Saving Seafood

Louisiana OKs feds’ red snapper offer; 5 states must agree

June 12, 2017 — As officials seek full recovery of the once disastrously depleted red snapper population in the Gulf of Mexico, Gulf states are considering a proposed compromise on a contentious three-day federal red snapper season for recreational anglers.

The Commerce Department has said that if the Gulf states close waters to recreational redfish anglers on weekdays at least through Labor Day, a federal season will run the weekends of June 17 through Sept. 4.

If recreational anglers haven’t reached their 3 million-pound (nearly 1.4 million kilogram) quota by then, states could reopen their waters for a fall season.

The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission voted 5-0 for the proposal Monday.

Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida also are being asked to approve it.

Patrick Banks, head of fisheries for Louisiana’s Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, told commissioners that an online survey of nearly 5,000 anglers found that they preferred an alternative that would have added Friday to the weekends.

However, that proposal also would have required states to give up the chance for a fall season in state waters. Texas — which has a year-round recreational red snapper season — balked at that, Banks said.

Texas is holding three public hearings Monday night along the coast and a webinar Tuesday. Alabama officials asked for public comment in a Facebook posting Friday, the same day that Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission held a conference call to gauge public comment.

Mississippi, like Louisiana, sent surveys to people who have participated in red snapper landing counts, said Paul Mickle, chief scientific officer at the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources. He said more than 500 people have responded so far.

The Commerce Department made the proposal after talks with state congressional delegations, said Jack Montoucet, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. He said the proposal apparently came from outside the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which set the three-day season held earlier this month.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Austin American-Statesman

LDWF seeks comment on red snapper options

June 10, 2017 — Rancor, the word in all its definitions, properly describes the sentiment pervading the issue of red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico among Louisiana’s recreational offshore fishermen.

Despite what’s turned out to be a 200-day season in state waters out to nine miles for this species, this year’s three-day June 1-3 season in federal waters out to 200 miles into the Gulf stirred enough resentment toward federal fisheries managers and fierce opponents to recreational access that congressional delegations from the five Gulf states jumped into the fray.

While Rep. Garret Graves, R-La., declined specific comment on his part, he said there were many others stirring this stew for more recreational access. The result is a package of three options the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission will elicit public comment on during a special meeting set for 1:30 p.m. Monday at the state Wildlife and Fisheries headquarters on Quail Drive in Baton Rouge.

Here’s what the U.S. Department of Commerce, through its National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and National Marine Fisheries Section, agreed to offer, after the hard push from the five Gulf states’ congressmen and senators.

Read the full story at The Acadiana Advocate

New Jersey Congressman Blasts Plan To Use Underwater Air Guns To Look For Oil In The Atlantic

June 9, 2017 — The Trump Administration wants to look for oil and natural gas under the Atlantic Ocean using seismic air guns, a proposal that doesn’t sit well with a South Jersey congressman.

The National Marine Fisheries Service wants permits to use those air guns from Delaware to Central Florida. Republican Congressman Frank LoBiondo is dead set against the proposal.

“This was started by President Obama while he was in office with his Department of Commerce,” LoBiondo told KYW Newsradio. “It was a dangerous and dumb idea then and it continues to be a dangerous and dumb idea now.”

The oil and gas industry is pushing for these surveys, and five companies have applied through the Interior Department to get those permits.

LoBiondo’s reasons for opposing the plan are mostly economic.

“Why would we want to take a risk on endangering our tourist season, endangering our fishing, commercial and recreational? It is beyond me, and there’s no good reason why, if they had to do this, it couldn’t be done in February,” he added.

Read the full story at CBS Philly

Red snapper season could be extended starting next week

June 9, 2017 — A decision on extending the federal red snapper season for recreational anglers could come as early as Tuesday or Wednesday, said the acting commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Chris Blankenship, who was appointed to the acting commissioner’s role last week and who has been involved in negotiations to extend the season with federal authorities, said Thursday that he feels an agreement is “very close” in extending the federal recreational season to Labor Day weekend.

The agreement would have to be approved by the five Gulf states – Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas – and the U.S. Department of Commerce, which oversees the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA, through National Marine Fisheries Service, is charged with managing fisheries in federal waters.

“We are working out the details in each of our own states,” said Blankenship.

Read the full story at AL.com

Feds threaten shutdown of N.J. fishery as showdown escalates

June 2, 2017 — Call it the Great Flounder War of 2017.

A simmering battle between New Jersey recreational fisherman and the federal agency governing fishing along the Atlantic Coast has now escalated — with potentially disastrous consequences for the fishermen.

