1/12/2016 WATERWAYS COMMISSION Minutes

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MASHPEE WATERWAYS COMMISSION MINUTES OF THE January 12th, 2016 MEETING Chairman Ken Bates called the meeting to order at 9:00 AM at the Mashpee Town Hall in the Popponesset Meeting Room Present: Don Barton, Ken Bates, Stanton Healy, Don MacDonald, Tim Leedham, Al Wickel, Town Administrator Rodney Collins, Shellfish Warden Rick York, Absent: Bill Taylor Minutes of the December 8th, 2015 Meeting: Motion made by Don MacDonald to approve minutes, 2"d by Don Barton, and unanimously approved. Communications & Correspondence: Notice of payment by the Town to the County dredge for the inner channel dredge work. Harbormaster Report: Rodney Collins reminded the commission that the Town had posted the Harbor Master's position and that it had been advertised. The posting was scheduled to close tomorrow the 13th of January. He also mentioned that there were a number of applications. There would be a swim test, both written and verbal examinations and interviews prior to the selection. Shellfish Constable Report: Rick York reported that the water temperatures had finally begun to normalize with cold water present throughout our estuaries and bays. He was very proud of the fact that the Town's waters had produced almost 1000 bushels of bay scallops. He mentioned the commercial harvest of the scallops was also successful. "the first successful commercial season since the early 1990's when the last of the natural population died off". Despite the colder waters, an algae bloom was noticed in the Mashpee River a few weeks ago and now there is evidence of one in Ockway Bay. This bloom demonstrates the amount of nitrogen entering our waters and though these blooms are noticed mostly during warmer months, year round testing is producing factual information that is critical to our efforts to mitigate the pollution in our waters. Chairman Bates asked if the shellfish commission reviewed pier and dock permit applications for sensitivity to town's shellfish efforts. Rick advised that both his department and the harbormaster's office reviewed these plans. Don Barton asked about the soft shell clam population and if there any efforts to increase their numbers. Rick educated us to the soft shell clam's reliance on cooler water temperatures and that efforts to increase this population were too risky due to climatic changes and water temperature fluctuations. Recently, higher than normal water temperatures wiped out the majority of these animals.