Saving Seafood

El Niño watch issued by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center

April 16, 2023 — El Niño, a recurring climate pattern that periodically disrupts entire ecosystems of marine life and can influence weather events in the United States and across the globe, will “likely develop” again this summer, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced on Thursday.

The agency’s climate prediction center had earlier issued an El Niño Watch as part of its latest weather outlook assessment for April 2023, which forecasted the upcoming shift in ENSO, the acronym scientists use to describe an alternating system of contrasting climate phenomena called the El Niño-Southern Oscillation cycle. This kind of advisory is issued when weather conditions favor the development of El Niño within the next six months, according to NOAA.

Weather conditions are currently considered neutral, as they have been since a particularly lengthy term of La Niña — El Niño’s converse, which is often associated with worsening drought and more severe hurricanes — ended at the beginning of March. At the time, climate scientists said there was an estimated 60% chance that El Niño would emerge by the fall season.

Read the full article at CBS News

‘Ropeless’ Fishing Gear Aims to Protect Whales, But Adds Complications, Costs

April 13, 2023 — A handful of Rhode Island lobster fishermen are working this season with federal regulators to use and study some complex and early stage equipment that is intended, eventually, to greatly reduce entanglements and deaths of whales.

The experimental equipment for this so-called “ropeless” fishing would eliminate the vertical ropes — or “lines” — running down the water column from buoys on the surface to lines connecting a series of traps on the seafloor. The existing function of buoys and vertical lines — to find and retrieve traps — would be replaced under a new system by computerized acoustic signals from boats to the seafloor and geopositioning via cell signals or satellites.

Using federal experimental fishing permits, three Port Judith-based lobstermen are struggling to use the new gear, borrowed from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), a branch of NOAA Fisheries.

On a recent sunny April morning, Richard Lodge and his sea dogs Rudder and Dory were preparing to embark from his dock at Point Judith on his boat Select for a day of lobster fishing using the experimental gear. The gear is informally called “on demand” because the fisherman uses an acoustic signal, like a dog whistle, to release floats on the seafloor and to raise one end of the trawl line to the surface.

His experimental fishing permit allows Lodge to use and test the gear in a portion of the ocean called the South Island restricted area, to the south and east of the Rhode Island coast. The restricted area was designated two years ago, and lobster fishing — using buoys and vertical lines — is banned there from February through April, when the endangered North Atlantic right whale is moving through the area.

Lodge uses a mild tone in talking about using the gear, which is a little surprising, considering the years of previous regulations on the fishery and the hassles of managing the computer-driven gear.

“Ropeless technology is excessive; I honestly don’t think it is necessary,” Lodge said. “This is a solution to a problem that isn’t there.” He and other Point Judith-based lobstermen said that in decades of time at sea, they don’t know of one instance in which whales were entangled in their lines.

“I’ve fished here for 40 years and we haven’t had a problem with whales,” said Galilee-based fisherman Eric Marcus, who also has an experimental fishing permit to use and test the ropeless gear in the restricted zone. “Where we are isn’t a breeding ground for whales.”

Daniel McKiernan, director of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, said there are 6,000 commercial lobstermen and 350 right whales, “so naturally the vast majority of lobstermen are not entangling whales.”

Read the full article at ecoRI News

Recommended 2023 Species Recovery Grants Projects

April 13, 2023 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act, we are recommending roughly $6.3 million in funding for state and tribal projects through the Species Recovery Grants Program. Over the years, the Species Recovery Grant Program has successfully supported the collaboration with states and Tribes to recover and conserve marine species under the Act. This year, we are recommending around $1.5 million for six new projects (through eight new awards) to five states, a territory, and one federally recognized tribe. Another $4.8 million will support the continuation of 20 multi-year projects that were approved in prior grant cycles.

States and tribes play an essential role in conserving and recovering species. Threatened or endangered species under NOAA Fisheries’ jurisdiction may spend all or part of their lifecycle in state or tribal waters. Successfully conserving these species depends largely on working cooperatively with states and tribes. This year’s recommended projects support our state and tribal partners in a range of activities, such as:

  • Assessing and monitoring endangered and threatened species presence and status, including evaluating abundance, spatiotemporal distribution, spawning, and foraging behaviors
  • Collecting demographic and genetic information to improve understanding of population structure, habitat use, and impacts of human threats
  • Engaging the public in conservation of Endangered Species Act-listed species

We identified projects that would benefit the species identified in our “Species in the Spotlight” initiative as a priority in our funding decisions. Recommended and ongoing projects will address five Species in the Spotlight:

This year is the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act. The Act is critical in recovering and conserving marine species, habitats, and ecosystems through the work of NOAA and our partners in science, management, and law enforcement. As we celebrate 50 years, we also look to the future and recognize the continued importance of the ESA in light of biodiversity loss and climate change.

