Saving Seafood

Fishermen facing cuts to Georges Bank stocks

September 24, 2018 — The New England Fishery Management Council is expected to vote this week on the 2019 total allowable catch limits for three Georges Bank groundfish stocks the United States shares with Canada, with significant reductions expected for each stock.

The council, set to meet Monday through Thursday in Plymouth, will discuss total allowable catch, or TAC, recommendations by both the science-based Transboundary Resource Assessment Committee and the management-based Transboundary Management Guidance Committee.

The latter, however, is expected to hold more sway in developing the 2019 limits. The U.S. and Canada already have negotiated the catch limits within the TMGC recommendations for Georges Bank yellowtail flounder, Eastern Georges Bank haddock and Eastern Georges Bank cod.

For Georges Bank yellowtail flounder, which is a critical bycatch stock for the scallop industry, the TMGC recommends the lowest catch limit on record — 140 metric tons, or a 53 percent reduction from the 300 metric-ton TAC in 2018.

The recommendation calls for the U.S. to receive 76 percent of the total, or 106 metric tons. That is down from 213 metric tons in 2018.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Atlantic herring quotas may be cut again

September 14, 2018 — The Atlantic herring is a small, seemingly unremarkable fish that has distinguished itself through sheer numbers. When herring spawn, they can cover the ocean bottom in a carpet of eggs inches thick. Migrating schools of the fish can number in the billions and have been known to stretch miles wide.

But despite its prolific nature, there are growing concerns in some quarters about the state of the fish’s population, which, according to federal data, has been in decline for the last five years. Environmental advocates and some fishing groups worry that if herring is overfished, it could spell trouble for striped bass, tuna and a whole host of other species in Rhode Island and elsewhere along the Northeast coast that prey on it.

“If there’s no big stocks of herring to entice these other fish into Narragansett Bay, they may pass us by,” said Michael Jarbeau, baykeeper for Providence-based environmental group Save The Bay.

On Tuesday, the New England Fishery Management Council will decide on a new set of regulations known as Amendment 8 that could include restricting fishing areas for herring and could for the first time account for the fish’s place in the larger ecosystem.

The council’s Atlantic herring committee met last week and backed a less restrictive version of the rules out of concern that anything tighter would shut down the fishery for as long as three years as stocks recover. The full council may adopt the committee’s recommendation or go forward with any of a host of other options.

Read the full story at the Providence Journal

NEFMC September 24-27, 2018, Plymouth, MA – Listen Live, View Documents

September 17, 2018 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council will hold a four-day meeting from Monday, September 24 through Thursday, September 27, 2018. The public is invited to listen-in via webinar or telephone.  Here are the details.

MEETING LOCATION: Hotel 1620 Plymouth Harbor, 180 Water Street, Plymouth, MA 02360; www.hotel1620.com.

START TIME: The webinar will be activated at approximately 1 p.m. on Monday, September 24 and at 8:00 a.m. each day thereafter.  However, please note that the meeting is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. on Monday and 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  The webinar will end at approximately 6:00 p.m. EST or shortly after the Council adjourns each day.

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

CALL-IN OPTION: To listen by telephone, dial +1 (415) 655-0052.  The access code is 471-062-244.  Please be aware that if you dial in, your regular phone charges will apply.

AGENDA:  The agenda and all meeting materials are available on the Council’s website at September 24-27, 2018 NEFMC Plymouth, MA.

COMMENT DEADLINE:  Written comments must be received no later than 8 a.m., Thursday, September 20, 2018 to be considered at this meeting.

THREE MEETING OUTLOOK:  A copy of the New England Council’s Three Meeting Outlook is available HERE.

ADDITIONAL EVENT:  On Wednesday, September 26, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will hold an “open office” in the Plympton Room of the same hotel.  BOEM staffers will be on hand to solicit input and answer questions about offshore wind-related activities, including: (1) the New York Bight Area Identification; (2) the Vineyard Wind Draft Environmental Impact Statement; (3) the South Fork Wind Farm Construction and Operations Plan; and (4) other issues of interest to Council members and the public.

Learn more about the NEFMC here

 

Fishery Management Council to Make Herring Trawler Decision

September 11, 2018 — An important decision for the future of the Atlantic Herring fishery will come this month from the New England Fishery Management Council.

The council will vote September 25 in Plymouth on a proposal that would push midwater trawlers at least 50 miles from the shores of Cape Cod.

The trawlers, which usually work in tandem, use very large nets to scoop up entire schools of herring, which has negatively impacted the local fishing industry and related economies.

