Saving Seafood

RODA request pause in offshore wind development amid COVID-19 pandemic

April 15, 2020 — The Responsible Offshore Development Alliance – a lobbying group formed in January 2018 to represent the East Coast fishing industry in discussions over offshore wind energy development – has called for all a six-month pause in the regulatory process pertaining to offshore wind development in the Gulf of Maine due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The call for a delay came via a letter sent to governors of New England states, including Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, Janet Mills of Maine, and Chris Sununu of New Hampshire. The letter was also sent to Walter Cruickshank, the acting director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. The letter sites the importance of public participation in regulatory decisions, which is hampered by measures many states are taking to prevent transmission of COVID-19.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

ASMFC Atlantic Herring Area 1A Days Out Meeting Scheduled for May 12

April 9, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Atlantic Herring Management Board members from the states of Maine, New Hampshire and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will meet on May 12, 2020 from 10 a.m. to Noon, to discuss days out measures for the 2020 Area 1A (inshore Gulf of Maine) fishing season. Days out measures can include specification of the number of consecutive landings days, weekly landings limits, and restrictions on at-sea transfers. This meeting will be held via webinar and conference call. The call and the webinar information are included below:

Atlantic Herring Days Out Meeting
May 12, 2020
10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Webinar link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6623839982257804812
Phone: 1-888-585-9008 followed by the Conference Room: 853-657-937

Federally-permitted Herring Category A vessels must declare into the Area 1A fishery at least 45 days prior to the start of the fishing season. Small-mesh bottom trawl vessels with a federal Herring Category C or D permit must declare into the Area 1A fishery by June 1, 2020. States will send additional correspondence regarding the notification procedure.

The 2020 Area 1A allowable catch limit (ACL) is 3,344 metric tons. In October 2019, the Board established the following allocations for the 2020 Area 1A ACL: 72.8% available from June 1 – September 30 and 27.2% available from October 1 – December 31. Fishermen are prohibited from landing more than 2,000 pounds of Atlantic herring per day harvested from Area 1A until June 1, 2020.

Please contact Kirby Rootes-Murdy, Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at 703.842.0723 or krootes-murdy@asmfc.org for more information.

The attached announcement can also be found at http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/AtlHerring_DaysOutMtgMemo_May2020.pdf and the draft agenda is available at http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/AtlHerringDaysOutAgenda_May2020.pdf.

NH lobstermen trying to keep afloat in COVID-19 economy

April 6, 2020 — With international and local restaurant sales drying up because of COVID-19, Seacoast lobstermen are relying more on direct sales to individual buyers.

Linda Hunt is the general manager at Yankee Fishermen’s Cooperative in Seabrook. She said that at this time of year, lobster prices should be $8.50 a pound.

“I’m lucky enough, because we do have the retail store. I’m trying to get our boats $5.50 a pound,” Hunt said.

Hunt said that in the past few weeks, more people have been coming into the market, which is open Monday to Thursday from noon until 6 p.m. and Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“We’ve had a very, very good turnout lately from locals and even people from, I would say probably up to half an hour, 45 minutes away,” Hunt said.

Read the full story at The New Hampshire Union Ledger

REVISED: States Schedule Hearings on Atlantic Herring Draft Addendum III (NEFMC hearing added to schedule)

February 11, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic coastal states of Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts have scheduled their hearings to gather public input on Draft Addendum III. The details of those hearings and the public hearing webinar follow:

Maine Department of Marine Resources

  • March 9, 2020 at 6 PM
  • ME DMR Augusta Office 32 Blossom Lane, Room 118 Augusta,
  • Maine Contact: Megan Ware at 207.624.6563

New Hampshire Fish and Game

  • March 3, 2020 at 6 PM
  • Urban Forestry Center 45 Elwyn Road Portsmouth, New Hampshire
  • Contact: Cheri Patterson at 603.868.1095

Read the full release here

New Hampshire fishing fleet seeks support from 2020 Democrats

February 10, 2020 — This is a rush transcript from “The Story with Martha MacCallum,” February 7, 2019. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Airtime for Fox News Sunday. We will be heading out to New Hampshire tomorrow. We’ll be there Monday for Special Report. Thanks for inviting us into your home tonight. That’s it for this Special Report. Fair, balanced and still unafraid. Here’s Martha. Have a great weekend. Hey, Martha.

MARTHA MACCALLUM, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: I’ll see you in New Hampshire.

BAIER: You bet.

MACCALLUM: All right. So, one hour from now, Joe Biden will be center stage at the New Hampshire Democratic debate tonight. That center spot reserved for the candidate with the best polling averages and that is still Joe Biden in New Hampshire tonight.

But Pete Buttigieg will be two to the left of him. He comes into New Hampshire with some growing momentum. Look at this brand new Suffolk University poll of the Granite State shows a surge from the former Mayor of South Bend who is now well within the margin of error to topple Bernie Sanders who has to be wondering how to deflect Mayor Pete’s advance at this point, practically on his home turf in New Hampshire next door to Vermont.

