Saving Seafood

Seasonal Closure of Mutton Snapper Spawning Aggregation Area in U.S. Caribbean Federal Waters off St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

February 22, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

WHAT IS HAPPENING AND WHEN:

Annual Seasonal Area Closure

NOAA Fisheries reminds fishermen and the public of the upcoming seasonal closure on fishing for any species in federal waters of the mutton snapper spawning aggregation area in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands (Figure 1).

  • This closure begins at 12:01 a.m., local time, on March 1, 2021, and extends through 11:59 p.m., local time, June 30, 2021.

Year-Round Fishing Prohibitions

Fishing with pots, traps, bottom longlines, gillnets, or trammel nets is prohibited within federal waters of the mutton snapper spawning aggregation area year-round.

WHY THIS CLOSURE IS HAPPENING:

This seasonal area closure protects mutton snapper when they are spawning (reproducing) and more vulnerable to fishing pressure.  The closure also protects the habitat that supports those aggregations.

The Mutton Snapper Spawning Aggregation Area is located off southwest St. Croix and is bounded by lines connecting the following coordinates:

A   17°37.8′ N         64°53.0′ W

B   17°39.0′ N         64°53.0′ W

C   17°39.0′ N         64°50.5′ W

D   17°38.1′ N         64°50.5′ W

E   17°37.8′ N         64°52.5′ W

A   17°37.8′ N         64°53.0′ W

Read the full release here

US officials working to address IUU fishing in Latin America

January 21, 2021 — The U.S. announced late last week several moves officials hope will curb illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Caribbean and Latin America.

On Friday, 15 January, the U.S. Department of Labor issued a news release stating it plans to make available up to USD 8 million (EUR 6.6 million) in grant funding through its Bureau of International Labor Affairs. The bureau’s mission is to push for a fair playing field for workers in the U.S. and across the world by fighting child and illegal labor practices and bolstering labor standards worldwide.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Reminder of Seasonal Fishing Restrictions in U.S. Caribbean Federal Waters

November 25, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

WHAT/WHEN:

1)  Seasonal Red Hind Closure

NOAA Fisheries reminds fishers and the public of the annual seasonal closure on fishing for, or possession of, red hind grouper in Puerto Rico federal waters west of 67° 10’ W longitude (see map).

  • The closure begins at 12:01 a.m., local time, on December 1, 2020, and extends through 11:59 p.m., local time, February 28, 2021.

2)  Seasonal Fishing Prohibitions in Red Hind Spawning Areas

From December 1 through February 28 each year, fishing for any species is prohibited in federal waters of the following red hind spawning aggregation areas:

  • The Tourmaline Bank area closure off western Puerto Rico (see map, inset A), bounded by the following coordinates (regulations only apply to the portion of Tourmaline Bank in federal waters):
    • A      18°11.2’ N      67°22.4’ W
    • B      18°11.2’ N      67°19.2’ W
    • C      18°08.2’ N      67°19.2’ W
    • D      18°08.2’ N      67°22.4’ W
  • The Abrir La Sierra Bank area closure off western Puerto Rico, which lies completely within federal waters (see map, inset A), and is bounded by the following coordinates:
    • A      18°06.5’ N      67°26.9’ W
    • B      18°06.5’ N      67°23.9’ W
    • C      18°03.5’ N      67°23.9’ W
    • D      18°03.5’ N      67°26.9’ W
  • The Lang Bank red hind spawning aggregation area, east of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands (see map, inset B), bounded by the following coordinates:
    • A      17°50.2’ N      64°27.9’ W
    • B      17°50.1’ N      64°26.1’ W
    • C      17°49.2’ N      64°25.8’ W
    • D      17°48.6’ N      64°25.8’ W
    • E      17°48.1’ N      64°26.1’ W
    • F      17°47.5’ N      64°26.9’ W

3)  Annual Fishing and Anchoring Prohibitions within Hind Bank

NOAA Fisheries also reminds that fishing for any species and anchoring by fishing vessels within the Hind Bank Marine Conservation District, south of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, is prohibited year round (see map, inset C).  The Hind Bank Marine Conservation District is bounded by the following coordinates:

  • A      18°13.2’ N      65°06.0’ W
  • B      18°13.2’ N      64°59.0’ W
  • C      18°11.8’ N      64°59.0’ W
  • D      18°10.7’ N      65°06.0’ W

4)  Seasonal Bajo de Sico Area Closure

The seasonal closure in Federal waters of the Bajo de Sico area off western Puerto Rico, which began October 1, 2020, continues until March 31, 2021.  During the closure, fishing for and possession of reef fish managed by the Caribbean Fishery Management Council is prohibited.  Anchoring by fishing vessels is prohibited year-round.  See Fishery Bulletin FB20-060 for more information.

WHY THESE CLOSURES ARE HAPPENING:

These restrictions were developed to provide further protection for red hind spawning aggregations and large snappers and groupers, and to better protect the essential fish habitat where these species reside.

Read the full release here

Coast Guard, Bahamas military intercept illegal fishing vessels

September 24, 2020 — U.S. Coast Guard watchstanders coordinated with a Royal Bahamas Defence Force team to apprehend two Dominican Republic flagged vessels illegally fishing the Grand Bahamas Bank Sept. 24, a week after the Coast Guard issued its new strategy to internationally combat illegal fishing.

Watchstanders at the Coast Guard’s Bahamas and Turks and Caicos operation center coordinated the effort as a Bahamas boarding team interdicted the vessels El Ship and Angel Gabriel, with 83 crew in all on board fishing off Diamond Point.

