Management & Regulation Archives - Page 2 of 585

South Atlantic council opens door to ‘ropeless’ fish trap gear

September 18, 2023 — Developing on-demand or ‘ropeless’ fish trap gear could allow more fishermen to keep working in the black sea bass fishery from the Carolinas to Florida, even with seasonal closures to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales from gear entanglement.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council has begun moving toward making pop-up fish pot gear allowable at all times, after three years of testing under an experimental fishery permit from the council.

In 2017 the fishery was tasked with two seasonal closures from December to March and November to April to protect migrating right whales. Adapting the pot fishery to use on-demand gear – without vertical lines, and buoys that can be summoned by signal from fishermen to pop up for retrieval – underwent testing under the council’s EFP.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Secretary of Commerce Appoints Three New Committee Members to NOAA’s Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee

September 18, 2023 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo appointed three new members to NOAA’s Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee (MAFAC), bringing the group’s membership to the full complement of 21. The Committee advises the Secretary of Commerce and NOAA on all marine life matters that are the responsibility of the Department of Commerce. The three new members are:

Hugh Cowperthwaite, Falmouth, Maine: Senior Director of the Sustainable Fisheries & Aquaculture Program for the Coastal Enterprises Inc. Fisheries Project
Jennifer Hagen, Forks, Washington: Marine Biologist/Marine Policy Advisor for the Quileute Tribe of La Push, Washington
Ryan Prewitt, New Orleans, Louisiana: Chef/Owner, Pêche Seafood Grill and Partner, Gianna Restaurant

“I value working with the MAFAC members, their discussions, and the advice that they provide to me and our agency,” said NOAA Fisheries’ Assistant Administrator Janet Coit.

MAFAC members draw on their expertise to evaluate and make recommendations on national marine life policies. The members represent a wide spectrum of fishing, aquaculture, protected resources, environmental, academic, tribal, state, consumer, and other related national interests from across the United States. They ensure the nation’s marine resource policies and programs meet the needs of these stakeholders.

“MAFAC has provided advice and recommendations to NOAA for more than 50 years. These new members will bring invaluable experience and diverse perspectives to the work of this important Committee. I am excited to have them join MAFAC and share their insights,” said Heidi Lovett, the Acting Designated Federal Officer for the committee.

In the past year, MAFAC has been working on:

Identifying guiding principles to better define and help NOAA support climate-ready fisheries, fisheries management, and fishing communities
Gathering stakeholder knowledge and perceptions about the effectiveness of deterrents to mitigate or eliminate interactions of marine mammals with fishing gear in the water and at docks and related structures
Developing recommendations for the agency to build greater transparency and stakeholders support for strategic multi-year investments in core mission critical infrastructure
Developing recommendations for the agency to consider when developing an implementation roadmap for using electronically reported recreational fishing data
Providing input on the NOAA Fisheries National Saltwater Fishing Policy, the draft National Seafood Strategy, and the draft Equity and Environmental Justice Strategy
Providing recommendation on workforce development initiatives that support individuals, businesses, and communities adapting to changing needs and conditions

Office of National Marine Sanctuaries received 57,000 comments on proposed PRIA sanctuary

September 18, 2023 — The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) updated Western Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) members on the process and timeline on decisions regarding the proposed Pacific Remote Islands (PRI) National Marine Sanctuary designation — noting the public comment period garnered approximately 57,000 comments. The topics discussed ranged from support to opposition of the proposed sanctuary with suggestions for regulations, boundaries, opportunities and improvements.

Brady Phillips, ONMS, said the Council’s input would be helpful to draft alternatives to balance the President’s directive to “provide lasting and comprehensive protection” with existing fishing rules and regulations. Phillips noted ONMS is considering all information received to develop a full range of alternatives for the proposed sanctuary.

“I think we need to be honest about what additional regulations would protect,” said University of Washington professor Ray Hilborn. “Nearshore coral reefs are already covered — the real threats aren’t coming from fishing, they are coming from climate change.”

