Saving Seafood

NOAA Fisheries to Reimburse Vessels for 2018 At-Sea Monitoring Costs

September 28, 2018 — NOAA Fisheries has announced a plan to cover the 2018 costs of at-sea monitoring for ground fish sector vessels in the Northeast.

The agency also plans to contribute more reimbursements to vessels for the 2017 at-sea costs, bringing the total reimbursement for that year up to 85-percent.

The at-sea monitors participate in a series of sector trips to estimate the total catch of quota of the species kept and discarded by the vessel. NOAA says at-sea monitoring also helps groundfish vessels keep track of the pace to which they fill their quotas for each species.

“Effective at-sea monitoring is essential to the success and sustainability of this fishery. This $10.3 million increase from Congress for groundfish at-sea monitoring provides additional economic stability for the sector vessels,” said Northeast Fisheries Science Center Director Jon Hare.

Read the full story at CapeCod.com

NEFMC Endorses 2019 U.S./Canada TACs; Receives Groundfish Progress Report

September 27, 2018 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council has accepted 2019 total allowable catches (TACs) for three groundfish stocks on Georges Bank (GB) that the U.S. shares with Canada–Eastern GB cod, Eastern GB haddock, and GB yellowtail flounder. The TACs were recommended by the U.S./Canada Transboundary  Management Guidance Committee (TMGC) based on advice from the U.S./Canada Transboundary
Resources Assessment Committee (TRAC). The U.S. has members on both the TMGC and the TRAC.

The TACs will be included in Framework Adjustment 58 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan, which is still under development. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS, NOAA Fisheries) must approve the TACs before they are implemented.

Read the full release here

Feds say few commercial fishing trips are monitored

September 27, 2018 — Federal officials revealed Wednesday that most of the New England fishing cooperatives that catch cod, haddock, flounder and other groundfish failed to meet the minimum standards for having observers on their boats.

Known as sectors, these cooperatives are groups of fishermen who come up with their own fishing plan and enforcement measures to manage their shares of the overall quota.

National Marine Fisheries Service regional administrator Michael Pentony sent letters to 14 of 19 sectors informing them that they were below the required 15 percent of their trips accompanied by fishery monitors and federal observers. Ten sectors were below 10 percent. Observers count and identify the fish caught and discarded, which helps scientists estimate impacts on fish populations.

“We are not trying to point fingers or lay blame,” Pentony told the New England Fishery Management Council at their meeting Wednesday, calling it a systemic problem.

“This report illustrates in bold type the core failure that has left the New England groundfish fishery in crisis: it is essentially unmonitored,” Johanna Thomas, director of the Environmental Defense Fund, wrote in an email. “This is not fair to fishermen, who need to have trust that decisions on their fishing activity is based on good information, and who need to know that there is a level playing field, that everyone is playing by the rules.”

Conservation Law Foundation senior attorney Erica Fuller said her organization has advocated for 100 percent observed trips either by humans or onboard cameras.

“Understanding budget constraints, NMFS should do everything in its power to get effective coverage that can provide accurate data and rebuild overfished stocks,” Fuller said.

The outcry for better observer coverage was especially intense following the arrest and conviction of New Bedford fishing mogul Carlos Rafael, known as “The Codfather,” who was able to illegally catch, process and sell fish, escaping detection for many years.

Read the full story at the Cape Cod Times

New Bedford shocked by NOAA’s latest move in Carlos Rafael case

September 24, 2018 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — Jim Kendall sees fingerprints on NOAA’s most recent allegations that go beyond Carlos Rafael and loop 22 of his captains into the agency’s non-criminal civil action.

“I’ll tell you right now, you can print it or not, but I think John Bullard still has his thumb on the scale,” the former fishing captain and executive director of New Bedford Seafood Consulting said.

Kendall backed up his claims by saying, “because I know John. He’s a vindictive SOB.”

Bullard is the former mayor of New Bedford, but in this case more importantly acted as the regional administrator for NOAA when Rafael was criminally indicted, pled guilty and was sentenced. Bullard also imposed a groundfishing ban on Rafael-owned vessels.

