Saving Seafood

NOAA Fisheries Announces 2018/2019 Atlantic Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Program Funding Opportunity

September 11, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries, in coordination with the New England Fishery Management Council, is soliciting Atlantic Sea Scallop research proposals under the 2018/2019 Atlantic Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Program.

Under this program, proceeds generated from the sale of set-aside scallops will be used to fund research activities and compensate vessels that participate in research activities and/or harvest set-aside quota.

Projects funded under the Atlantic Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Program must enhance the understanding of the scallop resource or contribute to scallop fishery management decisions. Priority is given to funding research proposals addressing the list of 2018 and 2019 Atlantic Sea Scallop Research Priorities listed in the Funding Opportunity.

Read the complete 2018/2019 Atlantic Sea Scallop Federal Funding Opportunity.

To apply for this NOAA Federal Funding Opportunity, go to Grants.gov, and use the following code: NOAA-NMFS-NEFSC-2018-2005322.

Complete proposals/applications must be received on or before 5 p.m. EDT on November 6, 2017.

For proposals submitted through Grants.gov, a date and time receipt will be the basis of determining timeliness. The proposal must be validated by Grants.gov in order to be considered timely. PLEASE NOTE: It may take Grants.gov up to two (2) business days to validate or reject the application. Please keep this in mind in developing your submission timeline.

If you prefer to mail your application, please send one signed original and two hard copy applications postmarked by November 6, 2017 to Cheryl A. Corbett, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, 166 Water Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543, ATTN: 2018/2019 Atlantic Scallop Research Set-Aside Program.

Find out more about Northeast Research Set-Aside Programs.

Questions? Contact Cheryl Corbett at 508-495-2070 or Cheryl.Corbett@noaa.gov.

Now Open: NOAA Marine Debris Prevention Grant Opportunity for 2018

September 11, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The NOAA Marine Debris Program is proud to announce our Marine Debris Prevention federal funding opportunity.

The Marine Debris Program offers funding that supports locally driven, community-based marine debris prevention and removal projects. These projects benefit coastal habitat, waterways, and wildlife including migratory fish.

This opportunity provides funding to support eligible organizations for activities to prevent the introduction of marine debris into the marine and coastal environment. Applicants requesting funding for projects to address a specific marine debris issue, and that will actively engage these groups in hands-on personal participation, are welcome to apply. Projects focused on efforts to prevent marine debris from entering the environment through targeted behavior change will be given priority.

To apply for marine debris prevention funding through this opportunity, applicants must first submit a Letter of Intent (LOI), via email, to grants.marinedebris@noaa.gov.

The deadline for LOI submission is September 28. After NOAA reviews all submitted LOIs, only those invited to submit a full proposal will be considered for funding.

Applicants will be notified by November 1 if they have been invited to submit a full proposal.

Questions? Contact marinedebris.web@noaa.gov.

Sturgeon habitat in focus

September 6, 2017 — ELLSWORTH, Maine — Federal fisheries managers have taken a significant step toward promoting the recovery of the nation’s depleted Atlantic sturgeon resource.

Last week, NOAA Fisheries designated a vast area along the Atlantic coastline as critical habitat for the Atlantic sturgeon. The critical habitat designation will require federal agencies to consult NOAA Fisheries if they operate or fund activities that may affect designated critical habitat in more than 3,968 miles of important coastal river habitat from Maine to Florida.

Atlantic sturgeon was listed under the Endangered Species Act in 2012.

Read the full story at the Mount Desert Islander

2017 Northeast Groundfish Operational Assessment Meeting Materials Available

September 1, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center is carrying out routine, regularly scheduled stock assessments for New England groundfish. The peer review will be September 11-15, and the NEFSC is sending the draft assessment reports and supporting information to the peer reviewers and making the information available to the public this Friday, September 1. At this stage the results are preliminary until they are vetted by the peer review panel.

You may now access the 2017 draft groundfish operational assessments and a range of additional materials through our data portal link here:

https://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/groundfish/operational-assessments-2017.

