Saving Seafood

Pot/Trap Fisheries Regulations to Help Save North Atlantic Right Whales Announced

August 31, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries and our partners are dedicated to conserving and rebuilding the North Atlantic right whale population, which is endangered, declining, and experiencing an ongoing Unusual Mortality Event.

Entanglement in commercial fishing gear is a primary cause of mortalities and serious injuries of North Atlantic right whales. Working with the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team—a group of advisors consisting of fishermen, scientists, conservationists, and state and federal officials—we have completed Phase 1 of the modifications to the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan to continue to reduce whale entanglements.

Today, we are announcing the final rule to modify the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan. The gear modifications required by the rule will go into effect May 1, 2022, which is the start of the American lobster/Jonah crab fishing year. The changes to the seasonally restricted areas will go into effect 30 days after the publication of this rule.

We would like to thank the many stakeholders who submitted more than 200,000 public comments on the proposed rule. The comments guided us in modifying the final rule to allow more flexibility for fishermen, while still achieving the necessary risk reduction to make a real difference for right whales. These measures will reduce the deaths and serious injuries to North Atlantic right whales due to entanglements in U.S. commercial fishing gear, and will contribute to the recovery of this endangered population.

Final Rule Measures

The rule modifies regulations for the Northeast lobster and Jonah crab trap/pot fisheries as follows:

  • Modify gear marking to introduce state-specific colors for gear marks and increase the number of gear markings and areas requiring marked lines.
  • Modify gear configurations to reduce the number of vertical lines by requiring more traps between buoy lines.
  • Require weak insertions or weak rope in buoy lines.
  • Modify existing seasonal closure/restricted areas to allow ropeless fishing.
  • Add two new seasonal restricted areas.
  • Following changes made by Massachusetts, extend the Massachusetts Restricted Area (MRA) to add state waters north to the New Hampshire border.

For More Information

For more information on the rule’s specific measures and to see outreach guides and videos please visit the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan website, or read our web story.

Questions?

Industry: Contact Marisa Trego, Take Reduction Team Coordinator, 978-282-8484

Media: Contact Allison Ferreira, Regional Office, 978-281-9103

NOAA Fisheries Issues Final Rule to Reduce North Atlantic Right Whale Entanglements

August 31, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries will host a video teleconference this afternoon to discuss a final rule, announced today, intended to reduce risk of mortality and serious injury to right whales caused by entanglement in Northeast lobster and Jonah crab trap and pot fisheries.

NOAA Fisheries and our partners, including members of the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team that were instrumental in developing the rule, are dedicated to conserving and rebuilding the North Atlantic right whale population, which is critically endangered, declining, and experiencing an ongoing Unusual Mortality Event.

WHEN:

August 31, 2021, at 1:30 p.m. EDT

WHO:

  • Michael Pentony, Regional Administrator, NOAA’s Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office
  • Dr. Marisa Trego, Marine Mammal Take Reduction Team Coordinator, NOAA’s Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office
  • Kristy Long, National Coordinator, Marine Mammal Take Reduction Program , NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources

WHAT:

– Webinar

– Questions and Answers

HOW:

Please register for the video teleconference at:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6612595288214527504

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

The media briefing will be held from 1:30-2:30 p.m., but you will be able to log in up to 30 minutes early for technical support.

Following the call, a recording of the webinar will be posted shortly on the Press Release’s webpage.

Climate, weather, and water affect all life on our ocean planet. NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict our changing environment, from the deep sea to outer space, and to manage and conserve America’s coastal and marine resources. See how NOAA science, services, and stewardship benefit your community: Visit noaa.gov for our latest news and features, and join us on social media.

Read the full release here

Nantucket Group Sues To Stop Massive Wind Farm, Claiming Threat To Endangered Right Whales

August 27, 2021 — A federal lawsuit is aiming to stop the construction of thousands of wind turbines off the Massachusetts coast.

The “ACK Residents Against Turbines” who filed the lawsuit said the proposed Vineyard Wind project poses a threat to the critically endangered North Atlantic Right Whale.

“The whales belong to all of us and with fewer than 400, of which there are fewer than 100 breeding females left, each one is worth protecting. The people of Nantucket have a long history with these whales and we have done so much recently to protect this species,” said group co-founder Mary Chalke in a statement. “It would be a tragedy to see all of them lost in order to build an industrial offshore development.”

