Conserving Inshore Juvenile Cod Habitat via HAPCs. Key government and academic guidance documents

Habitat Area of Particular Concern, for Inshore Juvenile Atlantic Cod

Orange = Inshore juvenile cod HAPC.
Offshore coral canyon HAPCs not shown .

CONTENTS
1. Contacts

2. Summary: What's an HAPC?
3. What are Land based impacts to HAPCs?

4. Selection process

5. Maps of 2 alternatives for inshore juvenile cod HAPC. (MLW to 20 meters is Council's preference

6. Land-based impacts to inshore juvenile Atlantic Cod HAPC

7. Research and conservation of inshore juvenile atlantic cod habitat area of particular concern

1.  Contacts  

Michelle Bachman NEFMC fishery analyst   mbachman@nefmc.org   978/465-0492 ext 120

*  Andy Applegate NEFMC Ecosystem based fishery management   (978) 465-0492 (ext. 114)  email:  aapplegate@nefmc.org

* Ron Huber, Friends of Penobscot Bay  ron.huber@penbay.org 207-691-7485

2. What are  Habitat Areas of Particular Concern?

HAPCs are being delineated in the waters around the American coasts. New England Fishery Management Council-delineated HAPCs are  specific marine locations that fishermen, academics, the New England Fishery Management Council NEFMC, NOAA and NGOs come to agreement  as being  particularly essential habitats during some point in the lives of the finfish and shellfish species that commercial and recreational marine fisheries capture.

NEFMC's Description of HAPCs "The intent of the habitat areas of particular concern designation is to identify those areas that are known to be important to species which are in need of additional levels of protection from adverse impacts, "Designation of habitat areas of particular concern is intended to determine what areas within EFH should receive more of the Council's and NMFS' attention when providing comments on federal and state actions, and in establishing higher standards to protect and/or restore such habitat".  NOAA's definition of Habitat Ares of Particular Concern 

3. Land based impacts to HAPC. 
 NOAA Tech Memo Impacts to Marine Fisheries Habitat from Nonfishing Activities  in the Northeastern United States

4. Selection Criteria  and decision matrix. To become listed as an HAPC the location must meet  a majority of these criteria. See Habitat

1a. Importance of Historic Ecological Function 

1b. Importance of Current  Ecological Function

2.  Sensitivity to Anthropogenic Stresses

3.  Extent of Current or Future Development Stresses

4.  Rarity of the Habitat Type

4. Delineator. The New England Fishery Management Council is responsible for identifying HAPCs in the waters from Rhode Island to the Canadian border, from the low tide shores to the entire American EEZ portion of the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank, as well as the Nantucket Shoals south of Cape Cod 

Inshore Juvenile Atlantic Cod HAPC  

In 1999  NEFMC first concluded  that the shallow waters of New England meet all of the criteria except (4) Rarity of the habitat type. Evaluations since then have confirmed their earlier conclusions.  

The  Council found that the shallows of our New England coasts:

1a. Have well documented historic ecological functions for juvenile atlantic cod and their ecological partners,
1b. Have well documented  current ecological functions for juvenile atlantic cod and their ecological partners,
2. Are sensitive to anthropogenic stresses, such as  dredging, wastewater discharges, pesticide runoff
3. Are under stress from development, with more development pressures anticipated.
4. Are a common habitat type. Maine has more than 5,000 miles of shoreline, the amount within 65 feet of shore must be a large number of square miles

In 2004 the council prepared a review of the known habitat needs of inshore juvenile atlantic cod 
In 2006  the council  examined the inshore juvenile cod HAPC and looked at other  HAPC proposals aroudn the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank (72pg pdf)
In 2013 the NEFMC DEIS on HAPCs refined its proposal for the Juvenile Atlantic Cod Habitat Area of Particular Concern 

Alternatives: The Council set two alternatives. These are: mean low water to either the 10 meter  or 20 meter depth contour,. The Council's preferred alternative is the 20 meter depth contour alternative   

Note: Friends of Penobscot Bay supports the low water to 10 meter depth contour as most vulnerable to landbased impacts, as well as easy to delineate. FOPB feels that 20 meter depth contour covers habitats so much  less impacted as to be 

