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Motoring out of Montauk Harbor aboard a research vessel, Sean Barrett waves hello to a commercial fishing boat, yelling What up, Jay! Any slipper snails in there?"

It is a crisp, sunny day - the kind that brings tourists to Montauk, a small fishing village at the end of Long Island, New York. Although the town is better-known as a resort destination, it is the state's largest commercial fishing port, only one of two major ports that are still in operation.