Saving Seafood

MASSACHUSETTS: Speaking to call of the sea

March 15, 2021 — The voices of Gloucester fishermen and those that process their catch along the city’s historic waterfront now can be heard anywhere and for posterity.

The voices speak to the experience of living and fishing in America’s oldest commercial seaport, of the challenges and the joys of working on the waters of Cape Ann and beyond. They are at once a snapshot and endurable timeline collected into recorded interviews and fashioned into an integrated story map of the Gloucester fishing and community experience.

The stories — and the voices which tell them — are contained in the newest online chapter of the Voices of Oral History Archives organized and produced by NOAA Fisheries’ Northeast Fisheries Science Center.

It’s titled “Strengthening Community Resilience in America’s Oldest Seaport” and is a collaboration between the oral history archive and the Cape Ann Partnership for Science Technology and Natural Environment.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Scallop Research Set-Aside Program Supports 13 Projects for 2021-2022; Focus on Surveys, Bycatch Reduction, Turtles

March 15, 2021 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The Atlantic Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program will support 13 new projects under the 2021- 2022 award cycle. The awards are expected to generate approximately $12.5 million, including $3 million to fund the research and $9.5 million to compensate industry partners who harvest the set-aside scallops. The selected projects address scallop research priorities identified by the New England Fishery Management Council during its June 2020 meeting. The projects focus on resource surveys, bycatch reduction, seed scallop habitat, loggerhead turtles, and data collection by fishermen.

The awards were announced on March 15, 2021 by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center and the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, which both are part of NOAA Fisheries. The Council and NOAA Fisheries work together to support the research set-aside program. The Council sets priorities, and NOAA Fisheries manages the RSA competition and administers the program.

RSA-funded scallop surveys have become increasingly important in:

  • Providing information that directly helps scientists determine the status and distribution of the resource; and
  • Guiding the Council in management decision-making.

Read the full release here

2021-2022 Sea Scallop RSA Projects Selected

March 15, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries has selected 13 projects for 2021-2022 awards through the Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program. The selected projects focus on research priorities identified by the New England Fishery Management Council, which established the Sea Scallop RSA Program in 1999. The council sets priorities, and NOAA Fisheries manages the RSA competition and administers the program.

NOAA Fisheries expects to make final awards later this month. A list of selected projects and more can be accessed here.

Questions?

Contact Cheryl Corbett, Northeast Fisheries Science Center Cooperative Projects Coordinator

Proposed federal rules to help endangered whales could cost Maine’s lobster industry $10 million

March 15, 2021 — Federal fishing regulators are close to finalizing new rules that would require expensive gear modifications and seasonal fishing closures in Northeast waters to protect the endangered right whale. Maine regulators and fishermen fear the rules would jeopardize Maine’s billion-dollar lobster industry while environmental advocates argue they don’t go far enough.

The public comment period closed March 1 after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) hosted virtual public hearings on Feb. 23 and 24. Now, federal regulators are sifting through about 170,000 public comments to incorporate any extra information into their analysis before drafting the final environmental impact statement they hope to release by this summer.

The rule changes, if incorporated, likely wouldn’t go into effect until late 2021 or early 2022.

During the final public hearings, Maine Department of Marine Resource Commissioner Patrick Keliher echoed a statement put out by Gov. Janet Mills earlier that week stating that “a one-size-fits-all approach in the state of Maine will not work.”

Read the full story at the Penobscot Bay Pilot

NOAA Plays Pivotal Role in Combating Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported Fishing Globally

March 15, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing is a top priority for the United States. NOAA Fisheries is proud to be a leader in the nation’s comprehensive approach to this battle. It includes many government agencies working in concert to identify bad actors, suspect vessels, and ports that have no interest in protecting the integrity of the seafood supply. IUU fishing damages nations’ economies, threatens marine resources, and harms U.S. fishing fleets and consumers. Due to the inherent nature of IUU fishing, it is almost impossible to accurately quantify the full global economic impacts resulting from these activities. However, there is little disagreement that it is in the billions, or even tens of billions, of dollars each year.

The scope of IUU fishing can also be broad, occurring at various points throughout the world’s massive seafood supply chain. That means our efforts to combat IUU fishing must be multi-pronged. We work with U.S. and state agencies to promote compliance with import requirements that help prevent IUU fish and fish products from entering U.S. markets. We also work with foreign governments and regional fisheries management organizations to promote international cooperation to achieve effective, responsible marine stewardship and ensure sustainable fisheries management.​

In 2018, NOAA Fisheries established the U.S. Seafood Import Monitoring Program. SIMP mandates permitting, reporting, and recordkeeping requirements for importers of certain seafood products. It supports the identification of IUU fish and fish products and misrepresented seafood while complementing existing NOAA traceability programs for imported seafood products. The program requires documentation from the point of harvest to the point of entry into U.S. commerce for 13 seafood species. These species were identified as particularly vulnerable to IUU fishing and/or seafood fraud. SIMP seeks to trace seafood entering our domestic supply chain—deterring and combating IUU fishing and seafood fraud. Our continued implementation of SIMP includes:

  • Modernizing and integrating the technology system that supports SIMP
  • Focusing on the interplay between audits and enforcement
  • Making any necessary changes, both programmatic and regulatory, to more effectively implement the program 

Read the full release here

Reopening of the Commercial Golden Tilefish Longline Component in South Atlantic Federal Waters on March 20, 2021, for 11 Days

March 12, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

WHAT/WHEN:

The commercial longline component for golden tilefish in South Atlantic federal waters will reopen for 11 days beginning on March 20, 2021.  Commercial harvest for the longline component will reopen at 12:01 a.m., local time, on March 20, 2021, and close at 12:01 a.m., local time, on March 31, 2021.  During the 11-day reopening, the commercial trip limit for the commercial longline component for golden tilefish is 4,000 pounds gutted weight or 4,480 pounds whole weight.

WHY THIS REOPENING IS HAPPENING:

The 2021 golden tilefish commercial catch limit for the longline component is 248,805 pounds gutted weight.  On February 10, 2021, the catch limit for the commercial longline component for the 2021 season was projected to be met, and NOAA Fisheries closed the season.  However, a subsequent landings update indicates that the golden tilefish longline component catch limit has not been met, and reopening will allow the commercial longline component to reach its catch limit.

AFTER THE REOPENING AND SUBSEQUENT CLOSURE:

  • Only golden tilefish longline endorsement holders are allowed to harvest golden tilefish with longline fishing gear.
  • Golden tilefish harvested with longline fishing gear may not be sold or purchased after the closure. The prohibition on sale or purchase during the subsequent closure does not apply to fish that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold prior to 12:01 a.m., local time, on March 31, 2021, and were held in cold storage by a dealer or processor.
  • During the longline closure, a vessel with a golden tilefish longline endorsement may not commercially harvest golden tilefish using hook-and-line fishing gear, and is limited to the golden tilefish recreational bag and possession limits when the recreational sector is open, without regard to where the golden tilefish was harvested (i.e. in state or federal waters).
  • A vessel that does not have a longline endorsement, but has a commercial South Atlantic snapper-grouper unlimited permit, may commercially harvest golden tilefish with hook-and-line fishing gear until the hook-and-line catch limit is reached.
  • The 2022 fishing season for the golden tilefish commercial longline sector opens at 12:01 a.m., local time, on January 1, 2022.

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

NOAA Fisheries Approves Monkfish Quotas for 2021

March 11, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Effective May 1

NOAA Fisheries is implementing monkfish quotas for the 2021 fishing year based on specifications approved by the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils. There were no overages in 2020, and there is no new biological information, so we are now finalizing the 2021 quotas that were previously announced in September 2020. The quotas are the same as the 2020 quotas and are in place until April 30, 2022.

Table 1.  Monkfish Specifications for Fishing Year 2021

All other requirements remain the same.

For more details, read the rule as filed in the Federal Register and the permit holder bulletin.

Questions?

