Saving Seafood

Scallop RSA Program: Time to Submit Applications for 2022-2023 Awards Based on Council Research Priorities

August 18, 2021 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

NOAA Fisheries has begun soliciting proposals for research projects to be carried out under the 2022-2023 Atlantic Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program. The submission deadline is October 22, 2021.

Proposals should respond to the research priorities established by the New England Fishery Management Council. During its June 2021 webinar meeting, the Council determined that resource surveys should be the highest priority for the next round of RSA awards. The Council also identified two “high priority” and three “general research” categories, which are summarized in the table below and described in more detail in this letter to the Northeast Fisheries Science Center.

The Scallop RSA Program is a joint effort between the Council, which manages the scallop fishery and sets research priorities, and NOAA Fisheries, which administers the competition, oversees awarded projects, and monitors set-aside harvest activities.

Read the full release here

More fishing rules may change to protect whales

August 18, 2021 — In its first phase of recommended actions to help protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale, the federal Large Whale Take Reduction Team instituted sweeping changes in the rules governing the Northeast lobster and Jonah crab fisheries to help reduce gear entanglements.

Now, the team is turning its attention to other fisheries in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic as its begins the second phase of rule-making to establish wide protections for right whales, other whales and sea turtles.

NOAA Fisheries filed notice on Aug. 11 of its intent to prepare an environmental impact statement and request public comment as vanguard steps toward amending the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan to help the species rebound from its current decline.

The second phase is expected to significantly impact a number of commercial gillnet fisheries in New England and elsewhere along the East Coast, including monkfish, spiny dogfish, skate and other groundfish fisheries.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Scallop Research Set-Aside Proposals Sought

August 18, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries, in coordination with the New England Fishery Management Council, is soliciting proposals for the 2022-2023 Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Program.

Successful applicants are awarded pounds of scallops that have been “set aside” to pay for research expenses; no federal funds are provided. Researchers and fishermen partner to harvest awarded scallops, and the proceeds are used to fund the research and compensate fishing industry partners.

The New England Fishery Management Council sets the research priorities, and NOAA Fisheries administers the competition, oversees awarded projects, and oversees set-aside harvest activities.

The research set-aside programs are designed to inform resource management decisions and improve stock assessments. Proposals are evaluated for scientific merit and for relevance to scallop fishery management.

For more information on the program and how to apply, please visit our funding opportunity announcement.

Questions?

Jonathon Peros, New England Fishery Management Council

Ryan Silva, NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Office

Protecting Largest, Most Prolific Fish May Boost Productivity of Fisheries, New Research Finds

August 17, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Management of many of the largest fisheries in the world assumes incorrectly that many small fish reproduce as well as fewer large ones with similar total masses, a new analysis has found. That can lead to overharvesting the largest, most prolific fish that can contribute the most to the population.

Better protection of larger, mature females could improve the productivity of major fisheries. This is crucial at a time when fisheries are increasingly important in providing food resources around the world. The results were published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this week.

“It is a fundamental question in fisheries management—how much reproduction can you count on?” said Dustin Marshall of Monash University in Australia, lead author of the research. “When you are expecting smaller females to produce the same number of eggs per body mass as larger, older females, you’re not going to have an accurate picture.”

Building on Earlier Research

The new research applies previous findings that questioned longtime assumptions of fisheries management. Traditional thinking held that reproduction is a function of biomass. That means that fish representing a certain mass would produce similar numbers of offspring regardless of their age or maturity. However, syntheses of previous research by some of the same authors demonstrated that larger, older, and more mature fish produce more offspring. Also, previous work suggests that offspring of these older, larger mothers may survive at higher rates.

Management measures, such as establishing Marine Protected Areas that provide refuge for fish to grow larger, can help boost the yields of fisheries and replenish depressed species. They can in effect provide a reservoir of more mature fish with greater reproductive capacity.

“We need to ask, ‘How can we make the most of these fish that reproduce more efficiently—both to sustain the species and to support sustainable fisheries?” said E.J. Dick, a fisheries research biologist at NOAA Fisheries’ Southwest Fisheries Science Center and senior author of the paper.

