April 20, 2023 — The following was released by New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council is asking NOAA Fisheries to take emergency action under the Secretary of Commerce’s authority to address a critical Gulf of Maine haddock situation that is expected to result in significant fishery impacts during the 2023 groundfish fishing year. The new fishing year begins on May 1, less than two weeks after the Council gathered in Mystic, CT for its April 18-20, 2023 meeting.

The crux of the problem is this. Fishermen have been encountering Gulf of Maine haddock at very high catch rates. The proposed 2023 annual catch limit (ACL), however, is extremely low. The Council recently learned of one industry member who, in a single trip, harvested an amount of Gulf of Maine haddock equivalent to what will become his entire allocation for 2023. Several fishermen expressed concern that an early shutdown of the fishery was highly likely and would have wide-ranging impacts. Even without targeting haddock, fishermen need haddock quota to account for bycatch while harvesting other species.

The proposed low catch limit is part of Framework Adjustment 65 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP), which the Council developed to establish catch limits and management measures for 2023-2025. This action is now under review by NOAA Fisheries

Framework 65 contains an acceptable biological catch (ABC) of 1,936 metric tons (mt) as recommended by Haddock landed in Gloucester, Massachusetts. – NEFMC photo by the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC). The ABC was largely based on results from the 2022 Gulf of Maine Haddock Management Track Stock Assessment, as well as other relevant information.

The 1,936-mt ABC led to an annual catch limit that was then divided into several components or sub-ACLs to cover catches from state waters, the recreational fishery, and other categories. The sub-ACL for the groundfish sector and common pool fisheries settled out at 1,149 mt, representing an 84% reduction from the fishing year 2022 sub-ACL (see slide 49 for 2023 sub-ACL breakdown).

April 20, 2023 — The following was released by New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council has finalized a framework adjustment to the Atlantic Salmon Fishery Management Plan (FMP) that will make it possible for industry members who obtain a letter of authorization from NOAA Fisheries to possess farm-raised Atlantic salmon in federal waters.

The Council’s original FMP prohibits directed fishing and possession of Atlantic salmon in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). However, the FMP also gives the Council the ability to develop a framework action to authorize salmon aquaculture in federal waters – if it chooses to do so.

The possible need for action arose after a private business, Blue Water Fisheries, proposed a commercialscale marine finfish aquaculture facility in federal waters roughly 7.5 miles east-northeast of Newburyport Harbor, MA. This prompted the Council to initiate Framework Adjustment 1 to the Atlantic Salmon FMP in September 2022 to establish a clear path forward for offshore aquaculture projects in general.

April 11, 2023 — The following was released by New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council will hold a three-day meeting from Tuesday, April 18 through Thursday, April 20, 2023.  This will be an in-person meeting coupled with a webinar option for individuals who cannot or prefer not to attend in person.

COVID PROTOCOLS:  The Council continues to follow all public safety measures related to COVID-19 and intends to do so for this meeting.  Please participate remotely if you are experiencing COVID symptoms or do not feel well.  Updates will be posted on the meeting webpage as needed.

START TIME:  9:00 a.m. each day.  The first day will begin with a closed session in which Council members will discuss the ongoing search for a new executive director.  The webinar will end shortly after the Council adjourns each day.

Here are a few items of special note.

OFFSHORE WIND INFORMATION SHARING:  Fisheries liaisons from multiple wind developers will be sharing information with Council meeting attendees on Tuesday, April 18, 2023 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the Clipper Room at the Hilton Mystic.  This event is focused on the Massachusetts/Rhode Island and New York Bight wind development areas.  All are welcome to attend.

EMERGENCY ACTION:  The Council will discuss Gulf of Maine haddock under the Groundfish Committee report on Wednesday morning and potentially consider requesting emergency action.

PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITIES:  The Council wants to hear from you.  Here’s how you can let the Council know what you think.

• WRITE A LETTER:  The deadline for submitting written comments for consideration at this meeting is 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 13, 2023. Please note that written comments must address items listed on the agenda for this meeting.
• TALK TO THE COUNCIL:  You’ll be able to address the Council directly through two different avenues:

1. By commenting on motions at the discretion of the Council chair (if commenting remotely, raise your hand on the webinar and unmute yourself when called upon); and
2. By speaking during the open period for public comment.  Here are theGuidelines for Providing Public Comment.

• OPEN PERIOD FOR PUBLIC COMMENT:  On Wednesday, April 19, 2023 at 1:45 p.m., the Council will offer the public an opportunity to provide comments on issues relevant to Council business but not listed on this agenda.  Given the Council’s busy meeting schedule, we ask that you limit remarks to 3-5 minutes.
• • SIGN UP:  Interested in speaking?  If attending in person, fill out the sign-up sheet on the table at the entrance to the Council meeting room.  To speak remotely, email Janice Plante at jplante@nefmc.org to get on the list.

WEBINAR REGISTRATION:  Online access to the meeting is available at Listen Live.  There is no charge to access the meeting through this webinar.

• Here are instructions in the Remote Participation Guide for successfully joining and participating in the webinar.
• THIS IS KEY!  If you want to speak during opportunities for public comment, you need to: (1) register for the webinar; and (2) actually “join” the webinar.  People who call in by telephone without joining the webinar will be in listen-only mode.  Those who take both steps – register and then join the webinar – will see the meeting screen and be able to click on a “raise hand” button, which will let the meeting organizer know you want to be unmuted to speak.
• We have a Help Desk in case you get stuck joining the webinar or have trouble along the way.  Just email helpdesk@nefmc.org and we’ll get right back to you.

CALL-IN OPTION:  To listen by telephone without joining the webinar, dial +1 (415) 655-0052.  The access code is 155-027-577.  Please be aware that if you dial in, your regular phone charges will apply.  Remember, you will not be able to speak if you do not first join the webinar as described above.  This phone number provides a “listen-only” option without the webinar component.

AGENDA:  All meeting materials and the agenda are available on the Council’s website atNEFMC April 18-20, 2023 meeting webpage.  Additional documents will be posted as they become available.

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

COUNCIL MEETING QUESTIONS:  Anyone with questions prior to or during the Council meeting should contact Janice Plante at (607) 592-4817, jplante@nefmc.org.

April 7, 2023 — The following was released by New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council is looking for members of the mobile gear, gillnet, trap/pot, and recreational fishing communities, as well as other members of the public, to serve on its On-Demand Fishing Gear Conflict Working Group. The application deadline is Monday, April 24, 2023.

The working group’s goal is to identify strategies for reducing gear interactions between on-demand gear, which is often referred to as ropeless gear, and fisheries that use other gear types, such as the groundfish, monkfish, and scallop mobile gear fisheries and the recreational party/charter rod-and-reel fishery.

In addition, the working group will identify strategies for reducing gear interactions that may result from future measures adopted for sink gillnet fisheries and trap/pot fisheries. These would be measures other than those already implemented for the Northeast lobster and Jonah crab fisheries to protect North Atlantic right whales, humpback whales, fin whales, and other protected resources.

April 5, 2023 — The following was released by New England Fishery Management Council:

Kittleman & Associates LLC, the executive firm contracted by the New England Fishery Management Council to assist the Council in its search for a new executive director, has posted the vacancy announcement for this position. The application deadline is May 4, 2023.

Tom Nies, a 25-year veteran of the Council staff who has served as executive director since 2013, announced his retirement in January 2023. As the first step in seeking his replacement, the Council issued a request for proposals in February 2023 to retain a contractor to ensure the Council carried out a “thoughtful, objective, and trusted executive search process.”

The executive director: (1) oversees a 20-member staff plus various contractors; and (2) handles the overall management of Council operations.

This is a highly visible, demanding position that requires a strong leader with a broad understanding of natural resource management, coupled with outstanding administrative and organizational skills. The executive director serves at the pleasure of the Council and reports directly to the chair and/or Executive Committee as appropriate.

