Saving Seafood

Massachusetts: Mitchell pleads fishermen’s case to NOAA head

December 8, 2017 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — In a meeting with one of NOAA’s top administrators in Washington D.C, Mayor Jon Mitchell made his case for easing recent sanctions that he said are harming fishermen and city businesses.

“It’s all sort of related,” Mitchell said. “The idea is that these matters should be wrapped up. I pledged to continue to bring the parties together in however I can, as I have been doing for some time now.”

New Bedford’s mayor met with Assistant Administrator of NOAA Chris Oliver on Tuesday as part of a two-day trip to the nation’s capital.

The fishermen out of work due to NOAA’s groundfish ban for Rafael’s vessels sat atop his agenda. When NOAA made its announcement on Nov. 20, Mitchell strongly condemned the decision saying it will affect innocent third parties.

It was a similar argument Mitchell conveyed in a letter to Oliver’s predecessor in June suggesting the best tool to use against Rafael was a global settlement.

Mitchell advocated for a global settlement because he’s said it would remove Rafael from the industry and prevent him from profiting from a prison cell. It would also keep the vessels in New Bedford.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard Times

 

New England council hears from Canastra, ship captains, emotional crew

December 7, 2017 — Twenty vessels have been pulled from the water at the Port of New Bedford, Massachusetts, effecting the livelihoods of about 80 fishermen, as a result of the recent decision by John Bullard, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s region chief, to stop the groundfishing season five months early for New England’s Sector IX.

Canastra, one of two brothers who own the New Bedford seafood auction and also have a deal to buy Carlos Rafael’s large fishing fleet there, was among many to travel to the NEFMC meeting in Newport, Rhode Island, and use a public comment period to detail the impact of Bullard’s Nov. 20 move, which the council earlier supported.

Raymond Canastra, Richard’s brother, is a member of Sector IX’s revised board of directors, which has formally asked Bullard to reconsider his action.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

 

Council Approves Groundfish Framework 57 With Annual Catch Limits, Halibut/Southern Windowpane AMs, and More

December 7, 2017 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council: 

The New England Fishery Management Council has approved Framework Adjustment 57 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan. The framework contains fishery specifications and annual catch limits (ACLs) for the 2018-2020 fishing years, as well as: (a) U.S./Canada total allowable catches (TACs) for shared stocks on Georges Bank; (b) Atlantic halibut management measures; (c) modifications to the southern windowpane flounder accountability measures (AMs) for large-mesh non-groundfish trawl fisheries such as scup and summer flounder; (d) adjustments to how common pool trimester TACs are apportioned; and (e) a temporary change to the scallop fishery’s AM implementation policy to cover the Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic yellowtail flounder stock. The Council also discussed actions related to recreational fisheries and approved a temporary administrative measure to give the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) regional administrator the authority to adjust recreational measures for Georges Bank cod.

2018-2020 Fishing Year Specifications

The new specifications in Framework 57 include substantial quota increases for several commercially important groundfish stocks, including Georges Bank cod, Gulf of Maine cod, Gulf of Maine haddock, and pollock, as well as smaller but important increases for a few “choke” stocks. These are stocks with low quotas that can make accessing healthy, high-quota stocks more difficult (see table). Catch limits for some stocks will decrease, and fishermen will continue to face challenges with non-allocated stocks such as windowpane flounder. Overall, however, the 2018 quotas are expected to provide a number of groundfish fishing opportunities on healthy resources.

The Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) made overfishing limit (OFL) and acceptable biological catch (ABC) recommendations – the starting point for calculating catch limits – for all groundfish stocks except Atlantic halibut. In order to prevent delays in the implementation of Framework 57, the Council agreed in advance to accept the halibut OFL and ABC recommendations that the SSC intends to make during a December 18 webinar meeting. The Council also approved sub-ACLs for: (a) Gulf of Maine cod and haddock for the recreational fishery; (b) four flatfish stocks for the scallop fishery; (c) Georges Bank yellowtail flounder for small-mesh fisheries; and (d) Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank haddock for the midwater trawl fishery as shown in the table below.

The Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) made overfishing limit (OFL) and acceptable biological catch (ABC) recommendations – the starting point for calculating catch limits – for all groundfish stocks except Atlantic halibut. In order to prevent delays in the implementation of Framework 57, the Council agreed in advance to accept the halibut OFL and ABC recommendations that the SSC intends to make during a December 18 webinar meeting.

The Council also approved sub-ACLs for: (a) Gulf of Maine cod and haddock for the recreational fishery; (b) four flatfish stocks for the scallop fishery; (c) Georges Bank yellowtail flounder for small-mesh fisheries; and (d) Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank haddock for the midwater trawl fishery as shown in the table below.

During its September meeting in Gloucester, the Council approved 2018 fishing year TACs for three shared U.S./Canada groundfish stocks on Georges Bank, which also are part of Framework 57.

The U.S. share for Eastern Georges Bank cod increased 76% from 2017. Eastern Georges Bank haddock decreased 47.1%. Georges Bank yellowtail flounder went up 2.9%.

Revised Common Pool Vessel Trimester TAC Apportionments

The Council also voted to revise the common pool trimester TAC apportionments based on a request from industry. However, the Council limited these revisions to stocks that have experienced early closures in Trimester 1 or Trimester 2 since the implementation of Amendment 16. The qualifying stocks are: Georges Bank cod, Gulf of Maine cod, Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic yellowtail flounder, Cape Cod/Gulf of Maine yellowtail flounder, American plaice, and witch flounder. These stocks are shaded in grey in the table below showing the revised 2018 common pool trimester apportionments and TACs. In order to facilitate management of the common pool fishery, the Council voted to broaden the authority of the GARFO regional administrator to modify common pool trimester TACs and accountability measures. This way, the regional administrator will have more flexibility to make necessary changes without requiring further Council action.

Southern Windowpane Flounder Accountability Measures for Large-Mesh Non-Groundfish Trawl Fisheries

Also in Framework 57, the Council agreed to modify the southern windowpane flounder accountability measures for large-mesh non-groundfish trawl fisheries, which include scup, summer flounder, and other trawl fisheries. Staff from the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council collaborated extensively with the New England Council staff to develop the measures and conduct the necessary analyses for this action.

The changes are two-fold. First, the Council extended the flexibility provisions already in place for the commercial groundfish fishery to the large mesh non-groundfish trawl fisheries. These provisions reduce the size and duration of the AMs under certain conditions depending on the status of the stock and fishery performance.

Second, the Council approved changes to the Gear Restricted Areas (GRAs) that apply to large-mesh nongroundfish trawl fisheries. The GRAs are shown in the map below.

If either a “small” or “large” accountability measure is triggered – the size depends on the magnitude of the quota overage – the following measures would apply: • The Small AM Area east of Montauk, NY (in red on map) would be implemented seasonally from September 1 through April 30 instead of year round; • The revised Large AM Area 1 east of Montauk (hatched area on map) would be implemented year round; and • The Large AM Area 2 off western Long Island would remain unchanged.

Atlantic Halibut Management Measures

The Council approved changes to the Atlantic halibut accountability measures for vessels possessing federal groundfish permits. If the AMs are triggered, the following would pertain to the halibut GRAs.

  • For the fixed gear AMs, the Council: (1) exempted longline gear; (2) removed Fixed Gear AM Area 1 on Stellwagen Bank; (3) retained the Fixed Gear AM Area 2 on Platts Bank for gillnet gear and added a provision to allow gillnet fishing from November through February in that area (see map).
  • For the Trawl Gear AM Area (see map), selective trawl gear approved by the regional administrator would be required within the entire Trawl Gear AM Area. The Council agreed to allow standard trawl gear in the portion of the area between 41⚬ 40’ N and 42⚬ seasonally from April 1 through July 31.

