Saving Seafood

World Fisheries Day: A Message from Alexa Cole, Director of NOAA Fisheries Office Of International Affairs and Seafood Inspection

November 23, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

World Fisheries Day explores moves countries are taking together to find solutions to the increasingly inter-connected problems in our fisheries. Because fish and other marine wildlife cross national boundaries, the way countries manage their marine resources affects the status of fish stocks and protected and endangered species.

NOAA Fisheries’ international affairs work builds strategic fishing partnerships with foreign nations to promote sustainable and responsible management of fisheries and other relevant marine resources. Our efforts shone this year—from tackling the scourge of IUU fishing, to setting global standards to decrease marine mammal bycatch—all while representing America’s interests.

Tackling Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported Fishing

Illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing practices damages nations’ economies, hurt fishermen who play by the rules. They threaten global food security, and rob us all of precious ocean resources. These activities can occur at various points through the international seafood supply chain. For that reason, our efforts to combat them must be multi-pronged.

​In 2018, we established the first-ever U.S. Seafood Import Monitoring Program. The program requires documentation from the point of harvest to the point of entry into U.S. commerce for 13 species of seafood particularly vulnerable to IUU fishing. This provides a way to trace seafood entering our domestic supply chain—deterring and combating illegal fishing activities. In 2020, we released a new accompaniment to the program—the SIMP-Compliant Importers List. The list recognizes U.S. importers with a demonstrated history of excellent audit compliance with the SIMP requirements. It reduces costs to both the government and industry while incentivizing importers to maintain the reporting and recordkeeping requirements of SIMP.

Globally, NOAA Fisheries is a leader in analyzing foreign fishing activities on the high seas. Every two years, we issue a Report to Congress that identifies nations whose vessels have been identified as engaging in IUU fishing. We then work with those nations to correct the identified problems. We will release our next report in 2021.

Read the full release here

Temporary Rule for Emergency Action to Extend Portions of the Fishing Year 2019 Carryover Provisions in the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan

November 23, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Effective November 29, 2020

NOAA Fisheries announces the renewal of a temporary rule to extend portions of the fishing year 2019 carryover provisions in the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan into fishing year 2020.  On June 1, 2020, at the request of the New England Fishery Management Council, NOAA Fisheries published an emergency action to implement these measures.

The June 1, 2020 action:

  • Allowed limited access general category individual fishing quota vessels to carryover all fishing year 2019 unharvested quota into fishing year 2020.
  • Allowed any access area carryover pounds and unharvested research set-aside compensation pounds from fishing year 2019 to be available for harvest through August 31, 2020.
  • Closed the Nantucket Lightship-West to scallop fishing beginning on September 1, 2020.

Although access area carryover pounds and unharvested research set-aside compensation pounds from fishing year 2019 expired on August 31, 2020, extending the previous action:

  • Provides additional time for Limited Access General Category Individual Fishery Quota vessels to land the 2019 carryover allocation granted by the original emergency action.
  • Provides the New England Fishery Management Council additional time to develop a plan for the management of the Nantucket Lightship-West Access Area while it remains closed.

Read the temporary rule as filed in the Federal Register, and the permit holder bulletin.

Read the full release here

Slow Speed Zone Southeast of Atlantic City, New Jersey to Protect Right Whales

November 20, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

In Effect Through December 5

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

This Slow Zone was triggered on November 20, 2020, when the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute acoustic monitoring buoy detected right whales in the area.

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

Southeast of Atlantic City, New Jersey

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

Other Slow Speed Zones

Southeast of New York City Slow Zone is in effect through December 2

40 41 N
40 01 N
073 03 W
073 55 W

South of Nantucket, MA DMA  is in effect through November 30

40 59 N
40 23 N
069 05 W
069 52 W

Active Seasonal Management Areas November 1- April 30

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

  • 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.

Read the full release here

2020 Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Field Season Highlights: Celebrating Partners

November 20, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Typically, the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center deploys field teams during the spring and summer to the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. There, they conduct research and rescue activities for threatened green sea turtles and endangered Hawaiian monk seals at five key breeding sites: French Frigate Shoals, Laysan and Lisianski Islands, Pearl and Hermes Reef, and Kure Atoll. The teams also conduct surveys during short visits at the Nihoa and Mokumanamana (Necker) Islands and Midway Atoll. Due to the uncertainties created by the COVID-19 pandemic, NOAA Fisheries decided to cancel this survey and field effort for 2020. Fortunately for the conservation of these species, our partners were able to step up and  salvage part of the 2020 field season. Data are also coming in from satellite tags on a handful of monk seals and a green turtle.

