Saving Seafood

RHODE ISLAND: Fisherman and scientists collaborate during voyage

September 8, 2017 — NARRAGANSETT – Last week, the fishing vessel Karen Elizabeth docked home in Point Judith following a 10-day voyage that involved the study of flat fish populations and the methods used to catch various species. Formulated by the Northeast Trawl Advisory Panel, a group made up of fishing industry professionals, government bodies and various fishing councils, the research was examining the number of summer flounder, winter flounder and red hake off the coast of New England. The resulting data will go on to better inform catch and population estimates of each species and came about due to the collaboration of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the local fishing industry.

On the NOAA side, John Manderson, a senior fisheries research biologist with specialties in field ecology, habitat ecology, fisheries ecosystem science and collaborative research working out of the organization’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center in New Jersey, served as the chief scientist on the project. Chris Roebuck, operator of the Karen Elizabeth, was representing the fishing industry. The crew onboard the vessel totaled 10 members – five researchers and five fishing professionals.

The goal of the study was to develop a quantitative understanding of two different modes of ocean-floor species surveying – one approved by the federal government and one designed by the fishing community for maximum efficacy.  For this experiment, the third leg of the overall project, researchers were examining the catch rates of summer flounder, winter flounder and red hake. Previous and similar research conducted in 2015 was examining yellow-tail flounder and grey sole.

“My specialty has become collaborative research with the fishing industry,” said Manderson. “The reason for that is that at the scale of the ecosystem, experts in the fishing industry have much greater access to the ecosystem and as a result they have much better intuitions about what is going on in the ecosystem in real time, including changes in habitat occurring as a result of changes in climate, than we do. “

The fishing vessel Karen Elizabeth is a twin trawler equipped with two nets as close together as possible which can then be towed simultaneously at approximately the same speeds and for the same duration. These assets lend the boat well to research-based projects that involve comparing different survey methods literally side-by-side.

Read the full story at the Narragansett Times

 

Conservation Law Foundation submits victim impact statement in Carlos Rafael case

September 7, 2017 — NEW BEDFORD — Within the past 10 days, the Conservation Law Foundation sent three letters to various individuals involved — either directly or indirectly — with the Carlos Rafael case.

The foundation doesn’t represent any party directly, but its goal is to “use the law, science and the market to create solutions that preserve our natural resources, build healthy communities, and sustain a vibrant economy,” according to its website.

CLF sees Rafael’s guilty plea in March to illegal fishing as infringing on its principles.

“Discovering there’s been someone who has been systematically trying to undercut management, from our perspective not only harms the fisheries but also the work we’ve done,” senior counsel for CLF Peter Shelley said.

Shelley drafted all three letters. The first, he sent Aug. 29 to the New England Fishery Management Council’s Chair John Quinn and Executive Director Thomas Nies.

The second was addressed to NOAA’s John Bullard, the regional administrator, and Joe Heckwolf, an enforcement attorney, was sent Sept. 1.

The final letter, dated Sept. 6, was addressed to Judge William Young, who presided over Rafael’s plea agreement and will sentence the New Bedford fishing giant on Sept. 25 and 26.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

 

JOHN BULLARD: Set facts straight on scallop recovery

September 7, 2017 — Don Cuddy continues to peddle a simplistic, incorrect and unfair fable about the rebuilding of the scallop stocks that places all credit for the turnaround on the shoulders of Dr. Kevin Stokesbury (“Stokesbury’s science continues to yield scallops for SouthCoast,” Sept. 3).

Mr. Cuddy says that Dr. Stokesbury’s camera work caused Secretary Daley to open up the scallop grounds, causing New Bedford to be the top dollar port ever since. First of all, it was the New England Fishery Management Council that closed the grounds to scalloping in 1994, which allowed the scallops to grow from 40 count to U10′s by 1998 and to spawn several times before being harvested. They certainly deserve some credit for making that courageous decision.

Read the full letter at the New Bedford Standard-Times

 

Maine center to study impact of climate change on cod, sole

September 6, 2017 — PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The federal government is giving a Maine science center more than $1 million to investigate the impacts of climate change on important commercial fish species such as cod and sole.

Gulf of Maine Research Institute says it’s getting $1.1 million from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Portland-based center says researchers will also try to learn more about how fisheries management can be improved in the era of climate change.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Gloucester Times

 

Sen Sullivan to NOAA: ‘Meaningful Changes’ Needed for Marine Sanctuaries and Monuments

September 6, 2017 (Saving Seafood) — In a letter last month to NOAA Acting Administrator Benjamin Friedman, Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) called for “meaningful changes” to marine sanctuary and marine national monument designations, particularly in the form of greater stakeholder engagement.

In his letter, Sen. Sullivan, who serves as Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard, called the concept of marine sanctuaries and monuments “well-intentioned” but wrote that they had caused challenges for coastal communities across the country, including Alaska’s “robust commercial fishing industry.”

“Fisheries restrictions imposed outside of the process utilized by Regional Fishery Management Councils on these areas are problematic for the communities who rely on access to commercial fisheries,” Sen. Sullivan wrote.

Sen. Sullivan expressed concern that the National Marine Sanctuary Act, while requiring stakeholder engagement, does not require that this engagement be taken into consideration when designating a sanctuary. “This can lead to communities feeling betrayed by the agency when the established sanctuaries are unrecognizable to the localities who spent years working with NOAA to form a mutually beneficial designation and management structure,” he wrote.

Sen. Sullivan also called into question the process by which the president can unilaterally establish national monuments with no stakeholder consultation under the Antiquities Act. He criticized recent presidents for using the national monument process as a “political tool” to “limit access to economically viable resources.”

“This action is often taken at the request of non-affected parties such as environmental groups,” he wrote. “This is problematic when monuments are established without the use of best-available science, absent stakeholder engagement, and inattentive to the economic consequences for local communities.”

On August 24, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke completed a review of national monuments ordered by President Donald Trump. While Secretary Zinke’s full recommendations have not been made public, the AP reported that they include changes to a “handful” of monuments.

Read the full letter here

 

NMFS Relaxes Some Gulf IFQ and Dealer Reporting Rules in Wake of Hurricane Harvey

September 6, 2017 — SEAFOOD NEWS — The National Marine Fisheries Service is relaxing some individual fishing quota (IFQ) program reporting and dealer reporting programs in the Gulf of Mexico due to catastrophic conditions related to Hurricane Harvey.

Between Sept. 1 and Oct. 15, specific to the commercial reef fish and coastal migratory pelagic fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico, the NMFS Southeast Regional Administrator determined that Hurricane Harvey caused catastrophic conditions in coastal and adjacent counties in the state of Texas, and Cameron and Vermilion parishes in Louisiana. Consistent with those regulations, the administrator has authorized any dealer in the affected area who does not have access to electronic reporting to delay reporting of trip tickets to NMFS, according to the Federal Register notice. The administrator authorized IFQ participants within the affected area to use paper-based forms, if necessary, for basic required administrative functions, e.g., landing transactions, during the same timeframe.

“This temporary rule announcing the determination of catastrophic conditions and allowance of alternative methods for completing required IFQ and other dealer reporting administrative functions is intended to facilitate continuation of IFQ and dealer reporting operations during the period of catastrophic conditions,” the FR notice said. NMFS will continue to monitor the situation and publish additional notices, if needed.

Hurricane Harvey made landfall between Port Aransas and Port O’Connor, Texas, as a Category 4 hurricane on Aug. 25. Strong winds and flooding affected communities throughout coastal and eastern Texas and southwest Louisiana, resulting in power outages and damage to homes, businesses, and infrastructure. As a result, the administrator determined catastrophic conditions exist in all coastal and adjacent counties of Texas and in Cameron and Vermilion Parishes, Louisiana.

The notice said that even though NMFS is allowing dealers to delay landing reports, they should report all landings as soon as possible. Assistance for Federal dealers in effected areas is available at the Fisheries Monitoring Branch, 1-305-361-4581.

Many IFQ dealers likely already have paper forms for use when NMFS declares the existence of catastrophic conditions. Paper forms are also available from the region upon request. The electronic systems for submitting information to NMFS will continue to be available to all participants, and participants in the affected areas are encouraged to continue using these systems, if accessible.

