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Commercial Fisheries News Volume 33 Number 3 November 2005 Gloria Michelle northern shrimp survey gains sea time WOODS HOLE, MA - The annual northern shrimp survey cruise aboard the 65' R/V Gloria Michelle got a big boost this year thanks to considerable extra funding from the National Marine Fisheries Service’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center. In the past, the shrimp survey was conducted during three different four-day legs for a total of 12 days of sea time each summer. This year – and hopefully from here out – the survey was conducted during four different five-day legs for a total of 20 days of sea time. “That’s a huge increase,” said Dan Schick of the Maine Department of Marine Resources, who sailed on two of the four survey legs. “We’ve been crying for this for years.” Russ Brown heads up the Ecosystem Surveys Branch at the science center. At press time, he was at sea aboard the Delaware II, testing new bottom trawl survey gear in the vicinity of Atlantic Canyon, but he still took time to respond by e-mail to questions about the shrimp survey. “Dedicated funding for the ASMFC shrimp survey increased from approximately $30,000 to $90,000,” wrote Brown. By many accounts, the $30,000 level of funding was inadequate to properly conduct the survey, purchase necessary equipment, and do what needed to be done for a stock assessment that 200-300 small vessels have long depended on. This year, however, Brown said funding at the higher level supported: • 20 days of sea time; • Hiring “shrimp fishery stakeholders to participate in the survey;” • Construction of two additional shrimp trawls; • Purchase of Netmind net mensuration (measurement) equipment; and • Planned installation of a hull-mounted hydrophone on the Gloria Michelle. Bill Sutter of Wiscasset, ME was the commercial fisherman who participated in all four legs of this year’s cruise. In addition to overseeing general fishing operations, Sutter was in charge of ensuring the shrimp survey gear was in good working order, said Schick. The first leg of this summer’s Gloria Michelle cruise got underway on July 17 and went “pretty much like clockwork.” The second leg was marred by bad weather, which was rather unusual for July. “We probably lost 2-1/2 days to weather,” Schick said. The third leg got underway on Aug. 1, but toward the end of it, the Gloria Michelle suffered a winch problem and needed to stay at the dock for repairs. The fourth leg didn’t get underway until Aug. 26. Nonetheless, the shrimp survey was a success. Schick said, “We were able to get a complete survey done even with the interruptions. We were definitely able to get all of the random stations we needed and some of the fixed stations.” Increased days This was possible, he said, because of the 20-day length of the cruise. The former 12-day format most likely would have been a problem this year given the loss of sea days to weather and mechanical issues. Although the winch problem was unfortunate, Russ Brown said the Gloria Michelle has been a “reliable vessel.” She’s also used to conduct the Massachusetts spring and autumn bottom trawl surveys. When asked about funding for a 20-day shrimp cruise next year, Brown said, “We are hopeful that increased funding will continue into the future.” However, he cautioned, Congress has not yet passed the appropriations bill that will determine the center’s level of funding for 2006. Paul Rago, chief of the center’s Populations Dynamics Branch, emphasized the importance of the shrimp survey not just for shrimp, but for other species as well. “We routinely report the density estimates and size composition of witch flounder caught in the shrimp survey, and these can provide useful early indicators of recruitment,” he said. “Other candidate species that might use the shrimp survey data in the future include plaice and winter flounder.” Rago added, “The shrimp survey provides us with a unique glimpse of the inshore Gulf of Maine during a period when we do not otherwise survey. It may ultimately provide valuable information on ecosystem issues as finfish stocks in the Gulf of Maine recover.” Janice M. Plante The summer shrimp cruise aboard the Gloria Michelle enables managers to have real time stock assessment information when they set the upcoming season’s rules in the fall. The annual cruise has been ongoing for over 20 years. Here, scientists sort shrimp during the 2002 cruise. s="eachmonth">Back to story list |
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