Saving Seafood

Management & Regulation

NOAA Fisheries Seeks Comments on Groundfish Recreational Measures by June 1, 2015

May 1, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Today, we published an interim final rule for the Northeast recreational groundfish fishery. This rule implements a reduction to the minimum size (now 17 inches) and a bag limit of 3 fish per person per day for Gulf of Maine haddock taken in the recreational fishery.

This interim rule is necessary to ensure that the recreational catch of haddock and recreational bycatch of cod will not exceed the annual catch limits for the recreational fishery in fishing year 2015.

This rule should reduce discards of cod and haddock by allowing anglers to retain smaller haddock so that they reach their bag limit more quickly.

Read the complete rule as published in the Federal Register, and submit your comments through the Federal Rulemaking ePortal. Or, submit your comments via mail to:

John K. Bullard, Regional Administrator
National Marine Fisheries Service
55 Great Republic Drive
Gloucester, MA 01930

Mark the outside of the envelope, ”Comments on the fishing year 2015 Haddock Recreational Measures.”

The comment period closes on June 1, 2015.

Questions? Contact Mark Grant, Regional Office, at 978-281-9145 or email Mark.Grant@noaa.gov.

NEFMC: Sea Scallop PDT and AP Meeting Relocated

May 1, 2015 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC):

The joint Scallop Plan Development Team and Advisory Panel meeting scheduled for May 13-14 has been relocated to another hotel in Warwick, RI. The new venue is the Radisson Airport Hotel, 2081 Post Road, Warwick, RI 02886. The notice provided here Scallop May 13 and May 14 Meeting notice NEW LOCATION reiterates all the other meeting details which remain as described in the previously distributed notice for this meeting.

Seafood Coalition opposes proposed changes to Gulf of Mexico red snapper

May 1, 2015 — The Seafood Coalition* has joined with other fishing groups and the National Restaurant Association in opposition to proposed changes that would exempt red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico from management under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

Coalition members wrote in a letter (attached) to Senators Rubio and Booker and Congressmen Bishop and Grijalva (respectively Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard and the House Natural Resources Committee) “we as members of the Seafood Coalition realize that our future in the fisheries is dependent on an open and equitable management process focused on sustainability that will allow all of our citizens, both those who fish and those who don’t, reasonable access to fishery resources that are managed for everyone. This level of management is provided by the M-SFCMA and is responsible for the constant improvement in the health of our fish stocks. We oppose this or any other departure from the Act that will hold management of any fishery captive to political pressure brought by special interests and that could grant rights to particular species like red snapper to exclusive user groups.”

Nils Stolpe

Seafood Coalition

*The Seafood Coalition is composed of organizations and companies that represent or participate in commercial fishing and seafood processing as well as organizations that include many of the major suppliers of seafood directly to the American consumer. The Coalition was formed in 2001 to provide a strong, coordinated voice for the seafood industry in promoting science-based marine resource conservation and management in the U.S. and in international arenas. TheCoalition is a forum for affected commercial fishing and fish processing interests and seafood suppliers to develop and support policies that improve federal marine resource conservation and management practices. In addition, the Coalition’s goal is to foster sustainable development and to strengthen fishing communities along with enhancing the supply of healthy and nutritious seafood for consumers.

Read the letter from the Seafood Coalition

 

Stone-crab harvest looks healthy, prices booming

April 29, 2015 — Fishermen are still pulling traps in the final two weeks of stone-crab season, but early indications suggest a step toward a return to normal harvests.

“Late-season production has stepped up which could bring us close to a number in the range of a normal season,” Bill Kelly, executive director of the Florida Keys Commercial Fishermen’s Association, said Tuesday.

Stone-crab season opens Oct. 15 and closes May 15.

Last season’s commercial harvest of a reported 1.9 million pounds of claws (the only part of stone crabs harvested) was the lowest on record, said Tom Matthews, research scientist at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in Marathon.

 
Read the full story here

 

Fleet readies for ‘Year of No Cod’

April 29. 2015 — The 2015 fishing season was still two days away from its Friday opening, but for Paul Vitale the dawning of the new season didn’t seem all that different than the way the desultory 2014 fishing season closed. Deja vu. All over again.

