Saving Seafood

California is cracking down to prevent illegal fishing off the coast

September 28, 2016 — California is embarking on a new effort to shield ocean waters from overfishing.

Law-enforcement officials have embraced a statewide ticketing system aimed at poachers and unwitting anglers who illegally catch bass, yellowtail, lobsters and other types of marine life within these zones, which are commonly called MPAs.

California’s continued push to police its network of underwater state parks comes as government officials and scientific leaders from around the world gathered in Washington, D.C., last week for a conference on a wide range of marine issues, including climate change, pollution and restoring diversity of sea life.

Initially spearheaded by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in 2014, the Our Ocean conference has since drawn commitments to expand or form new preservation zones in sensitive ocean habitats from more than a dozen countries, including Morocco, Thailand and Canada, as well as the European Union and the United Kingdom. Most recently, the Obama administration expanded the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument off the coast of Hawaii — now the world’s largest marine protected area.

Read the full story at the Los Angeles Times

Activists Open an Online Window onto the Global Fishing Fleet

September 16, 2016 — Since 2014 a small group of environmentalists has been using satellites to track fishing vessels across the world’s oceans, alerting authorities when boats appear to violate protected marine areas. Now these watchdogs are opening their system to the public with an online mapping tool called Global Fishing Watch—and they are inviting anyone who can to put eyes on rogue fishers. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio, a longtime environmental activist, was set to formally unveil the tool on Thursday at a conference in Washington, D.C., organized by the U.S. State Department.

The project emerged from the Economist World Ocean Summit in 2014, when Paul Woods, chief technology officer of the tech-environmentalist group SkyTruth, met with Jacqueline Savitz, vice president for U.S. Oceans at the nonprofit organization Oceana, and Brian Sullivan, program manager of Google Earth Outreach. All three had been thinking about how to expose the global fishing fleet to public oversight, and in a conversation they sketched out a system to do just that. Within nine months they unveiled a working prototype. Two and a half years and 200 beta testers later, the system is being opened to everyone as a free service.

The hope, according to Savitz, is that governments and activists will use Global Fishing Watch to help improve the enforcement of fishing regulations—by seafood suppliers and customers to verify that fish are being caught sustainably; by fishing companies to demonstrate that they are complying with the rules; and by fisheries scientists to improve their estimates of fishing intensity and the effectiveness of fishery management programs.

The public monitoring system collects ship positions using digital Automatic Identification System (AIS) radio signals sent by large ships—not just fishing vessels but also cargo ships, cruise ships and others—primarily as a collision-avoidance measure. Those signals get picked up by spacecraft and terrestrial antennas operated by the satellite company Orbcomm and others, and accumulate in a database.

SkyTruth teamed up with engineers at Google to develop an algorithm that uses the speed, headings and other aspects of a ship’s motion to identify whether it is fishing or not. Vessels thought to be fishing are then cross-referenced to registries that can reveal their size, ownership and country of origin. As of last week, Woods says, the database includes 63,698 unique fishing vessels spending a total of about 14.5 million days at sea since 2012. On any given day Global Fishing Watch is tracking 10,000 to 20,000 fishing boats. Now nine terabytes and growing, the database tracks the movements of such ships from January 2012 onward. “We are adding about 22 million AIS messages per day,” Woods says. (Ship positions are delayed by 72 hours so as not to compete with Orbcomm’s sale of real-time data.)

Read the full story at Scientific American

National monument in waters off Cape Cod causes rift

September 16, 2016 — The establishment of the first marine national monument in the Atlantic Ocean drew mixed reactions Thursday, with environmental groups hailing the new protections that some New England fishermen denounced as a threat to their livelihood.

The designation bans commercial fishing in an expansive ecosystem off Cape Cod in a concerted effort to protect the area from the impact of climate change, President Obama said as he announced the designation at the Our Ocean Conference in Washington, D.C.

But fishermen said the area should remain open, asserting that decades of commercial fishing have not damaged the ecosystem. They accused the Obama administration of ignoring their recommendations for compromise measures.

One proposal would have allowed fishing in the area as far down as 450 meters and kept the area open to red crab fishing, said Grant Moore, president of the Atlantic Offshore Lobstermen’s Association. An average of 800,000 pounds of lobster are taken from the monument area every year, he said.

