Saving Seafood

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

April 24, 2019 — 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 April 25, 2019.

As of April 25, 2019, 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 2019 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, 2020.

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, April 25, 2019, you may complete the trip and retain and land scallops caught from the Northern Gulf of Maine Scallop Management Area.

Exemption for Maine and Massachusetts Vessels Fishing Exclusively State Waters

If you have a valid Maine or Massachusetts state scallop permit, you may continue to fish in Maine or Massachusetts state waters within the Northern Gulf of Maine Scallop Management Area under the State Waters Exemption program. If you are fishing under an Individual Fishing Quota scallop permit (Limited Access General Category A), any pounds landed under a state waters only trip will still be deducted from the vessel’s allocation.

Exemption for Limited Access Vessels Fishing Compensation Trips Under the Scallop Research Set-Aside Program

This closure does not affect the Limited Access fleet that was allocated a separate Total Allowable Catch of 67,500 lb for the 2019 fishing year under Framework 30 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan. The Limited Access Total Allowable Catch will be harvested by vessels that are participating in the 2019 scallop Research Set-Aside Program.

For more details, read the notice as filed in the Federal Register and the permit holder bulletin.

Questions?

Fishermen: Contact Shannah Jaburek, Sustainable Fisheries Division, at 978-282-8456
Media: Contact Allison Ferreira, Regional Office, at 978-281-9103

REMINDER: April 23 Webinar on Fishery Allocation Under Climate Change

April 19, 2019 — The following was released by the Lenfest Ocean Program:

How should harvest of valuable fish stocks be allocated as populations shift due to climate change? What lessons can be learned from the management practices in other regions and nations to inform allocation strategies for shifting stocks along the U.S. Northeast and Mid-Atlantic coasts? On Tuesday, April 23, at 2:00 PM Eastern time/11:00 AM Pacific time the Lenfest Ocean Program will host a webinar featuring Dr. Andrew Pershing, Dr. Lisa Kerr, Mr. Jonathan Labaree, and Dr. Kanae Tokunaga, all of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, to discuss their project characterizing different fishery allocation systems from around the world and their potential for application in the U.S. Download the fact sheet to learn more about this project.

Click here to register

Webinar Instructions:

  • Date: Tuesday, April 23, 2019
  • Time: 2:00 PM Eastern time/11:00 AM Pacific time

For remote access:

  • Please fill out the registration form before the event is scheduled to begin.
  • Event number: 791 597 316
  • Event password: StockShifts2019

For teleconference audio after you join the webinar, either:

  1. Select “Call Using Computer”
  2. Select “Call me” and provide your phone number
  3. Call the number below and enter the access code:
    1. In the U.S. and Canada, dial 1-855-214-7745.
    2. For additional global call in numbers click here.
  4. Enter conference code 396 957 5461
  5. After dialing the conference code:
    1. Be sure to enter the Attendee ID that will appear on your screen.
    2. You will not be prompted to do so

NOAA Fisheries Seeks Comments on Proposed Rule: Framework 58 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan

April 19, 2019 — The following was published by NOAA Fisheries: 

We are seeking public comment on an action that would revise catch limits for seven groundfish stocks for the 2019 fishing year (May 1, 2019 – April 30, 2020), including the three stocks managed jointly with Canada. These revised catch limits are based upon the results of stock assessments conducted in 2018.

For the commercial groundfish fishery, quotas are increasing for Georges Bank cod (+15%), Georges Bank haddock (+19%), witch flounder (+1%), and Georges Bank winter flounder (+6%), but are decreasing for Georges Bank yellowtail flounder (-50%), Gulf of Maine winter flounder (-1%), and Atlantic halibut (-3%).

Framework 58 would also:

  • Exempt vessels fishing exclusively in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization Regulatory Area (i.e., in international waters) from the domestic groundfish fishery minimum fish sizes to allow them to better compete in the international frozen fish market.
  • Extend the temporary change to the scallop Accountability Measure implementation policy for the Georges Bank yellowtail flounder to provide the scallop fishery with the flexibility to adjust to current catch conditions while still providing an incentive to avoid yellowtail flounder.

In this proposed rule, we are also announcing:

  • Required adjustments to the 2019 quotas for Gulf of Maine cod because the quota was exceeded in 2017;
  • Proposed management measures for the common pool, the US/Canada Area, and special management programs for fishing year 2019;
  • A proposed extension of the annual deadline to submit applications to lease groundfish days-at-sea between vessels from March 1 to April 30 (the end of the fishing year); and
  • Changes to the regulations to clarify that vessels must report catch by statistical area when submitting catch reports through their vessel monitoring system.

