Saving Seafood

Dam Impact Analysis Model Helps Researchers Assess Atlantic Salmon Survival

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

NOAA Fisheries Atlantic salmon researchers have found that Atlantic salmon abundance can increase as more young fish and returning adults survive their encounters with dams. Also, progress in rebuilding the population will depend heavily on continuing stocking of hatchery fish raised especially for this purpose. This information is based on a life history model and new information on changes in the Penobscot River watershed.

The remaining remnant Atlantic salmon populations in the United States are located in Maine, with the largest population in the Penobscot River. Numerous factors play a role in salmon recovery — from predation and habitat degradation to pollution and climate change. The two most influential factors are survival of fish as they navigate dams in the river, and survival during the marine phase of their life. Atlantic salmon are born and remain in fresh water for 1-3 years and migrate downriver through estuaries into the sea. Then they spend 1 to 2 years at sea before returning to the river where they were born to spawn.

“Our findings indicate that Atlantic salmon abundance can increase as survival at dams from the lower to the upper watershed increases. Hatchery supplementation will be necessary to sustain the population when survival is low in egg-to-smolt and marine life stages,” said Julie Nieland, a salmon researcher at the science center’s Woods Hole Laboratory in Massachusetts and lead author of the study. “Increases in survival during both of these life stages will likely be necessary to attain a self-sustaining population, especially if hatchery supplementation is reduced or discontinued.”

Read the full release here

Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Program Competition is Open

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

NOAA Fisheries, in coordination with the New England Fishery Management Council, is soliciting proposals under the 2021/2022 Atlantic Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Program.

The solicitation closes October 12, 2020. You can review the solicitation and apply online.

Projects supported under the program must enhance the knowledge of the scallop fishery resource or contribute to the body of information on which scallop management decisions are made.

Read the full release here

Pandemic scraps local shrimp study

August 13, 2020 — When NOAA Fisheries recently cancelled four fishery and ecosystem surveys because of pandemic-related health and safety concerns, it was no real surprise that the Northern shrimp survey was one of the casualties.

It’s was just another indication of the star-crossed nature of the once-thriving regional shrimp fishery in the Gulf of Maine.

The imperiled fishery, which has suffered debilitating declines in its ability to sustain biomass and recruitment, has been closed since the end of the 2013 fishing season. Six times, the Atlantic States Marine Fishery Commission looked at the numbers generated by stock surveys and six times it saw no recourse but to shutter the fishery.

Matters devolved to the point that in late 2019, the ASMFC abandoned the previous policy of single-season closures and closed the Northern shrimp fishery for three years, ending in 2021.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

NOAA Fisheries: Science Connect 2020 Issue 2

August 13, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

This study compiled data on the distribution of over 67,000 marine and terrestrial species, including 44,575 marine species from a variety of taxa, both protected and non-protected species. The study analyzes 30 globally-distributed environmental variables simultaneously through the use of artificial neural networks (ANNs) modelling. This approach has the advantage over previous methods by evaluating the relative importance of each variable more robustly and examining how variables interact more clearly. Results indicate that overall, terrestrial diversity is better predicted by environmental factors than marine diversity. The authors call for increased cooperation across scientific domains to advance our understanding of how and why biodiversity is distributed across the globe. This is especially crucial as we seek to understand and manage a rapidly changing planet and face the possible global erosion of biodiversity and hence ecosystem services to human societies. Scientists from a variety of disciplines must come together to find common and global sustainable pathways to reduce the loss of biodiversity.  Portion of Figure 1 from publication, map of global species richness observed, modeled and residual errors.

Gagné et al. 2020. Towards a global understanding of the drivers of marine and terrestrial biodiversity. PLoS ONE 15(2).

Read the full release here

NOAA Fisheries Sets 2020 Gulf of Maine Cod and Haddock Recreational Regulations in the Gulf of Maine

August 13, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is setting Gulf of Maine (GOM) cod and haddock recreational measures for 2020.

