Saving Seafood

NEFMC Approves Skate Framework 6 to Prolong Wing Fishery

June 13, 2018 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

Aiming to keep the skate wing fishery open as long as possible within annual catch and landing limits, the New England Fishery Management Council today approved Framework Adjustment 6 to the Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan. The framework reduces – from 25% to 10% – the “uncertainty buffer” that’s used in the specification-setting process. If implemented by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS, NOAA Fisheries), the action will result in a 2,631 metric ton (mt) increase in total allowable landings (TAL) over what the Council adopted in Framework Adjustment 5 for the 2018 and 2019 skate fishing years (see flowcharts below).

The Council voted on the 10% uncertainty buffer back at its April meeting in Mystic, CT. Today at its June meeting in Portland, ME, the Council considered other options to prolong the length of the wing fishery, including adjustments to possession limits. However, based on advice from its Skate Committee and Skate Advisory Panel, the Council ultimately determined that modifying the uncertainty buffer by itself was: (1) warranted; (2) the quickest way to ensure that revised specifications are implemented sometime this fall; and (3) the most expedient way to allow the Skate Committee to resume work on Draft Amendment 5, which is being developed to consider limited access in the fishery – deemed to be a high priority by many fishermen.

The Council uses an uncertainty buffer to reduce the likelihood of the fishery exceeding its annual catch limit (ACL). For skates, management uncertainty and scientific uncertainty are included in a single buffer.

The Council initially had selected a 25% buffer because the fishery is subject to complicating factors. For one, the skate complex is made up of seven species – barndoor, clearnose, little, rosette, smooth, thorny, and winter skates – and identification between species has been challenging. However, fishermen over time have greatly improved their skills in recognizing and recording skates on a species-by-species basis. Estimates of discards and discard mortality also have improved. These and other noteworthy advancements enabled the Council to support reducing the uncertainty buffer to 10%. The reduction is applied between the ACL and annual catch target (ACT). Following further deductions to account for projected dead discards and state landings, the resulting level of total allowable landings is appreciably higher under the 10% buffer.

Although the Council initiated this action to consider alternatives for prolonging the length of the skate wing fishery, Framework Adjustment 6 also will benefit the skate bait fishery. Both segments of the skate fishery recently have been subject to late-season possession limit reductions that have made it uneconomical to conduct directed fisheries, thereby disrupting markets and business plans.

Many skate fishermen expressed support for simplifying Framework 6 in order to not divert additional time from work on Amendment 5, which went out to scoping in early 2017 and is considering alternatives to convert the skate fishery from open access to limited access.

Read the full release here

MASSACHUSETTS: Herring Hearing Happening June 19

June 7, 2018 — The New England Fishery Management Council is holding a rare public hearing in Chatham next week to consider rules designed to protect one of the most important fish species in our waters: Atlantic herring.

The council is mulling a host of options designed to protect sea herring from overfishing by mid-water trawlers, which can scoop up entire schools in a single haul. While local boats do not take part in large-scale herring fisheries, the species is a critical food source for groundfish like cod, haddock and flounder and other species like bluefin tuna.

The hearing is set for Tuesday, June 19 at 6 p.m. at the community center, one of seven sessions being held between Maine and Pennsylvania to consider the proposed rules. Known as Amendment 8 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan, the proposals cover two major components: a control rule to govern catch limits and proposed area closures to address localized stock depletion and user conflicts.

The control rule would guide regulators in setting long-term catch limits. Locally, the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance has argued in favor of a control rule that focuses not on the commercial value of the sea herring fishery but on the role of the species in the larger ecosystem. Advocates for this approach say it will put a new emphasis on conservation while allowing regulators to consider the biological and ecological requirements of Atlantic herring stocks.

Ten alternatives are being considered for the control rule, encompassing 15 different ways that regulators could evaluate how catch levels affect the ecosystem. Regulators will also need to decide whether the control rule is implemented on a one-year variable basis or every three years with a fixed catch limit.

Read the full story at The Cape Cod Chronicle

NEFMC June 12-14, 2018, Portland, ME, Listen Live, View Documents

June 5, 2018 — 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, June 12 through Thursday, June 14, 2018. The public is invited to listen-in via webinar or telephone. Here are the details.

MEETING LOCATION:  Holiday Inn by the Bay, 88 Spring Street, Portland, ME 04101; Holiday Inn.

START TIME:  The webinar will be activated at 8:00 a.m. each day. However, please note that the meeting is scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday and 8:30 a.m. on 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 (562) 247-8422. The access code is 454-885-013. 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 June 12-14, 2018 NEFMC Portland, ME.

COMMENT DEADLINE:  Written comments must be received no later than 8 a.m., Thursday, June 7 to be considered at this meeting.