MAPS
New Eng inshore juvenile cod HAP Mean highwater to 20 meter depth contour

Alternative inshore juvenile cod HAPC map  0 to 10 meters    closeup of the ten meter alternative

Reports and research relevant to the inshore Juvenile Atlantic cod HAPC

* List of  landbased threats to inshore juvenile atlantic cod   Text version of list

* HAPC guidance on Human Activities that Impact Fish Habitat.- MidAtlantic Fishery Mgmt Council

* Impacts to Marine Fisheries Habitat from Non-fishing activities in the NE US

* Hatchling cod need soft microplankton for first food  GLOBEC 1998
 * Text version Scott M. Gallager, Jeff Van Keuren and Phillip Alatalo. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.1998

* Spatial Distribution of Ages 0 and 1 Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) off the Eastern Massachusetts Coast, 1978-1999, Relative to ‘Habitat Area of Special Concern’ (based on inshore trawl surveys)

* Proposal to Establish a Marine Sanctuary in Midcoast Maine. 1989. Part 1  Part Two

This Week: Penobscot Bay/Maine Coast Needs YOU. Tues eve Brewer. Wed eve Belfast

Bay-huggers

Important things are coming up this week, Maine saltwater fish habitat-wise. Penobscot Bay and all of the Gulf of Maine could benefit by your presence - actual and/or virtual! Your choice!   

In reverse order:

* January 7th.  FOPB's monthly meeting Belfast Library 6-7:30.  Briefing by Maine Ocean Acidification Commission leader Mick Devin, state legislator from Newcastle, on the recommendations of that commission, followed by Fundy Baykeeper Matthew Abbott from New Brunswick, Canada on the Canadian Keeper experience and on organizing a Penobscot Baykeeper program. Plus a GAC Chemical update.

* January 6th  New federal rules to protect habitat of inshore juvenile cod. Brewer,  6:00 - 8:00PM

Location Jeff's Catering and Event Center, 15 Littlefield Road,Brewer, ME 207.989.1811 

WHAT.  Public hearing on new federal fish habitat protections for all of New England's coastal and offshore fishes. See map of proposed and existing habitat protection areas  (Orange and Green sites are the new ones)

Of particular interest for Penobscot Bay protectors is the Inshore Juvenile Atlantic Cod Habitat Area of Particular Concern (4 page excerpt from above document. pdf) This "HAPC" will include the entire New England coast running parallel to the shore in a shallow ribbon from the low tide line to either the 10 meter (32 foot) or 20 meter (65 foot) depth contour. Description of this habitat area- both alternatives   See also  NOAA report "Impacts to Marine Fisheries Habitat from Nonfishing Activities in the Northeastern United States"

What to tell the New England Fishery Management Council at the meeting

AT ISSUE

1.  Our coastal cod's inshore young need specific types of shallow three dimensional habitat to survive their first year.

2. Their prey species also have specific habitat needs.

3. There are both fishery based impacts and land based impacts to these habitats.

4. Fishery management can and has been reducing gear impacts to juvenile cod habitat.  

5. Land-based impacts to inshore juvenile cod habitat have multiple sources, and occur at different intensities at different seasons and locations.

6. While the Council prefers the 20 meter contour as the outer edge of the HAPC, we believe going out to the 10 meter contour will provide sufficient protections for Age Zero cod and be more easy for non fishing citizens to understand and be involved in. One possible alternative is for landbased impact reviews to go out to the 10 meter contour, while fishery impacts to this HAPC to go out to the 20 meter contour. 

WHAT TO DO. Tell the officials at the meeting: Maine will need to prepare.  

For this Inshore Juvenile Atlantic Cod Habitat Area of Particular Concern to be a useful part of the fish habitat protection toolbox, the habitat has to be profiled and state environmental agencies must be trained in how to include consideration of this HAPC in their reviews of coastal discharger licenses, dredging plans and coastal development applications. Friends of Penobscot Bay supports this HAPC and makes the following recommendations.

* Map and evaluate the existing habitat quality within their Inshore Juvenile Cod HAPC areas.  FOPB will be doing this by towing video cameras along the 10 meter contours of Penobscot Bay to get baseline documentation along the centerline of this HAPC.

