Saving Seafood

NEFMC to Host Coral Workshops to Solicit Input From Active Fishermen

February 22, 2017 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council is hosting two workshops to bring together active fishermen who use bottom-tending mobile and fixed gear to discuss issues related to its Deep-Sea Coral Amendment.  Advance registration is strongly encouraged.  Here are the details.

PURPOSE:  The Council is seeking guidance primarily from active fishermen who use trawls, traps or pots, gillnets, longlines, and/or dredges offshore in the Gulf of Maine and in the slope/canyon region south of Georges Bank.  The Coral Amendment contains several alternatives that are under development.  The Council is looking for:  (1) industry feedback on fishing activity within proposed coral protection zones; and (2) help in refining management area boundaries to limit impacts to fishing operations while still providing protection for corals.

WORKSHOP #1, NEW BEDFORD, MA:  Two days, beginning Monday, March 13 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and continuing into Tuesday, March 14 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Fairfield Inn & Suites, 185 MacArthur Drive, New Bedford, MA 02740.

AGENDA #1:  The New Bedford workshop will focus on fishing activity in and around the amendment’s draft deep-sea canyon coral zones and shelf/slope broad coral zones south of Georges Bank.  Generally speaking, these zones are deeper than 150 fathoms.  NOTE — large pelagic fishermen who work in the canyon/slope region are not proposed to be impacted by the Coral Amendment.

MAP #1:  A map of the area being addressed in Workshop #1 is available at zones south of Georges Bank.

REGISTRATION #1:  New Bedford Registration Form.

WORKSHOP #2, PORTSMOUTH, NH:  Single day, Wednesday, March 15 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Sheraton Harborside, 250 Market Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801.

AGENDA #2:  The Portsmouth workshop will focus on fishermen and fishing activity in Jordan Basin and the Lindenkohl Knoll area of Georges Basin.  NOTE — proposals for the inshore areas around Outer Schoodic Ridge and Mount Desert Rock are not the intended focus of this Portsmouth gathering.

MAP #2:  A map of the area being addressed in Workshop #2 is available at Jordan and Georges Basins.

REGISTRATION #2:  Portsmouth Registration Form.

GENERAL INFORMATION:  Pre-registration is highly encouraged, even among stakeholders who have voiced an interest in attending but have yet to fill out a registration form.  Both venues have limits on room capacity, and workshop organizers plan to distribute background materials and related information to registrants in advance of each event.  Accurate head counts are important for planning purposes.  Visit the Council’s Coral Workshops webpage for full details.

QUESTIONS:  Contact Michelle Bachman, the New England Council’s habitat fishery analyst, at (978) 465-0492, ext. 120, email mbachman@nefmc.org.

Read the announcement from the New England Fishery Management Council here

Groundfish Monitoring Scoping Hearings

February 21, 2017 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council has scheduled a series of public scoping hearings from Maine to Connecticut to solicit ideas for potentially changing the region’s groundfish monitoring and reporting system. The purpose of this initiative is to improve reliability and accountability of the monitoring program since successful management of the fishery depends on accurate and timely catch reporting.

The changes are being considered under Amendment 23 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan. The Council is encouraging fishermen and other stakeholders to participate in this very early stage of the amendment development process.

“The Council, fishermen, and the public recognize the groundfish monitoring program needs improvement,” said Council Executive Director Tom Nies. “This is the first and best opportunity for people to suggest ways to create a program that will give the accurate, reliable information needed to manage this fishery.”

At present, two types of at-sea observers are used in the groundfish fishery: (1)Federally funded Northeast Fishery Observer Program (NEFOP) observers who follow the Standardized Bycatch Reporting Methodology (SBRM) and implement federal programs; and (2) At-sea monitors who are responsible for groundfish sector monitoring. As of May 1, at-sea monitors will be fully funded by industry.

Amendment 23 will not impact NEFOP or SBRM coverage. However, the amendment could modify or even remove the at-sea monitoring program if an alternative holistic monitoring and reporting program is developed and implemented for the groundfish fishery.

As part of Amendment 23, the Council also may consider changes to the way landings information is provided by both dealers and vessel operators and how it is assigned to stock areas.

