Saving Seafood

Council Actions

NEFMC SSC – Listen Live – Friday, January 20, 2023 – Monkfish and Atlantic Halibut

January 13, 2023 — The following was released by New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will meet by webinar to discuss issues related to monkfish and Atlantic halibut.  The public is invited to listen live.  Here are the details.

START TIME:  9:00 a.m.
WEBINAR REGISTRATION:  Online access to the meeting is available at Listen Live.  There is no charge to join the meeting through this webinar.  The Remote Participation Guide is posted here.
CALL-IN OPTION:  To listen by telephone, dial +1 (213) 929-4212.  The access code is 250-348-919.  Your regular phone charges will apply.
AGENDA:  The SSC will meet to:
  • Consider making recommendations for acceptable biological catches (ABCs) for the Northern and Southern Monkfish Management Areas for fishing years 2023 through 2025 using: (1) the average of the I-Smooth approach, which utilizes multipliers applied to recent three-year catches; and (2) the most recent method to determine ABCs.
  • Consider corrected 2022 management track stock assessment information for Atlantic halibut to possibly develop a revised ABC recommendation for this stock for the 2023 through 2025 groundfish fishing years.  And,
  • Discuss other business if necessary.
COMMENTS:  The deadline for submitting written comments for consideration at this meeting is 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 18, 2023.  Address comments to Council Chair Eric Reid or Executive Director Tom Nies and email them to comments@nefmc.org.  Additional information is available in the meeting notice.
MATERIALS:  All documents for this meeting will be psted on the SSC January 20, 2023 meeting webpage.
QUESTIONS:  Contact Joan O’Leary at (978) 465-0492, ext. 101, joleary@nefmc.org or Janice Plante at (607) 592-4817, jplante@nefmc.org.

Oregon, NorCal Chinook salmon move closer to endangered species

January 12, 2023 — The National Marine Fisheries Service announced Wednesday that the Oregon Coast and southern Oregon/Northern California Coast Chinook salmon may need protection under the Endangered Species Act.

This comes as a response to a petition filed by the Native Fish Society, Center for Biological Diversity, and Umpqua Watersheds back in August of last year.

The service said it will review whether Chinook salmon should be listed as an Endangered Species.

“I’m pleased that Chinook salmon in Oregon and Northern California are that much closer to being protected under the Endangered Species Act,” said Meg Townsend, freshwater attorney at the Center.

Read the full article at KATU

The pollution causing harmful algal blooms

January 12, 2023 — It is the “smell of decay and death”, says Beth Stauffer, from the University of Louisiana. “It has a physical presence. This layer of very striking greens and blueish greens…when you put your paddle in it, you can feel it.”

She’s describing the harmful algal blooms (HABs) that used to be more associated with marine environments. But in recent years they’ve been moving further inland and affecting freshwater systems, too. And scientists such as Stauffer are trying to find out why.

HABs occur when certain kinds of algae grow very quickly due to increased nutrients in the water – typically when artificial nitrogen and phosphorus applied to farmers’ fields wash out in the rain and enter waterways. The algae receive a meal on a scale they would never get naturally, and a bloom is formed. Sometimes this is harmless. But at scale, many types of algae can turn toxic and harmful to humans and animals. And this scale can be extraordinary.

The explosive growth of algal blooms is linked to rising temperatures and rising pollution. These green waves are both a warning sign and a symptom of a changing climate. As farming fertiliser and a tsunami of human sewage hit our warming waterways, we are in danger of turning our very drinking water toxic.

Read the full article at BBC News

MSC partners with Non-GMO Project and Fairtrade America to launch “Little Labels, Big Impact” campaign

January 12, 2023 — The Marine Stewardship Council, the Non-GMO Project, and Fairtrade America have joined forces to launch a campaign to promote the contribution of third-party certification labels on food products in ensuring sustainable and resilient food systems.

The “Little Labels, Big Impact” campaign will run through January 2023, MSC said in a press release.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

NOAA reports entangled adult right whale, dead whale calf

January 12, 2023 — NOAA Fisheries reported it has spotted a “heavily entangled” North Atlantic right whale 20 miles off the coast of Rodanthe, North Carolina – just days after a right whale calf was documented dead near Morehead City, North Carolina.

The entangled whale, NOAA Fisheries said, had several wraps of line around its mouth and tail, with additional line trailing behind it. According to NOAA Fisheries biologists, the images indicate that the entanglement constitutes a “serious injury,” meaning the whale is likely to die from the entanglement.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance: Amendment 53 Court Decision is Disappointing

January 11, 2023 — Allocation issues are nearly always complicated and controversial. The same could be said of Amendment 53 to the Management Plan for Reef Fish in the Gulf of Mexico.

On Friday, Jan. 6, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia upheld NOAA Fisheries’ decision to implement Amendment 53 to the Management Plan for Reef Fish in the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance said in a statement.

Read the full article at Seafoodnews.com

Dungeness crab harvest delayed off Washington, Oregon coast

January 11, 2023 — The key Dungeness crab harvest areas from Klipsan Beach, Washington, to Cape Falcon, Oregon, will not open until Feb. 1 because surveys found legal-sized males still lacked enough recoverable meat in their shells.

A policy group that includes the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife made the announcement late last week, The Seattle Times reported.

Read the full article at the Associated Press