SFP sees improvement in sustainability of fisheries used for fishmeal, oil

October 9, 2018 — More than 90% of the fish used for fishmeal and fish oil from the Atlantic and eastern Pacific oceans now come from fisheries that are “reasonably well-managed (or better)”, according to the latest annual report on reduction fisheries by the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP).

SFP said its report, which analyzes 26 reduction fishery stocks worldwide, found that 91% of the total catch volume came from stocks that scored 6 or better on all five criteria outlined by SFP’s FishSource database. That’s an 8% increase over last year.

Poorly managed fisheries accounted for 9% of the catch, a drop from 16% last year.

Of the stocks listed in “very good condition,” the report singled out the Antarctic krill fishery in the Atlantic Southern Ocean as being particularly well-managed by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

ASMFC 77th Annual Meeting Revised Preliminary Agenda

September 28, 2018 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 77^th Annual Meeting will be held October 21-25, 2018 at The Roosevelt Hotel, Madison Avenue. The room block is now closed. Please notify Cindy Robertson (crobertson@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740) if you need assistance reserving a room.

Please note: The preliminary agenda has been revised with the following changes: (1) meeting times have changed on Monday, October 22 for the American Lobster Board, Atlantic Herring Section, and the American Eel Board; and (2) the Atlantic Menhaden Board, previously scheduled for October 23^rd, and the Shad and River Herring Board, previously scheduled for October 25^th, have both been cancelled. Meeting times on those days have shifted to reflect those cancellations. The revised agenda is attached and follows below.

All meetings throughout the week are open to the public, free of charge. However, if you are planning on attending any of the meeting events (Sunday and Monday Receptions, Tuesday Dinner, or Wednesday Hart Award Luncheon), please register as soon as possible; simply fill-in and submit the registration form to Lisa Hartman at lhartman@asmfc.org. Events are filling up quickly and we cannot guarantee you space unless you register. The meeting registration fee is $200/per participant and $150/per spouse or guest if you register by October 15, 2018. After October 15^th and in New York the fees will be $225 and $175, respectively. The registration fee will be used to defray the cost of the Sunday and Monday night receptions, the Tuesday night dinner, and the Wednesday Hart Award Luncheon, as well as event materials. Payment is not required until you arrive at the meeting; however, we ask that you please assist us in planning for the meeting by registering as soon as possible.

If you are driving to the meeting, we strongly encourage you to park in New Jersey at the Port Imperial/Weehawken Terminal and take a short ferry to Midtown Manhattan since parking in NYC is exorbitant. Directions are attached and can also be found here.

The final agenda and meeting materials will be available on October 10^th on the Commission website at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2018-annual-meeting.

ASMFC 77^th Annual Meeting:

October 21 – 25, 2018

The Roosevelt Hotel
Madison Avenue @ 45th Street
New York, NY

Revised Preliminary Agenda

The agenda is subject to change. Bulleted items represent the anticipated major issues to be discussed or acted upon at the meeting. The final agenda will include additional items and may revise the bulleted items provided below. The agenda reflects the current estimate of time required for scheduled Board meetings. The Commission may adjust this agenda in accordance with the actual duration of Board meetings. Interested parties should anticipate Boards starting earlier or later than indicated herein.

Sunday, October 21

6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Hosts’ Reception

Monday, October 22

8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. American Lobster Management Board:

Review of the NOAA Fisheries Technical Memo on Right Whale Status and Recovery
Report on the October 2018 Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team Meeting
Review American Lobster Addendum XXVII Timeline
Discuss Protocols to Evaluate Bait Sources
Progress Update from the American Lobster Electronic Tracking and Reporting Subcommittees
Consider Approval of 2018 Fishery Management Plan Reviews and State Compliance Reports for American Lobster and Jonah Crab

12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Lunch (On Your Own)

1:30 – 3:30 p.m. Atlantic Herring Section:

Review 2018 Atlantic Herring Benchmark Assessment Peer Review Report
Review and Consider Approval of Benchmark Stock Assessment and Peer Review Report for Management Use
Review and Discuss White Paper on Atlantic Herring Spawning Protections
Update on 2019-2021 Fishery Specifications Process
Set 2019 Specifications for Area 1A
Review and Populate Atlantic Herring Advisory Panel

3:45 – 4:45 p.m. American Eel Management Board:

Presentation on Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species Workshop and Discuss Next Steps
Consider Approval of 2018 Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance Reports

6:30 – 8:00 p.m. Welcome Reception

Tuesday, October 23

8:00 – 10:15 a.m. Strategic Planning Workshop

10:15 – 11:15 a.m. Business Session:

