Saving Seafood

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

WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) – May 23, 2017 – 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).

“The projects, both shellfish and finfish, that have been funded by SCeMFiS have already shown positive results in contributing to the ‘Best Science’ available,” said Guy Simmons, Vice President of Marketing and Product Development at Sea Watch International and Chairman of the IAB, in a SCeMFiS release. “I 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.”

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 Administration’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

“As 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,” said Mr. Simmons. “Since 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.”

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 – 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 – 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 – Phase V – 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 – 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: Geneviève Nesslage, UMCES & Robert Leaf, USM

Ocean Quahog

  • Ocean Quahog Population Dynamics: Validation of Estimation Procedures for an Age-at-Length Key – 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 – 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 – 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

Chesapeake Bay earns ‘C’ for overall health; blue crabs, rockfish, anchovies are thriving

May 9, 2017 — Maryland environmental scientists gave the Chesapeake Bay a “C” for overall health in 2016, with improved fish populations and water conditions contributing to the second-highest grade the ecosystem has received in 30 years of scoring.

The report card released Monday by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science showed that the bay is 54 percent of the way toward achieving key health benchmarks, an uptick of one percentage point compared with the previous year.

Experts cited the results as proof that efforts to clean up the estuary are working.

“While only a slight improvement, it’s encouraging that the overall health remained steady despite many pressures on the Chesapeake Bay and across its watershed,” said Bill Dennison, a top scientist with the center.

Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.), speaking at a news conference in Baltimore, called for continued federal support for bay restoration. He noted that President Trump this year proposed slashing funding for Chesapeake Bay cleanup efforts. Congress last month approved a fiscal 2017 budget that maintains funding for the bay at $73 million, the same level as the previous year.

“The long-term investment is working,” Cardin said. “We can’t slow down. . . . It’s critically important to maintain the strong federal role.”

The bay’s highest score on record, 55 percent, occurred in 2002. The Chesapeake earned its lowest score, 36 percent, the following year. The Center for Environmental Science awards an “A” for scores of 80 to 100 percent; “B” for 60 to 79 percent; “C” for 40 to 59 percent; “D” for 20 to 39 percent; and “F” for anything lower than that.

Read the full story at the Washington Post

Symposium to Explore America’s Ocean Future: Recommendations for the Trump Administration and Congress

November 30, 2016 — The following was released by the Urban Coast Institute:

WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. — The Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute (UCI) invites the public to join us for a symposium and policy discussion which never took place during the election — coastal and ocean priorities for the next administration and Congress.

The 12th Annual Future of the Ocean Symposium will be held on Dec. 7 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Wilson Hall Auditorium. Admission is free and open to the public.

The panelists, former New Jersey Gov. and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christine Todd Whitman and University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science President Dr. Donald Boesch, will offer their views and recommendations on critical actions that the administration and Congress should take to ensure that our coasts and oceans are healthy, productive and support sustainable economic development.

Among their many other accomplishments and qualifications, Whitman and Boesch serve on the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative (JOCI) Leadership Council, a national organization dedicated to marine policy reform. JOCI soon plans to release a nine-point action plan for the Trump administration and the new Congress. UCI Ocean Policy Fellow and Monmouth University President Emeritus Paul G. Gaffney II also serves as a member of the JOCI Leadership Council.

“The oceans are going through unprecedented changes, including sea level rise, shifting currents and weather patterns, ocean acidification, and ecosystem destruction,” Whitman said. “These changes are a mounting threat not only to marine ecosystems, but to coastal communities and economies. We must confront these issues with a bipartisan approach from policymakers in Washington and at all levels of government.”

“Robust federal investments in science and research can spur innovation, address important national and global challenges, create new economic sectors, and ultimately save lives,” Boesch said. “If our ecosystems and livelihoods are to be sustained for the future, we’ll need to pair such financial commitments to research with concerted action on policies based in science.”

“The Future of the Ocean Symposium provides a unique forum for students, faculty and the public to engage nationally recognized experts in discussions on the pressing ocean issues of our time,” said UCI Director Tony MacDonald, who will moderate the panel. “As a coastal university, we are also pleased to honor a group of Ocean Champions whose work has so directly impacted lives here on the Jersey Shore and beyond.”

Immediately following the symposium, the UCI will hold its Champion of the Ocean Awards Luncheon from noon to 1:30 p.m. Tickets are required for the luncheon. The cost is $150, with proceeds to benefit student research and UCI programs.

Whitman will be honored as a National Champion of the Ocean for her work as a leading voice for the oceans as governor and with the EPA, JOCI and Pew Oceans Commission. Boesch will be recognized as a Regional Champion of the Ocean for his work advancing knowledge about marine environments, including his work as a member of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.

In addition, two New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) officials will receive State, Coastal and Ocean Leadership Awards for their roles in restoring New Jersey’s beaches, supporting innovative major Rebuild by Design projects, and improving coastal planning and communities’ resilience to coastal storms after Superstorm Sandy. The honorees are NJDEP Assistant Commission of Engineering and Construction David Rosenblatt and NJDEP Assistant Director of Coastal and Land Use Planning Elizabeth Semple.