Page 12. MAINE COASTAL NEWS April 2018 Commercial Fishing News
Data Workshops Scheduled for Atlantic Menhaden Single-Species & Ecolog- ical-Based Benchmark Stock Assess- ments
M C F N For more information about the as-
ARLINGTON, VA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has begun work on two Atlantic menhaden-specifi c benchmark assessments: a single-species benchmark assessment and an ecologi- cal-based benchmark assessment. The as- sessments will be used to evaluate the health of the stock and inform the management of the species in an ecological context. The assessments will be peer-reviewed at the end of 2019. A Data Workshop for both assessments
will be conducted the week of April 23rd; details on the location will be released once they become available. The Atlantic Menhaden Technical Committee and Stock Assessment Subcommittee will meet April 23-25 to discuss the single-species assess- ment and the Ecological Reference Point Workgroup will meet April 25-27 to discuss the ecological-based assessment. A second Data and Modeling Workshop
will be held in September; information on the dates and location will be provided once they are fi nalized. All Data and Modeling Workshops are open to the public, with the exception of discussions of confi dential data, when the public will be asked to leave the room. The Commission welcomes the sub-
mission of data sources and alternate models that will improve the accuracy of the assess- ments. This includes, but is not limited to, data on commercial landings and discards, catch per unit eff ort, biological samples (length or age frequency), and life history information (growth, maturity, fecundity, natural mortality, spawning stock biomass). For the ecological-based assessment, the Commission is also interested in predation information on Atlantic menhaden (i.e., predator diets, consumption rates) and pred- ator stock size information (i.e., Atlantic striped bass, weakfi sh, bluefi sh and spiny dogfi sh). For data sets to be considered, the data must be sent in the required format with accompanying description of methods to Dr. Kristen Anstead, Stock Assessment Scientist, at
kanstead@asmfc.org by Friday, April 6, 2018. For alternate models to be considered,
the model description, model input, and complete source code must be provided to Dr. Katie Drew, Stock Assessment Team Leader, at
kdrew@asmfc.org by the model deadline. For alternate multispecies or ecosystem models, the deadline isFriday, June 1, 2018. For alternate single species models, the deadline is Thursday, Novem- ber 1, 2018. Any models submitted without complete, editable source code and input fi les will not be considered.
sessments, the submission and presentation of materials at the Data Workshop, or at- tending the Data Workshop, please contact Max Appelman, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at
mappelman@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.
Atlantic Striped Bass Benchmark Stock Assessment Modeling Workshop Sched- uled for May 15-17, 2018 in Providence, RI
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries
Commission’s Atlantic Striped Bass Stock Assessment Modeling Workshop will be conducted May 15-17, 2018 at the Renais- sance Providence-Downtown, in Provi- dence, Rhode Island. The assessment will evaluate the condition of Atlantic striped bass stocks from Maine to North Carolina and inform management of those stocks. The workshop is open to the public, with the exception of discussion of confi dential data when the public will be asked to leave the room.
For alternate models to be considered, the model description, model input, and com- plete source code must be provided to Dr. Katie Drew, Stock Assessment Team Lead- er, at
kdrew@asmfc.org by April 30, 2018. Any models submitted without complete, editable source code and input fi les will not be considered.
The benchmark stock assessment is sched- uled for peer-review at the Northeast Fish- eries Science Center’s 66th
Stock Assess-
ment Workshop (SAW/SARC), November 27-30, 2018. For more information about the assessment, or the submission and presentation of materials at the Modeling Workshop, please contact Max Appelman, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at
mappelman@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.
Woods Hole Sea Grant Awards Funds to Six New Coastal Projects
The Woods Hole Sea Grant program
has awarded researchers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and other Massachusetts academic orga- nizations funds for six new projects. The awards represent a total anticipated research investment of nearly $1.5 million over the next two years from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other non-federal matching funds. “We are proud to have funded projects
that address issues and information needs specifi c to our state and region,” said Woods Hole Sea Grant Director Matt Charette. “The result of this work will contribute to main- taining healthy coastal ecosystems; refi ning the techniques and management strategies for sustainable fi sheries and aquaculture;
2017 LOBSTER BOAT RACE CD
and helping our communities and local economies to be more resilient in the face of climate change.” A team of biologists and marine chem-
ists from WHOI led by Mark Hahn and Chris Reddy will examine the potential risk to human health posed by halogenated marine natural products (HNPs) in seafood. Some HNPs have been found to be per- sistent and bioaccumulative and to occur at similar concentrations as their industrial counterparts such as PCBs. Preliminary research suggests that HNPs could make a substantial contribution to the total “dioxin equivalents” in marine animals, and thus to the total risk of dioxin-like eff ects from consuming seafood. This research will help inform decisions regarding consumption of seafood by humans, including sensitive sub- populations such as children and pregnant women.
