Saving Seafood

Dr. David Shiffman: The rare Trump appointment that is actually making scientists very happy

July 14, 2017 — The following is excerpted from an analysis piece written by Dr. David Shiffman, a fisheries scientist and Liber Ero Fellow based at Simon Fraser University, and was published in The Washington Post yesterday. The analysis referenced and linked to Saving Seafood’s previous coverage of widespread industry support for Chris Oliver’s appointment as NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator, found here:

[T]he appointment of fisheries biologist Chris Oliver to lead NOAA Fisheries — the agency within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that is charged with sustainable management of commercial fisheries worth more than $140 billion — represents a striking departure from the Trump administration’s scientific and environmental personnel and policy choices.

Oliver has worked as the executive director of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council since 1990. He has won the praise of both conservation groups and industry.

The position he will assume is one of the most important science, environment and natural resource management positions in the federal government. Its responsibilities include not only fisheries management but also conservation of marine species under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act. NOAA Fisheries operates offices and research stations in 15 states and territories and employs more than 3,000 people.

Environmentalists and fishermen were following this appointment nervously. A mismanaged NOAA Fisheries could do severe and long-lasting environmental harm to U.S. marine and coastal waters, and economic harm to the millions of Americans who depend on those ecosystems.

The ocean conservation nonprofit sector, which has been strongly critical of the Trump administration, is praising this appointment. “Chris Oliver brings years of past experience working with fishermen, conservation groups and scientists, and a deep understanding of the practices and importance of science and ecosystem based management to the federal fisheries arena,” said Chris Dorsett, vice president of conservation policy at the Ocean Conservancy, a leading marine conservation nonprofit.

The seafood industry, which called for Oliver’s appointment in January in what was called “a nearly unprecedented display of unanimity,” is also pleased. “We are extremely supportive and excited about Chris’s appointment because he brings to NOAA Fisheries the skills and experience necessary to affect positive change during the challenging times that lie ahead,” said Lori Steele, executive director of the West Coast Seafood Processors Association.

“It isn’t often that the U.S. seafood industry unites together to support an appointment, but it was easy, thanks in large party to Chris’s experience and long-standing reputation as a fair, honest and successful leader in fisheries management,” she said.

“I am delighted that Chris has been well received by the fishing community in his new position,” said Wilbur Ross, the Secretary of Commerce, in a statement provided to the Post. “I have the utmost confidence that he will do a great job working with stakeholders to manage our nation’s vital fisheries – that’s why I recommended him to the president.”

Read the full story at The Washington Post

Environmental group sues after Trump administration scraps effort to protect West Coast sea animals

July 14, 2017 — An environmental group has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s withdrawal of proposed limits on the number of endangered whales, dolphins and sea turtles that can be killed or injured by sword-fishing nets on the West Coast.

Oceana Inc., which lodged the case late Wednesday in Los Angeles, alleges that the government violated required procedures for rescinding the proposed caps that had been recommended in 2015 by the federal Pacific Fishery Management Council.

Named as defendants in the U.S. District Court case are Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Marine Fisheries Service.

“The withdrawal of this important protection for whales, sea turtles, and other species is plainly illegal,” said Mariel Combs, Oceana’s attorney. “The law requires the fisheries service to respect the fishery management council’s expertise in managing fisheries.”

Read the full story at the Los Angeles Times

MASSACHUSETTS: Local Fishermen Applaud New NOAA Fisheries Administrator Appointment

July 14, 2017 — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently announced a new assistant administrator for fisheries. The fishing community, including here on the Cape, largely applauded the nomination of Chris Oliver, who comes from the Alaska fishery.

WCAI’s Kathryn Eident talked with Cape Cod C0mmercial Fishermen’s Alliance CEO John Pappalardo to learn more about the appointment.

Read and listen to the full story at WCAI

John Bullard announces retirement from NOAA

July 12, 2017 — John Bullard, NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Administrator, formally announced Wednesday that he will retire on Jan. 5.

“We wish John well,” New England Council Executive Director Tom Nies said in a statement. “He is always willing to work with the council to find management solutions and empowers those around him to actively participate in the process, which is one of his key accomplishments.”

Bullard took the post in July 2012. It followed positions including mayor of New Bedford, a spot within the Clinton administration and president of Sea Education Association.

“As the former mayor of New Bedford, Bullard brought with him a unique connection to the fishing industry, and used that connection to improve communication with all aspects of the industry and Congress during a very challenging period for the agency,” said Sam Rauch, NOAA Fisheries deputy assistant administrator for regulatory programs in a statement.

