Saving Seafood

The History of Seabird Bycatch Reduction in Alaska

June 10, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The Seabird Bycatch Problem

The presence of “free” food in the form of offal and bait attracts many birds to fishing operations. In the process of feeding, birds sometimes come into contact with fishing gear and are accidentally killed. For example, most birds taken during hook-and-line operations are attracted to the baited hooks when the gear is being set. These birds become hooked at the surface and are then dragged underwater where they drown.

The Short-tailed Albatross and The Endangered Species Act

Because the endangered short-tailed albatross, Phoebastria albatrus, occurs in areas where commercial fisheries occur off Alaska, NOAA Fisheries engages in required section 7 Endangered Species Act (ESA) consultations with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), the federal agency with trust responsibility for seabirds. Short-tailed albatrosses have been observed from commercial fishing vessels off Alaska and several have been reported taken. The USFWS has issued Biological Opinions that address the potential effects of the Pacific halibut hook-and-line fishery and the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands (BSAI) and Gulf of Alaska (GOA) hook-and-line groundfish fisheries on the endangered short-tailed albatross. The USFWS Biological Opinions state that these fisheries are not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of the short-tailed albatross. But because incidental take in the fisheries is possible, an incidental take limit has been established for each fishery. Every 2 years, beginning with 2016-2017, up to 6 short-tailed albatrosses are allowed in the BSAI and GOA groundfish hook-and-line or trawl fisheries. Up to 2 short-tailed albatrosses are allowed in the Pacific halibut fishery off Alaska. If either take limit is exceeded, NOAA Fisheries immediately re-initiates consultation with USFWS to consider possible modifications of the reasonable and prudent measures established to minimize the impacts of the incidental take.

In general, the seabird avoidance measures used to help the short-tailed albatross are not species-specific, therefore the measures can also help reduce the bycatch of other seabirds that occur around commercial fishing vessels.

Read the full release here

OSU chosen to lead NOAA institute for marine research

June 9, 2021 — Oregon State University said Tuesday it has been selected to host a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration institute focused on collaborative study of the rapidly changing ocean and expanded demands on its use.

The Cooperative Institute for Marine Ecosystem and Resources Studies, or CIMERS, will focus on four research themes: conservation, protection and restoration of marine resources; marine ecosystems; ocean acoustics; and ocean, coastal and seafloor processes.

The institute will be eligible for up to $37 million in funding over the next five years, with potential for renewal for five more years.

“NOAA’s significant support of this collaborative marine institute underscores Oregon State University’s longstanding contributions in leadership, research and teaching to protect and enhance our oceans,” said OSU Interim President Becky Johnson. “We must accelerate that work due to the extraordinary pressures and changes taking place in our oceans and climate. OSU’s collaborative model of engaging many colleges, academic disciplines and external partners is well-suited to address these issues.”

NOAA supports 20 cooperative institutes in 28 states and the District of Columbia, providing funding to extend basic and applied research beyond the federal agency’s capacity. The institutes also serve as a training ground for future NOAA employees through undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral education programs that align with NOAA’s mission.

Read the full story at KTVZ

Eight aquaculture projects slated to receive USD 11 million through NOAA grant program

June 9, 2021 — NOAA Fisheries has recommended more than USD 11 million (EUR 9 million) for 43 projects under the 2021 Saltonstall-Kennedy (S-K) Competitive Grants Program – eight of which are aquaculture initiatives.

The eight aquaculture-related projects recommended by NOAA include a number of scientific research projects examining topics ranging from pathogens to work on monetizing industry byproducts. Of the projects recommended for funding, five of them are examining subjects relevant to shellfish and bivalves.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Progress Update: Engaging Recreational Anglers in Habitat Conservation

June 9, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA funded four projects to engage recreational anglers in habitat conservation in Washington, Virginia, California, and Alaska in 2020. The projects were funded through the National Fish Habitat Partnership. They demonstrated NOAA’s commitment to collaborate with the recreational fishing community. Despite a challenging year, these projects made great progress to benefit coastal communities, fish, and habitats.

Improving Fish Passage on Mink Creek in Alaska

The Takshanuk Watershed Council removed a culvert that was blocking fish passage in Mink Creek in Southeast Alaska in August of 2020. The stream is home to coho and chum salmon, as well as Dolly Varden and cutthroat trout. It is listed in the Alaska Anadromous Waters Catalog, which provides habitat protection under state law. This spring, the Takshanuk Watershed Council began the next phase of the project. This phase includes planting native vegetation along the streambank, constructing a footbridge over the creek, and monitoring fish populations and water quality in the area. These activities will involve youth from the Chilkat Forest Investigators’ after school outdoor science program, as well as recreational anglers. The project will restore the stream and enhance habitat for species important to the recreational and subsistence fishing communities. The culvert removal was funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This work is being conducted as part of the Southeast Alaska Fish Habitat Partnership.

Read the full release here

NOAA’s whale framework draws fire from fishermen, conservationists

June 9, 2021 — A framework released by the National Marine Fisheries Service last month that calls for reducing risks to the endangered North Atlantic right whale in federal fisheries has been criticized both by conservationists and lobstermen, though for different reasons.

The framework was included in the service’s long-awaited biological opinion and requires the reduction of risks to the whales by a cumulative 98 percent in the next 10 years.

The exact measures to ensure this reduction have yet to be determined and are expected later this year, but conservationists have heavily criticized the 10-year timeline, which they argue is much too slow and not in line with rules under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

“A lot of the conservation community feel that the timeline that NOAA has laid out in the bi-op may not hold up legally,” said Zack Klyver, the director of science at Blue Planet Strategies.

