September 17, 2012 —
View the documents and agenda on the NEFMC website
Environmental police maintain a presence in local waters
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — September 17, 2012 — The sky is just beginning to lighten as Pat Moran eases the 27-foot Safe Boat away from its berth at State Pier. The aluminum-hulled boat equipped with twin 300-horsepower Evinrude engines is the workhorse of the Massachusetts Environmental Police.
Moran, a 31-year veteran promoted to captain in August, is heading out on a routine patrol of state waters with his partner, Sgt. James Cullen.
"We get out about twice a week, year-round," said Moran, a Mattapoisett resident whose father, James, was a long-serving police chief there.
With a top speed of 47 knots, the patrol can cover a lot of territory in a half-day cruise.
"We can go from down by Cleveland Ledge to Vineyard Sound to the back side of Nomans (Land Island) in about four hours," he said.
The boat is two feet longer than the Coast Guard's version and comes equipped with a full range of electronics, including sonar — which can aid in the location of bodies.
"When it's search-and-rescue, sometimes we're the only boat out here," said Moran, who has come to greatly appreciate the boat's ruggedness. "I've been out in 10-foot seas and we were still doing 20 knots," he said.
On Friday the sea is calm, and once through the hurricane barrier, Moran opens the throttle and the boat hits 29 knots with hardly a bump.
Most people associate the Environmental Police with hunting and ATV's, but the force has always had a presence on the water, Cullen said, and has boats in Woods Hole, Sandwich and Fall River.
The main mission of the "green police" on the water is to monitor the activities of commercial and recreational fishermen. Fishery management in state waters is no less complex than the federal regulations that begin three miles out. On Friday, for example, the day is closed to commercial scup fishermen, but open for tautog fish.
The police boat zooms through Quick's Hole toward a scattering of small boats fishing in the vicinity of Gay Head. Cullen scans the boats with powerful binoculars.
"That guy has rain gear on. Must be after tautog," he concludes.
Tautog is a live fishery, he explains, and when a fish is placed in a tank on the boat, it thrashes mightily, soaking the fisherman. They pass him by.
Moran decides to board a boat with Rhode Island numbers. There is a swell running, making the approach delicate but as he eases the boat alongside, Cullen hops nimbly aboard to find that one of the fishermen does not have a saltwater fishing license.
Read the full story in the New Bedford Standard Times
Longline fishing impact on bluefin tuna in Gulf of Mexico under scrutiny
WASHINGTON — September 17, 2012 — The federal government is under pressure to ban a commercial fishing method that has inadvertently killed huge numbers of Atlantic bluefin tuna in the Gulf of Mexico, the only U.S. location where the tuna are known to spawn.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has received more than 180,000 requests seeking stronger protections for bluefin tuna in recent months, including requests for a ban on longline fishing in the Gulf.
The agency is revising its fishery management plan for migratory species and expects to announce a new strategy in 2014.
“Commercial fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico use surface longlines that average 30 miles long to catch yellowfin tuna and swordfish, but this indiscriminate and wasteful fishing method also catches and kills more than 80 types of non-target animals, including … deeply depleted Atlantic bluefin tuna,” Tony Murray, director of the Big Bend Coastal Conservancy in St. Marks, Fla., wrote to NOAA.
Longline fleets drop large baited hooks to catch big fish. Hundreds of strong hooks are attached to fishing lines that branch out from a main line that is miles long. All the lines are held afloat by buoys. Though fishing for bluefin tuna is banned in the Gulf, they get caught in the hooks and are unable to break free.
The lines also snag other “bycatch,” including turtles, sharks and marlin. But conservationists and recreational fishermen focus on bluefin tuna because the species is declining and is especially prized by sushi lovers.
They say longline fleets could switch to other fishing methods to catch yellowfin tuna and swordfish, which have have rebounded to healthy levels. Those species are smaller and lighter than bluefin tuna, which can grow to 13 feet and weigh two tons.
Read the full story at the Montgomery Advertiser
NEW HAMPSHIRE: Planned fisheries closure leaves locals reeling
SEABROOK, N.H. — September 14, 2012 — Randy Gauron of the Yankee Fisherman Cooperative said the pending "consequence closure" of a section of the Gulf of Maine starting Oct. 1 will significantly impact the co-op and could potentially put it out of business.
"This is not just going to impact us, but all the fisherman in the area," Gauron said. "This is the time of year that is most productive for gillnet fishing and they basically are saying we can't fish."
In a related development, the U.S. Commerce Department has declared a "disaster" in the Northeast groundfishing industry for the 2013 fishing year, opening the door for possible relief funding from Congress.
