Saving Seafood

NOAA Fisheries Announces Proposed 2021-2022 Spiny Dogfish Specifications

March 4, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is proposing the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils’ recommended catch specifications for the 2021-2022 spiny dogfish fishery. These proposed catch limits are revised from what was originally projected for fishing year 2021 to reflect the Mid-Atlantic Council’s updated risk policy to prevent overfishing, and project status quo (unchanged) specifications for 2022. Because the new risk policy accepts a higher level of risk for stocks at or above biomass targets, the proposed revisions increase all limits nearly 10 percent.

Comparison of Original (Current) and Revised (Proposed) Spiny Dogfish Fishery Specifications for Fishing Years 2021 and 2022, in metric tons.

All other management measures and requirements, including the 6,000-lb federal trip limit, would remain unchanged.

For more details on the proposed specifications, read the proposed rule as published in the Federal Register, and submit your comments through the online portal. The comment period is open through March 19, 2021.

Questions?

Fishermen Contact: Cynthia Ferrio, Sustainable Fisheries Division, 978-281-9180

Media: Contact Jennifer Goebel, Regional Office, 978-281-9175

ANALYSIS: Net Supply of Scallops Retreating Since 2018

March 1, 2021 — With a combined approach of effort limitation and rotating harvest areas, the Atlantic sea scallop is one of the most valuable fisheries in the United States and is the most valuable wild scallop fishery in the world. It is managed by the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) in cooperation with the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council under the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fisheries Management Plan, which maximizes scallop yields while protecting beds of young scallops.

Looking at the total net supply of scallops for 2020, considering domestic landings combined with imports, while deducting exports, the United States reports seeing fewer landings, slightly increased imports, and a decline in exports when compared to the previous year, resulting in a decline of our net supply by 15.6 percent or 12.6 million pounds less of product.  Our net supply calculation suggests an annual total of 67.7 million pounds in 2020 compared to 80.3 million in 2019. This retreat marks the lowest net supply on record since 2015 and the start of a downwards trend that began in 2018.

Read the full story at Seafood News

NEFMC Recommends 2021 Recreational Measures for Gulf of Maine Cod and Haddock for GARFO’s Consideration

February 18, 2021 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

Recognizing that COVID-19 will continue to impact angler and party/charter boat fishing in the year ahead, the New England Fishery Management Council voted during its late-January 2021 webinar meeting to recommend that NOAA Fisheries, through its Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO), implement status quo recreational fishing measures for Gulf of Maine cod and Gulf of Maine haddock for the 2021 fishing year.

These are the same measures that GARFO implemented on August 13, 2020 during the pandemic to provide additional fishing opportunities for cod and more access to the abundant haddock resource at a time when the recreational fishing community, especially the for-hire fleet, was greatly impacted by the pandemic. In selecting those measures, GARFO considered the Council’s June 2020 request to expand the fall fishing window to help recreational fishermen make up for lost access to the springtime fishery.

The Council received input from both its Recreational Advisory Panel and Groundfish Committee before voting. GARFO will consider the Council’s recommendation, but NOAA Fisheries will make the final decision.

Read the full release here

Increased whiting quota could boost revenues

February 12, 2021 — The New England Fishery Management Council has approved new measures for the region’s small-mesh multispecies fishery for the next three fishing years, including a significant increase in whiting possession limits for individual trips.

The council, at its meeting in late January, set the per-trip possession limits for whiting — northern silver hake and southern whiting — at 15,000 pounds per vessel to help reduce discards.

“The increase is expected to reduce discards by fishermen using less than 3-inch codend mesh trawls,” the council said. “This mesh size is often used to target other species such as herring and squid, and whiting bycatch in the squid fishery has increased in recent years.”

The 15,000-pound limit, according to the council, will allow fishermen to land more of their whiting catch as they target the other species. It is expected the new limit will help fishermen increase revenues without having a negative impact on the stock status.

The council also approved a 90% total allowable catch trigger for northern red hake. The trigger is used as an in-season adjustment to prevent overfishing.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

NEFMC Approves Small-Mesh Multispecies Specifications for Fishing Years 2021-2023

February 11, 2021 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

During its late-January meeting, the New England Fishery Management Council approved new specifications for the small-mesh multispecies fishery for fishing years 2021-2023. These limits apply to whiting and red hake stocks and are based on recent stock assessment information and other data. The package contains:

  • Annual catch specifications for small-mesh stocks that follow overfishing limit (OFL) and acceptable biological catch (ABC) recommendations from the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) – except for southern red hake, where the Council went with a more conservative approach and selected an ABC that is 75% of the SSC’s recommendation in order to enhance stock rebuilding;
  • A provision to reset the total allowable landing (TAL) trigger for northern red hake from the current 38% to the original value of 90% so that in-season accountability measures don’t unnecessarily restrict the fishery at a very low level of landings; and
  • An adjustment to the whiting possession limit on trips using less than 3-inch mesh codend trawls so that fishermen can land up to 15,000 pounds of northern silver hake and southern whiting.

Read the full release here

NEFMC Seeks Contractor to Support Scallop Survey Working Group

February 9, 2021 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council is looking for an independent contractor to support and document the work of the Council’s new Scallop Survey Working Group (SSWG).  Letters of interest and supporting materials must be received no later than 8:00 a.m. on March 1, 2021.

