October 16, 2013 — Alaska’s 2013 Salmon harvest will be one for the record books and the Southeast harvest was more valuable than that of any other part in the state.
Matt Lichtenstein has more on the overall catch and value for the region:
NOAA Update on River Herring
October 24, 2013 — Alewife and blueback herring are two species that are collectively known as river herring. Coast-wide the relative abundance of the alewife population appears to be increasing while the blueback herring population appears to be stable. On a local scale, we’ve seen large increases in river herring abundance on some rivers. This is due to ongoing restoration and conservation efforts along the east coast.
On August 9 we determined that neither species is threatened or endangered so listing under the Federal Endangered Species Act is not warranted at this time. However, we still have concerns about the status and threats to these species. As a result, both species are still included on our Species of Concern list. Additional data are needed to help us better understand the abundance of specific stocks throughout each species’ range. We also need to learn more about the genetic structure of both species, the population level effects of remaining dams, the ocean migratory phase of these species, and the effects of climate change on both species in their freshwater habitats.
More recently, during their October council meeting, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council announced plans to form an Interagency Working Group to address threats on River Herring and Shad. This is welcome news and a wonderful complement to our own efforts in conjunction with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. Having these dedicated resources will improve the chances of successfully restoring these species. We plan to continue to work with our federal partners to maximize limited resources and identify ways to complement each other's ongoing efforts.
To develop a river herring conservation plan we plan to work collaboratively with our federal, state, Tribal, academic and environmental community partners to collect additional data and information to fill in key data gaps. We also plan to revisit the listing determination within the next five years based on any new information we collect.
Conservation Plan Development
We provided funding to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to assist us in developing a long-term and dynamic conservation plan. Through the plan, we will establish key conservation efforts to benefit river herring throughout their entire range, as well as identify and fund some priority research needs. A Technical Expert Working Group will be convened to help with plan development.
With input from the working group, we will consider previously identified threats and research and conservation efforts and describe a coordinated and prioritized coastwide approach to address data gaps. We will attempt to quantify the impact of ongoing restoration and conservation efforts. We will also consider the benefits of new fisheries management measures being considered such as catch caps in two federal fisheries. We will review any new information produced from ongoing scientific studies on genetic analyses, ocean migration patterns, and climate change impacts completed in the next several years. And, we will assess whether higher counts of river herring in many rivers along the coast in the last two years represent sustained trends.
The end products of this work will be to identify significant threats to river herring and then create a list of conservation actions to help improve the health of both species populations throughout their entire range. Working with our partners and using the funds we have already made available, we will implement some of these conservation actions and fund critical research as resources permit. The working group will further assist us by monitoring and tracking progress of conservation efforts and recommending changes, new actions, and activities as needed.
At the same time, we will continue our restoration work to improve access to spawning habitats in rivers, streams, and lakes, which is critical for migratory, anadromous (spend portions of their lives in fresh and salt water) fish, like river herring.
Ongoing Habitat Restoration and Conservation Success
After access to fish ladders at two dams on the St. Croix River in Maine was restricted in 1995 and alewife couldn't reach nearly 98 percent of their historic spawning grounds, alewife populations plummeted—from 2.6 million in 1987 to 900 in 2002. With the removal of a wooden obstruction at the Grand Falls Dam in June 2013, herring will now be able to reach more than 50 percent of upstream lake habitat. The St. Croix River, which forms the border between Maine and New Brunswick, has the potential to become one of the largest alewife runs in the United States. This will benefit the Passamaquoddy people, Maine’s commercial fishing industry and fish and wildlife throughout the Gulf of Maine.
On the Penobscot River removal of two dams and installation of a fish passageway on a third dam is also expected to improve access. Fish will be able to reach the upstream river network and 39 lakes that once supported alewife. In total, about 93 percent of the historic habitat for blueback herring and around 31 percent of the historic habitat for alewife will become accessible, provided they can successfully pass remaining mainstem dams. In addition, NOAA Fisheries staff are continuing to work on integrated efforts to further increase access to the many key lake habitats for alewife on the Penobscot.
While large-scale projects have tremendous potential, some small-scale projects are already showing results! For instance, on the Acushnet River in Massachusetts, dams were removed or modified and nature-like fishways were constructed. The river herring return has gone from less than 300 fish in 2006 to over 6,000 herring in 2013. Removal of two dams in Sedgeunkedunk Stream in Maine allowed a small (few hundred) but growing river herring population to re-colonize Fields Pond within just one year of the dam removals. The re-colonization of Fields Pond occurred without any stocking. In 2010, a culvert located in East Lyme, CT which connects Bride Brook to Long Island Sound was enlarged. Recent numbers, including those for 2013 where they documented the run at over 360,000 fish, are significantly higher than the larger runs documented in the mid-1970s, which numbered around 125,000.
River herring species are critical to fully functioning marine, estuarine, and freshwater ecosystems. We will remain engaged, together with our partners in restoration and conservation work so that river herring populations can continue to grow.
