Saving Seafood

Governor LePage Sends Letter of Support for Maine Lobster to European Union

June 9, 2016 — The following was released by the Maine Department of Marine Resources:

Governor Paul R. LePage today released a letter to Daniel Calleja Crespo, Director General for Environment of the European Commission, strongly encouraging the EU to deny the Swedish government’s attempt to have American Lobster listed as an invasive species.

Governor LePage reiterated a major point included in a response to a Swedish government risk assessment by a team of biologists from Maine, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Virginia. “The risk of establishment is minimal, and a prohibition on import is not the appropriate measure of response at this time,” wrote Governor LePage.

His letter also highlighted weaknesses in the Swedish government’s risk assessment submitted to the European Union earlier this year. “The risk assessment study provides inadequate scientific basis for the petition and as such it should be denied,” wrote Governor LePage.

The Governor acknowledged the European Union’s interest in addressing risks to its marine resource, and stressed Maine’s shared commitment. “Like the EU, we take the risk of any possible ecological threats to our fisheries very seriously and fully appreciate that the European Union is seeking to protect the health of its own marine resources.”

Governor LePage underscored the need for solutions that will allow the continuation of trade that benefits the US, Canada and the EU. “Consumers are seeking a premium live product from Maine and North America,” wrote Governor LePage. “The US and Canada have developed a fishery that can provide this to Europe in a timely manner. Appropriate traceability and accountability within the supply chain can maximize benefits and minimize risk to EU importers, consumers and the environment.”

Read the full letter as a PDF

East Coast Fishing Groups Unite in Opposition to Atlantic Monument

June 2, 2016 — The following was released by the National Coalition for Fishing Communities:

UPDATE: A previous version of this release mistakenly omitted a statement by the American Bluefin Tuna Association. Additionally, since the original release, the American Scallop Association has endorsed the ASMFC resolution. The release has been updated to reflect these changes.

WASHINGTON (NCFC) — The most valuable fishing port in the U.S. – New Bedford, Mass. – and eight major fishing groups from Florida to Massachusetts are backing an Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) resolution opposing current proposals for a monument off the coast of New England. The fisheries most likely to be affected by a National Monument designation inside the continental shelf, including the valuable red crab, swordfish, tuna, and offshore lobster fisheries, have all come out in support of the ASMFC resolution.

Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT), Chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources, is in New Bedford today, where he will hear from regional stakeholders about the negative effects a monument would have on commercial fisheries.

Multiple environmental groups have been pushing the Obama Administration to use executive authority under the Antiquities Act to designate an offshore monument in the Atlantic. Earlier this month, the ASMFC unanimously approved a resolution urging the Administration to forgo a monument designation and instead allow the current management process protecting ocean ecosystems to continue. If the President decides to create a monument, the ASMFC resolution asks that it be seaward of the continental shelf, only prohibit bottom tending fishing, and that any plan be available for public review before it is implemented.

In a letter to the White House, the American Bluefin Tuna Association (ABTA) expressed concern that a monument designation would eliminate all forms of fishing in the protected areas. “Given that our fishing gear has no negative impact on deep sea coral, a proposed prohibition on the fishing methods we employ would be arbitrary, completely unnecessary and would result in significant negative economic consequences,” ABTA wrote.

A monument declaration may have devastating economic impacts on New Bedford as well. The mayor of New Bedford, Jon Mitchell, has come out strongly against a monument and praised the ASMFC resolution in a statement, saying he “applauds the ASMFC for asking the White House not to establish a marine monument off the coast of New England.”

East Coast fishing groups that may also be severely impacted by a monument designation, including many members of the National Coalition for Fishing Communities (NCFC), are lending their strong support to the ASMFC resolution. One fishery that could suffer if it is prohibited from fishing in a monument area is the red crab fishery, valued at over $15 million.

“Rarely in the history of New England commercial fishing have we seen the entire industry and its regulatory bodies unite behind a single cause,” said the New England Red Crab Harvester’s Association in a statement. “Yet with its recent unanimous vote on the marine monument designation, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission joined industry leaders in sending a clear message to the Obama administration: the current monument process poses a serious threat to effective ocean management, and would have disastrous environmental and economic impacts.”

