Saving Seafood

2021 Northeast Spring Ecosystem Monitoring Cruise Completed

June 24, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

During May, researchers returned to sea for the ecosystem monitoring cruise. This was the first ecosystem monitoring cruise since operations were stopped in 2020 to reduce risks posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. This one-year hiatus is the longest gap in sampling in the nearly 45-year record of oceanographic observations made on this recurring cruise.

Scientists and crew aboard the NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter sampled at 106 stations. They achieved near-complete coverage of the survey area from Delaware through Southern New England.

Fewer days were available for the cruise than originally planned, so the scientific crew dropped all stations south of Delaware Bay to accommodate the time available. Coverage was also reduced on the Scotian Shelf, in the northern Gulf of Maine, and on Georges Bank, when a fast-moving storm front passed through, making sampling impossible. Instead, the team moved into the western Gulf of Maine to keep working, and collected more mackerel eggs and larvae.

Samples of zooplankton—tiny animals and very young stages of some larger ones—provide information about the food chain supporting fisheries and marine mammals. Scientists use larval fish and egg samples to learn more about fish stock spawning and help estimate stock abundance. Measurements of physical and chemical conditions like temperature and salinity help us describe ecosystem productivity, spawning, larval recruitment, fish condition, and species distributions.

Together, the core measurements conducted by our ecosystem monitoring (EcoMon) cruises help researchers understand and predict changes in the Northeast shelf ecosystem and its fisheries. Researchers are scheduled to sail on the next EcoMon survey in August aboard NOAA Ship Pisces.

Read the full release here

Gulf Shrimp Landings in 2021 Slightly Up, But SSA Notes Anomalies in Data Collection

June 24, 2021 — The Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA) reports that 19.1 million pounds of shrimp were landed across the Gulf of Mexico through the first five months of 2021, up from 17.0 million pounds over the same time period in the last two years. However, landings of shrimp in the Gulf this year have been 23 percent below the nineteen-year historical average of 24.9 million pounds, SSA notes.

Landings data are reported monthly from the Fishery Monitoring Branch of NOAA Fisheries’ Southeast Fisheries Science Center. The Alliance provides context and historical perspective on the numbers for their members, the domestic shrimp industry in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas.

Read the full story at Seafood News

NOAA Fisheries Seeks Comments on Proposed Rule: Framework 61 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan

June 24, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

We are seeking public comment on an action developed by the New England Fishery Management Council that would set or adjust catch limits for groundfish stocks for the 2021 fishing year (May 1, 2021 – April 30, 2022), including the three stocks managed jointly with Canada. For 2021, Framework 61 would decrease six stock quotas, and increase four stock quotas compared to 2020. These revised catch limits are based upon the results of stock assessments conducted in 2020 and are intended to help prevent overfishing and rebuild overfished stocks.

This action would also revise the status determination criteria for Georges Bank and Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic winter flounder, implement a revised rebuilding plan for white hake, and implement a universal exemption for sectors to target redfish.

Read the proposed rule as published in the Federal Register, and submit your comments through the online portal.

The comment period is open through 07-09-2021.

Deep Sea Corals Off Coastal Maine Get Permanent Protection

June 24, 2021 — Fisheries regulators in the Northeast are permanently putting some 25,000 square miles of seafloor off-limits to some types of commercial fishing, in an effort to protect sensitive deep-sea corals.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a final rule this week that bars mobile bottom-trawling gear from vast deep-sea areas along the outer continental shelf off New England and in some smaller areas closer to Maine’s coast.

“The deep sea corals have a very fragile skeleton, and can be broken or displaced with a single pass of these nets, and they won’t recover,” says Gib Brogan, who directs advocacy campaigns for the international group, Oceana.

Brogan says the areas in question don’t see many trawlers right now – but the NOAA designations mark a proactive effort to ward off damaging fishing practices that have emerged elsewhere.

“Looking for other species that are not part of the fisheries in the U.S. There’s a particular piece of gear called a “canyon-buster door” that was specifically engineered to go fishing in the deep water canyons where the corals are growing,” Brogan says.

Read the full story at Maine Public

Retired Biologist Leaves Legacy of Gains for Salmon Across Central Washington

June 23, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Dale Bambrick jokes he has seen the world, or at least as much as you can see between Issaquah and Ellensburg. He retired in May after 20 years leading NOAA Fisheries’ Ellensburg Office, and delivering critical gains for salmon and steelhead across Central Washington.

“I have never seen someone so committed to the resource, who was willing to say what was important and work so hard to make things happen,” said Barry Thom, Regional Administrator for NOAA Fisheries’ West Coast Region. “I have always appreciated Dale’s commitment and his humor to get us through some pretty tough issues.”

Dale Bambrick spent 37 years protecting and improving habitat and more to recover salmon in central Washington. Dale grew up in Issaquah and then crossed the mountains to attend Central Washington University in Ellensburg. He started as an art major, but with the encouragement of a professor he switched to biology.

In 1983 Dale’s advisor encouraged him to pursue a doctorate at Oregon State University. Instead, he accepted an offer from Grant County Public Utility District to join its environmental division. There he studied strategies to improve the survival of fish passing through dams, such as guidance nets that funnel fish toward safer passage routes. He also pondered the future: Should he be a teacher, a fish biologist, or go to graduate school?

