2025 ME Fishermen's Forum Seminar Schedule and Descriptions
Thursday, February 27, 2025
Shellfish Focus Day
8:30 a.m.-9:40 a.m. (Rockland/Rockport Room)
Sea Level Rise and mudflat Characteristics in the intertidal
Sea level rise (SLR) poses an immense threat to Maine’s coastal ecosystems and communities, with predicted increases in flooding, salt water inundation, erosion, and loss of habitat. Historically, SLR planning and adaptation has focused primarily on threats to coastal infrastructure, beaches/dunes, and marsh habitat, with relatively little attention to mudflats and shellfish resources. Currently, there are no existing efforts to assess the advancement of low tide with SLR in Maine, which is of critical importance for any activity in the intertidal. Advancement of the low tide line (which delineates municipal and state authority) also has jurisdictional implications for co-management in the shellfish fishery. At the same time, there is growing interest from the scientific community and shellfish fishery to better understand relationships between mudflat characteristics and shellfish populations, and climate-related changes to sediments and morphology of the flats.This panel will discuss multiple efforts to better understand sea level rise, coastal change, and sediment dynamics on Maine’s intertidal mudflats, and implications for the wild shellfish fishery. We will describe a collaborative effort led by Manomet that brings together harvester knowledge, drone survey data, LiDAR data, and archival imagery to develop tools and resources for towns to prepare for climate change impacts. We will also share preliminary work to better characterize sediment composition and dynamics on intertidal mudflats, and the relationships between sediment and shellfish populations. Efforts to better understand how these multifaceted issues impact mudflats, shellfish, and harvester livelihoods are crucial for proactive and adaptive management of the fishery.
Seminar Host Director: Dianne Tilton
Moderator: Marissa McMahan, Senior Director of Fisheries, Manomet Conservation Sciences
Panelists:
Emily Farr, Senior Fisheries Program Manager, Manomet
Hannah Baranes, Assistant Research Scientist, Gulf of Maine Research Institute
Jon Woodruff, Professor of Sediment & Coastal Dynamics, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Bailey Bowden, Chair of Penobscot Shellfish Committee
Karen Merritt, Maine Maritime Academy
==================================================================
9:45 a.m. -10:45 a.m. (Rockland/Rockport Room)
State of the New England European Green Crab Industry: How has it changed in the last 5 years?
As ocean water temperatures have increased, so has the population of the invasive European green crab (Carcinas maenas) in New England which continues to cause significant economic and ecological impacts on the region’s commercially important bivalve, native crustacean species and ecosystem diversity. In 2019 we held a seminar at the Maine Fishermen’s Forum highlighting some of the scientific research and innovative efforts that were being investigated at the time to find benefits and mitigation solutions through fishery and market development. Since then, there has been a surge in interest by harvesters, aquaculturists, citizens, culinary experts and seafood industry members to move forward on fishery and culinary market development to better exploit the opportunities from a tremendously underutilized resource. This seminar is meant to provide a “State of the Industry” summary as well as discuss some of the challenges and barriers that we are facing in expanding and growing this industry- some of the topics include: Markets (challenges and opportunities), Licensing (what is available and what is needed), Cultural Significance (knowledge exchange), State of the Regulations (especially with regard to interstate transport and sales), and Opportunities for the Next Generation (students and fishers). The seminar will be a mixed panel of experts that will elaborate on these topics and stimulate lively discussion and an exchange of current activities, knowledge and ideas.
