Saving Seafood

NEFMC Presents 2018 Award for Excellence to Dr. Bill DuPaul

April 18, 2018 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:   

The New England Fishery Management Council today presented its 2018 Janice M. Plante Award for Excellence to Dr. Bill DuPaul, a highly respected scientist and pioneer of cooperative research in the Atlantic sea scallop fishery. His early work on scallop dredge ring size helped revolutionize the fishery’s primary gear-type, leading to enhanced selectivity of large scallops and the release of smaller ones. He forged and nurtured partnerships with fishermen from the very start of his career, earning industry’s trust and willingness to participate in a wide range of studies that greatly advanced management of the resource and the fishery.

Council Chairman Dr. John Quinn, who presented the award, said, “Dr. DuPaul is a man of great integrity. He intuitively knew that solutions to hard problems would come only when people on all sides worked together. He proved that cooperative research can break through seemingly insurmountable barriers and help resolve even the most challenging issues.”

Dr. DuPaul is an emeritus professor at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William & Mary. His research included extensive work on the relationship between scallop meat weight and shell height, and he consistently strove to improve dredge efficiency, enhance scallop quality, and reduce bycatch, especially of yellowtail flounder.

He is a strong supporter of the industry-funded Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program. He has spent countless hours at sea with fishermen conducting gear research, biological studies, and annual surveys that have helped gauge abundance and distribution of scallops both on Georges Bank and throughout the Mid-Atlantic. The annual surveys also helped document incoming recruitment, enabling fishery managers to identify and close areas with large beds of seed scallops for additional grow-out. This practice is a bedrock of the current rotational area management program – and one that Dr. DuPaul was in on from the beginning. He is a staunch advocate of Scallop RSA Share Days where industry members and scientists gather to openly discuss their research results and exchange ideas about emerging issues.

In 1991, the New England Council established the Scallop Plan Development Team (PDT). Dr. DuPaul was an inaugural member of the team and to this day continues to provide valuable guidance. He is the PDT’s longest serving member. He also has been heavily involved with the Council’s Research Steering Committee and, from 2007-2010, served on the former Scallop Survey Advisory Panel.

Dr. DuPaul remains active in the scientific world. He currently is a member of the Scallop Stock Assessment Working Group, which is doing the legwork for the upcoming scallop benchmark stock assessment. As an esteemed veteran of the field, his voice is routinely sought after as wise counsel on a multitude of scallop issues.

View the release in its entirety here.

 

Fishing council to hear sectors’ post-Rafael plans

April 16, 2018 — The New England Fishery Management Council will be updated on the groundfish crisis involving several New Bedford-based fishing sectors when it convenes for three days of meetings next week in Mystic, Connecticut.

The groundfish presentation by staff from the Gloucester-based Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office will be the centerpiece of the groundfish report on Wednesday and is designed to provide “an overview of (Northeast Fishing) Sector IX’s steps to address its shortcomings, as well as a summary of Sector IX’s operations plan,” according to the agenda for the meetings.

“The New Bedford sector has submitted its operations plan to GARFO and this will be an overview of what they’ve done to address the problems and what they need to do to have a new plan approved,” said council spokeswoman Janice Plante.

Plante said the presentation will not include comment from officials with the New Bedford fishing sectors.

NOAA Fisheries shut down Sector IX last November, withdrawing its operation plan for the remainder of the 2017 fishing season and into the 2018 season set to begin May 1.

The extraordinary move came in the wake of the conviction and sentencing of New Bedford fishing kingpin Carlos Rafael on charges of tax evasion, money laundering and bulk smuggling.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

 

Analyses not ready for at-sea monitoring meetings

March 26, 2018 — Let’s kick off today’s edition of FishOn with a little programming note, courtesy of the New England Fishery Management Council.

If you had planned on traveling to Boston on Monday, March 26, to attend the council’s groundfish advisory panel meeting on at-sea monitoring, don’t. And don’t bother heading down there on Tuesday, either, for the scheduled meeting of the council’s groundfish committee on the same subject.

