Saving Seafood

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

Shutdown leaves NOAA behind schedule on East Coast fisheries management

January 29, 2019 — The administrator of a federal fisheries office says the government is behind schedule on actions related to oceans management because of the long shutdown.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is charged with regulating fishing and marine issues for the U.S. government. Michael Pentony, the administrator of its Greater Atlantic Region Fisheries Office, said Monday the office is “behind schedule on many, many critically important actions.”

Pentony said fishing boats haven’t been able to fish because they could not get permits. He said there also weren’t enough resources to fully monitor protected ocean resources. Some fisheries have also been unable to operate at full capacity.

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

Rep. Moulton: NOAA cuts ‘recipe for disaster’

February 16, 2018 — President Donald Trump’s proposed budget for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration cuts more than $1 billion from the agency that manages the nation’s fisheries and coastal ecosystems, explores space and forecasts weather and changing environmental conditions.

On Thursday, U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton of Salem criticized the proposed cuts, saying the proposed 14 percent decline reflects the administration’s shallow understanding of the importance of NOAA’s programs to coastal communities, maritime industries and the national resources the agency is tasked to protect.

“It’s a recipe for disaster,” Moulton said of the withering budget cuts.

A spokeswoman at NOAA’s Gloucester-based Greater Atlantic Region Fisheries Office said the agency would have no comment on the budget proposal.

Still, the numbers remain unnerving — and the opposition more unified among a disparate band of conservationists, fishing stakeholders and political forces — when the cuts within the cuts are explored.

Local groundfishermen, already buffeted by heightened regulation, shrinking quotas and climactic changes, fear the cuts will kill any possibility that NOAA will continue reimbursements for portions of their at-sea monitoring costs in 2018.

Conservationists, such as Oceana, have railed against the deep cuts in ocean-funded research, such as the 33 percent cut in the National Ocean Service.

“The president’s proposal would cripple NOAA, the nation’s premier agency for ocean management and research,” Oceana said in its statement responding to the Trump budget proposals. “Major NOAA programs would suffer massive cuts.”

Read the full story at Salem News

 

New England Council Supports Regional Administrator’s Action to Enforce Groundfish Sector IX Operations Plan

November 21, 2017 — The following was released by the New England Fisheries Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council supports today’s announcement by the National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) that it will be enforcing groundfish sector rules and the Northeast Fishery Sector IX operations plan.

Under Amendment 16 to the Council’s groundfish plan, GARFO’s regional administrator has authority to withdraw approval of a sector at any time he or she, after consulting with the New England Council, determines that: (1) sector participants are not complying with the requirements of an approved operations plan; or (2) “continuation of the operations plan will undermine achievement of fishing mortality objectives” of the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan.

Regional Administrator Bullard consulted with the Council on two occasions – first during the Council’s June meeting in Portland, ME and then again during the September meeting in Gloucester, MA. On September 27, the Council voted to request that “GARFO immediately enforce sector regulations and the Sector IX operations plan.”

“We asked them to enforce the rule, and that’s what they’re doing,” said Council Executive Director Tom Nies. “Since 2004, the Council has emphasized repeatedly that sectors are responsible for monitoring their catch and enforcing sector provisions. Sector IX failed to comply with its own enforcement provisions when its president admitted to reporting violations.”

NMFS published an interim final rule on April 28, 2017 stating it had “provisionally approved” the Sector IX operations plan for 2017 and 2018, along with the annual catch entitlement (ACE) allocated to the sector for 2017.

Carlos Rafael, who was president of the sector at that time, pleaded guilty on March 30 to falsely reporting catch information for 13 vessels operating under the sector. However, since the Rafael case was under litigation when NMFS published the interim final rule approving all of the region’s 19 sectors and their operations plans, the agency stated its intention to take “additional action” if warranted for Sector IX following settlement of Rafael’s criminal case.

Rafael was sentenced September 25 in U.S. District Court in Boston to 46 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and fines. On October 11, he was further ordered to forfeit his interests in four vessels and their associated permits.

GARFO’s announcement today withdrawing approval of the Sector IX operations plans means that vessels enrolled in Sector IX are prohibited from: (1) fishing on a sector trip and harvesting sector ACE; (2) fishing on a common pool trip; or (3) joining another sector.

However, the action does not reallocate the ACE to other sectors or to the common pool. NMFS is continuing to analyze the extent of the sector’s ACE overages based on the misreporting of catch information for several stocks. The agency stated, “Any accountability measures, such as assessing and deducting ACE overages incurred by the sector, (will) be determined in a future action.”

