Saving Seafood

Nation’s Fishery Management Councils Find Consensus on MSA Changes, Advocate for Efforts to Address Environmental Justice Issues

October 26, 2021 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

Leaders of the nation’s eight Regional Fishery Management Councils concluded their second biannual meeting in 2021 last week by videoconference. The Council Coordination Committee meeting provides the Councils and heads of the National Marine Fisheries Service an opportunity to discuss issues relevant to all of the Councils. The three-day meeting was open to the public and hosted by the Pacific Fishery Management Council.  Among the issues discussed were proposed changes to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the need to more fully address environmental justice for underserved fishing communities.

Please view the full press release and a comprehensive summary of the meeting by visiting the U.S. Regional Fishery Management Councils website at: http://www.fisherycouncils.org/ccc-meetings/october-2021.

 

Attention! Vessel Owners and Operators: VTRs Will Be Required To Be Reported Electronically Starting November 10 and We Will No Longer Be Accepting Paper VTRs

October 26, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Beginning November 10, 2021, GARFO-permitted commercial fishing vessels will be required to have an electronic device onboard the vessel at the time of the trip and submit with that device a completed report electronically within 48 hours of the end of a trip. This also applies to vessels holding a NEFMC for-hire permit. This does not apply to vessels holding only an American lobster permit.

  • See our webpage for more information on the requirements, and use this decision tree to help you decide if you need to use eVTR.Paper vessel trip reports packages will no longer be distributed by GARFO.
  • After November 10, we will only accept electronic VTRs.
  • If you have any delinquent VTRs, please mail them as soon as possible for processing before the deadline.  

How to Report

  • GARFO, our partners, and several companies have developed applications that meet our eVTR reporting requirements. There are software apps for virtually all smart phones, tablets and computers.
  • An up-to-date listing can be found on our Electronic Vessel Trip Reporting Software Options web page along with instructions on how to use GARFO’s apps and links to partner apps.

More Information and Resources

Port Agents:

  • Based in offices from Maine through Virginia, Port Agents are available to provide remote and in-person eVTR app assistance to individuals or small groups throughout the region.
  • You may contact a Port Agent directly, or through our Vessel Reporting Help Desk at (978) 281-9188 or nmfs.gar.reporting@noaa.gov.  Contact information for Port Agents and their areas of coverage can be found here.

Webinars:

Other Resources:

To keep in touch on the latest information regarding eVTR implementation and other vessel reporting topics you can sign up for our bulletins. To sign up or to update your existing subscriptions, go to our sign up page. Once you are on the sign up page follow these directions:

  • Bulletins are listed under the Regional Updates subscription topic.
  • Under the New England/Mid-Atlantic Updates sub-topic.
  • Click the + sign to expand the list, and select eVTR and VMS updates.
  • Then click submit at the bottom.

Questions?

Contact your local Port Agent.

Federal rules are sinking Maine’s lobster industry

October 25, 2021 — As a lifelong Maine lobsterman, I understand the inherent dangers of my job. I keep watch on the forecast knowing that sudden weather changes can make the difference between a successful day at work and putting my crew’s life at risk. These days, however, the hazard posed by Mother Nature does not compare with the perfect storm of regulations coming out of Washington that threaten my job, our way of life and may eventually sink a fishery that has supported communities and generations of families here in Maine.

In May, National Marine Fisheries Service released a nearly 1,000-page document outlining a 10-year plan that mandates a seemingly unreachable goal to reduce risk from our industry to the endangered North Atlantic right whale by 98 percent. This not only affects me, but nearly 10,000 other men and women who make their living hauling traps.

The fisheries service rolled out the first phase of this plan in August, requiring new gear modifications to add more traps to each buoy line while simultaneously making each line weaker. These measures reduce risk by removing a lot of rope from the ocean and help any entangled right whale to break free from the lines that remain, but they will most certainly make a lobsterman’s already dangerous job even more so.

