April 23, 2021 — President Biden has picked Rick Spinrad, an oceanographer with decades of science and policy experience, to run National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the government’s leading agency for weather, climate and ocean science.
Expedition hauls tons of plastic out of remote Hawaii atolls
April 23, 2021 — A crew returned from the northernmost islands in the Hawaiian archipelago this week with a boatload of marine plastic and abandoned fishing nets that threaten to entangle endangered Hawaiian monk seals and other animals on the uninhabited beaches stretching more than 1,300 miles north of Honolulu.
The monument, the largest protected marine reserve in the U.S. and one of the largest in the world, is in the northern Pacific Ocean and surrounded by what is known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch — a huge gyre of floating plastic and other debris that circulates in ocean currents. The islands act like a comb that gather debris on its otherwise pristine beaches.
The ecosystem in the monument is diverse, unique and one of the most intact marine habitats on Earth. But the beaches are littered with plastic and nets that ensnare endangered Hawaiian monk seals — of which there are only about 1,400 left in the world — and green turtles, among other wildlife.
The crew removed line from a monk seal on the expedition’s first day.
With virtually no predators, the islands are a haven for many species of seabirds, and Midway Atoll is home to the largest colony of albatross in the world. There, the land is littered with carcasses of birds that have ingested plastics and died.
The cleanup was organized by the nonprofit Papahanaumokuakea Marine Debris Project, which partners with the state of Hawaii and federal agencies, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Read the full story from the Associated Press at The Washington Post
Biden’s early days show new tack on trade, but little chance of China tariff removal
April 23, 2021 — As the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden approaches its one-hundredth day in charge, its early actions are laying the groundwork for the country’s stance on trade.
Speaking during a National Fisheries Institute Global Seafood Market Conference webinar covering the first 100 days of the Biden administration, NFI Vice President for Government Affairs Robert DeHaan predicted the new administration will likely take a different tack than that of former U.S. President Donald Trump. SeafoodSource is providing exclusive coverage of the GSMC webinar series, which will be providing market-focused content throughout 2021.
Biden nominates Rick Spinrad to head NOAA
April 23, 2021 — U.S. President Joe Biden announced on Thursday that he has nominated Rick Spinrad, a professor of oceanography at Oregon State University and the former chief scientist for NOAA, for the position of NOAA administrator.
The nomination comes as NOAA is amidst the longest period without a Senate-confirmed administrator since its creation in 1970. Former U.S. President Donald Trump had nominated Barry Myers – the former CEO of AccuWeather – to the position in 2017, but his nomination was never brought to a full vote before Myers ultimately withdrew from consideration.
New York wholesaler indicted on seafood fraud charges
April 23, 2021 — A federal grand jury has indicted Montauk, New York-based seafood wholesaler Bob Gosman Co. on seafood fraud charges.
On 21 April, the grand jury unsealed the indictment in the seafood fraud case, which also charges fishing captain Christopher Winkler, Bob Gosman Co. managers Bryan Gosman and Asa Gosman, and an unnamed co-conspirator – a now-defunct company operating out of the New Fulton Fish Market – the U.S. Department of Justice said in a press release.
‘If we’re not up there cleaning up this threat, nobody is’: Team hauls more than 47 tons of marine debris out of Pacific Ocean
April 23, 2021 — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Wednesday that a team of scientists hauled 47.2 tons of marine debris out of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in the North Pacific Ocean.
A crew of 12, which completed their expedition over 24 days, included staff from NOAA Fisheries, the state Division of Forestry and Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Hawaii Pacific University’s Center for Marine Debris Research.
Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument is the largest contiguous fully protected conservation area in the U.S., encompassing an area larger than all the country’s national parks combined, according to the national monument’s website.
The monument is in the northern Pacific Ocean and surrounded by what is known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch — a huge gyre of floating plastic and other debris that circulates in ocean currents. The islands act like a comb that gather debris on its otherwise pristine beaches.
Atlantic Herring Area 1A 2021 Effort Controls
April 23, 2021 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Herring Management Board members from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts set the effort control measures for the 2021 Area 1A (inshore Gulf of Maine) fishery for June 1 – September 30.
The Area 1A sub-annual catch limit (ACL) is 1,453 metric tons (mt) after adjusting for the carryover from 2019, the 30 mt fixed gear set-aside, and the fact that Area 1A closes at 92% of the sub-ACL. In October 2020, the Board established the following seasonal allocations for the 2021 Area 1A sub-ACL: 72.8% available for season 1 (June 1 – September 30) and 27.2% available for season 2 (October 1 – December 31).
Days Out of the Fishery
- Landing days will be set at zero from June 1 until the start of the fishery on June 13 at 6:00 p.m.
- Vessels with an Atlantic herring Limited Access Category A permit that have declared into the Area 1A fishery may land herring five (5) consecutive days a week. One landing per 24 hour period. Vessels are prohibited from landing or possessing herring caught from Area 1A during a day out of the fishery.
- Landing days begin on Sunday of each week at 6:00 p.m. starting June 13.