Review and Consider Approval of the 2019 Action Plan
Elect Chair and Vice-Chair

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Coastal Sharks Management Board:

Review and Consider Addendum V for Final Approval
Review Proposed 2019 Coastal Sharks Fishery Specifications
Consider Approval of 2018 Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance Reports

12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Lunch (On Your Own)

12:30 – 5:00 p.m. Law Enforcement Committee:

(A portion of this meeting may be a closed session for Committee members only)

Review 2018 Action Plan and New Tasks for 2019
Progress Report on Enforcement of the Offshore American Lobster Fishery
Update on American Eel Addendum V and State Aquaculture Proposals
Review Federal Transit Zone Proposal for Striped Bass in Block Island Sound
Review Transit Zone Proposal for Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass
Review Tautog Commercial Tagging Program
Review ASMFC Managed Species
Review Ongoing Enforcement Issues (Closed Session)
Federal and State Agency Reports

1:30 – 2:30 p.m. Spiny Dogfish Management Board:

Review 2018 Stock Assessment Update
Set Spiny Dogfish 2019-2021 Fishery Specifications
Discuss Adjustments to Federal Commercial Trip Limit
Consider Approval of 2018 Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance Reports

2:45 – 4:00 p.m. Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board:

Review Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Regarding Lifting the Ban on Atlantic Striped Bass Fishing in the Federal Block Island Sound Transit Zone
Update on North Carolina Cooperative Winter Tagging Program
Progress Update on the Benchmark Stock Assessment

6:15 – 9:00 p.m. Annual Dinner

Wednesday, October 24

8:00 – 10:00 a.m. Executive Committee: (A portion of this meeting may be a closed session for Committee members and Commissioners only)

Consider Approval of FY18 Audit
Discuss Priorities for Use of Plus-up Funding
Consider Changes to the Appeals Process
Appointment of Aquaculture Committee
Report from the Awards Committee

8:30 a.m. – Noon Law Enforcement Committee (continued):

10:15 – 11:00 a.m. Weakfish Management Board:

Review Technical Committee Report on Commercial Discards
Consider Approval of 2018 Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance Reports
Elect Vice-Chair

11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Horseshoe Crab Management Board:

Set 2019 Delaware Bay Horseshoe Crab Fishery Specifications
Progress Update on the Horseshoe Crab Benchmark Stock Assessment
Consider Approval of 2018 Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance Reports
Elect Vice-Chair

12:15 – 1:30 p.m. Captain David H. Hart Award Luncheon

1:30 – 3:30 p.m. Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board:

Consider Approval of Draft Addendum XXXII (2019 Black Sea Bass and Summer Flounder Recreational Management) for Public Comment
Progress Update on Black Sea Bass Commercial Working Group

3:45 – 4:45 p.m. Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program (ACCSP) Coordinating Council:

Program/Committee Updates
Progress Report on SAFIS Redesign
Consider Recommendations of FY2019 Submitted Proposals
Clarify Funding Decision Process
Discuss Formation of Data Reporting Committee on Data Accountability

Thursday, October 25

8:00 – 9:00 a.m. Tautog Management Board:

Progress Update on Development of the Commercial Harvest Tagging Program
Technical Committee Report on Biological Sampling Requirements
Consider Approval of 2018 Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance Reports

9:15 – 11:00 a.m. Interstate Fisheries Management Program Policy Board:

Update from the Executive Committee
Progress Update on Risk and Uncertainty Workgroup
Review Recommendations of the October 2019 Atlantic LargeWhale Take Reduction Team Meeting and Possible Impact to Commission Species
Review and Consider Approval of the Stock Assessment Schedule
Update on the Northeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program
Standing Committee Reports

o Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership

o Law Enforcement Committee

Consider Noncompliance Recommendations (If Necessary)

11:00 – 11:15 a.m. Business Session (continued):

Review Noncompliance Findings (If Necessary)

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board:

Review Public Comment Summary for Cobia Draft Amendment 1 Public Information Document
Provide Guidance to the Cobia Plan Development Team on Options for Inclusion in Draft Amendment 1
Consider Approval of 2018 Fishery Management Plan Reviews and State Compliance Reports for Black Drum, Spotted Seatrout, and Spanish Mackerel

Public Comment Guidelines

With the intent of developing policies in the Commission’s procedures for public participation that result in a fair opportunity for public input, the ISFMP Policy Board has approved the following guidelines for use at management board meetings:

For issues that are not on the agenda, management boards will continue to provide opportunity to the public to bring matters of concern to the board’s attention at the start of each board meeting. Board chairs will use a speaker sign-up list in deciding how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.