Recently, a federal judge in Bangor temporarily delayed a seasonal closure of more than 950 square miles of prime lobstering ground off Maine. While we are relieved with this decision, the proposed closure reflects just one in a long line of decisions in the government’s plan that is supposed to protect right whales. The problem is this misguided plan takes aim at the wrong target and may destroy our industry while doing little to help protect the whale.

Read the full opinion piece at the Bangor Daily News

 

Amendment 23 Implementation Outreach Workshops

October 21, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The New England Fishery Management Council developed Amendment 23 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan to revise the groundfish sector monitoring program. The Council’s selected measures include a requirement for 100 percent of sector groundfish trips to be monitored, if the agency can reimburse industry’s costs. Sectors would be able to use either human at-sea monitors or either of two electronic monitoring options, or a combination of those options, to meet their monitoring requirement.

While NOAA Fisheries reviews Amendment 23, we are determining how to implement the measures if they are approved. On October 12, we hosted an informational webinar and we have scheduled a series of virtual workshops this fall to assist industry in preparing for the implementation of Amendment 23, if approved. The informational webinar focused on presenting information about the new Maximized Retention Electronic Monitoring model, implementation decisions made to date, a timeline for additional implementation decisions, and our outreach plan to engage constituents in collaboratively planning implementation details.

Informational Webinar

October 12, 2021:  2-3:30 p.m.

Click here for a recording of the webinar.

Virtual Workshops

We are also planning a series of virtual workshops, with multiple webinars to allow each to focus in-depth on a limited number of topics. We will limit the number of attendees for each webinar to ensure that all participants have an opportunity to engage in the discussion. Topics will be chosen based on public feedback so that we focus on the issues of interest to our constituents.

We will be rescheduling the first workshop, initially scheduled for October 27, to a later date this fall.  Next week we will post an agenda for the November 3 workshop.

Please email us to register for a workshop webinar, suggest topics for a workshop agenda, or to provide other feedback for the workshops.

For more information on the webinar and virtual workshops, visit the event page.

Questions?

Media: Contact Allison Ferreira, Regional Office, 978-281-9103

 

US Pacific Fishery Managers Recommend Quota for American Samoa Bottomfish

October 20, 2021 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

Today, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council recommended the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) implement a 5,000-pound annual catch limit (ACL) for the American Samoa bottomfish stock complex. According to a 2019 NMFS assessment, the 11-species bottomfish complex is overfished and the fishery is experiencing overfishing. A 10-year rebuilding plan is required by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Federal waters will be closed to bottomfishing when the ACL is projected to be reached. With 85% of the bottomfish habitat located within territorial waters, it is critical that federal and local fishery management efforts are coordinated.

The American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources presented a draft Bottomfish Management Plan to the Council that was developed with input from fishing communities in Tutuila and Manu‘a. The plan includes mandatory catch reporting; fisher and fish dealer licensing; vessel registration; seasonal, area-based and catch-based closures; and size limits.

In his remarks to open the Council meeting, American Samoa Governor Lemanu Mauga said fishing is a way of life in the islands and a vital aspect of his culture. He noted that only a tiny portion of the bottomfishers’ catch is sold—most is “eaten, shared and distributed among families, especially during fa‘alavelaves (cultural events, funerals, weddings, etc.) and holidays. Perhaps, it is also high time to explore more culturally appropriate ways of managing this type of small, cultural and subsistence fishery.”

“The dilemma that we are facing in American Samoa is the difficulty of melding Western ways with cultural ways we live by every day,” said Kitty Simonds, Council executive director. Simonds pointed out the Council has worked for many years to develop a management system without strict regulations that better fits the Western Pacific Region.

Manny Dueñas, Council vice chair from Guam, supported the recommendation, but with reservations about the health and welfare of the American Samoa community. He commented he would hate to be in Council Chairman Soliai’s shoes when he tells the community to stop catching fish for their festivities. The Guam bottomfish fishery is overfished according to a 2019 NMFS stock assessment.

The territory has a population of approximately 58,000 people, with more than 54% living under the poverty level. The ACL for the bottomfish stock complex specified in 2017 was 106,000 pounds.

The Council manages federal fisheries operating in waters offshore of the State of Hawai‘i, the Territories of American Samoa and Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and the U.S. Pacific Remote Islands Areas.

