Tag: marine wildlife

This story marks the first of six blog stories spotlighting New Jersey’s shark species – and educating people about why shark populations are in danger throughout the world.

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CONSERVE WILDLIFE FOUNDATION IS INITIATING CONSERVATION EFFORTS DIRECTED AT THE SHARKS, RAYS, AND SKATES WHICH OCCUR IN NEW JERSEY WATERS.

By Michael Davenport, Wildlife Biologist & GIS Manager

Sharks, rays, and skates are cartilaginous fish within the subclass Elasmobranchii. Elasmobranchs predate the dinosaurs by hundreds of millions years, having first appeared in the fossil record during the Devonian Period approximately 400 million years ago. They are a very diverse group, with over 350 species of sharks and over 500 species of rays and skates currently existing worldwide.

Sharks and rays are highly specialized and occupy a wide variety of habitats. Some species are slow-moving bottom feeders which prey on crustaceans while others are fast-swimming predators of marine mammals. Many shark and ray species are apex predators, at the top of many food chains. They play a critical function within the marine (and occasionally freshwater) ecosystem preying on the weak, sick, or injured and maintaining a balance within their environment.

Sharks and rays are frequently misunderstood and feared as a result. Sharks have been portrayed in movies as man-eating monsters which target humans as a meal. Rays are also feared due to their appearance and because many species do, in fact, carry defensive barbs on their tail which have been known to injure or even kill people.

Because of their bad reputation, sharks are often targeted by recreational fishermen as trophy catches. However, the greatest threat to sharks and rays comes from commercial fishing for several reasons: (1) directed fishing for sharks, especially for their fins; (2) capture as bycatch during other fishing activities; and (3) overfishing of prey species.

Degradation of habitat is another threat to sharks and rays. Many species give birth within inshore coastal waters and those same areas are a nursery for the young. Pollution and/or development of those areas represent a threat to those species during a critical stage of their life. Climate change and its impact on food resources of sharks and rays is another potential major threat to sharks and rays which is poorly understood at this time.

Due to the biology of sharks and rays, these many threats are worsened by the fact that fewer individuals are replaced than are killed. Sharks and rays are generally long-lived species which don’t reach sexual maturity often until they’re in their teens or older. Then, they may give birth to as few as two young every two or three years.

Follow our blog posts throughout the week to learn more about some of the shark species which occur in New Jersey waters.

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CWF Spearheading Project to Recycle Dangerous Fishing Gear and Create Healthier Bay Ecosystem and Local Economy

by Lindsay McNamara, Communications Manager

Through a series of public and private partnerships, and with the help of the local fishing community, CWF is leading a project to inventory and remove more than 1,000 abandoned crab pots in Barnegat Bay. These derelict pots, lost from storms or cut lines, can have devastating impacts on the bay ecosystem and local economy.

 

A phenomenon referred to as “ghost fishing,” these traps will often continue to catch and kill marine life when abandoned, like the Northern diamondback terrapin and otherwise harvestable crabs. These lost harvests translate to economic losses for fishermen and the local community. The pots also disrupt navigation and damage sensitive ecosystems.

 

In the first year of our two year project, our partners removed 395 of these abandoned crab pots from the Barnegat Bay watershed, championed by local fisherman RJ Cericola and his crew. Almost 260 other pots were assessed but not recovered.

• RJ Cericola: 204 abandoned crab pots removed
• MATES: 103 abandoned crab pots removed
• Stockton University: 64 abandoned crab pots removed (40 near Waretown and 24 near Mud Cove, Little Egg Harbor Bay, reflected in the map below)
• Monmouth University: 24 abandoned crab pots removed

Starting in December 2016, we look forward to working with RJ Cericola, our new partner Jeff Silady — ReClam the Bay boat captain and local fisherman — and bringing on a commercial fisherman to reach our goal of 1,000 abandoned crab pots recovered.

 

Some of the recovered pots were stored at Stockton University Marine Field Station in Port Republic and were inventoried for data; broken down and recycled by volunteers this past Earth Day.

Scientists, students, commercial crabbers and other volunteers gathered on April 23^rd for the WeCrab Community Day to record data, clean and prep the recovered derelict crab pots for recycling. The WeCrab Marine Debris Project is a partnership between the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve and Stockton University.

 

Volunteers collected data on condition, cause of loss, weight, among other points. We are working to understand the impacts of abandoned pots and their distribution, gather information on the percentage of pots lost annually and also develop a long-term reporting system for lost pots and other fishing gear. Information collected from recovered pots help aid these efforts.

 

CWF’s abandoned crab pot removal project is funded by NOAA’s Community-based Marine Debris Removal Grant. We are proud to work with our partners at the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science, Monmouth University, Stockton University, ReClam the Bay, and volunteers. Conserve Wildlife Foundation is also working on an outreach campaign to raise awareness on the impacts of derelict crab pots and marine debris with additional funding from the New Jersey Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership.

