Saving Seafood

NEFMC Discusses Scallops, Habitat, Climate Change, NTAP, Congressional Updates, and Ecosystem at April 2021 Meeting

April 16, 2021 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council met April 13-15, 2021 by webinar. Here are some highlights.

CLIMATE SCIENCE: The Council received a climate science presentation from the Northeast Fisheries Science Center that covered: observed changes on the Northeast Continental Shelf related to temperature, currents, and pH; NOAA’s Climate Science Strategy; the Northeast Regional Action Plan; and more.

NRCC CLIMATE CHANGE PLANNING: The Northeast Region Coordinating Council (NRCC) is moving forward with an East Coast Climate Change Scenario Planning Initiative. The NRCC consists of leadership from the Shown above, the U.S. Northeast Continental Shelf. A list of upcoming webinars in the NOAA Fisheries U.S. Northeast Climate-Fisheries Seminar Series is posted here. – NOAA Fisheries graphic New England and Mid-Atlantic Councils, the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. The South Atlantic Council, although not an NRCC member, is participating in the climate change scenario planning initiative.

Read the full release here

Home-Based Researchers Keep 10-Year Study Afloat During Pandemic

April 5, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Even without a pandemic, figuring out the number of eggs a fish will lay during its spawning season is a difficult task. While this information is important to fishery biologists, long-term data are scarce. That hampers researchers ability to answer a fundamental question important for fishery managers: What affects the ability of marine fish, and fish populations, to replace themselves in an open ocean? The pandemic made answering this question even more difficult—but our researchers persevered.

“Many marine fish produce hundreds of thousands to millions of eggs per female per year, the survival of which determines the future abundance of a population,” said Mark Wuenschel, a fish biologist at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center. Wuenschel is leading a long-term study on “fecundity”—a term for reproductive potential—in two commercial flatfish species, winter flounder and yellowtail flounder. “We had to have enough samples, and we had to work out the methodology to do it.”       

Annual fecundity — in this case, measured by the number of eggs — varies and depends on the size, age, and condition of the female fish. Environmental variables, such as temperature and available prey, also affect the growth, condition, and reproduction of the females. Like many things in life, timing is everything. To study fecundity, female fish have to be collected at just the right time from the right locations, and in large numbers. Then, lots of eggs need to be counted.

Enter Emilee Tholke and Yvonna Press, both center biologists who work with Wuenschel. They were granted access to their lab one day a week under specific safety protocols. They prepared egg samples and captured images of the eggs using a high-resolution camera with a macro lens and a microscope. Images were stored on a flash drive or transferred to a shared network file.

Then, working from home, each analyzed the images and entered the results into a shared database. Working from home not only kept the egg counts going, but ensured that critical sampling would continue, and prevented a back-log of sample processing work. This year’s effort completes a 10-year time-series of sampling, image analysis, and fecundity estimates for winter and yellowtail flounders.

Read the full release here

NEFMC SSC – Listen Live – Friday, March 26, 2021 – Atlantic Herring, Ecosystem Issues

March 18, 2021 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will meet via webinar on Friday, March 26, 2021 to discuss issues related to Atlantic herring and the state of the ecosystem.  The public is invited to listen live.

START TIME:  8:30 a.m.

WEBINAR REGISTRATION:  Online access to the meeting is available at Listen Live.  There is no charge to access the meeting through this webinar.

CALL-IN OPTION:  To listen by telephone, dial +1 (562) 247-8321.  The access code is 658-624-262.  Please be aware that if you dial in, your regular phone charges will apply.

AGENDA:  The SSC will meet to:

  • Review initial information from the Atlantic Herring Plan Development Team (PDT) and provide PDT guidance on developing rebuilding plan alternatives for Atlantic herring;
  • Receive a presentation on the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s State of the Ecosystem 2021 Report for New England and provide the Science Center with any SSC recommendations about revisions; and
  • Discuss other business as needed.

COMMENTS:  The deadline for submitting written comments for consideration at this meeting is 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 24, 2021.  Address comments to Council Chairman Dr. John Quinn or Executive Director Tom Nies and email them to comments@nefmc.org.  Additional information is available in the meeting notice.

