Saving Seafood

NOAA proposes National Estuarine Research Reserve in Connecticut

September 2, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA: 

NOAA and the State of Connecticut are asking for public comment on a proposal to designate a national estuarine research reserve in Long Island Sound. Estuarine reserves protect a section of an estuary and provide a living laboratory to explore and understand important areas where rivers meet the sea, thus promoting understanding and informed management of coastal habitats. If designated, this estuarine reserve in the southeastern part of the Constitution State would become the 30th such reserve in the national estuarine reserve system and the first in Connecticut.

“This proposal for an estuarine reserve in Connecticut demonstrates this Administration’s commitment to conservation and addressing the impacts of climate change,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “Protecting our special places and making them accessible for future generations improves our planet, our people, and our economy.”

Within the boundaries of an estuarine reserve, communities and scientists work together to address natural resource management issues, such as nonpoint source pollution, habitat restoration, and invasive species, on a local scale. Estuarine reserves contribute to the national effort to make the coasts more resilient to natural and human-made changes. Our nation gained its most recent estuarine reserve in January 2017, when the state of Hawaii designated the only reserve in the Pacific Islands.

“Partnerships are what make the estuarine reserve system successful,” said Nicole LeBoeuf, director of NOAA’s National Ocean Service. “Each reserve brings together local stakeholders, scientists, land management professionals, and educators to understand coastal management issues and generate local, integrated solutions, while leveraging nation-wide programs.”

NOAA and the State of Connecticut will jointly hold two public hearings via webinar on October 7 to solicit public input on the draft environmental impact statement and draft management plan for the Connecticut estuarine reserve. Additionally, the comment period remains open through October 18, 2021. Connecticut, in collaboration with NOAA, then plans to prepare the final environmental impact statement and final management plan. Thereafter, NOAA plans to prepare designation findings and a record of decision. If the designation process follows its anticipated timeline, the estuarine reserve could be designated as early as January 2022.

 

Right Whale Conservation Groups ‘Disappointed’ By Long-Awaited Lobster Fishing Rules

September 2, 2021 — Federal officials have issued new regulations for the lobster and Jonah crab fisheries that are designed to protect North Atlantic right whales from entanglements in gear. But conservationists say the long-awaited rules don’t go far enough to save the critically endangered species.

The new regulations from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) require lobstermen to add more traps per buoy line to reduce the number of vertical ropes in the water. They also restrict buoy lines in certain areas during seasonal whale migration south of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket and in the Gulf of Maine.

In addition, they require fishermen to make two significant changes to the ropes themselves: adding breakaway sections so that entangled whales can more easily break free, and markings to buoy lines to enable federal officials to differentiate gear by state.

Federal officials say the rules, which are four years in the making, will reduce the whales’ risk of death and serious injury by 69% — and more protections will be phased in over the next decade as part of a conservation framework.

But conservation groups say they wanted more aggressive measures, given the current status of the critically endangered whales. The population of North Atlantic right whales has declined sharply over the last few decades, and today an estimated 360 remain.

The Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) was also critical of the new rules, saying that, in fact, the federal government has placed an “unwarranted burden” on the fishery.

“[The National Marine Fisheries Service] has mandated that Maine lobstermen reduce risk to right whales by an additional 98% over the next 10 years based on the worst-case scenario instead of using best available data and realistic assumptions,” said Maine Lobstermen’s Association executive director Patrice McCarron, “The final rule is just the first round of economic impacts to us, and future restrictions will likely destroy Maine’s iconic lobster fishery.”

The MLA takes issue with the size of the seasonal restricted area in the Gulf of Maine, a lack of “flexibility” for lobstermen to “innovate and propose equally protective yet less costly approaches,” and “last minute changes” to the gear marking requirements that they say could require lobstermen to purchase a second set of buoy lines.

Read the full story at New Hampshire Public Radio

 

After years of delay, federal regulators issue sweeping fishing rules to protect right whales

September 1, 2021 — Two and half years after calling for urgent action to protect North Atlantic right whales, federal regulators on Tuesday issued sweeping rules that seek to reduce their entanglement in fishing gear, among the leading cause of death and serious injuries to the critically endangered species.

The controversial rules, which advocates for the whales say don’t go far enough and come too late, aim to reduce the risk of death and serious injuries from entanglements by 69 percent, they said. The population of right whales has declined by a quarter over the past decade, with fewer than 400 left.

But they come with a significant cost for many fishermen, many of whom consider the rules unfairly onerous. Regulators estimate they will cost the fishing industry as much as $20 million in the first year and up to $91 million after six years, accounting for implementation and a diminished catch.

“The new measures in this rule will allow the lobster and Jonah crab fisheries to continue to thrive, while significantly reducing the risk to critically endangered right whales,” said Michael Pentony, regional administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in New England.

The rules will require reductions in the number of vertical lines that lobstermen and Jonah crab fishermen use to connect their traps on the seafloor to buoys at the surface. Those reductions will come as a result of new fishing closures and requirements that fishermen connect more of their traps to each other on the bottom with trawl lines.