The recreational fishery for GOM cod and haddock is managed under the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The FMP includes a proactive recreational accountability measure, which allows the Regional Administrator, in consultation with the New England Fishery Management Council, to develop recreational management measures for the fishing year to ensure that the recreational sub-annual catch limits (ACLs) are achieved, but not exceeded. We project that current measures for GOM cod and haddock can be liberalized somewhat without the 2020 recreational fishery’s sub-ACLs being exceeded.

After consultation with the Council, we are making changes to Gulf of Maine cod and haddock management measures as shown in the table below:

Read the interim final rule as filed in the Federal Register and our bulletin.

Read the full release here

Reminder: New Permitting and Reporting Requirements for Recreational Blueline and Golden Tilefish

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

Beginning August 17, all recreational vessels fishing for blueline or golden tilefish must have a permit and report catch within 24 hours of returning to port.

Who Does This Impact?

  • Vessels fishing for or retaining tilefish from Virginia to Maine.
  • For-hire vessels holding an existing GARFO permit who take private recreational tilefish trips.
  • States may have additional permitting or reporting requirements for recreational fishing.

What Do I Need To Do?

  • Obtain a Private Recreational Tilefish Permit from the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO).
  • Report your trip with one of the available reporting options.

How Do I Get a Permit?

  • Start by registering an account on GARFO Fish Online.
  • Create a user name and password.
  • Existing permit holders may apply through their current Fish Online account.
  • Click Initial Private Recreational Tilefish Permit.

How Do I Report?

  • You must report all trips that either targeted or retained tilefish to GARFO within 24 hours of returning to port using an approved electronic vessel trip reporting (eVTR) system.
  • More information on recreational tilefishing can be found on our recent Bulletin.

Are All U.S. Sharks Overfished?

August 10, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The world’s oceans are home to around 500 species of sharks. With so many species, it’s difficult to talk about the status of shark stocks overall. Regardless of the species, federal laws and regulations work to ensure that shark fisheries in the United States are healthy going into the future.

Read the facts below to learn more about what it means to be overfished and how we sustainably manage our shark fisheries.

1. U.S. law requires that shark fishing rules foster long-term biological and economic sustainability.

Fishery management in U.S. federal waters is governed primarily by the Magnuson-Stevens Act. First passed in 1976, the act requires that all fishery management plans meet 10 National Standards. That means the approximately 50 species of sharks managed in federal waters are fished under rules designed to:

  • Prevent overfishing
  • Rebuild overfished stocks
  • Increase long-term economic and social benefits of fisheries
  • Ensure a safe and sustainable seafood supply

Gulf of Mexico blacktip sharks are a good example of these rules at work. A popular food fish, blacktip sharks experienced a slight population decline in the 1990s. We established a quota specifically for this population in 2015. That combined with retention limits tied to other commercially valuable species contributed to a higher population today than the target level set by scientists.

Learn more about U.S. fisheries management

Understand why U.S.-caught sharks are a sustainable food choice

2. The terms “overfished” and “threatened” mean different things.

It’s a common misconception that overfished species are at risk of extinction. But the categories of overfished and overfishing are not directly related to threatened and endangered designations under the Endangered Species Act.

To understand the difference, it helps to know another term: maximum sustainable yield. This is the largest catch level that a species can sustain over a long period of time. If a stock is declared overfished, that means its numbers have fallen too low to produce its maximum sustainable yield. An overfished status doesn’t say anything directly about whether the species is endangered or likely to become endangered.

NOAA Fisheries is dedicated to rebuilding overfished stocks. Of the 43 shark stocks managed in the Atlantic Ocean, six are overfished. We have put rebuilding plans in place for each of these with strict catch limits based on the best available science. These limits are closely monitored and enforced.

Learn more about efforts to rebuild sandbar shark populations

Learn more about how retention limits help us sustainably manage shark fisheries

3. Our largest shark fisheries target healthy stocks.

The vast majority of sharks harvested in the United States are species with above-target population levels. In the Atlantic, for example, 94 percent of all U.S. shark landings in 2018—including bycatch—were of five species, which are neither overfished nor subject to overfishing:

  • Spiny dogfish shark
  • Smooth dogfish shark
  • Gulf of Mexico blacktip shark
  • Atlantic sharpnose shark
  • Finetooth shark

Two of these—spiny dogfish and Gulf of Mexico blacktip—have actually experienced population growth over recent decades.

