NOAA Fisheries Archives - Page 203 of 211

NEW JERSEY: Fish cops issue striped bass warning

December 2, 2015 — Federal fishing officials are warning anglers and commercial fishermen it is illegal to catch striped bass in waters outside three miles.

The ban on catching stripers is in an area called the “Exclusive Economic Zone,” or EEZ, which runs from 3 to 200 miles offshore and is under federal jurisdiction. The ban, which dates back to 1990, is not in place in state waters that are inside three miles.

In recent years the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Law Enforcement has teamed up with the U.S. Coast Guard and state agencies to enforce the ban. NOAA Fisheries Special Agent Jeffrey Ray said in New Jersey the agency will be working with the N.J. Division of Fish and Wildlife to enforce the ban.

The effort runs from November through February and could include dockside or at-sea inspections as well as aerial reconnaissance.

“There’s a lot of striped bass activity and we want to make sure the information is out there that people cannot catch striped bass in the EEZ. There will be patrols in the EEZ,” said Ray.

In the past the efforts have included putting undercover agents posing as patrons on party and charter boats to make sure they stay within three miles. There have been dozens of cases brought against captains that fished in the EEZ, including one against a charter boat operator based in Avalon several years ago.

Read the full story at Press of Atlantic City

Federal funding for at-sea monitoring likely to extend into 2016

December 2, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

We are pleased to announce an update on the status of federal funding for at-sea monitors in the New England Groundfish fishery. We have been informed that industry has facilitated an initial agreement among the three at-sea monitoring contract providers that may allow the remaining contract funds remaining to cover at-sea monitors after December 31 across the fleet, until those funds are expended, through sub-contracting arrangements.

We have continued to track the expenditures of the three at-sea monitoring contract providers through the month of November and, as we anticipated, two of the contract providers have been on target to expend all monies by December 31, 2015. However, the third contract provider continues to spend funds at a slower rate because this company provides observers for only a small percent of the fleet (approximately 2% of the effort).

Approximately $200K is currently available on this at-sea monitoring provider’s contract. This would allow for approximately 250 to 300 sea days of at-sea monitoring. (A “sea day” is a calendar day that the monitor spends at sea on a covered fishing trip. The rate at which those days will be used depends on how much fishing occurs.)

Following the use of the remaining 250-300 sea days of at-sea monitoring, the industry will be required to begin paying for all at-sea monitoring. We anticipate this occurring in early 2016.

It is important to note that if the subcontracting arrangement the industry has negotiated is not effective, the transition of costs would occur as previously announced. NOAA cannot compel the companies to enter into such an arrangement, nor would it be equitable for NOAA to continue to cover only a portion of the fleet while requiring the rest of the fleet to pick up observer costs.

Rare North Atlantic right whale spotted off Gloucester, Mass.

December 1, 2015 — GLOUCESTER, Mass. — Lucky Gloucester residents got a rare glimpse of a North Atlantic right whale this week within 300 feet of the city’s rocky shoreline.

The whale sighted Sunday morning is one of only about 500 North Atlantic right whales left in existence, and though the animals regularly swim along the coast, they are seldom seen.

Researchers have confirmed that the whale spotted off Gloucester was a right whale.

“It’s one of the rarest individuals in the world, so to have this sighting is special,” said Amy Knowlton, a research scientist at the New England Aquarium. “They were hunted nearly to extinction … and they really have not recovered very quickly.”

The aquatic mammals feed on copecods, crustaceans that are abundant on Jeffreys Ledge, about 20 miles northeast of Gloucester, according to Tim Cole, a biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole.

Read the full story at the Boston Globe

NOAA announces $4 million in funding to build coastal resilience

December 1, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

As part of its efforts to provide communities and businesses with products, tools, services, and funding to better address weather- and climate-related threats, today NOAA announced $4 million in recommended funding for six habitat restoration projects across the United States.

The projects recommended for funding, under NOAA’s 2015 Coastal Ecosystem Resiliency Grants Program, focus on dam removal in New England, creation of living shorelines in North Carolina, and reconnection of rivers to floodplains and flood protection in Washington, Florida, Massachusetts and California.

“Funding these innovative habitat restoration projects supports our mission of fostering resilient coastal communities and sustainable marine resources, and that’s a priority for us,” said Eileen Sobeck, assistant NOAA administrator for fisheries. “These on-the-ground restoration projects, along with the other restoration projects we support, will enhance ecosystem resilience against extreme weather and changing environmental conditions, provide habitat to support sustainable fisheries, and help recover protected species.”

