Saving Seafood

New Jersey-based herring fleet sues over at-sea monitoring rule

February 25, 2020 — New Jersey herring fishermen are going to court challenging a new rule forcing them to pay for at-sea monitoring, which they say will cost more than $700 a day for observers and cut their revenue from herring trips by more than 20 percent.

A half-dozen vessels associated with Lund’s Fisheries, based near Cape May, N.J. are named in the lawsuit filed last week against the New England Fishery Management Council, NOAA and the Department of Commerce.

Cape Trawlers, H&L Axelsson and Loper Bright Enterprises contend regulators have no statutory authority from Congress to impose industry-paid monitoring in addition to a separate, federally-funded observer program.

“The regulation also has the potential to modify other New England fishery management plans to allow for standardized implementation of additional industry-funded monitoring programs in the future,” Lund’s Fisheries said in a joint announcement with the Cause of Action Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based legal and free-market advocacy group.

A final rule published in the Federal Register Feb. 7, to take effect March 9, would require Atlantic herring trawlers with areas A and B permits to pay toward a 50 percent at-sea monitoring coverage target for the first time.

Originating with the 2018 Industry-Funded Omnibus Amendment approved by the New England council, the potential for levying new monitoring requirements had been in the background since being okayed by the Department of Commerce.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

NOAA Fisheries Announces New For-Hire Electronic Reporting Requirements in the Atlantic

February 25, 2020 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

KEY MESSAGE

NOAA Fisheries is implementing the final rule for the South Atlantic For-Hire Reporting Amendment. The final rule establishes electronic reporting requirements for vessels with a federal charter/headboat permit for Atlantic coastal migratory pelagics, Atlantic dolphin and wahoo, or South Atlantic snapper-grouper and modifies the reporting deadline for headboats.

WHEN RULE WILL TAKE EFFECT:

The rule will be effective on September 1, 2020.

WHAT THIS MEANS:

  • The final rule requires weekly electronic reporting for charter fishermen and modifies the reporting deadline for headboats starting September 1, 2020.
  • The requirements for weekly electronic reporting apply to charter vessels with a federal charter vessel/headboat permit for Atlantic Coastal Migratory Pelagics, or Atlantic dolphin and wahoo, or South Atlantic snapper-grouper species.
  • Charter fishermen must report information such as trip start and end dates and times, species kept and discarded, fishing location, depth fished, hours fished, and charter fee.
  • Electronic reports from charter fishermen are due by Tuesday following the end of each reporting week, which runs from Monday through Sunday.
  • Charter fishermen can report using their computer, smartphone, and tablets with access to the internet. Reporting must be through software approved by NOAA Fisheries. NOAA Fisheries will send information on how to download the software in a future Fishery Bulletin.
  • No action is required by charter fishermen at this time. NOAA Fisheries will send more information in the spring/summer of 2020. If you have questions, please call 727-209-5950
  • Headboat vessels with a federal charter vessel/headboat permit for Atlantic Coastal Migratory Pelagics, or Atlantic dolphin and wahoo, or South Atlantic snapper-grouper species will continue to submit reports to the Southeast Headboat Survey but will be required to submit electronic fishing reports by Tuesday following a reporting week, rather than by Sunday.

FORMAL FEDERAL REGISTER NAME/NUMBER: 85 FR 10331, published February 24, 2020.

This bulletin serves as a Small Entity Compliance Guide, complying with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996.

A complete version of this Fishery Bulletin is available from NOAA Fisheries and includes a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and additional information.

New tech helps scientists detect right whales off Maine’s coast

February 24, 2020 — New acoustic monitors off Maine’s coast have detected the presence of North Atlantic right whales this winter. Scientists are trying to gather new data on the endangered animals’ whereabouts.

In mid-December, scientists put a set of underwater drones in the Atlantic Ocean. One of them is charting a zigzag course to and from Maine’s coast, starting Down East and working its way southwest. It’s currently heading eastward off Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

During its cruise, the glider’s electronic ears have heard dozens of calls from finback and humpback whales and, on seven occasions, the call of the endangered North Atlantic right whale.