Read the full story at the Boston Globe

BANGOR DAILY NEWS: Right whales, wrong rules

September 1, 2021 — Federal fisheries regulators on Tuesday announced new rules for the northeast lobster industry. The rules, which are aimed at protecting endangered North Atlantic right whales, are more stringent and extensive than lobstermen and state officials had expected.

The timing of the new restrictions — which include a large area that will be closed to lobster harvesting during the height of the season — is especially problematic. To add to the frustration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration moved ahead with the new rules without essential information about whale deaths that lobstermen, the governor and the state’s congressional delegation have requested for years.

In a draft biological opinion issued earlier this year, the fisheries agency essentially acknowledged the lack of specific data on what causes whale mortality, particularly information on collisions between ships and whales. Yet, it went ahead with the restrictive rules, which also impact New England’s crab fishery.

According to data that accompanied the announcement of the new rules, NOAA was certain of the cause of death in fewer than half of the 13 right whale deaths in the U.S. since 2017. In two of those cases, gear was found entangled on the dead whale. Entanglements were suspected in five other U.S. whale deaths. The agency did not specify where the gear was from or what type it was. Three deaths were attributed to vessel strikes.

The most recent known Maine entanglement occurred in 2004, but the whale survived, the Portland Press Herald reported.

“The leading category for the cause of death for [these unusual mortality events] is ‘human interaction,’ specifically from entanglements or vessel strikes,” NOAA said in an introduction to the data.

This is a very imprecise rationale for rules that will have a significant impact on Maine’s lobster fishing industry, which is the state’s largest and most lucrative fishery.

Read the full story at the Bangor Daily News

In Letter to Lobster Industry, Governor Mills Calls Right Whale Rule “Extremely Disappointing” & Pledges to Work with Maine’s Congressional Delegation to Fight It

September 1, 2021 — The following was released by Maine Governor Janet Mills:

In the wake of yesterday’s National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Rule, Governor Janet Mills last night sent a letter to Maine’s lobster industry expressing solidarity with them and calling the rule “extremely disappointing”. In the letter to Maine’s lobster harvesters, dealers, and processors, Governor Mills pledges to work with Maine’s Congressional Delegation to determine the best way to address the industry’s and administration’s concerns:

“While NOAA has accepted much of Maine’s proposal for Conservation Equivalencies, which the industry spent significant time developing, NOAA has finalized a gear marking scheme that is very different than what was in the proposed rule. NOAA also continues to include an offshore seasonal closure that is not rooted in right whale sightings or surveys. These types of changes – which disregard fishermen’s time, money, and safety – are extremely troubling,” wrote Governor Mills. “We are evaluating the rule closely and will work with the Congressional Delegation to determine the best way to address the concerns of our administration and those of the Maine lobster industry. While this issue has been brewing for several years now, I don’t care whether there is a Democrat or a Republican in the White House; I will always stand up for the interests of Maine’s lobster industry in the face of burdensome and undue regulations and we will continue to work with our partners in the lobster industry to support this vital part of Maine’s economy and heritage.”

Governor Mills and U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden expressed united opposition to the rule yesterday, and the Maine Department of Marine Resources also expressed its concern over the rule.

Governor Mills repeatedly stood up for Maine’s lobster industry and its working men and women in the face of the Federal government’s right whale proposal. Last year, she wrote to the Commerce Department urging it to deny a petition by Pew Charitable Trusts that asks for three seasonal offshore closures in the Gulf of Maine and that would prohibit the use of vertical lines in the American lobster and Jonah crab fisheries in four areas of the New England coast. She also filed comments with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on the draft Biological Opinion for ten fishery management plans in the Greater Atlantic Region, focusing on the North Atlantic Right Whale, expressing “grave concern” and warning it will be economically devastating and will fundamentally change Maine’s lobster fishery.

The complete text of the letter is available here

Feds Announce New Lobster Fishing Restrictions To Protect Endangered Right Whales

September 1, 2021 — America’s lobster fishing industry will face a host of new harvesting restrictions amid a new push from the federal government to try to save a vanishing species of whale.

The new rules, which have loomed over the profitable lobster industry for years and were announced Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), are designed to protect the North Atlantic right whale. The whales number only about 360 and are vulnerable to lethal entanglement in fishing gear.

NOAA said it expects the new rules will result in a reduction in nearly 70% of the risk of death and serious injuries the whales can suffer from entanglement. The rules had long been expected to focus on reducing the number of vertical ropes in the water, and they will.

The rules reduce the number of rope lines that link buoys to lobster and crab traps, NOAA said. The rules will also require the use of weaker ropes so whales can more easily break free if they do become entangled, the agency said. NOAA said the rules also expand the areas of ocean where fishing with trap rope is prohibited or limited.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at WBUR

HAWAII: UH Sea Grant shares in award to address marine debris, protect wildlife

August 31, 2021 — To address the devastating impacts of marine debris in the coastal environment, one of the leading causes of injury and death for sea turtles, seabirds and Hawaiian monk seals, the University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program (Hawaiʻi Sea Grant) and Hawaiʻi Marine Animal Response (HMAR), the largest Hawaiʻi-based marine species response and conservation nonprofit organization, received $50,000 from NOAA Sea Grant and the NOAA Marine Debris Program. This grant is matched by $50,000 from non-federal sources.

