Saving Seafood

U.S. marine fish stocks show improvements in 2022

April 27, 2023 — The following was released by NOAA:

Today, NOAA released the 2022 Status of Stocks report, providing a snapshot of the more than 490 fish stocks managed by NOAA Fisheries. Maintaining sustainable fisheries contributes significantly to the U.S. economy, provides important recreational opportunities and helps meet the growing challenge of increasing the nation’s seafood supply.

In 2022, U.S. fisheries data revealed that 93% of stocks are not subject to overfishing and 81% are not overfished. These numbers show slight improvements compared to the 2021 figures of 92% and 80%, respectively. Positive trends were seen this year with the number of stocks on the overfishing list decreasing by two stocks to 24, and the number of overfished stocks decreasing by three stocks to 48.

NOAA Fisheries also implemented new island-based fishery management plans for Puerto Rico, St. Thomas and St. John, and St. Croix this year, consolidating existing Caribbean fishery management plans and bringing 32 new stocks under NOAA’s management authority. These new plans account for differences between fishing sectors, available markets for harvested products, fishermen and their fishing communities, and the social and cultural attributes unique to each island area.

“This annual report reveals the U.S. remains a global leader in maintaining the sustainable fisheries that drive the blue economy, support coastal communities, and play a key role in marine ecosystems,” said Rick Spinrad, Ph.D., NOAA administrator. “NOAA and our partners continue to build on the country’s successful fisheries management approach by advancing policies and plans that help address changing conditions.”

The latest data show that U.S. commercial and recreational fishing supports 1.7 million full- and part-time jobs across the broader economy, generated over $253 billion in sales impacts and contributed $79.4 billion to the gross domestic product.

“Managing fisheries sustainably is an adaptive process, relying on sound science and innovation to conserve species and habitat, and meet the challenge of increasing our nation’s seafood supply in the face of climate change,” said Janet Coit, NOAA Fisheries assistant administrator. “NOAA Fisheries conducted 198 stock assessments in fiscal year 2022, and our work in partnership with the Regional Fishery Management Councils under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act continues to be key to rebuilding and maintaining sustainable fish stocks.”

NOAA researchers recently developed global forecasts that can provide up to a year’s advance notice of marine heatwaves that can cause sudden and dramatic increases in ocean temperatures. These forecasts will help fishing fleets, ocean managers and coastal communities anticipate significant changes in ocean ecosystems. NOAA Fisheries’ distribution website tool also provides information to track the location and movement of marine fish and invertebrate species in U.S. waters, which may be shifting in response to changing ocean conditions.

Sustainable U.S. fisheries play an important role in the nation’s economy — providing opportunities for commercial, recreational and subsistence fishing, and in providing sustainable seafood for consumers. To keep U.S. fisheries operating sustainably, NOAA Fisheries continually adjusts management measures in response to complex challenges including climate change, rebuilding stocks, ending overfishing and developing new forecasting tools to better predict ocean conditions.

Looming El Nino might be bad news for ocean life

April 26, 2023 — An El Nino is likely coming, and it’s set to be unusual in a couple of ways.

It also has the potential to wreak havoc on marine ecosystems, according to a climate research scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Dillon Amaya with the NOAA said global ocean temperatures are already at record highs, and an El Nino can trigger additional ocean warming.

For example, he wrote in a recent article published by The Conversation, some fish increase their metabolism in warm waters by so much that they burn energy faster than they can eat, and they can die.

Read the full article at NBC 24

VIMS To Lead Abandoned Crab Pot Program, Awarded Largest Grant In Its History

April 26, 2023 — NOAA Fisheries tapped William & Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) to lead a new nationwide program to reduce “ghost fishing” by derelict crab and lobster pots abandoned or lost to storms and vessel entanglements. The new role comes with a record $8 million grant for VIMS to administer the program.

This Trap Removal, Assessment & Prevention (TRAP) program will include partner institutions, commercial fishermen, and interested Native tribes in the Pacific Northwest and along the Atlantic coast from Florida to the Gulf of Maine. The TRAP program will initially focus on the gear used to catch crabs (blue, Dungeness, and stone) and lobsters (American and spiny). Federal funding for the program overall is $8 million over four years, distributed by the VIMS Center for Coastal Resources Management (CCRM) through a competitive grant program.

Read the full article at Chesapeake Bay Magazine 

In the Race for Clean Energy, Is Offshore Wind Harming the Nation’s Fisheries?