NOAA will launch a search for Bullard’s replacement within the next several months.

After Bullard’s announcement, NOAA praised his accomplishments during his five years with he organization.

Bullard helped manage 44 fish stocks, including scallop and lobster, which are worth $500 million each, NOAA said.

During his tenure, he oversaw efforts to reduce entanglements for marine life in the Atlantic Ocean and helped develop strategies to repopulate rivers in New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts.

In 2016, he approved the Mid-Atlantic Council’s deep-sea coral amendment, which protected 15 deep-sea canyons totaling 24 million acres.

“John is an example of public service and more importantly, an example of working with stakeholders to have a positive impact on tough issues,” said Dr. Jon Hare, science and research director at NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center, in a statement. “I will miss working with him and am thankful for his time as regional administrator.”

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

Dave Goethel takes case to US Supreme Court

July 13, 2017 — After losing a lawsuit alleging a federal agency has imposed unfair regulations, Hampton fisherman David Goethel is taking his case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Cause of Action Institute, which is representing Goethel and a group of other fishermen pro bono, filed a petition to be taken up by the Supreme Court Tuesday. The suit was originally filed in U.S. District Court against the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and U.S. Department of Commerce in 2015. It alleges NOAA unfairly requires commercial groundfishermen to fund at-sea monitors to join them on fishing trips and observe their compliance with regulations. Groundfish include popular New England fishing species like cod and haddock.

A First U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel in Boston affirmed a ruling in favor of NOAA and the DOC this spring. According to Cause of Action’s petition, the lower court erred in dismissing the case based on the original suit being filed well after a 30-day deadline for challenging the regulation. Cause of Action is arguing the ruling prevented the court from addressing the merits of the suit’s argument – that fishermen believe it is unconstitutional for the government to force an industry to pay for its own policing.

Read the full story at the Portsmouth Herald

US bars people from disentangling whales after Canadian’s death

July 13, 2017 — U.S. officials are temporarily barring anyone from approaching an entangled whale after a Canadian fisherman was killed trying to free one in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Joe Howlett, a fisherman from Campobello, was struck by a North Atlantic right whale on July 10, moments after he and other responders had freed it from fishing gear near Shippagan, New Brunswick, on the province’s northeast coast.

“Because ensuring the safety of responders is of paramount importance, NOAA Fisheries is suspending all large whale entanglement response activities nationally until further notice, in order to review our own emergency response protocols in light of this event,” said Chris Oliver, assistant administrator for the fisheries division of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Marine mammals are protected under federal law, which means it is illegal to harass or harm them. Exceptions are made for properly trained people who are pre-approved by NOAA to respond to entanglements or strandings. By suspending entanglement responses, NOAA temporarily is banning anyone from approaching or trying to free an entangled whale.

Disentanglement efforts have been intense this past month in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, which is ringed by five Canadian provinces, as seven North Atlantic right whales have been found dead in the gulf over the past several weeks. The causes of death for each one have not been determined. Researchers estimate that the critically endangered species has a population of only roughly 500 individual whales.

NOAA Fisheries and its partner agencies will continue to respond to all other reported stranding of marine mammals in distress, but Oliver emphasized that those efforts are technically challenging and should be attempted only by trained experts.

Read the full story at the Bangor Daily News

NEW JERSEY: Rep. LoBiondo Applauds Decision on Summer Flounder

July 13, 2017 — After months of fighting against proposed reductions on summer flounder harvest limits for New Jersey commercial and recreational fishermen, U.S. Representative Frank A. LoBiondo (NJ-02) applauded U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross’ decision late last night to accept New Jersey’s management plan.

“Commerce Secretary Ross’ decision to adopt New Jersey’s conservation equivalency plan for summer flounder signals a win-win for our fishing industry and conservation efforts,” said LoBiondo. “For months I have argued that NOAA and ASMFC were flawed in their data and decision-making process, creating a significant and arbitrary disadvantage to New Jersey fishermen. Going forward we must reform the use of questionable methodologies and outdated science by federal bureaucrats that, left unchecked, will again threaten fishing operations in South Jersey. I will continue to work with my colleagues and Commerce Secretary Ross to protect the critical fishing industry in South Jersey as well as the summer flounder stocks.”

Earlier this month LoBiondo joined with fellow New Jersey Representative Chris Smith (NJ-04) and other members of the Congressional delegation to urge delaying 2017-2018 restrictions on New Jersey fishermen proposed by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC).

