Saving Seafood

NOAA Announces Final Amendment 6 to Atlantic Highly Migratory Species FMP

August 17, 2015 — The following was released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): 

Effective August 18, 2015

Final Amendment 6 to the 2006 Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP) (Amendment 6) implements a range of management measures for the Atlantic commercial shark fisheries. 

Who is affected?

 Amendment 6 could affect:

  • Any commercial shark fisherman.
  • Any dealers who buy or sell sharks or shark products (information specific to dealers will be disseminated separately). 

What will it do?

The full range of alternatives considered can be found in the final environmental impact statement and/or final rule, which can be found at: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/documents/fmp/am6/index.html

This action implements the following measures: 

  • Commercial Retention Limit: Increases the large coastal shark (LCS) retention limit for shark directed limited access permit holders to a maximum of 55 LCS other than sandbar sharks per trip with a default of 45 LCS other than sandbar sharks per trip; 
  • Adjusts the sandbar shark research fishery quota to 90.7 mt dw (199,943 lb dw).

NMFS may adjust the commercial retention limit and sandbar shark research fishery quota before the next fishing season or mid-season based on various factors including the fishing rates from the current or previous years.  

  • Atlantic Regional Quotas (Figure 1): 

-Establishes a management boundary in the Atlantic region along 34° 00′ N. latitude (approximately at Wilmington, North Carolina) for the small coastal shark (SCS) fishery; maintains the non-blacknose SCS quota linkage with the blacknose shark quota south of the 34° 00′ N. latitude; and prohibits the retention and landings of blacknose sharks north of the 34° 00′ N. Latitude.

-Establishes a non-blacknose SCS Total Allowable Catch (TAC) of 489.3 mt dw and increases the SCS commercial quota to 264.1 mt dw (582,333 lb dw).

Figure 1: Map depicting the modifications to the quota linkages for the non-blacknose SCS and blacknose quotas along the new management boundary in the Atlantic region

  • Gulf of Mexico Regional and Sub-Regional Quotas (Figure 2): 

-Splits the Gulf of Mexico regional commercial quotas for aggregated LCS, blacktip, and hammerhead sharks along 88° 00′ W. longitude;

-Establishes a non-blacknose SCS TAC of 999.0 mt dw and increases the non-blacknose SCS commercial quota to 112.6 mt dw (248,215 lb dw); and

-Prohibits the retention of blacknose sharks in the Gulf of Mexico.

Figure 2: Map depicting new Gulf of Mexico blacktip, aggregated LCS, and hammerhead shark sub-regions and sub-regional quotas

  • Commercial Vessel Upgrading Restrictions: Remove current upgrading restrictions for shark limited access permit holders.

The following fisheries will remain open or will re-open as a result of this action:

  • In the Atlantic Region:
    • The non-blacknose SCS fishery north of 34° 00′ N. Latitude will re-open with 63 percent (165.5 mt dw) of the 264.1 mt dw quota reminding.
    • The aggregated LCS (blacktip, bull, tiger, spinner, silky, nurse, and lemon) and hammerhead shark (scalloped, great, and smooth) fisheries have been open since July 1 and will remain open; the commercial retention limit for these fisheries will increase from 36 LCS other than sandbar sharks per trip to 45 LCS other than sandbar sharks per trip. 
  • In the Gulf of Mexico Region:
    • The non-blacknose SCS fishery will re-open with 59 percent (66.4 mt dw) of the 112.6 mt dw quota remaining.

NOAA Announces National Habitat Policy

August 10, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA:

NOAA has released a NOAA National Habitat Policy, which acknowledges that healthy habitat is crucial to NOAA’s programs and activities. The agency-wide policy outlines a set of guiding principles that applies to all of NOAA’s habitat work. It is a long-term policy and will influence future actions and priorities related to habitat conservation, allowing us to be more efficient and effective.

Healthy habitat is vital to protecting coastal and ocean ecosystems and communities. In turn, healthy habitat is important for achieving the NOAA mission. NOAA is responsible for ensuring the nation has a strong network of healthy habitats. These habitats sustain resilient and thriving marine and coastal resources, communities, and economies by protecting and restoring those habitats.

However, with continued widespread loss and deterioration of coastal and marine habitats, we are in danger of losing this natural infrastructure. NOAA has been committed to confronting these challenges for many years. This new policy is a clear statement of NOAA’s dedication to habitat conservation and resilient ecosystems and communities.