For each species stock, we will also include models, model inputs, maps, figures, tables, and other background materials that will be used by peer reviewers. We hope this will help you prepare for the assessment meeting if you plan to attend and to better understand the draft assessment results, recognizing that the results are not final until confirmed by the peer review panel.  Please let us know your thoughts on how we can continue to improve access to information for future assessment meetings.

The 2017 peer review of 19 Northeast groundfish operational stock assessments will occur September 11-15 in Woods Hole, MA.  The meeting will also be available by webinar and teleconference.

Questions? Contact Teri Frady at 508-495-2239 or teri.frady@noaa.gov.

Commercial Harvest of Atlantic Group Cobia (Georgia to New York) Will Close in Federal Waters on September 5, 2017

August 31, 2017 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

WHAT/WHEN:

  • Commercial harvest of Atlantic group cobia (Georgia to New York) will close in federal waters at 12:01 a.m. (local time) September 5, 2017.  Commercial harvest will reopen in federal waters at 12:01 a.m. (local time) on January 1, 2018.

WHY IS THIS CLOSURE HAPPENING:

  • The 2017 commercial annual catch limit is 50,000 pounds round or gutted weight. NOAA Fisheries projects the 2017 cobia annual catch limit for the commercial sector has been reached based on reported landings to date and landings that are expected to be reported by dealers that do not have a federal dealer permit.
  • This closure is necessary to protect the Atlantic cobia resource by minimizing the amount that commercial landings exceed the commercial annual catch limit.

DURING THE CLOSURE:

  • The operator of a vessel that is landing cobia for sale must have landed and bartered, traded, or sold such cobia prior to 12:01 a.m., local time, September 5, 2017. The prohibition on sale and purchase does not apply to the sale or purchase of cobia that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold prior to 12:01 a.m. (local time) September 5, 2017, and were held in cold storage by a dealer or processor.
  • The possession limit for recreational Atlantic migratory group cobia in federal waters is zero for the remainder of the 2017 fishing year.

NOAA Fisheries closed the recreational sector for Atlantic migratory group cobia in federal waters on January 24, 2017.

NOAA Fisheries Removes the Northern and Southern Windowpane Flounder AMs for all Trawl Vessels

August 31, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Effective tomorrow, September 1, 2017, until February 28, 2018, non-groundfish trawl vessels fishing with a codend mesh size of 5 inches or greater are no longer required to use approved selective trawl gear (haddock separator trawl, rope separator trawl, or Ruhle trawl) in the large southern windowpane flounder Accountability Measure (AM) areas. For more information, read the permit holder bulletin and the emergency rule as filed in the Federal Register. 

Through a previous action, groundfish vessels may also fish in the AM areas without selective gear, effective September 1 2017 through April 30, 2018. While we were able to remove the accountability measures for the groundfish vessels through existing regulatory processes, an emergency rule was required to remove the accountability measures for non-groundfish trawl vessels. This emergency rule is intended to minimize economic harm to the fluke and scup fisheries.

Red Snapper Special Session – SAFMC Meeting – September 11-15, 2017 in Charleston, SC

August 28, 2017 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Meeting Location:

Town and Country Inn

2008 Savannah Highway

Charleston, SC 29407      

Phone: Reservations: 843/571-1000

Agenda Highlights  

  • Full Council Session – Monday, September 11
    Harvest Options for Red Snapper 
    The Council will hold a special session from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm on Monday of the meeting week to specifically address measures to allow harvest of red snapper. The Council will review alternatives in Snapper Grouper Amendment 43 to determine an annual catch limit for red snapper and allow a limited season in 2018. The Council will also consider options to request that NOAA Fisheries take emergency action for a red snapper mini-season in October 2017.

    • Red Snapper Public Comment – Monday, September 11 at 10:15 am
      Public comment will be solicited on measures proposed in Amendment 43 to allow for a limited harvest of red snapper in 2018 and options for requesting emergency action for harvest in 2017.  The Council is scheduled to take action during Monday’s Full Council Session.  Can’t attend? Provide your comments online and register to attend via webinar as the meeting occurs (see below).
  • Snapper Grouper Committee The committee will continue to review measures proposed for both recreational (Regulatory Amendment 26) and commercial (Regulatory Amendment 27) sectors as identified through the Council’s 2016-2020 Vision Blueprint. Measures include reducing the recreational size limit for black sea bass, commercial split seasons and more.
  • Mackerel Cobia Committee The committee will receive an update on the development of an interstate fishery management plan for Atlantic cobia (Georgia through New York) by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. A public hearing will be held during the meeting week (see below). Options to modify the current commercial trip limit for king mackerel will also be reviewed.

Mid-Atlantic Unmanaged Forage Omnibus Amendment Final Rule Published

August 25, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries announces a new rule to protect unmanaged forage fish. Forage fish are small schooling species that serve as prey for larger commercially and recreationally important fish, as well as for marine mammals and sea birds. Anchovies, herring, chub mackerel, and sardines are some common forage fish.

Commercial fisheries often catch forage fish, but we know little about the amount of forage species caught in Mid-Atlantic waters. Because of their importance to the food web, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council wants to protect the ecological role these species play in the Mid-Atlantic and to collect more information on catch. This new information will help inform future scientific assessments and management decisions.

This is the first rule in the Atlantic to list forage species as ecosystem component species. This action would set landing and possession limits for 17 species and species groups to prevent the expansion of directed commercial fisheries on these species in Mid-Atlantic federal waters (see map below).

Read the rule as filed in the Federal Register and the permit holder bulletins for commercial fishermen and for dealers.  Mid-Atlantic fishermen will receive a copy of a forage fish identification guide, which is also available electronically on the Mid-Atlantic Council’s website.

2nd Round of 2017 Groundfish Assessment Port Meetings Scheduled

August 25, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The Northeast Fisheries Science Center is coming to a port near you! Join us for the second set of port meetings between August 28 and September 7 to discuss the upcoming groundfish operational stock assessments.

These meetings will include an informal explanation of the stock assessment process, the cooperative research program, and ways that your concerns can be addressed by the science center.

We’d like to talk to commercial and recreational fishermen. We’re listening to what you have to say.

See the full schedule of confirmed meetings.

Find out more about the assessments and meeting schedules.

Fishermen See ‘Science in Action’ Aboard NOAA Survey Ship

August 18, 2017 — Each spring and early summer, scientists set out along the West Coast aboard NOAA vessel Reuben Lasker to survey coastal pelagic species, or CPS, which includes small schooling fish such as northern anchovy, Pacific sardine, and jack and Pacific mackerels.

This year, with the help of West Coast fishermen, the scientists tested a new approach to extend their reach into nearshore waters to improve the accuracy of the survey results. The collaboration involved the fishing vessel Lisa Marie, of Gig Harbor, Washington, and brought two commercial fishermen aboard Lasker for an inside look at NOAA Fisheries surveys that inform stock assessments and guide decisions on how many fish can be caught by West Coast fishermen.

The idea emerged years before when the then-Director of NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla, California,  Cisco Werner, along with Deputy Director Kristen Koch and Fisheries Resources Division Director Gerard DiNardo, discussed the potential collaboration with Mike Okoniewski of Pacific Seafood and Diane Pleschner-Steele of the California Wetfish Producers Association.

Werner has since been named Chief Scientist of NOAA Fisheries.

The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act requires NOAA Fisheries to use the best available science to help managers set catch limits and prevent overfishing. Annual surveys, using echosounders to detect and measure the abundances of CPS populations off the coasts of California, Oregon, Washington, and Canada’s Vancouver Island help fulfill this mandate. NOAA Fisheries also uses trawl catches, and fish-egg samples to help gauge fish reproduction and population trends.

“Acoustic-trawl surveys are our principal tool for monitoring the various species and determining how their abundances, distributions, and sizes are changing,” said David Demer, the Chief Scientist of the survey and leader of the Advanced Survey Technologies Group at Southwest Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla. “The surveys are very rigorous because they’re very important to our mission.”

Read the full story from NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center