By contrast, when fishing removes the more prolific larger fish, the traditional assumptions tend to overestimate the production of eggs and the population’s capacity to replenish itself. That can lead to overharvesting which for many of the largest fisheries could remove around twice as many fish as intended, the scientists found.

“In this paper, we connect the dots between early findings that large, old Pacific rockfish produced more eggs per body mass than smaller ones did, and Professor Marshall’s more recent work showing that many other species do, too,” said Marc Mangel, professor emeritus of mathematical biology at UC Santa Cruz and a coauthor. “Without recognizing this, fisheries scientists and managers may overestimate the number of spawning fish needed to produce a certain level of recruitment, and set mortality levels from fishing too high.”

Recognizing Greater Capacity

In their new analysis, the scientists examined whether the largest fisheries in the world take the findings into account. In many cases, they found, fisheries do not.

“This systematic error could help to explain why some stocks have collapsed despite active management,” the scientists wrote. They recommended that managers recalibrate future species stock assessments to recognize the greater reproductive capacity of larger fish. This could reduce overharvesting and may even boost the yields of fisheries.

“Such reductions could have negative repercussions in the short-term, for both food security and the economy, but will yield positive benefits in the long-term,” the scientists wrote. They said that better recognizing the capacity of larger fish could help boost the catches of Atlantic cod fisheries in the longer term, for example.

“Our work suggests that modern management could respond to this challenge by better leveraging the reproductive potential of larger, older fish in exploited stocks more so than is presently the case, using relatively simple policy innovations,” they said.

The research was conducted by scientists from:

  • Monash University
  • Queensland University of Technology
  • University of California Santa Cruz
  • Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries
  • NOAA Fisheries

Read the full release here

Judge to consider injunction on turtle excluder rule for US shrimpers

August 16, 2021 — A federal judge in the U.S. state of Louisiana will hold a hearing on Tuesday, 24 August to determine if an injunction should be issued against NOAA Fisheries that would require the agency to postpone implementing a rule mandating shrimp fishermen install turtle excluder devices on their inshore skimmers.

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry sought the restraining order after NOAA Fisheries failed to continue a delay on a 2019 final rule that called for the excluder devices. In an announcement on 20 December, 2019, the agency said the final rule would take effect on 1 April 2021.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Fish councils prepare for climate change

August 16, 2021 — The New England Fishery Management Council is joining other East Coast marine management councils to plan for a future marked by the continuing detrimental impacts of climate change.

The project, called East Coast Climate Change Scenario Planning, is a response to the accelerating and debilitating impacts on fish stocks and marine habitats caused by the effects of climate change.

“No one knows for sure what the future holds, but a continuation or acceleration of climate change has the potential to strain our existing fishery management system and alter the way fishermen, scientists, and the public interact with the marine environment,” the NFMC stated. “Scenario planning is a way of exploring how fishery management may need to evolve over the next few decades as climate change becomes a bigger issue.”

The other organizations participating in the initiative are the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, NOAA Fisheries’ Gloucester-based Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, the Northeast Fisheries Science Center and the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council.

The Northeast Regional Coordinating Council, which consists of leadership from the MAFMC, NEFMC, ASMFC, GARFO, and NEFSC, will be the primary decision-making body for the initiative, with the addition of South Atlantic representatives.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

A How-To Guide for Reporting Potential Marine Wildlife Harassment in Hawai‘i

August 13, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Imagine you’re scrolling through social media and a video pops up of a Hawaiian monk seal resting on the beach. The first few seconds of video capture the natural beauty of the wild seal, peacefully slumbering on the sand. But suddenly, someone appears from the side of the frame and starts to mischievously tiptoe toward the sleeping seal. You shout through the screen and try to stop this person from what is inevitably going to happen. But despite your efforts, another one of our Hawaiian monk seals is touched and disturbed.

