In the News
Fish Talk in the News – Friday, October 5
As Pacific shellfish show the effects of ocean acidification, Washington is making efforts to reduce impacts. (Photo Credit: NOAA)
- A study published in Science this week evaluates the status of the world’s unassessed fish stocks, which comprise more than 80% of global catch. The study indicates that 18% of fish stocks lacking formal scientific assessments have collapsed, with small-scale regional fisheries particularly affected. Assessed stocks generally show signs of recovery. Overall, rebuilding stocks to sustainable levels could increase future fisheries yields by 40% and average in-water biomass by 50%. The Washington Post pointed to the study in an editorial published on Wednesday in support of management schemes that giver fishermen direct incentives to conserve stocks, like catch share programs.
- Community-supported fishery programs provide a steadier source of income for New England fishermen, according to an article published this week in The New York Times . Port Clyde Fresh Catch, created by Maine fisherman Glen Libby, allows fishermen to sell their produce directly to consumers without being subject to the variable prices offered by distributors and auctions. Other CSF programs, like the 650-member Cape Ann Fresh Catch, have been similarly successful in selling seasonal shares of seafood directly to consumers.
- The newly-formed Boston Fisheries Foundation, an organization dedicated to promoting sustainable seafood and ensuring the livelihood of the New England fishing industry and the Boston Fish Pier, is holding a seafood festival in Boston this weekend. The Boston Seafood Festival will take place on Sunday at the Bank of America Pavilion. The event will include an oyster shucking contest and a chowder taste-off.
- The second part of a two-part series in Seacoast Online exploring the tensions between fishermen and regulators focuses on the distrust surrounding NOAA’s stock assessments. Fishermen assert a “culture of arrogance” within the agency, while NOAA officials attest that there is no magic-bullet solution to fisheries management and they have taken steps to improve their relationship with the groundfish industry. Both fishermen and regulators highlight the need for cooperative research that takes fishermen’s observations into account and improves the transparency of the scientific process behind stock assessments.
- The increased presence of great white sharks on Cape Cod this summer has hit beach revenues. Nauset Beach in Orleans was forced to close during Labor Day weekend, one of the most profitable beach weekends of the year, due to nearby sightings of great whites. Shark sightings have increased dramatically this year, with many scientists concluding great whites have been drawn to the area by the booming population of gray seals. Town officials indicate that they need better emergency training and equipment to respond to potential shark incidents. A man was attacked by a great white shark off of Cape Cod this summer for the first time since 1936.
- A new TV miniseries focusing on New England’s fishermen premiered on the History Channel on Thursday night. The three hour-long episodes of “Nor’Easter Men” focus on the rivalries between fishing crews from Gloucester, Portland, and New Bedford as they battle storms and cold to bring in their catch. Watch the trailer for the series here.
- According to a study published on Sunday by the journal Nature Climate Change, fish are likely to reach noticeably smaller sizes due to rising water temperatures. Warmer waters can hold less dissolved oxygen, limiting the metabolic capacity of marine life. Average body weights for many types of fish, including cod and flounder, could shrink by 14-24 percent from 2000 values by 2050, having potentially dramatic effects on commercial fisheries. Population ranges are also likely to shift poleward by tens of kilometers per decade.
- Ocean acidification has become an urgent concern for both scientists and fishermen, according to The Washington Post. Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels interact with water to lower ocean pH. The ocean today is already 30 percent more acidic than pre-industrial levels, and acidity could double by 2100. Due to oceanographic and climatic factors, some areas, including the Pacific Northwest and Chesapeake Bay, are disproportionately affected. Acidification will primarily affect calcifying organisms like shellfish, corals, and some phytoplankton, and some shellfish farmers have already noticed the effect of more acidic waters on oyster larvae. Ecosystem effects will likely be more complex and widespread.
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