Saving Seafood

Fishways Connect Habitats and Support Coastal Communities

October 6, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

By Sean McDermott, Greater Atlantic Region, Habitat Conservation Division

Have you ever seen a fish ladder or a fish lift? Do you know how one works? For many people the answer to both is “no.” If you live along the coast or on a river, there may even be a fish ladder or lift near you. Why do fish need these devices?

Migratory fish such as sea lamprey, rainbow smelt, American shad, alewife and blueback herring live and grow in the ocean and return to rivers to spawn. They arrive in coastal rivers every spring, with some rivers seeing millions of fish. After spawning, they return to the sea. Then, in the fall, millions of young fish make their way from river to sea. These fish become prey, or bait fish, supporting popular commercial and recreational fisheries. Stripers, Atlantic cod, and bluefish, to name a few, rely on these migratory fish for food. In addition, marine mammals also prey on these fish.

Fish Versus Dams: A Centuries-Old Battle

Harvest of sea-run migratory fish once provided an important food source for Native Americans and colonial settlers. Rivers also provided travel routes, and hydro-mechanical power for development of agricultural and industrial technology. As technology developed, the construction of dams for navigation and hydro-mechanical power spread, blocking the migration of those sea-run fish. The conflict between dam-building industrialists and commercial fishers led to the “Shad Wars” from 1780 to the late 1800s, with warring parties shooting guns and cannons at each other and destroying weirs and dams, all in the pursuit of the best fishing spots.

In the end, dams rose and migratory fish populations fell, taking with them the economic and cultural traditions they once supported. Populations of several species are now at all-time lows. Three species (Atlantic salmon, Atlantic sturgeon, and shortnose sturgeon) are listed under the Endangered Species Act, and four others (rainbow smelt, alewife, blueback herring, and American eel) are either species of concern or have been petitioned for listing under the Act.

Read the rest of the story on our website.

Read more stories from our Habitat Conservation Division.

Questions? Contact Jennifer Goebel, Regional Office, at 978-281-6175 or Jennifer.Goebel@noaa.gov.

An Alaskan steeppass is typically designed for small dams. The ability to reduce energy within the chute allows the steeppass to be built at a higher angle. Photo credit: Sean McDermott, NOAA.

Decision on listing eels on endangered list likely next week

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) – A decision from the federal government about whether to list American eels under the Endangered Species Act will likely come next week.

A spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says the decision is due by the end of September and will probably arrive close to the end of the month. The California-based Center for Environmental Science, Accuracy & Reliability wants the federal government to list the eels as threatened.

Read the full story from the Washington Times

AESA Urges U.S. Government to Reject ESA Listing for American Eel

WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) — September 21, 2015 — The following was released by the American Eel Sustainability Association:

Following a petition from the Council for Endangered Species Act Reliability (CESAR), the U.S. government this month will once again consider calls to list the American eel as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The American Eel Sustainability Association (AESA) reiterates its position that the American eel does not require either a “threatened” or “endangered” designation. AESA cites ample scientific study from a Federal agency and strict regulations already in place as support for this stance.

Substantial scientific evidence demonstrates that American eels are being harvested sustainably and are not under threat, according to AESA. The organization notes that CESAR’s petition does not consider the current, responsible management structures in place for American eel, and ignores previous rulings on the issue that further verify the species’ health.

The American eel stock has already been the subject of a comprehensive review by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) as to whether it requires protection under the ESA. In 2007, FWS conclusively determined that American eels were not endangered, and that extending ESA protections to the species were not warranted. Specifically, the Service found “the species’ overall population is not in danger of extinction or likely to become so in the foreseeable future.”

Because there has been no significant increase in the amount of fishing pressure being exerted on the eel population, AESA contends that the 2007 ruling should stand.

Independent estimates support the FWS’s 2007 conclusion, according to AESA. Young-of-the-year recruitment, the measure of eels born into the population, has been stable for much of the last 30 years. And, according to a 2013 study, recent estimates place the annual breeding population of the species somewhere between 50 and 100 million eels.

AESA remains confident that the stock is being sustainably fished under the responsible, precautionary management of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC). In 2014, the Commission established a coastwide quota for the species, with the support of its Eel Management Board, including representatives from the FWS.

In tandem with other effort restrictions and controls against illegal fishing, existing regulations ensure that eel quotas are not exceeded and the species is not overharvested. The fishery finished under its quota for the 2015 fishing year, indicating that overfishing is not currently a problem in the eel fishery.

AESA is committed to a sustainable future for American eel, and is an advocate for responsible management, strong law enforcement, reliable science, and other initiatives that strengthen the health of the species. An ESA listing for eels is not necessary.

The American Eel Sustainability Association (AESA) is a leading industry organization focused on the science and management of American eel.

Read the release from the American Eel Sustainability Association

Decision soon on listing eels under Endangered Species Act

September 14, 2015 — PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Fishermen benefiting from booming prices for American eels are squirming about a decision expected this month on whether to list the fish under the Endangered Species Act.

An environmental advocacy group wants the federal government to list the American eel as threatened, giving the fish protections that would greatly limit fishermen’s ability to pursue and catch them.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service‘s decision about protecting the eels will likely come toward the end of September, said Steven Shepard, a spokesman for the agency.

The decision will come as the market for baby eels, called elvers, is booming. In Maine, which has by far the most lucrative eel fishery in the country, elvers were worth more than $2,100 per pound in 2015 after being worth less than $100 per pound in 2009. The elvers are sold to Asian aquaculture companies that raise them to maturity and use them as food, including sushi.

The Fresno, Calif.-based Center for Environmental Science, Accuracy & Reliability says the eels have lost more than 80 percent of their habitat, largely due to dams that impede migration, and suffer from too much commercial fishing pressure. The group, which was called the Council For Endangered Species Act Reliability at the time of the petition, also states that the eels’ population is “declining catastrophically,” as are other eel species worldwide.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at SFgate

 

90-Day Findings to List the Smooth Hammerhead and Bigeye Thresher Shark as Threatened or Endangered Under the Endangered Species Act

August 11, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA:

NOAA Fisheries announces a 90-day finding on a petition to list the smooth hammerhead shark (Sphyrna zygaena) range-wide or, in the alternative, any identified distinct population segments (DPSs), as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and to designate critical habitat concurrently with the listing. We find that the petition and information in our files present substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the petitioned action may be warranted.

NOAA Fisheries also announces a 90-day finding on a petition to list the bigeye thresher shark (Alopias superciliosus) range-wide, or in the alternative, as one or more DPSs identified by the petitioners as endangered or threatened under the ESA. We find that the petition presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the petitioned action may be warranted for the species worldwide.

Accordingly, in both instances we will conduct a status reviews of smooth hammerhead shark and bigeye thresher shark to determine if the petitioned actions are warranted.

Comments on the proposed rule for smooth hammerhead shark must be received by October 13, 2015. For more information see the proposed rule.

Comments on the proposed rule for bigeye thresher shark must be received by October 13, 2015. For more information see the proposed rule.