Saving Seafood

To protect coral, bottom fishing gear banned near Delaware’s coast

December 16th, 2016 — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency is banning commercial fishing gear that could drag along the seafloor in part of the Atlantic Ocean – including a portion 66 miles off the Delaware coast.

Deep-sea coral can live for hundreds to thousands of years, but once they are damaged, they can take decades or even centuries to re-grow.

To ensure these corals can live undisturbed, a section of the Atlantic Ocean from New York to Virginia – about the size of Virginia – has been designated as “protected”. The protected area is about 66 miles from Delaware’s shore and covers a portion of the Baltimore Canyon. Joseph Gordon, Pew Charitable Trust’s manager of U.S. northeast oceans, said that means fishing gear that reaches down to the depths that deep-sea coral inhabit would not be allowed to operate there.

“They’ve lived a long time but they live in an environment that is cold, with huge pressure, without light,” Gordon said, about the coral. “And so fishing technology could damage them in a way that could take centuries to recover from.”

Some bottom-fishing technologies include rockhoppers and canyon-busters. They are designed to roll over boulders and canyons, and according to Oceana, they can weigh at least several hundred pounds. NOAA authorizes the gear that fishermen can use for commercial fishing, and documented almost 1,000 bottom-fishing technologies in use in the Mid-Atlantic region in 2016. That is up from 630 documented in 2013.

Read the full story at Delaware Public Media 

Representative Frank Pallone Calls for NOAA Fisheries to Reconsider Summer Flounder Quotas

December 15, 2016 — Washington, DC – On Wednesday, Congressman Frank Pallone (NJ-06) spoke at the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s (MAFMC) December Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland about his efforts to convince NOAA Fisheries to postpone any decision on reducing summer flounder quotes until it conducts a new benchmark summer flounder assessment. Pallone argued that  proposed reductions would harm many coastal communities including those along the Jersey Shore who rely on the recreational and commercial fishing industries.

“Many fishermen are frustrated and lack confidence in the data that guides stock assessments,” said Pallone. “In the recreational sector, many believe that they have sacrificed for years to increase stocks, and have yet to see any benefits, despite the increase in biomass from the ‘90s. There continues to be legitimate concerns that the random sampling heavily relied upon by the NOAA and the estimates produced are inaccurate.”

This week Congressman Pallone and Senator Cory Booker sent a letter to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries about its proposal to reduce the Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) recreational and commercial quotas for summer flounder in 2017 and 2018. The New Jersey lawmakers requested that NOAA Fisheries postpone any decision on reducing summer flounder quotes until it conducts a new benchmark summer flounder assessment.

Read the full story at the Atlantic Highlands Herald

Congressmen Seek Investigation Of Hawaii Fishing Practices

December 14, 2016 — Four Democratic congressmen have written to officials at the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration claiming that Hawaii’s longline fishing fleet is operating illegally by employing — and in some cases possibly abusing — foreign fishermen.

The congressmen said fishing boat owners who are not in “compliance with the law” should not be allowed to sell their products.

Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva’s staff convened a forum about the matter on Capitol Hill last week. Activists at the event, who described what was happening as modern-day slavery, advocated a boycott of tuna until the alleged abuses stop.

The letter was signed by Grijalva, ranking Democratic member of the Natural Resources Committee; Jared Huffman of California, ranking Democratic member of the Water, Power and Oceans Subcommittee; Peter DeFazio of Oregon, ranking Democratic member of the  Transportation Committee and Infrastructure; and John Garamendi of California, ranking Democratic member of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee.

It was addressed to Adm. Paul Zukunft, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, and Kathryn Sullivan, under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator, and was delivered Monday.

“This illegal activity does not represent American values and has dealt a blow to U.S. credibility as a global leader in fighting (illegal, unreported and unregulated) fishing and human trafficking,” the congressmen wrote.

John P. Connelly, president of the National Fisheries Institute, a trade group, told Civil Beat the industry is looking forward to the response by the Coast Guard and NOAA, saying that it would allow a “clarification” of employment law affecting foreign fishermen working in Hawaii.

Read the full story at the Honolulu Civil Beat

Local Fishermen Urged to Complete NOAA Fisheries Survey

December 14, 2016 –HYANNIS, Mass. — In August, approximately 2,500 vessel owners in the Northeast were asked to provide data on 2015 business costs, in an effort for NOAA Fisheries to have a better understanding on how management actions impact the bottom line of fishing businesses, and the deadline to complete these surveys is rapidly approaching.

