Saving Seafood

Groundfish: New England Council CANCELS April 2-3, 2020 GAP and Committee webinars

March 24, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council is CANCELING two groundfish-related meetings: the April 2, 2020 Groundfish Advisory Panel (GAP) webinar meeting and the April 3, 2020 Groundfish Committee webinar meeting.

WHY IS THIS HAPPENING: The Council originally scheduled these meetings to give the GAP and Groundfish Committee an opportunity to review and discuss the Groundfish Catch Share Program Review final report. The working group conducting the review has requested additional time to prepare the final report, and the Council granted this request. Therefore, the GAP and Groundfish Committee meetings are no longer necessary.

WHEN WILL THE CATCH SHARE REVIEW BE DISCUSSED: The Council will discuss the report on April 15, 2020 during its two-day meeting, which now will be held April 14-15, 2020 by webinar.

  • Don’t forget to Register for the webinar.
  • A draft copy of the Catch Share Program Review report will be posted here shortly.
  • The Council is encouraging its groundfish advisors and the public to comment on the report either by: (1) providing oral comments at the appropriate time during the webinar; or (2) submitting written comments in advance of the written comment deadline, which is 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 9, 2020.

WHO WILL REVIEW THE REPORT: Once the report is available, the Groundfish Plan Development Team and a sub-panel of the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee will review the report and provide feedback.

ALSO HAPPENING – AMENDMENT 23 PUBLIC HEARING: The Council will hold its first public hearing on Draft Groundfish Monitoring Amendment 23 on Wednesday, April 15, 2020 at 4:00 p.m., shortly after the discussion on the Groundfish Catch Share Program Review is over.

  • Here is the public hearing notice.
  • All related documents, including the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, are available on the Council’s Amendment 23 webpage.
  • A public hearing document will be available soon.
  • The Council is in the process of scheduling additional public hearings.

QUESTIONS: Contact Janice Plante, the Council’s public affairs officer, at (607) 592-4817, jplante@nefmc.org.

NEFMC Skate, Scallop, EBFM, and SSC Webinars: Join-In, Listen Live, Get Documents

March 23, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council will hold several advisory panel (AP) and committee meetings via webinar in late-March to discuss issues related to skates, scallops, and ecosystem-based fishery management (EBFM). The Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee also will meet by webinar.

Here are three important notes that apply to all of the webinar meetings.

  • Anyone who wants to provide oral comments during one of the webinar meetings MUST register for the webinar. The telephone call-in option by itself will not let you speak unless you register first. When you register, you will be given a PIN number that you’ll need to enter when prompted after you dial-in with your phone. Many participates simply use the microphone and speaker options on their computers instead of calling in after registering for the webinar. Please be aware that if you dial-in, your regular phone charges will apply.
  • Instructions for how to provide oral comments during webinar meetings can be found in the Council’s “Remote Participation” guide.
  • The Council has a deadline for submitting written comments for consideration at its meetings. Individual deadlines are listed below, but the submission address is the same for all meetings. Address comments with an appropriate subject line to Council Chairman Dr. John Quinn or Executive Director Tom Nies and email them to comments@nefmc.org. The address for mailing comments is: New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water Street, Mill #2, Newburyport, MA 01950.

Here’s what’s in the queue for the rest of March.

SKATE ADVISORY PANEL AND SKATE COMMITTEE: The Skate AP and Skate Committee will meet jointly via webinar on Thursday, March 26, 2020 beginning at 8:30 a.m.

SKATE WEBINAR REGISTRATION: Register Now for the Skate AP/Committee webinar.

SKATE CALL-IN OPTION: To listen by telephone, dial +1 (562) 247-8321. The access code is 346-538-257.

AGENDA: The Skate AP and Skate Committee will discuss issues related to potential limited access, skate fishing communities, and Council research priorities. Details are available in the meeting notice and agenda.

SKATE COMMENTS: The deadline for submitting written comments for consideration at this meeting is 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 24, 2020.

MATERIALS: Meeting materials are posted on the Council’s website at Skate AP/Committee March 26, 2020 webinar documents.

SCALLOP ADVISORY PANEL: The Scallop AP also will meet via webinar on Thursday, March 26, 2020 beginning at 8:30 a.m.

SCALLOP AP WEBINAR REGISTRATION: Register Now for the Scallop Advisory Panel webinar.

SCALLOP AP CALL-IN OPTION: To listen by telephone, dial +1 (415) 930-5321. The access code is 924-004-372.

AGENDA: The Scallop AP will receive an update on Framework Adjustment 32 and work to finalize the range of alternatives in Amendment 21. Details are available in the meeting notice.

SCALLOP AP COMMENTS: The deadline for submitting written comments for consideration at this meeting is 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 24, 2020.

MATERIALS: Meeting materials will be posted on the Council’s website at Scallop AP March 26, 2020 webinar documents.

SCALLOP COMMITTEE: The Scallop Committee will meet via webinar on Friday, March 27, 2020 beginning at 8:30 a.m.

SCALLOP COMMITTEE WEBINAR REGISTRATION: Register Now for the Scallop Committee webinar.

SCALLOP COMMITTEE CALL-IN OPTION: To listen by telephone, dial +1 (872) 240-3311. The access code is 502-063-709.

AGENDA: The Scallop Committee will receive an update on Framework Adjustment 32 and work to finalize the range of alternatives in Amendment 21. Details are available in the meeting notice.

SCALLOP COMMITTEE COMMENTS: The deadline for submitting written comments for consideration at this meeting is 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 24, 2020.

MATERIALS: Meeting materials will be posted on the Council’s website at Scallop Committee March 27, 2020 webinar documents.

EBFM COMMITTEE AND PLAN DEVELOPMENT TEAM (PDT): The Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management Committee and EBFM PDT will meet jointly via webinar on Tuesday, March 31, 2020 beginning at roughly 11:00 a.m. or as soon as the State of the Ecosystem Report* discussion at the simultaneous Scientific and Statistical Committee meeting is finished.

EBFM COMMITTEE/PDT WEBINAR REGISTRATION: Register Now for the EBFM/PDT webinar.

EBFM COMMITTEE/PDT CALL-IN OPTION: To listen by telephone, dial +1 (415) 655-0052. The access code is 933-669-071.

AGENDA: In addition to the State of the Ecosystem Report*, the EBFM Committee and PDT will discuss issues related to public outreach related to EBFM and the Council’s example Fishery Ecosystem Plan for Georges Bank. Details are available in the meeting notice.

EBFM COMMITTEE/PDT COMMENTS: The deadline for submitting written comments for consideration at this meeting is 8:00 a.m. on Friday, March 27, 2020.

MATERIALS: Meeting materials will be posted on the Council’s website at EBFM Committee/PDT March 31, 2020 webinar documents.

SCIENTIFIC AND STATISTICAL COMMITTEE (SSC)*: The Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee will meet via webinar on Tuesday, March 31, 2020 beginning at 10:00 a.m. The public is invited to listen live.

SSC WEBINAR REGISTRATION: Register Now for the SSC webinar.

SSC CALL-IN OPTION: To listen by telephone, dial +1 (631) 992-3221. The access code is 157-256-431.

AGENDA: The SSC will receive a presentation on the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s State of the Ecosystem 2020 report and provide recommendations on suggested revisions. The SSC also will discuss other business as necessary.

SSC COMMENTS: The deadline for submitting written comments for consideration at this meeting is 8:00 a.m. on Friday, March 27, 2020.

MATERIALS: Meeting materials are posted on the Council’s website at SSC March 31, 2020 webinar meeting documents.

GENERAL QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE WEBINAR MEETINGS: Contact Joan O’Leary at (978) 465-0492 ext. 101, joleary@nefmc.org or Janice Plante at (607) 592-4817, jplante@nefmc.org.

Sale of monkfish will pay for science to study them

March 20, 2020 — An Arizona university will be able to use about money generated from the sale of monkfish to study the monster-like sea creatures.

Monkfish are harvested as food off the East Coast, where they are brought to land in states such as Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Maine. The New England Fishery Management Council said a program called the “research set-aside” will allow Arizona State University to use new tagging technology to investigate the movements of the fish.

The university will collaborate with the New England Aquarium on the project, which is valued at about $4.2 million. The research set-aside program generates money for science from the harvest and sale of fish that are “set aside” for this purpose.

Read the full story at the Associated Press

NOAA closes Gloucester office to public, takes meetings to web

March 19, 2020 — NOAA Fisheries is restricting access to its Gloucester office and the New England Fishery Management Council is converting many of its meetings to webinars as precautions against further spread of the novel coronavirus.

NOAA Fisheries said its Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office in the Blackburn Industrial Park continues to operate, but it is limiting access to the building to employees, as well as to visitors and deliveries deemed essential to its mission.