The administrative program functions available to fishermen and dealers in Texas and part of Louisiana will be limited under the paper-based system; IFQ shares or allocation transfers will be unavailable during that time. Assistance in complying with the requirements of the paper-based system will be available via the Catch Share Support line, 1-866-425-7627 Monday through Friday, between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Eastern time.

This story originally appeared on Seafoodnews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

Sturgeon habitat in focus

September 6, 2017 — ELLSWORTH, Maine — Federal fisheries managers have taken a significant step toward promoting the recovery of the nation’s depleted Atlantic sturgeon resource.

Last week, NOAA Fisheries designated a vast area along the Atlantic coastline as critical habitat for the Atlantic sturgeon. The critical habitat designation will require federal agencies to consult NOAA Fisheries if they operate or fund activities that may affect designated critical habitat in more than 3,968 miles of important coastal river habitat from Maine to Florida.

Atlantic sturgeon was listed under the Endangered Species Act in 2012.

Read the full story at the Mount Desert Islander

Man Sentenced to Prison for Beating Hawaiian Monk Seal

September 6, 2017 — It took less than an hour for the video to go viral; less than 2 days for federal, state, and local authorities to make an arrest; and less than 15 months to resolve the case and send the guilty party to jail. On July 26, Shylo Akuna was sentenced to 4 years in prison after being found guilty of harassment of a critically endangered Hawaiian monk seal.

“It’s a top priority for NOAA Fisheries, NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement, and our state enforcement partners to protect our nation’s critically endangered marine mammals,” said Jim Landon, Director of NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement (OLE). “This case is a great example of collaborative partnership resulting in a successful prosecution.”

The horrific scene took place on April 26, 2016, at Saltponds Beach on the island of Kauai. Luckily, the harassment was caught on video by witnesses on the beach and subsequently uploaded to social media where it drew worldwide attention and condemnation. The video showed a man, later identified as Akuna, approaching a resting pregnant monk seal, identified as RK-30, and punching the animal repeatedly. OLE was notified of the video almost immediately. The following day, OLE and its enforcement partners from the Hawaii’s Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) interviewed witnesses and Akuna, who had already been identified as a suspect. At that point, Akuna admitted to being intoxicated at the time of the assault.

Read the full story at NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement

Federal officials take first steps to protect chub mackerel, other forage species in the Mid-Atlantic

September 6, 2017 — For the first time, the National Marine Fisheries Service has taken action to protect forage species in the Atlantic Ocean.

The new regulation, initially approved last year by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, covers such species as anchovies, herrings, mackerel, and sardines up to 200 miles off the coastline from New England to central North Carolina. The Fisheries Service, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, chose to protect the fish because of the important role they play in the ecosystem.

The fish, along with some crustaceans and mollusks, are considered prey for larger fish sought by commercial and recreational fishermen as well as marine mammals and birds.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

2017 Northeast Groundfish Operational Assessment Meeting Materials Available

September 1, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center is carrying out routine, regularly scheduled stock assessments for New England groundfish. The peer review will be September 11-15, and the NEFSC is sending the draft assessment reports and supporting information to the peer reviewers and making the information available to the public this Friday, September 1. At this stage the results are preliminary until they are vetted by the peer review panel.

You may now access the 2017 draft groundfish operational assessments and a range of additional materials through our data portal link here:

https://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/groundfish/operational-assessments-2017.

For each species stock, we will also include models, model inputs, maps, figures, tables, and other background materials that will be used by peer reviewers. We hope this will help you prepare for the assessment meeting if you plan to attend and to better understand the draft assessment results, recognizing that the results are not final until confirmed by the peer review panel.  Please let us know your thoughts on how we can continue to improve access to information for future assessment meetings.

The 2017 peer review of 19 Northeast groundfish operational stock assessments will occur September 11-15 in Woods Hole, MA.  The meeting will also be available by webinar and teleconference.

Questions? Contact Teri Frady at 508-495-2239 or teri.frady@noaa.gov.