Saving Seafood

Extended: Voluntary Vessel Speed Restriction Zone South of Nantucket to Protect Right Whales

March 29, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The voluntary vessel speed restriction zone (Dynamic Management Area – DMA) previously established south of Nantucket has been extended to protect an aggregation of 6 right whales sighted in this area on March 28.

This DMA is in effect through April 13, 2019.

Mariners are requested to route around this area or transit through it at 10 knots or less. Whales were spotted in or near shipping lanes so please be especially vigilant when traveling in these areas.

Nantucket DMA coordinates:

  • 41 12 N
  • 40 28 N
  • 070 36 W
  • 069 31 W

ACTIVE SEASONAL MANAGEMENT AREAS (SMAs)

Mandatory speed restrictions of 10 knots or less (50 CFR 224.105) are in effect in the following areas:

Cape Cod Bay SMA — in effect through May 15

Off Race Point SMA– in effect through March 29

Mid-Atlantic U.S. SMAs (includes Block Island) — in effect through April 30

Southeast U.S. SMA — in effect through April 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. With an unprecedented 20 right whale deaths documented in 2017 and 2018, NOAA is cautioning boaters to give these endangered whales plenty of room. We are also asking commercial fishermen to be vigilant when maneuvering to avoid accidental collisions with whales, remove unused gear from the ocean to help avoid entanglements, and 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 slightly more than 400 remaining, making them one of the rarest marine mammals in the world.

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.

Read the full release here

NOAA Fisheries Announces At-Sea Monitoring 2019 Coverage Levels and Reimbursement for Groundfish Sector Fishery

March 28, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries announces that for fishing year 2019 the total target at-sea monitoring coverage level is 31 percent of all groundfish sector trips. Additionally, for fishing year 2019, NOAA Fisheries will continue to reimburse 100 percent of industry’s at-sea monitoring costs.

In 2018 and 2019, we received Congressional appropriations that have been and will continue to be used to reimburse sectors for 100 percent of their ASM costs. This reimbursement will continue at 100 percent for the 2019 fishing year. As in past years, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission will administer the reimbursement.

For more information, please read the Summary of Analysis Conducted to Determine At-Sea Monitoring Requirements for Multispecies Sectors FY2019 available on our website.

Read the full release here

How Science Can Help Managers Anticipate and Respond to Climate Change to Keep U.S. Fisheries Sustainable

March 28, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The Bering Sea ecosystem, which has experienced unprecedented changes in recent years, provides a real-world testing ground for a new strategy to help marine resource managers anticipate and respond to climate change. The new strategy, developed by NOAA Fisheries scientists, is outlined in a paper published this week. It calls for evaluating existing management measures and developing climate forecasts for various marine areas in Alaska, over different time frames, to promote sustainable fisheries under changing environmental conditions.

“We’re talking about responsive science and management. What’s unique about our approach is that we consider interacting climate, biological, and socio-economic changes and how humans are affected by those changes,” said Kirstin Holsman, lead author, and scientist at Alaska Fisheries Science Center.

According to Holsman, this is important because changes in social conditions can influence how people respond to management measures and, ultimately, their effectiveness.

“We wanted to provide resource managers with a strategy to help them better understand environmental and socioeconomic variability over time, to help them balance tradeoffs and anticipate tipping points when the transition to a new ecosystem or social state occurs. At that point, it becomes about adaptation.”

Read the full release here

Fishing Interests to Get Say On Offshore Wind

March 28, 2019 — The National Marine Fisheries Service announced Tuesday that it had signed an agreement with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, or RODA, to collaborate with fishing interests on offshore wind energy development on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Service is the primary federal regulatory agency in charge of marine life and habitats. BOEM, part of the Interior Department, issues leases for energy development. RODA is a membership-based coalition of fishing industry associations and fishing companies.