Klyver and other conservationists said that under the act, the federal government is supposed to institute a plan that will get potential deaths down to almost zero annually within six months, but the fisheries service’s plan only gets there after several years.

“What they’ve suggested is they start much higher and over a 10-year period bring it down to zero,” he said.

Read the full story at the Mount Desert Islander

NORTH CAROLINA: Fisheries service to hold webinars, workshops on turtle excluder devices

June 9, 2021 — Local skimmer trawl fishermen and others have several opportunities to learn more about putting turtle excluder devices, or TEDs, on their trawls.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service is offering several webinars to assist skimmer trawl fishermen with TED installation. Fishing gear specialists with the NMFS Southeast Fishery Science Center’s gear monitoring team will host question-and-answer webinar sessions and virtual workshops summarizing upcoming skimmer trawl TED requirements and assist participants with program information and compliance.

These webinars and workshops will be held at 10 a.m. on select Tuesdays and Fridays. The case sensitive password for all these webinars is “noaa.” An audio conference call will also be available at the webinar times at 415-527-5035. The event number for each webinar is the access code for each audio conference call.

Each webinar will be recorded.

Read the full story at the Carteret County News-Times

Gentrification pressures Northeast fishing communities

June 9, 2021 — Longtime small fishing ports in New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts top the endangered list in a new NMFS social sciences study of how gentrification pressure is bearing down on those communities.

Barnegat Light, N.J., Montauk, N.Y., and Chatham, Mass., have history as home ports dating back to the 1700s, but transformed into high-priced resort towns in the 20th century. Inflating real estate values, tax burdens, development pressure, population growth are converging at a time when fishermen are facing regulatory and environmental challenges in their profession, the report shows.

Authors Matthew Cutler, a social scientist with the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, and Rose Jimenez, at the NOAA Center for Earth System Sciences and Remote Sensing Technology, applied a scoring matrix to assess social and economic changes in 29 Northeast ports from Virginia to Maine where commercial fishing is an important social and economic part of the community.

“We selected all the fishing communities in the Northeast region with ‘high’ fishing engagement scores in 2009–2018, which resulted in these 29 communities,” the authors explain in the report, published online in story map format.

“Then, for each year in each community, we added up the scores (ranging from 1 to 4) for the three gentrification pressure indices: retiree migration, urban sprawl, and housing disruption.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

N.J. fishing industry to get another $9.5M for COVID relief

June 9, 2021 — An incoming tide of federal dollars aims to lift a few boats, bait shops and seafood markets in the Garden State.

New Jersey is set to receive another $9.5 million in COVID-19 relief money for the state’s fishing industry, U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-6th, announced Tuesday.

“New Jersey’s fishing communities were deeply affected by the coronavirus pandemic, which is why I fought so hard to include robust funding for them in Congress,” Pallone said in a statement. “I want the hardworking men and women who make our fishing industry so strong to know they have my support. I’m glad we were able to ensure that the fishing community in New Jersey is receiving assistance to weather this ongoing economic storm.”

Commercial and recreational fishing is a multi-billion dollar industry in New Jersey, supporting tens of thousands of jobs. But the sector was hit hard by the pandemic. Prices for fish plunged as restaurant demand evaporated. Charter boats spent weeks tied to docks after COVID-19 safety measures were put in place.

Read the full story at NJ.com

Climate Change: NOAA Fisheries Supports Coastal Communities

June 8, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

By now we have all heard about climate change and some of us may have started to notice changes out on the water. Warmer ocean temperatures, more frequent algal blooms, your favorite species arriving earlier in the fishing season—these are all signs the environment is changing. Across the United States, changes in our climate and oceans are affecting our communities, businesses, and natural resources—including our fisheries and coastal habitats.

Climate change is already affecting the productivity, abundance, distribution, and composition of fish stocks that anglers enjoy. As waters warm, popular recreational species like black seabass and flounder are moving north along the Atlantic Coast to keep pace with rising temperatures. In the Gulf of Mexico, species are encountering more frequent algal blooms and expanding low-oxygen zones. Scientists from our Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center have found that Pacific tuna stocks will likely decrease because of climate change, regardless of how we change our management and harvest strategy.

As a result of these kinds of changes, coastal businesses, and the associated industries we cherish, face unprecedented challenges. U.S. recreational and commercial fishing and seafood industries drive $244 billion in annual economic activity and support 1.74 million jobs. These  could be disrupted by changes in climate and ocean conditions in the coming decades.

NOAA Fisheries and our partners are working across the country to understand climate challenges and do our part to ensure the sustainability and accessibility of U.S. fisheries. We are working with our partners to provide data and information needed by the fishing public, coastal businesses, local planners, and many others.

Much of this work is implemented through our Climate Science Strategy. The strategy was developed to enhance the production, delivery, and use of climate-related information in resource conservation and management. It is designed to provide decision-makers with answers to four key questions:

  • What is changing?
  • Why is it  changing?
  • How will it change?
  • How best can we respond

Read the full release here

Commercial Red Snapper Season Opening Announced in South Atlantic Federal Waters

June 8, 2021 — NOAA Fisheries announced the opening dates for both the commercial and recreational seasons for Red snapper in federal waters of the South Atlantic.

The commercial sector will open at 12:01 a.m., local time, on July 12, 2021, and will close at 12:01 a.m., local time, on January 1, 2022, unless the commercial annual catch limit is met or projected to be met before this date. If the season closes before Jan. 1, NOAA will announce the closing in the Federal Register and publish another Fishery Bulletin.

Read the full story at Seafood News