Acting SSC Chair Erik Franklin noted that on the mainland United States, sanctuaries are viewed as multi-use zones, including fishing, and questioned the difference in the Pacific Islands Region.

Read the full article at Samoa News

Biden’s offshore wind target slipping out of reach as projects struggle

September 17, 2023 — President Joe Biden’s goal to deploy 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind along U.S. coastlines this decade to fight climate change may be unattainable due to soaring costs and supply chain delays, according to forecasters and industry insiders.

The 2030 target, unveiled shortly after Biden took office, is central to Biden’s broader plan to decarbonize the U.S. economy by 2050. It is also crucial to targets of Northeast states hoping wind will help them move away from fossil fuel-fired electricity.

“It doesn’t mean that there can’t still be excellent progress towards this technology that’s going to do great things for our nation,” said Kris Ohleth, director of the Special Initiative on Offshore Wind, an independent organization that provides guidance and research to the industry.

“It’s just not going to be that size by 2030. It’s pretty clear at this point.”

In recent months soaring materials costs, high interest rates and supply chain delays have led project developers including Orsted (ORSTED.CO), Equinor (EQNR.OL), BP (BP.L), Avangrid (AGR.N) and Shell (SHEL.L) to cancel or seek to renegotiate power contracts for the first commercial-scale U.S. wind farms with operating start dates between 2025 and 2028.

Read the full article at Reuters

Biden admin proposes management plan for and Seamounts Marine National Monument

September 17, 2023 — The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has proposed an updated management plan for the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, a 4,913-square-mile area located about 130 miles from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

California’s floating wind lead threatened by fast-rising Maine

September 17, 2023 — The U.S. has allocated its first floating wind leases and aims to install 15 GW by 2035 but participants warn the first large-scale arrays may still be a decade away.

Development activity is growing on East and West coasts but transmission grids, ports and supply chains must be expanded to achieve commercially viable projects.

California and the East coast state of Maine have set out floating wind targets but different strategies towards the scaling up of floating wind could see their trajectories diverge.

In the U.S.’ first floating wind auction, the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) allocated five floating wind projects in California for a total 4.6 GW capacity.

The state of California aims to install 2 to 5 GW of floating wind capacity by 2030 and 25 GW by 2045 but market observers do not expect the first projects to come online before 2035.

The deep waters of the Pacific Coast mean that, unlike on the East Coast, developers will not benefit from infrastructure built earlier for conventional fixed-bottom offshore projects. Ports must be expanded and adapted to assemble huge components and regional supply chains must be built out to achieve economies of scale.

Read the full article at Reuters

Offshore wind energy plans advance in New Jersey amid opposition

September 14, 2023 — Two major offshore wind power projects are taking steps forward in New Jersey as the owners of one project agreed to bring the federal government in on their environmental monitoring plans at an earlier stage than has ever been done, and federal regulators said plans for another project are not expected to kill or seriously injure marine life.

They come as New Jersey continues to grow as a hub of opposition to offshore wind projects from residents’ groups and their political allies, mostly Republicans. The state’s Democratic governor and Democratic-controlled Legislature want to make the state the East Coast leader in offshore wind energy.

Community Offshore Wind, a joint venture between Essen, Germany-based RWE and New York-based National Grid Ventures, on Thursday announced a five-year partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to promote the exchange of data and expertise on environmental monitoring for offshore wind projects.

The agreement will bring the federal agency into the company’s planning process at a much earlier stage than is currently done in the offshore wind industry, an arrangement that could become the new industry standard, according to company president Doug Perkins.

“Instead of us coming up with this on our own and getting some feedback from the agencies, we will work together to make sure that it’s efficient in the data they collect,” he said. “It creates the opportunity, the avenue for us to engage with them, and for them to engage with us, to make sure that our plans, how we’re sampling, where we’re sampling, when we’re sampling, fits with what they do and with what will be required of the industry.”

