Saving Seafood

CALIFORNIA: New plan could bring wind turbines closer to SLO County’s shore. And people aren’t happy

July 31, 2020 — A task force working to bring offshore wind energy to the Central Coast suggests moving a proposed wind farm much closer to San Luis Obispo County’s shore after the U.S. Navy once again balked at the idea of erecting up to 100 floating turbines in an area of the Pacific Ocean where it conducts maneuvers.

The new plans, however, have already drawn objections from Morro Bay leaders and the fishing industry, who are worried about the impacts.

Meanwhile, Congressman Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, who has been negotiating with the Navy since 2016 to bring offshore renewable energy to the Central Coast, introducted legislation to compel the military back into talks after it apparently reversed course on a working agreement reached earlier this year.

On July 1, the same day Carbajal’s staff was offering ideas at a public webinar hearing on new proposals to launch the offshore wind industry, Carbajal offered an amendment to the Department of Defense’s annual appropriation that was designed to bring the Navy back into the conversation.

Read the full story at The Saint Luis Obispo Tribune

Nearly $13 Million in NOAA Funding Recommended for Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration Projects

July 24, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

To support our nation’s coastal and marine species, the NOAA Restoration Center is recommending nearly $13 million in funding for 31 new and continuing habitat restoration projects through our Community-based Restoration Program. These projects will restore habitat and ecosystems in 15 states and territories across the nation and build lasting benefits for communities and the environment.

The projects will support oysters, corals, and several fish species by reopening rivers to fish passage, reconnecting rivers to their floodplains, and reducing coastal runoff. They will also aid in the recovery of four NOAA Species in the Spotlight—white abalone, Central California Coast coho salmon, Atlantic salmon, and the Southern Resident killer whale.

In addition to supporting coastal and marine species, habitat restoration benefits the coastal communities that rely on those habitats for clean drinking water, flood and storm protection, and industries like boating, fishing, and tourism

The NOAA Restoration Center, housed within the Office of Habitat Conservation, supports habitat restoration projects across the country where our nation’s fisheries and protected resources need it most. We provide technical and financial assistance to partners across the country to develop high-quality habitat restoration projects. Since 1996, our Community-based Restoration Program has partnered with more than 2,900 organizations to take on more than 2,180 projects. These efforts have restored more than 92,000 acres of habitat and opened up 4,126 miles of streams and rivers to fish migration.

In Fiscal Year 2020, we are recommending $4.7 million in funding for 16 new restoration projects, and $8.2 million in additional funding for 15 ongoing restoration projects. Recipients and their partners come from all sectors, including nonprofits; federal, state, and local agencies; tribes; private sector businesses; and academia.

Read the full release here

NMFS Doubles Down on Observers; Rep. Huffman Takes Aim at NMFS on COVID-19 Impacts

July 20, 2020 — A California Congressman and National Marine Fisheries Service leaders released statements about pandemic-related issues and COVID-19’s effects on fisheries Thursday, but from opposite perspectives.

Following industry criticism about maintaining at-sea observers and shoreside catch monitors during a pandemic, the agency has allowed observer waivers in some areas but remained steadfast in keeping observer coverage in others. The risk of contagion is too great, fishermen and processors say, but NMFS has disagreed — at least, in some areas.

Read the full story at Seafood News

Crowds removing sea creatures from San Pedro tide pools put delicate ecosystem at risk

July 20, 2020 — It was against the backdrop of a pounding surf one recent morning that almost 30 people had gathered on the cragged and slippery folds of White Point tidal pools in San Pedro and set to work with gardening spades, buckets and bags.

As ocean water rippled about their knees, they collected mussels, black turban snails, purple sea urchins and even a lobster. Then, as the tide began to rise, they trundled back to their cars hauling sacks, backpacks and five-gallon buckets filled with intertidal creatures.

