Saving Seafood

$8.3 Million in Funding Recommended for Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration Projects

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

NOAA is recommending nearly $8.3 million in funding to continue 23 ongoing habitat restoration projects through our Community-based Restoration Program. These projects will restore habitat for coastal and marine species in 13 states and territories and provide benefits for communities and the environment. The projects will also support coastal communities that rely on healthy habitats for benefits like clean drinking water, flood and storm protection, and industries like boating, fishing, and tourism.

By reopening rivers to fish passage, reconnecting rivers to their floodplains, and reducing coastal runoff, these projects will support oysters, corals, and several fish species. They will also aid in the recovery of four NOAA Species in the Spotlight:

Recipients and their partners include nonprofits; federal, state, and local agencies; tribes; private sector businesses; and academia.

Read the full release here

Back to the Field: NOAA Biologists Return to Papahānaumokuākea to Study and Protect Hawaiʻi Wildlife

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

A team of biologists from NOAA’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center is setting off for a field season in the remote islands of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. The team departed Honolulu on the M/V Kahana II July 10, and the ship will return August 6. However, most of the biologists will stay behind for a season of hard work collecting data on some of the iconic threatened and endangered species of Hawaiʻi—Hawaiian green sea turtles and Hawaiian monk seals.

The Work of NOAA Field Biologists in the Monument

The primary goal of this research cruise is to set up biological field camps at five sites within the monument:

  1. Lalo (French Frigate Shoals)
  2. Kamole (Laysan Island)
  3. Kapou (Lisianski Island)
  4. Manawai (Pearl and Hermes Reef)
  5. Hōlanikū (Kure Atoll)

Setting up camp on these remote islands is a big undertaking—each camp needs tents and all of the food, fresh water, scientific equipment, and safety supplies that teams of three to seven biologists will need for their stay of over 2 months. The research cruise team will also conduct monk seal surveys at islands where they do not establish camps—Nihoa, Mokumanamana (Necker) and Kuaihelani (Midway Atoll).

Once camps are established, the real work begins. Hawaiian monk seal biologists at the five camps will survey the islands to get an accurate count of monk seals. They will also monitor moms and pups to track reproductive success and attach identification tags to seals’ flippers to help track individuals through their lives. At two of the sites (Lalo and Pearl and Hermes Reef), the team will use an underwater device (sound trap) to record monk seal vocalizations and understand the noises they hear.

Marine turtle biologists will join a team of two who have been at Lalo since early spring. The turtle team will count and tag male turtles and nesting female turtles, monitor nest success, and collect samples from hatchling turtles.

Read the full release here

Attention: Fish Online eVTR app Android Users

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

This notice applies to any vessel operators who are currently using the NOAA Fisheries FOL eVTR app for Android devices. We will no longer be supporting the Android version of the FOL reporting app.

If you are currently using the Android eVTR app we recommend you download the FOL Web app which works on both iOS and Android devices. The Web app can be downloaded through your current FishOnline account.

What to Do:

  1. Go to the Fish Online Login Page, enter your login credentials and click Log In.
  2. After you login, select the vessel  or vessel operator permit for which you are completing a trip report.
  3. Once you are on your Vessel/Operator Profile page, click VTR/IVR Reporting from the menu on the left side of the screen.
  4. On the next screen, select VTR/IVR Reporting. This will bring you to the reporting home page.
  5. If this is your first time using the app, you will see “download” under the NOAA Fish Online banner at the top of the screen. You can download this as an app onto your computer or to any mobile device
  6. Once the app is downloaded, you will only have to log into the app to begin reporting your catch.

Read the full release here

NOAA Lifts COVID-19 Observer Coverage Waiver for Northeast Vessels With Electronic Monitoring

July 15, 2021 — NOAA Fisheries announced on Tuesday that they are lifting an exemption on at-sea observers that has been in place since August 2020.

Effective July 13, vessels enrolled in an electronic monitoring program may be assigned observer or monitor coverage consistent with its respective program’s requirements. This is a follow up from a June announcement in which NOAA Fisheries stated that vessels would no longer be eligible for release from observer or monitor coverage if a fully vaccinated observer or a quarantined/shelter in place observer is available.

Read the full story at Seafood News

New Turtle Excluder Device Requirements for all Skimmer Trawl Vessels 40 Feet and Greater in Length Take Effect on August 1, 2021

July 15, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Key Message:

  • On August 1, 2021, a final rule goes into effect amending the definition of tow time and requiring the use of turtle excluder devices (TEDs) designed to exclude small sea turtles in the nets of skimmer trawlers 40 feet and greater in length in the Southeastern U.S. shrimp fisheries.
  • For the purposes of this rule, vessel length is the length specified on the vessel’s state registration or the U.S. Coast Guard vessel documentation required to be onboard the vessel while fishing; if there is a difference in documented vessel length, the lesser length will be used.
  • Beginning August 1, 2021, skimmer trawl vessels 40 feet and greater in length must have TEDs installed in any net that is rigged for fishing.

Additional Information:

Reminder: NOAA Fisheries Continues Monthly For-Hire Electronic Reporting Webinars

July 15, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Key Message:

NOAA Fisheries’ Southeast Regional Office is hosting monthly question and answer webinar sessions to assist participants with program information and compliance.

When:

The next webinar is scheduled for Tuesday, July 20, 2021, from 6:30-8:00 PM, E.T.

