The Massachusetts Shellfish Initiative (MSI) was an iterative and collaborative process with the goal of enhancing the economic, environmental, and social benefits of shellfish resources to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The MSI was led by a Task Force, which consisted of representatives from state government, municipal government, industry organizations, and non-governmental organizations. It was chaired by Daniel McKiernan, the Director of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries.
To achieve the MSI’s overarching goals, the Task Force set out to develop a Strategic Plan. Given the iterative and collaborative nature of the MSI, the development of the plan was driven by stakeholder recommendations and relied heavily on input from commercial fishermen, recreational fishermen, aquaculturists, tribal members, the restoration community, town and state officials, and the general public. To inform the development of this plan, the Task Force established a Scoping Committee and an Assessment Committee. Both committees included members from a broad geographic range, and from a broad range of shellfish-related sectors to ensure that the work that would ultimately inform the Task Force’s Strategic Plan was thorough and inclusive. A lasting impact that stemmed from the MSI was the formalization of the Shellfish Advisory Panel. The new formal SAP will advise the DMF Director on matters of concern relevant to shellfish fisheries, provide
a forum for Commonwealth agencies to receive and disseminate information relevant to shellfish resources and shellfish management, and allow members of the public and agency representatives to bring forth emerging issues in shellfish fisheries. All references to the SAP’s responsibilities in this document refer to the new, formalized SAP.