Saving Seafood

NOAA introduces quota system for Pacific cod trawlers

August 28, 2023 — NOAA Fisheries has finalized its plans for a new quota system for Pacific cod trawling, which will require U.S. fishermen to join a cooperative to harvest cod in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands region in most of 2024.

Under the Pacific Cod Trawl Cooperative Program, NOAA Fisheries will set an overall harvest quota and then assign quota permits to cooperatives. The cooperatives, which must be associated with a processor, will then determine how much cod each individual member can catch under those permits. Quota shares for cooperatives will be determined by historic landing data.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Restoring Atlantic Salmon and Reviving Tribal Connections in the Penobscot River Watershed

August 26, 2023 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

For the last 20 years, NOAA Fisheries and its partners have strived to restore endangered Atlantic salmon to Maine’s Penobscot River, a NOAA Habitat Focus Area. The Penobscot River watershed, and several other waterways in Maine, support the last remaining wild Atlantic salmon in the United States. Through the removal of dams and other barriers, access to high-quality habitat in the Penobscot River is improving.

Now, our long-term partners—the Atlantic Salmon Federation and the Penobscot Nation—received more than $10.5 million dollars in funding from NOAA under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. They are working to:

  • Connect Atlantic salmon and other sea-run fish with the cold, clean streams and lakes off of the mainstem Penobscot River, where juvenile fish can thrive
  • Revive the once vital human connections to the river

A Loss of Fisheries and Culture

The Penobscot River once brought millions of migratory fish from the Gulf of Maine to distant spawning grounds in the lakes and small streams of the Appalachian Mountains. “The watershed once saw up to 100,000 Atlantic salmon, tens of millions of river herring, and 3 to 5 million American shad,” says Matthew Bernier, a NOAA engineer who reviews project designs for Penobscot restoration efforts.

It was also the lifeline of the Penobscot people who have lived alongside the river for thousands of years. “The river was our highway and our food source,” says Chuck Loring, Jr., Director of Natural Resources for the Penobscot Nation. “Fish was a third of our diet and we also used alewife [a type of river herring] to fertilize our gardens.”

Two hundred years ago, a wave of industrialization permanently altered the Penobscot watershed. More than 100 dams were built and pollution entered the water, causing fish populations to crash. The Penobscot Nation last harvested Atlantic salmon in 1988 for ceremonial purposes.

“We have to be careful about eating other types of fish because of the level of contamination,” says Loring. “Now we eat more processed food and there is a high occurrence of diabetes in the community.” Loss of ancestral traditions has had major psychological effects on the Nation as well. “I think in losing pieces of our culture, we’ve also lost pieces of ourselves,” says Loring.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

 

NOAA to test new fighting line device and other gear in the Pacific Islands

August 24, 2023 — NOAA Fisheries plans to test a new fishing device designed by the Hawaii Longline Association along with other gear in the Pacific Islands to see what is safest for marine mammals.

Hawaii fishermen developed the fighting line device in response to concerns over harm to porpoises and sharks caught in fighting gear in the Pacific longline fisheries. The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (WPFMC) has been working to reduce false killer whale bycatch in tuna fisheries, but weaker hooks developed to straighten out have proven ineffectual. In roughly a decade of usage, the hooks only straightened ten percent of the time.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Climate Change Likely to Reshape West Coast Fisheries by Sending Fish Farther Offshore

August 21, 2023 — Shifting ocean conditions associated with climate change will likely send high-value sablefish into deeper waters off the West Coast, new research shows. That could make the fish tougher to catch and force fishing crews to follow them or shift to other, more accessible species.

The research led by scientists at NOAA Fisheries’ Northwest Fisheries Science Center provides a glimpse of West Coast fisheries with climate change. Fishing crews must always balance the value of different commercial species against the distances involved in catching them, but climate change could alter that equation in new ways.