At this point in the selection process, application approval and obligation is not final. An application being recommended is not an authorization to begin performance of the project, and is not a guarantee of funding. Final approval is subject to funding availability as well as final review and approval by both NOAA Grants Management Division and Department of Commerce Financial Assistance Law Division. No application is “awarded” until it has been signed by the official Grants Officer. The Grants Officer will notify successful applicants in writing when their application has been approved.

Tribal organizations file lawsuit alleging NOAA fisheries use outdated data, harming subsistence fishing

April 11, 2023 — The Association of Village Council Presidents and the Tanana Chiefs Conference have filed a lawsuit against the National Marine Fisheries Service in U.S. District Court to protect subsistence fishing rights.

The two organizations represent nearly a hundred tribes in Alaska, and are suing the federal government in order to protect their rights to subsistence fishing. The nonprofit EarthJustice is representing the Tribal organizations.

“It’s challenging the National Marine Fisheries Service’s recent decision adopting the catch limits for the Bering Sea groundfish fisheries,” EarthJustice senior attorney Kate Glover said.

The lawsuit alleges that NOAA fisheries have been using outdated environmental studies when setting groundfish catch limits for the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands.

Read the full article at Alaska New Source

Gulf of Mexico shrimp landings steady in December 2022

April 11, 2023 — NOAA Fisheries’ Southeast Fisheries Science Center has released preliminary shrimp landings data for December 2022 for the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic.

Approximately 6.7 million pounds of shrimp were landed in the Gulf of Mexico and the South Atlantic in December 2022, according to NOAA. For the total year, 119.7 million pounds of warmwater shrimp were landed in the U.S., down from its updated figure of 128 million pounds in 2021, a decline of 6.5 percent.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Jennifer Quan is new NMFS West Coast regional administrator

April 10, 2023 — Jennifer Quan will take the lead as regional administrator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s West Coast fisheries program April 23, according to an agency announcement.

Quan, born and raised in the Pacific Northwest region, began her NOAA career as a supervisory fish biologist leading the South Puget Sound Branch of the Oregon/Washington Coastal Office. She is now an advisor to Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., who chairs the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Quan is succeeding regional director Barry Thom, who left the National Marine Fisheries Service West Coast administrator position in 2020 to lead the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission. Scott Rumsey, who has been acting regional director since Thom’s departure, will resume his role as deputy regional administrator, according to the NOAA statement.

“I feel fortunate and excited to have Jennifer join the NOAA Fisheries leadership team at this time,” said Janet Coit, the assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries. “She is a capable, experienced leader who has demonstrated throughout her career that she understands fisheries and complex environmental issues and knows how to work with others to address the many natural resource challenges on the West Coast.”

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

NOAA, Cornell Cooperative Extension hope to reboot market for monkfish

April 8, 2023 — From the first time television chef Julia Child hoisted a whole, ugly monkfish in front of her audience, early successes in marketing “the poor man’s lobster” showed how creative culinary and marketing campaigns could boost underutilized U.S. fisheries.

Now, a newly formed collaborative program aims to again boost U.S. domestic demand for monkfish – a stock at high population levels, and accessible close to home for Atlantic fishermen. Extending from Maine to New Jersey, it’s a regional push to “expand the audience and the markets that monkfish can fill,” said Tara McClintock, a fisheries specialist with the Cornell Cooperative Marine Extension Service in New York.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

MASSACHUSETTS: New Bedford Port Authority calls for changes to NOAA National Seafood Strategy

April 6, 2023 — The New Bedford Port Authority (NBPA), in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, recently submitted comments on NOAA Fisheries’ National Seafood Strategy, asking the administration remain cognizant of the many challenges the fishing industry faces in the coming decade.

NOAA Fisheries released its draft National Seafood Strategy in February 2023, outlining how the federal government plans to support the domestic seafood sector in the coming years. The strategy, which NOAA said is “based on sound science,” addresses factors affecting the seafood industry, including the financial viability of fisheries and the resilience of coastal communities – like New Bedford, Massachusetts – that depend on them.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

NOAA Names Jennifer Quan to Lead Fisheries’ West Coast Region

April 6, 2023 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is pleased to announce Ms. Jennifer Quan as the new Regional Administrator for NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region. She will assume her new duties on April 23, 2023. Ms. Quan is currently an advisor to Chair Senator Maria Cantwell and other members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. She began her NOAA career as a supervisory fish biologist in the West Coast Region leading the South Puget Sound Branch of the Oregon/Washington Coastal Office. She succeeds Barry Thom, who left the agency in 2020 to lead the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission. She also follows Acting Regional Administrator Dr. Scott Rumsey, who will resume his role as Deputy Regional Administrator.

