Saving Seafood

Fishermen to Discuss Herring Buffer Zone in Plymouth

February 6, 2017 — A New England Fishery Management Council committee will meet Tuesday in Plymouth to discuss the progress being made to move midwater herring trawlers further offshore.

The Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance and local fishermen are looking for regulations which would move the herring trawlers at least 50 miles from the Cape and Islands to protect the ecosystem and small-boat fishing fleet.

“It’s something that we’ve done up in the Gulf of Maine, prohibited these vessels from fishing at certain times of the year so that other fisheries can have a shot or a crack at fishing,” said John Pappalardo, the CEO of the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance. “And we are trying to do something similar down here.”

Read the full story at CapeCod.com

MASSACHUSETTS: A civil exchange of fish numbers

February 5, 2017 — Every now and then, the discussion of fisheries management breaks the stranglehold of graphs and numbers and jargon and entries into the Federal Register that read as if they were compiled by a computer whose native tongue is Drone-on.

Now and then, the discussion distills into rational conversation between two people who find themselves on opposite sides of the regulatory equation. It may happen in person or by email. It doesn’t matter. They are moments to be celebrated.

One such moment happened last week, when life-long (and highly respected) Gloucester fisherman Rick Beal penned a letter ostensibly to the New England Fishery Management Council, but really meant for all fisheries regulators.

He thanked the council for its Jan. 25 action nearly doubling the grey sole quota for 2017 and said he was “particularly encouraged” by comments of NOAA Regional Administrator John K. Bullard and Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Director David Pierce regarding the importance of industry input.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

Flounder catch limit increase to help New Hampshire fishing fleet

February 1, 2017 –Starting in May, there could be more locally caught flounder available. A recent decision by fishing regulators doubled the permitted catch limit for witch flounder, also known as grey sole.

The move is considered a victory for the local inshore dayboat fleet and came at a New England Fishery Management Council meeting held in Portsmouth last week. When adjusted for management uncertainty, the decision will result in a 2017 annual catch limit of 839 metric tons, nearly twice the 2016 annual catch limit of 441 metric tons.

Seabrook’s Yankee Fisherman’s Cooperative board member and Hampton commercial fisherman David Goethel argued at the meeting to raise the flounder catch limit even more, he said. Although the new limit is significantly lower than prior to what Goethel calls “draconian cuts” imposed by regulators after 2010, he said any increase is better than none.

“It is good news,” Goethel said. “Anything that has the numbers going up instead of down is good news.”

Read the full story at the Eagle-Tribune 

 

NEFMC Skate Scoping Hearing Webinar, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017

January 30, 2017 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council will hold a scoping hearing via webinar on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017 on Amendment 5 to the Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan.  This action could lead to the development of a limited access program for both the skate bait and skate non-bait/wing fisheries.  Input gathered during this early stage of the process is especially important since the Council is starting off with a blank slate.  The public is encouraged to participate.  Here are the webinar details.

START TIME:  6:00 p.m. 

WEBINAR REGISTRATION:  Online access to the meeting will be available at:

https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/194149773

There is no charge to access the meeting through this webinar.

CALL-IN OPTION:  To listen by telephone, dial +1 (646) 749-3122.

The access code is 194-149-773.

Please be aware that if you dial in, your regular phone charges will apply. 

MATERIALS:  The scoping document and other related materials are available on the Council’s website at:  http://www.nefmc.org/calendar/jan.-31-2017-scoping-hearing-skate-amendment-5.

QUESTIONS:  Contact Janice Plante at (607) 592-4817, email jplante@nefmc.org.

New England Fishery Management Council Approves Witch Flounder Specifications; Recommends 2017 Gulf of Maine Cod and Haddock Recreational Measures

January 26, 2017 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC):

The New England Fishery Management Council has approved new witch flounder specifications for the 2017-2019 groundfish fishing years. Allocations will be based on an acceptable biological catch (ABC) of 878 metric tons (mt). When adjusted for management uncertainty, the ABC results in an annual catch limit (ACL) of 839 mt. This value is almost double the 441 mt ACL currently in place for the 2016 fishing year, which ends April 30, 2017.

The specifications are part of Framework Adjustment 56 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan. The Council approved other framework measures in November (see list next page) but held off on witch flounder specifications pending the completion of a new benchmark stock assessment.

During its Jan. 24-26 meeting in Portsmouth, NH, the Council: (1) received a briefing on the new assessment; (2) made several decisions related to the assessment itself and witch flounder specifications; (3) approved revised 2017-2019 annual catch limits; and (4) voted to submit Framework 56 to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for approval. The target implementation date is May 1, the start of the 2017 fishing year.