While completing the survey is voluntary, NOAA Fisheries is hoping for a strong response.

“Every response is important if we are to end up with sufficient data to reflect costs,” said Tammy Murphy, the Northeast Fisheries Science Center economist.

Read the full story at CapeCod.com

MAFMC & NOAA Fisheries Announce Frank R. Lautenberg Deep-Sea Coral Protection Area

December 14, 2016 — The following was released by NOAA:

Today, NOAA Fisheries and the Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council announced publication of the final rule for the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s action to designate a large offshore protected area for deep sea corals in the Mid-Atlantic. The Council approved the Deep Sea Corals Amendment to the Mackerel, Squid, Butterfish Fishery Management Plan in 2015 in order to protect deep sea corals from the impacts of bottom-tending fishing gear.

Most deep sea corals are slow-growing and fragile, making them vulnerable to damage from certain types of fishing gear that contact the sea floor. This final rule designates a large “deep sea coral zone” in areas where corals have been observed or where they are likely to occur. Under the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA), regional fishery management councils have the disretionary authority to designate zones where fishing may be restricted to protect deep sea corals. Although corals have been protected as essential fish habitat, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council is the first of the eight U.S. regional fishery management councils to use this discretionary authority.

The Council named the protected area in honor of the late Senator Frank Lautenberg, a five-term United States senator from New Jersey who was responsible for several important pieces of ocean conservation legislation, including the MSA provisions allowing for deep sea coral protections. The Frank R. Lautenberg Deep Sea Coral Protection Area encompasses areas of known or highly likely coral presence in underwater canyons or slope areas along the continental shelf edge, as well as deeper areas where the presence of corals is uncertain, but where little or no fishing effort currently occurs. In total, the coral zone encompasses more than 38,000 square miles of federal waters off the Mid-Atlantic coast, an area approximately the size of the state of Virginia.

Within the protected area, commercial fishermen are prohibited from using most types of bottom-tending fishing gear such as trawls, dredges, bottom longlines, and traps. The rule does not apply to recreational fishing, commercial gear types that do not contact the sea floor, or the American lobster trap fishery. An exemption is also provided for the deep sea red crab commercial trap fishery. Vessels may transit through the area if fishing gear is stowed and not available for immediate use.

Development of the deep sea coral protection area was informed by several recent scientific research efforts undertaken by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, including several deep sea surveys and the development of a predictive deep sea coral habitat suitability model. Using this information, members of the Council’s advisory panels, deep sea coral experts, fishing industry members, and other stakeholders cooperatively reviewed  this information to identify the landward boundaries for the protected area.

“This is a great story of regional collaboration among the fishing industry, the Mid-Atlantic Council, the research community, and environmental organizations to protect what we all agree is a valuable ecological resource,” said John Bullard, Regional Administrator for the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office. “We owe a debt of gratitude to former Council Chair Rick Robins, who led the effort to establish this large protected area, which totals about 24 million acres, the size of state of Virginia. I’d also like to single out the contribution of current Vice Chairman Warren Elliot, who chaired the two-day workshop where all the stakeholders used the best available science to negotiate and agree upon the boundaries of the area to protect.”

“The Mid-Atlantic Council is extremely pleased that NOAA Fisheries has approved the Council’s recommended protection of deep sea corals in the Mid-Atlantic,” said Council chairman Michael Luisi. “We are proud of this achievement and want to thank and congratulate all those who contributed to this ground-breaking effort in the Atlantic.”

See the full release at NOAA

NEW JERSEY: Fishermen can protest Summer flounder catch limits with letters

December 13th, 2016 — Before I get into any recent fishing catches, I want to cover some very distressing news concerning next year’s fluke regulations. To say that the reports I have gotten are negative is being kind.

NOAA Fisheries has announced that their flounder assessment from last summer shows the summer flounder population is declining, and anglers are catching too many fish.

To address this problem, the federal government is proposing a 30 percent reduction from catch limits already determined for 2017, and then the next year another 16 percent reduction from current 2018 allocations.

