Saving Seafood

Reminder: New Permitting and Reporting Requirements for Recreational Blueline and Golden Tilefish

August 11, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Beginning August 17, all recreational vessels fishing for blueline or golden tilefish must have a permit and report catch within 24 hours of returning to port.

Who Does This Impact?

  • Vessels fishing for or retaining tilefish from Virginia to Maine.
  • For-hire vessels holding an existing GARFO permit who take private recreational tilefish trips.
  • States may have additional permitting or reporting requirements for recreational fishing.

What Do I Need To Do?

  • Obtain a Private Recreational Tilefish Permit from the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO).
  • Report your trip with one of the available reporting options.

How Do I Get a Permit?

  • Start by registering an account on GARFO Fish Online.
  • Create a user name and password.
  • Existing permit holders may apply through their current Fish Online account.
  • Click Initial Private Recreational Tilefish Permit.

How Do I Report?

  • You must report all trips that either targeted or retained tilefish to GARFO within 24 hours of returning to port using an approved electronic vessel trip reporting (eVTR) system.
  • More information on recreational tilefishing can be found on our recent Bulletin.

MASSACHUSETTS: Baker Polito Administration Announces Disaster Relief Funding for Fishing and Seafood Industries

August 10, 2020 — The Baker-Polito Administration has announced the distribution of $27.8 million in federal disaster relief funding to mitigate the financial impacts to the fishing and seafood industries from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Division of Marine Fisheries worked with fishing industry stakeholders to develop a plan to distribute the federal fisheries assistance, which has now been approved by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“The fishing and seafood industries are integral parts of the economy, history and culture of Massachusetts,” said Governor Charlie Baker.

“Our Administration remains dedicated to supporting these industries, and we look forward to getting these needed relief funds to impacted fishermen and businesses as quickly as possible.”

Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito added, “These funds will be a needed lifeline for the Commonwealth’s fishing and seafood businesses, as well as the families and coastal communities who rely on these industries.”

“The distribution of these CARES Act funds is another important step in our efforts to help those who have been impacted by the pandemic.”

Read the full story at CapeCod.com

Despite Federal Ruling, Fish Farm Company Says Gulf Project Moving Forward

August 10, 2020 — This week a federal court ruled that offshore fisheries cannot be permitted in the Gulf of Mexico under existing policy. Opponents of a proposed fish farm off Sarasota’s coast called the decision a victory, but the CEO of the company spearheading the local project says he’s pushing ahead.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that it was illegal for the Department of Commerce to issue regulations that would have permitted large-scale aquaculture operations offshore in U.S. federal waters. The ruling affirmed a 2018 decision, which the Trump Administration had appealed.

“Basically, the case hinged on whether aquaculture could be considered fishing under the law and the court decided that it couldn’t,” said Marianne Cufone, a Tampa and New Orleans based environmental law attorney who argued against fish farming.

“That seems correct,” she said. “Fishing and fish farming are not the same thing–just like duck hunting and duck farming aren’t the same thing. The agency was essentially saying that because they pull the fish from the water out of the net pens, that that equates to harvesting a wild fish and as the court said in its opinion, they wouldn’t bite.”

Read the full story at WUSF

Are All U.S. Sharks Overfished?

August 10, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The world’s oceans are home to around 500 species of sharks. With so many species, it’s difficult to talk about the status of shark stocks overall. Regardless of the species, federal laws and regulations work to ensure that shark fisheries in the United States are healthy going into the future.

Read the facts below to learn more about what it means to be overfished and how we sustainably manage our shark fisheries.

1. U.S. law requires that shark fishing rules foster long-term biological and economic sustainability.

Fishery management in U.S. federal waters is governed primarily by the Magnuson-Stevens Act. First passed in 1976, the act requires that all fishery management plans meet 10 National Standards. That means the approximately 50 species of sharks managed in federal waters are fished under rules designed to:

  • Prevent overfishing
  • Rebuild overfished stocks
  • Increase long-term economic and social benefits of fisheries
  • Ensure a safe and sustainable seafood supply

Gulf of Mexico blacktip sharks are a good example of these rules at work. A popular food fish, blacktip sharks experienced a slight population decline in the 1990s. We established a quota specifically for this population in 2015. That combined with retention limits tied to other commercially valuable species contributed to a higher population today than the target level set by scientists.