The assessment was conducted as part of the 62nd Stock Assessment Workshop (SAW)/Stock Assessment Review Committee (SARC), which wrapped up in December. The SARC and independent peer reviewers concluded that neither the overfished nor overfishing status of the stock could be determined, so both are now considered “unknown.” The model used to conduct the assessment was rejected because it exhibited a problematic retrospective pattern, meaning it tended to underestimate fishing mortality and overestimate biomass. The SARC instead used an “empirical approach” and based its conclusions on: (1) a three-year/six-survey moving average of exploitable biomass estimates; and (2) the mean exploitation rate observed from 2007-2015, which was 0.060.

The Council supported using this empirical approach but noted that the 2018 and 2019 ABCs are likely to change based on the 2017 operational assessment for witch flounder. The Council requested that the operational assessment consider changes to the exploitation rate used under the empirical approach.

Following the witch flounder discussion, the Council voted to submit Framework 56 to NMFS for review. The framework also contains:

  • A Gulf of Maine/Georges Bank northern windowpane flounder sub-annual catch limit (sub-ACL) for the scallop fishery;
  • A temporary, two-year modification to the existing accountability measure policy for the scallop fishery so that accountability measures only apply when the scallop fishery exceeds its sub-ACL for George Bank yellowtail flounder or northern windowpane flounder and the overall ACL for that stock is also exceeded;
  • An increase in the herring midwater trawl fishery’s Georges Bank haddock sub-ACL from 1% to 1.5%; and
  • Proposed 2017 U.S./Canada quotas for shared stocks on Georges Bank.

Recreational Measures: In other groundfish related actions, the Council also asked NMFS to consider implementing the following Gulf of Maine cod and haddock recreational fishing measures for the 2017 fishing year. NMFS has the final say on this action, so the Council’s vote is only a recommendation.

  • Gulf of Maine cod – zero possession;
  • Gulf of Maine haddock – a 12-fish per-person bag limit, a 17” minimum size, and two closed seasons:Sept. 17, 2017-Oct. 31, 2017 closed

    March 1, 2018-April 14, 2018 closed

Recreational fishermen have exceeded their 2016 sub-ACLs for both stocks, and three months remain in the fishing year. Preliminary figures indicate that 192% of the Gulf of Maine cod sub-ACL has been harvested and 115% of the recreational fishery’s Gulf of Maine haddock sub-ACL has been taken.

Therefore, based on the best scientific advice available, the Council agreed to recommend zero cod possession for 2017 on all recreational trips by both private and for-hire vessels.

The Council then focused on trying to maximize recreational fishing opportunities on haddock while avoiding impacts on cod.

Southern Windowpane: The Council voted to ask NMFS to consider all possible remediation methods available to put in place a one-year exemption to the pending accountability measures for southern windowpane flounder for fishing year 2017.

Priorities: The Council reviewed its 2017 groundfish priorities, which include, among many other actions: setting ABCs and ACLs for all stocks; supporting operational assessments for all stocks; reviewing groundfish catch in “other” fisheries; revising Atlantic halibut measures; improving the recreational management process for Gulf of Maine cod and haddock; and launching a groundfish monitoring amendment.

Read the full release at the NEFMC

In boon for Gloucester fleet, flounder limits doubled

January 26, 2017 — In a victory for the local inshore dayboat fleet, fishing regulators on Wednesday approved new specifications for witch flounder that will nearly double the annual catch limit for the species in 2017.

Meeting in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the New England Fishery Management Council approved an acceptable biological catch of 878 metric tons of witch flounder, also known as grey sole, for 2017. When adjusted for management uncertainty, the move will result in a 2017 annual catch limit of 839 metric tons — nearly twice the 2016 annual catch limit of 441 metric tons.

“I think the council was compelled by the industry’s own observation that we have a pretty strong witch flounder stock,” said Vito Giacalone, policy director for the Gloucester-based Northeast Seafood Coalition.

The council action on witch flounder should provide a significant boost to the local dayboat fleet and the fortunes of the fishermen that are immutably tied to the stock.

“It’s huge,” Giacalone said. “Everybody who is left fishes for it. The inshore dayboat fleet is almost entirely dependent on this stock.”

The spike in the 2017 annual catch limit should provide a double-edged benefit, according to Giacalone.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

Stakeholder Input at Core of Atlantic Herring Amendment 8; Council Votes for “No Action” on Framework Adjustment 5

January 25, 2017 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council yesterday reviewed results from its second Atlantic Herring Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) Workshop, which was held in early December.

