Saving Seafood

Northeast Ocean Plan emerges as development tool

October 19, 2016 — When, as expected, the Northeast Ocean Plan is approved later this year, New England will lead the nation in developing guidelines and an online database to provide framework for all future development and decision-making regarding the sea.

Originating from a 2010 presidential executive order, the national ocean policy instructs nine regions bordering the ocean or Great Lakes to form regional planning bodies consisting of representatives appointed from federal, state and regional entities and tribes to hold several hearings with a variety of stakeholders. (In New England, the New England Fishery Management Council and two ex-officio members from New York and Canada were also included.) The input is used to develop guidelines for how to proceed, for instance, in the case of a proposed offshore wind farm.

“For any project that comes up now, the ocean plan will guide the consideration of that project and in very specific ways,” said Priscilla Brooks, vice president and director of ocean conservation at the Conservation Law Foundation, who participated in stakeholder meetings. “It will guide [the project] in terms of agencies using this new Northeast Ocean Data portal – which is a tremendous compilation of data of the ocean and how we use it – for the first time. There are guidelines on how to engage stakeholders early in the process.”

Read the full story at the New Hampshire Business Review

New England Fishery Managment Council Welcomes News: Barndoor Skates Declared “Rebuilt”

October 7, 2016 — The following was released by the NEFMC: 

In a management success story that came after years of highly restrictive measures, the New England Fishery Management Council is welcoming the recent declaration that “barndoor skate is now considered rebuilt based on the best available scientific information.” Barndoor skate has been a prohibited species for commercial and recreational fishermen since 2003 when the Council’s Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan (FMP) was implemented and the stock was considered to be overfished.

The Council was informed of this change in status through a Sept. 30 letter from Regional Administrator John Bullard of the National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office.

Council Chairman Dr. John Quinn noted that in 1999, NMFS received two petitions to list barndoor skate as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

“We’ve come a long way since then,” Quinn said.

In 2002, NMFS determined that an ESA listing was not warranted because of several “positive trends” in the population, which included: “recent increases in abundance of barndoor skate observed during trawl surveys; the expansion of known areas where barndoor skate have been encountered; increases in size range; and the increase in the number of small barndoor skate that have been collected.”

The stock has continued to improve over the years and many fishermen have reported encountering higher numbers of barndoor skate in many areas. In light of the stock’s rebuilt status, some now are asking whether the Council will allow future landings. The answer is: It’s too soon to tell.

Other skate stock status findings by the science center include:

  • Overfishing was not occurring on any of the seven species in the Northeast Skate Complex, which are: winter
    skate (Leucoraja ocellata); barndoor skate (Dipturis laevis); thorny skate (Amblyraja radiata); smooth skate (Malacoraja senta); little skate (Leucoraja erinacea); clearnose skate (Raja eglanteria); and rosette skate (Leucoraja germane).
  • Thorny skate is the only species in the complex that remains in an overfished condition. Like barndoor skate, possession of thorny skate is prohibited.

See the full release from the NEFMC

Changes could come to East Coast monkfish business

September 30, 2016 — PORTLAND, Maine — Interstate fishing regulators are working on a new plan to manage the monkfish fishery on the East Coast.

Monkfish are bottom-dwelling fish that are fished commercially and are a popular menu item in seafood restaurants. The New England Fishery Management Council has initiated a plan to create new fishing specifications for the fish for the next three years.

A spokeswoman says the council’s monkfish committee will work this fall on specifications for the fishery. Rules will be approved in November. The rules could also remain status quo.

Fishermen catch monkfish from Maine to North Carolina, though most are brought ashore in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at The Journal

New England Fishery Management Council seeks at-large Research Steering Committee members

September 29, 2016 — The following was released by the NEFMC:

The New England Fishery Management Council is seeking at-large members to serve on its Research Steering Committee.  The committee’s primary mission is to foster collaborations between fishermen and scientists and advise the Council on research priorities aimed at achieving collaborative outcomes.  The committee also reviews final reports to ensure that research projects have had adequate technical review and to discuss how information gained from the research may be used in management.

When fully populated, the Research Steering Committee is made up of:  four voting Council members who are appointed annually; one Northeast Fisheries Science Center representative; one National Marine Fisheries Service representative from the Greater Atlantic Region Fisheries Office; and eight at-large members.

The Council specifically is seeking applicants for the eight at-large seats, which are broken down as follows:

  • Two fishery scientists;
  • Four fishermen;
  • One representative from the conservation community; and
  • One representative from academia.

The solicitation announcement states, “The Council Chairman will appoint Research Steering Committee members on the basis of their experience and expertise concerning fishing, fisheries science and research, and/or fisheries policy.”

The committee meets roughly three times per year.  Expenses for travel, meals, and lodging will be paid for in accordance with the Council’s travel policy.

