Saving Seafood

Experts, public discuss potential underwater marine monument

September 17, 2015 — There could soon be a national monument underwater off the coasts of Cape Cod and Maine.

President Obama has the authority to declare deepwater canyons and sea mounts a marine national monument.

Areas in the Pacific Ocean have been declared national monuments, but so far there are none in the Atlantic.

Representatives from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, held a town hall meeting at the Providence Marriott Tuesday night to hear public comment.

Many at the meeting agreed that something has to be done to save and protect underwater canyons and coral reefs in New England.

But they did not agree on the best way to do that.

“Every one of these dives in a submarine canyon is kind of like a stroll through a Dr. Seuss-like garden,” Peter Auster, a marine ecologist, said.

Read the full story from TurnTo10

2016 Monkfish Research Set-Aside Proposals Due November 16, 2015

September 17, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA:

NOAA Fisheries, in coordination with the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils (Councils), is soliciting monkfish research proposals to utilize 500 Monkfish Days-at-Sea (DAS) per year that have been set-aside by the Councils to fund monkfish research through the 2016 Monkfish Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program.

Read the announcement summary or the full announcement on our website, or go to Grants.gov and use the following funding opportunity number: NOAA-NMFS-NEFSC-2016-2004598.

Questions? Contact Cheryl Corbett, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, 166 Water Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543, by phone 508-495-2070, fax 508-495-2004, or email at cheryl.corbett@noaa.gov.

Monkfish

NOAA Seeking Input on deep sea canyon and seamount protection

September 16, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA:

NOAA invites your input on possible permanent protections for three deep sea canyons — Oceanographer, Gilbert, and Lydonia — and four seamounts off of New England’s coast. Deep sea canyons, which plunge to depths greater than 7,000 feet, and sea mounts, which rise thousands of feet above the sea floor, create unique habitats supporting tremendous biodiversity and fragile ecosystems that are home to corals, fish, marine mammals, turtles, and more.

To ensure that we protect these unique places for future generations while recognizing the importance of sustainable ocean-based economies, we are seeking input from all interested parties in the region. 

Please send comments as soon as possible to atlanticconservation@noaa.gov 

Questions? Contact Allison Ferreira, Regional Office, at 978-281-9103 or Allison.Ferreira@noaa.gov

Credit: NOAA

 

DAVE MONTI: Balancing fishing and marine conservation a delicate act

September 17, 2015 — NOAA is exploring permanent protections for three deep sea canyons — Oceanographer, Gilbert, and Lydonia Canyons — and four seamounts 130 to 200 miles off New England’s coast.

Deep sea canyons, which plunge to depths greater than 7,000 feet, and seamounts, which rise thousands of feet above the sea floor, create unique habitats supporting tremendous biodiversity and fragile ecosystems that are home to corals, fish, marine mammals, turtles, and more. These habitats are well worth preserving.

I thought the public meeting and proposed process was good, although many fishermen and fish policy makers felt it circumvented the New England Fishery Management Council’s authority. They believe the council is charged with regulating fishing via the Magnuson Stevens Act in this area.

I understand that it is not all about fishing, but I believe recreational and commercial fishermen should continue to be granted access to fishing grounds in and near the proposed monument areas, as long as they are not affecting the area in a negative way. For example, when recreational fishermen target tuna they are pretty much on the surface, not down to the sea floor where protections are needed.

I do believe drilling, mining, laying cable and certain types of fishing should be restricted.

If fishing can continue to be conducted respectfully in the proposed monument areas, and this is written into the law while restricting disruptive and harmful uses, I am all for designating national monument areas.

Read the full opinion piece at the Providence Journal

 

Commercial Harvest of Snowy Grouper and Vermilion Snapper Will Close on September 22, 2015 in South Atlantic Waters

September 16, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA:

Commercial harvest of snowy grouper and vermilion snapper in South Atlantic waters will close, at 12:01 a.m. (local time) on September 22, 2015.

Snowy Grouper
The commercial sector of snowy grouper was closed on June 30, 2015, because the catch limit was met. On August 20, 2015, the final rule for Regulatory Amendment 20 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region increased the catch limit to 115,451 pounds gutted weight. Reports indicate the revised catch limit will be met by September 22, 2015. Commercial harvest will reopen at 12:01 a.m. (local time) on January 1, 2016.

Vermilion Snapper
The 2015 July-December commercial catch limit of vermilion snapper is 438,260 pounds whole weight. Reports indicate the catch limit will be met by September 22, 2015. Commercial harvest will reopen at 12:01 a.m. (local time) on January 1, 2016.

The operator of a vessel with a federal commercial permit for snapper-grouper that is landing snowy grouper or vermilion snapper for sale must have landed and bartered, traded, or sold such snowy grouper and vermilion snapper prior to 12:01 a.m. (local time), September 22, 2015. The prohibition on sale does not apply to sale or purchase of snowy grouper or vermilion snapper that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold prior to 12:01 a.m. (local time), September 22, 2015, and held in cold storage by a dealer or processor.

