Saving Seafood

Reminder: Web Page for Fishermen Resources Available

December 14, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Visit our web page Resources for Fishing in the Greater Atlantic  for information on how to comment on recent rules, apply for permits, complete your reporting requirements and much more!

Bookmark this page for easy access or find it by navigating from our home page and clicking on the Fishing Industry Home Page.

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Let us know if you have suggestions of other links you’d like to see included on this resource page for easy access.

Questions/Comments?

Contact Jennifer Goebel, Regional Office, 978-281-9175

NOAA Fisheries Implements Amendment 21 to the Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan

December 11, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Effective January 1, 2021

NOAA Fisheries is implementing Amendment 21 to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan, also known as the Summer Flounder Commercial Issues Amendment. This final rule implements the measures in the amendment.

Amendment 21 changes the state-by-state commercial quota allocations when the coastwide quota exceeds 9.55 million lb, and updates the fishery management plan goals and objectives for summer flounder. When the coastwide quota is 9.55 million lb or less, the quota would be distributed according to the current allocations. In years when the coastwide quota exceeds 9.55 million lb, any additional quota beyond this threshold would be distributed in equal shares to all states except Maine, Delaware, and New Hampshire, which would split 1 percent of the additional quota.

Read the full release here

Whales get a break as pandemic creates quieter oceans

December 10, 2020 — When humpback whales migrated to Glacier Bay in Alaska this year to spend the long summer days feeding, they arrived to something unusual: quieter waters.

As the COVID-19 pandemic slows international shipping and keeps cruise ships docked, scientists are finding measurably less noise in the ocean. That could provide momentary relief for whales and other marine mammals that are highly sensitive to noise.

Through networks of underwater hydrophones, scientists are hoping to learn how the mammals’ communication changes when the drone of ships is turned down, potentially informing new policies to protect them.

“More needs to be done,” says Jason Gedamke, who manages the ocean acoustics program at NOAA Fisheries. “When you have animals that for millions of years have been able to communicate over vast distances in the ocean, and then once we introduce noise and have increased sound levels and they can’t communicate over those distances, clearly there’s going to be some impact there.”

Read the full story at OPB

Extended: Slow Speed Zone Southeast of New York City to Protect Right Whales

December 9, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is extending a Slow Zone (voluntary vessel speed restriction zone) southeast of New York City, New York.

This Slow Zone was in already in effect when the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute acoustic monitoring buoy again detected right whales in the New York Bight on December 9.

Mariners, please go around this area or go slow (10 knots or less) inside this area where right whales have been detected.

The New York Bight Slow Zone is in effect through December 24 for waters bounded by:

40 41 N
40 01 N
073 03 W
073 55 W

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

Read the full release here

New Tool Available to Explore Effects of Offshore Wind on Fisheries

December 8, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Factors to Consider

In a busy ocean, finding the right spot for offshore wind farms isn’t easy. There are a lot of factors to consider besides the windiest spots.

  • What marine life is in the proposed areas?
  • Is the area a productive scallop ground or other important fishing spot?
  • Do endangered whales or sea turtles rely on this area for food or migration?
  • Will fishermen and other vessel traffic be able to navigate safely?

Currently, there are more than 16 offshore wind energy areas in various stages of planning and development from Maine through North Carolina. These projects may install more than 2,100 turbines from 2021–2029.

New Online Tools

To help better understand the impacts offshore wind development will have on Atlantic coast fisheries, we developed some new tools and analyses.

Some of the information you can find for the currently proposed offshore wind energy areas includes:

  • Amount of individual species landed
  • Landings revenue
  • Gear types used
  • Number of vessels fishing
  • Number of fishing trips
  • Communities affected

To gather this information, we combined vessel logbooks, dealer reports, and observer data to come up with fishing footprints. We then compared them to the proposed offshore wind energy project areas.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is the federal agency responsible for reviewing and permitting offshore energy projects. It has used this information in its analysis of the Vineyard Wind Project.

Anyone can download the data and generate summary reports using our query tool.

We will further develop these tools based on public input and ongoing efforts to integrate other data sources.Both the summary reports and underlying data will be continuously updated as we obtain this additional information. We are currently working on integrating party/charter vessel logbook data and data from vessels that fish for highly migratory species and for species managed in the South Atlantic. Learn more about the work we’re doing to monitor and analyze the potential fishery impacts from offshore wind development.

Questions?

Fisheries Data: Benjamin Galuardi, Regional Office, (978) 281-9187

Offshore Wind and Fisheries: Doug Christel, Regional Office, (978) 281-9141

Texas Organizations Help Cold-Stunned Sea Turtles from Massachusetts

December 8, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

On Monday, December 7, 120 sea turtles flew south thanks to Turtles Fly Too. These sea turtles were found on Cape Cod, Massachusetts beaches suffering from hypothermia and other complications in recent weeks. They will continue to receive treatment and care from seven facilities in Texas.

