Saving Seafood

Red snapper tagging program paying early dividends

June 17, 2019 — When Texas anglers catch a red snapper between now and the end of the year, they might be landing more than the most popular reef fish in the Gulf of Mexico and the makings of some wonderful meals. That red snapper could prove a pretty good payday for its captor and provide crucial information in an unprecedented research project aimed at benefiting the fish and the anglers who target them.

As part of a two-year program titled “The Great Red Snapper Count,” fisheries researchers earlier this year captured 4,000 red snapper from offshore waters along the length of the gulf coast, from Key West to Brownsville. They fit those snapper with small streamer tags — bright yellow, thin plastic tubes that resemble a short piece of spaghetti on which is printed an identifying number and a request that the person catching the fish call a contact number printed on the tag.

Also printed on each tag is “Reward $250.” Some of the 4,000 snapper are fit with two tags, upping the reward to $500 for the person reporting the capture of those fish.

The tagged snapper were released where they were caught, in dozens of offshore locations off the coast of the five Gulf states. And, barely two weeks into the recreational snapper fishing season in federal waters off Texas, a little less than 100 anglers have landed tagged snapper, reported their catch and claimed their $250-$500 reward.

“They’re thrilled,” said Dannielle Kulaw, project coordinator for the program, which is based out of Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and the person who answers when anglers call the contact number on the tags. “There hasn’t been one unhappy person. And we’re happy, too.”

Read the full story at the Houston Chronicle

Council Requests Emergency Action for Commercial Mackerel Fishery

June 17, 2019 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Nearly 40 fishermen and others interested in federal fishery management issues spoke during a public hearing held this week as part of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s week-long meeting in Stuart, Florida. The majority of comments focused on the need for an increase in the commercial king mackerel fishery off the southeastern coast of Florida during the second season that extends into the winter months (October 1st through the end of February). Since the 2015-16 season, the commercial fishery in the Southern Zone (Flagler/Volusia county line south) has harvested under 60% of their annual catch limit. The value of the unharvested quota is estimated $3,885,647 per season over the past four fishing seasons.

Fishermen explained that the current limit of 50 fish per trip often marginalizes profit and keeps fishermen from carrying crew, preventing a new generation of fishermen from getting involved in the fishery and presenting safety at sea issues. Fishermen also spoke about the recent negative economic impacts of severe weather and environmental factors such as poor water quality.

After considering public comment and recommendations from its Mackerel Cobia Advisory Panel, the Council approved a motion to request NOAA Fisheries use emergency action to increase the second season commercial king mackerel trip limit from 50 fish to 75 fish in the Southern Zone. The Council made the request with the intention of having the increase in place by the beginning of the October 1, 2019 opening. The Atlantic king mackerel stock is not overfished or undergoing overfishing, and it is not anticipated that the commercial quota will be exceeded with the increased trip limit.

“We sincerely appreciate the Council’s support in recognizing the importance of increasing the commercial king mackerel trip limit here in South Florida,” said Ira Laks, Chairman of the Council’s Mackerel Cobia Advisory Panel and a dual-permitted commercial/charter captain from Jupiter, Florida. “The Council considered input from its advisory panel as well as a number of mackerel fishermen who attended Wednesday night’s public hearing,” explained Laks. “I want to also thank all of the fishermen who took the time and effort to attend the hearing. It made a difference.”

Other Items
Red Grouper
A 2017 stock assessment for red grouper indicates the stock is overfished and undergoing overfishing. As a result, the Council reduced the annual catch limit for red grouper in 2018, but further measures are needed. The Council approved Snapper Grouper Regulatory Amendment 30 during its meeting this week. If approved by the Secretary of Commerce, the amendment will revise the rebuilding schedule for the red grouper stock and modify the spawning season prohibition off the coasts of North Carolina and South Carolina, adding the month of May to the current January through April closure. The amendment would also establish a commercial trip limit of 200 pounds gutted weight for red grouper in federal waters.