Actually, you’re free to go to Boston. Just don’t go to the meetings. Due to the fact that there apparently are no more groundfish, the meetings have been postponed. Kidding. Just kidding. We’ve got a whole ocean of groundfish out there.

In fact, the meetings have been postponed to a yet-to-be-determined date in May because there is more work to be done on the technical analyses used as the basis for discussions by both the advisory panel and the groundfish committee as a whole.

“The necessary analyses aren’t ready yet, either for the groundfish committee or the advisory panel, to discuss Groundfish Monitoring Amendment 23,” Janice Plante, council spokeswoman, said in a Friday email. “And Amendment 23 was the focus of the meetings.”

The council staff, she said, has been working feverishly to finish the council framework that includes specifications for the upcoming groundfish season, including catch limits for 20 groundfish stocks. They also have been working at trying to complete a separate measure dealing with recreational cod and haddock measures.

Both proposed rules have been published in the Federal Register and regulators are seeking stakeholder comment on both.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

 

NEFMC Program Review – Listen Live March 13-16, 2018

March 8, 2018 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

A six-member panel of external scientists and fishery managers will be conducting an independent review of the New England Fishery Management Council’s operations and performance during a March 13-16, 2018 meeting in Boston, MA. The public is invited to attend in person or listen to the discussion via webinar. Here are the details.

WHERE:  The meeting will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn, Boston Logan Airport.

WEBINAR OPTION:  To listen live, register at Council Program Review webinar.

WHAT’S THE SCHEDULE:  The agenda and all related documents can be downloaded at meeting materials.

WHAT’S THIS ABOUT: The New England Council initiated an independent review to assess its past performance and, more importantly, to identify improvements to its processes in order to successfully address ongoing and future challenges. The undertaking was approved by the Council in November of 2016 and launched in November of 2017. Details about the scope of this external review can be found at prospectus and terms of reference.

WHO’S DOING THE REVIEW:  The six independent reviewers are Robert Beal, Robert Gill, Dan Hull (panel chair), Dr. Pamela Mace, Dr. Bonnie McCay, and Dr. Kenny Rose. Short biographical sketches are available under “Panel Members” on the Council Program Review Information Page.

WHAT WAS INVOLVED: The Council enlisted the help of two contractors to support the review.

  • The Fisheries Leadership and Sustainability Forum (Fisheries Forum) gathered extensive input from stakeholders, fishery managers, and scientists via 14 port meetings, one webinar meeting, an online survey, and one-on-one interviews with over 70 people for the review panel. Individual stakeholder input was kept confidential, but collective comments, opinions, and suggestions are summarized in two reports:
  1. Download the Draft Stakeholder Report at “What people said.”
  2. Download the Draft Management and Science Community Report at “What managers and scientists said.”

The list of port meetings and a copy of the online survey can be found on the Council Program Review Information Page.

  • Tidal Bay Consulting (Tidal Bay) compiled reference documents for the review panel and is providing support for the meeting itself. Tidal Bay will prepare the final report in coordination with the review panel.

QUESTIONS:  Contact Janice Plante at (607) 592-4817, jplante@nefmc.org.

Read the release at the New England Fishery Management Council

NEFMC: Atlantic Herring, NGOM Scallops, Electronic Monitoring Seminars at Maine Fishermen’s Forum

February 23, 2018 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council: 

The New England Fishery Management Council is participating in three seminars at the March 1-3, 2018 Maine Fishermen’s Forum at the Samoset Resort in Rockport, ME. Come join us!

  • Meet some of our staff members.
  • Ask us questions.
  • Learn more about the Council’s work.

The forum provides a casual setting where stakeholders – fishermen, scientists, fishery managers, environmentalists, and legislators alike – can engage in meaningful conversation.

On Friday, March 2, we’ll be talking about Atlantic herring, electronic monitoring, and the Northern Gulf of Maine scallop fishery.  Here are the details.

