Saving Seafood

NEFMC Seeks Contractor for Groundfish Catch Shares Program Review

October 22, 2018 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council is seeking the services of an independent contractor to assist the Council and its technical working group with conducting a review of the groundfish sector system, which is a catch share program under the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP). Letters of interest and supporting materials must be received by November 30, 2018.

WHAT’S INVOLVED: The successful candidate’s primary role will be to support the technical working group conducting the Groundfish Catch Shares Program Review. The working group includes members from the Council, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, and Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office staff. The contractor will:

  • Facilitate working group meetings;
  • Research and summarize pertinent information and coordinate working group review documents;
  • Assist with developing and writing the draft Catch Shares Program Review document;
  • Present the draft document to the Groundfish Plan Development Team, Groundfish and Recreational Advisory Panels, Scientific and Statistical Committee, Groundfish Committee, and the full Council;
  • And, among other tasks, prepare the final review document and presentations.

FOCUS OF REVIEW: The evaluation period for this review is focused strictly on fishing years 2010 to 2015, spanning from May 1, 2010 through April 30, 2016. This period covers the first six years of the catch share program under Amendment 16 to the Northeast Multispecies FMP. Information prior to program implementation also will be included for fishing years 2007 to 2009, covering May 1, 2007 through April 30, 2010.

TIMELINE: The contractor’s role is a short-term, temporary position that will begin on or about December 15, 2018 and end when the Council and the technical working group complete the review, tentatively in June 2019.

WHY IS THIS HAPPENING: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) catch share policy states that Councils periodically should review catch share programs to evaluate whether a program is meeting its goals and objectives. NOAA’s guidance is that “a formal and detailed review” should occur “no less frequently than once every seven years” for all limited access privilege programs (LAPPs) established after January 12, 2007. More information is available at NOAA Catch Share Policy.

APPLICATION DETAILS: Interested professionals are encouraged to submit a letter of interest, current resume or curriculum vitae, examples of similar work completed for other organizations or publications, and a budget with expected expenses by November 30, 2018.

  • Interested candidates also should describe the approach that would be used to meet the requirements of the project, including deliverables.
  • NOTE: Candidates employed by advocacy organizations or by organizations that are parties in fishery lawsuits will not be considered.

SOLICITATION NOTICE: Additional information and application mailing/email addresses are contained in the full solicitation notice, which is available here and at announcement.

QUESTIONS: For more information, contact New England Fishery Management Council Deputy Director Chris Kellogg at (978) 465-0492 ext. 112, ckellogg@nefmc.org.

Drastic cut to herring quota puts Maine lobstermen over the bait barrel

October 22, 2018 — The threat of a huge cut in next year’s herring catch quota has Maine bait dealers scrambling to find alternative ways to satisfy the voracious appetite of the state’s $1.4 billion lobster industry.

The New England Fishery Management Council voted last month to set the 2019 herring quota at 3.2 million pounds – about 78 million pounds less than what the East Coast herring fleet is permitted to catch this year – to help the population recover from a record-low number of juvenile herring. To put the cut in context, that is about 2,000 tractor-trailer trucks of the industry’s favorite bait that won’t be showing up in New England lobster ports next year.

“We knew we’d be losing a lot of herring quota since we first heard about the bad stock assessment, so we’ve had some time to prepare,” said Mary Beth Tooley, who oversees government and regulatory affairs for O’Hara Corp. in Rockland, Maine’s largest bait dealer. “We have someone out on the West Coast right now looking for new sources of frozen bait. But I don’t think people understand how bad it’s going to be.”

Some fishermen have told Tooley they aren’t worried about the bait shortage because they don’t use herring. Some have switched to pogy or rockfish because it fishes better for them, while others have weaned themselves off herring, or found ways to conserve bait use, because they saw the collapse coming. But as more fishermen look to other bait species, the prices of those species are likely to rise and their availability shrink, Tooley predicted.

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

New England Council Seeks Scientific and Statistical Committee Nominees

October 19, 2018 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council is seeking qualified candidates to serve on its Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC). The three-year appointments begin January 1, 2019 and run through December 31, 2021. Individuals may nominate themselves or be nominated by others. All application materials must be received by 5 p.m. on December 20, 2018.

QUALIFICATION CRITERIA: The Council is seeking to fill several upcoming vacancies on the committee. In general, SSC nominees should have expertise in statistics, fisheries biology, marine ecology, economics, sociology, anthropology, or other social sciences as they apply to fisheries management.

SSC RESPONSIBILITIES: SSC members are expected to provide independent, scientific advice to the Council. The purpose of the SSC is to assist the Council in the development, collection, and evaluation of statistical, biological, economic, social, and other scientific information relevant to the development of fishery management plans.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: More information about SSC responsibilities, current committee composition, and upcoming/past meetings can be found at SSC activities. The notice requesting nominations, which contains application details, is available on that page under “Related News” or at announcement. Members with expiring terms who wish to continue serving on the SSC are encouraged to resubmit their curriculum vitae (CV) or resume with a letter expressing continued interest in remaining on the committee.

