Saving Seafood

Fishery council adopts tighter Bering Sea halibut bycatch limits based on stocks

December 22, 2021 — The governing body in charge of regulating halibut bycatch limits in the Bering Sea has adopted a new management system based on stocks of the valuable groundfish.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council adopted the policy earlier in the month on an 8-3 vote. It’s set to go into effect in 2023.

Currently, there is a static cap on halibut bycatch for the Amendment 80 trawl fleet. If the fleet hits that cap, the fishery would close.

Advocates of tighter bycatch limits have said the current cap is too high. Since 2015, when the council last amended bycatch regulations, they have pushed for them to be lowered.

Read the full story at KTUU

 

Fishing council ties bycatch limits on Bering Sea trawlers to halibut abundance

December 16, 2021 — The council that manages fishing in federal waters voted this week to link groundfish trawl fishing in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands to halibut abundance. The action caps — at least for now — a six-year debate about curbing halibut bycatch in Alaska.

For many who have been following that debate, the decision comes as a surprise because it’s expected to deal what trawlers say is a crushing blow to their fishery.

But members of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council said it was also important for them to consider how high levels of bycatch hurt small-boat halibut fishermen in Western Alaska — even if they didn’t go quite as far as advocates from those communities had hoped.

The action that ultimately passed Monday came from Rachel Baker, the deputy Fish and Game commissioner who represents Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration on the council. She said it will incentivize the trawl industry to reduce the halibut they incidentally catch in their nets.

When halibut stocks are low, the cap on prohibited species catch, or PSC, will also drop.

Read the full story at KTOO

NOAA Confirms 2022 At-Sea Monitoring Coverage Levels for Northeast Groundfish Sector

December 16, 2021 — NOAA Fisheries announced that for the 2022 fishing year, the total target at-sea monitoring overall level will be 99% of all groundfish sector trips subject to the at-sea monitoring program.

NOAA said it considered a “variety of factors” when it determined the coverage level for 2022 and wrote a letter to the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) to explain their decision.

In a bulletin, NOAA also said it has the funds to reimburse the industry for its at-sea monitoring costs. Plus, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission will continue to administer the reimbursement program for Fishing Year 2022 as in prior years.

Read the full story at Seafood News

Pacific Council requests nominations for remaining advisory body vacancies for the 2022-2024 Term

December 16, 2021 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Council is requesting nominations for remaining vacancies for the 2022-2024 Advisory Body term. To ensure consideration, nominations should be received via the Council’s online Advisory Body Nomination Form. no later than 5 p.m. Friday, February 4, 2022.

List of vacancies

•Groundfish Advisory Subpanel – Sport Fisheries At-Large – 1 Position (WA, OR, or CA) preferably, but not exclusively, requesting nominees with knowledge of WA sport groundfish fisheries

•Groundfish Advisory Subpanel – At-Large Processor – 1 Position

•Habitat Committee – Northwest or Columbia River Tribal Representative– 1 Position

•Highly Migratory Species Advisory Subpanel – Processor North of Cape Mendocino– 1 Position

•Salmon Advisory Subpanel – Idaho Sport Fisheries– 1 Position

•Scientific and Statistical Committee – At-Large– 2 Positions, preferably, but not exclusively, requesting nominees with expertise in oceanography and/or social sciences. Nominations to the Scientific and Statistical Committee must include a curriculum vitae (CV) and a Statement of Financial Interests to be considered for appointment. Please download and complete NOAA Form 88-195 and submit it along with a CV via the online Advisory Body Nomination Form.

To submit a nomination and supporting documents, please fill out the Council’s online Advisory Body Nomination Form.

Individuals may nominate themselves or be nominated by other individuals or organizations. Individuals may apply for more than one advisory body seat, but please use a separate form for each nomination. Nomination materials submitted for the November 2021 Council meeting will not be considered. If you have been nominated in the past and wish to be considered in March 2022, please complete a new form.

The Council is scheduled to review the nominations and fill positions during the March 2022 Council meeting.  Appointments will be effective through December 31, 2024.

A summary list of nominations will be included in the public briefing materials for the March 2022 Council meeting, but Nomination Forms, Statements of Financial Interest, or other submitted nomination materials will only be distributed to participants of the closed sessions of the SSC or the Council. Letters of support for nominees may be submitted with the nomination form or may also be submitted for the March 2022 Council Meeting via the Council’s Public Comment E-Portal which will open no later than early-February.

The Council is committed to the principle of diversity and is interested in receiving nominations from a broad spectrum of people.  Eligibility or selection for these positions will not be based on race, color, national origin, handicap, age, religion, or sexual orientation. For further information on the advisory bodies or the nomination process, please contact Mike Burner, Deputy Director (503-820-2414 or toll free 866-806-7204).

 

‘For the first time in its history, the council has ignored science’: Decision to reduce halibut bycatch leaves Alaska groundfish fleet reeling

December 15, 2021 — Major fishing companies targeting the Alaska flatfish sector blasted the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) this week for a decision it says could cost thousands of jobs and millions in lost revenue.

Members of the NPFMC voted Monday to tie halibut bycatch limits to Eastern Bering Sea (EBS) abundances, a decision that will have significant consequences on several major companies targeting the Alaska flatfish sector.

The council voted 8-to-3 in favor of a measure that will lower the current bycatch cap between 20 to 35 percent, depending on the levels of halibut in the Eastern Bering Sea. It is estimated the measure won’t go into effect for the Amendment 80 fleet until 2023.

The council action followed several days of often emotional testimony in an ongoing fisheries battle over the scope of the trawlers’ catch of a revered flatfish found off the US West Coast, British Columbia and Alaska. Surveys indicate halibut have been in decline over the past 15 years.

