Saving Seafood

NOAA proposes rule to protect deep sea coral off U.S. Atlantic coast

October 4th, 2016 — The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced a new proposed rule last week that would create a new protected area in the Mid-Atlantic region in order to conserve deep-sea coral.

The proposed rule, if finalized, would create the first protected area at the national level under the new deep sea coral provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the primary law governing marine fisheries management in U.S. federal waters, first passed in 1976. When the law was reauthorized by Congress in 2006, it was amended to allow for the designation of zones to protect deep-sea corals from damage caused by bottom-tending commercial fishing gear.

The area proposed for protection by NOAA stretches along the continental shelf off the Mid-Atlantic coastline between New York and North Carolina and encompasses all of the area out to the boundary of the U.S.’s Exclusive Economic Zone, which extends 200 nautical miles (about 230 miles) out to sea. The proposed rule includes an exemption for American lobster and deep-sea red crab pots and traps from the gear prohibition.

John Bullard, regional administrator for NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Region, said in a statement that 15 deep-sea canyons with a total area of about 24 million acres, which is about the size of Virginia or 20 times the size of Grand Canyon National Park, would be protected by the rule.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, which worked with NOAA on the proposed rule, recommended the new protected area be called the “Frank R. Lautenberg Deep-sea Coral Protection Area” in honor of the late U.S. Senator’s contributions to the development and implementation of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act’s coral protection provision.

The public comment period for the proposed rule lasts until November 1, 2016. Members of the American public can comment online or by mail.

Read the full story at Mongabay 

SMAST wins patent on 3D counting, measuring fish on deck of a boat

July 20, 2016 — NEW BEDFORD — A newly patented 3-D photograph system developed at the UMass Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology soon may greatly add to scientists’ knowledge about ocean fish populations, the school announced Tuesday.

The device, the work of now-retired dean Dr. Brian Rothschild and graduate student Glenn Chamberlain, includes two digital cameras and a reference frame.

Using a common technique called stereo photogrammetry, the device essentially uses 3-D images to map the surface of the fish. The reference frame will permit the monitoring not only of the number of fish, but their size. The fish can be on the deck, or in a net, and the data obtained can be stored permanently, Rothschild said.

“The concept is very simple,” Rothschild said, and the parts are easily obtainable commercially; the two cameras cost about $500, he said.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

JOHN BULLARD: Fishermen part of grant process

July 12, 2016 — I need to respond to Mr. Parisi’s June 28 letter expressing concern that academics receive the majority Saltonstall-Kennedy (SK) Grant Program funding, leaving a limited amount for local fishermen.

First, I would like to point out that competition for limited 2016 Saltonstall-Kennedy funds was stiff. Requests for SK funds always far exceed the resources available, and 2016 was no different. In 2016, $11 million was available for SK grants, but requests for funding exceeded $75 million. Of the 50 projects selected nationally, 22 projects were from our Greater Atlantic Region, totaling $4.6 million.

While it is true that few fishermen submit applications by themselves to this highly competitive program, this does not mean that they and other fishing industry representatives are not involved. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Frequently they are partners in grant applications. Grants funded through the SK program are provided to a wide variety of applicants working to address the needs of fishing communities, support economic opportunities along our coasts, and build and maintain resilient and sustainable fisheries.

Read the full letter at the Gloucester Times

NOAA Fisheries Announces Proposed Rules for Northeast Skate Fishery

June 6, 2016 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Region:

Today, NOAA Fisheries proposes, and opens for public comments, new management measures for the northeast skate fishery.

These were developed through Framework Adjustment 3 to the Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan at the recommendation of the New England Fishery Management Council.

The proposed measures are:

  • New quotas for the skate wing (8,372 mt) and bait (4,218 mt) fisheries for the 2016 and 2017.
  • All skate trip limits are proposed to remain unchanged from current levels.
  • Splitting the skate wing fishery quota into two seasons (May through August and September through April) to allow the directed fishery to be temporarily closed in-season if the seasonal quota is reached.

Read the proposed rule as filed in the Federal Register.

The comment period is open until 5pm on June 21.

Please submit your comments online or by mailing them to:

John Bullard, Regional Administrator
NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Region
55 Great Republic Drive
Gloucester, MA 01930

Please mark the outside of the envelope “Comments on Northeast Skate Fishery Proposed Rule.”

Co-owner: New Bedford fish auction could see periodic closures over next month

May 24, 2016 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — The fish auction that’s been a daily institution on the city’s waterfront for decades could see periodic closures over the next month or so, as a co-owner said Monday that this year’s significant cut to the cod quota is keeping many boats tied to the docks, rather than bringing in fish.

Richard Canastra, co-owner of the Whaling City Seafood Display Auction since 1994, said Monday morning that in his view, “there won’t be” fish auctions on some days between now and July 4, when he expects commercial fishing activity to pick up again.

“There’s not many fishermen fishing anymore,” Canastra said as he stood outside the auction building on Hassey Street. “A lot of the boats are just tied up — they’re not going to fish. Why would they fish if there’s only so much (allowable) cod?”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), in conjunction with the New England Fishery Management Council, instituted a 62-percent reduction in the allowable catch for Georges Bank cod this year, in quotas that took effect May 1.

Former New Bedford Mayor John Bullard, now regional administrator for NOAA fisheries, has said the new regulations create “about a 95 percent cut” since 2012 in catch limits for Georges Bank cod, a key species for New Bedford’s fishing industry.

Government documents detailing the quotas say they’re, “intended to help prevent overfishing, rebuild overfished stocks, achieve optimum yield” and ensure that fishery management is based on the best data available.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

New England’s Commercial Fishermen Worried About Sustainability of Fishing Communities

April 28, 2016 — PROVIDENCE, RI — Fishermen, scientists and interested citizens gathered in mid-April at Rhode Island College for a panel discussion about whether commercial fishing is, or can be, sustainable.

The panel consisted of six speakers who discussed the current state of fish populations within U.S. waters, climate change and its impact on fish stocks, and the current rules and regulations imposed on commercial fishermen. The discussion was often heated, and it was obvious that the fishermen, both on the panel and in the audience, weren’t happy with current catch quotas and monitoring regulations.

Panelist John Bullard, the northeast regional administrator of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), said commercial fishing is “definitely sustainable.” But fishermen David Goethel and Mark Phillips, also on the panel, believe the more important question to explore is if fishing communities are sustainable. Both fishermen said that between catch quotas and the crippling expenses fishermen have to face both to run their boats and pay catch monitors, makes fishing as a way of life all but impossible.

“The smell of fish is gone, replaced by burnt coffee,” Phillips said about the traditional fishing docks of New England.

NOAA regulates the fishing industry, and both Phillips and Goethel are involved in a lawsuit against the federal agency regarding the costs incurred by New England fishermen who now have to pay monitors about $700 a day to be on their boats.

Read the full story at ecoRInews

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

Announcing 2016 Fishing Opportunities in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Regulatory Area

March 1, 2016 — We are announcing 2016 fishing opportunities in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Regulatory Area for U.S. fishing vessels.

Read the announcement as filed in the Federal Register.

Background

The United States is a Contracting Party to the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization or NAFO. NAFO is an intergovernmental fisheries science and management body whose convention on Northwest Atlantic Fisheries applies to most fishery resources in international waters of the Northwest Atlantic. 

NAFO’s Fisheries Commission is responsible for the management and conservation of the fishery resources in its Regulatory Area.

What NAFO fishing opportunities are available to U.S. fishing vessels?

NAFO manages Atlantic cod, yellowtail and witch flounders, Acadian redfish, American plaice, Greenland halibut, white hake, capelin, shrimp, skates, and Illex squid. NAFO maintains conservation measures for these species (in its Regulatory Area), including catch limits that are allocated among NAFO Contracting Parties. 

Who can apply for these fishing opportunities?

Any U.S. fishing interests (e.g., vessel owners, processors, agents, others). 

How do I apply?

Send an expression of interest in writing to:

John K. Bullard

U.S. Commissioner to NAFO

NMFS Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office 

55 Great Republic Drive

Gloucester, MA 01930 

phone: 978-281-9315

John.Bullard@noaa.gov

For more information, read the Federal Register announcement, visit the NAFO website, or contact:

Michael Ruccio

NMFS Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office

55 Great Republic Drive

Gloucester, MA 01930 

phone: 978-281-9104

fax: 978-281-9135

Michael.Ruccio@noaa.gov

The deadline is March 15.

Fishermen, NOAA to talk whiting changes at workshop

February 11, 2016 — NOAA Fisheries will hold an informational workshop next week in Gloucester that could serve as the first step in potentially acceding to the requests of local fishermen to modify the access and fishing schedule in the exempted whiting areas.

The meeting is open to fishermen and potential research partners and is scheduled for Thursday from 10 a.m. to about 3 p.m. at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s regional offices in the Blackburn Industrial Park.

“We’re really viewing this as the first part of the discussion,” said Mike Ruccio, a supervising fishery policy analyst at NOAA Fisheries. “We want to try to gather everybody together in one place and tackle this a little more holistically.”

Local fishermen, led by longtime fisherman Sam Novello, have been working for more than a year to convince NOAA to change the permitted gear and expand the access and fishing season for the whiting exempted areas — most notably the Small Mesh Gear Area 1 in Ipswich Bay.

Currently, that area is open for whiting fishing from July 15 to Nov. 15. Novello and other Cape Ann fishermen would like to see that fishing season expanded to open earlier and close later.

Ruccio said the workshop will provide an overview of the fishery, including the whiting exemption programs and the extent of regional Director John K. Bullard’s authority to make the changes sought by fishermen.

He said the workshop also will include discussions on possible bycatch and stock assessment issues, as well as identifying potential funding sources and research projects necessary to produce the data that ultimately would be used to determine if the changes sought are even feasible.

Read the full story from the Gloucester Daily Times

Two Virginia Whale Watch Companies Join Whale SENSE Atlantic

January 12, 2016 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Two Virginia Beach ocean tour operators, Rudee Tours and  Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, joined the voluntary responsible whale watching program, Whale SENSE, sponsored by NOAA Fisheries and Whale and Dolphin Conservation. 

Virginia’s whale watch season runs from January to March, when the humpback whales migrate through the mid-Atlantic from their northeast summer feeding grounds to their calving and nursery grounds located in the eastern Caribbean. By choosing a company with Whale SENSE, whale watchers can be assured that their exhilarating experiences with the whales are not interfering with the whales’ natural behaviors.

Rudee Tours offers winter wildlife cruises. Credit Kristin Rayfield, Rudee Tours.

The Whale SENSE program, which started seven years ago in the Atlantic region, now spans two coasts and boasts a total of 15 whale watch companies from Virginia to Maine, as well as 7 in Juneau, Alaska.”With the largest fleet of head boats in Virginia, and tens of thousands of people taking one of our tours each year, we feel it is important to serve as a role model for responsible and educational whale and dolphin watching,” says Kristen Rayfield, naturalist of Rudee Tours.

“Whale SENSE provides an opportunity for us to continue to showcase our dedication to the highest level of ethics and practices and provide an experience for our guests while keeping these incredible marine mammals safe in their habitat,” says Alexis Rabon, Boat Program Coordinator and Naturalist for Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center.

Humpback whale breaching off Virginia Beach. Credit: Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center

Whale SENSE participants follow viewing guidelines by reducing speeds, keeping a safe distance, and communicating with other vessels. They also pledge to advertise responsibly by captioning pictures to inform their passengers of how whales are protected.

“Seeing these majestic animals up close is an exhilarating experience, but we don’t want our enthusiasm to unintentionally cause them harm,” says John Bullard, NOAA Fisheries regional administrator for the Greater Atlantic Region. “Whale SENSE helps us ensure that companies know the laws and best methods for minimizing impacts to the whales, helping to protect and conserve these species for generations to come.”

In addition, Whale SENSE participants receive annual training on whale protection laws, and participate in environmental conservation projects, such as beach clean-ups or sponsoring internship programs. In the event that they see a marine animal in distress, they call it in to authorized responders, and when possible, stand by the animal until rescuers arrive.

“We are thrilled to have Rudee Tours and Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center join Whale SENSE this year,” says Monica Pepe of Whale and Dolphin Conservation. “These companies will act as stewards on the water, setting an example of how to watch whales responsibly in an area where whale sightings have been increasing in recent years.”

All whales in U.S. waters are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which makes it illegal to injure, kill or harass whales.

Having served more than 1 million passengers, Whale SENSE companies continue to be the SENSE-ible whale watching choice. To find out if a whale watch company participates in the program, check for the new Whale SENSE logo on participating vessels.

Visit Whale SENSE for participants in your area or like us on Facebook!

Read this press release online. High-res images available.