July 8, 2024 — Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.-based pollock- and hake-fishing firm American Seafoods Group has paused its sale process.
In May 2023, Bregal Partners announced it would commence a sale process of its majority holding in the company.
Council to Establish Steering Committee to Guide Work on Projects to Prepare Fisheries for Ecosystem, Climate Change
July 8, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:
The New England Fishery Management Council has agreed to establish a new Ecosystem and Climate Action Steering Committee to help prioritize and organize its work on ecosystem approaches to fishery management in conjunction with preparing fisheries to be more resilient to climate change.
During its June 2024 meeting in Freeport, Maine, the Council covered a wide range of topics that collectively will guide its ecosystem/climate work down the road, including:
• Initiatives and projects being funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA);
• Work being conducted by the East Coast Climate Coordination Group (E3CG) and its Core Team;
• NOAA’s Climate, Ecosystems, and Fisheries Initiative (CEFI);
• The 2024 State of the Ecosystem Report for New England (SOE New England);
• The Council’s Risk Policy, which is undergoing extensive revisions; and
• Options for more wholistically addressing ecosystem approaches to fishery management (EAFM).
Here is a brief rundown of each topic, culminating with the Council’s decision to form an overarching Ecosystem and Climate Action Steering Committee.
IRA-FUNDED PROJECTS:
The Council will be working on six projects under IRA funding. The project titles are shown at right. Descriptions of all six initiatives are outlined in this document, which is posted on a new webpage called Council-Related IRA Projects.
The Commerce Department is distributing a total of $20 million to the nation’s eight regional fishery management councils to “support the councils’ development and advancement of climate-related fisheries management and implementation.” The New England Council is receiving approximately $2.37 million from that pool to carry out its six initiatives. Work will be conducted under various timelines, with some projects running through 2027.
States Schedule Public Hearings on Northern Shrimp Draft Amendment 4 Public Information Document
July 8, 2024 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The Atlantic coastal states of Maine though Massachusetts have scheduled hearings to gather public input on the Public Information Document (PID) to Draft Amendment 4 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Northern Shrimp. Some hearings will be conducted in-person, and some hearings will be conducted via webinar. If you are unable to participate in your state’s scheduled hearing, you are welcome to participate in any of the virtual hearings. The public hearing details follow:
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State/Agency
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Contact
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Monday, July 29
Webinar Hearing
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
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New Hampshire Fish and Game Dept. & Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below.
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603.868.1095
508.264.4157
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Tuesday, July 30
Webinar Hearing
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
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Maine Dept. of Marine Resources
The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below.
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207.446.0932
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Wednesday, July 31
In-person Hearing
5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
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Maine Dept. of Marine Resources
Hearing Location:
Lincoln County Regional Planning Commission
297 Bath Road
Wiscasset, ME 04578
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207.446.0932
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Thursday, August 1
Webinar Hearing
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
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Maine Dept. of Marine Resources, New Hampshire Fish and Game Dept., & Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below.
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703.842.0714
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Given the stock’s continued depleted status, the draft amendment was initiated to consider extending the specifications setting timeline to allow for ongoing or multiyear harvest moratoria and adding management triggers to the management program. A management trigger, defined by a set of biological indicators, would inform when a harvest moratorium could be reevaluated to allow for a potential fishery in future years.
As the first step in the Commission’s amendment process, the PID is intended to gather information concerning northern shrimp and provide an opportunity for the public to identify and comment on major issues relative to the management of the species. Following the initial phase of information gathering and public comment, the Section will evaluate potential management alternatives and develop Draft Amendment 4 for public review. After the next round of public comment, the Section will identify the management measures to be included in Amendment 4. A tentative schedule for the completion of Amendment 4 is included in the PID.
Webinar Instructions
Please note that in order to comment during virtual webinar hearings you will need to use your computer or download the GoTo app for your phone. Those joining by phone only will be limited to listening to the presentation and will not be able to provide input. In those cases, you can send your comments to staff via email or US mail at any time during the public comment period. To attend the webinar in listen only mode, dial 213.929.4212 and enter access code 846-921-953. If you are unable to participate in your state’s scheduled hearing, you are welcome to participate in any of the virtual hearings.
For all virtual hearings, please click HERE and select the hearing(s) you plan to attend from the dropdown menu to register for a public hearing webinar. Hearings will be held via GoToWebinar, and you can join the webinar from your computer, tablet or smartphone. If you are new to GoToWebinar, you can download the software by (clicking here) or via the App store under GoTo. We recommend you register for the hearing well in advance of the hearing since GoToWebinar will provide you with a link to test your device’s compatibility with the webinar. If you find your device is not compatible, please contact the Commission at info@asmfc.org (subject line: GoToWebinar help) and we will try to get you connected. We also strongly encourage participants to use the computer voice over internet protocol (VoIP) so you can ask questions and provide input at the hearing.
Hearing Presentation Recording
For those who cannot attend any in-person or virtual hearings, the Commission will also post a recording of the hearing presentation on the Commission’s YouTube page so that stakeholders may watch the presentation and submit comment at any time during the comment process. This recording will be available by July 22, with the recording link provided at https://asmfc.org/about-us/
Submitting Comments
The PID is available athttps://asmfc.org/files/
NEW JERSEY: US gives key approval to Atlantic Shores offshore wind farm in New Jersey
July 8, 2024 — The U.S. Interior Department approved the proposed Atlantic Shores offshore wind farm in New Jersey on Tuesday, giving a major boost to a project that would be the state’s first.
The project still requires an additional federal approval of its construction and operations plan, along with two state-level permits, before construction can begin.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said the department’s decision marked the ninth offshore wind project approved under the Biden administration, green-lighting 13 gigawatts of electricity, enough to power 5 million homes.