Read the full release here

Feds seek input on plan to protect deep sea corals in New England

February 10, 2017 — Federal fishing regulators want input from fishermen about how they can protect deep-sea coral off of New England while limiting impacts on commercial fishing.

The New England Fishery Management Council is holding a pair of meetings on the subject in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The council says it is looking for feedback about fishing activity that takes place within proposed coral protection zones.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at NH1

NEFMC to Host Coral Workshops to Solicit Input From Active Fishermen

February 8, 2017 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council is hosting two workshops to bring together active fishermen who use bottom-tending mobile and fixed gear to discuss issues related to its Deep-Sea Coral Amendment.  Advance registration is strongly encouraged.  Here are the details.

PURPOSE:  The Council is seeking guidance primarily from active fishermen who use trawls, traps or pots, gillnets, longlines, and/or dredges offshore in the Gulf of Maine and in the slope/canyon region south of Georges Bank.  The Coral Amendment contains several alternatives that are under development.  The Council is looking for:  (1) industry feedback on fishing activity within proposed coral protection zones; and (2) help in refining management area boundaries to limit impacts to fishing operations while still providing protection for corals.

WORKSHOP #1, NEW BEDFORD, MA:  Two days, beginning Monday, March 13 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and continuing into Tuesday, March 14 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Fairfield Inn & Suites, 185 MacArthur Drive, New Bedford, MA 02740.  

AGENDA #1:  The New Bedford workshop will focus on fishing activity in and around the amendment’s draft deep-sea canyon coral zones and shelf/slope broad coral zones south of Georges Bank.  Generally speaking, these zones are deeper than 150 fathoms.  NOTE — large pelagic fishermen who work in the canyon/slope region are not proposed to be impacted by the Coral Amendment.

MAP #1:  A map of the area being addressed in Workshop #1 is available at zones south of Georges Bank.

REGISTRATION #1:  New Bedford Registration Form.

WORKSHOP #2, PORTSMOUTH, NH:  Single day, Wednesday, March 15 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Sheraton Harborside, 250 Market Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801.

AGENDA #2:  The Portsmouth workshop will focus on fishermen and fishing activity in Jordan Basin and the Lindenkohl Knoll area of Georges Basin.  NOTE — proposals for the inshore areas around Outer Schoodic Ridge and Mount Desert Rock are not the intended focus of this Portsmouth gathering.

MAP #2:  A map of the area being addressed in Workshop #2 is available at Jordan and Georges Basins.

REGISTRATION #2:  Portsmouth Registration Form.

GENERAL INFORMATION:  Pre-registration is highly encouraged, even among stakeholders who have voiced an interest in attending but have yet to fill out a registration form.  Both venues have limits on room capacity, and workshop organizers plan to distribute background materials and related information to registrants in advance of each event.  Accurate head counts are important for planning purposes.  Visit the Council’s Coral Workshops webpage for full details.

QUESTIONS:  Contact Michelle Bachman, the New England Council’s habitat fishery analyst, at (978) 465-0492, ext. 120, email mbachman@nefmc.org.

MAINE: DMR seeks nomination

February 7, 2017 — The Department of Marine Resources is seeking recommendations from fisheries associations and individuals for Gov. Paul LePage’s nomination of a person to fill an at-large seat on the New England Fishery Management Council currently held by a Maine resident.

Recommendations should be submitted to this department by Feb. 20 to provide nominees with adequate time to complete the required paperwork. Call 624-6553, fax 624-6024 or email your recommendations to Amy Sinclair at amy.sinclair@maine.gov.

Read the full story at the Mount Desert Islander

Skates: RESCHEDULED – Narragansett, RI scoping hearing

February 7, 2017 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

Due to inclement weather, the New England Fishery Management Council has RESCHEDULED its Narragansett, RI scoping hearing on Amendment 5 to the Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan.  The new hearing date is Monday, Feb. 27. 

The hearing initially was planned to take place this Thursday, Feb. 9.  However, the National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island with potential snow accumulations of 8” to 12”.  Given the forecast, the Council determined it was best to prevent unnecessary travel. 

The Feb. 27 hearing will take place from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography in the Coastal Institute Building’s Hazard Room.

Copies of the revised hearing notice, scoping document, and other Amendment 5 materials are available at skates.

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.