Saving Seafood

Voicing the Stories of Women in Alaska Fisheries

October 2, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Alaska women’s experience and knowledge are fundamental to the social, cultural, economic, and ecological sustainability of Bristol Bay salmon fisheries, a new NOAA Fisheries study finds.

This study used oral history and visual ethnography methods to provide a means for women to voice their stories about the importance of fishery resources in their communities. We used this approach to capture their knowledge to inform fisheries management, preserve cultural diversity, and share with communities. The interview audio and video shorts are available on NOAA’s new Voices from the Fisheries website.

The study, a collaboration with the Bristol Bay Native Association (BBNA), is focused on the daily life and fishing practices of Alaska Native fisherwomen in the Bristol Bay area.

“Bristol Bay is an ideal place to explore women’s roles in fisheries because women are highly engaged in its salmon fisheries,” said Anna Lavoie, a scientist with NOAA Fisheries who led the research. “Women own over 30% of commercial set net permits there. In Alaska women are very proactive in promoting conservation and sustainability. There should be avenues for incorporating women’s knowledge into resource management. They are actively engaged in fisheries but there is very little information available about their experience and contributions.”

Read the full release here

NOAA Offers Reward for Information Regarding Unreported/Misreported Landings of Summer Flounder

October 2, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The NOAA Office of Law Enforcement is offering a reward of up to $20,000 in exchange for information leading to the successful prosecution of individuals suspected of being involved in significant unreported or misreported landings of summer flounder (fluke) in New York and New Jersey.

NOAA officials seek information from anyone who may have details of these incidents.

Anyone with information is asked to please call OLE’s Northeast Division at 908-339-1148, or the NOAA Enforcement Hotline at 1-800-853-1964.

Tips may be anonymous, however anyone providing information must leave their name and contact information to be eligible for the reward.

Effective today, the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office has a new website

October 1, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

We are very pleased to announce that as of today, we are formally launching a new website for the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, and our old website is offline.

What about my bookmarks to your website?

Everyone will be automatically redirected to our new homepage or associated topic page. We looked at our website analytics and created automatic redirects from frequently visited pages on our old website to the corresponding pages of our new website. For example, if you have our Atlantic spiny dogfish page bookmarked, you will automatically be sent to the Atlantic spiny dogfish species profile on our new site. However, be sure to update your bookmarks and links as you navigate through the new site.

Why are we making this transition?

NOAA Fisheries launched a new and improved website two years ago that was developed based upon feedback from our customers and taking a hard look at our website analytics. The goals of the new site are to captivate our visitors, make it easier for users to search for information and navigate through our website, make our website mobile friendly, and improve the quality of our content.

Not sure where to start? Check out this video tutorial.

Although the bulk of the work is done, we are still transitioning some lesser viewed pages. So please be patient with us! We appreciate continued feedback, and want to know if you have suggestions for improvement, find broken links, or simply can’t find something you’re looking for.

Comments or questions?

Contact Jennifer Goebel, Regional Office, 978-281-9175

Serving Up Seafood: National Seafood Month

October 1, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

October is National Seafood Month, and a fitting time to celebrate that the United States is recognized as a global leader in sustainable seafood—both wild-caught and farmed. U.S. fishermen and fish farmers operate under some of the most robust and transparent environmental standards in the world.

NOAA Fisheries works to advance and export sustainable management practices internationally, establish and maintain a level the playing field for our fishermen and fish farmers, and maintain confidence in U.S. seafood products and access to the global marketplace. The recipe for sustainable seafood includes strong science, responsive management, and enforced compliance.

FishWatch is the go-to source for up-to-date information on the science, status, and management of U.S. seafood

Read the full release here

Temporary Increase in Atlantic King Mackerel Commercial Trip Limit in the Atlantic Southern Zone Beginning October 1, 2019

September 30, 2019 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

KEY MESSAGE:

  • NOAA Fisheries announces a temporary rule to increase the commercial king mackerel trip limit from 50 to 75 fish in the Atlantic Southern Zone during Season 2 (October 1, 2019, through February 29, 2020).
  • The commercial trip limit will increase in federal waters in the areabetween the Flagler/Volusia County, Florida, boundary and the Miami-Dade/Monroe County, Florida, boundary.

    WHEN RULE WILL TAKE EFFECT:

  • This change to the commercial trip limit will be effective on October 1, 2019.

WHAT THIS MEANS:

  • At their June 2019 meeting, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council requested an emergency rule to increase the commercial trip limit for king mackerel in the Atlantic southern zone during Season 2 (October-February) of the 2019/2020 fishing year.
  • From October 1, 2019, through February 29, 2020, the commercial trip limit for Atlantic king mackerel will be 75 fish in federal waters between the Flagler/Volusia County, Florida, boundary and the Miami-Dade/Monroe County, Florida, boundary.
  • The temporary rule will also remove the potential for a trip limit reduction in February 2020 from 75 to 50 fish when 70 percent of the quota is reached.
  • There are no changes to the Season 2 trip limit in federal waters north of Volusia County, Florida.
  • The increase in trip limit is necessary to prevent unnecessary economic losses and will substantially increase the likelihood of achieving optimum yield for king mackerel in the 2019/2020 fishing year.
  • The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is currently developing a framework amendment to consider changes to the commercial king mackerel trip limits in Season 2 in the Atlantic Southern Zone in future years.

This bulletin serves as a Small Entity Compliance Guide, complying with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996.

For more information on the emergency rule, you may contact the following:

NOAA Fisheries, Southeast Regional Office

By Mail: Karla Gore

NOAA Fisheries, Southeast Regional Office

Sustainable Fisheries Division

263 13th Avenue South

St. Petersburg, Florida 33701-5505

By Phone: (727) 824-5305, By FAX: (727) 824-5308

NOAA Fisheries announces an increase in the commercial scup quota and possession limit for the 2019 Winter II Period (October 1-December 31)

September 27, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

We are rolling over the unused quota from the Winter I Period (January 1-April 30) to the Winter II period (October 1-December 31).

Only 51 percent of the 10,820,000 lb Winter I quota was harvested in 2019, leaving 5,267,671 lb available for transfer to the Winter II quota. As a result, the revised Winter II commercial scup quota is raised to 9,090,487 lb. The revised commercial scup possession limit for the Winter II season is 27,000 lb, per trip, up from 12,000 lb.

When state and federal possession limits are different, fishermen with both state and federal permits are required to abide by the more restrictive of the two.

For more details, read the Federal Register notice as filed today, and the Permit Holder Bulletin on our website.

Read the full release here

Recreational Fishermen: Gulf of Maine Cod Season Closes September 30

September 26, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The Gulf of Maine cod season closes after September 30, 2019.

Beginning on Tuesday, October 1, possession of Gulf of Maine cod is prohibited for the remainder of the fishing year (October 1-April 30). Recreational anglers can still fish for and retain Gulf of Maine haddock, up to 15 fish per person per day.

If you have a mobile device, you can use the FishRules app to check recreational fishing regulations.

Read the full release here

East Coast Marine Life Survey Renewed for Five More Years

September 26, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The Atlantic Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species, or AMAPPS, allows researchers to put all the information about abundance, distribution, ecology and behavior of protected species – from whales, dolphins, and seals to marine turtles and seabirds – into an ecosystem context so resource managers can use it for conservation measures and decision-making.

“Long-term year-round ecological data on protected species and their environment in the Atlantic are limited,” said Debra Palka, a research biologist at the NOAA Fisheries Northeast Fisheries Science Center who coordinates the program for the Northeast and Southeast Fisheries Science Centers. “The aerial and shipboard observations, oceanographic sampling, telemetry and passive acoustic monitoring supported by AMAPPS give us data that can be used to quantify changing distributions and assess the potential impact on protected species caused by human
activities.”

The primary funders of AMAPPS are NOAA, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Navy. One of the goals of the program is to develop models and related tools to provide distribution patterns and density estimates by season and location that includes habitat characteristics of marine mammals, turtles and seabirds along the U.S. East Coast.

Read the full release here

US Commerce declares fishing disasters for 7 states

September 26, 2019 — U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has declared fishing disasters for seven states on three coasts.

“Fishing is the cornerstone of countless coastal economies and has been a way of life for generations of Americans,” he said in a brief news release Wednesday. “This determination acknowledges the critical role fisheries play in our communities, and the risks they face from natural disasters and other causes beyond their control.”

Ross’ action makes people and businesses eligible for NOAA fisheries disaster assistance. Congress has appropriated $165 million for such help for fiscal 2019 and the Commerce Department decides allocations to eligible fisheries, the statement said.

The statement said a regional disaster occurred for Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama because of “extreme flooding events in the Gulf of Mexico.” Alaska and California each had multiple requests approved; one for both Georgia and South Carolina will help shrimpers and shrimp processors. An unusually cold spell in January 2018 killed the vast majority of shrimp overwintering in estuaries, Erin Weeks, spokeswoman for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, said in an email.

Read the full story at The Star Tribune

World’s Most Ambitious Satellite Telemetry Study of Foraging Green and Hawksbill Sea Turtles

September 25, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is pioneering what has become the most rigorous satellite tagging study of foraging green sea turtles and hawksbill sea turtles in the world. NOAA researchers Drs. Alexander Gaos, Summer Martin, and Camryn Allen recently returned from their latest expedition to Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). When they see a turtle, they free dive and attempt to hand-capture it. Local resident and freediving expert Jessy Hapdei leads the hand-capture effort. He has been involved in the project since its inception.

The most recent survey trip took place in early September 2019. The research team planned the mission to coincide with good weather dates. The eastern and northern coasts of the islands of Guam and Saipan have been impossible to access in the past, because challenging weather conditions persist during much of the year. These areas are important to the regional study of sea turtle movement ecology. The team’s planning efforts were rewarded with six outstanding field days—they captured, measured, and tagged 19 green turtles and two hawksbill turtles. They used flipper tags as well as satellite tags. Satellite tags give information on the fine-scale movements of turtles for several months. Flipper tags can last years or even decades and allow scientists to identify turtles long after the satellite tag has fallen off.

Since 2011, the research team has observed more than 600 turtles. They have hand-captured more than 200 and equipped 125 with satellite tags. Of the turtles equipped with satellite tags, 111 have been green turtles and 14 have been hawksbill turtles.

Read the full release here