Saving Seafood

FLORIDA: UF survey assesses coronavirus effect on marine businesses, aims to help industries

April 23, 2020 — A Fort Pierce commercial fishing wholesaler has begun selling freshly caught seafood directly from its boats, docked on the northwest side of the North Causeway.

Walk-up customers can buy fresh snapper, swordfish and yellowfin tuna at discounted rates as long as supplies last each day.

It’s how Day Boat Seafood LLC is adjusting to a drop in demand caused by closed restaurants and fewer dinners being sold by those that remain open for takeout or delivery, said managing partner Scott Taylor.

“Fortunately, we did see some grocery store chains step up to buy more domestically caught seafood, since imported seafood sources have not been able to deliver product,” said Taylor. About 80-90% of seafood bought in the U.S. comes from other countries, he said.

Such effects of the coronavirus pandemic on marine businesses are what a University of Florida research branch is trying to learn about through a new survey open until May 15.

Read the full story at TC Palm

Coast Guard breaks up Mexican poachers’ red snapper incursion off Texas

April 10, 2020 — Thirteen Mexican fishermen were detected poaching red snapper far north of the U.S. maritime boundary off south Texas Monday when the Coast Guard moved in to break up their longlining operations, Coast Guard officials said.

Three lanchas – small, slim-hulled outboard boats of 20 to 30 feet that can run at 30 knots – were corralled about 50 miles inside the boundary and detained by crews on a Coast Guard cutter, small boat and helicopters.

The haul brought in 12 miles of longline gear, other fishing equipment illegal under U.S. law, and 2,020 pounds of poached red snapper.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

NOAA Lists Waiver of Observer Requirements HMS, South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Fisheries

April 10, 2020 — NOAA has issued another update on the temporary waiver of observer requirements for federally permitted vessels.

According to the latest document, NOAA is temporarily waiving the requirement to carry a fishery observer for federally permitted vessels participating in the following fisheries:

-South Atlantic Penaeid Shrimp
-South Atlantic Rock Shrimp
-South Atlantic Snapper-Grouper
-Southeast Gillnet
-Gulf of Mexico Commercial Reef Fish
-Gulf of Mexico Shrimp
-Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Pelagic Longline
-Shark Bottom Longline (Atlantic HMS)
-Shark Gillnet (Atlantic HMS)

Read the full story at Seafood News

Louisiana fishers could find relief in coronavirus stimulus package

April 10, 2020 — With restaurants closed, commercial fishers like Sean Heverin, from Leesville, are struggling to sell their catch. Heverin targets red snapper, among other species, which he then sells in bulk to companies that resell the fish to restaurants.

But that supply chain is gone, and retail markets cannot buy in the quantity that Heverin is used to selling.

“It’s been really tough lately with the coronavirus pandemic,” he said. “Lately, we’ve had to try pre-selling the fish before leaving the dock, and most places say no, or that the price is too high.”

Heverin and other Louisiana fishers could find some relief in the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package signed by President Donald Trump last month. The bill includes $300 million for those in the fishing industry whose businesses have seen losses greater than 35 percent as compared to the prior 5-year average revenue.

But the bill did not outline a process for distributing the funds, said Ashford Rosenberg, a policy analyst for the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance.

Read the full story at NOLA.com

Snapper Grouper AP Meeting Postponed; Reminder for Upcoming Meetings via Webinar

April 1, 2020 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will postpone the scheduled April 15-16, 2020 meeting of its Snapper Grouper Advisory Panel due to concerns over the ongoing impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on the AP members. “Advisory panel members provide grass-roots level recommendations to the Council and are a key part of the decision-making process,” said Executive Director John Carmichael. “Snapper Grouper AP members include commercial fishermen, charter captains, seafood dealers, private anglers and others currently dealing with impacts to their businesses and their lives. We want to be sensitive to our constituents’ needs and ensure their involvement in the Council process,” explained Carmichael. The Council is currently collecting input from several of its advisory panels as the impacts of COVID-19 continue.

Reminder for Upcoming Meetings

Meanwhile, meetings noted below will be held as scheduled via webinar. The meetings are open to the public and webinar registration is required. Additional information, including meeting agendas, overviews, and briefing book materials will be posted on the Council’s website two weeks prior to each meeting. Online comment forms will also be available.

Please note the meeting dates listed below and mark your calendars!

Advisory Panel Meetings
https://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/current-advisory-panel-meetings/

Information and Education Advisory Panel
April 14-15, 2020

Habitat Protection and Ecosystem-Based Management Advisory Panel
April 22, 2020

Scientific and Statistical Committee
https://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/scientific-and-statistical-committee-meetings/

SSC Socio-Economic Panel Meeting
April 8-9, 2020

Scientific and Statistical Committee Meeting
April 28-April 30, 2020

Council members and staff will continue to monitor advisories. We encourage you to stay involved with fisheries management issues via webinars and utilize the meeting materials available online, including the public comment forms. Please reach out with any questions you may have. Stay safe, support local businesses when possible, and keep washing your hands!

Reopening of the Commercial Golden Tilefish Longline Component in South Atlantic Federal Waters on March 14, 2020, for 9 Days

March 11, 2020 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

WHAT/WHEN:

The commercial longline component for golden tilefish in South Atlantic federal waters will reopen for 9 days on March 14, 2020. Commercial harvest for the longline component will reopen at 12:01 a.m., local time, on March 14, 2020, and close at 12:01 a.m., local time, on March 23, 2020. During the 9-day reopening, the commercial trip limit for the commercial longline component for golden tilefish is 4,000 pounds gutted weight or 4,480 pounds whole weight.

WHY THIS REOPENING IS HAPPENING:

The 2020 golden tilefish commercial catch limit for the longline component is 248,805 pounds gutted weight. On February 18, 2020, the catch limit for the commercial longline component for the 2020 season was projected to be met, and NOAA Fisheries closed the season. However, a recent landings update indicates that the golden tilefish longline component catch limit has not been met, and reopening will allow the commercial longline component to reach its catch limit.

AFTER THE REOPENING AND SUBSEQUENT CLOSURE:

  • Only golden tilefish longline endorsement holders are allowed to harvest golden tilefish with longline fishing gear.
  • Golden tilefish harvested with longline fishing gear may not be sold or purchased after the closure. The prohibition on sale or purchase during the subsequent closure does not apply to fish that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold prior to 12:01 a.m., local time, on March 23, 2020, and were held in cold storage by a dealer or processor.
  • During the longline closure, a vessel with a golden tilefish longline endorsement may not commercially harvest golden tilefish using hook-and-line fishing gear, and is limited to the golden tilefish recreational bag and possession limits when the recreational sector is open, without regard to where the golden tilefish was harvested (i.e. in state or federal waters).
  • A vessel that does not have a longline endorsement, but has a commercial South Atlantic snapper-grouper unlimited permit, may commercially harvest golden tilefish with hook-and-line fishing gear until the hook-and-line catch limit is reached.
  • The 2021 fishing season for the golden tilefish commercial sector opens at 12:01 a.m., local time, on January 1, 2021.

This bulletin provides only a summary of the existing regulations. Full regulations can be found in the Federal Register
or at:
https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=383bc195ccbeab4fd6bec1c24905df34&node=sp50.12.622.i&rgn=div6#_top.

Federal Fishery Managers Address Broad Range of Issues During Meeting This Week

March 6, 2020 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

This week’s meeting of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council in Jekyll Island, Georgia reflected the diversity of issues involved in managing fisheries in federal waters in the Southeast. During the meeting the Council developed recommendations on measures proposed in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, approved an amendment to modify transit provisions for shrimp vessels during cold-weather closures, addressed designating Special Management Zone areas off the coasts of the Carolinas, and received updates on the 2020 red snapper season, shark depredation, and wind farms.

