HYANNIS, Mass. (Saving Seafood) — September 27, 2013 — On Tuesday, the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) began three days of meetings covering topics from possible procedural mishaps and assessment uncertainties, to questions regarding the accuracy of incidental mortality and discard figures. This article covers Day 1.
This was the first of three consecutive full Council meetings being held this week. The proceedings began with the swearing in of new and reappointed Council members. Terry Stockwell, Director of External Affairs at the Maine Department of Marine Resources, was elected Council Chair, while the Vice-Chair position went to former Massachusetts State Representative John Quinn.
The NEFMC then heard from the Joint Habitat/Groundfish Committee, which made a number of decisions, such as to not include a new National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) closure alternative for the Northern Edge in the Omnibus Habitat Amendment. This portion of the meeting was followed by an overview of Amendment 7 to the Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan (FMP).
The afternoon portion of the meeting revolved primarily around the resource sharing and management agreement between the United States and Canada conducted by the Transboundary Management Guidance Committee (TMGC) and its scientific arm, the Transboundary Resource Assessment Committee (TRAC). The covered species include Eastern Georges Bank cod, Eastern Georges Bank Haddock, and Georges Bank yellowtail flounder.
The NEFMC also heard from its Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) and voted to send the SSC’s determination on Allowable Catch Level (ACL) for scallops back to the SSC for reconsideration, because the SSC lacked a quorum at its meeting.
Audio clips from the NEFMC’s meeting follow:
Listen to Dianne Stephan, a fishery management specialist with the Highly Migratory Species Management Division of NMFS, give an overview of the proposed management measures that are being considered for inclusion in Amendment 7 to the Highly Migratory Species FMP .
Listen to Council member Dr. Mike Sissenwine discuss how uncertainty in the Georges Bank yellowtail flounder stock assessment model used by the TRAC continues to plague their assessment. Dr. Sissenwine’s comments are followed by a response from Loretta O’Brien, of the NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC).
Listen to Drew Minkiewicz, of the Fisheries Survival Fund, voice his concern about the projections that were generated by the TRAC’s stock assessment model. Mr. Minkiewicz’s comments are followed by a response from Loretta O’Brien of NOAA’s NEFSC.
Listen to Ron Smolowitz, of the Coonamessett Farm Foundation, discuss how the need for research on yellowtail flounder mortality rates in Georges Bank is being overshadowed by efforts to reduce the size of the fishing fleet.
Listen to David Goethel, former Councilmember and owner of the fishing vessel Ellen Diane, discuss what he believes are inaccuracies in the discard rates of cod, haddock, and yellowtail flounder reported by the United States and Canada. Mr. Goethel believes that observers in the United States are overreporting fish discard rates, while Canadian observers appear to be underreporting the number of fish that they discard. Mr. Goethel’s comments are followed by input from Loretta O’Brien of NOAA’s NEFSC.
Listen to NEFMC Scallop Oversight Committee Chair Mary Beth Nickell-Tooley take issue with the practice of basing incidental mortality and discard estimates on unseen mortality, particularly estimates of how many scallops are being crushed by scallop dredges on the sea floor. Not only did NMFS base these unseen mortality estimates on old information, but they failed to recognize reviews of numerous photographs taken over the past decade that show no evidence of dredges crushing scallops on the ocean floor.
Listen to Groundfish Committee member Dr. David Pierce voice his concern for the SSC’s lack of a quorum when deciding upon scallop catch recommendations at a previous meeting. Such comments led to a motion being passed later in the day asking that the SSC reconvene to discuss recommendations for scallop harvest for 2014 and 2015.
Listen to Council member Laura Ramsden take issue with what appears to be an inflated or exaggerated scallop incidental mortality and discard rate in the SSC’s report and question why the HabCam survey data, which would correct these flawed figures, is not being used. This is followed by a response from SSC Vice-Chair Pat Sullivan who cites the Council’s protocol for determining what should be considered as “best available science.”
Listen to Drew Minkiewicz, of the Fisheries Survival Fund, discuss what he sees as the NMFS’ deviation from proper procedure in regard to their role in Georges Bank yellowtail flounder catch negotiations between the United States and Canada.
Listen to Council member Laura Ramsden discuss the need for greater transparency when making decisions that will affect negotiations between the United States and Canada.
Listen to John Bullard, NOAA’s Northeast Regional Administrator, respond to comments and media coverage regarding NMFS’ role in TMGC negotiations between the United States and Canada.