“It’s a fun way to spend the day and grab a free dinner,” said Lisa Yan, 55, an unemployed casino card dealer. “Especially for those of us who lost jobs because of the coronavirus pandemic…. All you need is a fishing license.”

Area residents and officials say that ever since beach restrictions were lifted at this popular Palos Verdes Peninsula spot, an unprecedented number of people have been harvesting edible sea creatures — animals that had, up until recently, enjoyed relative solitude during the coronavirus lockdown.

In prior years, animal harvesting was far less common, and tidal pool etiquette held that creatures should not be disturbed.

Read the full story at the Los Angeles Times

New technology promises to save the whales by reducing the need for crab fishing lines.

July 16, 2020 — After a slightly better year in 2017, the number of whales getting entangled in fishing gear has gone back up, according to a new report from the National Marine Fisheries Service. Researchers confirmed 105 whale entanglements nationwide in 2018, the latest year for which data is available, noting the number is “much higher” than average.

These findings come as a possible solution emerges out of a collaboration being led by Monterey Bay conservationists, fishermen and fishing gear designers.

On the Pacific coast, whales pass through stretches of ocean that are important for Dungeness crab fishing and they sometimes get caught in lines connecting traps on the ocean floor to buoys at the surface. Technology that is under development would all but eliminate vertical lines and buoys. Using ropeless or pop-up innovations, these new crab traps would sit idly on the ocean floor until receiving an acoustic signal from the fisherman. Only then would the trap release a rope and buoy to the surface.

“We are working with fishermen to see what works and what doesn’t and what allows the fisherman to survive economically,” says Geoff Shester, a Monterey-based scientist with nonprofit Oceana. “The Monterey Bay is the epicenter of the whale entanglement issue.”

Read the full story at Monterey County Now

Chair Huffman Seeks Answers on NOAA’s Response to COVID-19 Pandemic

July 16, 2020 — The following was released by The Office of Congressman Jared Huffman (D-CA):

Today, Representative Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael), Chair of the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife, sent a letter to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) requesting further information on NOAA’s plans to address COVID-19 impacts on fisheries management, NOAA staff, the fishing industry, and members of the public. The letter was addressed to Dr. Neil Jacobs, the Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere.

“These unprecedented conditions will persist into next year and possibly later, and it is your responsibility to respond and react to the ongoing challenges appropriately,” Rep. Huffman states in the letter. “Now, more than ever, it is critical that our federal agencies are adaptive, transparent, and focused on keeping their workforce safe and addressing the real needs of the public that they serve.”
 
The letter outlines requests for further information on four specific items, including:
  1. Communications and Guidance: the agency has developed guidance to avoid using words related to the pandemic, such as COVID.
    • Who developed the internal guidance and what was the basis of these options, particularly the ‘preferred approach’? Was there input from public health experts and career staff?
    • Even if, as claimed, NOAA developed this guidance to ensure consistency in communications, what is the purpose of limiting references to the ongoing pandemic?
    • Does the agency plan to continue using this internal guidance document?
  2. Fisheries Surveys: due to health risks, several surveys have been cancelled this summer.
    • What was the decision-making process used to cancel these surveys? What public health information is the agency using to evaluate risks to NOAA employees?
    • What additional technologies, staffing models, or new cooperative research could be used to fill this gap in the near term, and if necessary, in future years? What tools does NOAA have at its disposal now, and what would require outyear planning?
    • Is there a way to involve fishermen to collect part of this missing survey data?
    • How will these cancelled surveys impact fisheries management?
  3. Waivers for Observer Requirements: waivers have been granted to regions on a case by case basis, which has required some to accept more health risks than others.
    • What is the justification for extending observer waivers in some regions but not others? Do waivers consider the recent significant increase in cases throughout the country?
    • Does the agency plan to continue using its current guidelines for observer waivers? If the guidelines are updated, will there be opportunities for stakeholder input?
    • Given that regions like the Pacific have a strong pattern of compliance and currently have an experimental electronic monitoring (EM) program, has the agency considered the use of EM when evaluating observer waivers?
    • How does the agency plan to advance the use of EM, which would be especially valuable in these types of circumstances, when human observers pose health risks and are putting themselves at risk due to the limited space onboard fishing vessels?
  4. Status of CARES Act Fisheries Relief Funding: the $300 million appropriated by Congress has yet to reach anyone who has been impacted.
    • What is the status of the relief funding?
    • How long does NOAA expect to take to review and approve state spend plans? How long does NOAA expect to take to distribute funds once plans are approved?
A copy of the full letter can be found here.

