Saving Seafood

$2B offshore wind farm gets R.I. approval

February 27, 2019 — Vineyard Wind cleared a major hurdle on Tuesday when Rhode Island coastal regulators determined the $2-billion wind farm proposed in offshore waters to be consistent with state policies.

Although the 84-turbine project is planned in Atlantic Ocean waters south of Martha’s Vineyard where the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management holds lead permitting authority, it needs consistency certifications from the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council and its counterpart in Massachusetts primarily because it would affect the states’ fishing industries.

With the Massachusetts approval still under consideration, the decision from the Rhode Island coastal council represents a step forward for a project that has divided opinion and would have come as a relief to Vineyard Wind.

“It has a been a long process. It has been a very intense process. It has also been a process when emotions have run high from time to time,” said company CEO Lars Pedersen.

Even though the Rhode Island council ended up voting unanimously in favor of the wind farm, it was far from certain until just a few days ago whether Vineyard Wind would be able to secure the approval at all.

Read the full story at the Providence Journal

Rhode Island fishermen accept Vineyard Wind mitigation

February 26, 2019 — A group representing commercial fishing interests in Rhode Island voted over the weekend in favor of a funding package the Vineyard Wind project proposed to help mitigate the possible impacts from the 84-turbine wind farm proposed for waters 14 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard.

The unanimous, but non-binding, vote of the Rhode Island Fishing Advisory Board to accept a mitigation package of roughly $16.7 million from Vineyard Wind comes as the proposed 800-megawatt wind farm project faces an important regulatory vote in Rhode Island on Tuesday evening.

The mitigation package is intended to address concerns raised by Rhode Island fishermen that the wind farm could lead to economic hardship for fishermen by forcing them to alter their routes to fishing grounds and that electromagnetic fields around the turbines could cause species displacement.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

R.I. fishermen, Vineyard Wind reach deal on compensation

February 25, 2019 — A Rhode Island fishing board on Saturday voted in favor of a revised compensation offer from offshore wind developer Vineyard Wind in a decision that boosts the New Bedford company’s chances of securing a key approval from state coastal regulators later this week.

In a unanimous vote at the special meeting, the Fishermen’s Advisory Board accepted the new offer that includes $4.2 million in payments over 30 years for direct impacts to commercial fishermen from Vineyard Wind’s 84-turbine wind farm proposed in Rhode Island Sound, as well as the creation of a $12.5-million trust set up over five years that could be used to cover additional costs to fishermen resulting from the project.

The Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council is now set to vote Tuesday night on whether it believes the $2-billion project is consistent with state coastal activities, including fishing. With the vote by the fishermen’s board, the prospects of Vineyard Wind winning approval appear much improved from just weeks ago when the two sides were mired in negotiations.

But the board’s decision does not amount to an endorsement of the 800-megawatt proposal, which is aiming to be the first large-scale offshore wind farm in the nation, following the completion two years ago of a test project off Block Island.

Read the full story at the Providence Journal

Vineyard Wind one step closer to building offshore wind farm

February 25, 2019 –Vineyard Wind has come to an agreement with the state-appointed Fisheries Advisory Board in terms of a compensation package to mitigate any disruption to the fishing industry when the company’s proposed 84-turbine offshore wind farm is constructed and in operation off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard.

The two parties had a deadline of February 25 to come to a compensation agreement, following a week of negotiations. Vineyard Wind Spokesman Chris Hunter sent Eyewitness News a statement saying that they came to an agreement with a vote held on Saturday, February 23. The statement says:

Read the full story at WPRI 12

Feds propose rules for scallop fishery with season coming

February 22, 2019 — This year’s Atlantic sea scallop fishing year begins in several weeks, and federal regulators are proposing new management measures for the valuable fishery.

The fishing season for scallops begins on April 1. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says it plans to set quota and other allocations that are similar to those set for the previous year.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at WABI-5

Lund’s adds former Sea Born owner Lang, customer services pro Pimental

February 22, 2019 — Lund’s Fisheries, the Cape May, New Jersey-based squid, scallop and pelagic species harvester, processor and exporter, announced two new additions to its team this week, both with ties to New Bedford, Massachusetts.

Jeffrey Lang, a nearly 30-year seafood veteran who most recently served as the president of Sea Born Products, in New Bedford, has joined the Lund’s sales and marketing squad. He is expected to add a considerable amount of scallop sourcing knowledge while providing retail, wholesale and commodity sales advice.

Lang started Sea Born 18 years ago after working seven years for Seafood Resources, in East Providence, Rhode Island, he told Undercurrent News in an email.

Lund’s also has added Donna Pimental, who it says will be heading a customer service team in New Bedford, while also integrating sales and purchasing with the Cape May corporate office. She “brings a wealth of knowledge in facilitating imports, domestic supply chain logistics and order fulfillment”, the company says.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

Public Comment Period for Vineyard Wind Closes Friday

February 21, 2019 — The public comment period for Vineyard Wind’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement closes Friday.

The DEIS is a preliminary analysis by the federal government describing the project’s environmental and socioeconomic impacts of the offshore wind proposal.

The project seeks to construct an 800-mega-watt wind farm about 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard. Visit Cape Cod dot com for comment submission options.

The purpose of the review is to ensure the technical accuracy of all aspects of the document and offer an opportunity for the public to raise questions, express concerns and provide comment.

Comments can be submitted online at www.regulations.gov and searching for BOEM-2018-0069.

Comments can also be submitted by mail. Envelopes should be labeled “Vineyard Wind COP Draft EIS” and postmarked by February 22.

The submission address is Program Manager, Office of Renewable Energy, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, 45600 Woodland Road, Sterling, VA 20166.

Read the full story at CapeCod.com

MASSACHUSETTS: Lund’s Fisheries Hires Seafood Veterans for Sales, Customer Service

February 21, 2019 — SEAFOOD NEWS — Lund’s Fisheries is welcoming some new faces to their sales and customer service teams. The Cape May, New Jersey, based company announced on Wednesday that they have hired seafood veterans Jeff Lang and Donna Pimental.

Lang will be joining Lund’s Fisheries as a member of their Sales and Marketing team. With over 30 years of experience in the industry, Lang brings “extensive scallop sourcing knowledge to his role.”

“Jeff’s expertise in scallop imports is recognized throughout the seafood business, and we look forward to his input in expanding our imported scallop and squid offerings,” said Randy Spencer, Director of Sales & Marketing at Lund’s.

Meanwhile, fellow seafood veteran Pimental will be a part of the Lund’s Customer Service team. With background in facilitating imports, domestic supply chain logistics and order fulfillment, Pimental will be working to head up support functions at the New Bedford Lund’s location. In addition, she will be integrating sales and purchasing functions at the Lund’s corporate office in Cape May.

“With the addition of Jeff and Donna, Lund’s will continue to focus on building and maintaining long term relationships with customers as well as suppliers,” said Lund’s Fisheries president Wayne Reichle. “Trust and confidence are integral to our success.”

This story was originally published by SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

NOAA Fisheries Proposes Management Measures for the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery 2019 Fishing Year

February 20, 2019 — The following was released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration:

Today, NOAA Fisheries published the proposed rule to set management measures for the Atlantic Sea Scallop fishery for the 2019 fishing year (April 1, 2019 – March 31, 2020). Framework 30 would:

  • Set specifications for the scallop fishery for fishing year 2019, including days-at-sea (DAS) allocations, individual fishing quotas (IFQs), and sea scallop access area trip allocations. These allocations would be similar to those set in the 2018 fishing year. This action would also set precautionary default 2020 specifications, in case we implement the next framework after the April 1, 2020 start of the 2020 fishing year;
  • Allocate effort into three rotational access areas (Mid-Atlantic, Nantucket Lightship-West, and Closed Area 1). Scallop landings allocated to Closed Area 1 would be “flexible” and could be landed from any available access area;
  • Set a 205,000 lb Northern Gulf of Maine total allowable catch (TAC) for 2019 that would be split as 137,500 lb for the limited access general category (LAGC) and 67,500 lb for the limited access fleet;
  • Standardize default specifications for limited access DAS and LAGC IFQ allocations; and
  • Standardize the approach used to set the number of access area trips available to the LAGC IFQ fleet.

