Program Updates
September 16, 2009: The appeals period for Open Area diggers is complete. The Massachusetts State Treasurers Office will begin issuing payments shortly. If payments are not received within two weeks of the soon-to-be announced payment date, please contact the 2008 Red Tide Relief Program.
In response to public comment and in order to address a unique situation, MarineFisheries has adjusted the allocation formula for Nauset System shellfish fishermen. Applications were sent to these individuals on September 15, 2009 and a six week application period began, ending October 31, 2009. A three week appeals period will follow, ending on November 21, 2009. All appeals will be reviewed by the second week of December 2009. Allocation and payment of funds should occur by early January 2010.
For additional information regarding the Nauset System LIS Program and allocation formula see the Nauset System Announcement  .
June 25, 2009: Red Tide relief applications were mailed to all 2009 Massachusetts commercial shellfishermen that met the qualifying criteria. For those shellfishermen that believe they qualify but did not receive a direct mailing the web application is posted above.
As the auditing period begins MarineFisheries will be posting a list of applicants and their status, this list will be updated once to twice a week. A list of those individuals that were sent the application mailing is linked above.
Application workshops will be held in at the MarineFisheries office in Gloucester every Wednesday from 9am-2pm until the end of the application period on July 31, 2009. If extra assistance is needed or if applicants have questions please contact the program coordinator: Jared Silva
May 14, 2009: The National Marine Fisheries Service has approved the “Massachusetts Red Tide Technical Assistance and Disaster Relief” program as proposed by the Division of Marine Fisheries (see link to full proposal above). A mailing is scheduled be sent to all 2009 Massachusetts commercial shellfish fishermen on May 18, 2009. The mailing will include program information and a copy of the Notice of Public Comment.
Notice of Public Comment Period: May 14, 2009 through June 12, 2009. An allocation formula has been developed to determine the estimated 2008 economic loss directly attributed to Massachusetts red tide closures in 2008. Public comments on the allocation formula are welcome through June 12, 2009 until 5:00 PM. The notice can be found here: Notice of Public Comment Period
Background
Climatic conditions in the spring and early summer of 2008 in combination with a large and continual bloom of Alexandrium fundyense off the mid-coast of Maine (originating from extensive deepwater Alexandrium cyst beds) led to an extensive Red Tide event in 2008.
Alexandrium fundyens, a marine phytoplankton, is responsible for the production of the Red Tide toxin that causes Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP). Under the National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP), MarineFisheries is required to classify and monitor all state waters’ that overlap US territorial seas. This includes monitoring for PSP. MarineFisheries, in accordance with NSSP, is mandated to close systems where PSP is detected in order to safeguard public health.
During the 2008 Red Tide event, PSP was first detected off the Nauset System of Cape Cod, and this region was closed to shellfishing on April 11, 2008. By June 26, 2008, all areas from the Massachusetts/New Hampshire border to the Cape Cod Canal had been closed as well as the Nauset System, Pleasant Bay, part of Nantucket Sound and Nantucket. In total, 39 communities were impacted 29 of which had a commercial shellfish industry. In addition, between June 20 and July 9, 2009 MarineFisheries prohibited the landing of shellfish (excluding scallop abductor muscle and carnivorous snails) from Federal waters adjacent to the Commonwealth.
These closures came at peak harvesting season for the affected communities and the economic loss was widespread. In September 2008 Governor Deval Patrick requested disaster relief to aid shellfishermen affected by the closures, and the Commonwealth was granted $2 million through US Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez. MarineFisheries has been directed to allocate and disperse these funds. The 2009 Massachusetts Red Tide Technical Assistance and Disaster Relief Proposal outlines the two phases of this program.
Phase 1: Lost Income Subsidy (LIS)
The LIS program has been allocated $1.2 million to compensate fishermen for losses due to the closures; this amount is based on MarineFisheries analysis of the direct impact on harvesters. Data was derived from the Standard Atlantic Fishery Information System (SAFIS) and represents the ex-vessel value of harvestings during the same period in 2007 (2007 was used as the baseline year due to minimal PSP closures).
Phase 2: Technical Assitance
The Technical Assistance program has been allocated $800,000 to increase monitoring capacity, expand community outreach and subsidize the cost of a cyst bed mapping program. The goal of Phase 2 is to minimize the impact of future closures by giving MarineFisheries the necessary tools to enact more accurate and surgical closures, as well as promoting consumer confidence.
Current Status
Phase 1 of this program is due to begin shortly and pubic involvement will be a critical component of this program. To ensure equitable allocation of funds, the formula developed to determine payment amounts will be posted on the MarineFisheries website. A four week comment period will follow and these comments may be used to amend the formula, if necessary.
During the comments period, MarineFisheries will develop a list of potentially eligible shellfish permit holders by cross-referencing 2008 permits with 2007 landings. Those on the list will be mailed program information and an application packet; individuals not included in the initial list can still apply by downloading the application from the MarineFisheries website. The application period will be six weeks long to allow applicants sufficient time to apply for the LIS program.
Weekly updates will be posted on the MarineFisheries website. These updates will include the names of applicants and the status of their application (“accepted,” “denied” or “incomplete”). Incomplete and denied applicants will have the opportunity to work with MarineFisheries on identifying issues during an appeals process. One of our goals is to work with applicants to maximize the amount of eligible applicants enrolled in the LIS.
Remember to check this website for the most current information available. Any further questions can be directed to: Jared Silva
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