September 11, 2012 — NOAA reminds commercial fisherman that if 90 percent of the total allowable landings are landed for a small-mesh multispecies stock, the possession limit for that stock will be reduced to the incidental possession limit for the remainder of the fishing year. Landings data through September 1, 2012, indicate that 70 percent of the total allowable landings (TAL) for northern red hake have been landed. If northern red hake landings reach 90 percent of the TAL, the northern red hake possession limit will be reduced to 400 lb. This possession limit reduction would apply to the northern red hake stock area, which encompasses the Gulf of Maine/Georges Bank Exemption Area. You can monitor small mesh multispecies landings and quotas on our weekly quota and landings reports webpage available here.
9th Circuit Upholds Fish Trawling Rules
September 10, 2012 — Over the objections of hook-and-line anglers, the 9th Circuit on Monday upheld a quota system meant to increase the efficiency and sustainability of the Pacific groundfish fishery.
The National Marine Fisheries Service amended the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan in 2011 to include a quota system for trawl permit holders. Amendments 20 and 21 were designed to increase economic efficiency through fleet consolidation, to cut down on bycatch (the unintentional catch of some fish species), and to generally reduce environmental impacts on the fishery, which extends 200 miles off the coasts of California, Oregon and Washington.
According to the changes, trawl vessels that do not reach their assigned quotas can sell or trade their shares of a particular fish species with other vessels. The new plan divides the trawl fishery into three sectors and then assigns a certain number of fishing privileges within each sector. For the on-shore, hook-and-line sector, privileges are initially allocated based on catch history and then become transferable after two years.
Such "liberal transferability" is expected to increase efficiency and reduce bycatch, but it also "may force out participants from local fishing communities by consolidating privileges and making them more expensive," the ruling states.
Menhaden Conservation Enters Home Stretch
September 10, 2012 — The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) has taken another big step toward increasing abundance of menhaden, also known as bunker or pogies. At its summer meeting in August, the 15-state Menhaden Management Board approved draft Amendment 2 to the Atlantic Menhaden Fishery Management Plan, setting the stage for a decision on catch reductions this December that would take effect in 2013.
ASMFC's scientific team updated the menhaden stock assessment and presented the results to the Board on August 8th. They affirmed in their report and during their presentation that overfishing is occurring and that the stock is likely overfished according to the new, more conservative reference points adopted by the Commission to rebuild a population that is at an historic low and enhance menhaden's important contribution as a prey species.
Unfortunately, problems with the assessment model argue against its use in recommending specific catch reductions to achieve the rebuilding targets. So the Board approved an ad hoc method of determining total allowable catch (TAC) to stop overfishing, one used by the federal regional councils in this kind of situation. Basically, it reduces catches from recent levels after weighing a number of criteria, such as status of the stock, life history, resilience to fishing pressure, and ecological importance.
Fishermen react to feds rejection of porpoise plan
GLOUCESTER, Mass. — September 11, 2012 — A fishing industry group says regulators didn't fully consider key factors when they rejected a request to delay a coming fishing area closure.
The Northeast Seafood Coalition made the proposal after regulators announced the two-month closure to protect porpoises in the Gulf of Maine, starting in October. Porpoises aren't endangered, but regulators say too many are getting killed in stationary gillnets.
The coalition asked the government to start the closure in February. It said that would better protect porpoises and ease a $10.3 million loss to gillnetters.
But regulators said the delay wouldn't help fishermen or porpoises much. It also said too many gillnetters failed to install net devices that drive porpoises away.
Read the full story from the AP at the Boston Globe.
Revised NEFMC September Council Meeting Agenda
September 11, 2012 —
The Council meeting agenda has been revised to include a report on Standardized Bycatch Reporting Methodology (SBRM) on Thursday September 27, at 3:30 p.m. The Council will be asked to approve alternatives for analysis and possible inclusion in the SBRM Amendment now under development.
The meeting will adjourn once this issue and any other outstanding business has been addressed. We apologize for any inconvenience the change may present to those individuals who are attending or listening to the meeting via webinar.
A revised version of the complete agenda is avaliable here.
CITES tightens shark trade restrictions
September 10, 2012 — The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has tightened international trade regulations for porbeagle shark (Lamna nasus) and scalloped hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini).
The restrictions, requested for porbeagle shark by several European Union member states and for scalloped hammerheads by Costa Rica, go into effect on 25 September, 90 days after the initial request date.
According to a letter to constituents written by Angela Somma, chief of the endangered species division at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, both species are now listed in Appendix III. This gives the species a special protection among CITES membership countries, or parties, that control and monitor the international trade of that species. Any CITES party may add a native species under domestic law to Appendix III unilaterally.
Under the new shark trade restrictions, porbeagle shark and scalloped hammerhead shark must have a CITES certificate of origin issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for any shipments entering or leaving the United States. Shipments must be declared and receive clearance prior to release by U.S. Customs and Border Protection upon import or prior to export.
Hammerhead sharks, in particular, are highly sought after as the main ingredient in shark fin soup, a dish with cultural significance in Asia but one that is attracting intense scrutiny from environmental organizations. The dish is known to command extravagantly high prices, as much as USD 100 per bowl. Traditionally served at important ceremonies like weddings, it has become a symbol of status, health and prosperity that is increasingly common at high-profile business events.
