Saving Seafood

Fisherman’s Perspective: Electronic Monitoring Needs to Pay Off for Fishermen

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

This is part two of our interview Rick Bellevance, a charter fisherman out of Point Judith, Rhode Island and a member of the New England Fishery Management Council, about his experiences using electronic monitoring and reporting. In this part, we focus on electronic monitoring. Read Part 1 for Rick’s take on electronic reporting.

Getting Started in Electronic Monitoring

You just recently started a pilot project using cameras to attempt to verify eVTR recreational fishing reports. Why did you start this project?

I started the project on electronic monitoring as a way to validate my electronic vessel trip reports. I grow frustrated with folks who feel like they need to double, triple, and quadruple check our vessel trip reports. I honestly believe that we all try hard to accurately report what we catch and what we throw back. This was my way of being able to show a full season of how my business works. So those cameras are, in my opinion, recording what I already know, and I want to have an opportunity to show that to people.

Where are the cameras located on your boat?

One camera is on the railing on my bridge that shoots down into the cockpit and captures all the anglers in the back of the boat and all of the fishing activity. There is a second camera that is focused straight down on the station where we generally measure all the fish to determine if they are legal-sized or not. And so as I understand it, they can take the images from the angler reeling in the fish. Then the fish is then captured by the camera where it gets measured, and you can see whether the fish is discarded or retained. That system validates the numbers of discards and kept fish that we reported.

Have you seen the video? How are the cameras on the vessel working out so far?

I did see a little snippet from the program. It’s really cool how you can see the fish get caught on the first camera, and then see the fish measured and tossed or kept on the second camera.

Read the rest of the interview on our website.

NOAA Fisheries Seeks Comments on Framework Adjustment 6 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan

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

NOAA Fisheries is proposing Framework Adjustment 6 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan. This action would set specifications for the herring fishery for 2020-2021. The proposed specifications would reduce catch limits for 2020 and 2021 in response to estimates of herring biomass and recruitment.

This action would use status quo methods to set all other specifications, including catch caps for river herring and shad.

This action would update the overfished and overfishing definition for the herring stock. Updating these definitions is largely an administrative change that is not expected to impact commercial fisheries. Additionally, this action would suspend the carryover of unharvested catch for 2021. Suspending carryover is proposed 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 the sub-ACLs in those areas cannot be fully harvested.  It is also consistent with the Council’s conservative management due to the current status of the herring stock and the uncertainty surrounding estimates of biomass and recruitment.

Read the proposed rule as published in the Federal Register, and submit your comments through the online portal. You may also submit comments through regular mail to:

Michael Pentony, Regional Administrator

Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office

55 Great Republic Drive

Gloucester, MA 01930

The comments due date is 02-12-2020.

Read the full release here

What’s tangling up the humpback whales? A food chain snarled by climate change

January 27, 2020 — Karin Forney still remembers when an unusual number of humpback whales started showing up in Monterey Bay a few winters ago. She could see them out her window — so close to the surf that kayakers could literally paddle up to them.

But with this delightful arrival came an alarming number of humpbacks getting entangled in fishing gear that cut into their flesh and often led to death. This sudden crisis confounded scientists, fishermen and animal rights groups.

“We went from virtually no humpback whale entanglements to one every other week — and then during peak, in the spring of 2016 … we were basically on call every single day,” said Forney, an applied marine ecologist at the NOAA Fisheries who scrambled to help the rescue efforts.

“The whales just kept coming.”

Read the full story at the Los Angeles Times

Surveys Collect Data Year-Round on Marine Life along U.S. East Coast

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

While the weather outside may be frightful this time of year, Northeast Fisheries Science Center researchers continue collecting data from planes, ships, and underwater.

Many of the studies are part of the Atlantic Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species, or AMAPPS. This multi-year program is funded by NOAA, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Navy. Researchers put information about abundance, distribution, ecology, and behavior of protected species—from whales, dolphins, and seals to marine turtles and seabirds—into an ecosystem context. This helps resource managers with conservation measures and decision-making.

Aerial Surveys

NOAA Fisheries scientists and colleagues from state and non-profit organizations conducted aerial surveys in the Northeast region through December 2019. Flights will resume on February 1. The focus is on right whale sightings in and near Nantucket Shoals, where many whales have been aggregating recently. We will also survey other areas where right whales were seen in the past.

Two recent aerial surveys used NOAA Twin Otter aircraft. The Northeast center’s aerial whale survey team conducts one based at Air Station Cape Cod. Center staff and colleagues from other marine research organizations conducted a survey specifically for AMAPPS last fall, based at Barnstable Municipal Airport in Hyannis, Massachusetts.

AMAPPS surveys moved to southeast U.S. waters off Florida and Georgia in early December and will continue there through the end of January 2020.

Read the full release here

Florida Man Sentenced for Killing Endangered Sawfish

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

Chad Ponce, a 38-year old commercial fishermen, is facing 2 years probation, 80 hours of community service and a $2,000 fine for killing an endangered smalltooth sawfish. A judge determined this sentence on December 19, 2019, after a joint investigation by NOAA Fisheries and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) confirmed Ponce used a power saw to cut the rostrum (saw or bill) off of the live fish before discarding its body back into the ocean.

The St. John’s County Sheriff’s Office and FWC received a tip reporting the capture and gross mishandling of a large (12-14 foot) smalltooth sawfish off the coast of Ponte Vedra, Florida, on July 18, 2018. The sawfish was incidentally caught in one of Ponce’s commercial shrimp trawl nets earlier that day.

Upon retrieval of the net Ponce, captain of the Triton II, first attempted to use a hacksaw on the rostrum, but witnesses report he tossed that saw into the ocean when it didn’t work. Ponce then used a power saw to cut the rostrum off the live animal. Another fisherman in a vessel adjacent to the trawler witnessed the incident and reported it to FWC’s Report Sawfish for Science Hotline.  

This hotline is typically used to document sightings and incidental captures by recreational anglers of sawfish for the purpose of monitoring the population. The report was passed on to NOAA, which oversees the conservation of species listed under the Endangered Species Act.

NOAA and FWC opened an investigation into the alleged violation. FWC sent an officer offshore to the location of the Triton II on the day of the report. DNA evidence connecting Ponce to the crime was gathered in the course of the investigation.

Read the full release here

NOAA Fisheries Approves Adjustments to Fishing Year 2019 Specifications for the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan

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

Each year, NOAA Fisheries determines how much unused quota sectors may carry over from the previous fishing year based on final catch data. Today we are announcing, through a final rule, the amount of allocation each sector may carry over from the 2018 to 2019 fishing year.

This rule also corrects minor errors published in Framework Adjustment 58 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan. These errors are administrative and do not change the amount of quota allocated to sectors or the common pool for the 2019 fishing year.

For details see the rule as filed in the Federal Register or our website.

New Report Reveals Economic Impact of Recreational Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Fisheries

January 22, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

In November, NOAA Fisheries released the findings of two studies on the economic impact of recreational fisheries targeting Atlantic highly migratory species. When combined with other NOAA Fisheries research, these reveal that HMS recreational fishing contributes an estimated $510 million to the U.S. economy each year.

Atlantic tunas, sharks, billfish, and swordfish—together known as HMS—are popular targets for anglers. In 2018, we issued more than 20,000 HMS angling permits to fishermen living across the country. There were also more than 200 tournaments targeting Atlantic HMS that year.

To understand how this robust industry impacts our national economy, we asked 1,806 anglers to break down their fishing trip expenses. We also collected cost and earnings information from 73 tournament operators and spoke with 104 tournament fishing teams. Both surveys were conducted in 2016.

Anglers reported spending an average of $682 for a day of fishing for Atlantic HMS outside a tournament. Daily expenses were highest in the Gulf of Mexico. We estimate they spent $300 more on average there than in New England. Regardless of where they fished, though, anglers say boat fuel was their largest expense. Bait costs came in as a distant second, followed closely by groceries.

Read the full release here

Marine Recreational Information Program Updates Implementation Plan

January 22, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Since the Marine Recreational Information Program’s inaugural implementation plan was published in 2008, annual reports have tracked its efforts to provide the high-quality recreational fishing statistics needed to assess and manage U.S. fish stocks. In 2020, the state-regional-federal partnership will prioritize the tactics that will help its partners implement the recreational fishing survey designs that meet their science and management needs, while providing national guidance around survey and estimation methods.

Program Accomplishments for Fiscal Year 2019

We advanced the use of electronic reporting in recreational fisheries data collection by adopting a tablet-based data collection program along the Atlantic coast, evaluating the uses and limitations of opt-in angler reporting apps, and co-hosting a workshop to explore the essential elements of an electronic logbook-based for-hire reporting program.

We supported the deliberate transition toward regional implementation by reviewing design alternatives to the Hawaii Marine Recreational Fishing Survey, certifying the design of Florida’s Gulf Reef Fish Survey, and publishing a process to facilitate the smooth implementation of new survey designs.

We increased stakeholder understanding of the program by participating in a multi-day Fishing Effort Survey workshop with the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, increasing our involvement in regional fishing shows and Marine Resource Education Programs, and publishing a new program brochure.

We achieved transparency in program operations with the detailed documentation of current and former recreational fishing surveys, estimation methods, and internal operating procedures.

Read the full release here

The “Why” of WHICEAS, the Winter Hawaiian Islands Cetacean and Ecosystem Assessment Survey

January 21, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Cetacean researchers from the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center are embarking on a winter research cruise. It’s called the Winter Hawaiian Islands Cetacean and Ecosystem Assessment Survey (WHICEAS, pronounced “why-sees”). They will study cetaceans (whales and dolphins) and seabirds around the main Hawaiian Islands aboard the NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette from January to March. This is a time of year they haven’t previously studied.

This winter survey provides an opportunity to focus on baleen whales such as humpback whales that generally migrate into Hawaiian waters during that period. It will also allow us to examine changes in density of other species between winter and summer. We will use traditional cetacean survey methods such as visual observations and acoustic detections.

The Sette will traverse along a systematic survey grid, but will also deploy Drifting Acoustic Spar Buoy Recorders. These recorders are attached to hydrophones nearly 500 feet (150 meters) deep. These buoys passively drift with the currents and collect acoustic recordings. They provide more detailed records of cetaceans even after the ship has moved to other portions of the study area. The depth of the hydrophones improves our ability to detect beaked whales since they spend much of their time at depth. It also helps us detect the low frequency calls of baleen whales that are missed by our towed hydrophone array.

Read the full release here

NOAA’s Laurel Bryant: US seafood industry, regulators should be proud of achieving “gold standard”

January 21, 2020 — Laurel Bryant, the chief of external affairs in NOAA Fisheries’ Communications Office, retired at the end of 2019.

In 1989, Laurel Bryant began her career working for the United States House of Representatives Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee, the predecessor to the House Natural Resources Committee. By 1994, she joined the National Marine Fisheries Service where among other positions, she served as the executive director to the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee, and launched a number of key initiatives to provide more timely information about agency science and stewardship mission, including the weekly electronic newsletter FishNews, and the seafood web interface FishWatch. As chief of external affairs, Bryant focused on building strategic partnerships for the agency to strengthen communications with a broader spectrum of stakeholders involved with the seafood supply chain and coastal fishing communities, and building greater familiarity and public support for U.S. responsibly managed fisheries and seafood.

Read the full story at Seafood Source