November 27, 2017 — GLOUCESTER, Mass. — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries is seeking comments on possible revisions for the lobster industry.
They include changes to lobster trap gear requirements and allowing substitute vessels to fish lobster traps for those that are federally permitted but inoperable.
The poor condition of the of the Southern New England lobster stock is part of the reason for this action.
November 22, 2017 — Maine lobster has become more valuable than any other single species commercially fished in the United States, but trade policies pursued by President Donald Trump could reduce its annual worth for the first time in nearly a decade.
Of the more than $600 million worth of North Atlantic lobster caught in the U.S. in 2016, nearly 90 percent, or $538 million, was harvested and brought ashore in Maine, according to a report on nationwide fisheries released this month by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
No other single commercially fished species, even those harvested in multiple states, exceeded $500 million in landings in 2016 or in 2015, according to the report. Maine lobster first earned the most-valuable distinction in 2015, when $501 million worth of American lobster was harvested in the state, according to the Maine Department of Marine Resources.
The value of Maine’s lobster catch has risen every year since 2009. But it’s on track to drop for 2017, in part because of U.S. trade policies that put Maine’s lobster industry at a disadvantage to Canada in selling abroad.
Trump is pursuing efforts to renegotiate trade deals with Mexico, Canada, and South Korea, the fifth-largest importer of Maine lobster. He also pulled the U.S. out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a 12-nation free-trade agreement, and has talked tough on trade with Europe.
November 17, 2017 — ELLSWORTH, Maine — Interstate fishing regulators are holding a series of hearings on the East Coast about a plan to improve data collection in the lobster fishery.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is holding the hearings in January. The commission says it wants to improve harvest reporting and biological data collection to better inform fishing regulations.
The hearings and potential rule changes also apply to the Jonah crab fishery. Changes could include use of new reporting technology.
Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Bradenton Herald
November 1, 2017 — A record number of right whale killings this summer has put environmental groups on the offensive, potentially leading to stricter regulations for Maine lobstermen, even as most of the animals turn up dead in Canadian waters.
A group of environmental organizations has notified federal officials they intend to sue if regulatory agencies fail to better protect the endangered species, following what’s believed to be one of the deadliest summers for North Atlantic right whales in centuries.
Maine lobstermen fear that a lawsuit against the National Marine Fisheries Service could result in more costly restrictions on how they fish, even though none of the 16 right whale deaths have been directly linked to the American lobster fishery. Twelve of the whale deaths occurred in Canada’s Gulf of St. Lawrence, where that country’s snow crab fishery has been cited by experts as a likely factor in several of the deaths.
The remaining four were found off Cape Cod.
With this year’s deaths, the total population of North Atlantic right whales is estimated at fewer than 450.
Early this month, the four environmental organizations sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Chris Oliver, head of the federal fisheries service, saying that federal regulators are violating the Endangered Species Act by not doing more to protect North Atlantic right whales. The groups specifically called on regulators to determine whether additional restrictions should be placed on the American lobster fishery in order to prevent whales from getting entangled in lobster gear.
October 6, 2017 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The August/September 2017 issue of ASMFC Fisheries Focus is now available at http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/59d79752FishFocusAugustSept2017.pdf.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Upcoming Meetings
page 2
From the Executive Director’s Desk
ASMFC Discusses Next Steps in State/Federal Management
page 3
Species Profile
Spot
page 4
Fishery Management Actions
American Lobster
Scup
page 7
Proposed Management Actions
Atlantic Menhaden
Cobia
page 9
Science Highlight
ASMFC Releases Stock Assessment Updates for Atlantic Menhaden and River Herring
page 11
ACCSP
ACCSP Submits Regional Recreational Implementation Plan to NOAA Fisheries MRIP
page 12
Comings & Goings
page 14
Employees of the Quarter Named
page 16
Past issues of Fisheries Focus can be found here – http://www.asmfc.org/search/%20/%20/Fishery-Focus.
Dock prices are also down amid reports of light catches, leaving the industry worried but hoping for a rebound in the next few months.
October 4, 2017 — A cold spring, high bait prices and a stormy summer are adding up to a slow lobstering season in Maine.
Every fisherman and every lobstering port along Maine’s 3,500-mile coastline is different. But as of Oct. 1, the midpoint in the industry’s peak season, most Maine lobstermen and the dealers who buy from them agree the catch is down. They disagree on whether the industry will be able to land enough lobster to recover and keep up with the last few years of record harvests.
Brooklin lobsterman David Tarr, who serves on the state Lobster Advisory Council, predicts his catch will be down about 20 percent this season unless he can pull off a “great finish.” The light catch, coupled with a boat price that was 10 percent off for most of the summer, adds up to a substantial loss, he said. But the 48-year-old fisherman isn’t exactly surprised.