After considering extensive input from workshop attendees and, subsequently, the Herring Plan Development Team (PDT), Herring Advisory Panel (AP), and Herring Committee, the Council whittled down the list of potential acceptable biological catch (ABC) control rules to be analyzed for further deliberation.

The Council is developing a new ABC control rule as part of Amendment 8 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan. A control rule is a method for establishing an annual catch limit or target fishing level based on scientific advice, and the Council is using the MSE process to incorporate ground-level stakeholder input and early-stage technical analyses before selecting a range of alternatives to send to public hearing later this fall.

Workshop attendees were asked to provide input on potential tradeoffs in the fishery, some of which involved choosing desired levels of herring yield and harvest while accounting for factors such as predator needs and uncertainty related to issues such as climate change.

Given the collective feedback, the Council took four types of control rules off the table: constant catch; conditional constant catch; biomass-based for five years; and biomass based for three years with restrictions.

This move allows the PDT to focus on analyzing annual and three-year-based biomass control rules, which were favored by a majority of workshop attendees.

In March, an independent peer review panel will evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the MSE methods and data used to develop Atlantic herring ABC control rules and comment on any constraints that may hinder use of the MSE model and outcomes in preparing management alternatives.

Amendment 8 also contains a set of alternatives to address potential localized depletion and user conflicts. The Herring Committee is scheduled to meet Tuesday, Feb. 7 at the Sheraton Harborside in Portsmouth, NH to continue its work on refining these alternatives.

Framework Adjustment (FW) 5: The Council has been working on a range of alternatives to potentially modify the Georges Bank haddock accountability measures (AMs) that apply to the herring midwater trawl fishery. However, after reviewing the alternatives and receiving advice from the Herring AP and Committee, the Council voted to select “no action,” which means existing regulations will continue to govern AMs for the herring midwater trawl fishery.

The Council had considered using “proactive” closures to prevent herring vessels from fishing in areas where haddock are prevalent at certain times of the year. Ultimately, the Council concluded that haddock distribution is too unpredictable to select fixed closures, and offshore closures have the potential of forcing the herring fleet closer to shore.

Framework 5 included another option to seasonally split the haddock catch cap for herring midwater trawlers with 80% of the allocation made available on May 1 and 20% on Nov. 1. However, monitoring concerns led the Council to reject this alternative as well. Technical analyses indicated that both the seasonal quota split and proactive seasonal closures could produce negative, unintended consequences, which factored heavily into the Council’s final decision.

The Council’s November vote to increase the herring midwater trawl fishery’s Georges Bank haddock sub-annual catch limit from 1% to 1.5% through FW 56 to the groundfish plan also played a role in the decision. The higher haddock sub-ACL, if approved, will reduce the risk of triggering the herring AMs, which, in turn, will provide the midwater trawl fleet with more opportunity to maximize revenue from herring landings.

The AMs that remain in place are:

  • Inseason closures when the haddock bycatch cap is reached (see map); and
  • A pound-for-pound payback for any overages that do occur.

Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank Haddock Accountability Measure Areas that apply to Atlantic herring midwater trawl vessels when haddock bycatch caps are reached.

ASMFC: The Council also agreed to send a letter to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission requesting that a New England Council representative be allowed to serve on the Commission’s Atlantic Herring Section in a non-voting capacity.

Read the release at the New England Fishery Management Council

New England Fishery Management Council Selects Industry-Funded Monitoring Alternatives for Omnibus Amendment, Atlantic Herring Category A and B Boats

January 25, 2017 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Managment Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council yesterday selected preferred alternatives for the region’s Industry-Funded Monitoring (IFM) Omnibus Amendment, which is being developed jointly with the Mid- Atlantic Council, along with considerable administrative help from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). The Council also picked preferred alternatives for an IFM program for the Atlantic herring fishery but made clear that the measures – if approved and implemented – would apply only to Category A and B herring vessels.

The IFM Omnibus Amendment has two core components.

  • The first focuses on proposed alternatives to modify all New England and Mid-Atlantic Council fishery management plans (FMPs) so that both Councils have a standardized, streamlined process in place for developing future FMP-specific industry-funded monitoring programs.
  • The second part of the amendment contains alternatives that specifically would apply to the Atlantic Herring and Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish FMPs upon implementation of the IFM Omnibus Amendment.

Monitoring alternatives for other fisheries are not part of this amendment, and existing IFM programs for the Atlantic sea scallop and groundfish fisheries are not affected.

The Mid-Atlantic Council voted in mid-December to postpone further action on the Omnibus Amendment and the mackerel alternatives pending completion of an ongoing electronic monitoring (EM) pilot project. NMFS is currently conducting the project with 12 volunteer vessels in the Atlantic herring and mackerel midwater trawl fisheries to evaluate the utility of EM as a monitoring tool. The project will run through most of 2017.

