We have yet another fishery habitat debacle looming just over the horizon.  Once again we wonder where those government agencies entrusted with overseeing the marine resources are when we need them.

 This latest boondoggle involves someone’s brilliant idea to mine about 100 square acres, 4-feet deep, of sand and cobble bottom off Massachusetts Bay in an area known as the NOMES site.  The idea is to dredge this prime lobster and cod habitat and barge it in to fix a chronic flooding problem occurring along the beach in Winthrop.  Several state legislators from that district have managed to appropriate state money for the project and have been promising the Winthrop residents that the beach “nourishment” will be done and soon.  It has been stated that taking the cobble they need from the ocean site will be cheaper and easier then using a land based source.  Here we go again, take it from out there.  Who cares about out there?

 Meanwhile, the State’s Marine Fishery agency and the National Marine Fisheries Service, to their credit, have mandated that a one-year study be done on the impacts of this mining project on marine resources.  Well, we guess that takes care of the “quick’ fix for the Winthrop problem.

 Residents from Winthrop just want the flooding problem solved and don’t care much about how its done.  While we support fixing the problem and agree that it should be done sooner rather than later, we must oppose the idea of where they want to get the material.  We also disagree with the comment that using this source will get the job done sooner.  The study is taking time and those legislators and the people of Winthrop could have had their repair done by now if they had just “bit the bullet” and brought in what they needed from a land based source and unloaded it from rail cars in Fore River or Charlestown and barged it over to the site.  Trucks could also have been used.  They still could do this and fix the flooding problem sooner rather then later.  It may cost a few more bucks but the residents would be satisfied and the legislators would have kept their promise and not have negatively impacted the state’s fisheries.  One only may wonder whether Mother Nature might sweep all this cobble away again but we’ll leave that for the project engineers to ponder.

 The “NOMES” site offshore is, as we’ve said, prime lobster and fish habitat and lately there has been much said by fishery agencies about how important it is to protect essential fish habitat.  This state’s Division of Marine Fisheries has been opposed to the mining part of the project and has said so.  State legislators representing Winthrop have been pressuring the agency and have portrayed Marine Fisheries as being the cause for the delay.  We applaud our state’s fishery agency for its stand.  We also applaud NMFS’s insistence that a study be done before any cobble or sand removal begins. 

 The unfortunate part of this is that these agencies don’t seem to have the ability to stop projects like these.  Are they toothless when they come up against projects that can destroy the marine habitat?

 NOAA fisheries, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and the Mass. Division of Marine Fisheries are all agencies that can have sharp fangs when it comes to regulating and restricting fishermen and “God forbid” a fishing operation disrupts some rocks or uproots some vegetation because it might be considered habitat destruction.  Using the Essential Fish Habitat banner and the provisions regarding habitat disruption in a federal law, the fishing industry comes under close scrutiny and sometimes fishing restrictions.  Why can’t they also restrict or just say no to these types of projects and have it mean “NO”? Habitat destruction is habitat destruction no matter who does it and this is big time disruption and not just a few rocks or plants.  These agencies shouldn’t even consider discussing fishing related habitat disruption until they can deal successfully with stopping projects like the mining of sand and cobble from a marine habitat.

 We would like to know where these agencies are when we need them.  They would do well to show the fishing industry that they can be helpful to fishermen and are not just using their teeth to gnaw at those who harvest from the sea.

 Take a bite out of mining this habitat – say no and mean it!

  Bill Adler, Executive Director                     

12/04