Saving Seafood

Whale Week 2020: NOAA Saves Whales with Science

February 11, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Whales, dolphins, and porpoises belong to a group of marine mammals called cetaceans. NOAA Fisheries works to ensure the conservation of all cetaceans, which are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Some populations, such as the Cook Inlet beluga, North Atlantic right whale, and Southern Resident killer whale have been identified as Species in the Spotlight due to their endangered status and declining populations. We work with many partners to protect and recover species listed under the Endangered Species Act.

Join us as we celebrate Whale Week, February 10–16, 2020, leading up to World Whale Day on February 16, 2020. Check out the latest whale-related news and videos below and stay tuned for more new content throughout the week!

Read the full release here

NOAA Fisheries amends red snapper bycatch rule for Gulf of Mexico shrimpers

February 10, 2020 — NOAA Fisheries announced on Wednesday, 5 February, that changes to the Gulf of Mexico Shrimp Fishery Management Plan will take effect next month.

The main purpose of the amendment is to change the amount of red snapper bycatch for shrimpers. In 2005, limits were enacted after a stock assessment determined that shrimp fishing was a primary factor in affecting the red snapper’s viability.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Extension: Voluntary Vessel Speed Restrictions South of Nantucket to Protect Right Whales

February 10, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries announces an extension to the voluntary vessel speed restriction zone (Dynamic Management Area or DMA) south of Nantucket.

On February 9, an aggregation of right whales was observed 31 nautical miles south of Nantucket, Massachusetts.

Mariners are requested to continue route around this area or transit through it at 10 knots or less.

South of Nantucket DMA effective through February 24

41 11 N
40 22 N
069 32 W
070 37 W

Active Seasonal Management Areas (SMAs)

A mandatory speed restriction of 10 knots or less (50 CFR 224.105) is in effect in the Mid-Atlantic November 1 – April 30, and in Cape Cod Bay January 1 – May 15.

More info on Seasonal Management Areas

Right Whales Are Migrating 

North Atlantic right whales are on the move along the Atlantic coast of the U.S. NOAA is cautioning boaters and fishermen to give these endangered whales plenty of room. We are also asking all fishermen to be vigilant when maneuvering to avoid accidental collisions with whales and remove unused gear from the ocean to help avoid entanglements. Commercial fishermen should also use vertical lines with required markings, weak links, and breaking strengths.

Right Whales in Trouble

North Atlantic right whales are protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Scientists estimate there are only about 400 remaining, making them one of the rarest marine mammals in the world.

North Atlantic right whales are NOAA Fisheries’ newest Species in the Spotlight. This initiative is a concerted, agency-wide effort to spotlight and save marine species that are among the most at risk of extinction in the near future. 

In August 2017, NOAA Fisheries declared the increase in right whale mortalities an “Unusual Mortality Event,” which helps the agency direct additional scientific and financial resources to investigating, understanding, and reducing the mortalities in partnership with the Marine Mammal Stranding Network, Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and outside experts from the scientific research community.

More Info

Recent right whale sightings

Find out more about our right whale conservation efforts and the researchers behind those efforts.

Download the Whale Alert app for iPad and iPhone

Acoustic detections in Cape Cod Bay and the Boston TSS

Send a blank message to receive a return email listing all current U.S. DMAs and SMAs.

Details and graphics of all ship strike management zones currently in effect.

Reminder: Approaching a right whale closer than 500 yards is a violation of federal and state law.

Read the full release here

Cod, haddock anglers could get 2 extra weeks of fishing

February 10, 2020 — Recreational anglers of cod and haddock would receive two extra weeks of spring fishing in upcoming seasons under new measures recommended by the New England Fishery Management Council.

The council, in advancing its recommendations, followed the guidance of both its recreational advisory panel and groundfish committee concerning Georges Bank cod, Gulf of Maine cod and Gulf of Maine haddock.

