Saving Seafood

New Study Finds Strong Currents Off Nantucket Prevent Development of Stable, Biologically Diverse Benthic Communities

February 22, 2021 — The following was released by the Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCEMFIS):

Complex ocean environments, full of features such as cobble, rocks, and boulders, are usually home to a diversity of marine life; as a result, fisheries managers have often sought to preserve these areas from outside interference. But one such area off the coast of Nantucket may be a significant exception to this rule, according to a new study from the Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCEMFIS).

The study, from Eric Powell, Jeremy Timbs, and Kelsey Kuykendall of the University of Southern Mississippi and Roger Mann and M. Chase Long of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, analyzes survey data from the Nantucket Shoals area of the Great South Channel in the Atlantic, an area of considerable substrate complexity and home to the Great South Channel Habitat Management Area (HMA). But the study found that, due to the area’s strong currents and seafloor activity, much of the faunal diversity expected from substate complexity has failed to develop.

Specifically, the study found few examples of the kind of charismatic marine life—such as tunicates, sponges and anemones—that usually attach themselves to prominent features like boulders and rocks in habitats where they occur. The study attributes this to the high-energy currents that frequently run through the area, as well as the sand on the seafloor regularly scouring the rocks as a result of the currents. The absence of mussels attached to hard bottom features, and the presence of barnacle scars where barnacles have been eroded off the rocks, show clear evidence of the rigor of the benthic environment that minimizes the use of these substrates by attached bottom creatures.

According to the study, the tidal activity and strong currents “minimize the importance of cobbles, rocks, boulders, and shells in community structure in some subtidal high-energy regimes, defying expectations from their contribution to substrate complexity.”

“You’d expect the type of environment you see in Nantucket Shoals to support a significant amount of life on its rocks and bottom features, but that’s just not the case here,” said Dr. Eric Powell, one of the authors of the study. “These findings show that we need to consider the whole range of factors when determining which habitats are most likely to support biodiversity.

”The findings are significant for future management of the Great SouthChannel area. Much of the region has been part of a HMA since 2018, which prohibits bottom-tending fishing gear. It is also home to important fishing grounds for surfclams, and is one of the most resilient areas for surfclam habitat. Surfclam fishermen have lost access to these grounds since the HMA went into full effect.

Most notably, the Nantucket Shoals area within the HMA was critical for smaller clam vessels fishing out of Massachusetts; several surfclam companies caught up to 90 percent of their harvest from the area. Since it was first established, members of the surfclam industry have argued that this habitat area does not contain enough complex habitat to justify the number of restrictions in place, especially considering the cost to the industry. The study indicates that the area may not be a good candidate for habitat protection.

“It’s important that conservation efforts target areas that are most likely to benefit them, especially if these efforts would interfere with important fishing grounds,” said Monte Rome a member of the SCEMFIS IAB. “This study helps us better identify areas that do not particularly benefit conservation efforts.”

Read the full release here

Surveys find mixed spawning success for striped bass this year in Chesapeake

October 26, 2020 — Striped bass can’t get a break, it seems. With their East Coast population in decline from overfishing, the migratory species had mixed success reproducing in the Chesapeake Bay this year, surveys show.

The state Department of Natural Resources reported last week that its annual trawl survey of newly spawned striped bass in Maryland waters yielded just 2.5 little fish per net haul — far below the long-term average of 11.5 per sample.

“We just didn’t have good recruitment [of young fish] this year,” said Mike Luisi, the DNR’s director of fisheries monitoring and assessment. “It kind of just goes along with everything else in 2020 that’s just been tough.”

This is the second straight year and the 10th in the last 15 years that the DNR survey found evidence of below-average striped bass reproduction.

A separate study done by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science found an above-average number of juvenile striped bass in that state’s tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay. It was the eighth straight year in which the survey tallied an average or above-average abundance for the species.

Read the full story at the Bay Journal

VIRGINIA: Glimmer of hope for striped bass: Numbers of young fish show stability

October 23, 2020 — The Virginia Institute of Marine Science’s annual count of young striped bass once again yielded a number higher than the historic average.

But the significant increase — 13.89 fish per sample, compared to last year’s 9.54 and the historical average of 7.77 from 1980 to 2009 — may be a fluke of bad weather and the pandemic, VIMS cautioned.

The survey has yielded results above that historic average for eight years running. It counts juveniles — typically 1-1/2 to 4 inches long — that will grow to the size fishermen want to catch in three to four years.

The survey is based on what nets haul from 18 sites in the James, York and Rappahannock river watersheds. Its biologists usually draw samples from July to early September, but this year, Tropical Storm Isaias and COVID-19 precautions mean 19% of samples weren’t completed. Other indices suggest juvenile striped bass populations are fairly stable, VIMS said. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources, for instance, reported a below-average count in its 2020 survey, but the pattern of below average Maryland and above average Virginia counts has been seen in 2013, 2016 and 2019.

Read the full story at The Virginian-Pilot

New study: Northeast squid fishery lands $99 million income, 2,500 jobs

May 7, 2020 — An economic study from the Science Center for Marine Fisheries shows the East Coast squid fishery lands more than $30 million in direct income annually but generates some $243 million in total economic output for New England and the Mid-Atlantic states.

The study, conducted for the center for science and industry research by Andrew Scheld of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science is welcomed by industry advocates, who say there have been few attempts to quantify the fishery’s total economic impact.

His work pulled in data “collected from seafood processors and independent vessels, combined with well-established economic impact models to determine the fishery’s employment, revenue, and overall economic contributions,” according to a statement from the science center announcing the findings.

The report could be critical to the squid fleet and processors who are trying to get a bigger say in how offshore wind energy is developed off southern New England and the Mid-Atlantic. Early on as the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management began considering wind developers’ proposals, fishermen pointed out the NOAA landings data going into that analysis lowballed the squid sector’s real value to the economy and jobs.

“It just goes to show the regulators, the folks making the decisions and the wind industry that you cannot rely on ex-vessel value (of squid landings) alone,” said Meghan Lapp, fisheries liaison for Seafreeze Ltd. In North Kingstown, R.I.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

New Study: Squid fishery responsible for over 2,500 jobs, $240 million in economic impact

May 6, 2020 — The following was released by the Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCEMFIS):

Fishing for longfin squid brings in tens of millions of dollars in annual revenue and supports thousands of full-time jobs, according to a new study from the Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCEMFIS). The study finds that the fishery is responsible each year for over $30 million in direct revenue, over $99 million in total income, over 2,500 full-time jobs, and $243 million in total economic output in New England and the Mid-Atlantic region.

The study comes as the squid fishery faces new challenges, and was performed primarily to address potential conflicts with the growth of offshore wind energy, with many proposed developments interfering with important fishing grounds.  Like many fishing communities across the country, squid fishermen are also dealing with the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, with demand for squid products like calamari crippled by the closure of restaurants across the country.

Accurately measuring the value of the fishery—and the many jobs that it supports—is crucial not only for managing the future of the fishery from competing ocean development, but also for helping fishing communities understand the value of the fishery lost as a result of the current economic shutdown.

“Loligo squid is a significant part of our business and is also a Marine Stewardship Council-certified, sustainable fishery with its products in demand in the U.S., Europe and Asia,” said Jeff Kaelin, Director of Sustainability and Government Relations for Lund’s Fisheries, in Cape May, New Jersey. “This study shows the extent to which our fishery has grown in size and economic importance, which needs to be considered by both fishery and wind-energy regulators making decisions impacting our future.”

Despite its importance as an East Coast fishery, there have been few attempts to quantify the squid fishery’s total economic impact. The study, from Dr. Andrew M. Scheld at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, relies on data collected from seafood processors and independent vessels, combined with well-established economic impact models to determine the fishery’s employment, revenue, and overall economic contributions.

“The squid fishery has long been an important fishery for us in New Jersey, and for fishing communities across the region,” said Greg DiDomenico, Chairman of the SCEMFIS Industry Advisory Board. “It’s important, especially as we look for ways to support the industry during these current challenges, to know what’s at stake, how many people depend on this fishery, and its economic impact, from the boats to the table.”

