Saving Seafood

Wicker, Cantwell Reintroduce Fishery Disasters Bill

March 18, 2021 — The following was released by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation:

U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., ranking member and chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today reintroduced legislation to reform the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA)’s Fishery Resource Disaster Relief program of the National Marine Fisheries Service. This legislation, the Fishery Resource Disasters Improvement Act, will make improvements to provide fishermen with disaster relief more quickly.

“I have met with local officials and seen firsthand how extensive flooding in Mississippi has created an economic and environmental emergency for my state and its coastal fisheries,” said Wicker. “Freshwater has devastated our seafood industry and spurred the growth of Harmful Algal Blooms, further hurting our coastal economy. This legislation would expedite the process by which fishermen receive disaster relief. I hope my colleagues will move quickly to pass this bill and help our fishermen.”

“In Washington, fisheries are a cornerstone of our maritime economy. Its related businesses and seafood processors, ship builders, gear manufacturers, support 60 percent of our maritime economy, which is about 146,000 jobs and 30 billion in economic activity,” said Cantwell. “Washington has experienced 17 fishery disasters since 1992, including crab, groundfish, and salmon. There are several pending fishery disaster determinations for my state, and our bipartisan bill includes deadlines to ensure that those fishery disasters are elevated and declared in a reasonable timeframe. Fishermen are tired of waiting.”

The Fishery Resource Disasters Improvement Act would:

  • Maintain the authority of the Secretary of Commerce to determine the existence of a fishery disaster, after which the Secretary would make funds available to be used by state or regional groups to assess the impacts of the disaster and conduct other activities that support fishing activity;
  • Assign a 120-day timeline for the Secretary to evaluate a request, either upon receipt or immediately after the close of the fishery season; and
  • List the eligible uses of fishery disaster relief funds, including direct payments to affected members of the fishing community, habitat restoration and conservation, management improvements, job training, public information campaigns, and preventative measures for future disasters. It would prioritize hiring fishermen displaced by the fishery disaster for these tasks.

To read the full bill, click here.

SAFMC: South Atlantic Bite – Newsworthy Notes

March 17, 2021 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Gut Check: What is DNA Barcoding Telling Us about What Red Snapper Are Really Eating?
Tuesday, March 30, 2021
2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. via webinar

  • Join in as the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council hosts a presentation from Kevin Spanik with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources on recent diet analysis of Red Snapper conducted in the South Atlantic region. This seminar is open to the public. Register now.

Sea Change: Using Citizen Science to Inform Fisheries Management

  • A new article published in BioScience highlights the development of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Citizen Science Program and the use of citizen science in marine fisheries. Check out the article and see the amazing work done by a variety of teams and advisors from across the world! The article shares best practices, support resources, and recommendations compiled to create this unique Citizen Science Program. Learn more

USDA Seeks Comments, Will Host Listening Sessions on Support for Seafood Producers

  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture is soliciting input from seafood producers and processors impacted by COVID-19. A Listening Session for those impacted in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico will be held March 18, 2021from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. Registration is required the day before the session to provide oral comments. Written comments are being accepted until March 31, 2021 at AMSCOVIDStimulus@usda.gov. Questions should also be sent to the same email address.

Executive Order on Tackling Climate Change

  • NOAA Fisheries is seeking public input on how to make fisheries and protected resources more resilient to climate change. The agency is taking this step in response to Section 216(c) of President Biden’s Executive Order issued on January 27, 2021 titled Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad. Stakeholders nationwide are invited to join conference calls on March 23 and April 1 to provide suggestions. March 25 is for state and tribal governments. Comment deadline is April 2, 2021.

Slow Zones Extended Protect Right Whales: Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket

March 17, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

On March 16, 2021, the New England Aquarium aerial survey team observed two aggregations of right whales. The aggregations were observed south of Martha’s Vineyard, MA and south of Nantucket, Island, MA. Both the Martha’s Vineyard, MA and Nantucket Island, MA Slow Zones are extended through March 31, 2021.

Mariners are requested to route around these areas or transit through it at 10 knots or less.

Slow Zone Coordinates:

South of Martha’s Vineyard, MA, March 7-31, 2021

41 21 N
40 41 N
070 15 W
071 06 W

South of Nantucket, MA, March 7-31, 2021

41 23 N
40 40 N
069 39 W
070 35 W

See the coordinates for all the slow zones currently in effect.

Read the full release here

MISSISSIPPI: Meeting Notice: New NOAA Turtle Excluder Device (TED) Rule

March 17, 2021 — The following was released by Mississippi Commercial Fisheries United:

Taking effect on April 01, 2021, a new NOAA regulation will require all skimmer shrimp trawl vessels 40 feet and greater to use turtle excluder devices (TEDs) with 3″ bar spacing. Thus, MSCFU is hosting two virtual informational meetings (one in English on March 18 at 9:00 am and one in Vietnamese on March 19 at 9:00 am) to help shrimpers better comply with the new rule, discuss the potential availability of funding to reimburse shrimpers for the cost of TEDs, and provide insights & tips on which style of TED works best. These meetings will be hosted using Zoom and recordings will be posted on our website and on Facebook for you to view at a later date.

Read the full release here

Northwest’s Iconic Salmon Face Tough Conditions During Ocean Journey

March 16, 2021 — Ocean conditions can be integral to salmon survival. And in 2021, the Pacific Northwest’s iconic fish will face a mixed bag: some good and some bad conditions while out at sea.

Salmon survive best when the water is cooler along the coast and warmer farther out. Colder La Niña conditions have also led to higher salmon counts. Right now, that’s exactly what’s happening. But things will likely change over the summer.