For topics that are on the agenda, but have not gone out for public comment, board chairs will provide limited opportunity for comment, taking into account the time allotted on the agenda for the topic. Chairs will have flexibility in deciding how to allocate comment opportunities; this could include hearing one comment in favor and one in opposition until the chair is satisfied further comment will not provide additional insight to the board.

For agenda action items that have already gone out for public comment, it is the Policy Board’s intent to end the occasional practice of allowing extensive and lengthy public comments. Currently, board chairs have the discretion to decide what public comment to allow in these circumstances.

In addition, the following timeline has been established for the submission of written comment for issues for which the Commission has NOT established a specific public comment period (i.e., in response to proposed management action).

1. Comments received 3 weeks prior to the start of a meeting week will be included in the briefing materials.

2. Comments received by 5:00 PM on Tuesday, October 16, 2018 will be distributed electronically to Commissioners/Board members prior to the meeting and a limited number of copies will be provided at the meeting.

3. Following Tuesday, October 16, 2018 5:00 PM deadline, the commenter will be responsible for distributing the information to the management board prior to the board meeting or providing enough copies for the management board consideration at the meeting (a minimum of 50 copies).

The submitted comments must clearly indicate the commenter’s expectation from the ASMFC staff regarding distribution. As with other public comment, it will be accepted via mail, fax, and email.

ASMFC: Atlantic Menhaden Benchmark Stock Assessment Workshops Scheduled for October 9 – 12, in Arlington, VA

September 24, 2018 — ARLINGTON, Va. — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Menhaden Stock Assessment Subcommittee (SAS) and Ecological Reference Points (ERP) Workgroup will be meeting October 9 – 12, 2018, at the Commission’s office, 1050 N. Highland Street, Suite 200A-N, Arlington, VA. The SAS will meet October 9 – 10, while the ERP Workgroup will meet October 11 – 12. Both groups will focus on completing a thorough review of all data to be used in both the menhaden single-species and ecosystem-based benchmark assessments. The SAS will also begin to explore modeling approaches, while the ERP Workgroup will continue to explore various modeling approaches to evaluate the health of the stock and inform the management of the species in an ecological context. Both assessments will be peer-reviewed at the end of 2019.

The deadlines for the submission of data and alternate multispecies or ecosystem models have passed. The deadline for submission of alternate single-species models is Thursday, November 1, 2018. For alternate models to be considered, the model description, model input, and complete source code must be provided to Dr. Katie Drew, Stock Assessment Team Leader, at kdrew@asmfc.org by November 1, 2018. Any models submitted without complete, editable source code and input files will not be considered.

View the release in its entirety here

NEW JERSEY: Conflict boils over baitfish harvest off Sandy Hook

September 20, 2018 — A tug-of-war over menhaden baitfish has been playing out for the last half-dozen years in quiet library meeting rooms and hotel lobbies from Maine to Florida.

Now it’s taken to the high seas.

Twice in three weeks, a pair of industrial-size reduction boats from Reedsville, Virginia came within sight of Sandy Hook to net the bait, removing nearly 3 million pounds of the fish from the water on the two trips.

A sum equal to one-tenth of one percent of all the menhaden in the ocean.

The boats were within their legal right but a social media dust-up ensued with whale watchers and conservationists who homed their cameras in on the boats. See the above video.

They then blasted their pictures and videos on the web, clamoring the boats took the fish out of the mouths of hungry humpback whales.

“The simple sight of our vessels sets them off. They don’t say anything about the bait guys who take 70 million pounds of fish,” said Ben Landry, spokesman for Omega Protein, the company that owns the boats.

Omega Protein operates the lone fish reduction industry on the East Coast. The company’s name is a reference to menhaden’s rich source of Omega 3 fatty acids.

The company’s workforce is made up of multi-generational fishermen who have been harvesting the menhaden for years and raising their families on the fish.

But some want them to slow down, if not stop completely, and leave more menhaden in the water to feed big marine mammals like whales and game fish.

Menhaden, also known as bunker, play a vital role in the ecosystem as filter feeders that turn plankton into fat and protein.

Read the full story at the Asbury Park Press

As Herring Fishery Closes, Maine Fishermen Turn To Plentiful ‘Pogies’ For Bait

September 18, 2018 — Good news for Maine lobstermen: Just as a scarcity of the herring they use to bait their traps has closed that fishery, state officials are expanding the fishery for another baitfish – menhaden, or pogies that have shown up in large numbers off Maine for the third year in a row.

Four southern states where pogies have not been abundant this year are transferring some of their federal quotas for the fish to Maine.

Large menhaden populations have been recorded off this state for decades, but only periodically. State Marine Resources Coordinator Melissa Smith says with the Gulf of Maine’s waters warming, and North Atlantic currents changing, the state may see them return more often.

“Those environmental factors might tip the scales of the pogies natural cyclical nature,” Smith says, “so that we do see them in Maine perhaps a little more frequently.”

Read the full story at Maine Public

New York’s Whales Love Bunker. So Do Fishing Boats. Conflict Ensues.

September 13, 2018 –It has been a bountiful summer for bunker in the waters off New York, and for local whale spotters. Bunker, a favorite food of many larger predators, including whales, are enjoying another year in a decade-long recovery.

But [Paul] Sieswerda, the founder of Gotham Whale, a research nonprofit that provides commentary during whale cruises, sees a shadow on the horizon far bigger than a whale. Industrial-scale fishing boats from a fish processor in Virginia called Omega Protein have ventured a bit farther north than their usual range this summer.

On Aug. 30, a boat from Omega Protein lowered a net nearly six city blocks long into the water, about 25 miles southeast of the Rockaways, and pulled up about 800,000 pounds of bunker, also known as menhaden. On Sept. 6, Omega returned to the vicinity and hauled out nearly 2 million pounds more.

The catches, in federal waters outside the three-mile state line, are perfectly legal. Omega, which grinds and refines the oily, bony fish into pet food and fish-oil capsules and employs 125 fishermen, is authorized to harvest about 500 million menhaden (or about 340 million pounds) this year — over 70 percent of the total menhaden catch, according to quotas set by regulators.

That does not mean they are welcome.

Tom Paladino, a former charter fishing boat captain who started running whale watches from the American Princess in 2010 as local whale sightings began to grow, did not mince words. “We have a major issue with a fishing fleet coming in and taking all the food from the whales,” he told his passengers.

Omega says it is doing nothing of the sort and is removing only a tiny fraction of the local menhaden that its spotter pilots have estimated to be in the tens of millions. “The best science shows that this is a completely sustainable fishery and the whale diet is not being impacted at all,” said an Omega spokesman, Ben Landry.

Omega’s fishermen are not the only ones after local menhaden. Bait fishermen who sell menhaden to the shellfishing trade and also sometimes use purse seine nets can catch three million pounds this year in New York State waters, where Omega doesn’t fish. A bill stalled in the State Legislature would prohibit purse seining of menhaden in New York.

The regional management body for the waters in question, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which has been gradually increasing the allowable catch for menhaden for five years, does not see an issue. This year’s 476-million-pound cap on the Atlantic menhaden catch “has zero percent chance of subjecting the resource to overfishing or causing it to be overfished,” said Toni Kerns, director of the commission’s Interstate Fisheries Management Program.

At the local level, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is not concerned, either. “There’s not been any alarm bells about them coming up here,” James Gilmore, the director of D.E.C.’s marine resources division, said of the Omega Protein boats.

Read the full story at the New York Times

Virginia gets a year to comply with menhaden limits or face moratorium

September 10, 2018 — East Coast fishery managers have decided to give Virginia until next year to adopt regulations that limit catches of menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay rather than seek an immediate moratorium on harvests.

Conservation groups and the fishing industry have been engaged in a long-running battle over how many menhaden can be caught without ecological consequences.

Humans don’t eat menhaden, but the small, oily fish are a critical food for a host of marine life from whales to striped bass. While the overall stock is considered healthy, conservationists have argued that such evaluations do not account for its role as forage for fish, birds and marine mammals.

Last fall, forage fish advocates persuaded the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to slash the maximum allowable harvest in the Bay — where much of the East Coast harvest takes place — from 87,216 metric tons to 51,000 metric tons a year, even as it increased the total allowable coastwide catch.

But the action angered Omega Protein, which operates a facility in Reedville, VA, that “reduces” large amounts of menhaden caught by its fishing fleet into other products, such as fish oil supplements and animal feed. Omega is by far the largest harvester of menhaden in the Chesapeake and the entire East Coast. The company has not exceeded the new limit for Bay waters in years because it has drawn more of its catch from the Atlantic, but officials said the lower number restricts their future options and has no scientific basis.

Read the full story at the Bay Journal

Bountiful Bunker? Advocates Clash with Big Fish Oil in New York Harbor

September 10, 2018 — Advocacy groups are sounding the alarm on Virginia-based fishing fleets coming into the New York bight to harvest menhaden — a bait fish better known as “bunker” — but NOAA Fisheries says the species is not at risk of overfishing.

The boats work for Omega Protein, a company based in Reedville, Virginia, that runs the largest menhaden fishing operation on the east coast.

