Saving Seafood

NOAA Fisheries Announces Correction to Framework Adjustment 8 to the Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan

June 1, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries announces a correction to the final rule of Framework Adjustment 8 to the Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan originally published on April 27, 2020. A minor error in the body of the original rule listed the new barndoor skate wing possession limits in Season 2 as 1,025 lb (465 kg), which was the old limit. This has been corrected to the accurate, increased limit of 1,250 lb (567 kg).

These values were correct in the proposed rule and the regulatory text of the final action, so this rule simply corrects the minor error in the text of the body of the Federal Register notice. This action does not make any changes to the regulatory text, specifications, or management measures.

For more details, please read the rule as filed in the Federal Register. You can also find the original final rule for Framework 8 in the Federal Register.

New Modeling Approach Provides Valuable Insights into the Important and Complex Role of Environmental Variables in Juvenile Fish Survival

May 29, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Variation in the productivity and sustainability of fish resources is determined, in part, by large changes in juvenile fish production from year to year. This is defined as “recruitment.” Fisheries oceanographers and fish stock assessment scientists have been trying to better understand and predict this variation for more than 100 years.

“We are seeing a lot of changes in the Bering Sea ecosystem. With analytical tools like this, we should be able to quickly identify factors affecting juvenile fish survival in a given year to generate reliable estimates of future productivity. This may help resource managers to more effectively target their management efforts,” said Jim Thorson, Habitat Ecological Processes Research Program Lead, Alaska Fisheries Science Center and lead author for the paper.

For the first time, scientists glimpsed how ocean temperature in different parts of Alaska’s Bering Sea may have influenced juvenile fish survival over the past three decades. They also gained valuable insights into how it may be affected under warmer ocean conditions in the future.

This unique approach combines oceanographic data collected from research surveys (1982-2018) with recruitment data into a single model. It also incorporated end-of-century projections of bottom and sea surface temperatures for the eastern Bering Sea. Scientists then used global climate models to develop regional-scale projections.

The authors see this an important step to understand the complex relationship between fish stock production and long-term climate processes. The ongoing collection of biological and environmental data will help to further improve these predictions.

Read the full release here

American Lobster, Sea Scallops Habitat Could Shift Off the Northeast

May 29, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Researchers have projected significant changes in the habitat of commercially important American lobster and sea scallops on the Northeast U.S. continental shelf. They used a suite of models to estimate how species will react as waters warm. The researchers suggest that American lobster will move further offshore and sea scallops will shift to the north in the coming decades.

Findings from the study were published recently in Diversity and Distributions. They pose fishery management challenges as the changes can move stocks into and out of fixed management areas. Habitats within current management areas will also experience changes — some will show species increases, others decreases, and still others no change.

“Changes in stock distribution affect where fish and shellfish can be caught and who has access to them over time,” said Vincent Saba, a fishery biologist in the Ecosystems Dynamics and Assessment Branch at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center and a co-author of the study. “American lobster and sea scallop are two of the most economically valuable single-species fisheries in the entire United States. They are also important to the economic and cultural well-being of coastal communities in the Northeast. Any changes to their distribution and abundance will have major impacts,” he said.

Read the full release here

NOAA Fisheries Announces a Temporary Rule for Emergency Action to Extend Portions of the Fishing Year 2019 Carryover Provisions in the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan

May 29, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries announces a temporary rule to extend portions of the fishing year 2019 carryover provisions in the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan into fishing year 2020. At the request of the New England Fishery Management Council, NOAA Fisheries is taking emergency action to implement these measures.

This action:

  • Allows limited access general category individual fishing quota vessels to carryover all fishing year 2019 unharvested quota into fishing year 2020.
  • Allows any access area carryover pounds and unharvested research set-aside compensation pounds from fishing year 2019 to be available for harvest through August 31, 2020.
  • Extends the time period vessels may utilize their 2019 access area allocation in the Nantucket Lightship-West through August 31, 2020, and then close the area on September 1, 2020, in order to minimize unwanted bycatch.

Extending these carryover provisions further into fishing year 2020 will give vessels more flexibility: to harvest some carryover that would otherwise be lost (~5.2 million lb fleet-wide) to land this allocation at the opportune time, and to avoid unnecessary adverse economic impacts. Extending these carryover provisions will not cause any annual catch limits to be exceeded in the scallop fishery. The measures in this temporary rule are effective for 180 days, but the rule may be extended for an additional 186, if necessary.

Read the temporary rule as filed in the Federal Register, and the permit holder bulletin posted on our website.

NOAA Fisheries Seeks Comments on Proposed Rule: Framework 59 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan

May 29, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

We are seeking public comment on an action that would set or adjust catch limits for groundfish stocks for the 2020 fishing year (May 1, 2020 – April 30, 2021), including the three stocks managed jointly with Canada. These revised catch limits are based upon the results of stock assessments conducted in 2019.

Framework 59 would also adjust the allocations of the total quota between the commercial and recreational fishery for Gulf of Maine cod and haddock. The proportion of quota allocated to the recreational fishery would increase from 33.7% to 37.5% for Gulf of Maine cod, and would increase from 27.5% to 33.9% for Gulf of Maine haddock.

Read the proposed rule as published in the Federal Register, and submit your comments through the online portal. Comments are due by June 15, 2020.

