Saving Seafood

Atlantic Herring: Council Takes Final Action on Fishing Year 2025-2027 Specifications; Requests In-Season Adjustment

October 4, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council took final action on fishing year 2025-2027 specifications for Atlantic herring when it met September 24-26, 2024 in Gloucester, Massachusetts. The Council also asked the Regional Administrator of NOAA Fisheries to use his existing authority to implement an in-season adjustment to reduce default 2025 specifications to the level recently recommended by the Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC).

The Council’s revised 2025 specifications, which are part of the new 2025-2027 package, are much lower than the default or backup 2025 specifications the Council developed in 2022 to cover the 2023-2025 fishing years. At the time, the Council knew it would need to update 2025 catch limits, but it included backups in a three-year package in case the next action was delayed.

BOTTOM LINE: The default 2025 annual catch limit (ACL) is 23,961 metric tons (mt). The revised 2025 ACL, which is based on the latest stock assessment, is 2,710 mt, marking an 89% reduction. For comparison, 2,710 mt equates to 14% of the 2024 ACL now in place.

The Council is deeply concerned about the magnitude of the needed adjustments and the inevitable social and economic impacts associated with the upcoming reductions in catch.

The revised ACL, if approved by NOAA Fisheries as expected, will result in the lowest catch limits in the history of the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan. The new catch limits will not support a directed commercial fishery for Atlantic herring. Area-by-area sub-ACLs are shown in the table below.

 

NEFMC SSC – Listen Live – Wednesday, October 9, 2024 – Scallops, Witch Flounder, and More

October 2, 2024 — The following was released by New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will meet to discuss issues related to Atlantic sea scallops, witch flounder, and more.  The public is invited to listen live.  Here are the details.

WHEN:  Wednesday, October 9, 2024

WHERE:  Hilton Providence, Rhode Island.  This is an in-person meeting, coupled with a webinar option.  Please do not attend this meeting in person if you do not feel well.

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.

 

  • IMPORTANT:  The Council is now using Zoom to broadcast meetings.  Zoom requires users to be on the latest version of the application.  You must update your Zoom app to the latest version at least five minutes before joining the webinar to avoid glitches and be able to view presentations.

 

AGENDA:  The SSC will meet to:

 

  • Review information provided by the Council’s Scallop Plan Development Team (PDT) and recommend the overfishing limits (OFLs) and acceptable biological catches (ABCs) for Atlantic sea scallops for fishing years 2025-2026;

 

  • Review witch flounder information provided by the Council’s Groundfish PDT, as well as stock assessment information, and recommend OFLs and ABCs for witch flounder for fishing years 2025-2027;

 

  • Review draft outcomes of the 8th National Workshop of the Council Coordination Committee’s Scientific Coordination Subcommittee (SCS8) held in August 2024 and discuss potential next steps;

 

  • Review outcomes of the May 2024 workshop on Implementing Social Science Methods for Fisheries Decision-Making, discuss a proposal for establishing a formal committee on social science, and discuss potential next steps for the SSC; and

 

  • Discuss other business as necessary.

 

COMMENTS:  The deadline for submitting written comments for consideration at this meeting is8:00 a.m. on Monday, October 7, 2024.  Address comments to Council Chair Rick Bellavance or Executive Director Cate O’Keefe and email them to comments@nefmc.org.

MATERIALS:  All documents for this meeting will be posted on the SSC October 9, 2024 meeting webpage.

QUESTIONS:  Contact Dr. Rachel Feeney at (978) 465-0492, ext. 110, rfeeney@nefmc.org or Janice Plante at (607) 592-4817, jplante@nefmc.org.

 

NEFMC Seeks Applicants for Climate and Ecosystem Steering Committee

September 27, 2024 — The New England Fishery Management Council is looking for qualified candidates to serve on its new Climate and Ecosystem Steering Committee (Steering Committee).  The application deadline is Friday, October 18, 2024.  Appointment terms are for two years, starting in November 2024, with the possibility for reappointment.

