CollaborationsAugust 2002A monthly update of cooperative research news

This month:This month:

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HARBOR WORK — Capt. Ted Ligenza and Brian Smith remove cod stomachsthat will be examined as part of Ligenza’s cooperative research project.

What are cod eating?A cod stomach sampling project, focused on the coast

of Cape Cod, receives continued funding

By RANDY SEAVER

As we steam out of Chatham’sharbor, Capt. Ted Ligenzakeeps a careful eye on thetide. “I don’t think we’re

going to have very good luck today dueto big tides and a full moon last night,”he says while piloting his 31-foot boat(F/V Riena Marie) out toward the openwater. Regardless of how good the fishingwill be, Ligenza has been diligent aboutgoing out to sea every 10 days in orderto maintain the scientific protocols ofa collaborative research project he de-signed nearly a year ago.

Ligenza’s project, funded by theNortheast Consortium, is intended toget a better understanding of cod fishfeeding habits by examining the con-tents of their stomachs. “Once we know what the fish are eat-ing, we’ll hopefully have a better un-derstanding of their other behavior pat-terns,” he explains, leaning down onthe boat’s throttle. The rising sun is abrilliant red and Ligenza is smiling.“This project was my idea,” he shoutsover the drone of the engine so that Ican hear him. “We’re getting some realinteresting data.”

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ARNE CARRSee story- p. 5

Hooked and cooked?

Just like their colleagues throughoutthe rest of New England, hook fish-ermen in the Cape Cod area are

worried about the future of their fisher-ies and the viability of their livelihoods. New regulations now being proposedby the New England Fishery Manage-ment Council, such as increasing theminimum size of cod (from 48 to 52 cen-timeters) and a plan that would cut thedaily cod catch limit on Georges Bankfrom 2,000 pounds per day to just 500

pounds, couldhave severe effectson Cape Cod’s in-shore and offshorefleets. Despite thoseominous clouds,two of the fisher-men I met thismonth are hopingtheir collaborativeresearch projects

will help preserve sustainable cod stockswhile also ensuring a way of life that hasbecome unique along the eastern shoresof Cape Cod. Capt. Ted Ligenza, of Chatham, Mass.,and Capt. Mark Leach of Harwich bothadmit that they are nervous about whatthe future holds. For both men, however,there is much more to do than complain.Leach offered his assistance on a projectdesigned to test artificial baits, andLigenza came up with his own projectin which he is collecting cod stomachsfor scientific research. “More than ever before, fishermenhave to be involved in the process,”Leach said. “Participating in cooperativeresearch projects should be consideredan investment in the future, not as just

Collaborations August 2002 page 2

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Cod stomachs Started in October 2001, Ligenza’sone-year project has received additionalfunding of $123,250 from the North-east Consortium to continue samplingcod stomachs for another year. “Itwouldn’t be much good if we only hada year to collect our information,” heexplains. “because every year is differ-ent.” To date, Ligenza, teamed up withBrian Smith, a research associate at theNational Marine Fisheries ScienceCenter (NMFSC) in Woods Hole, hassent in more than 700 cod stomachsamples to be studied by Frank Almeidaand Jason Link, biologists at theNMFSC. “Primarily, we’ve been catching amedium-sized cod, we’re not really see-ing too much variation of feedingwithin that size class,” Smith says.“We’re hoping that after we catch thelarger ones, the real big ones. . . likeover 100 centimeters. . . we should seea good variation of feeding.” Smith says the project has recordedsome similar patterns but nothing “re-ally major” when compared to theNMFS broad-scale study. “We’d prob-ably need at least four years to get agood look at the patterns,” he adds. After steaming for nearly 45 minutes,Ligenza eases back on the throttle, andSmith grabs his clipboard. The boat

(Continued from page 1)rocks on thewaves near a spotthat Ligenza saysisn’t marked onany navigationalchart, southeast ofChatham. Be-cause the wind iswith the tide,Ligenza decidesthat we’ll prob-ably have betterluck collectingsamples if we useelectric reels ver-sus his favoredmethod of handjigging. As Ligenza setsup the reels, Smith begins checking thewater temperature: 18.4 Celsius. We areready to start catching fish. “When I first started fishing, the bot-tom was in better shape,” Ligenza says,watching the movement of the rod thatis secured next to the wheelhouse.“These fish used to feed on the bottommore, but now that the bottom has beendamaged by storms and fishing, I thinkthe fish are more dependent on bait fish,like herring in the early winter andspring and sand eels in the summer.” Ligenza said he started his project be-cause he was tired of his own observa-tions being dismissed as “anecdotal

data” by fishery regu-lators. “For me, it’s veryimportant to protectthe bait fish,” he says.“I think if the codhave good food,they’re going tospawn better. If we godown there and de-stroy the food chain,then the cod fishwon’t be doing sowell and then they[regulators] are goingto tell us we havepoor recruitment andtherefore need moreregulations. You’re

COLLECTING SAMPLES — Smith and Ligenza go outevery 10 days in order to collect their samples.

WATCHING THE LINE — Capt. Ted Ligenzaaboard the F/V Riena Marie

not going to know the importance ofthe cod fish food unless you catch thefish through the season to show the sig-nificance of different food items.” Duringthe nextf e wh o u r s ,we haveg o o dluck atcatchingmedium-s i z e dc o d .Smith ish o p i n gthat wecan pullin some larger samples on this trip sothat scientists can examine larger fe-male livers. We conduct 10 driftsthroughout the day in various spots nearthe location where we began sampling. The most successful drift yielded onefish in the 20-40 cm class, 12 fish be-tween 40 and 60 cm, and two fish be-tween 60 and 80 centimeters. We havecollected 30 cod that will later be dis-sected before their stomachs will beexamined. Almeida described Ligenza’s projectas a “gold mine.” “Compared to our own trawl surveys,

I think the fish aremore dependent onbait fish, like her-ring in the earlywinter and springand sand eels in thesummer.

“

”— Ted Ligenza

Collaborations August 2002 page 3

Fish or try bait

MARK LEACH aboard the F/V Sea Holly.(Susan Boa photo, courtesy CCCHFA)

By RANDY SEAVER

Since he spends roughly$30,000 each year on bait, itmakes sense that Capt. MarkLeach would be willing to use

his 36-foot commercial fishing boat fora collaborative research project de-signed to test and develop a so-called“artificial” bait. But despite increasingly stringentfishing regulations and spiraling op-erating costs, Leach, a hook fishermanfrom Harwich, Mass., says there wasmuch more at stake with the projectthan simply finding a way to savemoney on bait. “In terms of its initial objective, Iwouldn’t say [the project] was success-ful,” Leach said. “But we did get somegood shots of the bottom. I pushed hardso that we could use cameras to dosome profiling. I think that aspect isvery important.” During the past year, Leach has beenhelping test the effectiveness of “baitmatrixes” that have been developed byDr. Susan Goldhor of the Center forA p p l i e dReg iona lStudies inB o s t o n .The re-search issimilar to ap r o j e c tG o l d h o rconductedwith long-line fishermen in the North-west United States, along the shoresof Alaska, Washington and Oregon. Leach, however, says he never ex-pected Atlantic cod to behave like Pa-cific cod. “I don’t think anyone did,really,” he says. During the sea trials of the project,Leach was partnered with MarkSzymanski, a fisheries supervisor at theMassachusetts Division of MarineFisheries. The two men work well to-gether, moving almost in-synch on theday of the last sea trial. As Leach pi-lots the F/V Sea Holly southeast ofChatham, Szymanski prepares the

marker buoys and beginswriting information on aclipboard, including watertemperature, depth and loca-tion. Using two platforms,made of plywood and galva-nized shafts, Szymanski rigsunderwater video cameras sowhatever grabs at the baitwill be caught on tape thatcan later be analyzed. Aftersteaming more than 90 min-utes, the Sea Holly reachesher destination. Szymanski baits one plat-form with pieces of squid;the other platform is baitedwith one of Goldhor’s “arti-ficial bait” compounds. Eachplatform is dropped to thebottom, in close proximity toone another. Once the platforms aredropped, Leach allows theboat to drift. It’s time forwhat has become a traditionduring the waiting process. Leach

moves be-low deckand fires upa small,electric fry-ing pan.It’s well be-fore 9 a.m.,but forLeach and

Szymanski — it’s time for hotdogs. While we wait, Leach and Szymanskitalk about the project and why coopera-tion between fishermen and research-ers is so vital. “We look to partner with people whocan truly be committed to a project,”Szymanski says. “It’s discouraging tothink that some people might look atthese types of projects as just anotherway to earn money.” Leach said the benefits of collabora-tive research include gaining a betterunderstanding of his own fishinggrounds. Although the 45-year-old fish-erman has been fishing since he was

16, he says that he still learns some-thing new each day. “The biggest thingI got out of this project was that it rein-forced my own ideas about what thebottom looks like,” he said. With the smell of spicy mustard andhotdogs still lingering in the wheel-house, it’s now time to pull the plat-forms to see the results of the day’s trial.As we pull the first platform, a skate,with a preference for squid, is removedfrom one of the hooks. The platformwith the artificial bait, however, isempty. As Leach begins steaming back to-ward the harbor, Szymanksi reviews thevideotape. Each time a cod is spottedswimming by one of the platforms,Leach and Szymanski pause the tapeand rewind in order to get a better look. The cod seem interested in the “arti-ficial bait,” but not enough to grab ontoit. These results are typical when com-pared to the other sea trials “I think this is a project that needs

I think this is a project that needscontinued refinement. I think wehave something to work with, but Ialso think we need more time.

“

”— Mark Szymanski, MaDMF

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Collaborations August 2002 page 4

Ted’s project is very focused and con-sistent in its sampling,” Almeida ex-plained. “One of the complaints, and alegitimate complaint we often hearfrom fishermen is that our trawl sur-vey only takes ‘snapshot’ samples dur-ing a particular time of the year. ForTed to be going out every 10 days re-ally helps us understand what’s hap-pening, even if it is in a much more

concentrated area.” According to Almeida, there havebeen no significant differences betweenLigenza’s study and the NMFS trawl

Cod stomachs(Continued from page 2)

surveys in terms of whatGOM cod are eating. “That,in of itself, is good news,” hesaid. Later in the day, as westeam back toward the har-bor, Ligenza notices some-thing strange off the star-board side of his boat. It is awarm and humid day, andthe surface of the water justoutside the harbor almostlooks as if there has been anoil spill. The color of the wa-

ter ismuchdarkeri none particulararea. As we getcloser to thatarea, Ligenza’ssuspicions are

confirmed: it is only the result of a starkdifference between water and air tem-perature. His curiosity piqued, Ligenzastops to take a temperature reading just

FIRST CATCH— NAMA’s ownRandy Seaver shows off a cod hecaught as part of Ligenza’s samplecollection.

DIRTY WORK — Ligenza removes a samplestomach from a cod caught near Chatham. For Ted to be going out every 10 days really

helps us understand what’s happening, even ifit is in a much more concentrated area.

“”

— Frank Almeida, NMFSC

so he can know the actual temperatureinstead of taking a guess. “Have you always been a naturallycurious person?” I ask. He turns back to the wheel, glancingat me over his shoulder. “I have to be,”he smiles. “I’m a fisherman. If I’m notcurious, I won’t be around muchlonger.”

Hooked or cooked?

another way to make money with a boat.” Ligenza agrees. “I was tired of having people say that wecould only offer anecdotal information,” hesaid. “I wanted to do this so that I wouldhave something to back up my observationsand opinions.” Thus, Ligenza has commit-ted himself to going out every 10 days inorder to collect samples. And although theartificial bait project has not yielded im-mediate success, Leach says he’s still gladthat he participated. “We got some greatshots of the bottom and I learned a lot. Youcan’t expect a lot overnight.”

