Saving Seafood

SAMFC: See How Recent Public Comments on Proposed Dolphin and Wahoo Measures Provide Insight to Managers

February 18, 2021 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Managing two popular offshore fish species along the entire Atlantic coast can be a challenge under the best of circumstances. Add an international component, lack of stock assessments, and the cascading effects of new catch level recommendations mixed with differing perceptions on the condition of the fisheries, and the challenge increases. Such is the case for Dolphin and Wahoo. Both are managed in federal waters by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council from Maine to Key West, in collaboration with the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and New England Fishery Management Council. The two highly migratory species are often targeted in the U.S. by recreational fishermen and are prized by charter captains and private anglers alike for their colorful display as a fighting fish and for their delicious flavor.

In April 2020, the South Atlantic Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee provided new Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) recommendations for both Dolphin and Wahoo. The updates were primarily prompted by revisions to recreational data collected through the Marine Recreational Information Program or MRIP, a partnership between state marine resource agencies and NOAA Fisheries. Changes to the program’s effort survey have resulted in revised recreational landings estimates that are being incorporated into catch level recommendations, not only for Dolphin and Wahoo, but several other species managed by the Council.

Because the two fisheries are primarily recreational, with 90% of the annual catch limit for Dolphin and 96.07% for Wahoo currently allocated to the recreational sector, the recreational landings estimates from MRIP are especially important for management. Stock assessments are unavailable for Dolphin or Wahoo due in part to the migratory nature of each species but also due to a lack of reliable data on the stocks of each species. In the western Atlantic, they are found from Nova Scotia to Brazil, including Bermuda, the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico.

Dr. Wessley Merten with the Dolphinfish Research Program has provided the Council with presentations on tagging research demonstrating the migratory nature of Dolphin. In the presentations, Dr. Merten noted the largely unreported or under reported commercial landings from other countries. Learn more at: https://dolphintagging.com.

Dolphin Wahoo Amendment 10

The new catch level recommendations require the Council to modify current annual catch limits (the number or pounds of fish that can be harvested in any given year) and adjust allocations between recreational and commercial sectors. For Dolphin and Wahoo these measures are being addressed through Amendment 10 to the Dolphin Wahoo Fishery Management Plan. The amendment would also modify recreational accountability measures to help ensure that annual catch limits are not exceeded. These temporary measures may include in-season reductions in bag limits, vessel limits, or shortening of a season the following year if the catch limit is exceeded. In developing the amendment, the Council has also included proposed actions in response to public input on management changes needed in the fishery. There are currently a total of 13 actions in the amendment.

The Council recently held a series of public hearings via webinar where staff provided a complete overview of the amendment and the Council’s preferred alternatives. A copy of the presentation, video, and interactive story map is available at: https://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/public-hearings-scoping-meetings/. Let’s take a closer look at some of the proposed measures and concerns expressed by fishermen.

Read the complete article

Scientists Describe New Species of Rare Bryde’s Whale

February 17, 2021 — In early 2019, a massive whale carcass washed up on a tourist beach in the Florida Everglades. The whale, measuring nearly 37 feet from tip to tail, was a rare Bryde’s (pronounced broodus) whale.

When Dr. Michael McGowen, curator of marine mammals at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, and John Ososky, a museum specialist at the museum, heard about the corpse, they jumped on the phone to convince the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to help preserve the whale.

NOAA agreed and later that year, the whale skeleton made its journey to the Smithsonian, where it is now a part of the National Museum of Natural History’s marine mammal collection. McGowen and Ososky knew from the beginning that this whale was going to be an important specimen. But, at the time, they didn’t know just how important.

In a paper published in the journal Marine Mammal Science in January, scientists discovered that the Smithsonian’s specimen is a new species related to the Bryde’s whale, making the skeleton a holotype — the specimen used to describe and define a species for the first time. The research team named the species Rice’s Whale (Balaenoptera ricei) after the prominent marine mammal biologist Dr. Dale Rice.

