January 31, 2022 — National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) officers raided B&J Seafood Market in New Bern, North Carolina, U.S.A. on Wednesday, 26 January.
The seafood market was closed as a result, the New Bern Sun Journal reported.
January 31, 2022 — National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) officers raided B&J Seafood Market in New Bern, North Carolina, U.S.A. on Wednesday, 26 January.
The seafood market was closed as a result, the New Bern Sun Journal reported.
January 5, 2022 — Every 5 years, NOAA Fisheries reviews the status of species listed under the Endangered Species Act to make sure they have the protection they need. We have completed our review of endangered Southern Resident killer whales and confirm they should remain listed as endangered.
The review also underscores the work we must still do to recover this declining species. We have made important strides, including:
However, we must work with our partners to do more.
Read the full story at NOAA Fisheries
December 30, 2021 — Low production, the ongoing COVID-19 health and economic crisis, and a flood of product from Canada are depressing the U.S. commercial swordfish market in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic, according to some industry members.
“Production levels are the lowest they’ve been since the beginning of time,” Fort Pierce, Florida, U.S.A.-based Day Boat Seafood Owner Scott Taylor said. “There have been no positive developments whatsoever. I have more boats sitting at the dock than I have fishing.”
Read the full story at SeafoodSource
December 22, 2021 — Low production, the ongoing covid-19 health and economic crisis, and a flood of product from Canada are depressing the U.S. commercial swordfish market in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic, according to some industry members.
“Production levels are the lowest they’ve been since the beginning of time,” lamented Scott Taylor, operator of Day Boat Seafood in Fort Pierce, Fla. “There have been no positive developments whatsoever. I have more boats sitting at the dock than I have fishing.”
Taylor cited a litany of hits to the fishery: Covid’s impacts on the restaurant industry which drives U.S. demand for swords; new U.S. government regulations, including gear restrictions and the possible closure by the Biden administration of New England’s fish-rich Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument; a deluge of cheaper product from Canada dumped in U.S. markets recently; rising fuel prices; and a lack of new blood entering the U.S. commercial fishing industry.
Taylor said the average boat price is about $4, which he calls “unsustainable.”
December 17, 2021 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:
Key Message:
•NOAA Fisheries thanks fishermen for their participation in the SEFHIER program, informs participants about program requirements, reminds participants of frequently asked questions (FAQs), and provides an update of the program progress.
•For further information, SEFHIER participants can contact the program help desk at 1-833- 707-1632, and select option 3, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., ET, excluding federal holidays. Also, fishermen can visit the program website at https://go.usa.gov/xMBjm for more information about the program.
Thank You:
•As the first year of NOAA Fisheries’ SEFHIER program comes to a close, SEFHIER extends a sincere thank you to the constituents who are participating in the program and have offered suggestions for improving the program.
•Over the past year, SEFHIER staff has made many enhancements to the program based on input from fishermen. Through Fishery Management Council meetings, webinars, mailings, region specific toolkits, conference calls, dock talks, and calls to our hotline, constituents have listened, provided feedback, complied with regulations, and helped make this program a success.
•SEFHIER also thanks the staff of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils for helping to host webinars, create and distribute informational toolkits, and sharing SEFHIER messages to reach federally permitted for-hire fishermen.
Preliminary 2021 Highlights:
•70,834 Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) and South Atlantic/Atlantic logbooks received,
•41,033 Gulf declarations received,
•~64% of Gulf for-hire federally permitted vessels and ~60% of South Atlantic/Atlantic federally permitted vessels have registered an account with an approved reporting vendor,
•SEFHIER staff answered more than 1,000 incoming calls and assisted constituents with program-related outreach on nearly 6,000 outgoing customer service calls.
Regulation Reminders:
(Please refer to the SEFHIER FAQs page for more information.)
•Federally permitted Gulf for-hire vessels
•Trip declarations are required every time a vessel moves on the water (i.e., bait/ice trips, transportation to/from marinas and private docks, sunset cruises).
•For dually federally permitted for-hire and commercial reef fish vessels, you must complete both a commercial reef fish and for-hire trip declaration when going on a for-hire trip. NOAA Fisheries is actively investigating how to streamline the vessel monitoring system (VMS) declaration process for dually commercial reef fish and for-hire federally permitted vessels. Currently, these programs have different regulatory declaration requirements.
•For-hire declarations can only be completed using a SEFHIER approved reporting platform (VMS or software). Gulf for-hire declarations are not approved for submission on the VMS IVR line.
•All federally permitted for-hire vessels
•All federally permitted for-hire vessels are required to submit logbooks with information on catch and effort. This information is required to be reported regardless of where the vessel is fishing. All logbooks must be submitted electronically through SEFHIER approved software.
•Gulf federally permitted for-hire vessels: Logbooks must be submitted prior to removing fish from the vessel. If no fish were harvested, the logbook must be submitted within 30 minutes of landing.
•South Atlantic/Atlantic federally permitted for-hire vessels: Logbooks must be submitted weekly, by 11:59 pm, local time, the Tuesday following a reporting week (Monday-Sunday). A no-fishing report must be submitted if a vessel does not go fishing in a reporting week (Monday through Sunday).
• Reporting Highly Migratory Species (HMS)
•If you are using eTrips/Mobile2, the application will prompt for the HMS required questions, and only one submission is required to comply with both SEFHIER and HMS programs. If you are using the VESL reporting application, you will still need to complete the HMS reports using the HMS Program.
FAQ Reminders:
•Questions from participants have often been related to trip type, trip activity, economic questions, and reporting errors.
•For answers to these and additional SEFHIER questions, please refer to our SEFHIER FAQs page (broken out by topic) for detailed answers to some of our most frequently asked questions:
•General Reporting Requirements
•Gulf Trip Declaration Questions
•Gulf of Mexico VMS requirement Questions
•Gulf of Mexico Intercept Validation Survey Questions
•Dually Permitted For-Hire Vessel Questions
Reporting Reminders:
•eTrips:
•While eTrips/Mobile2 is approved, eTrips/Online is not approved for SEFHIER. See the program website, under Approved Software, for more information on what software is approved for the program.
•For South Atlantic/Atlantic federally permitted for-hire vessels, no fishing reports are only accepted 30 days in advance per program requirements, regardless of what the application will allow. Any form submitted in excess of the 30 days will not count towards program compliance and will need to be resubmitted.
•Landing location is a required field on the Gulf declaration. SEFHIER declarations combine traditional hail-out and hail-in information into one form. The hail-in information, estimated return time and landing location, are used by law enforcement and SEFHIER Validation Surveyors to know in advance when a vessel will be landing with catch.
•To submit a logbook, click the send/submit button on the application. Without clicking send/submit, the logbook will remain pending in the application. A confirmation screen will confirm a successful submission. This report is then saved to your device; if needed, you can show a law enforcement officer your trip submission confirmation.
•Software application vendors are required to have helpdesks. Please call them if/when you have trouble with your application. They are here to help you!
•eTrips: Help Desk Phone Number: 1-800-984-0810
•VESL: Help Desk Phone Number: 1-202-883-8375
SEFHIER Staff Are Also Here To Help You:
•Toll free phone number: 1-833-707-1632 (8:00 am – 4:30 pm ET, Monday through Friday),
•Program email: ser.electronicreporting@noaa.gov
•SEFHIER specific For-Hire Fishery Bulletins are now available: sign up for and view Fishery Bulletins here
•Sign up for recreational fisheries related NOAA text alerts (standard text messaging rates apply) by texting:
•GULFRECFISH to 888777 (Gulf) or
•SATLRECFISH to 888777 (South Atlantic)
December 17, 2021 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council), headquartered in North Charleston, South Carolina, is responsible for the conservation and management of fish stocks within the federal 200-mile limit of the Atlantic off the coasts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and east Florida to Key West. The Council is responsible for Coastal Migratory Pelagics from New York to Florida and for Dolphin/Wahoo, from Maine to Florida.
The Communication and Digital Media Specialist (CDM) position is responsible for developing a wide range of communication products in support of Council activities. The CDM serves as the Council’s webmaster and administrator for outreach and communication software products and assists other staff in developing documents and graphics to support the Council’s communication needs. Duties include developing digital and print media outreach materials, working closely with other staff to develop graphics and visual aids for Council documents and presentations, and managing the Council’s website and application platforms. The CDM is expected to work effectively in a team-oriented environment with minimal direct supervision while managing multiple tasks simultaneously and meeting deadlines.
Primary Duties and Responsibilities:
•Manage website structure and framework
•Manage and post website content
•Serve as the POC for website design and hosting contractors
•Monitor website use and analytics to inform decision making relevant to updates
•Coordinate third party software vendors and software applications
•Stay current with digital media developments and assist with design or selection of future applications
•Create user-friendly digital and print media in support of Council activities
•Develop documents and graphics to effectively convey technical information to general audiences
•Foster cohesively branded content across multiple communication products and tools
•Manage end-to-end digital projects and coordinate workflow both internally and with outside collaborators
•Serve as a liaison with federal, state, and NGO partners for digital media management
•Participate in outreach activities and events
•Other duties as assigned
See the complete recruitment announcement available from the Council’s website for additional information and application instructions.