Faces in the crowd Beginning this month, each issue of Col-laborations will feature a new section inwhich we profile someone in the field ofcollaborative research, including scientists,regulators and fishermen. Leading off thisseries of interviews is one of the most re-spected and admired men in gear-technol-ogy circles — Mr. Arnold Carr, recentlyretired from the Massachusetts Division ofMarine Fisheries (see story page 5). Nextmonth, we will feature an interview withChris Glass of the Manomet Center for Con-servation Sciences.

If you have an idea for a story you wouldlike to see published in Collaborations,please do not hesitate to contact us:collaborations@namanet.org or by phone(888-320-4530. As always, thanks for read-ing!

Are you working on a projectthat you would like to see high-lighted in “Collaborations”?Did you miss an issue? Wouldyou like to subscribe? Contact NAMA today,collaborations@namanet.org(207)284-5374; 888-320-4530

Useful links:www.fishresearch.org

www.northeastconsortium.org

www.namanet.org

www.ccchfa.org

Collaborations August 2002 page 5

Faces in the crowd:

Arne CarrAfter 38 years, he has retired from the

MaDMF, — but he’s still very much con-nected to collaborative research circles

By RANDY SEAVER

True to his nature, Arnold Carrmissed his so-called “retire-ment” party. Carr didn’t re-ceive his proverbial gold

watch because he was too busy helpingthe Chinese government find the flightdata recorder of a China Air 747 thatcrashed into the Taiwan Straits afterplummeting 38,000 feet from the airon May 25. Although Carr, 61, officially retiredfrom the Massachusetts Division ofMarine Fisheries (MaDMF) in Marchof this year, he is anything but removedfrom the network of collaborative re-search partners he has developed dur-ing the last 38 years. “I’ve had some unique opportuni-ties,” he chuckles during a relaxed in-terview near his home in Monument

Beach. “Things just took shape, I don’tknow if I ever really gave it muchthought. I just started going down theroad I was on.” Carr grew up on Martha’s Vineyard.After studying zoology at UMASS-Amherst, he began working for theMaDMF as a summer student. “I toldmyself back then that I was not goingto work for the state,” he laughed.Nearly four decades later, Carr is wellknown by New England fishermen and

marine researchersfor his affable na-ture and expertise inthe realm of geartechnology and de-velopment. “It [gear technology] is anarea I’ve really enjoyed,” Carrsaid. “I did a lot of diving whileI was growing up. I think it wasthose initial underwater obser-vations that influenced my path.Along the way, with the vari-ous things I did — working onscallop dredges and trawlers —have provided me with unique experi-ences. I’ve always enjoyed my associa-tion with fishermen.” Establishing himself as someone whowould listen to fishermen, Carr creditshis successes to the complementary na-ture of collaborative research. “I’d say,

in justabout everyplace I’veb e e n ,there’s al-ways beena good bal-ance . . . agood set ofp a r t n e r -ships.” In fact,

Carr said he was startled a few yearsago, when Frank Mirarchi, a commer-cial fisherman from Scituate, Mass.,told him, “you’re the one who got meinto this (collaborative research). . .”Asked to recall a favorite memory fromhis career, Carr talks about a trip hetook in January, along with severalcommercial fishermen, for a week-longworkshop using the flume tank at Me-morial University in St. John’s, New-foundland so that a modified trawl net

could be tested. “It was just wild,” Carr said. “To bethere with guys like Luis [Ribas], allof us seeing the same things and pool-ing information based upon our obser-vations of the net’s performance. I’vealways enjoyed that aspect of my job.” When asked about the challenges fac-ing collaborative research endeavors,Carr says he has often wondered aboutwhat the future holds for managingmultiple species. “Say you have fourdifferent fisheries — whiting, flatfish,cod and haddock — and, are you go-ing to need a different type of net anddifferent techniques for each fishery?Is it going to come down to that?” The solution, he said, is putting thefishermen, the scientists and gear tech-nologists together in order to under-stand what various gear types can orcannot accomplish.“The solution is putting that all to-gether in a pot and then refining it towhatever point you can.” As for gear technology and conser-vation engineering, Carr said the fieldis “an important tool in the toolbox ofgood resource management.”

