Blue Hill Bay Watershed Fisheries as an Economic Resource Physical Description Harvester Trends Landings Trends
Physical Description A watershed - all of the land and water that drain into the bay /ocean. * From MERI 2011 State of Blue Hill Bay Report Includes drainages in west MDI, all of Ellsworth, and east side of the Blue Hill Peninsula. Includes all of the Union River WS = 550 square-miles in upland portion.* Marine frontal drainage = 407 sq mi* 59 % is open wetlands and water * 32% forests * Diverse wildlife habitats: shorebirds, shellfish, marine mammals, near-shore and diadromous fish stocks, crustaceans, and mollusks. Primary seal pupping areas in NE*
Blue Hill Bay is part of larger : Gulf of Maine Ecosystem Gulf of Maine Fishery Maine Economy
Fisheries in Maine* Volume: Maine is 8 th in nation for pounds landed (but 1 st in NE states & MA is 2 nd ) Value: Maine is 3 rd in nation behind Mass and Alaska So our fish species are more valuable 270 mil lb landed (all fish)/104 mil lb = lobster $426.8 mil in revenue/ $334.3 = lobster Lobster is 1/3 of the catch but ¾ of the value * Data From NOAA 2012 and DMR 2012
DMR 2012 Most Recent Maine Commercial Landings http://www.maine.gov/dmr
Volume & Value of Maine Fish* Species * Data From NOAA 2012 and DMR 2012 Landed Pounds Revenue Value (price/pound) Lobster 104.7 mil $334.3 mil $3.19/lb Cod 17.6 mil $32.6 mil $1.85 Softshell Clams 15.7 mil $14.2 mil $0.90 Haddock 12.6 mil $16.3 mil $1.29 Shrimp 9.9 mil $7.5 mil $0.75 Elvers 9,300 $7.7 mil $827 Total finfish & shellfish 270.2 mil $426.8 mil
Where are the fish harvested? DMR 2012 Most Recent Maine Commercial Landings http://www.maine.gov/dmr
Where do harvesters live? Hancock and Washington counties have more fishermen than anywhere else in the state. DMR 2012 Most Recent Maine Commercial Landings http://www.maine.gov/dmr
Fishing Licenses by Species Held by BHB Residents lobster/crab 61% seaweed 1% mussel 1% shrimp 3% sea urchin 3% worm 4% scallop 6% finfish 7% shellfish 7% DMR 2012 Most Recent Maine Commercial Landings http://www.maine.gov/dmr Blue Hill Bay HOW DOES BHB COMPARE WITH STATE? Fishing Licenses by Species Held by Maine Residents seaweed 2% finfish 2% mussel 3% shrimp In BHB 472 people hold 651 licenses elver 7% 3% scallop 5% elver 4% Harvesters make up 2% of the total population and about 4% of the working population BHB has more lobster and elver harvesters. lobster/crab 50% sea urchin 6% worm 8% BHB has fewer shellfish, worm, urchin, mussel, seaweed harvesters shellfish 17%
Volume of Fish from Blue Hill Bay Preliminary 2011 Live Pounds for Towns in BHB lobster, 6,988,858, 76% halibut, 606, <1% eel-elver, 866, <1% other species, 1,106,197, 12% sandworms, 12,224, <1% crab, 286,218, 3% sea urchins green, 502,328, 5% bloodworms, 22,313, <1% scallop, 60,011, 1% soft clams, 279,725, 3% Other species = alewives, mussels, seaweed, quahogs with <3 fishermen * Data From NOAA 2012 and DMR 2012
Value of Fish in BHB Preliminary 2011 Ex-Vessel Value for Towns in BHB lobster, $23,220,096, 88% sea urchins green, $993,704, 4% halibut, $4,085, 0% sandworms, $63,550, 0% scallop, $86,272, 0% crab, $146,013, 1% bloodworms, $235,735, 1% soft clams, $404,528, 1% eel-elver, $776,167, 3% other species, $488,360, 2%
Volume, Value, Harvesters in BHB Species Value Live Pounds # Harvesters $/Harvester* lobster american $23,220,096 (1) 6,988,858 294 $78,979.92 sea urchins green $993,704 (3) 502,328 165 $6,022.45 eel-elver $776,167 866 111 $6,992.49 other species $488,360 (2) 1,106,197 13 $37,566.13 clam soft $404,528 (5) 279,725 119 $3,399.39 bloodworms $235,735 22,313 98 $2,405.46 crab $146,013 (4) 286,218 63 $2,317.67 scallop $86,272 60,011 23 $3,750.95 sandworms $63,550 12,224 35 $1,815.71 halibut atlantic $4,085 606 7 $583.50 * Data From NOAA 2012 and DMR 2012
# of Harvesters per Town in BHB (DMR 2011) Town Harvesters Dealers Blue Hill 122 10 Bar Harbor 99 25 Ellsworth 91 13 Mt Desert 54 5 Brooklin 42 4 Trenton 34 11 Surry 29 2 Tremont * 1 0 TOTAL 472 70 Blue Hill has highest #. Although Ells is the least coastal it has 3 rd highest #. Remember that Bar Harbor also fishes Frenchman Bay. * Data From DMR 2012
Number of Traps by Town Blue Hill 5660 22% Trenton, 1785 7% Surry 2455 9% Ellsworth 4115 16% Bar Harbor 3751 15% Mount Desert 3870 15% Brooklin 4059 16% * Data From DMR 2012
AQUACULTURE BHB has 15 aquaculture lease sites totaling 160 acres : BHB GC4 11 are experimental or standard shellfish leases (quahogs, mussels, oysters) BHB NN1 2 are limited-purpose licenses (temporary, shellfish, in less than 400 ft 2 area). 2 finfish (salmon) leases off Swans and Black islands 2 more lease applications are pending (Morgan Bay and Squid Cove) * Data From DMR 2012
Farm-raised salmon landings 2010 = 25 mil pounds and ~$55 million One company = Cook Aqua from Canada * Data From DMR 2012
Farm-raised blue mussel Landings 2010 = 1.4 mil pounds and $1.1 million * Data From DMR 2012
Citations NOAA. 2012. Fisheries of the United states, 2011 Mane Department of Marine Resources. 2012. MDMR Fisheries Database and Personal Communications, September 2012. Mane Department of Marine Resources. 2012. http://www.maine.gov/dm. September 2012.