Saving Seafood

Call for Butterfish & Squid Working Group Members

October 6, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

We are currently soliciting working group members for both the butterfish and Illex squid research track stock assessments.  The research track peer review meeting will occur in November 2021.

If you are interested in being a member of either working group, please fill out the online questionnaire (a Google form) by October 16, 2020.

The specific tasking for the butterfish and Illex squid working groups is detailed in the questionnaire.

The Role of Working Groups in Northeast Fishery Stock Assessment

Working groups carry out the analytical work required for the stock assessment or topic, including developing and implementing the research plan and terms of reference that are provided by the Northeast Region Coordinating Council.

Questions?

Contact Michele Traver, Northeast Fisheries Science Center

NOAA Fisheries Announces Illex Squid Directed Fishery Closure

August 28, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is closing the directed fishery in federal waters through the end of the fishing year, December 31, 2020.

Effective at 0001 hour on August 31, 2020, vessels are prohibited from fishing for or landing more than 10,000 lb of Illex squid per trip in or from federal waters through December 31, 2020. Vessels may not land Illex squid more than once per calendar day.

Landings information analyzed by NOAA Fisheries projects the Illex squid fishery will meet 95 percent of the annual quota for the 2020 fishing year on August 31, 2020.

If you have started a trip prior to August 31, 2020 you may offload and sell more than 10,000 lb of Illex squid from that trip, as long as the vessel entered port before 0001 hr on August 31, 2020.

For more information, please read our permit holder bulletin.

Pacific Squid: Trade hurdles to China remain, but prices are steady

August 21, 2020 — The California squid fleet faced stiff tariffs, covid-crimped markets and a slow start to the season. Oceanic conditions, on the plus side, appear to have improved for the 2020 season.

“It’s been going OK,” says Diane Pleschner-Steele , executive director of the California Wetfish Producers Association, in Buellton. “I don’t think they’re setting the world on fire, but they’re catching.”

According to PacFIN, the 2020 harvest of squid for California, Oregon and Washington stood at around 42,000 short tons as of early July. Based on data from previous years, Pleschner-Steele adds that this year’s preliminary catch of 10,107 short tons for California (according to California Department of Fish and Wildlife as of June 26) and other oceanographic data suggests that the fishing grounds indeed felt the effects of El Niño conditions in 2018 and 2019. 

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Rhode Island touts its ‘calamari comeback’ in Democratic convention

August 20, 2020 — Squid made up most of the 48 million pounds landed at Point Judith, R.I., during 2018, a year when the port brought in $64 million, according to the latest National Marine Fisheries Service statistics.

So when the covid-19 pandemic shut down restaurants around the country – and with them most demand for fried calamari, the ubiquitous casual-dining appetizer – the Rhode Island seafood industry took a huge hit.

But fishermen and their supporters in state government regrouped, with a new licensing system to allow fishermen to sell directly to customers as “our restaurant and fishing industry have been decimated” by the lockdowns, state Democratic Party chairman Joe McNamara told the national television audience during the Tuesday evening broadcast of the national Democratic presidential convention.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Rhode Island won the roll call with a platter of calamari and a tribute to the state appetizer

August 19, 2020 — Rhode Island won the roll call.

State Democratic Party Chairman Joseph McNamara highlighted the state’s official appetizer during the roll call of the largely virtual Democratic National Convention Tuesday. McNamara stood on Oakland Beach in Warwick behind Iggy’s Boardwalk alongside John Bordieri, the executive chef of the Rhode Island seafood mainstay, holding a platter laden with Rhode Island-style calamari — a mix of battered-and-fried squid, sliced banana peppers, and olive oil dressing.

“Rhode Island, the Ocean State, where our restaurant and fishing industry have been decimated by this pandemic, are lucky to have a Governor, Gina Raimondo, whose program lets our fishermen sell their catches directly to the public, and our state appetizer, calamari, is available in all 50 states,” McNamara said.