Read the full article at ABC News

NOAA Fisheries Supports West Coast States’ and Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Fishing Gear Marking Efforts

September 13, 2023 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Nobody wants to catch a whale. By marking their gear clearly, fishermen and other ocean users help reduce the risk of that happening. Entanglement in fishing gear presents a major threat to whales. It can drown individuals, cause long-term injuries that impact their health by limiting their ability to eat, travel and reproduce, and potentially affect population abundance. Entanglement is a pressing concern for whales off the West Coast, where documented entanglements have risen sharply during the past decade. Due to recent changes in ocean conditions there have been some increases in overlap between whales and nearshore fisheries. A better understanding of which fisheries and where the overlap is occurring is crucial.

The West Coast states and Pacific Fishery Management Council have required gear marking in commercial and recreational fisheries. These markings help NOAA Fisheries and our partners identify the origins of entanglements. However, under current requirements only about half of the reported entanglements can be linked to a specific fishery or other type of gear.

Biden-Harris Administration proposes management plan, environmental assessment for Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument

September 12, 2023 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA released a draft management plan and environmental assessment for the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, as directed by Presidential Proclamation 9496 and reiterated by President Biden in Presidential Proclamation 10287, which restored protections significantly cut back by the previous Administration. The development of a management plan will advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s America the Beautiful Initiative, which is supporting conservation efforts across the country with a goal to conserve and restore at least 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030. Since taking office, President Biden has protected more than 21 million acres of public lands and waters, and is on track to conserve more lands and waters than any president in U.S. history.

The proposed plan includes agency management roles and responsibilities, and lays out the goals, objectives and management activities needed over the next 15 years to provide proper care for the Monument’s unique ecosystem and natural resources, with a focus on research, education and community engagement. The draft plan also includes an environmental assessment to evaluate the potential impacts of implementing the proposed management actions.

“President Biden’s reaffirmation of the need to develop a management plan for the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument further solidifies his commitment to protecting our most vital waters and the marine life that thrives in it,” said Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries Janet Coit. “The management plan will also advance the goals of the Biden-Harris Administration’s America the Beautiful Initiative by safeguarding this special place for years to come.”

In addition to developing a Monument management plan, NOAA Fisheries will undertake rulemaking later this year to incorporate the Monument boundaries and commercial fishing prohibition into the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act regulations in response to the Presidential proclamations. Consistent with Proclamation 9496, recreational fishing in the National Monument may continue.

“The Administration’s continued commitment to the establishment of this Monument helps safeguard its unique ecosystem, rich marine life and natural and historical resources for future generations,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams. “Input from the public and a wide range of partners and other interested parties on this draft plan will help ensure Monument managers can protect and conserve resources, engage the community as stewards of this dynamic system and better understand Monument ecosystems in a changing climate.”

Located 130 miles off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument was established by Presidential Proclamation in 2016, under the Antiquities Act, to protect and conserve its unique and pristine habitats, historic objects and features of high scientific interest for current and future generations of Americans. As the first marine monument in the Atlantic, it is renowned for its rich and unique biodiversity, including deep-sea coral communities and concentrations of marine wildlife.

The draft Monument management plan, environmental assessment and planning updates can be found on the Monument management planning website. The public can submit written comments on the priorities and objectives described in the Monument’s proposed management plan and environmental assessment through Oct. 26, 2023 via the Federal eRulemaking Portal or by mail to: Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, USFWS, 300 Westgate Center Drive, Hadley, MA 01035.

Following the 45-day public comment period, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA will consider comments and determine if a revision to the draft plan is necessary. The Monument’s management plan and environmental assessment is expected to be finalized in early 2024.

BOEM completes environmental review for Empire Wind; developers seek 54% more money for NY power

September 12, 2023 — The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced Sept. 11 that it has completed an environmental review of Empire Wind, two offshore wind projects being developed by partners Equinor and BP near the New York Harbor approaches.

BOEM’s announcement follows on news that Equinor and BP are seeking a major increase in their New York contract prices for the 2,076-megawatt Empire Wind I and II phases, plus their Beacon Wind project.

Read the full article at WorkBoat