Saving Seafood

Final Rule Publishes for New England Council’s Industry-Funded Monitoring Omnibus Amendment

February 7, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The final rule implementing the Industry-Funded Monitoring Omnibus Amendment recommended by the New England Fishery Management Council published today. This amendment allows industry-funded monitoring in any fishery managed by the Council to better assess catch and reduce uncertainty around catch estimates.

This amendment also establishes industry-funded monitoring in the Atlantic herring fishery. Specifically, it establishes a 50-percent coverage target for at-sea monitoring coverage aboard vessels issued Category A or B herring permits, and allows herring midwater trawl vessels to purchase observer coverage to access Northeast Multispecies Closed Areas. Additionally, herring vessels have the option of using electronic monitoring and portside sampling, administered via an exempted fishing permit, instead of at-sea monitoring to meet the 50-percent coverage target. Coverage requirements may be waived on a trip-by-trip basis under certain circumstances.

Category A and B herring vessels will begin paying sampling costs associated with industry-funded monitoring as early as April 2020. We will soon be providing herring vessels with detailed instructions on how to comply with industry-funded monitoring requirements, including notification, coverage, and monitoring service provider requirements.

For more details, please see our fishery bulletin. You can also check out this useful fact sheet about the IFM Amendment.

NEFMC Roundup – Herring, EBFM, Skates, Red Hake, January 2020 Meeting

February 5, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

Here are several timely management actions that directly relate to the work of the New England Fishery Management Council.

ATLANTIC HERRING SPECIFICATIONS:  The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS/NOAA Fisheries) is collecting public comment through February 12, 2020 on Framework Adjustment 6 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan (FMP).  This framework was developed by the Council to set specifications and catch limits for the 2020 and 2021 fishing years and update the overfished and overfishing definitions for Atlantic herring.  Visit the Council’s Framework 6 webpage.  Stakeholders also may want to keep tabs on the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s progress on Draft Addendum III to the Interstate Atlantic Herring FMP, which may impact how the Area 1A quota is allocated.
 
ATLANTIC HERRING ASSESSMENT:  Atlantic herring is one of several stocks undergoing a management track assessment in 2020.  An Assessment Oversight Panel (AOP) meeting is scheduled for February 25, 2020 in Woods Hole, MA.  The agenda and webinar registration information can be found on the meeting webpage.  Discussions related to Atlantic herring, Atlantic mackerel, and longfin inshore squid are scheduled for the afternoon.  Surfclams, ocean quahogs, and butterfish are on deck in the morning.  The assessment peer review meeting for Atlantic herring and the other stocks mentioned above is scheduled for June 22-26, 2020.
 
EBFM CONTRACTOR:  The Council is seeking a contractor to prepare Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management-related public outreach materials.  Letters of interest and supporting documents must be received by February 14, 2020.  Details are available at EBFM Outreach.  Here’s a link to the announcement.
 
SKATES:  NOAA Fisheries is collecting public comment through March 6, 2020 on Framework Adjustment 8 to the Northeast Skate Complex FMP.  The framework was developed by the Council to set skate wing and skate bait specifications for the 2020-2021 fishing years.  Visit the Council’s Skate Framework Adjustment 8 webpage for more information.
 
RED HAKE:  On February 3, NOAA Fisheries reduced the commercial possession limit for southern red hake from 5,000 pounds to the incidental limit of 400 pounds per trip for the remainder of the fishing year, which ends April 30.  The agency took this action after projecting that 90% of the total allowable landings limit would be reached on or around February 2.  Details are available in the Federal Register notice.  The Council is working on an action to rebuild southern red hake.  Visit the Council’s whiting webpageand take a look at materials from the last Joint Whiting Committee and Advisory Panel meeting and January 2020 Council meeting.  The Council will be sending out additional information about this action in the near future.
 
NEFMC JANUARY 2020 MEETING:  The full New England Council met January 28-30, 2020 in Portsmouth, NH.  Visit the meeting webpage to access the audio and all meeting materials.  Among the many topics covered, the Council discussed how it uses sociocultural information in its process.  Take a look at the presentation and report.  Also, here’s a list of news releases from the meeting.
SAVE THE DATE:  The Council’s next meeting will be held April 14-16, 2020 in Mystic, CT.

ASMFC Atlantic Herring Board Approves Draft Addendum III for Public Comment

February 4, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Herring Management Board approved Draft Addendum III to Amendment 3 of the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Herring for public comment. The Draft Addendum proposes options to better manage the Area 1A (inshore Gulf of Maine) sub-annual catch limit (ACL) under low quota scenarios. This action responds to the challenges encountered in managing the reduced sub-ACL based on the 2018 benchmark stock assessment, which highlighted declining trends in recruitment and spawning stock biomass.

