Saving Seafood

US Senate committee rejects most of Trump’s proposed cuts to NOAA

August 8, 2017 — The appropriations committee of the United States Senate has voted to reduce the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association’s 2018 budget, but the cuts are less severe than those requested by President Donald Trump.

The Senate Commerce, Justice, and Science appropriations subcommittee agreed to a USD 85.1 million (EUR 72.3 million) cut to NOAA’s budget to USD 5.6 billion (EUR 4.8 billion) – much less than the nearly USD 900 million (EUR 764 million) in cuts requested by Trump, according to a press release put out by Senate Republicans.

The committee voted to fully fund NOAA operations including ocean monitoring; fisheries management; coastal grants to states; aquaculture research; and severe weather forecasting, according to the press release.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Tuna won’t be listed as endangered, Trump administration says

August 8, 2017 — Rejecting a petition from environmental groups, the Trump administration announced Monday that it will not list Pacific bluefin tuna — a torpedo-shaped fish that can grow to 1,000 pounds and which sells for $100,000 or more per fish in Japanese sushi markets — as endangered, despite that fact that the animal’s population has fallen 97 percent.

Even with heavy fishing pressure, the steely fish, which swim 6,000 miles between California and Asia, still number about 1.6 million, officials from NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said Monday.

“The Pacific bluefin tuna does not meet the definition of threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act; that is, it’s not likely to become extinct either now or in the foreseeable future,” said Chris Yates, assistant regional administrator for protected resources at the NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region in Long Beach.

“The population has been at low levels before and has rebounded,” he added.

Environmental groups, however, were disappointed. They have compared bluefin tuna to elephant tusks or shark fins — products that come from an important, but vulnerable, species and command high prices for status value.

Read the full story at the Mercury News

NOAA Seeks Nominations for Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization Consultative Committee

August 8, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA is soliciting nominations for individuals to serve as members of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Consultative Committee. NAFO is a regional fisheries management organization that coordinates scientific study and cooperative management of the fisheries resources of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, excluding salmon, tunas/marlins, whales and sedentary species (e.g., shellfish). NAFO was established in 1979 by the Convention on Future Multilateral Cooperation in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries. The United States acceded to the Convention in 1995, and has participated actively in NAFO since.

NOAA is also announcing a meeting of the NAFO Consultative Committee on August 30, 2017.

For more information, read the Federal Register notice.

NOAA Fisheries Announces Northern Red Hake Possession Limit Reduction

August 8, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The northern red hake commercial possession limit is reduced from 3,000 lbs per trip to 400 lbs per trip. Effective immediately, federally permitted vessels may not possess on board or land more than 400 lb of northern red hake per trip for the remainder of the 2017 fishing year (i.e., through April 30, 2018).

This reduction is required because the northern red hake fishery is projected to have reached or exceeded 37.9 percent of the total allowable landings.

Vessels that have started a fishing trip when this possession limit reduction becomes effective may retain northern red hake under the previous possession limit of 3,000 lb for the remainder of that trip.

Dealers issued federal dealer permits for small-mesh multispecies may not purchase more than 400 lbs of northern red hake per trip from federally permitted vessels for trips started after August 7, 2017. Federally permitted dealers must continue to report all fish purchased from any vessel.

Read the rule as filed today at 4:15pm and the permit holder letter on our website for more information.

R/V Gloria Michelle in Boston August 10 & 11 – Public tours available

August 8, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA:

Are you going to be in the Boston Harbor area this Thursday and Friday? Why not stop by for a free tour of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s research vessel, the R/V Gloria Michelle. This is a great opportunity to meet our crew and scientists, and learn about the research we do aboard this NOAA vessel.

The R/V Gloria Michelle will be docked on Harborwalk by Moakley Courthouse. Tour hours are Thursday 12:30pm to 5:00pm and Friday 9:00am to 2:00pm.

For more information, read the announcement on the NEFSC website.

Stony Brook University Wins NOAA Research Grant

August 8, 2017 — Stony Brook University has received a nearly $170,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to support marine science and fisheries research. The money will be used to improve management of protected species of fish and marine mammals within what is called the Northeast United States Large Marine Ecosystem.

The grant will support the use of state-of-the-art climate models to develop tools to assist the commercial fishing industry in reducing bycatch of marine mammals and fish in long-line and midwater trawl fisheries, according to a statement by Lesley Thorne, a Stony Brook University assistant professor. This, Dr. Thorne said, will increase the efficiency and profitability of marine resources.

Read the full story at the East Hampton Star

Why This Year’s ‘Dead Zone’ in Gulf of Mexico Is Bigger Than Ever

August 7, 2017 — Right now, in the depths of the Gulf of Mexico, lies an area the size of New Jersey that’s so oxygen-deprived it’s void of almost all marine life.

The so-called “dead zone” isn’t a new phenomenon: It appears in the Gulf, and other bodies of water, every summer. But what makes this year’s Gulf dead zone unique is its magnitude: At 8,776 square miles, it’s the largest ever since tracking began in 1985, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced this week.

