Saving Seafood

Council Recommends 2025 Rec Measures for Cod and Haddock; Participates in MRIP Listening Session; Receives Survey Update

January 30, 2025 — The following was released New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council voted on Western Gulf of Maine cod and Gulf of Maine haddock recreational fishing measures when it met January 28-30, 2025 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The measures are recommendations to NOAA Fisheries for the 2025 groundfish fishing year, which begins on May 1.

The Council also: (1) received an update on the Fishing Effort Survey conducted by NOAA Fisheries under the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP); and (2) participated in a public listening session about NOAA’s collaborative initiative to re-envision recreational fishing data collection partnership approaches.

The Council’s fishing year 2025 recommendations for Atlantic cod are based on the new understanding of cod stock structure. Cod is now being assessed as four stock units, which are color-coded in the map below.

The Council addressed Southern New England cod in December 2024 under Framework Adjustment 69. The framework also establishes a regulatory process for the GARFO regional administrator to set Eastern Gulf of Maine cod and Georges Bank cod measures. The Council’s intent is for the measures to be equivalent to Western Gulf of Maine cod. This authority is a temporary regulatory provision for 2025 only.

The Council took up Western Gulf of Maine cod and Gulf of Maine haddock in January. Here is the full package of recreational recommendations resulting from both the December and January Council meetings.

Story for the US scallop market in 2025 will be “optionality”

January 29, 2025 — The word of the day for scallops at the 2025 Global Seafood Market Conference (GSMC) was “optionality.”

A panel of experts at the conference – which ran from 21 to 23 January in Palm Desert, California, U.S.A. – said the scallop industry in the U.S. will be heavily influenced by a small quota for scallops in the U.S. Northeast fishery. The New England Fishery Management Council projected landings of 19.75 million pounds for the year, a nearly 28 percent drop from an already down year in 2024.

Read the full article at the SeafoodSource

NEFMC January 28-30, 2025 Meeting – Portsmouth, NH – Listen Live, View Documents

January 21, 2025 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council will hold a three-day meeting from Tuesday, January 28 through Thursday, January 30, 2025.  This will be an in-person meeting coupled with a webinar option for individuals who cannot or prefer not to attend in person.  Please participate remotely if you do not feel well.

LOCATION:  The Venue at Portwalk Place, Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

START TIME:  12:30 p.m. on Tuesday and 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.  The webinar will end shortly after the Council adjourns each day.

SPECIAL EVENT – COUNCIL PUBLIC OUTREACH / POSTER SESSION ON FISHERIES RESEARCH IN OFFSHORE WIND AREAS:  Join the Council on Wednesday, January 29, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. for an informational exchange to foster open lines of communication among Council members, staff, industry, and meeting attendees.  This event will be coupled with a poster session on fisheries research in offshore wind areas.  The dual public outreach/poster session will take place at the AC Hotel at 299 Vaughn Street, a 4-minute walk from the Council meeting room at The Venue at Portwalk Place.  All are welcome.  Light snacks will be provided.

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, January 23, 2025.  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 the Guidelines for Providing Public Comment.
  • OPEN PERIOD FOR PUBLIC COMMENT:  On Thursday, January 30, 2025 at 12:15 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 atjplante@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.
  • 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 (562) 247-8422.  The access code is 597-718-535.  Please be aware that if you dial in, your regular phone charges will apply.  This phone number provides a “listen-only” option without the webinar component.  You will not be able to speak if you do not first join the webinar.

AGENDA:  All meeting materials and the agenda are available on the Council’s website at NEFMC January 28-30, 2025 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 availableHERE.

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

NEW HAMPSHIRE: NH looking for candidates to serve on fishing council

January 17, 2025 — The State of New Hampshire has been notified by the National Marine Fisheries Service of a vacancy for New Hampshire’s obligatory seat on the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC). NEFMC is one of eight regional councils in the United States established by federal regulation in 1976. It is charged with conserving and managing fishery resources from 3 to 200 miles off the coasts of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.

