Saving Seafood

ASMFC Atlantic Herring Section Initiates Addendum to Improve Performance of Area 1A Fishery

October 27, 2016 — The following was released by the ASMFC:

Bar Harbor, ME – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Section initiated Addendum I to Amendment 3 of the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Herring to improve the performance of the Area 1A (inshore Gulf of Maine) Atlantic herring fishery. The purpose of the addendum is to develop additional management alternatives for the days out program. It is in response to the accelerated pace of Area 1A Trimester 2 (June through September) landings in recent years and the increasingly dynamic nature of days out measures to control Trimester 2 effort that have varied across states.

The Section utilizes days out of the fishery to slow the rate of Area 1A catch so the seasonal quota can be distributed throughout each trimester. Currently, the days out program is specific to landing day restrictions. The increase in the number of larger carrier vessels in the area has rendered days out less effective in controlling effort because vessels can transfer catch to large carrier vessels at-sea, allowing harvesters additional days of fishing beyond the days that are open to landings.

In 2016, Maine’s Department of Marine Resources (DMR) implemented a series of emergency rules that were more restrictive than Commission measures in an attempt to extend the Trimester 2 quota into September. These rules included a weekly landing limit, restricted landing and fishing days, as well as at sea transfer restrictions. DMR’s measures only applied to vessels landing in Maine. New Hampshire and Massachusetts implemented one of these management measures – three consecutive landing days. The Draft Addendum will explore these measures and potentially others that could be uniformly applied by the Area 1A of Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

For more information on Area 1A fishery performance in the 2015 and 2016 fishing year that brought about the need for alternative management measures refer to a white paper, which is available on the Commission website at http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/58124582AtlHerringArea1AFisheryPerformance_2015_2016.pdf.

Regulators increase menhaden quota, which could help ease bait fish shortage

October 27, 2016 — Regulators voted Wednesday to increase the annual quota for menhaden in 2017, giving Maine lobstermen a welcome boost in the supply of a popular bait fish, but no relief for Maine fishermen who want a bigger share of the national menhaden harvest.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has struggled to set its quota for the oily forage fish, also known as pogey, with members split between wanting to maintain the annual menhaden catch at 187,880 metric tons and those who say the stock has rebounded enough to raise the quota.

On Wednesday, as the commission gathered for its annual meeting in Bar Harbor, the menhaden board voted 16-2 to increase the annual quota by 6.5 percent, to 200,000 metric tons, with Pennsylvania and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service holding out for keeping the quota unchanged.

Some member states had wanted to raise the quota by 20 percent or 40 percent, saying that government scientists believe there is no chance that even an increase of that size would lead to overfishing of the population, which appears to have rebounded after years of decline.

“Science says the stock’s in good shape,” said Bill Adler of the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association. “I find it difficult that we can deal with overfishing, we can do a good job of cutting things down, but then we have success and we don’t know what to do with it.”

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

Interstate lobster conservation plan up for key vote soon

October 20, 2016 — BAR HARBOR, Maine — Interstate fishing managers will vote next week on whether to send a proposal to try to rebuild the southern New England lobster population out for public comment.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has been working on new management measures to try to preserve lobsters in the waters of southern New England.

The commission is meeting on Oct. 27 in Bar Harbor, Maine, to decide whether to send the management proposal to the public for consideration.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for September 5, 2016

September 6, 2016 — The following was released by the North Carolina Fisheries Association:

HAPPY LABOR DAY!

This Weekly Update is just a little bit early this week due to several reasons, one being, Labor Day! Most folks that really should celebrate Labor Day are working!

FUNERAL SERVICE FOR CHARLIE WYNN OF ORIENTAL:

We sent out information previously about Charlie, so here is the information about his funeral.

Sunday at 2:00pm at the Tabernacle Church 885 Hwy 306
Grantsboro NC 28529

From David:

NC Fisheries Workshop Update:

The date and location is set for: September 17, 2016

8:00am till 5:00pm
NC History Center at Tryon Palace in New Bern.

The address is 529 S Front St, New Bern, NC 28562.

For this workshop, all items necessary will be provided, including a packet containing handouts to follow along with and take notes.

I need an accurate count of who wishes to attend in order to have handouts prepared, so if you are planning to attend but have not confirmed, please let me know ASAP. It is also my intention to provide a light lunch in order to keep the class rolling and provide time for related discussion.

Even if you have not responded yet, but wish to attend, please contact me as soon as possible. Still, I anticipate plenty of walk-in room for those who decide at the last minute.

If you have not done so already, please contact me at davidbush@ncfish.org, or 910-777-1605 to reserve a seat for you.

See the full update at the North Carolina Fisheries Associaton

Public may get to weigh in on lobster conservation plan

September 6, 2016 — BAR HARBOR, Maine — The public might soon have a chance to comment on a proposal aimed at saving part of New England’s lobster population from decline.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is working on new management measures to try to preserve lobsters in southern New England waters. Scientists say those lobsters are in decline while the species is thriving further up the coast in Maine.

