Conservation & Environment

April 20, 2012 – Finding gillnet boats guilty of killing too many harbor porpoises, NOAA Fisheries on Thursday said that, as a consequence, it was putting about 2,130 square miles of prime fishing grounds north, west and south of Gloucester off limits for fixed-gear boats during the months of October and November this year.

The decision came as a shock to the gillnetters, who make up about half of Gloucester's commercial fleet.

Gloucester-based gillnetters have been leasing safety "pingers" from the Gloucester Fishing Community Preservation Fund and fixing them to their gear to drive off seals, whales and porpoises.

"We've got 100 percent compliance on pingers due to the Preservation Fund," said Richard Burgess, president of Sector 3, a non-profit organization of 32 gillnet boats based in Gloucester.

Read the complete story from The Gloucester Times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 21, 2012 – A week ago, The New York Times published a story on how an altrustic Environmental Defense Fund, encouraged by Wal-Mart, has been nudging the world's largest retailer toward more enlightened and sustainable opeations.

The report in last Saturday's edition described a scene in which Wal-Mart's CEO and EDF's president went Zen-like to the White Mountains of New Hampshire to discuss "climate change" and its effect on the sale of Wal-Mart products, including coffee.

Wal-Mart's motive for seeking enlightenment was a better image and market share; EDF's was selfless — a greener world. EDF, The New York Times reported, "does not accept contributions from Wal-Mart or other corporations it works for."

Read the complete story from The Gloucester Times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 18, 2012 – For decades, many Cape towns have used relatively inexpensive quahogs from contaminated beds in the Taunton River estuary to restock their shellfishing areas.

The state Division of Marine Fisheries says the shellfish are safe to eat following a quarantine period during which the animals purge themselves of contaminants. But some believe the state is not doing enough to protect the public and the environment.

Last week, the nonprofit Association to Preserve Cape Cod sent a letter to state Environmental Secretary Richard Sullivan concerned about the wide range of pollutants in the Taunton River, including heavy metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and pesticides. The environmental group questioned whether participating towns were putting their own waters and shellfish beds at risk.

"It is APCC's opinion that the (program) is not consistent with either the goal of maintaining a safe and reliable food supply or the goal of promoting fisheries best management practices," Executive Director Edward DeWitt wrote.

DeWitt proposed the relay program immediately be put on hold and that the state instead create a shellfish nursery program in clean water and work on improving water quality in Taunton and other areas.

But Mike Hickey, the fisheries services' chief shellfish biologist, said the program is closely monitored and safe. Eight or nine Cape towns have participated in it at some time, he said.

The Taunton River estuary has been closed to shellfishing since 1918 because of bacterial contamination.

But once transplanted to cleaner waters, the estuary's shellfish metabolize and purge the bacteria and other pathogens, even the metals to a certain extent, Hickey said. Bacteria are largely gone within 72 hours; viruses take about a month. The transplant areas in the towns remain closed until they are safe to eat, he said.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard Times.

 

 

BARNEGAT LIGHT, New Jersey —  Apr. 16, 2012 — The new turtle deflector dredge, or TDD, totally reworks the layout of the traditional New Bedford scallop dredge to eliminate accidental capture of sea turtles – promising to finally resolve a years-long debate over how to best protect those threatened and endangered species.

Where the old-style dredges have a flat front with two plates to scoop up scallops, TDD designer Ronald Smolowitz and his team realigned the front end to an angle and eliminated gaps in the frame where turtles could get lodged, creating something like the cow catcher on an Old West steam locomotive.

“The industry had to do it. Solved our problem,” said James Gutowski of the Viking Village scallop boat fleet, which worked for years with Smolowitz to learn about turtles, particularly loggerheads, and how they interact with scallop gear.

“It does a great job of pushing the turtle up and out of harm’s way,” said Gib Brogan of Oceana, an environmental group that for years has pushed to reduce accidental turtle deaths and injuries from fishing gear. “This is a great example of the fishing industry stepping up and doing the right thing for the turtles and for themselves.”

Read the full article at the Asbury Park Press.

 

 

April 13, 2012 – The Atlantic State Marine Fisheries Commission is proposing to create Addendum II to the Atlantic Menhaden Fishery Management Plan, which would create new, more conservative reference points for management of this important forage fish. This is the Public Information Document (PID) phase, which is the start of the process. The ASMFC will use the information generated here to create the Draft Addendum sometime this summer.

A sample letter is available for your convenience that you may use to send your comments to ASMFC.

