Massachusetts Shellfish InitiativeTask Force Meeting #3

9AM December 4, 2020Virtually Via Zoom

https://bit.ly/3fOSzrS

Chairman’s comments and Welcome

MSI Task Force Agenda for Meeting #3

Massachusetts Shellfish InitiativeTask Force Roster

Member Organization ProxyDan McKiernan (Chair) Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF)Jeff Kennedy Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF)Lt. Col. Pat Moran MA Environmental Police (MEP)Dan Sieger Exec. Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs (EEA)Rep. Sarah Peake MA LegislatureSen. Susan Moran MA LegislatureMatt Charette Woods Hole Sea Grant ProgramMichael Moore Department of Public Health (DPH)Jon Mitchell City of New Bedford Edward Anthes-WashburnSeth Garfield MA Aquaculture Association (MAA)Sefatia Romeo Theken Mayor, City of Gloucester Pete SeminaraDeirdre Buckley MA Environmental Policy Act Office (MEPA) Paige CzepigaJill Goldsmith Town of ChathamJohn Lebeaux Department of Agricultural Resources (DAR) Sean BowenDeb Markowitz The Nature ConservancyLisa Engler Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Todd CallaghanMartin Suuberg Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Michael StromanMichael Devasto Town of WellfleetPaul Bagnall MA Shellfish Officer's Association (MSOA)Rene Read Town of DuxburyJohn Pappalardo Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen's Alliance (CCCFA) Melissa SandersonRobert O'Leary MA Maritime Academy (MMA)

Massachusetts Shellfish InitiativeSteering Committee Roster

Member Organization

Dan McKiernan MA DMF Director

Jeff Kennedy MA DMF Shellfish Program Manager

Chris Schillaci NOAA Fisheries Aquaculture Coordinator

Steve Kirk The Nature Conservancy

Scott Soares MA Aquaculture Association

Melissa Sanderson Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen's Alliance

Sean McNally UMASS Boston Urban Harbors Institute

Virtual Rules of Engagement• Purpose of the meeting is for the MSI Task Force to review progress made by the MSI’s Steering

Committee, Assessment Committee, and Scoping Committee; review the status of the grant funding the MSI project; and to begin the process of developing a Strategic Plan.

• All Task Force and Steering Committee Members will have audio permissions granted. To ask questions or make comments, please use the raise hand function and the MSI Chair or his designee will recognize you.

• All members of the public will be muted throughout the meeting. Additionally, the chat and question and answer functions will be disabled.

• At the conclusion of this meeting, there will be a brief public comment session. At this time, members of the general public may ask questions of and provide comments to the MSI Task Force and Steering Committee.

• To participate in this public comment session, members of the public is required to use the raise hand function. This will create a queue for questions and comments. The MSI Chair or his designee will recognize individuals when it is their turn to speak. They will then be unmuted for the duration of their question or comment. Commenters will be provided three (3) minutes person. Follow-up comments will only be allowed after all other persons have had an opportunity to speak.

• Participants must conduct themselves in a professional and courteous manner. Individuals may be permanently muted or removed from the meeting based on their conduct.

MSIAssessment Report Wrapup

Assessment Committee Charge

For Massachusetts Shellfish -

• Assess capacity and status of state and municipal government as well as NGO and academic support and programming including but not limited to staffing, labs, hatcheries, research, monitoring, education, outreach, municipal programs and economic impacts;

• Assess the status of existing strategic goals related to Massachusetts shellfish, across state agencies, NGO’s, municipalities and academic institutions;

• Compile public input collected through surveys and agency requests for public comment as well as informal feedback gathered by the committee.

MSI Assessment Committee

Jeff Kennedy – DMF/ChairBrent Valli –GrowerChris Manulla – Town of WellfleetDaniel Morton - Wellfleet Wild HarvesterDiane Murphy – CCCExt & WHSGEli Powell – City of New BedfordGinny Parker - Wellfleet CitizenLindsey Williams - MIT Sea GrantLiz Lewis – Town of BarnstableMark Begley - Barnstable Sh ellfish GrowerMelissa Sanderson -CCCFA

Michele Insley - Wellfleet S PATNancy Civetta – Town of WellfleetNathan Davis - Orleans Wild Harvester &Shellfish/Waterways Com mittee

Renee Gagne – Town of ChathamRon Bergstrom – CC Commission &Chatham Wild Harvester

Steve Kirk – TNCSuzanne (Phil) Phillips – Wild Harvester &Orleans S hellfish & Waterways CommitteeTown of Chatham

Todd Callaghan - MCZM

Municipal Survey

•Recreational

•Wild Commercial

•Commercial Aquaculture

•Municipal Propagation

Agency/NGO/Educational-Research Survey

• Summaries

• Programming Related to Shellfish

• Staffing and Resources Related to Shellfish

• Statutory and Regulatory Authority Related to Shellfish

• Emerging Concerns & Strategic Goals Related to Shellfish

Assessment Report

• 290 pages consisting of…

• Overview / Glossary of Terms

• Executive Summary

• Introduction / Material-Methods

• Shellfish Management Structure and Capacity

• Status and Trends

• Appendix A – DMF Permits and Landings /Municipality and Region

• Appendix B – Agency/NGO/Academic Questionnaire

• Appendix C – Municipal Survey Results

2020 Assessment Report

Thanks to Committee Members

Thanks to Authors, All Editors and Reviewers

Questions?

Shellfish management in the Commonwealth

Ø The Task Force identified six objective categories, modeled after NOAA NationalShellfish Initiative (NSI) to collect public comment around:

1. Building public and stakeholder capacity and support for shellfish.2. Management, research, and industry resource development.3. Supporting and promoting cultural and historical uses of shellfish.4. Supporting and promoting balanced and sustainable economic

opportunities around shellfish.5. Fostering communication and coordination between local, state and

federal managers and developing improved guidance.6. Ensuring ecologically sound management/enhancement of shellfish

resources and coastal ecosystems.

Stakeholder public comment

Ø The MSI collected written public comment over a period between August 6 and November 1, 2019.

Ø Four public listening sessions in Chatham, Tisbury, Bourne, and Gloucester.

Ø Comments were categorized and grouped within the six objective categories and further coded under four domains to evaluate aquaculture sustainability.

Stakeholder public comment

Ø Commercial aquaculture Ø Commercial wild harvestØ Shellfish constablesØ General PublicØ Recreational harvesters Ø ENGOsØ AcademiaØ ResearchersØ Federal AgenciesØ State Agencies

Ø Commercial aquacultureØ Shellfish constablesØ General PublicØ ENGOsØ State Agencies

Stakeholder public comment

#Objective Summary of Comments Econ. Enviro. Gov. Cult.

1Building public and stakeholder capacity and support for shellfish. Stakeholder communication X X X

2Management, research, and industry resource development. Technical support, personnel, and other resources X X X X

3Supporting and promoting cultural and historical uses of shellfish. Maintaining home rule X X X X

4

Supporting and promoting balanced and sustainable economic opportunities around shellfish.

Public access to shellfish resource X X X X

5

Fostering communication and coordination between local, state and federal managers and developing improved guidance.

Communication and data sharing X X X X

6

Ensuring ecologically sound management/enhancement of shellfish resources and coastal ecosystems.

Shellfish for nutrient remediation X X X

* Comments are multifaceted and not restricted to one objective category, but rather coded under all topics deemed relevant

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Culture Economics Environment Governance

Num

ber o

f Ind

icto

rs c

oded

und

er To

pics

by

Sche

me

Building public and stakeholder capacity and support for shellfish.

Management, research, and industry resource development.

Supporting and promoting cultural and historical uses of shellfish.

Supporting and promoting balanced and sustainable economic opportunities around shellfish

Fostering communication and coordination between local, state and federal managers and developing improved guidance

Stakeholder public comment

MSI Objective #2 –development of management, research and industry resources

Coded MSI Objective (2) Snapshot

0 5 10 15 20

Labor & Employment

Wealth Distribution

Financial Performance

Production Costs

Indirect Effects on Economic…

Investments in Technology &…

License & Permit Conditions

ECONOMICS

0 5 10 15 20

Abiotic Effects

Biotic Effects

Emission & Waste

Feed

Energey Consumption & GHG…

Fish Health & Welfare

Mitigation Measures

ENVIRONMENT

0 5 10 15 20

Enquiry & Learning

Respect for Native Culture

Employee Interests & Well being

Social Capital of Local…

Equity

Community Integration

Community Contributions

CULTURE

0 5 10 15 20

Representation & Negotiation

Coordination of Interest &…

Siting

Transparency & Traceability

Accountability & Enforcement

Social Assurance

Food Safety

GOVERNANCE

Expansion of Interests

Ø Increase financial support to improve shellfish management

ØEnhance marketing and industry development Ø Improve information sharing among and

between government and stakeholders ØExpand public educational efforts ØFurther scientific research.

