Saving Seafood

NOAA Fisheries Approves Atlantic Spiny Dogfish Specifications for 2020

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

NOAA Fisheries is finalizing and implementing the Atlantic spiny dogfish commercial quota for the 2020 fishing year, which was originally announced on May 14, 2019. These specifications are unchanged from what was projected in the multi-year specifications for 2019-2021, and represent a 13-percent increase in coastwide commercial quota. These limits will be in place until April 30, 2021.

All other management measures and requirements, including the 6,000-lb Federal trip limit, remain unchanged.

For more details read the rule as filed in the Federal Register or the bulletin posted on our website.

Read the full release here

NOAA Fisheries Approves New Gear Under Small-Mesh Fisheries Accountability Measures

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

Today we filed the final rule approving a new selective gear, the large mesh belly panel. This rule adds the large-mesh belly panel to the list of selective gears approved for use in the Georges Bank yellowtail accountability measure area. Gears currently approved for use in this area are the haddock separator trawl, Ruhle trawl, and rope separator trawl.

Use of the large-mesh belly panel is already allowed during normal fishing operations.

Approval of the large mesh belly panel, for the Georges Bank yellowtail area, as an additional selective trawl gear will provide the fishing industry with more flexibility in the use of trawl gear under the accountability measure, while minimizing bycatch of stocks of concern.

We denied the request to approve this gear for use in the southern windowpane accountability measure area because it did not meet the required standards for this area, and fisheries. To be approved selective gear must reduce bycatch of all species of concern, compared to the standard gear, by at least 50 percent. In the large-mesh fishery, within the windowpane accountability measure areas, the gear did not sufficiently reduce bycatch of two species of concern.

For more details please read the rule as filed in the Federal Register, and the bulletin.

Notice Regarding Loss of Vessel Monitoring Service

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

The McMurdo (formerly Boatracs) Omnitracs Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) operated by vessels with Greater Atlantic Region (GAR) permits will not be supported by its satellite provider after March 31, 2020. All current owners of the Omnitracs unit were notified via a letter from McMurdo dated December 19, 2019 about this issue.

What should you know if you own an Omnitracs unit?

  • This VMS unit must be replaced by April 1, 2020 or risk being out of compliance with VMS requirement regulations. The unit will not function with any other satellite provider.
  • A list of current Type-Approved VMS Units is available online.
  • Within the GAR, current Type-Approved units include:
    • Addvalue iFleetONE (***Newly Type-Approved)
    • SkyMate I1500 VMS
    • SkyMate m1600 VMS
    • Woods Hole Group – Triton Advanced
  • While McMurdo has a replacement unit called Omnicom that functions with the Iridium satellite network, this VMS unit is not yet approved for use in the GAR.
  • Vessel owner/operators with questions about their current service or the new Omnicom unit should contact McMurdo directly at 800-262-8722 or by email.

What is the status of Type-Approval of the replacement McMurdo unit?

We are working with McMurdo to test their new Omnicom VMS so that we can recommend it for approval. However, we cannot say how long this process will take, but have made review of this unit a priority.

VMS Reimbursement Guidance

Reimbursement is available for the purchasing of a new VMS unit if a vessel owner has never been reimbursed by NOAA for the purchase of a VMS unit. If a vessel owner has previously been reimbursed for the cost of a unit for that vessel, reimbursement is not available.

Vessel owner/operators with questions on NOAA’s VMS reimbursement program or their eligibility for VMS reimbursement should contact the OLE Helpdesk at 888-219-9228 or by email.

VMS Power Down Guidance

Vessels that will not be actively fishing in the near future may request an exemption to have the VMS powered off until they are ready to replace the VMS. Vessels should not operate with a non-compliant VMS. Vessels that operate without an approved VMS could face enforcement action.

All vessels that hold VMS required permits cannot power the unit off unless they are on an authorized power down. Owners may request from the Northeast VMS Team to have the VMS powered off. Once a request is received, the Northeast VMS Team will issue a Letter of Exemption (LOE) that will authorize the VMS to be powered off.

Regulations implementing the requirements for the vessel monitoring system (VMS) within the Greater Atlantic Region allow for vessels to be exempt from the requirement to transmit the vessel’s location at all times if one or more of the following conditions are met:

  • The vessel will be continuously out of the water for more than 72 consecutive hours; or
  • A vessel with a valid multispecies limited access, scallop limited access, mackerel limited access, surfclam/ocean quahog, herring, longfin squid/butterfish moratorium or illex squid moratorium permit (only) remains at the dock/mooring and does not engage in any fisheries for a minimum period of 30 consecutive days.