The 10-year memorandum of understanding says that NOAA, BOEM and RODA have mutual interests, including the responsible planning and development of offshore wind power and other offshore development that could affect fisheries, habitats and the industry they support. The agencies and the coalition agreed to collaborate and forge further agreements on issues of mutual interest.

The collaboration agreement comes at a crucial time in wind energy development, said Chris Oliver, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries. “This Memorandum of Understanding will help achieve NOAA Fisheries’ strategic national goal of maximizing fishing opportunities while supporting responsible resource development.”

Read the full story at the Coastal Review

MASSACHUSETTS: Gloucester groundfish sectors consolidate

March 28, 2019 — The decline of the region’s commercial groundfish industry has claimed another casualty — Gloucester-based Northeast Fishery Sector III.

The sector, one of two Gloucester-based groundfish sectors within the original 16 commercial groundfish sectors approved by NOAA Fisheries in the 2010 transition to catch shares, will be deactivated for the upcoming 2019 fishing season. The reason: its exhausted roster of vessels and permits won’t financially support an active sector.

Most of the remaining active vessels — estimated to be less than a half-dozen entering the new fishing season — and their permits will be rolled into Gloucester-based Northeast Fishing Sector II for the new fishing season set to open on May 1.

“Because of lack of activity in the sector, it just couldn’t support itself financially,” said David Leveille, manager of Northeast Fishing Sector II. “It just wasn’t generating enough income to justify remaining an independent sector. If we ever get Gulf of Maine cod back, maybe the sector can become active again.”

Leveille estimated Sector III vessels possessed a total of about 36 groundfish permits.

“But at this point, I don’t know how many of those will be active,” he said, adding that the addition of the Sector III vessels will bring Sector II’s active roster to 35 boats and about 128 permits.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

ALASKA: State seeks delisting of ringed seals under Endangered Species Act

March 28, 2019 — Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration is seeking to remove a seal species from the federal Endangered Species Act, a request which may have ramifications for the future of offshore oil drilling in Alaska.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced Tuesday that it was petitioning the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service to delist the ringed seal. The move has support from the North Slope Borough, Arctic Slope Regional Corp. and Iñupiat Community of the Arctic Slope.

While acknowledging the decline of the seals’ sea ice habitat, documented last year by NOAA’s Arctic Report Card, the Fish and Game statement noted that the ringed seal “continues to occupy the entire circumpolar Arctic, with an abundant population numbering in the millions.” It also questioned the availability of scientific data for the foreseeable future extending to the year 2100, as mentioned in the ringed-seal declaration.

“The best available scientific information now available indicates ringed seals are resilient and adaptable to varying conditions across their enormous range and are likely to adapt to habitat conditions that change over time,” state officials wrote.

NOAA spokeswoman Julie Speegle confirmed Tuesday afternoon that the state’s petition had been received. Its arrival triggers a 90-day deadline for NOAA to “publish a finding in the Federal Register as to whether the petition presents substantial information indicating that the petitioned action may be warranted.”

Read the full story at KTVA

NOAA Raises Concerns About Effects of Wind Farm and Undersea Cables

March 27, 2019 — A federal agency responsible for the stewardship of marine resources has raised questions about the impacts of the nation’s first “utility-scale” wind farm planned for waters approximately 14 miles south of the Vineyard.

Responding to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s nearly 500-page draft environmental impact statement, the National Marine Fisheries Service, informally known as NOAA fisheries, said in a letter that many of the conclusions drawn in the report about the limited or modest effects of the project on marine habitat lack sufficient evidence and require further examination.

“We determined that many of the conclusory statements relating to the scale of impacts for biological and socioeconomic resources are not well supported in the document,” a letter from the fisheries service to BOEM states. “Specifically, impacts categorized as major appear under-inclusive, while impacts designated as moderate seem overly inclusive.”

Last Thursday, the Martha’s Vineyard Commission closed a public hearing on two, 220 kilo volt undersea cables that would run through Edgartown waters to connect the wind farm to mainland Massachusetts. Vineyard Wind, the energy partnership that won the rights in a federal auction to build the proposed 84-turbine farm, intends to bury the cables at a target depth of 6.6 feet below the ocean floor.

During the hearing, many members of the public who testified cited the BOEM draft environmental impact statement that, among other things, assesses the effects of the project on marine life as minor. But in the letter to BOEM, the fisheries service questioned those conclusions and requested a more detailed analysis of the project.

Read the full story at the Vineyard Gazette

Seafood industry group signs pact with NOAA Fisheries, BOEM over wind energy projects

March 27, 2019 — A U.S. organization representing the seafood industry announced on Tuesday, 26 March, that it reached a 10-year agreement with two key federal agencies regarding the development process for offshore wind energy projects in the Atlantic Ocean.

Under the terms of the memorandum of understanding signed by NOAA Fisheries, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, they will seek to engage local and regional fishing communities in areas where offshore wind projects are being considered. They will also determine how to deliver industry knowledge into the offshore wind development process.

In addition, they will work together to ensure decisions are made using the best available science.

“Of course, any development on the Outer Continental Shelf must consider how these activities can affect current ocean users and the marine environment,” BOEM Acting Director Walter Cruickshank said in a statement. “That is why working with federal, state, and local agencies, fishing communities, and the public in our process is such an essential part of our renewable energy program. We look forward to working with NOAA and RODA to balance the needs of all ocean users through extensive and continuous engagement.”

Currently, the U.S. has leased 1.7 million acres offshore in the Atlantic for wind energy development. Once all are active, those 15 projects could develop enough electricity for 6.5 million homes.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Fishing Year 2019 Atlantic Sea Scallop Management Measures Go Into Effect April 1

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

The management measures for the Atlantic Sea Scallop fishery for the 2019 fishing year go into effect on April 1, 2019.

Framework Adjustment 30 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan:

  • Sets specifications for the scallop fishery for fishing year 2019, including Days-at-Sea (DAS) allocations, Individual Fishing Quotas (IFQs), and sea scallop access area trip allocations. These allocations are similar to those set in the 2018 fishing year. This action also sets precautionary default 2020 specifications, in case we implement the next framework after the April 1, 2020 start of the 2020 fishing year;
  • Allocates effort into three rotational access areas (Mid-Atlantic, Nantucket Lightship-West, and Closed Area 1). Scallop landings allocated to Closed Area 1 are flexible and can be landed from any available access area;
  • Sets a 205,000 lb Northern Gulf of Maine total allowable catch for 2019 that will be split as 137,500 lb for the Limited Access General Category (LAGC) and 67,500 lb for the limited access fleet;
  • Standardizes default specifications for Limited Access DAS and LAGC IFQ allocations; and
  • Standardizes the approach used to set the number of access area trips available to the LAGC IFQ fleet.

Read the final rule as published in the Federal Register, and the permit holder bulletins for the Limited Access and Limited Access General Category scallop vessels available on our website.

Read the release here

CALIFORNIA: Dramatic sardine population decline means likely West Coast fishing ban

March 27, 2019 — There won’t be any boats pulling bulging nets of fresh sardines out of the ocean along the West Coast this year after another dramatic decline in population virtually guarantees a ban on the commercial take of the tiny schooling fish.

The northern Pacific sardine population, stretching from Mexico to British Columbia, has plummeted 98.5 percent since 2006, according to a draft stock assessment released this week by the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Pacific Fishery Management Council.

It means regulators have no choice but to ban sardine fishing for the fifth straight year starting July 1 from Mexico to the Canadian border.

“We’ve been urging for an overhaul to the way sardine are managed for the last seven years,” said Geoff Shester, a senior scientist with Oceana, an ocean conservation advocacy group. “It is critical to hold fishery managers accountable for exacerbating this modern-day sardine collapse and seek management changes to use best available science to learn from our mistakes.”

Read the full story at the San Francisco Chronicle