When halibut abundance is very low, the prohibited species catch, or PSC limit, decreases for the Amendment 80 fleet by 35 percent from the current cap amount of 1,745 metric tons, according to the motion.

The Bering Sea-Aleutian Islands halibut abundance-based management, or ABM, is not currently in place for the Amendment 80 fleet. The cap is fixed and is not adjusted to halibut abundance. If the fleet exceeds that cap, they have to stop fishing.

Read the full story from Intrafish

Council cuts Alaska halibut bycatch caps for groundfish fleet

December 14, 2021 — With four proposed alternatives on the docket to amend the management of halibut bycatch in Alaska’s Amendment 80 groundfish trawl fleet, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council voted Monday, Dec. 13, to approve a compromise between Alternatives 3 and 4.

“The preferred alternative balances the interests of the two largest halibut user groups in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands — the directed commercial halibut fishery and the Amendment 80 sector — by establishing abundance-based halibut [bycatch] limits for the Amendment 80 sector,” said Rachel Baker, deputy commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish & Game, who devised and presented the compromise to the council.

The bulk of public comments called for significant changes, with many halibut stakeholders urging council members to support Alternative 4.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

 

Halibut cuts threaten the livelihood of thousands of fishermen

December 13, 2021 — We are two captains with a combined experience of more than 70 years in Alaska’s groundfish trawl fisheries.

In that time, we’ve been a part of a trawl fishery that has evolved and innovated heavily to meet several regulatory challenges. This is thanks to a collective commitment of the 2,200 fishermen and women who participate in our fishery. Our families are fishing families, too – as important as any other. We believe we are true stewards of the North Pacific resources. But cuts to our halibut bycatch caps under consideration by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council at its upcoming December meeting threaten our fishery and our way of life.

Our fleet has achieved a 49% reduction in halibut bycatch mortality since Amendment 80 rationalization in 2007. Halibut now represents 0.4% of our catch, which is among Alaska’s lowest bycatch rates, and far lower than Canada’s West Coast fisheries, which are often held up as an example of low bycatch rates. But it has not been easy to get here.

Read the full op-ed at the Anchorage Daily News

Fishery council must act to reduce Alaska halibut bycatch

December 13, 2021 — The North Pacific Fishery Management Council, or NPFMC, has hardly been an Alaska household name, but we think it should become one. The 11-member council makes fisheries policy for the North Pacific Ocean that greatly shapes Alaskans’ livelihoods and lives, including an awfully big decision in the coming days that all Alaskans should know about.

This decision is an “all the marbles” decision to reduce — or to fail to reduce — how much halibut the Seattle-based Bering Sea groundfish trawl fishery can catch and discard as bycatch. Bycatch is when a “non-target” species of fish is accidentally caught while fishing — and is almost always discarded, often dead or dying, back to the ocean.

This is a very important decision for all Alaskans who care about our fisheries and our halibut. We believe halibut trawl bycatch caps must be substantially reduced. We believe most Alaskans feel similarly.

Right now, 3.3 million pounds of halibut are caught and discarded by the Bering Sea trawl fleets every year. Of the various trawlers in the Bering Sea, the 19 vessels that constitute the groundfish bottom trawl fleet — also known as the “Amendment 80″ fleet — are the biggest contributors to halibut bycatch.

Read the full op-ed at the Anchorage Daily News

Groundfish: Council Picks Framework 63 Preferred Measures; Specifications Include 2022 Catch Limits for Georges Bank Cod

December 10, 2021 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

During its December 7-9, 2021 webinar meeting, the New England Fishery Management Council selected preferred alternatives for Framework Adjustment 63 to the Northeast Multispecies (Groundfish) Fishery Management Plan. The Council then voted to submit the framework to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS/NOAA Fisheries) for review, approval, and implementation. The target implementation date is May 1, 2022, the start of the next groundfish fishing year.

The framework contains revised fishery specifications for several stocks, including:

• Gulf of Maine cod for fishing years 2022 through 2024;

• Georges Bank cod for fishing year 2022, marking a sharp reduction from previous catch limits;

• Georges Bank yellowtail flounder for fishing years 2022 and 2023; and

• White hake for fishing year 2022, consistent with the new rebuilding plan for this stock.

In addition, the framework includes 2022 total allowable catches (TACs) for three resources on Georges Bank that the U.S. shares with Canada – Eastern Georges Bank cod, Eastern Georges Bank haddock, and Georges Bank yellowtail flounder. The Council signed off on the U.S./Canada TACs during its September meeting. All other groundfish stock specifications remain unchanged from what the Council adopted in Framework 61.

Read the full release from the New England Fishery Management Council

Salem News: Finding common ground on fisheries data

November 5, 2021 — Building consensus between commercial fishermen, conservationists and marine regulators is no easy task. But a long, patient effort led by Congressman Seth Moulton’s office seems to be making progress, and a substantial influx of federal cash may finally help the often-warring factions find common ground.

There can be little argument that there are dramatically fewer fish in the North Atlantic today, in large part because of overfishing in the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s, fueled by massive outside investment and lax oversight from regulators.

But how many fish are left now? What kind? Where are they and how do they move?

Those are questions Moulton’s Groundfish Trawl Task Force has been working to answer since its formation in 2015. The panel’s efforts got a boost last month with a $500,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. At the heart of the effort is providing wider, more timely and more accurate data to decision makers. That in turn should go a long way toward rebuilding trust between fishermen and fisheries scientists.

Read the full editorial at the Salem News