Atlantic herring is a food source for many larger fish species and whales which feed in the area. Herring is also an important bait fish in the New England lobster industry.

Fishermen and local officials have urged fishery managers to impose a strict 50-mile buffer zone for the trawlers.

“They’ve removed so many of the herring from the waters that it’s really disrupted the entire ecosystem because there is not a solid forage base for other fish to feed on,” said Amanda Cousart, a policy analyst with the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Association.

Read the full story at CapeCod.com

Quotas up for most key Northeast groundfish stocks

September 6, 2018 — At the start of 2018, regulatory changes triggered substantial quota increases for several commercially important groundfish stocks, including Georges Bank cod, Gulf of Maine cod, Gulf of Maine haddock and pollock — as well as smaller increases for a few choke stocks.

“The stocks themselves are in good shape, with plenty of fish to catch,” said Bert Jongerden, general manager of the Portland Fish Exchange, a wholesale fish auction in Maine.

Catch limits for other groundfish decreased from 2017 limits, and fishermen still face challenges with non-allocated stocks, such as windowpane flounder.

“Overall, however, the 2018 quotas provide a number of groundfish fishing opportunities on healthy resources,” said Janice Plante, public affairs officer for the New England Fishery Management Council.

Despite a Gulf of Maine cod quota increase, the catch limit remains depressed for fishermen trying to work on healthy stocks. Wholesale auction prices for gulf cod were averaging at $2.52 for large cod in late July. However, added Jongerden, “dabs are the choke species for cod, and boats have to buy allocation in order to go fishing.”

Georges Bank haddock continues to be one of the healthiest stocks — and markets support it.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

DAVE MONTI: Research Set-Aside program good for fish and fishermen

August 27, 2018 — The National Marine Fisheries Service’s Research Set-Aside (RSA) program has raised funds for fishery research while allowing fishermen to catch more fish.

It has successfully worked for the scallop industry in New England and for a charter industry pilot program that I participated in seven years ago.

RSA programs use a set-aside of fishery resources, whether quota or days-at-sea, to generate revenue that is used to conduct needed research. Here in the Northeast, the New England Fishery Management Council has successfully used its RSA program to study Atlantic sea scallops, Atlantic herring and monkfish.

The charter fishing industry RSA program I participated in with seven other vessels purchased summer flounder quota (with a grant) to run a summer flounder pilot project.

Software developed during the pilot allowed charter captains to record catch and effort in real time electronically with computer tablets on their vessels. Today, the software is approved by NOAA for use by charter captains and commercial fishermen in the Greater Atlantic Regional.

Read the full story at The Sun Chronicle

Feds cut back herring fishing amid concerns about population

August 23, 2018 — Herring harvests are being cut by millions of pounds because of concerns about the important little fish’s population, the federal government announced on Wednesday.

Herring fishing is a major industry in New England and the mid-Atlantic states, where the schooling fish are harvested for use as bait, food, fish oil and other products. But a recent assessment shows the fish’s stock is in decline, officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.

The herring catch has been declining since 2013 and this year’s catch again appears lower than previous years, the agency said in a statement.

“We expect this reduction to reduce the probability of overfishing in 2018,” the NOAA said on its website.

Herring fishermen entered this year with a catch limit of more than 240 million pounds, but the regulatory New England Fishery Management Council recommended earlier this year that the number be cut back to a little more than 118 million pounds.

The NOAA announced on Wednesday that it is instead cutting the herring limit back to a little less than 110 million pounds, effective immediately. It stated on its website that “further reductions are necessary to lessen the risk of overfishing.” The herring fishing season ends on Dec. 31 and parts of it could close earlier if fishermen get close to the catch limit.

The agency said it hopes the cutback will allow the fishery to avoid even deeper cuts in the future.

Read the full story at the Associated Press

New England Council Update – August 20, 2018

August 20, 2018 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

Here’s a roundup of upcoming meetings and new developments that are relevant to the New England Fishery Management Council’s stakeholders.

SEPTEMBER 2018 COUNCIL MEETING:  The Council has extended its September meeting by a half-day.  The meeting now will begin on Monday, September 24 at 2 p.m. and run through Thursday, September 27 at Hotel 1620 Plymouth Harbor in Plymouth, MA.  The agenda and meeting materials will be posted in the coming weeks at September 2018 Plymouth.

DOGFISH:  The New England and Mid-Atlantic Councils jointly manage spiny dogfish.  The Mid-Atlantic Council, which has the administrative lead over the Spiny Dogfish Fishery Management Plan, has scheduled two upcoming meetings to review recent fishery performance and talk about specifications for fishing year 2019 and beyond.

