Saving Seafood

Behind the Scenes of the Most Consumed Seafood

October 1, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Shrimp, tuna, clams—the most popular seafood items in the United States are familiar names to both seafood lovers and the occasional consumer. You may have wondered about the environmental impact of consuming more of a popular product.

We’ve got good news: U.S. seafood is sustainable seafood! Thanks to our robust quotas, retention limits, and other management measures, you can be confident that U.S. seafood products were harvested sustainably.

Around 75 percent of the shrimp harvested in the United States comes from the Gulf of Mexico. Three species dominate the catch there: white shrimp, pink shrimp, and brown shrimp. Each of these species currently have population levels above the targets set by scientists.

Federally permitted shrimp fishermen are required to report their landings. They also provide information on fishing effort, including the number of fishing trips they take. The data is used in shrimp stock assessments and to support the sustainable management of red snapper. Depending on the gear they use, shrimpers must also use special equipment that reduces incidental catch, including sea turtle bycatch.

Read the full release here

Aquaculture Supports a Sustainable Earth

October 1, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The United Nations maintains 17 Sustainable Development Goals that serve as a framework for international cooperation to help people and the planet thrive.

A recent study from the UN shows that aquaculture can improve food security and nutrition by increasing the amount of seafood available for people to eat. If done correctly, aquaculture increases food production, boosts economic growth in coastal and rural areas, and can help keep waterways clean.

Explore how aquaculture fits into the UN’s sustainability goals:

1. Shellfish Beds Help Restore Our Waterways

Shellfish such as oysters, clams, and mussels are not just a beach barbecue staple; they serve an important role in waterways. However, in some areas these shellfish have been largely lost from coastal ecosystems. Restoring and farming shellfish beds allows these bivalves to clean the water as they filter feed, serve as habitats for smaller organisms, and can even help prevent shoreline erosion. Preserving ecosystems, safeguarding biodiversity, and reversing land degradation are significant components of sustainable aquaculture.

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Wind Influences Pollock Success in the Gulf of Alaska

September 29, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

For young Alaska pollock in the Gulf of Alaska, survival may depend on which way the wind blows.

A study conclusively shows for the first time that year-to-year variation in the geographic distribution of juvenile pollock in the Gulf of Alaska is driven by wind. Depending on wind direction, water movement may retain juvenile fish in favorable nursery habitats, or transport them away. Young fish that are transported to less favorable habitats are less likely to contribute to year-class strength— the abundance of adults available to the valuable Gulf of Alaska pollock fishery.

For NOAA Fisheries biologist Matt Wilson of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, the new study addressed a longstanding question.

“When we began this research, scientists thought that lots of juvenile fish would mean a relatively strong adult year-class. But in some years our surveys found a lot of juvenile pollock, followed by a weak year class. In other years a high number of juveniles grew into a strong year class,” Wilson said. “We undertook this research to better understand why large numbers of juveniles do not always translate into a high abundance of adults.”

Wilson and co-author Ned Laman also observed that the geographic distribution of juveniles was highly variable from year to year. In some summers, a very large proportion of the juvenile population was far southwest of the main spawning grounds.

“In this study we asked: what is the cause and consequence of year-to-year geographic variability in the distribution of juvenile pollock in the Gulf of Alaska?” Wilson said.

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NOAA Extends Vessel Slow Speed Zone South of Nantucket to Protect Right Whales

September 29, 2020 — NOAA Fisheries announced that they are extending the vessel slow speed zone south of Nantucket due to North Atlantic right whales

NOAA initially announced the voluntary vessel speed restriction zone, or Dynamic Management Area (DMA), on August 31. The DMA was extended until September 29, and now it’s been extended again until October 9 after a New England Aquarium aerial survey observed an aggregation of whales in the area on September 24.

Read the full story at Seafood News

The Impacts of Ghost Nets on Coral Reefs

September 28, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Ghost nets are silently drifting through the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, snagging on coral reefs and entangling wildlife. Scientists in the Pacific Islands have observed ghost nets tumbling across expansive coral reef environments. They break, shade, and abrade coral, preventing them from healthy growth. These lost or abandoned fishing nets are a persistent threat that accumulate over time, but we know little about the damage nets inflict upon corals.

In 2018, our marine debris team quantified the damaging effects of ghost nets on coral reefs of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands for the first time. They found that regardless of net size or algae growth, corals were lost. They recently published their findings in Marine Pollution Bulletin.

The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands stretch for more than 1,243 miles northwest of the main Hawaiian Islands. They contain 124 mostly uninhabited small islands, atolls, reefs, and submerged banks. They are recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and are encompassed by the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. Within these protected waters, far from human inhabitants, ghost nets are leaving their mark on reefs. But how much of an impact are these nets having on corals?