The Fisheries Survival Fund (FSF), which represents members of the Atlantic sea scallop fishery, supported the ASMFC resolution in a letter to the White House. FSF argued that a monument designation would contradict the President’s own Executive Order 13563, which states in part that regulations should be based on the best available science, involve public participation, and include coordination across agencies.

“Public areas and public resources should be managed in an open and transparent manner, not an imperial stroke of the pen,” FSF wrote.

Other groups that have publicly supported the ASMFC plan are the Garden State Seafood Association, Long Island Commercial Fishing Association, Southeastern Fisheries Association, North Carolina Fisheries Association, and American Scallop Association. All of these groups are members of NCFC, which provides a unified voice for fishing groups and businesses. Similarly, the Blue Water Fishermen’s Association, which is not an NCFC member, wrote to the White House opposing an Atlantic Monument.

Maine Department of Marine Resources Announces Lobster Research and Education Awards

May 23, 2016 — The following was released by the Maine Department of Marine Resources:

The Maine Department of Marine Resources has announced four grant awards from the Research, Education and Development fund. The four organizations receiving funding include the Penobscot East Resource Center, the Maine Lobstermen’s Community Alliance, University of Maine System, and Colby College. Each responded to a request for proposal issued in December 2015.

The Penobscot East Resource Center (PERC) will receive $37,500 to develop four lobster curriculum units for its Eastern Maine Skippers Program (ESMP), an educational initiative for high school students planning a career in Maine’s lobster fishing industry. Two units will cover lobster fisheries management and two will target science and life history. PERC, a Deer Isle-based non-profit, will engage industry experts including fishermen, dealers, advocates, managers and scientists in the development and implementation of the curriculum units.

The Maine Lobstermen’s Community Alliance will be awarded $37,500 to build on the success of its Maine Lobstermen’s Leadership Institute (MLLI). Begun in 2014, the MLLI provides education for Maine’s lobster industry members. Participants in the MLLI program will complete three training modules. They will include a workshop on industry issues such as management, science, market and supply chain dynamics, and product quality. There will also be modules that provide opportunities for experiential learning and information exchange with fisheries participants outside of Maine.

The University of Maine System will receive $127,482 to develop a research project titled “A Proactive Approach to Addressing Lobster Health in the Context of a Changing Ecosystem.” Focus of the University of Maine System’s project will be on the changing ocean ecosystem and how these changes can impact lobster reproductive development and susceptibility to disease. An objective of the project is to develop the ability to respond rapidly to reports of shell disease in lobsters.

Colby College will receive $81,657 to conduct an analysis of economic impacts at each point along the supply chain in Maine’s lobster industry. The analysis will not only quantify the direct and indirect economic impacts of the industry throughout the supply chain, but also the induced effects on Maine’s economy of spending by industry workers. Project research will involve confidential surveys of Maine’s lobster dealers and processors as well as analysis of existing Maine Department of Marine Resources and Department of Labor data.

“These projects will help sustain Maine’s iconic lobster fishery by fostering a new generation of educated and engaged fishermen, by improving our understanding of the complex marine environment, and by refining our ability to measure the impacts of the lobster industry on Maine’s economy,” said Maine Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher.

With revenues from the sale of Maine lobster plates, the Research Education and Development Board provides funding for projects that support Maine’s lobster industry.

MICHAEL CONATHAN: Maine lobsters deserve their premium price

May 23, 2016 — The Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative’s study that found restaurants charge over $6 more per plate for lobster from Maine (“Report: Diners shell out more when menu says the lobster’s from Maine,” May 4) is a ringing endorsement of the theory that diners value the sustainability and purity of our state’s signature product and the ethic of the men and women who provide it.

Yet in order for the industry to capitalize on its well-deserved premium price, it must ensure that imposter lobsters are not masquerading as Mainers.

Read the full opinion piece at the Portland Press Herald

MAINE: Lobster processing plant shuttered, up for auction

May 13, 2016 — ST. GEORGE, Maine — A seafood processing plant that opened less than four years ago with the hope of bolstering the lobster industry is closed and up for auction.

Sea Hag Seafood’s plant and 7.5 acres of waterfront property at the mouth of Long Cove in Tenants Harbor will go up for auction on June 17.

Kyle Murdock opened the plant in September 2012 when he 23. The project’s financing included a nearly $1.7 million loan from Camden National Bank and a $400,000 grant through the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development.

The grant money was provided to the company after it created 23 jobs for low- and moderate-income workers and after it met the terms of the federal program, said Maine DECD spokesman Douglas Ray. The town of St. George had sponsored the grant application but the town will not be liable for any repayment because the jobs were created.

Read the full story at Bangor Daily News

Boston Globe: Potential EU Ban On American Lobsters Is Ill-Considered

May 12, 2016 — The following is an excerpt from an editorial published today by the Boston Globe:

Planning the menu for a state dinner is never a picnic, but the White House could make an easy call on Friday when President Obama welcomes the leaders of Finland, Iceland, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue — serve lobster. Simple, too: Just bring water to a rolling boil, cook, and serve with melted butter.

As the black-tied dignitaries strap on their White House-monogrammed bibs, they could also dig into what should be a key issue for the US-Nordic Leaders Summit: Sweden’s effort to ban the importation of live lobsters to the 28 European Union nations under new invasive species regulations. An EU panel will consider the issue next month and the dispute could eventually go to the World Trade Organization.

Scientists in the US and Canada say the danger is as hypothetical as it is exaggerated. Pols and lobstermen go further, branding the Swedish research as, simply, cooked: “protectionism masquerading as science,” several lawmakers say. Secretary of State John Kerry was asked to formally protest. Talk about bringing things to a rolling boil.

But before curbing the kudzu-like proliferation of IKEA products or circumscribing the movement of free-range Volvos, let us consider the lobster trade: The EU imports about $200 million worth of the crustacean per year from the US and Canada, about 13,000 metric tons. All told, the EU imports one-fifth of all exported US lobsters.

For lobsters, the science on the hazard is inconclusive. But say, for the sake of argument, that Homarus americanus does prove invasive. Should Italians or Greeks along the warm waters of the Mediterranean be barred from importing live North American lobsters because they pose a threat to Swedish waters? EU regulations provide for regional measures, short of an outright ban to all member states, so it should never come to that.

Read the full editorial at the Boston Globe

Long Island lobstermen decry new federal rules on closures

May 9, 2016 — Long Island lobstermen, already straining under the weight of a seasonal closure of the Long Island Sound and sharply reduced lobster populations, face the potential for more closures as federal regulators work to rebuild a depleted stock.

Local lobstermen oppose closures, and question how regulators are making their decisions.

At a meeting of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission last week, the American Lobster Management Board agreed to review a series of new measures to address what they called the continuing decline in the Southern New England lobster fishery, which includes the Long Island Sound. The fishery has been affected by environmental factors and fishing activity, the board said.

“Our most recent [2015] assessment showed that the stock has continued to decline and we’re at record low abundance right now,” said Megan Ware, fishery management plan coordinator for the commission.

Read the full story at Newsday

Maine lobster suppliers strategize to foil EU ban

May 9, 2016 — Maine lobster suppliers met behind closed doors with dealers from some of Europe’s biggest lobster importing countries in Brussels last week to discuss a pending ban on importing live North American lobsters into Europe.

The six Maine companies joined their Massachusetts and Canadian peers, as well as national trade officials, to discuss the proposed ban with buyers and trade officials from eight European countries, including the three biggest importers of Homarus americanus: France, Italy and Spain. The meeting occurred at the world’s largest seafood industry trade show, said spokesman Gavin Gibbons of the National Fisheries Institute, an American seafood industry trade group.

About 75 people met for 90 minutes to talk about how to avoid the all-out ban that Sweden asked the European Union to adopt in March after finding North American lobsters in European waters.

“Brussels was productive,” Gibbons said. “Unnecessarily excluding live North American lobsters from that market would have real impacts on both sides of the Atlantic, sales and jobs. So, no one is taking this lightly.”

In March, Sweden petitioned the European Union to declare the North American lobster an invasive species, which would ban live imports to the EU’s 28 member states. It based its petition on an 85-page risk assessment that claims the discovery of a small number of North American lobsters in the waters off Great Britain, Norway and Sweden over the last 30 years, including one female lobster carrying hybrid eggs, proved cross-breeding had taken place. The Swedish scientists say a ban would protect the European lobster from cross-breeding and diseases carried by the North American lobster.

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

Fishery Board Considers Ideas To Protect Southern New England Lobsters

May 6, 2016 — The health of Southern New England’s American lobster population remains a concern for fishermen, scientists and regulators. Ideas for how to help replenish lobsters are still making their way through a long process.

This week the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s lobster management board offered ideas on how to improve the health of the declining lobster populations in areas critical to southern New England fishermen.

Mark Gibson, a board member representing Rhode Island and chief of the fisheries division at the state Department of Environmental Management, said they are just that: ideas.

Read the full story at Rhode Island Public Radio

ASMFC 2016 Spring Meeting Preliminary Agenda and Public Comment Guidelines

March 16, 2016 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Please find attached and below the preliminary agenda and public comment guidelines for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 2016 Spring Meeting, May 2-5, 2016 in Alexandria, VA. The agenda is also available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2016-spring-meeting.  Materials will be available on April 20, 2016 on the Commission website at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2016-spring-meeting. 

Monday, May 2, 2016

9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.              American Lobster Management Board

·         Discuss Future Management of Southern New England American Lobster Stock

o   Address Tabled Motion to Initiate an Addendum to Address the Declining Stock Conditions

o   Technical Committee Report

o   Plan Development Team Report

·         Discuss Future Management for Gulf of Maine/Georges Bank American Lobster Stock

·         Consider Final Action on Draft Addendum I to the Jonah Crab FMP

·         Discuss Possible Action to Create a Coastwide Standard for Claw Landings in the Jonah Crab Fishery

·         Update on Effort Control Measures for Jonah Crab Only Trap Fishermen in Rhode Island

·         Update on the New England Fishery Management Council Deep Sea Coral Habitat Amendment and ASMFC Survey to Area 3 Fishermen

·         American Lobster Law Enforcement Subcommittee Update on Offshore Enforcement and Trap Reduction Enforcement

 

2:30 – 3:30 p.m.                        Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program (ACCSP) Executive Committee

·         Program Update

·         Update on the MRIP APAIS Transition

·         Review and Approve Standard Operating Procedures Written in Response to the Independent Program Review

·         Develop a Program Governance Recommendation

·         Review Request for Proposals for the Upcoming Funding Cycle

3:45 – 4:45 p.m.                         ACCSP Coordinating Council

·         Program Update

·         Update on the MRIP APAIS Transition

·         Consider Approval of Standard Operating Procedures

·         Review and Consider Approval of Governance Recommendations

·         Review and Consider Approval of Request for Proposals for the Upcoming Funding Cycle

 

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

 

8:00 – 10:00 a.m.                      Executive Committee

·         Report of the Administrative Oversight Committee

·         Presentation of the FY17 Budget

·         Discussion of ACCSP Governance

·         Discussion of Plan Development Team Membership

·         Future Annual Meetings Update

 

10:15 – 11:15 a.m.                    Horseshoe Crab Management Board

·         Discuss Biomedical Data Confidentiality and Stock Assessment Planning

·         Review of Alternative Bait Costs

·         Update on Adaptive Resource Management Framework Review

 

11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.          Shad and River Herring Management Board

·         Report from Data Standardization Workshop

·         Update on Activities of the River Herring Technical Expert Work Group

·         Stock Assessment Planning and Timetable for American Shad and River Herring Benchmark Assessments

 

Noon – 5:00 p.m.                     Law Enforcement Committee (LEC)

·         Update on Maine Lobster Trap Tag Transferability Program

·         Discuss Lobster Offshore Enforcement Issues

·         Review Tautog  Tagging Program Options and Subcommittee Efforts

·         Discuss Aerial Enforcement Issues and Subcommittee Efforts

·         Review 2016 Action Plan Tasks for LEC

·         Discuss Ongoing Enforcement Activities (Closed Session)

·         Federal Agency Report Highlights

·         State Agency Report Highlights

·         Review and Discuss Additional ISFMP Species Issues (as needed)

1:15 – 3:45 p.m.                        Climate Change Workshop

 

4:00 – 5:00 p.m.                        American Eel Management Board

·         Discuss Potential Options for Revisiting Yellow Eel Commercial Quota

 

6:00 – 8:00 p.m.                        Annual Awards of Excellence Reception

  

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

 

8:00 – 10:00 a.m.                      Weakfish Management Board

·         Review and Consider Approval of the 2016 Weakfish Benchmark Stock Assessment for Management Use

·         Discuss Next Steps for Management in Response to Assessment Results

8:30 a.m. – Noon                       Law Enforcement Committee (continued)

                                                               

10:15 – 11:45 a.m.                    Interstate Fisheries Management Program (ISFMP) Policy Board

·         Executive Committee Report

·         Management & Science Committee Report

·         Assessment Science Committee Report and Approval of the Stock Assessment Schedule

·         Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership Report

·         Law Enforcement Committee Report

·         Consider Next Steps Relative to Climate Change and ASMFC Management

·         Report on Commissioner Survey Follow-up

·         Atlantic Sturgeon Benchmark Assessment Update

·         Overview of the Sturgeon Research and Recovery Workshop Scheduled for May 16-19, 2016 (Coordinated by NOAA Fisheries)

 

1:00 – 5:00 p.m.                        Commissioner Parliamentary Workshop

  

Thursday, May 5, 2016

 

8:00 – 10:00 a.m.                      Atlantic Menhaden Management Board

·         Consider Draft Addendum I for Public Comment

·         Provide Guidance to the Technical Committee Regarding Stock Projections

·         Consider 2015 FMP Review and State Compliance

10:15 – 11:00 a.m.                    Coastal Sharks Management Board

·         Review and Consider Approval of Draft Addendum IV (Smoothhound Dogfish) for Public Comment

11:15 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.            South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board

·         Review and Consider Approval of the 2016 Red Drum Benchmark Stock Assessment for Management Use

·         Discuss Next Steps for Red Drum Management in Response to the Assessment Results

·         Progress Update on Spot and Atlantic Croaker Benchmark Stock Assessments

·         Review North Carolina Report on Spanish Mackerel Pound Net Landings as Required by Addendum I to the Omnibus Amendment for Spanish Mackerel, Spot, and Spotted Seatrout

·         Elect Vice-Chair

 

2:00 – 2:30 p.m.                      Business Session (if necessary)

·         Review Noncompliance Findings (if necessary)

 

Public Comment Guidelines

With the intent of developing policies in the Commission’s procedures for public participation that result in a fair opportunity for public input, the ISFMP Policy Board has approved the following guidelines for use at management board meetings:

For issues that are not on the agenda, management boards will continue to provide opportunity to the public to bring matters of concern to the board’s attention at the start of each board meeting. Board chairs will use a speaker sign-up list in deciding how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.

For topics that are on the agenda, but have not gone out for public comment, board chairs will provide limited opportunity for comment, taking into account the time allotted on the agenda for the topic. Chairs will have flexibility in deciding how to allocate comment opportunities; this could include hearing one comment in favor and one in opposition until the chair is satisfied further comment will not provide additional insight to the board.

For agenda action items that have already gone out for public comment, it is the Policy Board’s intent to end the occasional practice of allowing extensive and lengthy public comments. Currently, board chairs have the discretion to decide what public comment to allow in these circumstances.

In addition, the following timeline has been established for the submission of written comment for issues for which the Commission has NOT established a specific public comment period (i.e., in response to proposed management action). 

1.    Comments received 3 weeks prior to the start of a meeting week will be included in the briefing materials.

2.    Comments received by 5:00 PM on the Tuesday immediately preceding the scheduled ASMFC Meeting (in this case, the Tuesday deadline will be April 26, 2016) will be distributed electronically to Commissioners/Board members prior to the meeting and a limited number of copies will be provided at the meeting.

3.    Following the Tuesday, April 26, 2016 5:00 PM deadline, the commenter will be responsible for distributing the information to the management board prior to the board meeting or providing enough copies for the management board consideration at the meeting (a minimum of 50 copies).

The submitted comments must clearly indicate the commenter’s expectation from the ASMFC staff regarding distribution.  As with other public comment, it will be accepted via mail, fax, and email.

View a PDF of the Agenda