Saving Seafood

SEAN HORGAN: Trump looking to ax NOAA budget

March 20, 2017 — Fresh from battering the Trump administration like a pinata over its (rescinded) plan to whack the U.S. Coast Guard budget to the tune of $1.3 billion, Washington D.C.’s loyal opposition now is taking up the cause of — wait, can this be right? — NOAA.

A dozen congressional members from coastal communities throughout the U.S. are lobbying the Office of Management and Budget to reconsider the proposed cuts of $990 million, or about 17 percent, to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s total budget.

Cape Ann’s congressman, U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Salem, is a signatory on a letter to OMB Director Mick Mulvaney pointing out that the cuts could have a devastating impact on coastal communities battling sea rise and other extreme weather events.

“To disarm our coastal communities, many of which are already experiencing first-hand the effects of severe weather, is dangerous and short-sighted,” the letter stated.

The letter also decried the proposed $513 million in cuts to the National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service and the gutting of the Sea Grant college program.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

South Atlantic Vermilion Snapper Commercial Trip Limit Reduced to 555 Pounds Whole Weight on March 22, 2017

March 20, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA:

WHAT/WHEN:

The daily trip limit for the commercial harvest of vermilion snapper in federal waters of the South Atlantic is reduced from 1,100 to 555 pounds whole weight or from 1,000 to 500 pounds gutted weight effective 12:01 a.m. on March 22, 2017.

WHY THIS TRIP LIMIT REDUCTION IS HAPPENING:

  • When commercial landings of South Atlantic vermilion snapper reach or are projected to reach 75 percent of the quota, regulations are in place to reduce the daily trip limit.
  • The trip limit reduction is necessary to slow the rate of commercial harvest to avoid exceeding the quota.

AFTER THE TRIP LIMIT REDUCTION:

  • The 555-pound whole weight or 500-pound gutted weight trip limit will remain in effect until the end of the current fishing season on June 30, 2017, or when 100 percent of the quota is reached or projected to be reached, whichever occurs first.
  • The second vermilion snapper season in the South Atlantic will open on July 1, 2017, with a 1,100-pound whole weight or 1,000-pound gutted weight trip limit.

This bulletin provides only a summary of the existing regulations. Full regulations can be found in the Federal Register or at: http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=383bc195ccbeab4fd6bec1c24905df34&node=sp50.12.622.i&rgn=div6#se50.12.622_1191

Lousiana Sea Grant likely dead if Trump budget approved, director says

March 20, 2017 — Louisiana Sea Grant, which has provided research to state officials for setting oyster and shrimp seasons, developed new storm-safe dock locations to prevent the creation of marine debris caused by hurricanes, and whose researchers are assisting state officials in development of coastal Master Plan wetlands restoration projects, would likely not survive the draconian budget cut proposed by President Donald Trump, its director said Friday.

Buried on page 14 of Trump’s 62-page “skinny budget” summary for the 2018 fiscal year released Thursday (March 16) was the axing of all funding for the nation’s Sea Grant programs, including Louisiana.

“Zeroes out over $250 million in targeted National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) grants and programs supporting coastal and marine management, research, and education including Sea Grant, which primarily benefit industry and State and local stakeholders,” says the president’s budget. “These programs are a lower priority than core functions maintained in the budget such as surveys, charting, and fisheries management.”

Read the full story at The Times Picayune

Whole Foods’ New Canned Tuna Policy: Only Pole-and-Line, Troll, or Handline Caught Tuna By 2018

March 20, 2017 — SEAFOOD NEWS — By January 2018, all canned tuna sold at Whole Foods Market must come from fisheries using only pole-and-line, troll, or handline catch methods, all of which take fish one by one, preventing bycatch and creating more jobs in coastal communities.

Whole Foods Market is the first national retailer to create such stringent standards for canned tuna, which is among the three most consumed seafood items in the United States.

The policy’s aim is to reduce overfishing and bycatch, and support fishing communities. The new sourcing policy includes canned tuna items sold in the grocery aisle as well as the prepared foods department.

Whole Food’s new canned tuna policy requires that the fisheries be certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council or rated green or yellow by the Monterey Bay Aquarium and The Safina Center.