WHOI oceanographers Steve Elgar and
Britt Raubenheimer will examine the resil- ience of sandy shorelines, and in particular the recovery of beaches after storm-induced erosion or inlet breaching. The work focus- es on the shoreline of Martha's Vineyard, where sediment transport is aff ecting water quality, shellfi sh farms, tourism, and homes and structures. Although focused on the southern shoreline of Martha’s Vineyard, the results will apply to a range of coasts and be of interest to the USGS, Cape Cod Extension, conservation commissions, en- vironmental groups, homeowners, coastal engineers, shellfi sh farmers, fi shermen, and swimmer safety personnel. Biologists Joel Llopiz and Rubao Ji
of WHOI, with colleagues Martha Hauff of Stonehill College and Hannes Baumann of the Univ. of Conn., want to address the dearth of knowledge on the ecological role of the northern sand lance in the Gulf of Maine. Ecological hotspots off Massachu- setts’s shores such as the Nantucket Shoals region and Stellwagen Bank are critical foraging grounds for such iconic marine spe- cies such as humpback whales, bluefi n tuna, and cod, and the sand lance is one reason these hotspots exist. As management eff orts are increasingly directed towards entire eco- systems rather than single species, focused research on the more infl uential components of these ecosystems, such as sand lance, can provide a major contribution. University of Massachusetts Dart-
mouth biological oceanographer Jeff erson Turner will use Sea Grant funding to ex- pand the 30-year data collection record of phytoplankton abundance and community composition in Buzzards Bay (Mass.). The extended program will focus on patterns of appearance and abundance of harmful phytoplankton species in relation to those of other phytoplankton species that may utilize diff erent nutrients and hydrographic niches. The research may provide the state agency responsible for ensuring the safe harvest of shellfi sh with new management approaches to predicting and dealing with these harmful blooms. New England has a decades-old prac-
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tice of digging ditches in salt marshes to in- crease marsh drainage and reduce the habitat for breeding mosquitoes. A new project led by WHOI marine chemist Amanda Spivak will be the fi rst to quantify how nearly 90 years of ditch digging and maintenance have impacted marsh elevation, accretion rates, pond density, and carbon storage. The infor- mation will help wetland managers and res- toration practitioners assess the long-term outcomes of ditch maintenance decisions. With environmental change and rising
sea levels, coastal communities are devel- oping strategies to protect and stabilize their shorelines using natural materials.
This ‘living shoreline’ concept may be more costly than traditional methods, but can provide added benefi ts in terms of ecosystem services. Three researchers from the WHOI Marine Policy Center, Di Jin, Porter Hoagland, and Hauke Kite-Powell, will develop a framework for an eff ective and 'rapid' assessment for living shoreline designs and their ecosystem benefi ts. Their results will give coastal communities a decision-making tool to evaluate these new designs and compare them with traditional shoreline protection techniques. “The work at Woods Hole provides
critical information about issues related to human health and safety, the impacts of climate change on our shoreline and coastal ecosystems, and our economical- ly important aquaculture industry," said Congressman William Keating. “And I am proud that Woods Hole continues to be nationally recognized for their important work, as evidenced by the Sea Grant funding announced today. Every dollar Congress appropriates to the Sea Grant network is multiplied more than eight times in its im- pact on the economy. In fact, Woods Hole’s support for the National Flood Insurance Program Community Rating System (CRS) coordinator position in Barnstable County has led to millions of dollars in savings on fl ood insurance premiums for homeowners, businesses, and municipalities in our area. The program has worked so well that I in- troduced the Community Flood Insurance Savings Act to help other regions leverage federal funding and replicate Barnstable County's success.” Woods Hole Sea Grant is administered
at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institu- tion, but the research competition is open to faculty and staff at any public or private research or higher education institution, usually those based in the state of Massa- chusetts. The Woods Hole Sea Grant program
supports research and education, and a marine advisory program in concert with the Cape Cod Cooperative Extension, that encourage environmental stewardship, long-term economic development, and responsible use of the nation’s coastal and ocean resources. It is part of the National Sea Grant College Program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a network of 33 individual programs located in each of the coastal and Great Lakes states.
NEFSC Researchers Help Promote Understanding of Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management and Science
NEFSC fi shery biologist Chris Sarro, study fl eet expert.
The Marine Resource Education Pro-
gram (MREP), best known for its fi sheries science and management workshops, has recently extended its curriculum to address emerging topics such as concepts in ecosys- tem-based fi shery management. That’s the topic of the session going on this week in New Bedford, MA and Pt. Judith, RI. For more than a decade, MREP has
helped bridge the gap between science and industry in New England. It has fostered new collaborative research, and spurred import- ant discussions and leadership in fi sheries management. Interested participants apply for the program ahead of time and workshop seating is limited. For the workshop this week, there’s a
mix of discussion and hands-on tours that include visiting fi shing vessels in Pt. Judith, RI, and seafood businesses such as the Sea Trade processing facility in New Bedford. Industry discussion moderators help ensure productive exchange of ideas. Northeast Fisheries Science Center
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