Saving Seafood

Cape Cod Times: A landmark fisheries plan

January 15, 2018 — For seafood lovers, there’s nothing better than a lightly battered scallop, freshly harvested from the North Atlantic, and dipped in simmering butter. And now that federal regulators have agreed to open an area east of Nantucket, closed since the 1990s, fishermen could catch as much as $218 million worth of scallops this year, and $313 million over three years. Expect those fried scallop plates to cost less this summer.

The reopening of the sea bed is just one of the many beneficial outcomes of a new fisheries management plan that was nearly 15 years in the making. The landmark set of regulations opens a large swath of the region’s waters to fishing while maintaining other closures to protect vulnerable species. The plan uses science and the latest technology to decide which ocean areas are important for the critical life stages of fish and shellfish species and how to protect them.

Two decades ago, habitat closures were decided based on drawing a line around areas where fish were congregating. Now, with a model that compares the sea bed with the impact of fishing, regulators can make decisions that will help restore and protect fish stocks. The new plan also sets aside research areas to investigate the link between habitat and fish productivity.

“We think these are groundbreaking regulations,” said John Bullard, NOAA’s outgoing regional administrator, who issued the regulations as one of his last acts on the job. “It puts the focus on the quality of the habitat protected — not the quantity, or how many square miles were protected.”

Cape fishermen are pleased with at least two elements of the plan. They cheered the closing of a large part of the Great South Channel that runs between the Cape and Georges Bank because it is essential habitat for spawning cod and other fish species. State and federal surveys have found that the region’s cod population has plummeted by about 80 percent over the past decade. Closing this area will now help ensure the continued survival of species like Atlantic cod, haddock, and flounder for years to come.

Read the full opinion piece at the Cape Cod Times

 

2018 will be good year for clam chowder, Bumble Bee, thanks to NOAA moves

January 9, 2018 — The makers and fans of New England clam chowder, including Bumble Bee Seafood, can feel confident that the kind of mollusk most often used to make the soup — ocean quahogs — will be in ample supply in 2018 thanks to two moves made recently by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Ocean conservationists, however, are not breaking out their party hats and noisemakers.

When John Bullard, NOAA’s northeast regional administrator, informed the New England Fishery Management Council last week that the agency will authorize the majority of NEFMC’s Omnibus Essential Fish Habitat Amendment 2 (OA2), many focused on the positive ramifications for scallop harvesters.

But NOAA’s approval of the council’s new plan for balancing the conservation of different sea life with the concerns of local fishermen also came with good news for harvesters of ocean quahogs and surf clams. Bullard informed NEFMC that his agency also agrees with its suggestion to provide a one-year exemption for clam harvesters to prohibitions against the controversial use of hydraulic dredging gear in the Great South Channel habitat management area (HMA), a deep-water passage that cuts between Nantucket and Georges Bank.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

 

NOAA to open New England scallop areas, invite record harvest

January 5, 2018 — New England sea scallop fishers can start planning now for what promises to be their best season in 14 years, thanks to a decision coming soon from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).

John Bullard, the outgoing administrator of NOAA’s greater Atlantic region, informed the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC), in a five-page letter sent late Wednesday, that the agency will follow most of its recommendations with regard to the “essential fish habitat” amendment – a long-discussed plan to reset fishing management and conservation practices in the area.

That includes opening up to scallop harvesters an expanded portion of Closed Area I and the western part of the Nantucket Lightship area, two sections of the Atlantic Ocean that have been closed for a decade and are now expected to be loaded with large scallops.

“NMFS determined that the removal of the Closed Area I designations and proposed new designations do not compromise the ability of the council’s fishery management plans to comply with the [essential fish habitat] requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Act,” Bullard wrote in his letter, which was addressed to John Quinn, NEFMC’s chairman.

