GARFO Archives - Saving Seafood

Fishing monitors not required through May 30; draft rule hearing Thursday

May 20, 2020 — Meanwhile, the New England Fishery Management Council is hosting a webinar public hearing on its draft groundfish monitoring amendment and has extended the public comment deadline to the end of June.

The council, which voted in April to postpone final action on draft Amendment 23 beyond its June meeting, will hold the webinar public hearing Thursday, May 21. One hearing was held May 12. If approved, the council would work with new NOAA to implement the new monitoring rules.

Thursday’s session is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. and individuals may register through a link on the council’s website, nefmc.org.

More information on Amendment 23 and proposed changes to monitoring can be found at https://bit.ly/2zN4vcR

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

NOAA Extends Waiver for Monitors on Fishing Ships

May 19, 2020 — The federal government is continuing to waive the need for some fishing vessels to carry at-sea monitors.

At-sea monitors and fishery observers collect data on board fishing boats that help inform the management of U.S. fisheries. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office has waived the requirement for vessels with Northeast fishing permits to carry the monitors through May 30.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at U.S. News

Tilefish Recreational Permitting and Reporting Webinar Next Tues – 4/28

April 23, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Recreational tilefish anglers may soon be subject to new permitting and reporting requirements. The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold a public webinar on Tuesday, April 28, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m., to provide information on obtaining recreational tilefish permits and options available to recreational tilefish anglers for electronically submitting VTRs. During the webinar, staff from the Council and NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Office will cover the following topics, with opportunities for Q&A after each:

Overview of the proposed action.
Demonstration of how to obtain a permit.
Demonstration of the NOAA/GARFO Fish Online application for submitting reports.

The webinar will be recorded and made available on the Council’s website for later viewing.

For more in formation, including meeting materials, visit the event page on the Council’s website.

Read the full release here

Earn the Endangered Species Patch Online with NOAA Resources

April 10, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

With many school districts closed, students and teachers are looking for ways to learn at home. One option is for Girl Scouts, who can learn about endangered species while earning their Endangered Species patch. They can now earn the patch virtually—no need to leave the house!

Cadette-, Senior-, and Ambassador-level Girl Scouts from any state can earn this patch by completing a five-step process. They must explore, investigate, create, experience, and present information about plants and animals protected under the Endangered Species Act. Since its launch in May 2019, 168 Girl Scouts have completed these patches.

Below are a few suggestions about how to complete the patch using NOAA resources:

1. Learn about endangered and threatened species and the Endangered Species Act. Read how NOAA and the Fish and Wildlife Service use the ESA process to save species.

2. Investigate two endangered species: locally, regionally, or globally. View our endangered species list and learn about two in your city, town, state, or country.

3. Make a creative project inspired by endangered species. Participate in the Endangered Species Art Contest sponsored by the Greater Atlantic Region Fisheries Office (this is now a virtual contest!) or color a salmon mural.

Read the full release here

Feds extend waiver on monitors for some East Coast fisheries

April 7, 2020 — The federal government has extended a waiver on the requirement for at-sea monitors for some East Coast fisheries.

Fishing boats often carry human observers, or at-sea monitors, to gather data that is important to the management of fisheries. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the rule is waived in some northeastern U.S. fisheries until at least April 18.

NOAA said in a statement that it will “continue to evaluate the need for further extensions of this waiver on a weekly basis.” The waiver is a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Bangor Daily News

NOAA GARFO Office Helping Fishermen Sell Direct to Consumers

April 6, 2020 — The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is changing the way that many people do business—including fishermen. The NOAA Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office sent out a bulletin on Friday to remind fishermen that they not only remain fully staffed and operational, but are available to help them get the appropriate permits that they need.

News stories have been circulating about groups of fishermen working together to bring fresh seafood right to consumers. This not only provides a healthy and delicious protein for consumers, but helps local fishermen who are struggling to offload the product. It’s completely legal—with the right paperwork. As the GARFO bulletin explains, a federal permit is required to sell catch directly to consumers. Some states also have additional permit and reporting requirements. But even if a state has waived their requirements for direct sales, “federal regulations still apply to federal permit holders.”

Read the full story at Seafood News

NOAA Suspends Northeast Fishing Monitor Requirement

March 30, 2020 — An arm of the federal government is temporarily waiving the need for some fishing vessels to carry at-sea monitors.

NOAA said additional extensions would be evaluated every week. The rule changes is one of the emergency measures NOAA is using to address fishery observer coverage during the coronavirus outbreak, the agency said.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at U.S. News

Status of Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office Buildings and Operations

March 19, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Under guidance from the Department of Commerce, NOAA, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) has adjusted its facilities and operating procedures. This is a rapidly evolving situation that we are monitoring closely.

Effective immediately and until further notice, access to all GARFO buildings is restricted to employees, and to visitors and deliveries that are deemed essential to our mission. This measure is taken out of an abundance of caution and our commitment to protecting the health and safety of our employees and constituents during the COVID-19 virus pandemic.

Despite restrictions on building access, we are continuing to operate. The majority of our staff are teleworking to the maximum extent possible, and we also have a few staff working in the buildings to keep critical functions and operations moving. Feel free to call or email GARFO staff as you normally would, but please be patient if their response time is delayed.

All meetings and events for March and several in April have been canceled or postponed. We will continue to provide updates through email and on the Events page on our website.

Permit Questions?

If you need a permit, we encourage you to use our new online portal. Permit Office staff are available to assist you over the phone at (978) 282-8438 or by email at NMFS.GAR.Permits@noaa.gov.

Other Inquiries

Please call 978-281-9300 or email nmfs.gar.garfo@noaa.gov if you have any questions or need further information.

Maine whale protection plan doesn’t go far enough, feds say

February 13, 2020 — Federal regulators don’t believe a Maine plan to reduce risk to endangered whales goes far enough, and that means fishermen in the state could face more restrictions.

Maine officials submitted a plan to the federal government designed to meet a requirement to better protect rare North Atlantic right whales from entanglement in lobster fishing gear. The whales number only about 400 and can die if ensnared in the gear, which is used to trap one of Maine’s best known and most valuable natural resources.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration notified the state in a Jan. 10 letter that its proposed package of measures would result in no more than a 52% reduction in risk to the whales. The required goal is 60%, said the letter, which was written by Michael Pentony, regional administrator for NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service’s Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office.

Read the full story at the Associated Press

Maine’s plan to protect whales falls short, regulators say, raising prospect of federal rules

February 12, 2020 — Maine’s plan to protect right whales does not go far enough to reduce the risk of entanglement in lobstering gear, according to federal regulators.

The National Marine Fisheries Service has concluded that Maine’s plan to use a combination of weak rope and a 25 percent reduction in the number of buoy lines in state waters achieves, at best, a 52 percent risk reduction, while federal regulators are demanding a 60 percent reduction.

“Because your proposal does not meet the 60 percent risk reduction target, we will be obligated to consider additional measures through our federal rulemaking,” said Michael Pentony, regional administrator of NMFS’s Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office.

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald