Saving Seafood

FB20-059: Seasonal Prohibition on Fishing for or Possession of Blackfin, Vermilion, Black, or Silk Snapper in U.S. Caribbean Federal Waters

September 28, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

WHAT IS HAPPENING AND WHEN:

NOAA Fisheries reminds fishermen and the public of the annually recurring seasonal prohibition on fishing for or possession of blackfin, vermilion, black, or silk snapper in U.S. Caribbean federal waters.

  • This closure begins at 12:01 a.m., local time, on October 1, 2020, and extends through 11:59 p.m., local time, December 31, 2020.
  • The prohibition on possession does not apply to blackfin, vermilion, black, or silk snapper harvested and landed ashore prior to the closure.

Federal waters in the U.S. Caribbean consists of those waters extending from the three-nautical mile seaward boundary of the Territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the nine-nautical mile seaward boundary of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, out to 200 nautical miles offshore.

WHY THIS CLOSURE IS HAPPENING:

This seasonal closure protects blackfin, vermilion, black, and silk snapper when they are spawning (reproducing) and therefore more vulnerable to fishing pressure.

Extended: Slow Speed Zone South of Nantucket to Protect Right Whales

September 25, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries announces an extension to the previously triggered voluntary vessel speed restriction zone (Dynamic Management Area  or DMA) south of Nantucket.

This DMA was originally triggered based on an August 31, 2020, sighting of an aggregation of right whales and previously extended until September 29, 2020. A  New England Aquarium aerial survey observed an aggregation of whales in this area on September 24. Since the current DMA is set to expire in less than a week we are extending it through October 9, 2020.

Mariners, please go around this areas or go slow (10 knots or less) inside this area where groups of right whales have been sighted.

South of Nantucket DMA is in effect through October 9.

41 16 N
40 32 N
069 37 W
070 28 W

Read the full release here

Nine Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Aquaculture

September 24, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

1. It’s Not Just for Fish

Many aquaculture producers in the United States don’t raise fish, despite the industry’s popular image of fish farming. In fact, oysters were the most commercially valuable domestic farmed marine species in recent years. In 2017, oyster farmers harvested 36 million pounds valued at $186 million. And clams ranked number two in production value in 2012–2017. Other top U.S. marine aquaculture products include mussels, shrimps, and salmon.

In recent years, a growing number of entrepreneurs are also turning to kelp to supply sustainable seafood and coastal jobs.

2. More than Half of the World’s Seafood Comes from Aquaculture

Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing forms of food production. Global marine and freshwater aquaculture production rose by 527 percent between 1990 and 2018 according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

Although most of that production happens outside the United States, farmed products still make up a large portion of American’s seafood diet. We import more than 85 percent of our seafood, and half of that is from aquaculture. In contrast, U.S. marine and freshwater aquaculture accounts for only a small portion of our domestic seafood supply.

Read the full release here

Celebrating Aquaculture Week 2020

September 24, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

This week NOAA Fisheries and our partners will celebrate National Aquaculture Week. NOAA Fisheries and its predecessor agencies have been involved in aquaculture for more than 125 years, pioneering fish culture methods and stock enhancement techniques to replenish wild stocks. Many culture, hatching, and rearing techniques currently used by the industry worldwide were developed in NOAA labs, such as the Milford, Connecticut lab for mollusks; the Manchester, Washington, lab for salmon; and the Galveston, Texas lab for shrimp.

Marine aquaculture is an important part of the agency’s strategy for economic and environmental resiliency in coastal communities and supporting healthy oceans. In 2017, US aquaculture producers raised 32 million pounds of salmon, 36 million pounds of oysters, and 9 million pounds of clams along the nation’s coast. In total, farm-raised seafood accounted for 21 percent of the U.S. seafood production by value in 2017. Around the nation in many fishing and coastal communities, aquaculture is creating important economic opportunities and year-round employment.

Read the full release here

2020 NEFSC Fall Ecosystem Monitoring Cruise Cancelled

September 24, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is cancelling the Northeast Fisheries Science Center 2020 Fall Ecosystem Monitoring Survey. The survey would have been conducted by the NOAA Ship Henry Bigelow, which is scheduled to begin a required drydock maintenance period on November 23, 2020, in Galveston, Texas. It is an 11-day transit from the ship’s homeport in Newport, Rhode Island, to the maintenance facility in Texas.

The maintenance is scheduled to be completed by February 19, 2021, positioning the ship to start the Spring 2021 Bottom Trawl Survey, as scheduled. Completing the Spring Bottom Trawl Survey is one of the highest priority surveys for the NEFSC in 2021.

