Saving Seafood

USDA plans more Alaska, West Coast groundfish buys for nutrition programs

June 22, 2022 — Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, both R-Alaska, have announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s approval of up to $52 million in Pacific and Alaskan groundfish purchases.

The USDA will buy cod, haddock, pollock, and flounder to supplement the federal government’s food-assistance programs as part of its Section 32 program.

Section 32 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act authorizes a percentage of customs receipts to be transferred to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to support the prices of surplus domestic commodities and to distribute those commodities through various USDA programs designed to feed hungry Americans.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Fishery managers call for deeper look at salmon bycatch, but decline to tighten rules

June 16, 2022 — Western Alaska villagers have endured the worst chum salmon runs on record, several years of anemic Chinook salmon runs in the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers, harvest closures from the Bering Sea coast to Canada’s Yukon Territory and such dire conditions that they relied on emergency shipments of salmon from elsewhere in Alaska just to have food to eat.

Many of those suffering see one way to provide some quick relief: Large vessels trawling for pollock and other groundfish in the industrial-scale fisheries of the Bering Sea, they say, must stop intercepting so many salmon.

Advocates for tighter rules on those interceptions, known as bycatch, made their case over the past several days to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, the organization that manages fish harvests in federal waters off Alaska.

‘Like fishing in the desert’

“The numbers are really low. There’s nothing out there. It’s like fishing in the desert,” Walter Morgan, of the Yup’ik village of Lower Kalskag, said in online testimony to the council, which met in Sitka.

Read the full story at the the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman

 

PFMC: Notice of a Public Online Meeting

June 15, 2022 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

Reminder! Groundfish Subcommittee of the SSC to hold online workshop June 21-23, 2022

The Groundfish Subcommittee of the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Pacific Council’s) Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will hold a workshop to develop methods for constructing abundance indices based on hook-and-line surveys.  Additionally, the SSC Groundfish Subcommittee will review the Species Distribution Model in Template Model Builder.  The workshop and methodology review meeting will be held Tuesday, June 21, 2022 through Thursday, June 23, 2022 beginning at 8 a.m. and continuing until 5 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time or until business for the day has been completed.  Both the workshop and methodology review meeting sessions are open to the public.

For further information:

•Please see the meeting notice on the Pacific Council’s website.

•Questions? contact Pacific Fishery Management Council staff officer John DeVore at 503-820-2413; toll-free 1-866-806-7204.

 

NEFMC SSC – Listen Live – Tuesday, June 7, 2022 – Research Priorities, Monkfish, Groundfish ABC Control Rules, Climate Plan

June 3, 2022 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee will meet by webinar to discuss the Council’s 2022-2026 Research Priorities and several other important issues.  The public is invited to listen live.  Here are the details.

WHEN:  Tuesday, June 7, 2022

START TIME:  1:00 p.m.

WEBINAR REGISTRATION:  Online access to the meeting is available at Listen Live.  There is no charge to access the meeting through this webinar.  The Remote Participation Guide is posted here.

CALL-IN OPTION:  To listen by telephone, dial +1 (631) 992-3221.  The access code is 827-025-783.  Please be aware that if you dial in using this number without joining the webinar at the link above, you will be unable to speak during opportunities for public comment.  Your regular phone charges will apply.

AGENDA:  The SSC will meet to:

  • Review the draft list of 2022-2026 Council Research Priorities and Data Needs and provide feedback;
  • Review the draft 2022 Monkfish Fishery Performance Report and provide comments;
  • Receive an update on the development of acceptable biological catch (ABC) control rule alternatives under consideration for the Northeast Multispecies (Groundfish) Fishery Management Plan;
  • Receive a presentation and provide comments on the NOAA Fisheries Northeast Climate Regional Action Plan; and
  • Consider other business as necessary.

MATERIALS:  All documents for this meeting are posted on the SSC June 7, 2022 meeting webpage.

QUESTIONS:  Contact Joan O’Leary at (978) 465-0492, ext. 101, joleary@nefmc.org or Janice Plante at (607) 592-4817, jplante@nefmc.org.

New executive director at California Wetfish Producers Association

Ma 27, 2022 — Economist and Pacific fisheries expert Mark Fina has been named executive director at the California Wetfish Producers Association, succeeding Diane Pleschner-Steele the group’s longtime leader.

Fina brings long experience in North Pacific fisheries. He started his analytical career working for the Anchorage, Alaska-based consulting firm Northern Economics.

After a year, he chose to focus his work on fisheries, taking a position as senior economist for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council where he led the analysis of several major fisheries management actions regulating the groundfish and crab fisheries off the state of Alaska. In this role, he also participated in a broad range of community, industry, and stakeholder forums across the state.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

 

Pacific Fishery Management Council to Hold a Meeting June 2022 to Adopt Management Measures for Ocean Fisheries, Including Final Measures for 2023-2024 Groundfish Fisheries

May 11, 2022 —  The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

Notice of availability: June 2022 Council meeting notice and agenda (meeting to be held hybrid online/in-person)

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC or Council) and its advisory bodies will meet June 8-14, 2022 in Vancouver, Washington with live streaming and remote participation options. Most of the meetings will be held in-person. The Council and groundfish Advisory Body meetings will have a hybrid of remote and in-person participation. The Scientific and Statistical Committee will meet by webinar only. The Council is scheduled to address issues related to groundfish, coastal pelagic species, highly migratory species, and administrative matters.

