Profit = total revenue – total cost.

As complicated as economics can be, this rudimentary formula is the standard for successful business owners that seek long-term viability and profit maximization.  Commercial fishermen throughout New England also adhere to this principle when making business decisions around costs, such as fuel, gear, and vessel maintenance.  In addition to managing these day to day and long term operations, there are also ongoing efforts to reduce environmental impacts to ensure sustainable utilization of natural resources.  Balancing these two objectives leads one to ask, is it possible to reduce fishing operational costs while simultaneously minimizing environmental impacts?

Both fishermen and researchers believe this is achievable and are collaboratively testing innovative technologies that may be able to widen a fishermen’s profit margin, while at the same time reducing potential environmental consequences.  For instance, take a look at the collaborative research that our colleagues at New Hampshire Sea Grant are currently engaged in.  NH Sea Grant’s GREEN-FIT project will apply modifications to a New Hampshire fisherman’s vessel that could result in such cost saving benefits as 30% increased fuel efficiency and extending the life of motor oil.  In addition to the money saved, the modifications could potentially reduce the ecological footprint of the vessel’s operations.

NH Sea Grant’s initiative parallels the work that GMRI’s Research Scientist, Steve Eayrs, is conducting.  Steve is working with fishermen to apply an Environmental Management System (EMS) to their fishing operations.  An EMS is a comprehensive and systematic strategy used in assessing operational inputs that influence costs and environmental burdens.  The approach utilizes applications such as energy audits, fuel flow meters, and gear modifications to measure what fishing strategy will result in optimum efficiency, resulting in reduced costs and environmental impacts.

Both of these projects are still on-going and results have yet to be fully analyzed, but this research strives to improve the economic and ecological sustainability of the region’s fishing industry, while rewarding local fishermen who are engaged in such efforts.

A smell reminiscent of high school biology class has been wafting through the building as of late. Thanks to an efficient ventilation system, no room seems safe. The epicenter is on the second floor, where coolers of wolffish stomachs await dissection. To be very clear—just the stomachs. Dr. Elizabeth Fairchild of the University of New Hampshire removed the stomachs from the wolffish specimens last week and now the stomach contents are being analyzed at GMRI. Ziploc bags filled with murky brown and pink sit in a bucket in the sink and GMRI staff wait, gloved and ready, to open them up.

Dr. Fairchild demonstrates the procedure. Stomach contents are weighed; then separated into piles based on prey species. The challenge becomes identifying organisms from the bits and pieces yet to be digested—CSI: GMRI! Fragments of hermit crab shells, scallops, Jonah crabs and other shelled animals are removed from the muck and matched to pictures in a field guide. Pieces of organisms from the same species are piled together and then weighed to determine what percentage of the wolffish’s diet is composed of them. After weighing, the fragments are dumped into another Ziploc to be discarded.

Stomach content analysis is just one part of an ongoing study of wolffish done by UNH and GMRI scientists. Dr. Shelly Tallack, along with GMRI intern Willy Goldsmith, works with Dr. Fairchild to catch, tag, and release wolffish off Stellwagen Bank in the Gulf of Maine. Some of the wolffish are kept and dissected to determine their sex, age, and eating habits. Wolffish are currently a species of concern and fishermen are not allowed to land them—a controversial move due to the lack of data about their lives. Read a blog post about the tagging project by Willy Goldsmith at GoodMorningGloucester.com.

Twelve stomachs and about a gallon of bleach later, the smell (and stomach contents) of wolffish have left the building. The research, meanwhile, continues—more stomachs await dissection.

I’m the sternman on my father’s lobster boat, the Nancy J.

Since I was ten I have been spending my summers on the ocean either fishing from the rocks or lobstering out on the water. Today, I still feel like I’m ten years old and continue to spend most of my days lobstering beside my father.

I also work at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, guiding students in an unforgettable science learning experience called LabVenture!. Right now, Maine’s 5th and 6th graders are learning about lobsters, an iconic Maine species and an important industry up and down the coast.

We thought it would be helpful if students understand how lobsters are caught, so I shot and edited this short video of a typical day onboard the Nancy J. So whether you’re a seasoned fisherman, or you’ve never been on the water before, step aboard and let my dad and me show you how we catch lobsters on the coast of Maine.

My team and I have been working to better understand how closing off sections of Cashes Ledge to fishing changes the populations of fish and lobsters offshore. This video shows some great underwater footage of Cashes Ledge.

Curt Brown, Research Technician and Lobsterman

In 1947, Twentieth Century Fox produced a documentary called “Lobstertown” about the remote fishing village of Corea, Maine. This video looks at how lobstering has changed, and not changed, from then to now.

By John Kelly, Chair, GMRI Board of Directors

It is my great privilege to chair GMRI’s Board of Directors for the next two years. I look forward to working with our visionary President, Don Perkins, the marvelous members of our board, a talented management team, and GMRI’s dedicated staff. It’s an exciting and challenging time of transition for GMRI.

We have now demonstrated our capacity to buck the economic downturn thanks to our wonderful supporters and the hard work of all elements of the Institute. And, we did so while continuing to add depth to our programs across the board. We now seek to add greater stability to our resources and move GMRI to an even deeper and broader level of performance.

As of last fall one of GMRI’s science education programs (LabVenture!) had brought 50,000 5th and 6th graders to our lab from every county in Maine and given them, literally, a hands-on grasp of the scientific method. Their critical thinking and communication skills were enhanced and they were provided with a greater appreciation of their responsibilities to the wellbeing of their communities as citizens. Challenging new content for the program is now being prepared and will be implemented in 2012 for another cohort of young people.