Red Snapper
The Council also discussed options for the red snapper fishery. The number of recreational fishing days for red snapper in federal waters in the South Atlantic is determined by NOAA Fisheries each year, based on the estimated harvest from the previous year. If fishing is allowed, the opening dates of both the recreational fishery and commercial fishery currently begin in July. The Council is considering options for modifying the current parameters in place, including the season start dates as well as days of the week when red snapper harvest is allowed to allow more flexibility for the season and reduce the number of fish that must be released.

Regulatory Amendment 33 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan would address these modifications and includes action to remove the minimum number of days for allowing a red snapper season (currently 3 days or more), modify the start date of the recreational red snapper season, revise the days of the week harvest would be allowed, and modify the start date of the red snapper commercial fishery. Public hearings via webinar and listening stations will be scheduled for August and the Council will review public comments during its September 16-20, 2019 meeting in Charleston, SC. The public hearing schedule will be publicized as soon as it becomes available.

Dolphin Wahoo
The Council also continued to work on management measures for dolphin fish and wahoo through Amendment 10 to the Dolphin Wahoo Fishery Management Plan. The amendment currently includes actions to revise annual catch limits, sector allocations, and accountability measures and options to reduce the vessel limit for dolphin. The amendment would also remove operator card requirements, addresses retention and gear training requirements for commercial vessels and options for allowing for-hire vessels north of the North Carolina/Virginia border to fillet dolphin with skin intact under the condition that two fillets equal one fish. Dolphin and wahoo are managed in federal waters along the Atlantic coast by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council in cooperation with the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils. There is no minimum size limit for dolphin in federal waters off of North Carolina northward. The Council’s Dolphin Wahoo Advisory Panel had requested the Council considers allowing the sale of bag limit dolphin by dual-federally permitted (charter and commercial) vessels. After considering public comment and input received during this week’s public hearing, and much discussion, the Council decided to remove the action as part of Amendment 10. The Council will continue to discuss the amendment in September.

At the request of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and after considering public scoping comments, the South Atlantic Council will move forward to develop an amendment to designate bullet and frigate mackerel as ecosystem component species within the Dolphin Wahoo Fishery Management Plan and evaluate appropriate regulatory actions. The designation, widely supported during the scoping process, would acknowledge the important role the two species play as forage fish for dolphin and wahoo.

The next meeting of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is scheduled for September 16-20, 2019 at the Town and Country Inn in Charleston, SC. Additional information for this week’s meeting, including final committee reports, an interactive story map, and meeting report is available from the Council’s website at: http://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/council-meetings/.

Mark Your Calendar – SAFMC Meeting June 10-14, 2019 in Stuart, FL

May 16, 2019 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold their next meeting June 10-14, 2019 at the Marriott Hutchinson Island, 555 N.E. Ocean Boulevard, Stuart, FL, 34996. The meeting week begins with a series of committee meetings and concludes with a meeting of the Full Council.

An informal Public Discussion Session will be held on Tuesday, June 11, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. and a formal public comment session will be held on Wednesday, June 12th beginning at 4:00 PM. For-Hire Electronic Reporting Training Sessions are also scheduled, dependent upon the publication of the final rule implementing the reporting requirement. An online comment form will be available for written comments, and the meeting will be available via webinar as it occurs. A Saltonstall-Kennedy (S/K) Grant Program discussion will be held on Tuesday, June 11th and Wednesday, June 12th beginning at 5:00 p.m.; public input will be accepted.

Agenda Highlights:

  • Red Snapper – The Snapper Grouper Committee will discuss alternatives for modifying the start dates, days of the week, and minimum number of fishing days required for opening the red snapper seasons. The Council is scheduled to approve Snapper Grouper Regulatory Amendment for public hearings.
  • Best Fishing Practices and Use of Powerhead Gear – The Snapper Grouper Committee will continue to discuss proposed requirements for the use of descending devices, venting tools, and circle hooks, as well as changes to restrictions on powerhead gear.
  • Dolphin Wahoo – The committee will continue to discuss management options for both dolphin and wahoo to include in draft Amendment 10 to the Dolphin Wahoo Fishery Management Plan.
  • Allocations – The Council will meet as a Committee of the Whole to begin discussions of allocations between recreational and commercial sectors.
  • King Mackerel – The Council will consider an increase in the Atlantic king mackerel commercial trip limit through emergency action.

