Saving Seafood

Fishermen Reminded of New Regulations as July Red Snapper Opening Approaches

July 1, 2020 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Offshore fishing has proven to be a popular way to practice social distancing this summer while bringing some fish back to the table. To provide released fish a better chance of surviving, new regulations encouraging the use of descending devices and additional hook specifications designed to reduce release mortality are being implemented by NOAA Fisheries.

Effective July 15, 2020, a descending device must be on board and readily available for use (attached to minimum of 60-feet of line with at least a 16-ounce weight) when targeting snapper grouper species in federal waters in the South Atlantic. Descending devices help reduce the effects of barotrauma, a condition that occurs when a fish is rapidly reeled up from depth. Changes in pressure cause the fish’s swim bladder to expand, filling the body cavity with air and preventing the fish from swimming back down. Signs of barotrauma include protrusion of the stomach from the fish’s mouth, bulging eyes, anal prolapse and bubbling scales. A descending device can quickly be used to transport the fish back to depth, greatly improving its chances of survival.

In addition to requiring descending devices to help reduce release mortality, beginning July 15, 2020 , non-offset, non-stainless-steel circle hooks are required when fishing for snapper grouper species with hook-and-line gear with natural baits north of 28 degrees N. latitude (approximately 25 miles south of Cape Canaveral, Florida). The new regulations also require that all hooks must be non-stainless steel when fishing for snapper grouper species with such gear in federal waters in the South Atlantic. The new requirements for descending devices and hooks apply to recreational fishermen as well as federally permitted for-hire and commercial snapper grouper vessels.

“We’ve consistently heard concerns from both commercial and recreational fishermen about the number of fish that must be released as catch limits are met and seasons closed,” said Mel Bell, Vice Chair of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. “It is difficult to avoid some of the co-occurring snapper grouper species such as Vermilion Snapper, Mutton Snapper, and Red Snapper. These new requirements are designed to increase awareness of best fishing practices and help reduce the number of fish that float away on any given fishing trip, a sight that no one wants to see,” explained Bell. The new descending device and hook requirements were implemented through Regulatory Amendment 29 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan. “The Council purposely crafted the definition of a descending device in a manner that gives fishermen the flexibility to create their own devices, likely using some items they have on hand,” explained Bell. “There are also several options available for purchase. I encourage people to visit the Council’s website to get additional information on requirements. The goal is to get fishermen accustomed to using the devices and reduce release mortality.”

Fishermen are encouraged to begin using descending devices and specified hooks prior to the opening of this year’s Red Snapper season. Beginning July 10, 11 and 12 (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) and again Friday, July 17, 2020 recreational fishermen will have the opportunity to add a Red Snapper to table fare as the 4-day recreational season opens. Fishermen are limited to one fish per person per day with no minimum size limit. The commercial season will open July 13, 2020 with a 75-pound trip limit and no minimum size limit.

Feds delay restart of onboard fisheries monitoring on commercial boats

June 1, 2020 — Federal fisheries regulators on Tuesday delayed a plan to restart a program requiring commercial fishermen to take observers on fishing trips starting Monday, following widespread criticism of the move.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, citing concerns about the spread of the coronavirus, said it would restart the program Aug. 1.

Even while setting the Aug. 1 date, “we recognize that this public health crisis continues to evolve and changing conditions may warrant re-evaluating these plans,” NOAA said in a statement.

“Should our plans regarding redeploying observers and at-sea monitors change, we will announce any changes as soon as practicable,” the agency said.

Representatives for local fishermen said the restart should be pushed back further.

“Come back to us when there’s a vaccine” or effective COVID-19 treatment, said Bonnie Brady, executive director of the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association, based in Montauk.

Read the full story at Newsday

Join us on July 9 for a Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Competition Webinar

July 1, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Please join NOAA Fisheries on Thursday, July 9 from 4 to 5 pm ET for an informational webinar outlining the process for applying to the 2021 Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Competition.  A Q&A session will follow immediately after the webinar presentation.

