Saving Seafood

More Than $13.5 Million Awarded to Help Stranded Marine Mammals Between 2011-2015

February 12, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

From 2011 to 2015, the John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Program awarded more than $13.5 million to help stranded marine mammals. The funding was awarded through 160 competitive grants to Stranding Network members and collaborators in 24 states.

NOAA Fisheries sets aside a portion of Prescott funds for emergency assistance with unforeseen or catastrophic stranding events.The program provided $999,122 in emergency funds to help reimburse the Network for 15 events that required emergency support between 2011 and 2015. A review of how the funds were allocated and spent is now available in a 5-Year Report.

For the past 18 years, Congress has appropriated approximately $1 to 4 million annually to NOAA Fisheries to fund the Program. NOAA Fisheries funds eligible members of the National Marine Mammal Stranding Network and research collaborators through grants and cooperative agreements. The funding supports the recovery or treatment of marine mammals, the collection of data from living or dead stranded marine mammals for health research, and the support of facility operation costs.

Read the full release here

NOAA Fisheries Seeking Industry-Funded Monitoring Service Providers

February 12, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

If you would like to provide IFM services to Atlantic herring vessels in IFM years 2020 – 2021 (April 1, 2020 – March 31, 2022), you must submit an application by March 12, 2020. We will review your application in accordance with the IFM provider regulations that are being implemented through the New England IFM Omnibus Amendment.

Refer to the posted bulletin for more information on what to include in an application.

Approvals will cover IFM years 2020 – 2021. If we receive any applications under this announcement, final decisions will be communicated to providers and published in the Federal Register after the omnibus measures in the New England IFM Omnibus Amendment become effective on March 9, 2020. There will be a future opportunity to apply for a one-year approval to provide IFM services to herring vessels in IFM year 2021.

Questions?

Contact: Maria Vasta, Sustainable Fisheries Division, 978-281-9196

REMINDER: You Can Renew Your Permits Online

February 12, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

A reminder that commercial and recreational fishermen can renew their current federal fishing permits online using our web-based system in Fish Online.

In the online system, you do not have to include/upload copies of your Coast Guard documentation or your state registrations. Also, gear codes are no longer required.

Submissions via mail and fax will remain options, but we recommend fishermen take advantage of the speed and ease of renewing their permits online.

To access the online renewal and application systems, create or sign-in to your Fish Online account and click on Application Forms in the left margin. For assistance with Fish Online, call our Help Desk at 978-281-9188.

Whale Week 2020: NOAA Saves Whales with Science

February 11, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Whales, dolphins, and porpoises belong to a group of marine mammals called cetaceans. NOAA Fisheries works to ensure the conservation of all cetaceans, which are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Some populations, such as the Cook Inlet beluga, North Atlantic right whale, and Southern Resident killer whale have been identified as Species in the Spotlight due to their endangered status and declining populations. We work with many partners to protect and recover species listed under the Endangered Species Act.

Join us as we celebrate Whale Week, February 10–16, 2020, leading up to World Whale Day on February 16, 2020. Check out the latest whale-related news and videos below and stay tuned for more new content throughout the week!

Read the full release here

NOAA Fisheries amends red snapper bycatch rule for Gulf of Mexico shrimpers

February 10, 2020 — NOAA Fisheries announced on Wednesday, 5 February, that changes to the Gulf of Mexico Shrimp Fishery Management Plan will take effect next month.

The main purpose of the amendment is to change the amount of red snapper bycatch for shrimpers. In 2005, limits were enacted after a stock assessment determined that shrimp fishing was a primary factor in affecting the red snapper’s viability.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Extension: Voluntary Vessel Speed Restrictions South of Nantucket to Protect Right Whales

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

NOAA Fisheries announces an extension to the voluntary vessel speed restriction zone (Dynamic Management Area or DMA) south of Nantucket.

On February 9, an aggregation of right whales was observed 31 nautical miles south of Nantucket, Massachusetts.

Mariners are requested to continue route around this area or transit through it at 10 knots or less.

South of Nantucket DMA effective through February 24

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

Active Seasonal Management Areas (SMAs)

A mandatory speed restriction of 10 knots or less (50 CFR 224.105) is in effect in the Mid-Atlantic November 1 – April 30, and in Cape Cod Bay January 1 – May 15.

More info on Seasonal Management Areas

Right Whales Are Migrating 

North Atlantic right whales are on the move along the Atlantic coast of the U.S. NOAA is cautioning boaters and fishermen to give these endangered whales plenty of room. We are also asking all fishermen to be vigilant when maneuvering to avoid accidental collisions with whales and remove unused gear from the ocean to help avoid entanglements. Commercial fishermen should also use vertical lines with required markings, weak links, and breaking strengths.

Right Whales in Trouble

North Atlantic right whales are protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Scientists estimate there are only about 400 remaining, making them one of the rarest marine mammals in the world.

North Atlantic right whales are NOAA Fisheries’ newest Species in the Spotlight. This initiative is a concerted, agency-wide effort to spotlight and save marine species that are among the most at risk of extinction in the near future. 

