Saving Seafood

RODA Receives NMFS Grant to Convene State of the Science Symposium on Fishing and Offshore Wind Interactions

June 10, 2020 — The following was released by the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance:

The Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA) has received a $150,000 grant from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to aggregate existing knowledge, then convene a first-of-its-kind symposium on the current science regarding fisheries and offshore wind interactions. The project, “Understanding the State of the Science,” will advance agency, fishing industry, offshore wind energy developer, and public understanding of existing research on interactions between the two industries.

“We are thrilled about the opportunity to design a forum that will bring together everything we know, and don’t know, about how fisheries and offshore wind energy development interact,” said Annie Hawkins, RODA’s Executive Director. “Fishermen provide a wealth of knowledge and expertise, and many are involved in research and science efforts. This project is a great opportunity for their participation in informing a strong research and science agenda.”

The project consists of two parts. First, RODA will develop a much-needed summary of scientific knowledge and current research and monitoring efforts. Given the rapid growth and large scope of offshore wind development in the U.S., many fishing associations, academic institutions, federal and state agencies, offshore wind developers, and others have been conducting research on the effects of offshore wind development. This part of the project results in a new resource for understanding the knowledge gaps and most important questions for further research.

Second, RODA will convene a “state of the science” symposium and workshop jointly with NMFS and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), as well as state, academic, and private and public sector science experts. At these meetings, participants will identify research and monitoring needs that the Responsible Offshore Science Alliance (ROSA) can use to develop its work.

ROSA is an independent organization that works collaboratively to advance regional research and monitoring of fisheries and offshore wind interactions in federal waters. It is intended to fill the need for broad-scale coordination on prioritizing work and on information sharing.

“Much of the work on offshore wind is occurring on a development-by-development, state-by-state basis. Yet the science and management of our fisheries, marine mammals, and marine endangered species occur at a regional-scale – North Carolina to Maine,” said Jon Hare, director of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center. “Therefore, I am excited to be able to work with RODA and BOEM to support the state-of-the-science symposium with the goal of developing a regional science plan.”

This project is a key step toward jointly building a regional fisheries and offshore science agenda. Participants in the project will include fishermen, fishing industry representatives, NMFS, BOEM, and ROSA experts, wind energy developers, relevant federal fishery management councils, states, and other expert scientists from the U.S. and Europe. The Consensus Building Institute will provide expert facilitation and coordination for the symposium. The intent is to reduce redundancies, identify knowledge gaps, and solidify opportunities for future increased coordination. Partners can then use workshop outcomes to collaborate further, refining regional science and monitoring agendas.

Examples of topics to be covered by the state of the science symposium include:

  • Physical oceanographic factors: the Mid-Atlantic Cold Pool, currents and vertical mixing, scour and sedimentation, marine winds, waves, coastal upwelling;
  • Ecosystem effects: larval dispersal, recruitment, spawning, electromagnetic fields, migration corridors, noise and vibrations, species shifts, invasive species and colonization, entanglement, benthic habitat disruption;
  • Fisheries: displacement of effort, displacement of species, increased competition for grounds, safety; and
  • Floating wind technology effects: specific effects of floating wind platforms on fishing effort and biological processes.

Funding for this project was made available through NMFS’ Broad Agency Announcement award process, and advances a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed in March 2019. This ten-year MOU among RODA, NMFS, and BOEM allows the groups to collaborate on the science, research, monitoring, and process of offshore wind energy development on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. More broadly, the project will help local and regional fishing interests become better involved in the offshore wind development process, and ensure that the interests and concerns of commercial fishermen are communicated effectively.

STUDY: MATURE OYSTER REEFS COULD BOOST BLUE CRAB NUMBERS BY 80%

June 9, 2020 — Restoring oyster reefs is a priority on the Chesapeake Bay, as we know healthy oyster populations can buoy Bay-wide clean water efforts. But the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) wanted to know just how much restored reefs can help, and how that could translate to the Bay region’s economy.

So NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Habitat Conservation used a high-tech model to predict long-term benefits of restored oyster reefs in the Choptank River system. Spoiler alert: the predicted benefits would be remarkable for both the ecology and the crab industry.

Together with six partner institutions, NOAA published a technical memorandum that looks at oyster reefs in Harris Creek, the Little Choptank River, and the Tred Avon River, all parts of the Choptank system that have been targeted with large-scale oyster restoration under the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. These reefs are considered “young” today (Harris Creek’s oyster sanctuary was just completed in 2015, and the other two are still underway), but the research model also looked at what may happen when the reefs are “mature,” roughly 15 years after restoration.

Read the full story at Chesapeake Bay Magazine

MASSACHUSETTS: ‘A profound struggle’: South Coast fishing industry fights to hold on

June 9, 2020 — When Gov. Charlie Baker ordered all restaurants to close dine-in services on March 17 to help fight coronavirus, a shudder ran through the fishing industry along the South Coast of Massachusetts.

Roughly two-thirds of freshly caught seafood in Massachusetts is purchased by restaurants, and while takeout and delivery services have continued during the public health crisis, consumers are more apt to eat scallops, lobsters and many other edible sea species at dine-in eateries.

As a result, demand fell sharply in the fishing industry, especially for more lucrative seafood.

“When all the restaurants close up, there isn’t a market for that fresh fish,” New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell said. “Prices plummet to a point where it isn’t profitable for many boatowners to send their boats out for trips, so that puts fishermen out of work.”

For Southeastern Massachusetts, the health of the fishing industry is a key concern — and it will likely be one of the topics during WPRI 12’s live 7 p.m. U.S. Senate primary debate between Democratic incumbent Ed Markey and challenger Joe Kennedy III, their only debate for this region.

Read the full story at WPRI

Saltonstall-Kennedy 2021 Grant Application Now Open

June 9, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is pleased to announce the 2021 Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant competition is currently open.

The goal of the Saltonstall-Kennedy program is to fund projects that address the needs of fishing communities, optimize economic benefits by building and maintaining sustainable fisheries, and increase other opportunities to keep working waterfronts viable. The FY21 solicitation seeks applications that fall into one of two priorities:

  • Promotion, Development, and Marketing.
  • Science or Technology that Promotes Sustainable U.S. Seafood Production and Harvesting.

Application Process

This year’s solicitation consists of two steps:

1. All interested applicants must submit a two-page pre-proposal to the Notice of Funding Opportunity posted on Grants.gov by August 07, 2020. Please be sure to submit your pre-proposal to the “Pre-proposals FY21 Saltonstall-Kennedy” link.

2. Applicants submitting a full application after the pre-proposal review process must submit it to the “Full Proposals FY21 Saltonstall-Kennedy” link on Grants.gov by November 20, 2020.

Be sure to read the Notice of Funding Opportunity and follow the directions closely, and take advantage of our FAQs.

Read the full release here

ROSA is Seeking Applications for Advisory Council Members

June 9, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The Responsible Offshore Science Alliance (ROSA) is seeking applications from recreational and commercial fishermen to join its Advisory Council, which provides substantive direction and strategic guidance to the alliance.

ROSA is a nonprofit organization that seeks to advance regional research and monitoring of fisheries and offshore wind interactions through collaboration and cooperation. ROSA’s work currently concentrates on the waters from Maine to North Carolina.

The background information and applications are listed below and can be found online. The deadline for applications is July 15, 2020.

Read the full release here

Fishermen file lawsuit against herring at-sea monitoring rule

June 9, 2020 — The Cause of Action Institute has filed a motion for summary judgement on behalf of New Jersey, U.S.A., fisherman against a new set of regulations called the “Omnibus Amendment,” which requires some boats in the Atlantic herring fishery carry at-sea monitors at their own cost.

