HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-4-17Nantucket Harbor & Shellfish Advisory Board
Minutes of Meeting held April 17, 2012
Approved:
Conference Room, 2 Fairgrounds Road
Call to Order at 4:04 p.m.
Members Present: Chuck Connors, Doug Smith, Bill Blount, Dr. Peter Boyce, Wendy
McCrae and Peter Brace
Members Absent: Michael Glowacki
Marine Dept: Tara Riley
BOS: Whitey Willauer
Others:
Approval of Agenda:
Unanimously approved
Approval of Minutes:
March 20, 2012 -
Ms. McCrae corrected the minutes, indicating that she did not say that "she asked the
board discuss that Steve Bender be required to submit his comments from now on in
written because of negative comments made by this person at a previous emergency
meeting." Instead, she asked that the board discuss a previous vote taken that would've
required a certain member of the public to submit his comments to the board in writing.
Unanimously approved as amended.
April 2, 2012 -
Unanimously approved.
Election of officers
Mr. Brace was elected chairman, Mr. Smith; vice chairman and Mr. Connors; secretary
Chairman's Report:
No chairman's report because Mr. Brace just started at this meeting.
Marine Department Report:
Commercial season wrap -up
Ms. Riley reported that the commercial season wrap -up was presented at the April 3
meeting and hasn't changed; 17,800 bushels were harvested.
Seed moving report
Ms. Riley also reported that she organized seed - moving days on April 4 and 5 when 6 -8
people and their boats moved around 200 bushels of seed out of Fourth Bend to First and
Second Bend.
Madaket open for shellfishing
On behalf of Dave Fronzuto, Ms. Riley reported that for the first time in 15 years,
Madaket Harbor will be open year -round for the taking of shellfish because its waters
tested negative for fecal coliform bacteria three times in a row during a recent round of
sampling.
Other items
Ms. Riley announced that she'd be giving a talk at the NHA Whaling Museum on April
19 on her larval release protocol and her two -month trip to Zanzibar where she helped
village women learn how to grow blood ark clams.
Ms. Riley reported that she is readying the boathouse for the season, that her four interns
will be in action the second week of May and that she has three eighth graders working
on their own harbor - related school projects while helping Ms. Riley with her projects.
She added that she doesn't yet have an island fisherman committed to helping the
program this season. Mr. Willauer asked where Ms. Riley would be housing the interns.
She said they would be providing their own housing. Mr. Brace noted that Sesachacha
Pond was still open, that it had remained open for a week or more and that so much of the
bottom was exposed that medium -size oysters were visible. Ms. Riley said this year's
opening of Sesachacha Pond wider than normal and more difficult because of nesting
piping plovers. She added that Hummock Pond was opened a day before Sesachacha, but
it closed within 48 hours.
Public Comment on Marine Department Report
Ms. McCrae commended Dr. Boyce for the great job he did as chairman for the last two
years.
Old Business:
Article 68 Workgroup update
Mr. Smith announced that Nantucket's Board of Health would meet on April 19 to
review the proposed regulations from this workgroup at 4pm in the training room on the
2nd floor of 4FG.
Shellfish Management Plan update
Rules for the public to address HSAB
Ms. McCrae said she wanted to know whether the HSAB would be upholding a vote the
board took previously to require a certain member of the public to submit his comments
to the board in writing because of his personal negative comments directed at a member
of the Marine Department during a discussion on determining adult scallop sizes. Mr.
Brace noted that the person in question, Steve Bender, was fairly polite the last time he
spoke at a HSAB meeting on March 6. Ms. McCrae agreed, but added that the previous
voted needed to be upheld or undone. Mr. Smith apologized for not upholding the
outcome of that vote at the March 6 when he was acting chairman.
Mr. Willauer offered that all comments from the board and the public should go through
the chairman, and that if whoever is speaking is out of order in what they're saying, the
chairman has the right to silence the speaker. Mr. Brace suggested that Mr. Bender could
be removed from the room if did not cooperate.
Mr. Willauer said the board's previous vote may not be legal and that such an action is
probably unconstitutional in that it prevented free speech by this member of the public.
He added that the chairman could inform the person in question that if he /she doesn't
relent, he would be removed from the room.
Dr. Boyce motioned that the previous vote be rescinded. Ms. McCrae seconded that
motion. Mr. Smith said he'd support this motion if the board's chairman informs whoever
is speaking out of turn or in a derogatory manner that they must speak through the
chairman an that if they cannot keep their comments under control that the chairman
would silence them.
The board voted unanimously to rescind the vote it had taken to require a certain member
of the public to submit his comments to the board in writing.
New Business:
Aquaculture lease application — Chuck Connors
Ms. Riley reported that Mr. Connors has a sound production plan for three to five years is
an excellent candidate for getting an aquaculture lease to grow oysters and that he would
be doing this within four acres in the Head of the Harbor. Mr. Brace asked if all the
aquaculture leases were in this area and Ms. Riley said most are in a 30 -acre area pre -
approved by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries in deep water. The cages
float for half of the year and then is secured to the bottom during the winter months. The
area is marked off with buoys. She said there's still around eight acres left.
Dr. Boyce made a motion that the board draft a letter of support for Mr. Connors and Mr.
Smith seconded his motion. The board, minus Mr. Connors who removed himself from
the board for this vote, voted unanimously to draft such a letter.
Seed - stranding fish totes
Mr. Smith asked for an update on when these would be purchased. Mr. Blount and Mr.
Willauer said they would follow up with Dan Drake of the Nantucket Shellfish
Association on this.
Recap and Items for Next Meeting:
Mr. Brace will look into the how control meetings and what the board's rights are in
terms of unruly participants. He is also going to report back to the board on Mr.
Fronzuto's new position, who will replace him and why.
Adjournment:
Unanimously approved.
Next Meetings:
May 1 and 15, 2012
Respectfully submitted,
Peter B. Brace, Secretary