Read the full story at the Smithsonian Magazine

Coast Guard suspends search for missing boater

February 8, 2021 — In the first 24 hours after a 30-foot recreational crab boat was found empty and stuck on the pillars of the Buckman Bridge, personnel in the water and from the air searched more than 72 square miles of the St. Johns River looking for the missing boater. That area is roughly the same size as Washington, D.C.

Shortly before 8 p.m., the U.S. Coast Guard said that it suspended its search for the missing man.

The Coast Guard, Jacksonville Fire and Rescue and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission joined local responders in the search shortly after an off-duty police officer reported seeing a boat spinning aimlessly in a circle in the St. Johns River just before 8 a.m. Thursday. Minutes later, it crashed into the bridge.

FWC, the lead agency, identified the missing man as 20-year-old Michael Vaughn III, of St. Augustine, who was out crab fishing by himself. Local fishermen, who said they know Vaughn, pray that he’s found. One of them told News4Jax he believes the younger Vaughn was out on the water alone around 6 a.m. Thursday.

Read the full story at News4Jax

Reminder: SAFMC Seeks Input on Proposed Red Porgy Management Measures; Shrimp Fishery Access in Deepwater Coral Habitat Area

February 2, 2021 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Public scoping meetings begin this week via webinar as members of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council solicit comment on measures proposed for the Red Porgy fishery in federal waters off the coasts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and the east coast of Florida. The Council is also soliciting public input on an action to establish a rock shrimp fishery access area in the Oculina Coral Habitat Area of Particular Concern, a deepwater coral area located off the east coast of Florida.

Provide your comments on proposed management measures directly to Council members via webinar during the scoping meetings or review the scoping materials and provide written comment using online comment forms. Details are available at: https://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/public-hearings-scoping-meetings/.

Red Porgy (Snapper Grouper Amendment 50)

A recent stock assessment determined the Red Porgy stock is experiencing overfishingand the stock continues to be overfished despite a rebuilding plan being in place. Significant reductions in harvest are proposed in Amendment 50 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan. The amendment also includes measures to adjust catch levels and allocations based on revisions to recreational estimates from NOAA Fisheries’ Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP).

Red Porgy Public Scoping Webinars:

Learn more and access the online comment form at: https://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/public-hearings-scoping-meetings/.

Rock Shrimp Fishery Access

(Coral Amendment 10)

The amendment contains a single action to establish a rock shrimp fishery access area along the eastern edge of the northern extension of the Oculina Coral Habitat Area of Particular Concern. The action would provide limited access to traditional fishing grounds.

Shrimp Fishery Access Scoping Webinars:

Learn more and access the online comment form at: https://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/public-hearings-scoping-meetings/.

Commercial Closure in Federal Waters for Atlantic Migratory Group Spanish Mackerel Southern Zone on February 3, 2021

January 29, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

WHAT/WHEN:

  • The commercial harvest of Atlantic migratory group Spanish mackerel in the Atlantic southern zone will close at 6:00 a.m., local time, on February 3, 2021, and will open on March 1, 2021, for the March 2021 through February 2022 fishing season. The Atlantic southern zone includes federal waters off the states of South Carolina, Georgia, and the east coast of Florida.
  • During the commercial closure, harvest or possession of Atlantic migratory group Spanish mackerel in or from the Atlantic southern zone is limited to the recreational bag and possession limits while the recreational sector is open.
  • NOAA Fisheries was unable to implement any trip limit reductions prior to the commercial quota being harvested.

WHY THIS CLOSURE IS HAPPENING:

  • The March 2020 through February 2021 commercial quota for the Atlantic migratory group Spanish mackerel southern zone is 2,667,330 pounds.
  • Information provided to the Southeast Regional Office indicate that commercial landings for Spanish mackerel in the Atlantic southern zone are projected to reach the commercial quota. According to the accountability measure, harvest must close to prevent the quota from being exceeded.

AFTER THE CLOSURE:

  • The prohibition on sale or purchase during a closure for Atlantic migratory group Spanish mackerel does not apply to fish that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold prior to 6:00 a.m., local time, February 3, 2021, and were held in cold storage by a dealer or processor.
  • During the closure, a person on board a vessel that has been issued a valid Federal commercial or charter vessel/headboat permit for coastal migratory pelagic fish may continue to retain, but not sell or purchase, Atlantic migratory group Spanish mackerel in the Atlantic southern zone under the recreational bag and possession limits, as long as the recreational sector is open.