The new rule was designed by the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC), and was recently finalized by NOAA and the Department of Commerce. The New Jersey fishermen, according to a release from the Cause of Action Institute, object to the at-sea monitor requirements, as it is expected to cost fishermen “upwards of USD 700 [EUR 619] a day.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Atlantic Herring Information Webinar

June 9, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

In response to significant interest and questions from a broad range of stakeholders regarding Atlantic herring, the Northeast Fisheries Science Center will hold an informational webinar regarding the current Atlantic herring stock assessment.

The webinar will be June 11, 2020, from 9:30 to 11:00. During this meeting, the lead assessment scientist for Atlantic herring, Dr. Jon Deroba, will give a short presentation on abundance and recruitment, and fisheries effort and catch, and answer questions about trends in the Atlantic herring data.

The full assessment will be presented and reviewed at a peer review meeting the week of June 22nd. The Atlantic herring stock assessment will be presented on Monday, June 22 starting at 10:00.  Several other assessments will be reviewed throughout the week.

Trump to Allow Commercial Fishing in Northeast Canyons Nat’l Monument

June 8, 2020 — On Friday, President Donald Trump announced that his administration will remove fishing restrictions in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, drawing praise from fishermens’ groups and criticism from environmentalists.

The reserve was designated by President Barack Obama in late 2016, and it is the first marine national monument in the Atlantic. According to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, the monument contains “fragile and largely pristine deep marine ecosystems and rich biodiversity, including . . . many rare and endemic species, several of which are new to science and are not known to live anywhere else on Earth.”

Recreational fishing was allowed in the reserve, and crab and lobster fishing were permitted until September 2023. Other commercial fishing – or even possessing commercial fishing gear on deck – was not permitted within the 5,000-square-mile region. The Trump administration’s decision has removed all fishing restrictions.

“What reason did [Obama] have for closing 5,000 miles?  That’s a lot of miles. Five thousand square miles is a lot.  He didn’t have a reason, in my opinion,” said Trump at a forum in Bangor on Friday. “For me, I can’t even believe they can do a thing like that. That’s a terrible thing.  That’s a terrible thing.”

Read the full story at The Maritime Executive

As NOAA predicts larger than average Gulf dead zone, study reveals billions in damage to fish stocks

June 5, 2020 — NOAA scientists announced on 3 June that the forecast for the Gulf of Mexico hypoxic area, more commonly referred to as the “dead zone,” will be larger than average in 2020.

The current forecast of the dead zone – an area of low to no oxygen that can kill fish and other marine life – predicts an area of roughly 6,700 square miles, which is larger than the recent average measured size of the dead zone of 5,387 square miles. For comparison, 6,700 square miles is roughly the size of the U.S. states of Rhode Island and Connecticut combined.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Update on Implementing Industry-Funded Monitoring in the Atlantic Herring Fishery

June 5, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is delaying the start date to begin assigning industry-funded monitoring (IFM) coverage in the herring fishery until later this year.

The training class for new portside samplers in the herring fishery was delayed due to the health mandates and travel restrictions in place this spring. This training will be rescheduled for later this year. Until this training occurs, IFM portside sampling coverage will not be available for midwater trawl herring vessels that are enrolled in an electronic monitoring exempted fishing permit (EFP). We do not intend to select herring vessels for IFM at-sea monitoring coverage until IFM portside sampling coverage is also available for EFP vessels. For this reason, we will not be selecting any herring vessels for IFM coverage until after the portside sampling training has been completed. Vessels are still required to adhere to all Pre-Trip Notification System (PTNS) requirements for the herring fishery. However,  PTNS will continue to issue waivers for IFM coverage in the meantime, and herring vessels will not be responsible for paying sampling costs associated with IFM until later this year.

More Information

We will update industry participants as we know more about the timing of implementing IFM in the herring fishery. For more information on the herring IFM program, please see the following resources:

  • IFM in the herring fishery, see our January 29 bulletin.
  • Electronic monitoring EFP, see our March 30 email.
  • Notification, Reporting, and Monitoring Requirements for the Atlantic Herring Fishery, see our March 31 bulletin.

Read the full release here