Saving Seafood

Extended: Slow Speed Zone South of Nantucket to Protect Right Whales

October 5, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

In Effect to October 20

NOAA Fisheries announces an extension to the previously triggered voluntary vessel speed restriction zone (Dynamic Management Area  or DMA) south of Nantucket.

This DMA was originally triggered by an August 31, 2020, sighting of an aggregation of right whales and previously extended until October 9, 2020. A  New England Aquarium aerial survey observed an aggregation of whales in this area on October 4. Since the current DMA is set to expire in less than a week we are extending it until October 20, 2020.

Mariners, please go around this areas or go slow (10 knots or less) inside this area where groups of right whales have been sighted.

South of Nantucket DMA is in effect to October 20.

41 16 N
40 32 N
069 37 W
070 28 W

Read the full release here

OREGON: Crab industry, state continue plans to avoid whale entanglement

October 1, 2020 — New regulations for commercial Dungeness crab fishermen in Oregon aim to get boats on the water earlier in the season and reduce the amount of gear to avoid tangling with endangered whales.

The regulations, adopted in September, involve a number of key changes to how the fishery is managed, including a 20% reduction in the number of pots a permit holder is allowed to fish with later in the season.

The state is also tightening regulations around when fishermen can get replacement tags for gear reported as lost and lowering requirements for how full of meat crabs must be along the southern coast in order for the season to open.

The late-season gear reduction will be in place for the next three seasons. Fishery managers will evaluate how effective this measure is at reducing the risk of whale entanglement while still enabling an economically viable fishery.

Read the full story at The Astorian

NOAA Extends Vessel Slow Speed Zone South of Nantucket to Protect Right Whales

September 29, 2020 — NOAA Fisheries announced that they are extending the vessel slow speed zone south of Nantucket due to North Atlantic right whales

NOAA initially announced the voluntary vessel speed restriction zone, or Dynamic Management Area (DMA), on August 31. The DMA was extended until September 29, and now it’s been extended again until October 9 after a New England Aquarium aerial survey observed an aggregation of whales in the area on September 24.

Read the full story at Seafood News

Extended: Slow Speed Zone South of Nantucket to Protect Right Whales

September 25, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries announces an extension to the previously triggered voluntary vessel speed restriction zone (Dynamic Management Area  or DMA) south of Nantucket.

This DMA was originally triggered based on an August 31, 2020, sighting of an aggregation of right whales and previously extended until September 29, 2020. A  New England Aquarium aerial survey observed an aggregation of whales in this area on September 24. Since the current DMA is set to expire in less than a week we are extending it through October 9, 2020.

Mariners, please go around this areas or go slow (10 knots or less) inside this area where groups of right whales have been sighted.

South of Nantucket DMA is in effect through October 9.

41 16 N
40 32 N
069 37 W
070 28 W

Read the full release here

Extended: Slow Speed Zone South of Nantucket to Protect Right Whales

September 17, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries announces an extension to the previously triggered voluntary vessel speed restriction zone (Dynamic Management Area  or DMA) south of Nantucket.

This DMA was triggered based on an August 31, 2020, sighting of an aggregation of right whales. On September 14,  2020, our aerial survey team observed an aggregation of right whales, South of Nantucket, MA so the DMA is extended through September 29, 2020.

Mariners, please go around this areas or go slow (10 knots or less) inside this area where groups of right whales have been sighted.

South of Nantucket DMA is in effect through September 29.

41 16 N
40 32 N
069 37 W
070 28 W

Read the full release here

Judge orders new fisheries impact analysis on right whales, decides not to close fishery

September 10, 2020 — United States District Court Judge James Boasberg in Washington, D.C., handed down his remedy Aug. 19 to the National Marine Fisheries Services, which he ruled last spring had violated the Endangered Species Act in licensing the fisheries in the northeastern U.S.

He gave the NMFS until May 31, 2021, to conduct a new biological opinion on the fishing industry’s impacts on the endangered right whale species and measures to decrease whale deaths caused by the industry, vacating the previous biological opinion.

Earlier this year he found that the NMFS had failed to file an incidental take report in 2014 after discovering the vertical lines used in the fishing industry could be responsible for up to three whale deaths a year, which is more than the species can sustain, according to NMFS’ own calculations.

