NOAA Archives - Page 251 of 522

Wind Team Fishery Biologist Embraces Opportunities for Innovation, Collaboration

April 22, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Lisa Methratta is the fishery biologist for the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s offshore wind team. She brings academic training and professional experience in ecological research to bear on the study of offshore wind interactions with fish and fisheries.

“I am interested in designing new approaches for studying the ecological effects of offshore wind in marine ecosystems,” says Methratta, who previously worked for NOAA Fisheries as the national aquaculture liaison in the Office of Protected Resources. One of her tasks there was to lead an agency-wide working group examining the risks to protected species posed by offshore aquaculture.

“Wind power and aquaculture will each interact with the marine ecosystem in unique ways, many of which we are still learning about,” Methratta says. “Innovative, scientifically rigorous research will enrich our understanding of these interactions and support a healthy ecosystem with sustainable fisheries and industrial development in the offshore zone.”

Read the full release here

Virginia’s fishing industry has lost millions because of coronavirus pandemic, internal memo says

April 22, 2020 — In the weeks since the coronavirus halted most restaurant operations, Virginia’s fishing industry has taken a big hit.

The information comes from an internal memo the Virginia Marine Resources Commission shared with the Daily Press.

The memo cites revenue potential loss from March through June ranging from $53 million to $68 million due to a near 90% decrease in market demand. The data was compiled to begin to understand the economic impact of COVID-19 on the fishing industry, both commercial and recreational, deputy commissioner Ellen Bolen said.

The information is anecdotal and gives broad calculations, she added.

The aquaculture industry ― which includes oyster and clam harvesters ― estimates it is losing between $3.5 and $7 million per month, according to the memo. The figures compiled do not factor in losses in supply such as bait, fuel and ice.

Commercial fishery jobs — some 18,220 around Virginia — includes harvesters, dealers, processors, importers, distributors and retail, according to data from the NOAA Fisheries Economics of the United States report.

Read the full story at The Virginian-Pilot

NOAA Fisheries – FB20-029: Waiver of Observer Requirement in HMS, South Atlantic, and Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Extended – Waiver Now in Effect through May 4, 2020

April 22, 2020 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Dear Federal Permit Holders, Partners, and Stakeholders,

Providing seafood to the Country remains an essential function even in these extraordinary times. Adequately monitoring United States fisheries remains an essential part of that process. However, in recognition of numerous travel or social distancing restrictions or guidance, NOAA Fisheries continues to temporarily waive the requirement for federally-permitted vessels participating in the following federal fisheries to carry a fishery observer:

South Atlantic Penaeid Shrimp
South Atlantic Rock Shrimp
South Atlantic Snapper-Grouper
Southeast Gillnet
Gulf of Mexico Commercial Reef Fish
Gulf of Mexico Shrimp
Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Pelagic Longline
Shark Bottom Longline (Atlantic HMS)
Shark Gillnet (Atlantic HMS)

This waiver is in effect April 21 through May 4, 2020, after which time we will evaluate the need for another extension. This waiver does not apply to vessels that are currently at sea with an observer on board. In addition, this waiver applies only to human observer coverage and not to electronic monitoring requirements. Note, NOAA Fisheries is not issuing waivers for participants in the Atlantic HMS Shark Research Fishery. All other requirements, including reporting and pre-trip notification call-in requirements, remain in place.

This action is consistent with criteria in the agency’s emergency rule regarding issuing waivers from requirements to carry fishing observers during the COVID-19 pandemic (85 FR 17285, March 27, 2020). Specifically, the first criterion allows NOAA Fisheries to waive observer coverage if local, State, or national governments, or private companies or organizations that deploy observers pursuant to NOAA Fisheries regulations, restrict travel or otherwise issue COVID-19-related social control guidance, or requirement(s) addressing COVID-19-related concerns, such that it is inconsistent with the requirement(s) or not recommended to place an observer(s). At this time, State and local emergency requirements to shelter-in-place and otherwise restrict travel are hindering our ability to deploy observers.

