Saving Seafood

Northeast Fisheries, Ecosystems Continue To Depart From Historical Norms

May 19, 2023 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The fisheries of the Northeast span from Northern Maine down to the tip of North Carolina’s Cape Hatteras. These centuries-old fisheries harbor stories of trials and tribulations, perfect storms, and generations of tradition. It wouldn’t be out of line to describe these fisheries and the people involved as strong, hardworking, and able to weather any challenge that history has thrown at them. However, the continued effects of climate change pose another threat to these storied fisheries and the ecosystems that support them. NOAA’s 2023 State of the Ecosystem reports show that environmental conditions continue to push historical boundaries, altering the ecosystems, their inhabitants, and their productivity. Results from these reports will be discussed in-depth during a public OneNOAA Seminar on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 at 12pm ET.

The annual State of the Ecosystem reports are presented as two reports, focusing on the New England and Mid-Atlantic regions. They describe changes in physical, chemical, biological, and socioeconomic indicators that, when compiled, help describe the health of the Northeast ecosystem over time. These measurable characteristics of the environment are selected using NOAA’s Integrated Ecosystem Assessment framework. As part of the assessment process, NOAA scientists and collaborators work closely with stakeholders in their respective communities to identify components of the ecosystem that are important for monitoring the health of the ecosystem as well as the human communities that rely on these systems. Results from the annual State of the Ecosystem reports are presented to the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils to inform management groups about important trends and changes in the ecosystem and move towards the usage of ecosystem-wide science in making management decisions, a holistic approach known as ecosystem-based fishery management.

 

ALASKA: Representative Peltola applauds NOAA Fisheries’ proposal to revise key National Standards for fisheries management

May 19, 2023 — Thursday, Representative Peltola applauded the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Fisheries division announcement of an advance notice of proposed rulemaking, which would allow revisions to the division’s Guidelines for National Standards, specifically sections (NS) 4 (allocations), 8 (communities), and 9 (bycatch).

Read the full article at KINY

U.S. Department of Commerce allocates $220 million in fishery disaster funding to AK and WA

May 18, 2023 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced the allocation of over $220 million in fishery disaster funding, appropriated by Congress in the 2022 and 2023 Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Acts. The funding will address fishery disasters that occurred in multiple Alaska and Washington fisheries between 2019 and 2023.

“Fishery disasters have devastating effects on local communities and our blue economy,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “This disaster funding provides much needed assistance to our fishing industry and we will work with the affected communities to begin the difficult work of helping them recover.” 

NOAA Fisheries Announces Projects Recommended for Saltonstall-Kennedy Funding

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

NOAA Fisheries is recommending 40 projects for over $11 million under the 2023 Saltonstall-Kennedy (S-K) Competitive Grants Program. The list of projects is available online. In the Greater Atlantic there are 14 projects for $3,720,532.00

The goal of the S-K program is to fund projects that address the needs of fishing communities, optimize economic benefits by building and maintaining sustainable fisheries, and increase other opportunities to keep working waterfronts viable.

Read more at NOAA Fisheries

NOAA to test AI electronic monitoring in New England clam survey

May 18, 2023 — NOAA Fisheries wants to improve its electronic monitoring of clam harvesting with artificial intelligence, and it hopes to begin collecting imagery to develop the technology this August.

The Northeast Fisheries Science Center is looking for a contractor to install video cameras on a commercial clamming vessel, the ESS Pursuit, develop a machine learning algorithm that can automatically process that video, and produce a large library of images for future artificial intelligence development.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

NOAA announces advisors for proposed Hudson Canyon National Marine Sanctuary

May 16, 2023 — Today, NOAA announced members of a new sanctuary advisory council for the proposed Hudson Canyon National Marine Sanctuary.

The council will provide the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries with advice and recommendations to guide NOAA during the designation process for the proposed sanctuary. Council members also serve as liaisons to their communities, building a strong connection between the sanctuary and stakeholders.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

How fishermen market their catch: a national survey

May 16, 2023 — Now open until June 2023, a NOAA Fisheries survey on national seafood marketing practices aims to fill a gap in our understanding of the domestic seafood market in the U.S.

A national survey on direct marketing practices among U.S. seafood harvesters, developed by the University of Maine, Agricultural Marketing Services of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and National Marine Fisheries Service, was born from a simple question: “How do fishermen market their catch?” National Fisherman first mentioned the survey project, which is  funded by NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Sustainable Fisheries and the USDA, in July 2022.

Farmers are used to similar surveys, which have been common since 2015, when the USDA began monitoring direct marketing practices by farmers through the Local Food Marketing Practices Survey. Data from these surveys are used to estimate the scale of direct marketing practices. Although they are important to define future strategies, and so are a well established practice in the agricultural sector, they  do not exist in the seafood sector.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

NOAA publishes a new Aquaculture Science Advice Handbook

May 14, 2023 — There is a mounting interest in marine aquaculture – or farmed seafood – development in the United States, and now NOAA has published a new Aquaculture Science Advice Handbook.

Important for nutrition, for local jobs and for climate-ready food systems, aquaculture is growing in the United States, as more people is attracted to the potential it offers. For decades, aquaculture production was tiny, but it is growing lately for a series of reasons. One of them is climate change: as it creates numerous threats for fishermen, aquaculture offers a viable solution to keep working in the industry. Last February National Fisherman reported how in Maine, an idea imported from Japan is helping to diversify the seafood harvesting business.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Hawaiian Monk Seal Population Rounds Out a Decade of Growth

May 11, 2023 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

In 2022, NOAA and partners gathered data on Hawaiian monk seals throughout their 1,500-mile wide range. The field teams scattered far and wide, from Hōlanikū (Kure Atoll) to Hawaiʻi Island to survey and collect new data. Thanks to these surveys, we have good news to report: the Hawaiian monk seal population continues to increase! In 2021, total abundance was estimated to be 1,564, which marked the first time the population had exceeded 1,500 in more than two decades. In 2022, the population crested 1,600.

Monk Seal Population Highlights

Here are a few of the field teams’ findings:

  • The estimated total population size of monk seals in 2022 was 1,605 (with 95 percent confidence that the true number is between 1,512 and 1,743)
  • About 75 percent of the seals live in the northwestern part of the island chain, the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, and the remaining 25 percent are in the main Hawaiian Islands.
  • After decades of declining numbers, the number of monk seals has increased on average by 2 percent per year since 2013—a slow but steady rise over a full decade

Threats to Monk Seals

Despite these gains, monk seals remain vulnerable to many threats—including food limitation, human interactions, and entanglement in marine debris. NOAA works with partners to address these issues. In 2022, we conducted 68 life-saving actions, including:

  • Moving pups to safer locations
  • Disentangling seals caught in marine debris
  • De-hookings

Medical interventions were performed on the beach and at The Marine Mammal Center’s Ke Kai Ola monk seal hospital

El Niño’s arrival is imminent; 90% chance it lasts all year, forecasters say

May 11, 2023– El Niño is likely to take over soon — and odds are it will be sticking around for a long time, national forecasters said in an update Thursday.

While the Northern Hemisphere is still under “ENSO-neutral” conditions — meaning we are neither in an El Niño nor La Niña — that could change at any time. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center said there is about an 80% chance the transition to El Niño takes place between May and July.

Once it takes hold, El Niño is likely to strengthen into the fall and winter, when it normally peaks. The odds of it lasting until February of 2024 are upwards of 90%, the Climate Prediction Center said.

Read the full article at Fox 8