Saving Seafood

Scallop Research Set-Aside Program to Support 13 Projects for 2023-2024; Focus on Surveys, Biology, and Bycatch Reduction

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.

 

NEFMC Seeks Contractor for EBFM Deep-Dive Public Outreach Workshops

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:

  • The statement of work and deliverables;
  • Desired experience and demonstrated skills from applicants; and
  • Application submission information.

This is a short-term, temporary contractor role, commencing on or about June 1, 2023 and ending no later than October 31, 2023 with submission of a final summary report. The application deadline is the close of business on May 1, 2023.

Please contact the Council’s EBFM coordinator, Andrew Applegate, at aapplegate@nefmc.org if you have technical questions about the request for proposals and the associated work.

NEFMC SSC – Listen Live – Wednesday, March 29, 2023 – EBFM and Groundfish Issues

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:

  • Receive a presentation on the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s State of the Ecosystem 2023 report for New England and make recommendations for improvement;
  • Receive a presentation on and discuss a research collaboration of NOAA Fisheries and the UMass-Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology to understand how portfolio theory can facilitate ecosystem-based fishery management and provide feedback to the project team;
  • Provide feedback to the Council on the performance metrics and indicators under development by the Groundfish Plan Development Team to review the revised monitoring program, including the increased at-sea monitoring coverage target, implemented through Amendment 23 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan; and
  • Discuss other business if needed.

COMMENTS:  The deadline for submitting written comments for consideration at this meeting is 8:00 a.m. on Monday, March 27, 2023.  Address comments to Council Chair Eric Reid or Executive Director Tom Nies and email them to comments@nefmc.org.  Additional information is available in the meeting notice.

MATERIALS:  All documents for this meeting will be posted on the SSC March 29, 2023 meeting webpage.

QUESTIONS:  Contact Joan O’Leary at (978) 465-0492, ext. 101, joleary@nefmc.org or Janice Plante at (607) 592-4817, jplante@nefmc.org.

2023-2024 Monkfish Research Set-Aside Program Call for Proposals; Apply by April 10, 2023

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

Come Join the NEFMC at the 48th Maine Fishermen’s Forum

February 21, 2023 — The New England Fishery Management Council will be participating in four seminars at this year’s in-person Maine Fishermen’s Forum, which is taking place March 2-4, 2023 at the Samoset Resort in Rockport, ME.

Come meet some of our staff members and Council Chair Eric Reid at sessions related to: (1) offshore wind; (2) gillnet fishery interactions with whales and Atlantic sturgeon; (3) the Northern Gulf of Maine scallop fishery; and (4) an open forum discussion with federal fishery management leaders on topics of interest to fishermen. Chair Reid is taking part in the leadership session on Friday, March 3, 2023 at 2:45 p.m.

Read the full release here

NEFMC Seeks Contractor to Assist with Executive Director Search

February 8, 2023 — The following was released by New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council is soliciting the services of an independent contractor to assist the Council with the hiring of a permanent, full-time executive director.  The Council’s current executive director recently announced his retirement.

This is a short-term, temporary contractor role.  The application deadline is March 1, 2023.  The Council’s goal is to make a hiring decision on the new executive director by early June 2023.

The Council is taking the extra step of soliciting a contractor to ensure that it undertakes a thoughtful, objective, and trusted executive search process.

The contractor will work with the current executive director and Executive Committee to, among other tasks:

  • Clarify the qualifications and experience desired for the position;
  • Assist with outreach efforts to encourage qualified candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply;
  • Help develop effective interview questions;
  • Execute a rigorous evaluation and screening process; and
  • Support the Executive Committee’s development of a list of finalist candidates.

The Council’s Executive Committee is overseeing the search and will recommend finalists to the full Council.  The Council will select the new executive director in closed session.

Details about the project description, Council background, project objectives, initial statement of work, desired experience and demonstrated skills, and application submission information are outlined in the request for proposals.

Questions concerning the technical aspects of the request for proposals should be directed to Tom Nies at tnies@nefmc.org.  Questions concerning the contracting process or NOAA grant regulations should be directed to Margaret Bernier at mbernier@nefmc.org.