Work Continues on Coral Amendment, Clam Dredge Framework

September 23, 2016 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council today clarified the range of fishing gear restrictions that will be analyzed under its Deep-Sea Coral Amendment. The Council is considering alternatives to restrict (1) trawl and dredge gear only; or (2) all fixed and mobile bottom-tending gears in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank coral zones. Previously, the Council had not taken a position on how to address the lobster and Jonah crab fisheries, which are not managed by the Council under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act but rather by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

In a move that eliminated this ambiguity, the Council asked for additional analyses from its Habitat Plan Development Team (PDT) about the potential economic and biological impacts of restricting lobster and crab traps in coral zones. The Council then added an alternative to the amendment to potentially exempt these trap fisheries from bottom- tending gear restrictions.

Updated NOAA Fisheries policy guidance, which states that restrictions in coral zones ”may apply to … state-regulated fishing that is authorized in the Exclusive Economic Zone,” enabled the Council to take this step.

On Sept. 15, President Obama designated the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, which overlaps portions of the Council’s Coral Amendment. The Council considered – but ultimately postponed to November – a motion to remove canyons and seamounts that fall within the monument’s boundaries from further consideration in the Coral Amendment.

The Council first wanted additional information from NOAA Fisheries about how regulations related to the monument designation will be developed and implemented, as well as additional analyses from the PDT, before taking action.

The deep-sea canyon zones in the Council’s amendment that fall completely or partially within the monument boundaries are Oceanographer, Gilbert, Lydonia, Filebottom, Chebacco, and Heel Tapper. The overlapping seamount zones are Physalia, Bear, Retriever, and Mytilus. The monument also includes portions of the depth-based, broad zone proposals.

In addition, the Council approved:

Boundary adjustments to the Central Jordan Basin coral zone in the Gulf of Maine based on updated information from the PDT; and

Adding a 600-meter depth-based broad zone to be considered alongside the other broad coral protection contour zones of 300, 400, and 500 meters that currently are under analysis.

Several workshops, meetings, and public hearings will be held prior to the Council taking any final action on this issue or other Coral Amendment issues.

After fine-tuning several details, the New England Council in early September resubmitted Omnibus Essential Fish Habitat Amendment 2 (OHA2) to the the National Marine Fisheries Service’s Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) for approval. The Council and GARFO expect the amendment will be implemented next spring.

Implementation will trigger a one-year exemption for the surfclam/ocean quahog clam dredge fishery from a prohibition on fishing in the Great South Channel and Georges Shoal Habitat Management Areas (HMAs) identified in the map below.

At industry’s request, the Council initiated a framework adjustment to OHA2 to consider development of a longer-term access program so clam fishermen could continue working in both areas beyond the one-year exemption. The Council now is in the process of identifying areas within both HMAs that provide suitable bottom for clam fishing but minimize adverse fishing impacts on habitat to the extent practical. The Council’s ultimate goal is to balance conservation and industry needs.

See the full release at the NEFMC

New England Fishery Management Council Reviews Sea Scallop Survey Findings and FW 28 Status

September 23, 2016 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

Council Reviews Sea Scallop Survey Findings and FW 28 Status

In preparation for developing new specifications for the Atlantic sea scallop fishery, the New England Fishery Management Council today received a broad overview of 2016 scallop survey results. These results will guide the Council, Scallop Committee, Scallop Plan Development Team (PDT), and industry in formulating 2017 fishing year days-at-sea and access area trip allocations for limited access vessels, as well as individual fishing quotas for limited access general category boats. Default specifications for 2018 also will be developed.

In short, here are some of the key survey findings:

  • Total biomass is at a very high level and expected to increase as a result of growth from previous large year classes.
  • Survey results did not show signs of good incoming recruitment on Georges Bank or in the Mid-Atlantic.
  • The vast majority of the current high biomass is located either in closed areas or scallop access areas.

The surveys also came across an unprecedented number of densely concentrated, “slow growing” scallops in the southern portion of the Nantucket Lightship area in deep water. Many of these age-four scallops had only reached a size normally achieved by age two. The PDT said that “growth potential” for these animals may be limited given their depth.

In another development, large concentrations of starfish, a known predator of scallops, were observed in the shallow portion of the Habitat Area of Particular Concern on the Northern Edge. Surveys also found Didemnum, an invasive tunicate, covering the gravel in this shallow area. These tunicates may be interfering with scallop seed settlement.

The following institutions contributed to the 2016 scallop survey:

  • The Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) conducted dredge surveys in the Mid-Atlantic, Nantucket Lightship, and Closed Area II and surrounding bottom;
  • The School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) at the University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth conducted intensive Closed Area I and Nantucket Lightship drop camera surveys;
  • The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) with Lund’s Fisheries conducted a HabCam Version 4 survey on the Northern Edge of Georges Bank;
  • Arnie’s Fisheries conducted an intensive Elephant Trunk survey with HabCam 3;
  • The Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) conducted the federal Georges Bank dredge survey plus Mid-Atlantic and Georges Bank HabCam 4 surveys; and
  • The Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) and University of Maine conducted a Northern Gulf of Maine dredge survey (map at right).

