Saving Seafood

NOAA Fisheries Announces a Delay in the Effective Date for the Final Rule to Require Turtle Excluder Device Use for all Skimmer Trawl Vessels 40 Feet and Greater in Length

March 30, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

KEY MESSAGE:

  • NOAA Fisheries is delaying the effective date of the final rule amending the definition of tow time and requiring the use of TEDs designed to exclude small sea turtles in their nets in skimmer trawls 40 feet in length and greater in the Southeastern U.S. shrimp fisheries until August 1, 2021.
  • Safety and travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic have limited our Gear Monitoring Team’s ability to complete the in-person workshops and training sessions on the final rule that we had anticipated and communicated to the public.
  • The delay in the effective date is to allow NOAA Fisheries additional time for training fishermen, ensuring TEDs are built and installed properly, and for responding to installation and maintenance problems when the regulations go in effect.
  • NOAA Fisheries outreach strategy will use social media, targeted virtual meetings and dockside workshops, instructional videos, digital media, and the establishment of a role-based social media and email account (info@noaa.gov).
  • NOAA Fisheries is also considering taking additional action to protect sea turtles in skimmer trawl fisheries. Specifically, NOAA Fisheries is reconsidering the potential expansion of TED requirements for skimmer trawl vessels less than 40 feet in length and whether additional rulemaking is currently warranted.

WHEN RULE WILL TAKE EFFECT:

By August 1, 2021, skimmer trawl vessels 40 feet and greater in length that are rigged for fishing are required to install TEDs in their nets. 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.

SUMMARY OF CHANGES:

  • The final rule delays the effective date from April 1, 2021 to August 1, 2021.
  • NOAA Fisheries has made no other changes to the regulations that were published in the skimmer trawl final rule.

Where can I find more information on the Final Rule delaying the effective date of the Skimmer Trawl Rule, the Skimmer Trawl Final Rule, and TED Outreach?

Secretary of Commerce Announces Allocation of an Additional $255 Million in CARES Act Funding to States and Territories

March 30, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries announced the allocation of an additional $255 million in fisheries assistance funding provided by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. The funding will support activities previously authorized under Sec. 12005 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). It will be allocated to states and territories with coastal and marine fishery participants who have been negatively affected by COVID-19.

“Our priority is to award these funds as quickly as possible using existing processes established under the CARES Act,” said Paul Doremus, Acting Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries. “As a next step, we will use these allocations to provide additional funds to our partners—the interstate marine fisheries commissions, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands—to disburse funds to address direct or indirect fishery-related losses as well as subsistence, cultural, or ceremonial impacts related to COVID-19.”

The commissions then will work with each state and territory to revise their prior spend plans to be consistent with the Consolidated Appropriations Act, the CARES Act, and NOAA’s guidance. Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands will submit spend plans to the agency directly. All spend plans must describe the main categories for funding, including direct payments, fishery-related infrastructure, and fishery-related education. The funding will address direct and indirect COVID-19 impacts to eligible fishery participants, including:

  • Commercial fishermen
  • Charter businesses
  • Qualified aquaculture operations
  • Subsistence, cultural, and ceremonial users
  • Processors
  • Other fishery-related businesses

Congress also designated $30 million for all federally recognized Tribes in coastal states and the Great Lakes and $15 million for Great Lakes states. We will work with our state partners and Tribes to determine the approach we will use to allocate this funding to eligible fishery participants as quickly as possible.

Read the full release here

Additional $255 MIllion in Fisheries Assistance Funding Being Allocated Through CARES Act

March 29, 2021 — Even more funding for fisheries assistance is being made available. NOAA Fisheries announced on Monday that an additional $255 million will be allocated to states and territories with coastal and marine fishery participants who have been negatively affected by COVID-19. The new funding will be provided by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 and will support activities previously authorized under Sec. 12005 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).