Except Bullard retired Jan. 19, about nine months before NOAA filed the updated charging documents on Sept. 10.

“A comment like that is insulting to all the people who do very important and hard work in the enforcement arena,” Bullard said. “They just follow the facts and where the facts lead. The only scales are the scales of justice. Nobody’s influencing. The only thing they are following is the facts.”

Bullard was at the helm when NOAA first filed charging documents on Jan. 10.

Read the full story at The New Bedford Standard-Times

 

NOAA seeks $3 million in civil fines against Carlos Rafael

September 21, 2018 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — NOAA hasn’t removed Carlos Rafael from its crosshairs. It’s requesting more than $3 million from the fishing tycoon and also took aim at 20 additional Rafael captains in a civil action filed last week, the governing agency told The Standard-Times on Thursday.

NOAA issued superseding charging documents in its civil administrative case involving Rafael on Sept. 10, which added charges and included more respondents than the original document NOAA issued Jan. 10.

The new document seeks to revoke 42 of Rafael’s federal fishing permits, prevent Rafael or his agents from applying for NOAA permits in the future, and increase the total monetary penalties sought from $983,528 to $3,356,269.

NOAA said Thursday that it does not comment on ongoing litigation.

The documents, which are non-criminal, also increased the number of alleged violations of federal fishery laws from 35 to 88 in addition to lassoing 20 of Rafael’s captains into the civil action. The original documents included only two captains. NOAA also is seeking to revoke operator permits of 17 fishing vessel captains for Rafael.

Read the full story at The New Bedford Standard-Times

 

Quotas up for most key Northeast groundfish stocks

September 6, 2018 — At the start of 2018, regulatory changes triggered substantial quota increases for several commercially important groundfish stocks, including Georges Bank cod, Gulf of Maine cod, Gulf of Maine haddock and pollock — as well as smaller increases for a few choke stocks.

“The stocks themselves are in good shape, with plenty of fish to catch,” said Bert Jongerden, general manager of the Portland Fish Exchange, a wholesale fish auction in Maine.

Catch limits for other groundfish decreased from 2017 limits, and fishermen still face challenges with non-allocated stocks, such as windowpane flounder.

“Overall, however, the 2018 quotas provide a number of groundfish fishing opportunities on healthy resources,” said Janice Plante, public affairs officer for the New England Fishery Management Council.

Despite a Gulf of Maine cod quota increase, the catch limit remains depressed for fishermen trying to work on healthy stocks. Wholesale auction prices for gulf cod were averaging at $2.52 for large cod in late July. However, added Jongerden, “dabs are the choke species for cod, and boats have to buy allocation in order to go fishing.”

Georges Bank haddock continues to be one of the healthiest stocks — and markets support it.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Cool ocean temps, reduced salmon bycatch likely to boost Alaska groundfish catches

August 22, 2018 — Reduced salmon bycatch and increased catches of rockfish bode well for Alaska’s groundfish trawlers in 2018. As of July, most of the boats had off-loaded their dragging gear and switched over to massive deck pumps to fill out salmon tendering contracts in Bristol Bay and elsewhere around the state.

That’s typical for many of the Kodiak-based catcher boats in the off-season, but the kicker in their year (so far) began during fisheries directed for arrowtooth flounder and various rockfish species months earlier.

“Things have been off in recent years, in the way that the fisheries have been functioning,” said Julie Bonney, executive director of the Alaska Groundfish Data Bank, in Kodiak.

Incidental catches of king salmon and halibut during the 2017 season caused closures that not only put a crimp in the potential harvest of the groundfish quotas but caused an unfavorable pulse of supplies in markets that favor a steady flow of fish to end consumers.

But 2018 brings hope of a turnaround. Ocean conditions seem to have gifted the trawlers in terms of distribution and density of rockfish. As of July 1, the fleet had harvested 68 percent of the rockfish quota compared to 2017 when they caught 43 percent.

Better yet, the incidental take of king salmon was down. Bonney reported on June 28 that the fleet in the Gulf of Alaska logged 6,200 salmon of a total allowable 32,250 salmon.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

New England Council Update – August 20, 2018

August 20, 2018 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

Here’s a roundup of upcoming meetings and new developments that are relevant to the New England Fishery Management Council’s stakeholders.

SEPTEMBER 2018 COUNCIL MEETING:  The Council has extended its September meeting by a half-day.  The meeting now will begin on Monday, September 24 at 2 p.m. and run through Thursday, September 27 at Hotel 1620 Plymouth Harbor in Plymouth, MA.  The agenda and meeting materials will be posted in the coming weeks at September 2018 Plymouth.

DOGFISH:  The New England and Mid-Atlantic Councils jointly manage spiny dogfish.  The Mid-Atlantic Council, which has the administrative lead over the Spiny Dogfish Fishery Management Plan, has scheduled two upcoming meetings to review recent fishery performance and talk about specifications for fishing year 2019 and beyond.

  • Spiny Dogfish Advisory Panel – The advisory panel (AP) will meet via webinar on August 27, 2018 to develop a Fishery Performance Report and provide input on upcoming specifications.  More information is available at Spiny Dogfish AP and  AP webinar.
  • Spiny Dogfish Monitoring Committee – The monitoring committee will meet via webinar on September 14, 2018 to review annual specifications and management measures and make appropriate recommendations for upcoming fishing years.  Visit meeting details and spiny dogfish.

ATLANTIC SEA SCALLOPS:  The Council’s scallop-related bodies will be meeting to discuss: (1) the 2018 scallop benchmark stock assessment; (2) preliminary results from 2018 scallop surveys; (3) fishery specifications and Framework Adjustment 30 management measures; (4) limited access general category individual fishing quota (LAGC IFQ) trip limit analyses; and (5) 2019 scallop work priorities.

  • Scallop Plan Development Team – Tuesday, August 28 and Wednesday, August 29, 2018 at Coonamessett Inn in Falmouth, MA.  Check here for details.
  • Scallop Advisory Panel and Scallop Committee – Thursday, September 13, 2018 and Friday, September 14, 2018 respectively at Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott in New Bedford.  Learn more at Scallop AP and Scallop Committee.
GROUNDFISH:  Here’s what’s in the line-up for upcoming groundfish-related meetings.
  • Groundfish Plan Development Team – Wednesday, August 22, 2018 via webinar to discuss Framework Adjustment 58 issues and Monitoring Amendment 23.  Details are available at webinar information.
  • Fishery Data for Stock Assessment Working Group – Friday, September 7, 2018 at the UMass Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology in New Bedford to continue work on how fishery dependent data can be used to inform stock abundance.  The agenda can be found at working group meeting.
  • Transboundary Management Guidance Committee (TMGC) – The TMGC will meet Tuesday and Wednesday, September 11-12, 2018, to develop recommendations for 2019 total allowable catches for shared U.S./Canada groundfish stocks on Georges Bank.  Details will be posted at TMGC meetingwhen available.
  • Atlantic Cod – The New England Council manages Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank cod under the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan.  The University of New Hampshire recently hosted a Cod Population Structure Symposium that included several presentations from regional scientists.  Copies of those presentations can be downloaded at Cod Population Structure and New England Fisheries.
HABITAT:  The Habitat Committee will meet on Tuesday, August 28, 2018 at the Four Points by Sheraton in Wakefield, MA to: (1) review fishing industry proposals and preliminary Habitat Plan Development Team evaluation for exemption areas in the Great South Channel Habitat Management Area; (2) develop recommendations for the Council for inclusion in the Clam Dredge Framework; (3) receive updates on recent Essential Fish Habitat consultations; and (4) discuss offshore wind issues.  More information is available at habitat meeting materials.
ATLANTIC HERRING:  The New England Council’s Atlantic Herring Advisory Panel (AP) and Herring Committee will meet back-to-back on Tuesday, September 18, 2018 and Wednesday, September 19, 2018 at the Four Points by Sheraton in Wakefield, MA.  Both bodies will: (1) review results from the 2018 herring benchmark stock assessment; (2) review public comments on Amendment 8 and recommend preferred alternatives; (3) discuss possible measures for consideration in 2019-2021 specifications and potential independent action for 2019 by NOAA Fisheries; and (4) begin discussing potential 2019 herring work priorities.  When available, related documents will be posted at AP and committee meeting materials.
 