With admirable deftness our Community program leaders helped facilitate a new paradigm in the Gulf of Maine fisheries. GMRI’s efforts to assist New England’s groundfishing industry during the challenging transition to sector management are being well received. Early indications are that the system promises significant conservation gains. GMRI continues to support fishing communities, with an eye to bringing economic stability for future generations who will rely on Gulf of Maine fisheries for their livelihood. In keeping with GMRI’s mission to bring both stewardship and economic use to the Gulf’s resources, our Community program has also facilitated the creation of a Sustainable Seafood Initiative that will add value to the catch and promote sustainability in our fish stocks.

Our world-class scientists, in partnerships with fishermen, continue to pursue ecosystem-based research projects in the Gulf that promise to deepen our understanding of the many elements, natural and human, affecting our fisheries. The results will enable better decision making by those responsible for the management of our fisheries. The expertise of our scientists is now also in demand by the operators of fisheries in other parts of the world.

All of this bodes well for GMRI in its role as a catalyst for enlightened marine science, a promoter of early science education, and a neutral facilitator of informed marine decision making. Maine is fortunate to have GMRI as a resource and I am equally fortunate, from the vantage of its board chair, to witness GMRI’s ever more significant contribution to Maine’s science, education, and economy.

I had the opportunity to speak at the inaugural TEDxDirigo event in Brunswick, Maine, this past fall. My talk on Century 21.0: The Ocean Century was a chance to highlight the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for Maine in the face of climate change.  Interestingly, being a small state allows us to imagine transforming ourselves at population scale… in ways that would be inconceivable in a large state or at the national level.

Jon Loehrke, Collaborative Research Technician

I just returned from a five-day cruise onboard the F/V Lady Jane out of Gloucester, MA. This was a trip focused on testing the feasibility of cod-end catch sensors for sector vessels. A cod-end catch sensor is a device that is placed on the end of a trawl net (cod-end) and measures the spread of the twine mesh. Once the mesh spreads a certain distance, due to an increased volume of fish, the sensor sends a “full” signal to the vessel.

As you might imagine, it can be very beneficial to know how many fish are in your gear!

This is especially true under groundfish sector operations, where the vessel can be penalized for catching too many fish. That is why Joe Orlando (F/V Padre Pio) approached Dan Salerno (former GMRI employee who is now managing Northeast Fishing Sector II); Libby Etrie, Southern Sector Coordinator at GMRI; and the staff at the Northeast Seafood Coalition to craft the proposal for this project. (A classic example of cooperative research at its finest!)

I have been out in the field testing three catch sensors (shown at right): Simrad PI50 (cylindrical yellow), Notus Trawl Master (red), and the Netmind catch sensor (square yellow). GMRI has a contract with six vessels and we are interested to know how effective the sensor may be as a tool to help manage the sector allocation, reduce bycatch, shorten bottom contact, conserver fuel, and improve catch quality.

We have many more sea-days to go before the project is complete. Early results indicate that the catch sensor is a viable tool for sector operations. As captain Dan Murhpy (F/V Bantry Bay) testifies: “Before I fretted that I would come out here and accidently make a large tow. Now I can fish and be assured that I’m not likely to exceed my allocation.”

Many thanks go to the captains and crew of the F/V Lady Jane, Horizon, Lisa Ann II, Bantry Bay, Julie Ann II, and Capt. Dominic. Simrad Fisheries graciously donated equipment without which this project would not have been feasible. Thanks also to Libby and Dan for putting this project together. It is a fantastic example of how GMRI can step up to catalyze some serious change within our bioregion.

, Sustainable Seafood Program Manager, GMRI

To help build connections and share the latest gear technology research, GMRI hosted a forum of chefs, local fishermen, and gear researchers at our Trawl to Table event on May 27. While learning about gear displayed on GMRI’s lawn, the group had the chance to talk in detail about fish behavior, fishing gear selectivity, fisheries management, and habitat impacts of trawl gear used in the Gulf of Maine.

In addition to fishermen Justin Libby and Vincent Balzano, participants included chefs from Five Fifty-Five, Bar Lola, Grace, The Salt Exchange, Browne Trading Co., and North Atlantic, Inc.

The Salt Exchange posted a great blog entry about their experience.

Steve Eayrs, GMRI Research Scientist, Fish Behavior & Gear Technology

Dan Salerno and I took a trip to St. John’s, Newfoundland, the last week in March to compare the engineering performance of a trawl used by fishermen in Port Clyde against another of identical design except for the use of large-mesh, fine-diameter netting in the anterior sections of the trawl. Our objective was in part to determine if a drag reduction could be realized, which would then translate into fuel savings. We took half a dozen Port Clyde fishermen with us so they would learn more about trawl design and performance, as well as participate in the tests.

We tested two scale model trawls in a flume tank at the Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Resources at the School of Fisheries at the Marine Institute. A flume tank is a large re-circulating water tank where a body of water is driven past a stationary trawl net. A conveyor belt acts as the seabed. So rather than move the trawl through the tank, it is the water and belt that moves. The tank in Newfoundland is unique in North America, and one of only a handful worldwide.

We tested both trawls, and the new version reduced drag by 10-16%. All are very satisfied with this savings, and hopefully it can be realized at sea during summer testing of full scale nets. One fisherman said this was a savings of at least a $100 per day, and over a year would pay for his annual haul-out for hull maintenance. The fishermen were so impressed they want a return visit to test their shrimp trawls.

This trip was part of an ongoing research initiative that partners GMRI with the Midcoast Fishermen’s Association and fishermen in Port Clyde to design and test fishing gear and practices that are both environmentally and economically sustainable. The goal is to find solutions for local fishermen that will allow non-target species to escape the nets while also increasing fuel efficiency. The gear experimentation is supported by the Island Institute, The Nature Conservancy, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

All up a very interesting and useful trip. More details will be presented in an article written by the Island Institute in a forthcoming edition of The Working Waterfront.