Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council s2

Tab R, No. 2

GULF OF MEXICO FISHERY MANAGEMENT COUNCIL ACTIVITY REPORT FOR MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF MARINE RESOURCES (MDMR) Activities April – May 2010

Artificial Reef Bureau

During this time period approximately 4,886 tons of concrete rubble was deployed on the newly permitted Jail House Key located in Hancock County. This makes the construction of this key 2/3 complete.

Finfish Bureau

Finfish personnel along with DEQ personnel have been working together collecting water samples and tissue samples related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. These samples will be used to create baseline data which will allow for assessments to be made of the impacts of the spill on our coastal environment.

Finfish personnel and the CCA are working together to schedule and carry out Casting for Conservation Kids fishing tournaments for 2010. DMR personnel assist at these tournaments with fish identification, knot tying, casting, boat and water safety, and bait distribution. These tournaments utilize EDRP II public outreach funds.

No recreational fishing records for April - May of 2010.

Shrimp and Crab Bureau

All Mississippi waters closed to shrimping on April 30, 2010 at midnight. Post-larval shrimp sampling has indicated good numbers of brown shrimp for the 2010-2011 season. Trawl sampling of juvenile brown shrimp indicates abundance as well, as springtime conditions have been favorable for shrimp growth. Mississippi’s 2010-2011 Shrimp Season opening is being scheduled as planned for when the resource reaches 68 count per pound.

Live Bait Shrimp Dealer inspections are currently ongoing.

The Shrimp and Crab Bureau Director has been embedded at the Mobile, AL Deepwater Horizon Incident Command Center since April 29. She has been active in the Environmental Planning Section protecting sensitive areas through development of boom strategies and shoreline cleanup policies. Bureau staff has been instrumental in baseline sampling and sentinel flights.

Heritage work continues as the Bureau was active in the return of the Pascagoula’s Blessing of the Fleet on May 22, an enthusiastic return after Jackson County has been decades without the traditional seafood celebration. Also, Bureau Director continues to serve on the Biloxi Blessing of the Fleet Committee.

Shrimp and Crab Bureau staff participated in Celebrate the Gulf Marine Education Festival and the Pascagoula River Nature Festival to encourage terrapin education, crab trap TED use and help with 1 installation, all to address any incidental catch of the species of concern in crab traps. Outreach to MS crabbers and trap builders has resulted in over 2,584 crab traps (10,334 TEDs) equipped to protect terrapins.

Shellfish Bureau

Oyster Harvesting Totals: 199,568 sacks from 9,941 boat trips through March 31, 2010. The oyster season closed April 1st 2010.

Bids for the spring cultch plant were reviewed and awarded to Pontchartrain Materials in February. Due to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill the cultch plant was postponed until the fall.

The Deer Island restoration project continues to be in progress. This project uses five gallon chicken wire bags filled with oyster shells which are placed at the water’s edge to prevent shoreline erosion.

Due to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill the shellfish staff has participated in numerous conference calls and meetings with various state and federal agencies. The staff has also participated in collecting baseline data samples, phytoplankton samples and verifying the presence or absence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH’s) in state and federal waters

Most of the shellfish staff completed the 24 hour OSHA HAZWOPER training sponsored by NOAA.

Oyster Reef Monitoring and Assessment: Square meter dives and 1 minute dredge tows were taken on the various commercial oyster reefs as part of our continuous reef monitoring program.

Two Harmful Algal Bloom (HABs) stations are being sampled twice each month, no HAB have been detected to date.

Seafood Technology Bureau

The Seafood Technology Bureau’s (STB) Regulatory Program of the Office of Marine Fisheries certified __55__ seafood dealers (24_ Oyster dealers, _19_ Shrimp dealers, _9_ Crab dealers) for FY 20010-2011. Type of Permit Total Crab Processor (CP) 9 Intrastate Oyster Reshipper (RSI) 1 Intrastate Oyster Shellstock Shipper (SSI) 1 Intrastate Oyster Shucker-Packer (SPI) 1 Oyster Reshipper 4 Oyster Shellstock Shipper 17 Oyster Shucker – Packer 3 Shrimp Processor 19 Grand Total 55  Participated and conducted foodborne illness trace back investigations in association with eating raw oysters in the month of April 2010 with Louisiana oysters implicated to Norovirus infection. Trace back investigations was in collaboration with the MS Department of Health

2 Environmental Group and the Epidemiology Department, other states’ Shellfish authorities and the US Food and Drug Administration.  Investigated a Vibrio Case locally, referred by the MS Department of Health. Source of implicated oysters are under investigation.  31 Additional inspection visits to the Mississippi seafood processing facilities, seafood markets and seafood dealers as additional monitoring services and technical assistance have been extended due to the Gulf Oil Spill. Increasing visits will be expected in the near future.