According to the study, fishing for longfin squid occurs primarily in Rhode Island, New York, and New Jersey, with most of the employment impact coming from the restaurant and seafood harvesting sectors. The study found that longfin squid has a significant international and domestic market; it represents 21 percent of the volume and 78 of the value of U.S. market squid landings.

SCEMFIS is part of the National Science Foundation’s Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers Program, supporting fisheries research improving the future of finfish and shellfish productivity, from the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of Maine. Lund’s Fisheries and the Garden State Seafood Association are original members of the Center’s Industry Advisory Board.

ASGA Hires New Executive Director

March 30, 2020 — The following was released by the American Saltwater Guides Association:

The American Saltwater Guides Association (ASGA), a coalition of forward-thinking guides, small business owners and like-minded anglers who understand the value of keeping fish in the water, today announced that William (“Willy”) M. Goldsmith, Ph.D., has joined the organization as Executive Director, effective April 1, 2020.  In this role, Goldsmith will advise on policy and regulatory strategy and lead membership outreach and engagement, fundraising and day-to-day operations.

A lifelong angler with a background in fisheries science, Goldsmith joins the ASGA after spending the past two years working in fishery management in Washington, DC, first as a Sea Grant Knauss Fellow with Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and more recently at the Lenfest Ocean Program.  In those roles, Willy engaged with fishery stakeholders and constituents on key management issues and communicated policy-relevant research to decision-makers.  Before arriving in Washington, DC, he received a doctorate in Marine Science with a sub-concentration in Marine Policy from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science at William and Mary, where his research focused on characterizing the biological impacts and human dimensions of the U.S. east coast recreational Atlantic bluefin tuna fishery. He received a B.A. in History with a Secondary Field in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology from Harvard University.

“A year ago, we set out to provide a powerful voice to the recreational fishing community to support the conservation of our fisheries, and have made a material impact on the way a number of important fish are managed on the East Coast,” said Peter Jenkins, Chairman of the ASGA Board of Directors and Owner of the Saltwater Edge tackle shop in Newport, Rhode Island.  “Our work is just getting started, and adding someone with Willy’s experience, contacts and understanding of the way fisheries are managed will enable us to more effectively engage on critical management issues for the benefit of fishing guides, tackle shops and other businesses in the fishing industry, and conservation-minded anglers everywhere.”

“Willy has quickly become a well-known and respected fishery management mind in Washington, DC, and we are thrilled to welcome him to the ASGA team,” said Tony Friedrich, Vice-President and Policy Director of the ASGA.  “In addition to his exceptional grasp of both fishery science and policy, Willy shares the passion for fishing that we were founded on and is committed to helping ensure that we have abundant marine resources for generations to come.  We are proud of what we have accomplished in our first year, but believe Willy’s addition will allow us to significantly accelerate our impact as we continue to fight for abundant and responsibly managed fish stocks that support the needs of the recreational angling community and the businesses that rely on them.”

“I have closely followed the ASGA since it was founded, and am honored and humbled at the opportunity to advance its mission and promote its values,” said Goldsmith.  “In a remarkably short time, the ASGA has activated and mobilized thousands of for-hire captains, private anglers, business owners and concerned citizens in the name of marine fish conservation, providing the community with a unified voice. I look forward to joining this effort and to advocating for common-sense, science-based management strategies while also building partnerships across fisheries sectors to conserve and rebuild our nation’s fisheries.”

The ASGA is hosting a live video introduction for Goldsmith on its Facebook page on April 2, 2020 at 12pm EST, where it will also discuss key priorities and plans for the next several months.  To attend that discussion, please visit https://www.facebook.com/salth2oguides/ at 12pm on April 2.

Read the full release here

‘Grand Challenge’ review stresses global impact of microplastics

February 25, 2020 — Professor Rob Hale of William & Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science is lead author of a new “Grand Challenges” paper commissioned to mark the 100th anniversary of the American Geophysical Union, the world’s largest association of Earth and space scientists with more than 60,000 members in 137 countries.

The paper, “A Global Perspective on Microplastics,” is co-authored by VIMS doctoral student Meredith Seeley and senior research scientist Dr. Mark LaGuardia, along with Drs. Lei Mai and Eddy Zeng of Jinan University in Guangzhou, China.

