Saving Seafood

News for the New England Region

Atlantic Cod Management Track Peer Review – Report Finalization – July 8, 2024 at 12:30 p.m

July 2, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The Atlantic Cod Management Track Peer Review Panel will reconvene to complete its work on reviewing new management track stock assessments for Western Gulf of Maine cod, Eastern Gulf of Maine cod, Southern New England cod, and Georges Bank cod.  Members of the public are welcome to tune in, but there is not a scheduled public comment period.
 
DATE AND TIME:  The peer review panel will meet by webinar on Monday, July 8, 2024 from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.  Webinar information for this session is posted under Day 6 on the meeting webpage.  Scroll down to “Schedule.” 
 
WHY IS THIS HAPPENING:  The original peer review meeting for Atlantic cod stocks was held June 18, 20, and 21, 2024.  The peer review panel requested additional analyses for three of the four new cod stock units undergoing management track assessments.  The panel will review the information on July 8 in order to finalize its work on the peer review report.
 
MEETING MATERIALS:  Updated documents are posted on the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s Stock Assessment Support Information webpage.  
 
The peer review meeting is being hosted by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center.  The New England Fishery Management Council is sharing this information to ensure our Council community is aware of its happening.

Council Discontinues Work on Northern Edge Framework

July 2, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council voted on June 27, 2024 during its four-day meeting in Freeport, Maine to “discontinue development” of an action that potentially would have given scallop fishermen access to part of the Habitat Management Area on the Northern Edge of Georges Bank.

The Council viewed a staff presentation that summed up work to date and outlined additional decision points the Council needed to make regarding when and for how long scallopers would be able to access a new Northern Edge scallop rotational management area if one were to be developed.

The Council engaged in a lengthy debate, narrowing its focus to the pros and cons of further developing the alternatives for final action in September or stopping work on the action. In the end, the Council determined that, “after careful consideration of the ecological importance of the Northern Edge Habitat Management Area and the difficulties of identifying times and areas for scallop access that do not undermine those values,” it voted to halt further development of the framework.

The Council considered information about:

• The action’s goals and objectives;

• The latest memo provided by the Habitat and Scallop PDTs, which included cod spawning information along with details about scallop, habitat, and herring presence and condition; and

• The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s technical report on the lobster resource and fishery in and around the Northern Edge.

 

Is there a new hybrid fish in New England? Meet the ‘coddock.’

July 2, 2024 — Linda Hunt was hoping they would call the strange fish she came across last winter a “Lindacod.”

“Then some of the fishermen that don’t like me would have to say, ‘You got any more of those Lindacods?’” Hunt quipped.

Hunt, a fishmonger with Coastline Sea Food, was offloading boxes from a boat in Gloucester when she saw the fish, the likes of which she had never seen.

“I just thought it was cool and took the picture,” Hunt said.

A couple of weeks later, Hunt, who has been in the fishing industry for 32 years, saw the same curious creature, with speckled dots similar to a cod, but also resembling another white fish.

Read the full article at  The Boston Globe

MASSACHUSETTS: A million acres of ocean for offshore wind: ‘Wow, that’s awfully close to Cape Cod.’

July 1, 2024 — As a July 1 deadline approached for comments to be submitted to the federal government regarding a proposal to auction offshore wind leases in the Gulf of Maine — including off the outermost Cape towns — the region’s leaders wanted more time to weigh in.

The Cape & Islands Municipal Leaders Association, an organization of 105 elected officials representing all 22 towns on the Cape, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, has sent a letter to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management requesting to extend the deadline to July 22.

BOEM opened the public comment period on the proposed sale notice for leases on May 1, a day after announcing its plan for first-time ever offering of nearly a million ocean acres in the Gulf of Maine for offshore wind production.

“This comment period extension will allow for additional public meetings to address comments and concerns and provide for a more streamlined permitting, construction and operation of what is likely the most significant investment in energy facilities ever to be made,” the association’s June 25 letter reads.

