Saving Seafood

Atlantic Herring Days Out Meeting Scheduled for July 23, 10 AM – Noon

July 7, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Atlantic Herring Management Board members from the States of Maine and New Hampshire, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will meet on July 23, 2020 from 10 a.m. to Noon to review landings to date and discuss potential changes to days out measures for the 2020 Area 1A (inshore Gulf of Maine) fishery for Season 1. 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

July 23, 2020
10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Webinar link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7337839744604085772.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information to connect to the webinar.

We strongly recommend connecting to the webinar using the computer audio (VoIP).

For those who will not be joining the webinar but would like to listen in, please refer to your confirmation email for dial-in information.

The 2020 Area 1A allowable catch limit (ACL) is 2,957 metric tons (mt) after adjusting for the research set-aside, the 30 mt fixed gear set-aside, and the fact that Area 1A closes at 92% of the sub-ACL. 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. In April, the Board set effort controls for Season 1 in Area 1A (refer to Memo 20-50 for specifics).

Please contact Max Appelman, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at 703.842.0716 or mappelman@asmfc.org for more information.

A PDF of the meeting notice can be found here.

David Goethel: Living free and not dying in New Hampshire

June 4, 2020 — I was honored to sit down with NF Highliner and unrelenting fisheries advocate David Goethel recently to talk about the covid pivot and what fishermen are doing to keep their boats running.

“It’s certainly been interesting to watch what’s unfolded this year. First of all of course there’s far less groundfishermen than there used to be. There’s only six of us left in New Hampshire. We had over 100 in 2,000. Of those few people left, the coronavirus situation has put people into a rather unique position of having to move their product.”

Goethel is a longtime member of the Yankee Fishermen’s Co-op, which has downshifted from selling to major wholesalers to the public, primarily.

Read the full opinion piece here

Atlantic Herring Area 1A 2020 Effort Controls

May 13, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Herring Management Board members from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts set the effort control measures for the 2020 Area 1A (inshore Gulf of Maine) fishery for Season 1 (June-September).

The Area 1A sub-annual catch limit (ACL) is 2,957 metric tons (mt) after adjusting for the research set-aside, the 30 mt fixed gear set-aside, and the fact that Area 1A closes at 92% of the sub-ACL. In October 2019, the Atlantic Herring Management Board implemented seasonal allocations for the 2020 fishery which allocates the Area 1A sub-ACL between June-September (72.8%) and October-December (27.2%).

Days Out of the Fishery

  • Landing days will be set at zero from June 1 until the start of the fishery on July 19 in Maine and July 20 in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
  • Vessels with an Atlantic herring Limited Access Category A permit that have declared into the Area 1A fishery may land herring four (4) consecutive days a week. One landing per 24 hour period. Vessels are prohibited from landing or possessing herring caught from Area 1A during a day out of the fishery.
    • Landings days in Maine begin on Sunday of each week at 6:00 p.m. starting July 19.
    • Landing days in New Hampshire and Massachusetts begin on Monday of each week at 12:01 a.m. starting July 20.
  • Small mesh bottom trawl vessels with an Atlantic herring Limited Access Category C or Open Access D permit that have declared into the fishery may land herring five (5) consecutive days a week.

Weekly Landing Limit

  • Vessels with an Atlantic herring Category A permit may harvest up to 240,000 lbs. (6 trucks) per harvester vessel, per week starting July 19 in Maine and July 20 in New Hampshire and Massachusetts

At-Sea Transfer and Carrier Restrictions

The following applies to harvester vessels with an Atlantic herring Category A permit and carrier vessels landing herring caught in Area 1A to a Maine, New Hampshire, or Massachusetts port.

  • A harvester vessel may transfer herring at-sea to another harvester vessel.
  • A harvester vessel may not make any at-sea transfers to a carrier vessel.
  • Carrier vessels may not receive at-sea transfers from a harvester vessel.

Fishermen are prohibited from landing more than 2,000 pounds of Atlantic herring per trip from Area 1A until July 19 or 20, 2020, depending on the state. Landings will be closely monitored and the fishery will be adjusted to zero landing days when the seasonal period quota is projected to be reached.

For more information, please contact Max Appelman, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at mappelman@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

The announcement, including motions from yesterday’s days out meeting, can be found here –http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/5ebc0a0eAtlHerringDaysOutMeasures_May2020.pdf

NEW HAMPSHIRE: Seafood industry to get federal relief, leaders question where the money will go

May 8, 2020 — Fishermen and those in the seafood industry in New Hampshire are set to receive $2.7 million in federal assistance but some leaders who have a deep understanding of what is happening on the ocean have questions about how the money will be spent.

On Thursday, U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., announced that the money will be made available through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.

“New Hampshire fishermen and our seafood industry play an important role in the Seacoast economy and the economic well-being of our state, and they have been hit hard by this crisis,” Shaheen said in a statement.

Shaheen recognized that New Hampshire fishermen were operating on razor-thin margins before COVID-19, which is why she fought for relief for the seafood industry, according to a news release.

In order to qualify, fishermen and processors need to show a 35% loss in business. It will be up to state officials to submit a plan for how the money will be distributed, according to one of Shaheen’s staff members.

Read the full story at The New Hampshire Union Leader

Coronavirus lockdown turns seafood into boat-to-table service

April 27, 2020 — U.S. seafood is floundering under coronavirus pressure due to the disruption in China trade and low market demand, according to New Hampshire Community Seafood General Manager Andrea Tomlinson.

For fishermen to continue distributing their product, Tomlinson told FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo that New Hampshire fisheries are allowing customers to purchase fresh catches right off the dock while following all safety precautions.

“What we’re primarily doing is promoting lobstermen who are selling directly from their boat,” Tomlinson said. “But what we’re talking about is… a product that’s really only touched one gloved hand, which would be the hand of the sternman… And then it’s going directly to the consumer. So, you know, when you think about the amount of hands that a typical piece of food has traveled through, the risk here as far as safety is minimal.”

Read the full story at Fox Business

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