“We usually figure about a 10 kilometer of five-mile radius is on average where we can hear them,” said Genevieve Davis, a scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Davis is a coordinator for the project, which also includes researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Read the full story at the Bangor Daily News

Why Do Whales Migrate? They Return to the Tropics to Shed their Skin, Scientists Say

February 24, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Whales undertake some of the longest migrations on earth, often swimming many thousands of miles, over many months, to breed in the tropics. The question is why—is it to find food, or to give birth?

In a research paper in Marine Mammal Science, scientists propose that whales that forage in polar waters migrate to low latitudes to maintain healthy skin.

“I think people have not given skin molt due consideration when it comes to whales, but it is an important physiological need that could be met by migrating to warmer waters,” said Robert Pitman, lead author of the new paper and marine ecologist with Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute. He was formerly with NOAA Fisheries’ Southwest Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla, California.

More than a century ago, whalers recognized that most whales that forage in high latitudes migrate to the tropics for calving. Scientists have never agreed on why. Because of their size, large whales should be able to successfully give birth in frigid polar waters. Due to reduced feeding opportunities in the tropics, most whales fast during their months-long migrations.

So why go to the trouble?

Read the full release here

NOAA Fisheries report: 2018 production down, but value up

February 24, 2020 — NOAA Fisheries has released the “Fisheries of the United States 2018” report, and it indicates that the production of both wild-capture and aquaculture was down in the U.S. in 2018, while the value of both sectors increased.

U.S. commercial fishermen combined to land 9.4 billion pounds (4.3 million metric tons) of seafood, a 5.3 percent decrease of 531 million pounds over the 2017 total. The value of those landings, however, increased by 2.8 percent, or USD 150 million (EUR 138 million), to USD 5.6 billion (EUR 5.1 billion).

Read the full story at Seafood Source

US seafood consumption rises to highest level since 2007, but falls short of USDA recommendations

February 24, 2020 — On average, Americans consumed 16.1 pounds of seafood in 2018, a slight uptick from the year before, according to the latest “Fisheries of the United States” report released by NOAA Fisheries on 21 February.

U.S. consumers ate more fresh and frozen seafood in 2018, contributing to the highest seafood consumption level seen since 2007, NOAA Fisheries found.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

MASSACHUSETTS: Most of ‘Codfather’ fishing fleet sold

February 24, 2020 — Except for a few loose ends, Carlos Rafael’s fleet has now been sold.

Blue Harvest Fisheries, with facilities in Newport News, Virginia, and Fairhaven and New Bedford, finalized the purchase Thursday of 12 large fish trawlers, 27 fishing permits and their quota allocations that once belonged to the disgraced New Bedford fishing industry mogul.

Once dubbed “The Codfather” for his outsize presence and influence across the Northeast commercial fishing industry, Rafael is serving a 46-month sentence in a federal prison at the former Fort Devens in Harvard. He pleaded guilty to falsely labeling fish, smuggling cash, tax evasion and falsifying federal records as part of a scheme to catch and sell fish for which he did not have the necessary quota.

Under the terms of an agreement in a civil case brought by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Rafael agreed to leave commercial fishing and to sell off all his vessels by December 2020. His attorney, John Markey, said 95% of that divestiture is now complete. All that remain are a herring trawler and its permit, two fishing permits that are already under a sales agreement that has not been executed and two fishing vessels that have no permits.

Blue Harvest CEO Keith Decker and Markey would not disclose the amount paid for the dozen trawlers, but Markey said Rafael has now paid off his debts.

Read the full story at the Cape Cod Times

New Bedford nation’s richest port for 19th year in a row

February 21, 2020 — New Bedford’s reign as the most valuable port in the country reached 19 straight years as NOAA released its report on U.S. Fisheries for 2018.

U.S. fishermen landed 9.4 billion pounds of fish valued at $5.6 billion at ports around the nation — consistently high figures on par with recent years, which bring economic benefits up and down the seafood supply chain, a press release from NOAA stated.