NOAA Fisheries will continue to monitor and evaluate this situation. As we have done in other parts of the country, we will use this time to work with the observer service providers to implement adjustments to the logistics of deploying observers, ensuring qualified observers or at-sea monitors are available as soon as safely possible.

Observers and at-sea monitors are an essential component of commercial fishing operations and provide critical information that is necessary to keep fisheries open and to provide sustainable seafood to our nation during this time. We will continue to monitor all local public health notifications, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for updates. We are committed to protecting the public health and ensuring the safety of fishermen, observers, and others, while fulfilling our mission to maintain our nation’s seafood supply and conserving marine life.

Note, vessels permitted and authorized to participate in these federal fisheries are monitored in a number of ways in addition to the placement of at-sea observers. For example, HMS pelagic longline vessels must adhere to the electronic monitoring program for each trip. Additionally, there are vessel monitoring system requirements for various vessels in addition to logbook submissions. Therefore NOAA Fisheries maintains the ability to collect valuable information from these fleets even in the absence of at-sea observers due to the temporary waivers associated with COVID-19.

The Southeast Regional Office, the Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Division within the Office of Sustainable Fisheries, and the Southeast Fisheries Science Center will evaluate the impacts of waivers on our fisheries and observer programs throughout this period by monitoring:

Fishing activity, in comparison to when observers have been deployed, to track continued compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.
Changes in the level of fishing effort and landings.
Changes in health and safety guidelines that may affect observer availability and ability to travel.
The status of the fisheries and/or protected species that were being observed or monitored to ensure that the relevant conservation and management goals are still being met.

NOAA to allow boats to fish without monitors into May

April 21, 2020 — The federal government is extending its suspension of the requirement for at-sea monitors in some East Coast fisheries until May.

Some fishing boats are required to carry workers on board who collect data about commercial fishing. They’re called observers or at-sea monitors, and the data they gather helps inform federal management of fisheries.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said its waiving the requirement in some Northeast fisheries until May 2. The agency waived the requirement to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Read the full story at the Associated Press

Danielle Blacklock, director of NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Aquaculture, discusses future of U.S. industry

April 21, 2020 — Danielle Blacklock took over as director of NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Aquaculture in mid-March, just as the COVID-19 pandemic began to come to a head in the United States. Over the past decade, Blacklock has served in multiple positions at NOAA, most recently as a senior policy advisor for aquaculture. In that role, Blacklock completed a six-month assignment at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, focused on aquaculture sustainability globally. She also served as the acting deputy in the office for several months.

Blacklock is charged with overseeing the aquaculture component of NOAA’s sustainable seafood portfolio and providing the strategic vision for developing a stronger aquaculture industry in the United States. Nearly a month into her appointment, SeafoodSource connected with Blacklock to discuss her goals as director, the office’s response to COVID-19 complications and what the future of U.S. aquaculture looks like.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

NOAA Fisheries Sets Northeast Multispecies Measures for the 2020 Fishing Year

April 21, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

We are setting common pool possession and trip limits to ensure that the common pool fishery is able to fully utilize its available quotas. Effective on May 1, these possession and trip limits were developed based on the common pool sub-Annual Catch Limits set by Framework Adjustment 58 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan. We also considered preliminary 2020 sector rosters, expected common pool participation, and common pool fishing activity in previous fishing years. During the fishing year, we will monitor common pool catches, and, will adjust common pool management measures as necessary.

Closed Area II Yellowtail Flounder/Haddock Special Access Program

Northeast multispecies vessels may not target yellowtail flounder within the Closed Area II Yellowtail Flounder/Haddock Special Access Program (SAP) in fishing year 2020. Northeast multispecies vessels are not allowed to fish in this SAP using flounder trawl nets, but may fish in this SAP in 2020 to target haddock with a haddock separator trawl, a Ruhle trawl, or hook gear. This SAP is open from August 1, 2020, through January 31, 2021.