The Fall Ecosystem Monitoring Survey captures seasonal changes in the ocean environment, information used for multiple scientific inquiries. Over its 33-year history, some seasons have been missed and the number of annual surveys has varied. Analytical methods have been developed to bridge these data gaps. Assuming surveys occur as planned in 2021, researchers can bridge the gap in 2020 data using these methods.

Read the full release here

What Does NOAA’s Chief Scientist Do?

September 23, 2020 — There is a lot of buzz this week as various news outlets report on possible changes in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Chief Scientist position. I will defer to other sources on the hubbub around names being considered. It occurred to me that many people may not be familiar with NOAA’s senior leadership structure, and more specifically, what the Chief Scientist does. Here’s a quick “101” for you.

Before we delve into the roles of the Chief Scientist, let’s explore the way NOAA is organized. NOAA is arguably the leading federal agency for matters related to weather, oceans, fisheries, climate, and climate change. It is housed within the Department of Commerce. Why, you might ask? According to Jeffry Mervis at ScienceMag.org, the Obama administration explained why it ended up in that Department. Apparently it dates back to the Nixon administration. He writes, “Commerce secretaries have long bemoaned the presence of NOAA, a scientific and fisheries agency, in a cabinet department devoted to promoting U.S. trade and economic development….” According to Mervis, Nixon was angry with Interior secretary Wally Hickel because of his criticism of the Vietnam policy at the time so as Mervis writes, “Nixon punished him by not making the newly created NOAA part of the Interior Department, which already housed the U.S. Geological Survey.” You can find the original Obama administration wording on this curious piece of history in Mervis’ article.

Irrespective of that story, it is clear that weather, climate, and fisheries play an important role in economic activities but enough about the housing of the agency. The organization chart above reveals the leadership structure within NOAA. I once served on the NOAA Science Advisory Board so have a pretty good understanding of the puzzle. Dr. Neil Jacobs has a really long title of Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observations and Prediction, Performing the duties of Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmospheres. Whew, let’s just call him the person in charge at NOAA. You can see that RDML Tim Gallaudet, PhD, Jacob’s Deputy, and the Chief Scientist (currently Craig McLean in an acting capacity) report directly to Jacobs. In the grey boxes, you will find the line offices which include the National Weather Service, National Marine Fisheries, National Ocean Services, National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Services, Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (McLean’s original responsibility), and the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations/NOAA Corps.

Read the full story at Forbes

Warming conditions are making northern Bering Sea more friendly for pink salmon

September 22, 2020 — Pink salmon, the most plentiful and cheapest of Alaska’s five salmon species, are finding more hospitable habitat in the warming northern Bering Sea, a new study finds.

There is a clear link between warming temperatures at Nome and better juvenile salmon productivity in rivers that flow into the northern Bering Sea, said the study, published in the journal Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography.

Pink salmon, a species more associated with waters off Alaska’s southern coast, appear to be among those boreal species working their way into more northern waters in response to climate change.

Pink salmon’s short life cycle makes their population more adaptable to these changes in environmental conditions, according to the study. Other salmon species spend up to seven years at sea before returning to freshwater to spawn, but pink salmon have a total life cycle of only two years — counting their time in both saltwater and freshwater — and that relatively quick turnaround gives more chances for succeeding generations to shift their migration patterns.

“Pink salmon are definitely good at straying,” said lead author Ed Farley of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “They definitely want to go seek out other habitat.”

Read the full story at Arctic Today

Fishing groups applaud Pacific sardine rebuilding plan, Oceana calls it a failure to act

September 22, 2020 — The Pacific sardine fishery on the U.S. West Coast has officially been given a rebuilding plan by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC), a move that fishermen applauded and environmental organization Oceana has decried as a “failure to act.”

The development is the latest in years of complications for the fishery, which was closed in 2015 after surveys showed a lack of acceptable biomass in the species. The most recent assessment by NOAA earlier this year looked as though the fishery was on track for yet another year of closures.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Open-ocean fish farm proposed off San Diego coast could be first in federal waters

September 21, 2020 — A prestigious San Diego research institute and a Long Beach social-benefit investment group are teaming to create what could be the first fish farm in federal waters.

The proposed Pacific Ocean AquaFarm would be about four miles offshore of San Diego and would generate 5,000 metric tons of sushi-grade yellowfish each year — enough for 11 million servings of the popular seafood.

A partnership between Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute and Pacific6 Enterprise, the project also would create a diversity of economic opportunities and provide a local source for a fish that is now mostly imported.

The institute submitted a federal permit application for the project Sept. 9. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will lead the environmental review of their proposal, which will take about 18 to 24 months. Construction would take about a year, and the first set of fish stocked there would be ready for market 18 to 22 months after that, Kent said.

Read the full story at the Los Angeles Times