Saving Seafood

Reminder – The New Year Brings Changes to South Atlantic Federal Fishing Regulations

December 30, 2019 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Fishermen are reminded that several changes in federal fishing regulations occur beginning January 1st as we ring in 2020 – and a new fishing year for some species in the snapper grouper management complex. The South Atlantic regulation changes apply to federal waters ranging from 3 to 200 nautical miles offshore of NC, SC, GA, and the east coast of Florida.

For example, a spawning season closure for shallow-water grouper goes into place to help protect species such as gag grouper, red grouper, scamp, red hind, yellowmouth grouper, and others. The season will reopen May 1st. Some other snapper grouper species will open for harvest January 1st.

See the Regulations Summary (click the image) available from the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council for changes effective January 1, 2020. To keep up with federal regulations and changes throughout the year (recreational and commercial), download the free FishRules mobile app.

Additional regulation information and other helpful resources are available from the Council’s website at: https://safmc.net/regulations/.

North Atlantic right whale ‘moms,’ including Cape regular Harmonia, arrive off Florida

December 13, 2019 — The North Atlantic right whale migration southward is underway.

Since the first right whale report of the season — Harmonia, a right whale commonly seen in Cape Cod Bay — was spotted by fishermen Nov. 23 off Mayport, Fla., biologists have confirmed seeing four more potential right whale “moms.”

Only 409 North Atlantic right whales remain. Right whales travel along the Atlantic coast annually, spending time in warmer Georgia and Florida waters to calve and nurse. They spend late winter and early spring in and and around Cape Cod Bay to feed and socialize before heading northward to Canadian waters for the summer months.

The winter tracking of right whales that may be pregnant — typically off Georgia and Florida — is part of a U.S. and Canadian government effort to stop any further drop in their population, which is considered nearing possible extinction.

Deaths, mainly from ship strikes and entanglement in fishing rope, have outpaced births of these bus-sized creatures recently. Biologists have recorded 30 right whale deaths over the last three years and only 12 births.

“We’re going backwards here,” said Barb Zoodsma, right whale biologist for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries’ Southeast region.

Read the full story at Wicked Local

FLORIDA: FWC approves draft for changes to 2020 red snapper season

December 13, 2019 — The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission approved draft proposals on Thursday to extend red snapper season and its authority to manage it.

Regarding the 2020 red snapper season, the commissioners were presented two options; June 11-July 25 and June 1-July 13.

In 2019, the Gulf red snapper season ran from June 1 to July 12.

The staff recommended the June 11-July 25 option because it will be a low risk of exceeding Florida’s quota for 2020, which is 1,913,451 lbs. That is slightly higher than 2018 and 2019 quotas.

“There’s a lot of varying opinions on what people want,” Amanda Nalley of Marine Fisheries Management said. “Some people want weekends only seasons, some people want seasons that start earlier, and we consider all of that.”

Read the full story at The Destin Log

Plan would protect 21 coral hot spots in Gulf of Mexico

November 15, 2019 — A plan to protect corals in the Gulf of Mexico is close to becoming a law, drawing cheers from environmental groups who believe leaving the corals alone would help vulnerable ocean ecosystems to grow.

The plan would create 21 protected areas off the coasts of Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida. Thirteen of the areas would carry new commercial fishing restrictions, and that has attracted the attention of fishing groups, who want the government to take a cautious approach.

Pew Charitable Trusts has characterized the plan as a way to protect nearly 500 square miles of slow-growing coral “hot spots,” and is championing the protection plan as a way to spare vulnerable corals from fishing gear. The proposal would prohibit gear such as bottom trawls and dredges that can disrupt the corals.

Sandra Brooke, an oceanographer and coral ecology expert at Florida State University’s Coastal and Marine Laboratory, said it’s important to spare the corals because of their importance to the marine environment and because they can have value for the development of new medicines.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at WRAL

First offshore aquaculture farm proposed for Gulf of Mexico

November 6, 2019 — A Hawaii-based fish farming company is proposing the first offshore aquaculture for the Gulf of Mexico, a pilot-scale project off Florida.

Kampachi Farms LLC proposed a single-net floating enclosure where up to 20,000 Almaco jack — yellowtail amberjack, also known as kampachi or kahala — would be reared about 45 miles west-southwest of Longboat Pass and Sarasota Bay.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a draft permit in August and concluded a public comment at the end of September before issuing a final permit.

Kampachi Farms pioneered open-ocean fish culture off Hawaii, and the gulf venture could be the first in federal waters off the continental United States. The new project, dubbed Velella Epsilon, requires other permits from multiple federal agencies, including NMFS and the Corps of Engineers.

An interagency working group prepared a draft environmental assessment to look at potential environmental impacts of building and operating the fish farm. Commercial and recreational fishing advocates along with environmental activists are raising objections, saying introducing dense assemblages of non-native fish will harm the local ocean environment and the existing fishing industry.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Florida GOP Congressmen Back Bill to Help Fisheries With Climate Change’s Impact

October 18, 2019 — This week, U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., paired up with a South Carolina Democrat on a proposal to help local fisheries deal with the impact of climate change.

