Tag Archives: Mass Division of Marine Fisheries
House claws at lobster processing restrictions – State Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr keeps clawing
State Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr sometimes must feel as if the lobster gods are conspiring against him. The Gloucester legislator, on three occasions, has filed a bill in the state Senate to liberalize the Bay State’s lobster processing laws to allow in-state processing and the sale of frozen lobster parts.,, >click to read< – House lawmakers agreed to a policy rider Tuesday as part of their deliberation on a $42.7 billion state budget that would allow authorized persons to process and sell frozen lobster parts in Massachusetts, building on a 2013 law that allowed the sale and processing of shell-on lobster tails that meet certain size requirements. Rep. William Straus, a Mattapoisett Democrat who offered the amendment >click to read<08:44
Mass. Division of Marine Fisheries has enacted two right whale emergency regulations
The Division of Marine Fisheries has enacted two emergency regulations to protect vulnerable aggregations of endangered northern right whales in Cape Cod Bay. These regulations, effective immediately, are designed to reduce the risk of collisions with vessels and entanglements. Extension of Trap Gear Closure The existing February 1 – April 30 Large Whale Trap Gear Closure is being extended through Sunday, May 6 for a portion of Cape Cod Bay. >click to read<22:34
Study: Ocean noise may hinder fish mating
The party is noisy. The music and conversation drown out what you want to say. Welcome to the world of the cod, haddock and other fishwhere its considerably harder because its done in the dark, 160 feet below the ocean surface, where vital communication – essrtially “Here I am, over here!”- can be lost at the constant roar of ships passing overhead, An increasingly noisy ocean may mean fish are having a hard time finding one another to spawn and navigate, according to a new study by NOAA scientists and published last month in the online journal Scientific Reports by Nature. click here to read the story 10:28
Wellfleet shellfish ban a blow to fishermen
The ban on shellfish harvesting in Wellfleet Harbor issued on Oct. 13 because of a norovirus outbreak will continue through at least Nov. 17, according to last Friday’s update from the Mass. Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF). The initial closure notice, which also ordered the recall of shellfish harvested from Sept. 26 onward, said the ban would last at least 21 days. That period has now been lengthened to at least five weeks. “There are at least 200 families who depend directly on shellfishing,” said Alex Hay, who heads Wellfleet Shellfish Company, a large wholesaler. “Anyone who depends on shellfish for a living is feeling this. As wholesalers, we are being asked to issue credit on oysters we’ve had to withdraw. So, yes, we are losing money and even having to lay people off. Meanwhile growers are not seeing the income they count on to run their businesses.” Read the story here 08:39
Massachusetts Lawmakers to help small-boat fishermen qualify for third round of federal disaster aid
This is for the third installment of 
designed in 2012 to help fishermen catch some of the dollars they lost under significant cuts to groundfish catch allocations. The initial proposal limited recipients to only those fishermen who caught at least 20,000 pounds of fish each year for the last three years, said Rep. Jim Cantwell, the Democrat who represents two fishing communities in Marshfield and Scituate. National Marine Fisheries Service allocated in February $8.3 million of a $32.8 million federal groundfish disaster aid package to,,, Read the rest here 10:13
New Bedford fishing tycoon Carlos Rafael fighting move to dismiss lawsuit
After Labor Day, as the weather cools off, a lawsuit against the state filed by local fishing industry tycoon Carlos Rafael will begin heating up in Bristol Superior Court, his attorney predicts. Rafael retained attorney John Markey Jr. to sue the Division of Marine Fisheries in December over the agency head’s decision to cap the monetary award Rafael is entitled to in the disaster relief program created by the U.S. Department of Commerce and Congress early in 2014. A motion to dismiss the suit was filed by the state on Monday; Markey said he will oppose it. Read the rest here 08:23
Federal regulators consider lessening ban on single lobster pots
New regulations set by the National Marine Fisheries Service ban the use of lobstering equipment from Feb. 1 to April 30 off the Massachusetts coast. The goal is to reduce the chances of whales becoming entangled in the gear.The also ban single pots – or one trap per buoy line – outright starting June 1. Lobstermen would therefore have to tether multiple pots along a single line. But the state Division of Marine Fisheries is challenging the federal rules to allow single pots close to shore in three areas. Read the rest here 11:41
Carlos Rafael , the “Don” of the New England Groundfishery, says he was cheated
Between endless phone calls and Winston cigarettes, Carlos Rafael fumed as he recounted the call early in October: The fisheries disaster relief headed his way would be just half the amount he was originally told was his. For the don of the North Atlantic groundfishing industry, it was the second time in six years he said he was cheated out of federal funds. Read the rest here 09:47
Mass. Division of Marine Fisheries Officials urge changes needed on striper limits
PLYMOUTH — Orleans and Chatham residents knew something extraordinary was going on. Since 2009, the second week in July meant jammed-up town landings as hundreds vied with one another to launch boats at dawn and retrieve them at dusk. Roads were clogged and parking lots filled with oversized boat trailers and trucks. Read more@capecodonline 08:59
Dartmouth budget amendment calls for School for Marine Science and Technology fisheries research with the state Division of Marine Fisheries
The earmark, if passed, would send the money to the School for Marine Science and Technology at the UMass Dartmouth in collaboration with the state Division of Marine Fisheries to assess the number of groundfish, including co
d and yellowtail. continued
