Saving Seafood

FLORIDA: Gov. DeSantis requests federal support for Florida fisheries in aftermath of Hurricane Ian

October 17, 2022 — Gov. Ron DeSantis is requesting that the areas affected by Hurricane Ian be declared a federal fisheries disaster by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which would open up channels for more aide for those in the fishing industry.

DeSantis announced the request Saturday at a press conference providing updates on Hurricane Ian relief efforts, highlighting support for those who work on the water. If approved, NOAA will be able to provide more support to commercial fishermen, wholesale dealers, charter boat captains and fisheries, he said.

“Clearly a storm of this magnitude — this is appropriate for this declaration,” DeSantis said. “So once this is approved, then that provides these groups and people in the industry to work with NOAA to be able to get more support. So we’re happy to help facilitate that request.”

Read the full article at Florida Politics 

How NOAA Preserves the Habitat of Seafood in the Pacific Islands

October 14, 2022 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Did you know that in Hawaiʻi, state regulations specify that you can only keep the ulua (giant trevally) you catch if it’s at least 10 inches long? Or that federal regulations place annual catch limits for Pacific bigeye tuna in fisheries across American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and Hawaiʻi?

Regulatory conservation agencies use a number of tools like size and catch limits to make sure our seafood is around for future generations to enjoy. But these approaches mean little if the animals have no place to call home.

That’s why NOAA Fisheries works hard to also protect the habitat of the seafood species we eat. We’re engaged in numerous habitat management initiatives in the Pacific Islands region. Our work ranges from minimizing habitat impacts from federal projects to working with partners to actively maintain and restore habitat. Here are five examples of ways we’re preserving the habitat of our Pacific Islands seafood.

Read the full article NOAA Fisheries

MAINE: Maine lawmakers call for more hearings on whale rules

October 11, 2022 — Members of Maine’s congressional delegation are asking the federal government to hold more hearings on whale protection rules to gauge the impact on the state’s commercial fishing industry.

In a letter to the National Marine Fisheries Service, Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine and Angus King, I-Maine, said the federal agency’s decision to hold only one public hearing last week on the new regulations “unacceptable” and called for more engagement with the lobster industry.

The lawmakers wrote that the 90% risk reduction target fisheries regulators are pursuing over the next two years to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales would be a “death knell” for lobstermen.

Read the full article at Center Square

Fishing regulators fear wind turbines could threaten spawning area for Atlantic cod

October 11, 2022 — Scientists identified spawning cod in a large area currently leased for offshore wind development, prompting fisheries regulators to declare the habitat a “high priority” and raising concerns that some projects could derail the decade-long effort to rebuild the struggling commercial fishery.

The designation by the New England Fishery Management Council was submitted to the federal NOAA Fisheries in August and is now pending final approval. Those involved say it is the most declarative action taken by the regional council in its approach to the emerging wind energy industry, highlighting its “concern over potential adverse impacts from offshore wind development.”

“We want to make it very clear that there are important fishery resources in this area,” said council spokesperson Janice Plante. “We hope that it creates an extra layer of consideration as these projects go forward.”

The boundaries of the designation, which is called a Habitat Area of Particular Concern (HAPC), is roughly 3,000 square miles and spans all nine wind-energy lease areas in federal waters off Southern New England. It includes a buffer zone beyond the lease areas, “recognizing that some types of development activities can generate impacts at scales of tens of kilometers beyond the site of construction and operations.”

Read the full article at the New Bedford Light

New Hampshire fishermen worried about new guidelines to protect right whales

October 10, 2022 — New Hampshire fishermen are raising concerns about additional restrictions they’ll be facing in order to protect the critically endangered right whale.

The president of the New Hampshire Fish Council said guidelines are being worked out between the industry and National Marine Fisheries Service, but he said there has never been a recorded incident between a right whale and a New Hampshire fisherman.

Fewer than 350 endangered North Atlantic right whales remain in existence. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has documented 54 incidents of deaths or serious injuries of right whales due to unusual circumstances from 2017-2022. Eleven deaths were confirmed to be from vessel strikes, and nine were entanglements, though none were documented in New Hampshire waters.

Read the full article at WBUR

Right rules should be based on science to protect whales and lobstermen

October 10, 2022 — In recent weeks, Maine’s lobster industry has faced a series of unexpected challenges. Lobstermen, along with Gov. Janet Mills and the state’s congressional delegation, were outraged about a warning from an environmental group that urged consumers not to buy lobsters from Maine because of the risk the fishery poses to endangered North Atlantic right whales.

This red-listing was followed by news from federal regulators that they planned to place further restrictions on lobster harvesting much sooner than expected. They planned to do so with no meetings in Maine, which is home to the vast majority of the nation’s lobster fishermen. Mills and the state’s congressional delegation successfully lobbied for a meeting here, which was held Wednesday night in Portland. They are now asking for another meeting in Downeast Maine.

That anger was apparent at the session held by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Read the full article at Bangor Daily News

Woods Hole Partnership Examines Possible Sea-Level Rise

October 10, 2022 — A local partnership presented their plans for helping Woods Hole adapt to rising sea levels at a recent meeting of the Falmouth Select Board.

Resilient Woods Hole is a private-public collaboration to prepare the village for sea-level rise, flooding, and shoreline loss.

The initiative is led by a partnership between Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) and NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center.

Project Manager Leslie-Ann McGee said local businesses, community groups, and other stakeholders are all part of Resilient Woods Hole’s steering committee.

The group received a grant from the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management for recent community outreach including adaptation workshops and stakeholder surveys.

The surveys involved presenting residents with different options for adaptations like constructing hard structures or taking a more natural approach. The forms also asked if people wanted to retreat or live with water.

Read the full article at CapeCod.com

NOAA Sea Grant announces $2.1M to support aquaculture research and extension in Maine

October 10, 2022 — NOAA Sea Grant has announced $2.1 million to fund four projects that advance aquaculture research and extension to support sustainable aquaculture in Maine. The projects are part of a larger $14 million NOAA Sea Grant investment to strengthen aquaculture across the United States.

Investigators from the University of Maine Aquaculture Research Institute, Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center, UMaine Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research, and Maine Sea Grant will lead projects to develop feed for finfish, improve Atlantic sea scallop hatchery techniques, diversify lumpfish broodstock, and advance the work of the Maine Aquaculture Hub, respectively.

“Innovation and diversification in Maine’s aquaculture industry have created new jobs and economic opportunities in our state. We welcome this investment from NOAA, which will support the ongoing, cutting-edge research by UMaine scientists and students. These projects will help to increase the sustainability and economic viability of aquaculture in coastal communities here in Maine and across the country,” said U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King in a joint statement.

“Year after year, the Sea Grant program protects thousands of acres of coastal ecosystems, generates hundreds of millions of dollars in economic development, and creates thousands of jobs across the country,” said Rep. Chellie Pingree in a press release. “As a longtime supporter of the Sea Grant program and an advocate for it through my role on the House Appropriations Committee, I’m thrilled aquaculture projects in Maine are being invested in. This funding is yet another example of how Sea Grant is fostering innovation and entrepreneurship to support Maine’s working waterfront and coastal communities.”

Read the full article at Bangor Daily News

Boat 10-knot speed limit? NOAA says it saves right whales, critics say it kills industry

October 7, 2022 — A proposed stricter speed limit to protect the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale is finding opposition from boaters who say it will cripple the recreational boating and fishing industry while providing little protection to right whales.

The new vessel strike reduction rule, which is in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s public comment period that ends Oct. 31, would include smaller 35- to 65-foot vessels and stretch from the coast out to 100 miles in some areas. The zones cover almost the entire length of the Atlantic seaboard, from Massachusetts to Florida.

After Oct. 31, NOAA will then consider drafting the measure, which could go into effect next year.

Previously these smaller boats were exempt from the speed rules, first established in 2008, and the zones were kept to 10 seasonal management areas on the coast, primarily near ports where boat traffic is heaviest.

Boats would be restricted to 10-knot speeds in the new zones from Nov. 1 to to May 30. That is when the whales are know to migrate from their summer foraging grounds in the Gulf of Maine to their winter calving grounds in the South Atlantic Bight, from North Carolina to Florida. That is the only known calving place for the whales, NOAA reports.

While party boats, the large 65- to 125-foot vessels that carry crowds of people, typically travel between 10 to 20 knots, charter and private sport boats can hit top speeds of 60 knots.

Read the full article at Asbury Park Press

MAINE: Local fishermen voice frustration in public meeting with NOAA

October 7, 2022 — Mainers had a chance to voice their opinion on how the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) should modify its plan to protect whales. Many from the coastal and fishing community traveled for this meeting.

Gov. Janet Mills, Sen. Susan Collins, Sen. Angus King, Rep. Jared Golden, Rep. Chellie Pingree, and former Gov. Paul LePage spoke or had someone speak on their behalf.

Read the full article at WMTW