In a teleconference on Thursday morning, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) officially found New Jersey to be out of compliance with federal regulations. The decision follows months of wrangling between the two sides, casting shadow over the opening of summer flounder (sometimes called fluke) fishing season.

The matter is now headed to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross for a final decision. If Ross agrees with the recommendation, both recreational and commercial fluke fishing could end up banned altogether in the Garden State.

The clash began in February, when the ASMFC announced stricter rules for fishing fluke coast-wide in order to address overfishing worries. The ASMFC called for a a 19-inch minimum on fishes caught, with a three fish limit per trip over a 128-day season.

New Jersey’s Marine Fisheries Council immediately pushed back and created its own rules as a compromise: a shorter fishing season (104 days from May 25 to Sept. 5 — 24 fewer days than were allowed in 2016), but an 18-inch minimum.

Read the full story at NJ.com

Sen. Luther Strange to Trump: Extend federal red snapper season

May 31, 2017 — U.S. Sen. Luther Strange joined a growing list of lawmakers on Wednesday requesting immediate action from President Donald Trump’s administration to extend this year’s recreational red snapper season.

Strange’s request comes on the eve of the beginning of the recreational season within federal waters. The season is scheduled to run from Thursday through Saturday, making it the shortest recreational season ever for red snapper fishing in the Gulf of Mexico’s federal waters.

Federal waters extend beyond the nine-nautical mile boundary that is currently controlled by the five Gulf states.

“Recreational red snapper fishing generates hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity every year in Alabama, and those who participate deserve to be able to enjoy their hobby for more than a mere three days each year,” said Strange in a statement posted on his Senate website. “I have urged the President to take action, and I look forward to working with him, as well as (Commerce) Secretary (Wilbur) Ross, to make sure that the voices of recreational anglers are heard.”

Read the full story at AL.com

Commerce Secretary, Wilbur Ross, testifies before House Appropriations Committee

May 30, 2017 — Those watching Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross testify before the House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies on the president’s budget request for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 may at times have been able to anticipate his answers.

As the secretary fielded questions from worried Democrats regarding agencies and programs the White House proposed to eliminate or to drastically cut, his responses remained consistent. Whether answering queries about the elimination of the Sea Grant Program, the Minority Business Development Agency, or the Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program, Secretary Ross was unwavering in his answer that tradeoffs had to be made to fund the administration’s priorities, “and with the big increases in defense and military and national security, cuts have to be made somewhere.”

Secretary Ross did highlight two areas of focus within NOAA: weather research and fisheries. He referenced the agency’s prioritization of weather research at the National Weather Service and the National Environmental Satellite and Data Information Service. When Chairman John Culberson (TX-7) pressed the secretary on how he would reduce the $30 billion price tag for the three biggest weather satellite programs over the next 15 years, Secretary Ross shared the complexities of the issue, from the dangers of “catastrophic failure” to the need for forecast accuracy and reliability to bulk buys and problems in the private sector. He praised the agency, saying they had done “a pretty good job balancing all of these variables.”

Mr. Ross also highlighted the role of fisheries, saying he’s “obsessed with the problem that we have a $13 billion … trade deficit, in fish and fish product … so that’s one of the areas we’re going to be focusing very much on.” Representative Steven Palazzo (MS-4) raised a controversial issue, asking the secretary about the shortened three-day season for recreational red snapper fishers in Gulf waters. Secretary Ross pledged he would request the underlying data the agency used to make the decision and would work “to balance the needs of the recreational [fishers] with the needs of the commercial [fishers].”

Both sides of the aisle acknowledged the critical importance of the Department of Commerce to the U.S. How the department could continue to successfully function to support our nation’s economy, workforce, and national security with the cuts proposed in the president’s budget request remains an open question.

Read the full story at the Consortium for Ocean Leadership

NFI urges cut in U.S. tariffs to boost exports

May 23, 2017 — The National Fisheries Institute (NFI) encouraged the reduction of tariffs on United States seafood exports at public hearing before regulators in Washington, D.C., on 18 May.

Meanwhile, the American Shrimp Processors Association urged more restrictions on seafood imports from other countries in order to cut the United States’ significant overall trade deficit.

The U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative asked for public comments on an executive order, “Omnibus Report on Significant Trade Deficits,” which impacts U.S. trade deficits with 13 countries: Canada, China, the European Union, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

“Addressing the U.S. goods trade deficit with any one of the 13 nations/blocs of nations identified by the department should focus on opening markets for American seafood, reducing overseas tariffs, and eliminating non-tariff barriers,” NFI President John Connelly said at the hearing. “Fully 95 percent of world’s consumers and nearly 80 percent of consumer purchasing power lie outside of the United States, and both numbers are likely to rise in the future.”

