Saving Seafood

NOAA Fisheries’ Procedural Directive on Data Retention for 3rd-Party EM Programs

April 6, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA:

NOAA Fisheries has reviewed the feedback and developed final guidance for Councils and NOAA Fisheries to develop data retention requirements for EM programs. As part of this guidance, our recommendation is that programs retain electronic monitoring (EM) data for at least 12-months once fishing is over and the catch monitoring processes are completed. This recommendation balances the fishing industry’s request to reduce unnecessary costs, while considering the length of time data must be retained to meet various program objectives. As noted in this guidance, as we learn more about program functions and costs, we can revisit this guidance in the future. The final procedural directive is published here and is attached.

NOAA Fisheries published a draft procedural directive in August 2019 on how long to retain data collected under an EM service provider “third-party” model. In these programs, the fishing industry is responsible for the data storage costs. As you know, the use of EM is an effective tool for collecting critical fishery-dependent data for science and management purposes. Unlike traditional means of data collection in fisheries (e.g., via at-sea observer programs or logbooks), the raw EM data video, imagery, or sensor data during fishing operations—can require substantially more storage capacity and make up a large portion of EM costs. We appreciate the expressed concerns over EM data storage costs, received and responded to input, and expect this guidance will resolve some uncertainty as EM programs continue development. We recognize there are other remaining questions too, such as retention of federal records. NOAA Fisheries is working on this issue and will provide an update shortly.

West Coast Salmon Fishing and Southern Residents: Part 1

April 3, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Southern Resident killer whales have long pursued the biggest and most nourishing Chinook salmon from coastal Pacific waters. Chinook salmon fishing is also a mainstay of the West Coast economy, generating nearly $72 million in income last year.

Is there room for both?

The answer is yes, with safeguards. NOAA Fisheries prioritizes the needs of Southern Residents in setting salmon fishing seasons, as the Endangered Species Act requires. We also recognize the importance of salmon fisheries to port communities up and down the West Coast, as outlined by laws including the Magnuson Stevens Act.

We are working with states, tribes, and the Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council). We are examining in detail how West Coast fisheries affect prey for the Southern Residents. So far, the analysis has indicated that Council fisheries have been taking a small proportion of the available Chinook salmon each year.

Read the full release here

FishNews April 2, 2020

April 3, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

We recently stood up a team of experts from across the agency to collect and analyze COVID-19-related impacts on the U.S. commercial seafood industry, including wild harvest and aquaculture. We are interested in learning about the virus’ impacts on their employees, their business, the businesses they support, and the broader seafood supply chain.

We are also looking at impacts on the recreational, subsistence, non-commercial, and tribal fishing industries. With this effort, we are interested in assessing immediate and long-term needs to secure and enhance the resilience of the U.S. seafood and fisheries industries. We will continue to work with the Administration and Congress on this important, unprecedented COVID-19-driven effort.

Stakeholders interested in sharing information on the effects of COVID-19 on their businesses can submit that information to NMFS.COVID-19@noaa.gov.

Read the full release here

GARFO’s Permit Office is available to help with permits and permit renewals

April 3, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

If you are shifting to selling your catch directly to consumers, we want to help you get the required federal dealer permit. We continue to staff our phones and respond to emails–our permits office is available to help you with a new dealer permit and/or to renew your vessel permit.

In addition, our new online system for permit applications is available on Fish Online.

Once received by mail or online, permits are processed and then mailed to you when finalized. If you applied for your permit(s) online, you will have the option to print your permit after it has been approved.

Remember, states may have additional permit and reporting requirements. Please consult with your state agency before selling directly to consumers. Even if your state has waived its requirements for direct sales, federal regulations still apply to federal permit holders.

If you are selling directly to consumers, you will need to report your catch on a vessel trip report (paper or electronic) and you will also need to report sales through the federal dealer reporting system. Initial dealer applications are available from your Fish Online dashboard. Our port agents are available to help you with your new dealer reporting requirements.

Announcement: Northeast Observer Waiver Extended through April 18

April 2, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Consistent with the agency’s emergency rule on observer waivers during the COVID-19 pandemic and under the authority granted to the Greater Atlantic Regional Administrator at 50 CFR 648.11(c), 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 April 18, 2020. We will continue to evaluate the need for further extensions of this waiver on a weekly basis.

Read the full release here

NOAA Fisheries Announces Transfer of Georges Bank and Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic Yellowtail Flounder Quota from Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery to Groundfish Fishery

April 2, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

We are transferring unused quota of Georges Bank and Southern New England/Mid Atlantic yellowtail flounder from the Atlantic sea scallop fishery to the commercial groundfish fishery.

If we expect the scallop fishery to catch less than 90 percent of its Georges Bank or Southern New England/Mid Atlantic yellowtail flounder quota, we are authorized to reduce the scallop fishery quota for these yellowtail flounder stocks to the amount projected to be caught, and increase the groundfish fishery quota by the same amount. This adjustment helps achieve optimum yield for both fisheries, while still protecting from an overage of the annual catch limits.

Based on the current projections, the scallop fishery is expected to catch 13 percent of its allocation of Southern New England/Mid Atlantic yellowtail flounder quota, and 11 percent of its Georges Bank yellowtail allocation.

Effective today, we are transferring 13.1 mt of Southern New England/Mid Atlantic yellowtail flounder from the scallop fishery to the groundfish fishery, and 15.2 mt of Georges Bank yellowtail flounder through the end of the 2019 fishing year (April 30, 2020).

For more information, read the rule as filed today in the Federal Register.

Here’s How Alaskan Fishermen Are Dealing With The Coronavirus Pandemic

April 1, 2020 — In Alaska, salmon is kind of a big deal. According to NOAA Fisheries, more than half of the fish caught in US waters come from Alaska, and about a third of those fish are salmon. COVID-19 has been on the global radar for several months, however the focus now is mitigating rapid community spread. Shelter-in-place orders keep people indoors and away from grocery stores, markets, and restaurants. While the pandemic is crippling every industry, the seafood supply chain is at a standstill. Producing more by volume than all other states combined, Alaskan fisheries are exceptionally important to seafood markets. The outbreak could disrupt the start of salmon season for Alaskan fishers this year, and there is currently little understanding of how the seafood industry will be affected now and in the future.

The salmon season in Alaska runs from May through September. In this time, many fishers pull in a majority of their annual income. In 2019, the valuable salmon season brought in $657.6 million. Of the five species of salmon caught in Alaska, sockeye, pink, and chum salmon account for more than 90% of the total value, according to the Alaska Journal of Commerce.

Many remote Alaskan fishing towns rely on seasonal crews from other states or countries. One deputy commissioner of the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development estimates more than 20,000 workers are brought into the state each year to work in the seafood industry, according to Anchorage Daily News. With travel restrictions in place, questions remain as to whether essential workers will be able to travel to work in the processing plants this year.

Read the full story at Forbes

Reminder to Give Seals Space

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

As more people are taking to the outdoors and we approach harbor seal pupping season, we are asking the public to help us by social distancing with animals too! Respect the social distance that is required by these sensitive animals. Help our stranding responders stay safe by not endangering, touching, or closely approaching  potentially healthy animals.

Read our webstory for more information about how you can help us avoid wildlife tragedies.

Questions?
Media: Contact Allison Ferreira, Regional Office, 978-281-9103

New Requirements Protect Bluefin Tuna, Expand Opportunities in Other Fisheries

March 31, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Today, NOAA Fisheries announced measures that provide more fishing opportunities for vessels targeting Atlantic swordfish and some tuna species. We will continue under these measures to protect bluefin tuna from overfishing.

The changes give fishermen using pelagic longlines access to new fishing areas originally closed to reduce the number of bluefin caught unintentionally. Under the new rules, longline fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico are also required to use weak hooks only when bluefin tuna are spawning. This means they are only required to use them January through June rather than year-round.

Regardless of where or when they fish, longline fishermen are still not allowed to target bluefin tuna. They can keep some caught unintentionally, but they have to stay within their individual allocation of the U.S. bluefin quota. This allows them to fish for economically valuable species like swordfish and other tunas while protecting bluefin.

The measures are in part a response to the success of the Individual Bluefin Quota (IBQ) Program in reducing bluefin bycatch. We also designed the measures to help reverse a trend of underharvesting the U.S. swordfish quota.

“The success of the IBQ Program has allowed us to simplify and streamline Atlantic HMS management,” said Randy Blankinship, who leads the group responsible for managing Atlantic bluefin in the United States. “With this rule, we are optimizing fishing opportunities for pelagic longline fishermen while continuing to manage and conserve bluefin tuna through the IBQ program and other management measures.”

Read the full release here

Fish aid 2 weeks away

March 31, 2020 — Specific eligibility criteria and distribution details for the $300 million in federal assistance to the U.S. seafood industry probably won’t be available for at least another two weeks, Gloucester Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken estimated on Monday.

Romeo Theken, who spent much of last weekend on conference calls discussing the economic and health implications of the novel coronavirus pandemic,  said she urged state and federal officials to move quickly in getting the money into the hands of fishermen, charter operators, aquaculturists, processors and other shoreside businesses financially wounded by health crisis.

“We’re fighting this invisible war and everyone has to work together or no one is going to survive this” Romeo Theken said. “The plan is very complex and very broad because, unlike previous fishery disaster assistance, this touches everybody in the commercial fishing industry from Alaska to Massachusetts.”

The mayor said she anticipates the federal funds will be distributed by the Commerce Department through NOAA Fisheries to individual regions and states, which then would manage the disbursement of funds to seafood industry stakeholders.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times