November 2022 - The Director's Corner
Melissa and MBFT Board member Bob Dooley in front of Foulweather Trawl Gear shed
In early October I had the pleasure of participating in the Marine Resource Education Program, MREP, held in beautiful Newport Oregon. MREP is a program ‘by fishermen, for fishermen’ through the Gulf of Main Research Institute and now offers workshops throughout the US with the goal of educating stakeholders on fisheries science and management process. The Trust offers scholarships for local fishermen to attend, so as the new Director, I was invited to take the workshop so I could speak from experience.
I was hopeful to get a refresher in fisheries science, and also to meet fishermen from up and down the coast. This years’ cohort consisted of several representatives from the sport fishing sector, including the dive/spear fishing sector in California, as well as commercial fishermen. Some people had 40+ years of experience, and some were just starting out. The contrast was reassuring to me, that fishing as a way of life on this coast is still possible. An impressive cadre of fisheries scientists, managers, and council staffers were on hand to present and answer questions. Together we walked through the data and science process for assessing stock and ocean health on our coast. We got to tour the Hatfield Marine Science Center, as well as touring the harbor and a 90 foot groundfish trawl vessel. Finally, we learned about several gear innovations (mostly to reduce bycatch) through demonstrations at Foulweather Trawl in the Newport harbor.
Kurt Cochrane showing us this miniature model of a trawl net that he helped design to stay off the bottom, use less fuel, and allow salmon to escape.
I was so impressed by the sharing, learning, and mutual respect that was cultivated during our 4 days together. I heard fishermen say that before the workshop, they were skeptical, even resentful, at how much harvest data was being asked of them. Now there is an understanding of how the data are used, and due to the nature of statistics, the better the data, the better the outcome for harvest management.
If you are interested in participating, feel free to reach out to me, or check out the MREP website for more information on the next flight in 2023!