Saving Seafood

NOAA Fisheries Announces Atlantic Herring Management Area 1A Sub-ACL Harvested

November 9, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Effective 00:01 hours on November 11 through December 31, 2020

Under the New England Fishery Management Council’s Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan, no person may, fish for, possess, transfer, receive, land, or sell more than 2,000 lb of herring per trip or per calendar day in or from Area 1A for the remainder of the fishing year, as of the projected date when 92 percent of the Herring Management Area 1A catch limit will be harvested.  At 00:01 hours on November 11, 2020, a 2,000-lb herring possession limit per trip or calendar day will become effective for Management Area 1A (Figure 1) and will be in effect through December 31, 2020.

This action also prohibits federally permitted dealers from purchasing, possessing, receiving, selling, bartering, trading, transferring, or attempting to carry out the above actions for more than 2,000 lb of herring per trip or calendar day from Management Area 1A.

This action is in effect through 24:00 hr local time, December 31, 2020, unless it is from a vessel that enters port before 00:01 local time on November 11, 2020.

Read the full release here

NOAA Fisheries to Require Electronic Vessel Trip Reporting for Commercial and For-Hire Vessels

November 9, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Effective November 10, 2021

NOAA Fisheries is approving a recommendation from both the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils to require federally permitted commercial fishing vessels to submit vessel trip reports electronically within 48 hours of the end of a trip.

Upon request of the New England Council, we are also extending this requirement to vessels issued for-hire (charter/party) permits for New England Council-managed fisheries (i.e., Northeast multispecies). Vessels issued a Mid-Atlantic Council for-hire permit have been required to submit vessel trip reports electronically since March 2018. Note, reporting requirements for vessels issued only a federal lobster permit are being addressed in a separate rulemaking and this action does not affect those vessels.

The effective date of this action is being delayed for 1 year, until November 10, 2021, to allow ample time for training on the various electronic reporting applications and to allow vessel owners and operators the time to find the appropriate application for their operations. Information on eVTR applications is available on our website.  Additional information on training opportunities can be found on the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s website.

For more details, please read the rule as filed in the Federal Register or the bulletin.

NEFMC SSC – Listen Live – Thursday, November 12, 2020 – Small-Mesh Multispecies (Whiting) Issues, Stock Assessments

November 4, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will meet via webinar on Thursday, November 12, 2020 to discuss issues related to small-mesh multispecies – red hake, silver hake, and offshore hake.  The public is invited to listen live.  But first…

HERE’S AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:  The Council is seeking qualified candidates to serve on its SSC for a three-year term from January 2021 through December 2023.  The deadline for submitting nominations and related materials is 8:00 a.m. on December 20, 2020.  Additional information is available in the request for nominations.

Now, here are the details for the SSC’s November 12th webinar meeting.

START TIME:  9:00 a.m.

WEBINAR REGISTRATION:  Online access to the meeting is available at Listen Live.  There is no charge to access the meeting through this webinar.

CALL-IN OPTION:  To listen by telephone, dial +1 (914) 614-3221.  The access code is 611-762-686.  Please be aware that if you dial in, your regular phone charges will apply.

AGENDA:  The SSC will meet to:

  • Review recent information from: (1) the Fall 2020 Management Track Stock Assessments for northern and southern red hake, northern and southern silver hake, and offshore hake, and (2) the Council’s Whiting Plan Development Team;
  • Recommend the overfishing limit (OFL) and acceptable biological catch (ABC) levels for each of those stocks for fishing years 2021-2023; and
  • Discuss other business as necessary.
COMMENTS:  The deadline for submitting written comments for consideration at this meeting is 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 10, 2020.  Address comments to Council Chairman Dr. John Quinn or Executive Director Tom Nies and email them to comments@nefmc.org.  Additional information is available in the meeting notice.

MATERIALS:  All documents for this meeting will be posted on the SSC November 12, 2020 webpage.

QUESTIONS:  Contact Joan O’Leary at (978) 465-0492 ext. 101, joleary@nefmc.org or Janice Plante at (607) 592-4917, jplante@nefmc.org.

NEFMC November 2020 Meeting Lineup – Groundfish, Scallops, Whiting, Habitat, and More

October 30, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council has scheduled several advisory panel and committee meetings throughout November to address actions related to groundfish, Atlantic sea scallops, whiting, habitat, and more. Webinar registration links and related documents are – or soon will be – posted on each of the respective meeting webpages. Here’s the lineup.

GROUNDFISH ROUND 1 – Wednesday, November 4: The Council’s Groundfish Advisory Panel (GAP) and Groundfish Committee will meet back-to-back to continue work on Framework Adjustment 61 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The GAP will meet from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and the Groundfish Committee will meet beginning at 12:45 p.m. Here is the joint meeting notice.

GROUNDFISH ROUND 2 – Monday, November 30: The GAP and Groundfish Committee will meet back-to-back once again to continue work on groundfish issues in preparation for the December 1-3, 2020 meeting of the full New England Council. More information will be posted shortly on the Council’s website.

Read the full release here

Fishery council to finalize priorities for 2021

October 21, 2020 — The New England Fishery Management Council has scheduled a special meeting for next week to finalize its priorities for 2021, as well as approve recommendations that fit within the executive order promoting U.S. seafood competitiveness and economic growth.

The special meeting, set for Oct. 27, will be held as a webinar. It is set to begin at 12:40 p.m. Deadline for submitting written comments is Thursday at 8 a.m.

The council, which usually finalizes its next-year priorities at its December meeting, moved up final action on its priorities so it may identify which of those may also directly respond to Executive Order 13921 issued in May by President Donald Trump.

“The council will first adopt its priorities for 2021 related to every fishery management plan and every action,” Janice Plante, council spokeswoman, said Tuesday. “The council has to decide which of those priorities will make the cut.”

Plante said the development of the master list of 2021 council priorities should naturally help inform the council when it turns to crafting its recommendations for the executive order.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

New England Fishery Management Council Seeks Feedback on For Hire Groundfish Limited Entry Template

October 20, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council is seeking feedback, via their contractor Tidal Bay Consulting, on a template for a limited entry program for party/charter vessels in the recreational groundfish fishery. Feedback on the template will assist the Council in further refining the elements considered under a strawman proposal. The development of the strawman and public input will assist the Council in deciding whether to develop a limited entry program for the recreational party/charter groundfish fleet in future actions.

You can find more information about recent Council activities related to limited entry in the for hire recreational fishery, and provide feedback here.

Questions?

Jessica Joyce, Tidal Bay Consulting, 207-200-8795

Jamie M. Cournane, New England Fishery Management Council, 978-465-0492

NEFMC October 27, 2020 Webinar Meeting – Listen Live, Get Documents – Council Priorities

October 19, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council will hold a special half-day meeting by webinar on Tuesday, October 27, 2020 to: (1) discuss and approve final 2021 Council Priorities; and (2) identify and approve a list of actions responding to the May 7, 2020 Executive Order 13921, Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth.

START TIME:  12:30 p.m.

PUBLIC COMMENT:  The public is invited to listen live and provide input during designated opportunities for public comment.

  • The Council’s “Guidelines for Providing Public Comments” can be found here.
  • The deadline for submitting written comments for consideration during this webinar meeting is Thursday, October 22, 2020 at 8:00 a.m.

WEBINAR REGISTRATION:  Online access to the meeting is available at Listen Live.  There is no charge to access the meeting through this webinar.

  • Here are instructions in the Remote Participation Guide for successfully joining and participating in the webinar.
  • THIS IS KEY!  If you want to speak during opportunities for public comment, you need to: (1) register for the webinar; and (2) actually “join” the webinar.  People who call in by telephone without joining the webinar will be in listen-only mode.  Those who take both steps – register and then join the webinar – will see the meeting screen and be able to click on a “raise hand” button, which will let the meeting organizer know you want to be unmuted to speak.
  • We have a Help Desk in case you get stuck joining the webinar or have trouble along the way.  Phone numbers are listed on the Help Desk Poster, or just email helpdesk@nefmc.org.  We’ll get right back to you.

WEBINAR CALL-IN OPTION:  To listen by telephone, dial +1 (562) 247-8422.  The access code is 638-472-965.  Please be aware that if you dial in, your regular phone charges will apply.

AGENDA:  All meeting materials and the agenda are available on the Council’s website at NEFMC October 27, 2020 Webinar Meeting.  Additional documents will be posted as they become available.

IMPORTANT GROUNDFISH ITEM UNDER OTHER BUSINESS:  The Council will consider making a change to 2020 groundfish priorities under “Other Business.”  The change is related to Framework Adjustment 61 to the groundfish plan, which is under development and slated for final action in December.  As part of this action, the Council will discuss whether to: (1) add a universal sector exemption pertaining to fishing for redfish; and (2) in exchange, remove an item involving investigating ways to increase Georges Bank haddock utilization.  The Council also may discuss other issues as needed under Other Business.

THREE MEETING OUTLOOK:  A copy of the New England Council’s Three Meeting Outlook is available HERE.

COUNCIL MEETING QUESTIONS:  Anyone with questions prior to or during the Council meeting should contact Janice Plante at (607) 592-4817, jplante@nefmc.org.

NEFMC Highlights Importance of Scallop RSA Surveys During COVID-19 Pandemic

October 15, 2020 — The New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) noted the value of the industry-funded Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program, calling it the “sole source” of scallop survey data during the coronavirus pandemic.

The typical survey run by NOAA Fisheries was canceled thanks to COVID-19 and it would leave key information about the status of the fishery for the year. However, the RSA program has worked as a complementary data set for about two decades.

Read the full story at Seafood News

NEFMC Gives Go Ahead for Amendment 21 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan

October 14, 2020 — Last week, the New England Fishery Management Council signed off on Amendment 21 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan.

The amendment includes new measures to “better manage total scallop removals from the Northern Gulf of Maine (NGOM) Management Area by all components of the fishery.” Along with expanding flexibility in the Limited Access General Category (LAGC) Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) fishery. The NEFMC noted that the amendment still needs NMFS/NOAA approval before it can be implemented.

Read the full story at Seafood News

Scallop RSA Surveys Gather Essential Data During COVID-19

October 13, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The industry-funded Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program earned its weight in gold this year by providing the sole source of 2020 scallop survey data during the coronavirus pandemic.

NOAA Fisheries typically conducts an annual survey for Atlantic sea scallops on the R/V Hugh R. Sharp, a research vessel owned and operated by the University of Delaware. This year, however, the federal survey was canceled due to COVID-19 precautions. The cancellation of this important federal survey meant that essential information related to the current status of the resource would be missing for 2020.

Read the full release here