Saving Seafood

NEFMC Plans Outdoor In-Person Hearing for Groundfish Monitoring Amendment 23

August 13, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

Barring severe weather or changes in outdoor gathering restrictions issued by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the New England Fishery Management Council will hold an outdoor, in-person public hearing for Amendment 23 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan.

The hearing will be held on Wednesday, August 26, 2020 beginning at 3:00 p.m. It will take place under a large tent on the grounds of the Sheraton Four Points in Wakefield, MA.

NOW’S THE TIME: This is the last public hearing the Council will hold on Amendment 23 before taking final action during its September meeting. If extenuating circumstances prevent the Council from holding the hearing in person, the hearing will be conducted by webinar on the same day at the same time.

Read the full release here

State Proposes Extending Commercial Fishing for Sea Bass, Striped Bass, Summer Flounder

August 11, 2020 — After a slow start to the summer, the state Division of Marine Fisheries has proposed extensions to the commercial striped bass, black sea bass and summer flounder seasons, hoping to add additional fishing days and adjust catch limits for fishermen as fall approaches.

The DMF is proposing to add Tuesdays and Thursdays to the commercial striped bass season starting Sept. 1. The agency is then planning to add Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays starting Oct. 2 — which would allow commercial striped bass fishing every day of the week.

A similar change has been proposed for the black sea bass fishery, with DMF planning to add Mondays and Wednesdays in September and expand the season to seven days per week in October. The DMF is also proposing to increase the commercial pot limit from 400 to 500 pounds per week.

Read the full story at the Vineyard Gazette

MASSACHUSETTS: Baker Polito Administration Announces Disaster Relief Funding for Fishing and Seafood Industries

August 10, 2020 — The Baker-Polito Administration has announced the distribution of $27.8 million in federal disaster relief funding to mitigate the financial impacts to the fishing and seafood industries from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Division of Marine Fisheries worked with fishing industry stakeholders to develop a plan to distribute the federal fisheries assistance, which has now been approved by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“The fishing and seafood industries are integral parts of the economy, history and culture of Massachusetts,” said Governor Charlie Baker.

“Our Administration remains dedicated to supporting these industries, and we look forward to getting these needed relief funds to impacted fishermen and businesses as quickly as possible.”

Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito added, “These funds will be a needed lifeline for the Commonwealth’s fishing and seafood businesses, as well as the families and coastal communities who rely on these industries.”

“The distribution of these CARES Act funds is another important step in our efforts to help those who have been impacted by the pandemic.”

Read the full story at CapeCod.com

MASSACHUSETTS: Baker announces $17.8 million in disaster relief for seafood industry

August 9, 2020 — BOSTON — Gov. Charlie Baker said Massachusetts is providing $17.8 million in disaster relief funding for the fishing and seafood industries that have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

Eligible recipients of the relief funding include tribes, commercial fishing businesses, for-hire fishing businesses, aquaculture businesses and seafood wholesalers and processors in the state who have suffered at least a 35% loss of revenue during the pandemic.

“The fishing and seafood industries are integral parts of the economy, history and culture of Massachusetts,” Baker said. “Our administration remains dedicated to supporting these industries, and we look forward to getting these needed relief funds to impacted fishermen and businesses as quickly as possible.”

Read the full story at WPRI

Trump’s pitch to Maine lobstermen falls flat

August 7, 2020 — President Trump is struggling to win over Maine voters with his recent pledge to lift restrictions for the state’s lobster industry.

Trump was beaming when he traveled to the state just two months ago to tell lobstermen he was reversing protections for some 5,000 miles of ocean territory in a bid to open it to fishing.

“You’re going to go fishing in that area now that you haven’t seen for a long time,” Trump said at a roundtable with representatives from Maine’s fishing industry. “Lobstermen and seafood producers, I want to just congratulate you.”

But the state’s lobstermen aren’t celebrating. That’s because the area Trump aims to reopen is 130 miles southeast of Cape Cod — far beyond the reach of Maine’s day-boat lobstermen.

“This doesn’t help the Maine fisherman at all,” Leroy Weed, 79, who has had a lobster license since he was 10 years old, said of Trump’s reversal of protections for the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument off of Cape Cod.

Read the full story at The Hill

KENNEDY: COVID-19 PACKAGE MUST PUT ESSENTIAL WORKERS & LOW-INCOME FAMILIES IN MASSACHUSETTS FIRST

August 6, 2020 — The following was released by The Office of Congressman Joe Kennedy III (D-MA):

Guided by conversations with constituents and local leaders across Massachusetts, Congressman Joe Kennedy III today called on Congressional Leadership to put essential and frontline workers, and low-income families first in the next COVID-19 emergency funding package. In a series of letters to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Leader Mitch McConnell, Kennedy demanded the inclusion of specific funding for firefighters, teachers, child care providers, postal workers and fisheries, as well as billions more for programs protecting low-income families, including more than $1.5 billion for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and $2.5 billion for the Legal Services Corporation. Building on his recent calls with Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal to guarantee Medicare coverage to all recently unemployed people and direct funding to food insecure and environmental justice areas, Kennedy has continuously led efforts to focus recovery efforts on the most vulnerable communities.