For example, per capita seafood consumption in Japan is 300 percent higher than in the U.S., and U.S. seafood exports to Japan were USD 681 million (EUR 608 million) in 2016, Connelly said.

“The Trans-Pacific Partnership would have immediately eliminated and phased out Japan duties on U.S. roe, surimi, and cod,” Connelly said. “This would have allowed domestic fishermen, and particularly fishermen on the Pacific coast, to exploit opportunities in a country that already has a high opinion of the U.S. harvest, and in the process would help narrow the U.S. trade deficit with the nation’s closest Pacific Rim ally.”

In addition, implementation of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, a recently signed trade deal between Canada and the European Union, has placed U.S. exporters at a competitive disadvantage, according to Connelly.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Interior, Commerce Departments Seek Comments in Marine Monuments Review

May 8, 2017 — SEAFOOD NEWS — The Department of the Interior announced Friday the public would be allowed to weigh in on several monument designations made under the Antiquities Act — including several marine monuments.

The Department of Commerce, in consultation with the Department of Interior, will review public comments related to marine monuments, all but one of which are in the Pacific Ocean. This action is related to President Trump’s executive order 13795, relating to offshore energy and monuments review.

The marine monuments slated for review include:

  • Marianas Trench, listed in 2009, at 61 million acres, in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands/Pacific Ocean;
  • Northeast Canyons and Seamounts, listed in 2016 at 3.1 million acres, in Atlantic Ocean;
  • Pacific Remote Islands, listed in 2009 at 56 million acres;
  • Papahanaumokuakea, listed in 2006 and expanded in 2016 at 89.6 million acres, in Hawaii/Pacific Ocean; and
  • Rose Atoll, listed in 2009 at 8.6 million acres, in American Samoa/Pacific Ocean.

A public comment period is not required for monument designations under the Antiquities Act; however, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke and President Trump both strongly believe that local input is a critical component of federal land management, Zinke said in a press release Friday.

“The Department of the Interior is the steward of America’s greatest treasures and the manager of one-fifth of our land. Part of being a good steward is being a good neighbor and listening to the American people who we represent,” Zinke said in the statement. “Today’s action, initiating a formal public comment process finally gives a voice to local communities and states when it comes to Antiquities Act monument designations. There is no pre-determined outcome on any monument. I look forward to hearing from and engaging with local communities and stakeholders as this process continues.”

In making the requisite determinations, the secretary is directed to consider the requirements and original objectives of the Antiquities Act, including the size of the monument; whether the areas are appropriately classified as landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures or other objects of historic or scientific interest; the effects of a designation on the available uses of the areas; the effects of designation on the use and enjoyment of non-federal lands within or beyond the monument boundaries; the concerns of state, tribal and local governments, including the economic development of affected states, tribes and localities; and the ability of federal resources to properly manage designated areas.

Comments may be submitted online after May 12 at http://www.regulations.gov by entering “DOI-2017-0002” in the Search bar and clicking “Search,” or by mail to Monument Review, MS-1530, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20240.

This story originally appeared on SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission. 

Zinke Signs Offshore Energy Orders, Protesters March

May 2, 2017 — U.S. Secretary of the Department of the Interior Ryan Zinke signed two secretarial orders relating to offshore energy development at this week’s Offshore Technology Conference (#OTC2017) in Houston.

The first order, Secretarial Order 3550, implements President Donald Trump’s Executive Order signed last Friday and directs the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to develop a new five-year plan for oil and gas exploration in offshore waters. The order calls for full consideration to be given to leasing the OCS offshore Alaska, mid- and south-Atlantic, and the Gulf of Mexico. It also directs BOEM to work with the Department of Commerce’s National Marine Fisheries Service to expedite authorization requests for seismic surveys, particularly for new or resubmitted permitting applications in the Atlantic to understand the extent of America’s energy potential.

The Secretary’s order directs prompt completion of the Notice to Lessees No. 2016-N01 dated September 12, 2016 and ceases all activities to promulgate the proposed “Offshore Air Quality Control, Reporting, and Compliance Rule.” It also directs BOEM and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) to review a host of other rules and report progress within 21 days.

The second, Secretarial Order 3551, establishes a new position – Counselor to the Secretary for Energy Policy – to coordinate the Interior Department’s energy portfolio that spans nine of the Department’s ten bureaus.

Read the full story at The Maritime Executive