Additional Information:

Additional meeting information will be available from the Council’s website at: http://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/council-meetings/ as it becomes available. Briefing book materials, including the meeting agenda, committee agendas/overviews, and the public comment form will be available on May 24, 2019.

The fish you’re eating in London might not be what it’s labelled

April 16, 2019 — When biology professor Jennifer McDonald got the DNA results back from her students’ experiment on fish, a high number of the fish were not what was said on the label.

As part of a class experiment at Fanshawe College, her students were sent to grocery stores and sushi restaurants in London to collect fish samples.

The class extracted the DNA and compared how many samples were actually what they claimed to be.

Of the 16 samples, they were able to sequence nine of them due to varied success rates.

Seven of the nine were misidentified, McDonald said.

“Yeah, it was a pretty high number,” she said.

A piece of fish that was labelled as red snapper came back as tilapia, something McDonald said happens all the time.

“That really wasn’t surprising. It was disappointing but not surprising,” she said. “Same with a piece of fish that was supposed to be white tuna. That is very often actually escolar and mislabelled as white tuna.”

What did surprise McDonald was when tilapia was passed off as red tuna.

“A fish like tuna has a very characteristic taste it has a very characteristic texture and for a place to actually be fooling people into thinking that they’re eating tuna when they’re really being served tilapia was really really surprising,” she said.

Read the full story at CBC News

Commercial Closure for Gray Triggerfish in South Atlantic Waters on April 17, 2019

April 15, 2019 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

WHAT/WHEN:

The commercial harvest of gray triggerfish in South Atlantic federal waters will close at 12:01 a.m., local time, on April 17, 2019. During the commercial closure, harvest or possession of gray triggerfish in or from federal waters is limited to the recreational bag and possession limits when the recreational sector is open.

WHY THIS CLOSURE IS HAPPENING:

  • The 2019 January through June commercial catch limit is 156,162 pounds whole weight. Commercial landings are projected to reach the January through June commercial catch limit on April 17, 2019. According to the accountability measure, harvest must close to prevent the catch limit from being exceeded.

AFTER THE CLOSURE:

  • The closure applies in both state and federal waters for vessels that have a federal commercial permit for South Atlantic Snapper-Grouper.
  • The prohibition on sale or purchase during a closure for gray triggerfish does not apply to fish that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold prior to 12:01 a.m., local time, on April 17, 2019, and were held in cold storage by a dealer or processor.
  • The commercial gray triggerfish July through December fishing season in the South Atlantic will open on July 1, 2019, with a catch limit of 156,162 pounds whole weight.

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.

Gulf Council approves quotas for recreational red snapper fishery

April 5, 2019 — The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council announced on Thursday, 4 April, it approved plans for states to manage the red snapper recreational fishery for the upcoming season.

Pending the approval of U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, which is likely since he’s praised the ongoing pilot project, the five states will get the quota share they originally requested in their applications.

Florida holds the largest share with 44.8 percent of the allocation. Alabama will receive 26.3 percent. Louisiana will receive 19.1 percent, while Texas (6.2 percent) and Mississippi (3.6 percent) get the remainder.

For the second straight year, each state will now get to set its own recreational season and have jurisdiction over private anglers who fish up to 200 miles off the state’s coast.

Earlier this month, NOAA Fisheries gave final approval on a council decision to raise the recreational catch limit from 6.7 million pounds to 7.4 million pounds.

NOAA Fisheries also approved decreasing the target catch buffer to 9 percent. That puts the target at 6.3 million for this upcoming season, and the decreased buffer should give anglers more days in the season.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Red snapper season to change for South Carolina anglers as 25-year rebuilding plan continues

March 18, 2019 — The catch was too good last summer. So many savory red snapper were hooked offshore that federal regulators have shortened the brief season for July by one day.

That may not sound like much, but it’s big stuff.

The tasty seafood favorite fish has come back, 10 years after the stock was so depleted that regulators enforced tight catch and season limits.

A two-weekend season launched last year was cut this year from six days to five, an adjustment based on the previous catch intended to keep enough breeding snapper out there.

But as South Atlantic Fish Management Council members approved the limit this year, they heard the usual question from anglers: How much longer do you need to restrict it at all?

An answer might come as soon as next year.

Read the full story at The Post and Courier

Council Receives Red Snapper Update; Will Consider Flexibility for Seasonal Dates Beginning in 2020

March 8, 2019 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

A presentation by NOAA Fisheries on the 2019 red snapper season evoked questions and much discussion from members of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council during their week-long meeting in Jekyll Island, Georgia. The meeting week began with a notification on Monday by NOAA Fisheries that there would be a 2019 season for red snapper. The Council received a presentation on how the 2019 red snapper season was determined and the rationale for the 5-day recreational season. NOAA Fisheries is responsible for determining if a red snapper season can be held each year and the number of days the season will last. The Council has the authority to determine when the season would occur, if harvest is allowed.

In 2013, the Council established protocol that, if a red snapper season were allowed, it would open during the same time period each year – the second weekend in July for the recreational sector (not to open for less than 3 days) and the second Monday in July for the commercial fishery. This year, the recreational red snapper season will open July 12-14, 2019, with an additional two days the following Friday and Saturday, July 19-20. The recreational bag limit is one per/person day with no minimum size limit. The commercial fishery will open Monday, July 8th and close once the commercial annual catch limit (ACL) is met or on January 1, 2020. The sector allocation for red snapper is 71.93% recreational and 28.07% commercial. Currently, the total ACL is 42,510 fish. A new stock assessment for red snapper will begin in 2020.

“We recognize that fishermen want a longer season for red snapper as the stock rebuilds, and we will continue to work toward that goal,” said Council Chair Jessica McCawley. “We appreciate NOAA Fisheries announcing this season early enough for fishermen to plan for the July opening and encourage anglers to exercise best fishing practices during the 2019 season – and throughout the year.”

The Council discussed the need for additional flexibility when determining what days (weekends/weekdays) and the time of the year the red snapper season would occur if an opening is allowed. “When these dates were originally established, I don’t think that fishermen believed this would be the new norm for red snapper fishing,” said Council member Spud Woodward. “Considering the input we received during recent recreational workshops, we need to reexamine when these limited number of red snapper fishing days should occur.” The Council will begin work on a framework amendment to allow modification of the seasonal dates and continue to address this at its June 2019 meeting. Public comments will be taken at the June meeting.

Best Practices

For red snapper, and many other species in the Snapper Grouper Management Complex, the use of best fishing practices can help fishermen avoid non-targeted species and increase the survivability of fish that are released. Fishermen can now take advantage of a new Best Fishing Practices online tutorial specifically designed for fishermen that bottom fish for snapper grouper species. Developed by the South Carolina Wildlife Federation with guidance from Council staff, the tutorial is easy to use and addresses issues of hook injury, handing, predation after release, and barotrauma. Fishermen completing the tutorial are eligible to receive a free SeaQualizer descending device. Learn more at: http://safmc.net/electronic-reporting-projects/myfishcount/.

Private recreational anglers are also encouraged to participate in MyFishCount, a voluntary reporting program that allows anglers to report their fishing activity, including fish landed and released, using a mobile application. Learn more at: http://safmc.net/electronic-reporting-projects/myfishcount/.

The Council is currently developing Regulatory Amendment 29 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan to address best fishing practices for snapper grouper species, including requirements for the use of descending devices and/or venting devices, modifying current requirements for non-stainless-steel circle hooks, and adjusting the prohibition on the use of powerhead gear by divers. Public hearings on the amendment will be scheduled prior to the Council’s June 2019 meeting.

Other Business

The Council continued work on management options to include in the Dolphin Wahoo Amendment 10, narrowing down the number of options for the amendment. Options currently include: allowing bag limit sale of dolphin for dually-permitted for-hire and commercial federal permit holders, removal of the Operator Card requirement in the dolphin wahoo fishery, reducing the recreational vessel limit for dolphin, gear modifications and training requirements for the commercial longline fishery, allowing adaptive management of sector ACLs for dolphin, revising accountability measures for dolphin, allowing properly permitted vessels with gear onboard that are not authorized for use in the dolphin wahoo fishery to possess dolphin or wahoo, and modifications to biological parameters for dolphin. The Council will continue to develop the amendment at its June 2019 meeting.

The Council also received a report from the American Sportfishing Association (ASA), Coastal Conservation Association (CCA), and Yamaha Marine Group on Exploring Approaches for Innovated Management of the Private Recreational Sector of the South Atlantic Snapper Grouper Fishery. ASA, in conjunction with the CCA and Yamaha Marine Group recently launched a project to explore new ideas for management of the private recreational sector targeting snapper grouper species. A workshop with Council members was held in 2018, and subsequent regional meetings were held from November 2018 until January 2019 to get input from local representatives in the recreational community. The report includes input from the workshops on angler preferences, harvest rate management, harvest tags for certain species, use of a recreational stamp, electronic reporting, and reducing release mortality. The Council reviewed the report and will consider the recommendations in future management decisions.

Additional information for this week’s meeting, including an interactive Story Map and meeting report is available from the Council’s website at: http://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/council-meetings/.

The next meeting of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is scheduled for June 10-14, 2019 at the Hutchinson Island Marriott in Stuart, Florida. Additional information for the meeting will be posted at: http://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/council-meetings/.

Mark Your Calendar – SAFMC Meeting March 4-8, 2019 in Jekyll Island, GA

February 11, 2019 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Members of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold their next meeting March 4-8, 2019 at the Westin Jekyll Island, 110 Ocean Way, Jekyll Island, Georgia. The meeting week begins with a series of committee meetings and concludes with a meeting of the Full Council. A public comment session will be held on Wednesday, March 6, 2019 at 4:00 PM. An online comment form will also be available for written comments, and the meeting will be available via webinar as it occurs.

Agenda Highlights:

  • Red Snapper – The Snapper Grouper Committee is expected to receive an update from NOAA Fisheries on the status of the 2019 red snapper season.
  • Species Movement Northward – An Atlantic coast-wide discussion will take place during the Habitat Committee meeting. Members of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, New England Fishery Management Council, and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission will participate.
  • Sea Turtle Release Gear – The Council is scheduled to approve Snapper Grouper Amendment 42, allowing commercial and for-hire fishermen additional choices for turtle release gear.
  • Best Fishing Practices and Use of Powerhead Gear – The Snapper Grouper Committee will continue to discuss proposed requirements for the use of descending devices, venting tools, and circle hooks, as well as changes to restrictions on powerhead gear.
  • Dolphin Wahoo – The committee will continue to discuss management options for both dolphin and wahoo to include in draft Amendment 10 to the Dolphin Wahoo Fishery Management Plan.
  • Allocations – The Council will meet as a Committee of the Whole to begin discussions of allocations between recreational and commercial sectors. In addition, the Committee of the Whole will also discuss the ABC Control Rule Amendment and an amendment to address Recreational Accountability Measures.

Additional Information:

A meeting Schedule-at-a-Glance, links to webinar registration, and additional meeting information is currently available from the March 2019 Council Meeting page. Briefing book materials, including the meeting agenda, committee agendas/overviews, and the public comment form will be available on February 15, 2019.

Seafood mislabeling common across North American supply chains, study finds

February 7, 2019 — New research completed at the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, has found mislabeing is prevalent throughout the supply chain.

Researchers found that 32 percent of fish overall were mislabeled. The highest rate of mislabeling was at retailers (38.1 percent), followed by processing plants (27.3 percent) and importers (17.6 percent).

Conducted in collaboration with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), the study was published in the journal Food Research International.

“We’ve been doing seafood fraud studies for a decade,” Robert Hanner, the lead author of the study and associate professor at the University of Guelph, said in a press release. “We know there are problems. But this is the first study to move beyond that and look at where the problems are happening throughout the food supply chain.”

“If you can see the name is changing across the supply system, that’s a red flag,” Hanner told SeafoodSource.

Hanner said he could not definitively prove whether some of the mislabeling is intentional, but found a “pretty significant price differential” in certain substitutions, such as farmed salmon labeled as wild salmon, tilapia labeled as red snapper, and basa labeled as haddock and cod.

Read the full story at Seafood Source