Saving Seafood

Vessel Speed Restrictions Proposed for New England Waters to Protect Endangered Right Whales

September 22, 2022 — Ferries and charter boats could move a lot slower in Rhode Island during the off-season if federal regulators accept new nautical speed limits to protect an endangered species of whale.

Officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have proposed restricting existing nautical speed limits to 10 knots per hour for all vessels greater than 35 feet in length. If approved, the new rule would go into effect between Nov. 1 and May 30 and apply to all vessels sailing along the Atlantic seaboard from Massachusetts to North Carolina – including all of Rhode Island Sound and Block Island Sound.

The rule is intended to curb the amount of vessel strikes on the Atlantic’s already limited right whale population, which is close to extinction. NOAA estimates at least four right whales have died from colliding with marine vessels since 2017.

“The biggest impact to charter boats is the loss of fishing time for our clients,” said Capt. Rick Bellavance, president of the Rhode Island Party and Charter Boat Association. “If we’re driving 10 miles an hour instead of 15, that’s 5 miles of travel every hour. It could be a half hour or an hour each day of less fishing and more driving.”

The off season isn’t quite as off it used to be. Bellavance says more and more customers charter boats to fish for tautog, also known as blackfish, which has had a resurgence thanks to careful conservation by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM), and is almost an attraction for the state in November and December.

Read the full article Eco RI News

NOAA Enlists Hawaiʻi Fishermen for Mahimahi Diet Study

September 21, 2022 —  The following was released by NOAA:

To fishermen in Hawaiʻi, Pacific mahimahi stomachs hold no particular value and are typically discarded. To NOAA scientists researching mahimahi diet, however, each stomach tells a unique story about where and what an individual fish ate.

Mahimahi is a federally managed fish popular among recreational and commercial fishermen in Hawaiʻi. And it’s a fish we still have much to learn about—especially when it comes to their diet and role in marine ecosystems. That’s where local fishermen come in!

NOAA Fisheries scientists and fishery managers are enlisting the help of local fishermen to collect mahimahi stomachs for research.

The stomach contents will help NOAA scientists better understand what these predatory fish are eating. They’ll also reveal how much of the fish’s diet comes from pelagic (open-ocean) life stages of coral reef animals.

“Collaborating with the fishing community is an important component of this work,” said Keith Kamikawa, fishery management specialist, NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Regional Office. “We’re conducting science while getting Hawaiʻi fishermen and anglers involved.”

Essential Habitat for Mahimahi

Under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, NOAA Fisheries must prevent overfishing of federally managed fish and rebuild overfished stocks. Part of this work involves protecting their essential fish habitat—the habitat fish require to thrive throughout every life stage.

With this in mind, one has to wonder: why does it matter what mahimahi are eating? And how do inshore coral reef habitats impact the open-ocean-dwelling mahimahi?

“While coral reef fish live their adult lives near shore, when they mature and spawn, their larvae drift out to sea and develop in the open ocean,” Kamikawa explained. “There they grow from tiny plankton to pelagic juveniles just a couple of inches long.”

These juvenile reef fish may become prey of mahimahi (and other pelagic predators) while on their way back to the reef to grow into adults.

If these reef-associated species are an important part of mahimahi diet, protecting coral reef habitats where they mature and spawn could play a significant role in maintaining populations of mahimahi around the islands. As mahimahi supports many local, small commercial, and recreational fishermen in Hawaiʻi, it is important to understand their life history—by diving into their stomachs.

Benefits for Fishermen and Science

NOAA scientists studying mahimahi diet rely on stomach samples donated from recreational, subsistence, and charter fishermen. The number of stomachs obtained by collaborating local fishermen is significantly larger than what NOAA researchers could collect alone.

Fishermen are going to mahimahi areas within the main Hawaiian Islands more consistently than a fleet of NOAA small boats could. They can provide scientists with stomach samples year-round.

To encourage participation, NOAA is piloting a “punch card” program to obtain stomachs from recently caught mahimahi. Along with the fish stomachs, fishermen must share the catch location, type of bait used, and size of the fish, among other catch-related information.

Fishermen will receive one point for every stomach donated with a full set of data. For every 10 points, they will get a $50 gift card to a local fishing supply store. So far, fishermen have donated more than 300 stomachs, with more to come!

“We’re really getting a great look into mahimahi diets in Hawaiʻi,” said Nan Himmelsbach, a research associate for the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, who works at the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center. “Preliminary results using DNA barcoding techniques have revealed that the majority of prey items found in mahimahi stomachs are juvenile stages of reef-associated animals, such as goatfish and surgeonfish.”

NOAA scientists use genetics to identify digested prey that would typically be unidentifiable. The top prey species discovered so far are: malu (sidespot goatfish), moano (manybar goatfish), nūnū (flat needlefish), snake mackerel, and gilded triggerfish.

Getting a clearer picture of mahimahi diet across seasons and years is critical to understanding their feeding habits and how those habits may shift in a changing climate. Contributions from and collaborations with fishermen make this happen. So far, scientists have identified more than 500 prey items from the stomachs they’ve processed. The results will be shared with the fishing community, especially those who provided samples for the project. Fishermen can verify patterns found in the lab with what they see out on the water, and adjust the bait or lure color they are using.

“It’s a win-win—NOAA fulfills its mandates, and the fishing community can participate and learn more about this magnificent fish they catch and eat,” Kamikawa said. “The project is a great example of the scientific, management, and fishing communities working together on quality research that supports our collective understanding and sound management of this awesome fish.”

U.S. charts course for adopting ropeless fishing to reduce whale deaths

September 21, 2022 — A spate of North Atlantic right whale deaths that began in 2017 shook the scientists who study the critically endangered species. That year, 17 whales died, and the losses prompted the U.S.’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to declare an “unusual mortality event” for them, which remains ongoing. In the years since, at least 54 have perished or sustained injuries so severe that they weren’t expected to live.

The culprits in most of these deaths, when possible to discern, have been ship strikes and entanglements in fishing gear, in roughly equal measure. Together, these hazards have helped spark a decade-long decline in the population of North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis), from a post-whaling peak of nearly 500 animals in 2011 to just 336 today.

Guidelines already require large boats to slow down through right whale hangouts to minimize collisions, and the U.S. government is moving to broaden those restrictions. And government regulators, fishers, scientists and engineers in the U.S. and Canada are also trying to address the entanglement part of the equation. Especially since the whale deaths of 2017, key groups have increasingly thrown their support behind novel “ropeless” — more recently called “on-demand” — fishing gear that reduces the need for vertical ropes that attach lobster and fish traps on the ocean floor to buoys at the surface.

On July 29, NOAA released a draft Ropeless Roadmap, laying out the technological and regulatory hurdles facing the adoption of this new fishing gear. Scientists and fishers alike say the use of on-demand gear could give the North Atlantic right whale the reprieve from entanglement it needs to survive. The gear would also allow U.S. trap and pot fisheries, primarily for lobster but also for bottom-dwelling fish, to return to right whale hotspots they’ve been excluded from. These fisheries are the long-standing economic anchors of many communities along the eastern coasts of the U.S. and Canada.

The road map outlines a targeted approach to expanding the use of on-demand gear specifically aimed at allowing ropeless fishing in areas that are closed due to the risk the lines involved in traditional fishing pose to right whales. That would first happen under special permits allowing “limited access” for fishers to try out experimental gear, tentatively scheduled to launch in 2023, according to NOAA’s plans.

The end result might involve highly adaptive and real-time recommendations from scientists indicating places where only on-demand fishing should be allowed because the use of traditional gear with persistent vertical lines would be too dangerous for the few remaining right whales.

“The ropeless roadmap that we’ve written does not envision on-demand fishing for everyone everywhere,” Michael Asaro, a social scientist with NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, said during a presentation to the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team in August. The take reduction team works on plans to reduce the danger to whales from fishing gear and includes representatives from academia, conservation groups, federal regulatory bodies and the fishing industry.

“In short, we’re trying to provide tools for fishermen to fish in closed areas,” Henry Milliken, a research fishery biologist at NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center, said at the presentation.

But this strategy also relies on figuring out where and when right whales will gather to feed and socialize — questions that continue to vex scientists. With right whale numbers perilously low and continuing to plunge, the stakes are clear, said Asaro, the report’s lead author.

Read the full article at Mongabay

Now Soliciting Proposals for 2023-2024 Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Program

September 19, 2022 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries, in coordination with the New England Fishery Management Council, is soliciting proposals for the 2023-2024 Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Program.

Successful applicants are awarded pounds of scallops that have been “set aside” to pay for research expenses; no federal funds are provided. Researchers and fishermen partner to harvest awarded scallops, and the proceeds are used to fund the research and compensate fishing industry partners.

The New England Fishery Management Council develops the research priorities, and NOAA Fisheries administers the competition, oversees awarded projects, and oversees set-aside harvest activities.

The research set-aside programs are designed to inform resource management decisions and improve stock assessments. Proposals are evaluated for scientific merit and for relevance to scallop fishery management.

NOAA Announces Funding to Continue 12 Ongoing Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration Projects

September 19, 2022 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is awarding funding to continue 12 ongoing habitat restoration efforts in 2022. These projects are restoring habitats for coastal and marine species in nine states and territories across the country. They are helping to support our nation’s fisheries, contribute to the recovery of threatened and endangered species, and build resilient coastal ecosystems and communities.

NOAA Fisheries provides funding and technical support to partners across the country to develop high-quality habitat restoration projects. Efforts such as reopening rivers to fish passage, reconnecting rivers to their floodplains, and reducing coastal runoff will support oysters, corals, and several fish species. They will also aid in the recovery of threatened and endangered species like Atlantic salmon.

Funding for these habitat restoration projects will be awarded through two multi-year grant programs:

Community-based Restoration Program Funding

We will award more than $5 million through the Community-based Restoration Program. This program funds habitat restoration projects focused on supporting sustainable fisheries and recovering Endangered Species Act-listed species.

Alaska

The Copper River Watershed Project will restore access to 45 miles of habitat for Chinook and coho salmon by replacing two narrow pipes with a new bridge. This fish passage restoration work will support the salmon fisheries that drive the economies of rural communities in Alaska’s Copper River region. ($449,661)

California

The Santa Monica Bay Restoration Foundation will work to restore rocky reef habitats in Southern California by increasing populations of white abalone, a NOAA Species in the Spotlight. Partners will raise captive juvenile white abalone and then place them in appropriate habitats off the coast of Los Angeles County. ($110,155)

Maryland

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources will place spat-on-shell, or oyster larvae, on up to 100 acres of oyster reefs in four Maryland tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay. Higher oyster density is expected to lead to increased environmental benefits, such as water filtration and more habitat for fish. ($800,000)

Virginia

The Virginia Marine Resources Commission will construct new oyster reefs in Mobjack Bay, within NOAA’s new Middle Peninsula Habitat Focus Area. Reefs in this area support fish species like Atlantic butterfish, bluefish, summer flounder, and black sea bass. ($750,000)

North Carolina

The North Carolina Coastal Federation, in partnership with the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries, will add up to 15 acres of new oyster reef habitat to the Swan Quarter Oyster Sanctuary in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Restoration will benefit species such as gag grouper and white, brown, and pink shrimp. ($750,000)

Texas

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi will restore oyster reef habitat in St. Charles Bay, Texas. The project will create 3.9 acres of new oyster reef that will support saltwater recreational fisheries, reduce shoreline erosion, and benefit black drum, stone crab, skilletfish, and other economically important species. ($71,106)

Florida

The Florida Aquarium will propagate, grow, and plant 4,250 threatened elkhorn corals to help restore 1,785 square meters of coral habitat at Looe Key and Horseshoe Reefs. These are two of the seven reefs outlined in the innovative Mission: Iconic Reefs. The project will also spawn and raise Diadema urchins at a land-based facility. ($302,000) Also funded by the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program.