Read the proposed rule as published in the Federal Register, and submit your comments through the online portal. You may also submit comments through regular mail to: Michael Pentony, Regional Administrator, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930

The comment period is open through May 6, 2019.

Questions?
Contact Allison Ferreira, Regional Office, at 978-281-9103

New Fishing Rights in Gulf of Maine Upheld by Judge

April 17, 2019 — A federal judge upheld a rule Monday that opens up a portion of the western Gulf of Maine to commercial and recreational fishing for the first time.

The Conservation Law Foundation had challenged the rule last year, claiming the National Marine Fisheries Service wrongly prioritized economic considerations over its conservation duty when it reduced the protected area in that portion of the Gulf by about 25%.

While the rule offered habitat protection in the eastern Gulf of Maine for the first time, the conservation group said the agency and the New England Regional Council should have closed more of the Gulf to fishing.

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg found Monday, however, that the rule passes muster.

Read the full story at Courthouse News Service 

Marine Mammals of Maine Founder Lynda Doughty Honored at Stranding Network Banquet

April 12, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Lynda Doughty of Marine Mammals of Maine was honored on Wednesday, April 10 by NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Region Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Stranding Programs with its David St. Aubin Award of Excellence for work with stranded seals during an Unusual Mortality Event that began in July 2018.

From July to September, Lynda and her team responded to more than 800 live and dead seals along southern and midcoast Maine, and continue to closely monitor local populations for further evidence of Phocine Distemper Virus.

Read the full story at NOAA

ASMFC: Area 1A 2019 Effort Controls

April 9, 2019 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Herring Management Board members from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts set effort control measures for the 2019 Area 1A (inshore Gulf of Maine) fishery for Period 1 (June), Period 2 (July and August), and the September portion of Period 3.

The Area 1A sub-annual catch limit (sub-ACL) is 3,850 metric tons (mt) after adjusting for the research set-aside, the 39 mt fixed gear set-aside, and the 8% buffer (Area 1A closes at 92% of the sub-ACL). Additionally, in October 2018, the Atlantic Herring Management Board implemented quota periods for the 2019 fishery, with the Area 1A sub-ACL allocated between the Periods as follows: Period 1 – June (16.1%); Period 2 – July-August (40.1%); Period 3 – September-October (34.0%); and Period 4 – November-December (9.5%).

Days Out of the Fishery

Period 1 (June)

  • There will be zero landing days in Period 1.
  • Quota from Period 1 will be rolled over into Period 2. This results in a new Period 2 quota of 2,175 mt

Period 2 (July and August); and Period 3 (September only)

  • The fishery will start on July 14 in Maine and July 15 in New Hampshire and Massachusetts
  • Vessels with an Atlantic herring Limited Access Category A permit that have declared into the Area 1A fishery may land herring four (4) consecutive days a week. One landing per 24 hour period. Vessels are prohibited from landing or possessing herring caught from Area 1A during a day out of the fishery.
    • Landing days in New Hampshire and Massachusetts begin on Monday of each week at 12:01 a.m., starting July 15.
    • Landings days in Maine begin on Sunday of each week at 6:00 p.m., starting July 14
  • Small mesh bottom trawl vessels with an Atlantic herring Limited Access Category C or Open Access D permit that have declared into the fishery may land herring five (5) consecutive days a week.

Weekly Landing Limit

Period 2 (July and August); and Period 3 (September only)

  • Vessels with a herring Category A permit may harvest up to 160,000 lbs (4 trucks) per harvester vessel, per week.

At-Sea Transfer and Carrier Restrictions

Period 2 (July and August); and Period 3 (September only)

The following applies to harvester vessels with an Atlantic herring Category A permit and carrier vessels landing herring caught in Area 1A to a Maine, New Hampshire, or Massachusetts port.

  • A harvester vessel can transfer herring at-sea to another harvester vessel.
  • A harvester vessel may not make an at-sea transfers to a carrier vessel.
  • Carrier vessels may not receive at-sea transfers from a harvester vessel.
  • Carrier vessel is defined as a vessel with no gear on board capable of catching or processing fish, while a harvester vessel is defined as a vessel that is required to report the catch it has aboard as the harvesting vessel on the federal Vessel Trip Report.

Fishermen are prohibited from landing more than 2,000 pounds of Atlantic herring per trip from Area 1A until July 14 or 15, 2019, depending on the state. Landings will be closely monitored and the fishery will be adjusted to zero landing days when the period quota is projected to be reached.