Currently, the Board can allocate the sub-ACL throughout the fishing season using bi-monthly, trimester, or seasonal quota periods to meet the needs of the fishery. For the 2019 fishing season, the Board implemented a bimonthly quota period approach to maximize use of the reduced sub-ACL when demand for bait is high. Due to the low quota, the 2019 fishery experienced frequent closures to avoid an overage. The 2020 sub-ACL (3,344 mt) is lower than in 2019, creating further challenges in distributing the quota throughout the fishing season. The Draft Addendum considers additional tools to provide the Board more flexibility in specifying the allocation under low quota scenarios and meet the needs of the herring fishery moving forward. 
 
Additionally, the Draft Addendum considers expanding landing provisions across different permit categories within the days out program. The Board utilizes days out of the fishery and weekly landing limits to adjust the rate of Area 1A catch. The Draft Addendum includes options that apply weekly landing limits to all vessel categories landing herring in Area 1A throughout the entire fishing season.
 
Interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the Draft Addendum either by attending state public hearings or providing written comment. The Draft Addendum will be available on the Commission website (www.asmfc.org) under Public Input by February 12, 2020. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM on March 25, 2020 and should be forward to Kirby Rootes-Murdy, Senior FMP Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, Virginia 22201; 703.842.0741 (fax) or at comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Atlantic Herring Draft Addendum III). It is anticipated some states will conduct public hearings on the Draft Addendum; the details of which will be released via a press release once they are finalized.
 
For more information, please contact Kirby Rootes-Murdy at krootes-murdy@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

NOAA Implements NEFMC’s Monitoring Amendment Alongside New Herring Fishery Requirements

January 31, 2020 — NOAA Fisheries announced the implementation of a New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) amendment to allow industry-funded monitoring in any fishery under its management.

The monitoring will better assess catch and reduce uncertainty around catch estimates. The amendment also establishes monitoring in the Atlantic herring fishery, which is faced with a significant quota cutback.

Read the full story at Seafood News

ASMFC 2020 Winter Meeting Supplemental Materials Now Available

January 29, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Supplemental materials for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 2020 Winter Meeting are now available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2020-winter-meeting for the following Boards/Committees (click on “Supplemental” following each relevant committee header to access the information). For ease of access, supplemental meeting materials have been combined into one PDF – http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/2020WinterMeeting/2020WinterMeetingSupplementalMaterials.pdf.

Atlantic Herring Management Board – Draft Addendum III for Public Comment and Proposed Rule on Framework Adjustment 6 2020-2021 Specifications

Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board – Technical Review of Addendum VI State Implementation Plans and Conservation Equivalency Proposals; Law Enforcement Committee Recommendations on the Enforceability of Measures in the Bluefish and Striped Bass Conservation Equivalency Proposals; Advisory Panel Nominations and Resignation Letter from Arnold Leo; Public Comment

Bluefish Management Board – Bluefish Conservation Equivalency Criteria and Proposal Template; Technical Committee Review of Conservation Equivalency Proposals for the 2020 Recreational Bluefish Fishery; Regional and State Proposals; Law Enforcement Committee Recommendations on the Enforceability of Measures in the Bluefish and Striped Bass Conservation Equivalency Proposals

Atlantic Menhaden Management Board – Public Comment (please review before printing due to file size)

South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board – Technical Committee Recommendations for Atlantic Cobia Harvest Quota; Public Comment Summary on Spot and Croaker Draft Addenda; South Atlantic Species Advisory Panel Meeting Summary; Atlantic Croaker Technical Committee and Spot Plan Review Team Meeting Summary; Stock Assessment Subcommittee Memo on Red Drum Stock Assessment Road Map

Executive Committee – Revised Agenda

Business Session – Revised Agenda

As a reminder, Board meeting proceedings will be broadcast daily via webinar beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, February 4th and continuing daily until the conclusion of the meeting (expected to be 12:30 p.m.) on Thursday, February 6th. The webinar will allow registrants to listen to board deliberations and view presentations and motions as they occur. No comments or questions will be accepted via the webinar. Should technical difficulties arise while streaming the broadcast the boards/sections will continue their deliberations without interruption. We will attempt to resume the broadcast as soon as possible. To register, please go to https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3853611638258510347.

NOAA Fisheries Seeks Comments on Framework Adjustment 6 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan

January 28, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is proposing Framework Adjustment 6 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan. This action would set specifications for the herring fishery for 2020-2021. The proposed specifications would reduce catch limits for 2020 and 2021 in response to estimates of herring biomass and recruitment.