Habitat restoration experts from around the country selected these projects based on rigorous reviews and a highly competitive process. Recommended projects have been approved by their state’s Governor’s offices. At least $2 million in the federal grants will be matched by applicants, and the projects must begin within 12 months of funding.

NOAA is taking a multifaceted approach to building coastal resilience through two grant programs. NOAA Fisheries’ Coastal Ecosystem Resiliency Grants program is dedicated to the development of healthy and sustainable coastal ecosystems through habitat restoration. A complementary NOAA National Ocean Service grant program, the Regional Coastal Resilience Grants, focuses on regional-scale projects that enhance the resilience of coastal communities and economies to effects of extreme weather, climate hazards, and changing ocean conditions. Activities may include improving coastal risk assessment and communication, promoting collaborative approaches to resilience planning, and better informing science based decision making.

The National Ocean Service plans to announce the results of that grant competition in early 2016.

Application approval and funding is not yet final. Divisions of NOAA and the Department of Commerce must still give final approval for the projects.

Ciguatera fish poisoning predicted to increase with rising ocean temperatures

December 2, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

A new NOAA study, published in the journal Ecological Modeling, forecasts an increase in ciguatera fish poisoning in the Gulf of Mexico and the U.S. Southeast Atlantic coast with predicted rising global ocean temperatures due to climate change.

Ciguatera-causing algae are abundant in the Caribbean, and ocean warming would enable some of those species to move northward, increasing its presence in the Gulf of Mexico and U.S. southeast Atlantic. Warmer temperatures could also mean larger and longer blooms of harmful algae, including those that produce ciguatoxins.

In the Caribbean, Gambierdiscus are already near the top of their preferred temperature range. Higher temperatures are likely to inhibit the growth of these cells, slightly decreasing the risk of ciguatera in the Caribbean.

“This is another example of how we can use NOAA’s observing and forecasting expertise to anticipate and prepare for environmental change and its impact on coastal communities and economies,” said Mary Erickson, director of NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, which conducted the research. “It contributes to NOAA’s larger efforts to build a ‘climate-smart’ nation resilient to climate and weather extremes, and long-term changes.”

For this study, researchers projected water temperatures in the greater Caribbean through the year 2099, based on 11 global climate models and data from NOAA buoys in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. Forecasted temperature changes were then used to project the effects of ocean warming on the growth, abundance and distribution of two groups of ciguatera-causing algae (Gambierdiscusand Fukuyoa).

People can be affected by ciguatera, the most common form of algal-induced seafood poisoning, by eating contaminated tropical marine reef fish such as grouper, snapper and barracuda. The fish can become contaminated with ciguatoxins, potent neurotoxins produced by Gambierdiscus, a microscopic algae common in the tropics.

More than 400 fish species are known to become toxic. In U.S. waters, ciguatera occurs in Hawaii, Guam, southern Florida, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and occasionally in the Gulf of Mexico, extending around the southeast U.S. coast as far north as North Carolina. Ciguatera impedes development of fisheries resources in many regions of the world. Toxins produced by Gambierdiscus contaminate marine animals such as corals and seaweeds, and the carnivores that feed upon them, causing toxins to move into the food chain.

“Contaminated fish have no specific taste, color, or smell and there is no easy method for measuring ciguatoxins,” said Steve Kibler, a NOAA scientist and the study’s lead author. “However, we can forecast risk based on where and when we are likely to find the algae that produce ciguatoxins.” The forecast will allow communities to target monitoring, saving resources by focusing only on areas and times when ciguatera is likely to be present.

Color micrograph of Gambierdiscus carolinianus, an algae species widely distributed in the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and the southeast Atlantic coast that produces ciguatoxins. Ciguatera, the most common form of algal induced seafood poisoning, is contracted from the human consumption of tropical marine reef fish contaminated with ciguatoxins.(Credit: NOAA).

This work is part of a larger NOAA effort to develop and implement practical, affordable, and sustainable strategies for managing the risk of ciguatera. Next steps include determining which species are producing the toxins and developing and transferring monitoring technology to managers and researchers in tropical countries around the world.

The ciguatera forecast is part of a NOAA ecological forecasting initiative that aims to deliver accurate, relevant, timely and reliable ecological forecasts directly to coastal resource managers and the public as part of its stewardship and scientific mandates for coastal, marine and Great Lakes resources.

This research was conducted by scientists from NOAA, North Carolina State University, and Ocean Tester LLC.

NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science delivers ecosystem science solutions to facilitate stewardship of the nation’s coastal and ocean resources while sustaining thriving coastal communities and economies.

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and our other social media channels.