It’s been a year now since a $2 trillion coronavirus relief package, known as the CARES Act, was passed. For the seafood industry, Section 12005 gave the Department of Commerce the right to provide assistance to fishery participants who had been affected by COVID-19. A total of $300 million was set aside for the fisheries sector, with funds ultimately broken down by state, tribe and territory. NOAA turned to their partners – the Atlantic Marine Fisheries Commission, Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, and the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission – to disburse the funds. Alaska and Washington came out on top with $50 million each in funding being allocated to them, while Massachusetts landed a little over $28 million and Florida over $23.6 million.

Read the full story at Seafood News

NOAA Fisheries Announces Atlantic Herring Framework 8 Interim Final Rule

March 29, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is implementing Framework 8 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan, as recommended by the New England Fishery Management Council. This action sets the specifications for the 2021-2023 fishing years for Atlantic herring.

The specifications reduce catch limits by 40% for 2021, and include further reductions for 2022-2023 because the June 2020 management track assessment determined Atlantic herring is overfished. These 2021-2023 catch limits are also consistent with the Council’s harvest policy, which accounts for herring’s important role as a forage species.

To mitigate the impact of the reductions in Atlantic herring catch limits, this action also modifies herring management measures to support access to the Atlantic mackerel fishery by:

  • Creating a two-tiered possession limit adjustment in Herring Management Areas 2 and 3 once the directed fishery closes, and
  • Removing the seasonal closure of Area 1B from January to April

These measures will provide more access earlier in the year to target mackerel.

Read the interim final rule as published in the Federal Register and submit your comments through the online portal beginning on April 1, 2021 by searching for NOAA-NMFS-2021-0025.

The effective date for this rule is: 03-29-2021.

The comments due date is 05-03-2021.

Read the full release here

New Slow Zone East of Boston to Protect Right Whales

March 29, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries announces a new voluntary right whale Slow Zone. On March 26, 2021, the Stellwagen Slocum Glider acoustically detected the presence of right whales. The whale detections were observed east of Boston, Massachusetts. The  Boston Slow Zone is in effect through April 10, 2021.

Mariners are requested to route around this area or transit through it at 10 knots or less.

Slow Zone Coordinates:

East of Boston, MA, March 26-April 10, 2021

42 49 N
42 08 N
070 09 W
071 04 W

See the coordinates for all the slow zones currently in effect.

Active Seasonal Management Areas 

Mandatory speed restrictions of 10 knots or less (50 CFR 224.105) are in effect in the following areas:

Cape Cod Bay, January 1 – May 15

Off Race Point, March 1 – April 30

Coming soon: Great South Channel, April 1 – July 31

November 1 – April 30

Block Island Sound

Ports of New York/New Jersey

Entrance to the Delaware Bay
(Ports of Philadelphia and Wilmington)

Entrance to the Chesapeake Bay
(Ports of Hampton Roads and Baltimore)

Ports of Morehead City and Beaufort, NC

Within a continuous area 20-nm from shore between Wilmington, North Carolina, to Brunswick, Georgia.

Find out more and get the coordinates for each mandatory slow speed zone.

Read the full release here

Seasonal Prohibition on All Fishing (Commercial and Recreational) for or Possession of Mutton and Lane Snapper in U.S. Caribbean Federal Waters

March 29, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

WHAT IS HAPPENING AND WHEN:

NOAA Fisheries reminds fishermen and the public of the upcoming seasonal closure on fishing for, or possession of, mutton and lane snapper in U.S. Caribbean federal waters.

  • This closure begins at 12:01 a.m., local time, on April 1, 2021, and extends through 11:59 p.m., local time, June 30, 2021.
  • The prohibition on possession does not apply to mutton and lane snapper harvested and landed ashore prior to the closure.

The U.S. Caribbean exclusive economic zone consists of those waters extending from the three-nautical mile seaward boundary of the Territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands and the nine-nautical mile seaward boundary of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, out to 200 nautical miles offshore.

WHY THIS CLOSURE IS HAPPENING:

This seasonal closure protects mutton and lane snapper when they are spawning (reproducing) and therefore more vulnerable to fishing pressure.

Warm Water Important for Cold-water Fish Like Salmon and Trout, Study Finds

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

Warm river habitats appear to play a larger-than-expected role in supporting the survival of cold-water fish, such as salmon and trout. This information was published today in a new study in the journal Nature Climate Change.