 

Learn More:

• Removing Abandoned Fishing Gear for a Safer Barnegat Bay
• Marine Debris Makes Conserve Wildlife Foundation Crabby
• Species on the Edge: Marine Debris Edition

 

Lindsay McNamara is the Communications Manager for Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey.

 

CWF leading the charge to provide free recycling and disposal of derelict fishing gear throughout the Barnegat Bay watershed

by Lindsay McNamara, Communications Manager

 

Conserve Wildlife Foundation is proud to collaborate with the Fishing for Energy partnership — an innovative public-private effort that provides commercial fishermen a no-cost solution to recycle old and unusable fishing gear — to recycle an estimated 26,000 pounds of derelict crab pots and other marine debris collected throughout the Barnegat Bay watershed as part of a removal project over the next two years. On Friday, we celebrated our new project with our Fishing for Energy partners at a press event in Waretown, New Jersey.

 

Abandoned or lost fishing equipment can threaten marine wildlife, like diamondback terrapins, in a number of ways, including by damaging ecosystems as nets and heavy equipment settle upon the ocean floor and through “ghost fishing,” wherein gear continues to catch fish and other wildlife even if abandoned or lost. Gear also can impact navigational safety, damage fishing equipment and boats that are in use, and have economic repercussions on fishing and shipping enterprises and coastal communities.

 

In just six days, RJ Cericola and other local fishermen have collected over 160 abandoned crab pots!

 

“By recycling thousands of dangerous abandoned crab pots, our team is protecting vulnerable wildlife such as the diamondback terrapin, which inhabit the same shallow coastal waters in Barnegat Bay where pots are often lost or abandoned,” said Stephanie Egger, CWF wildlife biologist and principal investigator. “Terrapin population declines, reduced growth, and changes in sex ratios have been directly attributed to by-catch mortality in crab pots. We are so thrilled to work with local fishermen and all of our project partners, particularly the Fishing for Energy program, NOAA, and the New Jersey Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership.”

 

This two-year marine debris removal project, led by CWF and supported by a NOAA Marine Debris Program Community-based Marine Debris Removal grant, is working with local crabbers to locate and remove more than 1,000 derelict crab pots from Barnegat Bay. As part of this project, CWF is partnering with the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science, Monmouth University, Stockton University, ReClam the Bay, New Jersey Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership (NJCWRP), and the recreational and commercial fishing community to identify, retrieve, and inventory derelict crab pots. The project is also conducting education and outreach activities on the impacts of derelict crab pots including the development of a lesson plan for schools, presentations for the community, developing informational print materials, and collaborating with the WeCrab education and outreach project led by the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve/Rutgers University and Stockton University.

 

“NJCWRP is proud to support this coalition of partners working on innovative projects to benefit the ecological quality of Barnegat Bay,” said Russell Furnari, chair, NJCWRP. “Removing thousands of these derelict crab pots not only enhances habitat, but also reduces navigational hazards, human health issues, and fishery impacts. We are thrilled to help provide outreach and educational campaigns to the local community, which will prevent additional lost pots and promote a deeper understanding of the bay’s habitat and wildlife.”

 

The Fishing for Energy partnership provided funds for the transportation and disposal of the gear found in Barnegat Bay through Covanta’s Energy-from-Waste facility in Union County, New Jersey. At the Covanta site, any metal found on the debris will be recycled and the remainder of the traps converted into clean, renewable energy that will power area homes and businesses. The recycled materials will be processed and converted into enough energy to power 2,200 homes for a month!

 

Fishing for Energy is a nationwide partnership between the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation; the NOAA Marine Debris Program; Covanta, a New Jersey-headquartered sustainable waste and energy solutions company; and Schnitzer Steel Industries, one of the largest metal recycling companies in the United States. The partnership offers conveniently located collection bins for disposal of old fishing gear, making it easy for fishing communities – even small coastal communities like Waretown and Mantoloking – to deal with the issue of derelict gear. As a result, the partnership reduces the amount of gear that ends up in U.S. coastal waters and recycles and converts the remaining gear and debris into clean, renewable energy at Covanta’s Energy-from-Waste facilities.

 

Making Headlines: News Coverage from the Press Event:

• News 12 New Jersey
• NJTV News
• NJ.com
• Geos News
• Philly.com
• NJ Spotlight
• Waste Management World
• Newsworks

 

Learn More:

• NOAA Marine Debris Program Project Summary
• NOAA Marine Debris Blog: New Jersey Event Highlights Derelict Crab Pot Removal Efforts
• National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Press Release for Friday’s Event
• Conserve Wildlife Foundation’s Facebook Album of Photos from Friday’s Event

 

Lindsay McNamara is the Communications Manager for Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey.