Massachusetts
Shellfish dying, lobster leaving: Mass. marine ecosystem faces hotter, harsher future as climate warms – The Boston Globe
The Boston Research Advisory Group report found that deadly hot marine heat waves — once extremely rare — could become commonplace. Scientists warn that those and other impacts are only going to get worse if the climate continues to warm with dire and possibly irreversible impacts on the ocean.
If the planet does not stop emitting planet-warming greenhouse gasses, marine heat waves could occur off the coast of Massachusetts once every decade if the planet reaches 2 degrees Celsius of warming and perhaps every other year with 3 degrees of warming. The vast majority of excess heat generated by anthropogenic warming is absorbed by the planet’s oceans.
“The possible impacts described in this report are not pleasant,” said Paul Kirshen, a professor of climate adaptation at the University of Massachusetts Boston and an author of the report. “We need to get to net zero emissions and below as soon as possible.”
Unlike on land, where humans can build a seawall to protect from coastal flooding, for example, there is very little that can be done to help ecosystems adapt to warmer water and higher acidity, experts said. The trends noted in the report will be “very difficult” to respond to, Kirshen said.
The report was created to answer questions posed by leaders of coastal Massachusetts towns and cities about what communities could expect over the next few decades as the climate continues to warm. Many of those towns have local economies that are at least in part dependent on commercial fishing, an industry that is likely to be dramatically changed by a warmer and more acidic Massachusetts Bay.
Native fish populations will likely continue their decline off of Massachusetts’ coast, while species from further south will move in, scientists found. The bay will continue to get acidic and inhospitable for the many fish, plants, and shellfish that live there now.
Oceans absorb about 30 percent of the carbon dioxide that’s released into the atmosphere. When absorbed, carbon dioxide makes sea water more acidic through chemical reactions, putting the entire food web in the marine ecosystem at risk, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
One example: Higher acidity causes shells to deteriorate, which kills shellfish. That will be an early marker of a shift in fishing ecology in Massachusetts Bay, the Boston-area researchers warned.
“Shell fisheries should be monitored … for warning signs,” the report said. As acidity increases, there are fewer carbonate ions in the water, an essential ingredient to build shells.
Meanwhile, the Atlantic Cod’s numbers have already declined and the American lobster population is moving north. Scientists further expect populations of winter flounder, silver hake, and Atlantic herring to decline as well.
As others move out, species more suited to warmer temperatures are expected to move in, such as summer flounder, black sea bass, blue crab, and butterfish among them.
Jason Krumholz, an oceanographer and associate professor at the University of Connecticut, said that when he started graduate school in 2005, only very rarely did he catch blue crabs in nets. Now, more than half the crabs he catches are blue crabs, he said.
“I’m not that old yet, and this is a change that I’ve seen just in my career,” said Krumholz, one of the authors of the report. “It’s pretty fast.”
The fishing industry could likely adapt to this change by convincing buyers to push different offerings on the menu, Krumholz said. “We may have a lot more flags outside of restaurants with blue crabs on them instead of lobsters in 20 years.”
Scientists have also observed that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation is slowing down. It’s one of the planet’s most prominent and powerful ocean currents and helps to moderate the climate at sea and on land near the shore.
That’s a wild card for ocean temperatures, said Bruce Anderson, an oceanographer and professor at Boston University and one of the lead authors of the report. The phenomenon could weaken and broaden the Gulf Stream, which brings warm tropical waters to the region.
“It’s really unclear what the Gulf Stream is going to do and how that change is going to affect things like the fisheries or even our climate here in Massachusetts,” Anderson said.
If the Gulf Stream slowdown continues, the water offshore of Massachusetts could see “substantial” warming as subtropical waters diffuse northward into the region, scientists found, further compounding the problems.
Another area of uncertainty: How President-elect Donald Trump’s administration could impact the trajectory of offshore ecosystems.
Environmental advocates are worried that the incoming Trump administration will try to slash budgets for federal environmental agencies, which could both slow the energy transition from fossil fuels to clean energy and affect efforts to clean up marine pollution.
Many federal grants finance beach cleanups, water quality testing, and other programs to manage the marine environment, said Jeff Watters, vice president of external affairs of the Ocean Conservancy, a nonprofit organization.
“I think they’re more at risk now than they were under the first [Trump] administration,” Watters said, because Congress was able to block some of those defunding efforts last time. “Pollution could absolutely go up; that’s a real possibility.”
Those fears come as marshes and coastal ecosystems are already threatened by plastic and pharmaceutical pollution, and runoff pollution is expected to increase due to stronger storms and an increase in coastal populations, according to the new report.
The pollution in Massachusetts Bay is affected by the behavior of people: What they buy, where they fish, how they recreate, and where they live, said Anderson of Boston University.
Yet, perhaps in that relationship lies a glimmer of hope: Towns, cities, and individuals can prevent further pollutants from entering the ecosystem. “This is a very sensitive environment to everyday decisions,” Anderson said.
Erin Douglas can be reached at erin.douglas@globe.com. Follow her @erinmdouglas23.
For only the third time since the start of March, the weekend is rain-free.
If you count the overnight on Sunday, however, we will technically not be, thanks to leftover storms and rain that move in late.
For purely planning purposes, we’re good to go for any outdoor events both days — including if you’re heading to our first local World Cup match at Boston Stadium, or any watch parties, on Saturday.
The dew points have dropped, so the heavy, hanging air has lifted.
We’re still seeing hot temperatures, with highs both today and tomorrow reaching the low 90s.
This is an ideal beach weekend, too. Tides are high early in the day (lots of beach in the afternoon), and winds will mostly be coming from land.
Speaking of wind, the gusts get a little strong on Sunday afternoon ahead of a vigorous weather system pushing through Sunday night.
There’s some hope that we get some decent rain from this system. Guidance shows up to half an inch in spots – although it doesn’t show it being widespread. In any event, we’ll clear for more sun on Monday and continue to see the temps slide into Tuesday.
Our next focus will be a stronger storm system by Thursday. It’s early, but if all the ingredients come together, we could be seeing some severe weather in parts of New England.
Have a great weekend!
The initiative petition that would undo the 2016 legalization of recreational marijuana in Massachusetts can continue advancing toward November’s ballot, the state’s high court said Friday in a ruling that also deemed the attorney general’s summary of the question to be fair.
A handful of participants in the state program that provides funding to boost opportunities for entrepreneurs disproportionately impacted by marijuana prohibition and enforcement filed a lawsuit seeking to remove the question from this year’s ballot. The plaintiffs argued that Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell’s required summary of the initiative left out key details and that the AG should not have certified the multifaceted measure because it contains unrelated policy sections.
The Supreme Judicial Court disagreed in a 20-page opinion written by Justice Bessie Dewar.
“The Attorney General argues that the petition’s various parts all relate to the common purpose of restricting the use of recreational marijuana through a new integrated scheme for marijuana regulation. We agree and are not persuaded by the plaintiffs’ arguments to the contrary,” the jurist appointed by Gov. Maura Healey, an opponent of 2016’s legalization, wrote.
Elsewhere in the ruling, Dewar wrote, “We conclude that the Attorney General did not err in certifying the petition on either of the claimed grounds, and that her summary of the petition is fair.”
Massachusetts voters legalized recreational cannabis through a 2016 ballot measure. The Coalition for a Healthy Massachusetts is advancing this year’s ballot question, which would repeal legalization of non-medical marijuana, allow adults 21 or older to possess and gift up to an ounce of marijuana (possession of up to second ounce would carry a civil penalty), make it a civil infraction for people younger than 21 to possess up to two ounces, and allow retail marijuana stores to either apply to become medical dispensaries or sell their inventory to one. The Cannabis Control Commission would remain, but only to regulate the medical sector.
“Massachusetts is just not as comfortable a place to live in anymore … We walk across the common and smell weed. I drive down [Interstate] 93, the car in front of me is a hotbox. It’s everywhere. It’s pervasive,” Wendy Wakeman, a veteran of Republican Party politics who is working as spokeswoman for the ballot campaign, told lawmakers in March.
The Legislature’s Special Joint Committee on Initiative Petitions recommended that lawmakers take no action on the idea this spring, and most members of the committee signed onto a report that details tax revenue, public health and public safety concerns with the idea.
“The Committee finds that the proposal lacks sufficient detail regarding implementation and enforcement mechanisms, including how existing regulatory authority would be modified, transferred, or eliminated. This absence of clarity creates legal uncertainty with respect to the continued applicability of current statutes and regulations, as well as the roles of state agencies responsible for oversight of the cannabis industry,” the report said. It added, “The majority of the Committee therefore finds that, as drafted, the proposal does not adequately address these operational, fiscal, and public safety considerations.”
Legal cannabis sales grossed more than $1.65 billion in 2025, and generated $289 million in state tax revenue in fiscal year 2025, according to the CCC.
Massachusetts
Authorities recover 35 ‘high-risk missing children’ in Mass. in anti-trafficking initiative amid World Cup – The Boston Globe
The statement did not identify anyone arrested in connection with the operation or provide any additional details on the children, such as how long they had been missing or their ages.
The announcement also did not explicitly state whether any of the recovered children had been forced into commercial sex work.
But the Marshals said Operation Yellow Card, a reference to a violation in a soccer game, involves “proactive measures” to identify and locate vulnerable missing children at an “elevated risk” of trafficking.
“The upcoming FIFA World Cup is a monumental event for Massachusetts, but large-scale international gatherings historically bring a heightened risk of predatory exploitation targeting our communities’ most vulnerable youth,” said Dennis Matulewicz, acting US Marshal for Massachusetts, in the statement.
“Operation Yellow Card represents our unyielding commitment to intercepting these threats and securing endangered children before they can be pulled into networks of trafficking and abuse,” he said. “This operation’s early success in recovering 35 high-risk missing children is a direct result of the extraordinary, seamless cooperation” between state, local, and federal law enforcement.
Working together, Matulewicz said, “we are sending an unambiguous message to those who seek to harm children: we are aware, we are acting, and we will never stop looking for those in danger, nor will we relent in pursuing those who prey on them.”
His words were echoed in the statement by Suffolk District Attorney Kevin R. Hayden.
“The World Cup is bringing enormous benefits to our region, but it also brings the possibility of child exploitation,” Hayden said. “We and our partners will do everything in our power to prevent victimization and punish anyone who violates our laws.”
In recent weeks, officials and victim advocates have announced a series of public safety plans tied to the World Cup games here, with more than 2 million visitors expected to descend on the region.
Gillette Stadium in Foxborough — dubbed “Boston Stadium” during the World Cup — will host seven matches between Saturday and July 9, featuring teams from Haiti, Scotland, Iraq, Norway, England, Ghana, and France.
Ted Docks, FBI special agent in charge of the Boston division, has mentioned human trafficking at multiple recent press events related to World Cup Safety.
At one event that focused on trafficking, Docks was among more than a dozen members of law enforcement, activists for exploited people, and government officials who announced a public-awareness campaign and other efforts aimed at cracking down on trafficking for sex and labor.
They said they’re working especially with people in hotels, restaurants, and other hospitality or transit entities to spot and report trafficking, as well as asking the public to be aware and ready to call 911 or the national human-trafficking hotline, which is 1-888-373-7888.
The awareness campaign includes a billboard currently looming over busy Route 1 just south of Gillette: “Human trafficking” it says in large bold letters over close-ups of several eyes. “If you see something, say something.”
In the Marshals’ statement Thursday, Boston police Commissioner Michael Cox said his department has a unit devoted to fighting trafficking year-round.
“While this work is not new to us, we have increased the scope of our operations to manage the size of this summer’s events,” Cox said. “Our partnerships with the Massachusetts State Police, Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigations Boston Division, United State Marshal Service, the Suffolk County Children’s Advocacy Center and the Support to End Exploitation Now Program are all critical. We also want to thank the hotels in Boston for their partnership.”
The Marshals statement also included praise for the operation from the Plymouth and Essex district attorneys as well as State Police Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble.
Gillette Stadium sits within the jurisdiction of the Norfolk County district attorney’s office.
“Every missing and vulnerable young person deserves safety and security and to be given the opportunity to live free from the threat of exploitation,” Noble said in the statement, “Human traffickers prey on our most vulnerable, targeting those who are often isolated or in crisis.”
Noble said the “men and women of the Massachusetts State Police, along with our local and federal partners, have remained laser-focused on the mission of Operation Yellow Card, to locate missing children from around Massachusetts and provide them with the support and protection they deserve.”
Material from prior Globe stories was used in this report.
Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com.
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