Gauron was one of many Seacoast-area fisherman who met with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Regional Administrator John Bullard on Wednesday to discuss the closure and other issues impacting the fishing industry.
But the prime topic of discussion was the pending enforcement action against Gulf of Maine gillnet fishermen ranging from York and Kittery, Maine, to the North Shore of Massachusetts, who are being penalized for excessive "bycatch" of harbor porpoises.
Harbor porpoises are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and bycatch occurs when they are caught in fishermen's nets. Fishermen are required to affix "pingers" to their nets, which emit a high-frequency sound that alerts porpoises to their presence, aiming to keep them from getting entangled in nets.
However, Dave Gouveia, marine mammal coordinator with NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service, said the bycatch rate has increased considerably over recent years, resulting in enforcement action in the form of a "consequence closure" that will shut down gillnet fishing in October and November.
MAINE: U.S. Department of Commerce calls New England groundfishing season a disaster
WASHINGTON — September 14, 2012 — The U.S. Department of Commerce declared a disaster for New England's struggling groundfishing fleet for the 2013 season, opening the door for Congress to appropriate up to $100 million to help fishermen.
The declaration follows recent studies that find stocks of cod and other species are not recovering as quickly as expected despite the industry's compliance with strict catch limitations. Gov. Paul LePage requested the disaster declaration last November.
"I've been in the business over 30 years, and this is the worst I have ever seen it," said fisherman Tom Casamassa of Saco, one of the few Mainers still fishing for cod, haddock, flounder and other groundfish. Maine is home to just 45 boats in the groundfish fleet, as others have switched to lobster and other species.
"Talking to other fishermen, they are shaking their heads and don't know what to do. … We're really glad they moved ahead with the disaster declaration. From the sound of it, New England is really going to need it," Casamassa said Thursday.
Cod fishing was once the economic backbone of much of New England, including Maine; but overfishing and other factors have depleted cod stocks, resulting in austere catch limits on the relatively few groundfish boats still operating. Now the fleet faces additional reductions of up to 70 percent in the amount of cod and other species they can land.
Many now fear that this once-robust fishery — often credited with helping build New England and Colonial America — is in jeopardy of disappearing. Maine is home to just 45 boats with federal permits, as most fishermen have switched to lobster and other species.
Like many of his colleagues, Casamassa has been forced to branch out into other fisheries such as shrimp, lobster and even dogfish — a kind of "trash fish," to some — in order to survive. While he used to catch groundfish relatively close to shore, Casamassa now describes water down to 50 fathoms — or 300 feet deep — as "a desert."
"The future challenges facing the men and women in this industry and the shore-based businesses that support them are daunting, and we want to do everything we can to help them through these difficult times," Rebecca Blank, acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, said in a statement.
A statement by U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins and U.S. Reps. Mike Michaud and Chellie Pingree says they're encouraged by the disaster declaration, which acknowledges that Maine's fishermen are facing new and unprecedented challenges. The delegation's statement says the declaration is a first step in a long effort to rebuild one of the nation's first industries.
This is not the first Maine fishery to be granted disaster status, nor is it uncommon nationwide.
In 2010, for instance, shellfish harvesters in Maine were eligible for federal disaster assistance after the Commerce Department, which oversees NOAA, declared that the 2009 outbreak of red tide created a commercial fishing failure. Two other fisheries — salmon in Alaska and oysters and crabs in Mississippi — also were declared disasters on Thursday.
Numerous fishermen's organizations, including the Maine Coast Fishermen's Association that Casamassa belongs to, applauded the declaration.
Read the full story in the Morning Sentinel
Commercial bluefish fishery to close Tuesday night
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — September 17, 2012 — The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries announced this week that the 2012 commercial bluefish quota is approaching its limit. This year's commercial quota, 692,986 pounds, is projected to be harvested by the end of the day Sept. 18. The commercial bluefish fishery will then close at midnight, officials said.
From Sept. 19 through Dec. 31 it will be unlawful for commercial fishermen to land or possess bluefish, and for seafood dealers to purchase bluefish from Massachusetts commercial fishermen. The recreational bluefish fishery remains open with a limit of 10 fish per angler, the DMF said in a news release.
Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard Times.
