Saving Seafood

NOAA Fisheries Announces Final 2020 Blueline Tilefish Commercial and Recreational Fishery Specifications

February 14, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is finalizing blueline tilefish quotas for the 2020 fishing year that we previously announced as projected on February 12, 2019. There have been no overages in the Greater Atlantic Region in 2019, and there is no new biological information, so we are now finalizing the 2020 quotas. The quotas are the same as in 2019.

Approved measures include acceptable biological catch (ABC), annual catch limit (ACL), and total allowable landings (TAL) for the commercial and recreational fisheries.

All other requirements remain the same.

For more details, read the final rule as filed in the Federal Register today and the permit holder bulletin posted on our website.

Read the full release here

NOAA Seeks Public Comment on Revised Management Plan for Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary

February 14, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries has released the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Condition Report. Condition reports summarize resources and ecosystem services within a national marine sanctuary, pressures on those resources, current conditions and trends, and management responses to the pressures.

The Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Condition Report indicates that water quality in the sanctuary is good, but habitat, living resources, and maritime heritage resources continue to experience human impacts (vessel traffic, fishing, marine debris, ocean noise) and climate change. The condition report also includes an assessment of the sanctuary’s ecosystem services, which are benefits that people obtain from the environment, such as seafood and recreation.

The release of the condition report will initiate the review and revision of the management plan for Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Public scoping is the first phase in the revision process, and the public can comment through April 10, 2020, on the scope of issues and programs to be considered within an updated plan. Comments may be submitted online, by mail, or in person at the public scoping meetings.

WHAT:

Public scoping meetings and public comment period through April 10 to solicit input on the scope of issues and programs to be considered within an updated management plan for Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.

WHEN and WHERE:

  • March 11, 6:30-8 p.m., New England Aquarium, Harborside Learning Lab,1 Central Wharf, Boston, MA 02110
  • March 12, 6:30-8 p.m., Maritime Gloucester, 23 Harbor Loop, Gloucester, MA 01930
  • March 18, 6:30-8 p.m., Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Admiral’s Hall,101 Academy Dr, Buzzards Bay, MA 02532

HOW TO COMMENT:

Online: Go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal and use docket number NOAA-NOS-2020-0003.

By mail:

NOAA Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
175 Edward Foster Road
Scituate, MA 02066
Attn: Management Plan Revision

Maine whale protection plan doesn’t go far enough, feds say

February 13, 2020 — Federal regulators don’t believe a Maine plan to reduce risk to endangered whales goes far enough, and that means fishermen in the state could face more restrictions.

Maine officials submitted a plan to the federal government designed to meet a requirement to better protect rare North Atlantic right whales from entanglement in lobster fishing gear. The whales number only about 400 and can die if ensnared in the gear, which is used to trap one of Maine’s best known and most valuable natural resources.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration notified the state in a Jan. 10 letter that its proposed package of measures would result in no more than a 52% reduction in risk to the whales. The required goal is 60%, said the letter, which was written by Michael Pentony, regional administrator for NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service’s Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office.

Read the full story at the Associated Press

US government allocates funds to fight IUU as part of trade agreement

February 13, 2020 — The U.S. government has allocated USD 8 million (EUR 7.3 million) to fight IUU fishing and bolster the country’s Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) as part of the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA) that was approved in January.

As part of the agreement, funding will go to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to help it cooperate with the Mexican government on fighting illegal fishing through 2023.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

NOAA Fisheries Announces Final 2020 Atlantic Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Commercial Fishery Specifications and Minimum Size Suspension for Atlantic Surfclams

February 13, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is implementing surfclam and ocean quahog quotas for the 2020 fishing year that we previously announced as projected on February 6, 2018. There have been no overages in 2019, and there is no new biological information, so we are now finalizing the 2020 quotas. The 2020 fishing year quotas will remain 3.4 million bushels for surfclams, 5.33 million bushels for ocean quahogs, and 100,000 Maine bushels for Maine ocean quahogs.

NOAA Fisheries is also suspending the minimum size requirement for surfclams. Discard, catch, and biological data show that 22 percent of 2019 coastwide landed surfclams had a shell length less than 4.75 inches, which is less than the 30 percent trigger for a minimum size requirement. This is closer to the trigger than in prior years. Vessels are encouraged to avoid areas with a lot of clams under 4.75 inches to reduce the chance of initiating the default minimum size in 2021.

For more details, read the final rule as published in the Federal Register today and the permit holder bulletin posted on our website.

How Our Shark Finning Ban Helps Us Sustainably Manage Shark Fisheries

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

Shark finning is often pointed to as a leading cause of decline in global shark populations. The wasteful practice has been illegal in United States federal waters for decades, though. Guy DuBeck, a highly migratory species fisheries management specialist, breaks down how a federal ban on shark finning works and the role it plays in protecting shark populations.

What is shark finning?  

Shark finning is the practice of removing a shark’s fins and dumping the rest of the body at sea.

It’s important to remember that shark finning happens at sea. Fishermen or dealers who remove fins after bringing the whole shark to shore are not “finning” sharks. They are sustainably selling all parts of the shark.

How did shark finning come to be?

Fins are easier to transport than a whole animal. And while there are commercial uses for the rest of the shark, their meat is less profitable. That’s why some foreign fishermen will remove fins at sea.

Why would fishermen want to harvest fins at all? 

Shark fins have a higher economic value than both shark meat and some other fish. So, fin sales are key to any commercial shark fishing operation. By selling the fins, U.S. fishermen are also making use of all parts of a sustainably harvested shark.

When did the United States ban shark finning? 

NOAA Fisheries first banned shark finning in the Atlantic Ocean in 1993 because of the role it played in overfishing. Congress extended the ban to any vessel in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone with the Shark Finning Prohibition Act of 2000 and Shark Conservation Act of 2010.

Under these laws, fishermen must bring a shark to shore with all its fins naturally attached. That specific requirement is what makes our ban so effective. For example, it prevents fishermen from finning one shark and using staples or tape to attach the fins to another carcass on the boat. This is a loophole other countries have had to deal with.

Read the full release here

NOAA to bring new research ship to Hawaii with $200M in federal funding

February 12, 2020 — A new ocean research ship is heading to Hawaii after more than $200 million in federal funding has been secured for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, according to U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz.

NOAA announced Tuesday that it is acquiring two new ocean research ships, one of which will be homeported in Honolulu. The Oceanographer is expected to replace NOAA Ship Hiialakai, which retired early due to extensive corrosion.

The new ships will continue to support NOAA’s missions of ocean research, marine life exploration, and climate and ocean ecosystem studies.

“These new ships will make sure NOAA can continue to do the critical research work we need to protect our oceans and Hawaii’s natural resources, including Papahanaumokuakea,” said Schatz, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Read the full story at the Honolulu Star Advertiser

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.