Gloucester Marine Station gets $400K boost

Sep. 8—City officials, Gloucester's lawmakers and U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Salem, gathered under a tent with University of Massachusetts Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy and researchers at the university's Gloucester Marine Station at Hodgkins Cove Wednesday afternoon to celebrate new investments in the small research station.

While it's a small, one-building research station set in a scenic coastal spot off Washington Street, its researchers have big ideas to boost the region's Blue Economy, support the commercial fishing industry and help combat climate change.

"The research and work produced by the UMass Amherst staff have also helped Gloucester adjust to the unique challenges as a coastal community," Mayor Greg Verga said, "with the rising sea levels and changing oceans."

Officials announced $400,000 in new state and federal investments in the marine station which has long had a connection to Gloucester's fishing industry. In recent years, the station has seen a renaissance as it focuses on sustainable fisheries and seafood, marine ecology, coastal resilience and the Blue Economy.

Recently, the station's fisheries and seafood systems work has been developing and testing new lobster bait alternatives with Gloucester-based Neptune's Harvest and the Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association, among other efforts.

Subbaswamy said the station's research is centered around five faculty members whose interests span from marine ecosystems to engagement with local fishermen to study the economic future of the region.

Among those on hand included former Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken, the deputy commissioner of state Department of Fish and Game, Angela Sanfilippo of the Massachusetts Fishermen's Partnership, and City Council President Valerie Gilman.

Subbaswamy said there have been many conversations over the years about how university priorities and research strengths might intersect with Gloucester and the North Shore.

"From these conversations, partnerships evolved, which led to collaborations and eventually brought us here today," he said.

He singled out state Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante, D-Gloucester, and state Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, as partners with the campus in helping to shape the vision for the station and funding research efforts such as the North Shore Blue Economy Initiative and coastal resiliency work.

"And they also recognized the station deserves ongoing state support with a direct appropriation," Subbaswamy said. He said thanks to their advocacy, the Legislature recently appropriated $200,000 in support of the North Shore Blue Economy Initiative and $200,000 for operations for the station.

The chancellor also thanked Verga and the city "for being wonderful hosts," and partnerships with area institutions such as the Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute and other research institutions including Tufts and Northeastern universities.

The chancellor also thanked former deputy chancellor and former dean of the College of Natural Sciences Steve Goodwin as a long-time advocate for the station.

Tarr said the facility had long been a resource for the local fishing industry.

"So you can understand why we became so concerned when this facility was at a time of transition," Tarr said, saying they were there celebrating the lights staying on at the station.

Ferrante, whose father was a fisherman, said when she first got elected in 2008, she would tell people at the Statehouse who would bring her the latest things to invest in that "I am a legislator of farmers and fishermen."

The recent heat waves and large brush fires on Cape Ann shows "something's out of balance," highlighting the impact on fishing and farming, she said.

She said they sat down with the director of the station, Adrian Jordaan and Katie Kahl, the assistant extension professor of sustainable fisheries and coastal resilience at the station and partners from GMGI to find a way forward.

"But the importance of this location and the importance of UMass's dollars into a facility that's about fishing and farming comes to say at the end of the day, when you have those spreads of nine days of drought ... that there is a place that is already looking at what does that mean, what do we do about it and how do we do it."

"When you talk about climate change and the impact that it has, not just globally but locally, it's often a very contentious issue, you know," Moulton said. "It's fish versus people, whales versus lobsters, climate change versus the economy. But I think what's beautiful about this marine institute is how it's been able to find synergies in those conflicts," Moulton said. "We recognize there is actually opportunity in climate change if we are leading on it."

He praised the Marine Station's Blue Economy Initiative, "which is working to build a more integrated and sustainable approach to economic development," Moulton said.

"That's why my team and I are committed to supporting more federal-state partnerships like the one that brought in $200,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds thanks to the leadership of Senator Tarr and Representative Ferrante for the North Shore Blue Economy Initiative," Moulton added.

Ethan Forman may be contacted at 978-675-2714,or at eforman@northofboston.com.

Ethan Forman may be contacted at 978-675-2714,or at eforman@northofboston.com.