“We have been over the average for many years, so I’m not really shocked by it,” Tarr said. “It makes it harder, for sure.”
SLOWDOWN AFTER SERIES OF RECORD YEARS
Maine has enjoyed a run of record-setting lobster harvests over the past few years. According to data from 2016, the most recent figures available, Maine fishermen landed more than 130 million pounds of lobster valued at $533.1 million, breaking records for annual catch and industry value. Lobster is the most valuable, and through last year at least, the fastest-growing of all the state’s commercial fisheries.
Lobstermen will remain busy through November, depending on which region they fish, so it’s too early to tell whether the perceived decline will be reflected in the official 2017 harvest numbers that the state releases in February.
Even so, the Maine Lobstermen’s Association called it a “painfully slow start” and said the slow pace of landings and the prices that were well below last year’s had left lobstermen feeling angry, disappointed and worried.
“Fortunately, we still have a lot of good fishing months left this year,” association director Patrice McCarron wrote in her September report.
September 1, 2017 — As the shedder, or soft shell, season winds down with higher value hard shell lobsters on the horizon, local lobstermen are hoping to turn what has so far been a dismal season around.
Lobsters are in hiding, or so it seems to lobstermen.
“I’d say we’ve caught about half the lobsters [than in recent years],” Stonington lobsterman Tony Bray said of the 2017 season.
The Stonington Lobster Co-op, which buys a large proportion of the local catch, reported a 25 to 30 percent drop in volume over last year.
“The lobsters are out there, so this is not likely reflective of a resource decline,” said Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries scientist Carla Guenther, who follows Department of Marine Resources data monitoring. “It may be reflective of a habitat shift as to where the lobsters are, and a behavior shift as a reaction to the colder water.”
For lobstermen, low volume doesn’t equal higher prices. At the dock, price per pound has dropped about 20 percent, with the Co-op paying $2.65 per pound, compared to $3.25 this time last year.
Hook, Line & Dinner raised money to support Maine fishermen who catch scallops, shrimp, clams and groundfish.
August 14, 2017 — Imagine the sun setting on a cool summer night with fresh lobsters and steamers and all the fixings, local beer and Maine-grown folk tunes by The Ghost of Paul Revere – and no crowds, because, well, there’s only so much room for vehicles at Cook’s Lobster & Ale House on Bailey Island.
If that wasn’t perfect enough, this July 15 event dubbed Hook, Line & Dinner raised $11,000 to support the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association (MCFA).
“MCFA is a nonprofit run by commercial fishermen,” said Executive Director Ben Martens, explaining that the organization tries to balance the concerns of the industry and those of the environment.
Two hundred MCFA supporters made the winding drive from as far away as Port Clyde to the north and Kennebunkport to the south and, in a few instances, arrived by boat.
A stellar regional program limiting emissions needs support for stronger goals that will save our fisheries.
August 14, 2017 — As a lobsterman for more than 30 years, I have a direct connection to the ocean and its abundance. It’s how I make my living, and I’ve seen it shape my way of life and the people around me. Fishing and seafood are an inextricable part of Maine’s heritage and culture, and it’s thanks to good conservation practices in the lobster fishery that we enjoy the bounty reflected in our record landings of late.
But keeping this way of life requires a continuation of good decision-making now — not only for the health of our ocean, but also for the health of Mainers and our economy. Cutting carbon emissions is an imperative element of that, and we can’t settle for either the status quo or a return to the times and policies that paid little heed to the environment around us.
One program on the state and regional level that has shown great success already, but now faces an imminent decision on its future, is the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. After a 20-month review, a choice must be made on the amount of carbon reduction required — which directly translates into protecting Maine’s people and resources.
August 4, 2017 — Some Rhode Island and Massachusetts lobstermen say they’re frustrated that interstate regulators rejected new catch limits at a meeting Tuesday. The lobstermen say new rules are needed to stem dwindling lobster populations in New England.
Regulators rejected a proposal that would have allowed lobstermen to choose from a menu of conservation options, providing flexibility for different harvest regions.
Closing off certain fishing areas or reducing the number of lobster traps by 50 percent were among the options the proposal would have provided, options the lobstermen helped craft.
Beth Casoni, director of the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association, represents members from both the Bay and Ocean States. She said lobstermen in the south coast of Massachusetts were in favor of passing the rules and giving regions autonomy over how they deal with conservation.
“The fishing industry, you know, they’re hopeful that managers will listen with them and work with them,” Casoni explained. “And when stuff like this happens they want to throw their hands up and walk away because they don’t get paid to go to these meetings.”