Subject line: PID Menhaden Management

I believe that restoring the menhaden resource to historic levels of abundance must be the primary management objective of the Amendment. Fisheries that can operate without depleting the overall abundance of the menhaden resource or fishing on immature fish, and which avoid concentrating effort in relatively small, ecologically important areas such as the Chesapeake Bay, must be governed by adequate monitoring and enforcement measures. Fisheries which cannot meet such basic criteria should be prohibited.

Menhaden management is at a critical juncture – overfishing is occurring, even under the old reference points, and must be addressed immediately. Menhaden abundance is at the lowest level in the 50-plus year time series, which, in my view, is a serious management problem.

I believe management measures must be put in place to reach the current fishing mortality threshold and end overfishing in 2013, and that management measures must be in place to meet the current fishing mortality target no later than 3 years later, in 2016, with a 75 percent probability of success.

Putting in place these basic fishery management measures, which are common to virtually all managed stocks, will, at the very least halt, the decline in menhaden abundance and increase spawning stock biomass.

I support putting in place the full suite of commercial management measures, with the exception of limited entry, but question the need for recreational management measures, which comprises less than 1 percent of the harvest.
I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to comment on proposed menhaden management measures.

Read the full article here.

Analysis: The petition says that "overfishing [of menhaden] is occurring, even under the old reference points, and must be addressed immediately."

According to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's (ASMFC) 2010 stock assessment, overfishing did occur in 2008, the last year covered in the assessment. However, this was the only year in the last ten years that overfishing had occurred. And while the stock had experienced overfishing (meaning that the number of fish caught exceeded the level set by the ASMFC), the stock was not overfished (meaning that the population is still producing enough eggs to replace itself).

The petition also does not account for the fact that environmental factors, rather than fishing, are the biggest determinant of the size of the menhaden population. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association’s Chesapeake Bay Office stating on its website, “menhaden recruitment appears to be independent of fishing mortality and spawning stock biomass, indicating environmental factors may be the defining factor in the production of good year classes.”

 

 

 WASHINGTON — March 30, 2012 —  Fishing for herring, anchovy, and other “forage fish” in general should be cut in half globally to account for their critical role as food for larger species, recommends an expert group of marine scientists in a report released today. The Lenfest Forage Fish Task Force conducted the most comprehensive worldwide analysis of the science and management of forage fish populations to date. Its report, “Little Fish, Big Impact: Managing a crucial link in ocean food webs,” concluded that in most ecosystems at least twice as many of these species should be left in the ocean as conventional practice.

A thriving marine ecosystem relies on plenty of forage fish. These small schooling fish are a crucial link in ocean food webs because they eat tiny plants and animals, called plankton, and are preyed upon by animals such as penguins, whales, seals, puffins, and dolphins. They are primary food sources for many commercially and recreationally valuable fish found around North America, such as salmon, tuna, striped bass, and cod. The task force estimated that, globally, forage fish are twice as valuable in the water as in a net—contributing US$11.3 billion by serving as food for other commercially important fish. This is more than double the US$5.6 billion they generate as direct catch.

These species play a growing role in the everyday lives of industrialized nations. Their demand in recent decades has greatly increased for use as fish meal and fish oil to feed farmed fish, pigs, and chickens that people consume on a regular basis. Fish oil is also used in nutritional supplements for humans.

“Traditionally we have been managing fisheries for forage species in a manner that cannot sustain the food webs, or some of the industries, they support,” says Dr. Ellen K. Pikitch of the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science at Stony Brook University, who convened and led the Lenfest Forage Fish Task Force. “As three-fourths of marine ecosystems in our study have predators highly dependent on forage fish, it is economically and biologically imperative that we develop smarter management for these small but significant species.”

Small schooling fish are an important part of the ecosystem on both coasts of North America. Many marketable species on the Pacific coast, such as salmon, lingcod, Pacific hake, Pacific halibut, and spiny dogfish, feed on them. A large number of seabird species relies on them as well, and research shows that the breeding success of the federally endan¬gered California least tern may depend on the availability of local anchovy populations. On the eastern seaboard, more menhaden are caught (by weight) than any other fish off the Atlantic coast. Taking out excessive amounts, however, means less food for tuna, bluefish, and striped bass ― as well as whales, dolphins, and seabirds – and affects fisheries and tourism industries from Maine to Florida.

Read the news release here.

Read a summary of the report here.

Read the full report here.

