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NOAA switching fish survey practice

August 3, 2016 — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries announced Tuesday afternoon that it will begin the planning process to turn over part or all of a key fish population study from its flagship $54 million research vessel to private commercial fishing vessels.

“We are thinking we want to make good on our commitment in our strategic plan for more transparency and building confidence in (fish) survey results,” said William Karp, the science and research director for NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center. He said other regions, Alaska and the Northwest, use commercial vessels for this purpose.

The spring and fall bottom survey has been done by NOAA vessels since 1963 and is the longest continuous fish survey in the world. Using a special net, the 208-foot-long Henry B. Bigelow samples fish populations at 400 randomly selected sites from Cape Hatteras to the Canadian border. The relative abundance of the species they catch forms an index that helps scientists estimate fish populations along with biological information and landings data.

Read the full story at the Cape Cod Times

Commercial and Recreational Harvest of Almaco Jack, Banded Rudderfish, and Lesser Amberjack in Federal Waters of the South Atlantic Will Close on August 9, 2016

August 3, 2016 — The following was released by NOAA:

Commercial and recreational harvest of the other jacks complex (almaco jack, banded rudderfish, and lesser amberjack) in Federal waters of the South Atlantic will close, at 12:01 a.m. (local time) on August 9, 2016. Commercial and recreational harvest will reopen at 12:01 a.m. (local time) on January 1, 2017. The 2016 catch limits for the other jacks complex are 189,422 and 267,799 pounds whole weight for the commercial and recreational sectors, respectively. Reports indicate that commercial and recreational landings are projected to reach their respective 2016 catch limits. Note that the other jacks complex does not include greater amberjack.

The operator of a vessel with a federal commercial permit for snapper-grouper that is landing species in the other jacks complex for sale must have landed and bartered, traded, or sold such species prior to 12:01 a.m. (local time), August 9, 2016.

During the closure:

Harvest or possession of species in the other jacks complex is prohibited in or from federal waters in the South Atlantic.
Sale and purchase of species in the other jacks complex is prohibited in or from federal waters in the South Atlantic.
These bag and possession limits apply in the South Atlantic on board a vessel for which a valid federal commercial or charter vessel/headboat permit for South Atlantic snapper-grouper has been issued without regard to where such species were harvested, i.e., in state or federal waters.

NOAA Fisheries Considers Moving Trawl Surveys to Fishing Vessels

August 2, 2016 — The following was released by NOAA:

NOAA Fisheries is initiating a planning process to support its intention to transition part or all of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s spring and fall bottom trawl surveys from the NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow to fishing industry vessels provided that survey data collection quality and time series integrity can be maintained.

“The bottom trawl survey is perhaps the most valuable ecological data set that we maintain at the Center,” said Bill Karp, the center’s director. “Those data are critical for many of the fishery stock assessments in the region and are mined by a wide variety of researchers for other purposes. By sharing the responsibility for gathering these data with the fishing industry, I think there will also come greater shared confidence in the results obtained using them.”

A typical survey covers about 400 stations off the Northeastern U.S. in the Gulf of Maine, On Georges Bank and south to Cape Hatteras. The scientific trawl is towed to collect marine species, while a variety of environmental and oceanographic data are also being collected. Biological samples are taken from trawled animals for a variety of studies and to calculate an index of catch per tow by species. The resulting data are used to study everything from food habits to habitat use and the effects of climate change.

Transitioning such a large-scale data gathering enterprise to commercial vessels is a complex challenge, but Karp notes it has been done in the past, both when it needed to move from one research vessel to another and elsewhere in the world where commercial fishing vessels are used for this purpose. “It’s important to note, “said Karp, “that this will happen providing we can also maintain survey data collection and time series integrity.”

The target timeframe for the transition is five years. A science center working group is being established to develop options and criteria for making the shift. They will work closely with industry during this process through the Northeast Trawl Survey Advisory Panel, convened jointly by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, the New England Fishery Management Council, and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

The NEFSC bottom trawl survey is the longest-running of its kind in the world. The first trip was in May 1963, and since then seasonal surveys have been conducted annually. The surveys are conducted from government research vessels operated by NOAA and her predecessor agencies.

Read the full release from NOAA

NOAA Fisheries Announces New Text Message Alert Program

August 2, 2016 — The following was released by NOAA:

NOAA Fisheries Southeast is pleased to announce the introduction of our new text message alert program. The program will allow you to sign up to receive important fishery related alerts via text message.

Text alerts you may receive include:Immediate fishery openings and closuresAny significant changes to fishing regulations that happen quickly

How to opt-in

Gulf of Mexico Recreational Fisheries Related Alerts

Text GULFRECFISH to 888777

Gulf of Mexico Commercial Fisheries Related Alerts

Text GULFCOMMFISH to 888777

South Atlantic Recreational Fisheries Related Alerts

Text SATLRECFISH to 888777

South Atlantic Commercial Fisheries Related Alerts

Text SATLCOMMFISH to 888777

Caribbean Fisheries Related Alerts

Text CARIBFISH to 888777

Standard message & data rates may apply. You may opt-out at any time.

See the full release here.

Court Rules Against Local Fishermen, Upholds Job-Killing Government Mandate

August 2, 2016 — The following was released by Cause of Action:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire dismissed the lawsuit filed by Plaintiffs David Goethel and Northeast Fishery Sector 13 against the U.S. Department of Commerce.

In December 2015, the Department of Commerce ordered that fishermen who fish for cod, flounder and certain other fish in the Northeast United States not only must carry National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (“NOAA”) enforcement contractors known as “at-sea monitors” on their vessels during fishing trips, but must pay out-of-pocket for the cost of those monitors. This “industry funding” requirement would devastate the Northeast fishing industry, at the price of many jobs and livelihoods. The District Court’s order allows that requirement to remain in place.

The Court found that the fishermen’s suit was untimely and that the requirement that monitors be funded by the fishermen was authorized by law.

“I am very disappointed by this decision,” said Goethel. “I’ve made a living fishing in New England for more than 30 years, but I can’t afford to fish if I have to pay for at-sea monitors. I’m grateful to Cause of Action Institute for joining the fight, and I hope that the rule of law will win in the end.”

“The fishermen in my sector can’t sustain this industry funding requirement,” said Northeast Fishery Sector 13 Manager John Haran. “They’ll have to try other fisheries, if they can keep fishing at all.”

“While we respect the District Court and its decision, it appears that decision is contrary to the law and facts,” said Alfred J. Lechner, Jr., President and CEO of Cause of Action Institute and a former federal judge. “In the end, the federal government is overextending its regulatory power and is destroying an industry. We intend to study the decision and consider further action.”

Read the full release at Cause of Action

Judge rules for government in monitoring suit

August 1, 2016 — A federal judge presiding over the lawsuit filed by New Hampshire fisherman David Goethel challenging the legality of NOAA Fisheries forcing groundfishermen to pay for at-sea monitoring has ruled in favor of the federal government.

U.S. District Court Judge Joseph N. Laplante issued his 31-page ruling Friday in Concord, N.H., granting summary judgment to the defendants in the lawsuit that was filed last December naming Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker — whose department oversees the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — as lead defendant.

“Ultimately, the voluminous administrative record demonstrates that (Amendment 16) — including the industry funding requirement — was the end product of a lengthy period of deliberation and public comment,” Laplante wrote in his conclusion.

Laplante went on to say that the mandated industry funding of at-sea monitoring is authorized by the Magnuson-Stevens Act that governs commercial fishing in U.S. waters and does not violate a variety of federal acts as claimed by the plaintiffs.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

NEW YORK: Lookout for humpback whales in the Long Island Sound

August 1, 2016 — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is asking boaters to be on the lookout for humpback whales in the Long Island Sound, according to a press release.

There have been recent sightings of humpback whales feeding on small fish, possibly menhaden, in the western portion of Long Island Sound, NOAA officials said.

Humpback whales are about 60 feet and weigh nearly 40 tons.

The federal agency is asking boaters to follow safety viewing guidelines, which includes staying 100 feet away from whales.

“Humpbacks create bubble clouds to corral their prey and then lunge through the center to swallow the small fish,” according to the NOAA press release. “Fishermen or boaters in these bubble patches run the risk of colliding with a massive whale as it rapidly approaches the surface.”

Read the full story at The Suffolk Times

MASSACHUSETTS: Recreational fishermen can target cod starting Monday

July 29, 2016 — As of Monday, recreational anglers will get a chance to reacquaint themselves with the much-coveted Gulf of Maine cod when federal fishing restrictions for the species are lifted until the end of September.

But don’t expect a windfall. The bag limit for the iconic species, whose stock NOAA Fisheries maintains is in freefall, will be one cod per fisherman per day.

Still, for recreational fishermen, party boats and larger charter operations, it just might work out that the opportunity to catch one cod a day is enough to lure bigger crowds aboard the boats. Tom Orrell, owner of Gloucester-based Yankee Fleet, certainly hopes that’s the case.

“Our numbers were a little light in July and we’ve been wondering if maybe if some of our recreational fishermen made a conscious decision to wait until they had a chance to land cod,” Orrell said. “So, we’re kind of holding our breath to see what happens.”

Up to this point in the season, Orrell said, his customers have been hauling big numbers of haddock and cusk from around the waters off Cape Ann and farther out. But there is no discounting the allure of the cod.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Scientists have found a way to predict whether fisheries are vulnerable to climate change

July 29, 2016 — World fisheries have steadily been declining over the past couple of decades, and the trend is continuing today.

Just this April, the United States banned most Pacific sardine fishing after the fish population declined by 90% over a nine year period.

And now, one of the United State’s fisheries that was once thought to be “indestructible” is in grave danger as well.

New England’s coastal Atlantic cod population used to be able to recover from short-term population drops, but since 2008, the cod fish have been unable to successfully rebound.

Overexploitation by humans is one of the leading causes of the drops in fish populations, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). But a new study places at least part of the blame on the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) as well.

The NAO is responsible for causing warmer water temperatures in the North Atlantic by creating basin-wide changes in the intensity and location of the North Atlantic jet stream and storm track. It also affects the normal patterns of heat and moisture, affecting temperature and precipitation patterns. This varying phenomenon is the reason for at least 17% of the New England population loss since 1980. The warmer water temperatures cycle hurt the reproductive processes in fish.

Read the full story from Business Insider

NOAA: Drone technology aids whale research off Hawaii

July 29, 2016 — HONOLULU — Federal researchers returning from a 30-day expedition to study whales and dolphins around the Hawaiian Islands said Thursday they are looking for clues to help sustain healthy populations of the marine mammals.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists told reporters that gathering data on the animals is often difficult, especially around the windward coasts of the Hawaiian Islands.

The researchers worked from a large ship, instead of using their normally small survey boats, and explored the coasts of the main Hawaiian Islands where wind conditions and severe weather make it difficult to navigate and remain at sea for extended periods of time.

The team also used a hexacopter drone to photograph the whales and dolphins, something they have never done before in this region.

Using drones allows researchers to get better images of groups of whales because they are not disturbed by the approaching boat, said NOAA’s Erin Oleson, who led the expedition.

The vantage point of the drone also allowed them to more accurately count the number of individuals in a pod, including mothers and calves that sometimes stay underwater. The number of calves helps researchers gauge the whale’s reproductive health. The perspective also allows the scientists to get more accurate size estimates for individual whales.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at The Daily News