PUBLICATIONS:  Here are a few recent scientific publications that involve Council staff members or Council funding.q
  • Social Impact Analyst Dr. Rachel Feeney and Atlantic Herring Fishery Analyst Deirdre Boelke were authors on a journal article titled “The dream and the reality: meeting decision-making time frames while incorporating ecosystem and economic models into management strategy evaluation,” which recently was published in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences.
  • Scallop Fishery Analyst Sam Asci was the lead author on a paper titled “Estimating similarity in benthic communities over decades and in areas open and closed to fishing in the central Gulf of Maine, USA,” which was published in Marine Ecology Progress Series.
  • Dr. John Wiedenmann and Dr. Olaf Jensen authored a paper titled “Could recent overfishing of New England groundfish have been prevented?  A retrospective evaluation of alternative management strategies.”  The work was funded by the New England Council, and the resulting article was published in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences.
PROFESSIONAL MEETINGS:  New England Council Habitat Fishery Analyst Michelle Bachman will be giving a presentation on August 21 at the 148th Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society in Atlantic City, NJ during a session called “Strategic Engagement with Stakeholders and Partners.”

MASSACHUSETTS: Gloucester hopes catch can claw its way to top

August 20, 2018 — Building on the success of its Gloucester Fresh seafood branding campaign, the city of Gloucester plans to apply the same formula to help brand and market Massachusetts lobsters to lobster lovers the world over.

Couldn’t happen in a better place.

If you go by the numbers, there is no better Bay State lobster port to take up the banner for distinguishing Massachusetts lobsters from those hauled from the waters of neighboring states.

Gloucester has dominated the lobster trade in Massachusetts and the industry’s high profile here has helped mitigate some of the misery foisted upon the community by the continuing groundfish crisis.

It is the state’s No. 1 port in both number of active lobstermen — an average of 136 annually during the past five years — and amount of lobster annually landed. Gloucester has averaged 2.94 million pounds per year over the past five years, according to the state Division of Marine Fisheries.

During that period, no other Massachusetts lobster port ever claimed more than 60 active lobstermen in any given year, and none but Gloucester ever cracked double-digits in the percentage of statewide landings.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

NOAA to pay fishermen’s at-sea monitoring costs

August 15, 2018 — Commercial groundfishermen will not have to pay any at-sea monitoring costs in the current fishing year and will be reimbursed for an additional 25 percent of their 2017 fishing trips that included monitor coverage, NOAA Fisheries said Tuesday.

The expanded at-sea monitor funding, fueled by an additional $10.3 million secured by New Hampshire’s U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen in the current federal budget, means fishing vessels in the Northeast Multispecies groundfishery are eligible to be reimbursed for about 85 percent of their 2017 trips with at-sea monitors aboard.

“Effective at-sea monitoring is essential to the success and sustainability of this fishery,” Jon Hare, the director of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center said in a statement. “This $10.3 million increase from Congress for groundfish at-sea monitoring provides additional economic stability for the sector vessels.”

The additional $10.3 million was part a $22.5 million appropriation to NOAA to fund both at-sea monitoring and court-mandated bycatch reporting requirements.

The increased funding will relieve commercial fishermen of a significant financial burden — estimated at $710 per day for boats with monitors — for at least this fishing year. It also halts — at least for now — NOAA Fisheries’ strategy of increasingly shifting the costs of at-sea monitors onto fishermen until industry bears the full cost of monitor coverage.

“This is very welcome money and good news all the way around,” said Jackie Odell, executive director of the Northeast Seafood Coalition. “It’s a lot for groundfishermen to pay for, especially as quotas decline and they lose access to key stocks.”

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times