The research has important implications for fish conservation strategies. A common goal among scientists and policymakers is to identify and prioritize habitat for cold-water fish that remain suitably cool during the summer. This is especially important as the climate warms.

Potential Blind Spot

“Prioritizing cold-water habitat devalues seasonally warm areas, even if they are suitable for fish most of the year,” said Jonny Armstrong, lead author of the paper and an ecologist at Oregon State University. He called this a “potentially severe blind spot for climate change adaptation.”

A huge challenge for conservation is to figure out how to help these fish survive a warmer future. Typically, efforts focus on saving the coldest places, such as high mountain streams, which are already the most pristine parts of basins. This approach often neglects the places that are warm in summer, forgetting that these places are optimal for much of the year.

“We’re talking about a subtle shift in how we think about these thermal habitats,” said Aimee Fullerton, a fisheries biologist at NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center and a study co-author. “Of course, we want to protect the high-quality cold-water habitats. But we need to expand our definition of high-quality habitat to include some warmer waters.”

Read the full release here

NOAA Office of Law Enforcement Names Three New Assistant Directors

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

The NOAA Office of Law Enforcement is pleased to announce the appointments of Manny Antonaras, Martina Sagapolu, and Everett Baxter as their newest Assistant Directors. Antonaras was recently selected to lead the Southeast Division based in St. Petersburg, Florida and Sagapolu has been leading the Pacific Islands Division in Honolulu, Hawaii since last spring. Baxter took over the Investigative Operations Division in Silver Spring, Maryland last fall. As Assistant Directors in the regions, Antonaras and Sagapolu serve as OLE’s top regional leadership. At headquarters, Baxter leads OLE’s domestic and international investigative operations.

“NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement is essential to the sustainable management of our nation’s federal fisheries and the conservation of our protected marine species and habitats,” said Jim Landon, Director of NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement. “Together, Manny, Martina, and Everett bring a wealth of experience to their new roles with more than 65 years of federal law enforcement experience. I have every confidence that they will continue to support NOAA’s mandate to end overfishing and to protect marine resources through fair and effective enforcement of the laws and regulations under OLE’s jurisdiction.”

In his role as OLE’s Assistant Director in the Southeast, Antonaras oversees the largest of the continental divisions. The region has approximately 3,230 miles of coastline covering the South Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean. It is home to three national marine sanctuaries—the Florida Keys, Gray’s Reef, and Flower Garden Banks—and the international border between Mexico and the United States where the division is actively engaged in combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and seafood fraud.

Antonaras previously served as the Deputy Special Agent in Charge for OLE’s Southeast Division beginning in 2014. In this role, he oversaw the civil and criminal investigative work performed by special agents and enforcement officers. He also oversaw the division’s investigative support group, enforcement programs, and all patrol activities. During his tenure, Antonaras expanded the undercover operations program. He was instrumental in significantly increasing the uniformed enforcement officer program to enhance OLE’s visible presence and partnerships across the Southeast. He first joined OLE in 2002 as a student volunteer. He was hired as a special agent at the St. Petersburg, Florida field office after receiving his B.A. in Environmental Studies and Sociology from Eckerd College.

Read the full release here

NOAA Implements Default Management Measures for Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishing on April 1

March 26, 2021 — Starting on April 1, 2021, NOAA Fisheries announced it will implement default management measures for the scallop fishery until it can implement final specifications in Framework Adjustment 33 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan.

NOAA said the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) voted on final 2021 allocations in Framework Adjustment 33 on January 27. If approved, scallop allocations will be adjusted according to Framework 33.

Read the full story at Seafood News

Emergency Action to Continue to Waive Observer Coverage

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

Today, NOAA Fisheries issued an interim final rule to continue to provide the authority to waive observer coverage, some training, and other program requirements, on a case-by-case basis. The rule is a continuation of NOAA Fisheries’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The authority to waive coverage has resulted in a successful balance between public health and the safety of fishermen, observers, and others, while maintaining fishery operations and the monitoring necessary for sustainable management.

Learn more about the emergency action to continue to waive observer coverage