“I feel fortunate and excited to have Jennifer join the NOAA Fisheries leadership team at this time,” said NOAA Fisheries’ Assistant Administrator Janet Coit. “She is a capable, experienced leader who has demonstrated throughout her career that she understands fisheries and complex environmental issues and knows how to work with others to address the many natural resource challenges on the West Coast.”

In her new role, Ms. Quan will direct NOAA Fisheries’ science-based stewardship of marine species and habitat within the coasts and watersheds of Washington, Oregon, California, and Idaho. The region is one of the largest in the agency, covering 317,690 square miles of the eastern Pacific Ocean and more than 7,000 miles of tidal coastline. It also includes the ecological functions within the states’ vast rivers and estuaries.

As the Regional Administrator, Ms. Quan will lead more than 300 dedicated employees working to build sustainable fisheries, recover endangered and threatened species, maintain healthy ecosystems, and protect human health. The region works closely with the Pacific Fishery Management Council and the Pacific States Commission as well as state and federal partners, tribes, the fishing and seafood industries, and other stakeholders. They manage and conserve federal commercial and recreational fisheries, marine mammals, endangered and threatened species, habitat, and much more. Later this spring, Ms. Quan will be meeting with a wide variety of partners and stakeholders across the region to listen and get feedback on shared priorities. Ms. Quan has extensive experience in natural resource management on the U.S. West Coast and benefits from diverse perspectives gained during her time with state and federal governments. Her career spans a broad spectrum of West Coast fisheries issues including:

  • Dolphin conservation in the eastern Tropical Pacific
  • Research on blue and humpback whales in California
  • Study of tribal harvest on gray whales
  • Pacific fisheries management
  • Salmon recovery
  • Endangered Species Act regulations

With her many years of natural resource management experience in the Pacific Northwest and the relationships she’s built during the course of her career, I am confident that Jennifer Quan will step into the West Coast Regional Administrator role with ease,” said NOAA Fisheries’ Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs Sam Rauch.

For the last 2 years, Ms. Quan worked as an advisor to the Chair, Senator Maria Cantwell on the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. There she worked with the Chair to develop and pass legislation on NOAA’s ocean, climate, weather and atmospheric research and services. Notably, she worked on NOAA’s climate resilience provisions in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act and Inflation Reduction Act. Additionally, during her tenure, she assisted in leading passage of 13 bills into law including the historic reauthorization of the Coral Reef Conservation Act.

Prior to working for the U.S. Senate, she worked for the NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region. She supervised the south Puget Sound Branch of the Oregon/Washington Coastal Office, with significant achievements in improving branch morale and innovating nearshore Endangered Species Act consultations. Before coming to NOAA, she spent 10 years at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. As Lands Division Manager she acquired more than 114,000 acres of habitat for fish and wildlife protection and led the passage of the state “Discover Pass” legislation. It created an access pass to state recreation lands that created revenue of more than $25 million a year and secured funding for maintenance of conservation and recreation lands.

Ms. Quan values continuous improvement and collaborative solutions born from hard work and thrives working in the interface of science and policy. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, she is steeped in the world of salmon and other fish. She is adept at navigating the challenges that come with balancing their accompanying and inseparable intrinsic, tribal, recreational, and commercial values. She considers herself a modern conservationist and manager and believes that strategic innovations will be necessary to solve current day and future sustainability challenges.

Ms. Quan is a fellow of the National Conservation Leadership Institute. She holds a Master’s degree in Marine Affairs from the University of Washington and Bachelors of Science from Evergreen State College.

Ms. Quan will be splitting her time among the West Coast Region offices, including Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, and Long Beach. She is a wife and mother of three who considers her family her anchor and greatest accomplishment. In her spare time, you may find her playing “zen” golf, trying out a new recipe, throwing a ball for her dog, and skiing if the snow is good.

NOAA: NJ wind farm may ‘adversely affect,’ not kill whales

April 6, 2023 — New Jersey’s first offshore wind farm may “adversely affect” whales and other marine mammals, but its construction, operation and eventual dismantling will not seriously harm or kill them, a federal scientific agency said.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a report Tuesday evaluating an analysis by the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management of the Ocean Wind I project to be built off the southern New Jersey coast.

NOAA’s final biological opinion examined BOEM’s research, and took into account “the best scientific and commercial data available.”

NOAA determined the project by Danish wind power company Orsted “is likely to adversely affect, but is not likely to jeopardize, the continued existence of any species” of endangered whales, sea turtles and other animals. Nor is it likely to “destroy or adversely modify any designated critical habitat.”

Read the full article at Associated Press