State and Local

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — August 6, 2012 — The Division of Marine Fisheries has launched a $1 million revolving loan fund for commercial fisheries to help owner-operated businesses lease groundfish quotas.

The state's groundfishermen have been suffering since last year, when their quota system changed from regulating days fishing boats spend at sea to allocating shares, or sectors, of stocks that they can fish only in specific areas.

Since the new system has been in place, a market has developed of owner-operated fishing businesses selling and leasing their quotas to larger companies in order to stay afloat.

Director of the Division of Marine Fisheries Paul Diodati said the state's low-interest loan program is meant to support owner-operated businesses by lending them funds to buy more shares.

"The fishermen we are trying to cater to are fishermen who have already taken out loans to keep their boats safe or to get additional sectors that they need to keep their businesses above water," he said.

The fund is the result of a partnership between the state and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Diodati said.

 

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard Times.

 

 

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — August 8, 2012 — A federal district court judge in Washington, D.C., has ordered fisheries managers to produce a legal regulatory framework for Atlantic herring in exactly one year.

In March, according to a news release, Judge Gladys Kessler sided with recreational and charter fishermen who contended that NOAA and the New England Fishery Management Council illegally disregarded four types of threatened herring when they set the guidelines for fishing Atlantic herring in the document called Amendment 4.

The fishermen contended that this meant the commercial herring boats are fishing on a different set of rules and causing bycatch that is undoing years of conservation efforts.

Kessler gave the parties time to make suggestions on bringing Amendment 4 into compliance, and she sorted through them before issuing her order this week.

And rather than issue an injunction, she left the process up to the responsible agency, which she said is always the court's first preference.

 

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard Times.

 

 

NORTH CAROLINA — August 3, 2012 — The three owners of Seaview Crab Co. shelved their college degrees to take up a career in the seafood industry. At the time, they didn't know that their bait of choice would become the centerpiece of a seagoing battle.

Brothers Sam and Joe Romano and longtime friend Nathan King opened Seaview Crab Co. on Carolina Beach Road in 2009. Menhaden has been their predominant bait since the beginning.

"It's a more oily fish. The crabs smell it better," King said.

But the fish has been at the center of conflict, one that state lawmakers waded into again during the recently concluded legislative session. As part of a seafood study bill, they banned purse-seine fishing operations for menhaden in state waters.

Recreational fishermen think over-harvesting of menhaden cuts their chances of catching popular gamefish species that prey on the oily fish.

Commercial fishermen think of the bill as a gear ban that could open the door for more regulation.

But recreational fishermen and lawmakers agree the state doesn't need the large factory ships that come in from Virginia to scoop up whole schools of the fish.

Traditionally menhaden have been used to make fish oil, fish meal and fertilizer.

The 2005 closure of the last factory in North Carolina, however, did not mean the end of factory harvest for menhaden. Omega Protein Corp., based in Reedville, Va., sends ships into North Carolina waters to harvest menhaden.

In 2007, a Brunswick County-specific bill was passed by the General Assembly restricting the harvesting of menhaden within three miles of the county's shore. This year, Senate Bill 821 extended the purse seine ban.

Read the full story at the Star News Online.

 

 

MONTEREY, Cal. — August 3, 2012 — A recent round of testing at local seafood stores and restaurants shows 36 percent of fish are mislabeled, the latest effort by a local environmental group to highlight seafood fraud.

The Monterey County Weekly published the results Thursday, after a round of testing done in conjunction with Monterey-based Oceana, a conservation group that has launched seafood tests in cities across the U.S.

"Monterey Bay is known as a place to come and get seafood. We're not doing better that anywhere else in the country," said Geoff Shester, Oceana's California program director.

Some of the fish were rockfish mislabeled as Pacific red snapper, a common cross-up that is allowed under state law but not under federal rules. But Oceana and the Weekly also found that samples of a local seafood staple, Pacific sanddabs, also could be mislabeled.

"That was the biggest surprise to me – one of our iconic local seafoods, a very Monterey Bay seafood," Shester said.

