Saving Seafood

  • Home
  • News
    • Alerts
    • Conservation & Environment
    • Council Actions
    • Economic Impact
    • Enforcement
    • International & Trade
    • Law
    • Management & Regulation
    • Regulations
    • Nutrition
    • Opinion
    • Other News
    • Safety
    • Science
    • State and Local
  • News by Region
    • New England
    • Mid-Atlantic
    • South Atlantic
    • Gulf of Mexico
    • Pacific
    • North Pacific
    • Western Pacific
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • Fishing Terms Glossary

Maine lobster at risk of losing a sustainability label over right whale concerns

February 22, 2022 — Maine’s lobster fishery is at risk of losing a key sustainability label over concerns for the endangered North Atlantic right whale.

Industry members, meanwhile, say the idea that Maine’s lobster fishery poses an environmental threat is nonsensical.

The California-based Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program is considering which species to add to its “red list,” and North American lobster from both the U.S. and Canadian fisheries is a candidate, as are over a dozen other species fished up and down the East Coast, according to a draft assessment.

Seafood Watch, which is designed to help consumers make informed choices about sustainable seafood, rates fisheries as green for “best choice,” yellow for “good alternative” and red for “avoid.”

Industries on the program’s red list are “overfished, lack strong management or are caught or farmed in ways that harm other marine life or the environment,” according to Seafood Watch.

It’s the latter reason that the program may urge consumers to steer clear of the state’s lobster fishery, which landed a record-value catch of $725 million in 2021. Trap-caught Maine lobster already has been downgraded to yellow status, but Seafood Watch representatives declined to answer questions about when the change occurred or when the fishery might be downgraded to red.

Read the full story and listen to the audio at The Portland Press Herald

 

Maine: Bill to support lobster fishing industry receives committee support

February 17, 2022 — The Legislature’s Marine Resources Committee voted on Tuesday to advance a bill by Rep. Holly Stover, D-Boothbay, aimed at supporting Maine’s lobster fishing industry following recent federal regulatory changes.

LD 1898, An Act To Address the Economic Impact of Federal Closures on Maine’s Fixed Gear Fishing Industry, would establish a fund to provide financial assistance to lobster fishermen who have been impacted by the closure of nearly 1,000 square miles of federal waters off the coast of Maine.

“The federal closures our lobster fishing industry are facing are immediate, which means they need immediate financial assistance to adapt quickly enough to sustain their livelihood and our economy,” said Stover. “I am grateful for the committee’s collaborative effort to make this bill the best it can be for our fishing industry.”

Read the full story at the Boothbay Register

Maine lobster fishery hits record value, but faces challenges in 2022

February 15, 2022 — The lobster fishery in the U.S. state of Maine has its most-valuable year in history in 2021, pulling in a record-shattering USD 724.9 million (EUR 638.1 million) in the year – an increase in value of USD 312.4 million (EUR 275 million) over the previous year – according to data released by the Maine Department of Marine Resources.

The previous value record for the fishery was set in 2016, when the Maine lobster fishery earned roughly USD 541 million (EUR 476 million) in value, USD 184 million (EUR 161 million) less than it earned in 2021.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

As major seafood watch list weighs ‘red-listing’ lobster, Mass. lobstermen push back

February 10, 2022 — A popular seafood ranking guide is considering “red listing” American lobster and other New England fisheries for the danger they pose to endangered North Atlantic right whales.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s “Seafood Watch” list is used by grocery stores and restaurants like Whole Foods, Red Lobster and Aramark to inform their purchases.

But Massachusetts lobstermen are pushing back on the description of their industry as unsustainable.

“The [Massachusetts] lobster fishery is doing more than any other region,” said Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association Executive Director Beth Casoni. “We are currently under a three-month closure for the protection of right whales. No other state has 9,000 square miles closed to lobster vertical lines.”

Casoni also pointed to the local industry’s early adoption of weaker ropes that can break if a whale becomes entangled.

“When I saw this, I was quite concerned where they were lumping in all the states, all the regions in the United States, to have the American lobster listed as a red choice,” Casoni said. She said her group plans to submit comments to Seafood Watch challenging the designation.

Read the full story at WBUR

Maine lawmakers consider legal fund for lobster industry ahead of new whale protections

February 10, 2022 — Maine lawmakers are considering establishing a legal defense fund for the lobster fishing industry to help them navigate upcoming regulations meant to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales.  

Republican state representative and lobsterman William Faulkingham proposed the measure, which would establish the fund — supported by license surcharges and lobster trap tag sales — and form a commission to govern it, The Associated Press reported. In a public hearing Tuesday, Faulkingham said the industry is facing “crippling regulations and industry collapsing lawsuits.”

Read the full story at The Hill

 

Maine delegation, lobstermen ask feds to postpone whale protection rules, citing rope shortage

February 9, 2022 — Maine lobstermen say there’s a critical shortage of specialized trap-gear they need to comply with new federal whale protection rules that go into effect this spring. The industry and Maine political leaders are asking the feds to postpone the deadline by two months. But some gear-makers and suppliers say they can make it available, if only someone would order it.

As of May 1, the new federal rules will require lobstermen to use rope that’s weak enough to allow endangered North Atlantic right whales to break through it without danger of deadly entanglements. Alternatively, lobstermen can install weak links in their existing traplines to achieve the same result.

“At this point, the beginning of February, I don’t have access to any type of equipment to modify my gear,” says Friendship lobsterman Dustin Delano, the vice president of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association. He says he’s been looking for gear that would make sense for his boat and his 800 lobster traps — but so far, no luck. And he’s anxious to get going on the time-consuming task of hauling and converting his gear.

“There’s a few options that exist but you can’t get that equipment,” he says. “I’ve looked into it myself, there isn’t enough, it doesn’t exist. So we can be told we need to comply by May 1, but if I can’t buy the stuff what am I supposed to do?”

Gov. Janet Mills and Maine’s Congressional delegation recently sent a joint letter to the Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo, asking to delay the gear-conversion deadline until July 1.

“That would save the industry more than $7 million in lost fishing time, and we believe it would have no or negligible impact on risk reduction,” says Sen. Susan Collins.

Read the full story at WBUR

ASMFC American Lobster Management Board to Meet February 22 to Consider Final Action on Draft Addendum XXIX: Electronic Vessel Tracking in the Federal American Lobster and Jonah Crab Fisheries

February 2, 2022 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s American Lobster Management Board will meet via webinar on February 22nd from 1 – 3:30 PM. The purpose of the meeting is to review submitted public comment on Draft Addendum XXIX: Electronic Vessel Tracking in the Federal American Lobster and Jonah Crab Fisheries and consider final approval of the Addendum. The Draft Agenda is available athttp://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/AmLobsterBoardFeb2022/AmLobsterBoardAgenda_Feb2022.pdf .Meeting materials will be posted to http://www.asmfc.org/calendar/2/2022/American-Lobster-Management-Board-/1886 by February 8th.

To register for the webinar go to https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2930590334961190923 (Webinar ID 845-804-555). If you are joining the webinar but will not be using VoIP, you can also call in at +1 (562) 247-8422. A PIN will be provided to you after joining the webinar; see webinar instructions for details on how to receive the PIN as well as how to navigate the webinar. For those who will not be joining the webinar but would like to listen in to the audio portion only, you can do so by dialing +1 (562) 247-8422, access code 538-513-755.

The webinar will allow registrants to listen to the Board’s deliberations and view presentations and motions as they occur.  The Board will provide the public the opportunity to bring matters of concern to the Board’s attention at the start of the meeting. The Board Chair will ask members of the public to raise their hands to let the chair know they would like to speak. Depending upon the number of commenters, the Board Chair will decide how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.

Public Comment Guidelines

With the intent of developing policies in the Commission’s procedures for public participation that result in a fair opportunity for public input, the ISFMP Policy Board has approved the following guidelines for use at management board meetings:

For issues that are not on the agenda, management boards will continue to provide opportunity to the public to bring matters of concern to the board’s attention at the start of each board meeting. Board chairs will ask members of the public to raise their hands to let the chair know they would like to speak. Depending upon the number of commenters, the board chair will decide how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.

For topics that are on the agenda, but have not gone out for public comment, board chairs will provide limited opportunity for comment, taking into account the time allotted on the agenda for the topic. Chairs will have flexibility in deciding how to allocate comment opportunities; this could include hearing one comment in favor and one in opposition until the chair is satisfied further comment will not provide additional insight to the board.

For agenda action items that have already gone out for public comment, it is the Policy Board’s intent to end the occasional practice of allowing extensive and lengthy public comments. Currently, board chairs have the discretion to decide what public comment to allow in these circumstances.

In addition, the following timeline has been established for the submission of written comment for issues for which the Commission has NOT established a specific public comment period (i.e., in response to proposed management action)

· Comments received by 5 PM on Monday, February 15 will be included in the supplemental materials.

The submitted comments must clearly indicate the commenter’s expectation from the ASMFC staff regarding distribution.  As with other public comment, it will be accepted via mail, fax, and email.

For more information, please contact Caitlin Starks, Senior FMP Coordinator, at cstarks@asmfc.org.

 

Maine lawmakers pitch relief fund for lobstermen

February 2, 2022 — Maine lawmakers are pitching a plan to buoy commercial fishermen whose livelihoods could be impacted by pending new federal regulations.

A proposal heard Tuesday by the Legislature’s Committee on Marine Resources would require the state government to create a new $30 million fund “to mitigate negative financial impacts experienced by individuals and businesses involved in the state’s fixed-gear fishing industry.”

The bill’s primary sponsor, Rep. Holly Stover, D-Boothbay, told the panel that the federal restriction “challenges the viability, sustainability and future of Maine’s fixed gear fishing industry.”

“The long-term sustainability of Maine’s fixed gear fishing industry requires immediate action to mitigate the fiscal losses experienced by those who relied on offshore fishing as part of their livelihood,” Stover said in testimony. “We need to create some level of certainty and relief for the people who work and support our coastal communities.”

The new regulations, which are aimed at protecting critically endangered north Atlantic right whales, will require fishermen to make gear modifications to reduce the number of vertical lines in the water and will set a 950-square-mile section of the Gulf of Maine that will be off-limits to traditional lobstering during the lucrative winter months.

They will require buoyless or “ropeless” fishing gear – a new and costly technology that brings lobster traps to the surface using wireless signals – in some locations.

Read the full story at The Center Square

 

Fishing industry, regulators back lobster fishing fund plan

February 1, 2022 — Members of Maine’s fishing industry and state regulators testified Tuesday in favor of the creation of a new $30 million fund to help lobster fishermen cope with new rules meant to protect whales.

Federal rules make an approximately 950-square-mile (2,460-square-kilometer) area of the Gulf of Maine essentially off limits to lobster fishing from October to January. A proposal from Democratic Rep. Holly Stover would create the fund to provide grants to lobstermen and other fishermen affected by the rules.

Read the full story at the Associated Press

 

Weak rope in short supply as deadline for whale-friendly gear draws near

January 28, 2022 — Lobstermen elsewhere in New England will have to join their Massachusetts counterparts in using weakened rope or special inserts to weaken existing trap rope beginning in May to help protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales.

The rope and the in-line links, which must break under 1,700 pounds of pressure to help marine mammals break away if they become entangled, need to comply with rules mandated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. The problem is the rope is short supply.

For Massachusetts fishermen, the required 3/8-inch red and white “candy cane” and 5/16-inch red weak rope manufactured by Rocky Mount Cordage Company in North Carolina, one of two rope makers approved by NOAA, is available only at Rose Marine in Gloucester for those north of Boston or through Ketchum Trap in New Bedford for those south of Boston.

“I know they’re out of stock in Maine, and I just filled an order for the 3/8 rope and sold out,” said Steve Germain of Rose Marine, 375 Main St., on Thursday. “I still have the 5/16 red rope, but the red and white is on back order.” He said he had no estimate on when new stock would arrive.

Lobstermen on Cape Ann and elsewhere in Massachusetts have been using the weakened rope for the past year and a half, said Beth Casoni of the Massachusetts Lobstermen Association.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • …
  • 102
  • Next Page »

Recent Headlines

  • Maine leaders to meet with feds about future offshore wind projects
  • Klamath Dam Removal Could Offer Promise for Oregon Commercial Salmon Fishery
  • The information age is starting to transform fishing worldwide
  • Scotland’s seafood industry fears a return to border chaos
  • Feds accused of dragging feet on threatened whitetip shark review
  • NEFMC Seeks Contractor to Conduct Prototype MSE for Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management
  • Scallop fishermen debate leasing
  • NOAA says status report shows U.S. fisheries ‘on track’ with rebuilding

Most Popular Topics

Alaska Aquaculture ASMFC Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission California China Climate change Coronavirus COVID-19 Donald Trump groundfish Gulf of Maine Gulf of Mexico Illegal fishing IUU fishing Lobster Maine Massachusetts Mid-Atlantic National Marine Fisheries Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NEFMC New Bedford New England New England Fishery Management Council New Jersey New York NMFS NOAA NOAA Fisheries North Atlantic right whales North Carolina North Pacific offshore energy Offshore wind Pacific right whales Salmon Scallops South Atlantic Tuna Western Pacific Whales wind energy Wind Farms

Daily Updates & Alerts

Enter your email address to receive daily updates and alerts:
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Tweets by @savingseafood

Copyright © 2022 Saving Seafood · WordPress Web Design by Jessee Productions