 

Maine Lobstering Union Lands Injunction to Halt Right Whale Lobster Fishing Area Closure

October 19, 2021 — The Maine Lobstering Union (MLU) was granted emergency relief by U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker on October 16 to halt an impending closure of a lobster fishing area off Maine.

The closure was set to be implemented as part of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)’s Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan Modifications announced at the end of August.

After learning of the closure, the MLU, along with other industry groups including the Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA), sued the NMFS over the right-whale related rule changes.

According to the MLU, the closure would have impacted a large area of “prime lobstering territory.”

Read the full story at Seafood News

 

On the Water: A Look at Life as an Observer October 13, 2021

October 18, 2021 — Keenan Carpenter has always loved being on the water. Growing up in Florida, he dreamed of a pro fishing career. Today, you can often find him casting his rod from the beach or on a kayak in his spare time. But as he moved through his studies in marine sciences at Jacksonville University, he found another way to channel his affinity for fishing and his background in sciences—as an observer for NOAA Fisheries.

“I watch what gets taken out of the ocean to ensure there’s more to get taken out later,” Carpenter says of his work. As one of about 850 observers contracted by NOAA Fisheries, Carpenter acts as the agency’s eyes and ears on the water. Observers collect data from commercial fishing vessels on what’s caught and what’s discarded, and track interactions with seabirds, sea turtles, and marine mammals. The data are critical “puzzle pieces of the whole picture,” as Carpenter says, underpinning the decisions made for sustainable fisheries management.

Read the full story from NOAA Fisheries

 

NOAA Fisheries Announces Atlantic Mackerel Fishery Closure

October 14, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is closing the entire Atlantic mackerel fishery in federal waters through the end of the fishing year on December 31, 2021.

Effective at 0001 hour on October 15, 2021, vessels are prohibited from fishing for or landing more than 5,000 lb of Atlantic mackerel per trip in or from federal waters through December 31, 2021. Vessels may not land Atlantic mackerel more than once per calendar day.

The most recent management track assessment from the Northeast Fisheries Science Center concluded that the species remains overfished and overfishing increased slightly. We are implementing this closure to minimize additional catch for the remainder of the current fishing year.

If you have started a trip prior to October 15, 2021, you may offload and sell more than 5,000 lb of Atlantic mackerel from that trip, as long as the vessel entered port before 0001 hr on October 15, 2021.

For more information, please read the notice as filed in the Federal Register, and the permit holder bulletin posted on our website.

Questions?

Fishermen: Contact Alyson Pitts, Regional Office, 978-281-9352

Media: Contact Allison Ferreira, Regional Office, 978-281-9103

U.S. waterways plan draws lawsuit over species impacts

October 13, 2021 — A U.S. plan to expand the commercial use of navigable waterways increases risks to already imperiled species like the North Atlantic right whale, an environmental group claims in a lawsuit filed in Newport News, Virginia federal court on Tuesday.

The Center for Biological Diversity accuses the U.S. Maritime Administration, part of the Department of Transportation, of violating the Endangered Species Act (ESA) with its America’s Marine Highway program by failing to consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service to ensure the program does not jeopardize species protected under the statute.

The Center for Biological Diversity says that many of the marine highways are located in critical habitats for ESA-listed species, including humpback whales and leatherback sea turtles.

Read the full story at Reuters

Please Join the Discussion: NOAA’s Southeast For-Hire Electronic Reporting Program in the South Atlantic

October 8, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

What:

NOAA Fisheries newly appointed Southeast Regional Administrator, Andy Strelcheck will provide an update and take questions about the agency’s Southeast For-Hire Electronic Reporting Program. The call is moderated by an operator with callers being placed into a queue to ask questions after a few opening remarks.    

When:

Thursday, October 14, from 12-2pm EST

Where:

Dial 1-888-282-0362

Passcode: 8210831   

Get Involved:

The next South Atlantic Fishery Management Council Meeting will be December 6-10 at the Beaufort Hotel in Beaufort, NC

https://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/council-meetings/