Saving Seafood

Federal regulators move to change scallop fishery rules

April 19, 2017 — Fishing regulators have started changing the way the East Coast scallop fishery is managed, with an eye toward avoiding more conflicts between small- and big-boat fishermen.

The New England Fishery Management Council decided to initiate changes Tuesday. Government fishing regulators use different rules for different classes of boats that work the same areas. Recently, a class mostly made up of smaller boats has been in conflict with bigger boats in the northern Gulf of Maine.

Some fishermen in the small-boat fishery contend the rules allow bigger boats to exploit scallops, one of the most valuable fisheries in America. Bigger boats say the two can co-exist.

The management council says there is a “critical need to initiate surveys and develop additional tools to better manage the area.” It also says the new rules could include limiting some boats from fishing in the area until the scallop population can be more accurately determined.

Crafting new rules will likely take months, and they might not be finished before next year’s scallop season begins in April.

“The process was started, but now the real work begins,” said Togue Brawn, who runs a scallop business called Downeast Dayboat and has advocated for small-boat fishermen.

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

Council against Hudson Canyon sanctuary

April 18, 2017 — A Hudson Canyon National Marine Sanctuary proposal got little to no support from the Mid-Atlantic Marine Fisheries Council.

In fact, the council voted 15-4 against it when it met in Avalon last week for its regular scheduled spring meeting.

The Wildlife Conservation Society, operators of the New York Aquarium, nominated the canyon under the marine sanctuary program, run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The aquarium’s goal is to advance marine conservation for the sensitive species and habitats in the canyon, including the permanent restriction oil, gas, and other mineral exploration and extraction.

However, fishermen have not been behind it because of the potential to be shut out of fishing the canyon. Advocates for fishermen said management of the canyon is best left to proven science-based management tools that include fishermen in the future.

They contend protections such as those that safe-guard deep sea corals, and regulations on fish are already in place.

Read the full story at the Asbury Park Press

NOAA Fisheries Announces Northeast Cooperative Research Program Review Results and Action Plan

April 18, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA:

The Northeast Fisheries Science Center initiated an independent review of its Northeast Cooperative Research Program in 2016.

The final reviewer report, NEFSC response, and action plan are now available. They can be accessed here: http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/coopresearch/ncrp-program-review/

Cooperative research is one of our most important tools for transferring knowledge between our scientific staff and the fishing industry and managers we serve. Nearly 100 people were interviewed or surveyed as part of this effort. 

We especially extend our appreciation to those who made time to participate, and look forward to a continued and stronger partnership with others in the region.    

Questions? Contact Teri Frady at 508-495-2239 or teri.frady@noaa.gov

Fishery education plan in Congress

April 18, 2017 — The federal budget may be shrinking, and bipartisanship moribund, but congressmen from two coastal states a continent apart are undeterred.

Last week, Reps. Seth Moulton (D-Massachusetts) and Don Young (R-Alabama) introduced legislation that would establish the first national program to support young men and women entering the commercial fishing industry.

The bipartisan, bicoastal bill, which would provide grants of up to $200,000 (a total of $2 million annually), is part of the Fishing Communities Coalition’s efforts to launch the first coordinated, nationwide effort to train, educate and assist the next generation of commercial fishermen. The grant program would be administered through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Sea Grant Program.

Read the full story at The Ellsworth American

UPDATE: Court rules in government’s favor in New England fishing monitor dispute

April 17, 2017 — An appeals court has found in favor of the federal government in a challenge by a New England fishermen’s group over the cost of at-sea monitoring.

The monitors are workers who collect data that help the government craft fishing regulations. The government shifted the cost of paying for monitors to fishermen last year.

A group led by New Hampshire fisherman David Goethel sued the government over the rule change. The fishermen lost in federal district court and appealed. A 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel in Boston agreed with the lower court Friday.