“The next few months look pretty good. However, things are expected to change. A lot of the warm water we’ve seen the past couple of years is not gone completely. It’s just not at the surface,” says Brian Burke, a research fisheries biologist with NOAA Fisheries.

The mixed messages the ocean is sending for salmon survival could be frustrating for fisheries managers, who are trying to figure out how many fish will return to fresh waters.

Warm water may come close to the coastline this July through September, which spells trouble for salmon in the ocean.

Read the full story at KLCC

MASSACHUSETTS: Speaking to call of the sea

March 15, 2021 — The voices of Gloucester fishermen and those that process their catch along the city’s historic waterfront now can be heard anywhere and for posterity.

The voices speak to the experience of living and fishing in America’s oldest commercial seaport, of the challenges and the joys of working on the waters of Cape Ann and beyond. They are at once a snapshot and endurable timeline collected into recorded interviews and fashioned into an integrated story map of the Gloucester fishing and community experience.

The stories — and the voices which tell them — are contained in the newest online chapter of the Voices of Oral History Archives organized and produced by NOAA Fisheries’ Northeast Fisheries Science Center.

It’s titled “Strengthening Community Resilience in America’s Oldest Seaport” and is a collaboration between the oral history archive and the Cape Ann Partnership for Science Technology and Natural Environment.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Scallop Research Set-Aside Program Supports 13 Projects for 2021-2022; Focus on Surveys, Bycatch Reduction, Turtles

March 15, 2021 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The Atlantic Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program will support 13 new projects under the 2021- 2022 award cycle. The awards are expected to generate approximately $12.5 million, including $3 million to fund the research and $9.5 million to compensate industry partners who harvest the set-aside scallops. The selected projects address scallop research priorities identified by the New England Fishery Management Council during its June 2020 meeting. The projects focus on resource surveys, bycatch reduction, seed scallop habitat, loggerhead turtles, and data collection by fishermen.

The awards were announced on March 15, 2021 by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center and the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, which both are part of NOAA Fisheries. The Council and NOAA Fisheries work together to support the research set-aside program. The Council sets priorities, and NOAA Fisheries manages the RSA competition and administers the program.

RSA-funded scallop surveys have become increasingly important in:

  • Providing information that directly helps scientists determine the status and distribution of the resource; and
  • Guiding the Council in management decision-making.

Read the full release here

2021-2022 Sea Scallop RSA Projects Selected

March 15, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries has selected 13 projects for 2021-2022 awards through the Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program. The selected projects focus on research priorities identified by the New England Fishery Management Council, which established the Sea Scallop RSA Program in 1999. The council sets priorities, and NOAA Fisheries manages the RSA competition and administers the program.

NOAA Fisheries expects to make final awards later this month. A list of selected projects and more can be accessed here.

Questions?

Contact Cheryl Corbett, Northeast Fisheries Science Center Cooperative Projects Coordinator

Proposed federal rules to help endangered whales could cost Maine’s lobster industry $10 million

March 15, 2021 — Federal fishing regulators are close to finalizing new rules that would require expensive gear modifications and seasonal fishing closures in Northeast waters to protect the endangered right whale. Maine regulators and fishermen fear the rules would jeopardize Maine’s billion-dollar lobster industry while environmental advocates argue they don’t go far enough.

The public comment period closed March 1 after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) hosted virtual public hearings on Feb. 23 and 24. Now, federal regulators are sifting through about 170,000 public comments to incorporate any extra information into their analysis before drafting the final environmental impact statement they hope to release by this summer.

The rule changes, if incorporated, likely wouldn’t go into effect until late 2021 or early 2022.

During the final public hearings, Maine Department of Marine Resource Commissioner Patrick Keliher echoed a statement put out by Gov. Janet Mills earlier that week stating that “a one-size-fits-all approach in the state of Maine will not work.”

Read the full story at the Penobscot Bay Pilot

NOAA Plays Pivotal Role in Combating Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported Fishing Globally

March 15, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing is a top priority for the United States. NOAA Fisheries is proud to be a leader in the nation’s comprehensive approach to this battle. It includes many government agencies working in concert to identify bad actors, suspect vessels, and ports that have no interest in protecting the integrity of the seafood supply. IUU fishing damages nations’ economies, threatens marine resources, and harms U.S. fishing fleets and consumers. Due to the inherent nature of IUU fishing, it is almost impossible to accurately quantify the full global economic impacts resulting from these activities. However, there is little disagreement that it is in the billions, or even tens of billions, of dollars each year.

The scope of IUU fishing can also be broad, occurring at various points throughout the world’s massive seafood supply chain. That means our efforts to combat IUU fishing must be multi-pronged. We work with U.S. and state agencies to promote compliance with import requirements that help prevent IUU fish and fish products from entering U.S. markets. We also work with foreign governments and regional fisheries management organizations to promote international cooperation to achieve effective, responsible marine stewardship and ensure sustainable fisheries management.​

In 2018, NOAA Fisheries established the U.S. Seafood Import Monitoring Program. SIMP mandates permitting, reporting, and recordkeeping requirements for importers of certain seafood products. It supports the identification of IUU fish and fish products and misrepresented seafood while complementing existing NOAA traceability programs for imported seafood products. The program requires documentation from the point of harvest to the point of entry into U.S. commerce for 13 seafood species. These species were identified as particularly vulnerable to IUU fishing and/or seafood fraud. SIMP seeks to trace seafood entering our domestic supply chain—deterring and combating IUU fishing and seafood fraud. Our continued implementation of SIMP includes:

  • Modernizing and integrating the technology system that supports SIMP
  • Focusing on the interplay between audits and enforcement
  • Making any necessary changes, both programmatic and regulatory, to more effectively implement the program 

Read the full release here