Reports of people disturbing protected marine wildlife have significantly increased over the last decade. And over the past few years, multiple incidents involving potentially illegal encounters with protected marine species have gone viral on social media, including two recent videos of people touching and disturbing monk seals. These concerning and disrespectful images and videos have, understandably, upset many people in Hawaiʻi and across the country. Incidents like these should be reported to NOAA Fisheries or the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Here’s what you need to know about reporting potentially illegal marine wildlife interactions, how NOAA responds to reports, and what the laws are regarding protected marine wildlife.

Read the full release here

Turtles, Tourism, and Traffic – Keeping Hawaiʻi Honu Safe

August 13, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Sea turtles have long been a key part of the cultural and natural resource heritage of Hawaiʻi. Once sought for their meat, Hawaiian green sea turtles, or honu, suffered a sharp population decline from overharvest in the early 20th century. Today, honu in Hawaiʻi are making a comeback thanks to the support of dedicated community members, and state and federal protections. Increasing numbers of honu in Hawaiʻi mean there is more opportunity for observing them on beaches and in nearshore waters, and where their behavior can be predictable, honu have become a sought-after tourist attraction.

The convergence between turtles, tourists, and traffic can create challenges in areas where the infrastructure may not be sufficient to support large numbers of wildlife viewers. For instance, residents of the North Shore of Oʻahu have expressed concerns about traffic congestion near the popular turtle viewing beach of Laniākea. This situation is not unique to Oʻahu. Communities throughout the Hawaiian Islands are experiencing similar issues that require collaborative solutions.

As the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation works to address traffic and pedestrian safety issues at Laniākea, we at NOAA Fisheries continue to study the basking honu population and work collaboratively on the management and conservation of honu at this and other locations throughout the state.

Read the full release here

National Fisheries Institute Statement on NOAA’s IUU Report to Congress

August 13, 2021 — The following was released by the National Fisheries Institute:

NOAA’s 2021 Biennial Report to Congress on Improving International Fisheries Management, released today, is an example of a tool used to effectively fight Illegal Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing.

The report identifies 31 nations and or entities that are either engaged in pirate fishing or not doing enough to stop destructive fishing practices.

Enforcement of rules that deny dubious actors entry to U.S. ports and institute import restrictions are key to successfully rooting out IUU. At the same time, the report lauds countries like Ecuador and Korea for redoubling their efforts to stop IUU fishing in their waters.

NOAA Fisheries’ commitment to cracking down on IUU is on display in this report and should be applauded.

Safe Boating Means Safe Fishing. Avoid Whales.

August 12, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The Atlantic Large Whale Disentanglement Network has received an uptick in reports of humpback whales hooked or entangled in monofilament and tuna fishing gear. This notice is to remind boaters and fishermen that fishing too closely to whales is dangerous for you, your passengers, and the whales. Getting too close can result in whales being struck, vessels damaged, and gear loss when whales get entangled or hooked in fishing gear. Additionally, injuring or potentially injuring a whale is a violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the federal law that protects all marine mammals from human activity that negatively impacts their ability to live and thrive naturally.

While many monofilament entanglements are shed over time, some of these entanglements can be detrimental to the animals. Any puncture of the skin in the marine environment leaves vulnerable animals open to infection— particularly stressed animals that have had previous entanglements or injuries, and calves.

Experienced fishermen don’t troll or cast near feeding whales, because they know tuna aren’t going to get caught up in the bubble clouds or aggregations of feeding whales. These fishermen know that approaching humpback whales* closer than 100-300 feet is not worth the risk.  If you happen to hook a whale with your gear or hit one with your boat, report it right away to NOAA’s Greater Atlantic Marine Animal Reporting Hotline: 866-755-NOAA (6622) or to the US Coast Guard.

*North Atlantic right whales are protected by federal regulations that prohibit vessels from approaching within 500 yards (1500 feet) of right whales, with limited exceptions. If a right whale is sighted within the 500 yard buffer, then the vessel must depart the area immediately unless they are a commercial fishing vessel in the act of hauling back gear.

Read the full release here