Monitors can cost hundreds of dollars per day. Fishermen argue it represents an illegal new cost burden they can’t shoulder in an era of tight quotas.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at NH1

From Port to Plate: A journey of New Bedford’s most profitable product

April 17, 2017 — Who knew that a silver dollar-sized scallop could provide such bang for a buck? As the most profitable item turned over in the most profitable port in the country, this milk-colored mollusk has almost been solely responsible for the re-birth of New Bedford’s working waterfront since the turn of the century.

While other New England ports have shrunk or been gentrified from a working waterfront to high rise condos and upscale restaurants, New Bedford has thrived.

In 2015, the port of New Bedford hauled in more than $321 million according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — $104 million more than Dutch Harbor, Alaska which had the second-most profitable port that year.

Three years earlier, in 2012, the municipality formerly known as the Whaling City set the national record for highest-valued catch at $411 million with scallops accounting for nearly 80 percent of that number. Alliteration aside, the Scallop City just doesn’t have the same ring to it, although a case could certainly be made for a name change.

Ed Anthes-Washburn, Port Director of the city’s Harbor Development Commission, said the port accounted for more than 36,000 jobs and held a value of $9.8 billion in economic value in 2015 — nearly double Boston’s $4.6 billion value in 2012 — according to the commissions state-funded study by Martin Associates in October.

“It’s really huge,” Anthes-Washburn said of the port’s impact on the city and the state. “We’re growing at a time where a lot of ports are shrinking.”

Fishing industry-lifers believe the scallop business will continue to boom thanks to the rotational management system that allows vessels to enter certain areas once they are deemed to be replenished by NOAA officials. Given a certain amount of trips each year, vessels can fish in those closed access areas until a designated date at which point two other areas open up. Creating a level of sustainability, the previously fished areas are then closed so that the scallops can be replenished.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

Right Whale Found Dead in Cape Cod Bay

April 17, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA:

On Thursday, April 13, a dead North Atlantic right whale was reported around 11:30 a.m. near Barnstable by researchers conducting right whale surveys in Cape Cod Bay. The United States Coast Guard provided assistance by towing the carcass to a landing site in Sesuit Harbor. Researchers then transported it by trailer to a necropsy site in Bourne for a complete examination. The necropsy logistics were organized by the International Fund for Animal Welfare and overseen by NOAA Fisheries. The examination team was led by Bill McLellan from University of North Carolina Wilmington and included stranding response experts from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, Marine Mammals of Maine, Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, Center for Coastal Studies, New England Aquarium, Massachusetts Division of Fish and Wildlife, and University of New Hampshire. 

“It’s really worrisome to know that another young right whale has died in our waters,” said Misty Niemeyer, Necropsy Coordinator for the International Fund for Animal Welfare. “As an endangered species of approximately 500 individuals, every animal is important for the survival of the population. We need to learn as much as we can from her tragic death and gain valuable insight in hopes to further protect the species.”

The young whale was a female, and was approximately 27 feet long. She has been identified as a one-year old offspring of Eg#4094 from the North Atlantic Right Whale Catalog born in 2016.

“It’s very difficult to lose one of our endangered North Atlantic right whales, but it’s important for us to use this tragedy as a means to stay vigilant in our efforts to recover the species,” says Kim Damon-Randall, assistant regional administrator for protected resources at NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Region. “We’ll analyze the samples taken from the whale for disease, biotoxins, histology, genetics, and life history information. This will provide a glimpse into the life and death of this whale, which will contribute to our efforts to protect other whales in the population.”

Preliminary findings of bruising were consistent with blunt trauma. There was no evidence of entanglement. Final diagnosis is pending ancillary laboratory tests that can take weeks or months. There have been a record high number of endangered right whales observed in Cape Cod Bay over the past few weeks, and over 100 whales were observed last weekend during an aerial survey research project. We urge vessels of all sizes to keep a close look out for right whales at all times and to travel slowly to help prevent injury to both whales and people. Right whales skim the water surface to feed or hang just below the surface and are difficult to see. They can grow to 50 feet in length and weigh up to 55 tons, so they are large animals that need space. Look for blows, ripples in the water, and patches of plankton–these are often signs that whales are in the area. Vessels and aircraft are required to maintain a distance of 500 yards from right whales.  We encourage everyone to take this opportunity to view the right whales from local Cape Cod beaches, including Race Point Beach. More information on right whales, and how to report sightings, is on NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Region’s website. 