* Locate & rate the intensity of known and likely future land-based impacts to this HAPC. 

* Provide training to state environmental agency staff, who will be tasked to refer Inshore Juvenile Cod HAPC concerns to federal officials.

* Provide training materials for coastal municipal planning boards to help them understand the Juvenile Cod Habitat Area of Particular Concern within their towns' waters.

GAC CHEMICAL - The VRAP plan means that the company will finally embark on ending the erosion of its wastes into Stockton harbor.     See map of remediation site.  and thenThey will remove sulfur buried next to the shore  trim back and stabilize the eroding shoreline immediately below the old acid pile.  This is only a first step. FOPB will have to guide them along the way to continue this remediation along the rest of their shore.But let's give them an award for doing SOMETHING!

Ron  

Impacts to Marine Fish Habitat from Nonfishing Activities in the Northeastern United States

Impacts to Marine Fisheries Habitat from Nonfishing Activities in the Northeastern United States.2008 NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE-209

Preface and Introduction
Chapter One:  Technical Workshop on Impacts to Coastal Fisheries Habitat from Nonfishing Activities
Chapter Two:  Coastal Development
Chapter Three:  Energy-related Activities
Chapter Four: Alteration of Freshwater Systems
Chapter Five: Marine Transportation
Chapter Six: Offshore Dredging and Disposal Activities
Chapter Seven: Chemical Effects—Water Discharge Facilities
Chapter Eight:  Physical Effects—Water Intake and Discharge Facilities
Chapter Nine: Agricultures and Silviculture
Chapter Ten: Introduced/Nuisance Species and Aquaculture
Chapter Eleven: Global Effects and Other Impacts
Chapter Twelve: Compensatory Mitigation
Conclusions and Recommendations

Appendix: Attendees of Technical Workshop on Impacts to Coastal Fishery Habitat from Nonfishing Activities

This document is also available as a 339 page pdf

Maine Fishermens Forum 2014 - Fishery Council rep reviews coming new habitat protection amendment - learns about bay mercury, dredging concerns

Rockport. The New England Fishery Management Council and NOAA's scientific leadership gave updates on important new coastal  habitat protections on the horizon before the members of Maine's fishing communities filling hundreds of folding chairs Friday at the 2014 Maine Fishermens Forum. 

Clamming & lobstering interests were there, and the hookers, harpooners, draggers, gillers and seiners of Maine's finfisheries. A handful of conservation ENGOs and journalists too.

. 

Listen below to Michelle Bachmann, habitat coordinator, New England Fishery Management Council, describe Omnibus Groundfish Habitat Amendment 2 and its implications for all New England fisheries.  This discussion  was followed by a panel of NOAA's top officials who similarly received careful questioning by the assembled.

NEFMC on new coastal habitat protection rules 

Introduction 1 min 35sec

Part 1. 8min 8 sec

Part 2. 5min 45 sec.

Part 3. 11 min.

Part 4. Q&A 7 min.

Part 5 Q&A 6min 58sec.

Part 6. Q&A 10 min 30 sec

Additional Question and answer session  19min 32sec

Waiting for Big Blue/Green & Red, White& Blue to get GOM HAPC happening

On the coast of Maine.  We wait for Big BlueGreen to lift its sluggish head from the climate change trough it is feeding at. It is time to stand at the shore of the sea, midwifing what to developers & polluters may seem a monster, but to the rest of us, a blessing,

Time to get organized, NOAA is implementing new federal marine fish habitat rules over the entire coastal shallows (low tide to 30 feet deep) (see map of Vinalhaven & North Haven) of the entire New England coast: Narragansett Bay of Connecticut/Rhode Island up to Passmaquoddy Bay at the Maine/New Brunswick border, on behalf of and to the betterment of inshore atlantic cod schools that should be thronging those shores, common as mackerel.

And will again, perhaps, if their old home is freed from pollution, dredging, filling and the rest of the insults we humans dole out so blithely to Neptune's wild Atlantis holdikngs. Read summary of federal inshore cod plan, with maps (3pg pdf)