NOAA Fisheries Adjusts Fishing Year 2015 Catch Limits for NE Groundfish Sectors

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

NOAA Fisheries announces adjustments to the 2015 groundfish catch limits based on current sector enrollment, to account for unused sector quota from 2014, and to account for a 2014 common pool overage.

Each year we publish an adjustment to the groundfish catch limits after we know the final sector enrollment. This adjustment is necessary since the sector enrollment deadline is April 30, while the annual catch limits are effective at the start of the fishing year on May 1.

This action also incorporates carryover quota available to each sector (i.e., sector quota unused in fishing year 2014 and that can be fished in fishing year 2015).

This rule also reduces the Eastern Georges Bank cod common pool sub-annual catch limit by 1.3 metric tons to account for a 2014 fishing year overage, leaving an allocation of 1.4 metric tons for the remainder of fishing year 2015, which ends April 30, 2016.

Another adjustment rule may be necessary to account for any additional underages or overages after final catch accounting is concluded later this fall.

For more information, read the rule as filed in the Federal Register and read the permit holder bulletin.

Questions? Contact William Whitmore, Regional Office, at 978-281-9182 or william.whitmore@noaa.gov.

Credit: NOAA

Credit: NOAA

Stock assessments important for fish and fishermen

August 14, 2015 — Why was the striped bass limit cut to one fish?  Why are you allowed to take 9″ scup from select shore areas and the minimum is 10″ from a boat and other shore areas?  And, why have we been restricted to one black sea bass all summer?

The answer to these and similar questions lies, in part, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) ability to manage and prioritize fish stock assessments for recreational and commercial fisheries so fish managers can make decisions based on the best available scientific information.

Earlier this month NOAA released a final version of a new stock assessment prioritization system.  NOAA manages over 500 fish species nationally but only has the recourses to conduct about 200 fish stock assessments a year with its partners.  So, they had to develop an objective and transparent way to prioritize assessments.  Details of the final assessment system report can be found at www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/stock-assessment/stock-assessment-prioritization.

Stock assessments are fundamental to the sustainable management of our Nation’s fisheries. They represent the best scientific information available used to determine the status of fish stocks and guide the setting of harvest regulations that prevent overfishing and attain optimum yield from our Nation’s fisheries.

Read the full story at the Cranston Herald

 

MA Gov. Baker backs fishermen’s call for NOAA to pay for monitors

August 13, 2015 — With a crystalline portrait of America’s oldest seaport serving as the backdrop, Gov. Charlie Baker on Thursday attacked NOAA’s plan to force fishermen to pay for at-sea observers on their boats and reiterated his pledge to help convince the federal fishing regulator to consider science other than its own.

Baker, speaking to a crowd of about 100 near the Fishermen’s Wives Memorial on Stacy Boulevard, with the city’s Outer Harbor sparkling in the background, called the federal at-sea observer proposal “the most perfect example of an unfunded mandate I think I’ve ever seen in my life.”

“I think it’s ridiculous and it’s outrageous,” Baker told the audience of fishermen, fishing advocates, Gloucester officials and members of the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association. “If they want to send observers out on the boats, they should pay for them with their own money.”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has told the commercial fishermen in the Northeast multispecies groundfish fishery that it expects to run out of money to fund the at-sea observer program by Oct. 31 and then will shift the responsibility for funding it  — estimated at $600 to $800 per day for each boat that carries an observer — to the fishing permit holders.

“It’s insult to injury as far as I’m concerned,” Baker said. “And I’m sure that most of the people in the fishing industry feel the same way.”

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

 

 

Southeastern Fisheries Association Criticizes New Asset Forfeiture Fund policy

WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) – August 14, 2015 — On August 9, 2015, Bob Jones, Executive Director of the Southeastern Fisheries Association, wrote to the National Marine Fisheries Service urging the agency to reexamine its updated Asset Forfeiture Fund (AFF) policy. The letter questioned the transparency and the effectiveness of the new policy, which outlines how the AFF may be used to fund NOAA Office of Law Enforcement activities.

The policy, which went into effect July 15, 2015, is intended to “establish a stringent policy for effective oversight of the AFF that will ensure no conflict of interest – real or perceived.” However, in his letter Mr. Jones calls into question whether NOAA will be able to effectively implement this new policy.

