Saving Seafood

Reminder: Coral Protection Areas on Georges Bank and in the Gulf of Maine

July 12, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

On June 25,  NOAA Fisheries published a final rule to designate coral protection areas on Georges Bank and in the Gulf of Maine.  This action becomes effective on July 26.

This action:

  • Establishes the Georges Bank Deep-Sea Coral Protection Area. This area is on the outer continental shelf in New England waters. It complements the Frank R. Lautenberg Deep-Sea Coral Protection Area established by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council in January 2017.
  • Prohibits bottom-tending commercial fishing gear (with the exception of red crab pot gear) in the Georges Bank Coral Protection Area to protect deep-sea corals.
  • Designates the Mount Desert Rock and Outer Schoodic Ridge Coral Protection Areas in the Gulf of Maine. Vessels are prohibited from fishing with bottom-tending mobile gear in these areas. Vessels are still able to fish for lobster in these areas using trap gear.
  • Designates the Jordan Basin Dedicated Habitat Research Area in the Gulf of Maine as a dedicated habitat research area.

Read the full release here

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Summer Meeting Webinar/ASMFC Releases Update to Profiles of State Artificial Reef Programs and Projects

July 9, 2021 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission announces the release of the Update to ASMFC’S Profiles of State Artificial Reef Programs and Projects. This document provides a summary for each state’s artificial reef program and features highlights that have occurred since the release of the first edition of this publication in 1988. Since then, many Atlantic states have expanded their programs; deployed a variety of artificial reefs using best management practices for construction, materials, and siting; and have monitored sites for use – both by fishers and divers, as well as by marine life.

Artificial reefs have been used for centuries to enhance fishery resources and fishing opportunities by creating habitat for fish and invertebrate species through the use of man-made materials. They also provide underwater structures for SCUBA divers and facilitate reef-related research. Artificial reefs are typically constructed from dense materials, such as decommissioned ships and barges; concrete and steel demolition debris; and dredge rock. When properly constructed and strategically sited, artificial reefs can enhance fish habitat and total biomass, increase access to quality fishing grounds that benefit coastal economies, and provide managers with another option for the conservation and management of fishery resources.

The publication identifies more than 335 permitted artificial reefs spanning 11 Atlantic coast states. It also provides a brief history of each program; highlights specific projects; provides details on state funding; and includes maps of reef locations. Over the past 30 years, artificial reef programs have implemented new technologies to designate sites, mapped existing materials, and evaluated established reef habitats. There are many examples of state programs collaborating with universities to study reef impacts, as well as examples of partnerships across state agencies, with the federal government, and with NGOs and private companies to secure reefing materials. Update to ASMFC’S Profiles of State Artificial Reef Programs and Projects is available at http://www.asmfc.org/files/Habitat/ArtificialReefs/ASMFC_Profiles_StateArtificialReefPrograms_Projects_July2021.pdf. For more information on artificial reefs, visit the Commission website at http://www.asmfc.org/habitat/artificial-reefs or contact Dr. Lisa Havel, Habitat Committee Coordinator, at lhavel@asmfc.org.

Read the full release here

ASMFC Releases Update to Profiles of State Artificial Reef Programs and Projects

July 8, 2021 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission announces the release of the Update to ASMFC’S Profiles of State Artificial Reef Programs and Projects. This document provides a summary for each state’s artificial reef program and features highlights that have occurred since the release of the first edition of this publication in 1988. Since then, many Atlantic states have expanded their programs; deployed a variety of artificial reefs using best management practices for construction, materials, and siting; and have monitored sites for use – both by fishers and divers, as well as by marine life.

Artificial reefs have been used for centuries to enhance fishery resources and fishing opportunities by creating habitat for fish and invertebrate species through the use of man-made materials. They also provide underwater structures for SCUBA divers and facilitate reef-related research. Artificial reefs are typically constructed from dense materials, such as decommissioned ships and barges; concrete and steel demolition debris; and dredge rock. When properly constructed and strategically sited, artificial reefs can enhance fish habitat and total biomass, increase access to quality fishing grounds that benefit coastal economies, and provide managers with another option for the conservation and management of fishery resources.

The publication identifies more than 335 permitted artificial reefs spanning 11 Atlantic coast states. It also provides a brief history of each program; highlights specific projects; provides details on state funding; and includes maps of reef locations. Over the past 30 years, artificial reef programs have implemented new technologies to designate sites, mapped existing materials, and evaluated established reef habitats. There are many examples of state programs collaborating with universities to study reef impacts, as well as examples of partnerships across state agencies, with the federal government, and with NGOs and private companies to secure reefing materials. Update to ASMFC’S Profiles of State Artificial Reef Programs and Projects is available at http://www.asmfc.org/files/Habitat/ArtificialReefs/ASMFC_Profiles_StateArtificialReefPrograms_Projects_July2021.pdf.

For more information on artificial reefs, visit the Commission website at http://www.asmfc.org/habitat/artificial-reefs or contact Dr. Lisa Havel, Habitat Committee Coordinator, at lhavel@asmfc.org.

MAINE: New coral protections set for areas off MDI

June 28, 2021 — A new rule from federal regulators last week creates thousands of miles of “deep sea coral protection areas” in the Gulf of Maine, including two off Mount Desert Island and on Georges Bank.

The new rule designates a coral protection area in an 8-square-mile area southwest of Mount Desert Rock – a small, rocky island about 20 nautical miles south of Mount Desert Island. Vessels are prohibited from fishing with bottom-tending mobile gear in the area, though vessels will still be able to fish for lobsters using trap gear.

The Outer Schoodic Ridge Coral Protection Area will be a 31-square-mile protected zone about 25 miles southeast of the island, with the same restrictions as Mount Desert Rock.