The funding is one of six new, creative projects to tackle marine debris challenges across the country awarded to Sea Grant programs in Hawaiʻi, Florida, Georgia, Illinois-Indiana, Puerto Rico and Wisconsin. These marine debris projects total $300,000 in federal funding and are matched by non-federal contributions, bringing the total investment to approximately $600,000.

“By preventing marine debris, we can reduce the impacts of this global problem,” stated NOAA Marine Debris Program Director Nancy Wallace. “We are pleased to partner with NOAA Sea Grant to provide support for projects that will help stop trash and fishing gear at their source.”

Read the full story at University of Hawaii News

NOAA Fisheries rules limiting lobstering draw harsh criticism from fishing, environmental groups

August 31, 2021 — NOAA Fisheries has announced a set of new regulations intended to protect the North Atlantic right whale from entanglement-related incidents. The regulations will cost the Northeast lobster fishery between USD 9 million and 20 million (EUR 7.6 million and 16.9 million) to implement.

The new regulations are in response to the ongoing decline of the highly endangered whale, of which only a few hundred remain in the wild. The species is currently undergoing what NOAA has dubbed an “unusual mortality event,” with 34 right whales having died since 2017.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

NOAA Offers Online Webinars for Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish and Coastal Migratory Pelagic For-Hire Permit Holders (Topic: Southeast For-Hire Integrated Electronic Reporting Program Vessel Monitoring System Requirements)

August 31, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Key Message:

NOAA Fisheries’ Southeast Regional Office is in the process of implementing Phase 2 of the Southeast For-Hire Integrated Electronic Reporting Program, requiring a position reporting device, or vessel monitoring system (VMS), to be permanently affixed to a vessel and transmitting at all times.  A series of constituent webinars will be held in September 2021 in order to assist the public with preparing for the implementation of this requirement.

When:

Webinars:

  • Tuesday, September 7th, 2021, 6:30-7:30 PM, ET
  • Thursday, September 16th, 2021, 2:00-3:00 PM, ET
  • Wednesday, September 22nd, 2021, 6:30-7:30 PM, ET
  • Tuesday, September 28th, 2021, 10:00-11:00 AM, ET

To register for the webinars and access additional meeting information go to: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/southeast/recreational-fishing-data/southeast-hire-electronic-reporting-program.

Why:

These webinars will provide program participants information about the new VMS requirement for the federally permitted Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish and Coastal Migratory Pelagic for-hire participants.  The webinars will include information such as timelines, approved VMS units, and reporting requirements.  There will also be plenty of time for questions.

The position reporting requirement is essential for validating the information collected through the Southeast For-Hire Integrated Electronic Reporting Program.  The data collected from the VMS units are expected to result in enhanced tracking of recreational catch limits in the Gulf of Mexico; thereby, improving fisheries management.

Read the full release here

Pot/Trap Fisheries Regulations to Help Save North Atlantic Right Whales Announced

August 31, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries and our partners are dedicated to conserving and rebuilding the North Atlantic right whale population, which is endangered, declining, and experiencing an ongoing Unusual Mortality Event.

Entanglement in commercial fishing gear is a primary cause of mortalities and serious injuries of North Atlantic right whales. Working with the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team—a group of advisors consisting of fishermen, scientists, conservationists, and state and federal officials—we have completed Phase 1 of the modifications to the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan to continue to reduce whale entanglements.

Today, we are announcing the final rule to modify the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan. The gear modifications required by the rule will go into effect May 1, 2022, which is the start of the American lobster/Jonah crab fishing year. The changes to the seasonally restricted areas will go into effect 30 days after the publication of this rule.

We would like to thank the many stakeholders who submitted more than 200,000 public comments on the proposed rule. The comments guided us in modifying the final rule to allow more flexibility for fishermen, while still achieving the necessary risk reduction to make a real difference for right whales. These measures will reduce the deaths and serious injuries to North Atlantic right whales due to entanglements in U.S. commercial fishing gear, and will contribute to the recovery of this endangered population.

Final Rule Measures

The rule modifies regulations for the Northeast lobster and Jonah crab trap/pot fisheries as follows:

  • Modify gear marking to introduce state-specific colors for gear marks and increase the number of gear markings and areas requiring marked lines.
  • Modify gear configurations to reduce the number of vertical lines by requiring more traps between buoy lines.
  • Require weak insertions or weak rope in buoy lines.
  • Modify existing seasonal closure/restricted areas to allow ropeless fishing.
  • Add two new seasonal restricted areas.
  • Following changes made by Massachusetts, extend the Massachusetts Restricted Area (MRA) to add state waters north to the New Hampshire border.

For More Information

For more information on the rule’s specific measures and to see outreach guides and videos please visit the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan website, or read our web story.

Questions?

Industry: Contact Marisa Trego, Take Reduction Team Coordinator, 978-282-8484

Media: Contact Allison Ferreira, Regional Office, 978-281-9103