For more information on the listing determination, conservation plan development or technical expert working group, call Kim Damon-Randall, Protected Resources Division, at (978) 282-8485 or e-mail her at Kimberly.Damon-Randall@noaa.gov.
Information and updates also are available online here.
FLORIDA: Governor Scott Asks Feds to Help Franklin County’s Oyster Industry
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — October 24, 2013 — The struggling oyster industry in Apalachicola could be getting some help from the federal government.
Three weeks after filing a lawsuit against Georgia in the U.S. Supreme Court, Governor Rick Scott has requested an Economic Injury Declaration for Franklin County as a result of impacts to the region’s commercial oyster fishery.
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Officials say fresh water from Lake Lanier and the Chattahoochee River in Atlanta isn't making it downstream to the Apalachicola River. That means higher salt levels in Apalachicola Bay and less oysters.
“I appreciate Governor Scott’s tireless efforts to strengthen Franklin County’s economy, specifically its once-thriving oyster industry,” said Congressman Steve Southerland. “An Economic Injury Declaration through the (U.S. Small Business Administration) would be a critical step forward for local small businesses that are struggling to survive.”
Read the full story and watch the video from WJHG
Sustainable Seafood: A U.S. Success Story
October 24, 2013 — The United States is a recognized global leader in responsibly managed fisheries and sustainable seafood. And you can help too!
This video introduces consumers to FishWatch.gov, which provides easy-to-understand, science-based facts to help users make smart, sustainable seafood choices.
Through this video, you’ll learn more about “sustainability” and what NOAA is doing to ensure that our seafood is caught and farmed responsibly with consideration for the health of a species, the environment, and the livelihoods of the people that depend on them.
Have you ever thought about where that piece of salmon on your plate came from? It could have been caught in a wild fishery or harvested from an aquaculture operation. Maybe it’s from the United States, or maybe it was imported from another country, like Canada or Chile?
It’s important to know the source of your seafood because not all of them measure up the same. Some seafood is wild-caught or farm-raised under regulations that protect the health of the marine ecosystem, the animals that live within it, and the consumers that eat it—however, some seafood is not. If it’s harvested in the United States, it is inherently sustainable as a result of the rigorous U.S. fishery management process that ensures that fisheries are continuously monitored, improved, and sustainable. Imported seafood can also be safe and sustainable, but comes from a variety of sources and may not be produced to the same standards as U.S. seafood. In the United States, our standard is sustainability. By buying seafood from reputable sources, you can help to conserve our ocean resources and support the economies and communities that ensure our seafood supply is safe and sustainable.
Watch the video and read the story from NOAA FishWatch.gov
MASSACHUSETTS: New fishing advocacy group has ambitious agenda
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — October 24, 2013 — The first board meeting of the fledgling advocacy group calling itself the Center for Sustainable Fisheries on Wednesday elected former U.S. Rep. Barney Frank as chairman and retired UMass marine scientist Dr. Brian Rothschild as its president and CEO.
Former Mayor Scott Lang, who has been steering the organization, said that with both of those men retiring, it was the "perfect opportunity" to bring them into a group that wants a "rational plan" for fisheries management.
The group, which hopes to have national reach, has raised $105,000 in three weeks, Lang said. But as it sets out to be a counterweight to environmental groups that have millions of dollars of foundation money at their disposal, fund-raising will be a major issue for the new center.
Read the full story by Steve Urbon at the New Bedford Standard-Times
$36 Million in Funding for Coastal Habitat Restoration Projects to Benefit Fish
October 22, 2013 — NOAA is awarding $36 million for more than 40 coastal habitat restoration projects across the United States. These projects will restore up to 16,000 acres of habitat, and open nearly 400 stream miles for fish passage. They will benefit fish species like threatened populations of steelhead trout and salmon.
Fish populations, especially migratory fish like salmon and steelhead, are limited by a lack of habitat. We are working with partners to restore habitat for these fish by removing barriers to fish passage, reconnecting tidal flow, and improving in-stream conditions. These projects will also remove marine debris from fish habitat, and restore coral and oyster reefs.
In the Northeast Region, projects will benefit species like river herring by removing barriers to fish passage and improving in-stream conditions. We will address actions recommended in the recovery plans for Endangered Species Act-listed species.
In the Southeast Region, we will restore threatened coral populations and marshes and remove marine debris.
In the Northwest Region, we will help restore salmon habitat by reconnecting wetlands and stream channels to tidal flow. We will also address the impacts of marine debris on coastal habitat and wildlife.
In the Southwest Region, we will restore habitat for salmon and steelhead by removing barriers to fish passage and improving in-stream conditions. These projects address actions recommended in the recovery plans for Endangered Species Act-listed species. Projects in Hawai’i will also remove marine debris.
In the Great Lakes, we will help restore nearly 1,000 acres of marsh and wetland habitat, and open more than 34 stream miles for fish passage. These projects will benefit more than 40 species of fish.