  • Spiny Dogfish Advisory Panel – The advisory panel (AP) will meet via webinar on August 27, 2018 to develop a Fishery Performance Report and provide input on upcoming specifications.  More information is available at Spiny Dogfish AP and  AP webinar.
  • Spiny Dogfish Monitoring Committee – The monitoring committee will meet via webinar on September 14, 2018 to review annual specifications and management measures and make appropriate recommendations for upcoming fishing years.  Visit meeting details and spiny dogfish.

ATLANTIC SEA SCALLOPS:  The Council’s scallop-related bodies will be meeting to discuss: (1) the 2018 scallop benchmark stock assessment; (2) preliminary results from 2018 scallop surveys; (3) fishery specifications and Framework Adjustment 30 management measures; (4) limited access general category individual fishing quota (LAGC IFQ) trip limit analyses; and (5) 2019 scallop work priorities.

  • Scallop Plan Development Team – Tuesday, August 28 and Wednesday, August 29, 2018 at Coonamessett Inn in Falmouth, MA.  Check here for details.
  • Scallop Advisory Panel and Scallop Committee – Thursday, September 13, 2018 and Friday, September 14, 2018 respectively at Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott in New Bedford.  Learn more at Scallop AP and Scallop Committee.
GROUNDFISH:  Here’s what’s in the line-up for upcoming groundfish-related meetings.
  • Groundfish Plan Development Team – Wednesday, August 22, 2018 via webinar to discuss Framework Adjustment 58 issues and Monitoring Amendment 23.  Details are available at webinar information.
  • Fishery Data for Stock Assessment Working Group – Friday, September 7, 2018 at the UMass Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology in New Bedford to continue work on how fishery dependent data can be used to inform stock abundance.  The agenda can be found at working group meeting.
  • Transboundary Management Guidance Committee (TMGC) – The TMGC will meet Tuesday and Wednesday, September 11-12, 2018, to develop recommendations for 2019 total allowable catches for shared U.S./Canada groundfish stocks on Georges Bank.  Details will be posted at TMGC meetingwhen available.
  • Atlantic Cod – The New England Council manages Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank cod under the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan.  The University of New Hampshire recently hosted a Cod Population Structure Symposium that included several presentations from regional scientists.  Copies of those presentations can be downloaded at Cod Population Structure and New England Fisheries.
HABITAT:  The Habitat Committee will meet on Tuesday, August 28, 2018 at the Four Points by Sheraton in Wakefield, MA to: (1) review fishing industry proposals and preliminary Habitat Plan Development Team evaluation for exemption areas in the Great South Channel Habitat Management Area; (2) develop recommendations for the Council for inclusion in the Clam Dredge Framework; (3) receive updates on recent Essential Fish Habitat consultations; and (4) discuss offshore wind issues.  More information is available at habitat meeting materials.
ATLANTIC HERRING:  The New England Council’s Atlantic Herring Advisory Panel (AP) and Herring Committee will meet back-to-back on Tuesday, September 18, 2018 and Wednesday, September 19, 2018 at the Four Points by Sheraton in Wakefield, MA.  Both bodies will: (1) review results from the 2018 herring benchmark stock assessment; (2) review public comments on Amendment 8 and recommend preferred alternatives; (3) discuss possible measures for consideration in 2019-2021 specifications and potential independent action for 2019 by NOAA Fisheries; and (4) begin discussing potential 2019 herring work priorities.  When available, related documents will be posted at AP and committee meeting materials.
 
PUBLICATIONS:  Here are a few recent scientific publications that involve Council staff members or Council funding.q
  • Social Impact Analyst Dr. Rachel Feeney and Atlantic Herring Fishery Analyst Deirdre Boelke were authors on a journal article titled “The dream and the reality: meeting decision-making time frames while incorporating ecosystem and economic models into management strategy evaluation,” which recently was published in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences.
  • Scallop Fishery Analyst Sam Asci was the lead author on a paper titled “Estimating similarity in benthic communities over decades and in areas open and closed to fishing in the central Gulf of Maine, USA,” which was published in Marine Ecology Progress Series.
  • Dr. John Wiedenmann and Dr. Olaf Jensen authored a paper titled “Could recent overfishing of New England groundfish have been prevented?  A retrospective evaluation of alternative management strategies.”  The work was funded by the New England Council, and the resulting article was published in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences.
PROFESSIONAL MEETINGS:  New England Council Habitat Fishery Analyst Michelle Bachman will be giving a presentation on August 21 at the 148th Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society in Atlantic City, NJ during a session called “Strategic Engagement with Stakeholders and Partners.”

NEFMC Seeks Input on RSA Programs; Take the Online Survey!

August 15, 2018 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council is asking fishermen and their cooperative research partners who participate in the Atlantic Sea Scallop, Atlantic Herring, and/or Monkfish Research Set Aside (RSA) Programs to take an online survey and provide feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of these programs and pass along any suggestions for improvement. Other stakeholders who have an interest or role in RSA programs also are encouraged to take the survey.

The survey is part of the Council’s comprehensive review of RSA programs, which is being conducted by a six member review panel that includes two representatives each from: the New England Council; the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS, NOAA Fisheries) Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO); and the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC). A representative from the Mid-Atlantic Council staff also sits on the review panel as an observer.

Take the online survey here

Read the full release here

Atlantic Herring Area 1A Trimester 2 Effort Controls Measures Maintained

August 9, 2018 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Commission’s Atlantic Herring Section members from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts reviewed the effort control measures for the 2018 Area 1A Trimester 2 (June 1 – September 30) fishery. The states agreed to maintain the existing Area 1A Trimester 2 Days Out Measures, which are outlined below.

Days Out of the Fishery

  • Vessels with a herring Category A permit that have declared into the Trimester 2 Area 1A fishery may land herring five (5) consecutive days a week. One landing per 24 hour period.Vessels are prohibited from landing or possessing herring caught from Area 1A during a day out of the fishery.
    • Landing days in New Hampshire and Massachusetts begin on Monday of each week at 12:01 a.m.
    • Landings days in Maine begin on Sunday of each week at 6:00 p.m.
  • Small mesh bottom trawl vessels with a herring Category C or D permit that have declared into the Trimester 2 fishery may land herring seven (7) consecutive days a week.

Weekly Landing Limit

  • Vessels with a herring Category A permit may harvest up to 640,000 lbs (16 trucks) per harvester vessel, per week.
  • 160,000 lbs (4 trucks) out of the 640,000 lbs weekly limit can be transferred to a carrier vessel (see below).

At-Sea Transfer and Carrier Restrictions
The following applies to harvester vessels with a herring Category A permit and carrier vessels landing herring caught in Area 1A to a Maine, New Hampshire, or Massachusetts port.

  • A harvester vessel can transfer herring at-sea to another catcher vessel.
  • A harvester vessel is limited to making at-sea transfers to only one carrier vessel per week.
  • Carrier vessels are limited to receiving at-sea transfers from one catcher vessel per week and can land once per 24 hour period. A carrier vessel may land up to 160,000 lbs (4 trucks) per week. The carrier limit of 4 trucks is not in addition to the harvester weekly landing limit. Carrier vessel: a vessel with no gear on board capable of catching or processing fish. Harvester vessel: a vessel that is required to report the catch it has aboard as the harvesting vessel on the Federal Vessel Trip Report.

The Area 1A sub-annual catch limit (ACL) is 32,084 metric tons (mt) after adjusting for a carryover from 2016 and the research set-aside. The Section allocated 72.8% of the sub-ACL to Trimester 2 and 27.2% to Trimester 3. After incorporating the 295 mt fixed gear set-aside and the 8% buffer (Area 1A closes at 92% of the sub-ACL), the seasonal quotas are 21,291 mt for Trimester 2 and 7,955 mt for Trimester 3.

These effort controls are projected to extend the Trimester 2 fishery through the beginning of September. Landings will be monitored closely and the fishery will be adjusted to zero landing days when the trimester’s quota is projected to be reached.

Due to the results of the 2018 Atlantic Herring Stock Assessment, which indicate poor recruitment and spawning stock biomass, the New England Fishery Management Council has recommended that the Regional Administrator allow for an in-season adjustment to the 2018 Atlantic herring sub-ACLs. The intent of this in-season adjustment is to reduce the severity of catch reductions in 2019. Following action from NOAA Fisheries to adjust the 2018 sub-ACLs, the Atlantic Herring Section members from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts will reconvene via conference call to review fishing effort measures. Forty-eight hour notice will be provided before a Days Out Meeting.

Fishermen are prohibited from landing more than 2,000 pounds of Atlantic herring per trip from Area 1A on no landing days. Please contact Megan Ware, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at mware@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740 for more information.

A PDF of the announcement can be found at – http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/5b6b5e15AtlHerringDaysOutTri2_Aug2018.pdf.