The commission is meeting next month in Bar Harbor, Maine, to decide whether to send the management measures to the public for comment. Measures could include things like seasonal closures and changes to the minimum and maximum harvesting sizes of lobsters.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at NH1

ASMFC 75th Annual Meeting Details, Preliminary Agenda and Public Comment Guidelines

August 30, 2016 — The following was released by the ASMFC:

Please find below and attached the preliminary agenda and public comment guidelines for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 75th Annual Meeting, which will be held October 23-27, 2016  at the Harborside Hotel in Bar Harbor, Maine. This email contains meeting details, including the preliminary agenda. All of the business meetings scheduled during this week (with the exception of closed sessions) are open to the public, free of charge. However, if you plan on attending any of the Annual Meeting social events, please help us prepare for these events by registering early (see below and attached for more details). Please note the preliminary agenda, which is also available athttp://www.asmfc.org/home/2016-annual-meeting, is subject to change. Bulleted items represent the anticipated major issues to be discussed or acted upon at the meeting. The final agenda will include additional items and may revise the bulleted items provided in the Preliminary Agenda which follows.

Our Maine Commissioners have been working for quite a while now on the meeting details and are looking forward to welcoming you all to Bar Harbor. Surrounded by Acadia National Park and located at the edge of the sea there is a special mystique to Bar Harbor that you have to experience to understand!

ACCOMODATIONS: A block of rooms is being held at the Harborside Hotel (55 West Street, Bar Harbor, ME. Please make your reservations by calling (800)328-5033 as soon as possible to obtain the negotiated room rate of $159.00 plus tax. Hotel reservations must be made before September 26, 2016. Room availability will not be guaranteed beyond this date.  Please be aware that you must guarantee your room reservation with a major credit card or one night’s advance payment and you must notify the hotel of any cancellation prior to 72 hours before arrival or you will be billed one night’s room plus tax. If you have any problems regarding accommodations, please contact Cindy at 703.842.0740 or crobertson@asmfc.org. 

PLEASE NOTE: The negotiated room rate will be available from October 22nd through the 27th.

GETTING TO BAR HARBOR: Bar Harbor is accessible by automobile, plane or boat! The flights into Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport are not plentiful in the latter half of October, but you can get connecting flights from Boston and Portland into Bar Harbor Airport.  Bangor has many flights daily – even some nonstop flights from Washington, D.C., and it is an hour and 15 minutes from Bar Harbor.  Portland has even more flights from up and down the coast, and the drive to Bar Harbor from Portland is 3 hours.

REGISTRATION:  The meeting registration fee is $200/per participant and $150/per spouse or guest if you register by October 17, 2016. After October 17th and in Bar Harbor the fees will be $225 and $175, respectively. The registration fee covers the Sunday night reception, the Tuesday night dinner, and the Wednesday Hart Award Luncheon, as well event materials. Payment is not required until you arrive at the meeting; however, we ask that you please assist us in planning for the meeting by registering as soon as possible. You may register by returning the fillable registration form (by email to lhartman@asmfc.org, fax (703.842.0741, or US mail to 1050 N. Highland Street, Suite 200A-N, Arlington, VA 22201). Once you have registered, payment can be made in several ways (1) check, cash or credit card at the ASMFC Registration Desk at the Annual Meeting; (2) credit card by calling Lisa Hartman at 703.842.0744; or (3) mail a check to ASMFC (address above).  (Please note all board/committee members attending the Annual Meeting will be reimbursed for the full registration fee. However, the additional $25 for late registration fees will not be reimbursed.)

 

Maine scientist seeks keys to how sea urchins avoid aging process

June 1, 2016 — Sea urchins don’t appear to age, and researchers from Maine and Bermuda are trying to find out why.

The answer might help unlock the secrets of how to slow the aging process in humans, scientists say.

“We don’t really know how (long) sea urchins can live,” James Coffman, a scientist at the MDI Biological Laboratory in Bar Harbor, said of the spiky ocean floor dwellers. “They may be living hundreds of years.”

But when they do die, it’s not of old age, according to Coffman’s research.

That’s because sea urchin cells do not degrade, like the cells in humans or most other creatures.

“A lot of things can kill you. Old age is just one of them,” Coffman said.

He and Andrea Bodnar, a scientist from the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Studies, recently published an article on their research, “Maintenance of Somatic Tissue Regeneration with Age in Short- and Long-lived Species of Sea Urchins,” in Aging Cell, a scholarly journal. The research was funded by a two-year, $275,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health.

Coffman and Bodnar studied the differences between red sea urchins, which can live to be more than 100 years old; the purple sea urchin, with a lifespan of about 50 years; and the green sea urchin, which dies after four to five years of life. Bodnar said the sea urchin lifespans are based on observations by fishermen.

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

New Owner May Reopen Fish Company After Food Safety Upgrade

February 17, 2016 — The federal court documents that Friday led to the mandatory closure of the Sullivan Harbor Farm smokehouse in Hancock, ME, also included  a lengthy recipe for re-opening the facility known for annually smoking as much as 75,000 pounds of Atlantic salmon.

Friday’s consent decree of permanent injunction, ordered by a federal judge, shut down Mill Stream Corp., doing business as Sullivan Harbor Farm on U.S. 1 in Maine. The injunction also prohibits the company’s former president and owner, Ira J. Frantzman, from working in the food industry. The injunction is in response to a Feb. 10 complaint by the U.S. Department of Justice at the behest of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

But ahead of the Feb. 12 injunction, in late January, Sullivan Harbor Farm reportedly was sold.

“The new owner has already made most of the necessary improvements while working with a food safety expert in conjunction with FDA to improve safety, sanitation and training practices in anticipation of reopening soon, bringing award winning products back into the marketplace,” stated a Sullivan Harbor Farm post Monday on the company’s Facebook page.

It did not disclose the name of the new owner, but said whoever it is plans to “move forward with new concepts, while continuing the 25 year tradition of producing safe, tasty artisanal smoked seafood.”

Read the full story at Food Safety News