MATERIALS:  All documents for this meeting will be posted on the SSC March 26, 2021 meeting webpage.

QUESTIONS:  Contact Joan O’Leary at (978) 465-0492 ext. 101, joleary@nefmc.org or Janice Plante at (607) 592-4817, jplante@nefmc.org.

NMFS selects 13 Northeast scallop research projects worth $12.5 million

March 16, 2021 — Sea scallop surveys, bycatch reduction and sea turtle interactions are on a list for the 2021-22 Northeast research set-aside program for scallop science.

Set up by the New England Fishery Management Council in 1999, the cooperative science effort between researchers and fishermen was one  outcome of the scallop fishery crisis when abundance declined in the mid-1990s. Two decades later, scallops are the richest East Coast fishery, with a system of rotating area management and close collaboration between NMFS, academic researchers and the industry.

The set-aside program is a wish list of research needs from the council and carves out a small part of the fishery’s landings – valued around $570 million in 2019 – allocating it to boats carrying out the projects. For the 2021-2022 program that will be about $12.5 million in scallops brought to the docks, with $3 million from those paying for the science work and $9.5 million for the fishermen, according to a summary from NMFS.

“The RSA program improves our scientific understanding of sea scallops and monkfish, which directly contributes to their sustainable management,” Jon Hare, director of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, said in a statement outlining the plan.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

MASSACHUSETTS: Speaking to call of the sea

March 15, 2021 — The voices of Gloucester fishermen and those that process their catch along the city’s historic waterfront now can be heard anywhere and for posterity.

The voices speak to the experience of living and fishing in America’s oldest commercial seaport, of the challenges and the joys of working on the waters of Cape Ann and beyond. They are at once a snapshot and endurable timeline collected into recorded interviews and fashioned into an integrated story map of the Gloucester fishing and community experience.

The stories — and the voices which tell them — are contained in the newest online chapter of the Voices of Oral History Archives organized and produced by NOAA Fisheries’ Northeast Fisheries Science Center.

It’s titled “Strengthening Community Resilience in America’s Oldest Seaport” and is a collaboration between the oral history archive and the Cape Ann Partnership for Science Technology and Natural Environment.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Scallop Research Set-Aside Program Supports 13 Projects for 2021-2022; Focus on Surveys, Bycatch Reduction, Turtles

March 15, 2021 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The Atlantic Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program will support 13 new projects under the 2021- 2022 award cycle. The awards are expected to generate approximately $12.5 million, including $3 million to fund the research and $9.5 million to compensate industry partners who harvest the set-aside scallops. The selected projects address scallop research priorities identified by the New England Fishery Management Council during its June 2020 meeting. The projects focus on resource surveys, bycatch reduction, seed scallop habitat, loggerhead turtles, and data collection by fishermen.

The awards were announced on March 15, 2021 by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center and the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, which both are part of NOAA Fisheries. The Council and NOAA Fisheries work together to support the research set-aside program. The Council sets priorities, and NOAA Fisheries manages the RSA competition and administers the program.

RSA-funded scallop surveys have become increasingly important in:

  • Providing information that directly helps scientists determine the status and distribution of the resource; and
  • Guiding the Council in management decision-making.

Read the full release here

Research Track Stock Assessments Seeking Working Group Members

March 9, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Fisheries Stock Assessments: Research Track

We are soliciting working group members for our 2022 and 2023 research track stock assessments. These working groups will carry out the analytical work required for the species-specific or topic-based research track stock assessments. Peer reviews for American plaice and spiny dogfish will occur in spring of 2022. Peer reviews for black sea bass and bluefish will occur in fall of 2022. Peer reviews for Atlantic cod and Applying State Space Models will occur in 2023. If you are interested in being a member of any of these working groups, please fill out this google form by March 29th, 2021.

Questions?

Contact Michele Traver, Northeast Fisheries Science Center

Read the full release here

Meet Sheila Stiles, Research Geneticist

February 24, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. Back then we children played outside most of the time, and we explored nature. My early interest in the natural world led me to study science as I got older. My mother was a teacher, and a great role model. She valued education, and told me and my four siblings that if we studied we could become whatever we wanted to be. All of us ended up graduating from college.

Where did you go to school and in what subject did you get your degree(s) in?

