7/01/2026
- Division of Marine Fisheries
On Earth Day (April 22, 2026), Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries staff, along with members of the Bittersweet Warriors (BSW), removed approximately 1,300 square feet of the invasive oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) from the Cat Cove Marine Laboratory campus in Salem. The introduced plant is a major ecological threat in Massachusetts because it attacks the native forest structure through girdling of trunks and branches and blocking sunlight from the ground up to the canopy. The event was initiated by Richard Stafford of the Bittersweet Warriors, whose mission is to eradicate the invasive plant and restore native species in Salem, Massachusetts.
Division of Marine Fisheries
The Division of Marine Fisheries manages the state’s commercial and recreational saltwater fisheries and oversees other services that support the marine environment and fishing communities.