April 25, 2023 — Tom Hafer remembers the first time the fish stopped biting. It was a little over 20 years ago when fiber optic cables were being installed in waters off the coast of central California, where he fishes commercially for spot prawns and rockfish. The fishing was disrupted for “miles and miles,” says Hafer, who has been fishing since the 1970s.

Now, he and many other fishermen are bracing themselves for what could be a much larger threat looming in the water. Offshore wind farms, which are ramping up in the United States, could come at a tremendous cost to fishermen as they are being sited in prime fishing areas. And the process of erecting wind farms and their long-term presence in the water could alter aquatic ecosystems, potentially driving away fish and marine mammals.

Some fishing communities also believe the physical infrastructure of offshore wind farms may pose a danger to fishing vessels and gear and the people who earn a livelihood from the sea.

There is little science to assuage those concerns. The floating wind farms being proposed along the West Coast rely on technologies that haven’t yet been commercially deployed. And the federal agency tasked with siting new farms—the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)—is new to the task.

Conceived in response to the BP oil spill in 2010, BOEM’s original charge was to oversee offshore oil in lieu of the former Minerals Management Service. BOEM has little experience with offshore wind and, so far, has been criticized for lack of thoroughness in vetting potential fishery conflicts.

Conflicts have also surfaced between BOEM and the nation’s top fisheries agency, NOAA Fisheries, as NOAA advises the agency in addressing concerns about fish health in an electrified sea. Recent reporting by ProPublica and The New Bedford Light has also raised concerns about relationships between the offshore wind industry and at least 90 of its regulators, including the Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Interior.

Offshore wind is a relatively new phenomenon in U.S. waters—the first commercial wind farm at sea was completed in 2016. That facility, Block Island Wind Farm, consists of five turbines off the coast of Rhode Island and is capable of producing 29 megawatts of power. That’s more than enough to supply all 17,000 homes on nearby Block Island, according to Ørsted, the Danish power company that acquired the installation in 2018.

But Block Island is a small fry compared to what’s coming, and that’s what has some critics worried. In 2021, the Biden administration set forth a lofty goal: By the end of the decade, it wants offshore wind farms to be producing 30 gigawatts of renewable energy in U.S. waters. Right now, Block Island and the two-turbine Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind pilot project are the only two commercial-scale facilities that have been completed, and together they’re capable of generating just 0.042 gigawatts, less than 1 percent of the Biden administration’s goal.

Read the full article at Civil Eats

VIMS to lead national program for managing derelict fishing gear

April 24, 2023 — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has recommended William & Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science as home base for a new national program focused on protecting U.S. coastal waters from derelict fishing gear.

The $8 million provided by NOAA to implement the four-year program is the largest single grant award in VIMS’ 83-year history. Many of these dollars will be passed on to program partners through an annual grant competition. Formally known as the Nationwide Fishing TRAP Program — “TRAP” for Trap Removal, Assessment & Prevention — the effort includes funding for commercial and tribal fishers to remove derelict pots from Virginia’s waters.

William & Mary’s strategic plan, Vision 2026, positions the university to address global challenges in areas including water and data.

“The TRAP program is a great example of critical thinking with data. Combining quantitative expertise with human understanding in this way is required to design innovative solutions for the complex challenges facing society today and, in the future,” said Provost Peggy Agouris.

Derek Aday, VIMS dean & director, agrees.

“Water is one of the world’s most threatened and valuable resources,” he said. “The TRAP program represents the kind of innovative approaches we need to solve global issues related to conserving our marine resources and increasing the resilience of coastal communities.”

Derelict gear refers to fishing equipment that has been lost, abandoned, or otherwise discarded in the water, commonly due to storms and boat traffic. It can harm ecosystems and economies by trapping and killing targeted and bycatch species, damaging marine habitats and competing with actively fished gear.

Read the full article at W&M News

NOAA considers sanctuary in waters around Pacific Remote Islands

April 23, 2023 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Today, NOAA announced it is starting the process to potentially designate a new national marine sanctuary in the Pacific Remote Islands area, as directed by President Biden and affirmed by the Department of Commerce on March 24, 2023.

The proposed area in the central Pacific Ocean includes marine areas within the existing Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, as well as currently unprotected submerged lands and waters, to the full extent of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, an area totaling about 770,000 square miles. Terrestrial areas are not included in the proposed sanctuary.

“The Biden-Harris Administration and Department of Commerce are committed to bold conservation goals through the America the Beautiful initiative,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “Sanctuary designation would bring to bear NOAA’s capacity and expertise in research and management of coastal and marine resources, maritime heritage and archaeology, and public education and outreach in order to protect the unique ecological and cultural resources of the Pacific Remote Islands.”

