Saving Seafood

Marine Protected Areas Increase Survival of Atlantic Cod

November 11, 2015 — Marine fish populations are in decline worldwide. Of the 600 marine fish stocks monitored by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 69 per cent are fully or over-exploited.

To rebuild fish populations, MPAs, which ban some or all fishing activities in an area, have become widely used. Under the Natura 2000 network, almost 4 per cent of European waters have been designated as MPAs .

Despite their widespread use, understanding of how MPAs affect harvested fish populations remains poor, especially for areas where some fishing is still permitted (PPAs).

This study investigated the effect of a PPA on Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) along the southeast Norwegian coast of Skagerrak.

In 2006, a 1 km2 PPA was established in the region, where only hook and line fishing and research sampling (which involves fixed nets that do not harm the fish, so they can be captured and released alive) are permitted.

The researchers wanted to know whether implementation of the PPA changed fishing mortality proportions, and also if the protection caused survival rates to increase.

To investigate this, they collected data on live re-captures and dead recoveries of cod before and after its implementation, as well as at several unprotected sites along the coastline. Data was collected from 2005–2013 along Skagerrak.

Read the full story at The Fish Site

 

Cuba launches shark protection plan produced with US group

October 21, 2015 — HAVANA (AP) — Cuba announced Wednesday that it is launching a long-term plan to preserve its sharks in cooperation with a U.S. environmental group, part of a rapidly accelerating partnership between the two countries aimed at preserving their shared waters in the Gulf of Mexico and Florida Straits.

Nearly a year after Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro announced that they would end a half-century of official hostility and start moving toward normalization, the most visible progress has been in the realm of environmental protection.

The shark plan announced by Cuba after two years of work with the U.S -based Environmental Defense Fund commits Cuba to recording shark catches by fishing vessels and eventually implementing stricter rules that would limit shark fishing and protect shark nurseries.

Secretary of State John Kerry announced in Valparaiso, Chile this month that the U.S. and Cuba were signing an accord to work together on protecting marine preservation areas in far western Cuba located a relatively short distance from Texas and Florida across the Gulf of Mexico and Florida Straits.

In April, a research vessel operated by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration carried marine scientists from Cuba and other countries on a research cruise aimed at gathering information about the spawning of blue-fin tuna, a commercially valuable and highly threatened species.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the New Bedford Standard – Times

 

 

Reminder: SAFMC Scientific and Statistical Committee Meeting

Reminder: Scientific and Statistical Committee Meeting Scheduled October 20-22, 2015  

Meeting available via webinar, briefing book materials available

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold a meeting of its Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) on October 20-22, 2015 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 4831 Tanger Outlet Boulevard, North Charleston, SC.   

The SSC will review projections and provide guidance on rebuilding strategies for the Florida Keys/East Florida hogfish stock, review measures for establishing Spawning Special Management Zones for snapper grouper species, the draft System Management Plan for Deepwater Marine Protected Areas, and proposed changes to the commercial black sea bass pot fishery.  The SSC will receive reports on recreational catch estimation for rarely encountered/intercepted species, landings of Council managed stocks, the NOAA Fisheries stock assessment prioritization approach, and address other issues.   

The SSC assists the Council in the development, collection, evaluation, and peer review of information relevant to fishery management plans and amendments. Additional information about the SSC is available from the Scientific and Statistical Committee page of the Council’s website.  

The meeting is open to the public and public comment will be accepted. The meeting is also accessible via webinar as it occurs. Registration for the webinar is required. Information on how to register for the webinar, along with the meeting agenda, overview, and briefing book materials is now available from the Council’s website.  For additional information contact John Carmichael, Science and Statistics Program Manager at john.carmichael@safmc.net.  

Reminder: SAFMC Scientific and Statistical Committee Meeting

October 15, 2015 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Reminder: Scientific and Statistical Committee Meeting Scheduled October 20-22, 2015  

Meeting available via webinar, briefing book materials available

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold a meeting of its Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) on October 20-22, 2015 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 4831 Tanger Outlet Boulevard, North Charleston, SC.   

The SSC will review projections and provide guidance on rebuilding strategies for the Florida Keys/East Florida hogfish stock, review measures for establishing Spawning Special Management Zones for snapper grouper species, the draft System Management Plan for Deepwater Marine Protected Areas, and proposed changes to the commercial black sea bass pot fishery.  The SSC will receive reports on recreational catch estimation for rarely encountered/intercepted species, landings of Council managed stocks, the NOAA Fisheries stock assessment prioritization approach, and address other issues.   

The SSC assists the Council in the development, collection, evaluation, and peer review of information relevant to fishery management plans and amendments. Additional information about the SSC is available from the Scientific and Statistical Committee page of the Council’s website.  

The meeting is open to the public and public comment will be accepted. The meeting is also accessible via webinar as it occurs. Registration for the webinar is required. Information on how to register for the webinar, along with the meeting agenda, overview, and briefing book materials is now available from the Council’s website.  For additional information contact John Carmichael, Science and Statistics Program Manager at john.carmichael@safmc.net.

Ship’s ROVs to share views of marine protected areas

August 5, 2015 — The NOAA ship Okeanos Explorer began two months of dives using unmanned remotely operated vehicles, or ROVs, to explore marine protected areas in the central Pacific Ocean, and anyone with an internet connection can virtually explore the deep sea with scientists and researchers from their computer or mobile device.

The ship and its crew will investigate deeper waters in and around Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, Johnston Atoll in the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument and the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.

“These areas represent some of the last relatively pristine marine ecosystems on the planet,” said Holly Bamford, assistant NOAA administrator for the National Ocean Service, performing the duties of the assistant secretary of commerce for conservation and management. “NOAA explores these regions because the data and information we gather helps scientists and resource managers better understand and protect these biological, geological and cultural resources.”

The expedition team will explore the sea floor at depths of 1,300 to 16,250 feet (400 to 5,000 meters) with two ROVs, which are tethered to Okeanos Explorer. The vehicles are outfitted with multiple high-definition cameras to capture imagery which the ship will transmit back to shore. Scientists will participate virtually, guiding the expedition from shore, while the public can tune in and view the exploration in real time at oceanexplorer.noaa.gov.

Read the full story at the Hawaii Tribune Herald