Saving Seafood

Council Actions

Atlantic Cod Management Track Peer Review – Report Finalization – July 8, 2024 at 12:30 p.m

July 2, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The Atlantic Cod Management Track Peer Review Panel will reconvene to complete its work on reviewing new management track stock assessments for Western Gulf of Maine cod, Eastern Gulf of Maine cod, Southern New England cod, and Georges Bank cod.  Members of the public are welcome to tune in, but there is not a scheduled public comment period.
 
DATE AND TIME:  The peer review panel will meet by webinar on Monday, July 8, 2024 from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.  Webinar information for this session is posted under Day 6 on the meeting webpage.  Scroll down to “Schedule.” 
 
WHY IS THIS HAPPENING:  The original peer review meeting for Atlantic cod stocks was held June 18, 20, and 21, 2024.  The peer review panel requested additional analyses for three of the four new cod stock units undergoing management track assessments.  The panel will review the information on July 8 in order to finalize its work on the peer review report.
 
MEETING MATERIALS:  Updated documents are posted on the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s Stock Assessment Support Information webpage.  
 
The peer review meeting is being hosted by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center.  The New England Fishery Management Council is sharing this information to ensure our Council community is aware of its happening.

Council Discontinues Work on Northern Edge Framework

July 2, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council voted on June 27, 2024 during its four-day meeting in Freeport, Maine to “discontinue development” of an action that potentially would have given scallop fishermen access to part of the Habitat Management Area on the Northern Edge of Georges Bank.

The Council viewed a staff presentation that summed up work to date and outlined additional decision points the Council needed to make regarding when and for how long scallopers would be able to access a new Northern Edge scallop rotational management area if one were to be developed.

The Council engaged in a lengthy debate, narrowing its focus to the pros and cons of further developing the alternatives for final action in September or stopping work on the action. In the end, the Council determined that, “after careful consideration of the ecological importance of the Northern Edge Habitat Management Area and the difficulties of identifying times and areas for scallop access that do not undermine those values,” it voted to halt further development of the framework.

The Council considered information about:

• The action’s goals and objectives;

• The latest memo provided by the Habitat and Scallop PDTs, which included cod spawning information along with details about scallop, habitat, and herring presence and condition; and

• The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s technical report on the lobster resource and fishery in and around the Northern Edge.

 

Northern Shrimp Section Releases for Public Comment the PID to Draft Amendment 4 to the Interstate FMP for Northern Shrimp

June 28, 2024 — The following was released by Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Commission’s Northern Shrimp Section has released for public comment the Public Information Document (PID) to Amendment 4 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Northern Shrimp. The states of Maine through Massachusetts will be conducting hearings on the PID; the details of those hearings will be released in a subsequent press release.

Given the stock’s continued depleted status, the Section initiated the draft amendment to consider extending the specifications setting timeline to allow for ongoing or multiyear harvest moratoria and adding management triggers to the management program. A management trigger could inform whenan ongoing or multiyear moratoria should be re-evaluated if improved stock conditions are evident, indicated through recruitment trends or other specified biological indicators.
 
As the first step in the Commission’s amendment process, the PID is intended to gather information concerning northern shrimp and provide an opportunity for the public to identify and comment on major issues relative to the management of the species. Following the initial phase of information gathering and public comment, the Section will evaluate potential management alternatives and develop Draft Amendment 4 for public review. After the next round of public comment, the Section will identify the management measures to be included in Amendment 4. A tentative schedule for the completion of Amendment 4 is included in the PID.
Submitting Comments
The PID is available athttps://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/667dd835NShrimpAm4PID_PublicComment_June2024.pdf or on the Commission’s Public Input webpage at https://asmfc.org/about-us/public-input. All those interested in the management of northern shrimp are encouraged to provide input either by participating in public hearings, which may be conducted in-person or via webinar, or providing written comment. Public comment will be accepted until 11:59 PM (EST) on August 16, 2024 and should be sent to Chelsea Tuohy, FMP Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, Virginia 22201; or at comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Northern Shrimp PID). For more information, please contact Chelsea Tuohy at ctuohy@asmfc.org.