Coded comments offer a unique and reflective look on the diversity of opinions heard from across the state’s coast where identified the need to:

Purpose //Identify the challenges coastal communities face in their efforts to:• Manage • Support• And expand shellfish opportunities and shellfish resources in

state waters

Distribution //• Distributed survey to Shellfish Constables and Town Managers

across 65 coastal communities

• Of those communities, 54 have active shellfish programs

• Participation by constables was entirely voluntary. Participants could choose not to answer any specific questions.

42Coastal Communities Participated

Towns with Shellfish Program(s)

Towns w/o Shellfish Program(s)

*Beverly, Swampscott, Winthrop, Fall River

38

4

Total 54

Total 27

Reached

70%of Coastal Communities w/ Active Shellfish Program(s)

38 Total 54

Cape Cod & Islands86% of communities on

Total 21

Total 15

Total 18

Boston Harbor & North Shore

South Shore & South Coast

18

11

10

80% of communities on

55% of communities on

*Quincy, Rowley, Saugus, Weymouth,

*Aquinnah, Cohasset, Dartmouth, Mattapoisett, Plymouth, Scituate, Somerset, Swansea

*Brewster, Chilmark, Gosnold

38 Total 54

Management ProgramStaffing

92% of towns have employee shellfish constables

• 66% have completed MSOA training• 74% are full time positions• 58% have a second job related to natural

resource management

55% of towns have shellfish advisory board(s) or committee(s)

• 37% conduct shellfish disease monitoring• Primarily for background monitoring

34% of towns employ shellfish staff other than constables

• Primarily - assistant harbormasters, biologists, aquaculture specialists, and propagation specialists

38 Total 54ExpansionInterests

58%

• 91% want to see recreational shellfish opportunities expanded• 73% want to see private shellfish aquaculture opportunities expanded• 54% want to see commercial shellfish harvest opportunities expanded

of municipalities with shellfish resource management want to expand or create opportunities around shellfish resources

Of those communities:

38 Total 54Infrastructure Needs

48% of towns lack the proper infrastructure to support growth in shellfish related activities:

• Lack of boat ramps• Lack of parking• Dredging needs• Poor water quality/limited access to

areas• Revenues to support growth

38 Total 54

Permit & License FeeRevenue

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

$0 - $1000

$1,000 - $2,500

$2,500 - $5,000

$5,000 - $7,500

$7,500 - $10,000

$10,000 - $20,000

>$20,000

Aqua Comm Rec

• Most revenue for each town(s) program regardless of region comes from the sale of recreational and commercial harvest permits

• A majority of revenue is structured into the town(s) general fund

38 Total 54State Support

Yes

No

19

12

71% of communities do not receive state funds to support their shellfish management plans.

Communities are split if adequate state resources exist to support their shellfish management plans.

Strategic Planning Action Items

• The public comment was synthesized into priority goals.

• The report outlines specific action items to be considered in the Task Force’s development of the MSI’s strategic plan.

Strategic Planning: Strawman Example

Strategic Planning: MSI Objective Category #2 Management, research, and industry resource development.

Increased support for municipal and state shellfish management capacity. This should include:

1. Increase state and local capacity to maintain current classification of open areas

2. Increase the capacity of in-state laboratories for classification, biotoxin, and pathogen testing

3. Ensure cooperation between state agencies County Extension staff, on issues like tagging, harvest and handling

Strategic Planning: Recommended Actions ExampleIncrease state and local capacity to maintain current classification of open areas

1. Increase DMF classification staff capacity (FTEs) and resources (Vehicles, Boats)

Example: Dedicate efforts toward improving methods of collaboration with municipalities to identify priority-growing areas for classification upgrades.

2. Strengthen support for the Coastal Pollutant Remediation (CPR) grant program and prioritize projects that address pollutants prior to making it into coastal waters.

Example: Extend project timelines from 1 year to multiple years

Strategic Planning: Recommended Layout

Strategic Planning: Recommended Sub-Committee Composition

• MSI Chair• MSI Assessment Committee Chair• MSI Scoping Committee Chair• MSI Steering Committee Members• MSI Taskforce Designees