Those samples turned out to be juvenile flathead sole, similar to but distinct from Pacific sanddabs. In all, seven of 19 samples tested turned out to be inaccurate.

Oceana has conducted seafood sampling in other regions, recently finding 55 percent of fish in Los Angeles and Orange counties mislabeled. In Boston, it was 48 percent. In South Florida, 31 percent.

The rockfish for red snapper bait-and-switch is common, with estimates of up to 70 percent of Pacific red snapper being mislabeled in restaurants and grocery stores. Sushi also is frequently mislabeled, and farmed Atlantic salmon is often found in place of wild Alaska salmon.

Shester said Oceana not only wants to make sure that consumers aren't ripped off, but also that they get an accurate picture of how and where their food is caught.

Alan Lovewell of Local Catch Monterey Bay, a membership-based group that connects consumers directly with fishermen, said there is less chance for seafood fraud if supply chains are shorter. Living near the ocean is an advantage, Lovewell said, but because sanddabs are both highly sought and difficult to catch, there could be an incentive to switch them out.

 

Read the full story here 

 

 

August 3, 2012 — The following was released by the Maine Coast Fisherman's Association.

Topsham, ME: The Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association (MCFA) recently expanded its staff and hired Lucy Van Hook as the Fisheries Program Coordinator. The Fisheries Program Coordinator position is partially funded by the Community Building Grant Program of the Maine Community Foundation, which aims to support organizations and programs that recognize and build-on a community’s strengths and assets.

The Maine Commercial fishing industry has been in decline over the past two decades putting our iconic fishing heritage at risk. Those who target groundfish, like cod and haddock, have especially felt the sting of massive consolidation as the number of businesses in Maine have been reduced by over 70% since 1996. MCFA works with local fishermen to keep them informed, active, and engaged in the regulatory process while also building stronger businesses to ensure the long-term success of our resource and coastal communities.

“With the addition of Lucy to our team,” said Ben Martens, Executive Director of MCFA. “We hope to build a greater constituency, engage more fishermen, and establish a firm base from which our organization can continue to grow and support the community-based fishermen of Maine.”

Over the past year, MCFA has grown with the guidance and efforts of the fishermen who formed the organization to provide a unified voice for community-based fishermen. Having another staff member allows MCFA to increase the effectiveness of the Association.

“Preserving the fishing communities along our coast and protecting Maine's cultural identity requires successful fishing businesses, healthy fish stocks and a establishing a strong voice to advocate on behalf of Maine's fisherman. We’re excited to have this opportunity to bring on new staff better serve the fishermen of Maine,” said Gerry Cushman, board president out of Port Clyde.

The Fisheries Program Coordinator will work on several ongoing projects with partner agencies, The Island Institute, The Nature Conservancy, Penobscot East Resource Center, and Gulf of Maine Resource Institute. Projects include sustainability research focusing on increasing fuel efficiency on boats and avoiding non-target species, business planning with fishermen, supporting the Port Clyde Community Groundfish Sector and advocating for common sense approaches to fishing regulations that support a diverse fleet out on the water. “I am thrilled to be working with MCFA to support sustained community-based fishing in Maine and look forward to getting started,” said Van Hook.

 

Read the release here.

 

 

July 30, 2012 — If you have spent time on Long Island Sound this summer, especially between Rye, New York and Old Saybrook, Connecticut, perhaps you’ve spotted black patches of water among a sea of blue. At closer inspection the dark, nervous water may have appeared moving or boiling with splashes. This is the scene I’ve been witnessing every day for two months on my commute to work along I-95 in New Haven. These dark patches of water are schools of large baitfish called Atlantic menhaden, also known as bunker or pogies depending where you live.

These silver fish with black spots visit Long Island Sound each year usually around early May, sometimes staying in or around our harbors through October. Some years we see better numbers of bunker in the Sound than others and this seems to be one of them. Just ask fishermen and bait shops up and down the shoreline and they’ll tell you with a grin that it’s been a good year so far for the baitfish, which in turn draw in predators like bluefish and striped bass that saltwater anglers love to catch.