The New England Council, however, opted to move ahead with its portion of the decision-making process here at its Portsmouth, NH meeting.

The Council selected Alternative 2 for the first half of the Omnibus Amendment – the part that establishes the basic foundation of the amendment to standardize cost responsibilities and administrative requirements for industry-funded monitoring service providers.

The Council made clear that any new IFM programs developed under this portion of the Omnibus would need to be crafted through a full amendment, which has an extensive public hearing process, rather than a framework adjustment. Once an IFM program is in place, the Council did agree that a framework could be used to establish a quota set-aside program to help fund IFM measures. The Council further supported using a “Council-led deliberative prioritization process,” which means the Council, possibly in conjunction with the Mid-Atlantic Council, would prepare analyses and set priorities for IFM issues rather than having NMFS take the lead. The Council also decided that any federal money used to fund administrative costs associated with IFM programs should be “equally weighted” among all the industry- funded monitoring programs that are in place for various fisheries.

Herring Alternatives: Next, the Council selected IFM alternatives for the Atlantic herring fishery – as allowed under the second half of the Omnibus Amendment – and reiterated that the measures apply only to Category A and B vessels using midwater trawl, purse seine, and small-mesh bottom trawl gear. The measures do not apply to “wing vessels” that don’t carry fish, and, to be clear, also do not apply to Category C and D boats.

Once the Council determines that electronic monitoring and portside sampling are an acceptable alternative to at-sea monitoring, then Category A and B vessels will be able to choose either:

  • At-sea monitoring with a “combined coverage” target of 50% between the IFM and Standardized Bycatch Reduction Methodology (SBRM) programs; or
  • A combination of EM and portside sampling with a coverage target of 50% in addition to SBRM.

The Council additionally supported: (1) the issuance of waivers if coverage is not available due to funding or logistical problems; (2) an exemption from IFM

Requirements for vessels that land less than 25 metric tons of herring; (3) applying 100% Northeast Fisheries Observer Program-level observer coverage for midwater trawl vessels fishing in groundfish closed areas; and (4) a reevaluation of the IFM herring requirements two years after implementation.

The New England Council will revisit the Omnibus Amendment in April, when it is expected to take final action to submit the document to NMFS. The Council also will discuss “next steps” with the Mid-Atlantic Council since action by both Councils is required before Omnibus alternatives can be implemented.

See the full release at the NEFMC

MASSACHUSETTS: Fish councilor hopes for reappointment

January 25, 2017 — Elizabeth “Libby” Etrie had a pretty well-formed idea of what awaited her when she was appointed in 2014 to her first term on the New England Fishery Management Council.

Etrie had built a solid professional foundation while working with groundfishermen as the program director of the Gloucester-based Northeast Sector Service Network, and through her work with 13 of 17 New England groundfish sectors as the southern sector coordinator for the Gulf of Maine Research Institute sector extension program.

Still, her elevation onto the council as one of Massachusetts’ at-large members provided her with a glimpse of the fishing world beyond groundfish.

“I had spent a lot of time working on groundfish issues, so I was already comfortable there,” Etrie said. “But the council deals with so much more than groundfish and the challenge was getting up to speed on the other fisheries. It’s required more work, but it’s been really rewarding.”

Etrie, who lives in Gloucester, is in the final year of her first three-year term on the council. Gov. Charlie Baker must decide by March 15 if he will submit Etrie’s name to the council and the U.S. Commerce Department — which has final approval on fishery management council member appointments — for re-appointment to another three-year term.

For now, Baker’s office remains non-committal on its plans for filling the two Massachusetts at-large seats on the council whose terms expire this year. The terms of Etrie and John Pappalardo of Chatham both expire on Aug. 10.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

Skate Update: NEFMC Reschedules Montauk, Cape May Scoping Hearings

January 17, 2017 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council has RESCHEDULED its Montauk, NY and Cape May, NJ scoping hearings on Amendment 5 to the Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan.  The new dates are as follows:

  • Cape May — Tuesday, Feb. 21, Grand Hotel of Cape May
  • Montauk — Wednesday, Feb. 22, Montauk Playhouse Community Center Foundation

Both hearings were initially scheduled to take place the previous week.  However, in order to avoid potential conflicts for stakeholders who are planning to attend the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Feb. 14-16 meeting in Kitty Hawk, NC, the New England Council has decided to hold its Mid-Atlantic region skate scoping hearings the following week.

See the full release at the NEFMC