Saving Seafood

Culinary events seek to build demand for Maine’s underappreciated fish

February 5, 2020 — A new series of events called “What’s the Catch?” seeks to build consumer awareness of Maine’s underutilized fish species.

Greater consumption of species like monkfish, redfish, flounder and hake could help fishermen who primarily depend on the lobster fishery to diversify their income. And that’s an important consideration if today’s robust lobster stocks ever decline, Ben Martens, executive director of the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, told Mainebiz.

The association is collaborating with Luke’s Lobster on the series, which features a different fish species at four monthly events and highlights fishermen and the working waterfront.

Hosted the second Wednesday of each month from January through April, the series is part social event and part educational.

The January event featured monkfish. The next event, featuring redfish, is scheduled for Feb. 12, from 6-8 p.m., at Luke’s Lobster on the Portland Pier. The March 11 event features flounder, and the April 8 event will focus on hake.

Read the full story at MaineBiz

NEFMC Approves 2020-2022 Monkfish Specifications

September 26, 2019 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council has approved new specifications for the 2020-2022 monkfish fishing years. The fishery operates within two areas – the Northern Fishery Management Area (NFMA) and the Southern Fishery Management Area (SFMA) – with a boundary line that roughly bisects Georges Bank. Landing limits and management measures vary by area, as do fishing practices.

The Council supported a 10% increase in the acceptable biological catch (ABC) for the northern area and status quo for the ABC in the southern area based on recommendations from its Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC), which worked with guidance from the Monkfish Plan Development Team (PDT). Under the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan, deductions are made from the ABC to account for management uncertainty and discards in order to determine the level of total allowable landings (TAL) for each area (see flowchart below).

Read the full release here

NEFMC SSC – Listen Live – August 21, 2019 – Monkfish, Skates, Red Crab, GB Yellowtail OFLs, ABCs

August 14, 2019 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

New England Fishery Management Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will meet on Wednesday, August 21, 2019.  The public is invited to attend in person or listen live via webinar or telephone.  Here are the details.

LOCATION:  The meeting will be held at the Hotel Providence in Providence, RI.

START TIME:  9:00 a.m

WEBINAR REGISTRATION:  Online access to the meeting will be available at Listen Live.  There will be no charge to access the meeting through this webinar.

CALL-IN OPTION:  To listen by telephone, dial +1 (562) 247-8422.  The access code is 927-194-100.  Please be aware that if you dial in, your regular phone charges will apply.

AGENDA:  The SSC will develop overfishing limit (OFL) and acceptable biological catch (ABC) recommendations for:
  • Monkfish fishing years 2020 through 2022;
  • Deep-sea red crab fishing years 2020 through 2022;
  • The Northeast skate complex for fishing years 2020 and 2021; and
  • Georges Bank yellowtail flounder for fishing years 2020 and 2021 as managed under the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan.
The SSC also may discuss internal organization issues and other business.
 
COMMENTS:  The deadline for submitting written comments for consideration at this meeting is 8 a.m. on Monday, August 19.  Address comments to Council chairman Dr. John Quinn or Executive Director Tom Nies and email them to comments@nefmc.org.  The address for mailing comments is:  New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water Street, Mill #2, Newburyport, MA 01950.
 
MATERIALS:  Meeting materials will be posted on the Council’s website at SSC August 21, 2019 documents.
 
QUESTIONS:  Contact Joan O’Leary at (978) 465-0492 ext. 106, joleary@nefmc.org or Janice Plante at (607) 592-4817, jplante@nefmc.org.

Monkfish RSA Competition Underway for 2020-2021 Funding Opportunity

August 2, 2019 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The federal competition for 2020-2021 awards through the Monkfish Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program is now open. The deadline for submitting full proposals is Sunday, September 29, 2019 at 5 p.m.

The New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils, which jointly manage monkfish, established the Monkfish RSA Program through Amendment 2 to the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan. The Councils set research priorities for this program, while NOAA Fisheries administers the RSA competition, oversees award projects, and monitors set-aside harvest activities through the Northeast Fisheries Science Center and Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO).

Read the full release here

Pollock scarce — and expensive — as Northeast groundfish prices fluctuate

July 25, 2019 — The Northeast groundfish fishery kicked off May 1. The federal shutdown last winter meant some management changes, like Framework 58 which changes catch limits on several stocks, faced delays.

