Saving Seafood

Sea Grant Funds New Technology to Monitor for Harmful Algal Blooms

October 18, 2018 — A new system using next-generation robotic sensors to monitor coastal waters for disease-causing microalgae has been funded by the NOAA Sea Grant Program as part of a national strategic investment in aquaculture.

The PhytO-ARM (Phytoplankton Observing for Automated Real-time Management), under development by a team led by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) biologist Mike Brosnahan, will vastly improve our ability to detect harmful algal blooms (HABs) and the toxins they produce and provide aquaculturists, resource managers, and others detailed, real-time information about the bloom using a web-based, user-friendly dashboard.

“Clams and oysters grown in our coastal waters depend on phytoplankton as an important food source, yet some phytoplankton produce toxins, which accumulate in shellfish and pose a threat to humans and other animals that consume them,” says Brosnahan. “The information the system provides is very powerful and holds great potential for protecting human health and maximizing aquaculture operations.”

The project’s intent is to streamline the system so that it can be adapted for a range of uses, including by farmers to protect and maximize their shellfish yields; resource managers anticipating and responding to outbreaks to protect human health, and scientists working to better understand HAB dynamics in our changing environment.

In its most sophisticated form, the PhytO-ARM system couples two powerful sensors: the Imaging FlowCytobot (IFCB), which continuously records microscope images of phytoplankton and identifies them in real time; and a new high capacity Environmental Sample Processor (ESP), a “molecular lab in a can” that can positively identify species and toxins. “This system will provide rapid biotoxin measurements, alerting managers to the presence of biotoxins that cause severe, even fatal reactions in humans,” says Brosnahan.

A smaller scale version of the system couples the IFCB with a profiling conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) probe to provide rich pictures of the distribution of phytoplankton around shellfish beds, which can inform and trigger management actions.

“Many harmful algal bloom species migrate vertically through the water column,” says Brosnahan. “By combining these sensors we can focus sampling on where cells are most abundant. Knowledge of the vertical distribution of cells may also enable farmers to tweak nursery operations to limit the exposure of juvenile animals to harmful algae.”

Another powerful aspect of the system is in monitoring not only the organisms that are known to have caused problems for many decades, but also for detecting species that are nascent problems for the aquaculture industry. New England has a well-established biotoxin problem with Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning caused by the phytoplankton Alexandrium. But the region is experiencing emergent problems with biotoxins from Pseudo-nitzschia and Dinophysis, both of which have caused shellfish bed closures in recent years. With real-time data from PhytO-ARM sensors, resource managers can detect and monitor potentially toxic phytoplankton cells that are normally not part of their monitoring program.

Brosnahan has first-hand experience with this. In 2015, working with a proto-type PhytO-ARM system in Nauset Marsh on Cape Cod, Brosnahan and his team spotted some unusual cells. “We had finished with our work with the Alexandrium bloom and our IFCB was showing relatively high numbers of Dinophysis acuminata – a dinoflagellate that causes diarrhetic shellfish poisoning or DSP,” he says. “We were able to continue monitoring the development of the Dinophysis bloom throughout the summer and alerted the Massachusetts Department of Marine Fisheries and collaborators at FDA to a potential hazard, which ultimately resulted in the first closure of a shellfish bed due to DSP in the northeast U.S.”

Read the full story at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute

MASSACHUSETTS: US Senator Elizabeth Warren urges NOAA, DOC to keep fishing permits in New Bedford

October 18, 2018 — United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) sent a letter 15 October to the U.S. Department of Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration urging both organizations to keep 42 federal fishing permits in the town of New Bedford.

NOAA has called for the permits revocation in the wake of the Carlos Rafael, or “Codfather,” case. Rafael is currently serving a 46-month prison sentence for his role in quota and tax evasion schemes in New Bedford, which included misreporting hundreds of thousands of pounds of groundfish catches.

Most recently, NOAA has issued a 51-page superseding charging document related to the case that would increase the civil penalties associated the case from USD 1 million (EUR 867,000) to USD 3 million (EUR 2.6 million).

In the letter, Warren calls on the organizations to punish Rafael, not New Bedford.

“He pleaded guilty to crimes associated to this case, and is rightly in jail, but many innocent people are also paying the price for his crimes,” Warren wrote. “These permits cover a significant portion of the ground fish industry and have an economic footprint that goes far beyond fish landings.”

New Bedford’s landings, and economy, were both impacted heavily by a lengthy ban on all groundfishing that NOAA enacted in the wake of the quota misrepresentation. A blanket ban on all 60 sector IX vessels lasted through to July of this year, sending landings into sharp decline.

That economic impact, which is harming many businesses in New Bedford, is why the permits should stay, Warren said.

“Millions of dollars of regional economic activity depend on Mr. Rafael’s permits remaining in the City of New Bedford,” she wrote. “An innocent community should not be collateral damage for one business’s crimes.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Big bluefin tuna make comeback after 80-year hiatus off California coast

October 18, 2018 — Large Pacific bluefin tuna not seen in California waters for decades have reappeared, to the delight of fishing enthusiasts and scientists, as global conservation efforts have proven effective for one of the ocean’s priciest and most sought-after fish.

Overfishing of bluefin tuna spurred by a growing global appetite for sushi resulted in a critical decline in stocks over decades. But measures by the United States, Japan, Mexico and others to limit their take have led to population growth, though tuna populations are still below historic levels.

Gerard DiNardo, director of the Fisheries Resources Division at Southwest Fisheries Science Center, a division of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in La Jolla, California, said there has been an increase in population as well as size of the bluefin because of those efforts.

“This is management and effective management and it actually is working'” said DiNardo.

The Center for Biological Diversity said in August 2017 that the Pacific bluefin had been overfished to less than 3 percent of its historic population. The National Marine Fisheries Service announced in October 2016 that it was considering listing the Pacific bluefin, but it subsequently concluded that protections were not warranted.

Read the full story from Reuters at MSN

Commerce Department Announces Appointments to 3 Regional Fishery Management Councils

October 18, 2018 — The following was released by NOAA:

The U.S. Commerce Department today announced the reappointment of one and appointment of two new members to three regional fishery management councils. The new members will fill at-large seats that were recently vacated on the Western Pacific and South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils. These seats became vacant in July 2018. The new members will serve through August 10, 2020. For the Pacific Fishery Management Council, the tribal member will fill an obligatory seat that was made vacant after the expiration of the term on August 11, 2018. The reappointed member will serve through August 10, 2021.

The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act established the councils as stewards of the nation’s fisheries resources through the preparation of fishery management plans for their regions. NOAA Fisheries works closely with the councils through this process and then reviews, approves, and implements the plans. Council members represent diverse groups, including commercial and recreational fishing industries, environmental organizations and academia. They are vital to fulfilling the Act’s requirements to end overfishing, rebuild fish stocks, and manage them sustainably.

The Secretary selects members from nominations submitted by the governors of fishing states, territories, and tribal governments. Council members are appointed to both obligatory (state-specific) and at-large (regional) seats. Council members may be reappointed to serve three consecutive terms.

*Asterisks preceding a member’s name indicate a reappointment.
South Atlantic Council

The South Atlantic Council includes members from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The appointee will a vacant at-large seat.

At-Large seat:

Joseph D. Whitaker (South Carolina)

Pacific Council

The Pacific Council includes members from California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. The Pacific Council also includes one Tribal seat. The appointee will fill a vacant Tribal seat.

Obligatory seat:

Joseph Y. Oatman* (Tribal)

Western Pacific Council

The Western Pacific Council includes members from American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The appointee will fill a vacant at-large seat.

At-Large seat:

Frederick McGrew Rice (Hawaii)

Read the full release here

Third right whale death confirmed by NOAA

October 18, 2018 — According to the federal government, the North Atlantic right whale is one of the world’s most endangered large whale species, with only an estimated 450 remaining. As of this year, there are at least three fewer.

A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration vessel on Sunday reported a sighting of a whale carcass floating about 100 miles east of Nantucket. NOAA reviewed photos provided by experts and determined it was a North Atlantic right whale.

“The carcass is severely decomposed, but photographs show multiple wounds indicative of human interaction,” according to NOAA. “The initial examination revealed marks consistent with entanglement. However, at this stage it is too early to speculate on the cause of the death.”

With the help of the U.S. Coast Guard, the whale carcass was found early Monday afternoon.

The crew of NOAA’s fisheries research ship Henry B. Bigelow took additional photos and samples that will be used to more precisely identify and learn more about the whale, according to NOAA.

Northern right whales have been listed as endangered since 1970. About 4 percent of the animal’s population died in 2017. No new calves were spotted this year.

According to NOAA, commercial whalers by the 1890s had “hunted right whales in the Atlantic to the brink of extinction.”

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Omega Protein close to netting MSC for menhaden

October 18, 2018 — The menhaden fisheries on both the Atlantic coast of the United States and in the Gulf of Mexico — North America’s largest source of fish for meal and oil – are within months of gaining Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification, and Cooke Aquaculture is in a prime position to take advantage.

The Blacks Harbour, New Brunswick, Canada-based seafood giant recently acquired Omega Protein, the largest harvester of menhaden in both fisheries, and could, if it wanted, begin promoting at least some of its farmed salmon products as being fed a diet made from MSC-certified ingredients.

But it doesn’t, and it won’t.

“At this time, this is not our intention as we use other marine ingredients that come from various sustainably managed fisheries,” Joel Richardson, a Cooke spokesperson, told Undercurrent News in an email.

The Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus) fishery — which landed 164,880 metric tons of fish in 2016, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) data — has received the required set of scores from independent MSC auditor SAI Global and all of the necessary signatures by state authorities and others, Ben Landry, Omega Protein’s public affairs specialist, told Undercurrent News this week.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

NOAA Announces Out of Cycle Fisheries Council Appointments

October 17, 2018 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Today, NOAA Fisheries announced the appointment of three new members to the South Atlantic (SAFMC), Western Pacific (WPFMC) and Pacific (PFMC) regional fishery management councils that partner with NOAA Fisheries to manage ocean fish stocks. The newly appointed members on the WPFMC and SAFMC are filling at-large seats made vacant this July, and these members will serve through August 10, 2020. The other appointed member is filling the vacant Tribal seat on the PFMC. That member will serve until August 10, 2021.

View the list of of appointees here.

 

Two years after regulation, NOAA Fisheries evaluating importers’ mammal bycatch

October 17, 2018 — Two years after U.S. officials established new regulations regarding imported seafood and bycatch, NOAA Fisheries is taking steps to make sure other countries are working on reducing the interaction their fisheries have with marine mammals.

The Marine Mammal Protection Act Import Provisons Rule, announced in August 2016, requires seafood importers to maintain the same bycatch standards as American fisheries. The rule took effect on 1 January 2017 but gave countries a five-year period to evaluate their marine mammal stocks and reduce their bycatch to match U.S. standards.

Among the steps completed this year include the creation of a list of foreign fisheries, which was produced in March. The document, considered the first of its kind, evaluated nearly 3,300 fisheries operating in nearly 140 countries. Those fisheries were rated by the frequency and likelihood of whether marine mammals suffered serious injuries or were killed in the process of harvesting fish or other seafood products.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

 

Federal Fishery Advisors Scheduled to Meet

October 17, 2018 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council has scheduled meetings of its Snapper Grouper Advisory Panel, System Management Plan Workgroup, and its Habitat and Ecosystem-Based Management Advisory Panel. These groups provide recommendations on a variety of federal fisheries issues for consideration by the Council as it develops fishery management plans and amendments.

Meetings are open to the public and available via webinar. Registration for the webinars is required.The Snapper Grouper Advisory Panel will meet to review amendments currently under development by the Council including those affecting red grouper rebuilding, yellowtail snapper accountability measures, and best practices. The AP will also receive updates on the Council’s Citizen Science efforts and provide input on Fishery Performance Reports for yellowtail snapper and golden tilefish. The meeting agenda, briefing book materials and webinar registration is available at: http://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/current-advisory-panel-meetings/

System Management Plan (SMP) Work Group

The System Management Plan Workgroup, consisting of fishery scientists, agency personnel, and representatives from commercial and recreational sectors, was established by the Council in March 2018 to aid in the management and evaluations of protected areas recommended by the Council. The Workgroup will review the Council’s System Management Plan, with the focus on Spawning Special Management Zones implemented in July 2017. The Workgroup meeting agenda, briefing book material, and webinar registration information is available at: http://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/other-meetings

Habitat and Ecosystem-Based Management Advisory Panel Meeting

The Council’s largest advisory panel will meet for three days to cover a long list of agenda items relative to fisheries including: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s energy development activities; predator/prey relationships supporting the dolphin wahoo fishery; updates on fishery independent research programs; and mapping and characterization of deepwater ecosystems by NOAA’s R/V Okeanos Explorer. The meeting will also include break-out sessions to address information and regional partnerships affecting Essential Fish Habitat. A complete agenda and overview, briefing book materials and registration information for this meeting will be available October 24th from the Council’s website at: http://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/current-advisory-panel-meetings

Warren Urges Dept. of Commerce, NOAA to Ensure Carlos Rafael Fishing Permits Remain in New Bedford

October 17, 2018 — The following was released by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.):

United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) today sent a letter to the Department of Commerce and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to request that they do everything in their power to ensure that the 42 federal fishing permits held by disgraced fishing magnate Carlos Rafael remain in the Port of New Bedford.  The federal permits, which cover a significant portion of the ground fish industry and have an economic footprint that goes far beyond fish landings, are currently at risk of being revoked and distributed elsewhere under a civil administrative case brought by NOAA against Mr. Rafael.

Last year, Carlos Rafael, a New Bedford fishing magnate, pled guilty to 28 federal charges related to the management of his company, including falsifying fish quotas, mislabeling fish, conspiracy, and tax evasion. In a civil case filed in January 2018, NOAA called for the revocation of 42 federal fishing permits held by Mr. Rafael.

In her letter to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Acting NOAA Administrator Benjamin Friedman, and Chris Oliver, Assistant Administrator for Fisheries at NOAA, Senator Warren expressed serious concern about the devastating impact that removing the permits-which support many unaffiliated businesses and jobs that were not part of Mr. Rafael’s operation-from New Bedford would have on the regional economy.

“Millions of dollars of regional economic activity depend on Mr. Rafael’s permits remaining in the City of New Bedford,” wrote Senator Warren.  “An innocent community should not be collateral damage for one business’s crimes.”

The senator’s letter also emphasized the importance of the groundfish industry to the Massachusetts economy as a whole and noted that New Bedford already has the experienced workforce, infrastructure, and proud tradition to best utilize and maximize the economic benefits of the groundfish industry.

“It is critical for the city and South Coast region that these permits and allocations remain in the port of New Bedford, and in the hands of law-abiding fishing families and businesses,” Senator Warren continued. “Removing these permits from New Bedford would do lasting damage to families and businesses that have already suffered greatly through no fault of their own.”

The senator requested that the agencies take any and all available actions within their discretion to ensure that these critical fishing permits remain in New Bedford.

Read the full letter here