New Bedford and Dutch Harbor in Alaska continue to dominate the list of top ports driven by landings of top-valued sea scallops locally and pollock for Alaska — the nation’s largest commercial fishery.

New Bedford brought in $431 million in 2018, up from $390 million in 2017, making it the top port by value in the country for the 19th straight year. Other top ports by value in the New England/Mid-Atlantic region include Cape May/Wildwood, New Jersey ($66 million), Point Judith, Rhode Island ($64 million), Stonington, Maine ($60 million), Hampton Roads Area, Virginia ($55 million), and Gloucester ($53 million).

According to the Fisheries of the United States report, which is compiled by NOAA, U.S. highest value species groups in 2018 included lobster ($684 million), crabs ($645 million), salmon ($598 million), scallops ($541 million), and shrimp ($496 million).

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

Fisheries of the U.S Report: 2018 a Strong, Successful Year for U.S. Fishermen

February 21, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

In 2018, U.S. fishermen landed 9.4 billion pounds of fish valued at $5.6 billion at ports around the nation—consistently high figures on par with recent years, which bring economic benefits up and down the seafood supply chain.

According to the Fisheries of the United States report, which is compiled by NOAA using data and analysis not immediately available at the same end of a fishing year, U.S. highest value species groups in 2018 included lobster ($684 million), crabs ($645 million), salmon ($598 million), scallops ($541 million), and shrimp ($496 million).

Dutch Harbor in Alaska, and New Bedford in Massachusetts, continue to dominate the list of top ports driven by landings of pollock for Alaska (the nation’s largest commercial fishery) and top-valued sea scallops in Massachusetts.

New Bedford brought in $431 million in 2018, up from $390 million in 2017, making it the top port by value in the country for the 19th straight year. Other top ports by value in the New England/Mid-Atlantic region include Cape May/Wildwood, NJ ($66 million), Point Judith, RI ($64 million), Stonington, ME ($60 million), Hampton Roads Area, VA ($55 million), and Gloucester, MA ($53 million).

Top ports by landings in the New England/Mid-Atlantic region are Reedville, VA (353 million pounds), New Bedford, MA (114 million pounds), Cape May/Wildwood, NJ (102 million pounds), Gloucester, MA (59 million pounds), Point Judith, RI (48 million pounds), and Portland, ME (46 million pounds).

Read the full release here

New Study Shows Pacific Cod Eggs are Highly Vulnerable to Changes in Bottom Temperature

February 21, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The 2013 to 2016 marine heatwave—known as “The Blob”—is the largest warm anomaly ever recorded in the North Pacific. In the Gulf of Alaska, scientists have connected low numbers of Pacific cod larvae, juveniles, and adults to loss of spawning habitat. This occured during and immediately following the heatwave. Compounding the ecological loss is the significant economic impact on the second most valuable commercial fishery in Alaska. The fishery experienced large reductions in their annual catch limits in 2018 (a 58 percent cut) and a fishery closure in 2020.

“We combined results of laboratory studies, stock assessment model output and survey data to help us better understand what happens to Pacific cod in warm and cold years,” said Benjamin Laurel, NOAA Fisheries biologist and lead researcher for this new study. “We found that the recent three-year heatwave and return to similar conditions in 2019 potentially had the greatest effect on spawning habitat for the years we had available data (1994 to 2019).”

Water temperature is an important component of fish habitat. Temperature influences every stage of a fish’s life. During the first year of life, fish eggs are particularly sensitive to changes in environmental conditions.

Laurel and colleague Lauren Rogers determined that Pacific cod eggs have a narrow optimal range for hatching success, only 3-6º C. This is much narrower than other related species like walleye pollock and Atlantic cod.

“Early life stage distribution and survival may set biogeographic boundaries and limit productive capacity for fish stocks,” added Rogers. “Pacific cod are unique among cod species; they only spawn once in a season and have eggs that adhere to the seafloor. Pacific cod females can actually place their eggs in habitats with temperatures that optimize hatch success. However, during these warm years, it may have been more challenging to find suitable habitat because the warmer water temperatures extended into the ocean depths.”

Read the full release here