WILLIAMSBURG CLIMATE ACTION NETWORK: Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Chris Moore to lecture on Menhaden at Sierra Club event
September 17, 2012 –In an announcement for a talk to be given by Chris Moore, a Senior Scientist with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation headlined "Decades of Menhaden Overfishing Takes Toll," the Williamsburg (Virginia) Climate Action Network states the following:
"The menhaden is a diminutive fish that is rich in protein. Each year tens of thousands of tons of this fish are harvested and processed in Reedville, Virginia, then turned into fish oil for human food supplements and food for livestock."
"This small resident of the Chesapeake Bay plays an important role in the food chain that supports local wildlife including osprey and striped bass. As industrial fishing practices continue to diminish the menhaden population, the health of the Bay ecosystem and those species that depend on the menhaden to survive are adversely affected"
This event is hosted by the York River Group of the Sierra Club. It is free, and open to the public, and will be held at the Sandy Bottom Nature Park Nature Center starting at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 19th. Read the announcement at the Williamsburg Climate Action Network.
Analysis:
While the post's headline references "decades of menhaden overfishing," this is an oft-repeated but misleading statement derived from an equally misleading observation recently promulgated in an online petition by the Pew Environment Group. In the petition, Pew stated for dramatic effect, “overfishing has occurred in 32 of the last 54 years," but failed to mention that 30 of those 32 instances occurred between 1954-1993.
According to the 2010 menhaden stock assessment, issued by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), menhaden are not considered to be overfished, meaning that the stock is producing the target number of eggs to sustain itself. Overfishing of menhaden has become increasingly rare, occurring only twice from 1994-2008 (the last 15 years for which there is data), most recently in 2008 and only by 0.4%.
NOAA's Chesapeake Bay Office states, "menhaden recruitment appears to be independent of fishing mortality and spawning stock biomass, indicating environmental factors may be the defining factor in the production of good year classes." This means that the most important factor determining the size of the menhaden stock is more likely environmental factors, rather than pressure from commercial fishing.
The post also includes reference to menhaden as "the most important fish in the sea." This qualitative judgement is derived from the book The Most Important Fish in the Sea, by Rutgers English professor H. Bruce Franklin. There is no scientific evidence supporting the hyperbolic statement that any one species of fish is "most important," and promulgating this idea represents only the authors' opinion rather than any scientific consensus.
Federal Bluefish permit holders — MASSACHUSETTS FISHERY TO CLOSE ON SEPTEMBER 19, 2012
September 17, 2012 — NOAA today announced that effective 0001 hours on September 19, 2012, fishing vessels issued a Federal permit for the bluefish fishery may no longer land bluefish in Massachusetts for the remainder of the 2012 calendar year.
Read the full release from NOAA here.
NEFMC makes available discussion documents for Scallop Advisory Panel meeting
NEW BEDFORD, Mass — September 17, 2012 — The New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) has released discussion documents for its September 17 Scallop Advisory Panel meeting.
The Panel will review scallop survey information and recommendations from the Scallop Plan Development Team for possible fishery specifications for fishing years 2013 and 2014.
View the discussion documents here
Fisheries in New England, Alaska, Miss. declared disasters
WASHINGTON — September 13, 2012 — Low groundfish stocks in New England, poor salmon runs in Alaska and Mississippi floods have led to commercial fishing failures, U.S. officials said Thursday.
Acting Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank issued disaster declarations for the northeast coast from New York to Maine, for the Chinook salmon fishery in the Yukon River, Kuskokwim River, and Cook Inlet in Alaska, and for oyster and blue crab fisheries in Mississippi. She sent letters to the governors of the states involved.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the declarations allow Congress to authorize aid to relieve economic hardship and preserve coastal communities.
In New England, fishing, especially for cod, was so important that a wooden carving of a codfish known as the "Sacred Cod" has hung in the Massachusetts state house since the 18th century. Centuries of overfishing, however, have left the fisheries of New England and the Canadian Maritimes in ruins in recent decades.
"Despite fishermen's adherence to catch limits over the past few years, recent data shows that several key fish stocks are not rebuilding," Blank said in letters to northeastern governors.
In Alaska, the Commerce Department found failures in the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers for at least two years and in the Cook Inlet in 2012.
"Commercial fishery failures can have cascading economic impacts on subsistence and sport fisheries," Blank said. "Rural communities on the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers depend on both the commercial and subsistence Chinook salmon fisheries for income and survival. In addition, the Cook Inlet Chinook salmon fishery supports an important sport fishery, which is one of the principal economic drivers for the local and regional economy."
In Mississippi, problems with the oyster and crab fisheries have been blamed on the historic floods in the Mississippi River this year, which sent unusually large quantities of fresh water into the Gulf of Mexico.
Read the full story on the United Press International website