Saving Seafood

Expect a busier-than-normal hurricane season, NOAA says

August 9th, 2019 –In an uptick from the preseason forecast, the Atlantic hurricane season now is expected to be above normal, with 10 to 17 named storms, including five to nine hurricanes, the Climate Prediction Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, announced Thursday.

Two to four of those hurricanes are forecast to be Category 3 or stronger, with winds greater than 110 mph, experts said, in line with the May prediction. Hurricane Barry hit Louisiana in July as a Category 1 storm.

“We expect conditions to be more favorable for storm development through the rest of the season,” Gerry Bell, the prediction center’s lead seasonal hurricane forecaster, told CNN.

The updated forecast was issued just ahead of the start of the most active hurricane period — the roughly eight weeks that surround September 10, when hurricane season hits its statistical peak.

Read the full story at CNN

NOAA: Request for Comments on Red Snapper Fishing in the Gulf of Mexico

August 8, 2019 — The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Gulf Council) developed six amendments to the Fishery Management Plan for Reef Fish Resources in the Gulf of Mexico (Reef Fish FMP) to allow the five Gulf of Mexico states some management authority for private angler red snapper recreational fishing. The Council has transmitted these Amendments to NOAA Fisheries.

  • NOAA Fisheries requests your comments regarding the changes these Amendments would make to Gulf of Mexico private recreational red snapper management in federal waters. Comments are due by October 7, 2019.
  • Amendment 50A includes actions that affect all states and Amendments 50B-F analyze actions specific to each Gulf of Mexico state (Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Texas, respectively).
  • NOAA Fisheries will also publish a proposed rule to implement these changes and will send another Fishery Bulletin to request comments at that time. Comments on both the amendment and proposed rule will be considered in the final rule.

Read the full story at Fishing Wire

2019 Species Recovery Grant Awardees Announced

August 8, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Today, NOAA announces the award of $6.5 million to states and tribes through its Species Recovery Grant Program. These grants promote the recovery of species listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

$3.8 million will support 15 new awards to 11 states and 2 federally recognized tribes. Another $2.7 million will support the continuation of 17 multi-year projects that were approved in prior grant cycles.

States and tribes play an essential role in conserving and recovering species. Threatened or endangered species under NOAA Fisheries’ jurisdiction may spend all or part of their lifecycle in state waters. Successfully conserving these species depends largely on working cooperatively with states and tribes. This year’s funding supports our state and tribal partners in a range of activities, such as:

  • Reducing or removing significant sources of mortality and injury.
  • Assessing and monitoring species status and trends.
  • Engaging the public in conservation of Endangered Species Act-listed species.

Read the full release here

ASMFC Awards Grants to 5 Aquaculture Pilot Projects

August 8, 2019 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) has selected five aquaculture pilot projects to receive funding. Through these pilot projects, emphasis is being placed on promising but less commercially developed technologies for finfish and shellfish, and other industry needs like increased permitting efficiency. As part of its efforts to foster responsible aquaculture and seafood security in the US, NOAA Fisheries provided $575,000 in funding to the Commission to support these projects. Following a rigorous review, which included an evaluation of the technical aspects of the proposals as well as their compliance with environmental laws, the following five projects were selected.  The projects, ranging from black sea bass production to aquaculture workforce development, will begin in August and are scheduled for completion in 2020.

Read the full release here

Scientific and Statistical Committee Meeting Scheduled August 19-21, 2019

August 8, 2019 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold a meeting of its Scientific and Statistical Committee to discuss the use of recreational fishing data collected through NOAA Fisheries’ Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP). The meeting will be held August 19-21, 2019 at the Town and Country Inn, 2008 Savannah Highway, Charleston, SC 29407. The meeting is open to the public.

Data collected through MRIP are used for stock assessments for species managed by the Council and subsequently in management decisions. The data collection program has transitioned from use of a Coastal Household Telephone Survey to using a Fishing Effort Survey by mail in recent years, due in part to the shift in phone usage from landline-based home phones to mobile phones. The transition to the Fishing Effort Survey by mail has resulted in some disparity for estimates between the two survey methods. The SSC will address this disparity for selected species and also establish approaches for the use of the Fishing Effort Survey estimates for unassessed species managed by the Council.

Additional information about the meeting is available from the Council’s website at: https://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/scientific-and-statistical-committee-meetings/. The briefing book materials for the meeting, including the agenda and overview are posted along with public comment forms. The meeting will be available via webinar each day as it occurs. Registration is required and links are available from the website.

NOAA Fisheries Seeks Comments on Proposed Rule to Implement Framework Adjustment 14 to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan

August 8, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries proposes the following adjustments to commercial and recreational summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass fisheries:

  • Including conservation equivalency as an annual management consideration for the black sea bass recreational fishery, which allows federal measures to be waived in lieu of appropriate state measures;
  • Creating a federal waters transit zone for non-federally permitted vessels fishing in state waters around Block Island Sound; and
  • Incorporating a maximum recreational size limit in the list of potential specification measures for summer flounder and black sea bass.