Federal Consultation with Governors of US Territories Lacking

June 27, 2024 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council members expressed dismay with the continued problem of the lack of federal government consultation with territorial governments on Endangered Species Act (ESA) issues, including green sea turtles, giant clams and oceanic whitetip sharks. 

“The lack of consultation with the governors of the U.S. territories for federal initiatives shows disrespect—the Governors are our leaders and we look to them for guidance.” Guam Council member Judith Guthertz, former president of the University of Guam, expressed frustration with NOAA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) not responding to the October 2023 letters from the U.S. Pacific Territorial Governors. These letters requested an extension of the comment period on the proposed designation of green sea turtle critical habitat. Affected communities need additional time to review the 800 pages of proposed rules and accompanying documentation.

Guthertz continued, “I teach values, governance and public administration at the University of Guam, but it is becoming harder for me to make the case to my students that we are valued by the U.S. government.”

The Council requested NOAA and USFWS to work with American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) governments to review the information underlying the proposed green sea turtle critical habitat designation before publishing the final rule.

With the lack of communication on the pending response to the giant clam ESA listing petition, Chelsea Muña, Guam Department of Agriculture director, said “[the rule] isn’t going to affect other countries, it affects us.” The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) received a petition in 2016 to list 10 species of giant clams under the ESA, and announced in 2017 that seven of the 10 would undergo a full status review to determine if a listing was warranted. The findings are expected to be published in the coming weeks, but have not been communicated to the territorial agencies.

Pacific Islands communities, including U.S. island areas of American Samoa, Guam and the CNMI, have long-standing traditions of utilizing giant clams. Muña described giant clam aquaculture programs in Guam, which are set up as community-based management that helps empower the community to take responsibility and ownership. The Council requested NMFS to coordinate with the American Samoa, Guam and CNMI governments to review the information used in the giant clam status review before publishing the ESA-listing petition 12-month finding.

The Council also urged NMFS to hold public hearings and extend the public comment period on a proposed rule published in May 2024 to prohibit “take” of threatened oceanic whitetip shark, with limited exceptions for research and enforcement activities. The public comment period closes July 15, 2024. Take under the ESA is defined as “harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or attempt to engage in any such conduct,” and includes accidental hookings or entanglements in commercial or recreational fisheries.

The Council discussed hardships in sustaining American Samoa’s tuna economy. Restrictions on using imported frozen cooked tuna loins for duty-free canned tuna production is a disproportionate burden on the purse seiners homeported in Pago Pago. To alleviate this, the Council is seeking increased tariffs on imported tuna products, allowing American Samoa duty-free access to the U.S. market for locally produced canned tuna, closing tariff loopholes and developing funding programs to boost local fish catches. In 2022, purse seine and longline vessels landed 170 million pounds at the port of Pago Pago worth $108 million that supports the local economy.

Annual SAFE Report for Open Ocean Fisheries
Council members heard a detailed update on the 2023 performance of pelagic federal fisheries in the U.S. Pacific Islands from the Council’s annual Stock Assessment and Fisheries Evaluation (SAFE) report. In the Hawai‘i longline fishery and other open ocean fisheries across the region, yellowfin tuna landings increased significantly, while other tuna species like albacore, skipjack and bigeye showed mixed trends.

The Hawai‘i deep-set longline fishery that targets tuna caught 25.7 million pounds, with a total ex-vessel revenue of $100.5 million, while the shallow-set longline fishery that targets swordfish caught 1.6 million pounds, resulting in $6.8 million.

Electronic Monitoring in Hawai‘i Longline Fisheries
Last September, the Council endorsed the development of an electronic monitoring (EM) pre-implementation plan aiming to enhance the sustainability and oversight of Hawai‘i longline fisheries. The primary objective of this EM program is to monitor protected species.