Based on surveys reported in September, Closed Area 1, including the previous off-limit “sliver” area and northern portion, contains 19.8 million pounds (9,016 metric tons) of exploitable scallop meat, referring to scallops found with shells that were at least 4 inches wide. Even better, as much as 45.6m lbs (20,670t) of exploitable scallop meat is projected to exist in the west Nantucket Lightship area.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

 

NOAA decision could trigger largest scallop harvest in 14 years

December 12, 2017 — What the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) decides next to do about areas off the coast of New England that’ve been closed to scallop fishing for a decade or more could be the difference between another good season and a 14-year record in terms of harvest volumes.

Based on earlier surveys and estimates made by staff at the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC), the 2018-19 scallop season, which starts April 1, will generate at least 51.5 million pounds worth of landings – a little better than the roughly 47.5m lbs expected this season.

But it could also generate as much as 60m lbs, which would be the biggest harvest since the 2004-05 season when 64.6m lbs of scallops were landed.

One of the most important factors will be whether NOAA follows NEFMC’s recommendations and opens the Closed Area 1 “sliver” of the Georges Bank and also an area described as Nantucket Lightship West.

Based on surveys reported in September, Closed Area 1 contains 19.8m lbs (9,016 metric tons) of exploitable scallop meat, meaning a lot of scallops were found with shells at the minimum 4 inch-wide diameter needed to be caught in dredging nets. Even better, as much as 45.6m lbs (20,670t) of exploitable scallop meat is projected to exist in the western portion of the Nantucket Lightship area.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

 

Jim Kendall: Plenty of guilt to go around on Carlos Rafael

September 18, 2017 — OK, OK, I get it! Carlos Rafael, aka, “The Codfather,” has done some pretty reprehensible things while amassing what seemingly is the largest percentage of ownership of the US multispecies groundfish fleet.

I am not going to try to defend his actions, or his reasoning, but I would like to point out that there is plenty of guilt to go around and some people should not be so quick to point their finger at him alone. What is it that they say about casting the first stone?

Apparently, among his sins is his aforementioned ownership of the largest fleet of multi-species groundfish vessels, as well as some scallop vessels. While this may be true, let us ponder what enabled, abetted, and allowed him to gain such an advantage over everyone else. At this point, he wasn’t breaking the law, he was only taking advantage of it, and of those who most fervently wanted it!

It should be remembered, that the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), as well as the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), were several of the earliest, most emphatic, and dedicated supporters for the development, adoption, and implementation of the “Catch Share” program.

Read the full opinion piece at the New Bedford Standard-Times

MASSACHUSETTS: CLF teleconference on Rafael agrees on one thing: More monitoring

September 14, 2017 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — Less than two weeks remain until the Carlos Rafael trial is scheduled to wrap up with sentencing set for Sept. 25 and 26.

The Conservation Law Foundation held a teleconference Wednesday to discuss the evolution of Rafael’s actions to his guilty plea and potential fallout from sentencing.

CLF attorney Peter Shelley discussed the topic with Togue Brawn of Downeast Dayboat, a commercial scallop company, and Patrick Shepard of the Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries.

“I think it’s fair to say all eyes on are NOAA fisheries and what’s it going to do,” Shelley said.

The answer at this point is no one really knows — at least until sentencing. NOAA has consistently told The Standard-Times it doesn’t comment on ongoing litigation.

However, the CLF teleconference provided recommendations on what can be done in the aftermath of Rafael’s sentencing.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

Conservation Law Foundation submits victim impact statement in Carlos Rafael case

September 7, 2017 — NEW BEDFORD — Within the past 10 days, the Conservation Law Foundation sent three letters to various individuals involved — either directly or indirectly — with the Carlos Rafael case.

The foundation doesn’t represent any party directly, but its goal is to “use the law, science and the market to create solutions that preserve our natural resources, build healthy communities, and sustain a vibrant economy,” according to its website.

CLF sees Rafael’s guilty plea in March to illegal fishing as infringing on its principles.

“Discovering there’s been someone who has been systematically trying to undercut management, from our perspective not only harms the fisheries but also the work we’ve done,” senior counsel for CLF Peter Shelley said.

