Saving Seafood

MASSACHUSETTS: Gov. Baker nominates locals for regional fish council

June 17, 2021 — The New England Fishery Management Council will lose four of its longest-serving members this summer because of term limits and two of the vacant seats could be filled by candidates from Cape Ann.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker has nominated Jackie Odell, the executive director of the Gloucester-based Northeast Seafood Coalition and a Gloucester resident, as his second choice to replace retiring council Chairman John Quinn in the obligatory Massachusetts seat.

“Ms. Odell’s support of the council process established by the (Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act) is rooted in a belief that utilizing data, sound science and comprehensive analyses are essential to the management decision-making process,” Baker wrote in his nominating letter to Paul Doremus, NOAA Fisheries acting assistant administrator for fisheries. “Encouraging advancements in science and evolving scientific methodologies is vital to ensure successful management measures.”

Baker listed recreational fishing stakeholder Mike Pierdinock, of Plymouth, as his preferred candidate for the Massachusetts seat.

The governor also nominated Odell as his preferred candidate for the at-large seat that will be vacated in August by Vincent Balzano, of Saco, Maine.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Central Gulf of Alaska Marine Heatwave Watch

June 17, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Temperatures are above the long-term average, but remain below marine heatwave conditions. These conditions are wavering near conditions observed in 2017 and 2018 for this season. Recent warming has been sporadic in the region with warmer conditions in the western sector and cooler conditions near Kodiak Island and eastward.

Why monitor marine heatwaves in the Gulf of Alaska?

Climate change is impacting the ecosystem of the Gulf of Alaska and effects are expected to magnify as warming increases over the coming decades. Over the past 6 years, the Gulf of Alaska has been experiencing extended and severe marine heatwaves. From June 2014 to January 2017 the North Pacific, including the Gulf of Alaska, had increased temperatures over a region of approximately 2 million km2 with more than 2.5 °C warmer than the long-term mean (1982–2012). The 2014–2016 marine heatwave changed the ecology of the region with reduced phytoplankton production, a shift in zooplankton production from large lipid-rich (higher fat) copepods to small lipid-poor copepods, and reduced forage fish populations such as capelin (Mallotus villosus) and Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes hexapterus). Species at the top of the marine food chain experienced lower recruitment (reduced juvenile survival) and increased mortality in fishes, birds, and mammals.

We will provide monthly updates on marine heatwave conditions in the Gulf of Alaska via social media @NOAAFisheriesAK and via this webpage. We will share what we are learning about current conditions in the Gulf of Alaska this year.

Read the full release here

Nominations Sought for Positions on the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee

June 17, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is seeking nominations to fill vacancies on the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee. MAFAC advises the Secretary of Commerce on all living marine resource matters that are the responsibility of the Department of Commerce. The Committee researches, evaluates, and provides advice and recommendations to the Secretary and NOAA on the development and implementation of agency policies that address science and regulatory programs critical to the mission and goals of the NOAA Fisheries Service.

MAFAC members are highly qualified, diverse individuals with experience across the wide spectrum of:

  • Commercial, recreational, aquaculture, and subsistence fisheries
  • Seafood industry, including processing, marketing, working waterfronts, and restaurants
  • Marine, ecosystems, or protected resources management and conservation
  • Human dimensions or social sciences associated with living marine resources.

Members may be associated with tribes and indigenous peoples, environmental organizations, academia, consumer groups, and other marine life interest groups.

Nominees should possess demonstrable expertise in one of these areas. They must also be able to fulfill the time commitments required for two in-person annual meetings, one to two virtual meetings, and between-meeting subcommittee work. Membership is balanced geographically across states and territories, ethnically, and on the basis of gender, in addition to the range of expertise and interests listed. Individuals serve for a term of 3 years and may serve a second consecutive term, if re-appointed.

Read the full release here

Sea Turtle Week 2021

June 17, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Celebrate Sea Turtle Week with NOAA Fisheries! Sea turtles have been swimming in Earth’s oceans for hundreds of millions of years. These marine reptiles lead incredible lives, surviving for many decades at sea. They travel thousands of miles in search of food, eventually returning to the beaches where they were born to nest.

They are a key part of marine ecosystems worldwide, but they face many threats today. Six sea turtle species are found in U.S. waters and all are threatened or endangered. The largest among them—the Pacific leatherback—is critically endangered. Of all the species NOAA Fisheries protects under the Endangered Species Act, we consider the Pacific leatherback to be one of the nine species most at risk of extinction in the near future.