At the meeting, the Council recommended further exploration of regulatory considerations to utilize EM to complement or fulfill data collection requirements as currently implemented by federal observers. This includes conducting a cost/benefit analysis, reviewing existing observer and logbook programs, and evaluating the relationship between EM and human observer coverage. With annual costs of at least $2.4 million, $15 million is needed to begin the program.

The next Council meeting will be in September 2024. Check the Council website for updates.

Council Receives Herring Amendment 10 Scoping Summary and Provides Guidance; Approves 2024-2028 Research Priorities

June 26, 2024 — The following was released by New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council discussed two issues related to Atlantic herring when it met in Freeport, Maine for its June 2024 meeting. It also received an update from its On-Demand Fishing Gear Conflict Working Group and approved a list of 2024-2028 research priorities and data needs.

Atlantic Herring Amendment 10: The Council conducted six scoping meetings in March and April 2024 on Amendment 10 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan.

This amendment proposes to (1) minimize user conflicts, contribute to optimum yield, and support rebuilding of Atlantic herring; and (2) enhance river herring and shad avoidance and catch reduction.

The Council received a comprehensive overview of the scoping process, which covered: the number of attendees at in-person and webinar scoping meetings; the number commenters at each meeting; a breakdown of commenters by affiliation or home state; the number of written comments received; general sentiments, major themes, and perceptions of current problems expressed during the meetings; desired outcomes from Amendment 10; the types of potential measures the action could contain; suggested data sources; and more.

Many of the comments focused on river herring and shad, emphasizing the role these species play in the ecosystem and their social and economic importance to many communities.

The compiled summary of all oral and written comments in available in this document.

After hearing the summary, the Council then provided additional guidance to its Herring Committee on next steps. The Council did sovia three motions to direct the Herring Plan Development Team (PDT) on where it should focus its efforts down the road. The tasking specified that the Herring PDT:

Assess data availability and analyze and develop alternatives for Amendment 10 that implement time/area closures for portions of Atlantic Herring Management Areas 2 and 3 where aggregations of river herring and shad overlap with the directed Atlantic herring fishery;

Assess data availability and analyze and develop alternatives for Amendment 10 that implement revisions to the basis of river herring and shad catch cap values that: (1) are reflective of regional river herring/shad abundance, and (2) scale with ceilings and floors to changes in Atlantic herring abundance and/or regional river herring abundance; and

Analyze and develop recommendations for implementing improvements to the accuracy and precision of river herring and shad catch estimates in the directed Atlantic herring fishery.

Council Reviews Annual Fishery Reports: Trends, Challenges and Future Plans in the Western Pacific

June 26, 2024 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

Council members reviewed detailed reports on the 2023 performance of federally managed fisheries in the Western Pacific region. This annual Stock Assessment and Fisheries Evaluation (SAFE) report consistently observed catch increases across a range of open ocean and bottomfish species, continued high fuel prices, shark depredation and increased sea surface temperature across the U.S. Pacific Islands.

This report is developed by the Council’s archipelagic and pelagic plan teams, comprised of federal, territorial, state and Council scientists.

Highlights from the region include:

  • Hawai‘i: Commercial landings for bottomfish were up at 242,170 pounds. None of the bottomfish are overfished or experiencing overfishing. There were 576 bottomfish license holders, 37 less than in 2022.
  • American Samoa: Albacore tuna catch was 1.9 million pounds from 10 boats in the longline fishery, down from 2.37 million pounds from 11 boats in 2022.
  • Guam: Total bottomfish catch for the 13-species complex was below the annual limit set at 31,000 pounds. A recent stock assessment indicates the complex is no longer considered overfished.
  • CNMI: The 2023 report of fishermen’s catch reports and commercial dealer invoices is in review.