Our investment in habitat is part of a long-term effort to rebuild fisheries, many of which have declined from habitat loss, over-fishing, and climate change. Recent successes show that restoring habitat is a way not only to stop the decline of fish populations, but also to regrow them to previous levels.
Fish Landings October 24, 2013
October 24, 2013 — The Buyers And Sellers Exchange (BASE), an electronic auctioning company that sells landings at owner Whaling City Seafood Display Auction in New Bedford, Boston’s Whaling City Auction, and Gloucester’s Whaling City Auction, handled 134,800 pounds of fish and 67,900 pounds of scallops Tuesday.
The Portland, Maine, Display Auction handled 15,400 pounds of fish and 100 pounds of scallops Tuesday.
Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times
Regulators open Northeast fisheries to electronic reporting
GLOUCESTER, Mass. — October 23, 2013 — Fishing vessels in the Northeast are now authorized to submit trip report information electronically as federal regulators have eliminated the requirement to furnish paper logbook forms.
According to the National Marine Fisheries Service, electronic reporting was approved in July 2011 for a portion of the groundfish fleet and is now being authorized for all vessels that have been issued a federal Northeast fishing permit.
Read the full story from State House News Service at the Cape Ann Beacon
Board of Fish turns down cod re-allocation in state waters; OK’s new small boat pot cod fishery
SEAFOOD.COM NEWS (Kodiak Daily Mirror) by James Brooks — October 24, 2013 — The Alaska Board of Fish declined to substantially change the allocation of state-waters cod in a meeting that ended Tuesday.
During its five-day meeting in Anchorage, the fish board heard several proposals that would have reallocated cod quota from the federal waters fishery to the state. Other proposals would have diverted quota from the Kodiak area to the Chignik area or altered start dates, gear limits or fishing behavior.
The Board of Fish did approve housekeeping changes to the definition of “estimated total allowable harvest” and allowed Chignik pot fishermen an earlier chance at unused jig quota.
Its most substantial actions, however, came in the Western Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea. The board created a new Bering Sea pacific cod fishery for pot vessels less than 58 feet long, in Area O. The fishery will take 3 percent of the region’s allowable catch.
In the western Gulf, the board voted to give the South Alaska Peninsula 30 percent of the allowable catch established by federal fisheries managers for the western Gulf. That area currently receives 25 percent of the allowable catch.
According to arrangements between the state and federal government, National Marine Fisheries Service scientists set an “acceptable biological catch” each year for regions across Alaska. The state takes a share of that catch for a state-waters fishery in waters nearer than 3 miles offshore. The remaining quota goes to the federal fishery, which operates between 3 miles and 200 miles offshore.
Apportionment issues became even more complicated last year, when the state subdivided its catch quotas among different gear types and vessel sizes.
Proposition 2, brought forward by Kodiak fisherman Alexus Kwatchka, would have increased the state-waters quotas in Kodiak, Chignik and the Cook Inlet to 35.8 percent of the allowable biological catch in the central Gulf of Alaska.
The fish board turned down the proposal 0-7, echoing the arguments of Kodiak fisherman Seamus Hayden, who said in a letter: “the proposal is founded on allocative and special economic interest rather than any scientific data.”
Proposals 3 and 4, brought forward by Aloys Kopun Jr. and Raechel Allen, respectively, would have granted the Chignik area a larger percentage of the central Gulf’s acceptable biological catch.
Currently, Chignik receives 8.75 percent of the ABC; the proposals would have increased that to 17 percent or 17.5 percent.
As with proposal 2, the fish board shot down both proposals.
It did accept proposal 7, which forces fishing boats to deliver their catch before switching between federal and state seasons. Also passed was proposal 13, brought by the city of Chignik, which allows pot fishermen to begin using unused portions of the jig fishing quota after Aug. 15.
The board of fish next meets Dec. 5 in Anchorage as it addresses Chignik finfish issues. Lower Cook Inlet finfish issues are scheduled for consideration starting Dec. 8 in Anchorage, and the fish board comes to Kodiak on Jan. 7 to talk Kodiak finfish.
This story from the Kodiak Daily Mirror appeared on Seafood.com, a subscription site. It has been reprinted with permission.
EU, Canada free trade agreement to eliminate tariffs
October 23, 2013 — A move four years in the making, Canada and the EU’s first free trade agreement will eliminate most duties on seafood products
Canada’s seafood exports to the EU were worth an average of CAD 400 million (USD 385 million, EUR 279 million) annually between 2010 and 212. The exports face average EU tariffs of 11 percent, with highs of 25 percent.
When Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) takes affect, almost 96 percent of EU tariffs for seafood products will be duty-free. In seven years, 100 percent of the tariffs will be duty-free.
EU tariffs ranging between 6 and 20 percent will be eliminated on products including frozen shrimp, cooked and peeled shrimp, frozen lobster, live lobster frozen mackerel, salmon and more.