Analysis: The Lenfest Forage Fish Task Force focuses on many different types of forage fish, among them Atlantic menhaden (pgs. 42-43 of the full report). On menhaden, the Task Force writes, “Menhaden abundance within the [Chesapeake] bay itself has not been estimated, but heavy fishing has led to concerns by recreational fishermen, managers, and the public regarding localized depletion of menhaden and their attendant losses of ecosystem services as prey and filterers.”
 
There is currently no evidence that localized depletion is occurring or has occurred in the past. Given the nature of the menhaden population, which migrates coast-wide and moves in and out of the Chesapeake Bay on a frequent basis, it is unlikely that localized depletion would occur. While a severe depletion of adult menhaden would likely limit the number of menhaden entering Chesapeake Bay, this would result in a coast-wide rather than local depletion.
 
There is other evidence to suggest that localized depletion may not be as big a problem as assumed. The Lenfest Task Force writes, “the once-depleted striped bass stock was rebuilt, and piscivorous birds, such as osprey and bald eagles, have rebounded and are abundant.” Since all of these species feed on menhaden, among several other species of fish, their recovery does not suggest a lack of forage.
 
The Task Force also concludes that the current level of fishing is insufficient for maintaining their recommended levels of forage fish. They write, “more conservative management by the ASMFC is needed, because the most recent stock assessments indicate that fishing is a bigger factor than previously thought (ASMFC 2010) and there is no management mechanism to reduce fishing mortality to appropriate levels.”
 
However, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), in its 2010 stock assessment report, concluded that the size of the menhaden stock is largely due to factors outside of the commercial fishery. They write, “past performance of Atlantic menhaden suggests it has gone from periods of low recruitment and fecundity to periods with high recruitment and fecundity, while sustaining moderate to high landings. In recent years the fishery has experienced some of the lowest landings on record, yet recruitment remains near the 25th percentile. This outcome may be indicative of a stock with an undefined production function (e.g. stock-recruitment curve), whose population fluctuations are almost entirely driven by non-fishery sources” (pg. 91).
 
If fluctuations in the menhaden population are driven mostly by non-fishery sources, then reducing the level of the commercial harvest to the levels the task force recommends would not be guaranteed to have the desired effect. It would have little impact on the size of the menhaden population, and environmental factors would continue to play a larger role in influencing menhaden spawning.
 
The Task Force’s reference to “no management mechanism to reduce fishing mortality to appropriate levels” is not correct.  The ASMFC has a very well defined management mechanism to establish harvest regulations when they are deemed necessary.  While no measures are currently in place, the ASMFC has determined that management measures are needed and has initiated a process to implement measures that would reduce the Atlantic menhaden harvest.  This process began following the discovery that slight overfishing occurred in 2008 at 0.4% above the limit reference point.

 

April 1, 2012 – The smallest fish in the sea are more than twice as valuable when they’re eaten by bigger fish than when they’re caught by humans, according to a report released Sunday by a scientific task force.

The 120-page analysis by the Lenfest Forage Fish Task Force — a group of 13 scientists specializing in everything from fish ecology to marine mammals and seabirds — underscores the growing concern researchers have about the fate of forage fish, including anchovies, mehaden, herring and sardines that serve as food for bigger fish, sea birds and marine mammals.

Forage fish account for 37 percent of the world’s commercial fish catch, with an annual value of $5.6 billion. (Only 10 percent of forage fish caught are eaten by humans; the remaining 90 percent are processed into fish meal and fish oil, which feed livestock and farmed fish.)

But the team of scientists, who worked for three years on their analysis, concluded that forage fish support $11.3 billion worth of commercial fish by serving as their prey. In the North Sea, for example, sand eels help sustain cod, and tuna in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean feed on sardines.

The issue has become increasingly important for fishery managers in the mid-Atlantic, who voted in November to cut the amount of menhaden that can be harvested annually from 183,000 metric tons to 174,000, out of concern that the fish have been depleted.

One company, Omega Protein, took 160,000 metric tons of menhaden — 80 percent of about 450 million fish harvested in 2010 — off the coast of Virginia, which is the only state that allows industrial fishing of menhaden.

Edward D. Houde, a task force member and a professor at the University of Maryland’s Center for Environmental Science at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, said the task force concluded that fishery managers should leave at least 40 percent of adult forage fish in the sea. Menhaden support a range of species in the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean, including striped bass, osprey, bald eagles and brown pelicans.

Read the full article at the Washington Post.

Analysis: The Task Force recommends signifcant reductions in commercial harvesting for forage fish. It argues that such reductions are necessary to avoid "pull[ing] the rug out from under the ecosystem." However, the the available evidence on one of the forage fish mentioned, Atlantic menhaden, suggests that reducing the commercial harvest might not significantly impact the growth of the menhaden population.

