Tag Archives: Tracy Pugh
Lobstermen Face Hypoxia in Outer Cape Waters
Alex Iacono, a lobsterman who says he favors lobsters and ocean solitude over people, is worried about the future of his business. Iacono, who lives in Truro and fishes out of Provincetown on the F/V Storm Elizabeth, says his catch has significantly dwindled in recent years. He’s not alone; other lobstermen working across Cape Cod Bay have noticed a downward trend. They believe that hypoxia — dangerously low levels of oxygen in the water — is to blame. Hypoxia first came to fishermen’s attention in 2019 when it caused a catastrophic lobster die-off in the bay. After that, the DMF started affixing sensors to buoys and traps to monitor oxygen levels, and they have consistently observed mild hypoxia since then. >click to read< 09:50
Cape Cod Bay: Lobsters started dying in their traps. Now scientists think they know why
In September of 2019, Tracy Pugh started getting phone calls about dead lobsters. Pugh is a biologist with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, and a handful of fishermen in Cape Cod Bay were reporting traps full of dead lobsters, “anywhere from several dozen to hundreds,” she recalled. “So way, way more than normal.” Some reported dead fish and crabs in their traps, as well. One trawler came up with a bunch of dead scallops. Pugh, working with scientists at the Center for Coastal Studies, found the reason soon enough: >click to read< – Karenia mikimotoi, >click to read< 10:08