Weekly Landing Limit
- Vessels with an Atlantic herring Category A permit may harvest up to 240,000 lbs. (6 trucks) per harvester vessel, per week starting June 13.
At-Sea Transfer and Carrier Restrictions
The following applies to harvester vessels with an Atlantic herring Category A permit and carrier vessels landing herring caught in Area 1A to a Maine, New Hampshire, or Massachusetts port.
- A harvester vessel may transfer herring at-sea to another harvester vessel.
- A harvester vessel may not make any at-sea transfers to a carrier vessel.
- Carrier vessels may not receive at-sea transfers from a harvester vessel.
Fishermen are prohibited from landing more than 2,000 pounds of Atlantic herring per trip from Area 1A until June 13, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. Landings will be closely monitored and the fishery will be adjusted to zero landing days when the season 1 quota is projected to be reached.
For more information, please contact Emilie Franke, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at efranke@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.
The announcement can also be found at http://www.asmfc.org/files/AtlHerring/AtlHerring2021Area1A_DaysOutMeasures_Aprl2021.pdf
Highly Migratory Species Management Team to hold online meeting May 13, 2021
April 23, 2021 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:
The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Council) Highly Migratory Species Management Team will hold an online meeting, which is open to the public. The online meeting will be held on Thursday, May 13, 2021, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time and continuing until business is completed.
Please see the meeting notice on the Council’s website for additional details.
For further information:
- Please contact Pacific Fishery Management Council staff officer Dr. Kit Dahl at 503-820-2422; toll-free 1-866-806-7204.
Notice of availability: Salmon Preseason Report III (April 2021)
April 23, 2021 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:
The following document has been posted to the Council’s website:
- Preseason Report III: Council Adopted Management Measures and Environmental Assessment Part 3 for 2021 Ocean Salmon Fishery Regulations (Published April 2021)
Preseason Report III describes the 2021 ocean salmon fishery management measures adopted by the Council at their April 2021 meeting for submission to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce and characterizes their expected impacts on ocean salmon fisheries and the stocks which support them.
For Further Information
- Please contact Pacific Fishery Management Council staff officer Robin Ehlke at 503-820-2410; toll-free 1-866-806-7204.
Heinrich, Senate Democrats Call On Biden Administration To Undo Unlawful Changes To National Monuments
April 23, 2021 — The following was released by The Office of Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM):
U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, along with 18 of his Senate colleagues, sent a letter to U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland urging her recommend that President Biden undo any unlawful attacks on the Antiquities Act. Since 1906, sixteen presidents from both parties have used the Antiquities Act to protect places across the nation.
“From Chaco Canyon in New Mexico to Harriet Tubman’s house in Maryland, the Antiquities Act has long protected key landscapes and historical sites. National monuments protect our most precious natural, cultural, and historical resources, and threats to the integrity of any monuments established under the Antiquities Act threaten the protection of all monuments,” wrote the senators.
President Trump eliminated 2 million acres of protections for Utah’s Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments — the largest rollback of federally protected lands in American history. The previous administration took this action despite the fact that Americans across the country overwhelmingly voiced support for keeping the monuments intact.
The question of the validity of these reductions is being challenged in court, which is now on hold pending the Biden administration’s review of President Trump’s actions. Secretary Haaland visited Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument last week and is expected to make a recommendation to President Biden soon.
“During your confirmation process, you committed to undertaking a thorough review of the Antiquities Act proclamations of the previous Administration. Former President Trump illegally attempted to reduce the protections provided by proclamations that previous presidents issued. We urge you to defend the Antiquities Act and recommend that President Biden review President Trump’s actions and undo any unlawful attacks on the Antiquities Act,” continued the senators.
National monuments and America’s public lands help fuel an $887 billion outdoor recreation industry, which sustains 7.6 million jobs and creates $65.3 billion in federal tax revenue and $59.2 billion in local and state tax revenue. In New Mexico alone, the outdoor recreation economy is responsible for 99,000 jobs.
The letter, led by Senator Heinrich, was also signed by U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawai’i), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawai’i), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.)
The full text of the letter is below and available here.
Dear Secretary Haaland:
We write in support of the Antiquities Act and the critical role it plays in protecting our nation’s most important and endangered places.
Since 1906, sixteen presidents have used the Antiquities Act to protect places across our nation. From Chaco Canyon in New Mexico to Harriet Tubman’s house in Maryland, the Antiquities Act has long protected key landscapes and historical sites. National monuments protect our most precious natural, cultural, and historical resources, and threats to the integrity of any monuments established under the Antiquities Act threaten the protection of all monuments.
During your confirmation process, you committed to undertaking a thorough review of the Antiquities Act proclamations of the previous Administration. Former President Trump illegally attempted to reduce the protections provided by proclamations that previous presidents issued. We urge you to defend the Antiquities Act and recommend that President Biden review President Trump’s actions and undo any unlawful attacks on the Antiquities Act.
We thank you for your commitment to conservation of our nation’s most important places and history.
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