Saving Seafood

NEFMC December 2020 Meeting Highlights – EBFM, Habitat, SBRM, Whiting, and More

December 22, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council met December 1-3, 2020 by webinar and covered a wide range of issues. In addition to its actions on scallops, groundfish, and skates, here are a few highlights.

EBFM: The Council reviewed the history of its work on ecosystem-based fishery management (EBFM) and thoroughly debated its next steps. Following this discussion, the Council voted to keep EBFM on its 2021 list of priorities and to:

  • Maintain its current approach toward EBFM; and
  • Conduct educational workshops to solicit stakeholder comments, recognizing that the workshops will not be scheduled until in-person gatherings can be held. These workshops will focus on the potential application of EBFM to a Georges Bank Ecosystem Production Unit. The Council has been referring to this as an example Fishery Management Plan for Georges Bank (eFEP).

Read the full release here

Council Seeks Applicants for Two Vacancies on Scallop AP

December 18, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council is soliciting applicants to fill two vacancies on its Scallop Advisory Panel (AP). These are midterm appointments that will run through December 2022. The application deadline is Friday, January 15, 2021.

Advisory panel members reflect a wide range of expertise covering different gear types, user groups, geographic locations, and social and economic perspectives.

“We’re looking for applicants who understand the scallop fishery and are ready to commit to an active role on the AP,” said Council Executive Director Tom Nies. “We recognize that being an AP member can be challenging and sometimes time-demanding, but the Council benefits from the expertise of its AP members and genuinely appreciates their involvement in the development of our actions.”

Read the full release here

America’s scallop catch expected to dip somewhat in 2021

December 18, 2020 — The United States’ scallop catch is likely to decline by more than a fifth in the coming year, federal regulators have said.

The catch is predicted to come in at about 40 million pounds (18.1 million kilograms), the New England Fishery Management Council said in a statement. That’s a dip from a projected 51.6 million pounds (23.4 million kilograms) this year and 60.5 million pounds (27.4 million kilograms) in 2018.

The scallop fishery has benefited from a very large number of new scallops that began growing in 2012 and 2013, said Janice Plante, a spokesperson for the council. Those scallops are reaching the end of their lives, and that likely means fewer will eventually find their way to the docks, she said.

New Bedford, which has been the nation’s most valuable fishing port for 19 straight years, relies heavily on the scallop catch. In 2018, scallops accounted for 80 percent of the seafood landed in New Bedford.

New Bedford, which has been the nation’s most valuable fishing port for 19 straight years, relies heavily on the scallop catch. In 2018, scallops accounted for 80 percent of the seafood landed in New Bedford.

Despite the likely drop in catch, the scallop fishery remains strong, said Andrew Minkiewicz, a Washington attorney who works with fishing advocacy group Fisheries Survival Fund. The projected catch would still be more than any of the year from 2013 to 2015.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the New Bedford Standard Times

NEFMC Seeks Input on More Options for Skate Wing and Bait Fisheries in Amendment 5

December 11, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council will conduct two public scoping meetings by webinar in January and February 2021 on Amendment 5 to the Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan. The purpose is to gather additional suggestions for how to improve management of the region’s skate fisheries that may go beyond or possibly not involve limited access.

The Council started working in 2017 to develop a limited access program for the skate bait and/or wing fisheries. In September 2020, the Council agreed to expand the scope of Amendment 5 to consider additional measures besides limited access that may: (1) prevent the triggering of incidental skate possession limits; (2) improve the precision and accuracy of catch data; and (3) better define skate fishery participants.

In early December, the Council approved a Supplemental Scoping Document. Next, the Council will collect both written and oral public comments during the supplemental scoping period, which will run from January 11 through February 12, 2021. More specifically, the Council is looking for input on:

  • Other potential types of measures to Winter skate, the target species of the wing fishery, being sampled on a research trip. – Angela Cicia photo enhance skate management; and
  • The original intent of the amendment to consider developing a limited access program for skates.

Read the full release here

Atlantic scallop harvest projected to decline by 23% next year

December 11, 2020 — The US Atlantic sea scallop fleet should be able to land 40 million pounds (18,143 metric tons) of scallops during the 2021 fishing year season, according to an announcement Thursday by the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC).

That is about 23 percent lower than the 52 million pound (23,586 metric tons) projection for the 2020 season.

The 40-million-pound projection for 2021, would make the season’s catch the lowest since 2015, when 36.9 million pounds (16,737 metric tons) were harvested. From 2016 through 2020, landings have been above the 42 million-pound range.

Janice Plante, public affairs officer for the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) told IntraFish the decrease was not a surprise to the scallop fishery.

She noted the fishery has landed about 36.5 million pounds to date for scallops and that the landing prediction for 2020 was an overestimate.

She pointed out that several years of excellent fishing have been due to scallops coming up in the 2012 and 2013 class years that are now reaching “peak growth potential.”