For the 2024 annual SAFE report, key fishery and market indicators will be included, such as impacts from military activities, weather conditions, and funding and staffing issues, as well as fishery-independent data in Guam and Hawai‘i. Council advisors are working on ways to improve data collection. The Annual SAFE Report data for 2023 will soon be available at wpcouncildata.org.

For fishing years 2024-2027 for the Hawaiian Islands deep-seven bottomfish complex, the Council recommended the annual catch limit (ACL) to be 493,000 pounds. This ACL results in a 39% risk of overfishing. The fishery is healthy and total catch in recent years has been around 200,000 pounds. With this increase in quota, fishers are able to operate year-round without fear of the fishery closing. Accountability measures include in-season monitoring and a single year post-season overage adjustment. License holders are required to report their bottomfish catch within five days of their fishing trip. 

On Hawai‘i’s bottomfish ACL, Council member from Guam Manny Dueñas commented, “It’s the honest to God truth – the fisheries are healthy! More people should go fishing!”

In 2023, 359 deep-seven bottomfish license holders each caught an average of 550 pounds, totaling about 200,000 pounds. With the remaining ACL, this means that potentially up to 530 more people could enter the fishery.

Part of the mission of NOAA’s National Seafood Strategy supports productive and sustainable fisheries. NOAA should assist young people to go fishing in our region.

Council Tackles Trade Barriers to US Tuna Fisheries at Meeting

June 26, 2024 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

This week, members of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council called attention to impediments to U.S. fisheries due to unfair trade practices by foreign fisheries. “Dumping” of cheaper, lower-quality fishery products into the United States undercuts the profitability of U.S. fisheries. These foreign fisheries are often heavily subsidized by other nations, including for operational costs, labor, fuel and ship building.

 The Council recommended convening a group of experts, inviting federal agencies and the fishing industry, to address these regional unfair trade issues. Regarding U.S. labeling regulations, the members requested the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, NOAA, State of Hawai‘i, Territories of Guam and American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) agencies to enforce Country of Origin Labeling and other local requirements.

 Council Chair Taulapapa William Sword supported the need to address trade and labeling regulations, citing the precarious situation in American Samoa. “If our fishermen can’t compete, fish, sustain a profit, and provide protein for our communities, not only do we lose food security in American Samoa, our economy dies,” Sword said. Guam Council member Manny Dueñas praised the National Seafood Strategy but warned, “If we continue to let monuments and sanctuaries drive management, developing the Strategy is an exercise in futility.” 

 In addition to trade issues, the Council heard updates from the U.S. Coast Guard regarding high seas boarding and inspection (HSBI). This program monitors compliance of Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) regulations. Members expressed concern over recent reports of HSBI boardings by China, including Chinese Coast Guard vessels intimidating Philippine fishing vessels. In order to increase the efficacy of HSBI and promote safety at sea, the Council recommended the U.S. government continue its efforts to elevate the WCPFC Resolution on Labor Standards as binding, to allow HSBI parties power to enforce human rights at sea.

 Regarding green sea turtles, Council members from the U.S. Pacific Territories urged the federal government to consider the cultural uses of these sea creatures. For more than 4,000 years, the CHamoru and Refaluwasch people have used green sea turtles for medicinal, subsistence and cultural practices. However, the Endangered Species Act and the Inter-American Convention for the Protection and Conservation of Sea Turtles (IAC) create barriers, despite a narrow subsistence exemption in the IAC.

The Council territory members recommended utilizing nurseries and involving community members to find innovative ways to recover the green sea turtle population. “The communities have a vested interest in raising healthy turtles if they are part of the solution,” said Muña, pointing to successful examples of involving farmers to raise the endangered Ko’ko birds (Guam rail). 

 The Council requested NOAA and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to provide information on existing programs for green sea turtle nursery and rehabilitation to explore the potential for recovering the species. 