According to the letter, one of the main issues with the policy is that expected revenue from the AFF is included in NOAA’s annual budget. The letter notes “OLE must raise its own AFF money from the fishermen for all the approved activities listed in your memo,” a situation it likens to small town “speed traps” that invite abuse. It recommends that, as a transparency measure, AFF revenue collection – along with information such as transactions, violations, vessel names, and who paid for fines – should be posted on NOAA’s website.

The letter concludes by recommending that the NOAA Office of Law Enforcement refrain from implementing the new AFF policy until it has been further advertised and discussed with members of the fishing industry, and their concerns are addressed.

The full letter is reproduced below:

Dear Mr. Doremus:

We have studied your Memorandum for the Office of Law Enforcement, NMFS-Enforcement Section; Office of General Council dated July 15, 2015, (attached).  Our industry would like to know how NOAA is going to keep the Asset Forfeiture Fund (AFF) totally transparent and not become the same quagmire we lived under a few short years ago.

From our experience, the only way this revenue collection scheme can work, is for every transaction to be posted to a NOAA website, so everyone can review; what was the fishery violation, what was the vessel name and home port, how much was the fine, who paid the fine, a copy of every check written to and from the AFF fund and an annual audit posted to the NOAA website. Please hear us out on this vital issue before rejecting it at NOAA headquarters.

Your memo is strongly worded. It says NOAA’s goal is “to establish a stringent policy for effective oversight of the AFF that will assure no conflict of interest – real or perceived – associated with the use” of the money. We believe NOAA’s memorandum forces its law enforcement officers to fund the AFF activities through fines primarily placed on the commercial fishermen. What is NOAA’s stringent oversight policy and how will we know you are doing what you said you would do?

The memorandum says that “NOAA has identified and accounted for the AFF in its annual budget”. Please tell us how much money has been budgeted from fines on fishermen during the upcoming fiscal years? If the budget calculates a specific amount of fine income, anyone can logically surmise that NOAA law enforcement officers have to get in the field and hustle-up that amount of money or there will be a shortfall. This greatly concerns us. The OLE must raise its own AFF money from the fishermen for all the approved activities listed in your memo. This is similar to small towns depending on driving fines to fund their city needs. It reminds us of “speed traps”. Such a system to fund a government entity usually turns out bad in the long run.

We have discussed with state and federal law enforcement officials our observation that commercial fishing vessels are stopped, boarded and fined – sometimes very heavily – while thousands of angler violations are ignored. Illegal fishing by anglers occurs in every coastal county.  That is a well-known fact. Backdoor sales of illegally harvested fish occur daily throughout the Gulf of Mexico. This is no secret. Whenever adequate law enforcement is assigned to this black-market sale of fish, arrests are made and poachers are identified. Unfortunately, in many cases where illegal harvesting happened in federal waters, the anglers were handed over to state officers to be cited and fined under state regulations which are much more lenient.

We are aware federal prosecutors have full dockets. They don’t seem to have time to enforce the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA) fishery regulations on anglers the same way they are enforced on professional fishermen. We understand the reluctance to pursue a fish violation by a sport fisherman because he/she might only have a dozen red snapper and that causes too much trouble for the federal dockets. But our knowing how full the federal dockets are doesn’t change our observation and concern that the MSA is enforced differently on anglers than commercial fishermen. The law enforcement system currently in place is more lenient for anglers.  Such a dual system of enforcement does not comply with the rule of law in our opinion.

We have met with state and federal law enforcement officers practically begging them to at least issue and enforce Summary Settlements. Do not just watch an angler’s boat come in from offshore with big red snappers that everyone knows were caught in deeper federal waters.

We respectfully request NOAA – OLE not implement the AFF program described in your memorandum until it has been further advertised and discussed. We further request an informal meeting with you or your designee at the St. Petersburg Regional Office to discuss the AFF program? We would be honored if Mr. Jim Landon could be with you. I have heard nothing but good things about him. Semper fi.