NEFMC Recommends 2023 Recreational Cod and Haddock Measures; Revises Halibut ABC in Framework 65

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

During its January 24-26, 2023 meeting in Portsmouth, NH, the New England Fishery Management Council voted on a suite of recreational fishing measures for Gulf of Maine cod, Gulf of Maine haddock, and Georges Bank cod that it will recommend to NOAA Fisheries for the 2023 fishing year. The Council also received:

• A revised recommendation from its Scientific and Statistical Committee regarding fishing year 2023-2025 acceptable biological catches (ABCs) for Atlantic halibut, which the Council approved and incorporated into Framework Adjustment 65;

• A progress report on work being conducted to develop metrics to evaluate the groundfish monitoring program in Amendment 23 to the Northeast Multispecies (Groundfish) Fishery Management Plan; and

• An update on the 2023 Atlantic Cod Research Track Stock Assessment.

Read the full release here

 

NEFMC SSC – Listen Live – Wednesday, February 8, 2023 – SSC Planning and EBFM pMSE

February 2, 2023 — The following was released by New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will meet by webinar to discuss its 2023 work plan and a project related to ecosystem-based fishery management.  The public is invited to listen live.  Here are the details.

 
 
START TIME:  12:00 p.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 postedhere.
 
CALL-IN OPTION:  To listen by telephone, dial +1 (631) 992-3221.  The access code is 924-181-460.  Your regular phone charges will apply.
 
AGENDA:  The SSC will meet to:
 
  • Discuss the expected SSC workplan and meeting timing for the remainder of 2023;
 
  • Provide guidance to Council staff and the project team on a prototype management strategy evaluation (pMSE) for ecosystem-based fishery management (EBFM) using a Georges Bank 10-stock operating model; and
 
  • Discuss other business if needed.
 
COMMENTS:  The deadline for submitting written comments for consideration at this meeting is 8:00 a.m. on Monday, February 6, 2023.  Address comments to Council Chair Eric Reid or Executive Director Tom Nies and email them to comments@nefmc.org.  Additional information is available in the meeting notice.
 
MATERIALS:  All documents for this meeting will be posted on the SSC February 8, 2023 meeting webpage.
 
QUESTIONS:  Contact Joan O’Leary at (978) 465-0492, ext. 101, joleary@nefmc.org or Janice Plante at (607) 592-4817, jplante@nefmc.org.

Scallops: Council Requests Control Date to Potentially Address Switching Between LAGC Permit Categories in Northern GOM

January 31, 2023 — The following was released by The New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council is asking the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS/NOAA Fisheries) to establish a control date that potentially could be used to determine eligibility criteria for switching between the types of Limited Access General Category (LAGC) permits that can be used to access the Northern Gulf of Maine (NGOM) Management Area.

The Council voted to request the control date during its January 24-26, 2023 meeting in Portsmouth, NH. The vote was 10-to-6 with one abstention. Control dates become effective the day NOAA Fisheries publishes a notice in the Federal Register, which may not be until March for this particular request.

The Council took this step as a precautionary move while it assesses a recent increase in fishing activity and permit switching in the Northern Gulf of Maine, especially between C and B permits. Category C permits give vessels the opportunity to land 40 pounds of scallops as incidental catch on non-scallop trips, while B permits allow directed fishing on 200 pounds of scallops per day in the Northern Gulf of Maine area.

LAGC Category A permit holders with individual fishing quota (IFQ) can make a one-time transfer from a Category A IFQ permit to either a Category B 200-pound NGOM permit or a Category C 40-pound incidental catch permit (see graphic on page 2).

The permit switching issue is not one of the Council’s 2023 scallop work priorities, so no action is forthcoming in 2023. But the control date will remain in place should the Council choose to address LAGC permit switching down the road. Scallop biomass in the Northern Gulf of Maine is increasing, which is one reason for the switches.

Read the full release here

 

Council Presents 2022 Award for Excellence to Maggie Raymond

January 26, 2023 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council honored Maggie Raymond, former Executive Director of Associated Fisheries of Maine and a 25-year participant in the Council process, by presenting her with the 2022 Janice M. Plante Award for Excellence.

Council Chair Eric Reid called the recognition “long overdue.”

“Maggie represents the epitome of someone dedicated to both the commercial fishing industry and sustainable fisheries management,” said Chair Reid. “Her tenure covers a period of tremendous change, stretching from the early days of the Magnuson-Stevens Act to our evolving adaptation to climate change and the challenges of coping with offshore wind development.”

Maggie’s strongest connection with the Council is with groundfish, beginning around the time the Council adopted limited entry and was transitioning the entire fishery to days-at-sea management. It was a period of intense conflict between fishermen and managers, driven by fear in the industry that the changes would collapse the fishery.

“Maggie helped people navigate these tumultuous changes and served as an invaluable conduit to explain the science and management implications to fishermen,” said Chair Reid. “She was a fierce advocate for industry interests.”

Read the full release here