March 2, 2016 — Paul Haertel of the JCAA reports the New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council will be meeting at 4PM on Thursday, March 3rd at the Galloway Township Public Library, 306 E Jimmie Leeds Rd, Galloway, NJ 08205. The regulations for fluke and sea bass are expected to be set at this meeting. Though public comment will be accepted, it appears that there will only be one regulatory option offered for each species. The NJ Bureau of Marine Fisheries worked hard to develop various options. They were tweaked a little at the Advisers meeting and the end result was that a clear majority of advisers supported the following options.
As Onerous Fees go into Effect that Threaten New Hampshire’s Fishing Industry, Sen. Shaheen Provides an Opportunity for Industry Leaders to Send a Message to Washington
March 3, 2016 — The following was released by the Office of Senator Jeanne Shaheen:
Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), the lead Democrat on the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, invited two prominent industry leaders in the New England fishing industry to testify at a committee hearing today. Through her leadership on the committee, Senator Shaheen was able to make New Hampshire’s struggling fishing industry a major focus of Thursday’s hearing. James Hayward and Dr. Joshua Wiersma both spoke to the enormous threat that new federal at-sea monitoring fees and existing catch limits pose to New Hampshire’s fishermen. As of the first of this month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is forcing New Hampshire fishermen to pay for an at-sea observer program, which monitors catch sizes for conservation purposes. The program, which was previously paid for by NOAA, will cost fishermen an estimated $700 per day on fishing trips.
“Fishing is an integral part of New Hampshire’s economy and heritage,” said Shaheen after the hearing. “Our struggling small-boat fleet needs relief from onerous federal regulations so New Hampshire’s fishermen can continue to make a living. Catch limits and at-sea monitoring fees threaten the very existence of our fishing industry. I’m very pleased that Mr. Hayward and Dr. Wiersma took the time to inform the Senate of their first-hand experience in our region’s fishing industry.”
During the hearing Mr. Hayward and Dr. Wiersma delivered a dire warning to the Senate.
Mr. Hayward: “Time is crucial and the road we’re headed down right now is not a good one. It’s pretty much the end is near and if things aren’t changed soon, at least to some extent, the fleets going to look a lot different in thirty six month. I can assure you of that.”
Shaheen: “Will we still have any fishing in New Hampshire if we don’t see some changes from NOAA?”
Mr. Hayward: “What will happen is the infrastructure will be gone and when that’s gone, the boats will leave. The ones that want to remain will be forced out because they will have no place to offload, market or sell.”
That interaction can be watched here.
At a separate hearing today on the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Shaheen confronted the Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker with the testimony she had just heard from Mr. Hayward and Dr. Wiersma. NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Their interaction can be watched here.
Background information on Senator Shaheen’s invited witnesses:
James Hayward, President of XI Northeast Fisheries Sector, Inc.
James Hayward is a second generation commercial fisherman. He is primarily a day boat gillnet fisherman operating in the Gulf of Maine ranging from 20 to 120 miles from port. He currently owns two fishing boats located in Portsmouth Harbor, New Hampshire. He owns and manages Heidi Seafood Services, the only federally licensed groundfish dealership at the State facility in Portsmouth Harbor. He is president of the community’s groundfish sector, XI Northeast Fisheries Sector, Inc., as well as treasurer of New Hampshire community supported fisheries, New Hampshire Community Seafood. He is also a board member of the Northeast Seafood Coalition and the Northeast Sector Services Network, and a member of the Seafood Harvesters of America.
Dr. Joshua Wiersma, Manager, Northeast Fisheries, Environmental Defense Fund
Dr. Wiersma has over 15 years of experience working with commercial fishermen in New England to improve their business conditions. His doctoral research, which examined the value of collaborative research to New England fishermen, led him to work directly for the ground fishing industry after graduation. Initially hired by the Massachusetts Fishermen’s Partnership as a Fisheries Economist, he then worked for the Northeast Seafood Coalition as their Sector Policy Analyst where he helped to create the twelve Northeast Fisheries Sectors. He went on to manage New Hampshire’s two ground fishing sectors for the next five years. Over this time, he also co-founded and was the Executive Director of New Hampshire Community Seafood Association, a successful community supported fishery cooperative that offers fresh, local, underutilized fish to the New Hampshire public through a type of fish share model. He is now the Manager of Northeast Fisheries at Environmental Defense Fund, where he continues to work with fishermen to shape effective fisheries management, to improve fisheries science and data collection, and to develop better seafood markets and other business opportunities.