ASMFC Seeks Proposals for a Socioeconomic Study on Atlantic Menhaden Commercial Fisheries

November 29, 2015 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC):

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is soliciting proposals from research teams to conduct a socioeconomic study of Atlantic menhaden commercial fisheries. The study, expected to begin in February 2016, is intended to characterize the coastwide commercial fisheries, including bait and reduction sectors and the fishing communities they support. Funding for the project has been provided through a cooperative agreement with NOAA Fisheries. Approximately $80,000 will be available to fund the study.

“We anticipate this project will be key to assisting the Board with future decisions on the management of the menhaden resource,” stated Robert Boyles, Chair of the Commission’s Atlantic Menhaden Management Board. “As such, we are hopeful state agencies and stakeholders will fully and openly participate in the collection of new socioeconomic information. The Board will incorporate the products of the study as it moves forward with the development of Draft Amendment 3 in 2017.”

The primary objective of the study is to provide socioeconomic information to better understand the impacts of potential changes to the management of Atlantic menhaden commercial bait and reduction fisheries. The project will identify individuals, families, firms, organizations, and communities to better characterize the menhaden fisheries and their stakeholders. The study will also gather both primary and secondary information from stakeholders and state agencies on the fisheries (e.g., landings, value, participation, capacity utilization, fixed costs) and market (e.g., retailers/wholesalers, clients/purchasers, number/types of employees) to more thoroughly evaluate the socioeconomic value of Atlantic menhaden.

The research deliverables were identified by the Commission’s Committee on Economics and Social Sciences (CESS) using the general framework from a previous menhaden socioeconomic study conducted in the Chesapeake Bay region by Kirkley and colleagues in 2011. CESS also worked closely with the Atlantic Menhaden Board Allocation Workgroup to address research needs.

“We are excited the Commission was able to secure funding for this in-depth study of the menhaden fishery,” said Madeleine Hall-Arber, CESS Chair. “The effort represents a new direction for the Commission to provide detailed socioeconomic information to help managers better understand management impacts. Similar resources are needed to support socioeconomic studies in other fisheries along the Atlantic Coast.

A full list of the anticipated project deliverables can be found within the Request for Proposals at http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/565b56a0MenhadenRFP_Nov2015.pdf. Proposals should be submitted to Shanna Madsen (smadsen@asmfc.org) by 5 p.m. EST, January 4th, 2016. For more information, please contact Shanna Madsen, Fisheries Science Coordinator, at smadsen@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

Read the release from the ASMFC

NOAA chief tells lawmaker: No one will ‘coerce the scientists who work for me’

November 24, 2015 — The Obama administration is continuing to resist efforts by a top House Republican to gain access to the internal deliberations of federal scientists who authored a groundbreaking global warming study the lawmaker is investigating.

In response to a threat from House Science Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Tex.) to subpoena Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration told Smith in a letter Friday that her staff will not be influenced by political interference.

“I have not or will not allow anyone to manipulate the science or coerce the scientists who work for me,” Administrator Kathryn Sullivan wrote.

“If the committee doubts the integrity of the study,” Sullivan wrote, “it has the tools it needs to commission a competing scientific assessment.”

Sullivan was responding to Smith’s claim last week that the climate study, published in June in the peer-reviewed journal Science, was “rushed to publication” over the objections of some NOAA scientists.

Read the full story at the Washington Post

NEFMC Approves Framework 9 Monkfish Fishery Management Plan

November 23, 2015 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The NEFMC took final action on Framework 9 to the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan. It is developed jointly with the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Council, with New England in the lead. While this framework addresses monkfish issues, it also would modify the region’s groundfish regulations. If approved by NOAA Fisheries, it would:

Allow limited access monkfish category C and D sector vessels only to declare, and use, while at sea, a groundfish (or Northeast Multispecies) day-at-sea while fishing in the Northern Fishery Management Area (NFMA).
Eliminate the monkfish trip limit when on a groundfish/monkfish day-at-sea in the NFMA.
Reduce the minimum mesh size of standup gillnet gear in the Southern Fishery Management Area (SFMA). Vessels fishing on a monkfish day-at-sea with a stand-up gillnet in the Mid-Atlantic Exemption Area could use mesh a minimum mesh of 5- inches, fish with no more than 50 standup gillnets, and retain dogfish and monkfish.
Allow vessels fishing on a monkfish day-at-sea in the Southern New England (SNE) Dogfish Exemption Area to use a minimum standup gillnet mesh size of 6-inches, fish no more than 50 standup gillnets from May 1 through October 31, and retain both dogfish and monkfish. Vessels fishing on a monkfish day-at-sea in the SNE Monkfish and Skate Exemption Area could use a minimum mesh size of 10-inches year round and retain both dogfish and monkfish on the same trip.
Allow a 6.5-inch minimum mesh size for standup gillnet gear while fishing on a monkfish and groundfish day-at-sea in the SFMA.

The Council opted for No Action on three alternatives that would have: a.) allowed vessels in the SFMA to declare a monkfish day-at-sea while at sea; b.) increased the daily day-at-sea/ trip limit allocation for Category F (offshore) vessels; and c.) allowed vessels to re-declare or use a monkfish research set-aside day-atsea while already at sea using a monkfish dayat-sea. The decisions were made largely on the basis of concerns effort shifts from north to south.

Both Councils, voting at their respective June Council meetings, agreed on the management measures proposed in Framework 9. It will be submitted to NOAA Fisheries later this summer. The Monkfish Committee is scheduled to consider next Amendment 6, an action that will address among other issues, options for catch shares in this fishery.

View a PDF of the Newsletter

Fishing industry, environmental groups spar over protected areas in Atlantic waters

November 21, 2015 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — A growing effort to permanently protect deep-sea canyons, mountains and ledges in waters off New England has the local fishing industry on edge.

“It would be a big hit for the company,” Jon Williams, president of Atlantic Red Crab Co. on Herman Melville Boulevard, said about the potential for the first marine protected areas on the Eastern seaboard. “We’re going to lose an area that we fish regularly, and we’re going to lose it forever.”

There’s a big “if” behind Williams’ statement. Environmental groups and marine scientists have intensified their calls in recent months for President Barack Obama to declare “national monument” status for three ocean areas, which would permanently protect them from an array of commercial and industrial uses. No decision has been reached, though, and the timetable for action could extend over Obama’s last year in office.

That could make 2016 a nervous year for fishing industry leaders and advocates in New Bedford and elsewhere on the New England coast.

“I am strongly opposed to the national monument,” Stephanie Rafael-DeMello, co-owner of Bela Flor Seafood Brokerage Co. and manager of Northeast Fishery Sector 9, said in an email. “I believe it takes away from the public, science-driven process that goes into such considerations.”

After a flurry of activity this fall, the issue is stirring broad debate about how to balance preservation of marine life, ocean health and sustainable fisheries with potential oil and gas exploration, unsustainable fisheries, mineral mining, fishing-reliant regional economies and more.

Also at issue is how the protected national monument areas could be established. Backers of the effort are urging Obama to use the Antiquities Act, which dates to 1906 and allows the president to act unilaterally to preserve endangered areas. People opposing or questioning the monument effort, though, say use of that act could circumvent public input.

“The problem is it doesn’t use the normal process, which is the New England Fishery Management Council, to open or close (ocean) areas,” said Ed Anthes-Washburn, executive director of the Harbor Development Commission.

Mayor Jon Mitchell expressed similar concerns.

“National monuments are declared by the White House without the same kind of vetting that NOAA applies to new regulations,” Mitchell said last week. “We’ve been making the case that the federal government needs to put the brakes on the declaration of a national monument over an area that has extensive sea canyons and sea mountains, which is a place that’s fished primarily for ocean crabs.”

Priscilla Brooks, vice president and director of ocean conservation for the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), a Boston environmental advocacy group, said about 800,000 square miles in the Pacific Ocean already have been protected as marine national monuments.

Obama established three of those Pacific monuments by presidential proclamation in January 2009, and a fourth was established in 2006, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

“We don’t have a single mile in the Atlantic. Not one,” Brooks said. “We think it’s time.”

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard – Times

NOAA: Haddock flourish, while cod stocks dwindle

November 21, 2015 — The groundfish stock updates released this week by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reflect what the agency says is the continuing deterioration of the Gulf of Maine cod stock, while showing that other stocks such as haddock, pollock and redfish appear to be flourishing.

The operational assessment updates were performed on 20 Northeast groundfish stocks, with the results corresponding to the state of the individual stocks through 2014.

The news for cod, according to the update, is really no news at all.

“Based on this updated assessment, the Gulf of Maine Atlantic cod stock is overfished and overfishing is occurring,” the authors of the report wrote in their executive summary.

The results show the GOM cod spawning biomass to be hovering between 4 percent and 6 percent of what is necessary to sustain a well-managed stock despite three years of Draconian cuts to cod quotas and the more recent shuttering of the Gulf of Maine to all cod fishing.

While the update’s results continue the trend of NOAA data that show the GOM cod stock near total collapse, they also continue to fly in the face of the season-long insistence by Cape Ann fishermen — commercial, recreational, fin and lobster fishermen — that they have seen more cod this season than in many years past.

Read the full story at Gloucester Daily Times