The letter requested Commerce Secretary Ross consider the management plan proposed by the state of New Jersey, and urged him to, “work administratively with the State of New Jersey to approve, implement and enforce New Jersey’s 2017 Summer Flounder regulations.” The full letter is available here.

Read the full story at the Cape May County Herald

ABOUT THE U.S. SEAFOOD IMPORT MONITORING PROGRAM

July 13, 2017 — The following was released by the National Ocean Council Committee on IUU Fishing and Seafood Fraud:

The Seafood Import Monitoring Program establishes for imports of certain seafood products, the reporting and recordkeeping requirements needed to prevent illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU)-caught and/or misrepresented seafood from entering U.S. commerce, thereby providing additional protections for our national economy, global food security and the sustainability of our shared ocean resources. NOAA Fisheries published the final rule establishing the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) on December 9, 2016.   This is thefirst-phase of a risk-based traceability program—requiring the importer of record to provide and report key data—from the point of harvest to the point of entry into U.S. commerce—on an initial list of imported fish and fish products identified as particularly vulnerable to IUU fishing and/or seafood fraud.  January 1, 2018 is the mandatory compliance date for this rule.

Upcoming Public Meetings

Tuesday, July 18, 2017 – 10:00 AM PDT
DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Seattle Airport / Southcenter, Seattle, Washington
 
Thursday, July 20, 2017 10:00 AM EDT
Renaissance Newark Airport Hotel, Newark, NJ
 
Tuesday, July 25, 2017 10:00 AM EDT
Hilton Miami Airport, Miami, Florida

To view transcripts and/or recordings of previous meetings, please click here.

Overview of the Final Rule

  • The final rule reflects and responds to numerous public comments and campaign messages received on the proposed rule and underscores NOAA Fisheries’ extensive efforts to establish an effective program that minimizes the burden of compliance on industry while providing the necessary information to identify illegal and/or misrepresented seafood imports before they enter the U.S. market.
  • The Seafood Import Monitoring Program establishes permitting, data reporting and recordkeeping requirements for the importation of certain priority fish and fish products that have been identified as being particularly vulnerable to IUU fishing and/or seafood fraud.
  • The data collected will allow these priority species of seafood to be traced from the point of entry into U.S. commerce back to the point of harvest or production to verify whether it was lawfully harvested or produced.
  • The collection of catch and landing documentation for these priority seafood species will be accomplished through the International Trade Data System (ITDS), the U.S. government’s single data portal for all import and export reporting.
  • The Seafood Import Monitoring Program is not a labeling program, nor is it consumer facing. In keeping with the Magnuson-Stevens Act authority (under which the regulatory program has been promulgated) and the strict information security of the ITDS–the information collected under this program is confidential.
  • The importer of record will be required to keep records regarding the chain of custody of the fish or fish product from harvest to point of entry into U.S.

Read the full release here

NEW BEDFORD STANDARD-TIMES: Under-loved fish need a home right here

July 12, 2017 — A recent report from the social policy researchers at NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole shed some light on what happens to local fish after its caught by commercial fishermen.

The report is part of ongoing research, and has yet to be finalized in an academic paper, but the first findings indicate that most of the groundfish landed in NOAA’s Northeast region is sold and consumed locally. And it’s no surprise that most of the scallops landed are shipped around the country and the world.

Trucks carry much of the groundfish landed between Maryland and Maine, hauling along the coast and inland for 75 or 100 miles. Some is frozen and shipped far away, but the fish we buy locally is frequently locally caught.

Cod, haddock, pollock and different flounders find their way into local restaurants, fish markets and grocery stores, then onto local plates.

The local consumption of this groundfish is a function of the difficulty of NOAA Fisheries’ management of the multispecies fishery that includes about 20 different species. The complex interplay between abundant and scarce species that intermingle has thwarted attempts to harvest the Total Allowable Catch of the abundant species and confounded attempts to avoid the scarce ones. Groundfish landings today are a shadow of those from the early 1980s.

Even as traditional regional species have become harder to harvest, new species have moved into warming state and federal waters managed by the Northeast Fisheries Management Council, which is the management arm of federal fisheries management in this region. Skate and spiny dogfish have become the abundant species, and their harvest is less complicated than those from among the traditional groundfish stocks. But skate wings don’t get the price at the dock of those other species. Last Friday at the local seafood auction, skate wings fetched 30 cents a pound; flounder, cod and haddock were all paying 5 to 10 times that at the dock, some 20 times more.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Administrator Announces Retirement

July 12, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA:

NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Administrator John Bullard today formally announced he will retire on January 5, 2018. Bullard, who took the top job in the agency’s Gloucester-based office in 2012, will leave a legacy of improved relationships with the regulated community, the research community, environmentalists, local, state, and federal officials and agency partners, including the New England and the Mid-Atlantic fishery management councils and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

As the regional administrator responsible for leading the agency’s approach to fisheries, habitat, sea turtle, and marine mammal issues from Maine to North Carolina as well as the Great Lakes region, Bullard also provided a much-needed conduit helping the regulated communities understand the critical role of science in informing management decisions.

“As the former Mayor of New Bedford, Bullard brought with him a unique connection to the fishing industry, and used that connection to improve communication with all aspects of the industry and Congress during a very challenging period for the agency,” said Sam Rauch, NOAA Fisheries Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs.

As Regional Administrator, Bullard worked with the fishery management councils and the commission to manage 44 fish stocks, including two, scallops and lobster, worth more than $500 million each.

During his tenure, he faced the daunting New England groundfish crisis. Bullard met the challenge head on, making the tough and unpopular decision to impose emergency closures when the New England Council failed to act.

“I know how difficult these issues are, and I tried to tackle them with courage and compassion,” says Bullard.

Bullard worked with Congress and state directors to deliver $32.8 million in disaster assistance to affected fishing families and communities. In close collaboration with the New England Council, Bullard then put quotas and closures in place to protect cod and other depleted fish stocks.

“We wish John well,” said New England Council Executive Director Tom Nies. “He is always willing to work with the council to find management solutions and empowers those around him to actively participate in the process, which is one of his key accomplishments. That may go unnoticed by many, but it is one of the reasons our council has been able to complete so many management actions during his tenure.”

Bullard’s leadership in protecting living marine resources included removing approximately 30,000 miles of rope from Atlantic coastal waters to reduce whale entanglements and expanding critical habitat for North Atlantic right whales in the region by more than 25,000 nautical miles. He also oversaw development of a strategy to restore river herring populations, imposed catch caps on mackerel and herring fisheries, and removed dams and created fish passages to double fish runs in key Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts rivers.

“For me, John is an example of public service and more importantly, an example of working with stakeholders to have a positive impact on tough issues,” said Dr. Jon Hare, science and research director at NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center. “I will miss working with him and am thankful for his time as regional administrator.”

Bullard strongly supported groundbreaking actions created to bolster the Mid-Atlantic region’s important recreational and commercial fisheries. In 2016, he approved the Mid-Atlantic Council’s deep-sea coral amendment that protects 15 deep-sea canyons and a total area of 24 million acres, about the size of Virginia, where fragile, slow-growing corals live. These hotspots of biodiversity provide important habitat, refuge, and prey for fish and other marine life. Bullard has also advanced an action to protect small schooling fish, also known as forage fish, which serve as prey for larger fish, marine mammals, and sea birds. This would be the first ever action on the Atlantic coast to designate forage fish as important parts of the ecosystem and provide protection for them.

“Throughout his tenure as regional administrator, John has been an engaged and dedicated participant in the council process, and he has played an important role in increasing focus on the Mid-Atlantic portion of the Greater Atlantic Region,” said Chris Moore, executive director of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. “His insight and leadership have been especially valuable to the Mid-Atlantic Council during the development of several new initiatives such as the Deep Sea Corals Amendment, the Unmanaged Forage Fish Amendment, and the development of an ecosystem approach to fisheries management.”

Bullard also led the charge to modernize access and sharing of fishery dependent data in cooperation with the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, the fishing industry, the councils and the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program. He championed electronic monitoring pilot projects on fishing vessels with partners in the industry and environmental non-government organizations to increase coverage and improve the data on which our science is based.

“It’s been an honor and pleasure to work with John. He has been a strong supporter of state/federal cooperation in the management of our shared marine resources,” said Bob Beal, executive director of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. “We are grateful for his contributions to sustainable management and wish him the very best.”

“I’m really proud of the work I’ve done with the GARFO team. They are intelligent, hard-working, and caring professionals, and I rely on them every day to make me smart on the many issues we face,” said Bullard, who has no plans to slow down before he leaves. “There is work left to do before I leave—very important work. Still on my list are the Omnibus Habitat Amendment, the New England Council’s Deep Sea Coral Amendment, some critical dam removals, electronic monitoring, the Carlos Rafael situation, the summer flounder crisis, and the continuing groundfish challenge, among others.”

However, once he does bid the agency goodbye, he plans to literally sail into the sunset, provided the weather is warm enough!

The agency will launch a search for Bullard’s replacement within the next several months.

Read the full release here