Saving Seafood

Stimson Center calls for SIMP expansion beyond current NOAA proposal

April 5, 2023 — The Stimson Center, a nonprofit, nonpartisan Washington, D.C., U.S.A.-based think-tank, is calling on NOAA to expand the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) beyond the current proposal offered by the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden.

SIMP was created six years ago to block the import of select seafood products that had been mislabeled or harvested through illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The program currently targets 11 species groups, but NOAA Fisheries announced a plan in January 2023 to expand the program and more than double the number of species it targets.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Massive study examines offshore wind’s impact on fishing, fisheries

April 5, 2023 — A just released “first of its kind” report that federal regulators and the fishing industry spent three years working on is making the rounds, exploring the impacts of offshore wind on fisheries and commercial fishermen, and identifying the questions that remain unanswered.

They just released their results in a nearly 400-page “Synthesis of Science” report — a collaborative effort between the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the lead regulator of offshore wind; NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center; and the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA), a membership-based coalition of the fishing industry.

“I would say this [report] is the first of its kind,” said Fiona Hogan, one of the principal investigators and the research director for RODA. “It was kind of amazing … that we were able to get state and federal employees, academics, even from over in Europe … and the fishing industry directly working together to write this document.”

Read the full article at The New Bedford Light

Report by feds, anglers cites offshore wind impacts on fish

April 3, 2023 — A joint study by two federal government scientific agencies and the commercial fishing industry documents numerous impacts that offshore wind power projects have on fish and marine mammals, including noise, vibration, electromagnetic fields and heat transfer that could alter the marine environment.

It comes as the offshore wind industry is poised to grow rapidly on the U.S. East Coast, where it is facing growing opposition from those who blame it for killing whales — something numerous scientific agencies say is not true.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance issued their report Wednesday after a 2 1/2-year-long study of the impacts existing offshore wind projects have on fish and marine mammals.

The goal was to solidify existing knowledge of the impacts and call for further research in many areas.

Read the full article at the Associated Press 

New Report Paves Way for a Northeast Fisheries and Offshore Wind Science Agenda

April 2, 2023 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

A final peer-reviewed report synthesizing the current state of science on the interactions between fisheries and offshore wind is now available online. The report was developed through a partnership of the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA), NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center, and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). It also summarizes the results of a first-of-its-kind symposium that helped gather information for the report.

“We are pleased to have been a part of this project, and look forward to working with our partners on its next iteration, a series of workshops focused on fisheries and floating offshore wind energy,” said Andy Lipsky, who oversees the wind energy team at the science center. Lipsky is also a co-author on the recently issued report.

The Synthesis of the Science: Fisheries and Offshore Wind project enhanced understanding of existing science and data gaps related to offshore wind interactions with fish and fisheries. It included a workshop in 2020 as well as the report.

“This collaboration was a great success and truly helped us as we developed a joint survey mitigation strategy with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management,” said Lipsky. “It also helps us define and begin developing the new kinds of monitoring required to continue our long-term data streams on ocean life as well as needed research on how offshore wind energy changes marine habitats and fisheries.”

The symposium brought together fishermen, fishing industry representatives, NOAA Fisheries, BOEM, and RODA experts, wind energy developers, federal fishery management councils, states, and other expert scientists from the United States and Europe. More than 550 people participated. View workshop summaries and videos of panel discussions.

Synthesis of Science

Following the workshop, an interdisciplinary team of scientists and fishery experts collaborated on the report which covers five broad topic areas:

  • Ecosystem effects
  • Fisheries socio-economics
  • Fisheries management and data collection
  • Methods and approaches
  • Regional science planning

The report is intended to enhance understanding of existing science and data gaps related to offshore wind interactions with fish and fisheries.

Next Steps for Collaboration

RODA, NOAA Fisheries, and BOEM are collaborating on science, research, monitoring, and process of offshore wind energy development on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. The next collaborative project is focused on fisheries and floating offshore wind energy. It will summarize current knowledge, research, and monitoring associated with floating wind technology and include workshops focused on floating technology and to obtain a fishing industry review of existing efforts to map fishermen’s data.

This effort complements the broader interagency Floating Offshore Wind Shot, by helping to advance understanding of this emerging technology in the context of fisheries. We will continue to work with stakeholders as stewards of the nation’s ocean resources, their habitats, and the communities that rely on them.

Five US senators call for NOAA investigation into spike in whale deaths

April 2, 2023 — A group of Democratic U.S. senators from four states are pushing for NOAA to investigate a string of whale deaths along both coasts of the U.S. – including deaths that some in the fishing industry are attributing to work on offshore wind installations.

Numerous whale deaths have occurred off the U.S. East Coast in the last few months, with several whales washing up on the shores of the state of New Jersey. Seven dead humpback whales have already been discovered in 2023 off the coast of the state – a total higher than any full year since 2016.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

RODA, NOAA, and BOEM Release Groundbreaking Report Synthesizing Scientific and Fishing Industry Knowledge on Fishing and Offshore Wind Energy Interactions

March 30, 2023 — The following was released by the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance:

In 2020, the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA), NOAA Fisheries’ Northeast Fisheries Science Center, and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) convened a first-of-its-kind workshop to evaluate the current state of science relevant to fisheries and offshore wind energy interactions. The final peer-reviewed report of the workshop is now available.

The “Synthesis of the Science” project was a key first step toward jointly building a regional fisheries and offshore science agenda. RODA brought together fishermen, fishing industry representatives, federal and state agency experts, wind energy developers, academics, and other prominent scientists from the U.S. and Europe to attend the workshop and contribute to the report.

This report enhances understanding of existing science and data gaps related to offshore wind energy development interactions with fish and fisheries on regional and broader levels. Ecological knowledge of the fishing industry participants was incorporated into all of the report topics covering:

  • Ecosystem effects – including interactions with benthic habitat, physical habitat, oceanographic processes, and ecosystem synthesis by species groupings;
     
  • Fisheries socioeconomics – covering fisheries operations, economics, and sociocultural effects throughout the fishing industry and dependent communities;
     
  • Fisheries management and data collection – incorporating effects to resource surveys and governance processes;
     
  • Methods and approaches – including addressing cumulative impacts, use of Integrated Ecosystem Assessments and innovative approaches and technologies; and
     
  • Regional science planning – highlighting fishing industry-identified research priorities.

Funded by NOAA Fisheries’ Northeast Fisheries Science Center, the symposium and report advance a memorandum of understanding between RODA, NOAA Fisheries, and BOEM. Signed in March 2019, this ten-year MOU promotes collaboration on the science, research, monitoring, and process of offshore wind energy development on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf.

In 2021, RODA received additional funds through this grant for a second synthesis of the science project. It is currently underway, and focuses on fisheries and floating offshore wind platforms. The project consists of a summary of current knowledge, research, and monitoring associated with floating technology, a workshop focused on floating turbine technology, and a review by the fishing industry of existing mapping efforts of fishermen’s data.

SSA wants NOAA to avoid promoting imports in its National Seafood Strategy

March 29, 2023 — The Southern Shrimp Alliance said it supports a NOAA’s National Seafood Strategy, which is designed to promote domestic seafood consumption – provided it doesn’t also promote foreign imports.

NOAA released its draft National Seafood Strategy on 14 February, focusing on NOAA Fisheries’ work on managing the country’s marine fisheries “based on sound science.” Most of the strategy includes details on how the administration will promote the financial viability of the industry, resilience of coastal communities, and the effects of international trade.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

For the First Time, Scientists Can Predict Traits for All Fish Worldwide

Marc h 28, 2023 — Scientists can now predict growth, survival, and reproductive strategies for all known fish in the world. The combination of traits a given species has developed to adapt to its niche and  environment makes up its life history strategy. The new model uses 33 traits—describing size, growth, reproduction, parental care, lifespan and more— to classify more than 34,000 fish species among three dominant strategy types.

The model uses relationships among these traits from species we know a lot about to predict strategies for data-poor species. The results will inform ecosystem-based fisheries management, help forecast consequences of climate change, and advance our understanding of evolutionary relationships. This model was developed by an international team led by Jim Thorson with the NOAA Fisheries Alaska Fisheries Science Center.

“Because of limited scientific resources, we can assess only a fraction of the fish species we catch around the world. Now we have a model that can predict traits and strategies for all the rest,” Thorson said. “That information is essential to set sustainable fishing limits and prepare for future change.”

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

Here’s why scientists are worried about newly discovered underwater heat waves

March 27, 2023 — In a recent study, researchers discovered extreme warming along the seafloor of the North American continental shelves.

Continental shelves form the edge of the continent. They extend up to 300 miles out to sea and, compared to the majority of the ocean floor, have shallow water. Their shallow depths and relative proximity to land allow continental shelf waters to be productive.

For example, the bottom of continental shelves serves as critical habitats for commercial species such as lobsters, scallops, crabs, flounder, cod and other groundfish, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA).

Read the full article at Fox Weather

Ocean acidification, warming will slow sea scallop growth, study says

March 26, 2023 — A new study published in the journal PLOS Climate indicates that ocean acidification conditions projected between now and 2100 depress the growth of juvenile Atlantic sea scallops. Ocean acidification is caused by the ocean absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, resulting in chemical changes that increase acidity. Ocean warming may further hinder growth. Atlantic sea scallops support one of the most valuable fisheries in the United States, worth $670 million in 2021.

Postdoctoral researcher and lead author Emilien Pousse said, “This work describes the energetic balance of sea scallops under ocean acidification conditions for the first time, a species of economic and socio-cultural importance. Within our changing world, getting to know how our marine resources and fisheries could be affected by ocean warming and acidification in the near future is the key to anticipate the upcoming changes.”

The 8-week study was a collaboration between NOAA Fisheries and Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. Faculty and students helped NOAA scientists conduct the study at the campus’ aquaculture lab. Scientists exposed the scallops to three different carbon dioxide levels and measured their growth and metabolism, including feeding, respiration, and excretion rates. Ocean acidification conditions significantly reduced the scallops’ ability to take up energy.

The NOAA Ocean Acidification Program, which funded this work, has a mission to better prepare society to respond to changing ocean conditions and resources by expanding our understanding of ocean acidification.

Dwight Gledhill, deputy director of NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Program, explained further. “Sea scallops represent a critically important fishery for New England and the Mid-Atlantic,” he said. “Because the effects of ocean acidification can vary considerably from species to species, it is necessary that we conduct targeted studies on sea scallops to better evaluate the risk ocean acidification may pose to them in coming decades.”

Dvora Hart is the lead assessment scientist for the species at NOAA Fisheries as well as a co-author of this study. She has studied Atlantic sea scallops for 24 years.

“This is the first information on post-larval scallop growth under ocean acidification,” she noted. “I previously worked on computer modeling studies with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution oceanographers focused on climate change and ocean acidification effects on sea scallops. At the time, we did not have experimental data on sea scallop response. We estimated it based on what we knew about other scallop species and oysters. We now have real data on how sea scallops respond, filling a major gap in our knowledge.”

Read the full article at the National Fisherman