Scientists studied how four species of West Coast groundfish commonly caught together may respond to climate change. The four species accounted for 53 percent of bottom-trawl groundfish revenue off the Pacific Coast over the last decade. They include sablefish, the most valuable groundfish species, as well as Dover sole; shortspine thornyhead; and longspine thornyhead.

“Together, these are a large proportion of the groundfish caught off the West Coast, so they provide some indication of how things may change and the choices those changes present for the fishing community,” said Owen Liu, a research scientist at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle. “This may not be good news for the fisheries, but it hopefully provides some foresight into how distributions may shift and gives fisheries and managers time to consider how to adapt to these changes.”

The research published in Science Advances can help the commercial fishing fleet and fisheries managers prepare for changes climate change may bring to the ecosystem, researchers said. Climate models predict warming temperatures and declining oxygen levels in waters off the West Coast, which is dominated by the California Current. Temperatures and oxygen levels are known to affect the distribution of fish species.

Offshore Shift Goes Deep

The forecasts anticipate declines in the abundance of sablefish and shortspine thornyhead and increases in longspine thornyhead, with mixed forecasts of the abundance of Dover sole. All the species except longspine thornyhead are expected to move farther offshore into deeper waters. The steep offshore drop beyond the continental shelf, which on the West Coast is 20 or more miles offshore, can lead to substantial increases in depth for groundfish species that inhabit the sea floor.

As the species shift farther offshore, the increased depths and distances mean that fishing vessels must travel farther to reach their target species. They may also find that standard bottom trawl gear becomes less efficient at catching fish at such depths. Greater proportions of sablefish and shortspine thornyhead may also descend below 700 fathoms, depths where the groundfish management plan that governs fishing off the West Coast currently prohibits fishing.

The findings also highlight the challenge fisheries managers may face in keeping fishing sustainable even as conditions change and species move.  That may mean rethinking regulations so fishing can continue while protecting enough fish and habitat so species can maintain themselves long-term.

“If a significant proportion of target species moves deeper, as our results suggest for some species, there may be an incentive for industry and management to overcome technical and policy challenges to enable fishing at greater depths to follow target species to their new habitats,” the researchers concluded.

Read the full story at NOAA Fisheries

Warmer Seas Grow Hardships For US Commercial Fishing Industry

August 21, 2023 — Climate change is forcing shifts in the American fishing industry as animals, fishermen and policymakers adjust to rising sea temperatures.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association said in a release earlier this week that July was the fourth-consecutive month of record-setting ocean surface temperatures. The month was also the first time the average July temperature was greater than 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit above the long-term average.

“Globally, July 2023 set a record for the highest monthly sea surface temperature anomaly … of any month in NOAA’s climate record,” the agency’s release said.

Shifting ocean temperatures force changes big and small for U.S. fishery. Some species benefit from warmer ocean temperatures while others suffer. While the catch isn’t significantly changing, the livelihoods of the men and women employed by the fishing industry and those in their communities are changing rapidly.

Read the full story at the International Business Times

ALASKA: New quota system to start for trawl harvests of cod in Bering Sea and Aleutians

August 21, 2023 — Commercial fishermen netting Pacific cod from the Bering Sea and Aleutians region will be working under new individual limits starting next year designed to ease pressure on harvests that regulators concluded were too rushed, too dangerous and too prone to accidentally catch untargeted fish species.

The new system will require fishers who harvest cod by trawl – the net gear that scoops up fish swimming near the bottom of the ocean – to be part of designated cooperatives that will then have assigned quota shares. The fisheries service at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it has notified eligible participants and is asking for applications.

The cod-trawling program, to start next January, is the first new fishery quota system started since 2012 in federal waters off Alaska, according to NOAA Fisheries.

The Pacific cod harvest is the second-biggest commercial groundfish catch in the waters off Alaska, after pollock, according to NOAA Fisheries. The 2021 commercial harvest totaled 330.4 million pounds and was worth $86.5 million, according to NOAA Fisheries.