In its 2010 stock assessment, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) wrote, “past performance of the Atlantic menhaden suggests it has gone from periods of low recruitment [the number of menhaden that spawn] and fecundity [the number of eggs produced by the stock] to periods with high recruitment and fecundity, while sustaining moderate to high landings.” It further notes that recent landings that are low by historical standards do not seem to correlate with recruitment levels. It concludes that these trends may indicate that fluctuations in the menhaden population may be “almost entirely driven by non-fishery sources.”

In addition to evidence that suggests reducing the commercial menhaden catch may not be an efficient way to increase stock size, there is also evidence that providing adaquete forage for predatory fish and birds might not currently be as large of a concern in the Chesapeke Bay area. As mentioned in the Lenfest report, the Chesapeake has seen its striped bass population, as well as the populations of piscivorous birds like ospreys have rebounded in recent years. Since all of these species feed on menhaden, among several other species of fish, there recovery does not suggest a lack of forage.

 

April 2, 2012 – An international group of marine scientists is calling for cuts in commercial fishing for sardines, herring and other so-called forage fish whose use as food for fish farms is soaring. The catch should be cut in half for some fisheries, the scientists say, to protect populations of both the fish and the natural predators that depend on them.

“The message is, if you cut back on harvesting of forage fish, there will be benefits,” said Ellen K. Pikitch, director of the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science at Stony Brook University and chairwoman of the task force that produced a report on the issue that was released Sunday.

The report, “Little Fish, Big Impact,” financed by the Lenfest Foundation through the Pew Charitable Trusts, details how fishing has increased for these fish, which now account for 37 percent, by weight, of all fish harvested worldwide, up from about 8 percent half a century ago. The consumer market for forage fish is relatively small; most of the fish are ground and processed for use as animal feed and nutritional supplements and, increasingly, as feed for the aquaculture industry, which now produces about half of all the fish and shellfish that people eat.

On the East Coast, the fishery for menhaden, a forage fish, is the largest in the region, and about 80 percent of the catch is processed into meal and other products. The abundance of menhaden has declined over the last quarter-century, said Edward D. Houde, a professor at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and a member of the task force, as the fish’s reproductive rate has fallen. Yet fishing has continued at a high rate.

Bob Beal, an official with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, a regional group that coordinates management plans for the menhaden and other fisheries, said that in 2010, the menhaden population was estimated to have been reduced to 8 percent of its maximum potential. As a result, Mr. Beal said, the commission has recommended reducing the allowable catch so that the population roughly doubles, to a threshold of 15 percent of the maximum level, with an eventual target of 30 percent. The reductions would take place next spring, after a period to allow for public comments on the proposal.

Read the full article at the New York Times.

Analysis: While a member of the forage fish task force is quoted saying “if you cut back on harvesting forage fish, there will be benefits,” the available evidence on menhaden suggests that reducing the commercial harvest might not significantly impact the growth of the menhaden population.

In its 2010 stock assessment, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) wrote, “past performance of the Atlantic menhaden suggests it has gone from periods of low recruitment [the number of menhaden that spawn] and fecundity [the number of eggs produced by the stock] to periods with high recruitment and fecundity, while sustaining moderate to high landings.” It further notes that recent landings that are low by historical standards do not seem to correlate with recruitment levels. It concludes that these trends may indicate that fluctuations in the menhaden population may be “almost entirely driven by non-fishery sources.”

In addition to evidence that suggests reducing the commercial menhaden catch may not be an efficient way to increase stock size, there is also evidence that localized depletion of menhaden in the Chesapeake may not be as big a problem as assumed. As mentioned in the Lenfest report, the Chesapeake has seen its striped bass population, as well as the populations of piscivorous birds like ospreys have rebounded in recent years. Since all of these species feed on menhaden, among several other species of fish, there recovery does not suggest a lack of forage in the Chesapeake Bay.

 

 

April 9, 2012 – When you ask a 4-year-old, “What do big fish eat?,” the answer comes easily, “Little fish!”

A new report by the Lenfest Forage Fish Task Force entitled Little Fish, Big Impact confirms the wisdom of the 4-year-old — big fish do eat little fish.

Why is this finding significant?

Little fish (forage fish) play an essential role in the marine food web.

t works like this: plankton absorb the sun’s energy, then species like sardines, anchovies, menhaden and herring eat the plankton. Later, whales, seabirds and larger fish such as salmon, cod and striped bass come along and eat the forage fish, transforming the energy produced by plankton into the bodies of those larger creatures.