 
COMMITTEE STRUCTURE: The Steering Committee will be comprised of members of the Council and its Scientific and Statistical Committee, NOAA Fisheries and Council staff, members of the fishing industry, and other government and non-government experts with experience in the following key areas:
 
  • Climate scenario planning and climate-resilient fishery management approaches;
  • Ecosystem approaches to fishery management;
  • Fishery stock assessment methods;
  • Governance, policy, and marine user management;
  • Biology, oceanography, and climate science; and/or
  • Social sciences and economics.
 
WHY IS THE COUNCIL CREATING A NEW COMMITTEE: The Council is facing unprecedented challenges associated with climate change and has identified the need to introduce additional flexibility into the management process to address changes in abundance, distribution, and productivity of managed stocks. In recognition of these challenges, NOAA Fisheries is providing funding from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to assist Councils in the transition to climate-resilient fishery management approaches.  Also, as part of its 2024 work priorities, the Council agreed to consider ecosystem approaches across all of its fishery management plans. The Council established the Climate and Ecosystem Steering Committee to provide overarching guidance and support for design and implementation of climate-ready management approaches.  The Steering Committee’s tasks are outlined in the solicitation announcement.
 
WHAT’S INVOLVED: The Climate and Ecosystem Steering Committee will be led by a Council-appointed chair and vice chair.  The committee is expected to meet at least twice annually as a full group with intersessional meetings as needed and report directly to the Council.  The Council will share the group’s recommendations with regional partners.
 
HOW DO I APPLY: Applicants must submit a resume and a summary of qualifications for the appointment.  Completed applications should be emailed to Sherie Goutier at sgoutier@nefmc.org  or mailed to Cate O’Keefe, Executive Director, New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950.  All application materials must be received no later than October 18, 2024.

Council Receives Skate, Whiting, and Monkfish Monitoring Reports, Discusses Path Forward; Reviews Monkfish RSA Status

September 25, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council received annual reports for three of its fisheries – skates, whiting, and monkfish – when it met September 24-26, 2024 in Gloucester, Massachusetts. It then discussed options for standardizing and streamlining these reports in the future.

The Council also reviewed the status of the Monkfish Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program and agreed to ask NOAA Fisheries to pause issuing solicitations for new RSA projects until outstanding economic and programmatic issues can be addressed by: (1) the New England and Mid-Atlantic Councils, which jointly manage monkfish; and (2) the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) of NOAA Fisheries. The two Councils also will ask GARFO to consider enabling partners involved in the two current monkfish RSA projects to continue selling RSA days-at-sea into Monkfish. NOAA Fisheries photo 2025 and 2026 if needed.

FISHERY MONITORING REPORTS: Here’s how to access the three monitoring reports and presentations.

• Skate Annual Monitoring Report for Fishing Year 2023: This report provides an update on the status of the seven species in the skate complex (see graphic next page). It also includes information on landings and discards in the skate wing and skate bait fisheries, impacts from other fisheries on skates, research updates, and more. The report is posted here with an accompanying presentation.

• Small-Mesh Multispecies (Whiting) Annual Monitoring Report for Fishing Year 2023: This report was produced in a presentation format. It contains stock status and fishery information, including economic and effort trends, for northern silver hake, southern whiting, which folds in offshore hake, northern red hake, and southern red hake.

• 2024 Monkfish Fishery Performance Report: This report provides an overview of the biology, stock condition, management system, and fishery performance for monkfish, with an emphasis on the 2022 and 2023 fishing years. The report is posted here, along with a presentation.

Council Elects Rick Bellavance and Daniel Salerno as Chair and Vice Chair for 2024-2025; Welcomes Bill Lucey and Ted Platz

September 24, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council opened its September 24-26, 2024 meeting in Gloucester, Massachusetts by holding its annual election of officers after first congratulating three reappointed Council members and welcoming two new ones to the table. The recently announced appointments were for:

• Geoff Smith of Maine, who was reappointed to serve a second three-year term on the Council;

• Togue Brawn of Maine, who also was reappointed to serve a second term;

• Mike Pierdinock of Massachusetts, who was reappointed to serve a second term;

• Bill Lucey of Connecticut, who was appointed to his first term on the Council; and

• Ted Platz of Rhode Island, who was appointed to his first term.