In 1988 Dale left Grant County to work for the Yakama Nation’s fisheries division, starting as a habitat biologist. Three years later he became Environmental Director, building a strong team. He helped lay the foundations for habitat conservation plans in the upper Columbia, assuring improvements for salmon. He developed the fisheries portion of the Yakama Nation’s Forest Management Plan. He also helped shape state water policy, returning more water to streams for fish.

Read the full release here

As Marine Fish Shift With Climate Change, Scientists Work Across Borders to Ensure Sustainability

June 23, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The cold waters of the eastern Bering Sea support some of the world’s largest and best-managed commercial fisheries. Sustainable management of these fisheries is founded on scientific information provided by Alaska Fisheries Science Center groundfish surveys. New collaborative research is providing information to ensure accurate local estimates of fish abundance in a changing Bering Sea.

Recent rapid, large-scale movements of fish driven by unprecedented warming in the Bering Sea have created a challenge for survey scientists. As fish populations track their preferred conditions, they are shifting northward and westward, likely beyond historical survey boundaries.

“To maintain sustainable fisheries, managers need to understand how climate is influencing how many fish there are and where they are. As fish populations shift in response to changing ocean conditions, we need to adapt and expand our surveys to provide accurate information that represents the entire population,” said Cecilia O’Leary, NOAA Fisheries biologist, Alaska Fisheries Science Center.

Read the full release here

FY22 S-K Grant Competition—Notice of Funding Opportunity

June 23, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The goal of the Saltonstall-Kennedy program is to fund projects that address the needs of fishing communities, optimize economic benefits by building and maintaining sustainable fisheries, and increase other opportunities to keep working waterfronts viable. The FY22 solicitation seeks applications that fall into one of two priorities:

  • Promotion, Development, and Marketing.
  • Science or Technology that Promotes Sustainable U.S. Seafood Production and Harvesting.

This year’s solicitation consists of two separate submission processes. All interested applicants must submit a 2 page pre-proposal through the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) posted at www.Grants.gov. Pre-proposals must be received at Grants.gov, postmarked, or provided to a delivery service by 11:59 pm, Eastern Time, August 16, 2021. Use of Grants.gov is preferred.

It is important to note that under this one NOFO there are two competition links. Please be sure to submit pre-proposals to the “Pre-Proposals FY22 Saltonstall-Kennedy” link within the dates specified in this NOFO. Full proposals will be submitted under the “Full Proposals FY22 Saltonstall-Kennedy” link prior to the closing date of November 29,2021. Be sure to read the NOFO and follow the directions and formatting requirements closely.

Learn more about the Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program and how to apply for the FY22 Competition.

Read the full release here

Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding Partners Necropsy Minke Whale Near Gustavus

June 23, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

A couple walking on the beach near Gustavus dock early on Sunday, May 30 were initially excited to spot a minke whale surface near a moored vessel. But then, they saw the whale dive and heard the mooring chain on the vessel pull taut, and the vessel spun around. That’s when they knew the whale was entangled.

A short time later, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve Whale Biologist Janet Neilson had received word of the entanglement at home. She reported it to NOAA Fisheries’ Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline.

Read more.

Janet Coit named to lead NOAA Fisheries; Rick Spinrad confirmed as NOAA administrator

June 22, 2021 — Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management head Janet Coit was named to lead the National Marine Fisheries Service, also known as NOAA Fisheries, on Monday, 21 June, a move met with wide approval from a variety of stakeholder groups.

Coit will oversee a governmental agency that employs 4,800 people in five regional offices, six science centers, and more than 20 laboratories in 15 states and U.S. territories. It is responsible for the management and conservation of recreational and commercial fisheries, including some aspects of marine aquaculture.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Kathryn Ford To Manage Lifeblood of Ocean Science: Data Collected Directly from Nature

June 22, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Kathryn Ford is now leading the center’s Population and Ecosystems Monitoring and Analysis Division. She is replacing Wendy Gabriel who retired in 2021 after 38 years with NOAA Fisheries.

This division executes a massive data acquisition, management, and analysis effort. It includes scientific ecosystem surveys on vessels operated by NOAA, universities, other national oceanographic laboratories, and fishing vessels. The team also analyzes biological trends in important fishery species. It conducts biological studies to understand how a range of ecosystem factors influence the growth and health of important fishery species.

Ford comes with a great respect for the work she will manage. “I believe in the science that this particular team brings to the table,” said Ford. “This division’s data collection and analysis are central to what the center does. They are the basis for all the other analyses.”

Ford comes to NOAA Fisheries after a career filled with multidisciplinary work in coastal and ocean science at the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries.  Initially hired there to pilot a remotely operated towed vehicle in a conservation engineering study, she eventually rose to lead the division’s fisheries habitat program.

Trained as an oceanographer, Ford has applied those skills to coastal and ocean planning, artificial reefs and eelgrass restoration, aquaculture, and offshore wind energy development. She served on:

  • The first state joint task force to work with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on wind energy areas off Massachusetts and Rhode Island
  • The Northeast Regional Ocean Council
  • The New England Fishery Management Council’s Habitat Plan Development Team

Read the full release here