Respectfully,

Bob Jones, Executive Director

Southeastern Fisheries Association

Read NOAA’s Asset Forfeiture Fund Policy here

Atlantic Salmon Smolts Survive the Dam but Die Downstream

August 4, 2015 — Salmon are famous for boldly fighting their way upstream to spawn. But their trip downstream as young smolts is no less heroic. In the case of Atlantic salmon, many must pass through or around dams, and new research reveals that even if they survive the initial hazard, they may suffer injuries that make them more likely to die days or weeks later in the estuary, where the river meets the sea. What’s more, the effects are cumulative: for each dam a smolt passes, its chance of dying in the estuary increases by 6 to 7 percent.

“The effects of dams aren’t limited to a 500-meter stretch below the dam, but extend tens of kilometers out to sea,” said Dan Stich, the lead author of the study, which appeared recently in the journal Marine and Coastal Fisheries. “In fact, the number of fish killed by the delayed effects of dams can be greater than the number killed at the dam itself.”

Atlantic salmon are endangered in the United States, and these findings suggest that making dam passage safer for smolts can help the recovery of the species.

Stich conducted the study as a Ph.D. student at the University of Maine and is now a biologist with NOAA Fisheries. John Kocik, a research fisheries biologist at NOAA and a co-author of the study, said, “We already knew that we were losing a lot of fish in the estuary. Now that Dan’s research has identified some critical mechanisms behind that loss, something can be done about it.”

Toll Booths along the River

For this study, scientists surgically implanted acoustic tags into 941 smolts in the Penobscot River between 2005 and 2013. Those tags emit a coded sound roughly once a minute that uniquely identifies the fish carrying it.

As the fish travel downstream, the sound is picked up by receivers that span the river and the mouth of the estuary. The receivers function like electronic tollbooths, logging each fish as it passes so that scientists can track its progress. When a fish stops moving, it is assumed to have died.

The acoustic tags are about the size and shape of the metal eraser holder on a standard wooden pencil. Experiments have shown that implanting them in the 5- to 7-inch smolts does not harm the fish enough to significantly skew the results of the study.

A Dangerous Passage

At almost 1,000 tagged smolts, this study was the largest of its kind on Atlantic salmon, and it gave scientists enough statistical power to tease apart the factors that influence smolt survival. Of all the variables tested—including temperature, hours of daylight, distance traveled, and many more—one of the factors that most affected a smolt’s chances of survival was the number of dams it passed on its way to the ocean.

In the Penobscot River, most smolts pass dams in sluices or spillways. Those diversions keep most fish out of the generating turbines, but the ride can be rough and leave the fish injured or partially de-scaled. That can make them more vulnerable to predators and less able to withstand saltwater when they first encounter it days or weeks later.

“There are a lot of things waiting in the estuary to eat them,” Kocik said, including cormorants, seals, and striped bass. “Any fish that’s injured is easy prey.”

Timing Matters

As they make their way downstream, the smolts transform into ocean-going fish. They become longer and slimmer, acquire the ability to excrete salt from their gills, and are soon ready to migrate thousands of miles to Greenland.

This study showed that if smolts hit the estuary at peak saltwater readiness, their survival rate increases by up to 25 percent. The study also showed that scientists can estimate when that optimum window opens based on variations in stream temperature. This new understanding has already changed the way hatchery managers time the release of their smolts.

As for the effect of dams on downstream survival, now that it has been measured it can be managed. Two dams were recently removed from the main stem of the Penobscot River. In addition, NOAA Fisheries, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and dam operators are working to aid recovery by making the remaining dams more salmon-friendly.

A large fraction of Atlantic salmon die in the ocean, where little can be done to increase survival. But in freshwater, there are options. In addition to removing dams and improving fish passages, several projects are underway to restore freshwater spawning and rearing habitats.

“The best thing we can do is boost the number of fish going out,” Stich said. “And understanding how dams affect fish survival will help us do that.”

Read the story and watch the video from NOAA

 

Public comment period opens for NOAA’s proposed rule to protect marine mammals in international fisheries

August 10, 2015 –NOAA today issued a proposed rule to protect marine mammals in international fisheries which would require U.S. trading partners to take measures to limit the incidental killing or serious injury of marine mammals due to fishing activities if they want to export seafood to the United States.

The rule, under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), aims to level the playing field for American fishermen who comply with U.S. marine mammal conservation standards, and is intended to help foreign fisheries support a healthy and diverse marine ecosystem.

Under the proposed rule, nations exporting fish and fish products to the U.S. would be required to demonstrate that killing or serious injury of marine mammals incidental to their fishing activities do not occur in excess of U.S. standards.