Read the full article at Yahoo News!

 

New England Wind Gets BOEM Approval as Pace Accelerates in US Offshore Wind

July 1, 2024 — The pace of approvals for the U.S. offshore wind sector continues to accelerate after years of review and planning. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced its second approval, this time the construction and operation plan for Avangrid’s New England Wind, in just a matter of weeks. BOEM highlights that it is working to support the development of the industry both through reviews and approvals as well as scheduling more offshore auctions.

A portion of the site was included in an April 2015 auction agreement to then Vineyard Wind. Since then, Avangrid which is part of Iberdrola, has realigned the portfolio in the wind zone off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard and gained BOEM approval to assign portions of different leases including from Park City Wind to create the projects now known as New England Wind 1 and 2. The area also incorporates the former Commonwealth Wind, the project for which Avangrid canceled its power purchase agreements in 2023.  The two projects are covered by a joint Construction and Operation plan which received final approval today after a favorable Record of Decision in April.

Read the full article at The Maritime Executive

MASSACHUSETTS: As new wind lease areas are eyed off Cape Cod, leaders seek ‘a seat at the table’

June 28, 2028 —  Three ocean areas east of Cape Cod may be some of the next marine real estate to be auctioned for offshore wind energy production, with some turbines possibly distantly visible, in very clear conditions, from the Atlantic Ocean bluffs in Truro.

Located due east of Wellfleet and Truro, the areas total 363,305 acres starting about 24 miles offshore and stretching eastward. They are among eight potential lease areas — adding up to nearly a million acres — that the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has delineated for offshore wind projects off the coasts of Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.

In anticipation of the sale, local legislators are working to ensure the outermost Cape towns are part of the discussion and residents are kept well-informed. The federal government is also gathering public comments.

Read the full article at Cape Cod Times

Sunrise Wind cleared to start construction

June 27, 2024 — Another industrial offshore wind farm off the coast of the Vineyard is preparing to start construction.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) approved Sunrise Wind’s construction and operations plan on June 21, according to a press release from the agency. This is the final approval the project needed from BOEM.

According to Ørsted, offshore wind construction will “ramp up” later this year and Sunrise Wind is expected to be fully operational by 2026.

Sunrise Wind, an offshore wind project owned by Ørsted, will consist of 84 wind turbines and produce 924 megawatts of power. According to BOEM, that is enough to power over 320,000 homes annually. The project lease area is located around 18 miles southwest of Martha’s Vineyard and will be providing power to New York. By comparison, Sunrise Wind will be located around 30 miles east of Montauk, New York.

Read the full article at The Martha’s Vineyard Times

Ten Vineyard Wind turbines operating; Sunrise Wind construction approved

June 27, 2024 — The Vineyard Wind 1 project off southern New England now has 10 turbines in operation and is on track to soon install the 22nd turbine on the first utility-scale offshore wind project in U.S. waters, developer Avangrid Inc. said Tuesday.

“With 10 turbines now in operation, Avangrid is delivering enough clean energy to power more than 60,000 homes and businesses in Massachusetts,” said Avangrid CEO Pedro Azagra. “Our Vineyard Wind 1 project continues to demonstrate the significant benefits that offshore wind offers the New England region, delivering well-paying union jobs, local investment, and clean energy that is helping Massachusetts meet its growing demand for electricity.”

With a nameplate rating of 136 megawatts the 10 turbines are the leading edge of the project with 47 foundations and transition pieces and 21 turbines already installed toward the total of 62 generators. When complete the project will be rated at 806 MW.

Read the full article at WorkBoat

Fisheries Survival Fund Urges Northern Edge Scallop Access at Upcoming New England Fishery Management Council Meeting

June 26, 2024 — The following was released by the Fisheries Survival Fund:

Recent Advisory Panel and Joint Scallop and Habitat Committee meetings have underscored the need to align the access season with periods of high scallop meat yields while ensuring the safety of our fishermen.