Each New England state receives one obligatory seat on the Council, and the other appointments are for at large seats. Togue is filling an at-large seat, while the other four appointees are filling obligatory seats for their respective states. The new terms run from August 11, 2024 through August 10, 2027.

LEADERSHIP: The Council elected Rick Bellavance of Rhode Island and Daniel Salerno of New Hampshire by acclimation to lead the Council as chair and vice chair for the year ahead.

 

NEFMC September 24-26, 2024 Meeting – Gloucester, MA – Listen Live, View Documents

September 16, 2024 — 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, September 24 through Thursday, September 26, 2024.  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:  Beauport Hotel, Gloucester, Massachusetts.

 

START TIME:  9:00 a.m. all three days.  The webinar will end shortly after the Council adjourns each day.

 

COUNCIL PUBLIC OUTREACH:  Join the Council on Tuesday, September 24, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. for an informational exchange to foster open lines of communication among Council members, staff, industry, and meeting attendees.  The event will be held at the Beauport Hotel.  All are welcome.

 

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, September 19, 2024. 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

 

  1. By speaking during the open period for public comment.  Here are the Guidelines for Providing Public Comment.

 

  • OPEN PERIOD FOR PUBLIC COMMENT:  On Tuesday, September 24, 2024 at 2:00 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.

 

 

  • 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 530-706-239.  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 September 24-26, 2024 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.

Fishermen voice concerns about ocean alkalinity experiments

August 20, 2024 — New England waters may soon be the location for a first-of-its-kind field trial to test a technique called ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) that could someday become a pivotal tool in the fight against climate change. However, fishermen are concerned that the experiment could further disrupt an ecosystem, and the fishing industry is already contending with the effects of offshore wind energy development and climate change.

“I first heard about it at the June [New England Fishery Management] Council meeting,” said Jerry Leeman, a former Maine fisherman who now heads the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association. “Everybody in that room, all forty of us, our jaws dropped. It caught a lot of people off guard. My phone started blowing up with every fisherman you could imagine, from Cutler, Maine, all the way down the mid-Atlantic, asking questions.”

The planned LOC-NESS project (short for “Locking Ocean Carbon in the Northeast Shelf and Slope”) is led by researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). Its purpose is to monitor dispersal patterns and environmental impacts of a controlled release of sodium hydroxide (a strong base) into surface waters. As one of seventeen projects supported by a $23.4-million investment by the National Oceanographic Partnership Program, LOC-NESS is part of a new wave of research designed to help identify ocean-based carbon removal or “negative emissions” techniques that are safe, effective, and affordable.

An illustration of the planned LOC-NESS field research project, illustrating the plume of 50% sodium hydroxide mixed with tracer dye that the team will release in a vessel’s wake, the predicted uptake of carbon dioxide resulting from the increase in local ocean alkalinity resulting from this release, and several methods (aerial drone imagery and satellite data, autonomous underwater gliders, water column sediment traps, and drifting buoys with GPS trackers and strobes) by which the research team will monitor effects of the release. Source: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, https://locness.whoi.edu

In addition to OAE, other proposed ocean-based carbon removal techniques include cultivating and sinking kelp biomass and fertilizing nutrient-poor areas of the ocean to boost phytoplankton growth. In theory, all of these techniques could enhance the ocean’s natural ability to draw carbon dioxide molecules out of the atmosphere and store them in the ocean for decades or centuries. If implemented at scale, they could hypothetically slow the rise of global temperatures.

However, these techniques are beset by significant data gaps related to the measurability of carbon removal, the durability of carbon storage, and possible side effects on local ecosystems and communities. Laboratory studies and modeling have only been able to provide partial answers to these questions so far, prompting leaders in the field to call for the initiation of in-situ pilot projects like the LOC-NESS project.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

2025 Scallop RSA Program Funding Opportunity Open Through September 30, 2024; Join August 8th Informational Webinar

August 6, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

NOAA Fisheries is soliciting proposals for the 2025 Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program funding opportunity, which opened August 1, 2024 and will close September 30, 2024. The solicitation and administrative aspects of the funding opportunity are being handled by the NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO). All project proposals should support the New England Fishery Management Council’s scallop research priorities as shown in the table below.

