Saving Seafood

NOAA Fisheries Seeks Comments for an Application for an Exempted Fishing Permit to Test Experimental Retrieval Devices for Black Sea Bass Pots in South Atlantic Federal Waters

July 15, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

KEY MESSAGE:

NOAA Fisheries is accepting comments on an application for an exempted fishing permit (EFP) from the University of Georgia Marine Extension, Georgia Sea Grant. The applicant proposes to deploy modified black sea bass pots with Acoustic Subsea Buoy Retrieval Systems in federal waters off Georgia. The project would examine the potential usefulness of the devices for use in the black sea bass pot component for the commercial sector of the snapper-grouper fishery while minimizing impacts to protected species.

HOW TO COMMENT ON THE APPLICATION:

The comment period is open now through August 14, 2020. You may submit comments by electronic submission or by postal mail. Comments sent by any other method (such as e-mail), to any other address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, may not be considered by NOAA Fisheries.

Application information:  https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/southeast/black-sea-bass-pot-pilot-project-exempted-fishing-permit-application/

Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal.

  1. Go to https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=NOAA-NMFS-2020-0090.
  2. Click the “Comment Now!” icon, complete the required fields.
  3. Enter or attach your comments.

Mail:  Submit written comments to Frank Helies, NOAA Fisheries, Southeast Regional Office, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.

Program Concepts

  • Acoustic Subsea Buoy Retrieval Systems are an example of gear that store buoys and their retrieval devices at depth. These systems exist in the water column for minutes instead of hours or days as they are activated via acoustic releases only when fishers are present.  Currently, vertical end lines and buoys, such as those utilized for black sea bass pots, present an entanglement risk to the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, a species that migrates and calves off the coast of Georgia in the winter months.
  • Adaptation of “ropeless” systems for this style of pot fishing could reduce risk to these whales and other marine animals that suffer entanglements. Up to six different designs would be tested during this study.
  • Black sea bass pots would be fished as singles with a traditional configuration and as experimental configurations of black sea bass pots (four regulation-sized pots connected together with wire connecting clips) without vertical buoy lines on live bottom during August and September 2020. Virtual gear marking (marking of gear deployment location with chartplotters, GPS, and manufacturer-provided software) would be utilized and evaluated, with analysis of the interoperability of systems being shared with fishery management partners.
  • Testing would occur in depths from 10-30 meters in federal waters 10 to 32 nautical miles off Townsend, Georgia. Deployments would be limited to 35 total pots, up to 300 gear hauls, with an average soak time of 90-120 minutes per configuration.  The applicant intends to collect data from 90 traditional gear deployments and 270 ASBRS gear deployments.

NOAA Fisheries finds this application warrants further consideration, and is seeking public comment on the application.  A final decision on issuance of the EFP will depend on NOAA Fisheries’ review of public comments received, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils’ recommendations, consultations with the affected states, and the U.S. Coast Guard, as well as a determination that it is consistent with all applicable laws.

Private Vessels Fishing for Tilefish in the Mid-Atlantic Must Now Get Permits and File Catch Reports

July 15, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries filed a rule today requiring private recreational tilefish vessels in the Mid-Atlantic to get permits and file catch reports. These changes were approved in Amendment 6 to the Tilefish Fishery Management Plan, and will be effective August 17, 2020. This action is being taken to better characterize and monitor the recreational fisheries for both blueline tilefish and golden tilefish.

Get your federal private recreational tilefish vessel permit through Fish Online.This new permit is required even if a vessel already holds a for-hire tilefish permit. Call our Permit Office at 978-282-8438 for questions about the permitting process.

Private recreational tilefish anglers must also fill out and submit an electronic vessel trip report within 24 hours of returning to port for trips where tilefish were targeted and/or retained. Reports can be submitted through any NOAA Fisheries approved electronic reporting system.

Read the final rule as filed in the Federal Register, and the permit holder bulletin on our website.

Kelly Denit Appointed New Director for NOAA’s Office of Sustainable Fisheries

July 14, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Today, NOAA announced the appointment of Ms. Kelly Denit as the new Director of NOAA’s Office of Sustainable Fisheries. As the new director, Ms. Denit will oversee a national office responsible for the implementation of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the management of Atlantic highly migratory species, and promoting U.S. seafood safety while supporting seafood-related commerce and trade.

In this role, she will work closely with Fisheries’ regional offices and science centers in partnership with the regional fishery management councils, interstate marine fishery commissions, and states to establish effective fishery management measures, set catch limits, ensure compliance with fisheries regulations, and reduce bycatch. She will ensure office activities support agency priorities and work with key stakeholders—including the commercial and recreational fishing industries, tribes, academia, non-government organizations, and others—to advance those priorities around the country.

“U.S. fisheries are among the world’s largest, most valuable, and most sustainable as a result of the U.S. fishery management process. As our new lead for the implementation of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, Ms. Denit has a tremendous responsibility and I have every confidence she will rise to the challenge based on her experience and her extraordinary leadership skills,” said Samuel Rauch III, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs at NOAA Fisheries.

Ms. Denit has held various positions within NOAA over the last 15 years after first joining the agency as a Knauss Sea Grant fellow in Fisheries’ Office of International Affairs. Most recently, she served as the Chief of the Domestic Fisheries Division in the Office of Sustainable Fisheries. In that role she provided national policy direction and performance oversight to ensure the continued sustainable management of our nation’s fisheries, primarily in federal waters. Prior to that, Ms. Denit’s work covered a range of activities from state/federal partnerships to recreational fisheries to strategic planning/budgeting to catch share programs. She has also worked at the NOAA Ocean Service’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science in Beaufort, North Carolina.

Read the full release here

Seafood Harvesters calls on NOAA Fisheries to apply observer waiver consistently for all regions

July 14, 2020 — Seafood Harvesters of America is calling on NOAA Fisheries to develop a more consistent policy in issuing waivers for observers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bob Dooley, the organization’s president, and Leigh Habegger, its executive director, signed a letter sent Monday, 13 July, calling for NOAA to rethink the agency’s current policy regarding at-sea observer coverage. The letter – which was sent to Dr. Neil Jacobs, the acting undersecretary for oceans and atmosphere in the U.S. Department of Commerce; Chris Oliver, NOAA Fisheries’ assistant administrator; and two other NOAA Fisheries officials – is calling for the federal agency to amend the “inconsistent and unequal” process of applying waivers by extending them to all regions where observers and at-sea monitors are mandatory.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Reminder: NOAA Fisheries needs completed surveys to enable scientists to assess COVID-19 impacts on commercial/for-hire fishing operations and seafood dealers/processors

July 14, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

If you received a survey from NOAA Fisheries and partner, the University of Florida, we request you take the time to complete it.  The survey takes less than 6 minutes and the information you provide is strictly confidential.  Survey participants were selected as part of a carefully designed random sample, so your response (if you received a letter) is very important to the success of this survey.

This multi-region survey will be used to inform NOAA Fisheries, the Department of Commerce, Congress, Fishery Management Councils, state fishery managers, and stakeholders about the economic and social impacts that the recent economic downturn has had on the fishing industry. NOAA Fisheries will draft reports for the public detailing the revenue losses and recovery of fishing-dependent businesses over the past few months.

The survey information would have arrived by mail in a University of Florida envelope directing you to a website and contains a login code that is unique to each individual. Thank you for taking a few minutes to complete the survey.

If you have further questions regarding the survey please contact:

NOAA taps new sustainable fisheries director

July 14, 2020 — On Monday the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries appointed Kelly Denit as its new director of its office of sustainable fisheries.

As the new director, Denit will oversee a national office responsible for the implementation of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the management of Atlantic highly migratory species, and promoting US seafood safety while supporting seafood-related commerce and trade.

“One of the critical aspects of this new role will be supporting our fishing businesses and communities as they navigate through the challenges of COVID-19,” she said.

Read the full story at IntraFish

NOAA Seeks Input on Recommendations for a Comprehensive Interagency Seafood Trade Strategy

July 14, 2020 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

On May 7, 2020, the White House issued an Executive Order on Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth. As part of this effort, the Department of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative (USTR) are co-chairing the Interagency Seafood Trade Task Force (Seafood Trade Task Force), which will develop recommendations to provide to USTR for the development of a comprehensive interagency seafood trade strategy. On behalf of the Seafood Trade Task Force co-chairs, NOAA requests written input from interested parties on how best to achieve the objectives of the Seafood Trade Task Force as described in the Executive Order, including improving access to foreign markets for U.S. seafood exports through trade policy and negotiations; resolving technical barriers to U.S. seafood exports; and otherwise supporting fair market access for U.S. seafood products.  Public input is being sought to inform the Seafood Trade Task Force as it works with Federal agencies and other stakeholders to develop recommendations to USTR in the preparation of a comprehensive interagency seafood trade strategy.

Please see the Federal Register notice dated July 10, 2020 for full details, including information on how to submit comments. Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before August 1, 2020.

For further information:

  • Please contact Andrew Lawler, NOAA Fisheries, telephone:  202-689-4590; email:  Andrew.Lawler@noaa.gov

John K. Bullard Diversity Award to be Presented Virtually July 23

July 13, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The Woods Hole Diversity Initiative has named Larry Alade as the 2020 recipient of the John K. Bullard Diversity Award. Alade is a research scientist at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s Woods Hole Laboratory. He is being honored for his contributions to making Woods Hole a more welcoming, inclusive, and diverse community.

The presentation will follow the annual Ambrose Jearld Jr. Lecture on Diversity and Inclusion. This year’s lecture will be given by Nigel Golden,  a doctoral candidate in environmental conservation and graduate fellow in the Northeast Climate Science Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Golden will discuss “Reducing Harm: A Politic to Address Institutional and Cultural Practices that Reduce Participation and Retention in STEM.”

The lecture and award presentation will be offered on July 23 at 2:00 p.m. EDT via Zoom.  Registration is required.

Alade was chosen to receive the award for his:

  • Commitment to diversity in Woods Hole through his work on the Partnership Education Program
  • Leadership on the Black History Month Planning Committee
  • Participation in the Woods Hole Diversity Advisory Committee.

He is also a member of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s diversity and inclusion team. He participates on various other committees and programs that promote diversity and inclusion.

Read the full release here

MARCUS FERRO: Kennedy Has and Will Deliver for the SouthCoast

July 13, 2020 — On Friday at New Bedford’s Pier 3 – located off of JFK Boulevard – with a backdrop of the harbor and fishing boats that are the foundation of our local economy, Congressman Joe Kennedy III delivered his vision for a stronger New Bedford and SouthCoast region.

Gathered in attendance were community residents, city officials, and some of our elected leaders, virtually all of whom have endorsed Kennedy’s run for Senate. Among them is Hugh Dunn, New Bedford City Councilor and lead on the visionary Blue Economy project in Southeastern Massachusetts. 

“Congressman Kennedy has been a strong advocate for Southeastern Massachusetts for years,” Dunn said. “His work on the Blue Economy demonstrates that he understands the power of convening government, academia, and industry to make our region more globally competitive. He supports us, and I’m glad to support him.”

Kennedy, whose congressional district includes a large chunk of the SouthCoast, remarked that before the Blue Economy, each subregion of Southeastern New England was working separately, and thus inefficiently, on blue economic development. The goal was to bring the region together for a cohesive shoreline economy that maximizes its enormous resources and natural assets.

Read the full story at WBSM