Center for Biological Diversity, Conservation Law Foundation, Defenders of Wildlife and the Humane Society of the United States, the plaintiffs in the case, requested over 5,000 square miles south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where large numbers of whales congregate, be closed to vertical line fishing.

Intervenors in the case argued that closing off that area to fishing would place more nets outside its boundaries, creating a situation where lines are closer together, increasing entanglement risks for whales trying to reach the area considered for fishing closure.

The judge decided against the plaintiffs’ request because there is no legal precedent for such an action, he said in his opinion. He decided it would be too detrimental to the New England fishing industry that is already struggling because of the coronavirus.

Read the full story at Village Soup

Norway Rediscovers Taste For Whale Meat As Local Demand Rises

September 4, 2020 — Following several years of decline, the demand for whale meat in Norway is rising. A distribution deal with a national supermarket chain and an increase in domestic tourism due to the coronavirus pandemic are believed to be responsible for the uptick.

Supply has also increased. To address a shrinking fleet, the Norwegian government eased the requirements on whaling vessels this year, a move that has angered conservationists.

Vacationing Norwegians trying out whale

Parts of northern Norway including the Lofoten islands benefited from this year’s travel restrictions that saw Norwegians more accustomed to Mediterranean resorts forced to vacation in their own country. “More and more Norwegians are opening their eyes to whale meat,” reported trade publication Fiskeribladet.

Hopen Fisk in Kabelvåg sold out of their whale meat supply earlier this year. General manager Ernst Iseli said sales “exceeded all expectations”, adding that the demand could be linked to a rising national interest in local cuisine.

While not commonplace elsewhere in the country, whale meat is a speciality in many northern restaurants. The meat is also available in selected Rema 1000 supermarkets across the country.

Read the full story at Forbes

NOAA to boaters: Watch out for right whales

September 2, 2020 — Federal fisheries regulators are asking mariners to either go slow or find a route around an area south of Nantucket where groups of right whales have recently been spotted as the endangered mammals migrate.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it established a “dynamic management area” south of Nantucket where “an aggregation of right whales” was seen on Monday. There are estimated to be fewer than 400 right whales remaining on Earth. Boaters are encouraged to slow their vessels to 10 knots or less or to avoid the area altogether.

Read the full story at The Boston Globe

Slow Speed Zone South of Nantucket to Protect Right Whales

September 1, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries announces a voluntary vessel speed restriction zone (Dynamic Management Area  or DMA) south of Nantucket.

This DMA was triggered based on an August 31, 2020, sighting of an aggregation of right whales.

Mariners, please go around this areas or go slow (10 knots or less) inside this area where groups of right whales have been sighted.

South of Nantucket DMA is in effect through September 15.

41 16 N
40 32 N
069 37 W
070 28 W

Read the full release here

Fishery Council Seeks Input on Protecting Prey for Endangered Killer Whales

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

A workgroup has outlined options for providing for prey needs of endangered Southern Resident killer whales in the course of designing West Coast salmon fishing seasons.

The workgroup was formed by the Pacific Fishery Management Council. Now the Council wants to know what you think of their options, described in a Range of Alternatives (PDF, 18 pages) and Recommendations. The options are available for public comment until September 2, 2020.

The options are varied and extend across the West Coast.

One alternative would be to set a threshold for salmon abundance. Under this alternative, if Chinook salmon numbers off the West Coast fall to a certain level, then additional management measures would apply to fishing. NOAA Fisheries identified a similar interim threshold to evaluate 2020 fisheries, although salmon numbers did not fall to that level.

Another option suggests updating the goals for how many Chinook salmon return to California rivers, such as the Sacramento River and the Klamath rivers. The anticipated removal of dams from the Klamath River could increase its potential for salmon production, according to the alternatives.

The Council will take public comments and consider the choices during its September meeting before refining a range of alternatives to share for broader input. The Council will then take public comment on those alternatives before finalizing its selection at its November meeting. Ultimately, NOAA Fisheries will evaluate and decide whether to approve the Council’s recommendation for the fishery measures under the Magnuson-Stevens Act. We will also ensure it complies with the Endangered Species Act.

Read the full release here