 Sanctuaries in the Pacific

In an “Island Voices” column published in the Honolulu Star Advertiser June 20, 2024, Council member Taotasi Archie Soliai, American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources, pointed out inaccuracies about the territory’s economy that were used to support closing U.S. waters in the central equatorial Pacific to commercial fishing. Contrary to claims published April 28, 2024, titled “American Samoa deserves to thrive as fishing shifts,” American Samoa’s economy relies heavily on the tuna fishing and processing industry, with StarKist Samoa providing significant employment and economic stability.

 At the Council meeting, Soliai said, “The Council’s spring newsletter included a commentary on the current situation of the Biden Adminstration’s proposed sanctuaries called ‘Justice? Or Just Us?’ The Administration continues to promote equity, but fails to extend the same considerations to its Pacific Territories. The United States can’t talk about promoting domestic industries, fishing, marketing, exporting, importing and food security but fail to act on its Strategy in the Pacific.”

American Lobster Benchmark Stock Assessment Workshop #1 Scheduled for July 22-24 in New Bedford, MA

June 24, 2024 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission will hold the American Lobster Benchmark Stock Assessment Workshop at the UMass Dartmouth’s School for Marine Science & Technology West building, 706 South Rodney French Boulevard, MA. The stock assessment will evaluate the health of American lobster stocks and inform management of this species. The Commission’s stock assessment process and meetings are open to the public, with the exception of discussions of confidential data*, when the public will be asked to leave the room.

 
The July Stock Assessment Workshop will be the first of two workshops that focus on evaluation of models developed to estimate stock status. The second Assessment Workshop, tentatively scheduled for October 2024, will focus on addressing the below stock assessment terms of reference. The final workshop will be the Peer Review Workshop in April 2025, where an independent panel of fishery scientists, will review the assessment for its appropriateness to advise future management of American lobster.
 
Relevant American Lobster Stock Assessment Terms of Reference:
 
·       Evaluate new information on life history such as growth rates, size at maturation, natural mortality rate, and migrations


·       Identify, describe, and, if possible, quantify the effect of environmental/climatic drivers on stock abundance considering annual to decadal scales
·       Use length-based model(s) to estimate population parameters (e.g., effective exploitation rate, abundance) for each stock unit and analyze model performance
 
For more information about the assessment or attending the July workshop (space will be limited), please contact Caitlin Starks, Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at cstarks@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.
 


* Each state and federal agency is responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of its data and deciding who has access to its confidential data.  In the case of our stock assessments and peer reviews, all analysts and, if necessary, reviewers, have been granted permission by the appropriate agency to use and view confidential data. When the assessment team needs to show and discuss these data, observers to our stock assessment process are asked to leave the room to preserve confidentiality.

Equitable Fishing Access and Sustainable Practices to be Addressed at Upcoming Council Meeting in Honolulu

June 21, 2024 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

As the U.S. exclusive economic zone available to fishing continues to shrink due to federal regulations, foreign fishing presence increases and Pacific Islands bear the brunt of American conservation efforts, justice has seemingly turned into “just us.” Ninety percent of the Biden Administration’s mandate to conserve 30% of the ocean by 2030 is supported by closures in the U.S. Pacific.

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council will address equitable access, fair treatment of fishing communities and preservation of sustainable fishing at its meeting June 24-26, 2024, in Honolulu.

 The Council will receive updates on the proposed national marine sanctuaries in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) and the Pacific Remote Island Areas (PRIA). NOAA held public hearings on the NWHI sanctuary draft Environmental Impact Statement throughout the State of Hawai‘i in April. Council representatives attended to answer questions on its recommendations for fishing regulations, and submitted written comments to NOAA in May. For the PRIA sanctuary, after a flurry of activity at the end of 2023, including the Council’s recommendation that no additional fishing regulations were needed, there has not been much movement beyond potential renaming.

