Minutes
Minutes
Wellfleet Shellfish Advisory Board
Town Hall Hearing Room
Present: Barbara Austin, John Duane, Jim O'Connell, Jake Puffer, Rebecca Taylor, Helen Miranda Wilson.
Not present: Barbara Brennessel, Joel Fox.
Also attending:. Andrew Koch and John Mankevetch from the Shellfish Department. Mark Borelli and Cristina Kennedy from the Center for Coastal Studies. John Brawley and (later )Michele Insley from SPAT. Town Administrator Harry Terkanian. Selectmen Paul Pilcher and John Morrissey. Don Palladino and Martha Rheinhardt from the Herring River Restoration Project. Ned Hitchcock. Alfred Pickard. Fred Richard. Pat Woodbury. Marilyn Miller from the Banner/Cape Codder.
The meeting began at 10:15 AM.
1) Mark Borelli outlined how we might realize having a Benthic Habitat Map for Wellfleet Harbor. He and Cristina Kennedy described the rigorous methods used for collecting both underwater topographic and benthic population data in some detail.
~The benthic sample "grabs" include smaller organisms, not larger fish, horseshoe crabs, etc.
Non-organic matter is also sieved and sampled.
~The opportunity to collaborate with the CCNS to fund this project, as outlined in Borelli's letter of 2/04/15 (see attached) is time sensitive and unusual. The area mapped for the Park will include the coast from Duck Harbor, around Great Island to the Herring River estuary. The federal funds for this were made available after Hurricane Sandy to some national parks along the Atlantic coast. Pleasant Bay in Orleans has already had such a study.
~The many possible benefits to the Town's shellfishery were discussed, including the usefulness of having a proven, base-line, "snap-shot-in-time" record of the habitat which will be impacted in the future, due to climate change.
~Large posters and maps were provided to illustrate the kind of information that is obtained. The results of such a study are also documented according to the Coastal and Marine Ecological Standard in a printed text published by the Federal Geographic Data Committee and are accepted by government agencies as the best sort of certified documentation.
~Other groups who are interested in studying the Harbor would be able to co-ordinate with the Center for Coastal Studies to simultaneously collect other data, if they contact Mark (soon). This would provide an even more complete picture of the harbor's environmental status.
~The actual area to be included was suggested to be the entire harbor, to the Eastham line.
Barbara Austin asked if the mapping would include "hazards to navigation" features.
Mark recommended the use of GIS systems for such purposes.
~The Town does not currently maintain this information, although they did in the past.
~John Duane asked about the possibility of a having a concurrent survey of fin-fish in the harbor. This was done last in 1972, in the Curley Report , published by the Division of Marine Fisheries. It recommended that the study be replicated every ten years.
~The use of Town funds for this could help with obtaining matching State and Federal funds.
~The idea of having an article to request funding on the April STM warrant was discussed.
~Because of the logistics of getting topographic readings in shallow bodies of water, Option 2, as described in the 2/4/15 letter seemed to be the best idea.
2) John Brawley gave a verbal report of his 2014 report, as commissioned by SPAT.
It includes information about the unfolding vibrio management situation, new DMF plans for its management, and the numbers of shellfish reported illnesses in Massachusetts (none for Wellfleet).
Readings for vibrio were taken at one location in South Wellfleet and "no virulent strains" were detected.
3) Growing out of the contents of this report, we discussed the DMF's 2015 proposed vibrio management plan - what the changes from 2014 were. As they have in the past, the DMF will hold some public hearing sessions.
4)Alfred Picard (serves on the Planning Board) brought up the proposed amendments in the Annual Town Meeting warrant to the Home Occupation Sections in the Zoning Bylaws. They will be advantageous to the shellfishing community. There will be a Planning Board hearing on them tomorrow.
5) Jim O'Connell moved that we discuss having a requirement for insuring that equipment on grants be dealt with so as to prevent damage due to ice, by a certain date. Helen seconded the motion. Passed 4-0. Andy and Helen agreed to work on language together and bring it to the next meeting.
6)We will discuss the possibility of branding shellfish grown and harvested in Wellfleet with a trademark/insignia at the next meeting, on March 30th.
Barbara Austin left at 12:10 PM.
The meeting adjourned at 12:20 PM.
Submitted by Helen Miranda Wilson for the Shellfish Advisory Board.