Saving Seafood

Lobstermen’s group launches $10 million fundraising push to ‘save’ industry jobs

November 17, 2021 — The Maine Lobstermen’s Association announced a three-year, $10 million fundraising campaign Tuesday to raise money for the fishery’s fight against impending regulations that industry members say could “eliminate the fishery and end Maine’s lobstering tradition.”

It named the fundraising campaign “Save Maine Lobstermen” and created a website at savemainelobstermen.org.

Earlier this year, the National Marine Fisheries Service released a 10-year plan, known as a biological opinion, to help protect the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale from deadly entanglements in fishing gear.

The first phase of the plan, released in August, adds requirements that include state-specific gear marking, weak points in rope to allow entangled whales to break free, and a 967-square-mile seasonal closure off the coast of Maine to reduce risks to whales by 60 percent this year and 98 percent over 10 years.

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

Preserving Genetic Diversity Gives Wild Populations Their Best Chance at Long-Term Survival

November 16, 2021 — A new paper shows that genetic variation is crucial to a population’s short- and long-term viability. The paper, by a NOAA Fisheries Northwest Fisheries Science Center researcher, examined decades of theoretical and empirical evidence. It was published in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science.

Genomics Revolution

The genomics revolution has made it possible to quickly and cheaply sequence entire genomes. These rapidly advancing technologies have expanded our understanding of wild populations like salmon and their interactions with the environment.

Read the full story at NOAA Fisheries

 

NOAA analyses to inform aquaculture siting in the Gulf of Mexico and Southern California

November 16, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Today, NOAA released two Atlases compiling the best available science to inform the identification of Aquaculture Opportunity Areas (AOAs) in the Gulf of Mexico and Southern California. NOAA previously identified these regions for their potential to host sustainable commercial aquaculture development in the United States. Areas in the Atlases will have characteristics expected to support multiple types of aquaculture industries including finfish, shellfish, seaweed, or some combination.

“The aquaculture Atlases apply the latest ocean data and information to advance sustainable business development,” said Gina M. Raimondo, U.S. Secretary of Commerce. “This will help us continue to sustainably support the blue economy, which provides clear benefits for our country, our economy, and the planet.”

“These are the most advanced spatial analyses ever performed for any U.S. ocean regions,” said Nicole LeBoeuf, Assistant Administrator of NOAA’s National Ocean Service. “The Atlases are powerful scientific tools that will help advance food security for all Americans and improve sustainable food production, which is critical for the economic and environmental resilience of our coastal communities.”

NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science developed each Atlas using more than 200 data layers accounting for key environmental, economic, social, and cultural considerations, including fishing interests and marine protected areas. The studies identified nine areas in the Gulf of Mexico and 10 areas in the Southern California Bight that may be suitable for aquaculture, while also reducing conflicts with other ocean uses. 

While informed by the Atlases and other relevant information, the decision to identify an AOA will only be made after completion of the National Environmental Policy Act Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, which will assess the impacts of siting aquaculture facilities in different potential locations. Proposed aquaculture development must go through the appropriate permitting process. Though the information delivered in these Atlases is tailored to inform the AOA selection process, the method used to conduct these analyses could also benefit other ocean planning and coastal management. 

“Aquaculture Opportunity Areas will foster development of U.S. aquaculture as a needed complement to our wild capture fisheries resources,” said Janet Coit, Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries. “Using a combination of scientific analysis, aquaculture opportunity Atlases, and public engagement, NOAA is identifying defined geographic areas that are environmentally, socially, and economically appropriate for commercial aquaculture.” 

NOAA will continue to work with Regional Fishery Management Councils, Marine Fisheries Commissions, states, tribes, and other stakeholders to identify areas to be considered in further depth for sustainable aquaculture. Public input is vital to shaping an open and transparent AOA process.

Lawsuit over whale protections off Maine’s coast to proceed

November 15, 2021 — A federal judge has declined to throw out a lawsuit against the federal government seeking tougher rules to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales from collisions with ships.

The lawsuit, filed by the Center for Biological Diversity, Conservation Law Foundation and other environmental groups in 2012, seeks to force the National Marine Fishery Service (NMFS) to take aggressive steps to protect the right whale population by setting a speed limit for vessels to prevent collisions.

The groups filed a new petition to the court last year accusing the federal agency of dragging its feet on responding to their request for new whale protection rules.

The Biden administration had asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit, but U.S. District Court judge Amit Mehta ruled on Wednesday that the federal agency “cannot ignore its obligation to fully and properly consider a petition for rulemaking.”

Read the full story at The Center Square

Seabirds, Fishing Vessels Supplied Data to Support Ocean Research During Pandemic

November 15, 2021 — The COVID-19 pandemic curtailed daily life for millions and idled much of NOAA Fisheries’ marine research. Scientists turned to unusual collaborators: seabirds in the isolated Farallon Islands off the California Coast near San Francisco.

With most NOAA ships at the dock, the researchers realized that their nearly 40-year time series of conditions off the California Coast was in jeopardy. However, they also realized that long-term surveys of seabird diets could help validate what little other data they had. The birds sampled the same anchovy, rockfish, and other forage fish populations that research vessels do in normal times. Crews from longtime NOAA collaborator Point Blue Conservation Science have logged what fish the birds were catching as they returned to the islands to feed their chicks.