Groundfish prices seem to be fluctuating. Bert Jongerden, general manager of the Portland Fish Exchange, a wholesale auction in Maine says fleets are  “mostly bringing in Gulf of Maine haddock, dabs, and white hake, it’s balanced among those.”

Gulf of Maine haddock appears steady, with average price for large around $2.78 per pound. Demand for dabs for restaurant markets is high, with $4.50-5.00 for large dabs.

Fleets are hauling high volumes of redfish, with low prices. Another low point is monkfish.

“Tails are very soft, sometimes less than $1 per pound on auction,” adds Jongerden. It is a pattern that has been seen a few years – likely a result of robust supply but cold European markets, which set the price.

“A lot of gillnetters are targeting monks to avoid cod, because there is a terrible cod problem. The fish are there,” said Jongerden. Average prices for cod were $3.24 to $3.81 per pound as of late June.

All eyes are on Atlantic pollock. “Gillnetters are just not seeing them, no large or mediums,” adds Jongerden. Pollock (aka Boston bluefish) is popular in NY markets.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

NEFMC Initiates Monkfish, Skate Specs; Approves Monkfish RSA Priorities

June 13, 2019 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council covered several issues related to monkfish and skates during its mid-June meeting in So. Portland, Maine. Here’s a quick rundown:

Monkfish – The Council: (1) initiated Framework Adjustment 12 to the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP), which will include specifications for the 2020-2022 monkfish fishing years and any associated management measures that may be needed; and (2) approved 2020-2021 priorities for the Monkfish Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program.

Skates – The Council: (1) initiated Framework Adjustment 8 to the Northeast Skate Complex FMP, which will include specifications for the 2020-2021 fishing years and other measures if needed; and (2) received a progress report on Amendment 5, which is being developed to consider options to potentially limit access to the skate wing and skate bait fisheries.

Read the full release here

New England Council Update – March 20, 2019

March 20, 2019 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

Here’s a roundup of upcoming meetings and new developments that are relevant to the New England Fishery Management Council’s stakeholders.

SCALLOPS:  New Bedford and Chatham, MA are the next two stops on the scoping meeting circuit for Amendment 21 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan.  The New Bedford meeting is today, Wednesday, March 20, and Chatham is up tomorrow, Thursday, March 21.  Both meetings begin at 6 p.m.  Also, a webinar is scheduled for Friday at 10 a.m., and more scoping meetings will be held next week in Virginia and New Jersey.  The series caps off in Gloucester on April 3.  Visit the Amendment 21 webpage to see the complete lineup and download the scoping document, press release, and staff presentation.

COMMERCIAL eVTRs:  The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council is developing an Omnibus Framework to considerrequiring commercial vessels that carry federal permits for Mid-Atlantic Council-managed species to submit Vessel Trip Reports electronically (eVTRs).  This action, if approved, will apply to New England fishermen who obtain Mid-Atlantic permits for summer flounder/scup/black sea bass, bluefish, mackerel/squid/butterfish, and other species.  The Mid-Atlantic Council has scheduled a webinar for Monday, March 25 beginning at 9 a.m. to collect input from its Advisory Panels.  Details are available at AP webinar about commercial eVTRs.

ATLANTIC HERRING:  The New England Council’s Herring Advisory Panel (AP) will meet for a half-day on Wednesday, March 27 at the Holiday Inn in Mansfield, MA.  The Herring Committee will meet in the same location the following day, Thursday, March 28.  The AP and Committee both will discuss upcoming herring actions, work priorities, 2019-2021 specifications, and more.  The agenda and meeting materials are available at Herring AP and Herring Committee.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:  The Council’s Executive Committee will meet Wednesday, March 27 in Wakefield, MA.  More information will be available soon at Executive Committee meeting.

SCIENTIFIC AND STATISTICAL COMMITTEE (SSC):  The Council’s SSC will meet via webinar on Friday, March 29, 2019 to discuss and comment on the Council’s research priorities.  Learn more at SSC webinar.

GROUNDFISH:  The Council’s Groundfish Advisory Panel (AP) will meet on Monday, April 1 at the Hilton Garden Inn at Logan Airport.  The Groundfish Committee will meet in the same location the following day, Tuesday, April 2.  Both will discuss Groundfish Monitoring Amendment 23, the Council’s Gear Standards Policy, and 2019 groundfish priorities.  More information will be available soon at Groundfish AP and Groundfish Committee.

ECOSYSTEM-BASED FISHERY MANAGEMENT (EBFM):  The Council’s EBFM Committee will meet on Thursday, April 4 and again on Monday, April 15.  Both meetings will be held at the Radisson Airport Hotel in Warwick, RI beginning at 9:30 a.m.  The committee will discuss issues related to the development of a draft example Fishery Ecosystem Plan (eFEP) for Georges Bank.   More information and related documents will be posted as they become available at EBFM April 4, 2019 and EBFM April 15, 2019.

RECREATIONAL GROUNDFISH:  The Council has scheduled a series of listening sessions to solicit comments and gauge public interest on whether it should develop a limited access program for the recreational groundfish party/charter fishery under the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan.  The sessions, which include a webinar, will run from April 4 through May 10 from Maine to New Jersey.  For more information and complete details about the times and locations of the listening sessions, read the press release, public notice, and download the background document.

MID-ATLANTIC COUNCIL:  The Mid-Atlantic Council will be discussing several issues relevant to New England stakeholders during its April 8-11 meeting in Avalon, NJ.  The Commercial eVTR Omnibus Framework described above is on the agenda, and the New England Council will be holding one of its Recreational Groundfish Party/Charter Fishery listening sessions in the same location on Monday, April 8.  Take a look at the agenda at MAFMC Avalon, NJ.

NEW ENGLAND COUNCIL:  The full New England Fishery Management Council will meet April 16-18, 2019 at the Hilton Hotel in Mystic, CT.  The agenda and meeting materials will be available soon at NEFMC Mystic, CT.

MONKFISH:  The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS, NOAA Fisheries) announced that it is implementing 2019 monkfish specifications as recommended by the New England and Mid-Atlantic Councils in Framework Adjustment 10 to the federal Monkfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP).  The Monkfish FMP is a joint plan between the two Councils with New England having the administrative lead.  The framework contains specifications for fishing years 2017-2019.  At the time the framework was implemented, NMFS approved 2017 specifications, along with “projected specifications” for 2018 and 2019.  This week, NMFS said it does not expect 2018 catch limits to be exceeded, so 2019 specifications will go into place on May 1 as initially developed by the Councils.  These include a total allowable landing limit of 6,338 metric tons (mt) in the Northern Fishery Management Area and 9,011 mt in the southern area.  Find out more in the Federal Register notice and permit holder bulletin.

NOAA Fisheries Approves Monkfish Quota for 2019

March 19, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is implementing monkfish quotas for the 2019 fishing year that we announced on July 12, 2017. There have been no overages in 2018, and there is no new biological information, so we are now finalizing the 2019 quotas that were previously announced. The quotas are the same as the 2017 and 2018 quotas and are in place until April 30, 2020.

All other requirements remain the same.

For more details, read the rule as filed in the Federal Register and the permit holder bulletin on our website.

NEW YORK: Bill to regulate monkfish passed

January 11, 2019 — Assemblyman Anthony D’Urso’s bill to protect and regulate monkfish was signed into law by Gov. Cuomo. The new law amends and extends the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s authority for regulation measures for the management of monkfish, including size limits, catch and possession limits, open and closed seasons, closed areas, restrictions on the manner of taking and landing, and requirements for permits.

The monkfish is also known as “the poor man’s lobster” for its delicious taste, but unseemly appearance.

“By extending the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s ability to control monkfish fishing, we ensure both the protection of our natural environment and the fishing industry” said D’Urso. “It is our duty as citizens to ensure that our natural environment is preserved for future generations.”

Read the full story at The Island Now

DAVE MONTI: Research Set-Aside program good for fish and fishermen

August 27, 2018 — The National Marine Fisheries Service’s Research Set-Aside (RSA) program has raised funds for fishery research while allowing fishermen to catch more fish.

It has successfully worked for the scallop industry in New England and for a charter industry pilot program that I participated in seven years ago.

RSA programs use a set-aside of fishery resources, whether quota or days-at-sea, to generate revenue that is used to conduct needed research. Here in the Northeast, the New England Fishery Management Council has successfully used its RSA program to study Atlantic sea scallops, Atlantic herring and monkfish.

The charter fishing industry RSA program I participated in with seven other vessels purchased summer flounder quota (with a grant) to run a summer flounder pilot project.

Software developed during the pilot allowed charter captains to record catch and effort in real time electronically with computer tablets on their vessels. Today, the software is approved by NOAA for use by charter captains and commercial fishermen in the Greater Atlantic Regional.

Read the full story at The Sun Chronicle