Saving Seafood

NEFMC SSC Meeting Live Streaming Information

August 5, 2016 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will meet on Wednesday, August 10, 2016.  The public is invited to participate via webinar or telephone.  Here are the details.

MEETING LOCATION:  Hilton Garden Inn, Boston Logan Airport, 100 Boardman Street.  Hotel information is available here.

START TIME:  9:00 a.m.

WEBINAR REGISTRATION:  Online access to the meeting will be available here.

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

CALL-IN OPTION:  To listen by telephone, dial +1 (914) 614-3221.

The access code is 960-909-979.

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

AGENDA:  The SSC will develop overfishing levels (OFLs) and acceptable biological catch (ABC) recommendations for (1) Georges Bank yellowtail flounder for fishing year 2017; (2) monkfish for fishing years 2017-2019; and (3) Atlantic deep-sea red crab for fishing years 2017-2019.  The SSC also may take up other business as necessary.

MATERIALS:  Meeting materials are available on the Council’s website at SSC Aug. 10, 2016 meeting.

NEFMC Puts Out Call for Advisory Panel Applicants

August 2, 2016 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

Industry members who want to serve on one or more of the New England Fishery Management Council’s Advisory Panels (APs) still have time to submit applications. The deadline is Aug. 31, 2016.

“Our advisors are important to us,” said Council Executive Director Tom Nies. “They bring a wide range of experience and perspectives to the table and give us valuable insight into the practical, social, and economic implications of our actions.”

Selected AP members will be appointed to three-year terms running from January 2017 through December 2020.

IMPORTANT: Current advisors who want to continue serving on APs do not need to fill out new applications but MUST email Joan O’Leary at joleary@nefmc.org or fax a note to the Council at (978) 465- 3116 indicating their desire to remain on a particular panel.

Seats are available on the Council’s Habitat, Herring, Enforcement, Monkfish, Red Crab, Skate, Scallop, Whiting, and Groundfish APs, as well as the Groundfish Recreational Advisory Panel, commonly referred to as the RAP.

Potential qualified applicants include:

  • Commercial and recreational fishermen;
  • Seafood processors and dealers; and
  • Other industry stakeholders such as members of conservation groups, academia, or state and local

    management agencies or boards.

Application forms and additional information are available here.

Plan Wants to Shift Mid-Atlantic Scallop Season Start Date to April 1 to Get Stock Data in Time

July 22, 2016 — SEAFOOD NEWS — The New England Fishery Management Council submitted a proposal to NMFS that asks to shift the start to commercial scallop fishing in the Mid-Atlantic fishery one month to April 1.

According to the Council’s plan, moving the start of the fishing season is so federal and third party researchers have more time to submit stock assessment findings so a comprehensive fishery management plan can be agreed upon prior to the season.

It would also reduce the need to for mid-season adjustments, which happens when stock data is submitted past deadline.

“The combined measures are expected to improve the overall timing of scallop fishery specifications so that final measures are available for the fishery at the start of the fishing year,” the Council’s proposal said.

The plan is the result of ongoing discussions among industry stakeholders, third-party research firms and state and federal fishing authorities on how to effectively produce the most comprehensive scallop management plan each season.

All scallop fishery data is supposed to be submitted by August 1 of each year so a management plan can be finalized for the next fishing season. Since several state and federal agencies are involved in setting allocations and days –at-sea,  even a one week delay can grind the process to a halt.

And in recent seasons late data submissions, mostly by federal fishery authorities, did result in mid-season adjustments to the scallop management plan.

The hope now is to approve the one month delay, which will give all scientists enough time to submit data on time.

The one month shift is not likely to have a large impact on the Mid-Atlantic scallop fishery since most major industry stakeholders have been aware of that the shift could happen. Additionally, historical data shows that March and April are generally low producing months for a majority of Mid-Atlantic scallopers.

Still, some boats that do fish in March will have to adjust their plans for the delay, likely by conserving days-at-sea to last throughout the fishing year. There is also the possibility of declines in the meat fill ratios in the scallops depending on when the spring spawning season starts.

This story originally appeared on SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

NEFMC Newsletter – Council Report

July 6, 2016 — The following was released by the NEFMC:

The Council Report summarizes major actions approved at NEFMC meetings or highlights items of interest.

At its June 21-23 meeting in Portland, ME, the Council approved actions related to the development of its fishery management plans.

The issues involved:

  • Sea Scallop FW 28 and the RSA Program
  • Small Mesh Multisp. Amendment 22
  • Industry Funded Monitoring Amendment
  • Atlantic Herring Amendment 8
  • Groundfish FW 56 and the haddock catch cap for herring midwater trawl gear
  • Other Items of Interest

Read the full newsletter here

Northeast Ocean Plan is solidifying

July 6, 2016 — ELLSWORTH, Maine — The new Northeast Regional Ocean Plan currently being developed will not create any new regulatory authority, Maine Department of Marine Resources Deputy Commissioner Meredith Mendelson told a group at the Ellsworth Library last week.

The hearing, one of three in Maine, was held to solicit comment from the public and from “stakeholders” on what it anticipates is a near-final draft of the Northeast Ocean Plan. The public comment period began May 25 and ends July 25.

Six years ago, President Obama signed an executive order establishing a National Ocean Policy that called for the creation of nine regional boards to develop plans “to better manage the nation’s oceans and coasts.”

