Saving Seafood

Portland Press Herald: Offshore drilling threatens important Maine industries

January 12, 2018 — The Trump administration Tuesday removed the waters off Florida – and only Florida – from the list of areas newly open to offshore drilling, and in doing so made a compelling case that the Maine coast should be removed as well.

After opposition from Republican Gov. Rick Scott, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said Florida would not be part of a plan to make more than 90 percent of the outer continental shelf available by lease to energy extraction companies. Florida, Zinke said, was “unique,” with its coasts “heavily reliant on tourism as an economic driver.”

Sound familiar?

Not only is Maine’s $6 billion-a-year tourism industry largely dependent on a clean and picturesque coastline, so too is the $1.7 billion-a-year lobster industry. Together, they have an economic impact far greater than the fossil fuel industry ever could here.

It should go without saying that a spill on par with the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster, which pumped 215 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, causing $17 billion in damages and effects on wildlife and coastal areas that are still seen today, would be catastrophic for the state. But even routine seismic testing and the everyday extraction of oil and gas could affect the fishery and degrade the coastline.

Read the full editorial at the Portland Press Herald

 

What’s the kindest way to kill a lobster?

January 12, 2018 — “Lobster is one of those rare foods that you cook from a live state,” the recipe says.

“Quickly plunge lobsters head-first into the boiling water… Boil for 15 minutes,” the recipe then instructs.

It’s the tried-and-trusted method for many of us with any experience of cooking lobster – and there are dozens of similar recipes online.

But on Wednesday Switzerland banned the practice and ordered that lobsters be stunned before being despatched to our plates to avoid unnecessary suffering in the kitchen.

It comes amid growing scientific evidence that lobsters – and other invertebrates, such as crayfish and crabs – are able to feel pain.

So what’s wrong with the traditional method? And what are the alternatives?

Can lobsters feel pain?

Animal welfare scientists define pain as “an aversive sensation and feeling associated with actual or potential tissue damage”, explains Jonathan Birch, assistant professor in philosophy at the London School of Economics.

Defined like this, experiments suggest crustaceans do feel pain, Dr Birch explains in his article “Crabs and lobsters deserve protection from being cooked alive”.

In a series of experiments at Queen’s University in Belfast, crabs gave up a valuable dark hiding place after repeatedly receiving an electric shock there.

“They were willing to give up their hideaway in order to avoid the source of their probable pain,” said Prof Robert Elwood, who led the team carrying out the experiments. He told the BBC that numerous experiments showed “rapid avoidance learning, and [crustaceans] giving up highly valuable resources to avoid certain noxious stimuli” – consistent with the idea of pain.

Read the full story at the BBC

 

Atlantic Menhaden Board Meeting Added to ASMFC 2018 Winter Meeting Preliminary Agenda

January 11, 2018 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Comission:

Please note there are two changes to the ASMFC Winter Meeting preliminary agenda: (1) an agenda item has been added to the ISFMP Policy Board (i.e., Consider the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Atlantic Menhaden Amendment 3 Appeal); and (2) the Atlantic Menhaden Management Board has been added to the agenda and will meet on Thursday, February 8 from 1:45 – 2:45 p.m. There has been shift in meeting times that day to accommodate the added meeting.  The agenda can also be found on the ASMFC website at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2018-winter-meeting.

Revised Preliminary Agenda

The agenda is subject to change. Bulleted items represent the anticipated major issues to be discussed or acted upon at the meeting. The final agenda will include additional items and may revise the bulleted items provided below. The agenda reflects the current estimate of time required for scheduled Board meetings. The Commission may adjust this agenda in accordance with the actual duration of Board meetings. Interested parties should anticipate Boards starting earlier or later than indicated herein.

Tuesday, February 6

9:30 a.m. – Noon                    American Lobster Management Board

  • Consider American Lobster Addendum XXVI and Jonah Crab Addendum III for Final Approval
  • Subgroup Report on Goals and Objectives for Management of the Southern New England Stock
  • Consider 2020 American Lobster Benchmark Stock Assessment Terms of Reference
  • Elect Vice-chair

1:00 – 2:00 p.m.                        Atlantic Herring Section

  • Review Technical Committee Report on Effectiveness of Current Spawning Closure Procedure
  • Elect Chair and Vice-chair

2:15 – 4:15 p.m.                        Winter Flounder Management Board

  • Review Results of the 2017 Groundfish Operational Stock Assessment for Gulf of Maine and Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic Winter Flounder Stocks
  • Discuss Potential Management Response
  • Consider Specifications for 2018 Fishing Year
  • Consider Approval of Fishery Management Plan Review for 2016-2017 Fishing Year
  • Elect Chair and Vice-chair

4:30 – 6:00 p.m.                        American Eel Management Board

  • Consider Approval of Draft Addendum V for Public Comment
  • Consider Approval of 2016 Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance Reports

Wednesday, February 7

8:00 – 9:30 a.m.                         Executive Committee

(A portion of this meeting may be a closed session for Committee members and Commissioners only)

  • ACCSP Program Update
  • Discuss ASMFC Leadership Nomination Process
  • Discuss Updating Appeals Process
  • Discuss Updating Conservation Equivalency Guidelines

9:45 – 11:15 a.m.                      Strategic Planning Workshop

  • Review Annual Commissioner Survey Results
  • Discuss Next Steps in Developing 2019-2023 Strategic Plan

11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.          Weakfish Management Board

  • Consider Approval of 2017 Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance Reports
  • Consider the Use of Fishery-independent Samples in Fulfilling Biological Sampling Requirements of the Fishery Management Plan

12:45 – 2:45 p.m.                      South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board

  • Review Technical Committee Report on State Implementation Plans for the Interstate Cobia Fishery Management Plan
  • Consider Approval of Draft Addendum I to the Black Drum Fishery Management Plan for Public Comment
  • Review Technical Committee/Plan Review Team Report on Recommended Updates to the Annual Traffic Light Analyses for Atlantic Croaker and Spot
  • Consider Approval of 2017 Fishery Management Plan Reviews and State Compliance Reports for Spanish Mackerel and Spot

3:00 – 4:30 p.m.                        Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board

  • Review and Consider Maryland Conservation Equivalency Proposal
  • Update on Process and Timeline Regarding Board Guidance on Benchmark Stock Assessment

Thursday, February 8

8:00 – 10:00 a.m.                      Risk and Uncertainty Policy Workshop

10:15 a.m. — 1:15 p.m. Interstate Management Program Policy Board

  • Consider the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Atlantic Menhaden Amendment 3 Appeal
  • Consider Approval of Climate Change and Fisheries Management Policy
  • Review Shad Benchmark Stock Assessment Timeline and Consider Terms of Reference
  • Habitat Committee Report
  • NOAA Fisheries Overview of Right Whale Issue

1:15 – 1:30 p.m.                        Business Session

  • Consider Noncompliance Recommendations (If Necessary)

1:45 — 2:45 p.m. Atlantic Menhaden Management Board

  • Consider ISFMP Policy Board Recommendation Regarding the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Atlantic Menhaden Amendment 3 Appeal (If Necessary)

3:00 — 5:00 p.m. Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board

  • Consider Black Sea Bass Addendum XXX for Final Approval
  • Finalize Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Recreational Measures

Learn more about the ASMFC by visiting their site here.

 

Lobstermen may have to give up their secrets

January 10, 2018 — ELLSWORTH, Maine — The antiregulatory fervor sweeping the nation’s capital doesn’t seem to extend as far as the Gulf of Maine, at least not for lobster and Jonah crab fishermen.

This week, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is holding two public hearings in Maine on a plan to impose new reporting requirements in the offshore lobster and crab fisheries. One hearing was scheduled for Scarborough on Tuesday evening. The other is scheduled for 6 p.m. today, Thursday, Jan. 11, at Ellsworth High School.

The ASMFC is concerned that it does not have enough data about the lobster and Jonah crab fisheries to make appropriate management decisions.

Ten percent of Maine lobstermen, chosen annually at random, are required to file monthly landing reports with the Department of Marine Resources about where and how they fish. The reports include detailed data about the geographic location of traps, how long they have been set and at what depths, how many traps are hauled on each trip, the total pounds landed and more.

