Saving Seafood

NMFS finalizing new rules for New England fisheries

December 5, 2017 — Tuesday, 5 December is the final day for the public to submit comments on a series of proposed changes to essential fish habitats and areas within the New England Fishery Management Council’s jurisdiction.

The new regulations were designed to keep the council in compliance with the Magnuson-Stevens Act, which calls on the councils to review designated habitat areas and protect those areas as much as possible to allow fish to mature and spawn.

The proposed changes include opening the northern portion of Georges Bank, a shallow plateau located between Cape Cod and Nova Scotia, to scallop fishermen.

The council said the potential economic benefits outweigh the benefits of keeping the area closed. The scallop fishery have averaged nearly USD 500 million (EUR 421.2 million) in revenue over the past five years. By allowing fishermen in Georges Bank, it could increase their revenue by almost USD 190 million (EUR 160 million).

Read the full story at Seafood Source

 

Fishermen to managers: Our voices are ignored

November 30, 2017 — The New England Fishery Management Council sent its program review roadshow to Gloucester on Tuesday night to gather opinions on the council’s performance and the fishery managers were not spared the lash.

The comments delivered Tuesday night at the sparsely attended meeting at the state Division of Marine Fisheries Annisquam Station facility certainly were not new, at least not to anyone who has spent any time speaking with local fishermen about life under the regulatory gaze of the council.

They revolved around a strong belief among local fishermen that management decisions affecting the fishery are made well before the council convenes its public meetings and the scientific data and on-the-water-expertise of local fishermen are ignored or demeaned when it comes to forming policy.

“We have no faith (in the council),” said retired longtime Gloucester fisherman Sam Novello. “I don’t anyway. Our comments go in one ear and out the other.”

Others decried what they called a lack of transparency throughout the process that sets sector allocations and annual quotas, describing a system that keeps the fishermen outside the sphere of influence when it comes to managing the fishery.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times 

 

Martha’s Vineyard herring stocks show alarming decline

November 30, 2017 — Herring Creek is a small stream that plays a mighty role in the Martha’s Vineyard ecosystem. It’s the one waterway that connects Menemsha Pond and Squibnocket Pond, and the one place on the Island where blueback herring and alewives — also known as river herring — come home to reproduce.

River herring are anadromous fish and live most of their lives, three to five years, in the ocean. When it’s time to breed, they return to the exact river or pond where they were born.

Twenty years ago, the herring run at Herring Creek was described as “one of the largest on the East Coast, with up to 1.5 million fish making their way through the creek,” according to David H. Killoy, then chief of permits and enforcement for the Army Corps of Engineers.

Read the full story at the Martha’s Vineyard Times

 

NEFMC December 5-7, 2017 meeting, Newport, RI, live streaming information

November 28, 2017 — 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, December 5 through Thursday, December 7, 2017.  The public is invited to listen-in via webinar or telephone.  Here are the details.

MEETING LOCATION:  Hotel Viking, 1 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, RI 02840; Hotel Viking website.

START TIME:  The webinar will be activated at 8:00 a.m. each day.  The meeting is scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, and 8:30 a.m. on 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:

https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/2377136829113858817.

There is no charge to access the meeting through this webinar.

CALL-IN OPTION:  To listen by telephone, dial +1 (914) 614-3221.

The access code is 946-542-697.

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:

https://www.nefmc.org/calendar/december-2017-council-meeting.

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

QUESTIONS:  If you have questions prior to or during the meeting, call or email Janice Plante at (607) 592-4817, jplante@nefmc.org.

 

Massachusetts: Cape and Islands Lawmakers Join Fight to Protect Offshore Herring

November 27, 2017 — CHATHAM, Mass. — The Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance is receiving support from the Cape and Islands legislative delegation in protecting offshore herring for local fishermen.

Earlier this month, the lawmakers called on the New England Fishery Management Council to create a buffer zone off the coast of the Cape and Islands from large-scale mid-water herring trawlers.

Current regulations allow the trawlers to fish three miles offshore from Provincetown past the Islands.

“The delegation has taken up a position that we staked out at the Fishermen’s Alliance years ago that we need a buffer zone,” said John Pappalardo, the alliance CEO.

“In other words, a zone off the Cape and Islands where these vessels cannot come in and intensively harvest sea herring.”

The alliance would like a 50 mile buffer zone.

Read the full story at CapeCod.com

 

Massachusetts: Despite Gloucester dialogue, Sector IX fishermen on ice

November 24, 2017 — In late October, about a month after the New England Fisheries Management Council insisted by vote that NOAA Fisheries hold Northeast Fishing Sector IX accountable for allowing the illegal actions of its most dominant member, Carlos Rafael, the Northeast Seafood Coalition brokered a meeting at the NOAA Fisheries office at Blackburn Industrial Park.

The Gloucester-based fishing advocate sought to bring together officials of the sector’s reconstituted board of directors with federal fishery regulators. It’s mission was to begin sifting through the rubble of the Rafael-induced damage to the fishery and begin focusing on future reforms to bring the sector into compliance with its operation plan to preclude widespread abuse from occurring again.

“We facilitated the meeting to open up a dialogue,” said Jackie Odell, executive director of the coalition. “That’s our role. We understood the severity of the charges and we certainly don’t condone Carlos’s actions. We just wanted to try communicating in a calm, reasonable manner.”

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

 

New England Council: Massachusetts Offshore Wind Public Open Houses – November 27-30, 2017

November 22, 2017 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The following public open houses may be of interest to the New England Fishery Management Council’s stakeholders who are following offshore wind developments.  Four events are scheduled for the week following Thanksgiving, all in Massachusetts.  Here are the details.