Pressure from environmental groups and celebrities has altered both government and shark-sourcing policies for businesses around the world.
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Singapore supermarket chain Cold Storage and Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels Ltd. (parent company of The Peninsula Hotels) have all stopped selling or serving shark fin soup, as have cargo carriers and passenger airlines.
According to a Chinese state media report earlier this summer, China was considering a temporary ban on shark fin soup at official banquets. At the recently concluded Seafood Summit, hosted by SeaWeb in Hong Kong, former National Basketball Association star Yao Ming, who played for the Houston Rockets, was recently named a Seafood Champion for his work in raising awareness about finning throughout China.
Finning is an illegal but reportedly common practice in which shark fins are lopped off the animals at sea while the rest of the body — about 95 percent of its total weight — is tossed overboard. Some groups estimate that 73 million of the fish, known as an apex predator for its crucial role in the ocean ecosystem, are rendered helpless and left to die.
Read the full story on Seafood Source
R.I. fisherman to officials: ‘We’re hanging on by our fingertips’
NARRAGANSETT, R.I. — September 10, 2012 — The government annually imposes commercial-fishing restrictions. Commercial fishermen annually complain.
But this year is different.
"We're hanging on by our fingertips," said Dick Grachek, 68, a commercial fisherman out of Narragansett.
Grachek attended Monday's meeting in Galilee with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) officials. The agency is considering cutting next year's catch limits for groundfish — in the case of Georges Bank yellowtail flounder, by 73 percent.
"How much do we wait before everyone in this room is out of business?" said Tina Jackson, president of the South Kingstown-based American Alliance of Fishermen and their Communities.
Read the full story at the Providence Journal.
New Bedford Public Listening Session with John Bullard
September 10, 2012 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries Northeast Regional Office.
There will be a public evening listening session with NOAA Fisheries' new Regional Administrator John Bullard from 6:30 – 8:30 pm on Wednesday, September 19th at the Fairfield Inn and Suites located at 185 MacArthur Drive in New Bedford. John would like to hear from a variety of stakeholders about the challenges the fishing industry is facing and what success for the industry could look like.
Shaw’s Supermarkets expands sustainable seafood program
SEAFOOD.COM NEWS [Seafoodnews.com] – September 10, 2012 – Shaw's Supermarkets marked the one-year anniversary of its major commitment to seafood sustainability with the addition of several new species in the fresh case.
Shaw's now offers 18 products in its fresh case that are either certified by the Marine Stewardship Council or verified though the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI), a nonprofit marine science center.
Since announcing the initiative last September, Shaw's has continued to work closely with the MSC and GMRI, as well as North Coast Seafood – its single seafood supplier – to grow its sustainable seafood sourcing program.
The initial MSC-certified product offerings introduced in September of 2011 included Wild Sockeye Salmon, Wild King Salmon, Wild Coho Salmon, Wild Alaskan Halibut, Pacific Frozen Sea Cod, Canadian Frozen Sea Flounder, Icelandic Fresh Haddock and Canadian Fresh Haddock. The Gulf of Maine Responsibly Harvested products included Lobster, Northern Shrimp, Cod, Haddock, Sea Scallops, and Pollock.
New to the list this year, Shaw's now provides the following fresh seafood items within its sustainable seafood program, including:
— Fresh Swordfish Steaks
— Fresh Perch Fillets
— Fresh Cod Fillets
— Fresh Sockeye Salmon Fillets
— Frozen at Sea Haddock Fillets
— Frozen at Sea New England Style Haddock Fillets
As part of its sustainability initiatives, Shaw's provides experts in all of its stores to help answer consumer questions and continue implementing Shaw's sustainability commitment. Together, Shaw's seafood experts have collectively gone through 4,500 hours of training on seafood sustainability to prepare for the program.
Seafood.com is a subscription-based website. The article is reprinted with permission.
Fish farming set for massive expansion, says UN report
September 10, 2012 — The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is predicting a huge rise in aquaculture and world fisheries production within the next decade.
In its annual report entitled "The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture" it says that output from both of these sectors is set to rise to about 172 million tonnes by 2021. This represents an increase of 15 per cent on the average for 2009-2011.
But it will be fish farming that is the main driving force behind this increase with production in this sector expected to rise by 33 per cent over the period and within six years it will have overtaken conventional trawler fishing.
The report says that capture fisheries and aquaculture supplied the world with 148 million tonnes of fish in 2010 representing a total value of (US) $217.5 billion which about 128-million tonnes was utilised for human consumption, averaging out at 18.4 kg person. Both sectors sustained the jobs of 55 million people around the world.
FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva said: "Fisheries and aquaculture play a vital role in the global, national and rural economy. The livelihoods of 12 per cent of the world's population depend directly or indirectly on them. Fisheries and aquaculture give an important contribution to food security and nutrition. They are the primary source of protein for 17 percent of the world's population and nearly a quarter in low-income food-deficit countries."
Árni M. Mathiesen, head of FAO's Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, said: "Fisheries and aquaculture are making a vital contribution to global food security and economic growth. However, the sector faces an array of problems, including poor governance, weak fisheries management regimes, conflicts over the use of natural resources, the persistent use of poor fishery and aquaculture practices."