Learn more about how spiny dogfish have benefited from sustainable management

Read the full release here

NOAA cancels surveys, angering fishermen

August 10, 2020 — A week after announcing the Aug. 14 redeployment of at-sea monitors aboard Northeast groundfish vessels, NOAA Fisheries said it is canceling four fisheries and ecosystem surveys over COVID-19 safety concerns for its staff.

“After much deliberation, we determined we will not be able to move forward with these surveys while effectively minimizing risk and meeting core survey objectives,” NOAA Fisheries said in a statement.

The cancellation of the surveys further angered fishing stakeholders already incensed by what they regard as NOAA Fisheries’s insensitivity toward health concerns of commercial fishermen in the push to redeploy at-sea monitors while the pandemic continues.

“NOAA doesn’t have anybody working in its offices and has canceled much of its on-the-water field work out of safety concerns for its staff,” Jackie Odell, executive director of the Gloucester-based Northeast Seafood Coalition, said Thursday. “Data is very important. Monitoring is very important. But at some point, NOAA has to understand that the lives of fishermen and their families don’t come second. That has to be a top priority.”

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Feds cancel study of Maine’s imperiled shrimp fishery

August 7, 2020 — The federal government is canceling a research survey about New England’s imperiled shrimp fishery due to challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Maine shrimp fishery has been shut down for several years because of concerns such as poor survival of young. Scientists have said environmental conditions in the Gulf of Maine have put the future of the fishery at risk.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was scheduled to perform a research survey about the fishery this year, but announced its cancellation this week. The agency said it’s also canceling a handful of other research surveys off the East Coast and Gulf Coast because of “uncertainties created by the COVID-19 pandemic and the unique challenges those are creating for NOAA Fisheries.”

The shrimp were once a popular winter seafood item. Fishermen also harvested them in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

Read the full story at the Bangor Daily News

NOAA Fisheries Announces a Delay in Effective Date for New For-Hire Electronic Reporting Requirements in the Atlantic

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

KEY MESSAGE:

NOAA Fisheries is delaying the effective date of the final rule to implement the South Atlantic For-Hire Reporting Amendment. The final rule establishes electronic reporting requirements for vessels with a federal charter vessel/headboat permit for Atlantic coastal migratory pelagics, or Atlantic dolphin and wahoo, or South Atlantic snapper-grouper and modifies the reporting deadline for headboats.

WHEN RULE WILL TAKE EFFECT:

The rule will be effective on January 4, 2021.

WHAT THIS MEANS:

  • No action is required by federally permitted charter fishermen at this time. NOAA Fisheries will send more information in the fall of 2020. If you have questions, please call 833-707-1632
  • The final rule requires weekly electronic reporting for federally permitted charter fishermen and modifies the reporting deadline for headboats starting January 4, 2021.
  • The requirements for weekly electronic reporting apply to charter vessels with a federal charter vessel/headboat permit for Atlantic coastal migratory pelagics, or Atlantic dolphin and wahoo, or South Atlantic snapper-grouper.
    Charter fishermen must report information such as trip start and end dates and times, species kept and discarded, fishing location, depth fished, hours fished, and charter fee.
  • Electronic reports from charter fishermen are due by Tuesday following the end of each reporting week, which runs from Monday through Sunday.
  • Charter fishermen can report using their computer, smartphone, or tablet with access to the internet. Reporting must be through software approved by NOAA Fisheries for this program.  NOAA Fisheries will send information on approved software and how to use it through a toolkit mailed to each permit holder in fall of 2020.  This information will also be posted to our website.
  • Headboat vessels with a federal charter vessel/headboat permit for Atlantic coastal migratory pelagics, or Atlantic dolphin and wahoo, or South Atlantic snapper-grouper will continue to submit reports to the Southeast Headboat Survey but will be required to submit electronic fishing reports by Tuesday following a reporting week, rather than by Sunday.

FORMAL FEDERAL REGISTER NAME/NUMBER: 85 FR 47917, published August 7, 2020

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