Observer Coverage in Greater Atlantic Region to Resume July 1

May 29, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is extending the waiver granted to vessels with Greater Atlantic Region fishing permits to carry human observers or at-sea monitors through June 30, 2020. This action is authorized by 50 CFR 648.11, which provides the Greater Atlantic Regional Administrator authority to waive observer requirements, and is also consistent with the criteria described in the agency’s emergency rule on observer waivers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We intend to begin redeploying observers and at-sea monitors on vessels fishing in northeast fisheries on July 1. During the month of June, we will continue to work with regional observer and at-sea monitoring service providers to finalize their observer redeployment plans, conduct outreach with industry, and finalize internal programs and policies that will support the safe and effective redeployment of observers and at-sea monitors in the region.

Observers and at-sea monitors are an essential component of commercial fishing operations and provide critical information that is necessary to keep fisheries open and to provide sustainable seafood to our nation during this time. We will continue to monitor all local public health notifications, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for updates. We are committed to protecting the public health and ensuring the safety of fishermen, observers, and others, while fulfilling our mission to maintain our nation’s seafood supply and conserving marine life.

As has been done throughout the rest of the country, it is the intent of NOAA Fisheries to begin redeploying observers as soon as it is safe and appropriate to do so. While we intend to begin redeploying observers on July 1, we recognize that this public health crisis continues to evolve and changing conditions may warrant re-evaluating these plans. Should our plans regarding re-deploying observers and at-sea monitors change, we will announce any changes as soon as practicable.

United States Coast Guard Announces the Completion of The Areas Offshore of Massachusetts and Rhode Island Port Access Route Study

May 27, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Today the United States Coast Guard announced the completion of The Areas Offshore of Massachusetts and Rhode Island Port Access Route Study. The study focused on the seven adjacent leased areas of the outer continental shelf south of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, and east of Rhode Island that together constitute the Massachusetts/Rhode Island Wind Energy Area (MA/RI WEA). The study was conducted to (1) determine what, if any, navigational safety concerns exist with vessel transits in the study area; (2) determine whether to recommend changes to enhance navigational safety by examining existing shipping routes and waterway uses as any or all of the lease areas within the MA/RI WEA are partially or fully developed as wind farms; and (3) to evaluate the need for establishing vessel routing measures.

For more information read the notice published in the Federal Register or the final report posted online.

NOAA Cancels Five Large-Scale Fishery Surveys Due to COVID-19

May 26, 2020 — NOAA Fisheries announced Friday that it will cancel five out of its six large-scale research surveys in Alaskan waters this year due to COVID-19. The canceled surveys include the Aleutian Islands bottom trawl survey, the eastern Bering Sea bottom trawl survey, the northern Bering Sea bottom trawl survey, the Bering Sea pollock acoustics survey, and the Fall Ecosystem Survey. The Alaska Longline Survey is not affected.

“We determined that there is no way to move forward with a survey plan that effectively minimizes risks to staff, crew, and the communities associated with the surveys. For instance, conducting the key groundfish and crab surveys in a limited timeframe would require extraordinarily long surveys, well beyond standard survey operations,” wrote NOAA Fisheries in a statement. “Extended quarantines for the survey team prior to and following surveys would also be necessary to ensure survey team and public health and safety.”

Read the full story at The Maritime Executive

Reminder: Gulf of Maine Cod Protection Closures

May 26, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The Gulf of Maine (GOM) Cod Protection Closures, sometimes referred to as “rolling closures,” remain in place. There are five of these seasonal closures, which are active during different times of the year.

Closed to All Common Pool and Sector vessels

  • GOM Cod Protection Closure I: May 1 through May 31
  • GOM Cod Protection Closure II: June 1 through June 30
  • GOM Cod Protection Closure III: November 1 through January 31

Closed to Common Pool vessels, except Handgear A vessels

  • GOM Cod Protection Closure IV: October 1 through October 31
  • GOM Cod Protection Closure V: March 1 through March 31

Each of these areas are closed to Common Pool and/or Sector vessels on a groundfish trip.

Maps and coordinates for each GOM Cod Protection Area are available on the Northeast Multispecies Closed Area Regulations webpage.

Protecting Fish Habitat Helps Put Food on Your Table

May 22, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Healthy habitats are productive habitats. They provide food and shelter for fish and help to maintain sustainable fish populations and fisheries that produce the seafood that we all love and depend on. Everyone benefits when marine habitats are protected from the effects of fishing.

Fish Rely on Healthy Habitats for Growth and Survival

Fish that live on or near the bottom of the ocean need food and places to hide from predators in order to survive and grow large enough to reproduce. Rocky habitats, especially those with lots of attached plants and animals like sponges, mussels, and anemones, are ideal habitats for many species of fish. These habitats are also the most vulnerable to impacts from commercial fishing gear. Nets and dredges that are towed over the bottom of the ocean can disturb bottom habitats, removing and damaging plants and animals that live there. Disturbed habitats provide fish with less food and less shelter from predators. Some habitat organisms grow and form very slowly. Once they are removed or damaged, it can take years for them to be replaced. As a result, if these vulnerable bottom habitats are fished too heavily they may never fully recover from the effects of fishing and are no longer healthy habitats for fish.

Types of Towed Fishing Gear

In New England and the Mid-Atlantic, fishermen use three primary types of towed commercial fishing gear: bottom trawls, scallop dredges, and clam dredges. Other gears such as lobster traps remain in place while fishing and have very little effect on bottom habitats.

Read the full release here