Read the full story at KTOO

Pilot study aims to assess fishing stock calculations

August 18, 2023 — Evan Howell, director of the Office of Science and Technology for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries, facilitated an online public meeting on Monday, Aug. 7, during which he presented key findings of a pilot study conducted to evaluate potential sources of bias in NOAA Fisheries’ recreational Fishing Effort Survey questionnaire design.

“Switching the sequence of questions resulted in fewer reporting errors and recreational angler effort estimates that were 30% to 40% lower than estimates produced from the current NOAA survey design,” Howell said. “Results varied by state and fishing mode.”

The Fishing Effort Survey is a household mail survey administered from Maine to Mississippi and in Hawaii by a NOAA Fisheries’ contractor. It collects private recreational fishing trip information for each resident of a responding household.

The results of NOAA’s reassessment of how they estimate recreational effort could affect recreational harvest limits, possibly increasing some. How much of an increase would vary by region and species.

Read the full article at the Providence Journal

Biden administration announces more than USD 300 million for salmon recovery and fish passage projects

August 18, 2023 — The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has announced nearly USD 300 million (EUR 276 million) for salmon recovery and fish passage improvement projects.

This week, NOAA Fisheries recommended USD 106 million (EUR 98 million) in funding for 16 salmon recovery projects along the West Coast and in Alaska through the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF). At the same time, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has unveiled USD 196 million (EUR 180 million) in funding for to fix or remove 169 culvert barriers to improve fish passage.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Biden-Harris Administration announces $106 million in recommended funding for West Coast and Alaska salmon recovery

August 17, 2023 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Today, the Department of Commerce and NOAA announced more than $106 million in recommended funding for 16 West Coast and Alaska state and tribal salmon recovery programs and projects under the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF). The funds, including $34.4 million under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and $7.5 million under the Inflation Reduction Act, will support the recovery, conservation and resilience of Pacific salmon and steelhead in Alaska, California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. This funding is part of President Biden’s historic Investing in America agenda, which includes over $2 billion for fish passage investments across the country. 

Programs and projects recommended for funding will benefit four Species in the Spotlight: Central California Coast coho salmon, Sacramento River winter-run chinook salmon, Southern Resident killer whales and Cook Inlet beluga whales. In addition, programs and projects recommended for funding will aid in the recovery of 28 salmon and steelhead species listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), as well as salmon and steelhead species that are necessary for native subsistence and tribal treaty fishing rights.

“This funding, made possible in part by President Biden’s historic Investing in America agenda, provides an important opportunity to bolster salmon and steelhead recovery and invest in the communities that rely on them,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “The diligent work carried out by NOAA Fisheries and partners will help ensure the funding reaches regions and fish populations where it is needed most.”

The PCSRF funds will continue expert state and tribal programs that have demonstrated success in implementing high priority and effective projects benefiting salmon populations and their habitats. The BIL and IRA funds will amplify targeted investments in communities, expand partnerships and continue building place-based climate and economic resilience. Of the 16 applicants recommended to receive funding, 11 applicants are individual tribes or tribal commission/consortia including one new tribal applicant.

“The projects recommended for funding will build on PCSRF’s long history of successful conservation and restoration efforts to recover salmon and steelhead populations,” said Janet Coit, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries. “These awards will also provide support to Pacific Coast tribes and Alaska Natives to help sustain their communities and cultural traditions in the face of climate change.” 

Projects recommend for funding include: 

Alaska

  • The Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s Alaska Sustainable Salmon Fund will support projects to maintain healthy salmon populations and restore habitats. Projects funded include the protection of water quantity and quality, land conservation, fish passage improvements, removal of invasive species, instream restoration and monitoring of salmon populations. ($6,800,000)
  • The Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim Consortia will support salmon population research and monitoring to better understand the complex relationships between salmon and freshwater, nearshore, and marine environments, while improving management and recovery of declined salmon populations. ($2,000,000)
  • The Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska will monitor sockeye and pink salmon escapement before contamination removal from Unalaska Lake and Iliuliuk Creek. ($1,383,000)