December 15, 2021 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:
Members of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council are beginning to explore ways to reduce the number of fish that are released in the Snapper Grouper Management Complex and improve survival rates for those fish that are released. The multi-species complex includes 55 species of snappers, groupers, porgies, grunts, and amberjacks. “We simply have to get a handle on these regulatory discards,” explained Council Chair Mel Bell during the Council’s meeting last week in Beaufort, North Carolina. “Fishermen also play a key role in improving the survival rate for released fish and ultimately determining the future of the fishery.” The Council has consistently encouraged the use of Best Fishing Practices including a descending device requirement and hook modifications for snapper grouper fishermen in federal waters in place since July 15, 2020.
According to the latest stock assessment for Red Snapper, discard mortality (the number of fish that are released and die) accounts for 90% of the overall fishing mortality, primarily from the recreational fishery as anglers continue to fish year-round for other snapper grouper species. Large numbers of discards affect managers’ ability to prevent overfishing while also reducing the number of fish that can be kept and landed by the fishery. The Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee determined the Red Snapper stock continues to be overfished and undergoing overfishing largely due to discard mortality, and in September provided the Council a total Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) for Red Snapper of 25,000 pounds. Under law, the Council may not set an annual catch limit that exceeds that ABC, leaving little room for an opening of the fishery when the updated ABC is implemented. However, given that the majority of Red Snapper mortality is due to discarded fish, the Council recognizes that reducing discard losses is necessary to prevent overfishing and could possibly increase the amount of fish available to harvest.
The Council is moving forward with a Release Mortality Reduction Framework Amendment to address the Red Snapper ABC recommendation while looking at possible ways to reduce release mortality and end overfishing. After reviewing input from its Snapper Grouper Advisory Panel, Council members discussed ideas for reducing the number of fish that are released and increasing survivorship of released fish, including: restricting access to specific areas (spatial or depth) where Red Snapper congregate; gear modifications such as requirements for single hooks, leader lengths, and lines per person; daily weight limits of per person; and seasonal openings. “The Council has a legal mandate to end overfishing and address the Acceptable Biological Catch level from its SSC,” said Jessica McCawley, Chair of the Council’s Snapper Grouper Committee. “We know some of these ideas may be of concern to fishermen and certainly welcome input as we consider things such as regional differences or sector differences in this fishery. One size may not fit all.”
The Council will begin soliciting public input and suggestions for how to best reduce the number of released fish and improve release mortality in early 2022 and discussions will continue during its March 2022 meeting in Jekyll Island, Georgia.
Over the last year the Council has been investigating recreational permits or licenses for the Snapper Grouper fishery as a tool to help identify the universe of fishermen and improve data collection. The Council will receive a final report from a Recreational Reporting Workgroup during its March 2022 meeting.
The Council is also considering a holistic approach to managing the Snapper Grouper fishery and approved the use of a Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) to robustly evaluate management impacts across the fishery. The Council intends to use the MSE to evaluate varying strategies to achieve management objectives to rebuild overfished stocks and prevent overfishing, while balancing the needs for fishery access, resource use, and accommodating sector and geographical differences in the fishery. Updates on the MSE will be provided to the Council as the project gets underway.
Other Business
The Council approved Amendment 32 to the Coastal Migratory Pelagics Fishery Management Plan with actions affecting Gulf Migratory Group Cobia, including the Florida East Coast Zone. The fishery is managed jointly by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council and the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. A recent stock assessment for Gulf Migratory Group Cobia indicates the stock is not overfished but is undergoing overfishing. Actions in the amendment include a reduction in the daily possession limit from 2 fish to 1 fish per person per day with a vessel limit of two fish per trip. The reductions would apply to both recreational and commercial sectors. The amendment would also increase the minimum size limit to 36 inches fork length for the Florida East Coast Zone. Amendment 32 must be approved by the Secretary of Commerce before measures are implemented.
Additional information about the December 2021 Council meeting, including Story Maps, committee reports, and other materials is available from the Council’s website at: https://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/council-meetings/. The next meeting of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is scheduled for March 7-11, 2022, at the Westin Hotel, Jekyll Island, Georgia.