Lobstermen licensed by other New England states already file detailed reports with their state resource management agencies.

Only about 20 percent of Maine’s roughly 5,000 commercial lobstermen also hold the federal permits required to fish outside the 3-mile limit of state waters, and even fewer fish in the really deep waters beyond 12 miles from shore. According to the ASMFC, some 98 percent of lobster landings from the Gulf of Maine come from inside that 12-mile zone, so reports of what’s happening in the offshore lobster fishery are generally scarce. What’s more, unlike most fishermen operating in federal waters, federal permit holders fishing only for lobster are not required to report their trips to the National Marine Fisheries Service via electronic reporting devices. No separate landing reports are currently required for Jonah crab.

Read the full story at the Mount Desert Islander

 

NMFS Approves New England Council Habitat Amendments; Will Provide Boost to Scallops up to 60 Million lbs

January 10, 2018 — SEAFOOD NEWS — NMFS has given formal approval to the New England Council’s Fish habitat amendment that makes major changes in rules regarding closed areas in New England.

The most immediate impact is on scallops, where NMFS approved the opening of closed area 1 and the Nantucket Lightship area.  The concept here was that an abundance of scallops in these areas would lead to rapid harvesting, and a lower swept area by scallop dredges than if vessels were trying to gain their allocations outside the closed areas.

Also research has shown that these were not significant areas for fish spawning.  The approval means that the options for scallop harvest will be at the maximum level considered by the council, which projects about 60 million pounds of scallop landings for the 2018-19 season.

NMFS rejected the opening of closed area II on Georges Bank, which is also a major scallop producer.

Overall, full time license holders will get a total of 6 closed area trips of 18,000 lbs each, along with 24 days at sea in the open areas.

The habitat framework is the most far reaching adjustments of closed areas in 20 years, and it will provide better protection for both fish and habitat while eliminating closures that no longer serve their intended purpose.

The major change that was not allowed by NMFS was the opening of Eastern Georges Bank, called closed area II.  This is the so called Northern Edge, which historically was one of the most abundant scallop producing areas.  NMFS is keeping it closed to protect habitat.

Council Executive Director Tom Nies said, “Naturally we’re disappointed that our proposed Closed Area II changes were not approved, but the fact that the vast majority of the amendment will be implemented is a solid endorsement of the work the Council and staff did to dramatically change the closure system off New England.”

The habitat framework also establishes a series of seasonal cod spawning closures to all gear, both recreational and commercial; and it also sets a number of areas where bottom trawl gear is prohibited, but the council makes distinctions in many areas that will allow use of gillnets and lobster gear, as well as scallop and clam dredging.

This story originally appeared on Seafoodnews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

 

Maine senators: Trump’s drilling plan threatens lobsters

January 9, 2018 — Both of Maine’s senators are warning that the Trump administration’s plan to open offshore drilling along the coast of their state threatens the state’s huge lobster industry.

“We oppose any effort to open waters off the coast of Maine or any proximate area to offshore drilling, which could negatively affect the health of Maine’s fisheries and other coastal resources, threatening to harm not only the environment but the state’s economy as well,” wrote Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Independent Sen. Angus King wrote to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Monday. “Maine’s economic stability — and countless Mainers’ livelihoods — has always depended on the health of the ocean.”

The lawmakers wrote that lobster alone is a $1.7 billion annual industry for the state.

“These critical industries are dependent on Maine’s pristine waters, and even a minor spill could damage irreparably the ecosystem in the Gulf of Maine, including the lobster larvae and adult lobster populations therein,” the lawmakers wrote.

Read the full story at the Washington Examiner

 

John Bullard: Sector IX board’s failure to act stopped its fishing

January 8, 2018 — For New Englanders, Atlantic cod is not just another fish. The Sacred Cod that hangs in the Massachusetts State House is testament to the cod’s place in our culture and history.

For centuries, we fished for cod, and, as we watched the stock decline, we tried various ways to protect the resource that is considered as much a birthright as a commodity.