According to predictions from “The Fisherman” magazine, the result of this could very possibly be something like a two-fish per day daily catch limit, a 19-inch minimum keeper size, and a three month long season during the summer months. I told you that you would not like this news!

The only positive thing that I can tell you is that these cuts have not yet been made, but are in the works. According to “The Fisherman,” there are a couple of things that we as concerned anglers can do.

First, we can send a note to NOAA Fisheries expressing our opposition to these cuts. Try to keep your comments within the bounds of polite discourse, and be sure to include your contact information.

Read the full story at the Ashbury Park Press 

East Coast fishermen file appeal over cost of government-required ‘at-sea monitors’

December 12th, 2016 — David Goethel built his life off the profits of cod, trolling the waters of New England for 30 years netting the region’s once-abundant signature fish.

“My slice of the American Dream was paid for from fishing,” Goethel said from behind the wheel of his 44-foot fishing trawler on a windy Friday afternoon in December. “Cape Cod house, two cars, four college educations – it all came out of the fish hole in this boat.”

But a controversial federal mandate is threatening to put him out of business, he claims.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, requires groundfishermen — those who catch cod, haddock and other common bottom-dwelling species — to carry on board “at-sea monitors.” The observers, hired by three for-profit companies, are third-party workers whose task it is to observe fishermen’s compliance with federal regulations and ensure annual quotas are not exceeded.

The dispute lies in the cost of the monitors and who should pay for them: Fishermen are billed on average $700 a day when a regulator is present.

NOAA, meanwhile, says monitors were placed on fishing boats like Goethel’s only 14 percent of the time in 2016 — and claims the fishing industry supported this system of regulation in 2010 when a vote went before the New England Fishery Management Council, an advisory board to NOAA that sets the rules.

Read the full story at Fox News 

Commercial Harvest of Vermilion Snapper in South Atlantic Federal Waters will Open for Two Days on December 14 and 15

December 12, 2016 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Commercial harvest of vermilion snapper in federal waters of the South Atlantic will reopen for two days on December 14 and December 15, 2016. Commercial harvest will reopen 12:01 a.m. (local time) on December 14 th and close 12:01 a.m. (local time) on December 16 th. During the two-day opening, the commercial trip limit for vermilion snapper is 555 pounds whole weight or 500 pounds gutted weight.

On October 11, 2016, the commercial quota for the July through December 2016 season was projected to be met, and NOAA Fisheries closed the season. However, a recent landings update indicates that the vermilion snapper quota was not met. The 2017 January through June fishing season opens at 12:01 a.m. (local time) on January 1, 2017.

Tagging study of gray seals could cost a half million dollars

December 12, 2016 — NANTUCKET, Mass. — As David Pierce sat at the table at the Nantucket Seal Symposium last month, he said one image came to mind: private pilot Aaron Knight’s video from April of miles of gray seals, a dozen deep, cheek by jowl, banding the Monomoy shoreline.

Recently appointed as director of the state Division of Marine Fisheries, Pierce is a veteran of decades of fisheries negotiations as former director Paul Diodati’s proxy on the New England Fishery Management Council. Fishery managers live and die by population estimates – known as stock assessments – that help set sustainable catch levels for commercial fishermen, so it was disconcerting to hear that the same level of science had not been applied to the predators who eat them.

“The determination of population size is extremely important, especially in the context of ecosystem management in New England,” Pierce said. “If (gray seals) are out there in large numbers foraging, what might their impact be on the Georges Bank ecosystem?”

The answer will not be coming any time soon, according to federal fisheries officials at the symposium.

“It’s just an expensive number to get,” said Sean Hayes, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration branch chief for protected species in the Northeast.

Kimberly Murray, coordinator of the seal research program at NOAA Fisheries Northeast Fisheries Science Research Center in Woods Hole, said it could cost as much as a half million dollars to conduct the tagging study alone.

The operational budget for seal research is around $10,000, Hayes said, although that doesn’t include the salaries for the two full-time and two part-time employees in the program.

Federal agencies are required to stick to the budgets they are allocated by Congress, and NOAA can’t shift money around among species. Because of their historic comeback from virtual extinction in New England waters, gray seals are far down on the budget priority list, Hayes explained, and get minimal funding. To put more money into seal research, he’d have to take it from other programs for more highly endangered species such as right whales during the budget process, and make a successful plea to put that amount into seals.