These adjustments are intended to provide additional flexibility in the management of these species.

How Do I Comment?

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

Please mark the outside of the envelope, “Comments on the Proposed Rule for Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Framework 14”

The comment period is open through September 9.

Read the full release here

Recreational Anglers Get Help Combatting Post-Release Mortality from Partnership of Fishery Managers

August 5, 2019 — The following was release by NOAA Fisheries:

No one, especially recreational anglers, likes to see a fish float away or sink to the bottom dead. That’s why NOAA Fisheries Recreational Fishing Initiative, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), and the Atlantic states are working together to help more fish survive when released by recreational anglers.

Fish mortality has historically been high in some of our most iconic fisheries. Advances in fishing gear technology have, in recent years, helped alleviate some of its leading causes. Two of the most effective tools are fish descending devices and circle hooks.

Descending devices help return fish to the depth—and pressure—where they were caught. This relieves problems caused by barotrauma, a condition resulting from rapid pressure changes. Barotrauma can make it hard for fish to swim and can cause swelling of their organs.

Circle hooks help anglers hook a fish in the lip or jaw, reducing damage from hooking fish in the gills, stomach, or other vital organs.

Many recreational anglers are embracing these technologies. Fishery managers see benefits when more anglers adopt catch and release best practices.

NOAA Fisheries recently worked with ASMFC to make these tools more easily available and keep our nation’s fishery resources healthy. With funds provided by NOAA Fisheries Recreational Fishing Initiative, the Commission distributed 61,000 circle hooks and more than 1,000 descending devices to state marine fishery agencies from Florida to New England. This project will help recreational anglers limit their impact on the resources they cherish. It has also strengthened the partnership between state and federal fishery managers.

Read the full release here

DAVID GOETHEL: The hidden cost of fishery monitoring

August 2, 2019 — Recently my crewman came into the wheelhouse with a complaint. I am a commercial fisherman and we were on our third consecutive day of carrying at-sea monitors, which we are required to do in 2019 on at least 31% of trips. This is like having your own state policeman ride with you to work to make sure you do not exceed the speed limit. They watch you to make sure you do not throw over any fish that are part of your quota. Because the government wants their monies worth, they have them weigh everything you bring on board.

My crewman’s complaint was about the number of fish and shellfish being killed that would have been returned alive to the ocean on unobserved trips.

My crewman did not come from a fishing background. He was a restaurant chef. In restaurants you do not waste anything. Unsold fresh catch becomes tomorrow’s fish chowder. In fisheries we waste lots of fish, and after a while become hardened to government regulations that require the practice.

Read the full story at Fosters.com

NOAA Fisheries Implements Squid and Butterfish Quotas for the 2019 Fishing Year

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

Based on updated information, we increased the commercial Illex squid quota by 8-percent for 2019. We also maintained the previously approved 2019 annual quotas for longfin squid and butterfish by continuing the existing longfin squid quota, and increasing the butterfish commercial quota by 66 percent.

The increased 2019 Illex quota is based on an evaluation that similar historic catch has not harmed the stock. As new information becomes available, we may revise the proposed quotas for future fishing years.

Read the final rule that filed today in the Federal Register and the bulletin posted on our website. Supporting documents for this rule are available on the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s website.

NOAA Hollings Scholar Takes a Bite out of White Shark Research

July 31, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Sharks are among the oceans’ top predators and play an important role in the health of marine ecosystems. One of the most recognizable shark species is the white shark. Despite its notorious reputation, little is known about the Northwest Atlantic population of white sharks in comparison to other white shark populations around the world. This summer, NOAA Fisheries’ Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office hosted Rebekah James, a NOAA Hollings Scholar, where she got the opportunity to learn more about these iconic animals.

Rebekah is from Matthews, North Carolina and attends the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. She is a rising senior studying Marine Biology and Environmental Science. Rebekah loves to SCUBA dive and is working towards her professional level certifications. This summer, she worked with Dr. Tobey Curtis at our Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Management Division. Her summer project focused on the movements and habitat use of young-of-the-year white sharks during their first winter.

During the summers of 2016-2017, in collaboration with OCEARCH, Dr. Curtis and a team of scientists from several institutions tagged 20 young-of-the-year white sharks off Long Island, New York. This area is considered a summer nursery area for white sharks, but little was known about where these young sharks spend the winter months. Rebekah built on this work by looking  at the sharks’ tag locations during the months of December to April. Her findings confirmed that these sharks migrated south and remained in coastal waters off North and South Carolina throughout the winter.

Read the full release here