During the closure:

  • Harvest or possession of snowy grouper or vermilion snapper is limited to the recreational bag and possession limits.
  • Sale or purchase of snowy grouper or vermilion snapper is prohibited.
  • The prohibition on sale or purchase does not apply to the sale or purchase of snowy grouper or vermilion snapper that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold prior to 12:01 a.m., local time, September 22, 2015, and were held in cold storage by a dealer or processor.
  • The closure applies in both state and federal waters for a vessel with a federal commercial permit for snapper-grouper.

These closures are necessary to protect the snapper-grouper fishery.

Fisheries Regulation and Catch Limits Round Table With US Senator Kelly Ayotte & NOAA Officials

September 17, 2015 — The following was released by the office of Sen. Kelly Ayotte:

 

United States Senator Kelly Ayotte will hold a round table discussion with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) officials, New Hampshire fishermen, and business leaders.

When:          Friday September 18, 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM

Where:        1 New Hampshire Avenue – Suite 300 (New Hampshire Room – 3rd Floor)

Pease Trade Port, Portsmouth, NH

United States Senator Kelly Ayotte has asked NOAA officials to come to New Hampshire to hear directly from New Hampshire fishermen and business leaders whose businesses rely on commercial and recreational fishing off New Hampshire’s seacoast.  NOAA has been asked to discuss and answer questions regarding fishing regulations, including catch limits, NOAA’s process for assessing and determining fish stocks, the imposition of fees for monitors on commercial fishing vessels, and NOAA’s application of the Magnuson-Stevens Act.  Following introductory remarks from Senator Ayotte, attendees will have an opportunity present questions or comments to the NOAA officials.

 

Press Release: NOAA Fisheries Announces $3 Million to Restore Habitat in Great Lakes

September 17, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA:

NOAA Fisheries Announces $3 Million in Funding to Restore Habitat in Great Lakes

NOAA has selected three projects, through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), totaling $3 million, to restore habitat in severely degraded areas of the Great Lakes

Funded projects are in Michigan and Ohio. They will benefit a variety of important local fish stock, including important spawning and nursery grounds for muskellunge, northern pike, pumpkinseed sunfish, largemouth bass, yellow perch, channel catfish, and bullhead. This funding builds on years of investment in the Great Lakes to restore waterways threatened by poor water quality, contaminated fish, and other environmental concerns. 

NOAA’s Restoration Center targets habitat conservation where it’s needed it most. We provide funding and technical guidance to restore coastal habitat nationwide. In the Great Lakes, we focus on restoring the most degraded environments–designated “Areas of Concern”–as well as reversing the environmental damages resulting from oil spills, and chemical releases.

“Great Lakes communities deserve a clean and healthy environment and these projects will help restore Great Lakes Areas of Concern,” said Pat Montanio, Director of NOAA’s Office of Habitat Conservation. “This work shows how the GLRI is making a difference for communities across the region.”

NOAA’s investment in the effort to restore aquatic habitat is part of a long-term effort to rebuild fisheries, many of which have declined from habitat loss, over-fishing and climate change. Recent successes show that restoring habitat is a way not only to stop the decline of fish populations, but also to regrow them to historic high numbers. 

Funded Projects: 

Maumee River Wetland Restoration at Penn 7 Project

Toledo, OH ($175,000 awarded to the City of Toledo)

Funding will support initial site characterization and feasibility study on the lower Maumee River to determine the restoration potential of 15.2 acres of emergent coastal/floodplain wetland habitat at the Penn 7 property site.

Rouge River – Henry Ford Estate Dam Fish Passage and 

Habitat Restoration Design Project

Dearborn, MI ($350,000 awarded to the Alliance of Rouge Communities)

Experts will determine the appropriate design to hydrologically reconnect 50 miles of the Rouge River and 108 additional miles of its tributaries to the Great Lakes system. Once implemented, this project will improve fish and wildlife habitat to promote healthy populations of desirable native fish, wildlife and bottom-dwelling organisms within the Rouge River Watershed.

Detroit River – Stony Island Habitat Restoration Project

Detroit, MI ($415,605 awarded to Friends of the Detroit River)

This is a multi-year project supporting the restoration of approximately 3,000 linear feet of habitat shoals, creation and protection of 50 acres of backwater habitat within Stony Island. This implementation project is a major step in completing a habitat re-construction among the islands in the lower part of the Detroit River.

Conservation groups, fishermen divided over NOAA plan for marine national monument

September 15, 2015 — Hundreds of people filled a conference hall Tuesday night to speak out on a federal proposal to permanently protect a network of deep-sea canyons and underwater mountains off New England by creating the first marine national monument on the Atlantic coast.

The crowd at the meeting hosted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was divided between environmental groups and marine scientists on one side who have been pushing President Obama to preserve in perpetuity the area that starts about 100 miles southeast of Cape Cod and, on the other, commercial fishermen who say that the monument consideration process is flawed and amorphous.

As exhibit A, those in the fishing community pointed to the scope of the area under consideration, which was still not entirely clear at the hearing. Although the agenda listed three canyons — Gilbert, Lydonia and Oceanographer — as well as the seamounts south of them, as part of the proposal, NOAA officials said the area could change.