                         Atlantic Herring Amendment 8 Informational Update

WHEN:  9 a.m. in the Rockland Room

WHAT’S THIS ABOUT:  The New England Council is developing Amendment 8 to the federal Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan to consider:

(1) Potential changes to how target catches are set in the herring fishery, starting with a new acceptable biological catch (ABC) control rule; and

(2) Alternatives to address potential localized depletion and user conflicts in the fishery.

The amendment will be going out to public hearing in April or May. This forum session provides an ideal opportunity for fishermen and other stakeholders to ask questions and become more familiar with the alternatives in advance of the formal hearings.

FORMAT:  The session will open with a short overview of the Council process, followed by the Amendment 8 discussion, and conclude with a presentation by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) on the federal Omnibus Industry-Funded Monitoring Amendment, which includes proposed measures for the Atlantic herring fishery.

WHO’S ON THE PANEL:  Mary Beth Tooley of the O’Hara Corporation is the forum board member who is hosting this session.  She also is the moderator. The panel members are:

  • Deirdre Boelke, New England Fishery Management Council, Atlantic Herring Plan Coordinator
  • Carrie Nordeen, National Marine Fisheries Service, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO)

                                 Electronic Monitoring (EM) on the Water

WHEN:  1 p.m. in the Rockland Room

WHAT’S THIS ABOUT:  The New England Council and NMFS are taking steps to improve monitoring in the groundfish fishery. These ongoing efforts have prompted increased interest in using camera systems as an alternative to human at-sea monitors. The question is: Can cameras, coupled with dockside monitoring, provide the necessary level of coverage to meet catch monitoring requirements? In an effort to find out, fishermen are participating in several groundfish pilot programs to explore the feasibility of using this electronic monitoring (EM) technology on their boats. The seminar will spotlight the pilot programs, and groundfish captains who are experimenting with EM will share their perspectives on how EM actually works on the water.

FORMAT:  Following a brief overview of the ongoing projects, panelists will give quick synopses of the EM projects they’re involved with and explain why they were willing to participate. Then, EM footage from several of their boats will be shown, and the affiliated captains on the panel will help guide the audience through what’s going on. They also will discuss fishing operations and catch handling while using EM. Plenty of time will be available for questions. Exchanges between fishermen in the audience and panel members are encouraged.

WHO’S ON THE PANEL:  Gerry Cushman of the F/V Bug Catcha is the forum board member who is hosting this session. Janice Plante of the New England Fishery Management Council is the moderator. The panel members are:

  • Randy Cushman, F/V Ella Christine, Port Clyde, ME, trawl fishery
  • Mike Russo, F/V Gulf Venture, Provincetown, MA, gillnet fishery
  • Tyler Bond, F/V Safe Haven (crew), F/V Savage Joe (owner), Harpswell, ME, jig fishery
  • Mike Monteforte, F/V Second Wind, Point Judith, RI, trawl fishery
  • Bob Dooley, owner/operator of West Coast and Alaska-based vessels for over 40 years, Half Moon Bay, CA, trawl/crab fisheries
  • Claire Fitz-Gerald, NMFS/GARFO Fishery Management Specialist, introductory/overview speaker

                                Northern Gulf of Maine Federal Scallop Fishery

WHEN:  2:45 p.m. in the Rockport Room

WHAT’S THIS ABOUT:  The New England Council recently completed Framework Adjustment 29 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan. The framework contains specifications and measures for the 2018 federal scallop fishing year, which begins on April 1. The National Marine Fisheries Service has published a proposed rule containing just the Northern Gulf of Maine (NGOM) Management Area provisions within the framework and is collecting public comment through March 7. The agency broke out the NGOM measures from the rest of the scallop actions to ensure they are in place by April 1. The intent is to prevent excessive fishing in the Northern Gulf of Maine area. This seminar will provide an overview of the Northern Gulf of Maine management measures and cover how and why they were developed. Information about scallop surveys and research priorities also will be discussed.

