Saving Seafood

Under pressure, NOAA delays at-sea monitors for a month

July 1, 2020 — After facing significant pushback from elected officials, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration abruptly reversed course Tuesday and announced it will not resume sending observers out to sea on fishing vessels until at least August.

NOAA had been planning to revive at-sea monitoring in the Northeast on Wednesday after more than three months of suspending the practice, describing it as a key function to track fishery health. Late Tuesday afternoon, however, the agency said the evolving course of the pandemic “required us to re-evaluate and adapt to changing circumstances.”

A waiver exempting fishing vessels from their requirement to carry human observers or at-sea monitors will now remain in place through July 31, during which NOAA plans to conduct outreach with industry leaders and flesh out safety practices it will deploy when monitoring does return.

“As has been done throughout the rest of the country, it is the intent of NOAA Fisheries to begin redeploying observers as soon as it is safe and appropriate to do so,” NOAA wrote in a press release. “While we intend to begin redeploying observers on August 1, we recognize that this public health crisis continues to evolve and changing conditions may warrant re-evaluating these plans.”

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

NMFS relents on Northeast observers, extends moratorium through July

June 30, 2020 — Faced with dismay from fishermen and East Coast fishery management councils, NMFS announced it will delay its plan to resume at-sea observer deployments through July 31.

The agency backed away from its plan to restart the observer program July 1, after the Mid-Atlantic and New England fishery management councils sent NMFS Northeast regional administrator Michael Pentony and other officials letters expressing alarm that the decision was made too soon.

The Northeast Fisheries Science Center had been planning since May 28 to work toward a July resumption. But in recent weeks the covid-19 pandemic started a new upward arc across the nation.

“Although we had announced plans to resume observer deployments on July 1, we recognize the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve and as such, has required us to re-evaluate and adapt to changing circumstances,” the agency said in a public statement issued Tuesday afternoon. “In response, NOAA Fisheries is extending the waiver granted to vessels with Greater Atlantic Region fishing permits to carry human observers or at-sea monitors through July 31, 2020.”

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Monitors to return; fishermen critical

June 25, 2020 — NOAA Fisheries’s plan to reinstate at-sea monitoring aboard commercial fishing vessels on July 1 despite the ongoing pandemic prompted withering criticism Tuesday from the region’s fishing industry.

Fishermen and other stakeholders flocked onto the webinar of the New England Fishery Management Council’s June meeting Tuesday morning to voice their displeasure — and perplexity — at the decision by NOAA Fisheries to resume placing monitors aboard vessels despite obvious health risks.

“They’ve offered us no guidelines and protocols for keeping observers and the industry safe,” Gloucester Fisheries Director Al Cottone, a longtime Gloucester fisherman, said in an interview following the webinar. “Basically, NOAA Fisheries has just passed the buck, placing the burden on the industry and (monitoring) providers on how to be safe on a 40-foot boat.”

He said the agency has not provided provisions for mandatory testing of observers, nor will it provide medical exemptions for at-sea monitoring to fishermen who have a pre-existing condition or are at extreme risk because of age.

“We have an elderly working fleet here,” Cottone said.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

NOAA Announces Resumption of Greater Atlantic Fisheries Observer Requirements; Fishery Management Councils Object to Decision

June 23, 2020 — Yesterday, NOAA Fisheries announced that vessels in the Greater Atlantic region will once again be required to carry fishery observers and at-sea monitors beginning July 1. The agency had previously waived the requirements since the start of the COVID-19 crisis in March.

While the agency, in its letter to stakeholders, stated that “Observers and at-sea monitors are an essential component of commercial fishing operations,” the decision was opposed by Fishery Management Councils in the region. In its own letter to NOAA Fisheries, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) called on the agency “to extend the observer coverage waiver until the number of active COVID-19 cases in the region has been substantially reduced and the number of new cases is steadily declining.”

“Although some states are beginning to slowly reopen, social distancing protocols are still almost universally recommended or required. However, the close living quarters on most fishing vessels would make social distancing virtually impossible,” the Council’s letter states. “Recognizing that the virus could spread rapidly within these environments, many fishing crews have been self-quarantining before fishing trips. Unless observers are subject to mandatory 14-day quarantine periods between assignments, we are concerned that they could unknowingly become vectors for transmission of the virus between fishing vessels.”

In addition to expressing concern over the safety of reallowing observers on fishing vessels, the Council also noted that the resumption of onboard observers and monitors goes against the telework policies implemented by both the Council and NOAA during the ongoing COVID-19 related shutdown.