This bulletin provides only a summary of the existing regulations.  Full regulations can be found in the Federal Register or at https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c=ecfr&SID=4a1c3805e95097423c9a607a31c4c9f8&rgn=div5&view=text&node=50:12.0.1.1.2&idno=50#sp50.12.622.q.

FLORIDA: Local fishermen give catch to hungry families

January 22, 2021 — A half-dozen people spent a few hours this week unloading the “Miss Rebecca” on the dock behind Wild Seafood Company. The flurry of activity continued for hours. Erin Grebenev only put her calculator down for a few moments to answer questions about how special the process made her feel.

“This has been an amazing opportunity,” she said. “It’s so cool to watch a boat offload.”

This has been the scene at John’s Pass since October. Jason Delacruz, the owner of Wild Seafood, sends out one of his fishing vessels and it will return with thousands of pounds of fish. They are tagged, separated by client, and then a portion is placed in a box to the side to feed hungry families in Tampa Bay.

“We are at a need level that we have never seen,” said Delacruz, who has been operating Wild Seafood since 2012.

Hundreds of pounds of freshly caught red snapper were loaded into a box marked ‘Catch Together’ this week. The label represents the name of the program designed to support local fishermen and feed families in need.

Delacruz, who had to stop running boats for a brief period last spring when the pandemic began to ramp up, got a grant from Catch Together this year in the $200,000 range to offset the price of the fish caught by his crews. That money paid for the donated food, which was sent up the road to the St. Pete Free Clinic.

Read the full story at WTSP

Number of critically endangered North Atlantic right whale calves grows to 11 after 2 spotted off Florida coast

January 21, 2021 — Recent sightings of the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale is giving conservationists new hope on the survival of the species.

Two more calves have been spotted off the coast of Amelia Island in Florida, increasing the total number of calves seen this season to 11, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The calves have been born to a 13-year-old whale named “Bocce” and a 20-year-old whale identified as “#3130.”

The news is welcome for conservationists, as only 22 births have occurred in the previous four calving seasons combined, and the first calf of the season washed up dead on a barrier island off North Carolina in November, according to NOAA.

Read the full story at ABC News

Florida restauranteur delivering fresh, flash-frozen fish across the US with Gulf to Table

January 19, 2021 — A restaurateur on Florida’s Gulf Coast has started a new endeavor designed to bring the region’s seafood delicacies to individuals and businesses across the country.

Charles Morgan launched Gulf to Table to deliver fresh, flash-frozen fish to markets, restaurants, and private homes. The fish are processed at Morgan’s Harbor Docks restaurant and market in Destin, and shipped overnight. Morgan counts markets in New York and Canada among his customers, along with a slew of independent restaurants.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Gulf red snapper plentiful, and prices stay robust

December 30, 2020 — No one should have any difficulty buying fresh Gulf of Mexico red snapper for dinner anytime in the foreseeable future.

“It’s what they call a ‘harvest fishery’ — you go out there, they bite. They’re not hard to find,” said Steve Rash, who owns Water Street Seafood in Apalachicola, Fla.

That assessment was confirmed by the recent Great Red Snapper Count — a two-year scientific study conducted by Texas A&M’s Harte Research Institute. Researchers reported to Congress in October that there are up to three times as many red snapper living in the gulf as scientists previously estimated.

Rash says the dozen or so boats operating out of his fish house catch red snapper on nearly every trip, whether it is the target species or as bycatch in the grouper, amberjack, or other reef fisheries. He says dock prices are in the $5 to $5.50-per-pound range, with fishermen who are leasing quota netting about $2 per pound.

As of just before Thanksgiving, gulf fishermen had landed about 5.6 million pounds, or 82 percent of the annual quota of 7 million pounds. Rash said sales to restaurants were slow from last winter to early spring as a result of covid-19-related shutdowns.

Read the full story at National Fisherman