North Carolina Fisheries Association Releases Catch Summit info
March 2, 2016 — One final reminder about the NC Catch Summit coming up next week! This appeal is for all fishermen and interested folks. The Secretary of DEQ, the Deputy Secretary and the Acting Director of the Division of Marine Fisheries will be in attendance at the Clambake on Monday night!!
Please try to attend the Clambake and/or the event during the day on Tuesday in Beaufort. There is no charge for attending!
The Dinner & the Summit are completely free but you have to register (for the head count) at: email:
or call Rosemary Johnson at 252.926.4474.
Monday * March 7 * Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center; Harkers Island
5:30-8:30 Carteret Catch Down East Clambake & Frogmore Stew Dinner
Speaker: Wes Stepp, owner of Red Sky Cafe & author of “Tastefully Fit”
*Free trolley service will be available from the Beaufort Inn to the Museum
Tuesday * March 8 * Auditorium, NC Maritime Museum, 315 Front Street; Beaufort
8:30-9:00 Registration * Coffee & pastries
9:00-9:15 Host Welcome * Pam Morris, President, Carteret Catch
Conference Welcome * Jimmy Johnson, President, NC Catch
9:15-10:00 NC Commercial Fisheries: Economic Values, Trends, & Growth Potential
Presenter: Dr. Jane Harrison, Coastal Economics Specialist, North Carolina Sea Grant
10:00-10:15 Break
10:15-11:00 Sett ing Seafood Trends: How Chefs Do It
Moderator: Libby Eaton, Bistro-By-The-Sea
Panelists: Jeff Barney, Saxapahaw General Store; Wes Stepp, Red Sky Cafe; and Sandy Howard, Amos Mosquitos
11:00-11:45 Ocracoke Island: A Case Study of Successful Seafood Tourism
Moderator: Alton Ballance, NCCAT
Panelists: Hardy & Patt y Plyler, Ocracoke Fish Company; Vince O’ Neal, Pony Island Restaurant; TBA
11:45-12:30 Diamonds in the Rough: Local Success Stories
Moderator: Jess Hawkins, Carolina Eco-Tours
Panelists: Eddie & Alison Willis, Mr. Big/Core Sound Seafood; Fabian Botta, Ruddy Duck Tavern; and Mark Hooper, Hooper Family Seafood
12:30-2:00 Lunch – Generously sponsored by Carteret-Craven Electric Cooperative
2:00-2:45 Cultivating Customers: Insights from Retail Seafood Markets
Moderator: John Day, Center for Environmental Farming Systems, NC State University
Panelists: Haag & Son’s Seafood; Fishtowne Seafood; TBA
2:45-3:00 Break
3:00-3:45 NC Seafood: It Tastes Great & It’s Good for You Too!
Presenters: Dr. David Green, NCSU; Candace Morris, ECU graduate student; and Sue Way, East Carteret High School
3:45:4:00 2016 NC Catch Summit Conclusion: Pam Morris and Jimmy Johnson
4:00-4:30 Networking and information tables available
Fishermen, restaurant, retail & wholesale folks who are able are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity and attend part or all of it. There are accommodations available at Beaufort Inn (1.800.726.0321) at a very reasonable rate, if needed.
Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers Announce Updated Seafood Watch Recommendations for King and Snow Crab in Alaska
March 2, 2016 — The following was released by the Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers:
The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch® program has just released new and updated assessments on King and Snow crab from Alaska. Bristol Bay Red King (Paralithoides camtschaticus) crab from the Eastern Bering Sea has been elevated to a “Best Choice” by Seafood Watch. With this updated recommendation, all of the major crab fisheries in the Eastern Bering Sea, including two species of Snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio and C. bairdi) and Blue King crab from St. Matthews Island (P. platypus) meet Seafood Watch’s “Best Choice” standard.