The project is set to be the first utility-scale wind power development in federal waters.

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which are named in the suit, declined to comment, citing the pending litigation. Vineyard Wind, a joint project of a Danish company and a U.S. subsidiary of the Spanish energy giant, Iberdrola, also declined to comment.

But the American Clean Power Association, a group that represents renewable energy companies, stressed the project has undergone a lengthy environmental review, permitting and public comment process.

Read the full story at CBS Boston

Right Whale Use of Southern New England Wind Energy Areas Increasing

August 27, 2021 — Southern New England habitat is important to the North Atlantic right whale. With offshore wind energy development planned in the region, working with stakeholders to minimize potential impacts on right whales and other protected species is crucial.

Right whales are increasing their use of southern New England waters, including regions slated for offshore wind energy development, according to aerial survey data collected during the last decade. Offshore wind energy installations are proposed in waters off the south coasts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Understanding and minimizing the potential impacts from construction noise, increased vessel traffic, and habitat alteration will be crucial to protecting and conserving this endangered species. This research supports the Administration’s goal of deploying offshore wind while protecting biodiversity and promoting ocean co-use.

The study was published July 29 in Endangered Species Research. Marine mammal researchers from NOAA Fisheries and colleagues at the New England Aquarium and the Center for Coastal Studies examined aerial survey data collected between 2011–2015 and 2017–2019. The data was collected in offshore waters including the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Wind Energy Area. The data from these two time periods were used to quantify right whale distribution, residency, demographics, and movements in the region.

“We found that right whale use of the region increased during the last decade, and since 2017 whales have been sighted there nearly every month, with large aggregations occurring during the winter and spring,” said Tim Cole, lead of the whale aerial survey team at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center and a co-author of the study.

Read the full story at Eco Magazine

MAINE: Congressional delegation blasts Pew petition calling for closures

August 26, 2021 — Maine’s congressional delegation called on U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to reject a petition to impose seasonal and dynamic closures on parts of the state’s lobster fishery.

The Pew Charitable Trusts submitted a petition to close four areas of lobster fishing in Maine unless lobstermen used so-called “ropeless” fishing gear.

“The petition submitted by Pew undermines our shared goal of both protecting the North Atlantic right whale and ensuring the future viability of our nation’s lobster fishery,” wrote Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Angus King (I-Maine) and Reps. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Jared Golden (D-Maine). “Unfortunately, this proposal would have a detrimental economic impact on Maine’s lobster industry and the coastal communities they support, while providing limited risk reduction. It is unfortunate to see this attempted circumvention of NOAA’s established regulatory process when lives, livelihoods, and the survival of an endangered species are on the line.”

Pew petitioned former Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in 2020 to call for closures throughout New England waters, including an area Downeast from August to October, to better protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale.

Last month, the organization submitted an updated petition for rulemaking, arguing that action was needed to save the species, which has dipped down to an estimated population of fewer than 356.

Read the full story at the Mount Desert Islander

Feds eye new rules to protect right whales from fishing gear

August 26, 2021 — Federal ocean regulators are considering new rules to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales from fishing gear.

The whales number only about 360 and are vulnerable to entanglement in the gear. Most of the government’s efforts to protect them has focused on regulating gear used to harvest lobsters and Jonah crabs.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it is working on a new phase of rules that will focus on other fisheries, including those that use gillnets and those that use traps and pots. Lobster and crab gear in the primary threat to the whales, but they are also vulnerable to gear used to harvest fish, conch and other valuable species, said Allison Ferreira, a spokeswoman for the agency.

Read the full story at the Associated Press

Slow Zone Extended South of Nantucket to Protect Right Whales

August 26, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries announces an extension to a voluntary right whale Slow Zone South of Nantucket. On August 25, 2021, the New England Aquarium aerial survey team sighted the presence of right whales south of Nantucket, MA. The Slow Zone is extended immediately through September 9, 2021. Reminder there is another Slow Zone in effect Southeast of Nantucket through August 31. Please visit www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/shipstrike for coordinates of all current Slow Zones.

Extension of VOLUNTARY Right whale “SLOW Zone”  

Mariners are requested to continue to avoid or transit at 10 knots or less inside the following areas where persistent aggregations of right whales have been detected.