Webinar Information
Event: FY21 S-K Grant Competition
Meeting Information Link: https://noaanmfs-meets.webex.com/noaanmfs-meets/onstage/g.php?MTID=e543334d93fbb784c9d079bbb98c7f37b
Date and time: Thursday, July 9, 2020 4:00 pm
Event number: 199 412 8905
Audio conference: US Toll +1-415-527-5035
Access code: 199 412 8905

Thank you for your continued interest in the Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program.

Read the full release here

Under pressure, NOAA delays at-sea monitors for a month

July 1, 2020 — After facing significant pushback from elected officials, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration abruptly reversed course Tuesday and announced it will not resume sending observers out to sea on fishing vessels until at least August.

NOAA had been planning to revive at-sea monitoring in the Northeast on Wednesday after more than three months of suspending the practice, describing it as a key function to track fishery health. Late Tuesday afternoon, however, the agency said the evolving course of the pandemic “required us to re-evaluate and adapt to changing circumstances.”

A waiver exempting fishing vessels from their requirement to carry human observers or at-sea monitors will now remain in place through July 31, during which NOAA plans to conduct outreach with industry leaders and flesh out safety practices it will deploy when monitoring does return.

“As has been done throughout the rest of the country, it is the intent of NOAA Fisheries to begin redeploying observers as soon as it is safe and appropriate to do so,” NOAA wrote in a press release. “While we intend to begin redeploying observers on August 1, we recognize that this public health crisis continues to evolve and changing conditions may warrant re-evaluating these plans.”

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

Reviving the Gulf Dead Zone Is Worth it: Our New Report Shows the Benefits of Action

June 30, 2020 — Earlier this month, NOAA forecast that this summer in the Gulf of Mexico an area the size of Delaware and Connecticut combined would have so little oxygen that marine life flees from it or dies in it. In 2017, this “dead zone” was the size of New Jersey, the largest one ever recorded.

On the heels of this year’s forecast, acting director of NOAA’s National Ocean Service, Nicole LeBoeuf, noted that the Gulf dead zone doesn’t just hurt marine life—it “puts a strain on the region’s living resources and coastal economies.”

The annual dead zone has shown no signs of significant shrinking over the last three decades, despite years of research and investments in analyzing the problem and identifying solutions. Yet, a winning and achievable solution has been staring us in the face all along: farming practices that are good for the soil, good for our waterways, and quite possibly better for addressing the climate crisis.

Our team decided to tackle the dead zone problem head-on in our new report “Reviving the Dead Zone: Solutions to Benefit Both Gulf Fishers and Midwest Farmers”. Our analysis in the report reveals that shrinking the Gulf of Mexico dead zone, by providing Midwest farmers with more support to use science-based healthy-soil practices, could yield large economic, environmental, and social returns for the Gulf. Our analysis starts to put a dollar value on these returns.

Read the full story at the Union of Concerned Scientists

Northeast Fisheries Observer Waiver – Extension Through July 31, 2020

June 30, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Although NOAA Fisheries had announced plans to resume observer deployments on July 1, we recognize the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve and as such, has required us to re-evaluate and adapt to changing circumstances. In response, NOAA Fisheries is extending the waiver granted to vessels with Greater Atlantic Region fishing permits to carry human observers or at-sea monitors through July 31, 2020.

This action is authorized by 50 CFR 648.11, which provides the Greater Atlantic Regional Administrator authority to waive observer requirements, and is also consistent with the criteria described in the agency’s emergency rule on observer waivers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We intend to begin redeploying observers and at-sea monitors on vessels fishing in northeast fisheries on August 1.  During the month of July, we will continue to work with regional observer and at-sea monitoring service providers to finalize their observer redeployment plans, conduct outreach with industry, and finalize our internal programs and policies that will support the safe and effective redeployment of observers and at-sea monitors in the region.

Observers and at-sea monitors are an essential component of commercial fishing operations and provide critical information that is necessary to keep fisheries open and to provide sustainable seafood to our nation during this time. We will continue to monitor all local public health notifications, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for updates. We are committed to protecting the public health and ensuring the safety of fishermen, observers, and others, while fulfilling our mission to maintain our nation’s seafood supply and conserving marine life.

