Saving Seafood

At-sea waiver extended

April 20, 2020 — Local commercial groundfishermen breathed a double-sigh of relief last week. The New England Fishery Management Council voted 12-5 to postpone final action — initially anticipated for its June meeting — on the draft amendment that will set at-sea monitoring levels in the fishery for years to come. Fishing stakeholders argued the current immersion in everything COVID-19 made it almost impossible for fishermen to study the amendment in detail for public comment and that social distancing might have precluded final action at an in-person meeting in June (as opposed to a webinar).

And on Friday, NOAA Fisheries announced it is extending by two weeks its waiver period for at-sea monitors and human observers aboard vessels fishing in the Greater Atlantic Region. So, no observers or monitors until May 2 at the earliest.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

NEFMC postpones final action on groundfishing changes, pursues COVID-19 impact options

April 20, 2020 — The New England Fishery Management Council has continued to tackle managing the region’s fisheries, even as the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the council to meet via webinar.

During the recent April 14 to 15 meeting of the council – which was held entirely via webinar for the first time in its history – the council made a number of decisions pertaining to the region’s fisheries. Among those was a decision to postpone any final action on Groundfish Monitoring Amendment 23, which has been in development for three years.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Scallops: NEFMC Approves A21 Range of Alternatives; Requests Emergency Action Due to COVID-19

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

The New England Fishery Management Council covered several important scallop-related issues during its April 14-15, 2020 meeting, which was held by webinar. Current COVID-19 restrictions on travel and public gatherings prevented the Council from meeting in person. Here’s a recap of the scallop highlights.

Amendment 21: The Council approved the range of alternatives that will be further analyzed for consideration in Amendment 21 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan. This amendment is being developed to address:

  1. Northern Gulf of Maine Management Area issues;
  2. The limited access general category (LAGC) individual fishing quota (IFQ) trip limit; and
  3. The potential one-way transfer of IFQ from limited access vessels that hold IFQ to LAGC IFQ-only vessels.

Read the full release here

Groundfish: NEFMC Postpones Final Action on Amendment 23; Pursues COVID-19 Impact Options

April 16, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council, which met April 14-15, 2020 exclusively by webinar for the first time in the Council’s history, confronted several issues challenging the groundfish industry during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The Council discussed mid-range planning at the start of its meeting. Given ongoing travel restrictions and limitations on public gatherings due to COVID-19, the Council voted to postpone final action on Groundfish Monitoring Amendment 23. The amendment is being developed to improve catch accounting in the fishery while minimizing costs to industry but still maximizing the value of the data that’s collected.

Read the full release here

NOAA Fisheries Sets the 2020 Atlantic Deep-Sea Red Crab Quota

April 13, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is setting the 2020 Atlantic deep-sea red crab fishery quota, including a 2,000-mt annual catch limit and total allowable landings limit, as recommended by the New England Fishery Management Council.

This rule includes two regulatory updates:

  1. Revising the specifications timeframe from 3 to 4 years to match the recently updated Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s stock assessment schedule.
  2. Removing an outdated and unnecessary regulation that requires the Red Crab Plan Development Team to meet annually to review the status of the fishery.

Read the final rule as filed in the Federal Register and supporting documents on the Council’s website.

Read the full release here

Council may delay vote on at-sea monitor levels

April 13, 2020 — The final agenda for the New England Fishery Management Council’s webinar-only meeting Tuesday and Wednesday has several items of significant interest to local groundfishermen.

On Tuesday, the council will hear a recommendation from its Executive Committee that it postpone final action on the contentious groundfish Amendment 23 to set at-sea monitoring levels because of the impact of the spread of the novel coronavirus and COVID-19. That council had anticipated taking final action at its June meeting.

“While it is possible that restrictions on public gatherings may be lifted and in-person meetings may be allowed by late May, it is not unreasonable to expect interested parties can devote their attention to commenting on this amendment over the next two-three months,” Council Chairman John Quinn wrote in a memo to council members.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Fishery management meeting goes online for first time

April 13, 2020 — In “The Godfather,” they go to the mattresses. In the age of COVID-19, we go to the webinar.

The New England Fishery Management Council will sail into uncharted waters Tuesday and Wednesday when it conducts its first-ever, full council meeting solely by webinar. All hands — council members, staff, stakeholders, media, and the public — only will be able to participate remotely.

The council was set to meet in Mystic, Connecticut, on April 14 to 16, but travel restrictions and other health precautions associated with the novel coronavirus and the spread of COVID-19 precluded using the usual on-site format. It also postponed less-pressing agenda items to condense the meeting into two days.

“It’s been hectic,” said Janice Plante, spokeswoman for the council. “We’ve been developing more ways for more people to participate in the webinar. We know that many fishermen probably aren’t used to attending meetings by webinar, as we’ve added extra instruction and help.”

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

NEFMC April 14-15, 2020 – By Webinar – Listen Live, View Documents

April 10, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council will hold a two-day meeting by webinar on Tuesday, April 14 and Wednesday, April 15, 2020. The public is invited to listen live and provide input during designated opportunities for public comment.

IMPORTANT:  This notice contains more information than usual.  Please read carefully and especially take note of:

WHY IS THE MEETING TAKING PLACE BY WEBINAR:  The Council cannot hold an in-person meeting due to travel restrictions and public safety guidelines associated with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

START TIME:  The webinar will be activated at 8:00 a.m. each day.  However, please note that the meeting will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday and 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday.  The webinar will end shortly after the Council adjourns on Tuesday and after the groundfish public hearing is concluded on Wednesday.

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 (213) 929-4232.  The access code is 771-577-358.  Please be aware that if you dial in, your regular phone charges will apply.

HELPFUL INSTRUCTIONS:  Here’s what you need to know to successfully join the webinar and provide public comment.

  • 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.
  • Here is the updated “Remote Participation Guide” with instructions for how to provide oral comments during the webinar meeting.
  • Having trouble with the webinar?  We have a Help Line!  Our staff is only a phone call or email away.  Click HERE for assistance once the Council meeting is underway.

PUBLIC TRAINING WEBINAR:  The Council will conduct a Public Training Webinar on Monday, April 13 at 10:30 a.m. in order to: (1) walk through the steps for how the full Council meeting will be conducted; and (2) show participants how to speak and be heard on the webinar during designated public comment opportunities.  Join us for this practice run!

AGENDA:  The detailed agenda and meeting materials are available on the Council’s website atNEFMC April 14-15, 2020 Webinar.  Additional documents will be posted as they become available.
 
EMERGENCY ACTION:  In light of the unforeseen COVID-19 pandemic and the economic, social, and public health consequences that are rapidly unfolding, the Council will be discussing several requests for emergency action during the meeting.  Section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to implement emergency regulations to address fishery emergencies.
  • Scallops – The Council will consider requests for secretarial emergency action that involve potential carryover of certain fishing year 2019 allocations into fishing year 2020.
  • Groundfish – The Council will consider requesting secretarial emergency action to allow an increase in carryover of unused 2019 groundfish annual catch limits into the 2020 fishing year.
COMMENTS:  The deadline for submitting written comments for consideration at this meeting was8:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 9, 2020.
 
GROUNDFISH AMENDMENT 23 PUBLIC HEARING:  The Council will hold a public hearing on Amendment 23 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan on Wednesday, April 15, 2020 at 4:00 p.m.  This amendment will adjust the groundfish monitoring program to improve the accuracy and accountability of catch reporting in the commercial groundfish fishery.  The Council will adjourn its regular meeting for the day on April 15 and use the same webinar information to conduct the groundfish public hearing.
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.

NMFS Approves Final Measures for Atlantic Sea Scallop Management Plan for 2020 Season

April 1, 2020 — The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) approved Framework Adjustment 32 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan ahead of the season which is set to open on April 1, 2020.

The plan will help set scallop specifications and other measures for the 2020 and 2021 fishing seasons. The adjustments will help protect small scallops and reduce bycatch of flatfish, according to a notice on the Federal Register.

Read the full story at Seafood News

New England Council Operations: Current Status of Office, Staff, Mail, and Meetings

March 31, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council has closed its Newburyport, MA-based office until further notice in response to Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker’s order requiring all businesses and organizations “that do not provide COVID-19 Essential Services” to close their physical workplaces and facilities.  The Council also is abiding by additional guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on travel restrictions and social distancing.

IS THE COUNCIL STAFF STILL WORKING:  Yes.  The Council staff is teleworking full time.  All staff members are responding to emails and phone calls from home.  Phones calls that come into the Council’s telephone system are being forwarded to staff members.  Here is the Staff Directory.
 
WHAT ABOUT MAIL:  The U.S. Postal Service continues to deliver mail.  During this period of teleworking, designated Council staffers will pick up and monitor mail every few days.
 
IS THE COUNCIL HOLDING MEETINGS:  Yes.  The Council held several advisory panel and committee meetings in March by webinar and will continue to do so in April and beyond if needed based on state and federal guidance.  Visit the Council’s calendar to see the schedule.
 
FULL NEW ENGLAND COUNCIL:  The full Council will meet April 14-15, 2020 by webinar.  Here is the detailedagenda, and here is the Council Members Directory.
 
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:  The Council and its partners will continue to closely monitor important developments related to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Visit the CDC’s Coronavirus Disease 2019 website at What’s New for the latest government reports.