Every supplier must also use Trace Register, traceability software that tracks each lot of tuna at every point from vessel to can. The traceability data are continuously crosschecked to help verify sourcing and prevent illegally caught or unauthorized fish from entering the supply chain.

“We created this new policy for canned tuna because we want to lead by example in sourcing only the highest quality, sustainably caught tuna,” said Carrie Brownstein, global seafood quality standards coordinator for Whole Foods Market.

“Combined with better international fishery management, overfishing and bycatch can be greatly reduced when tuna is caught by these low-impact fishing methods. We are honored to be working with suppliers and partners who are driving positive change.”

Leading brands that already source canned tuna from one-by-one fisheries, including 365 Everyday Value®, American Tuna, Pole and Line, Henry and Lisa’s, and Wild Planet, are updating their operations to meet the policy’s traceability requirements. These measures will also help importers get ahead of the traceability provisions in NOAA’s Seafood Import Monitoring Program, which has a deadline for mandatory compliance by Jan. 1, 2018.

Over the coming months, remaining suppliers will shift their operations and fishing practices to use the approved one-by-one catch methods, which are more environmentally friendly and offer more employment opportunities for fishermen worldwide.

“Since America is the largest canned tuna market in the world, shifts toward greater sustainability in this category can create a meaningful, positive impact on our oceans and our global fishing communities,” said Adam Baske, director of policy and outreach for International Pole and Line Foundation. “In some cases, these one-by-one fisheries are one of very few sources of local employment. The boats also make relatively short trips, enabling crews to return home frequently, compared to large industrial tuna vessels that may spend multiple months or even years at sea.”

Whole Foods Market’s new canned tuna policy expands on the retailer’s existing sustainability standards for fresh and frozen seafood, which also require that all seafood must either be certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council or rated green or yellow by the Monterey Bay Aquarium and The Safina Center. Additionally, all of the retailer’s farmed seafood must meet its industry-leading aquaculture standards, which include third-party on-site audits.

In 2016, Whole Foods Market introduced the retailer’s first Fair Trade certified yellowfin tuna, a designation which ensures better wages and working conditions for fishermen, and provides additional funding to their communities for improvement projects and investments. Fair Trade certification also verifies full supply chain traceability.

These continual advancements in policies and sourcing are part of Whole Foods Market’s mission to create a model that moves the seafood industry toward greater sustainability.

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

Trump wants to end grants that support Maine fishing jobs

March 20, 2017 — The national $73 million Sea Grant program, which includes about a dozen researchers affiliated with the University of Maine, could be eliminated if Congress approves drastic budget cuts proposed for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration by President Trump.

Funding for the state’s Department of Marine Resources and for collecting weather and climate data in the Gulf of Maine also could be put at risk by the president’s proposal.

Paul Anderson, director of the Sea Grant program at University of Maine, said Tuesday that the money NOAA has funded for the program has been “money well spent” because it has helped draw additional funding to Maine and has helped spur economic development.

“I think [Trump] has just got a fundamentally different attitude about government,” Anderson said Tuesday, without going into further detail. “What [people can do to try to protect the program] is write to our congressmen and senators.”

Trump’s administration already is considering slashing funding for the U.S. Coast Guard, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, and for the Environmental Protection Agency, which provides about 20 percent of Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection annual funding. Now, according to the Washington Post, the federal Office of Management and Budget is looking to cut funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration by 17 percent.

Read the full story at the Bangor Daily News

Trump’s budget cuts rattle nerves in Alaska

March 17, 2017 — Massive cuts could be in store for the agencies and people who provide the science and stewardship to preserve and protect our planet.

The budget proposed by President Donald Trump that starts in October puts on the chopping block the agencies and staff in charge of fisheries research and management, weather forecasting, satellite data tracking and the U.S. Coast Guard.

Trump called the cuts a tradeoff to “prioritize rebuilding the military” and to help fund the border wall with Mexico.

The Washington Post broke down a White House memo to the Office of Management and Budget last week that showed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration would lose 26 percent of its budget; its satellite data division would lose 22 percent of its current funding.

The National Marine Fisheries Service and the National Weather Service would each face a 5 percent cut.