ATLANTIC HERRING PUBLIC HEARING:  The Council will conduct a public hearing on Amendment 8 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan on Tuesday, June 12 at 5 p.m. or immediately following the close of Council business that day.  The hearing initially was scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. but the start-time has been revised to 5 p.m.  The public hearing document and related materials can be found at Amendment 8 hearing. The webinar will remain activated in “listen-only” mode to cover the public hearing for those who wish to hear the presentation.

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.

New England Council Holds Hearings on Herring Rule Changes, Plenty of Input Offered

May 24, 2018 — SEAFOOD NEWS — The series of hearings started on Tuesday in Narragansett, RI and will continue in Rockport, ME tonight. If Tuesday’s meeting is any indication, the New England Fisheries Management Council can expect more industry opposition to changes in the Atlantic herring fishery management plan tonight in Rockport.

The issue is about using “acceptable biological catch” or ABC, for setting the sustainable catch limit for herring, a standard used in most other management plans around the country. But using ABC in the control rule, which is set every three years, would limit flexibility compared to how the fishery has been managed in the past, reported Rhode Island Public radio’s (RINPR) Avory Brookins.

“We are going to need the flexibility in setting the (acceptable biological catch) over the coming years as we are expecting a decrease in quota due to poor recruitment in the fishery (recruitment is how many young fish are entering the population each year),” Katie Almeida, fishery policy analyst for the Town Dock, wrote.

Almeida said flexibility is important because recruitment is environmentally driven, the report said.

Another council concern is local depletion of herring stocks with other proposed restrictions.

RINPR quotes the Sustainable Fisheries Coalition, a group made up of commercial fishing companies that participate in the Atlantic herring fishery, as pointing out that “there is currently no evidence that the existing rules are causing localized depletion, or are harming the herring population in any way.”

The changes are part of Amendment 8 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan. The Council’s hearings are to solicit comments on two of the major components in the amendment. They include:

(Part 1) 10 alternatives to establish a long-term acceptable biological catch (ABC) control rule that “may explicitly account for herring’s role in the ecosystem” plus “address the biological and ecological requirements of the stock;” and
(Part 2) nine primary alternatives to address potential localized depletion and user conflicts, with several spatial and seasonal sub-options designed to help minimizing biological and socioeconomic impacts.

After tonight’s hearing in Rockport, the Council will meet stakeholders in Gloucester on Wednesday, May 30, Philadelphia on Tuesday, June 5 (immediately following the close of business at the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council meeting), Portland, ME on June 12, (immediately following the close of business at the New England Fishery Management Council meeting), Chatham, MA on June 19, and a webinar on June 20.

For more information on Amendment 8 and the public hearings, see the NEFMC website here.

This story was originally published by Seafood News, it is republished here with permission.

 

Scallop sales to pay for projects to help turtles, fisheries

May 18, 2018 — PORTLAND, Maine — The sale of scallops will help pay for projects designed to study subjects such as the impact of fishing on sea turtles and how to make the New England shellfish fishery more efficient.

The New England Fishery Management Council announced awards to 15 such projects on Wednesday. The projects are funded via a program that uses sale of scallops to pay for science.

The projects are awarded pounds of scallops that have been set aside from the rest of the fishing quota, and applicants partner with fishermen to harvest the shellfish and generate money.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Seattle Times

 

Dr. Bill DuPaul receives award from NEFMC

May 17, 2018 — Dr. Bill DuPaul, Professor Emeritus at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point, is the recipient of the 2018 Janice M. Plante Award from the New England Fishery Management Council.

DuPaul, a resident of Ware Neck, was a pioneer of cooperative research in the Atlantic sea scallop fishery, according to a release from NEFMC.

“Dr. DuPaul is a man of great integrity,” NEFMC chairman Dr. John Quinn said “He intuitively knew that solutions to hard problems would come only when people on all sides worked together. He proved that cooperative research can break through seemingly insurmountable barriers and help resolve even the most challenging issues.”

Read the full story at the Gloucester-Mathews Gazette-Journal

 

SMAST Receives Scallop Awards to Fund Drop Camera Surveys

May 17, 2018 — The NOAA Fisheries Northeast Fisheries Science Center and the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) are pleased to announce 15 projects have been selected for funding through the Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program, including three projects proposed by the UMass Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) in New Bedford.

“The Scallop RSA Program truly has become one of the flagships of the scallop fishery,” said New England Council Chairman Dr. John Quinn. “The collaborative efforts that take place at sea between fishermen and researchers go a long way toward enhancing our understanding of what’s happening with the resource. The results of this RSA work funnel back to the Council and support stock assessments. Without a doubt, the Scallop RSA Program helps us better manage our extremely valuable scallop fishery.”

