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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-7-3Harbor and Shellfish Advisory Board July 3, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. Conference Room 2, 4 Fairgrounds Road Members present: Chuck Connors, Bill Blount, Dr. Peter Boyce, Wendy McCrae, Peter Brace, Michael Glowacki, Members Absent: Doug Smith D Marine Dept: Sheila Lucey,Z, N Cn BOS: Whitey Willauer C Natural Resources Dept. Jeff Carlson, Tara Riley, Kelley, Coughlan, Stepp Leak, rn Others: Police Chief Pittman, Dan Pronk, Matt Herr, Mary -Adair Macaire, Dftve9qonaWo, Dr. Estabrooks, Ed Barret, Tim Barret, Walter Dickson. o -0 < rn z o CALL TO ORDER C? 5:00 P.M. ,M w ;a APPROVAL OF AGENDA Unanimously approved Whitey added that he would like to have Mary-Adair Macaire give an update on shellfish branding APPROVAL OF MINUTES Unanimously approved MARINE DEPARTMEN REPORT Mr. Brace asked Ms. Riley about considering Mr. Frazer grant. Ms. Riley passed around a grid of the head of the harbor showing the 30 acres approved by the DMF. Currently in the head of the harbor Mr. Murray has 4 acres, Andy Roberts has 4 acres, Simon Edwards has 6 acres Ted Lembret has 4, Chuck Connors will have 4 acres and Matt Herr will have 4 acres. And the remaining 4 acres will be kept for the town for oyster grow out. There is a ten acre lease currently in Costaka being used by Jamie Marks. There are 5 acres in the Pocomo meadows area currently being used by two people; Simon Edwards (2 acres) and Steve Bender (3 acres). Ms. Riley explained that the applicants should seek out new areas they would like to see approved for aquaculture. Once a few areas are found the town will have the DMF come out and dive on the sites to verify if they would be a suitable place for aquaculture. Ms. Riley stated it's going to be a challenge to find areas that will be approved by the DMF because Nantucket has such good habitat. Ms. Riley said she would help the applicants find new areas but for right now she is very busy, Mr. Fronzuto echoed Ms. Riley stating that not only are they very busy right now, but the DMF is also very busy. Mr. Brace asked Ms. Riley what leases are currently being worked. She stated that a lot of the leases are new and still waiting on paper work and that all of the others are currently being worked with the exception of Mr. Murray and she is currently working on that. NATURAL RESOURCES REPORT PUBLIC COMMENT ON MARINE DEPARTMENT REPORT No public comments OLD BUSINESS Dan Pronks quahog permit request. The board has yet to make a decision on whether we would support Mr. Pronk's pump dredging operation. Our concerns are mainly related to bycatch. Mr. Pronk stated that he would have to relay on bycatch and that only 10 bushels of quahogs wouldn't be enough to support him. We are concerned that supporting the town to issue a pump dredging permit for quahogs that would allow for him to take as many conch as he wishes to take would be a misuse of the towns permit. Nantucket Conch fisherman cannot legally pump dredge for conch. They are allowed only 200 pots which limits the amount of conch they can catch in one day, they also cannot keep bycatch of any kind. If this town permit is issued, it would allow Mr. Pronk to target conch, and with no regulations in place there would be no limit to what he could take. For us to support a permit for a new town fishery that he applicant himself stated wouldn't be profitable unless he could take bycatch isn't something the majority of us at SHAB believe is lawful. If this permit is going to be issued with our support we would need to see some regulations in place regarding bycatch. If Mr. Pronk cannot make a living off 10 bushels of quahogs and is truly serious about catching them, then we should help him get the limit increased from 10 bushels to 20 bushels. A motion was made and died for lack of a second. Water Quality funding update: Mr. Glowacki stated that the board of selectman voted to fund the water quality monitoring contract using the water ways improvement fund. Mr. Glowacki would like know how active we (SHAB) would like to be on this issue. For the past couple of years the water ways improvement fund has been impinging on the infrastructure funds. The town used to get the funds from grants and so forth, but now they are just cannibalizing the infrastructure funds in order to cover the water quality improvements. Mr. Glowacki asked us do we think that it's worthy of discussion to expand the general fund. How do we go to the board of selectman and express SHABS importance with this issue and then see how the BOS feel about it. Dr. Boyce and Mr. Brace expressed their support for this and the general feeling is that SHAB believes it's important to expand the general fund to help pay the infrastructure funds. Dr. Boyce Striped bass report. Dr. Boyce showed a report put out by DMF about this years striped bass outlook. The Dr. reported that the Striped bass are in good shape and that there isn't any reason to close the striped bass commercial season. Mr. Blount believes that the more pressure you can put on the knobbed whelks the better the potential for a quahog fishery. Dr. Boyce mentioned research papers the indicated that conch/whelks have a much lower predation rate that Mr. Blount said. Mr. Fronzuto mentions again that the conch fishery isn't in very good shape right now. Dr. Brace is concerned about the number of conchs in the harbor and mentioned he has found zero conch on the six sites he dove on this year. Mr. Brace believes that the 10 bushel limit on quahogs is restrictive and supports the increase to 15 to 20 but is inclined to go with a zero limit on conch/whelks as by catch. Peter Frangeski (commercial fisherman) explained how the "smoothies come out at night and the pot and dig in during the day, but the knobbed whelks do not pot and come out in the day. Ed Barrett (also a commercial fisherman) stated that the smooth conch landing have stayed stable and the price has come up. Nantucket has two conch fishermen actively fishing; Mat Herr and Andy Roberts, there is another permit on island; Mr. Ellis who will become active if the price continues to rise. Walter Dickson (commercial fisherman) explained that if Mr. Pronk catches conch in the winter they will be in a dormant state that they will die if they are tossed over the side in this state of hibernation. Steven Peck noted that any organism that isn't a plant is indeed a predator and to say that they should be fished out or pressure increased on them doesn't make any sense to him. Mr. Herr asked how many "knobbies" were being caught 20 years ago. Tim Barrett answered by stating they caught approximately the same amount. Mr. Pronk was asked about Mr. Fronzuto's regulations. He replied that he makes 90 percent of his income on the water. Mr. Pronk said Mr. Fronzuto suggestions were not fair. He spoke about how the Vineyard guys come into our waters, set gear in our harbor. Mr. Fronzuto said that general counsel is reviewing the issue of the Vineyard conch fisherman setting gear in our waters without having a town permit. Mr. Connors asked Mr. Pronk what an acceptable number of conch as a by catch would be. Mr. Pronk couldn't give a number and feels that there shouldn't be a limit. Dr. Boyce motioned the board to recommend to the BOS that we set the number of bushels to 20 the motion passed 5 -1 with Mr. Glowacki opposed. Dr. Boyce motioned the applicant as a condition he be required to report weekly catch reports to the town biologist and that SHAB be kept informed of the reports. The motion passed unanimously. Mr. Connors motioned the board to limit the amount of conch/whelk as a by -catch be zero. Motion passed 5 -1 with Mr. Blount opposed. Water quality funding Dr. Boyce asked if we could defer it till the August 7th meeting. Mr. Glowacki suggest that a sub committee of three be appointed by the Chair and have this be a regular agenda item. Dr. Boyce, Mr. Brace and Mr. Glowacki will be on the sub committee. Mr. Glowacki motioned that the Sub committee of three be created to make recommendation the SHAB on the appropriate advocacy on funding issues and the sub committee of three be appointed by the Chairman. The sub committee members will be Dr. Boyce, Michel Glowacki and Peter Brace. Motion was unanimously approved. NEW BUSINESS Accident on the Barge outside Polpis Harbor He was traveling to his home near Pocomo and got lost in the fog and stepped off the boat to walk to shore and was cut by either the old barge or possibly the cages from Mr. Benders aquaculture site. Ms. McCrae believes whether someone is getting cut in the harbor regardless of the weather it's in issue and we shouldn't look at it lightly. Ms. McCrae asked if we could follow up on this. The buoy's are in place that marks the bounds of his lease. Ms. Lucey will be looking into a way of marking the area better so people know the dangers. Bilingual signage at fishing shell fishing spots Blair Perkins emailed Mr. Brace to inform him of the issue of people taking illegal fish. He noted At Brant point, mainly at night people have been seen taking undersized sea bass and scup. Mr. Brace spoke of the Madaket bridges and ponds where people have also been seen taking undersized fish. Mr. Fronzuto told us that Keith Robinson (Environmental police officer) has jurisdiction over this but believes the state does have Bilingual signs we can get. Shellfish Branding Mary-Adair Macaire spoke of the presentation she gave at the NSA and offered to give a presentation to us about her branding efforts. Mary -Adair Macaire would like to keep this branding effort going and wants to protect the integral quality of our Nantucket bay scallops. PUBLIC QUESTIONS AND COMMENT No public questions or comments RECAP and ITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING ADJOURN Unanimously approved Future Meetings: August 7t" Respectfully Submitted, Chuck Connors, Secretary