1997-Annual Town Report - Laserfiche WebLink

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Department and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Report of the Council to test a new shellfish nursery system. These Harbormaster Department funds were used for the supplies for the construction of seed trays, and for the purchase of 1,000,000 qua- hog seed, and 20,000 scallop seed. To the Honorable Board of Selectmen and the Citizens of the Town of Mashpee: A total of 45,000 large scallop seed was purchased in the fall to make up for the extremely low numbers The dredging of little river entrance channel to a of wild seed. About 5,000 were released on the flats depth of 5' at low tide. This improved the water flow in Waquoit Bay, and 40,000 are being held in trays to in both rivers, and the navigation at the entrance. The protect them from predators in Hamblin Pond and dredging at Poponesset bay greatly improved the nav- Popponesset Bay. In the spring of 1999, spawns from igation. The dredging was done on both the inside and scallops in the trays will swim and be distributed L . out side channels. The Department now maintains 97 around the bays by the tides. The scallops will be aids to navigation. Mashpee Wakeby lake was a very released from the trays for harvest on opening day of bus lace with over 23 bass tournaments held this scallop season in the fall. If successful, the harvest y p could be increased by 50 bushels or more, and the year. The weather last summer was super, with only one big storm in august, and no hurricanes. The spawns will contribute seed for the following year. department received a donation of a 3 man Sea Doo. This will help us with the every growing numbers of This was the second year of the new oyster program jet ski's that use our waters. Next summer you will see with 150,000 oyster seed purchased. A few oysters new Honda outboards on our bay patrol boats. Please have been found from sets of spawns of oysters from remember if you see a violation on the waters, write the propagation program last year, but the numbers are down the MS# and call the police. They will dispatch too low to start a fishery. The shellfish farmers are us. Please have a safe boating year. Now Thank You, now interested in growing oysters in addition to qua- to the D.P.W. the Selectmen's office, Waterways hogs. When large numbers of oysters are being grown Commission, and the Volunteer assistant on the farms, sets of oysters from spawns distributed Harbormasters. around the bays by the tides could produce enough oysters for family and commercial oyster fishing. Respectfully submitted, The total acreage of shellfish farms in Mashpee Perry Ellis increased about 50% with the approval by the Board Harbormaster of Selectmen of a new 8-acre Popponesset Bay site for the Tribal Council. Although naturally unproductive, Report of the the site has the potential for the cultivation of more Shellfish De artment than $1,000,000 worth of shellfish annually. This is p another step toward our goal of increasing farm pro- duction of shellfish for economic development and resource enhancement (spawns from farms seeding To the Honorable Board of Selectmen and other areas). the Citizens of the Town of Mashpee: The Shellfish Department Water Quality Task Force Soft-shell clams were again the most abundant completed a study of coliform bacteria contamination shellfish in 1997, with good sets of seed in many of the Mashpee River. This was funded from the ! areas. Quahogs were the next most plentiful, with nat- Planning Board's River Study Donation account. ural stocks supplemented by a record number of seed Runoff from roads and woodlands were the major con- from our propagation program. The scallop season tributors of fecal coliform bacteria. Woodland animals was poor with a total catch of about one bushel, all were the most significant sources. The contamination from Waquoit Bay. Oysters continued to be very decreases in winter because the bacteria are killed scarce. when the ground freezes. Bacteria from fresh water runoff remain longer in the brackish section of the The propagation program was again expanded in river because of relatively low flushing rates there. A 1997. The 2,000,000 quahog seed purchased was proposal is pending for $15,120 of state funds to twice as many as in 1996, and 4 times the number in install more catch basins to control runoff. 1995. This was accomplished with state grant funds without an increase in the Town shellfish propagation The Shellfish Department Water Quality Task Force allocation(from shellfish permit fees). A$9,000 grant also participated in a study of nutrients and water qual- of state funds was awarded to the Shellfish ity in the Popponesset Bay system with Dr. Brian 103