Denny Colbert, who runs Trebloc Seafood in Plymouth with his brother, said he sends two vessels to the area to catch lobster and Jonah crabs.

“It’s unbelievable,” he said. “I’m going to have to find another place to go.”

Bill Palombo, president of Palombo Fishing Corp. in Newport, R.I., said lobster and red crab are plentiful in the area.

“It’s going to be devastating for us,” said Palombo.

The designation prevents access to the main source of red crab in New England, said Beth Casoni, executive director of the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association. “The red crab industry is primarily fished in these canyons,” she said. “I don’t see them going anywhere else. That’s where it is.”

Read the full story at the Boston Globe

National Marine Monument off New England coast?

September 12, 2016 — The third installment of the Our Ocean forum will convene in Washington, D.C., this week and the betting window is open on whether the Obama administration will use the event to announce the designation of new National Marine Monuments.

No one — neither conservationists nor fishing stakeholders — claims to know exactly what will happen when the two-day, international event opens Thursday. But it has not escaped anyone’s attention that the Obama administration has used the same forum in the past to make similar announcements.

[In March], in a victory for fishing stakeholders, the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality removed Cashes Ledge, which sits about 80 miles off of Gloucester, from consideration as a possible site for a new National Marine Monument.

The Obama administration’s decision not to use the Antiquities Act to designate any portion of Cashes Ledge as a monument validated fishing stakeholders and others who characterized the proposal — which originated with the Conservation Law Foundation, the Natural Resources Defense Council and Pew Charitable Trusts — as an end-run around the existing fisheries management system and wholly unnecessary given the existing protections already afforded the area.

Cashes Ledge currently is closed to commercial fishing.

In the wake of that defeat, conservationists redoubled their lobbying efforts, urging Obama to invoke the 1906 Antiquities Act to unilaterally designate a number of potential sites, including canyons and seamounts off southern New England and off the coast of Monterey, California, as Maritime National Monuments.

“All eyes are on the canyons and seamounts,” said Jackie Odell, executive director of the Gloucester-based Northeast Seafood Coalition.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

Rep. Jones Asks for Red Snapper Opening Based on New Data

June 15, 2016 — The following was released by the office of Rep. Walter Jones (NC-3):

WASHINGTON — This week, Congressman Walter B. Jones (NC-3) and over a dozen of his House colleagues urged federal fisheries regulators to consider science from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute before following through on a 2016 commercial and recreational closure of the South Atlantic red snapper fishery. The Institute, which is a subsidiary of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, has data which shows a much healthier red snapper stock than the federal data used to justify the 2016 closure. Harvest of South Atlantic red snapper has been banned for the past six years.

“The population statistics from the Institute support allowing a commercial and recreational harvest of red snapper in the South Atlantic region,” said Jones and his colleagues in a letter to NOAA Administrator, Dr. Kathryn Sullivan. “Unfortunately, reports indicate these data are not being considered as ‘best available science’ and, therefore, are at risk of being excluded from the [South Atlantic Fishery Management] Council’s deliberations. Permitting a limited amount of red snapper harvest this year, to the extent it would not jeopardize the fishery’s overall sustainability, could serve to more accurately assess the size, sex, and relative abundance of the red snapper fishery and help resolve the discrepancies between the two data sets.”

Jones has been a critic of the science used by the federal government to manage South Atlantic red snapper. In November of 2015, he raised a number of questions about the credibility of the agency’s red snapper data.

Congressman Rob Bishop Named Conservationist of the Year

June 3, 2016 — WASHINGTON — U.S. Representative Rob Bishop (R-Utah) was named the Conservationist of the Year for championing policies promoting healthy fish and wildlife populations and access to America’s public lands and waters. Center for Coastal Conservation President Jeff Angers presented Congressman Bishop with the award at the joint gathering of the American Boating Congress and Center Focus on Washington.

Congressman Bishop has served as the Chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources since 2015 and has been a steadfast ally to America’s sportsmen. His leadership was instrumental in the House passage of H.R. 1335, the Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act. Due in large part to Chairman Bishop’s leadership, H.R. 1335 includes several amendments to the Magnuson Stevens Act (MSA) to better manage recreational fisheries. The measure awaits action in the Senate. In addition, Chairman Bishop helped usher through the House the Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act, H.R. 2406, which will enhance fishing opportunities on federal lands and waters and protect anglers from unnecessary restrictions.