All other provisions of the gear restricted areas remain in place. The Council made the above modifications to continue protecting halibut while preserving fishing opportunities for vessels targeting other species.

Also related to halibut, the Council approved an accountability measure stipulating that if the halibut subACL is exceeded, a zero possession limit would apply to all federal permit holders, with an exemption for the following permits: party/charter; highly migratory species (HMS) angling; and HMS charter/headboat.

View the full release from the NEFMC here.

 

Fishermen voice concerns over fallout from Rafael’s crimes

December 7, 2017 — NEWPORT, R.I. — More than century’s worth of fishing industry experience traveled from New Bedford to the Viking Hotel on Wednesday to describe the impact of NOAA’s groundfish ban on Carlos Rafael’s vessels.

Richie Canastra, an owner of the New Bedford fish auction BASE, sat in front of the New England Fishery Management Council during a public comment portion of its meeting and warned of “many layoffs” that will occur because of the ban.

Adrian Guillette, a crew member on one of Rafael’s vessels, told the council he’s uncertain how he’ll provide a Christmas with the ban in place.

Captain Brian Jannelle referred to the ban as an abuse of power. Another captain, Cesar Verde, asked the council to strongly reconsider the ban.

NOAA implemented the ban on groundfishing within Sector IX, one of 19 fishing divisions in the Northeast which is made up of Rafael’s vessels, on Nov. 20. The decision came from Regional Administrator John Bullard, who believed the division still hadn’t addressed issues resulting from Rafael’s illegal behavior.

Canastra estimated about 80 fishermen have been affected by the ban. Twenty-two vessels have been pulled off the water. Jannelle, Verde and Guillette have yet to return to the seas.

“I feel let down,” Jannelle said. “I feel let down because they’re supposed to manage our fishery and protect the fishermen. They’re not protecting the fishermen. They’re hurting the fishermen.”

The council voted in September that the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office should “immediately enforce sector regulations” and supported NOAA’s actions to enforce regulations.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard Times

 

Zinke urges commercial fishing in 3 protected areas

December 7, 2017 — Much of the attention to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s review of national monuments has focused on sites across the West, but recommendations he made to President Trump show that a trio of marine monuments could also see significant changes.

In a report Interior released yesterday, Zinke advised that commercial fishing be introduced to three ocean sites: Rose Atoll, Pacific Remote Islands, and Northeast Canyons and Seamounts marine national monuments.

Advocates for fishermen cheered the recommendations, asserting the restrictions had created an “economic burden” for their industry.

“The marine monument designation process may have been well intended, but it has simply lacked a comparable level of industry input, scientific rigor, and deliberation,” said New Bedford, Mass., Mayor Jon Mitchell in a statement released by the National Coalition for Fishing Communities.

He added: “That is why I think hitting the reset button ought to be welcomed no matter where one stands in the current fisheries debates, because the end result will be better policy and better outcomes.”

In the report, Zinke criticized restrictions on commercial fishing in the three monuments, discounting the industry’s impact on areas such as the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts near the Massachusetts coast.

Read the full story at E&E News

 

Bullard, fish sector to talk punishment

December 6, 2017 — The New Bedford fishing sector, banned by NOAA from groundfishing for the remainder of this season and possibly beyond because of noncompliance with its own management plan, has issued its rebuttal. And an invitation.

Northeast Fishery Sector IX, accused by NOAA of negligence for allowing Carlos Rafael’s massive illegal misreporting of the scope and nature of his groundfish landings, sent a letter to NOAA Regional Administrator John K. Bullard refuting much of NOAA’s reasoning for the groundfish ban and inviting Bullard to New Bedford to see the changes for himself.

“Sector IX strongly believes that your initial determination was based upon incomplete information and respectfully asks that you reconsider your positions,” Virginia Martins, Sector IX president, wrote Bullard. “This board is willing to reshape the sector for the good of the community and the industry.”

Martins stressed the sector has made “substantial changes in the past six months” by appointing new board members and establishing an enforcement committee.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

Gloucester Times: Leave striped bass management to the experts

December 6, 2017 — The return to health of the striped bass has been one of the great conservation success stories of recent decades. On the brink of extinction in the 1970s and 1980s, the popular sport fish was brought back to health by sound management.

Lawmakers would be wise to leave that management to the experts and not back a renewed push to manage the fishery through legislation.

The Legislature’s Committee on the Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture heard testimony on two such proposals last week.

One, from former state Sen. James Timilty, a Walpole Democrat, would limit commercial access to fishermen who can prove they have caught and sold 1,000 pounds of striper a year for the past five years.

And a plan by state Rep. Thomas Stanley, D-Waltham, would completely end commercial fishing for striped bass by 2025.

Read the full editorial at the Gloucester Times 

 

An emotional day for family, friends of lost Misty Blue crew

December 6, 2017 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — Authorities believe they have located the Misty Blue underwater but not the two crew members who went missing after the 69-foot surf clam harvester overturned Monday night, according to Chad Brayton, the vessel manager for Atlantic Capes Fisheries Inc.

Details of what happened remained scarce Tuesday as the Coast Guard and four fishing vessels continued scouring the waters about 10 miles off Nantucket looking for the two Misty Blue crew members.

Misty Blue’s Captain Eric Arabian, 44, and a crew member, Colby McMullen 22, were rescued by the fishing vessel Enterprise on Monday night and are “fine,” Brayton said. Arabian and McMullen were taken to St. Luke’s Hospital Tuesday evening to be checked out after the Coast Guard brought them back to shore.

The search for Michael Roberts, 44, and Jonathan Saraiva, 32, continued throughout Tuesday as the Coast Guard kept assets in the water overnight. Coast Guard Petty Officer Andrew Barresi said at first light Tuesday, the Cape Cod air station launched an ocean sentry aircraft to aid in the search.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard Times

 

NCFC Members Reaffirm Support for Interior Department’s Marine Monument Recommendations

December 5, 2017 — The following was released by Saving Seafood’s National Coalition for Fishing Communities:

Following today’s official release of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s recommendations to alter three marine national monuments, members of Saving Seafood’s National Coalition for Fishing Communities are reiterating their support for these recommendations, which will lessen the economic burden on America’s fishing communities while still providing environmental protections for our ocean resources.

In September, NCFC members expressed initial support for the changes when a draft of the recommendations were reported in the press. Because the final recommendations are identical to those initially reported, NCFC members stand by their initial statement, which is reproduced below:

Secretary Zinke’s recommendations to President Donald Trump would allow commercial fishing managed under the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA) in the recently designated Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument. He also  recommended revising the boundaries or allowing commercial fishing under the MSA in the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument and the Rose Atoll Marine National Monument. NCFC members in the Pacific hope that the White House will extend these recommendations to the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, and appreciate the open and transparent process by which Secretary Zinke reviewed these designations.

Marine monument expansions and designations have been widely criticized by commercial fishing interests as well as by the nation’s eight regional fishery management councils, which in a May 16 letter told Secretary Zinke and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross that marine monument designations “have disrupted the ability of the Councils to manage fisheries throughout their range.” Fishing industry members believe these monuments were created with insufficient local input from stakeholders affected by the designations, and fishing communities felt largely ignored by previous administrations.

“The Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument was designated after behind-closed-door campaigns led by large, multinational, environmental lobbying firms, despite vocal opposition from local and federal officials, fisheries managers, and the fishing industry,” said Eric Reid, general manager of Seafreeze Shoreside in Narragansett, R.I., who has been critical of the Obama Administration’s process in designating the monument. “But the reported recommendations from the Interior Department make us hopeful that we can recover the areas we have fished sustainably for decades. We are grateful that the voices of fishermen and shore side businesses have finally been heard,” Mr. Reid concluded.

“There seems to be a huge misconception that there are limitless areas where displaced fishermen can go,” said Grant Moore, president of the Atlantic Offshore Lobstermen’s Association. “Basically with the stroke of a pen, President Obama put fishermen and their crews out of work and harmed all the shore-side businesses that support the fishing industry.”

“The fisheries management process under the existing Magnuson Act is far from perfect, but its great strength is that it has afforded ample opportunities for all stakeholders to study and comment on policy decisions, and for peer review of the scientific basis for those decisions,” stated Mayor Jon Mitchell of New Bedford, Massachusetts, the nation’s top-grossing commercial fishing port. In March, Mayor Mitchell submitted testimony to Congress expressing concern over marine monuments. “The marine monument designation process may have been well intended, but it has simply lacked a comparable level of industry input, scientific rigor, and deliberation. That is why I think hitting the reset button ought to be welcomed no matter where one stands in the current fisheries debates, because the end result will be better policy and better outcomes,” Mayor Mitchell concluded.

Fishermen in the Pacific are also supportive of the Interior Department’s review, but remain concerned about the effects of the Papahānaumokuākea Monument, which was omitted from the version of the recommendations being reported. “We are appreciative of Secretary Zinke’s review, and his reported recommendations to support commercial fishing in the Pacific Remote Islands Monument,” said Sean Martin, president of the Hawaii Longline Association. Hawaii’s longline fishing fleet supplies a large portion of the fresh tuna and other fish consumed in Hawaii. “However, we hope that the White House will extend these recommendations to the Papahānaumokuākea Monument, where President Obama closed an area nearly the size of Alaska without a substantive public process. The longline fleet caught about 2 million pounds of fish annually from the expanded area before it was closed to our American fishermen. That was a high price to pay for a presidential legacy,” Mr. Martin continued.

The recommended changes come after an extensive and open public comment period in which the Interior Department solicited opinions from scientists, environmentalists, industry stakeholders, and members of the public. As part of the Interior Department’s review process, Secretary Zinke engaged with communities around the country affected by monument designations. This included a meeting with local fishermen in Boston who explained how the designation of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Monument has negatively impacted their livelihoods.

Critics of the monument designation include the regional fishery management councils; numerous fishing groups on the East Coast; and mayors from fishing communities on both coasts.

Additionally, fishery managers in Hawaii have been critical of expansions of both the Papahānaumokuākea Monument and the Pacific Remote Islands Monument. In an April 26 letter to Secretary Zinke, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council stated that marine monuments around Hawaii “impose a disproportionate burden on our fishermen and indigenous communities,” and noted that they have closed regulated domestic commercial fishing in 51 percent of the U.S. exclusive economic zone in the region.

Florida charter fishermen applauded the review, and a return to the process of established law that guides fishery management. “Destin, Florida was founded by commercial fishermen before the turn of the 20th century, and continues to be a major port for commercial and charter fishing fleets,” said Captain Gary Jarvis, president of the Destin Charter Boat Association. “To our fishing community, it’s extremely important to address closures of historical fishing grounds through the Magnuson-Stevens mandated regional council process.”

Curiously, although President Obama’s September 2016 monument designation prohibited sustainable low-impact commercial fishing, it allowed other extractive activities including recreational fishing, and even far more destructive activities such as the digging of trenches for international communications cables.

NCFC members supporting the Interior Department’s reported recommendations include:

  • Atlantic Offshore Lobstermen’s Association
  • Destin Charter Boat Association
  • Fisheries Survival Fund
  • Garden State Seafood Association
  • Hawaii Longline Association
  • Long Island Commercial Fishing Association
  • North Carolina Fisheries Association
  • Seafreeze Shoreside
  • Southeastern Fisheries Association
  • Western Fishboat Owners Association
  • West Coast Seafood Processors Association

Learn more about the National Coalition for Fishing Communities here.