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Harbor Shellfish advisory board: hatchery busy, scallop surveys start and board votes to seek $50,000 state shellfish funding
Summary
Natural resources staff reported an active hatchery season (oyster spawn, upcoming scallop spawn and dive surveys) and an eelgrass management draft; the board voted to ask staff to prepare a letter supporting a $50,000 state shellfish line item that was left out of the budget.
Tara Riley, natural resources staff for the Harbor Shellfish Advisory Board, reported the hatchery’s spring work and asked the board to support outreach for state shellfish funding.
On April 24, we had our first oyster spawn, and they are going to be 12 days old tomorrow, Riley said. She told the board the hatchery will produce oyster singles and spat-on-shell, will begin a second set of spring dive surveys on Monday, May 12 to assess scallop abundance at 20 of 40 sites, and will start a scallop spawn once interns arrive.
The details matter because the dive surveys will track overwinter mortality and inform fall surveys, Riley said, and the eelgrass management plan is now in draft and under internal review; the eelgrass working group meets every other Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.
Riley told members the town typically receives $50,000 annually in state shellfish funding that is targeted for propagation and shellfish use, but that money was not included in the current budget. She said she was coordinating with colleagues on Cape and Islands outreach to try to get the item reintroduced in the Senate budget and suggested SHAB provide letters in support.
At the meeting, Board Member Peter Brace moved that Peter Brace begin drafting a letter to state officials seeking restoration of the $50,000 shellfish line item; the motion was seconded by Board Member Bossy and approved unanimously (Anderson, Bossy, Sherwin, Brace, Franzuto voted Aye). The board requested Riley provide a template and indicated members could send individual letters as well.
Riley also reported that aquaculture lease renewals were approved at last Wednesday’s Select Board meeting for 10-year terms and that an aquaculture meeting for growers had been held to coordinate practices.
The board placed the pending town shellfish regulation amendments on its agenda to track town-council review; Riley said staff would contact town counsel to request a status update and a likely timeline for review. Members asked Riley to circulate any prior letters or templates used when funding was not included in earlier budgets.
Less critical details: fourth graders from Nantucket Intermediate School will visit the hatchery as part of a STEM tour; staff noted elevated harbor water temperatures (around 55°F reported recently) and said the hatchery will monitor for summer mortality risks. The next board meetings are May 20 and June 3; members asked Riley to circulate materials ahead of meetings.