In 2009, the New England Fishery Management Council under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, agreed to try a system called “catch-shares,” which worked well on the West Coast.

The idea was simple: figure out how much fish from a particular stock can be sustainably caught— the “total allowable catch”—and divide that among fishermen.

By allocating quota, fishermen would have more control over when and how they fish, and — fishermen could fish when the weather and markets were most favorable. Catch shares eliminated the “race to fish” once a season opens.

A catch-share system allocating shares to groups of self-selected fishermen called ‘sectors’ went into place in the New England groundfish fishery in 2010. Within these sectors, fishermen organized themselves, determined how to fish their quota, and established other rules by which they would operate.

All sectors then submitted an operations plan to NOAA Fisheries and, under that plan, were responsible for policing themselves. The primary responsibility of a sector is to keep within its quota and account for its catch.

While most sectors have done a great job meeting this responsibility, Sector IX failed miserably over many years.

The former sector president, Carlos Rafael, is now behind bars for years of falsifying catch information, such as calling catch of low-quota, high-value cod, high-quota, lower-value haddock. He also admitted to tax evasion and bulk money laundering, all from his fishing operation.

Read the full opinion piece at the New Bedford Standard Times

 

Maine: Lobstermen alarmed at prospect of sharing their secrets with regulators

January 8, 2018 — For generations, Maine lobstermen have fiercely guarded their fishing secrets, telling almost no one how and where they fish or how much they haul up in their traps.

But under a new proposal, these independent operators would have to share all the nitty-gritty details with regulators, like where they fish, how long they let their traps soak, the kind of gear they use and how deep they set it, and how much lobster they land.

Fisheries managers want to use this data to assess the health of the Gulf of Maine lobster stock and understand the economic impact of other projects, such as deep-sea coral protections or wind farms, on the valuable lobster fishery.

The proposal is triggering alarm among lobstermen who don’t like the idea of sharing their fishing secrets with anyone. They consider them hard-earned trade secrets, like a businessman might consider the manufacturing technique for a new product or a chef would regard an award-winning recipe.

They are afraid the information will fall into a rival’s hands or, in this case, be used against them by regulators to implement a lobster fishing quota or gear restrictions in right whale habitats.

“Opposition towards increased mandatory reporting stems from a fear of further federal micromanagement of what is already one of the most sustainable fisheries in the world,” said 21-year-old Troy Plummer, who fishes the Odyssey out of Boothbay Harbor. “Why does the federal government need to know my every move on the water when they already know through dealer reporting what’s been caught?”

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

 

Hearings scheduled for changes to lobster fishing rules

January 8, 2018 — SCARBOROUGH, Maine — Fishing regulators are holding public hearings about potential changes to lobster and crab fishing rules in states up and down the East Coast.

The interstate Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission says the proposed rules are designed to improve harvest reporting and data collection about lobsters and Jonah crabs. They would include using new reporting technology and expanding the collection of data.

Fishermen have set records for the volume of the lobster catch in recent years. The first hearing is scheduled for Monday in Wall Township, New Jersey.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Seattle Times

 

Massachusetts: Frozen lobstermen face additional winter challenges

January 4, 2018 — MARSHFIELD, Mass. — With inches of ice covering the harbor and no end of severe winter weather in site, local lobstermen are struggling to keep their boats in the water during the last month of the legal lobstering season. Tuesday and Wednesday saw captains breaking up ice surrounding their boats and trying to move their vessels to safer locations before a storm pummels the region today.

Tuesday and Wednesday saw captains breaking up ice surrounding their boats and trying to move their vessels to safer locations before a storm pummels the region today.

“There are so many dependencies here in this business,” president of the South Shore Lobster Fishermen’s Association John Haviland said. “When everything goes smoothly it’s wonderful, but when everything doesn’t – there is nothing I can do. I have no control over winds blowing 60 mph, and I have no control over 3 inches of ice in my harbor.”

A week of single-digit temperatures has left Scituate and Plymouth harbors coated in a thick layer of ice, and most commercial fishermen have moved their boats to Green Harbor, where freezing hasn’t been as significant.

Read the full story at the Patriot Ledger