The atolls, shoals, seamounts, banks and reefs surrounding the Pacific Remote Islands are home to some of the most diverse and remarkable tropical marine ecosystems on the planet, and provide a haven for a host of wildlife, including corals, sharks, fish, marine mammals, seabirds and invertebrates.

“The Pacific Remote Islands ecosystems face persistent threats from hazards, such as marine debris, invasive species and climate change,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “Designating this incredibly important area as a national marine sanctuary would complement and strengthen existing efforts to preserve the region’s natural, cultural and historic values.”

Designating the proposed area as a sanctuary would add the conservation benefits of a national marine sanctuary to the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument’s existing protections, and provide a stable management framework, a citizen advisory council and lasting protections that extend beyond the monument’s current boundaries.

“The proposed sanctuary would also be an opportunity to recognize and celebrate Indigenous cultural connections to the lands and waters of the area,” said Nicole LeBoeuf, director of NOAA’s National Ocean Service. “This region has a rich history, beginning with Pacific Island peoples whose proficiency with navigation and ocean wayfinding created a cultural network across the vastness of the Pacific.”

About the public comment period 

The public is invited to comment on the proposed sanctuary designation through June 2, 2023, through the Federal eRulemaking Portal, www.regulations.gov, by searching for docket number NOAA-NOS-2023-0052. Comments may also be mailed if postmarked by June 2, 2023.

NOAA will host in-person public meetings, with an option to join virtually. During the meetings, NOAA will gather input on boundaries, compatible uses, threats a new sanctuary would address, how best to promote marine science and education initiatives and other topics as described in the Notice of Intent that NOAA published in the Federal Register. The input NOAA receives from the public will assist the agency with the preparation and release of draft designation documents, and in formulating alternatives for the draft environmental impact statement.

A detailed description of the proposed sanctuary, based on the nomination submitted by the Pacific Remote Islands Coalition, as well as additional information about opportunities to provide comment, can be found at https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/pacific-remote-islands.

Biden-Harris Administration recommends $562 million investment to make communities resilient to climate impacts as part of Investing in America agenda

April 23, 2023 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Today, Vice President Harris announced that the Department of Commerce has recommended $562 million in funding– including investments in nearly 150 projects across 30 coastal and Great Lakes states and territories– to make communities and the economy more resilient to climate change, as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda. At an event in Miami, Florida, Vice President Harris will highlight how this announcement reflects the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to tackle the climate crisis and ensure that communities are more resilient to extreme weather events. The awards are made under NOAA’s Climate-Ready Coasts Initiative and are funded by the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and bolstered by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). 

“The Biden-Harris Administration is moving aggressively to tackle the climate crisis and help communities that are experiencing increased flooding, storm surge and more frequent extreme weather events,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “These investments will create jobs while protecting people, communities and ecosystems from the threats of climate change, and help our nation take the steps it needs to become more resilient and build a clean energy economy.” 

The Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda is focused on growing the American economy from the bottom up and middle out – from rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, to creating a manufacturing and innovation boom powered by good-paying jobs that don’t require a four-year degree, to building a clean-energy economy that will combat climate change and make communities more climate-resilient. 

NOAA’s Climate-Ready Coasts initiative advances climate solutions for coastal communities

NOAA announced approximately $562 million in recommended funding to support the Climate-Ready Coasts initiative:

  • $477 million for high-impact projects that create climate solutions by strengthening coastal communities’ ability to respond to extreme weather events, pollution and marine debris; restoring coastal habitats to help wildlife and humans thrive; storing carbon; building the capacity of underserved communities to address climate hazards and supporting community-driven restoration; and creating jobs in local communities.
  • $46 million in additional funding through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation National Coastal Resilience Fund for projects that will help communities prepare for increasing coastal flooding, sea-level rise and more intense storms, while improving thousands of acres of coastal habitats.
  • $39.1 million in non-competitive funding to the 34 state and territorial coastal management programs and 30 national estuarine research reserves that work in partnership with NOAA under the Coastal Zone Management Act. Funding for these programs provides essential planning, policy development and implementation, research, education, and collaborative engagement with communities around the nation to protect coastal and estuarine ecosystems important for the resilience of coastal economies and the health of  coastal environments.

Demand for funding focused on preparing for and adapting to climate change is high. In the first year, NOAA’s BIL Climate-Ready Coasts far exceeded the funding available. In response to this high demand, NOAA is leveraging these requests with funding from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, allowing more high-quality projects to be recommended for funding and move forward. 

“This crucial federal investment will help coastal communities in every corner of the Empire State, from the shores of Lake Ontario to the Hudson River, tackle the climate crisis by cleaning our waterways and bolstering critical infrastructure – all while putting New Yorkers to work and boosting our economy,” said Senate Majority Leader Schumer. “When I led the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act to passage as Majority Leader, it was game changing investments in climate ready initiatives like these that I had in mind. From Long Island to Buffalo, I am proud to support communities across New York in leading the fight against climate change and building a cleaner more resilient future for the next generation.”

“Thanks to the Biden-Harris Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, these grants will ensure that coastal communities across the United States will have the tools and resources to withstand the effects of climate change,” said Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Chair Cantwell. “These historic grants will support 149 projects aimed at coastal restoration and resilience projects in 30 coastal states and territories, including in the State of Washington, to restore ecosystems, recover species, and support community-driven conservation projects.” 

“In passing the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, Congress delivered historic investments to our nation’s coastal communities, which sit on the frontlines of climate change,” said House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva. “I applaud the work of NOAA and its partners to equitably fund high-quality, transformative projects that will restore habitat, create jobs, and make our coastlines more resilient to climate change. These are the kinds of bold, ocean-based climate solutions our country needs to boost local economies, while also protecting all Americans from the worsening impacts of the climate crisis.”

“NOAA has a long history of working with community partners to advance our understanding of coastal processes, conserve coastal resources and restore habitat in ways that benefit wildlife, people, and the economy,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “Funding through the President’s Investing in America agenda allows us to super-charge these activities so that communities, including Tribal governments, facing all types of climate impacts can prepare for what’s ahead, create climate-smart jobs and build economic resilience, and ultimately thrive.” 

Information on the 149 Climate-Ready Coasts natural infrastructure projects recommended for funding are listed by state and U.S. territory at the links below. 

NOAA begins process for Biden’s proposed marine sanctuary

April 21, 2023 — NOAA has started the process to designate a massive area in the Pacific Ocean a marine sanctuary, following up on a proposal by the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden.

The proposal, made in late March, would create a new marine sanctuary using the National Marine Sanctuaries Act around the Pacific Remote Islands area, a set of islands in the central Pacific Ocean. The proposal would include the existing Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument and currently unprotected areas of land and water, covering the full extent of the U.S.’s exclusive economic zone.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Al Roker Showcases Aquaculture as a Climate Solution

April 18, 2023 — Guess who’s in NOAA’s neck of the woods? For Earth Week, Al Roker and the Today Show traveled from California to Connecticut to learn about aquaculture as a climate solution.

The United States imports 75–80 percent of the seafood we eat, and those seafood sources are being impacted by climate change. Aquaculture is a local, sustainable option that doesn’t use much fresh water, fish food, take up much space, or emit greenhouse gasses the way traditional farming can. Eating farmed seafood is good for you, good for the economy, and good for the planet!

“In a changing climate, we need to consider the environmental impacts of what we eat,” said Danielle Blacklock, director of NOAA Fisheries Office of Aquaculture. “Adding more seafood to your diet is a climate-smart, earth-friendly choice, especially if it’s grown here in the United States.”

To showcase the diversity of the United State’s aquaculture industry, Al Roker and his team visited aquaculture efforts in California and Connecticut. They met NOAA, Sea Grant, and farmers from the Port of San Diego and Copps Island Oysters. In San Diego, Roker learned about abalone and how aquaculture can grow as part of the Blue Economy.

In Connecticut, Roker boarded a NOAA Milford Research vessel to visit Copps Island Oysters—the largest oyster operation on the East Coast. It also farms sugar kelp for a line of skincare products. He interviewed Sea Grant seaweed expert Anoushka Concepcion and met with Danielle Blacklock. He also chatted with the Bloom Family about Copps Island Oysters and their seaweed business.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

Protests opposed to aquaculture target NOAA after release of scoping report

April 17, 2023 — NOAA Fisheries released a scoping report on potential aquaculture sites off the coast of Southern California as part of an ongoing federal process to identify aquaculture sites, and was then faced with a small protest against fish farms.

Protesters converged on NOAA’s offices in Long Beach, California following the 29 March release of a scoping report on an environmental impact statement (EIS) covering potential aquaculture sites in Southern California’s Santa Barbara Channel and Santa Monica Bay. Protestors, the Santa Barbara Independent reported, had gravestones reading “RIP humpback whales” in protest of establishing any aquaculture sites in the region.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource