Saving Seafood

NPFMC December meeting via webconference

November 10, 2020 — The following was released by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The NPFMC will hold meetings November 30 – December 12, 2020, via webconference. The eAgenda, Schedule and a list of documents for review are now available. Please note the SSC has a separate SSC eAgenda. More detailed information is available on our website.

You can submit and review comments for each issue through the Council and SSC eAgendas. The deadline for written comments is Friday, November 27 at 5 PM (Alaska time). If you have questions, please email npfmc.admin@noaa.gov.

ALASKA: Seafood Bycatch Donation Relieves Hunger and Reduces Waste

November 2, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Fishermen sometimes unintentionally catch fish they do not want or cannot keep. This is called bycatch. While these fish are returned to the sea, many of them do not survive. This is a major problem worldwide—nearly 10 percent of global fishery catches are discarded each year

This waste of valuable seafood protein has been an increasing focus of management, industry, and public concern due to its ecological and economic impacts. That’s where our innovative donation program comes in.

Alaska fishermen occasionally catch Pacific halibut and salmon incidentally in trawls targeting groundfish. Because halibut and salmon are valuable targets of other fisheries, they are designated as prohibited species. Groundfish trawlers are not allowed to retain or sell them. Historically, all prohibited species caught in Alaska were discarded at sea to avoid any incentive to catch these species.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council and the Alaska seafood industry have a long history of cooperative efforts to reduce bycatch. However, even after bycatch has been eliminated to the extent practicable, some is inevitable.

In 1996, NOAA Fisheries and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council established the Prohibited Species Donation Program. It takes a unique approach to the problem of discarded fish by making it possible for fishermen to donate some bycatch to hunger relief organizations. It simultaneously reduces waste, provides high quality seafood protein to people in need, and avoids incentives to catch prohibited species.

“Bycatch donation is an example of thinking outside the box. When we think about reducing waste, it is usually about avoiding bycatch. This program is a creative solution to maximize the value of the bycatch that can’t be avoided,”  said Jordan Watson, NOAA Fisheries biologist at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center.

Read the full release here

NPFMC wrestles with halibut bycatch in Bering Sea

October 28, 2020 — Federal fisheries managers aiming to limit incidental halibut bycatch in the Bering Sea are moving forward with alternative options to resolve allowable bycatch based on abundance of the species.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council noted in a revised purpose and need statement approved during its October meeting that the Amendment 80 sector, in the Bering Sea, a fleet of trawl catcher-processors targeting rock sole, yellowfin sole and flathead sole, is accountable for the bulk of the annual halibut prohibited species catch in the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands groundfish fisheries. The meeting was virtual, due to safety concerns prompted by the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.

While the Amendment 80 fleet has reduced halibut mortality in recent years, the continuing decline in the halibut stock requires consideration of additional measures for bycatch management, the council said.

When halibut abundance in the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands declines, prohibited species catch by these trawl catcher-processors can result in a larger proportion of total halibut removals, particularly in International Pacific Halibut Commission Area 4CDE, which includes the Pribilof Islands. To that end, the council intends to establish an abundance-based halibut prohibited species catch management program in the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands for the Amendment 80 sector that meets requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Management Act, particularly to minimize halibut prohibited species catch to the extent practicable under National Standard 9 and to achieve optimum yield in the area groundfish fisheries on a continuing basis under National Standard 1.

Read the full story at The Cordova Times

NPFMC Narrows Focus on Abundance-Based Management for Pacific Halibut Bycatch in Bering Sea

October 20, 2020 — The North Pacific Fisheries Management Council clarified their focus to tie the management of halibut bycatch in the Bering Sea to abundance in a new motion that, after one amendment, was passed unanimously.

The final Council motion revised the purpose and need statement and the alternatives for an initial review analysis that will likely come at the April council meeting, scheduled for April 5-6, 2021.

Read the full story at Seafood News

Re Trump’s May Executive Order: North Pacific Council Prioritizes Surveys and Catch Monitoring

October 19, 2020 — In response to Last May’s Executive Order 13921, the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council (NPFMC) submitted a list of prioritized recommendations to “reduce burdens on domestic fishing and to increase production within sustainable fisheries.” At the top of their list is groundfish surveys in the Gulf and Bering Sea, and improved observer coverage and electronic monitoring.

The president’s order “Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness Economic Growth” tasked each of the nation’s eight regional management councils with providing ways to reach four goals and asked them to provide recommendations by November 2. Implementation plans for the changes are to be submitted within a year of the President’s May 7, 2020 order.

Read the full story at Seafood News

North Pacific Council Approves Three Halibut Proposals, Rejects Two on Friday

May 19, 2020 — The North Pacific Fisheries Management Council, in their first-ever special electronic meeting, acted on five requests for emergency rules triggered by the corona virus outbreak, in less than a day last Friday.

Halibut fishermen and fleet associations asked the 11-member council for relief on requirements to make medical quota transfers during the pandemic. Council members agreed to an option that would “allow the temporary transfer of halibut and sablefish IFQ for all quota share holders for the remainder of the 2020 fishing season,” without changing anything else in the program.

Read the full story at Seafood News

NPFMC May Special Meeting Newsletter

May 19, 2020 — The following was released by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Council met via web-conference on May 15th for a special Council meeting. The digital newsletter is published. For those interested, all the articles on one page to print is available here, and you can listen to the recording on box.net, or through the Adobeconnect app.  As always, you can access all other meeting information through the Agenda.

The Council will also hold its June meeting virtually through Adobeconnect, with the added component of the public able to provide public comment over the phone during the meeting. The intent is also to use web cameras for Council members and presenters during discussion and deliberation. The SSC and the AP will also be using the same platform and format. The meeting link will be the same throughout all of the June meetings. Detailed instructions for the public for joining and how to give public comments will be posted on the Council’s eAgenda and website.

NPFMC schedules special meeting via webconference May 15, 2020

April 21, 2020 — The following was released by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Council will meet May 15, 2020, at 12 pm Alaska time, via webconference for a special meeting to review emergency rule requests that have been submitted for Council consideration. The AGENDA is now available. Additional information and details will be added there and on NPFMC.org.  It is strongly encouraged to submit comments in writing through links on the Agenda. The deadline for written comments is Thursday, May 14, 2020, at 5:00 pm (Alaska time). If you have questions about the logistics of the meeting or concerns about logging in, please email npfmc.admin@noaa.gov.

NPFMC Meets June 1-10 via webconference

April 14, 2020 — The following was released by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Council will meet June 8-10, 2020, via webconference, and the SSC and the Advisory Panel will meet beforehand on June 1-5, 2020. The AGENDA and SCHEDULE are now available. You can submit and review comments through each Agenda Item. The deadline for Council comments is  Sunday, June 7, 2020, at 12:00 pm (Alaska time). More information about how to join the webconference will be posted in May on our website NPFMC.org as well as on the agenda linked above. If you have questions about the logistics of the meeting or concerns about logging in, please email npfmc.admin@noaa.gov.

Read the full release here

Meet Dr. Anne Hollowed, Renowned For Her Work Assessing the Effects of Climate and Ecosystem Change on Fish Stocks

April 13, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Dr. Anne Hollowed is a Senior Scientist with the NOAA Fisheries Alaska Fisheries Science Center. She conducts research on the effects of climate and ecosystem change on the current and future status of fish and fisheries. She leads the Status of Stocks and Multispecies Assessment program. Anne currently serves as co-chair of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee. She is also an Affiliate Professor with the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington.

We asked Anne to share a little bit about herself, what inspired her to pursue a career in fisheries science and what she would recommend for other young scientists interested in getting into the field.

When did you know you wanted to be a fisheries scientist?

My mother was a chemist and she nurtured my interest in science. I spent my summers in Kansas, at a family retreat. Time spent disconnected from the fast pace of the world allowed me to explore the diversity of nature and animal behavior. By the time I entered college I knew I wanted to pursue a degree in biology. My decision to pursue a career in ocean studies was formed during my semester abroad. I attended Lawrence University, a small liberal arts college in Wisconsin. My professors taught an interdisciplinary course in oceanography that included field work on Andros Island in the Bahamas. It only took one open ocean dive for me to know that I wanted to spend the rest of my career studying the ocean.

Read the full release here