Latest news with #shellfish
CBC
7 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Minister confident in process amid concerns about aquaculture development
As the provincial government's public comment period approaches for five proposed aquaculture sites in the Municipality of the District of Argyle, the cabinet minister responsible says he's pleased with the process used to reach this point — despite ongoing concerns from some community members. Kent Smith was responding a day after Fisheries and Aquaculture Department officials heard concerns at public meetings about the multi-year process that led to the creation of the Argyle aquaculture development area. "There's been so much consultation and we have such a robust set of regulations that I'm confident that we're going to land in the right place for the municipality," Smith said in an interview Wednesday. The development area, which includes 53 pre-assessed sites for potential shellfish and plant-based aquaculture, was announced last year. Six sites were put up for bids, with five being awarded to proponents whose applications for licences are now being reviewed before going to a 30-day public comment period. But during one of the meetings Tuesday at a hall in the municipality, some residents said there's been a lack of community input in the selection of the proposed lease sites and they feel that decisions about expanded aquaculture development in the area have already been made. "It's too late, in our view," Chris Thibedeau told officials at the meeting. "I can't see how anything we would say could change the outcome." Department staff walked people through the process to provide feedback, which includes a 30-day window to submit comments via email, letter or online submission form once a lease applicant's proposal is complete and posted on the department website. Comments must relate to one or more of eight factors set out in regulations. They include the optimum use of marine resources; fishery activities in public waters surrounding a proposed operation; public right of navigation; and other users of the waters surrounding a proposed operation. Calls for change People who live within 500 metres of a proposed site are notified by mail when a public comment period is about to open, although some meeting attendees said that buffer doesn't go far enough. "If you're going from the point in the water to the land, that could very well be 500 metres there and so you'd be informing nobody along that shoreline," said Joanne Tulk. Tulk, who has previously worked in the oil and gas industry, was critical of the communication process so far around the development area and said the province is missing an opportunity to get broad community buy-in and help the area's economy. She suggested the 500-metre notification zone for neighbours begin at the shoreline in front of proposed lease sites. "I would love to see this succeed and to do that we have to be informing people properly," she said. "Otherwise, everybody gets upset, people don't understand what's going on and when you don't understand what's going on, then things can get blown out of all proportion, people don't feel heard and then they feel upset." Smith said he'd discuss that suggestion with people in his department. "We don't want people to feel like they're not part of the process or feel like they're being left out, but on the other side of the coin, 500 metres from shore is pretty far out there." Another concern voiced Tuesday was that some of the proposed lease sites fall within the area of the Tusket Islands Wilderness Area. Smith deferred comment on that issue to the province's Environment and Climate Change Department. Officials with that department have yet to respond to a request for information about whether aquaculture around the Tusket Islands is permitted. Meeting participants also took issue with industry members having a hand in suggesting where proposed sites would go before eventually getting to bid on them. But Smith said it only makes sense and is standard practice to enlist industry feedback and ensure that sites are suitable for aquaculture before they are posted for bids to lease. "We don't want people going into an area where we don't have any idea whether or not it's even possible to grow oysters or mussels," he said. 'This has to expand somewhere else' Although department staff said there needs to be a balance to find a way to allow the industry and neighbours to coexist, it was a difficult sell Tuesday. Shellfish aquaculture operations need to be in sheltered areas such as bays and inlets, but some residents said Tuesday they don't want to see them. "I don't want that mess on Salt Bay," said Donna Gaudet. "This has to expand somewhere else." Gaudet said the issue has created a divide among some community members who feel like their concerns are not being addressed. Supporters of the development area, the first of its kind in the province, say it's a way to diversify the local fishery, create jobs and stimulate economic growth for the municipality. Smith said he's satisfied with the level of consultation throughout the process and the public comment period will allow residents to highlight any issues that might have been missed before any leases are awarded. But he noted the initial consultation was several years ago and "a lot of time has passed since then" now that the process has reached consideration of lease applications. He thinks compressing the time in between could help.