Please see the June 2022 Council meeting webpage for details regarding the agenda, webinar participation, our E-Portal for submitting public comments, and the public comment deadline.

For further information:

•Please contact Pacific Fishery Management Council staff at 503-820-2280; toll-free 1-866-806-7204.

•Visit the June 2022 Council meeting webpage

Groundfish: NEFMC Initiates Framework Adjustment 65 with Specifications, Rebuilding Plans, and Management Measures

April 22, 2022 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council initiated Framework Adjustment 65 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan when it met April 12-14, 2022 for a hybrid meeting in Mystic, CT. The framework will contain the following components:

  • Revised status determination criteria specifying when overfishing is occurring or a stock is overfished;
  • Revised rebuilding plans for Gulf of Maine cod and Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic winter flounder;
  • Fishing year 2023 and 2024 total allowable catches for the U.S./Canada management units of Eastern Georges Bank cod and Eastern Georges Bank haddock, as well as Georges Bank yellowtail flounder;
  • Fishing year 2023 and 2024 specifications for Georges Bank yellowtail flounder and Georges Bank cod, including a cod catch target for the recreational fishery;
  • Fishing year 2023, 2024, and 2025 specifications for 14 groundfish stocks – Georges Bank haddock, Gulf of Maine haddock, Cape Cod/Gulf of Maine yellowtail flounder, Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic yellowtail flounder, Georges Bank winter flounder, Gulf of Maine winter flounder, Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic winter flounder, American plaice, witch flounder, pollock, white hake, Atlantic halibut, ocean pout, and Atlantic wolffish;
  • Additional measures to promote stock rebuilding for Gulf of Maine cod and Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic winter flounder, and
  • Revised acceptable biological catch (ABC) control rules in consultation with the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee.

Read the full release from the NEFMC

 

NMFS pushing observer safety as it steps up Northeast coverage

April 8, 2022 — Federal fisheries law enforcement officials say they are intent on ensuring the safety of observers and at-sea monitors in the Northeast, as the National Marine Fisheries Service increases coverage of the groundfish fleet.

In May 2022, a new rule will go into effect that requires a major increase in observer coverage for the groundfish sector vessels in the Northeast. In addition, NMFS will implement new observer requirements for herring and some scallop vessels.

“We take observer and monitor safety seriously and we want vessel owners, captains, and crew to take it seriously, too,” said Jeffrey Ray, the Assistant Director of the Northeast Division for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Law Enforcement, in a statement issued in March. “It is illegal to interfere with or harass federal fisheries observers in any way while they are near or aboard your vessel. No exceptions.”

OLE agents will conduct more operations “focused on observer safety and preventing harassment and interference,” according to the agency.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Rule change calls for monitoring of all groundfish trips

March 23, 2022 — Webinars on proposed changes to how the commercial groundfish sector monitors its catch, both with monitors at sea and electronically, will be held this week by the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office of NOAA Fisheries (GARFO) in Gloucester.

The most significant proposed change is a monitoring coverage target of 100% aboard eligible trips, which is higher than present monitoring levels. The change is meant to remove uncertainty surrounding catch. This and other changes — known as Amendment 23— to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan were developed by the Newburyport-based New England Fishery Management Council.

The informational webinars on the changes are scheduled for Tuesday, March 22, Thursday, March 24, and Monday, April 4, from 4 to 6 p.m. The March events will focus on fishing industry members and the April event will focus on monitoring service providers.

According to a NOAA Fisheries fact sheet, the changes, if approved by NOAA Fisheries, would give groundfish vessels the choice of a human observer or using one of two types of electronic monitoring to meet the increased monitoring requirements, provided the sector has a corresponding approved monitoring plan and a contract with an approved service provider.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

Opinion: What lessons can Alaska learn – and share – on Arctic fisheries?

March 15, 2022 — Although focus is increasingly placed on sustainability policies and blue economy models among Arctic nations, the systematization of structured transnational collaboration in the circumpolar north has been underdeveloped. Over the past three years, as one of its objectives, the AlaskaNor project has aimed to identify the economic and social effects of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors in Alaska and North Norway in a comparative context and make this knowledge available for relevant stakeholders and decision-makers.

Through a comprehensive quantitative assessment of the status quo, challenges and opportunities of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors in both Arctic regions, the project demonstrated that both Alaska and North Norway are strong frontiers in fisheries and aquaculture production, with outstanding economic performance on the global market. The project’s assessment aimed at helping both regions to develop platforms and networks for further interaction while achieving sustainable and diversified economies.

Knowledge exchange

With salmon production being an invaluable source of income and employment in both regions, there is potential for Alaska and North Norway to learn from each other’s practices, despite salmon industries being carried out in a fundamentally different manner. While finfish farming is forbidden by Alaska law, Alaska’s successful development of hatcheries and the management of salmon stocks could offer sustainability lessons to Norwegian businesses. In turn, North Norway’s highly profitable aquaculture could offer successful strategies for reaching and maintaining new markets. Groundfish fisheries management could also benefit from knowledge and best practice exchange, given that both regions are currently exposed to the impacts of climate change, including diminishing Arctic sea ice, ocean acidification and higher sea surface temperatures, all of which affect groundfish habitation, nutrition and migration patterns.

Read the full opinion piece at the Anchorage Daily News