- Division of Marine Fisheries
Over the next few months, a strategic plan is being written to improve all things “shellfish” in Massachusetts. This effort, known as the Massachusetts Shellfish Initiative (MSI), was funded with a federal grant to “maximize the economic, environmental, and social benefits of Massachusetts’ shellfish resources, built with input from shellfish stakeholders across the state.” This is a once in a generation opportunity for government agencies and stakeholders to exchange ideas while making recommendations for improved programs, policies, or rules governing shellfish.
The MSI was conceived and developed over three years ago by a group of stakeholders working with DMF to do what other states in the region and across the country were doing: developing strategic plans for in-state shellfish management. The effort was begun in 2018 with some outreach meetings, though much of the work has been accomplished over the past two years. The progress has been slowed by the enormity of the task and by the distraction of the ongoing pandemic.
The MSI Task Force was convened twice in early 2019 concluding that to be most effective, a comprehensive accounting of the shellfish resources, authorities, and players was warranted. An amazingly detailed report called “MSI Assessment Committee Report” was released in October 2020. It’s a long but extremely informative document. Captured in the report is an explanation of the various jurisdictions, regulatory landscape, and landings trends, along with the results of surveys filled out by municipal officials about the state of affairs in their communities. In Massachusetts, state law allows municipal control of most shellfisheries and towns are proud and protective about their local shellfish management. There is a lot of diversity among towns in the amount and types of shellfish but also in approach. In addition, there’s also an appendix of “who’s who” in the Massachusetts shellfish universe. It should be required reading of anyone involved with shellfish in the Commonwealth.
Much of the work has been accomplished by Sean McNally, a PhD student at UMASS Boston who was a principal author of the surveys, and has been busy compiling responses as well as all MSI documents to provide transparency for the public. DMF Shellfish program leader Jeff Kennedy chaired the Assessment Committee, relying on DMF staff to complete the polished Assessment Report. After the release of a first draft of the Assessment Committee report, a second committee—the Scoping Committee—held four public, town hall-style meetings to receive public feedback. Under the leadership of Rob O’Leary of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, the Scoping Committee digested all the comments and crafted a document published last spring that clearly launches us well on the way to writing a strategic plan.
The Task Force, having not met for over a year-and-a-half, was “virtually” reconvened in December via an online conference. A working group from the Task Force is now constructing a strategic plan for final public review later this winter.
This effort is reminiscent of a 1985 white paper called “Assessment at Mid-Decade” that raised attention to marine fisheries challenges in its day, and it resulted in legislation that gave DMF the responsibility to conduct water quality sampling for shellfish area classification. So, while the pandemic has probably altered priorities, it will not deter the Task Force from completing a meaningful, long-range strategic plan. I am hopeful and optimistic about the final product. I see the strategic plan as a policy driver. It can ask agencies to re-prioritize their activities, resolve differences among agencies, recommend streamlining regulations, give researchers direction and justification when pursuing grant funding, even guide the Legislature on emerging issues of law and policy, plus request funding for priority activities.
For more information on the Massachusetts Shellfish Initiative and to stay up-to-date on our progress visit the MSI website at www.massshellfishinitiative.org.
By Daniel McKiernan, Director, and Chair of the MSI Task Force