The 2017 specifications and 2018 default measures will be part of Framework Adjustment 28 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan, which is still under development and scheduled for final action at the Council’s Nov. 15-17 meeting in Newport, Rhode Island. The full range of specifications will include: (a) acceptable biological catches (ABCs), annual catch limits (ACLs), days-at-sea, and access area allocations for both limited access (LA) and limited access general category (LAGC) vessels; (b) a hard total allowable catch (TAC) for the Northern Gulf of Maine Management Area; (c) a target TAC for the LAGC incidental catch; and (d) set-aside amounts for the scallop observer and research set-aside programs.

The framework also contains: (1) a measure to potentially restrict the possession of shell stock inshore of the days-at-sea demarcation line north of 42° 20’ N; (2) measures to apply spatial management to fisheries specifications (ACL flowchart); and (3) measures to modify the Closed Area I Scallop Access Area boundary to be consistent with potential changes to habitat and groundfish mortality closed areas as outlined in the Omnibus Habitat Amendment, which is under review by the National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) Greater Atlantic Region Fisheries Office.

See the full release at the NEFMC

New England Fishery Management Council Elects 2016-2017 Officers, Welcomes New Members

September 20, 2016 — The following was released by the NEFMC: 

The New England Fishery Management Council today by acclimation elected Dr. John F. Quinn of Massachusetts and E. F. “Terry” Stockwell III of Maine to serve respectively as chairman and vice chairman in the year ahead. The two have led the Council since 2014 but reversed roles this year. Stockwell said he wanted to participate more freely in discussions and vote on motions, especially on issues important to his home state. The Council chair serves as a neutral leader and does not vote except to break a tie.

Quinn said he was ready to take on the top position and thanked the Council for its support.

“I’m honored that the Council has put its trust in me,” Quinn said. “We have some significant challenges ahead. I’m glad Terry will be by my side as vice chair to help guide us along. We’re both committed to working closely with industry and all of our stakeholders to ensure that our actions are transparent and carried out as collaboratively as possible.”

Stockwell added, “I really appreciate John’s willingness to step up as chair. We’re wrestling with many issues right now that are critically important to the state of Maine. I need the ability to fully air the state’s position and serve as a voting member. I’m pleased to be vice chair. This way I can continue to help John and the Executive Committee carry out Council business.”

Quinn directs the Public Interest Law Program and External Partnerships at the University of Massachusetts School of Law – Dartmouth. In July, he was bestowed with the school’s 2016 “Chancellor’s Award Recognizing Excellence in Service.” Stockwell is Director of External Affairs at the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) and serves on the Council as DMR Commissioner Pat Keliher’s designee.

Quinn and Stockwell will serve on the Council’s Executive Committee in their ex officio capacities as chair and vice chair. The Council also elected Doug Grout of New Hampshire, Peter Kendall of New Hampshire, and Terry Alexander of Maine to round out the team. The five-member Executive Committee develops policy for Council consideration and provides guidance on administrative, financial, and personnel matters.

The Council held this annual election of officers on the first day of its Sept. 20-22 meeting in Danvers, Massachusetts, where it also welcomed two new members.

Mark Godfroy of New Hampshire is the owner and captain of two party boats — the Lady Tracey Ann II and the Lady Courtney Alexa — that operate out of Seabrook, New Hampshire as part of the fleet at Eastman’s Docks. He was appointed to the state’s obligatory seat, replacing Ellen Goethel.

Richard Bellavance Jr. of Rhode Island, the owner/operator of Priority Charters, LLC, a charter fishing business located in Point Judith, was appointed to the at-large seat previously held by Frank Blount of Rhode Island.

Dr. Michael Sissenwine was reappointed to serve a second, three-year term on the Council. New appointments took effect Aug. 11.

See the full release at the NEFMC

New England Fishery Managmement Council to Weigh New Marine Monument Impacts, Implications

September 15, 2016 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Managment Council:

President Obama today announced that he had used his authority under the Antiquities Act of 1906 to establish a “Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument,” the first of its kind in the Atlantic Ocean. The New England Fishery Management Council, which has been working for several years to develop its own coral protection measures throughout a significantly broader sweep of this offshore area, will now turn its efforts toward analyzing the impacts and implications of the newly established marine monument and determining how the designation affects the work that already has been conducted under the Council’s draft Omnibus Deep-Sea Coral Amendment.

The 4,913-square-mile monument encompasses three deep-sea canyons – Oceanographer, Gilbert, and Lydonia – as well as four seamounts – Physalia, Bear, Retriever, and Mytilus – that also were proposed for additional protection under the Council’s Coral Amendment.