Of the more than 500 cold-stunned sea turtles that have washed up so far this year, the vast majority are endangered Kemp’s ridleys. Green and loggerhead sea turtles have been rescued, as well. Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary responds to all of these cold-stunned turtles. They transport live turtles to two Massachusetts rehabilitation facilities: the New England Aquarium and the National Marine Life Center.

Sea turtles are cold-blooded and rely on heat from their environment to maintain their body temperatures. When water temperatures drop rapidly, they become lethargic and unable to swim due to the cold. Many of the turtles have pneumonia, and some have other medical conditions or injuries from being washed against rocks. They require expert care—but with so many turtles, the rehabilitation facilities are filling up. And it’s only early December. The cold-stun season usually lasts until late December or early January.

Read the full release here

North Carolina Sea Grant accepting 2021 fellowship applications

December 7, 2020 — Local graduate students have an opportunity to apply for a 2021 fellowship with federal fisheries managers.

N.C. Sea Grant is accepting applications from North Carolina grad students for the 2021 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries/National Sea Grant College Program fellowships.

The opportunity is open to U.S. citizens who are doctoral students in academic institutions in the U.S. and its territories. The program provides real-world experience. Each fellow must work with a mentor from NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, who may serve on the fellow’s committee.

Applications are due to NCSG by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 17.

Two categories of this joint fellowship are available, population and ecosystem dynamics and marine resource economics. This year, there is a single federal opportunity for both categories, and applicants must follow updated instructions to identify their concentration.

Read the full story at the Carteret County News-Times

NOAA Fisheries Establishes Recreational Fishing Survey and Data Standards

December 7, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Today, NOAA Fisheries established a set of standards to guide the recreational fishing surveys administered and funded through the agency’s Marine Recreational Information Program. The standards reflect federal guidelines and best practices for the dissemination of statistical information, and will further ensure the integrity of data collection efforts, the quality of recreational fisheries statistics, and the strength of science-based management decisions.

Most of the standards are already in use by the program and its partners, including the:

  • Adoption of quality assurance plans
  • Adherence to certification guidelines
  • Production of key statistics needed for the assessment and management of fish stocks

The transition to these standards is a key milestone in the Marine Recreational Information Program’s recently released 2021 Implementation Plan.

“These standards set clear criteria for what NOAA Fisheries considers a sound recreational fishing survey management practice,” said Evan Howell, Director of NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Science and Technology. “By establishing these standards, we have removed ambiguities about whether a practice should be considered a recommendation or a requirement. That will support sound survey design and high-quality data.”

Read the full release here

Commercial Closure for Snowy Grouper in South Atlantic Federal Waters on December 12, 2020

December 7, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

WHAT/WHEN:

The commercial harvest of snowy grouper in federal waters of the South Atlantic will close at 12:01 a.m., local time, on December 12, 2020.  During the commercial closure, all sale or purchase of snowy grouper is prohibited, and harvest or possession of snowy grouper in or from federal waters is limited to the recreational bag and possession limits while the recreational sector is open.

WHY THIS CLOSURE IS HAPPENING:

The 2020 July through December commercial catch limit is 46,181 pounds gutted weight.  The unused portion of the catch limit from the January through June season was added to the catch limit for the July through December season, and the increased catch limit is used to project the closure. Commercial landings are projected to reach the increased July through December commercial catch limit.  According to the accountability measure, commercial harvest must close to prevent the catch limit from being exceeded.

AFTER THE CLOSURE:

  • The closure applies in both state and federal waters for vessels that have a federal commercial permit for South Atlantic Snapper-Grouper.
  • The prohibition on sale or purchase during a closure for snowy grouper does not apply to fish that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold prior to 12:01 a.m., local time, on December 12, 2020, and were held in cold storage by a dealer or processor.
  • The 2021 January through June commercial fishing season for snowy grouper in the South Atlantic will open on January 1, 2021, with a catch limit of 107,754 pounds gutted weight.

This bulletin provides only a summary of the existing regulations.  Full regulations can be found in the Federal Register or at https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=383bc195ccbeab4fd6bec1c24905df34&node=sp50.12.622.i&rgn=div6#se50.12.622_1193.

Reinstated: Slow Speed Zone Southeast of Atlantic City to Protect Right Whales

December 7, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is reinstating a Slow Zone (voluntary vessel speed restriction zone), southeast of Atlantic City, New Jersey

This Slow Zone was in effect November 20-December 5, when the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute acoustic monitoring buoy detected right whales southeast of Atlantic City. The buoy detected right whales again on December 7.

Mariners, please go around this area or go slow (10 knots or less) inside this area where right whales have been detected.

Southeast of Atlantic City Slow Zone is in effect through December 22 for waters bounded by:

39 25 N
38 44 N
073 44 W
074 36 W

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

Read the full release here