As has been done throughout the rest of the country, it is the intent of NOAA Fisheries to begin redeploying observers as soon as it is safe and appropriate to do so.  While we intend to begin redeploying observers on August 1, we recognize that this public health crisis continues to evolve and changing conditions may warrant re-evaluating these plans.  Should our plans regarding re-deploying observers and at-sea monitors change, we will announce any changes as soon as practicable.

NOAA Fisheries Proposes Framework Adjustment 12 to the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan

June 30, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries: 

NOAA Fisheries is proposing Framework Adjustment 12 to the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan, including the 2020 annual catch limits and total allowable landings limits for both the Northern and Southern Fishery Management Areas. We are also proposing projected quotas for 2021-2022.

This rule proposes two clarifications:

  1. To the interactive voice response system, requiring vessels to call in a trip no more than an hour in advance of leaving port.
  2. To the monkfish whole weight incidental possessions limits in the Northeast multispecies exempted fisheries.

Read the proposed rule as published in the Federal Register and supporting documents on the e-rulemaking portal (link).

The comment period is open through July 30, 2020.

You may submit comments, identified by NOAA-NMFS-2020-0064, through the e-rulemaking portal (link).

Read the full release here

Joe Cunningham calls on NOAA to stop seismic airgun blasting permits off SC coast

June 29, 2020 — Representative Joe Cunningham sent a letter to Dr. Neil Jacobs, acting head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), regarding the agency’s recent decision to allow the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) “to proceed in processing seismic testing permits off South Carolina’s coast,” despite the state’s opposition.

Cunningham said that the ruling “highlights the Administration’s unwillingness to listen to the bipartisan majority of voices in our state that have made it clear seismic testing and offshore drilling is unwanted, unnecessary, and a threat to our way of life.”

Read the full story at WBTW

Fisheries Survival Fund ‘Alarmed’ by Current Protocols for Resumption of At-Sea Monitoring

June 29, 2020 — The Fisheries Survival Fund (FSF) has written to NOAA Fisheries, voicing concerns over the agency’s decision to resume at-sea monitoring beginning in July. Specifically, FSF, which represents limited access scallop fishermen in the area covered by the order, is “alarmed” at the protocols the agency currently has in place.

According to the letter, the quarantine protocols for observers are unclear, at best. It notes that, after a required initial 14-day quarantine period, “it is unclear whether that observer will be required to quarantine for an additional 14 days before boarding another vessel.”

“Our country continues to grapple with the impacts and uncertainties of COVID-19’s spread,” the letter states. “Resuming the observer program too quickly and without appropriate protocols in place would put our crewmembers at a heightened and unnecessary risk of exposure to the virus.”

FSF also highlights uncertainty over how vessel captains and owners should respond to an observer displaying symptoms of COVID-19 at the start of a trip. FSF requests that NOAA extend the current waiver on observer coverage, which was implemented in March at the start of the COVID-19 crisis, until it addresses these issues.

The letter to NOAA follows letters from both the New England Fishery Management Council and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, which expressed similar concerns about the safety of resuming at-sea monitoring.

The full letter is available here

NEFMC Raises Concerns Over NOAA Decision on At-Sea Monitoring

June 20, 2020 — The New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) has written to NOAA Fisheries expressing concern over the agency’s plan to resume at-sea monitoring beginning July 1. The Council voted last week at its June meeting to deliver to NOAA its concerns with the safety and medical impact of the program.

The NEFMC is the second regional Fishery Management Council to express concerns over the observer plan. Last week, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council wrote a letter to the agency expressing similar concerns. Together, the two councils manage the fisheries in NOAA’s Greater Atlantic region, which is the region affected by the observer order.

In its letter, the NEFMC specifically raises the concern that the potential risks of resuming at-sea monitoring—mainly the increased risk of COVID-19 exposure for both fishermen and observers—outweigh any of the program’s benefits.

“The Council understands that – under normal circumstances – observer data provide important information for both monitoring the fishery and assessing fish stocks,” the letter states. “These are not normal times.”

The Council raises further issues, including concerns from many in the industry that they were not consulted on the decision. It also questions the agency on its policy on safety issues surrounding the program, including testing observers for COVID-19; potential medical waivers for boats with at-risk crew members; quarantine practices for observers; and how on-board observer practices will be modified to minimize the risk of virus transmission.

The full letter is available here