With Mast as the main cosponsor, U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham, D-SC, introduced the “Climate-Ready Fisheries Act” on Tuesday.

“The Climate-Ready Fisheries Act of 2019 directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to examine what actions have already been taken by fishery managers to prepare for the impacts of climate change,” Mast’s office noted. “The bill also requires the GAO to identify whether any knowledge or funding gaps are hindering action and provide recommendations for how to better adapt fishery management in local communities. It also directs the GAO to offer recommendations for how Congress can enhance our nation’s science and management systems to better address climate change.”

Read the full story at Florida Daily

Florida regulators crack down on harvest, sale of undersized spiny lobsters

October 16, 2019 — Kent Alexander Quinn Downs, a 33-year-old commercial spiny lobster fisherman from Marathon, Florida, was arrested Oct. 10 and charged with 11 counts of possessing undersized lobsters on his vessel as well as a felony charge related to destroying evidence, the Miami Herald reports.

Quinn Downs and his boat, That’s Right, were spotted in the East Bahia Honda Channel by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC) officer Joshua Peters in the afternoon and hailed for an inspection. Peters said he then noticed a man dumping half a basket of undersized lobsters into the water.

Quinn Downs later admitted there were about 15 undersized lobsters in the basket and that he dumped them when he saw the officer’s blue lights, according to the arrest report.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

US retailer Publix audits seafood suppliers’ sustainability answers

October 11, 2019 — Publix Super Markets, a Lakeland, Florida-based retailer with more than 1,200 locations in seven southern US states will begin, in 2020, to “reverse audit” some of its many seafood suppliers for their sustainability claims.

“We expect them to be in compliance and [to] find no errors,” Guy Pizzuti, the company’s seafood category manager, told Undercurrent News in a recent email exchange.

The reverse audit process will take an item code and lot number and work backwards through the system, he explained. In instances where aquaculture-related suppliers are found out of compliance, the company will meet with both the supplier and the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) program, he said.

“Corrective actions would be submitted, audits would be increased, and [the] business would be reduced or eliminated [from the supplier list] pending any further issues. BAP will be asked to demonstrate findings to both Publix and the supplier.”

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

FLORIDA: Commercial lobster boats can have undersized lobster onboard. But not this many, police said

October 11, 2019 — A Keys fisherman was jailed Wednesday after police said his commercial boat, called “That’s Right,” had more undersized lobsters than he was allowed to keep on his boat temporarily.

Kent Alexander Quinn Downs, 33, of Marathon, was arrested on a felony charge of destroying evidence, and misdemeanor charges of interference with an officer and 11 counts of possession of undersized lobster.

Quinn Downs on Thursday remained at the Marathon jail without bond. He has a court date set for Oct. 24.

At about 1:45 p.m., a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Officer Joshua Peters was patrolling the East Bahia Honda Channel off Big Pine Key and stopped the lobster boat for a marine inspection.

Read the full story at The Miami Herald

Mark Your Calendar: Upcoming Meetings Affecting Federal Fisheries and Opportunities for Public Input

September 30, 2019 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold several meetings in the coming weeks on topics affecting federal fisheries management off the coasts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and the east coast of Florida. Fishermen and others interested in offshore fisheries are encouraged to attend the meetings (in-person or via webinar) and provide their viewpoints and comments as the Council’s Mackerel Cobia Advisory Panel, Snapper Grouper Advisory Panel, and Habitat Protection and Ecosystem-Based Advisory Panel meet to discuss issues, as well as the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee. Working groups for the Citizen Science Program and System Management Plan are also meeting.

All meetings are open to the public and available via webinar. Meeting materials, including agendas/overviews, public comment forms, briefing book materials, and presentations, are available from the Council’s website at: http://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/ as noted below.

Read the meeting materials, provide comment, and mark your calendar to listen in!

Citizen Science Projects Advisory Committee
October 7-8, 2019
Webinar Only
Briefing book, webinar registration, and public comment form now available at:
https://safmc.net/citizen-science-program/

Mackerel Cobia Advisory Panel
October 7-8, 2019
Town and Country Inn
Charleston, SC
Briefing book, webinar registration, and public comment form now available at: https://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/current-advisory-panel-meetings/

System Management Plan Workgroup
October 8-9, 2019
Town and Country Inn
Charleston, SC
Briefing book, webinar registration, and public comment form now available at:
https://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/other-meetings/.

Snapper Grouper Advisory Panel
October 9-11, 2019
Town and Country Inn
Charleston, SC
Briefing book, webinar registration, and public comment form now available at:
https://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/current-advisory-panel-meetings/.

Scientific and Statistical Committee
October 15-17, 2019
Crowne Plaza Charleston Airport – Convention Center
Charleston, SC
https://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/scientific-and-statistical-committee-meetings/.

Habitat Protection and Ecosystem-Based Management Advisory Panel
October 22-24, 2019
FWC Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
St. Petersburg, FL
https://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/current-advisory-panel-meetings/.