| Agenda: | for the Shellfish Advisory Committee meeting to be held on MONDAY, APRIL 11th, 2016 in the Club Room at the Chatham Community Center at 4:00 P.M.
1. Meeting recording announcement/turn off cell phones.
2. Forum. If anyone from the shellfishing community or public wishes to make any constructive comments or express concerns with the shellfishing industry, habitat, or shellfishing in general, or request a future agenda item, they may do so now. The chair will use discretion over length and content of comments.
3. Record of Decision & Final Monomoy CCP issued by U.S.F&W.S.
4. In-State Sale of Undersized Aquaculture Reared Shellfish
- Agenda Items Request by:Shellfish Constable & Jamie Bassett, SAC Chair
Currently, the legal limit for any harvested quahog is 1” (one inch) shell thickness. Anything below 1” is considered seed and against the law to harvest and sell. The Massachusetts Aquaculture Growers Association has petitioned the Division of Marine Fisheries to create a “petit” permit which would allow aquaculturalists to harvest and sell quahogs at 7/8 shell thickness. The proposed rule change is only for Grant growers. It would exclude all Wild shellfishermen from both harvesting and selling “Petit,” 7/8” quahogs. Additionally, the proposed rule change would allow out-of-state Aquaculture growers the right to sell their undersized product into the Massachusetts market. Currently, MA prohibits the sale of all U.S. grown, undersized quahogs in State. The petition also includes proposed aquaculture permits for “petit” oysters (2 ½ inches) and sea clams (1 ½ inches)
5. Grants. Shellfish Grants in Chatham
- Agenda Item Request by: John Garey, SAC Member
General discussion on the Pros & Cons of opening up limited Aquaculture Grants in Chatham. How Chatham might proceed in developing an Aquaculture plan that might satisfy all points of view and concern.
6. Shellfish Department update
7. To see if SAC will support the article to purchase Eldredge dock at town meeting.
8. Review Minutes
9. Future agenda items: Any other items that committee members may want to discuss briefly or wish to have added to a future meeting may do so here. Any items to be voted on must be published in a future meeting agenda and posted for public assay prior to that SAC meeting.
10. Set next meeting date.
11. Adjourn.
Respectfully submitted, April 5, 2016
Jamie Bassett, Chairman |