Saving Seafood

MASSACHUSETTS: More than 160 whales spotted in waters off Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, NOAA reports

June 12, 2024 — More than 160 whales were spotted in the waters off Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket in what researchers called a “dazzling array of sightings” during a recent aerial survey.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shared pictures of the whales in a social media post on Monday. The agency said members of its North Atlantic Right Whale team reported sightings of 161 whales that comprised seven species, including 93 sei whales, “one of the highest concentrations of sei whales they’d ever seen during a single survey flight.”

The research team also reported seeing two killer whales, “which they don’t often see during this survey,” the NOAA post said. One of the killer whales was seen swimming with its dinner as a tuna dangled from its mouth.

Read the full article at The Boston Globe

A biodiversity framework for U.S. MPAs must include all threats and solutions

June 11, 2024 — The following is an excerpt from an article published by Sustainable Fisheries UW:

A recently proposed method to evaluate biodiversity protection in U.S. marine waters is severely flawed and will damage U.S. interests if adopted by NOAA.

Gignoux-Wolfsohn et al. 2024, published in One Earth, only considered U.S. waters sufficiently protected if they are no-take areas, despite strong evidence that other forms of protection may be equally or more effective. The net result of Gignoux-Wolfsohn et al. 2024 is a catalog of what biota are found in no-take marine protected areas (MPAs), not an effective framework for marine biodiversity protection.

Frameworks are important tools in conservation, science, and government as they provide a standardized series of guidelines for practitioners to follow. For example, National Standard 2 of the Magnuson-Stevens Act states that conservation and management measures shall be based on “the best scientific information available.” Best available science is a framework for decision-making and management.

Gignoux-Wolfsohn et al. 2024 propose a new framework for biodiversity protection. They (correctly) begin their framework by identifying elements of marine biodiversity of concern and what metrics are available. However, they fail to identify the specific threats to each type of biodiversity—a critical flaw. Actors and organizations cannot determine what level of protection is needed without identifying those threats. For example, Gignoux-Wolfsohn et al. 2024 state: “cold-water corals harbor rich biodiversity in the deep sea but cold-water coral habitat is poorly protected in most U.S. waters.”

Yet, every known deep-water coral bed in U.S. waters is protected from bottom trawling—the most significant threat to deep-water coral. But, because fishing is allowed hundreds of feet above the coral, they are not considered “protected” by Gignoux-Wolfsohn et al. 2024.

Gignoux-Wolfsohn et al. 2024 acknowledge that they are working from a perspective that no-take fishing protected areas (FPAs) “are most effective at increasing biomass, diversity, and body size of marine life,” so the protections in place for deep-water coral don’t count in their framework because hook and line fishing is allowed in the water column, even though hook and line fishing does not affect the deep-water coral. This is the major conceptual flaw in their framework—specific threats need specific actions, not broad fishing bans.

The framework did not consider the many forms of biodiversity protection that are not no-take areas, e.g. overfishing has largely been eliminated in the United States by regulating fishing effort and catch. Bycatch has been greatly reduced by gear technology improvements such as turtle excluder devices, streamer lines to prevent seabird bycatch in longlines, and a wide range of other technical measures, which are far more effective than closing areas to fishing and simply moving boats and fishing effort elsewhere.

All of these issues are highlighted in the contrast between the measured protection in Alaska compared to the U.S. Pacific Islands. Under the framework, the Pacific Islands scored high due to large no-take areas, while Alaska scored low due to few no-take areas. Yet the large MPAs in the Pacific Islands have had little impact on biodiversity because fishing in the closed areas simply moved elsewhere. The many actions taken in Alaska including extensive bycatch reduction, strict regulation of catch, and closure of sensitive habitats to bottom contact gear have had far more benefits to biodiversity than the actions taken in the Pacific Islands.

Reality says Alaska fisheries management is among the very best in the entire world, a theoretical framework that says otherwise is operating on flawed principles.

Read the full article at Sustainable Fisheries UW

NOAA finds Alaska Chinook salmon may need to be ESA-listed

June 10, 2024 — A preliminary review by NOAA Fisheries found that Alaska Chinook salmon may need to be listed as threatened or endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA).

“This is an encouraging first step in what we hope will be a listing of Southeast Alaska Chinook under the Endangered Species Act,” Wild Fish Conservancy Senior Ecologist Nick Gayeski said. “Listing should provide the many at-risk Chinook populations in this region stronger protection from harm in the near term and initiate the development of scientifically credible recovery plans.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

NOAA Fisheries Announces Changes in its Alaska Survey Portfolio

June 10, 2024 — NOAA Fisheries is engaged in a multi-year effort to strategically respond to climate-driven changes in the environment, maintain operating efficiencies and modernization efforts, and mitigate shifting survey needs. We continue to balance national priorities against a challenging economic environment where the rising cost of mission execution demands strategic pivots within survey activities to ensure critical data collection needs can be met.

