Saving Seafood

Study: Warming Gulf of Maine endangering lobster stock

January 24, 2018 — Is the lobster boom on the decline in the Gulf of Maine because of warming waters? A newly released study by a Maine-based marine research group suggests that is the case.

The study, released Monday by the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, touched on many of the same climate issues that have left researchers and lobster stakeholders anxious about the future.

“In the Gulf of Maine, the lobster fishery is vulnerable to future temperature increases,” GMRI said in the statement released with the study. “The researchers’ population projections suggest that lobster productivity will decrease as temperatures continue to warm, but continued conservation efforts can mitigate the impacts of future warming.”

The study, compiled with the University of Maine and NOAA Fisheries, said the anticipated decline highlights the need for vigilant conservation within the Gulf of Maine lobster fishery, especially since scientists say the gulf’s waters are warming faster than 99 percent of the rest of the world’s oceans.

Researchers said they expect the lobster population to decline from recent highs — GMRI pegs the peak year at 2010, when it estimated the Gulf of Maine lobster stock contained 518 million lobsters — to levels more in keeping with traditional lobstering years.

It estimates the population could shrink to about 261 million lobsters in 2050.

“The 30-year outlook for the Gulf of Maine fishery looks positive if conservation practices continue,” GMRI said. “In their 30-year projection, the researchers anticipate average populations similar to those in the early 2000s.”

Beth Casoni, executive director of the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association, said lobster stock assessments in the Gulf of Maine have shown the annual settlement of young lobsters — when they transition from floating in open waters as plankton to settling on the bottom to begin the seven- to eight-year stretch it requires to mature — has declined from previous assessments.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

 

SAFMC: Federal Waters Off Georgia Closed to All Fishing for Brown, Pink, and White Shrimp

January 24, 2018 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

WHAT/WHEN:

  • No person may trawl for brown, pink, or white shrimp in federal waters off Georgia.
  • The closure is effective, January 24, 2018.
  • NOAA Fisheries will issue a new Fishery Bulletin announcing the re-opening to shrimp harvest in federal waters off Georgia.

WHY THIS CLOSURE IS HAPPENING

  • The purpose of the closure is to protect the white shrimp spawning population.
  • Georgia closed its state waters to all shrimping on January 15, 2018, due to a prolonged period of water temperatures at or below 9°C in the region.
  • Georgia requested NOAA Fisheries to close federal waters off Georgia.

DURING THE CLOSURE:

  • Possession of brown, pink, or white shrimp is prohibited on board a vessel in federal waters off Georgia unless the vessel is in transit through the area and all nets with a mesh size of less than four inches, as measured between the centers of opposite knots when pulled taut, are stowed below deck.
  • Any vessel trawling within 25 nautical miles seaward from the Georgia shoreline must use trawl nets with a minimum mesh size of four inches or greater.

This bulletin provides only a summary of the existing regulations.  Full regulations can be found in the Federal Register.

Access this and other Fishery Bulletins from NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office by clicking here.

 

SAFMC: Atlantic Spanish Mackerel Southern Zone Commercial Trip Limit Reduction to 1,500 Pounds on January 27, 2018

January 24, 2018 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

WHAT/WHEN:

  • The daily trip limit for the commercial harvest of Atlantic Spanish mackerel in the southern zone is reduced from 3,500 to 1,500 pounds, effective 6:00 a.m. on January 27, 2018.
  • The southern zone includes federal waters off the states of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. The boundary for the southern zone is the North Carolina/South Carolina border and the Monroe/Miami-Dade Counties, Florida, border.

WHY THIS TRIP LIMIT REDUCTION IS HAPPENING

  • When landings of Atlantic Spanish mackerel in the southern zone reach or are projected to reach 75 percent of the adjusted quota, accountability measures are in place to reduce the daily trip limit.
  • The trip limit reduction is necessary to slow the rate of commercial harvest to avoid exceeding the adjusted quota.

AFTER THE TRIP LIMIT REDUCTION:

  • The 1,500 pound trip limit will remain in effect until the end of the current fishing season on February 28, 2018, or when 100 percent of the adjusted quota is reached or projected to be reached, whichever occurs first. The commercial trip limit becomes 500 pounds after 100 percent of the adjusted quota is reached or projected to be reached.

This bulletin provides only a summary of the existing regulations. Full regulations can be found in the Federal Register.

Access this and other Fishery Bulletins from NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office by clicking here.

 

Supreme Court says bearded seal still threatened, despite legal battle

January 23, 2018 — While the federal government was shut down on Monday, the federal courts were still making decisions.

The U.S Supreme Court decided to keep the bearded seal as threatened under the Endangered Species Act — rejecting an oil and gas industry challenge to the animal’s protection status.

The marine mammal was listed in 2012, due to melting sea ice. But the Alaska Oil and Gas Association or AOGA and the American Petroleum Institute thought the listing was premature.

Joshua Kindred, an environmental counselor at AOGA, said he was “disappointed” in the supreme court’s decision.

He said the National Marine Fisheries Service didn’t provide enough evidence to warrant a listing.

“They didn’t ever really show from a scientific point of view why the seasonal sea ice was so critical to their long-term health of the species,” he said.

Kindred said there also wasn’t sufficient guidance for a plan moving forward. He said excessive critical habitat designations can slow oil and gas development.

The Center for Biological Diversity has fought to keep the bearded seal’s protection status.

Read the full story at KTOO Public Media

 

NOAA: New Voluntary Right Whale Speed Restriction Zone South of Nantucket

January 23, 2018 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries: 

In effect through February 5

NOAA Fisheries announces that a voluntary vessel speed restriction zone (Dynamic Management Area or DMA) has been established 30 nautical miles south of Nantucket, MA to protect an aggregation of 22 right whales sighted in this area on January 23, 2018. This DMA is in effect immediately.

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

South of Nantucket, MA DMA January 23-February 5
41 15 N
40 22 N
070 51 W
069 37 W

ACTIVE SEASONAL MANAGEMENT AREAS (SMAs)
Mandatory speed restrictions of 10 knots or less are in effect in the following areas:
Cape Cod Bay — in effect through May 15, 2018
Block Island — in effect through April 30, 2018
New York, Philadelphia and Norfolk — through April 30, 2018

More Info:

Recent right whale sightings

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 adn SMAs.

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

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

Learn more about NOAA by visiting their site here.

 

Council to talk deep-sea coral, at-sea monitors

January 23, 2018 — The New England Fishery Management Council kicks off its 2018 calendar with meetings in New Hampshire on the final two days of January that will include discussions on its deep-sea coral amendment and industry-funded at-sea monitoring.

The latter, however, will come with a twist.

The discussion on mandated industry-funded monitoring, set as the second agenda item for the first day of meetings on Jan. 30, is expected to include an update on electronic monitoring projects aboard midwater trawl vessels in the region’s herring and mackerel fisheries.

On the same day in the hotel, NOAA Fisheries — with the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office and the Northeast Fisheries Science Center — will hold a free monitoring service provider vendor show to give fishermen and stakeholders the opportunity to meet and question vendors providing monitoring services.

“This is a great opportunity for herring and groundfish fishermen in particular to interact one-on-one with all of these providers,” said Janice Plante, a council spokeswoman.

Herring fishermen, she said, will be subject to new monitoring requirements under the industry-funded monitoring omnibus amendment and groundfishermen may see new monitoring requirements in the groundfish monitoring amendment currently before the council.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

 

MAFMC: February 2018 Council Meeting in Raleigh, NC

January 23, 2018 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The public is invited to attend the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s February 2018 meeting to be held February 13-15, 2018 in Raleigh, NC. The meeting will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn Raleigh/Crabtree Valley, 3912 Arrow Drive, Raleigh, NC 27612, Telephone 919-703-2525.

Meeting Materials: Briefing documents will be posted at http://ww.mafmc.org/briefing/february-2018 as they become available.

Public Comments: Written comments must be received by Wednesday, January 31, 2018 to be included in the Council meeting briefing book. Comments received after this deadline but before Thursday, February 8, 2018 will be posted as “supplemental materials” on the Council meeting web page. After that date, all comments must be submitted using an online comment form available at available at http://www.mafmc.org/public-comment.

Webinar: For online access to the meeting, enter as a guest at: http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/february2018.

Agenda: Click here to view the agenda for the February 2018 Council meeting.

Learn more about the MAFMC by visiting their site here.

 

NEFMC: January 30-31, 2018 meeting, Portsmouth, NH

January 23, 2018 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council will hold a two-day meeting from Tuesday, January 30 through Wednesday, January 31, 2018. The public is invited to listen-in via webinar or telephone.  Here are the details.

MEETING LOCATION: Sheraton Harborside, 250 Market Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801; Sheraton Harborside.

START TIME: The webinar will be activated at 8:00 a.m. each day.  However, please note that the meeting is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday and 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday.  The webinar will end at approximately 6:00 p.m. EST or shortly after the Council adjourns each day.

WEBINAR REGISTRATION: Online access to the meeting is available at:

https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8388599007058128899.

There is no charge to access the meeting through this webinar.

CALL-IN OPTION: To listen by telephone, dial +1 (562) 247-8321.

The access code is 767-546-787.  Please be aware that if you dial in, your regular phone charges will apply.

AGENDA: The agenda and all meeting materials are available on the Council’s website at:  https://www.nefmc.org/calendar/january-2018-council-meeting.

SPECIAL EVENT: In conjunction with the Council meeting, the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) and the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) will be hosting a vendor show from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Harbor’s Edge Room at the same hotel. The show features 11 monitoring service providers:

  • Four that provide at-sea monitoring services and are involved with the Northeast Fisheries Observer Program; and
  • Seven that provide electronic monitoring

This event was organized by GARFO/NEFSC to help industry members familiarize themselves with available at-sea, electronic, and portside monitoring options that may be needed in the future under the Council’s Omnibus Industry-Funded Monitoring Amendment and, possibly, Groundfish Monitoring Amendment 23 further down the road.

SPECIAL EVENT QUESTIONS: Anyone with questions about the vendor show should contact NEFSC’s Nichole Rossi at (508) 495-2128, Nichole.Rossi@noaa.gov. A flyer about the event is available at monitoring service providers.

THREE MEETING OUTLOOK: A copy of the New England Council’s Three Meeting Outlook is available here.

Learn more about the NEFMC by visiting their site here.

 

Chesapeake crab caper results in felony charges

January 23, 2018 — More than three years after federal fish fraud investigators were tipped off that a Virginian seafood company was selling foreign crabmeat labeled as more expensive domestic crabmeat, federal prosecutors filed felony charges against Casey’s Seafood owner, James R. Casey, 74, of Poquoson, Va.

At the time of the tip in 2014, The Baltimore Sun had begun following special agents tracking crab fraud among other kinds of seafood fraud.

The Sun found that, despite increased concerns about such fraud, the number of enforcement cases brought by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency had plummeted after the agency began cutting the “special agents” who investigate fish fraud in 2010.

As the world’s seafood resources decline, substituting other species of seafood for rarer and more expensive ones has become a lucrative business as well as a growing concern for governments and health officials.

Jack Brooks, co-owner of J.M. Clayton Seafood in Cambridge, described how easy it is to commit fraud with crabmeat in a 2014 letter he wrote to the federal task force establishing the new rules to mitigate seafood fraud. It happens, he wrote, when “unscrupulous domestic companies, seeing a quick and profitable opportunity” simply put imported crabmeat into a domestic container.

Brooks, who processes crab, added that there is “no or very limited enforcement” of such fraud, which can net businesses an extra $4 to $9 per pound. That leaves domestic competitors with higher costs and puts seafood-related jobs in jeopardy.

During their investigation, NOAA agents sent eight containers of Casey’s Seafood crabmeat bought at stores in Delaware and Virginia to a laboratory in College Park for DNA testing. The results confirmed the tip: seven of the eight Casey’s containers labeled as “Product of the USA” contained swimming crab found only outside U.S. waters, according to court documents.

Read the full story at the Baltimore Sun

 

New study: Industry conservation ethic proves critical to Gulf of Maine lobster fishery

January 22, 2018 — A new study, led by scientists at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute and colleagues at the University of Maine and NOAA, demonstrates how conservation practices championed by Maine lobstermen help make the lobster fishery resilient to climate change.

For generations, lobstermen in Maine have returned large lobsters to the sea and have designed a special way of marking egg-bearing lobsters to give them further protection. This conservation culture distinguishes the Gulf of Maine fishery from southern New England, where fishermen have not historically taken the same steps to preserve large, reproductive lobsters.

The study, funded by the National Science Foundation and published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), shows how warming waters and contrasting conservation practices contributed to simultaneous record landings in the Gulf of Maine fishery and  collapse in southern New England.

Led by Dr. Arnault Le Bris, the research team used advanced computer models to simulate the ecosystem under varying conditions, allowing them to understand the relative impacts of warming waters, conservation efforts, and other variables. Their results show that, while temperature change was the primary contributor to population changes, conservation efforts made a key difference in population resiliency.

Impacts of warming

Over 30 years (1984-2014), ocean temperatures increased rapidly in both regions. Warming in both regions shifted optimal summer ocean temperatures northeast, causing the southern New England  population to decline and the Gulf of Maine population boom. The researchers estimate that, during this 30-year period, the Gulf of Maine population increased by 515%, while the southern New England population declined by 78%. Challenges associated with warmer temperatures include decreased survival of larval lobsters, increased incidence of shell disease, and increased predation.

Read the full story at PHYS.org