Saving Seafood

Commercial Harvest of Atlantic Group Cobia (Georgia through New York) Will Close in Federal Waters on November 6, 2020

November 3, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

WHAT/WHEN:

  • Commercial harvest of Atlantic group cobia (Georgia through New York) will close in federal waters at 12:01 a.m., local time, November 6, 2020. Commercial harvest will reopen in federal waters at 12:01 a.m., local time, on January 1, 2021.

WHY THIS CLOSURE IS HAPPENING:

  • The 2020 commercial quota is 50,000 pounds whole or gutted weight. NOAA Fisheries projects the 2020 Atlantic cobia quota for the commercial sector will be reached by November 6, 2020, based on reported landings to date and landings that are expected to be reported by dealers that do not have a federal dealer permit.
  • This closure is necessary to protect the Atlantic cobia resource by preventing the commercial quota from being exceeded.

DURING THE CLOSURE:

  • The sale or purchase of Atlantic migratory group cobia in or from federal waters during a closure is prohibited. The prohibition on sale and purchase does not apply to the sale or purchase of Atlantic cobia that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold prior to 12:01 a.m., local time, November 6, 2020, and were held in cold storage by a dealer or processor.

ALASKA: Seafood Bycatch Donation Relieves Hunger and Reduces Waste

November 2, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Fishermen sometimes unintentionally catch fish they do not want or cannot keep. This is called bycatch. While these fish are returned to the sea, many of them do not survive. This is a major problem worldwide—nearly 10 percent of global fishery catches are discarded each year

This waste of valuable seafood protein has been an increasing focus of management, industry, and public concern due to its ecological and economic impacts. That’s where our innovative donation program comes in.

Alaska fishermen occasionally catch Pacific halibut and salmon incidentally in trawls targeting groundfish. Because halibut and salmon are valuable targets of other fisheries, they are designated as prohibited species. Groundfish trawlers are not allowed to retain or sell them. Historically, all prohibited species caught in Alaska were discarded at sea to avoid any incentive to catch these species.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council and the Alaska seafood industry have a long history of cooperative efforts to reduce bycatch. However, even after bycatch has been eliminated to the extent practicable, some is inevitable.

In 1996, NOAA Fisheries and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council established the Prohibited Species Donation Program. It takes a unique approach to the problem of discarded fish by making it possible for fishermen to donate some bycatch to hunger relief organizations. It simultaneously reduces waste, provides high quality seafood protein to people in need, and avoids incentives to catch prohibited species.

“Bycatch donation is an example of thinking outside the box. When we think about reducing waste, it is usually about avoiding bycatch. This program is a creative solution to maximize the value of the bycatch that can’t be avoided,”  said Jordan Watson, NOAA Fisheries biologist at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center.

Read the full release here

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

November 2, 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 by an August 31, 2020 sighting of an aggregation of right whales and previously extended until October 20, 2020, and again to November 3, 2020. We are now extending the Slow Zone through November 15, 2020 after an aerial survey team observed an aggregation of right whales South of Nantucket on October 31, 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 November 15.

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

Read the full release here

Small Genetic Difference Determines Chinook Salmon Migration Timing, New Study Shows

October 30, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The annual migration of Chinook salmon up West Coast rivers from the ocean has enriched ecosystems, inspired cultures, and shaped landscapes. Yet the timing of their migration is controlled by one small section of their genome, according to research published this week in Science.

This is the first time scientists have linked a single gene region to such an influential difference in a vertebrate species. For salmon, it determines whether they return upriver from the ocean in spring or fall. This has crucial implications for other species that rely on them for food. First author Neil Thompson of the University of California Santa Cruz and NOAA Fisheries’ Southwest Fisheries Science Center said that this small genetic difference can have a major effect on a complex pattern of migration and reproduction.

Fish migrating upriver in spring may access habitat such as higher elevation tributaries. These habitats become less accessible to Chinook salmon migrating later in the year when stream flows decline. The result is that fall-run Chinook salmon remain lower in the watershed without continuing up into the tributaries.

However, the construction of dams in the West blocked spring-run Chinook salmon from much of their original spawning habitat. This contributed to the listing of several spring-migrating fish under the Endangered Species Act. Fall-run Chinook salmon on the West Coast are generally more abundant.

The scientists identified the gene region influencing migration with whole-genome sequencing. Then, they scientists examined the genetic pattern in more than 500 Chinook salmon caught by the Yurok Tribe in the Klamath River estuary. They analyzed the effects of variation in this genetic region on migration timing and other physiological traits.

Read the full release here

Accepting Applications for Industry-Funded Monitoring (IFM) Providers for Herring Vessels in IFM Year 2021

October 30, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

If you would like to provide IFM services (observing, at-sea monitoring, and/or portside sampling) to Atlantic herring vessels in IFM year 2021 (April 1, 2021 – March 31, 2022), you must submit an application to be an approved provider by December 1, 2020. Companies already approved to provide IFM services in IFM years 2020 and 2021 do not need to apply again in order to provide services in 2021.

Refer to the bulletin for more information on what to include in an application.

Approvals will cover IFM year 2021. If we receive any applications under this announcement, we will notify service providers of our preliminary determination as soon as we have completed our reviews. Final decisions will be published in the Federal Register.

Read the full release here

Reminder: Seasonal Management Areas in Effect November 1 to Protect Right Whales

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

All vessels 65 feet (19.8 meters) or longer must travel at 10 knots or less in certain locations (called Seasonal Management Areas or SMAs) along the U.S. east coast at certain times of the year to reduce the threat of vessel collisions with endangered North Atlantic right whales. The purpose of this mandatory regulation is to reduce the likelihood of deaths and serious injuries to these endangered whales that result from collisions with vessel.Because vessels of all sizes can strike a whale, NOAA Fisheries also encourages vessels less than 65 feet in length to help protect right whales by slowing to 10 knots of less within active SMAs as well.