December 13, 2021 — Today, NOAA released the first U.S. South Atlantic Ecosystem Status Report. This report gives an overview of the current status and long-term trends of key marine ecosystem indicators. Some of the trends it examines are:
This report provides a look at the ecosystem as a whole, rather than its individual parts. This helps resource managers, such as the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, scientists, and other partners understand how the ecosystem is connected and is changing. The report provides a holistic assessment of the ecosystem that can be used to inform management and policy decisions.
“Having one place for scientific information on the entire marine ecosystem is crucial to enhancing our understanding of how the ecosystem functions and may be changing over time,” said Kevin Craig, Research Fishery Biologist at NOAA’s Southeast Fisheries Science Center. “This is needed to effectively manage the many resources the ecosystem provides, including support for economically valuable fisheries. We all need to see the whole picture, not just one piece.”
December 10, 2021 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:
As the Commanding Officer of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Southeast Regional Fisheries Training Center, Lieutenant James Bruce reflects the dedication of the U.S. Coast to the protection and enforcement of the region’s Living Marine Resources. For his service and work to improve training operations, Lt. Bruce received the Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award at this week’s meeting of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council in Beaufort, North Carolina. (Pictured are Lt. James Bruce, Council Chair Mel Bell (right) and Spud Woodward, Chair of the Council’s Law Enforcement Committee.)
Lt. Bruce oversees the training, curriculum, and certification for the more than 150 Coast Guard Law Enforcement Officers that annually enter the Fisheries Training Program in Charleston, South Carolina. The Southeast Regional Fisheries Training Center (SRFTC) is one of five such training centers regionally located around the country. “We are fortunate to have an excellent U.S. Coast Guard Fisheries Training Center in Charleston,” said Chairman Bell. “With his strong academic background in fisheries, including a master’s degree from Scripps, Lt. Bruce has been actively involved in the fisheries management process and a dedicated advocate for improving fisheries enforcement.”
Since assuming command of the Training Center in 2019, Lt Bruce has pioneered initiatives directly impacting fisheries enforcement. These include a coordinated effort to expand the footprint of the Training Center by providing operational support for fisheries boardings and surge operations in federal waters, resulting in a 13% increase in fisheries boardings in the South Atlantic between 2019 and 2020. Working with NOAA Fisheries Highly Migratory Species (HMS) office, Lt. Bruce led the effort to create a “Status of Fisheries” website, tracking regulations in real-time to provide information to enforcement officers. Lt Bruce also led staff at SRFTC in producing the first-of-its-kind “QR” coded reference guides for on-scene enforcement officers dealing with possible violations of HMS Lacey Act and Florida recreational lobster regulations.
The Law Enforcement Officer of the Year award was established by the Council in 2010 to recognize distinctive service, professionalism, and dedication to enforcing fisheries regulations in the South Atlantic region. Nominees for the annual award may be submitted from each of the southeastern state law enforcement agencies, the U.S. Coast Guard, and NOAA Fisheries.
According to his peers, Lt. Bruce is known for his unyielding curiosity and purposeful drive, utilizing his academic background in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation to speak formally through education programs, engage with local fish houses, and bring a real-world viewpoint to the officers he trains.
“I have to say I am humbled by the selection, especially knowing the caliber and esteem of the state and federal fisheries enforcement officers that I get the privilege to work with,” said Lt. Bruce. “The real prize is getting to work alongside NOAA OLE and the many state agencies in our South Atlantic region. It’s really great that the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council makes such an effort to recognize law enforcement and our collective effort to enforce fisheries regulations and the objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act to prevent overfishing, rebuild overfished stocks, and increase the long-term economic and social benefits in our region.”
December 6, 2021 — In the ocean off South Carolina, researchers spotted something attached to Slalom the North Atlantic right whale, and for once, it was a good thing. She had a baby.
A sigh of relief spread across the community of Atlantic whale watchers who know critically endangered right whales are as likely to die as they are to give birth. On her path to motherhood at age 39, Slalom — named for a series of callous-like patches on her head that swoop like a ski slope — has survived at least six fishing net entanglements that are known to kill whales.
Over the past decade, the right whale population fell from more than 500 in 2010 to about 335, largely because of entanglements, boat strikes and slicing propellers. Fewer than 100 adult females remain. By comparison, endangered southern right whales that swim between Australia and South America number in the thousands.
“If you look at a graphic of what the North Atlantic right whale population looks like, it can seem like there’s no hope. It’s really alarming how quickly the population has declined in the last 10 years,” Philip Hamilton, a senior scientist for the New England Aquarium, said in an interview Friday.