Please contact Kirby Rootes-Murdy, Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at krootes-murdy@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740 for more information.

A PDF of the announcement and meeting motions can be found here –http://www.asmfc.org/files/AtlHerring/M19_25AtlHerringDaysOutMeasures_April2019.pdf

How eating sea bass and crab can help Maine lobstermen

April 8, 2019 — A group of Rhode Island fishermen who witnessed southern New England’s near-shore lobster fishery evaporate and its offshore fishery diminish dramatically in their time on the water came to last month’s Maine Fishermen’s Forum in Rockland to give lobstermen here a bit of seasoned advice: Embrace ecosystem change while you’re in a good position to do so.

These southerly neighbors acknowledge the Maine lobster fishery is currently rockin’. Preliminary numbers released by the Maine Department of Marine Resources set the value of last year’s 119 million-pound lobster haul at $484.5 million, up from $438 million generated by 112 million pounds of lobster harvested in 2017. Both years are down, though, from the all-time high lobster landings of 132 million pounds (worth $541 million) set in 2016.

The two-species Rhode Island fishermen told their Maine counterparts they should be targeting are Jonah crab and black sea bass. The former have long lived in offshore waters in the Gulf of Maine and the latter, a tasty fish historically found in the mid-Atlantic region, are showing up farther north because of warming waters.

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

Maine elver season gets slower start, but values still above average

April 5, 2019 — Maine’s elver fishery got its start on 22 March, and at two weeks in, the average price-per-pound is sitting well above historical averages.

Maine’s elver fishery made headlines last year as the prices being paid for the baby eels hit historic highs, with some reporting getting prices of over USD 2,500 (EUR 2,225) per pound. Maine Department of Marine Resources landing statistics show that the fishery brought in USD 21.7 million (EUR 19.3 million) in 2018, with an average seasonal price of USD 2,366 (EUR 2,105) per pound, making it the second-most valuable fishery in the state behind lobster.

This year, the numbers are tracking significantly lower than the same period in 2018. In 2018, by 1 April, the fishery had already generated USD 1.4 million (EUR 1.25 million) in value, with a catch of 559 pounds. However, on 3 April of this year, the value has been reported at half of what it was in 2018, at USD 755,869 (EUR 672,844) and the total harvest sits at just over 460 pounds.

Despite the smaller numbers, 2019 is still well above average compared to years past, Maine Department of Marine Resources Director of Communications Jeff Nichols told SeafoodSource. Average price-per-pound in 2010, for example, was just USD 185 (EUR 164.68).

“At over USD 1,600 [EUR 1,424] a pound, the value is still significant relevant to the historic norm,” he said.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Reminder: Gulf of Maine Cod and Haddock Recreational Measures

April 4, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Recreational fishing measures from fishing year 2018 for the Gulf of Maine cod and haddock fishery remain in place until we develop and implement any changes in fishing year 2019.

The recreational Gulf of Maine haddock fishery reopens April 15, 2019:

  • Bag Limit: 12 fish
  • Minimum size: 17 inches

Gulf of Maine cod possession is prohibited.

The New England Fishery Management Council has recommended fishing year 2019 (May 1, 2019-April 30, 2020) recreational groundfish measures. We are currently developing the proposed rule. We do not expect to publish a final rule implementing any changes by May 1, 2019. Therefore, the 2018 regulations will remain in effect until they are replaced.

For more, read the permit holder letter posted on our website.

MASSACHUSETTS: Herring skip fish count opening day

April 2, 2019 — Apparently river herring are just like humans: They’re not too crazy about the cold, either.

Monday was the annual opening day for counting river herring at the city’s alewife fishway in West Gloucester and the cold, blustery weather tossed a shutout to the disappointment of about a dozen fish counters, including Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken.

No fish for you.

Unlike last year, when a few river herring returning to the fishway from the Atlantic Ocean by way of the Little River actually showed up on opening day, the fish apparently are operating at a more measured pace this season.

The water was a bracing 7 degrees Celsius, or 44.6 degrees Fahrenheit. That was about the same as last year. But the air temperature of 11 degrees Celsius, or about 52 degrees Fahrenheit, and the whipping wind with gusts up to 30 mph provided their own chilling effects.

“This is colder than they like,” said Eric Hutchins, the Gulf of Maine restoration coordinator for NOAA Fisheries. “But we know they’re on their way because the fish are migrating down in southeastern Massachusetts. It’s just a matter of getting the water a few degrees warmer. A few days of 60-degree temperatures and we’ll have fish.”

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times