Joe Biden is fourth in that poll, but Biden is trying to fight his way back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have great respect for Mayor Pete and the service of this nation. But I do believe, it’s a risk to be just straight up with you, for this party to nominate someone who’s never held high office higher than mayor of a town of 100,000 people in Indiana.

Read the full story at Fox News

NEFMC Views Scallop Video, Honors Dr. Weinberg, Receives Updates on Data Portal, Market Development

January 30, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council received a number of updates and reports on the first day of its January 28-30, 2020 meeting in Portsmouth, NH. Here’s a quick rundown of the day’s highlights.

The Council received a presentation on the Northeast Ocean Data Portal, which contains over 5,000 maps showing a variety of ocean uses, including fishing activity, and provides a wide range of information related to marine life, habitat, offshore wind, aquaculture, and more.

During the presentation, representatives from the Northeast Regional Ocean Council (NROC) and the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA) informed the Council that they, along with the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean (MARCO), are working collaboratively to update commercial fisheries data on the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Ocean Data Portals and engage industry through focus groups and other outreach efforts in the development of data products. The groups have federal funding for 2020 to advance regional data sharing to help in management decision making.

Read the full release here

After Years Of Slow Action On Climate Change, What Sets Offshore Wind Apart For N.H.?

January 22, 2020 — Most New England states have been investing in alternative energy sources for years. But New Hampshire has been slower to act in response to climate change.

Now, the Granite State is looking to be a leader in a major new source of renewable energy: offshore wind.

Turnout exceeded all expectations at the first meeting, last month, of a federal task force on wind development in the Gulf of Maine. One state legislator was heard saying the line to get in rivaled the line for the women’s bathroom at Fenway Park.

Governor Chris Sununu welcomed hundreds of people who filled up a huge meeting hall and overflow rooms at UNH.

“Good morning,” he said, to a mild response, then: “Come on! Look what we’re kicking off, this is exciting!”

Read the full story at New Hampshire Public Radio

NEFMC January 28-30, 2020 – Portsmouth, NH – Listen Live, View Documents

January 21, 2020 — 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, January 28 through Thursday, January 30, 2020.  The public is invited to listen live via webinar or telephone.  Here are the details.

MEETING LOCATION:  Portsmouth Harbor Events and Conference Center, 100 Deer Street at 22 Portwalk Place, Portsmouth, NH 03801; Portsmouth Harbor Events Center.
 
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, January 28 and 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, January 29 and 30.  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 266-672-298.  Please be aware that if you dial in, your regular phone charges will apply.
 
AGENDA:  The agenda and meeting materials are available on the Council’s website at NEFMC January 28-30, 2020 Portsmouth, NH.  Additional documents will be posted as they become available.
 
COMMENTS:  The deadline for submitting written comments for consideration at this meeting is 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 23, 2020.  Address comments to Council Chairman Dr. John Quinn or Executive Director Tom Nies and email them to comments@nefmc.org.  The address for mailing comments is:  New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water Street, Mill #2, Newburyport, MA 01950.
 
THREE MEETING OUTLOOK:  A copy of the New England Council’s Three Meeting Outlook is availableHERE.
 
COUNCIL MEETING QUESTIONS:  Anyone with questions prior to or during the Council meeting should contact Janice Plante at (607) 592-4817, jplante@nefmc.org.

Offshore wind in New Hampshire: Now what?

January 10, 2020 — One year after Governor Sununu announced plans to investigate offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine, much has been accomplished.

The first official Intergovernmental Task Force meeting — established to gauge the technology’s potential — was held on Dec. 12. Convened by the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM for short), the meeting was well attended and provided a great deal of information and clarification on what the Task Force’s next two years will entail.

Still, this meeting was just the beginning — an inflection point that has since sparked the beginning of many other initiatives throughout the region. All with the aim of establishing greater understanding of the gulf’s marine environment and how offshore wind might fit in.

Over the next three to five years, the states of New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts will be gathering information to determine the most appropriate siting locations for offshore wind development. While this data-collection effort includes many moving parts, one word in particular looms largest of all: assessment.

Read the full story at the New Hampshire Business Review

Fishing Money found for at-sea monitors

January 8, 2020 — In late December, on the doorstep to the Christmas holidays, New England’s groundfishermen received an early present.

As part of a $1.4 trillion spending package, the U.S. Senate passed a $79.4 billion appropriations bill that includes another $10.3 million for NOAA Fisheries — once again secured by New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen — to fully fund at-sea monitoring in the Northeast groundfish fishery for the 2020 fishing season that begins May 1.

When President Donald Trump signed the bill into law the next day, the mandated shouldering of the full financial weight of at-sea monitoring by the groundfish industry — at a cost of up to $700 per day per vessel — had been deferred for at least another fishing season.

“This is obviously very good news for our commercial groundfishermen,” said Jackie Odell, executive director of the Gloucester-based Northeast Seafood Coalition. “At-sea monitoring has become such a huge financial issue for everyone in the fishery.”

It was the third consecutive year that Shaheen, a ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, bailed out the groundfish industry on at-sea monitoring. Shaheen secured the first $10.3 million in the 2018 appropriations process that fully funded at-sea monitoring during the current fishing season.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times