Saving Seafood

NOAA Fisheries releases final acoustic guidance

August 8, 2016 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries has released final guidance to help predict how human-made underwater sounds affect marine mammal hearing.

Sound is critical to the survival of marine mammals. It is a primary means of marine mammal communication, orientation and navigation, finding food, avoiding predators, and mate selection.

NOAA will use the guidance in its assessments and authorizations of activities that generate underwater sound. The guidance also allows federal agencies, industries, and other applicants to more accurately predict effects of their proposed projects and help inform decisions about appropriate mitigation and monitoring. NOAA Fisheries also created online tools to help applicants use the new guidance.

“We recognize that growing levels of ocean noise are affecting marine animals and their habitats in complex ways,” said Eileen Sobeck, assistant NOAA administrator for fisheries. “The guidance is one part of NOAA’s holistic approach to addressing effects of ocean noise on marine life.”

NOAA’s authorities to address the effects of ocean noise on marine resources fall primarily under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, Endangered Species Act, National Marine Sanctuaries Act, and Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation Act. These authorities allow NOAA to recommend or require mitigation in order to reduce or eliminate their predicted noise impacts to species and the places they rely on. NOAA shares this responsibility with a number of other federal agencies.

NOAA released its a broader draft Ocean Noise Strategy Roadmap less than two months ago. The technical document is one example of a step the agency is taking to address increasing levels of ocean noise.

Feds back off controversial plan to close commercial bluefish fishery mid-season

August 5, 2016 — The Long Island bluefish fishery will not be closed mid-season as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced last month, which prompted an outcry from federal and state elected officials and commercial fishermen.

A new federal rule will now allow transfers of bluefish quotas from the coast-wide recreational quota to the commercial quota, ensuring that the fishery can continue to harvest bluefish for the remainder of the season, the governor and members of the New York congressional delegation announced yesterday. As a result, 1.58 million pounds from the recreational fishing sector will be transferred to the commercial quota.

“With this common sense, flexible decision by the NOAA, we have reeled in a major win for Long Island’s commercial fishing boats,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer. “With the quota transfer, our Long Island fishing boats – who were facing a harsh and premature closing of the fishery — can keep earning, employing others and harvesting their catch. The feds did the right thing by heeding the call and supporting an industry that has deep history on Long Island.”

Read the full story at SoutholdLOCAL

Activists Push for Hawaii National Monument Expansion After Public Meetings

August 5, 2016 — Native Hawaiians, marine scientists, conservationists, and the commercial longline fishing industry have been speaking out about U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz’s (D-HI) proposal to expand the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Public hearings conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the Hawaiian islands of Oahu and Kauai concluded Tuesday.

“It’s really important for people to have an opportunity to be heard,” Schatz said in a statement. “I am grateful to President Obama and his Administration for accepting my invitation to hear directly from Hawai’i residents before making any decisions.”

President George W. Bush created Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument 10 years ago by executive order. The 139,797 square-mile protected area is almost the size of California and is home to 7,000 species of birds, fish, and marine mammals, at least a quarter of which are found only in Hawaii, according to the NOAA.

Read the full story at NBC News

ASMFC Coastal Sharks Board Approves Addendum IV to the FMP

August 4, 2016 — The following was released by NOAA:

Alexandria, VA – The Coastal Sharks Management Board approved Addendum IV to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic Coastal Sharks. The Addendum amends the FMP to allow smooth dogfish carcasses to be landed with corresponding fins removed from the carcass as long as the total retained catch on board at the time of landing is composed of at least 25 percent smooth dogfish. Trips that do not meet the 25 percent catch composition requirement can land smooth dogfish, but the fins must remain naturally attached to the carcass. Naturally attached is defined as attached to the corresponding shark through some portion of uncut skin.

Through the Board’s action, the Addendum maintains consistency between federal and state shark FMPs and better incorporates the intent of the smooth dogfish limited exception in the Shark Conservation Act of 2010 (SCA) into state regulations.  States are required to implement the Addendum’s management measure by January 1, 2017.

Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Advisory Panel Meeting September 7-8, 2016

August 4, 2016 — The following was released by NOAA:

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) intends to hold a meeting of the Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Advisory Panel (AP) on September 7-8, 2016, at the Sheraton Silver Spring Hotel, 8777 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910.  The AP meeting and webinar will be held from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on both Wednesday and Thursday, September 7 and September 8, 2016.

On Wednesday, September 7, 2016, the conference call information is phone number 1-888-469-2188; Participant Code: 7954019; and the webinar event address is: https://noaaevents2.webex.com/noaaevents2/onstage/g.php?MTID=eec1bb32466dd8905125c5db01b539623; event password: NOAA.

On Thursday, September 8, 2016, the conference call information is phone number 1-888-469-2188; Participant Code: 7954019; and the webinar event address is:  https://noaaevents2.webex.com/noaaevents2/onstage/g.php?MTID=e9fcef19f3c43ce6255dfad07807a71f4 ; event password: NOAA.

Participants are strongly encouraged to log/dial in 15 minutes prior to the meeting.  NMFS will show the presentations via webinar and allow public comment during identified times on the agenda.

The intent of this meeting is to consider alternatives for the conservation and management of all Atlantic tunas, swordfish, billfish, and shark fisheries.  We anticipate discussing the results of the 2016 dusky shark stock assessment and the Amendment 5b timeline; Draft Amendment 10 on Essential Fish Habitat, including potential Habitat Areas of Particular Concern; implementation updates for Final Amendment 7 on bluefin tuna management; and progress updates on various other rulemakings, including archival tag requirements, blacknose and small coastal shark management; domestic implementation of recommendations from the 2015 meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas; and potential changes to limited access vessel upgrading requirements and Individual Bluefin Quota program inseason transfer criteria.  We also anticipate discussing recreational topics regarding data collection and economic surveys, as well as progress updates regarding the exempted fishing permit request to conduct research in pelagic longline closed areas.  Finally, we also intend to invite other NMFS offices to provide updates on their activities relevant to HMS fisheries.

ASMFC Initiates Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Cobia

August 3, 2016 — The following was released by the ASMFC:

Alexandria, VA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission approved the initiation of a new Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the Atlantic Migratory Group of Cobia to complement fishery management efforts of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council). This action responds to a request by the Council for the Commission to consider joint or complementary management of the resource in light of the significant overage of the 2015 recreational annual catch limit (ACL), the impact of those overages to state management, and the observation that approximately 82% of reported recreational landings are harvested in state waters.

Widely distributed throughout the western Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, cobia are managed as two distinct groups – the Gulf Migratory Group and the Atlantic Migratory Group. The Atlantic Migratory Group, which ranges from New York to Georgia, is managed by the Council. Recreational landings of the Atlantic Migratory Group in 2015 were approximately 1.5 million pounds, 145% over the ACL, resulting in a June 20, 2016 closure of the fishery by NOAA Fisheries. Commercial cobia landings in 2015 were 83,148 pounds, 38% over the ACL. Late landings reports in 2015 precluded a timely closure of the commercial fishery.

Concerns were expressed by individual states whose recreational seasons were significantly reduced by the closure due to the overage of the 2015 quota. North Carolina and Virginia developed alternate management strategies to avoid the June 20, 2016 closure enacted by NOAA Fisheries for federal waters. South Carolina has recently implemented more restrictive measures that are consistent with the actions of NOAA Fisheries in some areas. A complementary Commission FMP for cobia will provide the states the flexibility to respond to changes in the fishery and stock that meet their state fisheries needs while staying within the ACL

NOAA’s Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary seeks advisory council applicants

August 4, 2016 — NOAA’s Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary is seeking applicants for one business/industry alternate seat on its advisory council. The council ensures public participation in sanctuary management and provides advice to the sanctuary superintendent.

Candidates are selected based on their expertise and experience in relation to the seat for which they are applying, community and professional affiliations, and views regarding the protection and management of marine resources. Applicants who are chosen as members should expect to serve a three-year term.

The advisory council consists of 36 primary and alternate members representing a variety of public interest groups. It also includes six governmental seats representing Massachusetts Environmental Police; Coastal Zone Management; Division of Marine Fisheries; New England Fisheries Management Council; NOAA Fisheries; and U.S. Coast Guard.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

‘Sea change:’ NOAA to shift fish surveys to commercial boats

August 3, 2016 — In what one advocate called “a potential sea change” for the commercial fishing industry, NOAA Fisheries announced intentions Tuesday to shift all or part of long-controversial stock surveys from its Bigelow research vessel to commercial boats, saying a transition over the next five years could bring “greater shared confidence” in survey results.

“We have to learn to work better with the (commercial fishing) industry — we have to open up better lines of communication,” Dr. Bill Karp, director of NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, said of the transition.

How fish stocks are measured has been one of the biggest points of contention for years between governmental regulators and commercial fishermen, as survey results affect seasonal catch limits, quotas for various species and more. The latest questions about NOAA’s Henry R. Bigelow research ship arose this spring, for example, when maintenance problems delayed NOAA’s spring survey from April to June.

Don Cuddy, program director for the Center for Sustainable Fisheries in New Bedford, said fishermen also have felt the Bigelow is unable to accurately count “flatfish,” such as yellowtail flounder, because of the type of gear it tows.

“Yellowtail flounder are critical to the scallop industry as well as the groundfish,” Cuddy said, explaining that low quotas for yellowtail can force scallopers to prematurely stop operations, if they incidentally snag too many yellowtail as a bycatch.

Cuddy said enabling commercial boats to participate in NOAA surveys — and placing government scientists on the same boats as fishermen — could help “close the credibility gap” that has long surrounded survey results.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

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.