Read the full release at The Outdoor Wire

Rep. Bishop Discusses Federal Policy Reforms with Regional Fishing Leaders in New Bedford

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From left: Rep. Bill Keating (D-MA), Mayor Jon Mitchell, and Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT) talk with representatives of New Bedford’s seafood industry on Thursday, June 2. (Photo: House Committee on Natural Resources)

June 3, 2016 — The following was released by the House Committee on Natural Resources:

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — Today, House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) spent the day touring the United States’ highest grossing commercial fishing port in New Bedford, Massachusetts and meeting with Mayor Jonathan Mitchell, Rep. Bill Keating (D-MA) and local fishing leaders. June 1, 2016 marks the one-year anniversary of the House passage of H.R. 1335, legislation reauthorizing the Magnuson-Stevens Act. This legislation tailors federal fishery management plans to allow more flexibility and local input while also supporting a more robust domestic seafood industry.

Despite bipartisan support in the House and backing from Democratic elected officials in many of the nation’s coastal fisheries communities, the bill waits for action in the Senate.

“I thank Mayor Mitchell, local fishermen and area residents for the warm welcome during today’s visit. I’m also thankful that Congressman Keating was able to join me during this educational experience.

“Today’s trip to New Bedford was another reminder of the challenges facing America’s fisheries and how lackluster policies from Washington are a root cause of the problem. As we heard today, the science and data used to regulate the industry is inadequate, outmoded and must be reformed.

“Threats from Washington of a unilateral national marine monument designation off the coast of Cape Cod is another major concern for these communities. This will only worsen access and do irreparable damage to the fishery industry in the Nation’s top grossing port and others.

“I look forward to working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to modernize our fishery laws and bring hope to our coastal communities that rely upon a robust and enduring fishing industry.”

The trip included a tour of a shipyard, seafood processing plant and the New Bedford Whaling Museum.

The House Committee on Natural Resources has jurisdiction over federal fisheries laws.

Click here for additional information on the H.R. 1335.

Alaska asks John Kerry to raise B.C. mine pollution concerns with Canada

May 16, 2016 — VANCOUVER, British Columbia — British Columbia’s downstream neighbours in Alaska have long been concerned about mining pollution flowing across the border.

Now that B.C.’s Auditor-General has confirmed that those fears are well founded, issuing an audit recently that found the province is doing a poor job of regulating its mines, three Alaskan politicians have elevated the issue in Washington.

In a letter sent on Thursday, Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, and Congressman Don Young, urged U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to talk about it with the Canadian government.

“We write to express our continuing concerns about the development of several hardrock mines in British Columbia and their potential effects on water quality in the transboundary rivers that flow from Canada into southeast Alaska,” the letter states.

The Alaskans told Mr. Kerry that he should “utilize all measures at your disposal to address this issue at the international level.”

Read the full story at the Globe and Mail

Reps. Moulton, Keating, Lynch Lead Delegation to Protect Massachusetts Lobster Industry

May 2, 2016 — The following was released by the office of Congressman Seth Moulton:

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressmen Seth Moulton (D-MA), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), and Bill Keating (D-MA) led an effort to protect the Massachusetts lobster industry in response to the Swedish government’s petition to classify the American lobster as an invasive species. The petition ultimately seeks to ban the import of live American lobsters from the United States to the European Union (EU).

Moulton, Keating, and Lynch were joined by the entire state delegation in sending a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry, Ambassador Michael Froman, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrator, Kathryn Sullivan. The letter notes that the EU’s alien species regulations must offer robust scientific evidence in support of any species ban, and argues that this is not the case for the American lobster. The letter can be viewed here.

“The Sixth District is home to the largest and most active lobster fleet in Massachusetts, and the lobster industry is a critical part of our history and local economy,” said Congressman Seth Moulton. “This effort to ban U.S. exports of American lobster is not based in science. In fact, studies conducted by leading marine scientists refute Sweden’s assertions that American lobster meet the criteria to be banned by the European Union. This ban would not only have a detrimental impact on the livelihoods of hardworking men and women in the lobster industry, but it would also hurt the entire Massachusetts economy. I’m grateful that our entire delegation stands united to ensure our lobster industry continues to thrive, and I am committed to working with my colleagues in Congress and the Administration to advance a collaborative and transparent dialogue on this issue.”