FORMAT:  The session will begin with an explanation of federal scallop fishery management in the Northern Gulf of Maine. Panelists then will provide information about 2018 scallop work priorities, changes to the Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program, scallop surveys, and research initiatives for the Northern Gulf of Maine Management Area. Fishermen are encouraged to ask questions about any of these scallop-related activities.

WHO’S ON THE PANEL:  Kristan Porter of the F/V Whitney & Ashley is a member of the New England Council’s Scallop Advisory Panel. He is the forum board member who is hosting this session, and he also is the moderator. The panel members are:

  • Jonathon Peros, New England Fishery Management Council, Scallop Plan Coordinator
  • Travis Ford, NMFS, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office
  • Vincent Balzano, New England Fishery Management Council, Scallop Committee Chairman; commercial fisherman

MAINE FISHERMEN’S FORUM INFORMATION:  Many other seminars are lined up. General information about the 2018 forum, including hotel details, directions, and background, is available at Maine Fishermen’s Forum. The seminar descriptions and schedule can be downloaded at forum lineup.

View the event in more detail at the NEFMC site here.

 

New England fishing panel votes to protect more sea corals

January 31, 2018 — New England fishing officials approved a proposal Tuesday aimed at protecting large swaths of deep-sea corals in the Atlantic from harmful fishing gear.

The New England Fishery Management Council approved the protection of deep-sea corals located in more than 25,000 square-miles located south of Georges Bank, an area that includes four seamounts and 20 deep-sea canyons, said Janice Plante, a spokeswoman for the council.

The council, which met in Portsmouth, N.H., is charged with managing fishery resources from 3 to 200 miles off the coasts of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.

If the measure is implemented, the entire zone would be closed to nearly all bottom-tending fishing gear, which includes trawls, dredges, traps, and gillnets, with one exception. The council allowed an exemption for the Atlantic deep-sea red crab pot fishery, said Plante.

The council had already adopted coral protection zones for the Gulf of Maine last June.

Now, the National Marine Fisheries Service will review the proposed coral protection zones in the Gulf of Maine and the area south of Georges Bank. The service still has to approve and implement the coral protection proposal, a process that could take several months.

“Given the ecological importance and vulnerability of corals, the overarching objective of this amendment is to identify and protect deep-sea corals in the New England region,” said Plante in a statement. “The council’s desire is to balance coral conservation with commercial fishing usage of coral management zones.”

The moves would help “freeze the footprint of destructive fishing as well as protect deep-sea coral areas from current fishing efforts,” according to a statement from the conservation group Oceana.

Read the full story at the Boston Globe

 

Council to talk deep-sea coral, at-sea monitors

January 23, 2018 — The New England Fishery Management Council kicks off its 2018 calendar with meetings in New Hampshire on the final two days of January that will include discussions on its deep-sea coral amendment and industry-funded at-sea monitoring.

The latter, however, will come with a twist.

The discussion on mandated industry-funded monitoring, set as the second agenda item for the first day of meetings on Jan. 30, is expected to include an update on electronic monitoring projects aboard midwater trawl vessels in the region’s herring and mackerel fisheries.

On the same day in the hotel, NOAA Fisheries — with the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office and the Northeast Fisheries Science Center — will hold a free monitoring service provider vendor show to give fishermen and stakeholders the opportunity to meet and question vendors providing monitoring services.

“This is a great opportunity for herring and groundfish fishermen in particular to interact one-on-one with all of these providers,” said Janice Plante, a council spokeswoman.

Herring fishermen, she said, will be subject to new monitoring requirements under the industry-funded monitoring omnibus amendment and groundfishermen may see new monitoring requirements in the groundfish monitoring amendment currently before the council.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

 

NEFMC SSC Webinar, Monday, December 18, 2017 regarding Atlantic halibut

December 13, 2017 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council: 

The New England Fishery Management Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will meet via webinar on Monday, December 18, 2017 to address Atlantic halibut issues.  The public is invited to listen via webinar or telephone.  Here are the details.

START TIME:  1:30 p.m.