This year, the Alaska Fisheries Science Center will redesign and reprioritize effort in several of its surveys, while advancing the use of modern methods and technologies to more efficiently collect data and accomplish its research mission to support sustainable fisheries management. It will also suspend one survey resulting from shortfalls in cost-recovery related to losses in the economic value of the catch.

“Alaska marine ecosystems are changing and our science has to change with them,” said Robert Foy, Alaska Fisheries Science Center Director.

Over the past several years, Alaska scientists have observed extreme marine heatwaves and high variability in marine environmental conditions. This has altered fish distributions and caused structural changes in Alaska marine ecosystems.

Alaska Fisheries Science Center staff have been engaged in strategic planning over the past several months to:

  • Restructure internal operations
  • Prioritize survey efforts
  • Identify more efficient ways to collect data to support resource management decisions

These efforts are guided by the need to continue to meet thresholds of data collection and provision of scientific information.

To maintain their scientific integrity, we are re-evaluating all aspects of our research surveys including the overall design, spatial coverage, timing, and gear. We want to streamline our survey operations and identify new ways to collect critical information on fish and shellfish species.

To strengthen our ability to maintain continuity of survey operations, we reorganized our Groundfish Assessment Program into three operational survey teams. These teams better align with the three primary Large Marine Ecosystems where they primarily conduct survey operations. This realignment provides obvious points of contact to stakeholders for all bottom trawl survey regions. It also creates an operational structure that increases cross-training across teams to better address staffing needs

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries 

U.S. marine economy continues upward trend

June 6, 2024 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The American marine economy continued to bolster the nation in 2022 as demonstrated by increased sales and jobs, according to the most recent statistics from the annual Marine Economy Satellite Account (MESA) released by two Department of Commerce agencies — NOAA and the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).

The marine economy contributed a total of $476 billion in economic impact in 2022, making up nearly 2% of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP). It generated $777 billion in sales, and supported 2.4 million jobs in 2022. MESA provides valuable insights on how the marine sector contributes to the nation’s economy. 

“A strong, sustainable marine economy helps build a greater, more Climate-Ready Nation,” U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said. “The Biden-Harris Administration and the Department of Commerce are committed to enhancing the marine economy, and helping communities and ecosystems grow and thrive.”

“These figures show how essential the Blue Economy is to American prosperity,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “The ocean and the Great Lakes are integral to the overall health of America’s economy, and they impact our lives in numerous ways.”

The largest contributors to GDP are tourism and recreation, with $163 billion; national defense and public administration, with $149 billion; and offshore minerals, with $62 billion.

The sales sectors that showed the most growth for 2022 include:
• Ship and boat building, up 14.6%;
• Coastal tourism and recreation, up 8.1%; and
• Marine transportation and warehousing, up 7%.

For the first time, MESA includes information on wind energy and alternative power generation, allowing for a greater understanding of the offshore wind industry’s importance to the nation’s economy. Wind farm construction totaled $161 million in sales, and alternative power generation totaled $10 million in sales.

MESA is in its seventh year, as NOAA and the BEA produce statistics that improve national estimates for ocean, coastal and major water bodies’ economic activity by major industry, accounting for inflation. The data comprises 10 sectors that represent businesses dependent on America’s ocean, coasts and the Great Lakes.

“This report underscores the critical need to do whatever we can to support and bolster the marine sector,” said NOAA’s National Ocean Service Assistant Administrator, Nicole LeBoeuf. “Our nation’s marine economy influences many aspects of our economic landscape and our daily lives, affecting regions far beyond our coasts.”

These data reflect a period from 2017 to 2022 and is the most comprehensive and accurate produced to date. The marine economic statistics validate previous estimates of the marine economy’s value.

The 10 sectors, ranked by sales, adjusted for inflation, and percentage change compared to the previous year:
• Tourism and recreation, $220 billion, up 8.1%.
• National defense and public administration, $194 billion, down 2.5%.
• Offshore minerals, $66 billion, down 1.3%.
• Transportation and warehousing, $56 billion, up 7%.
• Living resources, $31 billion, down 6.7%.
• Ship and boat building, $20 billion, up 14.6%.
• Coastal utilities, $15 billion, down 3.2%.
• Research and education, $12 billion, up 4%.
• Professional and technical services, $8 billion, down 5.5%.
• Marine construction, $7 billion, up 3.1%.

“We can continue building a thriving marine economy for America by investing in restoration, sustainability and working closely with stakeholders,” said NOAA Chief Economist Monica Grasso, Ph.D. “A thriving, resilient marine economy uplifts our communities and drives our nation forward.”

The report, data and other information are available at NOAA’s Digital Coast website and on the BEA Marine Economy website. MESA’s statistics reflect 2022 data, given data availability and the analysis process.

NOAA Shares Plans to Re-envision Recreational Fishing Data Collection

June 5, 2024 — Nationally coherent, regionally specific.

This is the primary goal of our current federal-state effort to re-envision the recreational fisheries data collection program.