Vessels that only hold an LAGC scallop permit for their VMS requirement may submit the Power Down declaration directly with their VMS unit and do not require an LOE.

One New and One Extended Vessel Speed Restriction Zone to Protect Right Whales Through March 18

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

NOAA Fisheries announces one new and one extended voluntary vessel speed restriction zone (Dynamic Management Area or DMA) south and southeast of Nantucket.

On March 3, 2020, the NOAA aerial survey team observed two separate aggregations of right whales, one 31 nautical miles south of Nantucket and the second 47 nautical miles southeast of Nantucket.

The DMAs are in effect immediately, through March 18, 2020.

These DMAs both cover areas in shipping lanes. Mariners are requested to route around both areas or transit through it at 10 knots or less.

New! Southeast of Nantucket effective through March 18

41 02 N
40 15 N
068 58 W
070 01 W

South of Nantucket DMA effective through March 18

41 11 N
40 22 N
069 32 W
070 37 W

Read the full release here

NOAA Fisheries Informs Council of Possible Red Snapper Season in the South Atlantic Region for 2020

March 4, 2020 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

If a recreational season is allowed this year for red snapper, the season would last for three-days with a one fish per person daily bag limit. That was the word today from NOAA Fisheries, provided during a presentation to the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Snapper Grouper Committee as part of the Council’s week-long meeting in Jekyll Island, Georgia. NOAA Fisheries is responsible for determining if a season can be allowed each year, based on the annual catch limits for red snapper. The recreational annual catch limit is currently set at 29,656 fish for the South Atlantic region, covering the Carolinas, Georgia and the east coast of Florida. The recreational sector receives 71.93% percent of the total annual catch limit.

The 2020 recreational opening is contingent on a change to current regulations that do not allow the recreational season to open if NOAA Fisheries determines the season to be three days or less. In December 2019, the Council approved an amendment to modify that restriction to allow for a shorter season. Regulatory Amendment 33 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan has been submitted to NOAA Fisheries. NOAA Fisheries plans to issue a Proposed Rule for public comment. A Final Rule to implement Regulatory Amendment 33 would need to be issued before the recreational season is allowed. The Council’s intent is to have the amendment in place prior to the 2020 season.

The decision from NOAA Fisheries regarding the length of the recreational season is based on recreational landings data from 2019. The data are collected by individual state agencies, as well as NOAA Fisheries Marine Recreational Information Program and the Southeast Regional Headboat Survey. According to NOAA Fisheries, preliminary landings during the 5-day 2019 recreational season totaled an estimated 49,674 fish, exceeding the current recreational annual catch limit. As a result, the season would need to be reduced in 2020.

The red snapper commercial season will begin the second Monday in July as scheduled with a 75-pound trip limit. The season will continue until NOAA Fisheries determines that the commercial annual catch limit has been met.

The Council meeting will continue through Friday. The meeting is open to the public and available via webinar each day as it occurs. Additional information, including links for webinar registration, briefing book materials, and committee reports is available from the Council’s website at: https://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/council-meetings/.

A formatted version of this news release is available at: https://safmc.net/download/SAFMC_RedSnapperNR030420.pdf.

$7.7M Secured for North Carolina Fisheries Assistance

March 4, 2020 — Gov. Roy Cooper has secured $7.7 million in federal fisheries disaster assistance, part of a $65 million appropriation by Congress for fishery disasters nationwide in 2019, his office announced Friday afternoon.

State fisheries experts will work with federal fisheries authorities to create a spending plan for the $7.7 million once more details on the timing of the grant funds is finalized by the federal government.

When Hurricane Florence hit in September 2018, the storm poured 3 feet of rain on Eastern North Carolina over a four-day period, causing widespread flooding that disrupted fishing and destroyed boats, gear, and buildings critical to fishing businesses.

The 2019 Hurricane Florence Fisheries Damage Assessment report states that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries estimated $38 million in damages to vessels and business and $56.5 million in lost revenues.

Read the full story at Coastal Review Online

Entangled right whale found near death off Nantucket

March 2, 2020 — A North Atlantic right whale is near death after becoming entangled in fishing gear, a serious blow to the endangered species.

“The potential loss of a mother is particularly devastating,” researchers at the New England Aquarium said in a statement Friday.

Researchers with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration spotted Dragon, a 19-year-old whale who has given birth three times, while conducting an aerial survey about 45 miles south of Nantucket Monday.

Dragon was excessively thin, unusually gray, and had a buoy stuck in the right side of her mouth when researchers found her in a group of about 15 whales.

Read the full story at the Boston Globe

Reviewers Approve Stock Assessment for Hawai’i Gray Snapper, Emphasize the Need for Accurate Recreational Catch Data

March 2, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

In Hawai’i, consumers prefer deep-water snappers for their red and pink color, which has cultural significance especially around the winter holidays. However, in May and June, fishermen switch to target the less desired, but just as delicious, gray snapper, known locally as uku (Aprion virescens). During these months, uku are found in abundance at Penguin Bank, located between Moloka’i and O’ahu, where they likely aggregate to spawn.

The good news about uku in the main Hawaiian Islands is the stock is healthy. In fact, scientists at NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) recently determined that Hawai’i fishermen can continue to harvest uku without harming the stock’s ability to maintain its maximum sustainable yield. The PIFSC stock assessment for uku was reviewed this week by the Western Pacific Stock Assessment Review (WPSAR) panel, which ascertained that the assessment is sound and based on the best scientific information available.

Erik Franklin, PhD, University of Hawai’i at Manoa and chair of the WPSAR panel, presented the results today in Honolulu to a group of interested scientists, fishery managers and fishermen at the office of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, where the five-day review was held. The WPSAR panel also included Yong Chen, PhD, University of Maine, and Yan Jiao, PhD, Virginia Tech. Gray snapper is a species managed offshore by the Council in both Hawai’i and American Samoa, where it is known as asoama.

The review contained recommendations to improve future stock assessments. “It can’t be emphasized enough, the importance of getting accurate recreational data for future assessments,” Franklin said.

Marc Nadon, one of the PIFSC stock assessment scientists, said the uku assessment utilized commercial catch data from 1948 to 2018. Since recreational catch data for the fishery is available only since about 2003, the scientists used data from 2003 to 2007 and applied it to the human population trend in Hawai’i to recreate the noncommercial data for the same period as the commercial data.

Recreational catch in Hawai’i is captured voluntarily for state waters (0 to 3 miles offshore) through the Hawai’i Marine Recreational Fishing Survey, run by the State of Hawai’i, with assistance from NOAA Fisheries. In federal waters (3 to 200 miles offshore), noncommercial permits and reporting are required for bottomfish but only a few fishermen have complied.

Uku is found in depths of 0 to 600 feet and is caught mainly by deep-sea and inshore handline and by trolling. Look for it in the markets this spring as an alternative to mahimahi and ono (wahoo) while you wait for ahi (yellowfin tuna) to return to the islands in the summer.

For more information, contact the Council at (808) 522-8220 or by email at info.wpcouncil@noaa.gov.

NOAA grants Alaskan Fisheries $24.4 million in disaster relief funding

February 28, 2020 — Thursday the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), approved a $24.4 million dollar disaster relief package to help restore the loss of fisheries impacted by the 2018 pacific cod fishery disaster and sockeye salmon failure in Chignik.

The money will be administered by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission who will distribute the relief payments to fishermen and their deckhands, processors, and fishery research in the affected regions.

Read the full story at KTUU

Congressman requests $100M in fisheries disaster assistance to be allocated to Louisiana after record-setting opening of Bonnet Carre Spillway

February 28, 2020 — Congressman Garret Graves has written a letter to the National Oceanic an Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) asking them to allocated the remaining $100 million in fisheries disaster assistance to Louisiana to go towards mitigating the impacts of the recent openings of the Bonnet Carre Spillway.

This comes after NOAA announced Thursday, Feb. 27 that several states that experienced catastrophic fishery losses after Hurricane Michael would receive $65 million.

“Boiled shrimp. Boiled crabs. A dozen oysters on a platter. These delicacies feed Louisiana, the country, and the world. But yet we will find a way to bite the hand that feeds,” Graves said. “Louisiana is still hurting from losses to our fisheries after the opening of the spillway. Fisheries in south Louisiana are engines of local economies, employing both commercial and recreational fishermen, processors, marinas, supportive maritime industries, and restaurants. However, this isn’t just about jobs, it’s about generations of Cajun and Creole culture being threatened by the impacts of disasters.”

Read the full story at WAFB