Explore turtle features and videos below. Stay tuned all week to learn how we conserve and protect sea turtles and how you can help too.

Read the full release here

New England Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program Funding Awarded

June 17, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Region has announced recommendations to fund the first year of four multi-year New England Bay Watershed Education and Training Program (B-WET) projects under the 2021-2022 New England B-WET grant competition. Funds will also be used to support six existing B-WET projects.

Projects fall under two priority categories:

  • Backyard B-WET in a Pandemic
  • Second Glance: Capacity-Building for Sustainability

B-WET funds locally relevant, authentic experiential learning for K-12 audiences through Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs). MWEEs are multi‐stage activities that include learning both outdoors and in the classroom and aim to increase understanding and stewardship of watersheds and related ocean, coastal, riverine, estuarine, and Great Lakes ecosystems.

New England B-WET focuses on the priorities and challenges facing New England watersheds by helping students and teachers apply scientific methods and tools to understand and appreciate their local watershed system. The New England region includes Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. B-WET encourages students to become more interested in science, technology, engineering, and math. By focusing on watersheds where they live and by participating in personally relevant stewardship projects, students and teachers can become knowledgeable stewards of their local environment.

To learn more about this year’s awardees visit our website.

Read the full release here

Local Divers Plunge into Puget Sound to Count Endangered Rockfish

June 17, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Counting fish can be difficult. Fish move, hide, and reproduce; they eat and are eaten. Many have evolved coloration patterns and body shapes that help them avoid being seen. The small size of young fish makes them especially hard to see. They may show up at inconsistent times and places, or not at all, depending on unpredictable environmental conditions.

This was the quandary rockfish experts faced in 2017. The federal recovery plan for bocaccio and yelloweye rockfish in Puget Sound called for annual surveys of the endangered rockfish produced that year, also known as young-of-the-year fish.

Very little is known about how young fish join rockfish populations in Puget Sound, a process called recruitment. Sometimes few fish recruit into the population, despite adequate abundance of reproductive adults. When climatic and oceanographic conditions align, however, rockfish recruits arrive in near-shore habitats in great abundance. Understanding the conditions that lead to these boom years is key to developing management actions to protect and recover rockfish in the region.

That still left the difficult question of how to count tiny (less than 10 centimeters long) rockfish recruits throughout Puget Sound. The best option for NOAA was a collaborative effort with partners throughout the region, including community scientists who are also scuba divers. Scuba diving offers the opportunity to observe fish directly, including taking photos, with minimal disturbance or disruption of their behavior, and no mortality.

Read the full release here

Canh Nguyen, Fisheries Methods and Equipment Specialist

June 16, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Where did you grow up? 

My parents emigrated from South Vietnam and settled in Abbeville. It is a small town near the central coast of Louisiana, where I was born and raised.

How did you come to work at the Southeast Fisheries Science Center? 

Prior to working at the Southeast Fisheries Science Center, I attended University of Louisiana at Lafayette with a major in Business Systems Analysis Technologies for 3 years. Circumstances forced me to leave college and continue the family shrimping business. I continued to work as a commercial shrimper in Louisiana for the next 10 years. During a routine TED check, I met Mr. Dale Stevens from the science center’s Gear Monitoring Team and during our interaction learned more about NOAA. I was intrigued at all the research and ingenuity done with the turtle excluder devices, something I have personally worked with throughout my years as a shrimper. When a position within the Gear Monitoring Team became available, I knew I would be a perfect fit for the role. I had a unique skill set, I’m bilingual in Vietnamese and English, and had 15 years of working with TEDs. In 2016, I got the opportunity to work with NOAA and I have been part of the Gear Monitoring Team since.

What do you do at the Science Center? 

I am a Fisheries Methods and Equipment Specialist and Gear Monitoring Team Leader. My work consists of providing TED outreach to the shrimping industry. For the community I conduct at-sea and dockside courtesy inspections and building workshops. I also conduct inspection training for federal and state law enforcement along the entire Southeast region.

Canh is featured in this short video discussing the importance of turtle excluder devices, how they work, and compliance.

Read the full release here

2021 Commercial Halibut Season Is Set to Open

June 16, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The first 3-day commercial halibut fishing season of 2021 in federal waters off the West Coast begins next week. It starts on Tuesday, June 22 at 8 a.m. and ends on Thursday, June 24 at 6 p.m. NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement will be conducting patrols throughout the season along with our partners.

