Saving Seafood

CARES Act Marks $5.5 Million for NC Fisheries

May 8, 2020 — North Carolina’s seafood industry is marked to receive nearly $5.5 million in assistance to help offset losses related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced Thursday that $300 million in fisheries assistance funding would be provided under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, to states, tribes and territories for those in coastal and marine fisheries negatively affected by COVID–19.

“This relief package will support America’s fishermen and our seafood sector’s recovery,” Ross said in a statement.

The National Marine Fisheries Service, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, will use the allocations to award interstate marine fisheries commissions, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to disburse the money, which is to address direct or indirect fishery-related losses as well as subsistence, cultural or ceremonial impacts related to COVID-19.

“We are going to rely primarily on our partners at the interstate marine fishery commissions during the award process because they have a demonstrated track record of disbursing funds provided to them quickly and effectively,” said Chris Oliver, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries.

Read the full story at Coastal Review Online

Rep. Huffman Celebrates Long Awaited Allocation of CARES Act Relief for Fishing Industry

May 8, 2020 — The following was released by The Office of Congressman Jared Huffman (D-CA):

Today, the Secretary of Commerce announced the allocation of $300 million of congressionally directed CARES Act funding for fisheries assistance to states, Tribes, and territories with coastal and marine fishery participants who have been negatively affected by COVID-19. Of this funding, $18.3 million is being awarded to California fishery participants and $5 million to Federally Recognized West Coast Tribes.

In April, Representative Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael), Chair of the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife, led a bipartisan letter to the U.S. Department of Commerce urging immediate distribution of this CARES Act funding to fishing-related businesses, Tribes, and communities whose livelihoods have been threatened by the pandemic and economic crisis. The CARES Act was signed into law in March.
 
“The fishing and seafood industries have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Fisheries are a critical part of state and regional economies across the U.S., providing food for the nation and supporting a way of life for countless tribal communities,” said Rep. Huffman. “I’m glad to see that this funding has finally left the Commerce Department, but the work isn’t done yet. This money needs to quickly be delivered to all those whose businesses and jobs have been disrupted, and we need to see more support for the fishing and seafood sectors in the next congressional response. In my role as Subcommittee chair, I am committed to tracking the federal response and making sure this urgently needed relief gets to those who need it.”
 
NOAA Fisheries will award these allocated amounts to the interstate marine fisheries commissions, including the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, and Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, to disburse funds to address direct or indirect fishery-related losses as well as subsistence, cultural, or ceremonial impacts related to COVID-19. Fishery participants eligible for funding—including Tribes, commercial fishing businesses, charter/for-hire fishing businesses, qualified aquaculture operations, processors, and other fishery-related businesses—should work with their state marine fisheries management agencies, territories, or Tribe to understand the process for applying for these funds.
 
More information on this funding can be found here.

$28M in aid headed to Massachusetts fisheries

May 7, 2020 — The Massachusetts seafood industry is set to receive $28 million of the $300 million in federal fisheries assistance — the highest amount of any state after Alaska and Washington, NOAA Fisheries told federal legislators Thursday in an email obtained by the Gloucester Daily Times.

The federal funds, which were part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security or CARES Act, are to be used to “address direct or indirect fishery-related losses, as well as subsistence, cultural or ceremonial impacts related to COVID-19.”

It remains unclear how the money will be distributed. The announcement also did not include specific eligibility requirements for receiving the assistance.

In general, fishery participants eligible to apply for the funding include tribes, commercial fishing businesses, charter and for-hire fishing businesses, qualified aquacultural operations, processors and other fishery-related businesses.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

NOAA Fisheries Approves Framework Adjustment 6 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan

May 5, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries approves Framework Adjustment 6 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan (FMP). This action reduces Atlantic herring catch limits for 2020 and 2021, consistent with the New England Council’s harvest policy for herring and in response to estimates of herring biomass and recruitment, and maintains the 2019 catch caps for river herring and shad for 2020 and 2021.

This action updates the overfished and overfishing definition for the herring stock. The updated definitions are more consistent with the 2018 herring stock assessment, definitions used for other stocks in the region, and the ABC control rule developed in Amendment 8 to the Herring FMP.  This action suspends the carryover of unharvested herring catch for 2020 and 2021. Suspending carryover is needed because the amount of carryover from 2018 (just under 5,000 mt), and potentially 2019, is substantial relative to the reduced ACL for 2020 and 2021 (11,571 mt). If carryover is harvested in specific management areas early in the year, other areas that are typically fished later in the year may be constrained by the ACL such that the sub-ACLs in those areas cannot be fully harvested. Suspending carryover is consistent with the Council’s precautionary management given the approaching overfished condition of the herring stock and the uncertainty surrounding estimates of herring biomass and recruitment. This action also makes minor administrative clarifications and corrections to existing regulations.

Read the final rule as filed in the Federal Register and the permit holder bulletin available on our website.

Read the full release here

Northeast Observer Waiver Extended through May 16

May 1, 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 for an additional two weeks, through May 16, 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.

NOAA Fisheries will continue to monitor and evaluate this situation.  As we have done in other parts of the country, we will use this time to work with the observer service providers to implement adjustments to the logistics of deploying observers, ensuring qualified observers or at-sea monitors are available as soon as safely possible.

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.

Read the full release here

Reminder: Possession and Trip Limits for Northeast Multispecies Common Pool Vessels

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

On April 22, 2020, we published an inseason action that set fishing year 2020 common pool possession and trip limits, effective today, May 1, 2020.

You can find more information about the common pool possession and trip limits on the common pool summary page.  You can also read the notice published in the Federal Register, and the permit holder bulletin.

Read the full release here

Reminder for Northeast Multispecies Vessels: Charter/Party Letters of Authorization

April 30, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries reminds you that vessels that are issued the groundfish charter/party Letters of Authorization (LOA) may not participate in the commercial fishery for any species managed by the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils during the enrollment period. These vessels may not sell, barter, or trade fish that are harvested or possessed by the vessel on any trip, even if the trip was taken outside the closure area. The enrollment periods are as follows:

If you have questions regarding your 2020 LOA or to make changes, please call the Greater Atlantic Region Permit Office, (978) 282-8438.

For more information about the requirements and regulations pertaining to Letters of Authorization, please contact the Sustainable Fisheries Division,  (978) 281-9315.

Alaska Chinook Fishermen Push Back on Wild Fish Conservancy Injunction to Stop Fishery

April 29, 2020 — Alaska environmentalists, commercial fishermen, charter operators and recreational anglers have pushed back on an injunction filed by Washington-based Wild Fish Conservancy that would prevent Chinook salmon trolling in Southeast Alaska.

WFC sued NOAA Fisheries in March for mismanaging Chinook salmon, a prime prey for the critically endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales. While that lawsuit is pending, WFC filed an injunction on April 17 to prevent Chinook salmon trolling in Southeast Alaska effective July 1, 2020.

Read the full story at Seafood News

NOAA Fisheries Seeking New Marine Mammal Stranding Partners in Massachusetts

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

As of May 1, the New England Aquarium will no longer respond to stranded marine mammals in order to focus their efforts on sea turtle response given the increasing number of sea turtle strandings in our region. Going forward, NOAA will receive calls about stranded seals, dolphins, and whales from Rockport through Plymouth, MA.

Because the Aquarium will no longer be responding to stranded marine mammals, we are seeking new partners to join our Regional Marine Mammal Stranding Network to serve communities in this area and aid in our response. Network participants are volunteer organizations trained and federally authorized to respond to sick or injured dolphins, seals, and whales that strand along our shorelines. For more information and to learn how to become an authorized response organization, please contact Mendy Garron, NOAA Regional Marine Mammal Response Program Coordinator at 978-282-8478 or mendy.garron@noaa.gov. To report a stranded marine mammal, please call the NOAA Regional Marine Animal Hotline at 866-755-6622. For more information about our Marine Mammal Stranding Network, visit our website.

Read the full release here

NOAA Fisheries Allocates Annual Catch Entitlements for Fishing Year 2020

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

NOAA Fisheries is allocating annual catch entitlements (ACE) to sectors for fishing year 2020, based on catch limits set by Framework 57 and 58, which will allow previously approved sectors to operate in fishing year 2020. These allocations will be updated once Framework 59 is finalized. We are also announcing default allocations for Eastern Georges Bank cod and haddock to prevent impacts to industry resulting from delays in finalizing Framework 59, which will also update these allocations. We are also changing the Redfish Exemption Area and gear stowage requirements for vessels fishing under the redfish exemption.

Read the interim final rule as published in the Federal Register.  You may also submit comments through the online portal.  Copies of each sector’s operations plan and contract are available online.

The comment period is open through May 27, 2020.

Read the full release here