Seminar Host Director: Dianne Tilton
Moderator: Gabriela Bradt- Fisheries Extension State Specialist, NH Sea Grant/UNH Cooperative Extension
[Note see Marissa McMahan, Director of Marine Fisheries
Panelists:
John Painter, Owner, Maine Green Crabs
Mary Parks, Founder and Executive Director, greencrab.org
Robert Russell, Marine Resource Scientist, Division for Biological Monitoring and Assessment
Mike Masi, Owner, Shell & Claw
Tae Chong, Multicultural Markets and Strategies Consultant, ME State Chamber Commerce
===========================================================
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (Camden Room)
Stewardship and Collaboration in Maine’s Rockweed Fishery
Like other fisheries, Maine’s wild harvest seaweed fishery has experienced significant changes over the past decade, and is working to overcome challenges and ensure long-term sustainability. While a variety of seaweed species are harvested in Maine, 95% of the landings by weight are “rockweed” (Ascophyllum nodosum) – the recognizable, intertidal brown algae that dominates our rocky coast. This annual rockweed harvest amounts to be a significant and valuable marine resource for Maine, which is utilized in organic fertilizers, soil amendments, animal feed and nutrition, plant biostimulants, and other natural products. As recognition of the importance of seaweed and seaweed-derived products has grown in recent years, management, stewardship, and collaborations that protect this resource have an increasingly critical role to play. Formed in 1993 by seaweed harvesters, business owners, researchers, and consultants, the Maine Seaweed Council has a 30+ year history of engaging in fishery management and research, and is a notable example of long-term fisheries collaboration in Maine. The Maine Seaweed Council strives to protect the ecosystems of Maine’s marine algae and adhere to sustainable cultivation and harvest practices, promote the use of Maine seaweeds, educate the public, regulators, and elected officials, and provide a collaborative forum for its members. In this session, fishermen and businesses of the Council will highlight their current harvest management practices, ongoing research to sustain rockweed ecosystems, efforts to train and prepare new harvesters, challenges facing the industry, and how collaborations between rockweed businesses and seaweed farmers are creating new opportunities for Maine fisheries and aquaculture.
Seminar Host Director: Michelle Brown
Moderator: Jaclyn Robidoux, Marine Extension Associate, Maine Sea Grant
Panelists:
Bonnie Tobey, President, Maine Seaweed Council/Operations Manager, Source Inc.
Alison Feibel, Senior Resource Biologist, Acadian Seaplants Maine
Jake Patryn, Director of Operations, Acadian Seaplants Maine
George Seaver, Vice President and General Manager, Ocean Organics
Mitch Lench, CEO and Founder, Ocean’s Balance
===========================================================
10:50 a.m. -12:00 p.m. (Rockland/Rockport Room)
Shellfish Advisory Council Updates and Priorities Discussion
After a series of regional meetings held by the Shellfish Advisory Council (ShAC) and the DMR in 2022, the ShAC identified a number of priorities to focus on starting in spring of 2023. The top priorities included: 1) An economic impact study, 2) Opening shellfish growing areas that are closed as a result of overboard discharges (OBDs) and failing septic systems, and 3) Preserving harvester access through private property. We will also present on outcomes from the retail sales committee, which was formed to find ways to make retail shellfish sales more equitable, safe, and streamlined. This panel has speakers from various agencies and organizations. Each speaker will provide a brief presentation of their initiative, and the status of the work and/or results. Then the moderator will facilitate a conversation with the audience about these priorities and seek input on new priorities for the ShAC.GMRI will share findings from the project funded by the DMR/ShAC to examine the economic impact and market forces of shellfish harvesting. The project provides economic analysis and information to support a better understanding of soft- shell clam landings and price trends and fluctuations at regional and state levels. The findings suggest significant changes in landed prices around 2015.DMR and DEP will share updates on their evaluation of existing OBDs, and proposed agency regulations to facilitate continued removal of OBDs. IF&W will share information about their Outdoor Partners Program, which provides incentives to landowners who provide access for hunting and fishing.
Seminar Host Director: Dianne Tilton
Moderator: Jessica Gribbon Joyce, Chair, Shellfish Advisory Council & Owner of Tidal Bay Consulting Panelists:
Kanae Tokunaga, Senior Research Scientist, Gulf of Maine Research Institute
Ben Cotton, Research Associate, Gulf of Maine Research Institute
Brian Kavanah, Director of the Bureau of Water Quality, Department of Environmental Protection
Bryant Lewis, Growing Area West Program Supervisor, Bureau of Public Health and Aquaculture, Department of Marine Resources
Corporal Kris MacCabe, Game Warden Corporal, Landowner Relations Program, Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Jordan Kramer, Owner/Operator Winnegance Oyster Farm, ShAC Aquaculture Representative
=================================================================
1:00 p.m. -1:45 p.m. (Rockland/Rockport Room)
Monitoring Soft-Shell Clams: Then and Now
Downeast Institute has established an intertidal climate change monitoring network that spans the coast of Maine. Over the past five years, boxes have been deployed in 12 coastal communities to measure soft-shell clam, and other shellfish, recruitment, recruit growth, and survival, along with green crab demographics. This presentation will focus on the results from 2024 and examine trends over the past five years.
Seminar Host Director: Dianne Tilton
Panelists:
Tessa Houston, Research Assistant, Downeast Institute
===========================================================
1:00 p.m. -4:00 p.m. (Camden Room)
Atlantic Sea Scallop Strategic Planning Process – Visioning Session
The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is in the process of developing a long-term (3-5 year) strategic plan for managing the Atlantic Sea Scallop fishery in federal waters. The Council is conducting three visioning sessions in early 2025 to gather community input on specific topics as an initial phase of the strategic planning process. During this session, Council staff will provide information about the history and management of scallops in the Gulf of Maine and Northern Gulf of Maine management unit, and an overview of the strategic planning process. Following presentations, seminar attendees will be asked to reflect on current management approaches and provide input on federal scallop management in the Gulf of Maine.
Seminar Host Director: Melissa Smith
Moderator: Connor Buckley, New England Fishery Management Council
Panelists:
Melanie Griffin, Scallop Committee Chair, MA DMF
Jonathon Peros, New England Fishery Management Council
Kristan Porter, Scallop Advisory Panel Member, Cutler, Maine
==============================================================
1:45 p.m. -2:30 p.m. (Rockland/Rockport Room)
Examining Soft-Shell Clam Reproduction Across Maine
In the face of drastic declines in soft-shell clam landings, Downeast Institute will present the findings from its research into the relationship between the size of female clams and the number of eggs produced when they spawn. As different efforts emerge to try and stave off the effects of green crab and other predation of soft shell clam populations, the results of this study could present a way to outpace predation by leaving more breeders in the ecosystem. This presentation will share the experimental design and techniques used, quantify results, and allow a period for questions and answers.
Seminar Host Director: Dianne Tilton
Panelists:
Dr. Brian Beal, Professor of Marine Ecology, University of Maine Machias
=============================================================
2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (Rockland/Rockport Room)
Shellfish Focus Day Poster Session
This poster session is a highlight of the Shellfish Focus Day agenda. This event provides an informal opportunity for networking and speaking with the panelists who presented earlier in the day. Students, researchers, and other professionals have the opportunity to share their work through posters, videos, gear demonstrations, and other media. Posters this year include, but are not limited to: The Basin Oyster Project, Examining How pH and Temperature Affect the Survivorship and Development of Juvenile Atlantic Sea Scallops, Town of Brunswick – upweller & septic system mapping initiatives, Supporting Oyster Aquaculture and Restoration (SOAR) Program, the Shellfish Growers Climate Coalition, the Maine Shellfish Restoration Community of Practice, Documenting harvester knowledge of shellfish settlement patterns, Mapping of mussel beds in Casco Bay, and Interactive effects of ocean warming and acidification on growth, survival, and behavior or larval and post-larval American lobster. There will also be an opportunity for Q & A with DMR Nearshore Marine Resource Program staff.
Seminar Host Director: Dianne Tilton
Moderator: Jessica Gribbon Joyce, Tidal Bay Consulting and Shellfish Advisory Council
Panelists:
Dan Devereaux, Coastal Resource Manager, Town of Brunswick
Marissa McMahan, Director of Fisheries, Manomet Conservation Sciences
Heidi Leighton, Marine Resource Scientist, Department of Marine Resources
Daniel Sweeney, Research Assistant, Colby College/Basin Oyster Project
Elmer Robichaud, Student, John Bapst Memorial High School, Downeast Institute
Helena Tatgenhorst, Coastal Program Manager, The Nature Conservancy
Carissa Maurin, Aquaculture Program Manager, Gulf of Maine Research Institute
Kyle Pepperman, Associate Director, Downeast Institute
END OF THURSDAY SEMINARS
No comments:
Post a Comment