“There is not a specific proposal on the table,” said Christine Blackburn, NOAA senior adviser, adding that the agency will consider all comments on the plan.

Read the full story from the Providence Journal

NORTH CAROLINA: Fisheries joint enforcement, charter boat logs repealed

September 15, 2015 — A new law passed this summer by the General Assembly and signed by Gov. Pat McCrory rolls back a pair of controversial fisheries management measures approved by state lawmakers in 2014.

Senate Bill 374, sponsored by Sen. Bill Cook (R – Beaufort), repeals the for-hire coastal recreational fishing licenses logbook requirement and ends a joint agreement that allowed NOAA Fisheries Enforcement to also have jurisdiction in state waters.

Some members of the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission members and staffers at the Division of Marine Fisheries said the log book was going to be required by federal regulators in the near future, and imposing the rule last year divided the recreational fishing community along interest group lines.

Charter industry participants cited the distraction of keeping and recording catches when the captain should be attending to the safety of the boat and the fishing needs of their clients.

Read the full story at the Outer Banks Voice

 

Fishermen Unite In Opposition to Atlantic Marine National Monument

WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) — September 15, 2015 — Tonight, at a NOAA town hall meeting in Providence, Rhode Island, representatives from two of the largest fishing industry organizations in New England presented a letter that will be sent to President Obama opposing calls for a new marine National Monument in the waters off the coast of New England.

READ SAVING SEAFOOD’S ANALYSIS OF THE NEW ENGLAND MARINE MONUMENT PROPOSAL

Drew Minkiewicz, of the Fisheries Survival Fund, and Jackie Odell, Executive Director of the Northeast Seafood Coalition, will present the letter. In just 24 hours, over 630 fishermen, seafood industry workers, and members of our nation’s fishing communities have signed the letter. Signatures will continue to be collected, and the letter will be submitted to the White House, with copies to the Secretary of Commerce, the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Administrator of the National Marine Fisheries Service.

The meeting in Providence is being called to discuss the possibility of declaring Cashes Ledge, as well as the New England Canyons and Seamounts, as National Monuments. The signers of the letter strongly oppose the proposal as unnecessary and harmful to current management efforts. The letter notes that Cashes Ledge is currently protected, as has been so for over a decade. It also notes a National Monument designation, which would result from unilateral Presidential action under the Antiquities Act, would remove the areas from the open, democratic regulatory process that is currently responsible for managing them.

The Fisheries Survival Fund represents the majority of the full-time Limited Access scallop fleet. The Northeast Seafood Coalition represents members of the commercial groundfish fishery in New England.

The Northeast Seafood Coalition is a non-profit membership organization representing commercial fishing entities in the northeastern United States on political and policy issues affecting their interests as participants in the multispecies (groundfish) fishery. 

The text of the letter is reproduced below:

We, the undersigned, in conjunction with the Fisheries Survival Fund and the Northeast Seafood Coalition, object to any attempt to manage New England’s offshore marine habitats through the use of the Antiquities Act and the designation of National Monuments. Doing so undermines the public and democratic processes that are now in place to manage these areas, shuts out important stakeholders, and prevents meaningful outside input. Considering that the current public process has led to the substantial habitat protections already in place throughout the region, such a designation is both unnecessary and damaging to the long-term management of these areas.

New England’s marine habitats are currently managed through a consultative process that considers the experience and input of expert scientists, fishermen, environmentalists, and regulators. It is where the best available science and analytical approaches are vetted in an open and transparent venue.  Large-scale closures, enacted by executive fiat and not based in science, are not only undemocratic but they can have substantial unintended adverse impacts on bycatch composition, region-wide habitat, and the economies of coastal communities.

Recent actions by the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC), specifically the recently passed Omnibus Habitat Amendment 2 (OHA2) reinforce habitat protections in New England waters into the foreseeable future.

In addition to protecting features such as the kelp forests on Cashes Ledge under OHA2, the regional management councils have gone to great lengths to further safeguard essential habitats such as corals. The NEFMC is considering the Deep-Sea Coral Amendment, which would preserve the coral habitats in the New England Canyons and Seamounts, areas that have also been frequently under discussion for National Monument designation. The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) also recently acted to protect over 38,000 square miles of deep-sea coral. These are clear demonstrations that current habitat management is remarkably sensitive to conservation and the need to protect unique habitats.

Replacing this collaborative, open management with top-down Presidential action undermines these successful efforts. It makes it less likely that local voices are heard in the deliberations, narrows the decision-making process from broadly democratic to single-handed, and in consequence disregards crucial stakeholder input and expertise. It ultimately results in a regulatory process that is not responsive to feedback and is not accountable to the people who are most affected by it.

As members of the fishing communities whose livelihoods depend on inclusive, responsive management we recognize that such a fundamental altering of the regulatory process is unacceptable. Any management of public resources needs to preserve public input and involvement, not disregard it. We oppose unilateral Executive Action to declare marine National Monuments in New England.

Click here to add your name to the letter