Read the full story at The Boston Globe

Regulators to allow increased squid fishing this year

August 11, 2020 — Federal fishing regulators are allowing increased harvesting of a species of squid this year because of reports that the species can withstand it.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it’s increasing the accepted biological catch of shortfin squid from about 57 million pounds to about 66 million pounds. Fishermen bring the squid to shore in New England and the mid-Atlantic states for use as food by humans.

Read the full story at the Associated Press

NOAA Fisheries Announces an Increase to the Illex Squid Annual Quota

August 3, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Effective August 4, 2020 

NOAA Fisheries announces an increase to the 2020 acceptable biological catch (ABC) for the Illex squid fishery from 26,000 mt to 30,000 mt. This quota increase was recommended by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council based on preliminary work by its Illex Squid Working Group, which concluded that the species continues to be lightly exploited and the fishery footprint is small. The Illex squid fishery has closed each summer in 2017, 2018, and 2019. This increase will enable full utilization of the available resource.  This rule is effective on August 4, 2020.

For more details, please read the rule as filed in the Federal Register, and our permit holder bulletin.

NOAA Fisheries Implements Atlantic Chub Mackerel Measures

August 3, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries implements measures adopted by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council as part of Amendment 21 to the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan to manage chub mackerel.

Because a directed fishery for Atlantic chub mackerel recently emerged in the Mid-Atlantic, in 2018 the Mid-Atlantic Council implemented initial measures to maintain existing catch levels while it developed a long-term management approach. In the intervening 3 years, the Council has collected more detailed information on chub mackerel and has developed management measures to help achieve and maintain the sustainability of the chub mackerel resource.

This action designates essential fish habitat; sets catch limits for 2020-2022; and implements an annual catch limit, accountability measures, possession limits, permitting and reporting requirements, and other administrative measures for Atlantic chub mackerel caught from Maine through North Carolina.

For more details, please read the final rule as filed in the Federal Register or the bulletin describing final measures. Supporting analysis for this rule is available on the Council’s website.

Read the full release here

Council Approves Changes to Management of Illex Squid Fishery

July 20, 2020 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Last week the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council approved an amendment that proposes modifications to the permitting and management of the Illex squid fishery. These changes are intended to both reduce excess capacity in the fishery and mitigate the rapid use of the quota seen in recent years. The amendment also revises the goals and objectives of the Mackerel, Squid, Butterfish (MSB) Fishery Management Plan (FMP). After considerable discussion and consideration of public comments, the Council selected preferred alternatives and adopted the amendment for Secretarial review and implementation. Below are summaries of the issues and the Council’s preferred alternatives.

Illex Permitting

In June 2017, the Council considered, but did not adopt, revisions to Illex squid permits as part of Amendment 20 to the MSB FMP. Since then, effort and landings have substantially increased, and the fishery closed early in 2017-2019 after harvesting the Illex squid quota. Given recent fishery performance, the Council initiated this amendment to evaluate whether permitted access to the Illex fishery should be modified based on present and historical participation, and/or other considerations. The amendment considered a range of permitting alternatives, including various time periods and thresholds for permit re-qualification and options for a tiered permitting system.

Read the full release here

Mid-Atlantic Council Webinar – July 16, 2020

July 10, 2020 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will meet via webinar on Thursday, July 16, 2020, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The purpose of this meeting is to consider final action on the Mackerel, Squid, Butterfish FMP Goals/Objectives and Illex Permits Amendment. An agenda, briefing materials, and webinar connection instructions are available on the July 16, 2020 Council Meeting web page.

Public comments must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, July 13, 2020, in order to be posted as supplemental materials on the meeting web page. After that deadline, comments may only be submitted via the online comment form and will automatically be added to a spreadsheet linked from the meeting page. See the “Public Comments” section on the meeting page for additional details.

For general questions about the meeting, contact Mary Sabo (msabo@mafmc.org, 302-528-1143). For questions related to the Mackerel, Squid, Butterfish FMP Goals/Objectives and Illex Permits Amendment, contact Jason Didden at jdidden@mafmc.org, (302) 526-5254.