“Working families have been hit hardest by this pandemic. They can’t just be a consideration in our efforts to recover and rebuild, they must be at the heart of the actions we take, policies we write and relief we provide. By intentionally providing funding for firefighters, teachers, child care providers and postal workers, we can support the people on the frontlines of this pandemic with more than just words of gratitude. By offering relief to fisheries, we can support the fishermen and fisherwomen who keep our Commonwealth’s economic lifeblood alive along the coast. By investing in the Legal Services Corporation and LIHEAP, we can help families keep their homes and their heat as we brace for the fall and winter, and the potential of another wave of infections.

“Now is not the time to shy away or to allow hypocritical Republicans to hide behind fake concerns about the debt, we need to be big and bold. Our people deserve nothing less.”

In his series of letters to Congressional leaders, Kennedy called for the inclusion of at least:

Fishing council plans in-person meeting on monitoring

August 6, 2020 — The New England Fishery Management Council is exploring the possibility of hosting an in-person meeting for the last public hearing before it takes final action on the Northeast groundfish monitoring amendment in September.

The council has set three more public hearings before public comment closes Aug. 31 on Amendment 23, which will set at-sea monitoring levels throughout the fishery. The first two — this Thursday and Aug. 10 — will be via webinar, as were the first four.

The final public hearing on Aug. 26 could be switched to an in-person, outdoor session under a tent at a greater Boston location — but only if it can conform with current Massachusetts COVID-19 safety restrictions for public gatherings. If not, the final public hearing will proceed as a webinar.

“The decision whether to hold the meeting in-person and outdoors primarily will depend on the guidance of Gov. (Charlie) Baker of Massachusetts and whether Massachusetts changes its restrictions on public gatherings,” Janice Plante, council spokeswoman, said Tuesday. “We don’t want to put anybody in a compromised position.”

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Application process begins for federal fisheries relief funds

August 6, 2020 — Massachusetts is one of the first four states to have its plan approved for distributing federal fisheries relief funds and has initiated the application process for the $28 million designated for Bay State-based seafood and fishing businesses.

NOAA Fisheries approved the Massachusetts spending plan last week. On Monday, applications went out to prospective beneficiaries among aquaculture permit holders and the for-hire charter boat operators. Completed applications and appeals from aquaculture businesses must be postmarked by Aug. 21. For-hire charter operators have until Aug. 22.

Next up are commercial harvesters and seafood processors, which will receive the lion’s share of the $28 million. The Division of Marine Fisheries said the overall funding designated for processors is $13.8 million, while commercial fishermen will receive $11.8 million.

“Applications are still being finalized for the seafood processor and commercial harvest sectors, with an anticipated mailing date of mid to late August,” the state DMF stated on its website on the fisheries relief package. “DMF is delaying sending applications to seafood processors for another two weeks and commercial fishermen, the largest sector, will see their applications mailed in about three weeks.”

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

ASMFC: August 7 Atlantic Herring Days Out Call Canceled; Next Call Scheduled for August 14

August 5, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (Commission) Atlantic Herring Management Board members from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts set effort control measures for the Area 1A fishery via Days Out webinars. Current effort controls for Season 1 (June – September) are detailed in Memo 20-50 which is available on the Commission’s website (click here).

The previously scheduled Days Out call on August 7, 2020 at 8:30 AM has been cancelled. Given the current rate of landings in the Area 1A fishery, and that the weekly landings limit has not been fully harvested by all vessels, the states have decided a Days Out call is not warranted at this time.

The Atlantic Herring Management Board members from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts are scheduled to reconvene via conference call to review fishing effort on:

  • Friday, August 14, at 8:30 – 10:00 am
  • You can join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone at the following link:https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/924867957. If you are new to GoToMeeting, you can download the app ahead of time (click here) and be ready before the meeting starts. The meeting will be using the computer audio (VoIP), but if you are joining the webinar from your phone only, you can dial in at +1 (646) 749-3122 and enter access code 924-867-957 when prompted. The webinar will start at 8:00 a.m., 30 minutes early, to troubleshoot audio as necessary.

If it is decided that this meeting is also not needed, it may be canceled. Please contact Max Appelman, FMP Coordinator, at mappelman@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740 for more information.

Massachusetts Begins Distribution Process of CARES Act Funds to Fishing, Seafood Industries

August 5, 2020 — The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries announced on Tuesday that they have begun the process of distributing federal disaster relief aid related to the coronavirus pandemic.

The CARES Act was passed in March with $300 million earmarked for the  fisheries assistance fund. However, at the time of the announcement, there had been no agency named to oversee the disbursement of the fund. Frustrated with the situation, fishermen wrote to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross asking that the Department of Commerce and NOAA “clearly articulate their distribution process for the $300 million in fisheries assistance funds to ensure it is public and transparent.”

Read the full story at Seafood News