Saving Seafood

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

Fish council awaits NOAA action on Rafael permits

October 20, 2017 — Federal authorities physically seized Carlos Rafael’s four fishing vessels on Wednesday, one of the final steps in the criminal proceedings against the New Bedford fishing mogul before he reports to jail on Nov. 5.

While Rafael readies himself to begin serving his 46-month sentence in federal prison, the focus of the rest of the Northeast multispecies groundfish fishery and environmentalists remains on what civil penalties NOAA Fisheries may impose on Rafael and his fishing sector, and how it will dispose of the forfeited vessels and ultimately distribute their fishing permits.

The New England Fishery Management Council, in a vote at its September meeting in Gloucester, urged NOAA Fisheries to take disciplinary action against Northeast Fishing Sector IX for allowing years of rampant misreportings of Rafael’s landings that was at the heart of his scam.

But the council refrained from voting on any specific measures on permit redistribution, saying it was waiting for the conclusion of the criminal case and a sense from NOAA Fisheries as to what comes next.

The council, according to Chairman John Quinn, remains in limbo.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

 

NEFMC SSC Meeting, October 23-24, 2017, Live Streaming Information

October 18, 2017 — 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 Monday and Tuesday, October 23-24, 2017.  The public is invited to listen 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:  10:00 a.m. on Monday, 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday.

WEBINAR REGISTRATION:  Online access to the meeting will be available at: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/2947008207018884867.

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 913-207-938.

Please be aware that if you dial in, your regular phone charges will apply.

AGENDA:  The SSC will (1) review recent stock assessment information from the 2017 Groundfish Operational Assessments, as well as information provided by the Council’s Groundfish Plan Development Team, and recommend overfishing limit (OFL) and acceptable biological catch (ABC) levels for all groundfish stocks managed under the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan – except Georges Bank yellowtail flounder and Atlantic halibut – for fishing years 2018-2020; and (2) discuss other business as necessary.

MATERIALS:  Meeting materials are available on the Council’s website at SSC October 23-24, 2017 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.

Nominations Sought for Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee

October 17, 2017 — The following was released by the NOAA Fisheries 

Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee nominations accepted through November 27, 2017.

NOAA Fisheries is seeking nominations to fill current and pending vacancies on the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee (MAFAC) due to term limits. MAFAC advises the Secretary of Commerce on all living marine resource matters that are the responsibility of the Department of Commerce. The Committee draws on its members’ expertise and other sources to evaluate and make recommendations to the Secretary and NOAA on the development and implementation of agency regulations, policies, and programs critical to the mission and goals of NOAA Fisheries.

MAFAC members represent the wide spectrum of commercial, recreational, subsistence, and aquaculture fisheries interests; tribes; seafood industry; protected resources and habitat interests; environmental organizations; academic institutions; consumer groups; and other living marine resource interest groups.

Nominees should possess demonstrable expertise in one of these fields and be able to fulfill the time commitments required for two in-person annual meetings and between-meeting subcommittee work. Membership is balanced geographically across states and territories, ethnically, and on the basis of gender, in addition to the range of expertise and interests listed. Individuals serve for a term of three years. Members may serve a second consecutive term, if re-appointed.

A MAFAC member cannot be a federal employee, a member of a Regional Fishery Management Council, a registered federal lobbyist, or a state employee.  Membership is voluntary, and except for reimbursable travel and related expenses, service is without pay. The committee functions solely as an advisory body (complying fully with the Federal Advisory Committee Act) that reports to the Secretary.

Full nomination instructions and guidelines are described in this Federal Register notice.

For questions or more information, please contact Jennifer Lukens, Executive Director of MAFAC, jennifer.lukens@noaa.gov or Heidi Lovett, heidi.lovett@noaa.gov.