This action would use status quo methods to set all other specifications, including catch caps for river herring and shad.

This action would update the overfished and overfishing definition for the herring stock. Updating these definitions is largely an administrative change that is not expected to impact commercial fisheries. Additionally, this action would suspend the carryover of unharvested catch for 2021. Suspending carryover is proposed because the amount of carryover from 2018 (just under 5,000 mt) and potentially 2019 is substantial relative to the reduced ACL for 2020 and 2021 (11,571 mt). If carryover is harvested in specific management areas early in the year, other areas that are typically fished later in the year may be constrained by the ACL such the sub-ACLs in those areas cannot be fully harvested.  It is also consistent with the Council’s conservative management due to the current status of the herring stock and the uncertainty surrounding estimates of biomass and recruitment.

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 comments due date is 02-12-2020.

Read the full release here

Forbes pins sales of Russia’s top 10 seafood firms at almost $4bn

December 18, 2019 — The combined turnover of Russia’ top 10 seafood companies is RUB 238 billion ($3.80bn), according to a ranking of the top owners and firms in the sector from Forbes.

Forbes last ranked the top companies in the sector in 2017, but focused on volume then. However, for the 2019 edition, turnover is the metric used, with Norebo Holding coming out on top, with almost $1bn in turnover. Forbes also estimates 2 million metric tons of quota has been allocated to the top 10 companies in 2019.

According to Forbes, Vitaly Orlov and his Norebo are the largest player in the sector, with turnover of RUB 58.2bn ($929.45m). Norebo, which is the subject of a bitter legal dispute in the UK’s High Court of Justice, spent about $600m to buy competitors in the North-West and Far East in 2011-2013, according to Forbes.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

NOAA Fisheries Proposes Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Quotas for the 2020 Fishing Year

December 17, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The proposed action would:

  • Rollover the 2019 Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) level (29,184 mt) to 2020 for Atlantic mackerel;
  • Update the Atlantic mackerel recreational deduction to include updated catch accounting methodology from 1,209 mt to 1,270 mt for 2020 to help avoid an ABC overage;
  • Maintain the 129 mt river herring and shad catch cap and eliminate the initial 89-mt trigger provision that would close the fishery if 89 mt of river herring and shad were observed to be caught before 10,000 lb of mackerel has been caught; and
  • Maintain the previously approved 2020 specifications for Illex squid (26,000 mt ABC), longfin squid (23,400 mt ABC) and butterfish (32,063 mt ABC), including the 3,884 mt butterfish catch cap in the longfin squid fishery.

Read the proposed rule as published today in the Federal Register. Supporting documents for this rule are available on the MAFMC website.

To submit comments, please use the Federal e-rulemaking portal, or send comments by regular mail to Michael Pentony, Regional Administrator, National Marine Fisheries Service, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA, 01930. Please mark the outside of the envelope, “Comments on the Proposed Rule for 2020 Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Specifications.”

Comments are due by 5 pm January 16, 2020.

ALASKA: There are plenty of herring to catch in Bristol Bay, but there’s nowhere to sell them

December 16, 2019 — There are plenty of herring around in the fishery in Togiak, on the northwest side of Bristol Bay. This year’s quota is roughly 80 million pounds.

But herring fishermen, who come to Togiak from all over the state, still have a problem. They target herring for their tiny eggs, which once commanded steep prices in Japan. But not any more.

“I’m a recovering herring fisherman,” joked Bruce Schactler.

Schactler, who lives in Kodiak, has been fishing in Togiak off and on since 1985. But he won’t be returning this summer.

“The market is so bad that Trident will not be buying fish this year, so we’re not going. Every ton that is frozen and shipped off to Japan is a loser. There’s no money being made,” he said.

Trident is one of four companies that buy herring roe and sell it to Japan, the only customer. In the 1990s, that roe could sell for $1,000 a ton. But in 2019, that price was at $75. Fishermen’s total earnings last year were about $1.5 million, down from a high of more than $20 million in 1995. Fishermen like Schactler say that even at that low price, processors are still losing money on herring.

Read the full story at Alaska Public Media

Herring fishing to be limited for months

December 11, 2019 — Federal fishing regulators are limiting the amount of herring that fishermen can catch off New England until the end of the year. The fish is used for food and bait.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says it’s implementing a 2,000-pound herring possession limit per trip in the inshore Gulf of Maine until Dec. 31. The inshore Gulf of Maine’s an area that touches coastal Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.

The agency says it’s taking the step because 92% of the catch limit in the area has been harvested.

NOAA says no herring fishing is allowed in the area from Jan. 1 to May 31, so the fishery won’t be able to fully resume in the inshore gulf until June.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times