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Things just took shape, Idon’t know if I ever reallygave it much thought. I juststarted going down the roadI was on.

“

”

He is a great guy to work with. He has so muchknowledge and passion, and the beautiful thingis that he’s so willing to share what he’s learnedand experienced.

“

”— Mark Szymanski, MaDMF

Collaborations August 2002 page 6

“Collaborations” is a monthly update on the ‘goings on’ of collaborative fisheriesresearch. The Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance (NAMA), with support from theNortheast Consortium, publishes this update as a service to individuals and groupscommitted to the future of collaborative research. Please visit us at www.namanet.organd www.NortheastConsortium.org to learn more about our organizations.

NAMA was your voice when a federaljudge was considering how to resolvea lawsuit that could have been devas-tating to the Gulf of Maine’s fishingfleet. NAMA was there when a group offishermen and others found themselveswithout a voice in mid-coast Maine,and we offered the assistance and ex-pertise to help form yet another newcommunity-based alliance. NAMA is continuing to reach out,providing community outreach, educa-tional and support services and help-ing fishermen and others learn aboutcollaborative research projects. Since 1995, our organization hascontinued to grow, and we have beenable to make great strides in our efforts“to generate a new voice and institu-tional presence,” within the Gulf ofMaine. We are open to all who are com-mitted to our purpose and principles,that will work toward economic andecological stability, personal responsi-bility and accountability, resource pro-tection and distributed power and au-thority.” But as harsh as it may sound, eventhe most noble of efforts and organiza-tions requires sustainable funding inorder to continue in their mission.That’s why we are asking you to con-sider becoming a NAMA affiliate mem-ber or to make a tax-deductible contri-bution so that we may continue ourwork. Today, New Englanders are facingdaunting challenges, but they are alsotaking initiatives — organizing them-selves to use innovation, science, tech-

nology and local knowledge so that thetradition of coastal fishing communi-ties may continue for generations tocome. NAMA has coordinated many ofthese initiatives, and we stand readyto do more in the weeks and monthsahead. Our alliance is a highly re-spected and fast growing organizationthat needs some financial support todo what the federal government can-not: to restore and enhance the fisher-ies of the Gulf of Maine (the waters ofMassachusetts, New Hampshire, andMaine) as well as Maritime Canada. We can offer you recognitionthroughout the New England coast asbeing one who thought enough of thefishermen’s traditions, their liveli-hoods, their communities, and of themarine resources to lend a generousand helpful hand. Please send the mostgenerous check you can to the addressbelow. All contributions are eligible asdeductions to a non-profit organizationon your income taxes. Please call or e-mail us with anyquestions.Sincerely,

Craig Pendleton,Coordinating Director,Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance200 Main Street, Suite ASaco, ME 04072888-320-4530, fax 207-284-1355e-mail: craig@namanet.org

NAMA needs your support

The Gulf of Maine Aquarium clearedone of its last hurdles this month whenthe Portland City Council voted to ap-prove a height limit increase so that an$8 million marine research laboratorycan be built on the city’s waterfront. “We believe that Portland . . . has avery real opportunity to emerge as aleader in marine research,” said DonaldPerkins, president of the Gulf of MaineAquarium, according to the PortlandPress Herald. In addition to officials from the Uni-versity of Maine, civic and communityleaders, the aquarium received supportfrom local fishermen and the NorthwestAtlantic Marine Alliance. During his testimony in support of theaquarium, Craig Pendleton, NAMA’scoordinating director, said Maine fish-ermen have consistently led the waywith conservation proposals, but thoseefforts are generally disregarded as an-ecdotal — lacking fact. “This lab helps level the playingfield,” Pendleton said. “I was luckyenough to have been asked to partici-pate in the conceptual development ofthis lab, and I feel it has been handledin an extremely professional, open andinclusive manner. The end design camefrom our conceptual needs, not wants.” Pendleton said he is anxious to seethe aquarium’s design turned into real-ity. “I currently enroll my vessel in sev-eral research programs, and I look for-ward to finding answers to our manymarine research questions,” he added.