Four years ago, the Northeast Regional Planning Board was formed to develop a strategy for the waters off New England. The board includes representatives of nine federal agencies with authority of one sort or another over activities in the ocean, six federally recognized tribes, the New England Fishery Management Council and all six New England states.

Read the full story at the Mount Desert Islander

U.S. Commerce Department announces 2016 regional fishery council appointments

June 28, 2016 — The following was released by NOAA:

The U.S. Commerce Department today announced the appointment of 19 new and returning members to the eight regional fishery management councils that partner with NOAA Fisheries to manage ocean fish stocks. One at-large seat on the Mid-Atlantic Council will be announced by the Secretary at a later date. The new and reappointed council members begin their three-year terms on August 11.

The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act established the councils to prepare fishery management plans for their regions. NOAA Fisheries works closely with the councils through this process and then reviews, approves and implements the plans. Council members represent diverse groups, including commercial and recreational fishing industries, environmental organizations and academia. They are vital to fulfilling the act’s requirements to end overfishing, rebuild fish stocks and manage them sustainably.

“U.S. fisheries are among the most sustainable in the world, and NOAA Fisheries is grateful for the efforts these individuals devote to our nation’s fisheries management and to the resiliency of our oceans. We look forward to working with both new and returning council members,” said Eileen Sobeck, assistant NOAA administrator for fisheries. “Each council faces unique challenges, and their partnership with NOAA Fisheries is integral to the sustainability of the fisheries in their respective regions, as well as to the communities that rely on those fisheries.”

Each year, the Secretary of Commerce appoints approximately one-third of the total 72 appointed members to the eight regional councils. The Secretary selects members from nominations submitted by the governors of fishing states, territories and tribal governments.

Read the full release and list of council appointments

Government’s Northeast Regional Ocean Plan nears completion

June 23, 2016 — ELLSWORTH, Maine — Six years ago, President Obama signed an executive order establishing a National Ocean Policy that called for the creation of nine regional planning boards to develop plans “to better manage the nation’s oceans and coasts.”

Four years ago, the Northeast Regional Planning Board was formed to develop a plan for the waters off New England. The board includes representatives of nine federal agencies with authority of one sort or another over activities in the ocean, six federally recognized tribes, the New England Fishery Management Council and all six New England states.

Since then, the Northeast board has worked to draft a plan that will promote “healthy ocean and coastal ecosystems,” effective decision-making and “compatibility among past, current and future ocean uses.”

On Monday, the board held a hearing at the Ellsworth Library to solicit comment from the public and from “stakeholders” on what it anticipates is a near-final draft of the Northeast Ocean Plan. The public comment period began May 25 and ends July 25.

Monday’s hearing was one of nine scheduled throughout New England during the month of June. The first was held in Rockland on June 6. The final hearing — and the third in Maine — is scheduled for June 30 in Portland.

The current schedule calls for the Northeast board to meet in September after staff members have incorporated public comments to approve final version of the plan. The final step will be for the National Ocean Council to review and approve the plan which is subject to revision at five-year intervals.

Read the full story at the Ellsworth American

MASS. STATE REP. BILL STRAUS: Baker has the right to change board’s makeup

June 9, 2016 — To the editor:

On May 24, your paper published an article regarding the action of the Baker administration in replacing seven of the nine members of the state’s Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission.

All seven members whom Gov. Baker replaced were serving as hold overs whose statutory terms had long expired; five of them had begun on the panel as appointees of Republican governors going back to 1991.

I believe the new appointees reflect a diverse experience in fisheries and no one quoted in your article could credibly assert that the new members aren’t qualified for this panel.

Read the full letter at the Gloucester Times

2016-2017 Monkfish Research Set-Aside Awards Announced

June 7, 2016 — The following was released by NOAA:

NOAA Fisheries is pleased to announce, in coordination with the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils, the selection of two cooperative research proposals submitted to the 2016-2017 Monkfish Research Set Aside (RSA) Program.

Overall, five researchers from four different institutions have been awarded grants to investigate monkfish biology to help improve the stock assessment for one of the Greater Atlantic Region’s highest valued commercial finfish. The researchers will work on two projects involving dozens of commercial fishing vessels, supported by awards valued at approximately $3.77 million.

Both grant recipients propose to build on previous research in an effort to identify monkfish stock structure through genetic studies and to estimate growth and movement of juvenile monkfish. These projects address the monkfish RSA program goals for stock structure/stock identification and implications for stock assessment and fisheries management.

NOAA Fisheries Announces Proposed Rules for Northeast Skate Fishery

June 6, 2016 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Region:

Today, NOAA Fisheries proposes, and opens for public comments, new management measures for the northeast skate fishery.

These were developed through Framework Adjustment 3 to the Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan at the recommendation of the New England Fishery Management Council.

The proposed measures are:

  • New quotas for the skate wing (8,372 mt) and bait (4,218 mt) fisheries for the 2016 and 2017.
  • All skate trip limits are proposed to remain unchanged from current levels.
  • Splitting the skate wing fishery quota into two seasons (May through August and September through April) to allow the directed fishery to be temporarily closed in-season if the seasonal quota is reached.

Read the proposed rule as filed in the Federal Register.

The comment period is open until 5pm on June 21.

Please submit your comments online or by mailing them to:

John Bullard, Regional Administrator
NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Region
55 Great Republic Drive
Gloucester, MA 01930

Please mark the outside of the envelope “Comments on Northeast Skate Fishery Proposed Rule.”