“Microplastics” are  fabricated for products like facial scrubs, or produced when physical, chemical, and biological forces break down larger pieces of plastic debris. There has been widespread concern among scientists and the public that these minute synthetic fragments are impacting .

AGU Executive Director/CEO Chris McEntee says the Grand Challenges “represent a special collection of open-access review papers with the shared goal of transforming Earth and space science to meet the challenges of today and the opportunities of tomorrow. They explore where major research and discovery are needed to address fundamental questions in our understanding of Earth and the solar system.”

Read the full story at PHYS.org

Striped bass decline spurs new look at mycobacteria

November 6, 2019 — When Wolfgang Vogelbein peered at striped bass sores through a microscope 22 years ago, he knew he was looking at something very different than what was grabbing headlines at the time.

Pfiesteria piscicida — the so-called “cell from hell” — was being blamed for fish kills in Maryland and making people sick.

But what Vogelbein saw through his lens wasn’t the result of a harmful algae toxin. It was a nasty bacterial infection, creating ugly sores on the outside of fish and lesions on the inside.

The infections were caused by mycobacteria, a type of bacteria that are widespread in the environment, but not typically associated with problems in wild fish. Suddenly, though, it was turning up in large numbers of the Chesapeake Bay’s most prized finfish.

“I thought I would be spending the rest of my career working on myco,” recalled Vogelbein, a fish pathologist at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.

Read the full story at the Bay Journal

Student-developed app will help public remove derelict crab traps

October 16, 2019 — The following was released by William & Mary:

Kirk Havens of William & Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science says a question regularly asked by community clean-up groups is whether they can remove derelict crab traps from the Chesapeake Bay. Research shows these “pots” both harm marine life and cut into watermen profits.

To date, the answer has been no — in Virginia, it requires special permission to recover derelict traps, even if they are clearly abandoned or illegally present during the fishery off-season. Scientists estimate that baywide, tens of thousands of traps are lost or abandoned each year.

Now, funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Covanta, and NOAA’s Marine Debris Program will allow Havens and colleagues to address the derelict-trap issue by working with local high school students to develop a “Crab Trap App” for the cell phones of trained and authorized users. The project will also re-animate an earlier program that paid watermen to find and remove derelict traps from crabbing “hot spots.”

“Having students, trained citizens, and conscientious watermen working together to address lost, abandoned, or discarded crab pots is a great way to help lessen the impact of these pots on the Chesapeake Bay,” says Havens, assistant director of VIMS’ Center for Coastal Resources Management. Joining him in planning and implementing the project are VIMS Asst. Professor Andrew Scheld; Research Associate Professor Donna Bilkovic, Kory Angstadt, Karen Duhring, Dave Stanhope, and Dave Weiss of CCRM; and Cara Simpson, a master’s student at W&M’s Raymond A. Mason School of Business.

Read the full release here

Sea Grant Research Could Help Commercial Fishers Keep Sharks off Gear

October 4, 2019 — North Carolina Sea Grant is collaborating on a new project to keep sharks away from commercial fishing gear. A team from NC State University, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, and Indiana University-South Bend are partnering with the private sector to pilot test a device that deters the predators.

“Several sharks are overfished or are experiencing overfishing on the U.S. East Coast,” says Sara Mirabilio, a fisheries extension specialist with North Carolina Sea Grant, a statewide program based at NC State University. “Populations of scalloped hammerhead, dusky, sandbar and blacknose sharks all could benefit from an effective deterrent from commercial fishing gear.” Most often, sharks are caught unintentionally in a fishery that is targeting other fish, she explains. This is referred to as bycatch.

The project is one of three announced today by the National Sea Grant College Program to better understand highly migratory species, such as sharks, along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

Mirabilio and colleagues, including Richard Brill at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and Peter Bushnell at Indiana University-South Bend, are testing a state-of-the-art electronic device that could help conserve species of sharks whose populations fishery managers are trying to rebuild. Unlike other fish, sharks possess an electrosensory system that equips them to detect close-range movements of predators or prey.

Read the full story at Island Free Press