ASMFC Spiny Dogfish Board Approves 2018 Fishery Specifications

October 17, 2017 — NORFOLK, Virginia — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

The Commission’s Spiny Dogfish Management Board approved a spiny dogfish commercial quota of 38,195,822 pounds for the 2018 fishing season (May 1, 2018 – April 30, 2019). The Board maintained a 6,000 pound commercial trip limit in state waters (0-3 miles from shore) in the northern region (Maine through Connecticut). The quota and northern region trip limit are consistent with the measures recommended to NOAA Fisheries by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. States in the southern region (New York to North Carolina) have the ability to set state-specific trip limits based on the needs of their fisheries.

2018 marks the third year of the current federal 3-year specifications cycle. It is anticipated the stock assessment will be updated in 2018 to inform development of fishery specification recommendations, including the commercial quota, for 2019 and beyond. Additionally, the Board intends to discuss issues raised by the Advisory Panel (and other fishery participants) in more detail prior to setting 2019 specifications. The timing of the next benchmark stock assessment for spiny dogfish is less certain, however, the Board supported the Council’s recommendations to conduct a benchmark stock assessment in 2019, or soon after.

The 2018 spiny dogfish commercial quota allocations (in pounds) for the northern region and the states of New York through North Carolina are provided below. Any overages from the 2017 season will be deducted from that region’s or state’s 2018 quota allocation. Similarly, any eligible roll overs from the 2017 season will be applied to that region’s or state’s 2018 quota allocation.
For more information, please contact Kirby Rootes-Murdy, Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at krootes-murdy@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740

Groundfishermen: ‘It feels like we’re just forgotten’

October 16, 2017 — HAMPTON, New Hampshire — New Hampshire fishermen say temporary federal aid for at-sea monitor coverage is barely holding their industry afloat now that a court battle over the cost appears to have ended.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is currently covering 60 percent of the cost for third-party at-sea monitors to observe commercial groundfishermen’s compliance with federal regulations. That coverage is projected to end May 1, 2018, when fishermen will be expected to cover the entire cost, according to NOAA spokeswoman Allison Ferreira. Groundfish include New England seafood staples like cod and haddock.

Hampton fisherman David Goethel said he would probably sell his boat and stop fishing if NOAA stops funding its portion of the cost. He and other fishermen filed a federal suit arguing it was unfair for fishermen to pay for monitors required by NOAA. Judges at the district and circuit court levels ruled the fishermen filed the suit too late to be considered on its merits, and the U.S. Supreme Court denied a petition to have the case heard this month.

Read the full story at Fosters’s Daily Democrat

Questions linger despite judge ordering forfeiture of Carlos Rafael permits

October 12, 2017 — News Bedford, Massachusetts — Carlos Rafael must forfeit four fishing vessels with an appraised value of $2.2 million and “34 permits” as ordered by District Judge William Young on Wednesday.

In a 16-page Memorandum and Order Concerning Forfeiture, Young described the methods he used in determining forfeiture, which includes the “Bull dog (eight permits)”, the “Olivia and Rafaela (11 permits), the “Lady Patricia (four permits)” and the “Southern Crusader II (11 permits).”

The number of permits the government will strip from Rafael is more complicated than what the court document indicates.

Read the full story at the New-Bedford Standard Times

NOAA Fisheries Seeks Comments on Notice of Availability for the New England Fishery Management Council’s Omnibus Essential Fish Habitat Amendment 2

October 6, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Today, we published a Notice of Availability for the New England Fishery Management Council’s Omnibus Essential Fish Habitat Amendment 2.

We are seeking public comment on an action that would:

  • Revise the essential fish habitat designations for all New England Fishery Management Council-managed species and life stages;
  • Add Habitat Areas of Particular Concern to highlight especially important habitat areas;
  • Revise the spatial management system within the Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank, and the southern New England area;
  • Establish two Dedicated Habitat Research Areas;
  • Revise or implement seasonal spawning protection measures; and
  • Add system for reviewing and updating the proposed measures.

Read the Notice as published in the Federal Register, and submit your comments through the online portal. You may also submit comments through regular mail to: John Bullard, Regional Administrator, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930.

The comment period is open through December 5, 2017.