WHAT’S GOING ON:  Bay State Wind LLC is proposing to develop a new offshore wind farm 15-to-25 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard in the area known as the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Lease OCS-A 0500.

WHO’S INVOLVED:  The project is being developed as a 50/50 joint venture between Orstead (formerly DONG Energy) and Eversource Energy, which together make up Bay State Wind.

WHEN AND WHERE ARE THE OPEN HOUSES:  The four public open houses will be held on the following dates in the following locations:

  • Monday, November 27 – Somerset Berkley Regional High School, 625 County Street, Somerset, MA, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Tuesday, November 28 – The New Bedford Whaling Museum, 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, MA, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Wednesday, November 29 – The Barn Bowl & Bistro, 13 Uncas Avenue, Oak Bluffs, MA, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Thursday, November 30 – The Sea Crest Beach Hotel, 350 Quaker Road, Falmouth, MA, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

PROJECT DETAILS:  The developers stated, “In December 2017, Bay State Wind will participate in the first state-led procurement of offshore wind power in the United States in response to a solicitation led by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources and the Electric Distribution Companies.” More information about the initiative is available at http://baystatewind.com/About-bay-state-wind#0.

QUESTIONS:  For more information contact Bay State Wind Fishery Liaison Officer John Williamson at (207) 939-7055, john@seakeeper.net.

New England Council Program Review – take the survey; attend a port meeting

November 21, 2017 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council

The New England Fishery Management Council is reminding stakeholders of the opportunities available to provide input into the ongoing external review about how the Council conducts business.

The Council initiated this independent review to learn more about its strengths and weaknesses and, most importantly, to identify areas for improvement.  As such, the Council is encouraging people who interact with the Council to take advantage of the different avenues for providing feedback.

Stakeholder input is critical to the success of the review and is confidential.  Specific statements, ideas, and perspectives will not be attributed to individuals.  Instead, feedback and insights will be summarized in a report that will be presented to the review panel members and posted on the New England Council’s website.

Here are more details about how you can provide input.

ONLINE SURVEY:  The survey, which only takes 15-to-20 minutes to complete, is designed to solicit input about Council communications and the ability of stakeholders to participate in the Council process.  Take the Survey Now!

PORT MEETINGS:  Six of the Northern New England port meetings already have taken place.  Eight more are still to come following the Thanksgiving holiday:

  • Tuesday, November 28, Gloucester, MA – Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Annisquam River Station, 30 Emerson Ave., 5 p.m.
  • Wednesday, November 29, Scituate, MA – Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Office, 175 Edward Foster Road, 5 p.m.
  • Thursday, November 30, New Bedford, MA – UMass Dartmouth SMAST-East, Room 101, 836 South Rodney French Boulevard, 5 p.m.
  • Friday, December 1, Chatham, MA – Chatham Community Center, 702 Main Street, 5 p.m.
  • Saturday, December 2, Plymouth, MA – Hotel 1620 Plymouth Harbor Amphitheater, 180 Water Street, 3 p.m.
  • Monday, December 4, Stonington, CT – La Grua Center, 32 Water Street, 5 p.m.
  • Monday, January 8, Montauk, NY – Montauk Playhouse Community Center, 240 Edgemere Street, 5 p.m.
  • Tuesday, January 9, Cape May, NJ – Rutgers University, 1636 Delaware Ave., 5 p.m.

WEBINAR OPTION:  Anyone who cannot attend a port meeting in person or who simply wants to provide additional input is encouraged to take part in the webinar meeting, which will be held at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, November 28.  Register at Council Program Review Webinar or call in at +1 (213) 929-4212 and supply the access code 839-533-461.

IMPORTANT REMINDER:  These meetings, as well as the online survey, are meant to focus on Council operations,not current management actions.

REVIEW PANEL:  The review itself will be conducted by an external panel of managers and scientists from other regions and/or international fisheries entities who have a strong understanding of U.S. federal fisheries management but no recent involvement or affiliation with the New England Council. The review panel will meet for one week in early 2018 to discuss Council operations and conduct its work. The meeting will be open to the public.  The Council has enlisted the help of two contractors to support this process.  One of the contractors, the Fisheries Leadership & Sustainability Forum, is responsible for collecting stakeholder input for the review panel.  The New England Council is not involved in collecting this confidential input.

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS:  More information about the process that is being used to conduct the external review, as well as the terms of reference and other background documents, is available at Council Program Review.

QUESTIONS:  Contact Fisheries Forum Co-Director Kim Gordon at (831) 641-7906, kim.gordon@duke.edu or Council Public Affairs Officer Janice Plante at (607) 592-4817,  jplante@nefmc.org.

NEFMC seeking candidates for its Scientific and Statistical Committee

November 9, 2017 — 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, 2018 and run through December 31, 2020.  Individuals may nominate themselves or be nominated by others.  All application materials must be received by 5 p.m. on December 15, 2017.

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.

Learn more about the NEFMC by visiting their site here.

Little hope in latest evaluations of codfish

October 23, 2017 — GLOUCESTER, Mass. — The completed operational assessments to help determine 2018-2020 groundfish quotas do not appear to be any more optimistic about the state of Gulf of Maine cod than those that effectively shuttered the fishery in the fall of 2014.

The New England Fishery Management Council’s science and statistical committee is set to meet Monday and Tuesday in Boston to review the assessments for 19 groundfish species and finalize its catch recommendations to the full council.

According to committee documents, the operational assessments show the respective stocks of eight species — Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank haddock, redfish, white hake, windowpane flounder, pollock, Georges Bank winter flounder and American plaice — to be abundant and healthy.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times