Its size is projected to affect local fishing economies and is raising questions over the amount of pollutants that flow into our water — particularly nutrients from excessive use of nitrogen fertilizers.

“It’s a symptom of an ecosystem that’s not functioning,” said Dr. Nancy Rabalais, a professor in oceanography and coastal science at Louisiana State University who has been leading survey missions of dead zones since NOAA started tracking them.

What causes dead zones

The dead zones occur as a result of nitrogen and phosphorus flowing into water from farmers using nutrients on crops as fertilizer, and those nutrients getting washed into streams and rivers by rain.

Once it gets to the Gulf of Mexico, the nutrients stimulate the growth of algae. The algae then sinks to the bottom of the ocean and bacteria start decomposing the organic matter in the algae. That process uses oxygen, drawing it from the water.

Read the full story at NBC News

NOAA Ship Henry Bigelow Headed for Shipyard – Expected to Resume Service in September

August 3, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA:

NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow is heading into dry dock in Norfolk, Va., to undergo motor repairs but is expected to return to service in mid-September to start the NOAA Fisheries’ Northeast Fisheries Science Center annual fall bottom-trawl survey on the Northeast continental shelf.

The ship’s officers and crew and the NEFSC scientific party are ensuring that the cruise can start from the shipyard if necessary. The ship is normally readied for cruises at its homeport in Newport, R.I.

The Henry B. Bigelow supports a variety of marine research for the NOAA Fisheries’ NEFSC. The twice-yearly bottom trawl survey of fish and invertebrates is the longest running of its kind in the world, and collects data used to understand changes in marine life and their habitats over time.

The Bigelow’s typical operations during the year also include plankton and water sampling, acoustic surveys, coral mapping, oceanographic data collection and sampling, and sighting surveys for sea turtles, marine mammals, and sea birds.

Commissioned in 2007, the 208-foot, $60 million Henry B. Bigelow is a multi-purpose fishery research vessel. Its special hull construction allows researchers to study fish and other marine animals without significantly altering their behavior with its noise. Also, the ship can conduct bottom and mid-water trawls while also running physical and biological-oceanographic sampling. This allows it to support more than one scientific mission on each deployment. Its laboratory and computing capacity allow scientists to get a start on analyzing information while still at sea.

Read the full release here

Final Rule to Modify the Commercial Permit Restrictions for King and Spanish Mackerel in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Federal Waters

August 3, 2017 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

KEY MESSAGE:

NOAA Fisheries announces a final rule to allow fishing for and retaining the recreational bag and possession limits of king and Spanish mackerel in the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf), South Atlantic, and Mid-Atlantic on a vessel with a federal commercial permit for king or Spanish mackerel when commercial harvest of king or Spanish mackerel in that zone or region is closed.

WHEN RULE WILL TAKE EFFECT:

  • The final rule will be effective on August 31, 2017.

WHAT THIS MEANS: 

  • Previous regulations prohibited a person aboard a vessel with a federal commercial permit for king or Spanish mackerel from recreationally fishing for king or Spanish mackerel in federal waters if commercial harvest for the species is closed.
    • An exception allowed a person aboard a vessel with both a valid coastal migratory pelagic charter vessel/headboat permit and a valid federal commercial permit for king mackerel or Spanish mackerel to recreationally fish when the commercial season is closed, if the vessel is operating as a for-hire vessel.
  • No such restriction exists for any other species in the Gulf or South Atlantic.
  • This rule removes the restriction entirely, allowing vessels with commercial king or Spanish mackerel permits to fish recreationally for king or Spanish mackerel when the commercial season is closed, regardless of whether they are fishing in a private or for-hire capacity.

FORMAL FEDERAL REGISTER NAME/NUMBER:

82 FR 35658, published August 1, 2017

This bulletin serves as a Small Entity Compliance Guide, complying with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Additional information about Framework Amendment 5 including Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and a copy of the complete Fishery Bulletin is available from the NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office website.  Information on management of king and Spanish mackerel is also available from the website.

Bills would open snapper harvest out to at least 25 miles

August 3, 2017 — Louisiana senators and representatives have introduced companion legislation in Congress that would give states management authority of red snapper out to 25 miles or 25 fathoms, whichever is greater, off their coastlines. Currently, states control red snapper out to nine nautical miles.

Both Louisiana senators, Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy, introduced the bill in the Senate, while Reps. Garret Graves, Cedric Richmond and Clay Higgins joined seven other representatives to propose the House bill.

The legislation is designed to ensure Gulf of Mexico anglers have broader access to rebounding red snapper stocks during 2018 and beyond. This year, the Commerce Department gave recreational anglers 39 additional days in federal waters after NOAA Fisheries set a three-day recreational season.

That move is being contested in court, and without legislation to address the issue, recreational anglers could be locked out of the fishery in 2018.

Graves said the need for legislation is overdue.

“Something has to change,” he said. “It is time to replace the status quo with a management system that more accurately reflects today’s red snapper private recreational fishery.”

Read the full story at the New Orleans Times-Picayune