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Researchers raise red flags after studying samples of popular food item: 'Humans are directly ingesting these'
Researchers in India have published a novel "landmark scientific study" with troubling findings concerning microplastics and a commonly consumed type of shellfish, The Statesman reported. Researchers at two Indian universities obtained nearly 400 samples of Lamellidens marginalis, a species of freshwater mollusk commonly harvested and consumed in Southeast Asia. Also known as mussels, the mollusks are considered an "indicator species" due to their invaluable ability to shed light on levels of water pollution in their natural habitats. For this study, researchers examined the samples of Lamellidens marginalis to gauge the extent of plastic pollution in local rivers. In what The Statesman called the "first concrete evidence of how deeply plastic pollution has penetrated local food systems," scientists determined that over 80% of freshwater mussel samples obtained from "six key market hubs" contained microplastic particulate matter. "Every mussel you eat might be delivering more than just protein. It could be a vehicle for microscopic plastic particles that are now infiltrating human bodies through daily diets," lead study author Dr. Sujoy Midya explained. "With mussels acting as natural water filters — and now [as] unwilling microplastic reservoirs — the study paints a grim picture of environmental degradation," The Statesman concluded. According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, "a single freshwater mussel can pump and filter between 8 and 15 gallons of water per day." Consequently, freshwater mussels "drastically improve the water quality in their environments." Like oysters and clams, these "filter feeders" perform an essential function in aquatic ecosystems, keeping waters clean and heralding dangerous conditions. "These mussels are not just seafood — they're sentinels," Midya said. However, freshwater mussels remain popular in Southeast Asia, and the levels of contamination documented in the study are unquestionably concerning. Do you worry about how much food you throw away? Definitely Sometimes Not really Never Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. "Their contamination levels reflect the scale of pollution in our freshwater ecosystems. And because they are consumed whole, humans are directly ingesting these microplastics," explained Midya. "Research has already shown that [microplastic] particles can accumulate in human tissues, potentially leading to oxidative stress, inflammation, and even genetic damage," he added, referencing a growing number of studies linking plastic pollution to adverse human health outcomes. Per The Statesman, the study's authors recommended "immediate action — calling for stringent environmental policies, increased public awareness, and expanded scientific monitoring" to limit the risk to humans and mollusks alike. Researchers in Korea pioneered a method to filter microplastic particles from water, although that technology is not in widespread use yet. At an individual level, the most effective approach is to use less plastic whenever possible — while it's difficult to completely avoid plastic, incremental changes make a big difference. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Escambia Bay reopens for shellfish harvesting
ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. (WKRG) — The Escambia Bay Shellfish Harvest Area will reopen tomorrow following water quality improvements. Mobile police identify person killed in I-10 crash According to a Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services news release, the shellfish harvesting area will reopen at sunrise on June 21. Fishers can harvest oysters, clams, and mussels in the area. Scallops, shrimp, or crabs are not included. The area is reopening after water quality tests indicated bacteria levels met National Shellfish Sanitation Program standards. It closed on June 11. Mobile shipyard is making waves for the U.S. Navy For a look at the status of all harvesting areas in Florida, you can check the FDAC website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Guardian
11-06-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
Something in the water: how kelp is helping Maine's mussels boom
On a glimmering May morning, Tom Briggs pilots a 45ft aluminium barge through the waters of Casco Bay for one of the final days of the annual kelp harvest. Motoring past Clapboard Island, he points to a floating wooden platform where mussels have been seeded alongside ribbons of edible seaweed. 'This is our most productive mussel site,' says Briggs, the farm manager for Bangs Island Mussels, a Portland sea farm that grows, harvests and sells hundreds of thousands of pounds of shellfish and seaweed each year. 'When we come here, we get the biggest, fastest-growing mussels with the thickest shells and the best quality. To my mind, unscientifically, it's because of the kelp.' Zoe Benisek, oyster lead at Bangs Island Mussels, harvesting kelp. The seaweed changes water chemistry enough to lower the levels of carbon dioxide to nourish the mussels A growing body of science supports Briggs's intuition. The Gulf of Maine is uniquely vulnerable to ocean acidification, which can impede shell development in mussels, clams, oysters and lobster, threatening an industry that employs hundreds of people and generates $85m to $100m (£63m to £74m) annually. Atmospheric carbon dioxide from fossil fuels is the main driver of declining ocean pH, increasing the acidity of the world's oceans by more than 40% since the preindustrial era and by more than 15% since 1985. Add carbon runoff from growing coastal communities, regular inflows of colder, more acidic water from Canada, and intense thermal stress – the Gulf of Maine is warming three times faster than the global average – and you're left with a delicate marine ecosystem and key economic resource under threat. Enter kelp. The streams of glistening, brownish-green seaweed that Bangs Island seeds on lines under frigid November skies and harvests in late spring are a natural answer to ocean acidification because they devour carbon dioxide. Sensors placed near kelp lines in Casco Bay over the past decade have shown that growing seaweed changes water chemistry enough to lower the levels of carbon dioxide in the immediate vicinity, nourishing nearby molluscs. 'We know that, in general, for shell builders, ocean acidification is bad, and we know that kelp do better in a high-CO2 environment,' says Susie Arnold, the senior ocean scientist at the Island Institute, a non-profit climate and community organisation in Rockland, Maine, and a pioneer of the Bangs Island water experiments. Working with the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, an independent Maine-based research organisation, Arnold and others began testing the water off Chebeague Island in 2015 'to see if we could detect a difference between water chemistry in the middle of all that kelp and far away from it', she says. 'We planted juvenile mussels inside and outside the kelp, and we were able to show that the mussels inside the kelp had a thicker shell. Now you see Bangs Island growing kelp around their mussels because they can make a profit on kelp and also buffer the mussels.' The Bangs Island crew harvesting kelp on their boat in the Gulf of Maine The CEO and co-owner of Bangs Island Mussels, Matt Moretti, studied marine biology in college and grad school, helped raise baby lobsters at the New England Aquarium, and worked on an oyster farm before buying the sea farm with his father in 2010. Within a year, they had started growing kelp alongside the mussels in an approach known as integrated multi-trophic aquaculture. 'Even before we started farming mussels, I was interested in that concept as an environmentally friendly way of farming, and of farming an ecosystem rather than a single species,' Moretti says from his bare-bones upstairs office in Bangs Island's warehouse on the Portland pier. As the kelp harvest grew, Moretti realised they needed a way to stabilise the seaweed, which didn't last long after it came out of the water. For a while they dried it themselves, hanging it in the warehouse and on the docks. Now, they sell the entire fresh seaweed catch to a local processor, which turns it into fermented foods such as kimchi, among other products. Gillian Prostko, chief science officer at Bangs Island Mussels. The harvested kelp is sold to a processor and turned into fermented foods such as kimchi 'We always suspected that there was this positive interaction between the mussels and kelp, and we suspected that because kelp photosynthesises, it sucks carbon out of the water, then therefore it must be good for the ocean and good for the mussels,' Moretti says. Bigelow's water testing has proven that 'we're having a positive impact'. Nichole Price, the director of Bigelow's Centre for Seafood Solutions, collaborated with Arnold on those early experiments and continues to monitor the water around Bangs Island mussel and kelp lines, an effort that has expanded to include water monitoring at seaweed farms from Alaska to Norway. In a paper published this year in the journal Nature Climate Change, Price, Arnold, and a host of co-authors documented yet another way in which seaweed farms can contribute to the health of the world's oceans: by trapping carbon at the bottom of the sea. 'When you harvest, you're not pulling up every last bit of seaweed,' Price says. 'We've been diving under farms during harvest, and you can see the bits and pieces that rain down. Then there's a culling process, the bits and pieces that get tossed over, and that's what this paper has measured: the unusable, unsellable parts of the harvest that end up on the sea floor.' Matt Moretti, founder of Bangs Island Mussels (left) and farm manager Tom Briggs Those discarded seaweed scraps can contribute to what is known as passive deposition of carbon. 'Fingers crossed, it gets covered with sediment fast enough that it's taken out of the global carbon cycle,' Price says. Given the environmental and financial benefits of growing kelp and shellfish together, you might think everyone would be doing it. But co-farming mussels and kelp at scale requires more than just planting and harvesting. With five boats, a plankton monitoring programme, and tanks on the ground floor of the warehouse where baby mussels from a nearby hatchery are carefully seeded on to lines before being placed in the ocean, Bangs Island is part farm, part science lab. Changes in mussel-spawning and seed-collection cycles in recent years have forced Moretti and his staff to pay much closer attention to the surrounding water and its inhabitants, from barnacles – a nuisance to shellfish farmers because they set on mussels – to the microscopic larvae of tunicates, pestilent sea squirts that seeded on nearly all of the farm's mussel lines several years ago, crowding out the shellfish and almost sinking the business. 'Conceptually, what we do is very simple: we grow mussels, harvest them, sell them,' Moretti said. 'But adding all the pieces together is a really big, complicated puzzle.' Today, Bangs Island harvests about 600,000lb (270,000kg) of mussels and 100,000lb of seaweed a year; last fall, they began farming oysters. The oysters, along with about half the mussels, grow in proximity to kelp. 'Climate change, ocean acidification, is a global problem. And when you try to think about it, like, what you can do? It's so daunting,' Moretti says. 'But when you think about us farming kelp in the ocean, it's really the only way we've ever been able to figure out to have a local-scale mitigation of this global problem. It's something we can do here that can help the waters around us that actually has a significant impact.' Kelp ready for harvesting in the Gulf of Maine
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Risking death for a special ceviche in Peru
Shellfish collectors in Peru make a living harvesting a special mollusk called the barquillo, a primary ingredient in a world-famous ceviche dish. But hunting the elusive seafood comes at a deadly cost.