Projects will address research priorities established by the NEFMC, with particular focus on resource surveys. The awards are expected to generate more than $12 million; $3 million to fund research, and $9 million to compensate industry partners that harvest set-aside quota.

Read the full story at WBSM

 

Scallop RSA Program: NEFMC and NOAA Announce 15 Awards Selected for 2018-2019 funding

May 16, 2018 — The following was released by New England Fishery Management Council:

 

The New England Fishery Management Council and NOAA Fisheries’ Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) are pleased to announce that 15 projects have been selected for 2018-2019 funding through the Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program.

“The Scallop RSA Program truly has become one of the flagships of the scallop fishery,” said New England Council Chairman Dr. John Quinn. “The collaborative efforts that take place at sea between fishermen and researchers go a long way toward enhancing our understanding of what’s happening with the resource. The results of this RSA work funnel back to the Council and support stock assessments. Without a doubt, the RSA program helps us better manage our – Virginia Institute of Marine Science photo extremely valuable scallop fishery.”

Projects will address research priorities established by the Council, with a particular focus on resource surveys. The awards are expected to generate more than $12 million: $3 million to fund research; and $9 million to compensate industry partners who harvest set-aside quota

“We are excited to be able to work with the New England Fishery Management Council, industry, and scientists to fund sea scallop science through the Research Set-Aside Program,” said NEFSC Science and Research Director Dr. Jon Hare. “The projects funded support surveys, bycatch mitigation, and biological studies, all with the purpose of improving the information used in the management of the sea scallop resource.”

The New England Council established the Sea Scallop RSA Program to address research questions that support management of the scallop resource. The Council sets the research priorities and researchers compete for funding through a federal grant competition managed by NOAA Fisheries.

No federal funds are provided to support the research. Instead, projects are awarded pounds of scallops, which have been “set aside” from the annual fishery quota for this purpose. Successful applicants partner with the fishing industry to harvest their set-aside award to generate funds for the research. There are active research set-aside programs for Atlantic sea scallops, Atlantic herring, and monkfish.

2018-2019 Scallop RSA Award Summary

The awards fall into three categories: scallop surveys (dredge, drop camera, and HabCam); bycatch mitigation; and sea scallop biology.

Scallop Surveys

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) received new awards to conduct dredge surveys in Closed Area I, Closed Area II, and the Nantucket Lightship. Under an existing award from last year, VIMS also will conduct a dredge survey of the Mid-Atlantic Bight. As part of ongoing efforts to better understand scallop survey dredge performance, VIMS investigators received an award to evaluate the hydrodynamic characteristics of both lined and unlined survey dredges in the largest flume tank in the world, located in St. John’s, Newfoundland at Memorial University’s Marine Institute.

The University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) received three awards to conduct surveys using a drop-camera array. Through these awards, researchers plan to conduct high-resolution surveys of the Nantucket Lightship, Closed Area I, Great South Channel, and select portions of the Northern Gulf of Maine Scallop Management Area.

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) will conduct Habitat Camera Mapping System (HabCam) optical surveys throughout the Mid-Atlantic Bight and on the northern flank of Georges Bank. In addition to these surveys, researchers will continue to evaluate dredge effects on habitat and habitat recovery in the Closed Area II Habitat Area of Particular Concern. Coonamessett Farm Foundation will conduct a HabCam survey of the Nantucket Lightship and Southern Flank of Georges Bank.

Bycatch Mitigation

Coonamessett Farm Foundation will continue its seasonal survey on Georges Bank, collecting information on bycatch rates for yellowtail flounder and other species relative to scallop meat yield. These data also will be used to evaluate sea scallop health and meat quality, biological questions about several flounder species, and to examine lobsters for shell disease.

Coonamessett Farm Foundation will continue its loggerhead sea turtle tagging program, receiving funds to tag up to 20 loggerheads with water activated tags. Tag data will be used to evaluate spatial and temporal overlap between loggerhead sea turtles and the scallop fishery.

Coonamessett Farm Foundation also will be testing a dredge twine-top cover net in an attempt to quantify dredge selectivity characteristics.

Sea Scallop Biology

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science will investigate sea scallop density-dependence factors that may be affecting growth, mortality, and reproduction of scallops in the Nantucket Lightship and Elephant Trunk areas. In addition, VIMS will conduct a pilot study to extend the current stock assessment model to better account for sea scallop ages with a particular focus on the Mid-Atlantic Bight and Nantucket Lightship areas.

WHOI will receive support to determine if a gonadosomatic index (GSI) can be calculated from Light Field 3D images of shucked scallops collected during fishing operations. The GSI is used to assess maturity and spawning events in many species of fish and shellfish, including scallops. If successful, this could improve the ability to collect and quantify scallop maturation and spawning data during the course of routine fishery sampling procedures.