The Council received presentations from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) as well as the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary regarding proposed measures in the Sanctuary’s Restoration Blueprint affecting fishing within the South Atlantic Council’s portion of the Sanctuary. The proposed measures include expansion of the Sanctuary boundaries, modifying designated marine zones where fishing would be restricted or prohibited, eliminating baitfish permits, and prohibiting fish feeding activities. FWC held a series of stakeholder workshops in January 2020 and has developed recommendations based on input received at the workshops and other meetings. After reviewing the FWC recommendations, the Council discussed their role in the process and began drafting a letter to provide formal comments to the superintendent of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary by mid-March. A final copy of the letter will be posted on the Council’s website as part of the March 2020 meeting materials.

Council members voted to approve Amendment 11 to the Shrimp Fishery Management Plan that would modify current transit provisions for commercial shrimp vessels during cold-weather closures. The Council created the cold-weather closures and associated transit provisions to protect overwintering shrimp. During the most recent cold-weather closure for penaeid shrimp (brown, pink, and white shrimp) in 2018, shrimp fishermen indicated that gear stowage requirements were no longer feasible and asked that they be adjusted. Working together with members of the Council’s advisory panels to find a solution, the amendment would modify the gear stowage requirements within the transit provisions. The amendment must undergo Secretarial review before the measures may be implemented.

At the request of state marine resource agencies in North Carolina and South Carolina, the Council is considering designating a series of artificial reef sites within federal waters (3 miles or greater) offshore of each state as Special Management Zones. Amendment 34 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan would designate 30 artificial reef sites off of North Carolina and four sites off of South Carolina, where gear restrictions would be put into place for fishermen targeting species in the snapper grouper management complex. The Council approved the amendment for public hearings to be held via webinar prior to the June Council meeting. The hearings will be publicized as details become available.

Other Items

The Council received an update from NOAA Fisheries regarding a possible recreational season for red snapper in the South Atlantic of three days beginning the second Friday in July. The number of fishing days is determined by NOAA Fisheries each year. The 2020 opening is contingent on changing current regulations restricting opening the season for three days or less. The Council approved Snapper Grouper Regulatory Amendment 33 in December 2019 requesting the minimum number of days requirement be eliminated. The amendment is currently under review by NOAA Fisheries. Read more.

The Council also received a presentation from NOAA Fisheries Highly Migratory Species Division addressing concerns about shark depredation. The presentation acknowledged growing concerns about the impacts of shark depredation on fishing activities and outlined the challenges in addressing the concerns, including data needed to quantify shark encounters by fishermen. Council members also received an update on the status of the Kitty Hawk Wind Farm project proposed off the east coast of North Carolina, took action to table proposed changes for commercial Spanish mackerel trip limits in the northern zone, moved forward with developing an amendment to designate bullet mackerel and frigate mackerel as Ecosystem Component Species and began preliminary discussions of allocations. For additional meeting details, view the interactive Story Map for the March Council meeting or visit the Council’s website at: https://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/council-meetings/ for committee reports and other meeting materials.

The next meeting of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is scheduled for June 8-12, 2020 in Key West, Florida.

Recreational red snapper season uncertain for 2020

March 5, 2020 — There won’t be a red snapper season for recreational fishers this year in federal waters off the Georgia coast unless an amendment under consideration moves with the necessary quickness.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, which manages fisheries in federal waters from North Carolina to the Florida Keys, is in its annual March meetings on Jekyll Island. The SAFMC committee on snapper and grouper aired a fair amount of vexation Wednesday as it came to red snapper and plans to speed up a planned stock assessment.

“There’s obviously a lot of sources of frustration about the situation we’ve got with red snapper,” said Spud Woodward, a fisheries biologist and former director of the state Department Natural Resources’ Coastal Resources Division. He said it can be hard to know where to focus efforts in this sort of situation.

“Concerns about the quality of the data that we use to estimate the catch, which will ultimately drive the next stock assessment, which is a whole other issue,” Woodward said.