Stanford lab develops high-tech tools to study whales in the wild

July 15, 2020 — Scanning the airwaves over Monterey Bay with a hand-held antenna, Stanford University researchers listen for blue whales – or, more precisely, they listen for the suction tags they’ve stuck on blue whales. The first beep sounds and the captain whips the boat on course, following the quickening signal to find the surfacing giant. The three-person crew must reach the animal before it disappears under the ocean, hidden from sight, radar and study for another 10 minutes. [Note: This research was conducted prior to the novel coronavirus pandemic, and has been on hold in accordance with current guidance regarding research operations.]

The crew in this fast-paced chase hails from the lab of Jeremy Goldbogen, assistant professor of biology in the School of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford’s Hopkins Marine Station. In the Monterey Bay and around the world, Goldbogen and his team employ drones, sound-based mapping equipment, and sensor-packed tags to demystify the lives and biology of rorqual whales – large whales that feed by lunging at groups of prey and filtering water through baleen plates. These include humpback, minke, fin and of course blue whales, which at nearly 100-feet long are the largest creatures known to have ever lived.

“The largest animals of all time can’t be in a laboratory in a building, so we’ve been developing technology that pushes the envelope in terms of understanding how animals operate in the open ocean,” said Goldbogen.

Read the full story at Stanford News

Seafood suppliers take another hit as California shuts indoor dining due to COVID-19

July 14, 2020 — Seafood suppliers, distributors, and wholesalers – already reeling from the plunge in foodservice business due to COVID-19 – face more grim news as California orders the closure of restaurants for indoor dining.

On 13 July, California Governor Gavin Newsom ordered the closure of bars, indoor restaurants, movie theaters, and many other recently reopened businesses across California, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. The state’s COVID-19 cases have surged, with more than 8,000 new cases daily and 334,000 total reported cases as of 13 July.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast Coho Technical Workgroup to hold online meeting August 6-7, 2020

July 8, 2020 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The online meeting will be held Thursday, August 6 through Friday, August 7, 2020; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Pacific Daylight Time each day.  The meeting times are an estimate; the meeting will adjourn when business for the day is complete.

Please see the SONCC Workgroup online meeting notice on the Council’s website for purpose and participation details.

For further information:

  • Please contact Pacific Fishery Management Council staff officer Robin Ehlke at 503-820-2410; toll-free 1-866-806-7204

Ocean-Going Robots Poised to Enter Bering Sea to Start Unconventional Fisheries Survey

July 2, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Three saildrones left Alameda, California in May and have arrived at Unimak Pass in Alaska’s remote Aleutian Islands. The ocean drones have sailed nearly 2,700 miles at a walking pace, about 2.5 miles per hour (2 knots), which is just about the distance from Seattle to Miami. Once they navigate through the pass, the drones will enter the Bering Sea. This is where they will conduct a two month-long acoustic survey of walleye pollock. They are expected to reach their first survey station in about a week.

Several key standard manned-vessel surveys were cancelled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The data the drones collect will help to fill in the gap for fisheries stock assessment scientists who monitor the changes in pollock populations to advise fisheries management. The sonar measurements made by the ocean drones will provide valuable insights on pollock abundance and distribution in 2020.

Stay tuned. We will share more when ocean drones reach their destination.

Read the full release here