Saving Seafood

NOAA marks Northwest salmon runs, Atlantic mackerel, bigeye overfished

August 5, 2019 — Pacific Northwest king (chinook) and silver (coho) salmon runs plagued by drought and warmer ocean waters are new additions to the overfished species list in the federal 2018 Status of U.S. Fisheries released Friday.

In the Atlantic, bigeye tuna joined the overfished list — reflecting the continuing inability of international regulators to rein in other nations’ fleets in the eastern Atlantic. For the first time, Atlantic mackerel between North Carolina and Maine are declared overfished, based on a first comprehensive assessment.

The good news, according to NOAA, is that rebuilding sustainable fisheries is still on its slow upward track since 2000, with 45 stocks now declared rebuilt. The latest is the Gulf of Maine smooth skate, after a 9-year rebuilding effort that included a prohibition on landings.

That success follows the 2016 rebuilding of barndoor skate in New England waters. “The renewed fishing opportunity and market for barndoor skate wings, following its rebuilt status, may lay the market foundation for a smooth skate fishery in the future,” the annual NMFS report noted.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

NOAA seeks fishing industry comments on reducing risk of whale entanglement

August 5, 2019 — The Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office is holding meetings to solicit public comments on ways to reduce the risk of entanglement in trap and pot fisheries for right, humpback, and finback whales.

NOAA will be conducting eight scoping meetings this month, four of which will be in Maine.

This is being done in anticipation of preparing a draft Environmental Impact Statement for modifications to the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan.

One of those meetings will take place in Waldoboro, on Wednesday, Aug. 14, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., at Medomak Valley High School.

NOAA is requesting comments on management options particularly including information about operational challenges, time, and costs required to modify gear by changing configurations such as traps per trawl to reduce endline numbers, installing new line or sleeves and by expanding gear marking requirements.

Written comments are also welcomed.

Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public comments by sending an email to gar.ALWTRT2019@noaa.gov using the subject line “Comments on Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan Scoping.”

Read the full story at the Penobscot Bay Pilot

NOAA Annual Report Shows U.S. Fish Stocks At Sustainable Levels For 2018

August 5, 2019 — The vast majority of U.S. fish stocks were at sustainable levels in 2018, and the number of U.S. fish stocks subject to overfishing remains at a near-all time low.

That’s according to NOAA fisheries in an annual report released Friday on the status of 479 federally managed species. Officials say Atlantic mackerel and big-eye tuna are now considered overfished and Smooth Skate is listed as having been rebuilt.

NOAA Sustainable Fisheries Director Alan Risenhoover says the North Atlantic fishery is fairly stable right now. He says the goal of management is to get optimum yield.

Read the full story at Maine Public

Atlantic Spiny Dogfish Benefits from Sustainable Shark Management

August 2, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Wielding two venomous spines and growing as long as 4 feet, Atlantic spiny dogfish can often be seen hunting prey in dog-like packs (hence the dog-like name). Today, these little sharks are the most commonly caught and exported U.S. shark species, but that wasn’t always the case.

Spiny dogfish were once one of the most abundant shark species in the world. They were historically considered a nuisance by many fishermen who believed they ate young Atlantic cod and other high-priced species. However, NOAA Fisheries shark scientist Dr. Tobey Curtis said studies of spiny dogfish diets do not support this perception.

Smaller spiny dogfish tend to feed primarily on crustaceans, while larger dogfish eat jellyfish, squid, and schooling fish. Cod, red hake, goosefish, other spiny dogfish, larger sharks, seals, and killer whales all prey on dogfish. Dogfish also have a habit of getting caught in fishing nets due to their small size, resulting in bycatch.

Read the full release here

Less overfishing, more overfished: NOAA report reveals environmental impacts to stocks

August 2, 2019 — The 2018 NOAA report on the status of U.S. fisheries has been released, and reveals that environmental factors are having the most impact on stocks that are overfished.

The report, which NOAA puts together every year, indicates that less species were subject to overfishing in 2018 than in 2017 – 28 versus 30 – a year that saw all-time low numbers of overfishing and overfished stocks. That means more than 90 percent of stocks are being fished at a sustainable level.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

NOAA: Number of U.S. fish stocks at sustainable levels remains near record high

August 2, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA:

Today, NOAA released the 2018 Status of U.S. Fisheries Annual Report to Congress that details the status of 479 federally-managed stocks or stock complexes in the U.S. to identify which stocks are subject to overfishing, are overfished, or are rebuilt to sustainable levels.