To get all the details on these proposed modifications, read the proposed rule as published in the Federal Register today.

We are accepting comments through March 7, 2019.

Please submit comments either through the online e-rulemaking portal or by mailing your comments to:

Michael Pentony, Regional Administrator
National Marine Fisheries Service
55 Great Republic Drive
Gloucester, MA, 01930.

Please mark the outside of the envelope, “Comments on the Proposed Rule for Scallop Framework 30.”

Questions?
Fishermen: Contact Travis Ford at 978-281-9233
Media: Contact Allison Ferreira at 978-281-9103 or at

ME, NH & MA Schedule Hearings on Atlantic Herring Draft Addendum II

February 20, 2019 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The States of Maine and New Hampshire, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts have scheduled their hearings to gather public input on Draft Addendum II to Amendment 3 of the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Herring. An additional hearing will also be conducted via webinar. The details of the hearings follow.

Maine Department of Marine Resources
March 6, 2019 at 5 PM
ME DMR Augusta Office
Room 118
32 Blossom Lane
Augusta, Maine
Contact: Pat Keliher at 207.624.6553
 
New Hampshire Fish and Game
April 2, 2019 at 7 PM
Urban Forestry Center
45 Elwyn Road
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Contact: Doug Grout at 603.868.1095
 
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
April 1, 2019 at 6 PM
MA DMF Gloucester Office
Annisquam River Station
30 Emerson Avenue
Gloucester, Massachusetts
Contact: Cate O’Keefe at 617.626.1512
 
Webinar Hearing
March 26, 2019 at 6 PM

Webinar link – https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/121211557

For Audio, dial 1.888.585.9008 and 
enter the passcode: 853-657-937

Contact: Kirby Rootes-Murdy at 703.842.0740 

 

The Draft Addendum proposes options to strengthen spawning protections in Area 1A (inshore Gulf of Maine). The Draft Addendum responds to the results of the 2018 benchmark stock assessment, which show reduced levels of recruitment and spawning stock biomass over the past five years, with 2016 recruitment levels the lowest on record.

 Currently, the Board uses a series of closures to protect spawning aggregations in the Gulf of Maine. These closures, which were implemented through Amendment 3, use biological samples to annually project the start of spawning. The closures are initially implemented for four weeks but can be extended by two additional weeks if samples indicate the continued presence of spawning herring. Recent analysis by the Atlantic Herring Technical Committee found that while the current spawning closure system was significantly improved under Amendment 3, the protocol could continue to be strengthened by considering when, and for how long, a closure is initiated. Specifically, the analysis showed, under the current protocol, spawning closures are initiated when there are approximately 25% spawners in the fishery; greater protection could be provided by initiating a closure when a lower percentage of the population is spawning and extending the closure for a longer time. As a result, Draft Addendum II considers extending the length of the spawning closures as well as altering the point at which closures are triggered in order to provide greater protection to the stock.
 
Fishermen and others interested in Atlantic herring management are encouraged to provide input on the Draft Addendum by attending state public hearings, participating in the webinar hearing, or providing written comment. The Draft Addendum is available here. It can also be obtained via the Commission website (www.asmfc.org) under Public Input. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on April 4, 2019 and should be forwarded to Kirby Rootes-Murdy, Senior FMP Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, Virginia 22201; 703.842.0741 (fax) or at comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Herring Draft Addendum II). For more information, please contact Kirby Rootes-Murdy at krootes-murdy@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.                             
PR19-08
A PDF of the press release can be found here
The Draft Addendum can be found here