In August 2017, NOAA Fisheries declared the increase in right whale mortalities an “Unusual Mortality Event,” which helps the agency direct additional scientific and financial resources to investigating, understanding, and reducing the mortalities in partnership with the Marine Mammal Stranding Network, Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and outside experts from the scientific research community.

More Info

Recent right whale sightings

Find out more about our right whale conservation efforts and the researchers behind those efforts.

Download the Whale Alert app for iPad and iPhone

Acoustic detections in Cape Cod Bay and the Boston TSS

Send a blank message to receive a return email listing all current U.S. DMAs and SMAs.

Details and graphics of all ship strike management zones currently in effect.

Reminder: Approaching a right whale closer than 500 yards is a violation of federal and state law.

Read the full release here

Cod, haddock anglers could get 2 extra weeks of fishing

February 10, 2020 — Recreational anglers of cod and haddock would receive two extra weeks of spring fishing in upcoming seasons under new measures recommended by the New England Fishery Management Council.

The council, in advancing its recommendations, followed the guidance of both its recreational advisory panel and groundfish committee concerning Georges Bank cod, Gulf of Maine cod and Gulf of Maine haddock.

The recommendations require approval by NOAA Fisheries, which said it expects to implement its recreational measures by the time the new fishing season dawns on May 1.

The council recommended no changes from the 2019 season for Georges Bank cod. The open season will be year-round, with a bag limit of 10 fish per day per angler and a minimum size of 21 inches.

For Gulf of Maine cod, the council recommended instituting a two-week spring open season — April 1 to 14 — in addition to the existing fall open season of Sept. 15 to 30.

The bag limit and minimum size for Gulf of Maine cod remain the same as 2019 — one fish per day per angler and 21 inches, respectively.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Maine Congressional Delegation Asks Feds To Shift Focus Of Right Whale Protections

February 7, 2020 — Maine’s congressional delegation is trying to up the pressure on federal fisheries regulators to look beyond the state’s lobster industry when seeking to reduce threats to the endangered North Atlantic right whale.

In a letter to top officials at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) this week, the delegation calls on the agency to provide more information about reducing the risk of ship strikes off the United States and Canada – strikes that they say are as much a threat to the whales’ survival as entanglement with lobster fishing gear.

Maine 2nd District Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat, notes that just last month, a newborn right whale calf was sighted off Florida with an apparent ship-strike injury. He says Maine’s lobster industry is being asked to bear too much of the burden and is at a disadvantage compared to powerful shipping and conservation organizations.

Read the full story at Maine Public

Exploring Women’s Engagement in 30 Years of Alaska Fisheries

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

Women play an integral, multifaceted—and until now, largely invisible—role in Alaska fisheries. The first comprehensive study of women’s participation, incorporating gender into 30 years of existing data, shows women participate in Alaska fisheries differently than men.

“Women are really important players in Alaska’s commercial fisheries. They’re key  in contributing to family adaptability and in turn to community resilience,” said Marysia Szymkowiak, the scientist who conducted the Alaska Fisheries Science Center study. “Knowing how women participate directly in fishing and within fishing families and communities is critical to predicting and understanding responses to fishery changes—from individuals, to families, all the way up to communities.”

Historically, fisheries data on participants have not included gender. Such a gender-blind approach limits our understanding of access, mobility, and empowerment issues and can  actually lead to gender biases.

“Not examining fisheries participation for women and men separately implies that there are no differences between them in our fisheries. That’s a flawed assumption with potentially negative social and ecological implications if women and men participate differently—and this research shows that they do,” said Szymkowiak.

Beyond direct participation in the harvesting sector of commercial fishing, women perform many other jobs that are vital to fishing success. Women step in where needed to adapt to changing fishing and family situations. This includes shoreside employment, working on family boats, direct marketing, and engaging in the political process. This essential but “invisible” work is not captured in fisheries statistics.

“We cannot ignore the critical role that gender plays,” Szymkowiak said. “Understanding when, how, and where women fish, and what limits their participation, is essential if we are to maintain and promote community resilience in the face of huge ecological, market, and management changes in our fisheries.”

Read the full release here

Final Rule Publishes for New England Council’s Industry-Funded Monitoring Omnibus Amendment

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

The final rule implementing the Industry-Funded Monitoring Omnibus Amendment recommended by the New England Fishery Management Council published today. This amendment allows industry-funded monitoring in any fishery managed by the Council to better assess catch and reduce uncertainty around catch estimates.

This amendment also establishes industry-funded monitoring in the Atlantic herring fishery. Specifically, it establishes a 50-percent coverage target for at-sea monitoring coverage aboard vessels issued Category A or B herring permits, and allows herring midwater trawl vessels to purchase observer coverage to access Northeast Multispecies Closed Areas. Additionally, herring vessels have the option of using electronic monitoring and portside sampling, administered via an exempted fishing permit, instead of at-sea monitoring to meet the 50-percent coverage target. Coverage requirements may be waived on a trip-by-trip basis under certain circumstances.

Category A and B herring vessels will begin paying sampling costs associated with industry-funded monitoring as early as April 2020. We will soon be providing herring vessels with detailed instructions on how to comply with industry-funded monitoring requirements, including notification, coverage, and monitoring service provider requirements.

For more details, please see our fishery bulletin. You can also check out this useful fact sheet about the IFM Amendment.