Learn more about U.S. fisheries management

Understand why U.S.-caught sharks are a sustainable food choice

2. The terms “overfished” and “threatened” mean different things.

It’s a common misconception that overfished species are at risk of extinction. But the categories of overfished and overfishing are not directly related to threatened and endangered designations under the Endangered Species Act.

To understand the difference, it helps to know another term: maximum sustainable yield. This is the largest catch level that a species can sustain over a long period of time. If a stock is declared overfished, that means its numbers have fallen too low to produce its maximum sustainable yield. An overfished status doesn’t say anything directly about whether the species is endangered or likely to become endangered.

NOAA Fisheries is dedicated to rebuilding overfished stocks. Of the 43 shark stocks managed in the Atlantic Ocean, six are overfished. We have put rebuilding plans in place for each of these with strict catch limits based on the best available science. These limits are closely monitored and enforced.

Learn more about efforts to rebuild sandbar shark populations

Learn more about how retention limits help us sustainably manage shark fisheries

3. Our largest shark fisheries target healthy stocks.

The vast majority of sharks harvested in the United States are species with above-target population levels. In the Atlantic, for example, 94 percent of all U.S. shark landings in 2018—including bycatch—were of five species, which are neither overfished nor subject to overfishing:

  • Spiny dogfish shark
  • Smooth dogfish shark
  • Gulf of Mexico blacktip shark
  • Atlantic sharpnose shark
  • Finetooth shark

Two of these—spiny dogfish and Gulf of Mexico blacktip—have actually experienced population growth over recent decades.

Learn more about how spiny dogfish have benefited from sustainable management

Read the full release here

NOAA cancels surveys, angering fishermen

August 10, 2020 — A week after announcing the Aug. 14 redeployment of at-sea monitors aboard Northeast groundfish vessels, NOAA Fisheries said it is canceling four fisheries and ecosystem surveys over COVID-19 safety concerns for its staff.

“After much deliberation, we determined we will not be able to move forward with these surveys while effectively minimizing risk and meeting core survey objectives,” NOAA Fisheries said in a statement.

The cancellation of the surveys further angered fishing stakeholders already incensed by what they regard as NOAA Fisheries’s insensitivity toward health concerns of commercial fishermen in the push to redeploy at-sea monitors while the pandemic continues.

“NOAA doesn’t have anybody working in its offices and has canceled much of its on-the-water field work out of safety concerns for its staff,” Jackie Odell, executive director of the Gloucester-based Northeast Seafood Coalition, said Thursday. “Data is very important. Monitoring is very important. But at some point, NOAA has to understand that the lives of fishermen and their families don’t come second. That has to be a top priority.”

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Feds cancel study of Maine’s imperiled shrimp fishery

August 7, 2020 — The federal government is canceling a research survey about New England’s imperiled shrimp fishery due to challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Maine shrimp fishery has been shut down for several years because of concerns such as poor survival of young. Scientists have said environmental conditions in the Gulf of Maine have put the future of the fishery at risk.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was scheduled to perform a research survey about the fishery this year, but announced its cancellation this week. The agency said it’s also canceling a handful of other research surveys off the East Coast and Gulf Coast because of “uncertainties created by the COVID-19 pandemic and the unique challenges those are creating for NOAA Fisheries.”

The shrimp were once a popular winter seafood item. Fishermen also harvested them in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

Read the full story at the Bangor Daily News

NOAA Fisheries Announces a Delay in Effective Date for New For-Hire Electronic Reporting Requirements in the Atlantic

August 7, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

KEY MESSAGE:

NOAA Fisheries is delaying the effective date of the final rule to implement the South Atlantic For-Hire Reporting Amendment. The final rule establishes electronic reporting requirements for vessels with a federal charter vessel/headboat permit for Atlantic coastal migratory pelagics, or Atlantic dolphin and wahoo, or South Atlantic snapper-grouper and modifies the reporting deadline for headboats.

WHEN RULE WILL TAKE EFFECT:

The rule will be effective on January 4, 2021.

WHAT THIS MEANS:

  • No action is required by federally permitted charter fishermen at this time. NOAA Fisheries will send more information in the fall of 2020. If you have questions, please call 833-707-1632
  • The final rule requires weekly electronic reporting for federally permitted charter fishermen and modifies the reporting deadline for headboats starting January 4, 2021.
  • The requirements for weekly electronic reporting apply to charter vessels with a federal charter vessel/headboat permit for Atlantic coastal migratory pelagics, or Atlantic dolphin and wahoo, or South Atlantic snapper-grouper.
    Charter fishermen must report information such as trip start and end dates and times, species kept and discarded, fishing location, depth fished, hours fished, and charter fee.
  • Electronic reports from charter fishermen are due by Tuesday following the end of each reporting week, which runs from Monday through Sunday.
  • Charter fishermen can report using their computer, smartphone, or tablet with access to the internet. Reporting must be through software approved by NOAA Fisheries for this program.  NOAA Fisheries will send information on approved software and how to use it through a toolkit mailed to each permit holder in fall of 2020.  This information will also be posted to our website.
  • Headboat vessels with a federal charter vessel/headboat permit for Atlantic coastal migratory pelagics, or Atlantic dolphin and wahoo, or South Atlantic snapper-grouper will continue to submit reports to the Southeast Headboat Survey but will be required to submit electronic fishing reports by Tuesday following a reporting week, rather than by Sunday.

FORMAL FEDERAL REGISTER NAME/NUMBER: 85 FR 47917, published August 7, 2020

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

NOAA FISHERIES: Reminder: Closed Area II Closed From August 15 – November 30

August 7, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The Closed Area II Access Area is closed from August 15 – November 30.  Scallop vessels must be outside of the area at 0001 on August 15, 2020, and any ongoing Closed Area II trips must be terminated.  For fishing year 2020, the existing seasonal closure in Closed Area II is extended an additional 15 days to reduce bycatch of northern windowpane flounder and Georges Bank yellowtail flounder.  Closed Area II will reopen on December 1, 2020, for the remainder of the 2020 fishing year and the first 60 days of fishing year 2021 (April 1, 2021 – May 30, 2021).

Questions?

Fishermen: Contact Travis Ford, Sustainable Fisheries, 978-281-9233

Media: Contact Allison Ferreira, Regional Office, 978-281-9103

Scientists Develop Annual Forecast for the Hawaiʻi Bigeye Fishery

August 6, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Scientists in the Pacific Islands region published new research that can help predict catch rates in the Hawaiʻi longline fishery. Drs. Phoebe Woodworth-Jefcoats and Johanna Wren found that information about phytoplankton (microscopic algae) can be used to forecast catch rates for bigeye tuna. They used the size of phytoplankton to forecast catch rates for up to 4 years. This information could help advance ecosystem-based fisheries management in the Pacific Islands region.

Woodworth-Jefcoats and Wren hypothesize that the size of phytoplankton is an indicator of the quality of food for larval and juvenile bigeye tuna. While bigeye tuna don’t actually eat phytoplankton, they do eat zooplankton that eat phytoplankton. Zooplankton are tiny animals that drift with the ocean currents and are prey to many oceanic species. When there is more large phytoplankton, there is likely more large zooplankton and more high-quality food for young bigeye tuna. And when young bigeye tuna have better food, more of them survive to reach adulthood. These fish are then available for capture by the Hawaiʻi fishery.

Read the full release here

Seafood task force submits recommendations to US Trade Representative

August 6, 2020 — A task force looking at bolstering the competitiveness of the U.S. seafood industry submitted its recommendations to do just that to the U.S. Trade Representatives on Wednesday, 5 August, NOAA announced in a release on Thursday, 6 August.

A list or summary was not released. Kate Goggin, a NOAA Fisheries spokesperson, told SeafoodSource the recommendations are “an internal, deliberative document.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source