Slow Zone Coordinates

South of Nantucket Island, MA (EXTENSION)

41 24 N

40 40 N

069 32 W

070 30 W

Southeast of Nantucket Island, MA

41 05 N

40 26 N

069 11 W

070 04 W

Read the full release here

Collins joins Maine delegation in seeking Maine lobster industry protections

August 26, 2021 — A new set of federal rules to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale that is close to being finalized could be detrimental to Maine’s critical lobster industry, according to U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and a bipartisan, bicameral group of her Maine congressional colleagues.

The forthcoming rules include “hasty, late-breaking changes” that would “significantly harm the livelihoods of communities that depend on fishing and lobstering without meaningfully protecting whales,” Sen. Collins wrote in an Aug. 21 letter sent to U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

U.S. Sen. Angus King (I-ME) and U.S. Reps. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) and Jared Golden (D-ME) also signed the letter.

Specifically, the lawmakers expressed concerns about newer proposed modifications to the National Marine Fisheries Service’s Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Rule, which are now under consideration. They cited several modifications that they say could be harmful for the lobster industry, an important economic driver for Maine.

“These changes, as indicated by the Final Environmental Impact Statement, add significant costs to the industry without corresponding gains in conservation and seriously undermine conservation partnerships at state and local levels,” they wrote.

Read the full story at The Ripon Advance

Maine delegation deplores ‘hasty’ changes to whale rules affecting lobster fishery

August 25, 2021 — A set of new rules to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale is on the way to being finalized by the federal government.

But the rules include “hasty, late-breaking changes” that would “significantly harm the livelihoods of communities that depend on fishing and lobstering without meaningfully protecting whales,” U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Angus King, I-Maine, and U.S. Reps. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine 1st District, and Jared Golden, D-Maine 2nd District, said in a letter to U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

The National Marine Fisheries Service’s Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan was first developed in 1997 and has been modified in various ways since then, in an attempt to save the endangered whales from extinction.

The delegation cited several of the newer proposed modifications, now under consideration, as potentially harmful for the lobster industry.

Read the full story at MaineBiz

Maine Delegation Urges Commerce Secretary to Protect Lobster Fishery

August 24, 2021 — The following was released by The Office of Senator Susan Collins (R-ME):

U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden have sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, urging her to ensure that the National Marine Fisheries Service’s Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Rule does not include last minute changes that would significantly harm the livelihoods of communities that depend on fishing and lobstering without meaningfully protecting whales. In their letter, the Maine Delegation emphasize that many measures have been crafted after years of negotiation and careful consultation with Maine’s Department of Marine Resources (DMR) to protect the coastal Maine communities that rely on the lobster fishery. The Delegation specifically cites potential changes to regulations on gear marking, closures of valuable fishing areas, and enforcing dangerous one-size-fits-all approaches on gear configurations as risks that could endanger livelihoods and safety for Maine’s lobstering communities.

“We are getting in touch with you once again about the National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS’s) Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Rule (RIN: 0648-BJ09), the finalization of which we understand to be imminent,” wrote the Delegation. “We are grateful for your previous engagement with us over our concerns about this new regulation’s ability to meaningfully protect whales and its impact on those who depend on fishing, especially lobstering, for their livelihoods. We are now asking for your assistance to avoid hasty, late-breaking changes by NMFS to measures that have been extensively negotiated and carefully designed in consultation with Maine’s Department of Marine Resources (DMR) and broad outreach to stakeholders. These changes, as indicated by the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), add significant costs to the industry without corresponding gains in conservation and seriously undermine conservation partnerships at state and local levels.

“As you know, this rule builds on over two decades of collaborative whale conservation efforts and is the specific product of massive stakeholder input and data analysis in recent months and years,” the Delegation continued. “Despite this long timeline and vast effort, we and many of our constituents are deeply concerned about three specific elements of the rule, which we have outlined below. We have also shared these views with Shalanda Young, Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and we urge you to direct NMFS staff to engage with their counterparts at the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) to ensure this opportunity for good public policy making and consideration of informed public comment is not squandered in the midnight hour.”

The Maine Delegation has been steadfastly opposed to undue burdens that would threaten the lobster fishery – an important economic driver for Maine – without meaningfully protecting whales. The Delegation has urged President Joe Biden to act on his pledge to protect lobstermen’s livelihoods, citing the lack of data to support claims that the lobster fishery presents an extreme risk to whales compared to other marine activities such as ship strikes.

The Maine Delegation’s full letter can be downloaded HERE.