Bahamas authorities seized more than 12,000 pounds of fish and lobster, and the vessels were escorted to New Providence, Bahamas, for further enforcement action, Coast Guard officials said.

They noted the incident as an example of the Coast Guard working with international partners as outlined in a document released Sept. 17, defining what the service calls “a new strategy to enhance global safety, security, and stewardship of the maritime domain by combating Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.”

Read the full story at National Fisherman

US family fighting to free commercial fishermen held prisoner in British Virgin Islands

September 1, 2020 — A U.S. family from New Jersey is fighting to get the U.S. State Department to intervene in the imprisonment of Mike Foy, a commercial fisherman who has been held in the British Virgin Islands since 8 June.

Foy, according to a Change.org petition nearing 5,000 signatures, was waiting in the waters of Tortola for clearance to enter the island’s port in order to obtain passport stamps for the crew so they could obtain clearance to Puerto Rico – a requirement of U.S. Customs. Instead, Foy was imprisoned and charged with “illegal entry and unlicensed fishing” after being told to dock his boat off the coast.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Putting a Delicious Invasive Species on Your Plate

July 27, 2020 — Go for a dive anywhere in the tropical Atlantic and chances are you may see a fierce looking white and red striped fish with a “mane” of spikes running down its spine. Beautiful and ferocious, invasive lionfish have plagued the Caribbean and parts of the Atlantic for over 30 years now. Originally a native of the Indian Ocean, lionfish are carnivorous creatures with a voracious appetite. In the time since their arrival in the American tropics, they have eaten through small native fish species and multiplied exponentially, reducing native reef fish recruitment up to 79% and establishing themselves as the king of the reef. However, not all hope is lost — it turns out they are quite tasty!

Supported by NOAA’s “Eat Lionfish” campaign, divers, scientists and fisherman across the Caribbean and south-eastern U.S. Coast have started hunting lionfish to mitigate their harm to reef communities. In fact, many organizations have come together to support and improve the reef ecosystem by advocating for lionfish consumption. Free public access to scientific research on the ecological impacts and nutritional content of the fish, how-to methodology on how to properly catch and deal with the invaders and even recipes for cooking them have become readily available online to educate and encourage everyone involved in the sea-to-fork cycle: divers, fisherman, wholesalers, chefs and diners.

Read the full story at Medium

Cuba overhauls its fishing regulations. Florida Keys and East Coast to benefit.

July 16, 2019 — The Cuban government enacted sweeping reforms to its fishing regulations over the weekend, a move being praised by U.S. environmentalists for what they expect to be a positive domino effect on fisheries from the Florida Keys all the way up the East Coast.

Advocates of the overhaul say it will help coordination on fisheries management with other countries, including the United States.

The reforms are the first changes to Cuba’s fishing regulations in 20 years, according to the Environmental Defense Fund, the environmental group that announced them Monday and helped shape some of the new policies.

Read the full story at the Miami Herald

Trio of sharks kills California college student snorkeling in the Bahamas

June 28, 2019 — An American tourist has died in a shark attack while snorkeling with her family in the Bahamas, authorities say.

Royal Bahamas Police Force Deputy Commissioner Paul Rolle says 21-year-old Jordan Lindsey of Torrance, California, was attacked by three sharks near Rose Island around 2 p.m. Wednesday.

The U.S. State Department confirmed to USA TODAY that a U.S. citizen died of her injuries following a shark attack on June 26.

KABC-TV says Lindsey’s parents and other family members saw the sharks and yelled a warning but she didn’t hear them in time. Officials say her arms, legs and buttocks were bitten and her right arm was severed.

Read the full story at USA Today

FLORIDA: Emerald Coast Open Ends With Record-Breaking Numbers

May 23, 2019 — This year’s Emerald Coast Open was a record-breaker with nearly 20,000 lionfish removed from the water in Okaloosa County.

The annual fishing tournament aims to reduce the number of lionfish from the Gulf of Mexico where they pose a threat to native marine life.

During the pre-tournament competition, which began Feb.1, lionfish hunters removed 5,048 of the invasive species.  Another 14,119 were removed during the main event last weekend, bringing the grand total to 19,167. The tournament had a total of 189 individual hunters from across the United States and Caribbean.

“Last year’s total was 9,000,” said Brady Hale, marketing coordinator for the Emerald Coast Open. “We had a big jump in numbers and we almost doubled in participation.”

The winning team, Florida Man, finished the tournament with 2,241 lionfish earning the $10,000 grand prize. Captain Josh Livingston said he had been hunting lionfish for the past five years. He’s also working with the University of Florida on deploying lionfish traps in the Gulf.

“There’s a lot of prep work — understanding where the fish are at, looking for trends and creating a solid game plan,” he explained.

While there were cash prizes at stake, lionfish removal is more about conservation than competition. For the past 30 years, the non-native species have invaded the Gulf and Atlantic Ocean reducing fish populations at a rapid rate.

“They can eat 30 to 40 fish per hour, they’re prolific breeders and they have no predators…it’s a trifecta of bad,” Hale said.

Another concern is the local commercial and recreational fishing industry, especially in Destin which has the largest commercial fishing fleet in the state.

“There are hundreds of boats that go out — one lionfish can really take out a population of fish,” Hale said. “In the early 2000s, the Bahamas lost up to 80% of fish diversity (to lionfish). People aren’t going to come here and pay to fish red snapper if there’s none left.”

Read the full story at WUWF