Menhaden are abundant now, but they’d been severely overfished in the past and advocacy groups like Menhaden Defenders and Gotham Whale are concerned about that happening again — especially since whales have returned to New York City waters. The cetaceans feed on menhaden, and fewer fish could mean fewer whale sightings, they say.

Advocates also worry about by-catch. The boats use huge purse seines that round up millions of fish at a time, and there’s concern that dolphins and other marine life could get caught up.

In a press release, Omega Protein charged that advocates are making “false statements” about their fleet, noting that there’s currently no concern about bunker overfishing and that their operations are completely legal. The company turns menhaden into commodities for fish oil supplements, dog food, fish meal, and other products.

Jennifer Goebel, a spokesperson for NOAA Fisheries, confirmed that there’s no current threat of overfishing for menhaden.

“There has been concern over the years from certain environmental groups regarding localized depletion in Chesapeake Bay, but studies have not found any evidence that localized depletion is occurring,” she said in an email. “The coastwide assessment shows the Atlantic menhaden stock is not overfished and overfishing is not occurring.”

She added that Omega Protein “follow[s] the schools and right now, if those schools are off New York, that’s where an industry vessel could be fishing.”

Read the full story at New York Media Boat

Sustainable Omega 3 Consumption: A Positive Trend Set to Increase

September 5, 2018 — The following was released by Friend of the Sea:

The size of the global omega 3 supplement industry has grown enormously in recent years. Evidence from the market shows that more and more consumers worldwide are demanding fish oils and nutrients which are not only healthy and of high quality, but are also respectful of the marine environment. After decades of campaigns by environmental activists and enlightened industry operators, the message has finally reached a rising number of eco-conscious individuals and households globally.

Friend of the Sea Standard for Omega 3

Back in 2010, Friend of the Sea (FoS), an independent certification scheme set up two years earlier to assess the environmental sustainability associated with seafood from fisheries and aquaculture, felt the urgent need to introducing a specific standard for producers of fish oil, fishmeal, fish feed and omega-3 supplements. According to this, accredited third-party certification bodies certify that the oil originates only from fisheries are compliant with Friend of the Sea sustainable fishing requirements, including good fishery management, selective fishing gears and social responsibility, and that a full chain of custody is in place throughout the supply and the production chain.

The fish contained in certified omega 3 products can be traced back to certified fisheries which have been independently assessed to meet Friend of the Sea’s widely recognised standard for sustainable wild fishing. These fisheries are well managed and their impacts on the environment minimized so that seafood supplies are safeguarded for future generations.

The origin of certified fish oil

Today, 439 companies adhere voluntarily to Friend of the Sea standard for fish oil, fishmeal, fish feed and omega-3 supplement, an increase of around 477% compared with 2015 when there were only 76.

“As the leading globally recognised standard program for sustainable seafood, we are enthusiastic about scoring and sharing the positive change in attitude towards environmental sustainability and social accountability occurring also in the nutraceutical sector,” claims Paolo Bray, Founder and Director of Friend of the Sea. “Consumers worldwide can now have wider access to sustainable products on the shelves and we are convinced of an even brighter future for the sector.”

Certified oils originate mostly from approved Peruvian anchovy fisheries and fleet – Engraulis ringens – (29%), Antarctic krill – Euphausia superba – (22%), European sardine – Sardina pilchardus (8%), European anchovy – Engraulis encrasicolus – (7%), Chub mackerel – Scomber japonicus (7%), Atlantic cod – Gadus morhua – (3%). The remaining 24% derives from various species such as salmon, tuna and squid which are equally certified, processed and usually refined and blended.

Read the full release here

US fishmeal producers left exposed by China’s 25% tariff blow

August 16, 2018 — US fishmeal producers — including the US’ largest fishmeal producer Omega Protein — are “certainly in some trouble” after China announced last week it would impose 25% tariffs on imports from the country, said a fishmeal industry analyst.

Jean-Francois Mittaine, an analyst with 30 years’ experience in the sector, told Undercurrent News Omega Protein and others in the sector will struggle to find new markets as Chinese importers turn to alternative sources. This will hit both the menhaden fisheries of the Gulf of Mexico and the pollock fishmeal industry of Alaska.

“For the Americans it is a problem,” said Mittaine. “I don’t see what they’re going to do with their fishmeal.”

Last Wednesday, China’s Ministry of Commerce said it would impose an additional tariff on imports of US fishmeal of 25% (HS code 23012010). The ingredient used in animal and fish feed was among 333 US goods worth $16 billion in annual trade targeted.

The Chinese counter-move will take effect immediately after the US imposes tariffs on the same amount of Chinese goods on Aug 23.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News