QUESTIONS: For more information contact Council Deputy Director Chris Kellogg at (978) 465-0492, ext. 112; ckellogg@nefmc.org.

Commerce Department Announces Appointments to 3 Regional Fishery Management Councils

October 18, 2018 — The following was released by NOAA:

The U.S. Commerce Department today announced the reappointment of one and appointment of two new members to three regional fishery management councils. The new members will fill at-large seats that were recently vacated on the Western Pacific and South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils. These seats became vacant in July 2018. The new members will serve through August 10, 2020. For the Pacific Fishery Management Council, the tribal member will fill an obligatory seat that was made vacant after the expiration of the term on August 11, 2018. The reappointed member will serve through August 10, 2021.

The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act established the councils as stewards of the nation’s fisheries resources through the preparation of fishery management plans for their regions. NOAA Fisheries works closely with the councils through this process and then reviews, approves, and implements the plans. Council members represent diverse groups, including commercial and recreational fishing industries, environmental organizations and academia. They are vital to fulfilling the Act’s requirements to end overfishing, rebuild fish stocks, and manage them sustainably.

The Secretary selects members from nominations submitted by the governors of fishing states, territories, and tribal governments. Council members are appointed to both obligatory (state-specific) and at-large (regional) seats. Council members may be reappointed to serve three consecutive terms.

*Asterisks preceding a member’s name indicate a reappointment.
South Atlantic Council

The South Atlantic Council includes members from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The appointee will a vacant at-large seat.

At-Large seat:

Joseph D. Whitaker (South Carolina)

Pacific Council

The Pacific Council includes members from California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. The Pacific Council also includes one Tribal seat. The appointee will fill a vacant Tribal seat.

Obligatory seat:

Joseph Y. Oatman* (Tribal)

Western Pacific Council

The Western Pacific Council includes members from American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The appointee will fill a vacant at-large seat.

At-Large seat:

Frederick McGrew Rice (Hawaii)

Read the full release here

New England fishery staff optimistic about another big scallop year

October 9, 2018 — As amazing as the 2018 New England scallop harvest has been, the 2019 season could be just as great.

That’s what the staff at the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) is saying following multiple dredge and high-resolution drop camera surveys taken to evaluate scallop biomass and help inform coming recommendations to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

“From a biological perspective – the outlook is good for next year,” Jonathan Peros, the NEFMC’s lead fishery analyst for Atlantic sea scallops, told Undercurrent News in an email sent Friday. “The fishery could achieve a harvest similar to 2018 levels in the coming year.”

Speaking of the 2018 scallop season, it’s been one for the books. Based on the estimate of nearly 39 million pounds of scallops landed as of Sept. 13, the NEFMC staff has conservatively projected the fishery will finish the year with 56m pounds, Peros told the council at a meeting late last month. And counting the carry over and scallops harvested for research and observer purposes, the volume of landings could climb to 60m, Peros told Undercurrent.

That would be an improvement of nearly 13% over the 53.4m lbs landed in 2017.

Despite the abundance of scallops, the price at the Buyers and Sellers Exchange, the seafood auction in New Bedford, Massachusetts, appears to have ratcheted way up at the end of the year.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

Scallops: NEFMC Receives 2018 Survey Overview; Framework 30 Progress Report

October 5, 2018 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

During its late-September meeting in Plymouth, MA, the New England Fishery Management Council was presented with positive news about both the status of the Atlantic sea scallop resource and the outlook for the 2019 scallop fishing year. The Council:

  • (1) Reviewed results from the 2018 benchmark stock assessment for scallops;
  • (2) Received a summary of this year’s scallop surveys, which were conducted by five different research groups
  • (3) Reviewed the list of management measures under development in Framework Adjustment 30 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan; and
  • (4) Discussed the Limited Access General Category (LAGC) Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) trip limit.

2018 Benchmark Stock Assessment

The latest stock assessment for Atlantic sea scallops was conducted through the 65th Stock Assessment Workshop/Stock Assessment Review Committee (SAW/SARC). In short, assessment scientists concluded that in 2017:

  • The stock was not overfished and overfishing was not occurring;
  • Spawning stock biomass was at its highest level ever in the 1975 to 2017 time series;
  • Spawning stock biomass was (1) well above its “threshold” level, which is the lowest point allowed before the stock is deemed to be overfished, and (2) well above its biomass “target” level, which is the more desirable stock condition;

Read the full release here

Feds asked to take action to prevent herring overfishing

October 4, 2018 — Fisheries managers in New England are asking the federal government to take action to try to reduce the possibility of overfishing in the herring fishery.

Herring is an important small fish on the East Coast, and recent assessments of the stock show that it is in decline.

The New England Fishery Management Council recently approved a host of new restrictions for the fishery, voting to supplement severe rollbacks of herring quotas with a new inshore buffer zone aimed specifically at preventing mid-water trawlers — such as Gloucester-based Cape Seafoods’ 141-foot boats, Challenger and Endeavour — from fishing within 12 miles of shore in most areas of the Northeast.

In some areas around Cape Cod, the buffer zone expands to 20 to 25 miles.

The council also has requested the National Marine Fisheries Service set catch limits for next year’s fishery. If approved, 2019 catch levels will be capped at 21,226 metric tons — less than half of the 50,000 metric tons allowed in 2018.

The council says swift action by the federal agency is needed to “reduce the probability of overfishing.”

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

US Fishermen Lose Quota in New Fishing Pact With Canada

October 4, 2018 — American fishermen are losing thousands of pounds of valuable fishing quota under a new catch share agreement with Canada.

Fishermen from the U.S. and Canada seek haddock, cod and flounder on Georges Bank, which is a critical fishing ground east of New England, The two countries craft a catch share agreement every year. Under the latest agreement, the U.S.’s eastern Georges Bank cod quota is falling by more than 25 percent to about 415,000 pounds and the eastern Georges Bank haddock quota is falling by about 4 percent to about 33 million pounds.

Yellowtail flounder on Georges Bank is also falling by about half, to about 230,000 pounds. The U.S. gets 76 percent of the flounder quota while Canada gets 71 percent of the cod quota and the haddock is divided evenly.

The loss in quota will present a hardship for New England fishermen, who are already coping with low cod quotas and the collapse of the cod stock, said Terry Alexander, a longtime Maine fisherman and member of the regulatory New England Fishery Management Council that approved the catch share agreement last week.

“It’s going to be tough to get by with for sure,” Alexander said. “Cod seems to be in the cellar and yellowtail is even deeper in the cellar.”

The proposed quotas are based on historical catches and trawl surveys. Canada’s quotas are also proposed to decline. The quotas were recommended by U.S./Canada Transboundary Management Guidance Committee, which is a panel made up of government and industry members that includes representatives from both countries.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at The New York Times

NEFMC SSC – Listen Live – Wednesday, October 10, 2018, Scallop and Herring Issues

October 3, 2018 — 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 on Wednesday, October 10, 2018 to discuss scallop and herring issues.  The public is invited to attend in person or listen live via webinar or telephone.  Here are the details.

MEETING LOCATION:  Hilton Garden Inn, Boston Logan Airport, 100 Boardman Street, Boston, MA.  Hotel information is available here.

START TIME:  9:00 a.m.

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

CALL-IN OPTION:  To listen by telephone, dial +1 (631) 992-3221. The access code is 285-275-351.  Please be aware that if you dial in, your regular phone charges will apply.

AGENDA:  The SSC will:

  • Review the results of the recent Atlantic sea scallop benchmark stock assessment and information provided by the Council’s Scallop Plan Development Team (PDT);
  • Recommend overfishing limits (OFLs) and acceptable biological catches (ABCs) for Atlantic sea scallops for the 2019 and 2020 fishing years with 2020 levels serving as defaults;
  • Review results of the recent Atlantic herring benchmark stock assessment and information provided by the Council’s Herring PDT;
  • Recommend 2019-2021 OFLs and ABCs for Atlantic herring using the Council’s proposed Amendment 8 ABC control rule, as well as the assessment and PDT information; and
  • Discuss other business as necessary.

COMMENTS:  The deadline for submitting written comments for consideration at this meeting is 5 p.m. on Friday, October 5, 2018.  Address comments to Council Chairman Dr. John Quinn or Executive Director Tom Nies and email them to comments@nefmc.org.  The address for mailing comments via the U.S. Postal Service is:  New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water Street, Mill #2, Newburyport, MA  01950.

MATERIALS:  Meeting materials will be posted on the Council’s website at SSC October 10, 2018 documents.

QUESTIONS:  Contact Joan O’Leary at (978) 465-0492 ext. 106, joleary@nefmc.org or Janice Plante at (607) 592-4817, jplante@nefmc.org.

NEFMC Approves Atlantic Herring Amendment 8; Asks NMFS to Set 2019 Catch Limits

October 2, 2018 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

On September 25 during its meeting in Plymouth, MA, the New England Fishery Management Council approved Amendment 8 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan. The Council also asked the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS, NOAA Fisheries) to develop an in-season action to set 2019 specifications for the herring fishery.

ABC Control Rule:

  • The acceptable biological catch (ABC) control rule is a formula that will be used to set annual catch limits. The Council considered close to a dozen alternatives that would allow different levels of fishing mortality depending on the estimated level of herring biomass in the ecosystem. In the end, the Council adopted a control rule that balances many objectives by capping overall fishing mortality at 80% of sustainable levels. Previously, fishermen were allowed to harvest up to 100% of sustainable catch levels. Under the proposed control rule, a portion of the available catch would be set aside to explicitly account for the important role of Atlantic herring as forage with in the ecosystem. The new control rule also will better address uncertainty in year-to-year variation in biomass estimates. While the control rule will reduce catches in the near term, it has a lower probability of resulting in overfishing than previous methods used to set catch limits.

Read the full release here