Industry: Contact Allison Murphy, Regional Office, 978-281-9122

Media: Contact Jennifer Goebel, Regional Office, 978-281-9175

OREGON: Crab fishery adapts following climate shock event

March 10, 2021 — An unprecedented marine heat wave that led to a massive harmful algal bloom and a lengthy closure of the West Coast Dungeness crab fishery significantly altered the use of ocean resources across seven California crab-fishing communities.

The delayed opening of the 2015-16 crab-fishing season followed the 2014-16 North Pacific marine heat wave and subsequent algal bloom. The bloom produced high levels of the biotoxin domoic acid, which can accumulate in crabs and render them hazardous for human consumption.

That event, which is considered a “climate shock” because of its severity and impact, tested the resilience of California’s fishing communities, researchers from Oregon State University, the University of Washington, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center found.

The study is the first to examine impacts from such delays across fisheries, providing insight into the response by the affected fishing communities, said James Watson, one of the study’s co-authors and an assistant professor in OSU’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences.

Read the full story at the Newport News Times

NOAA Fisheries Announces Adjustments to the Possession and Trip Limit for the Common Pool Groundfish Fishery

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

Effective on March 11, 2021, the new common pool possession and trip limits for Georges Bank (GB) cod, Gulf of Maine (GOM) cod, GOM haddock, Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic (SNE/MA) winter flounder, American plaice, and witch flounder are summarized in the tables below.  These increases are in effect through the end of the fishing year on April 30, 2021.

New FY 2020 Possession and Trip Limits

This action is intended to provide additional fishing opportunities and facilitate harvest of the common pool quotas.

For more details, please read the rule as filed in the Federal Register, and our permit holder bulletin.

Questions?

Industry: Contact Spencer Talmage, Regional Office, 978-281-9232

Media: Contact Jennifer Goebel, Regional Office, 978-281-9175

REMINDER: Emergency Rule to Increase the Vermilion Snapper Commercial Trip Limit in the South Atlantic and the King Mackerel Recreational Bag Limit in the Atlantic Ends on March 16, 2021

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

KEY MESSAGE:

  • The commercial trip limit for vermilion snapper will revert back to 1,000 pounds gutted weight in federal waters of the South Atlantic Region (Virginia/North Carolina boundary south to the Florida Keys in the Atlantic).
  • The recreational bag limit for Atlantic migratory group king mackerel (Atlantic king mackerel) will revert back to:
    • (1) 3-fish per person in federal waters from the Connecticut/Rhode Island/New York boundary to the Georgia/Florida boundary, and
    • (2) 2-fish per person in federal waters from the Georgia/Florida boundary south to the Miami-Dade/Monroe County, Florida boundary.

WHEN CHANGES WILL TAKE EFFECT:

  • The changes to the commercial trip limit for vermilion snapper and the recreational bag limit for Atlantic king mackerel will be effective 12:01 am local time, on March 17, 2021.

WHAT THIS MEANS: 

  • On September 16, 2020, NOAA Fisheries announced an emergency rule to increase:
    • The commercial trip limit for vermilion snapper from 1,000 pounds gutted weight to 1,500 pounds gutted weight in federal waters of the South Atlantic Region (Virginia/North Carolina boundary south to the Florida Keys in the Atlantic).
    • The recreational bag limit for Atlantic migratory group king mackerel (Atlantic king mackerel) from: (1) 3-fish per person to 4-fish per person in federal waters from the Connecticut/Rhode Island/New York boundary to the Georgia/Florida boundary, and (2) 2-fish per person to 4-fish per person in federal waters from the Georgia/Florida boundary south to the Miami-Dade/Monroe County, Florida boundary.
  • These changes were made in an emergency rule to address economic losses to the commercial and recreational fishing communities, and industries that have resulted from recent unforeseen events such as disruptions to market, restricted access to ports, closures of harbors and boat ramps, and disruptions to fishing supplies.
  • The emergency rule published on September 17, 2020, is effective for 180 days, and ends on March 16, 2021.

Read the full release here