Successful applicants are awarded pounds of scallops that have been “set aside” to pay for research expenses. No federal funds are provided. Researchers and fishermen partner to harvest awarded scallops, and the proceeds are used to fund the research and compensate fishing industry partners.

NEW THIS YEAR: During its June 2024 meeting, the Council approved several changes to the Scallop RSA Program, including a request to NOAA Fisheries to allow scallop enhancement research to be funded for up to three years with an option for a one-year extension. Regional scallop surveys used for stock assessments and specification-setting already can be funded for up to four years – with an option for a one-year extension for completing grant reports and data analysis. All other projects can be funded for up to two years.

 

Scallopers assail continued closure of Northern Edge

July 29, 2024 — Fisheries regulators voted this month to “discontinue” development of a plan to reopen the Northern Edge of Georges Bank — a lucrative scallop ground that has long been closed to commercial fishing.

In April, the New England Fishery Management Council agreed to consider requests to reopen the fishing grounds at the urging of both the scallop industry and Mayor Jon Mitchell. He and industry representatives cited significant headwinds for the region’s top fishery, including a slump in prices and fewer days at sea for fishermen. They added that opening the Northern Edge would benefit the whole port economy and surrounding businesses.

But in the midst of a four-day meeting in Freeport, Maine, the Council voted not to continue discussing plans to reopen the area in order to focus on the “long-term productivity of the Georges Bank scallop resource.” For regulators, it’s a balancing act to weigh sustainability and the economic pressures on fishermen to sustain their livelihoods.

“We know there is a high density of scallops there. But you need those dense aggregations to have spawning success in the future,” said Jonathon Peros, who is the Council’s lead fishery analyst for sea scallops. He explained that scallops spawning in the region act as a seed source to other active scalloping grounds.

Read the full article at the New Bedford Light

NEFMC SSC – Listen Live – July 30-31, 2024 – Atlantic Herring and Groundfish Issues

July 24, 2024 — The following was released by New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will meet to discuss issues related to Atlantic herring and groundfish.  The public is invited to listen live.  Here are the details.

 
 
WHERE:  Hilton Garden Inn Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  This is an in-person meeting, coupled with a webinar option.  Please do not attend this meeting in person if you do not feel well.
 
START TIME:  9:00 a.m. both days
 
WEBINAR REGISTRATION:  Online access to the meeting is available at Listen Live.  There is no charge to join the meeting through this webinar.
 
  • IMPORTANT:  The Council is now using Zoom to broadcast meetings.  Zoom requires users to be on the latest version of the application.  You must update your Zoom app to the latest version at least five minutes before joining the webinar to avoid glitches and be able to view presentations.
 
AGENDA:  The SSC will meet to:
 
  • Review information provided by the Council’s Groundfish and Herring Plan Development Teams, as well as stock assessment information where appropriate, and recommend overfishing limits (OFLs) and acceptable biological catches (ABCs) for:
 
    • Atlantic herring for fishing years 2025-2027;
 
    • Four Atlantic cod stock units for fishing years 2025-2027; and
 
    • Georges Bank yellowtail flounder for fishing years 2025-2026;
 
  • Review a method developed by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center for apportioning the biomass of Georges Bank cod and haddock into the Eastern Georges Bank management area; and
 
  • Discuss other business as necessary.
 
COMMENTS:  The deadline for submitting written comments for consideration at this meeting is8:00 a.m. on Friday, July 26, 2024.  Address comments to Council Chair Eric Reid or Executive Director Cate O’Keefe and email them to comments@nefmc.org.
 
MATERIALS:  All documents for this meeting will be posted on the SSC July 30-31, 2024 meeting webpage.
 
QUESTIONS:  Contact Dr. Rachel Feeney at (978) 465-0492, ext. 110, rfeeney@nefmc.org or Janice Plante at (607) 592-4817, jplante@nefmc.org.