Saving Seafood

Fish are shrinking around the world. Here’s why scientists are worried.

May 6, 2024 — There’s something fishy going on in the water. Across Earth’s oceans, fish are shrinking — and no one can agree why.

It’s happening with salmon near the Arctic Circle and skate in the Atlantic. Nearly three-fourths of marine fish populations sampled worldwide have seen their average body size dwindle between 1960 and 2020, according to a recent analysis.

Overfishing and human-caused climate change are decreasing the size of adult fish, threatening the food supply of more than 3 billion people who rely on seafood as a significant source of protein.

As fish get smaller, there is less meat to cook per catch. So scientists are working to piece together why exactly fish respond to rising ocean temperatures by getting smaller.

“This is a pretty fundamental question,” said Lisa Komoroske, a conservation biologist at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. “But we still don’t understand why.”

Read the full story at the Washington Post

NEFMC to Update Skate Plan Objectives through Amendment 8

February 17, 2022 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council is developing Amendment 8 to the Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan (FMP) to update two objectives in the original FMP that have become outdated. This amendment is the result of a process that began with Amendment 5 and led to Framework 9, which the Council debated during its February 1-3, 2022 webinar meeting. Here is the sequence of events.

  • Amendment 5: The Council began work on this amendment in 2017 and went through two rounds of scoping. As part of the action, the Council considered establishing limited access in the skate wing and/or bait fisheries and other measures to prevent the triggering of incidental skate possession limits, improve the precision and accuracy of catch data, and better define skate fishery participants. In September 2021, the Council discontinued work on the amendment and concurrently initiated Framework Adjustment 9 to pursue two remaining elements of Amendment 5.
  • Framework 9: This framework was initiated to: (1) update the FMP’s objectives; and (2) revise conditions for federal skate fishing permits. In February 2022, the Council selected “No Action” for the permitting alternatives and agreed to update the FMP objectives through another action — Amendment 8.
  • Amendment 8: The Council has taken final action on the updated FMP objectives. The Council now will submit these changes to NOAA Fisheries for review and implementation under Amendment 8. Updates to the FMP’s goal and objectives need to be implemented through an amendment and therefore could not be accomplished through Framework 9, which is why this additional step is needed.

Read the full release from the NEFMC

From hake to skate: Behind the push to bring ‘unknown’ fish to New England’s dinner table

July 29, 2021 — It’s exceptionally rare to dine at a restaurant and hear someone say, “I’ll have the scup,” or, “I’ll have the conger eel.”

Salmon, cod and tuna dominate the plate in the U.S. – but why? The world’s oceans are home to more than 30,000 species of fish, and most of the edible ones have never been marketed to the average consumer’s tastebuds.

All along New England’s coastline, small boat fishermen are catching a wide array of fish for which there’s barely any market – hake, dogfish, butterfish, skate and countless others. They struggle to sell these lesser-known species, and in turn, people are missing out on high-quality, delicious seafood, industry advocates contend.

Some have historically labeled them as “trash fish,” but Ben Martens, executive director of the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, takes major exception to that.

“We don’t call any other type of food ‘trash’ except for seafood,” said Martens. “It’s coming out of the ocean, it’s not like we’re talking about highly processed fast food. I always get very prickly at that term ‘trash.’ We’re talking about food, and we’re talking about some of the best food for your body, mind and the environment.”

Rather, Martens says, these fish are “unknown” to most eaters.

There’s virtually no marketing behind them, he said, and organizations like his are trying to change that – through education, distribution and community projects. They’re partnering with restauranteurs, holding “meet the fishermen” events, and connecting food-insecure and multicultural populations with diverse seafood selections.

Read the full story at The Providence Journal

NEFMC SSC – Listen Live – Thursday, July 29, 2021 – Skate, Groundfish, Scallop, Social Science Issues; Guidance for Data Limited Stocks

July 21, 2021 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee will meet by webinar to discuss issues related to skates, social and economic information in recent groundfish and scallop actions, federal guidance under National Standard 1 for developing annual catch limits for data limited stocks, and ABC control rules for groundfish.  The public is invited to listen live.  Here are the details.

WHEN:  Thursday, July 29, 2021

START TIME:  9:00 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 (415) 930-5321.  The access code is 971-717-154.  Please be aware that if you dial in, your regular phone charges will apply.

AGENDA:  More specifically, the SSC will meet to:

  • Review information presented by the Council’s Skate Plan Development Team (PDT) and develop acceptable biological catch (ABC) recommendations for the Northeast Skate Complex for fishing years 2022-2023;
  • Receive a presentation on the SSC Social Science Subpanel’s review of social and economic information in Groundfish Framework Adjustment 59 and Scallop Framework Adjustment 32;
  • Discuss comments on the document titled NOAA/NMFS NS1 [National Standard 1] Technical Guidance Subgroup 3 Tech Memo, which addresses annual catch limits (ACLs) for data-limited stocks;
  • Discuss approaches for modifying ABC control rules for the Northeast Multispecies (Groundfish) Fishery Management Plan; and
  • Consider other business as necessary.

COMMENTS:  The deadline for submitting written comments for consideration at this meeting is 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 27, 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 July 29, 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.

2021 Spring Gulf of Maine Cooperative Bottom Longline Survey Concludes

July 13, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The Gulf of Maine Cooperative Bottom Longline Survey has been conducted from two commercial fishing boats each spring and fall since 2014 by the science center’s Cooperative Research Branch. At each station environmental conditions are collected by sensors and a baited longline (1 nautical mile in length) is set and retrieved. Scientists then remove catch from the line and weigh, measure, and collect biological samples from the fish that come onboard.

Spiny dogfish, cusk, and haddock were the largest components of the catch, consistent with what has been seen in earlier surveys. Other species commonly caught included thorny skate, Atlantic cod, barndoor skate, white hake, and red hake. This season we also caught 17 Atlantic wolffish and seven Atlantic halibut. Both species are considered “data-poor” in terms of stock assessments. Staff also observed multiple instances of porbeagle sharks eating fish off the line.

Read the full release here

NEFMC Receives Updates on Offshore Wind, Atlantic Herring, EBFM; Approves 2021-2025 Research Priorities

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

The New England Fishery Management Council met June 22-24, 2021 by webinar. In addition to the actions the Council took on scallops, groundfish, and skates, here are other important highlights.

Habitat/Offshore Wind – The Council received offshore wind presentations from three different agencies.

  • The Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) covered how NOAA Fisheries cooperates and coordinates with other agencies on wind issues, develops checklists to help guide analyses of socio-economic impacts on fishing communities, as well as Endangered Species Act biological assessments and other analyses, conducts essential fish habitat (EFH) consultations and EFH mapping, and more;
  • The Northeast Fisheries Science Center focused on offshore wind impacts on federal scientific surveys and the associated implications; and
  • The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) provided a broad overview of offshore wind energy projects throughout the Atlantic region.

Read the full release here

NEFMC Recommends NOAA Fisheries Rescind Control Dates for Skate Wing and Skate Bait Fisheries

July 7, 2021 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

After thoroughly debating the issue during its June 22-24, 2021 webinar meeting, the New England Fishery Management Council voted to recommend that NOAA Fisheries rescind the existing control dates for both the skate wing and skate bait fisheries. The current control dates are:

  • Skate Bait Fishery – July 30, 2009; and
  • Skate Wing Fishery – March 31, 2014.

The Council originally recommended control dates because it was concerned about potential increases in effort and speculative entry into the fishery while it explored limited access options for skates.

Read the full release here

NEFMC Drops Limited Access from Skate Amendment 5 Toolbox for Both Wing and Bait Fisheries

April 26, 2021 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council will continue to work on Amendment 5 to the Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan (FMP). However, the Council will not be developing alternatives that involve limited access for either the skate wing or skate bait fisheries as part of this amendment. The Council made this decision during its April 13-15, 2021 webinar meeting.

The Council conducted two rounds of scoping for Amendment 5. The first was in 2017 when the amendment was largely focused on limited access and qualification criteria. The second was in January and February of 2021 after the Council agreed to expand the scope of the amendment to consider ways other than limited access to:

  • Prevent triggering incidental skate possession limits;
  • Improve the precision and accuracy of fishery data; and
  • Better define fishery participants.

Read the full release here

NEFMC Seeks Input on More Options for Skate Wing and Bait Fisheries in Amendment 5

December 11, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council will conduct two public scoping meetings by webinar in January and February 2021 on Amendment 5 to the Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan. The purpose is to gather additional suggestions for how to improve management of the region’s skate fisheries that may go beyond or possibly not involve limited access.

The Council started working in 2017 to develop a limited access program for the skate bait and/or wing fisheries. In September 2020, the Council agreed to expand the scope of Amendment 5 to consider additional measures besides limited access that may: (1) prevent the triggering of incidental skate possession limits; (2) improve the precision and accuracy of catch data; and (3) better define skate fishery participants.

In early December, the Council approved a Supplemental Scoping Document. Next, the Council will collect both written and oral public comments during the supplemental scoping period, which will run from January 11 through February 12, 2021. More specifically, the Council is looking for input on:

  • Other potential types of measures to Winter skate, the target species of the wing fishery, being sampled on a research trip. – Angela Cicia photo enhance skate management; and
  • The original intent of the amendment to consider developing a limited access program for skates.

Read the full release here

MAINE: Conservation success or pests? Seals spark passionate debate

October 5, 2020 — Nick Muto has fished up and down the New England coast and there is nothing that gets his blood boiling more than the sight of a seal.

Muto, whose two boats fish for groundfish such as skate and monkfish as well as lobster, is among a growing group of anglers, beach goers and local officials who are quick to blame everything from disease to depleted fisheries to increased shark sightings on the exploding seal population.

“Areas that we used to traditionally fish that were as close to guarantees as you could get have been strip mined of fish, and the fish have been driven out of there by seals,” Muto said. “They have eaten fish out of our nets. They have been caught in our nets. They are everywhere.”

The debate over seals was reignited after the death in July of a swimmer killed by a great white off Harpswell, Maine. Seals are often shark prey, and experts believe Julie Dimperio Holowach may have been mistaken for a seal.

Read the full story at The Washington Post