NOAA Fisheries Archives - Page 120 of 230

NOAA Fisheries Releases Proposed Rule for Marine Mammal Non-Lethal Deterrents

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

Today, NOAA Fisheries is soliciting input on a proposed regulation for safely deterring marine mammals from damaging fishing gear or catch, damaging personal or public property, or endangering personal safety. MMPA section 101(a)(4)(B) directs the Secretary of Commerce, through NOAA Fisheries, to publish guidelines for safely deterring marine mammals and recommend specific measures to non-lethally deter marine mammals listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act. This is an opportunity for the public to provide input on these guidelines and recommended specific measures. NOAA Fisheries has included in the guidelines and recommended specific measures those deterrents that are unlikely to kill or seriously injure marine mammals; we have not evaluated the effectiveness of deterrents.

We are accepting comments on the proposed rule for 60 days through 10-30-2020. For more information and to review the draft Environmental Assessment and other materials prepared in support of this action visit our website.

Recreational Harvest of Gray Triggerfish in Federal Waters of the Gulf of Mexico Will Reopen September 1, 2020, and Close on October 26, 2020

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

WHAT/WHEN/WHERE:

Recreational harvest of gray triggerfish in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) will reopen at 12:01 am, local time, on September 1, 2020, and close at 12:01 am, local time, on October 26, 2020.
Recreational harvest will reopen in the Gulf for the 2021 fishing season at 12:01 am, local time, on March 1, 2021, when the January-February seasonal closure ends.
NOAA Fisheries will publish a closure notice when the annual catch target is reached or projected to be reached.

WHY THIS REOPENING IS HAPPENING:

The 2020 recreational annual catch target is 217,100 pounds whole weight. Projections indicated that recreational landings of gray triggerfish were expected to meet the annual catch target as of May 2, 2020, and recreational harvest was subsequently closed.
Updated landings information for 2020 indicate the annual catch target has not been met.
This opening will allow the recreational annual catch target to be caught, while minimizing the risk of it being exceeded.

Fishery Council Seeks Input on Protecting Prey for Endangered Killer Whales

August 28, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

A workgroup has outlined options for providing for prey needs of endangered Southern Resident killer whales in the course of designing West Coast salmon fishing seasons.

The workgroup was formed by the Pacific Fishery Management Council. Now the Council wants to know what you think of their options, described in a Range of Alternatives (PDF, 18 pages) and Recommendations. The options are available for public comment until September 2, 2020.

The options are varied and extend across the West Coast.

One alternative would be to set a threshold for salmon abundance. Under this alternative, if Chinook salmon numbers off the West Coast fall to a certain level, then additional management measures would apply to fishing. NOAA Fisheries identified a similar interim threshold to evaluate 2020 fisheries, although salmon numbers did not fall to that level.

Another option suggests updating the goals for how many Chinook salmon return to California rivers, such as the Sacramento River and the Klamath rivers. The anticipated removal of dams from the Klamath River could increase its potential for salmon production, according to the alternatives.

The Council will take public comments and consider the choices during its September meeting before refining a range of alternatives to share for broader input. The Council will then take public comment on those alternatives before finalizing its selection at its November meeting. Ultimately, NOAA Fisheries will evaluate and decide whether to approve the Council’s recommendation for the fishery measures under the Magnuson-Stevens Act. We will also ensure it complies with the Endangered Species Act.

Read the full release here

NOAA Fisheries Releases Proposed Rule for Marine Mammal Non-Lethal Deterrents

August 28, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries Announces Illex Squid Directed Fishery Closure

August 28, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is closing the directed fishery in federal waters through the end of the fishing year, December 31, 2020.

Effective at 0001 hour on August 31, 2020, vessels are prohibited from fishing for or landing more than 10,000 lb of Illex squid per trip in or from federal waters through December 31, 2020. Vessels may not land Illex squid more than once per calendar day.

Landings information analyzed by NOAA Fisheries projects the Illex squid fishery will meet 95 percent of the annual quota for the 2020 fishing year on August 31, 2020.

If you have started a trip prior to August 31, 2020 you may offload and sell more than 10,000 lb of Illex squid from that trip, as long as the vessel entered port before 0001 hr on August 31, 2020.

For more information, please read our permit holder bulletin.

NOAA Fisheries: Groundfish and Sea Scallop Peer Review

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

The management track stock assessment peer review meeting for multispecies groundfish and small mesh stocks and Atlantic sea scallops begins at 9am on Monday, September 14, 2020 and runs through Friday, September 18, 2020. The review will be held remotely, and the agenda and connection information are available on our website.

Questions?

Contact Michele Traver, Assessment Process Lead, Northeast Fisheries Science Center

Fishing Families and Women in Alaska’s Fisheries

August 24, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Over recent decades, Alaska’s fisheries have undergone many regulatory, environmental, social, and economic changes, which have differentially affected dynamics in fishing families. Researchers from the Alaska Fisheries Science Center explored these changes and their effects on fishing families in a series of focus groups held throughout Gulf of Alaska fishing communities in 2017 and 2018. These focus groups covered three topics examining family roles and gender division of labor; impacts of management, environmental, economic and social conditions on these roles; and, the future of fishing families and women in Alaska’s fisheries. The research demonstrates the integral work of women in fishing families and their dynamic roles in Alaska’s fisheries more broadly. It further showcases how fishing families have, and continue to, adapt to multifaceted conditions in Alaska’s fisheries. This research has resulted in several scientific journal publications and web stories (which are available below), and is an ongoing effort to document novel conditions, adaptations, and resilience.

Thanks to Sarah Marrinan, North Pacific Fishery Management Council staff, for help with conducting these focus groups.

Read the full release here

Mid-Atlantic Council Announces New Mobile App for Recreational Tilefish Reporting

August 24, 2020 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

NOAA Fisheries recently implemented new permitting and reporting requirements for recreational tilefish fishermen. All recreational vessel operators (including for-hire operators using their vessels on recreational trips) targeting or retaining golden or blueline tilefish from Virginia to Maine are now required to obtain a free permit from NOAA Fisheries and submit electronic vessel trip reports (eVTRs) within 24 hours of returning to port.

A new app has been released to make the reporting process easy and convenient. Harbor Light Software’s eFin Logbook has received certification from NOAA Fisheries as an approved application through which anglers can report their trips. Funded by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, eFin Logbook is a user-friendly application designed specifically for recreational tilefish anglers. The app is available for use on all Apple and Android mobile devices (iPhone, iPad, Android phone, and Android tablet).

“During our initial outreach efforts, many anglers told us that the existing NOAA-approved reporting systems were too complicated for recreational reporting,” said Mid-Atlantic Council Executive Director Chris Moore. “Recreational stakeholders are generally supportive of the need for improved data collection on tilefish but have stressed the need for a simpler, more user-friendly interface. In response to this feedback, we collaborated with Harbor Light Software on the development of eFin Logbook, the first NOAA-approved electronic reporting system designed specifically for recreational fishermen.”

At present, eFin Logbook can only be used by tilefish recreational anglers to satisfy reporting requirements. Future modifications may expand its capabilities to other reporting and personal fishing log applications. For-hire operators, many of whom have other reporting requirements, are encouraged to choose different software. To learn more about other electronic reporting options and decide which one is right for you, visit the NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Region Electronic Reporting Web Page.

NOAA Fisheries Announces the Implementation of the Southern Red Hake Accountability Measure

August 24, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is announcing a reduction in the southern red hake in-season possession limit adjustment trigger from 90 percent of the total allowable landings (TAL) to 40.4 percent (123.2 mt) of the TAL because of a 2018 overage of the annual catch limit (ACL). In 2018, the fleet caught 49.6 percent more than the ACL allowed triggering the accountability measure that reduces the in-season possession limit adjustment trigger by 1 percent for each percent the ACL was exceeded.

Review of catch reports indicate that the new in-season possession limit trigger, that will be put into place by this action, has been reached (i.e., 145 mt of southern red hake have been harvested). As a result, the possession limit for southern red hake will be reduced from 5,000 lb to the incidental possession limit of 400 lb for the remainder of the fishing year.

This rule becomes effective August 25, 2020. For more details, please read the rule as filed in the Federal Register, and our permit holder bulletin.

Feds select Gulf of Mexico as potential zone for fish farming

August 21, 2020 — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Thursday chose the Gulf of Mexico as one of two places where it will look to grow offshore fish farming.

The gulf joins Southern California in becoming a region for “Aquaculture Opportunity Areas,” the first two in the United States. President Donald Trump issued an executive order earlier this year outlining the concept as a way of boosting the country’s seafood industry and reducing its reliance on imported fish. The selection covers federal waters but does not identify more specific locations.

“The creation of Aquaculture Opportunity Areas will foster the U.S. aquaculture industry as a needed complement to our wild capture fisheries,” said Chris Oliver, the assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries, in a statement. “This type of proactive work creates opportunities for aquaculture farmers and maintains our commitment to environmental stewardship.”

Read the full story at the Tampa Bay Times