However, the Council will need to reassess its management strategy given these new developments. Next week, the full Council will meet in Danvers, Massachusetts and discuss “next steps” for how the Habitat Committee should proceed given that some of the actions in the Coral Amendment have been superseded by the monument’s establishment.

“The monument area does overlap some of the proposals in our own Coral Amendment,” said Council Vice Chairman Dr. John Quinn, who also chairs the Council’s Habitat Committee. “Since there’s no need for duplication of conservation measures, I expect those alternatives to be removed.”

The Council is expected to continue working on numerous other provisions within its Coral Amendment, which covers 15 additional deep-sea canyons on Georges Bank, as well as areas of the continental slope between those canyons.

Commercial fishing will be prohibited within the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, although the Administration is giving lobster and deep-sea red crab fishermen a seven-year exception to phase out fishing activities and exit the area. Other impacted fishermen, such as whiting and squid harvesters, will have 60 days to transition out. Recreational fishing will be allowed.

According to the White House, “The geographic boundaries of the monument have been narrowly tailored based on the best available science and stakeholder input.”

Acknowledging this statement, Council Chairman Terry Stockwell said, “The designation is smaller than proposals circulated earlier in the process, indicating an effort to at least partly address fishing industry concerns.”

The New England Council never took a formal position on any of the marine monument proposals that were put forward over the past year for this region. However, the Council was a signatory to the position developed last spring by the Council Coordination Committee (CCC), a body that pulls together the leadership teams of the nation’s eight Regional Fishery Management Councils.

The CCC, in a late-June letter to the President, requested that, in the event of a marine monument designation, the Councils be allowed to continue managing fishing and habitat related activities under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA), as has been the case since the Act was first passed by Congress in 1976 and implemented in 1977.

The MSA requires that fishery regulations be developed through a science-based, open, and very transparent public process where all stakeholders can participate in the discussion within multiple venues, including through advisory panel and committee meetings, workshops, scientific meetings, full Council meetings, and, these days, through webinars.

Chairman Stockwell said, “The position of all eight Councils is that we still prefer to be allowed to continue managing fishing activity and establishing essential fish habitat designations under the MSA.”

About the NEFMC:
The New England Fishery Management Council, one of eight regional councils established by federal legislation in 1976, is charged with conserving and managing fishery resources from three to 200 miles off the coasts of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.

New England Fishery Managment Council Sept. 20-22 meeting, live streaming information

September 14, 2016 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council: 

The New England Fishery Management Council will hold a three-day meeting that begins Tuesday, Sept. 20 and runs through Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016.  The public is invited to listen-in via webinar or telephone.  Here are the details.

MEETING LOCATION:  DoubleTree by Hilton, 50 Ferncroft Road, Danvers, MA 01923

START TIME:  The webinar will be activated at 8 a.m. each day.  The meeting is scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, and 8:30 p.m. on Thursday.  The webinar will end at approximately 6:00 p.m. EST or shortly after the Council adjourns each day.

WEBINAR REGISTRATION:  Online access to the meeting is available at:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1829856006168371714

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

CALL-IN OPTION:  To listen by telephone, dial +1 (415) 655-0060.

The access code is 112-403-988.

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

AGENDA:  The agenda and all meeting materials are available on the Council’s website at September 20-22, 2016 Meeting.

THREE MEETING OUTLOOK:  A copy of the New England Council’s Three Meeting Outlook is available here.

QUESTIONS:  If you have questions prior to or during the meeting, call or email Janice Plante at (607) 592-4817, jplante@nefmc.org.

MASSACHUSETTS: Cape Fishermen Seek Buffer From Herring Trawlers

August 29, 2016 — CHATHAM, Mass. — Cape Cod fishermen may be on their way to some relief from sharing inshore fishing grounds with mid-water herring trawling, a practice they say is threatening their livelihoods. But a persistent lack of data on the impact of the trawls may hamper efforts to regulate them.

On Aug. 17, the Herring Oversight Committee of the New England Fisheries Management Council voted to send the council two options for establishing a buffer zone prohibiting mid-water trawling off Cape Cod. The zone would extend either 12 miles or 35 miles from shore — significantly farther than the 6-mile zone proposed by the herring industry and closer than the 50-mile mark sought by environmental groups. The council will consider the options when it meets in September.

Fishermen have been complaining for years about the industrial-sized ships landing on the back side of Cape Cod, scooping up millions of pounds of herring and leaving, they say, a temporary ocean “bio-desert” in their wake.

In 2015, the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance collected hundreds of comments and individual letters from fisherman about the phenomenon called “localized depletion” — defined as “when harvesting takes more fish than can be replaced locally or through fish migrating into the catch area within a given time period.”

Read the full story at ecoRI News