The recommendations require approval by NOAA Fisheries, which said it expects to implement its recreational measures by the time the new fishing season dawns on May 1.

The council recommended no changes from the 2019 season for Georges Bank cod. The open season will be year-round, with a bag limit of 10 fish per day per angler and a minimum size of 21 inches.

For Gulf of Maine cod, the council recommended instituting a two-week spring open season — April 1 to 14 — in addition to the existing fall open season of Sept. 15 to 30.

The bag limit and minimum size for Gulf of Maine cod remain the same as 2019 — one fish per day per angler and 21 inches, respectively.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Exploring Women’s Engagement in 30 Years of Alaska Fisheries

February 7, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Women play an integral, multifaceted—and until now, largely invisible—role in Alaska fisheries. The first comprehensive study of women’s participation, incorporating gender into 30 years of existing data, shows women participate in Alaska fisheries differently than men.

“Women are really important players in Alaska’s commercial fisheries. They’re key  in contributing to family adaptability and in turn to community resilience,” said Marysia Szymkowiak, the scientist who conducted the Alaska Fisheries Science Center study. “Knowing how women participate directly in fishing and within fishing families and communities is critical to predicting and understanding responses to fishery changes—from individuals, to families, all the way up to communities.”

Historically, fisheries data on participants have not included gender. Such a gender-blind approach limits our understanding of access, mobility, and empowerment issues and can  actually lead to gender biases.

“Not examining fisheries participation for women and men separately implies that there are no differences between them in our fisheries. That’s a flawed assumption with potentially negative social and ecological implications if women and men participate differently—and this research shows that they do,” said Szymkowiak.

Beyond direct participation in the harvesting sector of commercial fishing, women perform many other jobs that are vital to fishing success. Women step in where needed to adapt to changing fishing and family situations. This includes shoreside employment, working on family boats, direct marketing, and engaging in the political process. This essential but “invisible” work is not captured in fisheries statistics.

“We cannot ignore the critical role that gender plays,” Szymkowiak said. “Understanding when, how, and where women fish, and what limits their participation, is essential if we are to maintain and promote community resilience in the face of huge ecological, market, and management changes in our fisheries.”

Read the full release here

Final Rule Publishes for New England Council’s Industry-Funded Monitoring Omnibus Amendment

February 7, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The final rule implementing the Industry-Funded Monitoring Omnibus Amendment recommended by the New England Fishery Management Council published today. This amendment allows industry-funded monitoring in any fishery managed by the Council to better assess catch and reduce uncertainty around catch estimates.

This amendment also establishes industry-funded monitoring in the Atlantic herring fishery. Specifically, it establishes a 50-percent coverage target for at-sea monitoring coverage aboard vessels issued Category A or B herring permits, and allows herring midwater trawl vessels to purchase observer coverage to access Northeast Multispecies Closed Areas. Additionally, herring vessels have the option of using electronic monitoring and portside sampling, administered via an exempted fishing permit, instead of at-sea monitoring to meet the 50-percent coverage target. Coverage requirements may be waived on a trip-by-trip basis under certain circumstances.

Category A and B herring vessels will begin paying sampling costs associated with industry-funded monitoring as early as April 2020. We will soon be providing herring vessels with detailed instructions on how to comply with industry-funded monitoring requirements, including notification, coverage, and monitoring service provider requirements.

For more details, please see our fishery bulletin. You can also check out this useful fact sheet about the IFM Amendment.

Researchers Return to Study Gray Seal Pups in New England

February 6, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

It’s gray seal pupping season in New England! NOAA researchers are working with colleagues to gather data from pups on Muskeget and Monomoy islands off the southeastern Massachusetts coast.

Pupping season generally runs from mid-December to early February, peaking in mid-January. Our researchers have conducted studies of animal abundance, distribution, and health on the islands in January for the past eight years. One research team is working on Muskeget Island off Nantucket, the largest gray seal breeding and pupping colony in the United States. Another team is on Monomoy, an island near Chatham on Cape Cod that is part of the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge.

Kimberly Murray, who coordinates the seal research program at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s Woods Hole Laboratory and leads the team on Muskeget Island, outlined the teams’ goals. “We plan to place 20 satellite tags and nine acoustic tags on the weaned gray seal pups, and to collect as many health samples from pups as we can. Our goal is to sample 50 pups on Muskeget and 100 on Monomoy, but that depends on factors such as weather conditions, scheduling, and departure of weaned pups.”

The team also sampled 14 weaned gray seal pups on Seal Island in Maine. They placed five satellite tags and two acoustic tags on seal pups there to learn where those pups go. On January 30 researchers sampled and tagged 15 gray seal pups on the Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge, which includes Great Point Light, on Nantucket and collected scat or seal poop for microbiome/microplastics/food habits work.

Read the full release here

NOAA Fisheries Announces Changes to Management of Red Grouper in Federal Waters of the South Atlantic Region

February 6, 2020 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

KEY MESSAGE:

NOAA Fisheries announces the final rule for Regulatory Amendment 30 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (Regulatory Amendment 30). This final rule revises the rebuilding schedule for red grouper based on the most recent population assessment, extends protections to red grouper during spawning season in federal waters off North Carolina and South Carolina, and establishes a commercial trip limit.

WHEN RULE WILL TAKE EFFECT:

Regulations will be effective March 9, 2020.

SUMMARY OF CHANGES FOR RED GROUPER:

  • The final rule revises the rebuilding schedule for red grouper to 10 years, which is equal the maximum time period allowed to rebuild. The rebuilding schedule begins in 2019 and ends in 2028.
  • The final rule extends both the commercial and recreational red grouper spawning season closures (January through April) through the month of May, in federal waters off North Carolina and South Carolina.
  • The final rule establishes a commercial trip limit for red grouper harvested in the South Atlantic federal waters of 200 pounds gutted weight.

FORMAL FEDERAL REGISTER NAME/NUMBER: 85 FR 6825, published February 6, 2020.

Clarification: Southern Red Hake Commercial Possession Limit Reduction

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

On February 3, 2020, we sent an email notifying the industry that the southern red hake commercial per-trip possession is reduced to 400 lb per day for the remainder of the 2019 fishing year, through April 30, 2020.

The reduced possession limit is 400 lb per trip total, not per day, for the remainder of the 2019 fishing year, through April 30, 2020.

For more information read the bulletin or the notice published in the Federal Register.

NOAA Fisheries Seeks Public Comment on Proposed Modifications to the Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan

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

Framework 8 includes 2020-2021 Specifications and increased seasonal possession limits for the wing and bait fisheries to provide additional flexibility to fishermen. We propose to:

  • Increase the annual catch limit for the skate complex to 32,715 mt from 31,327 mt in 2019.
  • Increase total allowable landings of skate wings to 11,879 mt from 10,499 mt in 2019.
  • Increase the total allowable landings of skate bait to 5,984 mt from 5,289 mt in 2019.
  • Increase the bait fishery Season 3 possession limit to 25,000 lb from 12,000 lb.
  • Increase the wing fishery Season 1 possession limit to 3,000 lb from 2,600 lb.
  • Increase the wing fishery Season 2 possession limit to 5,000 lb from 4,100 lb.
  • Increase the barndoor skate possession limit in the wing fishery from 650 lb to 750 lb in Season 1, and from 1,025 lb to 1,250 lb in Season 2.

To get all the details on these proposed modifications, read the proposed rule as published in the Federal Register today.

We are accepting comments through March 6, 2020.

Please submit comments either through the online e-rulemaking portal or by mailing your comments to:

Michael Pentony, Regional Administrator
National Marine Fisheries Service
55 Great Republic Drive
Gloucester, MA, 01930.

Please mark the outside of the envelope, “Comments on the Proposed Rule for Skate Framework 8.”