Regular B Days-at-Sea Program

The Regular B Days-at-Sea (DAS) program is closed for fishing year 2020. During this closure, Northeast multispecies vessels may not declare or use Regular B DAS.

More Information

For more details, read the notice and the permit holder bulletin.

At-sea waiver extended

April 20, 2020 — Local commercial groundfishermen breathed a double-sigh of relief last week. The New England Fishery Management Council voted 12-5 to postpone final action — initially anticipated for its June meeting — on the draft amendment that will set at-sea monitoring levels in the fishery for years to come. Fishing stakeholders argued the current immersion in everything COVID-19 made it almost impossible for fishermen to study the amendment in detail for public comment and that social distancing might have precluded final action at an in-person meeting in June (as opposed to a webinar).

And on Friday, NOAA Fisheries announced it is extending by two weeks its waiver period for at-sea monitors and human observers aboard vessels fishing in the Greater Atlantic Region. So, no observers or monitors until May 2 at the earliest.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Effort aims to curb number of abandoned crab traps in Louisiana waters

April 20, 2020 — A new program is targeting the thousands of abandoned crab traps that litter Louisiana’s coastal waterways.

Louisiana Sea Grant, a coastal advocacy and research group based at LSU, has received a $40,000 federal grant to lead the project. The money comes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Louisiana leads the nation in the number of commercial blue crab fishermen, with more than 2,500 license holders who have no limit on the number of traps they can operate, Louisiana Sea Grant says in a news release. Some commercial crabbers run as many as 800 to 2,000 traps each.

In addition, Louisiana has more than 6,600 licensed recreational crab fishermen who can operate 10 traps each.

Between commercial and recreational crabbers, there can be more than 66,000 traps in the water, the group says.

“On average, 130 traps per crabber are lost each year due to storms, accidents and intentional abandonment,” Sea Grant says. “The result is in an estimated 11 million crabs lost to ghost fishing by derelict traps. Other fish, such as red drum, black drum and summer flounder also can get stuck in the traps.

Read the full story at Houma Today

Announcement: Northeast Observer Waiver Extended through May 2

April 20, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Consistent with the agency’s emergency rule on observer waivers during the COVID-19 pandemic and under the authority granted to the Greater Atlantic Regional Administrator at 50 CFR Part 648.11(c), NOAA Fisheries is extending the waiver granted to vessels with Greater Atlantic Region fishing permits to carry human observers or at-sea monitors for an additional two weeks, through May 2, 2020.

NMFS Waives West Coast Fishery Observer Requirements

April 15, 2020 — The following notice was released by NOAA. Earlier today, the PFMC recommended suspending West Coast observer coverage. In March, NOAA suspended observer requirements in the Northeast.

As part of our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and consistent with the authority provided under the Emergency Rule signed on March 24, 2020 (Available at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/noaa-fisheries-issues-emergency-action-waive-observer- coverage-case-case-basis), NOAA Fisheries is temporarily waiving the requirement for commercial fishing vessels and first receivers in west coast fisheries to carry a fishery observer or have a catch monitor. The waiver will be in effect beginning on April 16, 2020 for 14 calendar days. This waiver applies to the following requirements:

Have 100-percent shoreside and at-sea coverage for vessels and first receivers participating in the Pacific Coast Groundfish Trawl Rationalization Program (50 CFR 660.140(h)(1)(i) and (i)(1), §660.150(j)(1)(i), and §660.160(g)(1)(i);
Carry a federal observer if selected in the Pacific Coast Groundfish limited entry fixed gear and open access fisheries (§660.216(a) and §660.316(a)), including California halibut and Oregon pink shrimp fisheries;
Carry a federal observer if selected in the Highly Migratory Species (HMS) fisheries (§660.719(a) and (d)); and,
Carry an observer as a term and condition of an Exempted Fishing Permits (EFP) issued pursuant to 50 CFR 600.745(b), except for the Deep-Set Shortline EFP for HMS.

This waiver does not apply to trips that are currently underway at sea with an observer onboard or to electronic monitoring (EM) requirements. For vessels using electronic monitoring, this waiver applies to human observers only.

This action is consistent with the Emergency Rule authority to grant waivers for observer requirements under certain circumstances. NOAA Fisheries is granting this limited duration waiver for observer coverage for vessels and processors in west coast fleets based on new social control guidance issued by west coast observer and catch monitor providers. West coast observer and catch monitor service providers (Alaskan Observers Inc., Saltwater Inc. Techsea International Inc., Frank Orth and Associates, and Tenera Environmental) have notified us that they intend to immediately implement policies to address health and safety concerns of the fishing industry and observers associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Providers intend to implement a policy instituting a 1-to-1 ratio of observers and catch monitors with vessels and plants, and 14-day self-isolation of observers/catch monitors before starting their deployment with their assigned vessel/plant. Providers have requested that NOAA Fisheries temporarily waive coverage requirements in west coast fleets to allow observers/catch monitors time to complete the 14-day self-isolation. I have determined that this situation meets the criteria for a waiver under the Emergency Rule criteria and warrants a temporary waiver for all west coast fleets to allow observers/catch monitors to complete the 14-day self-isolation period before deploying.

From April 16 – April 30, 2020, vessel owners or operators must still notify the applicable observer program before taking a trip and otherwise comply with applicable regulatory and other requirements. NOAA Fisheries will waive the observer coverage requirement for those trips that are randomly selected for observer coverage.

Industry self-reporting of protected species interactions/take is still required.

Regulations governing the recordkeeping and reporting of the incidental take of marine mammals are set forth in 50 CFR part 229.
Regulations governing the recordkeeping, reporting, and disposal of eulachon, green sturgeon, seabirds, marine mammals, and sea turtles in groundfish landings are set forth at 50 CFR 660.140(g).
Boat captains are responsible for reporting to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Law Enforcement by the vessel operator within 72 hours of taking an albatross by phoning 360-753-7764 (WA); 503-682-6131 (OR); or 916-414-6660 (CA).

NEXT STEPS

During this waiver period, NOAA Fisheries will evaluate the impact of this observer coverage waiver on the conservation and management of the affected fishery resources and may make adjustments to the fishery and catch accounting system in the future.

The West Coast Regional Office and the Northwest Fisheries Science Center will evaluate the impacts of this waiver on our fisheries and observer programs throughout this period as follows:

Monitor fishing activity in comparison to when observers have been deployed, to track continued compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.
Evaluate weekly observer/catch monitor availability, ability to travel, and level of fishing effort and landings.
Monitor for changes in current health and safety guidelines that we expect would increase observer/catch monitor availability.

Following this initial 14-day waiver, on May 1, 2020, we do not intend to renew the blanket waiver for all fleets. After the end of the waiver period, providers’ social control guidance will likely result in some shortage of observers/catch monitors to meet the coverage needs of all fleets because observers/catch monitors typically serve multiple vessels and plants. However, we anticipate having sufficient observers/catch monitors to maintain the current level of observer coverage in most fleets. We intend to use the Emergency Rule authority to waive individual trips and vessels in lower priority fleets on a case-by-case basis to ensure qualified observers/catch monitors are available for higher priority fleets (i.e., fleets with 100% coverage requirements or bycatch of ESA-listed species).

Observers and catch monitors are an essential component of commercial fishing operations and provide critical information that is necessary to keep fisheries open and to provide sustainable seafood to our nation during this time. We will continue to monitor all local public health notifications, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for updates. We are committed to protecting the public health and ensuring the safety of fishermen, observers, and others, while fulfilling our mission to maintain our nation’s seafood supply and conserving marine life.

For additional information, please contact Ryan Wulff, Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries at (916) 930-3733 or ryan.wulff@noaa.gov.