To assist in filling this vacancy, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s Marine Fisheries Division will host a candidates’ interview night on Monday, February 10, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. at the Urban Forestry Center in Portsmouth, NH. Potential candidates should be prepared to present their qualifications at this session. Interested candidates should contact Cheri Patterson, Chief of Marine Fisheries for the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, at (603) 868-1095 in advance of the meeting.

Read the full article at National Fisherman

NEFMC Solicits Contractor Proposals to Support Work on Climate-Resilient Fisheries Initiatives

January 16, 2025 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council is issuing three separate requests for proposals (RFPs) to support projects that address climate-resilient fisheries through Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: The application deadline for all proposals is February 21, 2025.

WHAT ARE THE PROJECTS: The three RFPs are independent of each other but all aim to support the Council’s work in advancing fishery management under changing ocean conditions as follows.

  • Developing a Holistic Strategic Plan for Climate-Resilient New England Fisheries Management: The contractor will develop a holistic strategic plan to guide Council activities for climate-resilient fisheries management. The strategic plan will include a detailed implementation roadmap and performance metrics to ensure near-term and long-term Council activities are responsive to climate change and the risks and challenges within and across fishery management plans. Details are outlined in the RFP.
  • Portfolio Approach to Inform New England Fisheries Management: This project involves an evaluation of applying portfolio theory to inform climate-resilient fisheries management in New England. The contractor will focus on identifying harvest portfolios, including species managed on the East Coast, which may result in increased revenue and reduce the risk of foregone yield. Results from the portfolio analysis will be used to inform management approaches that increase flexibility, including possible changes to permit regulations and restrictions. Details are outlined in the RFP.
  • Evaluating the Council’s New Risk Policy and Development of Groundfish ABC Control Rules: The contractor will focus on integrating the Council’s revised Risk Policy with the groundfish acceptable biological catch (ABC) control rule.  The Council has initiated efforts to modify the current groundfish ABC control rule already. Details are outlined in the RFP.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: Interested professionals are encouraged to submit a letter of interest, current resume or CV, examples of similar work completed for other organizations or publications, and budget with expected expenses. Address materials to: Cate O’Keefe, NEFMC, 50 Water Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA  01950.

  • Email submissions are highly encouraged. Send to cokeefe@nefmc.org.
  • Questions about any of the requests for proposals should be addressed to Cate O’Keefe at cokeefe@nefmc.org.

New England scallopers face a tough 2025

December 18, 2024 — New England scallopers are looking at another tough year in 2025, as they prepare for a set of federal regulations to protect both their livelihoods and the Atlantic Ocean’s scallop populations.

If approved by NOAA Fisheries, the new rules, called Scallop Framework 39, will reduce the number of times that full-time vessels can go drag in some federally-managed scalloping grounds — called “access areas” — in the 2025 fishing year. But they will allow these vessels more time to scallop in the open ocean. The start of the access-area scalloping season will also be pushed back from April 1 to May 15, 2025. It will end on March 31, 2026.

These proposed regulations are meant to conserve the fishery resource as it goes through a period of low productivity, regional fisheries managers say. They were developed by the New England Fishery Management Council.

Surveys showed the overall weight of harvestable scallops in New England waters dropped from 2023 to 2024.

Local scallopers and industry representatives say the contents of Framework 39 are not a surprise. Landings have been shrinking over the past four years.

“We’re just tightening the belt, and taking a deep breath, and riding the storm out,” said New Bedford scallop vessel manager and owner Tony Alvernaz.

Read the full story at The New Bedford Light

New England scallop quotas cut by 28 percent for 2025

December 16, 2024 — The New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) has finalized Framework 39 for the 2025 scallop fishing season, marking a significant moment for one of the Northeast’s most valuable fisheries. The decision sets annual projected landings at 19.75 million pounds, a substantial drop of nearly 28 percent compared to the 27.4 million pounds projected for 2024.

The reduction comes in response to scientific surveys conducted in 2024, which revealed significant declines in scallop biomass across key fishing grounds. Seafood Source shared that these surveys, performed by institutions such as the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, UMass Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology, Maine Department of Marine Resources, and the Coonamessett Farm Foundation, confirmed a troubling downward trend in harvestable stocks.