The updated Seafood Watch recommendations maintain the “Avoid” status for all crab fisheries in the Russian portion of the Bering Sea, the Sea of Okhotsk, and the Northern Sea of Japan. These “Avoid” listings reflect the fact that stocks are at critically low levels as a result of rampant illegal fishing and highly ineffective management.
“With these updated recommendations the Seafood Watch program is just confirming what we have known for years. King and Snow crab from Alaska is clearly the ‘Best Choice’ if you care about the health of the oceans and wish to support sustainable fisheries. We hope that consumers, retailers, and those in the food service industry will use these recommendations to make informed purchasing decisions and demand King and Snow crab from Alaska,” said Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers Science & Policy Analyst Ruth Christiansen.
WPRFMC Director Testifies for Council Involvement in Tuna Negotiations
March 2, 2016 (Saving Seafood) — The US fishery management councils need a seat at the table when international negotiations on tuna treaties are taking place, according to Kitty Simonds, Executive Director of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WPRFMC). Ms. Simonds, testifying at a hearing of the House Natural Resources Committee’s Subcommittee on Water, Power, and Oceans, spoke in favor of H.R. 4576, the Ensuring Access to Pacific Fisheries Act. Among other provisions, the Act would require U.S. Commissioners to the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Convention (WCPFC) to “advocate positions that minimize disadvantages to U.S. fishermen in relation to other foreign entities.”
Ms. Simonds testified on the need to modify how the U.S. approaches international negotiations, noting how, to date, the U.S. fleet has been disadvantaged by the implementation of the WCPFC.
“Profitable, well-managed US fisheries in the Western Pacific and Central Ocean, such as the Hawai‘i longline and US purse seine fisheries, are in danger of being lost forever due to geopolitics and being on the losing end of WCPFC negotiations. Couple this with an uneven playing field with regard to enforcement and domestic implementation of Commission measures and it is no wonder that these fisheries face a perilous future,” she said.
NOAA and the Obama Administration oppose further involvement by the regional councils in international negotiations. When asked about the Administration’s opposition to council involvement by Subcommittee Chair John Fleming, Ms. Simonds stated “the United States manages fisheries through regional fishery management councils. That’s why we need to be at the table at any fisheries commission.”
Read the testimony from Kitty Simonds here
Watch the opening testimony from Kitty Simonds here
Watch Kitty Simonds further discuss H.R. 4576 here
Carlos Rafael released on $1M bond, puts home and business up for collateral
March 2, 2015 — New Bedford fishing magnate Carlos Rafael will be allowed to return to his Dartmouth home under strict bond conditions and to continue working while facing federal conspiracy and falsification charges, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Rafael and his wife agreed to place their home on Tucker Road in North Dartmouth and the Carlos Seafood building, on South Front Street in New Bedford, as collateral for the $1 million bond. Prosecutors said the total value of the two properties is about $900,000.
Magistrate Judge David H. Hennessy warned Rafael sternly during his detention hearing in U.S. District Court in Worcester that any violation of his bond could result in a warrant for his arrest and the loss of his home and business property.
“If you fail to comply with any of these conditions, the government can take that property away from you,” Hennessy said.
Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times
In Mexico, Fish Poachers Push Endangered Porpoises to Brink
March 1, 2016 — In 2013, Song Shen Zhen, a 75-year-old resident of Calexico, California, was attempting to re-enter the United States from Mexico when border patrol noticed a strange lump beneath the floor mats of his Dodge Attitude. The plastic bags beneath the mats contained not cocaine, but another valuable product: 27 swim bladders from the totoaba, a critically endangered fish whose air bladders, a Chinese delicacy with alleged medicinal value, fetch up to $20,000 apiece. Agents tracked Zhen to his house, where they discovered a makeshift factory containing another 214 bladders. Altogether, Zhen’s contraband was worth an estimated $3.6 million.
The robust black market is grim news for totoaba — but it’s an even greater catastrophe for vaquita, a diminutive porpoise that dwells solely in the northernmost reaches of the Gulf of California, the narrow body of water that extends between the Baja Peninsula and mainland Mexico. Since 1997, around 80 percent of the world’s vaquitas have perished as bycatch, many in gill nets operated by illegal totoaba fishermen.
Today, fewer than 100 vaquitas remain, earning it the dubious title of world’s most endangered marine mammal. Scientists fear the porpoise could vanish by 2018. “The possible extinction of the vaquita is the most important issue facing the marine mammal community right now,” says Barbara Taylor, a conservation biologist with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center.
The vaquita — “little cow” in Spanish — is a creature of superlatives. Not only is it the most imperiled cetacean, it is also the smallest, at less than five feet long from snout to tail, and the most geographically restricted: Its entire range could fit four times within Los Angeles’ city limits. Prominent black patches ring its eyes and trace its lips, giving Phocoena sinus a charming, panda-like appearance. The porpoise, which typically travels in pairs or small groups and communicates using rapid clicks, is famously cryptic; conservationists recently went two years without documenting a single sighting. Some Mexican fishermen insist the vaquita is already extinct, photographic evidence notwithstanding.
Gulf Council to Convene Law Enforcement Tech Committee
March 2, 2016 — The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will convene a meeting of its Law Enforcement Technical Committee (LETC), formerly known as the Law Enforcement Advisory Panel (LEAP). The LETC will meet jointly with the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Law Enforcement Committee (LEC). The meeting will convene Wednesday, March 16, 2016, from 8:30 am – 5:00 pm. The meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn San Antonio Riverwalk Hotel, 217 N. St. Mary’s Street in San Antonio Texas.
The committees are scheduled to discuss enforcement implications of the Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama 9-mile Reef Fish Boundary and the Offshore Aquaculture Fishery Management Plan.
The committees will also review the following draft Council amendments:
- Reef Fish Amendment 36A – Red Snapper IFQ Modifications
- Draft Reef Fish Amendment 43 – Hogfish Stock Definition, Status Determination Criteria, and Annual Catch Limit
- Framework Action Addressing Circle Hook Requirement when Fishing for Yellowtail Snapper
- Shrimp Amendment 17B – Optimum Yield, Number of Permits, Permit Pool, and Transit Provisions
- CMP Amendment 26 – Reallocation of King Mackerel
San Diego tuna chief addresses Congress
March 1, 2016 — A leader in the San Diego tuna industry addressed U.S. Congress on Tuesday over fishing restrictions on the high seas that he said favor foreign boats.
American Tunaboat Association head Brian Hallman threw his support behind legislation that would potentially give U.S. boats a leg up in treaty negotiations for areas of the world’s largest ocean.
The U.S. fleet, many with ties or based in San Diego, has had a rough year so far, losing access to massive sections of the western and central Pacific Ocean.
Compliance in international waters — for things like how many days boats are allowed to fish for tuna in areas where there is no treaty — is governed by three multinational agreements.
The legislation, called the Ensuring Access to Pacific Fisheries Act, was introduced by congressional delegate Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen (R-American Samoa) and Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska).
Its basic function would give more people a chance to negotiate for fishing rights instead of just two people from the federal government.
ASMFC Releases 2015 Annual Report
March 2, 2015 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is pleased to provide you with our 2015 Annual Report, http://www.asmfc.org/files/pub/ASMFC_AnnualReport_2015.pdf. It describes the Commission’s activities and progress in carrying out our public trust responsibilities for the valuable marine fisheries under Commission stewardship. Included in this report are figures displaying the historical trends in stock status or landings for each species managed by the Commission. Also provided is a summary of the significant management actions Commissioners took in 2015 to maintain and restore the abundance of Commission managed species.
This report reflects our Commissioners’ commitment to accountability and transparency in all they do to manage and rebuild stocks under their care. We hope that you will find the information contained within this report useful and interesting.