WHAT IS THE SSWG:  The Council currently is in the process of forming the Scallop Survey Working Group.  The group will be composed of government and non-government experts with experience in Atlantic sea scallop surveys and related fields.  These experts will be tasked with addressing terms of reference (TORs) set for the group and providing recommendations in response to the TORs.  The SSWG will report directly to the Council, and the group’s recommendations will be forwarded by the Council to the Northeast Fisheries Science Center.

WHY IS THE COUNCIL DOING THIS:  The Atlantic sea scallop fishery is one of the most valuable fisheries in the United States.  A central component of scallop management has been reliance on scallop surveys.  Previous survey reviews and stock assessments included recommendations for improving scallop surveys.  The Council agreed to form the Scallop Survey Working Group to address issues related to those recommendations.

WHAT ARE THE CONTRACTOR’S RESPONSIBILITIES:  The selected contractor will work with a representative of the Council and the Scallop Survey Working Group co-chairs on an array of issues from on or about March 22, 2021 through July 1, 2022.  A few of the contractor’s responsibilities include:

  • Supporting the development of draft TORs in advance of the working group’s first meeting;
  • Supporting working group meetings by developing detailed agendas, providing experienced meeting facilitators, and preparing written meeting summaries;
  • Creating a work plan to guide and assist the group in addressing the TORs; and
  • Preparing a final written report summarizing the working group’s recommendations.

MORE INFORMATION:  Complete details about the contractor’s full range of responsibilities, desired experience, and application submission instructions can be found in the request for proposals.

QUESTIONS:  Contact New England Council Executive Director Tom Nies at tnies@nefmc.org.

NEFMC Votes to Submit Groundfish Framework 61 with Universal Sector Exemption for Redfish

February 5, 2021 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council voted on January 26, 2021 to include a universal sector exemption for redfish in Framework Adjustment 61 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan. If approved by NOAA Fisheries, the exemption would allow groundfish sector vessels to target redfish with 5.5-inch codend mesh within a larger Redfish Exemption Area in the future than was available in the 2020 fishing year.

Following this decision, the Council voted to submit Framework 61 to NOAA’s Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) for review and implementation. The target implementation date is May 1, 2021, the start of the new fishing year.

The Council signed off on all other Framework 61 measures, including 2021-2023 specifications for groundfish stocks based on updated assessment information, during its December 2020 meeting. A recap is available here.

Read the full release here

Gathering data will help manage our coastal resources

February 4, 2021 — Resource management is a tricky thing. That’s especially true in the marine environment where things are so interconnected. Nutrients literally float from one area to the next and the larvae of spawning sea creatures similarly drift from place to place. Marine species do not abide by borders but are instead are a part of a larger ecosystem where things literally flow from one location to another.

For this reason, there are few marine species that are managed at a municipal level. Some, like lobster, are managed by the state – by Maine’s Department of Marine Resources. The DMR has jurisdiction over subtidal waters (those below mean low water) throughout the state. Others, like stripers, are managed by interstate groups like the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Council. And others, like cod and haddock, are managed regionally by bodies like the New England Fisheries Management Council. They have jurisdiction over waters beyond three miles from shore classified as federal water.

So, what does that leave for the municipalities? That’s a seemingly tiny sliver of intertidal coast. But, this sliver often isn’t tiny at all. It is shallow and broad and supports a valuable array of shellfish species like soft shell, hard shell, and razor clams. While these species do move around as larvae, they are more likely to stay put than other more mobile creatures. For that reason, these are the resources that each town is in charge of managing under a system called co-management. This means that towns work with the DMR who helps to classify areas that are safe for harvesting in terms of water quality and also helps with enforcing statewide regulations.

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

NEFMC Seeks Candidates for Scallop Survey Working Group

February 3, 2021 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council is looking for qualified candidates to serve on its new Scallop Survey Working Group (SSWG). The application deadline is Monday, February 22, 2021 at 8:00 a.m.

The Council manages the Atlantic sea scallop fishery. It relies on scallop surveys to detect and monitor recruitment events and track resource trends to support its rotational area management program.

Previous stock assessments and survey reviews identified issues that could help improve both the federal scallop survey and surveys supported through the Atlantic Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program. As part of its 2021 scallop priorities, the Council agreed to establish a working group to develop recommendations to address these issues. The Scallop Survey Working Group will first provide input on clear terms of reference (TORs) before the TORs are approved by the Council’s executive director in consultation with the director of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (Science Center).

Read the full release here

New England Fishery Management Council Issues Update On Start of 2021 Scallop Fishing Year

January 29, 2021 — On Wednesday the New England Fishery Management Council signed off on Framework 33 , which includes specifications for the 2021 scallop fishing year and default specifications for the 2022 fishing year; among other measures.

Currently the scallop industry is operating under the 2020 fishing year, with the 2021 fishing year set to begin on April 1. Framework adjustment 33 will not be implemented by April 1 due to complications related to COVID-19 and the cancellation of the federal scallop survey. The Council is warning fishermen that they will be working under default 2021 measures that were established in Framework 32 as a backup.

Read the full story at Seafood News