Caribbean

Sociedad Ambiente Marino will restore endangered corals and seagrass beds damaged by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico. Over the course of the project, the group will plant 21,000 threatened elkhorn corals and staghorn corals and 4,128 seagrass plugs near existing coral sites to speed up the natural recovery process. ($229,565)

Atlantic Salmon Habitat Restoration Partnership Funding

We will award more than $1.5 million through the Atlantic Salmon Habitat Restoration Partnership. This grant program supports habitat restoration projects that contribute to the recovery of the Gulf of Maine Distinct Population Segment of Atlantic salmon, a federally-listed endangered species and a NOAA Species in the Spotlight.

Maine

  • The Atlantic Salmon Federation will implement five projects to restore access to Atlantic salmon spawning and rearing habitats in the Kennebec River watershed. They will also conduct a fish passage feasibility study at the Chesterville Wildlife Management Area Dam on Little Norridgewock Stream. ($401,514)
  • Project SHARE will replace undersized culverts at 13 sites, connecting habitat for Atlantic salmon across the Dennys, Machias, Pleasant, Union, and Narraguagus River watersheds. They will also conduct fish passage feasibility studies at the Great Works Dam and at Marion Falls fishway. Funding will also support freshwater habitat restoration work in the Narraguagus River watershed. ($444,237)
  • The Nature Conservancy will complete the final designs to remove Guilford Dam and restore the adjacent floodplain, which will reconnect habitat for Atlantic salmon in the Piscataquis River watershed. They will also restore access to high-quality habitat by improving fish passage at three high-priority road crossings over streams. ($570,000)
  • The Downeast Salmon Federation will support fish passage feasibility studies at the Cherryfield Ice Control Dam on the Narraguagus River and the Gardner Lake Dam on the East Machias River, to support future habitat restoration in these watersheds. Funding will also support fish passage improvements at the Gardner Lake Dam. ($153,582)

MAINE: Maine’s leaders seek more time on whale protection rules

September 15, 2022 — Maine Gov. Janet Mills is seeking to delay new federal whale protection rules, citing fears the state’s commercial lobstermen won’t be able to comply.

In a letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Mills urges federal fisheries regulators to extend the period for collecting public comment on the new regulations, which are aimed at protecting critically endangered north Atlantic right whales by setting a seasonal closure and requiring modifications to gear.

Mills said she believes it is “unconscionable” that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration only plans to hold one remote public hearing on the new regulations, which call for reducing by 90% the number of Atlantic Coast fixed gear fisheries, including lobster industry.

Read the full article at The Center Square

NOAA, NFWF award $2.6 million for Papahānaumokuākea

September 15, 2022 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), Marc and Lynne Benioff and NOAA today announced nearly $2.6 million in grants to support management and conservation of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, part of the Hawaiian Islands chain.The five grants will leverage $1.3 million in matching contributions to generate a total conservation impact of $3.9 million. NOAA support includes funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and additional support is provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, a UNESCO World Heritage site, encompasses a remote group of islands, reefs and atolls in the northwestern sector of the Hawaiian Islands. The site is home to thousands of species of fish and wildlife, some that are found nowhere else, including threatened and endangered species such as the Hawaiian monk seal, green sea turtle and Laysan albatross. 

“Healthy habitats are vital for addressing the climate crisis and strengthening the resilience of coastal communities,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “The public-private partnership between NFWF, NOAA, and Marc and Lynne Benioff, leveraged with Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding, is a transformational opportunity to invest in and help protect this sacred Native Hawaiian landscape.”

Marine debris removal is of critical importance to both the natural and cultural components of the monument. Papahānaumokuākea is a sacred Native Hawaiian landscape and is home to numerous important archaeological sites. The funds awarded today will significantly increase efforts to reduce the amount of marine debris that threatens the monument. The project will also develop and test new tools and techniques that can help increase the efficiency of these removal efforts, such as using uncrewed aircraft systems and satellites to help locate debris.

“Today’s announcement will support debris removal and research across more than 1,200 miles of Papahānaumokuākea, allowing us to protect endangered wildlife, sustain coral reefs and explore new ways to conserve the marine monument going forward,” said U.S. Senator Brian Schatz.

“The low-lying atolls of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument are extremely susceptible to sea-level rise, reducing available nesting and haul out areas for endangered seabirds, sea turtles and monk seals,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF. “But what people might find more surprising is the threats that come from around the Pacific Ocean in the form of lost fishing nets and other marine debris that entangle these animals and damage these fragile habitats.” 

One of the projects supported this year will continue an effort to remove marine debris from the monument that has taken place since 1996, but this new investment will scale up removal work, build capacity for a sustainable multi-year program and incorporate lessons and efficiencies learned from more than 20 years of experience and data. The grant will enable the removal of over 500 metric tons of debris in coming years.  

“Marine debris is a global issue that poses immense challenges to nature, human health and the economy,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “Working with NFWF and Marc and Lynne Benioff to leverage the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds for marine debris removal is an important step in helping these habitats recover and stay healthy.”

Other projects supported on this slate will seek to protect the monument from a biological threat: an outbreak of an invasive and smothering form of algae that is severely affecting marine habitats at the northern end of the monument. This algae forms in thick mats that can cover large areas of coral reefs. Funds will continue research into how the algae spreads and what drives the outbreaks while working with managers and those in the monument on practical guidelines to prevent its spread to other areas.

“Papahānaumokuākea is the largest conservation area in the United States, and one of the greatest assets of the Hawaiian Islands,” said Marc and Lynne Benioff. “It’s our honor to be able to support its continued preservation and conservation.”

All five grants were awarded through the Papahānaumokuākea Research and Conservation Fund (PRCF), a partnership between NFWF and NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. In its first five years, the PRCF has invested more than $5.4 million across 13 projects, leveraging more than $4.5 million in support of the monument’s natural resources for a total conservation impact of nearly $10 million. A complete list of the 2022 grants made through the PRCF is available here.

WASHINGTON: Multiple tribal fishery disasters declared in Washington, West Coast tribes awarded $17 million

September 13, 2022 — U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced nearly $17.5 million will be used to address fishery disasters that occurred in multiple tribal salmon fisheries on the West Coast from 2014 to 2019, including Washington.

“Sustainable and resilient fisheries play a vital role in helping tribal communities put food on the table and in supporting economic well-being,” said Raimondo. “It’s our hope that this disaster declaration will help the affected tribes recover from these disasters and increase their ability to combat future challenges.”

Read the full article at MyNorthwest

Maine lobstermen, politicians rally in protest of fishing restrictions and boycott

September 12, 2022 — Maine lobstermen and their elected leaders are fighting back over two setbacks this week — one in court and one in the marketplace — that could threaten their livelihood.

At a rally in Portland on Friday, they protested a federal judge’s ruling allowing the National Marine Fisheries Service, a branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) to impose limits on where and how lobstermen fish in order to protect endangered North Atlantic Right Whales.

Gov. Janet Mills said, “Regulations that are not based on sound science, not proven fact, and will often pose a risk of devastating Maine’s lobster industry! These guys are fed up. I’m fed up. We’re all fed up!”

The rally was also protesting Seafood Watch, a California-based sustainable seafood advocacy group now advising food distributors and restaurants to boycott Maine lobster.

Read the full article at WABI

NOAA Fisheries announces $2.3M in funding for 13 projects under its Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program

September 8, 2022 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries has awarded approximately $2.3 million to 13 projects under the Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program. Bycatch reduction is a top priority for NOAA Fisheries, as outlined in our National Bycatch Reduction Strategy, because bycatch can contribute to overfishing, threaten endangered and threatened species and protected marine mammals, or close fisheries, significantly impacting U.S. economic growth. This year’s projects focus on several priority bycatch issues related to a variety of species, including whales, turtles, sharks, sturgeon, and halibut.

NOAA Fisheries’ Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program has resulted in innovative technological solutions to some of the nation’s top bycatch challenges. NOAA Fisheries is proud to continue to partner with fishermen, fishery managers, industry, and the environmental community to avoid and minimize bycatch.

Greater Atlantic Region Projects

  • Sea Mammal Education Learning Technology Society: $199,824
  • Cormac Hondros-McCarthy: $211,290
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County: $205,240
  • University of Maine: $210,822
  • Ocean Associates Incorporated: $199,154