California

  • The California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Fisheries Restoration Grant Program will fund large-scale process-based habitat restoration projects for salmon and steelhead throughout the state. The projects aim to improve the spawning success of adult salmon and steelhead, and increase the health and survival of all life stages of salmon and steelhead. ($18,600,000)
  • The Klamath River Inter-Tribal Fish and Water Commission will administer awards to its member tribes to conduct salmon and steelhead habitat restoration activities, monitoring and research. ($2,560,000)

Idaho

  • The Idaho Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund Program administered by the Idaho Governor’s Office of Species Conservation will fund projects compatible with the Columbia Basin Collaborative sustainability goals including enhancing the availability and quality of salmon habitats and improving management practices. ($9,000,000)
  • The Coeur d’Alene Tribe will gather data to inform the full-scale feasibility of salmon reintroductions upstream of Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee dams by studying the downstream movement and survival of juvenile Chinook salmon. ($575,000)
  • The Shoshone Bannock Tribes will participate in fishery forecasting and in-season management of tribal fisheries on Snake River spring/summer Chinook salmon; and restore and enhance Panther Creek, a tributary of the Salmon River. ($441,000)

Oregon

Washington

  • Washington’s Salmon Recovery Funding Board, through the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office, will continue work to recover ESA-listed salmon and support treaty fishing rights through habitat restoration and fishery monitoring efforts. ($25,500,000)
  • The Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission will administer awards to coastal treaty tribes to restore and protect habitats, conduct monitoring and enable projects that will help fulfill tribal treaty fishing rights for ESA-listed salmon and steelhead. ($6,300,000) 
  • The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation will study salmon reintroduction upstream of Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee Dams in the Upper Columbia Basin, to support trapping and transporting adult salmon, and restoring native subsistence fishing. ($621,000)
  • The Cowlitz Indian Tribe will address fish passage to Cabin and Johnson Creeks within the Grays River watershed for Chinook and coho salmon, river chum and steelhead. The recovery plan identifies the Grays River subbasin as one of the most promising areas for salmon recovery among Washington coastal subbasins. ($3,610,000)

Since the program’s inception in 2000, NOAA’s PCSRF has provided more than $1.7 billion to implement more than 15,000 salmon recovery projects. Our partners have protected, restored and created nearly 1.2 million acres of salmon habitat and have made over 11,800 stream miles accessible to salmon and steelhead.

While application approvals and fund obligations are not yet final, each of these applications is being “recommended” for funding. This is not an authorization to start projects or guarantee of funding, and final decisions will be made in the coming months.

President Biden’s Investing in America agenda includes over $2 billion for fish passage investments across the country. To help support implementation of Investing in America funding for fish passage, the Federal Interagency Fish Passage Task Force was established in 2022 by collective agreement of its 13 member agencies. The purpose of the Task Force is to act as the collaborative strategic entity responsible for coordination and implementation of these funds for fish passage projects across federal agencies to make the largest positive impact possible. This announcement comes one day after the one year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest investment in climate action and resilience in history. 

Rising ocean temperatures could threaten sharks, tuna and other predators: Study

August 17, 2023 — By the year 2100, the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico could experience a rise in temperature that could impact sharks, tuna and other predators, according to a study led by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), San Diego State University and NOAA Fisheries.

”What we’re seeing is this rise, a linear increase in ocean temperature,” Rebecca Lewison, a biology professor at San Diego State University, and co-author of the study, told NBC 7 Wednesday.

Using three decades of satellite and oceanographic modeling, researchers found that temperatures across these oceans could be 1-6 degrees Celsius warmer by 2100 because of climate change-driven shifts. The study, funded by NASA, has taken a deeper dive into what the future might look like in these oceans.

“By combining satellite data, like NASA’s satellite data, that we use with the information that we have on animals in the ocean, we know so much about the changes that are happening, so we don’t want to create a sort of one-size-fits-all approach,” Lewison said. “The science is really there to support dynamic management in all oceans.”

Read the full article at NBC