To register for the webinars and access additional information, such as tool-kits and instructional videos, go to: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/southeast/recreational-fishing-data/southeast-hire-electronic-reporting-program. 

Additional Information:

Program staff and vendor representatives will participate in these webinars to answer questions and resolve issues identified by users.  These webinars are for anyone with an interest in the Southeast For-Hire Electronic Reporting Program and specifically, any captain, owner, or lessee running a headboat or charter trip on a vessel with any of the following federal for-hire permits: Atlantic coastal migratory pelagic fish, Atlantic dolphin wahoo, South Atlantic snapper-grouper, Gulf of Mexico reef fish, or Gulf of Mexico coastal migratory pelagic fish.

NOAA Fisheries implemented the new Southeast For-Hire Electronic Reporting Program in January 2021.  This program provides more timely catch, effort, and discard information from federally-permitted for-hire vessels.  Our goals in these webinars are to provide fishermen with quality customer service, improve understanding of federal for-hire data collection, and explain ways the reporting apps may simplify the reporting requirements.  NOAA Fisheries respects your time and business operations, so please continue to submit suggestions on ways we can improve your understanding of the Southeast For-Hire Electronic Reporting Program.  We look forward to working with you.

Please call our customer service hotline with any questions (available from 8:00 AM-4:30 PM, ET) at 1-833-707-1632 or email us at ser.electronicreporting@noaa.gov.

2021-2022 Annual Specifications and Management Measures for Pacific Sardine

July 15, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries has implemented annual harvest specifications and management measures for the northern subpopulation of Pacific sardine (hereafter, Pacific sardine), for the fishing year from July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022. The rule prohibits most directed commercial fishing for Pacific sardine off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California.

Pacific sardine harvest are allowed only in the live bait fishery, minor directed fisheries, as incidental catch in other fisheries, or as authorized under exempted fishing permits. The incidental harvest of Pacific sardine is limited to 20 percent by weight of all fish per trip when caught with other stocks managed under the Coastal Pelagic Species Fishery Management Plan or up to 2 metric tons per trip when caught with non-Coastal Pelagic Species stocks. The annual catch limit for the 2021-2022 Pacific sardine fishing year is 3,329 metric tons.

This rule is intended to conserve and manage the Pacific sardine stock off the U.S. West Coast.

Read the full release here

Habitat Benefits from Shellfish and Seaweed Aquaculture

July 15, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The growing aquaculture industry has exciting implications for Alaskan communities, both human and marine. In recent years, the State of Alaska has seen a significant increase in aquatic farm applications and notably, the farm acreage amount applied for. According to the 2021 Mariculture Task Force Final Report (PDF, 169 pages), if the state approved all applications currently under review, it would result in approximately an 850 percent increase in the acreage for aquatic farms in state waters over the last five years. Not only does this growth have exciting economic implications, research is increasingly showing the ecological benefits of aquatic farming. As Alaskans apply for more and bigger farms, that means more habitat for everything from crab to salmon smolt to barnacles and mussels.

Read the full release here

2021 Coastal Survey Catches Nearly 2,500 Atlantic Sharks

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

Sandbar sharks were the most common shark caught during the 2021 Large Coastal Shark Bottom Longline Survey. This survey of large and small coastal sharks was conducted from April 12 to May 28 by scientists from the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s Apex Predators Program.

The survey is conducted in U.S. waters from Florida to the mid-Atlantic area every two to three years to provide relative abundance indices of coastal shark populations. Working from the contracted commercial longline vessel F/V Eagle Eye II, scientists from the center’s Narragansett Laboratory in Rhode Island and vessel crew caught 2,462 sharks of 11 species. The vessel left Port Royal, South Carolina to begin the survey just south of Fort Pierce, Florida. The survey ended at the North Carolina–Virginia border.

“We had a lot of weather delays this year, but we were still able to complete the majority of stations we cover each survey,” said Cami McCandless, who along with Lisa Natanson were the two scientists on board for the survey. Both are from the center’s Apex Predators Program based at the Narragansett Laboratory. Natanson has been the chief scientist on this survey since its inception in 1996. She retired in 2020 but returned this year to help lead the survey one last time before handing over the reins.

“The survey was designed to sample coastal sharks just prior to their northward migration along the coast,” Natanson said. “The 47-day survey consistently occurs in early to mid-April and ends at the Memorial Day weekend. Since the inception of the survey, there has been an increase in weather days. This has resulted in a decrease in the number of stations although the geographic extent of the survey has remained the same over the years.”

Read the full release here

Gulf Shrimp Fishery to Re-Open Off Texas on July 15, 2021

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

What/When:

NOAA Fisheries announces federal waters from 9 to 200 nautical miles off Texas will open to shrimp trawling beginning 30 minutes after official sunset, local time, on July 15, 2021, corresponding to the time Texas opens its waters to shrimp trawling.

Why This is Happening:

  • The waters off Texas are closed to shrimp fishing annually to allow brown shrimp to reach a larger and more valuable size prior to harvest, and to prevent waste of brown shrimp that might otherwise be discarded because of their small size.
  • The fishery closed May 15, 2021.
  • The re-opening date for Texas waters is based on the results of biological sampling by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and assessment of maximum tidal durations.
  • In addition, Texas regulations only allow a 60-day closure; the 60 day period expires July 15, 2021.

Read the full release here