The new rule also establishes a protection area of 25,000 square miles on the Georges Bank outer continental shelf, south of Cape Cod.

Read the full story at the Mount Desert Islander

Deep Sea Corals Off Coastal Maine Get Permanent Protection

June 24, 2021 — Fisheries regulators in the Northeast are permanently putting some 25,000 square miles of seafloor off-limits to some types of commercial fishing, in an effort to protect sensitive deep-sea corals.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a final rule this week that bars mobile bottom-trawling gear from vast deep-sea areas along the outer continental shelf off New England and in some smaller areas closer to Maine’s coast.

“The deep sea corals have a very fragile skeleton, and can be broken or displaced with a single pass of these nets, and they won’t recover,” says Gib Brogan, who directs advocacy campaigns for the international group, Oceana.

Brogan says the areas in question don’t see many trawlers right now – but the NOAA designations mark a proactive effort to ward off damaging fishing practices that have emerged elsewhere.

“Looking for other species that are not part of the fisheries in the U.S. There’s a particular piece of gear called a “canyon-buster door” that was specifically engineered to go fishing in the deep water canyons where the corals are growing,” Brogan says.

Read the full story at Maine Public

NMFS enacts ocean-bottom protections for Gulf of Maine corals

June 22, 2021 — The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has enacted the New England Fishery Management Council’s Omnibus Deep-Sea Coral Amendment, effectively protecting deep-sea corals in an area roughly 25,000 square miles in size.

The amendment was first approved on 20 November, 2019, after the council developed the action and the NFMS approved it. The final rule, published 21 June, implements the amendment, which prohibits the use of all bottom-tending gear – with the exception of red crab pots – along “the outer continental shelf in waters no shallower than 600 meters to the exclusive economic zone,” the final rule states.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Northeast coral protection rule finalized

June 22, 2021 — A final rule setting aside coral protection areas on Georges Bank and in the Gulf of Maine was finalized Monday by NMFS, prohibiting the use of bottom-tending fishing gear with exceptions for red crab pots on Georges and lobster pots in the gulf.

The rule was developed by the New England Fishery Management Council after years of consideration with public comment and debate over balancing protection with sustainable long-term fisheries uses. Northeast cold-water corals are an important part of habitat for many fish and invertebrate species, including commercially important fish, according to NMFS.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council went through a similar process before establishing the Frank R. Lautenberg Deep-Sea Coral Protection Area – named for the late New Jersey senator, a sponsor of ocean environmental legislation – in January 2017. The new Georges Bank protection area abuts the northeast edge of that zone on the outer continental shelf.

The Georges Bank Deep-Sea Coral Protection Area runs along the outer continental shelf in waters no shallower than 600 meters (1,968 feet) and extends to the outer limit of U.S. exclusive economic zone boundary to the east and north. The rule restricts use of bottom-tending commercial fishing gear to protect deep-sea corals from damage. Red crab pot gear is specifically exempt from the prohibition.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

New coral protections coming to areas off New England

June 22, 2021 — Federal regulators have signed off on new protections for thousands of square miles of deep-sea corals off New England.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Monday it has approved a final rule that designates the coral protection areas on Georges Bank and in the Gulf of Maine. The largest of the underwater areas is called the Georges Bank Deep-Sea Coral Protection Area and it is located mostly southeast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

The protected zone places prohibitions on bottom-tending commercial fishing gear, with the exception of certain kinds of crab traps, NOAA officials said. It also creates a dedicated habitat research area called the Jordan Basin Dedicated Habitat Research Area south of the Maine coast.

NOAA said in a statement that the corals are “important sources of habitat for many species of fish and invertebrates, including commercially important fish species.”

Read the full story from the Associated Press at WRAL

Final Rule to Designate Coral Protection Areas on Georges Bank and in the Gulf of Maine

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

Today, NOAA Fisheries signed a final rule to designate coral protection areas on Georges Bank and in the Gulf of Maine. Under the discretionary provisions for deep-sea coral protection in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the New England Fishery Management Council developed this action to reduce the impacts of fishing gear on deep-sea corals after considering long-term sustainable uses of the fishery resources in the area. The Council process took several years and included a high-degree of public input in the development of the final protection areas and associated measures. Deep-sea corals are important sources of habitat for many species of fish and invertebrates, including commercially important fish species.

This action:

  • Establishes the Georges Bank Deep-Sea Coral Protection Area. This area is on the outer continental shelf in New England waters. It complements the Frank R. Lautenberg Deep-Sea Coral Protection Area established by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council in January 2017.
  • Prohibits bottom-tending commercial fishing gear (with the exception of red crab pot gear) in the Georges Bank Coral Protection Area to protect deep-sea corals.
  • Designates the Mount Desert Rock and Outer Schoodic Ridge Coral Protection Areas in the Gulf of Maine. Vessels are prohibited from fishing with bottom-tending mobile gear in these areas. Vessels are still able to fish for lobster in these areas using trap gear.
  • Designates the Jordan Basin Dedicated Habitat Research Area in the Gulf of Maine as a dedicated habitat research area.

For more information, read the final rule or the bulletin posted on the web.

Read the full release here

PACIFIC DAILY NEWS: US must hear out territories on coral critical habitat designation

June 14, 2021 — It’s important for the United States to protect endangered species and their habitats, but it’s also important for the federal government to talk to and work with states and territories before it makes far-reaching decisions.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and National Marine Fisheries Services plans to impose coral critical habitat designation on Guam, American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

The reason is that seven coral species, several of which are found in the waters of these territories, have been listed under the Endangered Species Act. The federal law requires the designation of critical habitat for listed species within the U.S., if “reasonable and prudent.”

Read the full opinion piece at the Pacific Daily News