Saving Seafood

Body Condition of Endangered Killer Whales Reflects Salmon Numbers and Odds of Survival

August 19, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The body condition of endangered Southern Resident killer whales reflects changes in Chinook salmon numbers in the Fraser River and the Salish Sea. This is according to new research using aerial photogrammetry from drones to track changes in their body condition over time.

The study, titled “Survival of the Fattest: Linking body condition to prey availability and survivorship of killer whales,” also found that poor body condition makes the whales more likely to die.

The new findings published today in Ecosphere highlight the value of monitoring these endangered whales through aerial photogrammetry. This method can detect individual whales declining in condition, which can provide an early warning system that they may die.

The 74 Southern Resident orcas make up three pods known as J, K, and L. Each pod is made up of distinct social and family groups.

The research showed that the body condition of J pod whales improved when Chinook salmon abundance was higher in the Salish Sea and in Fraser River tributaries. L pod body condition improved when Chinook salmon abundance was higher in Puget Sound tributaries, although that relationship was weaker than J pod and Fraser River Chinook. K pod whales had no clear relationship to the salmon populations examined in the study. However,  whales in K pod also experienced little change in their body condition during the study period.

K and L pods spend more time foraging on the outer coast of Washington and Oregon than J pod. Their more varied diet is more challenging to relate to changes in their body condition. In contrast, J pod depends to a greater extent on Chinook salmon. Differences in body condition between the three pods reflects distinct foraging patterns, while the condition of individual whales provides insights into their health, researchers found.

Read the full release here

MAINE: Commerce secretary asked to reject lobster fishery closure

August 19, 2021 — Maine’s congressional delegation is calling on the U.S. secretary of commerce to reject a petition calling for seasonal closures in parts of Maine’s lobster fishing industry.

They sent a letter Wednesday asking the secretary to reject a petition that was recently submitted by the Pew Charitable Trusts for interim regulations to protect right whales.

The delegation’s statement said for the Downeast Maine closure alone, Pew’s proposal is estimated to reduce the risk to whales by just 1.7 percent, while causing $22 million in losses for local lobstermen.

Read the full story at WFVX

Phase 2 of Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan Modifications

August 18, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

We are proposing to modify the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan (Plan) to reduce the incidental mortality and serious injury to North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis), fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus), and humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in U.S. East Coast gillnet, Atlantic mixed species trap/pot, and Mid-Atlantic lobster and Jonah crab trap/pot fisheries to meet the goals of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act. These modifications are Phase 2 of our efforts to reduce risk to North Atlantic right whales and other large whales from U.S. commercial fisheries.

Phase 1 addresses the Northeast lobster/Jonah crab trap/pot fishery, and is currently in review at the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. We expect it to be finalized shortly. Please check the Plan page for updates.

We are requesting input and ideas for Phase 2 of our efforts to reduce the risk of entanglement to right, humpback, and fin whales in U.S. commercial fisheries managed under the Plan. As detailed below, stakeholders can participate by attending virtual meetings, calling in by phone on certain days, or sending written comments by email.

The scoping period runs through October 21, 2021.

Find out more about scoping.

Scoping Meetings Begin September 9, 2021

Scoping meetings will be held via webinar, and will be from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on the days listed below. Days are designated for areas and gear types, though anyone is welcome to attend any meeting and may submit input on any regions/gear types at each meeting. Meetings will be recorded. To register for a webinar, visit our events page.

  • Thursday, September 9, 2021: Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Northern North Carolina Trap/Pot Fisheries
  • Tuesday, September 14, 2021: Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey Trap/Pot Fisheries
  • Tuesday, September 21, 2021: Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island Trap/Pot Fisheries
  • Thursday, September 23, 2021: Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey Gillnet Fisheries
  • Tuesday, October 5, 2021: Southern North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida Trap/Pot and Gillnet Fisheries
  • Tuesday, October 12, 2021: Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, and Northern North Carolina Gillnet Fisheries
  • Thursday, October 14, 2021: Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island Gillnet Fisheries

Read the full release here

More fishing rules may change to protect whales

August 18, 2021 — In its first phase of recommended actions to help protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale, the federal Large Whale Take Reduction Team instituted sweeping changes in the rules governing the Northeast lobster and Jonah crab fisheries to help reduce gear entanglements.

Now, the team is turning its attention to other fisheries in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic as its begins the second phase of rule-making to establish wide protections for right whales, other whales and sea turtles.

NOAA Fisheries filed notice on Aug. 11 of its intent to prepare an environmental impact statement and request public comment as vanguard steps toward amending the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan to help the species rebound from its current decline.

The second phase is expected to significantly impact a number of commercial gillnet fisheries in New England and elsewhere along the East Coast, including monkfish, spiny dogfish, skate and other groundfish fisheries.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Lobster boat tracking coming to protect whales, fishery

August 16, 2021 — America’s lobster fishing businesses could be subjected to electronic tracking requirements to try to protect vulnerable right whales and get a better idea of the population of the valuable crustaceans.

An arm of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, an interstate regulatory authority, said this month it is considering implementing the tracking requirements for lobster boats that have federal permits. The rules would also apply to boats that harvest Jonah crabs, which are the subject of another important New England fishery.

The tracking devices would record the location of the vessel while it is fishing, said Caitlin Starks, a fishery management plan coordinator with the commission. That would provide regulators with better data to get an idea of where in the ocean lobsters are located, she said.

The new rules could also help protect North Atlantic right whales, which number only about 360, Starks said. The whales are vulnerable to entanglement in fishing gear, which can cause them to drown. They’ve been listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act for more than 50 years and have suffered poor reproduction and high mortality in recent years.

New federal rules are coming to the lobster fishery soon to help protect the whales. Federal officials have said they will focus on reducing the number of vertical ropes in the water. They’re also expected to modify restricted areas of ocean.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at The Seattle Times

Critical habitat for killer whales extended south along California coast

August 12, 2021 — The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has extended critical habitat designations for the highly endangered Southern Resident orca population, to cover nearly 16,000 square miles of Pacific waters from Washington south to Point Sur, California.

The whales currently have had critical habitat protected in the inland waters of Washington state, where the Southern orca population of just 75 animals is highly dependent on chinook salmon – stocks that themselves are in danger from habitat loss and pollution in the region.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Safe Boating Means Safe Fishing. Avoid Whales.

August 12, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The Atlantic Large Whale Disentanglement Network has received an uptick in reports of humpback whales hooked or entangled in monofilament and tuna fishing gear. This notice is to remind boaters and fishermen that fishing too closely to whales is dangerous for you, your passengers, and the whales. Getting too close can result in whales being struck, vessels damaged, and gear loss when whales get entangled or hooked in fishing gear. Additionally, injuring or potentially injuring a whale is a violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the federal law that protects all marine mammals from human activity that negatively impacts their ability to live and thrive naturally.

While many monofilament entanglements are shed over time, some of these entanglements can be detrimental to the animals. Any puncture of the skin in the marine environment leaves vulnerable animals open to infection— particularly stressed animals that have had previous entanglements or injuries, and calves.

Experienced fishermen don’t troll or cast near feeding whales, because they know tuna aren’t going to get caught up in the bubble clouds or aggregations of feeding whales. These fishermen know that approaching humpback whales* closer than 100-300 feet is not worth the risk.  If you happen to hook a whale with your gear or hit one with your boat, report it right away to NOAA’s Greater Atlantic Marine Animal Reporting Hotline: 866-755-NOAA (6622) or to the US Coast Guard.

*North Atlantic right whales are protected by federal regulations that prohibit vessels from approaching within 500 yards (1500 feet) of right whales, with limited exceptions. If a right whale is sighted within the 500 yard buffer, then the vessel must depart the area immediately unless they are a commercial fishing vessel in the act of hauling back gear.

Read the full release here

Right whale advocates’ billboard asks if lobster is “whale-safe” 

August 10, 2021 — As drivers head through Massachusetts to Vacationland on their way to scenic Mount Desert Island and the wonders of Acadia National Park, they may see a sight that would get a lobsterman’s blood boiling.   

Mainers Guarding Right Whales, a nonprofit organization that says its mission is to help save the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale from extinction, has launched a new campaign with a billboard that asks, “Is your lobster whale-safe?”   

Readers are prompted to text a number that tells them that there is no certification program that ensures Maine lobster is “whale-safe” and that the organization calls for the implementation of “ropeless” fishing, a technology that takes vertical ropes out of the water column. The technology has not made its way to wide commercial use.    

“We believe if we can educate and inform travelers about the near extinction of right whales and the cause, they will take action and help protect the whales,” said Barbara Skapa, the founder and executive director of Mainers Guarding Right Whales. “The fishing industry in Maine has a long history of adapting to change in the face of new challenges, and we believe with the right support it will do just that. The biggest challenge is that ropeless technology is costly and requires sustained governmental subsidization to equip Maine’s lobster fisheries.”  

Read the full story at the Mount Desert Islander

Speeding ships in the Chesapeake Bay endanger rare right whales, environmentalists report

August 9, 2021 — Most ships moving through the Chesapeake Bay don’t slow down as required to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale, environmentalists said in a new report.

About 64% of vessels in the area don’t comply with speed rules designed to allow boat drivers to see and veer around the whales susceptible to strikes — sometimes going up to four times the required speed, according to the report released recently by conservation nonprofit Oceana. Cargo ships were the worst offenders.

There are fewer than 400 North Atlantic right whales left, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, making them one of the most endangered marine mammals on the planet.

They were named for being the “right whale” to kill during the whaling era, said Whitney Webber, Oceana’s campaign director. They were easy to pursue and their thick layer of blubber — used for oil — kept them afloat after killing, according to the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium.

Read the full story at The Virginian-Pilot

Critical habitat for killer whales extended south along California coast

August 6, 2021 — The Biden administration extended critical habitat designations for the highly endangered Southern Resident orca population, to cover nearly 16,000 square miles of Pacific waters from Washington south to Point Sur, Calif.

The whales currently have had critical habitat protected in the inland waters of Washington state, where the Southern orca population of just 75 animals is highly dependent on chinook salmon – stocks that themselves are in danger from habitat loss and pollution in the region.

A final order from NMFS, published in the Aug. 2 Federal Register and taking effect Sept.1, maintains the Puget Sound protected region and extends the critical habitat designation out to the 200-meter (656-foot) sea floor contour.

“This revision is based on over a decade of research that improved our knowledge of Southern Resident killer whales’ geographic range, diet, and habitat needs, including their movements up and down the West Coast,” according to a NMFS announcement.

Read the full story at National Fisherman