Saving Seafood

Rep. Moulton Letter Spurs Reforms to NOAA At Sea Monitoring Program

May 2, 2016 — The following was released by the office of Congressman Seth Moulton:

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Seth Moulton (D-MA) commended the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for incorporating significant reforms to the At Sea Monitoring Program in advance of the start of the fishing season this Sunday. Moulton led a New England delegation letter to NOAA in January to put pressure on NOAA to incorporate these reforms to the ASM program.

“With the start of the 2016 fishing season beginning on Sunday, these reforms are essential to the effective and efficient implementation of the At Sea Monitoring program and the viability of the New England fishing industry,” said Moulton. “NOAA’s reforms to the At Sea Monitoring program make it more cost-effective while still reliably monitoring the groundfish catch. I am grateful to NOAA for listening to the concerns of the New England Fishery Management Council, and I am committed to continuing to work with all involved to ensure that fishing communities throughout New England are equipped to thrive.”

Today, NOAA announced its Framework 55 New England Groundfish Rulemakings, which sets catch limits for the 2016-2018 fishing years, adjust the groundfish At-Sea Monitoring (ASM) program, implement sector administrative measures for 2016; and establish recreational measures for cod and haddock. Notably, Framework 55 also reduces ASM Council Requirements in certain New England Groundfish Sectors/Fisheries.

“NSC deeply appreciates that many Members of Congress in the northeast region recognized the crucial need to evolve the at-sea monitoring program and, under Congressman Moulton’s leadership, co-signed a letter of support for these reforms to NOAA fisheries that have now been approved by the Secretary of Commerce,” said Jackie Odell, Executive Director of the Northeast Seafood Coalition. “Although NSC opposes industry funded at-sea monitoring requirements, the issue of who is funding the program is independent of the collective responsibility to improve the program and seek efficiencies. Changes that have been approved to the program under Framework 55 take advantage of the incremental benefits of additional years of data and knowledge gained since the inception of the program, while meeting the same statistical standards required. Approval of these modifications reflects sound and responsible fisheries management.”

NOAA to reduce monitoring in new season

May 2, 2016 — In a victory for groundfishermen, NOAA will significantly reduce at-sea monitoring coverage for Northeast multispecies groundfish vessels in the season that begins Sunday.

NOAA, according to the final rule filed Friday in the Federal Register, will cut monitoring to 14 percent of all vessel trips in 2016, down from about 24 percent in 2015.

The reduction was welcomed by fishermen, particularly following recent federal policy changes leaving permit holders on the hook for the cost of at-sea monitoring. It was a disappointment for conservationists and environmental groups, who were seeking more coverage, not less.

The new rule, known as Framework 55, is expected to be formally published Monday, but will go into effect at the start of the 2016 fishing season on May 1.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

NOAA Fisheries Announces Groundfish Catch Limits for Commercial and Recreational Fisheries

May 2, 2016 — The following was released by NOAA:

We are announcing the commercial groundfish annual catch limits for the 2016 fishing year (May 1, 2016-April 30, 2017).

2016 catch limits will increase for 10 stocks, but will decrease substantially for some stocks. The catch limits are available in the rule filed with the Federal Register today.

We are adjusting the sector at-sea monitoring program to make it more cost-efficient while ensuring sector catch is still reliably monitored. The target sector at-sea monitoring coverage level is 14% for 2016, as compared to 24% for 2015.

We are increasing recreational fishing opportunities for Gulf of Maine (GOM) cod and haddock.

Recreational GOM 2016 Cod Measures:

Season: Open Aug 1-Sep 30

Per Day Possession: 1 fish

Minimum Size: 24 inches

Recreational GOM 2016 Haddock Measures:

Season: Open Apr 15-Feb 28

Per Day Possession: 15 fish

Minimum Size: 17 inches

Read the final rule for Framework 55 and the final rule for recreational measures as filed in the Federal Register for further details. The fishery bulletins for the commercial and recreational rules (scroll to page 11) are available as pdfs on our website.