“This rule proposes a system that would lead many foreign nations to improve their fishing practices to protect marine mammals,” said Eileen Sobeck, assistant NOAA administrator for NOAA Fisheries. “Those changes to current practice across the world will mark one of the most significant steps in the global conservation of marine mammals in decades, and could save substantial numbers of these vulnerable animals from injury and death, while at the same time leveling the playing field for U.S. fishermen.”

To comply, nations could adopt a marine mammal conservation program consistent with the United States’ program, or develop an alternative regulatory program with results comparable in effectiveness to U.S. regulatory programs for reducing marine mammal bycatch. NOAA would then evaluate each nation’s program to determine whether a nation has taken sufficient action and may export seafood to the United States.

NOAA, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of State, will consult with the harvesting nations and, to the extent possible, engage in a capacity building program to assist with monitoring and assessing marine mammals stocks and bycatch and reduce unsustainable bycatch.

“The United States is a global leader in marine mammal conservation and sustainable fisheries practices. However, successful management and conservation of our global ocean can only be achieved through international cooperation and collaboration,” said John Henderschedt, director of NOAA Fisheries Office of International Affairs and Seafood Inspection. “Building on our success domestically, this proposed rule will serve as another venue for the U.S. to work with other countries and international partners to reduce marine mammal death and injury associated with fishing operations.”

The proposed rule provides a 5-year grace period during which foreign nations will be able to gather information about the impacts of their fisheries on marine mammals and work to ensure that these impacts do not exceed U.S. standards. NOAA will consult with the harvesting nation and, to the extent possible, work with nations to build their capacity to meet the rule’s standards.

NOAA is accepting public comment on the proposed rule until November 9, 2015. More information on the submission process can be found in the Federal Register notice.

Read the story from NOAA

 

A Handy New Use for Drones: Collecting Whale Snot

August 10, 2015 — A spouting whale is a majestic sight, spraying everything around it with minuscule droplets of whale snot. (Okay, so it’s not technically snot—it’s more like lung mucus.) But aside from being pretty, that spray, which scientists call “blow,” is a coveted substance in marine biology. Rich with DNA, hormones, viruses, and bacteria from the whale’s respiratory tract, the goo can give researchers clues about a whale’s stress levels and overall health. So, naturally, scientists decided they needed to try collecting the stuff with drones.

Last month in Stellwagen Bank, Massachusetts, scientists from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and NOAA used a hexacopter to collect blow samples and snap photos of 36 humpback whales, gathering data to compare the pod to their brethren in more pristine Antarctic waters. And that’s just one of the conservation research groups that’s decided to capitalize on drones. Ocean Alliance, a nonprofit in Gloucester, Mass., recently launched a Kickstarter for their “Snotbot,” which proposes to collect data from whales off the coasts of Patagonia, Mexico, and Alaska.

These multi-coptered machines are driving a small renaissance in biology and conservation research, allowing researchers—marine scientists especially—to study subjects and places they can’t typically reach. Drones are getting better at carrying scientifically useful payloads: things like more complex sputum samplers, and heavier, better-quality cameras. And as those high-quality drones get cheaper and easier to outfit, they’re helping to answer ecological questions that scientists couldn’t even begin to ask before.

Read the full story at Wired

 

NOAA announces plan for endangered Hawaiian monk seal

August 11, 2015 — Federal fisheries authorities want to more than double the small population of endangered Hawaiian monk seals in the state’s main islands.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service on Tuesday released a draft management plan for the endangered species, of which approximately 200 live in the main Hawaiian Islands.

There are approximately 1,100 Hawaiian monk seals total, with most of them living in the uninhabited Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The species was listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 1976.

NOAA’s Hawaiian Monk Seal Recovery Coordinator Rachel Sprague said that while the population of monk seals in the main Hawaiian Islands has been increasing, the overall population continues to decline.

“The main Hawaiian Islands have a fairly small portion of the overall monk seal population,” Sprague said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. “If climate change or sea level rise or infectious disease did get into the population, they could be really catastrophic for such a small population. Rather than thinking about trying to really do a lot of active interventions, we’re more trying to set up a situation for the future to support the monk seal population growing to a level where they could be considered recovered.”

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the New Jersey Herald