“For the future success of the sector system, fishermen and the public must be confident that sectors will adhere to management provisions.”

– New England Fishery Management Council in a September 29, 2017 letter to GARFO Regional Administrator John Bullard seeking immediate enforcement of sector regulations and the Sector IX operations plan

Learn more about the NEFMC by visiting their site here.

 

ASMFC & MAFMC Modify Scup Specifications for 2018 and 2019

August 11, 2017 — PHILADELPHIA — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) reviewed previously approved specifications for summer flounder, black sea bass and bluefish fisheries and modified 2018 and 2019 specifications for scup. The Commission’s actions are final and apply to state waters. The Council will forward its federal waters recommendations regarding scup specifications to NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Administrator for final approval.

The table below summarizes commercial quotas and recreational harvest limits (RHL) for summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, and bluefish (2017 values are provided for comparison purposes). Please note the 2019 scup specifications may be adjusted based on changes in the fishery or new scientific information.

Scup

The scup stock assessment update, which includes data through 2016, indicates the stock was not overfished and overfishing was not occurring in 2016. Spawning stock biomass was estimated to be 206% of the biomass target. Given the desire to maintain stable measures and take into account management uncertainty raised by the Monitoring Committee, the Commission and Council approved a commercial quota of 23.98 million pounds (a 30% increase from the 2017 quota) and a RHL of 7.37 million pounds (a 34% increase from the 2017 RHL) for the 2018 and 2019 fishing seasons. The difference between the increases in the commercial quota and RHL is due to projected discard estimates for the commercial and recreational fisheries.

Summer Flounder

For summer flounder, the Commission and Council received a data update, including catch, landings, and survey indices through 2016. The Council and Board maintained the previously approved 2018 specifications based on stock projections from the 2016 assessment update. A benchmark stock assessment is scheduled for peer review in late 2018. A working group is being formed to develop alternative modeling approaches to be considered in the assessment.

The Commission and Council were also presented a range of commercial alternatives for possible consideration in the Draft Summer Flounder Amendment. Based on feedback from both bodies, work will continue on the development of management alternatives for permits and latent effort, as well as commercial allocation. The Board and Council will decide which management alternatives to include in the document at a later meeting.

Black Sea Bass

The Commission and Council received a data update for black sea bass, including catch, landings, and survey indices through 2016. The update indicates black sea bass biomass continues to be high, and the 2015 year class appears to be above average. The Commission and Council maintained 2018 specifications, which were set in February 2017 based on stock projections from the 2016 assessment update. An assessment update is tentatively scheduled for 2018.

Bluefish

The Commission and Council also maintained 2018 specifications for bluefish. The 2018 commercial quota and recreational harvest limit are preliminary and will likely change following release of 2017 final Marine Recreational Information Program harvest estimates. These estimates can impact how much is transferred from the recreational sector to the commercial sector. An assessment update is scheduled for 2018.

For all four species, the Commission and Council actions are consistent with the recommendations of the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee based on the best available scientific information.  For more information about summer flounder, scup, or black sea bass, please contact Kirby Rootes-Murdy, Senior FMP Coordinator, at krootes-murdy@asmfc.org. For more information about bluefish, please contact Max Appelman, FMP Coordinator, atmappelman@asmfc.org.          

 

New England Fishery Management Council seeks at-large Research Steering Committee members

September 29, 2016 — The following was released by the NEFMC:

The New England Fishery Management Council is seeking at-large members to serve on its Research Steering Committee.  The committee’s primary mission is to foster collaborations between fishermen and scientists and advise the Council on research priorities aimed at achieving collaborative outcomes.  The committee also reviews final reports to ensure that research projects have had adequate technical review and to discuss how information gained from the research may be used in management.

When fully populated, the Research Steering Committee is made up of:  four voting Council members who are appointed annually; one Northeast Fisheries Science Center representative; one National Marine Fisheries Service representative from the Greater Atlantic Region Fisheries Office; and eight at-large members.

The Council specifically is seeking applicants for the eight at-large seats, which are broken down as follows:

  • Two fishery scientists;
  • Four fishermen;
  • One representative from the conservation community; and
  • One representative from academia.

The solicitation announcement states, “The Council Chairman will appoint Research Steering Committee members on the basis of their experience and expertise concerning fishing, fisheries science and research, and/or fisheries policy.”

The committee meets roughly three times per year.  Expenses for travel, meals, and lodging will be paid for in accordance with the Council’s travel policy.