Read the full story at the Alaska Journal

NOAA calls for more groundfish monitoring at sea

March 16, 2017 — NOAA Fisheries will increase its target level for at-sea monitoring to 16 percent of all groundfish trips in 2017 and expects industry reimbursements to continue, but at a lower level.

The target level for at-sea coverage, based on at-sea monitoring data from the 2013-15 fishing seasons, is a 2 percent increase over the 14 percent of all groundfish trips that included at-sea observers in 2016.

NOAA Fisheries, however, said it expects fishing sectors will pay for less than the full 16 percent because coverage from another federally-mandated monitoring program will mitigate the expense being passed to the fishing industry.

“Federally funded observer coverage provided by the Northeast Fishery Observer Program to meet the Standardized Bycatch Reporting Methodology requirements will partially satisfy the 16 percent coverage requirement,” NOAA Fisheries said. “Sectors will therefore actually pay for at-sea monitoring coverage on less than 16 percent of their groundfish trips, but the total will depend on the SBRM coverage rates, which are not yet out.”

The news that NOAA Fisheries would continue to reimburse fishermen for the expense of at-sea monitoring was surprising.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

Fishing Industry Tells Committee Regulations Go Too Far

March 16, 2017 — Allegations of bad science and lobbying by overzealous environmentalists dominated talks on marine sanctuary and monument designations during a Congressional hearing Wednesday.

The House Committee on Natural Resources met to unpack the pros and cons of such designations with a panel of industry insiders and their supporters called to testify.

Among those who testified were Brian Hallman, executive director of the American Tunaboat Association, and Chett Chiasson, executive director of the Greater Lafourche Port Commission.

Hallman offered a robust defense of watermen and the fishing industry and was quick to remind representatives that tuna profits reel in a half billion dollars annually and serves as a major boon for the U.S. economy.

According to Hallman, his organization represents all U.S. flagged fishing vessels in the Pacific Ocean and trawls the waters there pursuant to three separate treaties.

Read the full story at the Courthouse News Service

NOAA Fisheries Announces 2017 At-Sea Monitoring Coverage Levels for Groundfish Sector Fishery

March 15, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA: 

NOAA Fisheries announces that for fishing year 2017 the total target at-sea monitoring coverage level is 16 percent of all groundfish sector trips. 

This target coverage level is a 2 percentage point increase from the 2016 coverage level (14 percent). As the target coverage level is set based on an average of at-sea monitoring data from the past 3 full groundfish fishing years, this level is set based on data from the 2013-2015 fishing years.

Federally funded observer coverage provided by the Northeast Fishery Observer Program to meet the Standardized Bycatch Reporting Methodology (SBRM) requirements will partially satisfy the 16 percent coverage requirement. Sectors will therefore actually pay for at-sea monitoring coverage on less than 16 percent of their groundfish trips, but the total will depend on the SBRM coverage rates, which are not yet out.

We expect to be able to reimburse sectors for some portion of their ASM costs. We do not yet have the information we need to determine the reimbursement rate. We were able to reimburse 85 percent of at-sea monitoring costs in 2016, but expect the 2017 reimbursement rate to be lower.

Certain sector groundfish trips, those using gillnets with 10-inch or greater mesh in Southern New England and Inshore Georges Bank, are also excluded from the ASM requirement due to their low catch of groundfish species. This further reduces the portion of sector trips subject to industry-funded monitoring and better focuses monitoring resources.

For more information, please read the Summary of Analysis Conducted to Determine At-Sea Monitoring Requirements for Multispecies Sectors FY 2017available on our website.

Questions? Contact Jennifer Goebel at 978-281-9175 or jennifer.goebel@noaa.gov

Groundfish Days-at-Sea Leasing Deadline Extended to March 31

March 15, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA: 

NOAA Fisheries announces an extension of the 2016 Days-at-Sea leasing deadline for the northeast multispecies fishery. If you hold a groundfish permit for 2016, you may submit DAS leases through March 31. 

The Groundfish DAS leasing function has been re-opened in Fish Online. Paper DAS lease applications must be received in our office no later than March 31.

Questions? Please contact Mark Grant at mark.grant@noaa.gov.