Vol. 5, No. 1 Contents
Headline Back Issues
Winter 2000
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Gulf Log
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Aquaculture and the environmentParticipants from the Gulf of Maine region and beyond explored ways to develop environmentally and economically sustainable aquaculture at a recent conference called Marine Aquaculture and the Environment: A Meeting for Stakeholders in the Northeast at the University of Massachusetts-Boston. Aquaculturists in the region, who are growing seaweed to salmon, are grappling with questions involving how to minimize the impact of aquaculture on the marine environment, wild fish, birds and other marine animals. Rebecca Goldburg of the Environmental Defense Fund of New York urged attendees to take complaints about aquaculture impacts seriously and said it would be best if this young industry "deliberately avoids or minimizes impacts from the outset." Speakers addressed issues including pollution caused by waste discharges from fish farms, the introduction of non-indigenous fish species and disease transmission from farm fish to wild fish. Attention focused on the problems posed by the interbreeding of escaped farm fish and wild fish, a topic of particular significance for endangered Atlantic salmon in the Gulf of Maine. The St. Croix River area near the Maine-New Brunswick border boasts the "world's most intensively farmed Atlantic salmon industry," Dr. Fred G. Whoriskey of the Atlantic Salmon Federation said. Eight Maine rivers also support the only wild Atlantic salmon stocks left in the U.S., but genetically different farm fish that have escaped their cages now outnumber the wild fish. In addition to competing with wild salmon for food, farm escapees that may not carry the genetic traits for optimal survival in the wild can weaken the gene pool of the wild fish. Approximately 30 to 50 percent of farm salmon used in the region are North American/European hybrids, according to Ed Baum, fisheries scientist for Atlantic Salmon Unlimited. Densely populated fish farms can also provide breeding grounds for disease that can spread to wild fish. Norway, for example, the world's largest producer of Atlantic salmon, has seen the rapid spread of disease from farm salmon to wild salmon, according to Kjetil Hindar of the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research. In 1985, smolts imported from Scotland brought a bacterial disease, furunculosis, to several Norwegian fish farms. By 1992, salmon at 550 fish farms and in 74 rivers were infected, according to Hindar's research. North American salmon have not been insulated from the spread of disease. Infectious salmon anemia, a virus transmitted by salmon lice that was first detected in 1984 among fish in Norway, appeared in Canadian salmon farms in 1996 and was detected in both Canada's farm and wild salmon in 1999, Whoriskey said. According to Chris Duffy, who raises flounder at Great Bay Aquafarms in New Hampshire, the question that needs to be asked in the latter case is, "What is the impact of these fish on the wild?" Even so, he urged his fellow aquaculturists to "avoid the precautionary approach" when it comes to developing this relatively new industry and stressed the importance of conducting "responsible" research and experimentation. "If we don't do some development, nothing will get done," he said. Maureen Kelly, Gulf of Maine Times intern Myrtle doesn't like what she hearsMyrtle, the New England Aquarium's resident green sea turtle, glides up through the water of the Giant Ocean Tank with a grace that belies her 550-pound bulk. As aquarium staffers begin lowering sound equipment into the water, she chomps on a few leaves of lettuce that have been tossed to her. Then she is ready for her morning routine. Over the next half hour, Kathy Streeter, the Aquarium's curator of marine mammals, observes how Myrtle responds to low frequency sounds broadcast from underwater speakers to determine her hearing range. All sea turtle species found off the U.S. coast are threatened or endangered. This study, which is funded by the Office of Naval Research, could help prevent one of the major causes of turtle mortality, drowning from entanglements in fishing gear. Knowing turtles' threshold for noise means that sound could be used to prevent these reptiles from approaching dangerous nets. Already, nets equipped with "pingers" that emit acoustic signals have proven to be effective deterrents to certain marine mammals. During the testing session, Myrtle demonstrates that acoustic deterrents may work for turtles as well. Streeter has trained Myrtle to bite an underwater speaker when she hears a sound, after which she is rewarded with a squid or fish snack. On this particular day, Myrtle responds consistently, but when the decibel level is annoyingly high, she shies away from the testing area, neglecting to bite the speaker. Although it is too early to say if sound will be as effective on free ranging turtles, Streeter says, "We are hoping that the information provided by this baseline study of [Myrtle's] hearing capabilities can be used to help develop an acoustic deterrent." Maureen Kelly, Gulf of Maine Times intern Council awards over $121,000 in grantsThe Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment last December awarded more than $121,000 to 15 organizations in Canada and the U.S. for 2001 projects. The Implementation Grants Program helps finance local initiatives in Maine, Massachusetts, New Brunswick, New Hampshire and Nova Scotia. The projects support the Council's priority goals of restoring shellfish habitat, promoting restoration of groundfish resources, addressing ecosystem and public health effects of toxins in the marine food chain, reducing marine debris, and protecting and restoring regionally significant coastal habitats. The grant recipients have pledged more than $426,000 in matching support, bringing the total value of the funded projects to over $531,000. Council Chairman Evan Richert, also director of the Maine State Planning Office noted, "The commitment and enthusiasm these local organizations bring to their projects is really exciting. They are doing some very important work to protect and conserve the Gulf's ecosystem." The following groups received grants:
For more information contact Cindy Krum Baby whale boomBiologists counted 16 North Atlantic right whale calves in the waters off Florida and Georgia this winter. The whales return to feeding grounds in the Gulf of Maine in the spring. Federal researchers say there are more calves now than in the last three years combined, raising hope that the population, long estimated at 300, is growing. Safety bill for fishermenTo aid fishermen in improving safety on-board their vessels, U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) has introduced the Commercial Fishermen Safety Act of 2001, offering tax credits to fishermen for 75 percent of the purchase price of federally-required safety equipment up to $1,500. Dwindling stocks of some commercially valuable species have forced fishermen to fish farther away from shore and stay out longer at sea. The longer distances require increased skills in navigation, communications and weather forecasting, abilities some fishermen who have been forced from their usual fishing zones might not have. The act hopes to reduce the occupational hazards of fishing. For more information, contact the office of Senator Collins at www.senate.gov/senator/collins.html. Priorities for the Gulf
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