Key duties and preferred qualifications are outlined in the NEFMC Position Guide. The guide also contains information about:

April 3, 2023 — The following was released by New England Fishery Management Council:

The Atlantic Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program will support 13 new projects under the 2023- 2024 award cycle. The harvest of the set-aside is expected to generate $20 million in revenue. Of that total, $4 million will fund the research and $16 million will compensate industry partners who harvest the set-aside scallops. In order to determine the award amounts, the price of sea scallops was projected to average $15 per pound. Five different institutions will lead the projects, partnering with fishermen, fishing businesses, and non-profit fishery research organizations. The complete list of projects and award totals is shown in the table on page 3.

The 2023-2024 RSA projects address research priorities identified by the New England Fishery Management Council in June 2022. The Council’s priorities focused on resource surveys, research on scallop biology and sea turtles, scallop enhancement, habitat characterization, high density resource areas, offshore wind, bycatch reduction of small scallops and non-target species, and gear research.

RSA-funded scallop surveys have been a long-standing priority and have become increasingly important in: (1) providing information that directly helps scientists determine the status and distribution of the resource; and (2) guiding the Council in making management decisions for this valuable resource.

April 3, 2023 — The Following was released by New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council is seeking proposals from independent contractors with significant expertise in facilitation to develop and lead two online workshops and one in-person plenary meeting between August and mid-September 2023. The workshops and plenary meeting will focus on Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management (EBFM) strategies based on the Council’s example Fishery Ecosystem Plan for Georges Bank. The application deadline is May 1, 2023.

The goals of the workshops are to: (1) engage with and educate fishery stakeholders about the concepts of Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management; (2) identify potential opportunities and concerns that different stakeholders see in EBFM; and (3) promote stakeholder participation in the further development of EBFM.

The contractor will collaborate with Council staff and the Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management Committee to develop a comprehensive agenda for each workshop. The contractor will identify and recruit knowledgeable speakers and panelists, drawn from the EBFM Plan Development Team, EBFM Committee members, Council and National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) staff, fishermen, additional stakeholders, and other sources. The contractor also will develop outreach strategies to ensure effective stakeholder participation. These outreach strategies may include developing outreach materials for the Council website for general distribution.

The workshops conducted under this contract constitute the second phase of public outreach, delving deeper into the management issues, topics, and options in the example Fishery Ecosystem Plan (eFEP). Workshops will not cover the same topics, but the plenary meeting will include and discuss issues voiced during the first two online workshops.

Proposal respondents are encouraged to review the Phase 1 initial workshop news release and summary report, the eFEP document, and the outreach materials that the Council previously developed.

The request for proposals (RFP) related to Phase 2 of the public outreach workshops contains details about:

March 22, 2023 — 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 by webinar to discuss issues related to ecosystem-based fishery management and groundfish.  The public is invited to listen live.  Here are the details.

WHEN:  Wednesday, March 29, 2023

START TIME:  9:00 a.m.

WEBINAR REGISTRATION:  Online access to the meeting is available at Listen Live.  There is no charge to join the meeting through this webinar.  The Remote Participation Guide is posted here.

CALL-IN OPTION:  To listen by telephone, dial +1 (415) 655-0052.  The access code is 950-160-283.  Your regular phone charges will apply.

AGENDA:  The SSC will meet to:

March 15, 2023 — The following was released by New England Fishery Management Council:

NOAA Fisheries is now soliciting proposals for funding through the 2023-2024 Monkfish Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program. The application deadline is Monday, April 10, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. As explained in the funding opportunity notice, monkfish RSA projects “must enhance the knowledge of the monkfish fishery resource or contribute to the body of information on which monkfish management decisions are made.”

The New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils, which jointly manage monkfish, established the RSA program through Amendment 2 to the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan. The Councils set research priorities for this program, while the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) of NOAA Fisheries administers the RSA competition, oversees the awarded projects, and monitors set-aside harvest activities. The Councils’ 2023-2024 research priorities are listed in the table at right. Visit GARFO’s webpage for application info.

Read the full release here