Building upon the trend of the past few years, the report notes that the vast majority of U.S. fish stocks were at sustainable population levels in 2018, and the number of U.S. fish stocks subject to overfishing remains at a near all-time low. The report also documents a newly-rebuilt stock, smooth skate in the Gulf of Maine. This brings the total number of rebuilt U.S. marine fish stocks to 45 since the year 2000, an encouraging indicator that the U.S. fishery management system is achieving its long-term sustainability goals.

“The U.S. is an international leader in fisheries management, and through our work in partnership with the regional councils, we’re on track to maintain that high standard,” said Rear Admiral Timothy Gallaudet, Ph.D., NOAA’s assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere. “Our fishing communities continue to succeed and contribute to the Blue Economy. In 2016 alone, U.S. commercial fishing, recreational fishing, and the seafood industry generated $212 billion in sales, contributed $100 billion to the gross domestic product, and supported 1.7 million full- and part-time jobs.”

Read the full release here

DAVID GOETHEL: The hidden cost of fishery monitoring

August 2, 2019 — Recently my crewman came into the wheelhouse with a complaint. I am a commercial fisherman and we were on our third consecutive day of carrying at-sea monitors, which we are required to do in 2019 on at least 31% of trips. This is like having your own state policeman ride with you to work to make sure you do not exceed the speed limit. They watch you to make sure you do not throw over any fish that are part of your quota. Because the government wants their monies worth, they have them weigh everything you bring on board.

My crewman’s complaint was about the number of fish and shellfish being killed that would have been returned alive to the ocean on unobserved trips.

My crewman did not come from a fishing background. He was a restaurant chef. In restaurants you do not waste anything. Unsold fresh catch becomes tomorrow’s fish chowder. In fisheries we waste lots of fish, and after a while become hardened to government regulations that require the practice.

Read the full story at Fosters.com

Summer anglers run afoul of tuna rules

August 1, 2019 — Many recreational anglers are enticed by the thrill of catching a giant tuna that can weigh up to 1,000 pounds, with the challenge to land it sometimes going on for hours.

A greater challenge is managing tuna fisheries, a task NOAA’s Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Management Division is responsible for.

“There are approximately 20,000 recreational HMS permitted vessels, 3,500 commercial, and 3,500 for-hire permits issued annually,” says Jennie Lyons, NOAA public affairs deputy director. “Although recreational vessels may have less impact on a marine resource as an individual, sheer numbers of vessel can have an immense impact.”

Recently five recreational boats tuna fishing near Oregon Inlet off North Carolina found out just how seriously the NOAA HMS division takes the permitting process.

The crew of the Coast Guard cutter Rollin Fritch found the five recreational vessels fishing for highly migratory species without federal fisheries permits. The violations were discovered during the routine boarding process, according to information from the Coast Guard, which did not release the names of the boats or operators.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

NOAA Fisheries Implements Squid and Butterfish Quotas for the 2019 Fishing Year

August 1, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Based on updated information, we increased the commercial Illex squid quota by 8-percent for 2019. We also maintained the previously approved 2019 annual quotas for longfin squid and butterfish by continuing the existing longfin squid quota, and increasing the butterfish commercial quota by 66 percent.

The increased 2019 Illex quota is based on an evaluation that similar historic catch has not harmed the stock. As new information becomes available, we may revise the proposed quotas for future fishing years.

Read the final rule that filed today in the Federal Register and the bulletin posted on our website. Supporting documents for this rule are available on the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s website.

Delay From Environmental Regulators Blows Vineyard Wind Off Course

July 31, 2019 — Construction of the $2.8 billion Vineyard Wind, the nation’s first utility-scale offshore wind farm, is on hold as developers wait for an environmental impact statement from federal regulators.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management does not technically have to submit the impact statement until early next year, but it was expected in mid-July, and regulators gave no reason for the delay.

An investigation by Reuters found that two other federal agencies — the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Marine Fisheries Service — refused to sign off on the project’s design, citing concerns over its impact on commercial fishing.

On Monday, Gov. Charlie Baker met with Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt in Washington, D.C., to urge movement on the project.

Read the full story at WBUR