Leveraging Help From Fishermen

Scientists at NOAA Fisheries’ Southwest Fisheries Science Center realized as the pandemic set in during early 2020 that their offshore surveys faced long odds. They contracted a commercial fishing vessel and trained fishermen on how to use their specialized research net and sample the catch. The fishermen then delivered those samples to the survey team. They analyzed the catch in open lab spaces wearing masks and other protective gear as required for social distancing during the pandemic. That turned out to be one of very few fisheries surveys on the West Coast in 2020.

Between pandemic limits and harsh weather, however, the vessel collected only about 25 percent of the data that researchers would typically get from such surveys. They also needed other data to help fill out and confirm the rest of the picture.

Read the full story at NOAA Fisheries

Alaskan Fishermen Sue NMFS, Department of Commerce Over Cook Inlet Salmon Fishery Closure

November 15, 2021 — A trio of Alaskan fishermen has sued the National Marine Fisheries Service (NFMS)’s Assistant Administrator Janet Coit and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo for a recently announced rule change that will close commercial salmon fishing in the federal waters of Cook Inlet, as SeafoodNews covered on November 4.

The fishermen, Wes Humbyrd, Robert Wolfe and Dan Anderson, argue that the rule, which implemented Amendment 14 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Salmon Fisheries in the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska (Salmon FMP), was unconstitutional.

“This casually destructive rule must be vacated, however, because it violates the Constitution’s Appointments Clause and Take Care Clause. These “essential” structural provisions of the Constitution are accountability-preserving mechanisms,” the complaint from the fishermen wrote. “Their basic function is to ensure presidential control over the agents who exercise executive power on his behalf.

Read the full story at Seafood News

Researchers look at direct seafood sales

November 15, 2021 — A team of researchers is looking to learn about the direct seafood market across the country in order to strengthen local food systems and coastal communities.

“Currently, there is a gap in national-level data on the domestic seafood system,” said Joshua Stoll, a marine policy professor at the University of Maine and one of the lead investigators for the project.

The collaboration between the school, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will help better understand how fishermen in the U.S. market their catch.

The agriculture sector has collected this kind of data for decades but the scale of the direct market, where fish is sold from fishermen directly to customers, isn’t clear.

Read the full story at the Ellsworth American

NOAA Veterans Corps Progress By The Numbers, 2021

November 11, 2021 — The NOAA Veterans Corps provides opportunities for military veterans to build their skills and work experience contributing to habitat and fisheries restoration projects.

Through strong partnerships, the months- to years-long paid training program for veterans includes marine and freshwater restoration for native fish and other natural resources. Veterans Corpsmembers’ experiences can also include:

  • Researching the effects of climate change on marine invertebrates
  • Tracking the status of habitat restoration projects and fish populations
  • Helping control invasive marine species

These efforts are helping a variety of threatened and endangered species recover, including:

Read the full story from NOAA Fisheries

Gulf Menhaden Population Continues to be Sustainably Harvested, According to Recent Scientific Stock Assessment

November 10, 2021 — The following was released by the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition:

The Gulf menhaden population has once again been confirmed to be sustainably harvested, based on the results of a recently approved stock assessment conducted by NOAA Fisheries biologists and the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC). Managers at the GSMFC approved the final assessment at their annual meeting in late October.

The assessment, which is based on data from the Gulf menhaden fishery for 2018-2020, finds that Gulf menhaden are neither overfished, nor are they experiencing overfishing. This confirms the results of the last major Gulf menhaden assessment, released in 2019, which reached the same conclusions about the health of the species.

The assessment document went so far as to state that “In general, there is little risk of overfishing or of being overfished.” This statement truly drives home the point that this is a very healthy stock and responsible fishery.

“This latest assessment continues a long trend of positive information coming out about this fishery, which has long been healthy and sustainable,” said Ben Landry, Director of Public Affairs for Ocean Harvesters, which operates a fleet of menhaden fishing vessels.

“This positive assessment validates that the current Gulf menhaden fishing effort is at a level which is both responsible and sustainable,” said Francois Kuttel of Westbank Fishing.

In addition to its conclusions about the overall state of the Gulf menhaden stock, the assessment also finds several other positive indicators for the species. It found that menhaden abundance was particularly strong in 2018, and that fishing mortality is stable and well below historic highs. These indicators support the overall conclusion that overfishing is not an issue with Gulf menhaden.

Gulf menhaden has been internationally recognized as a sustainable fishery. Since 2019, the fishery has been certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), the most prominent international seafood certification program. Much like this assessment, the MSC certification cited the long-term health of the menhaden population, as well as noting the limited environmental impact of the fishery.

UMaine research to bolster bluefin tuna industry

November 10, 2021 – A new study of western Atlantic bluefin tuna population data is expected to improve management practices and a valuable marketplace for fishermen from Maine to Texas.

Thousands of commercial and recreational fishermen capture the tuna, one of the strongest and fastest predators in the open ocean, off the East Coast each year.

The tuna is “among the most sought-after commercial fish in the world’s oceans,” University of Maine assistant professor Walt Golet said in a news release.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded Golet, a research assistant professor with the School of Marine Sciences, more than $276,000 to lead a team of researchers who will collect and analyze updated the animal’s population data. The new data will help reduce uncertainties in assessment models that estimate the amount of fish in the fishery, which can help guide management practices and prevent overfishing, he said.

Golet was also awarded almost $300,000 from NOAA for a project to help bolster the industry. The research includes developing best practices for handling, particularly cleaning and chilling the fish, and outreach to improve consumer perceptions and markets.

Read the full story at Mainebiz