Fisheries

The Eliminator demonstrated at Fish Expo, nearly cleared for use
In April, at Fish Expo Atlantic at the Rhode Island Convention Center, commercial fishermen and others were on hand to see the prizewinning trawl net “The Eliminator” – in miniature – demonstrated in a flume tank provided by the Marine Institute at Memorial University in Newfoundland.

The Eliminator—conceived, developed, and tested by commercial fishermen James O’Grady, Philip Ruhle Sr. and Philip Ruhle Jr., with net designer Jonathan Knight of Superior Trawl and Rhode Island Sea Grant Sustainable Fisheries Extension Program co-leader Laura Skrobe and specialist David Beutel—was designed to target haddock and reduce bycatch of cod and other groundfish species by capitalizing on differences in fish behavior. The net has large (240 cm) mesh openings on the bottom and smaller mesh on the top – allowing cod, which swim downward when encountering a net, to escape, while capturing haddock, which swim upward when encountering a net.

In field trials, the net reduced cod bycatch by 81 percent and flounder bycatch by 95 percent. These dramatic results may help enable U.S. fishermen to provide significantly more haddock to the market. Currently, U.S. fishermen only catch 20 percent of the total allowable catch for New England haddock, and most of the market is supplied by Canada. Beutel explains that a large U.S. segment of Georges Bank, where haddock congregate in the spring, is closed to bottom trawling for yellowtail flounder and cod. Thanks to a net that avoids bycatch of those species, the closed area (Closed Area 2) may be able to be opened to haddock trawling. 

Though the net’s success garnered it the top prize in the Word Wildlife Fund International Smart Gear Competition in 2007, it has not yet been fully approved for actual use. The New England Fishery Management Council approved the net, and regulatory language developed by the National Marine Fisheries Service will be posted in the Federal Register, followed by a comment period, and a final rule published in the Federal Register. Thirty days after that, the rule will go into effect. For commercial fishermen, this  means they will be able to employ the net in later in the 2008 season – and reap the benefits not only of reduced bycatch but also improved productivity (less time sorting through bycatch), and a net design that allows for longer tows and less damage to target and nontarget species and that minimizes habitat impact.

In the meantime, other collaborative research projects are being enhanced by an agreement between Rhode Island Sea Grant and the Marine Institute to house the flume tank at Sea Grant’s offices at the URI East Farm campus and to make it available to local fishermen for cooperative projects.
For more information about The Eliminator, visit http://seagrant.gso.uri.edu/fisheries/haddock.

Meet a commercial fisherman—at the library

A steamed lobster garnished with a lemon, a sprig of parsley, and a side of drawn butter, or a broiled flounder filet stuffed with crabmeat seems a long way from the churning waters from which it is drawn. Come meet one of the local commercial fishermen who make such suppers possible, from the comfort of the North Kingstown Free Library. Join us on June 10 at 7 p.m., and find out find out what it is like to be a fisherman, with days that begin setting and hauling nets or pots, sometimes long before sunrise. Models of the gear used in the local commercial fisheries will be displayed, along with a hands-on opportunity to see a variety of animals from local waters—perhaps lobsters, crab, fish, squid, or mollusks—as they look when they leave the sea, before they arrive on your plate.

“Meet a Commercial Fisherman” is the first event in the Ninth Annual Summer Community Lecture Series sponsored by Rhode Island Sea Grant and the URI Cooperative Extension/Nutrition and Food Sciences Department. This lecture is also sponsored by the North Kingstown Free Library, 100 Boone St. The lecture is free, but seating is limited, so please contact the North Kingstown Free Library at (401) 294-3306 to reserve your seat.

May 10 East Farm Day features fisheries family fun

Rhode Island Commercial fishermen will have a big presence Saturday, May 10, at the annual East Farm Spring Festival which draws thousands of visitors to the URI facility.  Members of the Commercial Fisheries Center of Rhode Island will again serve free chowder to passersby at their headquarters in Building 59.

Over in the Fisheries Building 83, there will be a display of local sea creatures and a film showing on where seafood comes from. In addition to viewing static displays, youngsters will be able to make fish print T-shirts. The activities will be held 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., rain or shine. There are no parking or admission fees.

The East Farm Spring Festival is an event designed to showcase the 70-acre campus. Visitors can buy plants, get gardening information and visit information kiosks displayed by the various departments in the URI College of the Environment and Life Sciences.

East Farm is located on Route 108. The entrance is one-half mile south of the main traffic light in Kingston.