Waterford/East Lyme Shellfish Commission - Minutes - 12/21/2023

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     Waterford-East Lyme Shellfish Commission

                                                  Meeting Minutes
                                       Thursday, Dec 21, 2023

                                     Waterford Town Hall, 7:30 pm


      Members present:  Peter Harris, J. Patrick Kelly, Larry Tytla, Rick
      Kanter, Tom Bowlen, Paul Spakowski, Fed Wise, and Marcia Benvenuti
      Members absent: none
      Guests: Chief Warden Chmiel, Ex-Officio Don Mackenzie

   1) The meeting was called to order at 7:30 pm and a quorum established.

   2)  Review and approval of previous meeting minutes:
           Nov 16, 2023 Regular Meeting minutes approved on a motion by Mr.
           Spakowski, seconded by Mr. Tytla, vote 6-0.  Mr.  Wise  and  Ms.
           Benvenuti abstained.


   3) Review and approval of treasurer’s report
        a. Treasurer briefed the commission on the Treasurer’s report  sent
           by e-mail earlier.  Report was  approved  on  a  motion  by  Mr.
           Spakowski, seconded by Mr. Wise, vote
            8-0.
        b. Motion by Mr. Kelly, seconded by Mr. Tytla to open a Charter Oak
           30 month CD to take advantage of favorable  CD  interest  rates.
           Motion passed 8-0.




         4) Chief Warden’s Comments : Chief Warden Chmiel gave a  report  on
            shellfishing in  the  Niantic  River.   The  scallop  season  is
            slowing although it was better than expected.

   5) Old business:


        a. Update on the scallop season  was  discussed  during  the  Chief
           Warden Comments agenda item.

   6) New Business
        a. Mr. Kanter discussed  the  possibility  that  East  Lyme  Harbor
           Management/Shellfish Commission will open  shellfishing  in  the
           Black Point area during the winter months.  WELSCO discussed the
           safety issues with collecting water samples in that area in  the
           winter.  Mr. Harris will send an e-mail to the Chair of the East
           Lyme Harbor Management/Shellfish commission and DA/BA  outlining
           our concerns.




   7) Ex-Officio comments : WELSCO welcomed ex-officio Don Mackenzie to the
      meeting as the new ex-officio from East Lyme. Mr. Mackenzie discussed
      the emergency funding and repair work to the seawall at McCook beach

   8) Correspondence : Mr. Harris and Mr. Wise discussed the following
      correspondence:



        a. Work with DA/BA to update our WELSCO map
        b. Reminder of the Shellfish Gathering date of Feb 3, 2023
        c. Ongoing discussions on Waterford town dock repairs, funding has
           been allocated
        d. A study assessing shoaling in the Niantic River channel
        e. Invasive seaweed Hydrilla which is present in the CT river
        f. Potential for a shellfish survey in the Niantic River by UCONN
           students.



   9) Public Comment : No public comment


  10)  Adjournment : Meeting adjourned at 8:22 pm on a motion by Mr.
      Spakowski, seconded by Ms. Benvenuti, motion approved 8-0.


Respectfully submitted,


Peter Harris