The upcoming Council meeting in Freeport, Maine on Thursday, June 27, at the Hilton Garden Inn in Freeport, will be pivotal for the future of Northern Edge scallop access. Key decisions could be made that will impact scallop yields and crew safety.

Opponents of Northern Edge access may propose motions to terminate or severely restrict the Northern Edge scallop access area management initiative. The Fisheries Survival Fund (FSF) would oppose any such motions and advocates for maintaining a viable Northern Edge access area program.

The Northern Edge is roughly defined as the area encompassed within the Closed Area II Habitat Management Area (HMA) and the adjacent portion of the Northern Flank of Georges Bank. Photo and caption credit: New England Fishery Management Council.

Scallop issues are on the agenda starting at 9:00 a.m. Thursday morning. 

  • Motion to Reject Seasonal Closure Option A
    • FSF strongly opposes the anticipated motion to reject the seasonal closure option A (July 15 through October 15) and replace it with a new closure option from April 1 through October 31. This motion would substitute a 9-month open season, which aligns with periods of high scallop meat yields and favorable weather, for a less optimal season from November 1 through March 31. This proposal directly contradicts the Scallop Advisory Panel’s recommendation for spring/summer access from April 1 to August 31.
       
    • Reasons for FSF’s Opposition:
      • Optimal scallop yields and reduced habitat impacts are achieved when access matches periods of highest meat yield, as proposed in Closure Option A.
      • Ensuring scallop access during spring and summer months enhances safety, which the new proposed closure option fails to do.
      • A sufficient access period is essential for the entire fleet to operate safely.
      • The proposed access plan already adequately protects juvenile cod, egg-bearing lobsters, and avoids disrupting spawning seasons for cod and herring. 
         
  • Motion to Abandon the Northern Edge Access Program
    • FSF opposes any motion to abandon the Northern Edge access program.
       
    • Reasons for FSF’s Opposition:
      • The current alternatives are conservative, having already excluded sensitive bottom areas and considered mitigation.
      • The access area program already provides protection for juvenile cod, cod spawning, herring spawning, and egg-bearing lobsters, alongside existing lobster fishing activities.
      • The scallop fishery must retain access to this crucial resource, particularly given the declining productivity of southern areas.
      • Minimal overlap exists between proposed access areas and spawning grounds for cod and herring.
      • Harvesting in the access area program will not interfere with scallop spawning on Georges Bank.
      • Extensive efforts have been made to develop this measure, with effective solutions from the Scallop and Habitat PDTs.
      • The benefits of access are substantial, as demonstrated by the original Georges Bank access program in 2001.

About the Fisheries Survival Fund
Established in 1998, the Fisheries Survival Fund (FSF) is dedicated to ensuring the long-term sustainability of the Atlantic sea scallop fishery. FSF represents the majority of full-time Atlantic scallop fishermen from Maine to North Carolina. FSF collaborates with academic institutions and independent scientific experts to support cooperative research and sustain this fully rebuilt fishery. Additionally, FSF works with the federal government to ensure responsible management of the fishery.

For more information, please contact:
John Quinn
jquinnfish@gmail.com
https://atlanticscallops.org

Police seize 3,000 pounds of illegal haddock in New Bedford

June 26, 2024 — Massachusetts Environmental Police (MEP) seized more than 3,000 pounds of illegally harvested haddock from a New Bedford processing plant on Thursday in the first commercial-scale bust of the groundfish season, MEP officials said.

Acting Col. Patrick Moran said he was carrying out a routine foot patrol inspecting processing plants on the New Bedford waterfront when he discovered what appeared to be undersized fish in an assembly line ready to be filleted. He ordered the processing plant to temporarily cease operations as he measured the fish, determining about 3,000 of the 11,000 total pounds of haddock were under the legal limit of 16 inches.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource