Saving Seafood

Fishing Monitors To Accompany Fewer Trips

May 2, 2016 — After protesting for months about having to pay for the government observers who monitor their catch, the region’s fishermen are catching a break.

The National Marine Fisheries Service on Friday approved a measure that will ease the financial burden on fishermen by reducing the number of times observers must accompany them to sea.

They will now have to take monitors on only 14 percent of their fishing trips, down from nearly a quarter of all trips.

“With the experience and data from five years of monitoring, we have determined that the lower coverage levels in this rule will allow us to effectively estimate discards,” said Jennifer Goebel, a spokeswoman for the Fisheries Service in Gloucester.

The move comes after federal regulators last year decided to end the multimillion-dollar subsidy that paid for the observer program, passing the cost to the fishermen.

A federal report found the new costs could cause 59 percent of the boats in the region’s once-mighty groundfishing fleet to lose money. Many of the estimated 200 remaining fishing boats are already struggling amid reduced quotas of cod and other bottom-dwelling fish.

“The agency has used better statistical methods every year to create a more most efficient monitoring system,” said Robert Vanasse, executive director of Saving Seafood, which represents the fishing industry. “This year’s regulations are a reflection of an effort to make the system as efficient as possible.”

“This should be something that’s applauded by both the environmental community and the fishing industry,” he added.

Read the full story at the Boston Globe

Bay State joins Maine fight to prevent European ban on North American lobster

May 2, 2016 — Massachusetts is joining Maine to fight a possible ban on North American lobster by the European Union.

All 11 members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation sent a letter Friday to the Obama administration urging it to work with its European counterparts to continue the trans- Atlantic trade of lobsters. The delegation has joined Maine lawmakers to fight concerns raised by Sweden that the American crustacean poses an invasive threat to its own native lobster species.

The Massachusetts delegation voiced its concerns in a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry, U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Administrator Kathryn Sullivan about the impact of a ban by the EU, which accounts for one-fifth of all American lobster exports.

“A permanent ban on the importation of American lobster to the EU could … have devastating consequences for the Massachusetts lobster industry and the New England maritime economy,” the delegation wrote.

The delegation said in the letter that Sweden’s petition to add American lobsters to the European Commission’s list of invasive species is not consistent with its own standards and does not appear to be the correct method to resolve Sweden’s concerns.

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

Regulators Consider How To Save Southern New England Lobster

May 2, 2016 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — Interstate fishing regulators will consider authorizing new tools to address southern New England’s declining lobster population.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s American Lobster Management Board will consider the status of the fishery on Monday. The board will discuss a potential motion to create new management measures that address the lobsters’ decline.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at CBS Boston

NOAA to reduce monitoring in new season

May 2, 2016 — In a victory for groundfishermen, NOAA will significantly reduce at-sea monitoring coverage for Northeast multispecies groundfish vessels in the season that begins Sunday.

NOAA, according to the final rule filed Friday in the Federal Register, will cut monitoring to 14 percent of all vessel trips in 2016, down from about 24 percent in 2015.

The reduction was welcomed by fishermen, particularly following recent federal policy changes leaving permit holders on the hook for the cost of at-sea monitoring. It was a disappointment for conservationists and environmental groups, who were seeking more coverage, not less.

The new rule, known as Framework 55, is expected to be formally published Monday, but will go into effect at the start of the 2016 fishing season on May 1.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Federal grant to fund New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center film

May 2, 2016 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — A $20,000 Maritime Heritage Grant is going to be used to produce the orientation film for the fledgling New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center, according to Executive Director Laura Orleans.

She told The Standard-Times it was the full amount the center sought from the the Maritime Heritage Program, which is part of the National Park Service’s Park History Program. “We got the full amount I was flabbergasted,” Orleans said.

Tentatively titled,“Resilience: The Story of New Bedford’s Fishing Industry,” the film will be produced by local filmmaker Kevin Kertscher, whose Big Ocean media is located on lower William Street near the Whaling Museum.

The plan is to have the film ready to roll in June 2017.

The heritage center is already using a $12,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. It is paying to digitize all the materials being brought in by private parties to build a digital library for the center, which is opening June 25 at 39 Bethel St.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

NOAA to reduce monitoring in new season

April 29, 2016 — In a victory for groundfishermen, NOAA will significantly reduce at-sea monitoring coverage for Northeast multispecies groundfish vessels in the season that begins Sunday.

NOAA, according to the final rule filed Friday in the Federal Register, will cut monitoring to 14 percent of all vessel trips in 2016, down from about 24 percent in 2015.

The reduction was welcomed by fishermen, particularly following recent federal policy changes leaving permit holders on the hook for the cost of at-sea monitoring. It was a disappointment for conservationists and environmental groups, who were seeking more coverage, not less.

The new rule, known as Framework 55, is expected to be formally published Monday, but will go into effect at the start of the 2016 fishing season on May 1.

“Fishermen appreciate the changes and the evolution of the at-sea monitoring program,” said Jackie Odell, executive director of the Gloucester-based Northeast Seafood Coalition, which strongly advocated for the adjustments to the monitoring program. “We think what they’ve done is prudent and responsible.”