“This measure is taken out of an abundance of caution and our commitment to protecting the health and safety of our employees and constituents during the COVID-19 virus pandemic,” NOAA Fisheries said in a statement. “The majority of our staff are teleworking to the maximum extent possible, and we also have a few staff working in the buildings to keep critical functions and operations moving. Feel free to call or email GARFO staff as you normally would, but please be patient if their response time is delayed.”

NOAA Fisheries said all meetings and events scheduled for March — and several for April — have been canceled or postponed. It said it will continue to provide updates via email, as well as on the events portion of its website.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

New England scallop, groundfish regulatory meetings to continue via web

March 18, 2020 — Important meetings that could help shape future stock assessments, quotas and other regulatory conditions in the waters off the US New England coast will continue in the next few months via the internet due to concerns over the coronavirus, the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) announced this week.

“Due to federal and state travel restrictions and updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding the new coronavirus, COVID-19, the April council meeting will be conducted by webinar,” NEFMC has now declared on its website.

The event, which was scheduled to take place in Mystic, Connecticut, April 14-16, will be held online, April 14-15.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

Monkfish RSA Program Supports Two Novel 2020-2021 Projects

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

The 2020-2021 Monkfish Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program will support two innovative projects designed to help researchers and fishery managers better understand the stock structure and movement of monkfish and more easily detect these fish on the seabed, which could be useful in survey applications.

Monkfish is managed jointly by the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils. The New England Council has the administrative lead. The Monkfish RSA Program was established in Amendment 2 to the Councils’ Monkfish Fishery Management Plan. The amendment specifies that 500 monkfish days-atsea will be “set aside” annually from the total number of monkfish days allocated to limited access monkfish vessels in order to address research priorities identified by the Councils. The intent is that this research will enhance everyone’s understanding of the monkfish resource and contribute to the body of information that’s available for management decision-making

Read the full release here

NEFMC Converts In-Person Committee and AP Meetings to Webinars

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

Due to public health concerns regarding the new coronavirus, COVID-19, and the growing number of travel restrictions being imposed by state and federal agencies, universities, and other organizations, the New England Fishery Management Council is taking steps to convert several upcoming meetings to webinars.

Details about logistics are still in the works, but in an effort to help participants plan ahead, the Council is announcing the list of meetings that will be immediately impacted.

Read the full release here

Scallop Research Set-Aside Program Supports 12 Projects for 2020-2021

March 12, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The Atlantic Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program will support 12 projects during the 2020-2021 award cycle that address resource surveys, economic impacts of offshore wind development on the scallop fishery, links between environmental factors and scallop meat condition, and many other issues.

The awards were announced on March 11 by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center and the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, which both are part of NOAA Fisheries. The funded projects focus on scallop research priorities identified by the New England Fishery Management Council, which established the Scallop RSA Program in 1999 through Framework Adjustment 11 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan. The Council and NOAA Fisheries work together to support research-set aside projects. The Council sets priorities, and NOAA Fisheries manages the RSA competition and administers the program.

Read the full release here

Fleet monitoring: New England groundfish fleet cooperates with little return

March 10, 2020 — Despite years of ever-increasing monitoring, cooperation from the fleet, and catch-shares-induced consolidation, the New England groundfish industry is still on shaky ground.

A Maine Fishermen’s Forum presentation by Melissa Errand of the New England Fishery Management Council illustrated the council-considered options for monitoring the groundfish fleet (Amendment 23). This presentation focused on the effects on the Maine-based fleet, which is Portland-based.

With projected costs of each alternative ranging from about $1 million to more than $5 million across the fleet, the council expects the changes to force groundfish boats with the fewest at-sea days to lease out their quota rather than go fishing.

The council’s preferred alternative is a blended model that allows boat owners to choose between traditional at-sea monitoring and electronic monitoring.

One Portland-based boat is using the experimental full-retention model that incorporates a combination of full-time cameras on the boat, landing all fish that would qualify as discards, and dockside monitoring and sampling of those retained discards.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Atlantic herring fishermen take government to court over at-sea monitor requirement

February 28, 2020 — A group of New Jersey fishermen have filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking to block a ruling that would require them to pay to carry independent monitors on their vessels during their fishing trips.

The suit, filed on Wednesday, 19 February, in the District of Columbia, came after the U.S. Department of Commerce approved an amendment sought by the New England Fishery Management Council to improve clarity regarding landings data in the Atlantic herring fishery.

Read the full story at Seafood Source