I attended St. Augustine/ Father Bertrand High School in Memphis. I studied hard and graduated as class valedictorian. I went on to Xavier University in Louisiana, where I earned my B.S. degree in biology. Later on, I attended the University of Connecticut in Storrs, and received a master’s degree in zoology and ecology. I then earned a Ph.D. in fisheries and genetics from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.

How did you come to work at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center?

After graduating from Xavier, I was recruited by a representative from the Department of the Interior to work for the summer at the Milford, Connecticut lab. The lab was then part of the Department of the Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service. At the end of the summer I was asked to stay on. I was the first full-time African American woman hired at the lab and soon became a fisheries biologist. When NOAA was created in 1970, the lab was transferred to the Department of Commerce and became part of NOAA Fisheries and the Northeast Fisheries Science Center. That was more than 50 years ago, and I am still here!

Read the full interview here

Celebrate Black History Month with NOAA Fisheries

February 16, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Black History Month is observed every February to recognize the history and achievements of African Americans and their central role in our nation’s history. As we celebrate this year, we’d like to highlight the extraordinary research and important contributions of African Americans at NOAA Fisheries. Trailblazers like Dr. Ambrose Jearld, one of NOAA’s first African American fisheries biologists, led the way for many young scientists and specialists to pursue their dreams and their passion for marine and environmental science. Check out these interviews with our colleagues to learn more about their contributions to NOAA.

Watch this video featuring Dr. Ambrose Jearld

Larry Alade, Research Fisheries Biologist

Larry’s primary role as research fisheries biologist is to investigate and develop scientific tools to assess the health of fish populations in the region to inform and advise the federal fishery management process. This involves studying and monitoring changes in fish abundance, distribution and demographics (i.e. size, age, sex etc.), measuring and quantifying impacts of fishing activity and understanding biological and physical processes within the ecosystem that contribute to the observed changes in the fishery resource.

He first came to the Northeast Fisheries Science Center as an intern after completing his master’s degree in applied computer science. He later returned to the Science Center while earning his doctoral degree. After finishing his Ph.D., the Science Center hired him in 2008 to work for the Population Dynamics Branch assessing groundfish stocks. Larry is a 2020 John Bullard Diversity Award winner.

Learn more about Larry Alade and his work

Read the full release here

NEFMC Seeks Contractor to Support Scallop Survey Working Group

February 9, 2021 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council is looking for an independent contractor to support and document the work of the Council’s new Scallop Survey Working Group (SSWG).  Letters of interest and supporting materials must be received no later than 8:00 a.m. on March 1, 2021.

WHAT IS THE SSWG:  The Council currently is in the process of forming the Scallop Survey Working Group.  The group will be composed of government and non-government experts with experience in Atlantic sea scallop surveys and related fields.  These experts will be tasked with addressing terms of reference (TORs) set for the group and providing recommendations in response to the TORs.  The SSWG will report directly to the Council, and the group’s recommendations will be forwarded by the Council to the Northeast Fisheries Science Center.

WHY IS THE COUNCIL DOING THIS:  The Atlantic sea scallop fishery is one of the most valuable fisheries in the United States.  A central component of scallop management has been reliance on scallop surveys.  Previous survey reviews and stock assessments included recommendations for improving scallop surveys.  The Council agreed to form the Scallop Survey Working Group to address issues related to those recommendations.

WHAT ARE THE CONTRACTOR’S RESPONSIBILITIES:  The selected contractor will work with a representative of the Council and the Scallop Survey Working Group co-chairs on an array of issues from on or about March 22, 2021 through July 1, 2022.  A few of the contractor’s responsibilities include:

  • Supporting the development of draft TORs in advance of the working group’s first meeting;
  • Supporting working group meetings by developing detailed agendas, providing experienced meeting facilitators, and preparing written meeting summaries;
  • Creating a work plan to guide and assist the group in addressing the TORs; and
  • Preparing a final written report summarizing the working group’s recommendations.

MORE INFORMATION:  Complete details about the contractor’s full range of responsibilities, desired experience, and application submission instructions can be found in the request for proposals.

QUESTIONS:  Contact New England Council Executive Director Tom Nies at tnies@nefmc.org.