NOAA to reduce monitoring in new season

April 29, 2016 — In a victory for groundfishermen, NOAA will significantly reduce at-sea monitoring coverage for Northeast multispecies groundfish vessels in the season that begins Sunday.

NOAA, according to the final rule filed Friday in the Federal Register, will cut monitoring to 14 percent of all vessel trips in 2016, down from about 24 percent in 2015.

The reduction was welcomed by fishermen, particularly following recent federal policy changes leaving permit holders on the hook for the cost of at-sea monitoring. It was a disappointment for conservationists and environmental groups, who were seeking more coverage, not less.

The new rule, known as Framework 55, is expected to be formally published Monday, but will go into effect at the start of the 2016 fishing season on May 1.

“Fishermen appreciate the changes and the evolution of the at-sea monitoring program,” said Jackie Odell, executive director of the Gloucester-based Northeast Seafood Coalition, which strongly advocated for the adjustments to the monitoring program. “We think what they’ve done is prudent and responsible.”

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

MASSACHUSETTS: House budget includes money for SMAST

April 29, 2016 — Next year’s state budget, passed by the House on Wednesday, includes increased funding for city public schools; money to expand fisheries research; and money for community programs.

“This is a big victory, I was able to secure most of what we asked for,” Rep. Antonio F.D. Cabral, D-New Bedford, said Thursday. The budget awaits approval by the state Senate.

Notable funds set to come the city’s way include $450,000 for fisheries research conducted by UMass Dartmouth’s School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST).

“This is critically important,” said SMAST Dean Steven Lohrenz. “Funds have been tight lately so this will allow us to continue to do the kind of pioneering work we’ve been doing with our collaborative fisheries research.”

The research conducted by SMAST looks at ways to improve accuracy in fisheries data collection. Lohrenz said that the new funds will allow researchers to conduct new projects including video survey techniques of cod and other groundfish.

“Their progress with data collection is very important for our fisheries industry especially with federal regulations that could cut quotas for the next fishing cycle,” Cabral said. “We’re hoping down the road that they can do for ground fish what they did for the scallop industry.”

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

Rebuilding Pays off for West Coast Groundfish

April 29, 2016 — Half of the 10 West Coast groundfish species that had been determined to be overfished since about 2000 are now rebuilt, and at least two more may be rebuilt in the next few years.

The successful rebuilding of commercially important species including petrale sole, canary rockfish, and widow rockfish are a testament to the support and sacrifice of West Coast ports and fishermen who recognized the difficult actions and fishing cutbacks necessary to restore the stocks. The Pacific Fishery Management Council was instrumental in taking the steps necessary to ensure the long-term sustainability of the species.

“Many people gave up a lot over many years to get us to this point, and deserve a lot of credit for supporting the difficult conservation actions that were necessary,” said Will Stelle, Regional Administrator of NOAA Fisheries’ West Coast Region.

Between 1999 and 2002, nine West Coast groundfish stocks were declared overfished as surveys documented their declining numbers. Pacific whiting, for example, was declared overfished in 2002. NOAA Fisheries and the Council, with support from the fishing industry, reduced commercial harvests. Combined with strong reproduction and recruitment, the fishing cutbacks led to the rapid rebuilding of Pacific whiting by 2004.

Read the full story at The Fishing Wire

Ruling coming on monitors for beleaguered cod fishery

April 27, 2016 –PORTLAND, Maine — Federal regulators will soon release new rules for New England’s beleaguered cod fishery, including the role at-sea monitors will play.

At-sea monitoring is a controversial subject in the fishery because the government has shifted the cost of paying for monitors to fishermen. The monitors collect data that informs fishing regulations.