“The Biden-Harris administration is building momentum every day for our clean energy future, and today’s milestone is yet another step toward our ambitious goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore energy by 2030,” she said in a statement. “Our clean energy future is now a reality. We are addressing climate change, fostering job growth, and promoting equitable economic opportunities for all communities.”
EPA challenged over veto of Pebble mine
July 3, 2024 — A public interest law firm in Sacramento, California has filed suit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on behalf of two Alaska Native corporations over the agency’s veto of permits needed for the proposed Pebble mine in Southwest Alaska.
Litigation was filed on June 25 by the Pacific Legal Foundation on behalf of Iliamna Natives Limited and the Alaska Peninsula Corporation, which represent Native shareholders in South Naknek, Port Heiden, Ugashik, Kokhanok, and Newhalen.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Anchorage, contends that the EPA exceeded its authority by vetoing the copper, gold and molybdenum mine proposed for construction in land in Southwest Alaska abutting the Bristol Bay watershed, home of the world’s largest run of wild Alaska sockeye salmon. The Bristol Bay fishery, now underway for the 2024 season, is a multi-million dollar commercial and sport fishery that provides thousands of jobs for harvesters, processors, the transportation industry and other businesses engaged in contractual relations with the fishing industry. It also provides sustenance for subsistence harvests and extensive wildlife, including bears, eagles and more.
MASSACHUSETTS: Mayor Jon Mitchell responds to work being halted on Northern Edge scalloping grounds
July 3, 2024 — The New England Fishery Management Council has decided to halt work on opening the Northern Edge scalloping grounds to commercial fishermen.
Back in April, Mayor Jon Mitchell before the board in Mystic, Conn. and said that making these areas available would benefit the industry greatly, to create a “key new source of scallops.”
“While there are multiple species that are harvested by New Bedford fishing vessels, scallops are the prime drivers of economic activity within the Port of New Bedford,” he said.
“The fishermen of New Bedford know this, and they take great care in maintaining the resource and recognize the strategic long-term importance of managing the biomass,” he continued.
Fishing advocates say new Gulf council appointments ‘maintaining a balance’
July 3, 2024 — A Florida commercial fisherman and an Alabama charter operator are newly appointed to the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, among 22 new and returning members to the six regional U.S. Councils named by the Department of Commerce.
The new Gulf appointments “are a positive step in the right direction by maintaining a balance of interests,” according to the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance.
Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo named Juan “John” Sanchez of Florida and Troy Frady, a charter captain from Orange Beach, Ala. The appointments “are a positive step in the right direction by maintaining a balance of interests on the Gulf Council, with three of the seventeen members making a living in the commercial or charter/for-hire fisheries under the Gulf Council’s purview,” according to the alliance.
However, the group added, “we still have a long way to go before there is truly balanced representation on the Gulf Council from all fishing sectors – commercial, charter/for-hire, and private anglers.”
Council appointments delayed until ‘later this summer’
July 3, 2024 — Alaskan and West Coast fishery stakeholders are still in the dark as to who will represent them on their regional fishery management councils.
The appointments of 22 new and returning members to six of eight of the nation’s councils were announced on June 28 by the US Dept. of Commerce. The Secretary of Commerce appoints council seats from state governors’ lists of nominees. Each serves three-year terms.
“Appointments to the Pacific and North Pacific fishery management councils will be announced later this summer,” the Commerce press release said.
“My understanding is that the decision on those appointments have not yet been finalized,” said Julie Fair, Public Affairs Officer at NOAA’s Alaska Regional Office. “The appointments for Pacific and North Pacific Fishery Management Councils will be forthcoming later this summer, and we do not anticipate any lapse in voting during their September/October Council meetings,” Fair added.
Environmentalists decry attempt to delay shipping rules meant to save endangered whales
July 3, 2024 — A Georgia congressman has proposed a yearslong delay in changes to federal rules meant to protect vanishing whales, prompting a rebuke from environmental groups who say the animals need protection now.
The delay proposed by Republican Rep. Buddy Carter concerns new vessel speed rules issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service that are being finalized by the federal government. The proposed rules, which are much anticipated by shippers and fishermen, would expand protective slow zones off the East Coast and require more ships to slow down.
The rules are designed to protect the North Atlantic right whale, which numbers fewer than 360 and is vulnerable to collisions with large ships. Carter’s bill states that it would prevent any amendments or updates to the right whale vessel strike reduction rule until Dec. 31, 2030.
The government’s proposed rule changes would “cause grave safety issues for recreational vessels and pilot vessels alike” and economic harm, Carter said in a statement. A hearing on Carter’s bill was held June 27.
ALASKA: Commission rejects permanent use of dipnets in Cook Inlet setnet fisheries
July 3, 2024 — Despite granting emergency authorization to dipnets for commercial setnet fisheries in Cook Inlet and even indicating “the commission intends to make the emergency regulation permanent” in that decision, the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission on Tuesday, June 25, decided not to approve dipnets as a permanent gear type for the fisheries.
Despite this move, the emergency approval will remain effective through the current fishing season before expiring in September.
The meeting comes as the conclusion to a regulatory process to add dipnets to the fisheries that began in May. That process, too, followed approval of dipnets for Cook Inlet commercial fisheries by the State Board of Fisheries in March. The board said that dipnets could be a more selective gear for harvest of sockeye salmon without killing king salmon.
Both the board and the commission needed to approve dipnets before they could be used in the fisheries, and the emergency approval allowed their use in the first opening of the season last weekend.
Commissioner Glenn Haight, in voting down the permanent proposal, said that the emergency regulation will remain active. If people try that fishery and want to have dipnets added as a permanent gear type, he said they should petition the commission again next year with more time to “take a good, hard look at it.”
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