July 30, 2019 — The 2019 lobster season in the U.S. state of Maine has been off to a slow start, partially the result of the industry facing a number of challenges,
According to a story in the Associated Press, Maine lobstermen are reporting that their season so far hasn’t picked up as quickly as the past few years. Typically, the season is in full swing by July, but so far the catch has remained relatively stagnant.
July 26, 2019 — NOAA Fisheries, in coordination with the New England Fishery Management Council, is soliciting research proposals under the Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Program.
Successful applicants are awarded pounds of scallops that have been “Set aside” to pay for research expenses.
Researchers and fishermen partner to harvest awarded scallops, and the proceeds are used to fund the research and compensate fishing industry partners.
The New England Fishery Management Council sets the research priorities and NOAA Fisheries administers the competition, oversees awarded projects, and oversees set-aside harvest activities.
July 25, 2019 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:
The federal competition for 2020-2021 awards through the Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program is now open. The deadline for submitting full proposals is Friday, September 20, 2019 at 5 p.m.
The New England Fishery Management Council established the Scallop RSA Program under the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan. The Council sets research priorities for this program, while the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS/NOAA Fisheries) administers the RSA competition, oversees award projects, and monitors set-aside harvest activities through the Northeast Fisheries Science Center and Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO).
July 25, 2019 — The Northeast groundfish fishery kicked off May 1. The federal shutdown last winter meant some management changes, like Framework 58 which changes catch limits on several stocks, faced delays.
Groundfish prices seem to be fluctuating. Bert Jongerden, general manager of the Portland Fish Exchange, a wholesale auction in Maine says fleets are “mostly bringing in Gulf of Maine haddock, dabs, and white hake, it’s balanced among those.”
Gulf of Maine haddock appears steady, with average price for large around $2.78 per pound. Demand for dabs for restaurant markets is high, with $4.50-5.00 for large dabs.
Fleets are hauling high volumes of redfish, with low prices. Another low point is monkfish.
“Tails are very soft, sometimes less than $1 per pound on auction,” adds Jongerden. It is a pattern that has been seen a few years – likely a result of robust supply but cold European markets, which set the price.
“A lot of gillnetters are targeting monks to avoid cod, because there is a terrible cod problem. The fish are there,” said Jongerden. Average prices for cod were $3.24 to $3.81 per pound as of late June.
All eyes are on Atlantic pollock. “Gillnetters are just not seeing them, no large or mediums,” adds Jongerden. Pollock (aka Boston bluefish) is popular in NY markets.
July 19, 2019 — The New England Fishery Management Council has decided to join with the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council in requiring all vessels to use electronic vessel trip reports (eVTR), replacing physical reports.
The action was initiated after the Mid-Atlantic council started investigating the possibility of switching all trip reporting in December 2018. The move, under an omnibus framework action, would require that all vessels use eVTR, a method that has been available since 2013.
“The Mid-Atlantic Council has been interested in eVTR for the past several years,” Karson Coutre, of the Mid-Atlantic council, told SeafoodSource in May. “Many stakeholders have voiced the desire to move in the direction of electronic reporting with technological advances and eVTR being an established means to submit VTRs since 2013.”
Electronic reporting would eliminate the need to individually scan thousands of reports: In 2018, the Mid-Atlantic council had to process over 70,000 reports. Every single one needs to be entered into a database, and sometimes clarity issues caused by handwriting or other problems makes information less accurate than it would be in an electronic report.
As a result of the Mid-Atlantic council’s investigation into using eVTR, the New England council had to initiate its own investigations. Many permit-holders in the region hold permits belonging to both councils, estimates by the New England council places at least 2,514 vessels holding permits in both regions, or nearly 90 percent.
July 18, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
The University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, School for Marine Science and Technology will add the Northern Flank and Closed Area II North to this year’s planned survey work around Georges Bank to track sea scallop aggregations.
The survey, which uses a drop-camera array, is also covering the Great South Channel, Nantucket Lightship, and the Closed Area I Access Area.