Read the full story at IntraFish

NEFMC Receives Overview of 2020 Scallop Surveys, Biomass Estimates, and Initial 2021 Outlook

December 10, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

During its December 1-3, 2020 webinar meeting, the New England Fishery Management Council got its first comprehensive look at 2020 scallop survey results for Georges Bank and the Mid-Atlantic. The results indicate that roughly two-thirds of the harvestable biomass – also known as exploitable biomass – is located in scallop rotational areas, and roughly one-third is available on open bottom. The Council will review Gulf of Maine survey results during its January meeting.

This year’s surveys were conducted entirely through the industry-funded Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program. The federal scallop survey was canceled due to complications associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are a few highlights for Georges Bank and the Mid-Atlantic.

Read the full release here

NEFMC Approves Most of Groundfish Framework 61; Final Vote on Redfish Universal Sector Exemption Slated for January

December 10, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

During its December 1-3, 2020 webinar meeting, the New England Fishery Management Council took final action on new groundfish catch limits and other measures as part of Framework Adjustment 61 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan. The measures will apply to the 2021 fishing year and beyond. One additional provision is still under consideration – a possible universal exemption for groundfish sectors that would make it easier for fishermen to catch redfish. The Council will make a final determination on the proposed exemption during its January 26-28, 2021 webinar meeting and then vote to submit the framework to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS/NOAA Fisheries) for review and implementation.

Framework 61 includes:

  • Updated status determination criteria for Georges Bank winter flounder and Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic winter flounder to reflect results from the 2020 Management Track Stock Assessments, which were recently conducted for 13 large- and smallmesh Northeast multispecies stocks and Atlantic sea scallops;
  • A revised rebuilding strategy for white hake, which has an 87.4% probability of rebuilding the stock to its maximum sustainable yield within 10 years;

Read the full release here

NOAA Renews Temporary Rule For Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan

November 27, 2020 — Earlier this week NOAA Fisheries announced the renewal of a temporary rule to extend portions of the fishing year 2019 carryover provisions in the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan into fishing year 2020.

NOAA initially published an emergency action on June 1, 2020 at the request of the New England Fishery Management Council. At the time the June action allowed limited access general category individual fishing quota vessels to carryover all fishing year 2019 unharvested quota into fishing year 2020. The June action also allowed any access area carryover pounds and unharvested research set-aside compensation pounds from fishing year 2019 to be available for harvest through August 31, 2020.

Read the full story at Seafood News

NOAA Fisheries Announces Atlantic Herring Management Area 1B Sub-ACL Harvested

November 24, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Effective 00:01 hours on November 25 through December 31, 2020

Under the New England Fishery Management Council’s Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan, no person may fish for, possess, transfer, receive, land, or sell more than 2,000 lb of herring per trip or calendar day from Area 1B for the remainder of the fishing season, as of 00:01 hours on November 25, 2020.  We project that 92 percent of the Area 1B Atlantic herring catch limit will be harvested by November 25, requiring a closure of the directed fishery. At 00:01 hours on November 25, 2020, a 2,000-lb herring possession limit per trip or calendar day will become effective for Management Area 1B and will be in effect through December 31, 2020.

Additionally, federally permitted dealers may not purchase, possess, receive, sell, barter, trade or transfer more than 2,000 lb of herring per trip or calendar day from Area 1B.

This action is in effect through 24:00 hr local time, December 31, 2020, except for vessels carrying more than 2,000 lbs of herring from Area 1B that enter port before 00:01 local time on November 25, 2020.

Read the full release here

Temporary Rule for Emergency Action to Extend Portions of the Fishing Year 2019 Carryover Provisions in the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan

November 23, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Effective November 29, 2020

NOAA Fisheries announces the renewal of a temporary rule to extend portions of the fishing year 2019 carryover provisions in the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan into fishing year 2020.  On June 1, 2020, at the request of the New England Fishery Management Council, NOAA Fisheries published an emergency action to implement these measures.

The June 1, 2020 action:

  • Allowed limited access general category individual fishing quota vessels to carryover all fishing year 2019 unharvested quota into fishing year 2020.
  • Allowed any access area carryover pounds and unharvested research set-aside compensation pounds from fishing year 2019 to be available for harvest through August 31, 2020.
  • Closed the Nantucket Lightship-West to scallop fishing beginning on September 1, 2020.

Although access area carryover pounds and unharvested research set-aside compensation pounds from fishing year 2019 expired on August 31, 2020, extending the previous action:

  • Provides additional time for Limited Access General Category Individual Fishery Quota vessels to land the 2019 carryover allocation granted by the original emergency action.
  • Provides the New England Fishery Management Council additional time to develop a plan for the management of the Nantucket Lightship-West Access Area while it remains closed.

Read the temporary rule as filed in the Federal Register, and the permit holder bulletin.

Read the full release here