“It is our understanding that NOAA, like the Council, continues to operate under a maximum telework policy. Also, we believe that NOAA staff such as Northeast Fisheries Science Center employees are currently prohibited from participating in on-board cooperative research,” the letter stated. “During our June Council Meeting, which was conducted entirely by webinar, we discussed plans for how and when to resume in-person meetings. The Council was generally in agreement that at this time the public health risks outweigh the benefits of face-to-face meetings and that we should continue to utilize virtual meetings for the near term. Considering these steps that have been taken to minimize health risks for fishery scientists and managers, why should the same consideration not be extended to the fishing industry?”

At its meeting today, the New England Fishery Management Council approved a motion “to task Council staff to write a letter expressing the Council’s concern regarding the redeployment of the observer program on July 1.” The motion was agreed to by consensus with 3 abstentions.

Read NOAA’s announcement here

Read the Council’s letter here

MASSACHUSETTS: UPDATE: Moulton calls for extension of monitor waiver

June 19, 2020 — Two Massachusetts congressmen are urging NOAA Fisheries to extend the waiver that removed at-sea monitors from commercial fishing vessels in the Northeast fisheries as a continued protection against the COVID-19 virus.

In a letter to Neil Jacobs, an acting undersecretary at the Department of Commerce, U.S. Reps. Seth Moulton and Bill Keating said a continuation of the at-sea monitor waiver is “critical to both protect the health and welfare of fishermen who are working to sustain their operations and to maintain our region’s seafood supply during the continued COVID-19 pandemic.”

On March 24, NOAA Fisheries implemented the at-sea monitor waiver and took the observers off the boats. It has extended the waiver at least twice. Moulton said the agency informed his office on June 12 that the waiver would be withdrawn, possibly as early as July 1, and at-sea monitors would return to assigned vessels.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Pacific Fisheries officials extend observer requirement suspensions to 31 July

May 29, 2020 — Pacific Fisheries officials, on 21 May, extended a suspension of 100 percent observer coverage requirements on all purse-seiners fishing in the waters of member-nations to 31 July.

The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), in a circular memo, endorsed the extension of the measure, stating that the “temporary suspension will apply to new trips after a vessel operator has met any requirement for repatriation of observers currently onboard a vessel.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Observer Coverage in Greater Atlantic Region to Resume July 1

May 29, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is extending the waiver granted to vessels with Greater Atlantic Region fishing permits to carry human observers or at-sea monitors through June 30, 2020. This action is authorized by 50 CFR 648.11, which provides the Greater Atlantic Regional Administrator authority to waive observer requirements, and is also consistent with the criteria described in the agency’s emergency rule on observer waivers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We intend to begin redeploying observers and at-sea monitors on vessels fishing in northeast fisheries on July 1. During the month of June, we will continue to work with regional observer and at-sea monitoring service providers to finalize their observer redeployment plans, conduct outreach with industry, and finalize internal programs and policies that will support the safe and effective redeployment of observers and at-sea monitors in the region.

Observers and at-sea monitors are an essential component of commercial fishing operations and provide critical information that is necessary to keep fisheries open and to provide sustainable seafood to our nation during this time. We will continue to monitor all local public health notifications, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for updates. We are committed to protecting the public health and ensuring the safety of fishermen, observers, and others, while fulfilling our mission to maintain our nation’s seafood supply and conserving marine life.

As has been done throughout the rest of the country, it is the intent of NOAA Fisheries to begin redeploying observers as soon as it is safe and appropriate to do so. While we intend to begin redeploying observers on July 1, we recognize that this public health crisis continues to evolve and changing conditions may warrant re-evaluating these plans. Should our plans regarding re-deploying observers and at-sea monitors change, we will announce any changes as soon as practicable.

NOAA Extends Waiver for Monitors on Fishing Ships

May 19, 2020 — The federal government is continuing to waive the need for some fishing vessels to carry at-sea monitors.

At-sea monitors and fishery observers collect data on board fishing boats that help inform the management of U.S. fisheries. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office has waived the requirement for vessels with Northeast fishing permits to carry the monitors through May 30.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at U.S. News

Reminder: Herring Midwater Trawl Vessels May Not Fish in Groundfish Closed Areas Without a NOAA Fisheries-Certified Observer Onboard

May 12, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is temporarily waiving the requirement for all vessels with Greater Atlantic Region fishing permits to carry a fishery observer or at-sea monitor. The waiver is currently in effect through May 16, 2020, and future extensions of this waiver will be evaluated weekly.

Herring midwater trawl vessels may not fish in Groundfish Closed Areas while this waiver is in effect. Groundfish Closed Areas include Cashes Ledge Closure Area, Western Gulf of Maine Closure Area, Closed Area I North (February 1 – April 15), and Closed Area II. Midwater trawl vessels issued Atlantic herring permits are required to carry a NOAA Fisheries-certified observer onboard as a condition of fishing in a Groundfish Closed Area. Therefore, a herring midwater trawl vessel not carrying an observer onboard may not fish in a Groundfish Closed Area.