We have conducted field studies in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands for 47 years for sea turtles and 36 years for monk seals. These islands and atolls are nesting habitat for more than 90 percent of Hawaiian green sea turtles and 75 percent of the Hawaiian monk seal population (about 1,100 seals). These invaluable long-term datasets provide current population statuses and trends and insight on how climate change is affecting these animals and their habitat. Combined, this information guides management and recovery actions.

Read the full release here

NOAA Fisheries Announces Commercial Blueline Tilefish Fishery Closure

November 19, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is closing the commercial blueline tilefish fishery through the end of the fishing year, December 31, 2020.

Effective at 0001 hour on November 21, 2020 no vessel may retain or land blueline tilefish in or from the Tilefish Management Unit through December 31, 2020.

Landings information analyzed by NOAA Fisheries projects the commercial blueline tilefish fishery will meet 100 percent of the total allowable landings for the 2020 fishing year on November 21, 2020.

For more information, please read the notice as filed in the Federal Register, and the permit holder bulletin.

Read the full release here

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

November 18, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

In Effect Through December 2

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

This Slow Zone was triggered on November 17, 2020, when the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute acoustic monitoring buoy detected right whales in the New York Bight, New York.

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

Southeast of New York City Slow Zone is in effect through December 2.

40 41 N
40 01 N
073 03 W
073 55 W

Active Seasonal Management Areas November 1- April 30

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

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.

Give Right Whales Room

North Atlantic right whales are on the move along the Atlantic coast of the U.S. NOAA is cautioning boaters and fishermen to give these endangered whales plenty of room. We are also asking all fishermen to be vigilant when maneuvering to avoid accidental collisions with whales and remove unused gear from the ocean to help avoid entanglements. Commercial fishermen should use vertical lines with required markings, weak links, and breaking strengths.

Right Whales in Trouble

North Atlantic right whales are protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Scientists estimate there are only about 400 remaining, making them one of the rarest marine mammals in the world.

North Atlantic right whales are NOAA Fisheries’ newest Species in the Spotlight. This initiative is a concerted, agency-wide effort to spotlight and save marine species that are among the most at risk of extinction in the near future. 

In August 2017, NOAA Fisheries declared the increase in right whale mortalities an “Unusual Mortality Event,” which helps the agency direct additional scientific and financial resources to investigating, understanding, and reducing the mortalities in partnership with the Marine Mammal Stranding Network, Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and outside experts from the scientific research community.

More Information

Recent right whale sightings

Find out more about our right whale conservation efforts and the researchers behind those efforts.

Download the Whale Alert app for iPad and iPhone

Acoustic detections in Cape Cod Bay and the Boston TSS, as well as other regions along the eastern seaboard.

Details and graphics of all vessel strike management zones currently in effect.

Reminder: Approaching a right whale closer than 500 yards is a violation of federal and state law.

Spread the Word!

All boaters, or interested parties, can sign up for email notifications  and selecting “Right Whale Slow Zones” under the Regional New England/Mid-Atlantic subscription topics. You can also follow us on Facebook (@NOAAFisheriesNEMA) and Twitter (@NOAAFish_GARFO)  for announcements.

Watch our video on Right Whale Slow Zones.

Read the full release here

Spiny Dogfish Eat Atlantic Cod: DNA May Provide Some Answers

November 17, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Conventional observations show that spiny dogfish in the western North Atlantic rarely eat Atlantic cod. However, some believe the rebuilding dogfish populations are limiting depleted cod numbers by competition or predation. To find out what is going on, NOAA Fisheries scientists looked to genetic testing to confirm cod presence in dogfish stomachs.

To get the samples they needed, scientists at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center asked local fishermen for help. Commercial fishing boats from New Bedford, Gloucester, Plymouth and Newburyport in Massachusetts stepped up.  All participate in the Study Fleet, a program in the center’s Cooperative Research Branch. Spiny dogfish were collected on 15 fishing trips during normal trawling operations between May 2014 and May 2015 in the Gulf of Maine and on Georges Bank.