Top cod counter: More data needed

April 14, 2017 — The Baker administration cabinet secretary in charge of the industry-based survey of Gulf of Maine cod agrees with commercial fishing interests that conclusions drawn from the initial findings of the multi-year study are premature.

Matthew A. Beaton, secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, penned a letter to commercial groundfish sectors in which he addressed the most recent incident to fan the flames of discontent among fishermen regarding the validity of the science used to measure the Gulf of Maine cod biomass.

“While it is too early too have enough data to make definitive conclusions about the status of Gulf of Maine cod, the administration anticipates the IBS data will be a helpful resource for both the fishing and research communities,” Beaton wrote.

The state Division of Marine Fisheries, which is conducting the industry-based survey (IBS) funded by fishery disaster aid monies, recently completed the first year of its random-area survey and is set to embark on the second year sometime this month.

But on April 3, a Boston Globe story proclaimed the initial results — which fall in line with the dire assessments by NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center of the cod stock’s imperiled state — “a milestone in the war over the true state of cod” in the Gulf of Maine.

The story said the DMF scientists had “reached the same dismal conclusion that their federal counterparts did: The region’s cod are at a historic low — about 80 percent less than the population from just a decade ago.”

Read the full story at The Gloucester Times 

Read the letter here

Fisheries Managers Cast Doubt on Sardine Survey Methods

April 13, 2017 — SEAFOOD NEWS — Fishing for Pacific sardines in California has been banned for the third consecutive year.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council voted Monday afternoon in Sacramento to close the fishery through June 30, 2018, because the population limit of 150,000 metric tons wasn’t met.

Researchers estimate that only about 87,000 metric tons of the oil-rich fish are now swimming around off the coast.

The decision blocks commercial fishers in San Pedro, Long Beach and elsewhere across the West Coast from anything other than small numbers of incidental takes. While sardines don’t command the high price of California shellfish, their plentiful numbers and popularity make them one of the state’s most-caught finfish.

But fishery managers say there’s reason to believe sardines are much more plentiful than studies have found.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center Deputy Director Dale Sweetnam said the acoustic-trawl method that researchers use to estimate the number of sardines is flawed.

The count is done from a large NOAA ship that surveys the entire West Coast by sampling schools of fish, and then bounces sound waves off of them to create a diagram that estimates the size.

But the ship is too large to go into harbors or coastal areas where sardines like to congregate.

“There are questions about the acoustic detector being on the bottom of the ship — how much of the schools in the upper water columns are missed by the acoustics,” Sweetnam said. “Also, the large NOAA ship can’t go in shallow waters, but most of the sardine fishery is very close to shore.”

The fisheries service will soon employ a California Department of Fish and Wildlife plane, along with drones, to survey coastal areas for sardines.

“It will take some time because we’re going to have to determine a scientific sampling scheme,” Sweetnam said. “We’re starting this collaborative work with the fishing industry to extend our sampling grid-lines to shore.”

However, environmental activists cheered the decision to close the sardine fishery for a third season.

Oceana, a worldwide conservation advocacy organization, blames the sardine population decline on overfishing.

“Over the last four years we’ve witnessed starved California sea lion pups washing up on beaches and brown pelicans failing to produce chicks because moms are unable to find enough forage fish,” said Oceana campaign manager Ben Enticknap.

“Meanwhile, sardine fishing rates spiked right as the population was crashing. Clearly, the current sardine management plan is not working as intended and steps must be taken to fix it.”

Industry representatives, however, argue that fishers are reliable environmental stewards and that they are just as eager as environmental activists to protect the long-term survival of marine species.

California fishers were able to replace sardine takes with increased numbers of squid in recent years. This year, promising anchovy stocks and other fish may keep the industry solvent.

California Wetfish Producers Association Executive Director Diane Pleschner-Steele said fishermen are frustrated.

“Fishermen are just ready to pull their hair out because there’s so many sardines and we can’t target them,” Pleschner-Steele said. “I’m relieved that the Southwest Fisheries Science Center acknowledges problems with the current stock assessment and has promised to work with the fishermen to develop a cooperative research plan to survey the near-shore area that is now missed. Unfortunately, this does not help us this year.”

This story originally appeared on Seafoodnews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

NOAA Fisheries: Changes to the King Mackerel Fishery in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Regions

April 13, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA:

KEY MESSAGE:

NOAA Fisheries announces a final rule implementing Amendment 26 to the Fishery Management Plan for Coastal Migratory Pelagics in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic regions (Amendment 26).  Amendment 26 contains actions related to king mackerel in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Region following review of the most recent population assessment.

WHEN RULE WILL TAKE EFFECT:

The rule will take effect on May 11, 2017.  

WHAT THIS RULE DOES:

  • Modifies the management boundary for the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic migratory groups of king mackerel to create a year-round boundary at the Miami-Dade/Monroe County line. The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will be responsible for management measures in the mixing zone, which includes federal waters off the Florida Keys.
  • Revises reference points, the acceptable biological catch, annual catch limits, commercial quotas, and recreational annual catch targets for Atlantic migratory group king mackerel.  These updated annual catch limits and quotas are included below in Table
  • Creates a limited incidental catch allowance for Atlantic migratory group king mackerel caught as bycatch in the shark gillnet fishery.  This rule allows for the harvest and sale of three king mackerel per crew member per trip from the Northern Zone and two king mackerel per crew member per trip from the Southern Zone, caught incidentally on shark gillnet trips.
  • Establishes a commercial split season for Atlantic migratory group king mackerel in the Atlantic Southern Zone. This split season allocates 60% of the quota to Season One (March 1 – September 30) and 40% to Season Two (October 1 – the end of February).
  • Establishes a commercial trip limit system for Atlantic migratory group king mackerel in the Atlantic Southern Zone. The commercial trip limit of 3,500 pounds remains in the area north of the Flagler/Volusia county line and remains in effect year-round when the fishery is open. South of the Flagler/Volusia county line, the trip limit is 50 fish from March 1 – March 31. After March 31, the trip limit increases to 75 fish for the remainder of Season One. For Season Two, the trip limit is 50 fish, except that beginning on February 1, if less than 70 % of the Season Two quota has been landed, the trip limit will be 75 fish.
  • Increases the recreational bag limit for Gulf of Mexico migratory group king mackerel from two to three fish per person per day.
  • Revises the annual catch limits and commercial zone quotas for Gulf of Mexico migratory group king mackerel. These updated annual catch limits and quotas are included below in Table 1.1.

Note:  As of April 1, the Gulf of Mexico/South Atlantic boundary shifted to the Collier/Monroe County line, and Monroe County is currently part of the  AtlanticSouthern Zone. When Amendment 26 becomes effective, Monroe County will become part of the Gulf of Mexico Southern Zone year-round.  The commercial zones in the Gulf of Mexico are currently closed for the 2016/2017 fishing season, but are expected to re-open when Amendment 26 becomes effective, with increased annual catch limits and commercial zone quotas. 

FEDERAL REGISTER NAME/NUMBER: 82 FR 17387, published April 11, 2017

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

Where can I find more information on Amendment 26? 

Contact NOAA Fisheries, Southeast Regional Office

By Mail: Karla Gore 

NOAA Fisheries, Southeast Regional Office 

Sustainable Fisheries Division 

263 13th Avenue South 

St. Petersburg, Florida 33701-5505 

By FAX: (727) 824-5308 

By Phone: (727) 824-5305

Amendment 26 may be found online at the NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office Web site at: http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sustainable_fisheries/gulf_sa/cmp/2016/am%2026/index.html.

Additional information on management of king mackerel in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic may be found at: http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sustainable_fisheries/gulf_sa/cmp/index.html.