The new cod fishing season starts May 1, and the rules governing it are expected this week.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at Fosters

NEFSC, Canadian scientists critique study claiming overfishing of Gulf of Maine cod

April 26, 2016 — A study by a group of researchers led by Dr. Andrew J. Pershing from the Gulf of Maine Research Institute appeared in Science last November (“Slow adaptation in the face of rapid warming leads to collapse of the Gulf of Maine cod fishery”). The Pershing study concluded that fisheries managers overseeing Gulf of Maine cod failed to consider ocean temperature in their management strategies, leading to overfishing of the stock. This week’s issue of Science published comments from two groups of scientists critiquing the Pershing study and its conclusions. In the same issue, the Pershing team responded with a defense of their work. Summaries of the comments and response are provided below:

A group of researchers at the Population Dynamics Branch of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, led by Dr. Michael C. Palmer, argues that the Pershing study’s claim that rising temperatures led to “extra mortality” is unsubstantiated by the overall mortality data. While Palmer’s group agrees that environmental factors affect fish stocks, they argue that the Pershing study failed to attribute additional mortality to temperature alone. Consequently, they conclude, “The analyses of Pershing et al. provide no evidence to support the hypothesis that failure to account for increases in temperature led to overfishing of the Gulf of Maine Atlantic cod stock.”

Read the full comment at Science

A group of Canadian fishery scientists led by Dr. Douglas P. Swain from Fisheries and Oceans Canada argues that the Pershing study is based on a flawed analysis of the population dynamics of Gulf of Maine cod. They write that the Pershing model made inappropriate assumptions, and that the model should undergo simulation before being used to make management decisions. They also argue that the Pershing study failed to take into account other factors that may have affected the mortality rates of Gulf of Maine cod. They conclude, “It is necessary to reserve judgment on the role of climate change…until more defensible analyses are conducted to address this issue.”

Read the full comment at Science

The Pershing group published a response to these comments. They argue that including temperature-dependent mortality improves abundance estimates. Further, using this metric shows that warming waters reduces growth rates of Gulf of Maine cod. They conclude, “Our report did not claim to have a definite answer to what is causing cod mortality to increase. Rather, we claimed that this increase is real, that it is likely related to temperature, and that failing to account for it led to catch advice that allowed for overfishing.”

Read the full response at Science

Monitoring The Catch Aboard Groundfishing Vessels

April 22, 2016 — While the feds used to pay for [at-sea] monitors, as of March 1st, fishermen have had to start footing the roughly $700-per-day cost.

John Bullard is Regional Administrator for NOAA’s Greater Atlantic Regional Fishery Office in Gloucester. His agency uses input from fishermen and scientists to set quotas and other regulations for the industry.

“It’s not that we wanted the industry to pay,” Bullard said. “We understand the hardship that the groundfish industry is under, believe me.”

Bullard explained that NOAA covered the costs of at-sea monitors for as long as it could. But that money is now gone. And he said the industry has had plenty of warning.

“We’ve been saying to industry, ‘You guys are gonna have to pay for this…not because we want you to, but because the money’s gonna run out.’ So this hasn’t been a sudden thing,” said Bullard.

Most groundfishermen now must scramble to come up with ways to pay for at-sea monitors. Meanwhile, others are trying another option: electronic monitoring with video cameras.

Read and listen to the full story at WCAI

MARK PHILLIPS: Who will pay for electronic monitoring?

April 21, 2016 — The Nature Conservancy a 6.5 BILLION dollar ENGO (2014 IRS 990) has put forward a paper seeking Electronic Monitoring on groundfish boats by May 1, 2017. If people recall The Nature Conservancy said very little about the BP oil spill.

NOAA and it’s environmental partners are bound and determined to force paid monitoring and eventually EMS on the fishermen. The last EMS study was delayed and delayed so that NOAA’s partners could put out misinformation about costs. And when the report did come out it substantially underestimates costs by assuming the average groundfish trip is 1.5 days when in reality my sector’s average trip is 6-10 days which is 4 to 7 times greater in duration.

The report also underestimates the number of hauls, claiming the average trip has five haul backs when in fact we are looking at between 40 to 60 hauls per trip, an underestimation by a factor of 10.

Read the full opinion piece at the Center for Sustainable Fisheries