Massachusetts Marine Fisheries 2015 Annual Report
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Department of Fish and Game Massachusetts Marine Fisheries 2015 Annual Report Department of Fish and Game Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries 2015 Annual Report Commonwealth of Massachusetts Governor Charles D. Baker Lieutenant Governor Karyn E. Polito Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew A. Beaton Department of Fish and Game Commissioner George N. Peterson, Jr. Deputy Commissioner Mary‐Lee King Division of Marine Fisheries Director David E. Pierce Deputy Director Daniel J. McKiernan Chief Financial Officer Kevin Creighton www.mass.gov/marinefisheries January 1–December 31, 2015 Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries 2015 Annual Report 2 Table of Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................. 5 Frequently Used Acronyms and Abbreviations ....................................................................................................... 6 FISHERIES MANAGEMENT SECTION ........................................................................................................................... 7 Fisheries Policy and Management Program ............................................................................................................ 7 Personnel ........................................................................................................................................................... 7 Overview ............................................................................................................................................................ 7 Advisory Groups ................................................................................................................................................. 8 Fisheries Management Actions ........................................................................................................................ 10 Conservation Engineering Project ................................................................................................................... 19 Other Activities ................................................................................................................................................ 21 Management Information Systems and Fisheries Statistics Program .................................................................. 23 Personnel ......................................................................................................................................................... 23 Overview .......................................................................................................................................................... 23 Management Information Systems Project ..................................................................................................... 23 Fisheries Statistics Project ............................................................................................................................... 24 SHELLFISH AND HABITAT SECTION ........................................................................................................................... 29 Shellfish Sanitation and Management Program ................................................................................................... 29 Personnel ......................................................................................................................................................... 29 Overview .......................................................................................................................................................... 30 Shellfish Sanitation and Public Health Protection Project ............................................................................... 30 Shellfisheries Management Project ................................................................................................................. 35 Aquaculture Project ......................................................................................................................................... 41 Vibrio Management ......................................................................................................................................... 45 Other Activities ................................................................................................................................................ 46 Habitat Program .................................................................................................................................................... 47 Personnel ......................................................................................................................................................... 47 Overview .......................................................................................................................................................... 47 Technical Review Project ................................................................................................................................. 47 Fisheries Habitat Research Project .................................................................................................................. 49 Climate ChangeProject .................................................................................................................................... 52 National Coastal Condition Assessment .......................................................................................................... 53 Offshore Wind & Ocean Planning .................................................................................................................... 54 Other Activities ................................................................................................................................................ 55 FISHERIES BIOLOGY SECTION .................................................................................................................................... 56 Fish Biology Program ............................................................................................................................................. 56 Personnel ......................................................................................................................................................... 56 Overview .......................................................................................................................................................... 56 Age and Growth Project ................................................................................................................................... 56 Fisheries Dependent Sampling Project ............................................................................................................ 58 Special Fisheries Research Projects ................................................................................................................. 61 Striped Bass Research Project .......................................................................................................................... 64 Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries 2015 Annual Report 3 Other Activities ................................................................................................................................................ 67 Assessment and Survey Program .......................................................................................................................... 68 Personnel ......................................................................................................................................................... 68 Overview .......................................................................................................................................................... 68 Resource Assessment Project .......................................................................................................................... 69 Invertebrate Fisheries Project.......................................................................................................................... 71 Protected Species Project ................................................................................................................................ 75 Recreational Species Stock Assessment Project .............................................................................................. 76 Recreational and Diadromous Fisheries Program ................................................................................................. 77 Personnel ......................................................................................................................................................... 77 Overview .......................................................................................................................................................... 77 Recreational Fisheries Project ......................................................................................................................... 78 Large Pelagics Research Project ....................................................................................................................... 80 Diadromous Fisheries Project .......................................................................................................................... 83 ADMINISTRATION ....................................................................................................................................................