA SCALLOPS chronicles the dramatic rebound of the Atlantic sea scallop fishery highlighting the unique partnership that supports this sustainable fishery.

This 35-minute documentary follows fishermen and researchers from New Bedford, Massachusetts to Seaford, Virginia, as they collaborate on studies of gear design, deep sea habitats, and threatened sea turtles. Capturing in-depth footage of the offshore and onshore processes involved in the scalloping industry.

Including unprecedented footage of the marine environment using new underwater technologies that provides a breathtaking mosaic of sea scallops on the ocean floor and a close-up of a loggerhead sea turtle feeding on scallops.
With input from researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, and Coonamessett Farm Foundation the film explores a new method of fisheries management that focuses on gear innovations and improved survey strategies to maintain a healthy fishery.

A rare tale of renewal, SUSTAINING SEA SCALLOPS, illuminates a message of hope for other beleaguered fisheries offering cooperative research as a new model for sustainable fisheries.

Watch the movie trailer here

MASSACHUSETTS: New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center to Open June 25th

June 8, 2016 โ€” The following was released by the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center: 

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. โ€” The New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center opens to the public on Saturday, June 25th. A Grand Opening Celebration is slated for 11:00 a.m. โ€“ 3:00 p.m.   A ribbon cutting and remarks will be followed by a mini-festival.  The event is free and open to the public. The Center is located at 38 Bethel Street in the heart of New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park. The 3000 square foot space will accommodate changing exhibits, public programs, school groups, archives, and community gatherings.

โ€œThe commercial fishing community deserves a place to preserve and present its stories and artifacts, share its skills and knowledge, and educate the public about its rich traditions, heritage, and contemporary existence. We are excited to provide that opportunity.โ€ Executive Director, Laura Orleans.

The Centerโ€™s inaugural exhibit From Boat to Table presents all aspects of the industry from the time a keel is laid on a vessel to the time the catch is landed and brought to market. A variety of interactive components include a net mending activity, dress up area, and Eastern Rig style pilothouse designed and built by Fairhaven Shipyard with electronics provided by Furuno USA.  The Center worked with Chris Danemayer and Neal Mayer of Proun Design to take the exhibit from concept to fabrication. A team of volunteer carpenters have assembled many of the exhibit components.

The June 25th Grand Opening is envisioned as a mini-festival with demonstrations of industry skills such as net mending, dredge making, shucking, and filleting, as well as safety demos, model boat making, author signings, fishermen-led walking tours, and hands on kidโ€™s activities.  The Oxford Creamery will offer lobster rolls, chowder, and ice cream for sale and Center exhibits will be open free of charge during the event.

During 2016 the Center will continue to present Dock-u-mentaries, its monthly film/speaker series and Something Fishy, its free summer camp program presented in collaboration with the National Park and Whaling History Alliance. Weekly cruise ship programs and fishermen-led walking tours will be offered during the summer months.  A variety of public programs including author readings, talks, occupational demonstrations, and performances will be presented.  The Center is also working in collaboration with MIT Sea Grant, UMass Dartmouth, UMass Boston, and the New Bedford Free Public Library on a year-long initiative to create a digital archive of fishing community history with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

 

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