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

MASSACHUSETTS: New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center Awarded $20K Maritime Heritage Grant

April 29, 2016 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — The following was released by The New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center:

The New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center is pleased to announce its receipt of a $20,000 Maritime Heritage Grant. The grant will be used to fund the creation of a 15-minute orientation film, tentatively titled “Resilience: The Story of New Bedford’s Fishing Industry”.

The Center will work with Big Ocean Media to produce the film which will present an overview of the history and development of New Bedford’s commercial fishing industry from 1900 to the present, exploring life at sea, life on shore, and sustaining the resource. The Center expects to complete the film in time for the 2017 summer season.

The film will be shown at the Fishing Heritage Center (opening June 25th in the heart of New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park). In addtition, the film will be shown at the City’s Waterfront Visitor Center, the State Pier Ferry Terminal, to passengers on board the Seastreak Fast Ferry (providing transit between New Bedford and Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket), and to passengers on cruise ships that visit New Bedford on weekly basis during the summer months. Copies of the film will also be made available to local schools and libraries.

The Maritime Heritage Program is part of the National Park Service’s Park History Program. For centuries, Americans have used waterways for commerce, transportation, defense, and recreation. The Maritime Heritage Program works to advance awareness and understanding of the role of maritime affairs in the history of the United States. Winners of the 2015 Maritime Heritage Grants were announced on Monday, April 25, 2016 on board the USS Constellation in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.  A total of $2,580,197.37 was awarded to 34 projects in 19 states.

MASSACHUSETTS: House budget includes money for SMAST

April 29, 2016 — Next year’s state budget, passed by the House on Wednesday, includes increased funding for city public schools; money to expand fisheries research; and money for community programs.

“This is a big victory, I was able to secure most of what we asked for,” Rep. Antonio F.D. Cabral, D-New Bedford, said Thursday. The budget awaits approval by the state Senate.

Notable funds set to come the city’s way include $450,000 for fisheries research conducted by UMass Dartmouth’s School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST).

“This is critically important,” said SMAST Dean Steven Lohrenz. “Funds have been tight lately so this will allow us to continue to do the kind of pioneering work we’ve been doing with our collaborative fisheries research.”

The research conducted by SMAST looks at ways to improve accuracy in fisheries data collection. Lohrenz said that the new funds will allow researchers to conduct new projects including video survey techniques of cod and other groundfish.

“Their progress with data collection is very important for our fisheries industry especially with federal regulations that could cut quotas for the next fishing cycle,” Cabral said. “We’re hoping down the road that they can do for ground fish what they did for the scallop industry.”

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

Coast Guard tows Gloucester dragger 90 miles into Portland, Maine

April 29, 2016 — The U.S Coast Guard, with a good Samaritan boat serving as its closer, towed the Gloucester-ported Paulo Marc into Portland, Maine, this morning after the 63-foot boat became disabled due to engine problems, according to the Coast Guard.

The Paulo Marc, owned by a Maine-based limited liability company with David J. Osier listed as the permit holder, was trawling for groundfish about 90 miles off the coast of Maine at about 1 p.m. Wednesday when engine trouble related to a failed reduction gear left it wallowing in the water without power.

“It was pretty hectic for a little while,” Osier said this morning. “I was looking for another boat to tow it in, but that’s become hard because there’s just not that many draggers left out there fishing.”

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

Atlantic Herring Landing Days for Area 1A’s Trimester 2 and Next “Days Out” Meeting Notice

April 28, 2016 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (Commission) Atlantic Herring Section members from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts set the “days out” effort control measures for the 2016 Area 1A Trimester 2 (June 1 – September 30) as follows:

·         June 1 – 30: Vessels may land herring three (3) consecutive days a week.All other days are designated as “days out” of the fishery (e.g., vessels may not land herring).

·         July 1 – 14: Vessels may land herring four (4) consecutive days a week. All other days are designated as “days out” of the fishery.

·         July 15 – September 30: Vessels may land herring five (5) consecutive days a week until further notice. All other days are designated as “days out” of the fishery.

Landing days in New Hampshire and Massachusetts begin on Monday of each week at 12:01 a.m. Landings days in Maine begin on Sunday of each week at 6:00 p.m.

The initial Area 1A sub-annual catch limit (ACL) is 30,397 metric tons (mt) after adjusting for a carryover from 2014. The Area 1A sub-ACL will be adjusted after the final rule for the 2016-2018 herring specifications is released. The final 2016 Area 1A sub-ACL will include the following reductions: 8% bycatch, 3% research set-aside and 295 mt fixed gear set-aside. The Section allocated 72.8% of the sub-ACL to Trimester 2.

By starting with three landings days per week and then adjusting to four and then five days during Trimester 2, the allocation is projected to extend through the end of the trimester. Landings will be monitored closely and the directed fishery will be adjusted to zero landing days when the trimester’s allocation is projected to be reached. The Atlantic Herring Section members from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts are scheduled to reconvene via conference call to review fishing effort and adjust landing days as necessary on the following day:

·         Monday, July 11 at 10:00 AM

To join the call, please dial 888.394.8197 and enter passcode 499811 as prompted.

Fishermen are prohibited from landing more than 2,000 pounds of Atlantic herring per trip from Area 1A until June 1, 2016.  Please contact Ashton Harp at 703.842.0740 for more information.