We collect recreational fishing data from anglers through our network of surveys. These data result in estimates of recreational catch and effort. Alongside commercial, observer, and biological data, they help inform stock assessments and resulting fisheries management advice. Our aim is to provide optimal fishing opportunities while balancing the need to protect marine fisheries resources.

While our current data collection program has its strengths—including tracking long-term patterns in recreational fishing activity—we acknowledge the program’s challenges. We recognize the need to re-evaluate our approaches and strive for a new collaboratively developed vision for recreational data collection that builds on the strengths of our state and regional partners. This will produce better data and better recreational catch estimates. Alongside our partners, the involvement of the recreational fishing community is crucial to the success of this process.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

Recreational Fishing Communities Help to Protect and Restore Habitat through National Fish Habitat Partnership

June 4, 2024 — This year, NOAA Fisheries is funding three projects to restore habitat through the coastal National Fish Habitat Partnerships. These projects will actively engage local communities– including anglers—who make critical contributions to fish habitat conservation nationwide. The projects demonstrate our commitment to restoring fish habitat and supporting access to sustainable saltwater recreational fishing, a popular pastime that boosts the U.S. economy.

Recreational Anglers Collect Data to Help Protect Groundfish Habitat in Oregon

Sponsoring Partnership: Pacific Marine & Estuarine Partnership

Oregon’s Department of Fish and Wildlife will partner with recreational anglers from underserved communities to collect long-term data in unique nearshore Oregon coastal habitat. The data collected will be part of monitoring projects that help inform how to best manage coastal waters into the future. During hook-and-line surveys, anglers will measure the size and count the abundance of fish caught in Oregon’s Cascade Head Marine Reserve. The reserve is part of a system of five marine reserves in the waters along the state’s coast. They were designated to help conserve marine habitats and biodiversity. They also serve as living laboratories to learn about Oregon’s nearshore ocean environment and the effects that protections have on these areas over time.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

3 Takeaways From NOAA’s FY23 Report On SIMP

June 4, 2024 — Late last week NOAA Fisheries released an update regarding the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP), sharing a review of the program’s effectiveness.

SIMP was first implemented in 2018 as a way to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The program established reporting and record-keeping requirements for imports of 13 seafood species groups: abalone, Atlantic cod, blue crab (Atlantic), dolphinfish (Mahi Mahi), grouper, King crab (red), Pacific cod, red snapper, sea cucumber, sharks, shrimp, swordfish and tuna (albacore, bigeye, skipjack, yellowfin, bluefin).

The implementation of the program was hotly contested, and when there was a proposed rule to expand SIMP, members of the seafood industry banned together to oppose the action. In November 2023 NOAA ended up withdrawing its proposal to expand SIMP following the public comment period. The agency also announced that it would review the program to “enhance and strengthen its overall impact and effectiveness.”

Read the full article at Seafoodnews.com

Shark Depredation: A Frustrating Experience for Fishermen in the Atlantic

June 4, 2024 — Shark depredation is the partial or complete removal of a hooked fish by a shark directly from an angler’s line before the line can be retrieved. It is a growing concern for recreational anglers. NOAA Fisheries is taking steps to better understand the frequency of depredation events and the circumstances around these interactions.

Research shows several possible reasons for an increase in shark depredation.

  • More sharks: Populations of some shark species have recovered from overfishing thanks to NOAA Fisheries’ conservation efforts under the Magnuson-Stevens Act.
  • More anglers: Increasing numbers of anglers releasing more fish—possibly injured or dead—which can attract sharks.
  • Learned behavior: Some evidence suggests sharks can learn from previous interactions and begin to associate the sounds of fishing boats with easy meals.

It is important to consider that sharks are not the only animals capable of depredation. Dolphins, seals, groupers, and other large fish are all known to feed on anglers’ catch. While sharks are easy to blame, they are not always the culprit.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries 

Exploring Innovative Strategies to Reduce Red Snapper Discards

June 3, 2024 — Fishing is a favorite pastime and an economic driver, especially in the Southeast. NOAA Fisheries recognizes that recreational and commercial fishers, fishery managers, and others are frustrated by short fishing seasons for South Atlantic red snapper and high levels of dead discards. Last year the season was just 2 days.

The most recent South Atlantic red snapper population assessment indicates the species is recovering. However, it is experiencing too much fishing mortality—largely as a result of the number of fish that are discarded and subsequently die.

“We understand anglers are frustrated.  We as managers are also frustrated and see the need for new, innovative management strategies to reduce snapper-grouper dead discards, including red snapper,” said Andy Strelcheck, NOAA Fisheries’ Southeast Regional Administrator. “We also need to better realize the social and economic benefits for the snapper-grouper fishery, and provide additional fishing opportunities as we recover fish stocks.”

NOAA Fisheries is recommending five projects for funding, totaling $879,211. These projects will explore new, innovative approaches to better understand and reduce red snapper dead discards, and increase fishing opportunities in the South Atlantic snapper-grouper fishery.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries