Saving Seafood

Researchers predict warming Atlantic will push lobsters offshore, scallops northward

June 4, 2020 — East Coast sea scallop stocks will likely follow lobsters in shifting away from rich Mid-Atlantic and southern New England grounds in the coming decades as a consequence of warming ocean waters, according to a new study that projects the impact of climate change on the two richest Atlantic fisheries.

Researchers used species distribution models and a high-resolution global climate model to picture the possible impact of climate change on habitat for lobsters and scallops in the Northeast continental shelf ecosystem, ranging from the New York Bight north to southern New England, Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine.

Their findings, recently published in the journal Diversity and Distributions, suggest that over the coming 80 years both lobsters and scallops will be shifting northward, and lobsters also moving into deeper Gulf of Maine waters.

The researchers note that the latest benchmark assessment of the lobster stock, cited by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission in 2015, showed the stock in the southern Mid-Atlantic range was already severely depleted due to several environmental factors including recruitment failure and shell disease related to warmer waters.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Maine Looking for New Ways to Save Whales From Fishing Gear

June 3, 2020 — Maine is in the final year of funding for a project that seeks to better protect endangered whales in the Gulf of Maine from entanglement in fishing gear.

The Maine Department of Marine Resources is using the project to collect data about vertical line fishing in the gulf, and develop a model to determine the fishing industry’s current use of the lines. The department is also hoping to use the model to predict the conservation benefits of new proposed regulations.

The state is slated to receive more than $200,000 in federal funds for the project this fiscal year, bringing the total federal money it has received to more than $700,000, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in a statement.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at U.S. News

Enviros Want Salmon Listed on Maine Endangered List

June 2, 2020 — A coalition of Maine conservation groups is calling on the state to add the Atlantic salmon to its list of endangered species.

Maine’s rivers were once full of the salmon, but their population was decimated by overfishing, damming and environmental factors. They return only to a few rivers, and are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act.

The environmental groups, including Downeast Salmon Federation, the Maine chapter of the Native Fish Coalition, Friends of Merrymeeting Bay and several others, sent their request to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife on Monday. They said the salmon belong protected by the Maine Endangered Species Act because “the only viable Atlantic salmon population in the United States is the Gulf of Maine distinct population segment.”

Read the full story from the Associated Press at U.S. News

Less Effort, More Lobster? New Research Suggests That Fewer Traps Can Still Yield Profitable Results

June 1, 2020 — New research suggests that the U.S. lobster industry could place fewer traps in the water and still gain just as much profit. And that finding could play a role in the debate over what should be required of Maine lobstermen to reduce entanglements with endangered North Atlantic right whales.

The study was published this week in the peer-reviewed Marine Policy Journal. Lead researcher Hannah Myers is a graduate student at the University of Alaska’s College of Fisheries and Ocean Studies. She took a close look at landings and other data from lobster-fishing territory that crosses the international Hague Line between Nova Scotia and Maine.

“We found that Canadian fishers in the Gulf of Maine caught about the same amount of lobster using seven and a half times less effort than Maine fishers on the U.S. side,” she says.

The researchers found that while the Canadians spent fewer days at sea and fished fewer traps, the traps they pulled had almost four times as many lobsters in them.

Read the full story at Maine Public

New England cod fishery restrictions in place this spring

June 1, 2020 — Commercial fishing for Atlantic cod is limited by closures off the coast of New England this spring, federal fishing managers said.

Cod were once the subject of one of the largest fisheries in the country, but it has collapsed after years of overfishing and is much smaller than it once was. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said cod protection closures in the Gulf of Maine are taking place throughout May and June. More are scheduled in the fall.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at Boston.com

NOAA Fisheries Seeks Comments on Proposed Rule: Framework 59 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan

May 29, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

We are seeking public comment on an action that would set or adjust catch limits for groundfish stocks for the 2020 fishing year (May 1, 2020 – April 30, 2021), including the three stocks managed jointly with Canada. These revised catch limits are based upon the results of stock assessments conducted in 2019.

Framework 59 would also adjust the allocations of the total quota between the commercial and recreational fishery for Gulf of Maine cod and haddock. The proportion of quota allocated to the recreational fishery would increase from 33.7% to 37.5% for Gulf of Maine cod, and would increase from 27.5% to 33.9% for Gulf of Maine haddock.

Read the proposed rule as published in the Federal Register, and submit your comments through the online portal. Comments are due by June 15, 2020.

Scallop Fishing off New England to Be Limited for Months

May 27, 2020 — Scallop fishing off New England will be subject to limitations for about the next 10 months, federal regulators have said.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it has closed the northern Gulf of Maine fishing area, which means vessels fishing under federal regulations can’t fish for or possess scallops in the area until March 31.

The closure is necessary because of projects that the total allowable catch for the area has been spent, NOAA said.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at U.S. News

Reminder: Gulf of Maine Cod Protection Closures

May 26, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The Gulf of Maine (GOM) Cod Protection Closures, sometimes referred to as “rolling closures,” remain in place. There are five of these seasonal closures, which are active during different times of the year.

Closed to All Common Pool and Sector vessels

  • GOM Cod Protection Closure I: May 1 through May 31
  • GOM Cod Protection Closure II: June 1 through June 30
  • GOM Cod Protection Closure III: November 1 through January 31

Closed to Common Pool vessels, except Handgear A vessels

  • GOM Cod Protection Closure IV: October 1 through October 31
  • GOM Cod Protection Closure V: March 1 through March 31

Each of these areas are closed to Common Pool and/or Sector vessels on a groundfish trip.

Maps and coordinates for each GOM Cod Protection Area are available on the Northeast Multispecies Closed Area Regulations webpage.

NOAA Fisheries Announces Closure of the Northern Gulf of Maine Scallop Management Area

May 22, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is closing the Northern Gulf of Maine Scallop Management Area to all federally permitted limited access general category scallop vessels effective 0001 hr, on May 23, 2020.

As of May 23, 2020, no scallop vessel fishing under federal scallop regulations may fish for, possess, or land scallops in or from the Northern Gulf of Maine Scallop Management Area. The scallop regulations require that we close this area once we project that 100 percent of the 2020 default total allowable catch for this area will be taken. The closure will be in effect until the end of the fishing year, March 31, 2021.

If you have declared a trip into the Northern Gulf of Maine Scallop Management Area using the correct Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) code and have crossed the VMS demarcation line before 0001 hr, May 23, 2020, you may complete the trip and retain and land scallops caught from the Northern Gulf of Maine Scallop Management Area.

Read the full release here

Reminder: Herring Midwater Trawl Vessels May Not Fish in Groundfish Closed Areas Without a NOAA Fisheries-Certified Observer Onboard

May 12, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is temporarily waiving the requirement for all vessels with Greater Atlantic Region fishing permits to carry a fishery observer or at-sea monitor. The waiver is currently in effect through May 16, 2020, and future extensions of this waiver will be evaluated weekly.

Herring midwater trawl vessels may not fish in Groundfish Closed Areas while this waiver is in effect. Groundfish Closed Areas include Cashes Ledge Closure Area, Western Gulf of Maine Closure Area, Closed Area I North (February 1 – April 15), and Closed Area II. Midwater trawl vessels issued Atlantic herring permits are required to carry a NOAA Fisheries-certified observer onboard as a condition of fishing in a Groundfish Closed Area. Therefore, a herring midwater trawl vessel not carrying an observer onboard may not fish in a Groundfish Closed Area.