One thing Woodward said concerns him is that discussions tend to come back around to the inadequacy of the data. He said they’ve got to work on the foundations of the ability to manage the fisheries. There was some talk among snapper/grouper committee members that there would always be a significant amount of problems with recreational reporting, because it’s would take too much money and too much effort to put into effect the sort of policies that would come close to guaranteeing reliable numbers.

Read the full story at The Brunswick News

NOAA Fisheries Informs Council of Possible Red Snapper Season in the South Atlantic Region for 2020

March 4, 2020 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

If a recreational season is allowed this year for red snapper, the season would last for three-days with a one fish per person daily bag limit. That was the word today from NOAA Fisheries, provided during a presentation to the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Snapper Grouper Committee as part of the Council’s week-long meeting in Jekyll Island, Georgia. NOAA Fisheries is responsible for determining if a season can be allowed each year, based on the annual catch limits for red snapper. The recreational annual catch limit is currently set at 29,656 fish for the South Atlantic region, covering the Carolinas, Georgia and the east coast of Florida. The recreational sector receives 71.93% percent of the total annual catch limit.

The 2020 recreational opening is contingent on a change to current regulations that do not allow the recreational season to open if NOAA Fisheries determines the season to be three days or less. In December 2019, the Council approved an amendment to modify that restriction to allow for a shorter season. Regulatory Amendment 33 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan has been submitted to NOAA Fisheries. NOAA Fisheries plans to issue a Proposed Rule for public comment. A Final Rule to implement Regulatory Amendment 33 would need to be issued before the recreational season is allowed. The Council’s intent is to have the amendment in place prior to the 2020 season.

The decision from NOAA Fisheries regarding the length of the recreational season is based on recreational landings data from 2019. The data are collected by individual state agencies, as well as NOAA Fisheries Marine Recreational Information Program and the Southeast Regional Headboat Survey. According to NOAA Fisheries, preliminary landings during the 5-day 2019 recreational season totaled an estimated 49,674 fish, exceeding the current recreational annual catch limit. As a result, the season would need to be reduced in 2020.

The red snapper commercial season will begin the second Monday in July as scheduled with a 75-pound trip limit. The season will continue until NOAA Fisheries determines that the commercial annual catch limit has been met.

The Council meeting will continue through Friday. The meeting is open to the public and available via webinar each day as it occurs. Additional information, including links for webinar registration, briefing book materials, and committee reports is available from the Council’s website at: https://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/council-meetings/.

A formatted version of this news release is available at: https://safmc.net/download/SAFMC_RedSnapperNR030420.pdf.

High-tech advances in fishing gear threaten fish stocks off SC and worldwide

March 3, 2020 — Ultrasonic sensors that can follow a single fish along the seafloor, submersible cameras, satellites, big data tracking — put it all aboard a center console fishing boat with five engines that can cover 75 miles of sea in an hour.

The result: Any weekend warrior angler leaving Charleston with gear like that can return time after time to that same rock swarmed with snapper-grouper, then come back with coolers full of tasty seafood favorite fish that regulators are struggling to keep from being overfished.

Rapidly advancing technology is raking the ocean clean as conservationists and regulators plug in to keep up the chase.

“GPS navigation can put you within inches of a fishing spot, and with the advances in sonar and use of inexpensive submersible cameras, it’s possible to see, not just schools of fish, but individual fish in great detail,” said Tom Swatzel, director of the South Carolina-based Council for Sustainable Fishing, which represents both commercial and recreational fishing interests.

Nearly a half-million people have saltwater fishing licenses in South Carolina, and tens if not hundreds of thousands of them own boats capable of cruising out of sight of land. It’s been estimated more than a half-million trips are run offshore each year.

The numbers alone make it problematic to count how many fish get caught, much less enforce catch or season limits. Unlike commercial captains, recreational anglers don’t have to report their catches. A half-million coolers can carry off a lot of fish.

Read the full story at The Post and Courier