The 2018-2019 award listings can be found on the Northeast Fisheries Science Center website at: https://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/coopresearch/news/scallop-rsa-2018-2019/.

RSA award announcements and answers to “frequently asked questions” also are available at https://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/coopresearch/rsa_program.html.

Visit the New England Council’s scallop webpage: https://www.nefmc.org/management-plans/scallops.

View the release in its entirety here.

 

NEFMC: Cod Stock Structure Symposium – June 19, 2018, Registration Information

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

New Hampshire Sea Grant and the University of New Hampshire (UNH), in conjunction with a steering committee, are hosting a symposium on the structure of Atlantic cod populations in the Gulf of Maine and Southern New England regions, as well as nearby Canadian waters, namely Georges and Brown Bank and the Scotian Shelf. Fishermen are encouraged to attend.

EVENT TITLE:  “Cod Population Structure and New England Fisheries Symposium: Furthering our understanding by integrating knowledge gained through science and fishing”

DATE AND LOCATION:  Tuesday, June 19, 2018 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on the UNH Campus at the Elliot Alumni Center. Light breakfast, lunch, and snacks will be provided. Travel expenses may be provided for fishermen who are attending.

WHAT’S THIS ABOUT:  According to the steering committee, the symposium will provide an opportunity to explore and talk about “the current understanding of the stock structure of cod.” New information from recent scientific studies will be discussed, and recreational and commercial fishermen will share on-the-water experience and knowledge. The symposium will help: (1) identify areas of common ground in the understanding of cod population structure; (2) identify areas of remaining uncertainty; and (3) broaden knowledge of alternative management options that may be considered in the future to accommodate the evolving understanding of cod stock structure. The steering committee said, “The symposium contributes to a new process focused on reevaluating cod stock structure in U.S. waters.”

SYMPOSIUM OBJECTIVES:

  • Present recent findings among regional scientists studying Atlantic cod stock structure in U.S. and adjacent Canadian waters.
  • Capture insight and feedback from fishermen on what is being observed on the water to incorporate into the developing model by researchers.
  • Identify areas of common ground in the understanding of cod population structure and areas of remaining uncertainty.
  • Learn about a series of alternative management options that may be considered in the future to accommodate the evolving understanding of cod stock structure.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION:  Sign up at Cod Population Structure Symposium.

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SYMPOSIUM:  Contact Erik Chapman, New Hampshire Sea Grant Director, at (603) 862-1935, Erik.Chapman@unh.edu.

COD STRUCTURE WORKING GROUP:  The symposium will precede a June 20-21, 2018 meeting of the Atlantic Cod Stock Structure Working Group. The working group was formed in February 2018 to “determine the most appropriate representation of Atlantic cod stock structure for use in regional stock assessments based on currently available information.” Background on the group is available at Working Group Formation Plan. The list of working group members and upcoming meetings can be found at Atlantic Cod Stock Structure Working Group.

Learn more about the NEFMC by visiting their site here.

 

NEFMC Calls on BOEM to Look at Fishery Impacts of Vineyard Wind Project

May 10, 2018 — The New England Fishery Management Council is calling on federal regulators to address the concerns raised by fishing communities about the proposed Vineyard Wind offshore energy project. The request came in public comments the Council submitted to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on April 30.

Specifically, the Council has asked BOEM to require that the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the project identify fisheries that are likely to be affected by wind farm construction, the potential alignment of the wind turbines, ways to mitigate any potential economic and environmental damage, and the cumulative effects of offshore energy development along the Atlantic coast. Vineyard Wind has proposed constructing a wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts.

“Commercial and recreational fisheries for the species managed by the Council are important sources of economic benefits along the entire Atlantic coast,” the Council writes. “If future benefits of these activities are to be realized, offshore energy development must minimize risks to marine species and existing human uses.”

According to the Council, BOEM must consider factors such as possible displacement of fishing activity, the impacts on vessels traveling through affected areas, and potential mitigation strategies for these impacts. As part of this analysis, the Council is requesting that BOEM investigate alternative plans for how wind farms and turbines are arranged on the ocean floor, to most effectively minimize their effects on existing ocean activities.

“A clear assessment of the costs and benefits associated with various layouts is critically important, as the setup of the array is fundamental to the ability of fishing activities to continue within the wind farm,” the letter states.

Finally, the Council asks that BOEM not just analyze the potential impact of the Vineyard Wind Project in isolation, but also take into account a long-term view of the cumulative effects wind energy development will have on the region’s fisheries.

“Given the number of wind energy projects being proposed along the Atlantic coast, the cumulative effects analysis must be comprehensive,” the Council writes. “We encourage a broad view of those projects that are reasonably foreseeable, keeping in mind that many fisheries operate on a regional scale and could be affected by projects offshore of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, as well as New York and New Jersey.”

Read the full letter here.