“The lobster industry is as important to our local economy as it is to our history,” said Congressman Bill Keating, who represents Massachusetts’s South Shore, South Coast, and Cape and Islands. “I will continue working with my Massachusetts colleagues to oppose efforts to list the North American lobster as an invasive species, including by working directly with our European counterparts in my role as Ranking Member of the Trade Subcommittee on the Foreign Affairs Committee.”

“I respect Sweden’s commitment to protecting the environment from invasive species, but their proposal to halt imports of North American lobsters is not based on sound scientific reasoning,” said Congressman Stephen F. Lynch. “The evidence they have presented is inconsistent with E.U. standards and I hope the State Department, the United States Trade Representative, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will continue to work together to advocate for the continued trade of live American lobsters with the E.U. A ban could have serious effects on our hardworking Massachusetts lobstermen and their families.”

“From the decks of Massachusetts lobster boats to the plates of European diners, we need to ensure American lobster continues to benefit families and businesses on both side of the Atlantic,” said Senator Edward J. Markey. “The current effort by Swedish authorities to reclassify American lobsters an invasive species and ban their importation into the European Union would undermine a centuries-old relationship and have enormously negative impacts on the Massachusetts lobster industry. Any decision by the EU Commission on the American lobster should be informed by scientific principles and current standards. American lobster is one of our most delectable exports, and we should ensure that Europeans can continue to enjoy it for years to come.”

“Lobsters are a big part of the Massachusetts economy, and I’m very concerned about any attempt to block imports of American lobsters. A ban on live lobster imports is not in line with the EU’s standards or with the research conducted by New England’s leading marine scientists on how best to protect the environment,” Senator Elizabeth Warren said. “I’ll keep working with the congressional delegation to support our local lobstermen and to keep the markets open for Massachusetts’ lobsters.”

“The European Union markets are extremely important to our commercial Lobstermen here in the Commonwealth,” said Beth Casoni, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association. “We are appreciative and encouraged by the efforts being put forth by Congressmen Moulton, Keating, Lynch, and the entire Massachusetts Delegation to bring a resolve to this matter.”

Rep. Moulton Letter Spurs Reforms to NOAA At Sea Monitoring Program

May 2, 2016 — The following was released by the office of Congressman Seth Moulton:

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Seth Moulton (D-MA) commended the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for incorporating significant reforms to the At Sea Monitoring Program in advance of the start of the fishing season this Sunday. Moulton led a New England delegation letter to NOAA in January to put pressure on NOAA to incorporate these reforms to the ASM program.

“With the start of the 2016 fishing season beginning on Sunday, these reforms are essential to the effective and efficient implementation of the At Sea Monitoring program and the viability of the New England fishing industry,” said Moulton. “NOAA’s reforms to the At Sea Monitoring program make it more cost-effective while still reliably monitoring the groundfish catch. I am grateful to NOAA for listening to the concerns of the New England Fishery Management Council, and I am committed to continuing to work with all involved to ensure that fishing communities throughout New England are equipped to thrive.”

Today, NOAA announced its Framework 55 New England Groundfish Rulemakings, which sets catch limits for the 2016-2018 fishing years, adjust the groundfish At-Sea Monitoring (ASM) program, implement sector administrative measures for 2016; and establish recreational measures for cod and haddock. Notably, Framework 55 also reduces ASM Council Requirements in certain New England Groundfish Sectors/Fisheries.

“NSC deeply appreciates that many Members of Congress in the northeast region recognized the crucial need to evolve the at-sea monitoring program and, under Congressman Moulton’s leadership, co-signed a letter of support for these reforms to NOAA fisheries that have now been approved by the Secretary of Commerce,” said Jackie Odell, Executive Director of the Northeast Seafood Coalition. “Although NSC opposes industry funded at-sea monitoring requirements, the issue of who is funding the program is independent of the collective responsibility to improve the program and seek efficiencies. Changes that have been approved to the program under Framework 55 take advantage of the incremental benefits of additional years of data and knowledge gained since the inception of the program, while meeting the same statistical standards required. Approval of these modifications reflects sound and responsible fisheries management.”