Waterford/East Lyme Shellfish Commission - Minutes - 09/21/2023

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     Waterford-East Lyme Shellfish Commission

                                                  Meeting Minutes
                                       Thursday, Sep 21, 2023

                                     East Lyme Town Hall, 7:30 pm


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


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

   2)  Review and approval of previous meeting minutes:
           Aug 17, 2023 Regular Meeting minutes approved on a motion by Mr.
           Kelly, seconded by Mr. Spakowski, vote 8-0.


   3) Review and approval of treasurer’s report
            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. Bowlen, vote
            8-0.


         4) Chief Warden’s  Comments  :  Chief  Warden  Chmiel  briefed  the
            commission on the status of the Niantic  River.   The  river  is
            currently closed to shellfishing due to a rainfall  trigger.   A
            motion was made by Mr. Kanter,  seconded  by  Mr.  Spakowski  to
            allocate $750 to remove aquatic growth and apply bottom paint to
            the boat.  Motion approved 8-0.

   5) Old business:


        a. Oysters purchased from Niantic Bay Shellfish  Farm  were  to  be
           spread in the river Saturday.   Due  to  predicted  bad  weather
           Saturday, this will be rescheduled.


   6) New Business
        a. Discussion and potential action to have a scallop season.  After
           preliminary discussion, Mr. Harris recognized members of the
           public to give their thoughts.  Names and addresses listed below
           in public comment section.  All public who spoke supported a
           scallop season.
              i. Motion by Mr. Kanter, seconded by Mr. Tytla to have a 3
                 month scallop season starting Nov 1 with a permit fee of
                 $40, vote 4-4, Mr. Spakowski, Mr. Wise, Ms. Benvenuti, and
                 Mr. Kelly voted in opposition.
             ii. Motion by Ms. Benvenuti, seconded by Mr. Wise to have a 3
                 month scallop season starting Nov 1 with a permit fee of
                 $35, vote 6-2, Mr. Bowlen and Mr. Kanter opposed the
                 motion.
            iii. Motion by Mr. Kelly, seconded by Mr. Spakowski to reimburse
                 the sales outlets 15% of the scallop permit fee.  Motion
                 passed 7-0, Mr. Kanter abstained.






   7) Ex-Officio comments : Ex-Officio not present.

   8) Correspondence : Mr. Harris reviewed a correspondence from SeaGrant
      requesting restaurant contact information from restaurants who serve
      oysters and might contribute to a shell collection program.



   9) Public Comment :

      All public listed below spoke in support of a scallop season:
           David Scott, 28 7th Ave, Waterford
           Glenn Andrews, 9 Amenda Ct, Uncasville
           Kevin Mace, 25 Pattagansett Rd, Niantic
           Mike Wadsworth, 11 Locust Ct, Waterford
           Mike Stepsky, 892 Vauxhall St Ext, Oakdale
           Shawn Gaska, 28 Four Mile River Rd, Old Lyme
           Mike Orobello, 5 Woodland Rd, Waterford
           John Cyr, 60 Daniels Ave, Waterford



  10)  Adjournment : Meeting adjourned at 8:53 pm on a motion by Mr.
      Spakowski, seconded by Mr. Bowlen, motion approved 5-0.


Respectfully submitted,


Peter Harris