 The Council will also discuss seafood trade and strategies to level the playing field between foreign and domestic fisheries in the marketplace. Earlier this week, Council staff, the Hawaii Longline Association and Hawai‘i market representatives met with the NOAA International Affairs, Trade and Commerce Division and also with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. These meetings were to strategize ways to improve seafood import monitoring and reduce the flow of foreign products undercutting U.S. fishery products, specifically for tuna, into local and nationwide markets. Pacific Island tuna fishery representatives are concerned with heavily subsidized foreign fisheries ‘dumping’ cheaper products into the U.S. market.

 Action Items

The Council will consider annual catch limits (ACLs) and accountability measures for the main Hawaiian Islands deep-seven bottomfish complex for 2024-2027. Members will take into account reports on the uncertainties and risk of overfishing, and advice from its Scientific and Statistical Committee. The fishery is neither overfished nor experiencing overfishing, with 2023 landings reaching less than half of the current ACL of 492,000 pounds. 

The Council will also review and comment on the American Samoa Marine Conservation Plan (MCP) for implementation in August 2024. Key updates include developing a tuna policy to address declining albacore catch rates and restrictive federal regulations impacting U.S.-flagged vessels. The MCP also proposes creating a fishermen registry to track fishing efforts and assist with economic or disaster relief. According to the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the Council must validate that the projects are consistent with its Fishery Ecosystem Plans and will not affect the sustainability of fisheries in the area.

Other Agenda Items

The Council will also discuss how fisheries in the Western Pacific region performed in 2023 relative to previous years. The Annual Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation Reports will be presented to the Council with highlights of catch and effort trends, economic indicators and climate considerations. For example, despite decreases in commercial licenses and trips, the Hawai‘i bottomfish fishery had its highest catch since 2018. In American Samoa, longline sets continued a decreasing trend to an all-time low, but had an increase in trolling.

Fishers Forum

As part of its 199th meeting, the Council will host a free, family friendly Fishers Forum June 24, 2024, from 6 to 9 p.m. with the theme “Where are the fish going?” Attendees will learn how climate change is affecting the ocean and fish populations across the Pacific and closer to Hawai‘i, and what that means for fishermen. Fishing community leaders like Roy Morioka and Carl Jellings will share important observations on weather, seas, markets and operations.

The Council meeting and Fishers Forum will be held at the Ala Moana Hotel, Hibiscus Ballroom, 410 Atkinson Drive in Honolulu. For more information, visit www.wpcouncil.org/event/199th-council-meeting. Remote participation for the Council meeting is available via Webex at https://tinyurl.com/199CouncilMtg.

ASMFC Northern Shrimp Section Meeting Summary and Motions Now Available

June 22, 2024 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Northern Shrimp Section approved the Public Information Document (PID) for Draft Amendment 4 for Northern Shrimp for public comment. Given the stock’s continued depleted status, the draft amendment was initiated to consider extending the specifications setting timeline to allow for ongoing or multiyear harvest moratoria and adding management triggers to the management program. A management trigger, defined by a set of biological indicators, would inform when a harvest moratorium could be reevaluated to allow for a potential fishery in future years.

As the first step in the Commission’s amendment process, the PID is intended to gather information concerning northern shrimp and provide an opportunity for the public to identify and comment on major issues relative to the management of the species. Following the initial phase of information gathering and public comment, the Section will evaluate potential management alternatives and develop Draft Amendment 4 for public review. After the next round of public comment, the Section will identify the management measures to be included in Amendment 4. A tentative schedule for the completion of Amendment 4 is included in the PID.

The PID will be available on the Commission’s website under Public Input at https://asmfc.org/about-us/public-input in late June. A press release announcing the availability of the PID and state public hearing schedule will be released upon the PID’s posting and finalization of the hearing schedule.

For more information, please contact Chelsea Tuohy, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at ctuohy@asmfc.org.

Motions

Move to approve the Public Information Document for Draft Amendment 4 to the Northern Shrimp Fishery Management Plan for public comment as amended today.

Motion made by Cheri Patterson seconded by Dr. Mike Armstrong. Motion approved by unanimous consent