According to a NEFMC press release, the catch for 2025 is expected to generate approximately $348.25 million—a reflection of the fishery’s high value despite reduced harvests. The current outlook follows a steady decline in scallop landings since a peak of over 60 million pounds in 2019. In subsequent years, landings fell to 47.5 million pounds in 2020, 43 million in 2021, 31.5 million in 2022, and 24 million in 2023.

Read the full article at National Fisherman

NEFMC moves forward with cod changes despite fishermen’s protest

December 13, 2024 — The New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) has moved forward with Framework Adjustment 69, approving changes to the region’s cod fishery that fishermen claim will cause dire circumstances for the industry.

The council selected a series of preferred alternatives for Framework 69 of the Northeast Multispecies (Groundfish) Fishery Management Plan, which governs the region’s groundfishing stocks, including cod, haddock, flounder, hake, and pollock. Part of that framework was Amendment 25, which will change how cod is managed in the region and institute four separate cod stocks instead of the current two.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

NTAP: MAFMC and NEFMC Seek Industry Representatives for Northeast Trawl Advisory Panel

December 13, 2024 — The following was released New England Fishery Management Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and New England Fishery Management Council are seeking applications from fishing industry representatives to fill two open seats on the Northeast Trawl Advisory Panel (NTAP). Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 31, 2024.

 
NTAP is a joint advisory panel of the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils. The primary purpose of the panel is to provide advice and direction on the conduct of trawl research in the northeast region, with a focus on the multispecies bottom trawl survey conducted by NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC). NTAP also discusses and recommends research priorities, and members frequently participate in recommended research projects. NTAP has guided multiple studies that have improved information used in stock assessments.
 
The twenty-member panel includes Mid-Atlantic and New England Council members, scientists and fishing industry representatives appointed by each Council, representatives of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, and NEFSC staff. Applications are currently being sought to fill the following open seats:
 
  • One fishing industry representative appointed by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council
  • One fishing industry representative appointed by the New England Fishery Management Council
 
Individuals with expertise in gear design and construction, trawl gear efficiency, trawl mensuration, commercial trawl fisheries, or survey design are encouraged to apply.
 
Applications can be downloaded at https://www.mafmc.org/ntap. The completed application should be submitted tohhart@mafmc.org by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 31, 2024.
 
If you have questions or need additional information, please contact Hannah Hart, Mid-Atlantic Council staff, athhart@mafmc.org or (302) 526-5263.

Council Makes Spiny Dogfish Recommendation; Adopts 2025 Priorities; Receives Updates on Climate, Enforcement, More

December 12, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council met December 3-5, 2024 in Newport, Rhode Island and covered a wide range of topics. Here are some of the meeting highlights.

SPINY DOGFISH: The Council voted to recommend that NOAA Fisheries set the spiny dogfish acceptable biological catch (ABC) equal to the overfishing limit (OFL) for the 2025 fishing year. This is the highest limit allowed under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act’s (MSA) National Standard 1 Guidelines, which stipulate that ABC cannot exceed OFL.

On December 10, 2024, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council also voted to set the ABC at the overfishing limit. The resulting specifications package, if implemented by NOAA Fisheries, would result in a commercial quota of roughly 9.3 million pounds (see table at right). Spiny dogfish is managed jointly by the Mid-Atlantic and New England Councils. The Mid-Atlantic Council has the administrative lead for the fishery. In 2023, the two Councils developed specifications for the 2024-2026 fishing years for spiny dogfish.

However, in September 2024, the Mid-Atlantic Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) lowered its 2025-2026 ABC recommendations for spiny dogfish in response to updated projections using revised catch information. The SSC’s revised ABC recommendations were intended to keep in line with the MidAtlantic Council’s risk policy, which specifies a 46% chance of overfishing for a stock that’s just above its biomass target like spiny dogfish. Setting ABC at OFL would result in a 50% chance of overfishing, which is higher than generated under the Mid-Atlantic Council’s standard risk policy.