“This was an excellent example of how cooperating fishing partners supplied fish for a pilot study of interest, and have helped advance this field of study,” said Richard McBride, chief of the center’s Population Biology Branch and a co-author of the study. “We were able to demonstrate that identifying cod in predator stomachs with environmental DNA works. It let us show fishermen that these innovative laboratory techniques can work on samples collected in the open ocean.”

Read the full release here

Final Rule Revises the Annual Catch Limit for Gray Snapper in the Gulf of Mexico

November 17, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

KEY MESSAGE:

  • NOAA Fisheries announces a final rule for gray snapper in the Gulf of Mexico.  This rule reduces the annual catch limit for Gulf of Mexico gray snapper.

WHEN WILL THE RULE TAKE EFFECT:

  • The rule becomes effective on December 17, 2020.

WHAT THIS MEANS:

  • The final rule reduces the annual catch limit from 2.42 million pounds whole weight (mp ww) to 2.24 mp ww for the 2020 fishing year, and 2.23 mp ww for 2021 and subsequent fishing years.
  • This rule does not change any existing gray snapper bag limits or size limits.

FORMAL FEDERAL REGISTER NAME/NUMBER: 85 FR 73238, published November 17, 2020.

This bulletin serves as a Small Entity Compliance Guide, complying with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996

Read the full release here

NOAA Fisheries Announces Proposed 2021 Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Specifications

November 17, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

We are proposing the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s recommended 2021 summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass specifications. The Council is proposing increases to the previously approved 2021 catch limits based on its new risk policy, which defines the acceptable risk of overfishing. The proposed catch limits still minimize the chance of overfishing, while providing more opportunities for fishermen. No other changes to the federal commercial management measures are proposed.

The final summer flounder commercial state quotas will be published in the final rule, including any necessary adjustments for overages. The state quotas will also depend on the status of the final rule implementing Amendment 21 to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan. Amendment 21 was approved on October 19, 2020, and we are currently working on a final rule to implement the revised state-by-state allocations. This proposed rule includes initial state quotas based on the current allocation formula, and what they would be when Amendment 21 is implemented.

Read the proposed rule  as published in the Federal Register, and submit your comments through the online portal.

The comment period is open through December 2, 2020.

Read the full release here

FB20:068: Request for Comments: Proposed Gear and Harvest Limits at Artificial Reef Sites in the South Atlantic Region

November 16, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

KEY MESSAGE:

NOAA Fisheries requests your comments on the proposed rule for Regulatory Amendment 34 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region.  Comments on the proposed rule are due by December 16, 2020.

The proposed rule would create 34 special management zones around artificial reefs off North Carolina and South Carolina as requested by the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.  There would be additional gear and harvest restrictions within the proposed special management zones.

The purpose of the framework amendment is to restrict use of fishing gear that could result in high exploitation rates to reduce adverse effects to federally managed snapper-grouper species at these sites.

Maps and coordinates of the proposed special management zones found here: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/regulatory-amendment-34-special-management-zones-smz.

SUMMARY OF PROPOSED CHANGES:

  • The proposed rule would create special management zones around select artificial reef sites off North Carolina (30) and off South Carolina (4).
  • The proposed SMZs range in size from 0.041 to 1.01 square miles.
  • Harvest of snapper-grouper species would only be allowed with handline, rod and reel, and spear in the SMZs. Therefore, this action would prohibit the use of bandit reel, powerhead, pot, and longline gear at these sites.
  • In the proposed SMZs off North Carolina, harvest of snapper-grouper species by spear would be limited to the applicable recreational bag limit.

In the proposed SMZs off South Carolina, harvest of snapper-grouper species with all gear types would be limited to the applicable recreational bag limit.

HOW TO COMMENT ON THE PROPOSED RULE:

You may submit comments by electronic submission or by postal mail.  Comments sent by any other method (such as e-mail), to any other address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, may not be considered by NOAA Fisheries.  Comments on the proposed rule are due by December 16, 2020. 

FORMAL FEDERAL REGISTER NUMBER:  85 FR 73013, November 16, 2020

Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal.

  1. Go to http://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=NOAA-NMFS-2020-0123.
  2. Click the “Comment Now!” icon, complete the required fields.
  3. Enter or attach your comments.

Mail: Submit written comments to Rick DeVictor, Southeast Regional Office, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.

Where can I find more information on Regulatory Amendment 34?