Saving Seafood

The International Union for Conservation of Nature Updates Classification of the North Atlantic Right Whales from Endangered to Critically Endangered

July 10, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The International Union for Conservation of Nature recently changed its Red List Category for North Atlantic right whales from Endangered to Critically Endangered. The criteria used to evaluate this change are outlined in the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria, Section V. Within the United States, North Atlantic right whales are already in the highest risk category possible under both the Marine Mammal Protection Act (Strategic and Depleted) and Endangered Species Act (Endangered).

In 2019, NOAA Fisheries also added North Atlantic right whales to our Species in the Spotlight initiative, which focuses resources on the most imperiled endangered species under NOAA Fisheries’ jurisdiction. While IUCN Red List categories have no direct relationship to categorizations under the MMPA or ESA, NOAA Fisheries shares the IUCN’s concern for North Atlantic right whales. We continue to use our authority under the MMPA and ESA to protect and recover the species.

Read the full release here

Gulf Shrimp Fishery to Re-Open Off Texas on July 15, 2020

July 10, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

WHAT/WHEN:

NOAA Fisheries announces federal waters from 9 to 200 nautical miles off Texas will open to shrimp trawling beginning 30 minutes after official sunset, local time, on July 15, 2020, corresponding to the time Texas opens its waters to shrimp trawling.

WHY THIS IS HAPPENING:

  • The waters off Texas are closed to shrimp fishing annually to allow brown shrimp to reach a larger and more valuable size prior to harvest, and to prevent waste of brown shrimp that might otherwise be discarded because of their small size.
  • The fishery closed May 15, 2020.
  • The re-opening date for Texas waters is based on the results of biological sampling by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
  • In addition, Texas regulations only allow a 60-day closure; the 60 day period expires July 15, 2020.

Read the full release here

NOAA Fisheries Cancels Three Research Surveys

July 10, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Due to the uncertainties created by the COVID-19 pandemic and the unique challenges those are creating for NOAA Fisheries, we are cancelling three research surveys off the Northeast United States. The cancelled surveys include those for sea scallop, Atlantic surfclam/ocean quahog, and an advanced technology survey investigating the ocean’s mesopelagic layer—the “twilight zone.”

These are difficult decisions for the agency as we strive to balance our need to maintain core mission responsibilities with the realities and impacts of the current health crisis.

Since March, we have been rigorously analyzing various options for conducting cruises this year and are taking a survey-by-survey, risk-based approach. After much deliberation, we determined that there was no way to move forward with these surveys while effectively minimizing risk and meeting core survey objectives.

Read the full release here

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

July 10, 2020 — The following was published in the Federal Register:

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. In addition, interested parties are requested to respond to the questions listed below in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section as appropriate. The public input provided in response to this request for information (RFI) will 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.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before August 1, 2020.

ADDRESSES:

Responses should be submitted via email to SeafoodTrade.Strategy@noaa.gov. Include “RFI Response: Interagency Seafood Trade Task Force” in the subject line of the message.

Instructions: Response to this RFI is voluntary. Respondents need not comment on all listed objectives. For all submissions, clearly indicate which objective is being addressed. Email attachments will be accepted in plain text, Microsoft Word, or Adobe PDF formats only. Each individual or institution is requested to submit only one response. The Department of Commerce may post responses to this RFI, without change, on a Federal website. NOAA, therefore, requests that no business proprietary information, copyrighted information, or personally identifiable information be submitted in response to this RFI. Please note that the U.S. Government will not pay for response preparation, or for the use of any information contained in the response.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Andrew Lawler, Andrew.Lawler@noaa.gov, 202-689-4590.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

On May 7, 2020, the President signed a new Executive Order promoting American seafood competitiveness and economic growth. Specifically, the Executive Order calls for the expansion of sustainable U.S. seafood production through: More efficient and predictable aquaculture permitting; cutting-edge research and development; regulatory reform to maximize commercial fishing; and enforcement of common-sense restrictions on seafood imports that do not meet American standards.

As outlined in Section 11 of the Executive Order, the Secretary of Commerce is establishing a Seafood Trade Task Force to be co-chaired by the Secretary of Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative (Co-Chairs), or their designees. In addition to the Co-Chairs, the Seafood Trade Task Force will include the following members, or their designees: The Secretary of State; the Secretary of the Interior; the Secretary of Agriculture; the Secretary of Homeland Security; the Director of the Office of Management and Budget; the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy; the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy; the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers; the Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade; the Commissioner of Food and Drugs; the Administrator of NOAA; and the heads of such other agencies and offices as the Co-Chairs may designate.

The Seafood Trade Task Force will provide recommendations to USTR in the preparation of a comprehensive interagency seafood trade strategy by identifying opportunities to improve access to foreign markets for U.S. seafood products through trade policy and negotiations, resolve technical barriers to U.S. seafood exports, and otherwise support fair market access for U.S. seafood products. USTR will then submit a comprehensive interagency seafood trade strategy to the President, through the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, within 90 days of the receiving the recommendations from the Seafood Trade Task Force.

Read the full notice here

Ocean Acidification Threatens Bivalve Industry

July 9, 2020 — Worldwide, ocean levels are rising at an accelerated pace. Cape May County is feeling the effects of exacerbated weather events, as a result.

Yet, there is another drastic change affecting the oceans – a decrease in the water’s pH levels. This is a change that industry leaders and scientists fear will drastically affect the county, namely its bivalve (aquatic invertebrates with a hinged shell) industry that is, as marine and coastal sustainability expert Dr. Daphne Munroe said, “At the heart of the economy in this region.”

As carbon is released into the atmosphere, it was once speculated that the ocean’s tendency to absorb emissions would be a net positive, as it spared the Earth’s atmosphere from the worst of the emissions. Dr. Feely, senior scientist at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), said, “[It’s] a huge service the oceans are doing that significantly reduces global temperature.”

However, scientists are coming to realize that the ocean’s absorption of carbon emissions comes at a great cost, and that the long-term effects of an ocean that has absorbed great amounts of carbon emissions mean that ecosystems will ultimately suffer.

Read the full story at the Cape May County Herald

Northern Right Whales Are on the Brink, and Trump Could Be Their Last Hope

July 9, 2020 — When boaters spotted a dead North Atlantic right whale off Elberon, N.J., on June 25, marine biologists quickly established the identity of the hulking gray carcass.

With only about 400 such whales left in the world, every individual is known to researchers and cataloged. This one, the six-month-old calf of whale No. 3560, had been struck several times on the head, suggesting one or possibly two vessel collisions.

On Thursday, such whales, which got their name because they float after being killed and thus were considered the “right whale” to hunt, were placed on the Red List of critically endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the last classification before they are gone from the wild. The task of responding will fall to an unlikely champion, President Trump, whose recent appeals for support from Maine lobstermen could clash with the task of saving the right whale.

Peter Corkeron, a senior scientist at the New England Aquarium who spent nearly a decade chronicling the gruesome deaths of right whales as the director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association’s research program for large whales, said he feared the listing would have little impact.

Read the full story at the New York Times

Near-Infrared Technology Identifies Fish Species from Otoliths

July 7, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Aim a beam of near-infrared light at an otolith, and it reflects a literal spectrum of information on the biological and environmental history of a fish.

NOAA Fisheries scientists are developing ways to use near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) analysis of otoliths (fish ear stones) to provide accurate information for sustainable fisheries management faster. NIRS has already proven its value as a time- and cost-effective method to determine the age of fish.

Now, for the first time, scientists have used NIRS analysis of otoliths to identify fish species and populations. The new technique successfully differentiated 13 marine fish species from four large marine ecosystems around the country.

“Our study shows the potential of NIRS as a fast and reliable method of identifying fish species and populations,” said Irina Benson, Alaska Fisheries Science Center biologist. She led the study with Age and Growth Program colleague Thomas Helser and Beverly Barnett of the Southeast Fisheries Science Center. “This technology could provide information for stock assessment and management faster than traditional methods. It expands the possibilities for collecting data to support ecological studies. It is a big step forward for NOAA Fisheries’ strategic initiative to develop NIRS technology for fisheries science.” 

Read the full release here

DeFazio Urges NOAA to Reinstate Observer Waiver for West Coast Seafood Industry

July 7, 2020 — Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., last week sent a letter to NOAA Fisheries, blasting its decision to reinstate the waiver for observer and catch monitor requirements for the Greater Atlantic Region without reinstating it for the West Coast Region.

“I am appalled that NOAA Fisheries seems to believe that those in the Pacific Coast fishing industry deserve less protection from COVID-19 than their New England counterparts,” DeFazio said in a press release. “The pandemic is far from over, and the economic and health risk of having additional personnel on board fishing vessels during this public health crisis outweighs the limited and temporary loss of data from waiving the observer requirements. I urge NOAA to reverse this wrong-headed decision and work to put proper preventative measures in place in the West Coast region to prevent the spread of COVID-19.”

Read the full story at Seafood News

NOAA Extends Fisheries Observer Waiver to August

July 6, 2020 — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has issued an extension of its waiver on observer requirements granted to vessels operating in the U.S. Greater Atlantic Region.

Originally, NOAA was planning to resume observer deployments on July 1, however the resurgence of COVID-19 cases within the country prompted the agency to re-evaluate this time-frame.

“We intend to begin redeploying observers and at-sea monitors on vessels fishing in northeast fisheries on August 1,” said the agency in a statement.

“During the month of July, we will continue to work with regional observer and at-sea monitoring service providers to finalize their observer redeployment plans, conduct outreach with industry, and finalize our internal programs and policies that will support the safe and effective redeployment of observers and at-sea monitors in the region.”

Read the full story at CapeCod.com

FB20-040: Request for Comments: Proposed Rule to Revise the Annual Catch Limit for Gray Snapper in the Gulf of Mexico

July 6, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

KEY MESSAGE:

NOAA Fisheries requests your comments on a proposed rule implementing regulations from Amendment 51 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico (Amendment 51). The proposed rule would reduce the annual catch limit for Gulf of Mexico gray snapper. This rule would not change any existing gray snapper bag limits or size limits. Amendment 51 established or revised overfished and overfishing thresholds. Overfishing is when too many fish are being caught and overfished is when the number of fish in a population is too low.

Comments are due by August 5, 2020.

SUMMARY OF PROPOSED CHANGES:

The proposed rule would reduce the annual catch limit from 2.42 million pounds whole weight (mp ww) to 2.24 mp ww for the 2020 fishing year, and 2.23 mp ww for 2021 and subsequent fishing years.

HOW TO COMMENT ON THE PROPOSED RULE:

The comment period is open now through August 5, 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.

Read the full release here