Migratory Route and Calving Grounds, November 1 – April 30

Block Island Sound waters bounded by:

40º51’53.7″ N 070º36’44.9″ W

41º20’14.1″ N 070º49’44.1″ W

41º04’16.7″ N 071º51’21.0″ W

40º35’56.5″ N 071º38’25.1″ W then back to starting point.

Within a 20-nm (37 km) radius of the following (as measured seaward from the COLREGS lines):

-Ports of New York/New Jersey:

40º29’42.2″N 073º55’57.6″W

-Entrance to the Delaware Bay

(Ports of Philadelphia and Wilmington):

38º52’27.4″N 075º01’32.1″W

-Entrance to the Chesapeake Bay

(Ports of Hampton Roads and Baltimore):

37º00’36.9″N 075º57’50.5″W

-Ports of Morehead City and Beaufort, NC: 34º41’32.0″N 076°40’08.3″W

Within a continuous area 20-nm from shore between Wilmington, North Carolina, to Brunswick, Georgia, bounded by the following:

A- 34º10’30″N, 077º49’12″W

B- 33º56’42″N, 077º31’30″W

C- 33º36’30″N, 077º47’06″W

D- 33º28’24″N, 078º32’30″W

E- 32º59’06″N, 078º50’18″W

F- 31º50’00″N, 080º33’12″W

G- 31º27’00″N, 080º51’36″W

and west back to the shore.

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.

Read the full release here

Reminder: USDA Now Accepting Applications for Seafood Trade Relief Program

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

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is making approximately $530 million available to assist U.S. fishermen through the Seafood Trade Relief Program. This program is funded by the Commodity Credit Corporation and administered by the Farm Service Agency.

The program will provide direct support to U.S. commercial fishermen impacted by retaliatory tariffs. To qualify, they must hold a valid federal or state license or permit. Additionally, their catch must be sold or transferred to a permitted or licensed seafood dealer or by a permitted dealer if the catch is processed at sea. Seafood products grown in a controlled environment are not eligible for the program (except geoducks and salmon).

Payments are based on 2019 landings of:

  • Atka Mackerel

  • Dungeness Crab

  • King Crab

  • Snow Crab

  • Southern Tanner Crab

  • Flounder

  • Geoduck

  • Goosefish

  • Herring

  • Lobster

  • Pacific Cod

  • Pacific Ocean Perch

  • Pollock

  • Sablefish

  • Salmon

  • Sole

  • Squid

  • Tuna

  • Turbot

Fishermen can sign up for relief through the program from September 14, 2020 to December 14, 2020.  Sign up for the Program.

Pathway to Paperless Data Collection

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

The information collected by observers and at-sea monitors is essential to successful science-based fisheries management. Gathering and recording accurate data while aboard a vessel is challenging work. It’s the first step in a much longer process of validating and integrating the data for use by scientists and managers.

Historically, observers have collected data on paper forms for manual processing, but many programs are moving the entire data collection process to a paperless system. This improves cost and timing efficiencies while reducing potential errors in the data itself. Our Northwest Fisheries Science Center has put a new paperless system to the test, and the lessons learned can inform other projects across the country.

The program has traditionally used paper-based data collection and documentation of fishery catch weights (e.g., groundfish, shrimp, midwater species) for trawl and fixed-gear, rod and reel, longline, and other gear types.

In the paper-based process, the information is calculated, entered into an offline database while at sea, and then synced to an online database once on land. Then, observer program staff review the data, consider edits or corrections, and if necessary, require resubmissions before the data becomes available to end-users.

To address their goals to streamline the traditional workflow, the observer program has been developing a system that includes data entry into a handheld device. This eliminates error-prone processes like transcription and calculation, and enables electronic data archiving.

“Improvements to our data collection process resulted in faster data turnaround and catch quota updates for vessels that participated in our program,” says Jason Eibner, a former observer who has worked for 12 years at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, Oregon, part of our Northwest Fisheries Science Center.

“We realized that a paperless electronic data collection system would help us work even more efficiently by removing the most tedious and time-consuming steps. At the same time, we’re increasing data accuracy and providing our observers with some deserved down time in the field,” added Eibner.

Read the full release here

Black Sea Bass Sensitive to Ocean Noise in Wind Energy Development Areas

October 27, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Scientists looking at the effects of underwater pile driving and construction noise on sea life have found that black sea bass can hear these sounds. The noise may interfere with their natural behavior.

Their study is the first to look at the impact of ocean noise on this fish species. It found that younger fish were more sensitive to sounds than older fish. The frequencies at which the fish are most sensitive to sound directly overlap with frequencies of human-produced noise pollution. This noise comes from activities like shipping and the underwater construction required for offshore wind farms.

“No one knew for sure how much black sea bass can hear and how that changes as they age,” said Beth Phelan, a fishery biologist at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s laboratory at Sandy Hook, New Jersey and a co-author of the study. “We do know that black sea bass are attracted to underwater structures, and have anecdotal information that they move away from noise. We had to first determine the range of sounds they can hear by giving them a type of hearing test, much like we do to humans.”

Black sea bass are a commercially and recreationally important fish in the Mid-Atlantic Bight, the coastal region from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina to southern New England. Wind farms planned in the region overlap with current black sea bass habitat, exposing fish to construction and operational noises. Pile driving, for example, produces sounds that might stress fish, impacting their choice of habitat, feeding, social interaction and reproduction.

Read the full release here