Patrols will focus on ensuring compliance with the rules and regulations governing commercial halibut fishing. These include:

  • Proper marking of fishing gear
  • Permitting and vessel documentation
  • Minimum size and possession restrictions

All setline or skate marker buoys carried on board or used by any U.S. vessel for halibut fishing must be marked with either the vessel’s state license number or registration number. The markings must be in legible characters at least 4 inches high and one-half inch wide in a contrasting color visible above the water.

Learn more about commercial halibut fishing regulations

Our partners in these patrols include:

  • U.S. Coast Guard
  • Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police
  • Oregon State Police
  • California Department of Fish and Wildlife

Read the full release here

Biden’s 30×30 plan gives hope, but also uncertainy

June 16, 2021 — On May 6th, the Biden administration released the “Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful” report that instructed NOAA to expand the National Marine Sanctuaries System, the National Estuarine Research Reserve System, to “help restore fish populations and better protect threatened and endangered species.” This report is considered the administration’s plan to meet the 30% of land and water protected by 2030 or “30 by 30” initiative put forth by executive order (E.O. 14008) in January 2021.

Before getting into the specifics of this report, it is worth reviewing the history of the “30×30” planning process and some of the initial responses from stakeholders:

  • October 2015 – Jane Lubchenco and Kirsten Grorud-Colvert publish a paper in Science Magazine titled: “Making waves: The science and politics of ocean protection”. This paper is credited for introducing the 30% global marine protected area (MPA) target.
  • September 2016 – The World Conservation Congress voted to support increasing the portion of the ocean that is highly protected to at least 30% to help effectively conserve biodiversity.
  • November 2020 – U.S. Representative Raul Grijalva introduced the Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act. Title II of this act called for expanding marine protected areas (MPAs) in U.S. waters to equal 30% of the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
  • November 2020 – Immediately after this introduction, more than 830 seafood industry stakeholders sent a letter to Rep. Grijalva expressing their concern about the proposals under Title II.
  • December 2020 – 28 prominent marine scientists sent a similar letter of opposition to Congress, questioning the justification for 30% MPAs described in Title II.

When the Biden administration introduced the 30×30 initiative in January 2021, various fishing industry stakeholders were upset for similar reasons described in the letters of opposition towards Title II of the Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act.

Read the full story at Sustainable Fisheries UW

Meet Joseph (Joey) Bennington-Castro, Science Writer

June 16, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

What are your key responsibilities?

I am the senior science writer at the NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Regional Office. As a science writer, I share stories about our conservation and management activities in as many formats as I am able. This runs the gamut from: a short article about the birth of a new monk seal to a Q&A about one of our partners to a feature story about a project we funded to help revitalize ancient Hawaiian loko iʻa (fishponds) to a StoryMap about a new type of coral nursery. I work with the rest of our wonderful communications team to develop and edit outreach products, and I help manage our Twitter and Facebook accounts. I am also a photographer and videographer. I have produced videos about the fishing culture of American Samoa, a project that uses sea urchins to clean up invasive algae, and the stranding of a young melon-headed whale, among others.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Waiʻanae, an underserved community on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi.

What is your educational background?

I attended the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa to study physics and astronomy in hopes of one day specializing in extrasolar planets. Upon earning my B.S. in physics and completing a couple of astronomy research projects, I realized that the life of a scientist (or at least that of an astronomer) wasn’t for me. What I really enjoyed was sharing and talking with people about science—this passion, along with my longtime love of writing, led me to the field of science journalism. I earned a certificate in professional writing from UHM, followed by an M.A. in journalism and an advanced certificate in science, health, and environmental reporting from New York University.

Is there a book, quote, or person that influenced you to be the person that you are today?

While growing up, I had strong female role models who shaped who I am today, particularly my mother and my eldest sister. They have both always been hard-working women who showed me through their words and actions how true strength comes from compassion, kindness, and generosity. I have also always taken to heart the Golden Rule: Treat others the way you want to be treated. I try to keep these ideals in mind not only during my interactions with other people, but also in the way I treat this planet—without which none of us would be here. I am far from perfect, and I fail more often than I like to admit. But I am grateful that I am able to look to these role models and find the motivation and inspiration to keep growing as a person.

Read the full release here