The author H. Bruce Franklin was spot on when he titled his book about menhaden , The Most Important Fish in the Sea. Menhaden make up the foundation of the Atlantic Ocean food chain. So many creatures along the Eastern Coast depend on this oily forage fish, from marine mammals to birds to sea turtles to bigger fish. In addition to their important role in the food chain, menhaden are filter feeders and act as natural filters for the ocean ecosystem.

Menhaden are also valuable to humans and this, unfortunately, has led to overfishing. Although the commercial harvesting of menhaden is not allowed here in the Sound, this is a huge industry in the Mid-Atlantic States, where they are used for various things like omega-3 fish pills, pet food, and livestock feed. Save the Sound and many other environmental groups signed-on a letter last November urging the Atlantic State Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) to take action to rebuild menhaden populations by reducing coast-wide catch limits. ASMFC listened and voted in favor of an overall 37 percent reduction in menhaden harvest starting in 2013.

The decision last November was a big win for menhaden and for all the marine life and wildlife that depend on them. Hopefully this will allow menhaden populations to again rebound to sustainable levels, which will mean more years like this one in Long Island Sound’s future.

Read the full story on the Green Cities Blue Waters blog

Analysis: The Greener Cities Blue Waters blog article, “Bunker Plentiful in Long Island Sound This Year”, provides an analysis of the Atlantic menhaden situation, and reports that the menhaden in the Long Island Sound appear to be healthy and plentiful. It also states that Atlantic menhaden, due its value as fish oil and fishmeal, is currently being overfished and that the Atlantic States Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) is currently responding with new regulatory action to prevent future overfishing.

However, this statement is not completely accurate. The article does not mention that, according to the last peer-reviewed Atlantic menhaden assessment, in 2010, overfishing of menhaden has been occurring less and less frequently. In fact, overfishing of menhaden has only occurred in two of the last fifteen years, and even in those years, the limits were barely exceeded. The last recorded instance of overfishing was in 2008, when the fishery was just .4% over the threshold determined by the ASMFC. Menhaden is a comparatively short-lived species (living from 8-10 years), and the average menhaden produces an extremely high number of eggs over the course of its lifetime, only the most recent data is relevant in determining the health of the species.

The article also outlines the ASMFC’s plan of action, yet the menhaden Management Board, the body in charge of making these decisions, has not made any concrete plan in menhaden management action. In fact, the menhaden Technical Committee and Stock Assessment Subcommittee, who suggest management measures to the Management Board based on the stock assessments, may recommend postponing action due to flaws found in the assessment model currently used.

 

 

EAST HAMPTON, NY — July 26, 2012 — On Tuesday evening outside at the Gin Beach Market in Montauk, a film titled “Salt of the Sea — How Politics, Economics, and Danger Push Fishermen to Their Limits, and Beyond” will be presented by Third Wave Films and hosted by the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association.

Tom Garber, who wrote and produced “Salt of the Sea,” described it as the story of what happens when traditions of self-reliance and independence clash with federal bureaucracy and corruption.

Bonnie Brady, executive director of the association, said the film was a good primer for the public on what commercial fishermen in this country have been facing in the last several years, including the science behind the regulations and the scandal revealed by the Commerce Department’s inspector general’s report on excesses within the National Marine Fisheries Service enforcement wing.

The film will be shown in the field behind the Gin Beach Market. Ms. Brady advised viewers to take a blanket or lawn chair. Nancy Atlas, who provided music for the film’s soundtrack, will play a 30-minute set before sunset, then there will be a few words from the producer before the film begins at 8:30. It runs a little over an hour.

 

Read the full story at the East Hampton Star.

 

 

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — July 26, 2012 — Mayor Jon Mitchell is traveling to Washington today to press the members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation on two issues key to the city's welfare: fishing and firefighting.

The possibility that the catch limit for yellowtail flounder on Georges Bank could be set as low as 150 metric tons for the 2013 fishing year prompted the journey, the mayor said. If that limit were to be enforced, there is broad consensus it would effectively shut down both the city's groundfish boats and scallopers, Mitchell said. "Closed Area 2 (on Georges Bank) is the largest scallop fishing ground. Shutting that down would be a gigantic hit to the industry and the local economy."

The mayor has scheduled separate meetings with Sens. John Kerry and Scott Brown and Reps. Barney Frank and Bill Keating today.

Mitchell said he will urge the legislators to put pressure on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and National Marine Fisheries Service to revisit its stock assessment model. "The science is dubious at best," Mitchell said. "We need to get out ahead of this with prompt action."

Mitchell will be accompanied to by New Bedford Fire Chief Michael Gomes and union president Billy Cabral. The trio will urge the delegation to support the city's application to renew its SAFER grant, which expires in May. The grant provides federal funds to ensure that fire departments across the nation are adequately manned. It is awarded every two years.

"We can't forgo reapplying for this if we want to maintain current staffing levels," the mayor said.

 

Read the full story in the New Bedford Standard Times

 

 

GUILFORD, Conn., July 24, 2012 — A proposed three-month moratorium on commercial lobster fishing is not the way to address the dramatic decline of lobsters in Long Island Sound, lobstermen, officials and activists said Monday.

They urged the government instead to take a closer look at pesticides that some blame for the Sound-wide lobster die-off that began about 12 years ago and fully fund efforts to improve water quality by continuing to clean up Long Island Sound.

"We need to stop putting poison in the drainage system and try to clean up the Sound," said Nick Crismale, a Guilford lobsterman who is president of the Connecticut Commercial Lobstermen's Association. "The state shouldn't be asking us to reduce [our work] because they haven't done anything. If not them, then who do we hold accountable?"

Crismale wants the state and federal governments to take responsibility for the failing industry.

He was joined at a press conference at the Guilford Lobster Pound by members of the Citizens Campaign for the Environment and Connecticut legislators, including U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-New Haven) state Sen. Ed Meyer (D-Guilford) and state Reps. Patricia Widlitz (D-Guilford), Lonnie Reed (D-Branford) and Elissa Wright (D-Groton).

The most pressing concern was the proposal by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and New York Department of Environmental Conservation for a three-month moratorium on lobster fishing that would begin in October.

Read the full story at Newsday.

 

 

FLORIDA, July 24, 2012 – f you're shopping for seafood in South Florida, you may not be getting what you pay for. An investigation by the ocean conservation organization Oceana found that 31 percent of the seafood sold in that part of the country was mislabeled, a practice that could not only cost customers more money but also put their health at risk.

Oceana representatives purchased 96 different seafood samples from 60 retail outlets in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale-area and Monroe and Palm Beach counties as part of its Stop Seafood Fraud campaign. DNA testing was performed on each sample. Of the 14 species of fish collected, fraud was detected in seven species.
 
The most-often mislabeled fish was snapper: 10 out of 26 samples purchased were found to be incorrectly identified. The majority of those cases were when the fish was specifically labeled as red snapper. Of the seven red snapper samples purchased, six were other, less desirable, less expensive varieties such as Pacific dog snapper, Lane snapper or silk snapper. One of the samples wasn't even a snapper at all — it was actually sea bream from the Pacific Ocean.
 
One of the most egregious examples of mislabeling was a fish sold as grouper that was actually king mackerel, a fish that tends to have very high mercury levels. Women of childbearing age are cautioned not to consume king mackerel because the mercury could hurt a developing fetus.
 
Oceana also found that all of the fish labeled as white tuna was incorrectly identified. One in five samples of supposedly wild king salmon was actually Atlantic salmon.
 
Where the fish was purchased made a difference, Oceana found. Grocery stores had the best labeling practices, with only 8 percent of fish mislabeled. Restaurants were incorrect 36 percent of the time. Sushi venues had the highest mislabeling rate: 58 percent.

Read the full story here.