WEBINAR REGISTRATION:  Online access to the meeting will be available at:

https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/1474214582272609539.

There is no charge to access the meeting through this webinar.

CALL-IN OPTION:  To listen by telephone, dial +1 (213) 929-4212.

The access code is 823-584-672.

Please be aware that if you dial in, your regular phone charges will apply.

AGENDA:  The SSC will (1) review the 2017 Plan B Operational Assessment for Atlantic halibut and the work provided by the SSC sub-panel review team and Groundfish Plan Development Team; and (2) recommend the Atlantic halibut overfishing limit (OFL) and acceptable biological catch (ABC) for fishing years 2018, 2019, and 2020, taking into account the Council’s Risk Policy Statement.  The Risk Policy Statement begins on page 4 of the Risk Policy Road Map.

MATERIALS:  Meeting materials are available on the Council’s website at SSC December 18, 2017 documents.

FRIENDLY REMINDER:  Please be sure to mute your phone when joining the call to avoid interference with the SSC discussion.

QUESTIONS:  Contact Joan O’Leary at (978) 465-0492 ext. 106, joleary@nefmc.org or Janice Plante at (607) 592-4817, jplante@nefmc.org.

For more details about the webinar click here.

 

NEFMC SSC Meeting, October 12, 2017, Live Streaming Information

October 4, 2017 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will meet on Thursday, October 12, 2017.  The public is invited to listen via webinar or telephone.  Here are the details.

MEETING LOCATION:  Hilton Garden Inn, Boston Logan Airport, 100 Boardman Street, Boston, MA.  Hotel information is available here.

START TIME:  10:00 a.m.

WEBINAR REGISTRATION:  Online access to the meeting will be available at: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/3726401422414349827.

There is no charge to access the meeting through this webinar.

CALL-IN OPTION:  To listen by telephone, dial +1 (562) 247-8321.

The access code is 818-682-657.

Please be aware that if you dial in, your regular phone charges will apply.

AGENDA:  The SSC will (1) review information provided by the Council’s Scallop Plan Development Team (PDT) and recommend overfishing limit (OFL) and acceptable biological catch (ABC) levels for Atlantic sea scallops for fishing year 2018, as well as default OFL and ABC levels for 2019; (2) review information provided by the Council’s Whiting PDT and recommend OFLs and ABCs for the northern and southern stocks of silver hake and, separately, for red hake for fishing years 2018-2020; and (3) discuss other business as necessary.

MATERIALS:  Meeting materials, as they become available, will be posted on the Council’s website at SSC October 12, 2017 documents.

QUESTIONS:  Contact Joan O’Leary at (978) 465-0492 ext. 106, joleary@nefmc.org or Janice Plante at (607) 592-4817, jplante@nefmc.org.

New England Council Seeks Applicants for Scallop Advisory Panel Vacany

August 11, 2017 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council is soliciting applications to fill a vacancy on its Scallop Advisory Panel.  The application deadline is Tuesday, September 12, 2017.

PURPOSE:  The Scallop Advisory Panel provides information and guidance to the Council and its Scallop Committee on scallop management actions and fishery-related issues.  Visit the Council’s scallop webpage at http://www.nefmc.org/management-plans/scallops.

NOTE:  This solicitation notice is related to a recent vacancy.  Anyone who applied to serve as a scallop advisor within the past year need not reapply if the original application form does not need to be updated.  The appointed advisor will serve through 2020.

APPLICATION FORMS:  Copies of the solicitation announcement, application form, and advisory panel policy can be found at http://www.nefmc.org/news/scallop-advisory-panel-vacancy-announcement.

DEADLINE:  Completed application forms must be received by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 12, 2017.  Paper forms should be mailed to:  Tom Nies, Executive Director, New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950.  Faxed copies can be sent to (978) 465-3116.  Electronic copies can be emailed to Joan O’Leary at joleary@nefmc.org.

QUESTIONS:  For more information, call or email Janice Plante at (607) 592-4817, jplante@nefmc.org.