“Taking on this additional work while in the middle of a busy survey season exemplifies the School for Marine Science and Technology’s dedication to supporting the scallop fishery,” said Jon Hare, director of NOAA Fisheries’ Northeast Fisheries Science Center. “It’s also a great example of the importance of our strong partnerships in the region that provide science to support management of this valuable resource.”
The University’s survey is funded by the sale of sea scallops that are set aside from the annual catch limit through the Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Program. The New England Fishery Management Council established this unique program to address research questions that support management of the sea scallop resource.
Awards are made in pounds, not dollars, and no federal funding is provided. Instead, proceeds generated from the sale of set-aside scallops are used to fund research activities and compensate participating vessels.
July 17, 2019 — The digital age of vessel reporting is on the line and the New England Fishery Management Council is trying to make sure fishermen under its purview answer the call.
The council has embarked on a management strategy that ultimately will require all commercial fishermen holding federal permits for New England council-managed species to file their vessel trip reports electronically rather than by the traditional paper reports.
“The goal is to go to a mandatory electronic reporting system,” said Janice Plante, spokeswoman for the council. “But we also know that this is going to present a challenge for some fishermen used to filing paper reports. We’re going to need an extended implementation period. NOAA Fisheries and both the Mid-Atlantic council and our council agree on that.”
The New England council is joining the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council in working toward a fully digital format — known as eVTRs — for filing the vessel trip reports that provide regulators with catch data on every fishing trip, including each chart area, gear type and/or mesh size fished.
The current vessel reporting regulations require fishermen to complete their paper VTR prior to landing. Plante said that will continue under electronic filing. However, she said, the timeline for submitting the reports remains under consideration and will be finalized before the new regulations take effect.
July 16, 2019 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:
The New England Fishery Management Council is taking steps to bring all commercial fishermen who hold federal permits for Council-managed species into the digital age by requiring vessel trip reports (VTRs) to be submitted electronically instead of on paper. These electronic reports are known as eVTRs, and this proposed action will apply to all of the Council’s fishery management plans.
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) has been working since December of 2018 on a Commercial eVTR Omnibus Framework Action that would apply to all vessels with federal commercial permits for MAFMC-managed species, which include summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, Atlantic mackerel, squid, butterfish, surfclams, ocean quahogs, bluefish, and tilefish.
July 12, 2019 — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is conducting a survey of stakeholders to gain a better understanding of communication preferences and needs among fisherman.
The New England Fishery Management Council is currently developing Amendment 23 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan and through this, the Council will evaluate the current groundfish monitoring program and consider changes to improve said system.
The survey focuses on two areas: What aspects of the current monitoring program, analyses, or processes do industry members want more information on, and how would industry members like the NOAA to communicate with them; workshops, websites, printed materials, question and answer sessions, or another method?
Recent discussions about the development of Amendment 23 have revealed that industry members want more information about the current monitoring system.
July 11, 2019 — Maine’s lobster fishermen will be able to use a new species of bait fish to try to get through a shortage of herring that has troubled the industry in recent years.
Lobstermen typically bait traps with Atlantic herring, but federal fishery regulators have enacted dramatic cutbacks to the catch quotas for that fish. The Maine Department of Marine Resources said Thursday it has approved the blackbelly rosefish as a new species that can be sold and used as lobster bait in the state.
The blackbelly rosefish is an abundant species that ranges from Canada to South America. Cooke Aquaculture, a New Brunswick, Canada-based company, requested Maine’s approval to sell rosefish as bait, and the company announced plans to harvest the fish off Uruguay.
“We believe this is a solution to address concerns from the lobster fishery on the challenges they are currently facing on account of bait shortages,” said Glenn Cooke, chief executive officer of Cooke Inc., which includes Cooke Aquaculture.
Most of the U.S. lobster catch comes to the shore in Maine, where lobstermen landed nearly 120 million pounds (54 million kilograms) of the valuable seafood last year. Fishermen rely heavily on herring as a bait source, though they also use other species, such as menhaden.