NAMA speaksin favor ofGOMAquarium

Collaborations August 2002 page 7

Baitcontinued refinement,” Szymanskisaid. “I think we have something towork with, but I also think we needmore time. It does show promise, in myopinion, that we could come up withsomething in the future.” The project was also intended to ex-amine the feasibility of increasing se-lectivity, but Leach says using the baitmatrixes is not an effective way to ex-pand the fishery, especially in terms ofcatching flounder in commercial quan-tity. In an earlier interview (Collabora-tions, April 2002), Leach offered someof his own theories about why cod fishwere not taking the artificial bait. “With the cameras, we could see thefish swimming around, but they

weren’t biting,” he said. “I think codare cold-water sensitive. I think theirmetabolism might slow down and that’swhy they’re not going after the bait. It’sjust a theory, but I’m not so sure thatthe fish are leaving the area. I thinkthey’re just not feeding as much.” “I think we learned some things,” hecontinued. “Even if the results weren’texactly what we were expecting. I thinkcollaborative research has a place in theindustry. It’s an opportunity to trythings that you might otherwise onlythink about and be afraid to try becauseof financial risk.”

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With the cameras, we couldsee the fish swimming around,but they weren’t biting.

— Mark Leach

“

”

“There are places where conserva-tion engineering won’t work,” he ad-mits. “But you’re going to need gearthat is less restrictive. If you ask mewhat the future holds for gear modifi-cations, I’ll tell you that it’s really go-ing to depend on management. Is itgoing to be restricted by species, or arewe going to be looking at the wholeprocess?” Carr has also had a profound and dis-tinct impact upon his coworkers at theMaDMF. Mark Szymanski, a fisheriessupervisor at the Pocasset office, cred-its Carr with giving him the break heneeded after he graduated from collegewith essentially no practical experi-ence. “Arne is one of those guys who willlet you find your own way,” Szymanskisaid. “He is a great guy to work with.He has so much knowledge and pas-sion, and the beautiful thing is that he’sso willing to share what he’s learnedand experienced.”

Today, Carr seems relaxed but he stillhas his hands on a number of ongoingprojects, and is continuing to follow upon those projects as a quasi-consultantfor MaDMF. He has not yet found thetime to put his own 30-foot boat in thewater, but he’s hoping he’ll get thechance before the end of August. One of the other things keeping Carron the move these days is the work heperforms for a company of which he isa partner: American UnderwaterSearch and Survey. During the last fewmonths, Carr has found himself in Asiaon two occasions, searching for crashedjetliners. “If you look at my work with Ameri-can Underwater and my work in thedivision, it’s sort of a parallel,” he said.“Some of the things I’ve learned in ei-ther capacity, I’ve been able to bring tothe other.” In fact, Carr’s firm was the only pri-vate company to work on the crash in-vestigation of the TWA 800 flight thatcrashed off Long Island, New York. Thecompany was contracted to look forsmall, yet critical engine parts thatwould help determine what had gonewrong. Carr has also had an opportu-

Carr

nity only a handful of people have everhad: a chance to dive near the U.S.S.Arizona,the sunken battleship that re-mains as a memorial to those lost dur-ing the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. “If you ask me what I enjoy, divingwould be near the top of my list,” hesaid. “Like anything else, I’ve havesome good memories of my time withthe division. If anything, I have reallyappreciated the associations I’ve had— and I hope to continue nurturing theexperiences of those associations.”

(Continued from page 5)

If you ask me whatthe future holds forgear modifications,I’ll tell you that it’s re-ally going to dependon management. Is it going to be re-stricted by species, orare we going to belooking at the wholeprocess?

“

”

Next month: In the September issue of Collabo-rations, we’re plan-ning to take a closerlook at the lobsterlarvae study beingconducted on thewaters near mid-Maine. We will alsocontinue our “Facesin the Crowd” seriesby featuring an in-depth interviewwith Dr. Chris Glass of the ManometCenter for Conservation Sciences. Ifyou have an idea for a story you’d liketo see in Collaborations, contact us atcollaborations@namanet.org

GLASS

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