Read full release here

FB20-059: Seasonal Prohibition on Fishing for or Possession of Blackfin, Vermilion, Black, or Silk Snapper in U.S. Caribbean Federal Waters

September 28, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

WHAT IS HAPPENING AND WHEN:

NOAA Fisheries reminds fishermen and the public of the annually recurring seasonal prohibition on fishing for or possession of blackfin, vermilion, black, or silk snapper in U.S. Caribbean federal waters.

  • This closure begins at 12:01 a.m., local time, on October 1, 2020, and extends through 11:59 p.m., local time, December 31, 2020.
  • The prohibition on possession does not apply to blackfin, vermilion, black, or silk snapper harvested and landed ashore prior to the closure.

Federal waters in the U.S. Caribbean 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 blackfin, vermilion, black, and silk snapper when they are spawning (reproducing) and therefore more vulnerable to fishing pressure.

Extended: Slow Speed Zone South of Nantucket to Protect Right Whales

September 25, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries announces an extension to the previously triggered voluntary vessel speed restriction zone (Dynamic Management Area  or DMA) south of Nantucket.

This DMA was originally triggered based on an August 31, 2020, sighting of an aggregation of right whales and previously extended until September 29, 2020. A  New England Aquarium aerial survey observed an aggregation of whales in this area on September 24. Since the current DMA is set to expire in less than a week we are extending it through October 9, 2020.

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

South of Nantucket DMA is in effect through October 9.

41 16 N
40 32 N
069 37 W
070 28 W

Read the full release here

Nine Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Aquaculture

September 24, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

1. It’s Not Just for Fish

Many aquaculture producers in the United States don’t raise fish, despite the industry’s popular image of fish farming. In fact, oysters were the most commercially valuable domestic farmed marine species in recent years. In 2017, oyster farmers harvested 36 million pounds valued at $186 million. And clams ranked number two in production value in 2012–2017. Other top U.S. marine aquaculture products include mussels, shrimps, and salmon.

In recent years, a growing number of entrepreneurs are also turning to kelp to supply sustainable seafood and coastal jobs.

2. More than Half of the World’s Seafood Comes from Aquaculture

Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing forms of food production. Global marine and freshwater aquaculture production rose by 527 percent between 1990 and 2018 according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

Although most of that production happens outside the United States, farmed products still make up a large portion of American’s seafood diet. We import more than 85 percent of our seafood, and half of that is from aquaculture. In contrast, U.S. marine and freshwater aquaculture accounts for only a small portion of our domestic seafood supply.

Read the full release here

Celebrating Aquaculture Week 2020

September 24, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

This week NOAA Fisheries and our partners will celebrate National Aquaculture Week. NOAA Fisheries and its predecessor agencies have been involved in aquaculture for more than 125 years, pioneering fish culture methods and stock enhancement techniques to replenish wild stocks. Many culture, hatching, and rearing techniques currently used by the industry worldwide were developed in NOAA labs, such as the Milford, Connecticut lab for mollusks; the Manchester, Washington, lab for salmon; and the Galveston, Texas lab for shrimp.

Marine aquaculture is an important part of the agency’s strategy for economic and environmental resiliency in coastal communities and supporting healthy oceans. In 2017, US aquaculture producers raised 32 million pounds of salmon, 36 million pounds of oysters, and 9 million pounds of clams along the nation’s coast. In total, farm-raised seafood accounted for 21 percent of the U.S. seafood production by value in 2017. Around the nation in many fishing and coastal communities, aquaculture is creating important economic opportunities and year-round employment.

Read the full release here

2020 NEFSC Fall Ecosystem Monitoring Cruise Cancelled

September 24, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is cancelling the Northeast Fisheries Science Center 2020 Fall Ecosystem Monitoring Survey. The survey would have been conducted by the NOAA Ship Henry Bigelow, which is scheduled to begin a required drydock maintenance period on November 23, 2020, in Galveston, Texas. It is an 11-day transit from the ship’s homeport in Newport, Rhode Island, to the maintenance facility in Texas.

The maintenance is scheduled to be completed by February 19, 2021, positioning the ship to start the Spring 2021 Bottom Trawl Survey, as scheduled. Completing the Spring Bottom Trawl Survey is one of the highest priority surveys for the NEFSC in 2021.

The Fall Ecosystem Monitoring Survey captures seasonal changes in the ocean environment, information used for multiple scientific inquiries. Over its 33-year history, some seasons have been missed and the number of annual surveys has varied. Analytical methods have been developed to bridge these data gaps. Assuming surveys occur as planned in 2021, researchers can bridge the gap in 2020 data using these methods.

Read the full release here