Tied up at the end of the pier behind Rose Marine, the decks of Vitale’s Angela + Rose on Wednesday afternoon looked like something a retreating army had left behind. Gear, nets and rope were strewn across every inch of the deck from the net wheel in the stern to the pilot house, and a blue plastic tarp stretched tent-like at the middle of the deck.

Beneath the tarp, out of sight from the dock, Vitale worked, the crack and sizzle of his welding torch providing the soundtrack for the task at hand.

“I’ve got a couple of holes that I just found a couple of days ago,” Vitale said during a very short break from welding new patching plates onto the deck. “There’s no way I can see me going out on Friday. Maybe Monday.”

With that, he bent back to his most recent labors in the unceasing struggle to keep his boat in working order.

The 2015 season will dawn at 12:01 a.m. Friday, bringing with it all of the uncertainty and angst that have become the Gloucester inshore fleet’s constant seagoing companion. Same stuff, different season.

Vitale was asked what his plan was once he got his boat seaworthy.

“Plan?” he said, sounding a little like former Colts coach Jim Mora when asked about making the playoffs. “There really is no way to plan. The way things are going, you can’t really plan because they just keep changing everything.”

It’s familiar refrain along the Gloucester waterfront. The only certainty is nothing is certain.

Read the full story from The Gloucester Daily Times

In Maine, Suspended Friendship Lobsterman Faces New Charges and Additional Suspension for Recent Violations

April 30, 2015 — The following as released by the Maine Department of Marine Resources:

James Simmons, a 40-year old lobsterman from Friendship who had all of his commercial fishing licenses suspended in February for two years by the Department of Marine Resources for several marine resources law violations has recently been charged with two new offenses, one of which could add more than a year to his total length of suspension.

The two most recent charges were for engaging in licensed activities while under suspension and violating conditions of release from jail. The charge for engaging in licensed activities while under suspension could compound his February suspension, making his total length of suspension more than three years.

Simmons’ February suspension stemmed from a Marine Patrol investigation started in the summer of 2014 which revealed that he was fishing sunken trawls (strings of lobster traps without a buoy to mark their location) near Matinicus Island. A buoy is required by law to identify the owner of the traps and to allow Marine Patrol to haul and inspect the gear.

“While the vast majority of harvesters obey our laws, there are some who choose to exceed their licensed limit of traps and will fish sunken trawls in an attempt to hide their gear,” said Marine Patrol Sergeant Troy Dow.

With evidence from the June 2014 investigation, the Marine Patrol secured a search warrant to continue its investigation. In October 2014, Marine Patrol Officers on three Marine Patrol vessels were able to locate and retrieve over 150 traps on sunken trawls that were not marked with a buoy. Another four traps hauled as part of the investigation did not have tags.

Simmons was charged with fishing untagged traps, a civil offense with a possible fine of $2250. He was also charged with using an illegal method of fishing for not having buoys attached to his trawls, which carries a possible fine of up to $5000.

In addition he was charged with fishing with illegal gear for using the floating rope to connect traps, which violates a Maine regulation designed to protect whales from becoming entangled in lobster gear. The penalty for violation of this regulation could total $250.

As a result of the 2014 investigation, Maine Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher suspended all of Simmons’ licenses, including his lobster license, as well as his right to obtain any licenses issued by the Department, for two years starting February 9, 2015.  Simmons also held a commercial fishing license and a shrimp license.

In March, Simmons was again charged by the Marine Patrol, this time for engaging in licensed activities while under the February suspension, a Class D crime with the possibility of a year in jail and a fine of up to $2000. The charge was the result of an investigation that revealed he was paying another harvester to haul and sell his lobsters. Because of the new charge he was also cited for violating bail conditions related to a 2014 arson charge for which he has yet to stand trial.

“The most recent charge for engaging in licensed activity while under suspension carries the possibility of a three year suspension by itself but when combined with his current suspension could result in a total length of suspension of his licenses and his right to obtain additional licenses of more than three years,” said Commissioner Keliher.

“James Simmons has established a longstanding pattern of disregard for Maine’s laws including those that protect our valuable marine resources,” said Commissioner Keliher. “I want to commend the work of the Maine Marine Patrol.  Their diligence has resulted in his removal from the fishery and the possibility of serious penalties that reflect the damage one person can cause to a sustainable fishery and the law abiding people who rely on it for a living.”

A letter notifying Simmons of his suspension was sent April 28. Unless he requests a hearing within 10 days of receipt of the letter, Simmons’ three-year suspension, the maximum possible by law, will be effective as of May 8, 2015. Simmons can also request a length of suspension hearing with the Commissioner or appeal the suspension to the Superior Court.

 

Ice Delays Spring Fishing for Canada’s Lobster, Oyster and Mussel Fisheries

SEAFOODNEWS.COM by Michael Ramsingh – May 1, 2015

Canada’s lobster fisheries in the southern part of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and regions in Prince Edward Island aren’t the only the ones to face fishing delays because of ice in the harbors. The region’s mussel and oyster harvesters are also reporting delays to their operations because of the ice cover.

Oystermen in PEI typically get their season started on May 1, but lingering ice across bays and rivers has made it difficult for fishermen to access oyster grounds. Now industry officials are working with the DFO to determine if an official delayed started to harvesting should be levied.

Some are trying to avoid a spring season delay similar to what the region’s lobstermen have been forced to endure also because of ice.  PEI’s lobster season has been delayed to at least May 7, while fishing in the Gulf of St. Lawrence was once again pushed back after the season was already rescheduled to start April 30.

Ice has also been a problem for mussel harvesters in Nova Scotia. Fishermen in Cape Breton said their plan is to give the ice some more time to clear out and will try to resume harvesting again next week.

In general this past winter season has been a brutal one for lobster and shellfish harvesters in New England and Atlantic Canada. Gale force winds, ice, snow and cold temperatures in January and February essentially shut down fishing across the board.

Those delays resulted in short clam and lobster inventories, which pushed New York Fulton and New England live market prices higher this past winter.

Meanwhile, any market impact from these spring season delays remains to be seen. Of particular interest will be on the lobster markets as traders look ahead to the important Mother’s Day holiday next weekend.

 

This story originally appeared on Seafood.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

 

2015 red snapper season set for Gulf of Mexico

April 30, 2015 —

Gulf of Mexico red snapper anglers will get a 10-day season in 2015, while charter captains will have 44 days to pursue the popular fish. The recreational season will open June 1.

The 2015 season will mark the first time the two segments of the recreational fishery have been allowed open dates that are distinct from one another. The so-called sector separation, which was approved three weeks ago by Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, is unpopular with recreational-fishing advocacy groups because it shortens the amount of time private-boat anglers may fish red snapper.

“It’s another example of the inequity of this management system,” said Chris Macaluso of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “The idea of having separate seasons for a sector of fishery that the Magnuson Act specifically says should be counted as one just further illustrates that the system is not working.”

 

Read the full story at the New Orleans Times-Picayune

 

House committee takes up fisheries bill

April 29, 2015 — The U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources will take up a bill Thursday that could potentially change the way fisheries are managed in the U.S. through an amendment to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

Introduced by Congressman Don Young, R-Alaska, as the “Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act,” the bill aims to give fishery managers more flexibility when setting catch limits and rebuilding depleted fish stocks. Some U.S. anglers and environmentalists, however, fear the proposed changes could set a bad precedent for rebuilding fish stocks.

Ellen Bolen, the director of the fish conservation program at Ocean Conservancy, said the bill potentially could damage the progress made to rebuild several species once considered overfished, including the popular Gulf red snapper.

Read the full story from the Panama City News Herald

Maine lawmakers reject bill to bar alewives from upper St. Croix River

AUGUSTA, Maine — April 30, 2015 — A legislative committee voted unanimously Wednesday to reject a bill that would have once again blocked alewives from reaching the upper sections of the St. Croix River.

It took lawmakers on the Marine Resources Committee less than 10 minutes to dispatch L.D. 800, which had been the subject of an hours-long public hearing two days earlier. Lawmakers voted in 2013 to reopen the upper St. Croix to alewives after years of heated debate.

“I didn’t really hear anything new on Monday,” said Rep. Walter Kumiega, D-Deer Isle, the committee’s co-chair. “It was a unanimous vote two years ago.”

The bill’s supporters, led by registered guides and sporting camp owners in the Grand Lake Stream region, contend that alewives were never historically present in the upper river because several waterfalls or natural formations blocked their upstream passage. They also blame alewives for the collapse of smallmouth bass populations in Spednik Lake and other lakes, when barriers at several dams were removed to allow upstream migration during the 1980s.

Read the full story from the Portland Press Herald