Shelley drafted all three letters. The first, he sent Aug. 29 to the New England Fishery Management Council’s Chair John Quinn and Executive Director Thomas Nies.

The second was addressed to NOAA’s John Bullard, the regional administrator, and Joe Heckwolf, an enforcement attorney, was sent Sept. 1.

The final letter, dated Sept. 6, was addressed to Judge William Young, who presided over Rafael’s plea agreement and will sentence the New Bedford fishing giant on Sept. 25 and 26.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

 

Eagle-Tribune: Outdated Antiquities Act needs revisions

August 28, 2017 — The announcement last week that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke had wrapped up his review of 27 recently established national monuments did little to lessen the controversy surrounding their status. Zinke’s unwillingness to be transparent about his review and its results all but guarantees a legal quagmire.

While most of the attention has been focused on Utah and the newly created Bears Ears National Monument, there are also high stakes in New England, where fishermen, boaters and environmentalists are waiting to see how the Trump administration views the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine Monument.

All sides are already threatening lawsuits, so no matter the outcome, the issue will likely not be settled for years.

“The fate of these treasures shouldn’t be left hanging in the balance,” Peter Shelley, senior counsel for the Conservation Law Foundation, said in a statement last week. “Some 3 million people — more than 98 percent of the commenters — voiced their support for keeping our national monuments intact. Submitting recommendations that defy the will of the American people and then withholding these recommendations from the public is utterly unacceptable. The president has no legal authority to alter national monuments, and we will take him to court if he tries.”

If anything, the debate over Canyons and Seamounts shows the need for Congress to update the outdated Antiquities Act, which allows presidential administrations to designate and reshape national monuments with little or no oversight.

Read the full editorial at the Eagle-Tribune

Advancing fishing rule aims to protect deep-sea coral in New England waters

May 31, 2017 — Fishing trawlers bring in an average of $6.4 million annually to Bay State ports from fish scooped off seabeds 600 meters or more below the surface of New England waters.

In an effort to save coral on the ocean floor, the New England Fisheries Management Council is advancing a proposed restriction on draggers and trawlers fishing at those depths.

The waters off New England do not get that deep until beyond George’s Bank and lobstermen that fish on the bank do not set traps at that depth, according to council staff. The proposed rule would exempt the relatively small red crab fishery.

The council’s Habitat Committee signed off Tuesday on the proposal, which affect fishing operations in a roughly 25,000 square mile area. If it is passed by the full council it would need to go through the National Marine Fisheries Service, also known as NOAA Fisheries, before it would go into effect.

Environmental groups Wild Oceans, Earthjustice, Pew Charitable Trusts and Conservation Law Foundation urged the council’s scientists to study an alternative proposal, which they said would protect more coral than the plan the council advanced. The council agreed to study the conservation groups’ proposal.

“There could be changes at any point in time. Ultimately when the full council votes on this June 22, we’ve got this preferred alternative going in. That hasn’t changed. But other things may be brought up,” said Habitat Committee Chairman John Quinn, a Dartmouth resident and former state rep.

Read the full story at the Boston Business Journal

MASSACHUSETTS: A National Marine Monument for New England? Maritime Gloucester Talk

March 23, 2016 — A National Marine Monument for New England. Should the President designate the Cashes Ledge Closed Area and the New England Coral Canyons and Seamounts as the first Marine National Monument in the Atlantic? Come and hear experts Vito Giacalone from the Northeast Seafood Coalition and Peter Shelley of Conservation Law Foundation tackle the issues and the controversies surrounding Presidential action. A Panel with Vito Giacalone, Volunteer Chair of Governmental Affairs, Northeast Seafood Coalition and Peter Shelley, Senior Counsel, Conservation Law Foundation Massachusetts, with moderator, Sean Horgan, Gloucester Daily Times. Recorded at Maritime Gloucester on 3/3/2016

Watch the full video at Cape Ann TV