The Mid-Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing System (MARACOOS) spans the coastal states from Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras. Coverage includes all of the estuaries and continental shelf waters within that coastal area.

MARACOOS seeks to discover and apply new knowledge and understanding of our coastal ocean to help save lives and livelihoods, and maintain the quality of life in the Mid-Atlantic Region. To accomplish this, MARACOOS membership has identified five high-priority regional themes:

A fundamental MARACOOS asset is the diverse expertise of its approximately 1/3 academic, 1/3 industry, and 1/3 non-profit/government membership. MARACOOS has developed a collaborative network of scientific, business, non-profit and government leaders who are dedicated to applying their combined expertise to address priority regional needs.

On 1-2 November the Annual Meeting was held just two days after Hurricane Sandy hit the mid-Atlantic region, the team had picked themselves back up and were again focused on the needs of the Mid-Atlantic stakeholders.

Day one included several panels highlighting MARCOOS activities and the strength of its partnerships. The first panel session, “ECO Decision Support – Fisheries: Fisherman, Choke Species and Surviving Endangered Species Act Listings” was moderated by Greg DiDomenico, Garden State Seafood Association. The annual meeting summary can be found by clicking here
The presentations are posted at http://maracoos.org/presentations, and include discussion of stock assessment and by-catch avoidance in the squid, mackerel, and monkfish fisheries.

Garden State Seafood Association Seeks Federal Disaster Aid After Hurricane Sandy

New Jersey’s commercial fishermen landed and processed finfish and shellfish valued at almost 200 million dollars at the dock in 2011. These landings generated more than a billion dollars in economic activity for the State of New Jersey. Our commercial fishermen and fishing-dependent businesses from Cumberland County bordering Delaware Bay up the coast to Monmouth County on Raritan Bay suffered grievously from Hurricane Sandy and now face myriad challenges as they attempt to rebuild both their facilities and their markets.

Fortunately, the federal government has programs in place that are designed to provide emergency assistance to the commercial fishing industry due to impacts from disastrous weather events. The two programs, one established by Section 312(a) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976 (MSFCMA) and the second by Section 308(b) of the Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act of 1986 (IJA), allows the governor of an affected state to make a request to the Secretary of Commerce to declare a fisheries disaster. Once the disaster is declared, the U.S Congress can then provide recovery assistance in various forms.

Accordingly, the GSSA is requesting that NJ Governor Christie make requests to the Secretary of Commerce under both programs and encourage the Secretary to act in a timely manner to help New Jersey’s fishermen and those in fishing-dependent businesses rebuild their facilities and their markets as rapidly and effectively as possible.

For more information contact Greg DiDomenico, Executive Director, at 609 898 1100 or gregdi@voicenet.com.

YANK MARINE INC. PROUDLY PRESENTS THEIR NEW 300 METRIC TON MARINE TRAVELIFT!

Mr. John C. Yank Jr., President of Yank Marine Inc., (www.yankmarine.com) is very pleased to announce that his new marine lift has finally arrived in Tuckahoe!
This new 300 metric ton marine lift was transported from Marine Travelift in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin on ten trucks and is currently being erected on site. It was purchased using a $961,676.00 grant from the Maritime Administration under the Assistance to Small Shipyards Grant Program, and will replace Yank Marine Inc.’s existing 200 metric ton Marine Travelift. more >>

Today, NOAA Fisheries is releasing the Fisheries of the United States 2011 report. The report is a compilation of our key marine fisheries statistics for the 2011 year. You can view the report at: NOAA.

The report shows that U.S seafood landings reached a 17-year high in 2011. U.S. commercial fishermen landed 10.1 billion pounds of fish and shellfish in 2011, valued at $5.3 billion, an increase over 2010 of 1.9 billion pounds and more than $784 million. Much of the increase is due to higher catches of Gulf menhaden, Alaska pollock, and Pacific
hake.

2011 Economic Impacts of New Jersey Seafood Industry

New Jersey’s Commercial Fishing Industry

According to preliminary data provided by NOAA, New Jersey fishermen in 2011 landed approximately 133 million pounds of seafood. This was down from total landings in 2010 of 162 million pounds, although the value was up from $177.9 million to $195.2 million. Peter Clarke, a biologist with the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife, attributes the difference to ever-changing government mandates. “You are looking at a very highly managed and regulated industry these days,” Clarke says. “Gone are the days when fishermen can possess whatever gear they want and go out and harvest whatever fish they want.” Clarke’s division oversees management plans for 22 species of fish, controlling licensing, catch quotas and practices within the industry.(Jill P. Capuzzo, Sea Power – For Quality and Quantity, the Ocean is one of the Garden State’s Richest Gardens, NJ Monthly, April 2012)

Statewide, in 2010 New Jersey’s commercial fishing fleet landed 162 million pounds of fish and shellfish with an across-the-dock value of $178 million dollars. It is estimated that these landings generated a billion dollars of economic activity. (The National Marine Fisheries Service commercial landings database only extends to 2010).

In terms of dollars landed, Cape May/Wildwood was the second highest commercial fishing port on the East Coast and seventh nationally. The 43 million pounds of fish and shellfish landed there had an across-the-dock value of $81.0 million.

While New Jersey’s annual landings have remained fairly stable by weight, their value has increased dramatically since 2000. During the 1990s they hovered around $100 million then exhibited a dramatic increase over the last decade.

In 2009 (the last year for which data was available) there were 2,500 fishermen in the New Jersey commercial fleet. New Jersey’s 109 seafood processors and wholesalers employed 1,500 people. In terms of annual landings, in 2010 New Jersey’s top four commercial fishing ports are Cape May/Wildwood (43 million pounds valued at $81 million), Barnegat Light (8 million pounds and $26 million), Point Pleasant (20 million pounds and $23 million) and Atlantic City (24 million pounds and $17 million).

New Jersey’s most valuable fisheries in 2010 were sea scallops ($109 million), surf clams/ocean quahogs ($24 million), blue crabs ($12 million), squid ($7 million), hard shell clams ($6 million), menhaden ($5 million), summer flounder ($5 million), monkfish ($3 million), oysters ($3 million) and lobsters ($3 million).

New Jersey, along with the other states managed by the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council, is one of the national leaders in sustainably managed seafood. Of all of the species managed by the Mid-Atlantic Council, not one is in an overfished condition or is being overfished. To check the status of the major New Jersey commercial fisheries, visit the FishWatch website (http://www.fishwatch.gov/). This website is maintained by the National Marine Fisheries Service and, because that is the agency that sets the rules for commercial fishing and collects the data for the commercial fisheries, is the most unbiased and accurate means of determining the sustainability of domestically-harvested seafood products.

SECRETARY FISHER ANNOUNCES WINNER
OF JERSEY SEAFOOD COMPETITION
Atlantic City Seafood Chef will Represent New Jersey in National Crown Competition in Louisiana

(PRINCETON) – New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher today declared Demetrios Haronis, Executive Chef of Fin at the Tropicana Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, the winner of the 2012 Jersey Seafood Challenge for his signature dish that featured Jersey beer-battered soft-shell crab. As the champion, Haronis will represent New Jersey at the Great American Seafood Cook-off in New Orleans in August.

“New Jersey has some of the best seafood in the nation and we know Demetrios Haronis will showcase our Jersey pride when he represents the Garden State in New Orleans later this summer,” said Secretary Fisher. “Congratulations to all the competitors who prepared an outstanding lineup of dishes that demonstrated the superior quality of our bountiful Jersey Seafood and Jersey Fresh produce.” more >>

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