“We definitely want to try and find the resources to do the whole population count, but competing resource priorities from headquarters for species like the right whales, or a roof collapse at a science center, that comes up every year,” Hayes said. “Headquarters is getting hit by all the science centers. Everyone has an urgent priority.”

The region’s fishermen have been asking in vain for years for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s fisheries division to give them a true population number for gray seals to gauge their impact on fish stocks such as cod, haddock, flounders and striped bass. With the arrival of hundreds of great white sharks to inshore waters of Cape Cod every year, to feast on members of the largest gray seal colony in the U.S., new voices have emerged with concerns about public safety.

“Where is this headed and how are we going to know at what rate this population is increasing if we don’t know what the number is now?” asked Orleans Natural Resources Manager Nate Sears.

Their resurgence is both a Marine Mammal Protection Act success story and a cause for concern.

Read the full story at the Cape Cod Times

South Atlantic Fishery Management Council Recognizes Law Enforcement Officer of the Year

December 9, 2016 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Members of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council awarded its annual Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award to Special Agent Richard Chesler during the Council’s meeting this week in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina. The annual award recognizes distinctive service, professionalism, and dedication to enforcing fisheries regulations in the South Atlantic. Special Agent Chesler is a criminal investigator assigned to NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement Southeast Division in Port Orange, Florida.

“The Council recognizes the important role that law enforcement plays in effective fisheries management,” said Council Chair Dr. Michelle Duval. “We are fortunate to have dedicated men and women working tirelessly in the field and behind the scenes, at both the state and federal level to help protect our marine resources. I am very pleased to have the opportunity to present the award to Agent Chesler, who has exemplified these characteristics throughout his law enforcement career.”

Special Agent Chesler began his career nearly two decades ago as a U.S. Coast Guard recruit, working counter-drug and U.N. Sanction enforcement in the Caribbean, Eastern Pacific and Northern Arabian Gulf. His duties also included working as a boarding officer enforcing fisheries regulations in the frigid waters off the coast of Alaska, where he developed a passion for natural resources. After leaving active duty, Chesler pursued his interests in conservation by accepting a position as patrol officer for the National Park Service Park Police in the Washington DC area. Before becoming a Special Agent with NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement in 2003 he also worked as a deputy U.S. Marshal.

As a Special Agent for NOAA Fisheries Chesler conducts complex criminal and civil investigations of violations of federal fisheries law under the Magnuson-Stevens Act as well as those impacting endangered species, marine mammals, and regulations covered under the Lacey Act. He also works field enforcement including patrols and surveillance and provides liaison and training as part of the joint enforcement agreement (JEA) with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, working closely with the offshore patrol vessel program. Agent Chesler shares his subject matter expertise on fisheries with the U.S. Coast

Guard Sector Jacksonville operations and intelligence departments. With an outgoing personality, SA Chesler has coordinated or participated in numerous outreach events, presented to the Council on law enforcement issues, and authored the law enforcement component of the Oculina Evaluation Plan, outlining enforcement approaches for the managed area.

Since joining NOAA Enforcement he earned a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Central Florida and combines his education and unique field experience to provide high-level enforcement training at the state and federal level. Because of his reputation as an instructor, Agent Chesler was selected to participate in international enforcement capacity building for living marine resources, providing training in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Brazil.

“SA Chesler’s tireless work ethic, outstanding liaison with partner agencies, and willingness to take on additional leadership responsibilities has significantly contributed to the overall success of NOAA’s Southeast Office of Law Enforcement,” said Manny Antonaras, Deputy Special Agent in Charge. Chesler recently volunteered for and performed as an acting supervisor. He has also been instrumental in streamlining the processing time for case packages, leading to faster issuance of summary settlements.

“It is both an honor and privilege to join the elite group of fisheries enforcement professionals who have received this award,” said Chesler. “This award is a reflection of the outstanding partnerships I enjoy with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. Coast Guard.  For me, I see it as a team award, I’m just the person accepting it”.

The Council initiated the Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award in 2010. Nominees may be submitted from each of the southeastern state law enforcement agencies, the U.S. Coast Guard, and NOAA Fisheries. The Council’s Law Enforcement Advisory Panel selected three of the nominees for 2015 consideration by the Council. The other nominees were Officer Amos Williams with the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries’ Marine Patrol and Officer Clay McDonough with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.