The problem is that over the last 100 years the industrial fishing fleet has become very good at strip-mining the ocean of forage fish. Today, only a small percentage of forage fish end up in cans for human consumption. Most are ground up into meal for fish farms and chicken farms, used as bait for other fisheries, or turned into nutritional supplements like fish oil.

Populations of forage fish can vary dramatically depending on ocean conditions. But one thing is certain: overfished forage fish can be wiped out, and the species that depend on them can go hungry.

The good news is that when harvests are reduced, forage fish species can rebound to healthy and sustainable populations. This protects the entire ocean food web.

Read the full article at Earth Justice.

Analysis: Earth Justice’s main claim is that “when harvests are reduced, forage fish species can rebound to healthy and sustainable populations.” Among the forage fish included in this statement is menhaden, which is primarily fished in and around the Chesapeake Bay. But much of the available data from the menhaden fishery does not support the claim that a decreased commercial catch would automatically lead to population growth.

It is more likely that environmental factors, rather than commercial fishing, is the primary influence on the size of the menhaden stock. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) reached this conclusion in their 2010 stock assessment. They write that “non-fishery sources” are the main causes of fluctuations in the menhaden population. They also note that, over the history of the fishery, the number of fish removed by the commercial harvest seems to have little influence over how many menhaden subsequently spawn.

 

April 11, 2012 – The following was released by Ecotrust and the Island Institute:

Portland, Ore. and Rockland, Maine, April 11, 2012 —  Today marks the beginning of a new era in community-based fishing in America, with 14 community fishing associations from Maine to Alaska banding  together to start the national Community Fisheries Network (www.communityfisheriesnetwork.org).

The founding member organizations, ranging in size from 5 to 35 fishermen, commit to environmental stewardship in their local waters and to pursue the highest standards of community engagement, financial accountability and transparency, and economic development. They’ll also grow a nascent campaign to promote their brand of sustainable, “community-caught” fish in local and regional marketplaces.

The launch demonstrates the strength of community-based fishing organizations, a classification within the fishing industry that is recognized in national fisheries law, but has been largely overlooked in policy development and management decisions by the regional fisheries councils that oversee the nation’s fishing sector.

“Strong community groups are the key to well-managed fish stocks and healthy working waterfronts across the country,” says Linda Behnken, head of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, one of the network’s charter groups. “Today, we’re banding together to share experience and knowledge. We will be working toward positive change in national fisheries policy that recognizes and supports sustained participation by community-based fishermen in coastal fisheries."

Glen Libby, president of Port Clyde Fresh Catch, another charter member agreed: “It’s very exciting to be working with this many groups of like-minded fishermen from communities all over the country and to realize that we have so much in common.  We are fortunate to have been presented with this opportunity to learn from each other and we look forward to a long-term collaboration.”

Fishing community leaders are responding to their own experience of watching the industry consolidate into fewer and fewer hands, both in the fishing and the processing arenas. This process, much of it encouraged by regional fisheries councils and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has had large economic impacts on smaller fishing communities.

In seeking to strengthen the role and recognition of communities in fisheries management, Community Fisheries Network members are drawing on powerful research from 130 fishing communities worldwide, which shows a clear benefit to fish stocks and fishing communities in areas where communities join in the management of marine resources.

“The fisheries that are successful in the long run demonstrate a deep sense of stewardship by the people working the water — that’s true in the developed world, as well as the developing world,” says Ed Backus, Vice President for Fisheries at Ecotrust, a co-convener of the Community Fisheries Network. “Having strong community fishing organizations is the best way to nurture and strengthen that connection between people and place.”

Heather Deese, Vice President for Programs at the Island Institute, a co-convener and member of the network added:  “The Community Fisheries Network was spawned by fishermen and their friends and supporters in communities across the country facing similar issues. The Network members are deeply committed to doing whatever it takes to keep fish stocks healthy for the long- term so that there will be jobs for local fishermen  and seafood for the nation, next year and in fifty years.”

The charter members of the Communities Fisheries Network are:

Alaska Longline Fishermen's Association
Alaska Marine Conservation Council
Cape Cod Fisheries Trust/Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen’s Association
Cape Cod Development Partnership
Maine Coast Fishermen's Association
Calendar Island Maine Lobster Company
Penobscot East Resource Center
Port Clyde Fresh Catch
Port Orford Ocean Resources Team
San Diego Fishermen's Working Group
Port of Morro Bay, CA
San Francisco Community Fishing Association
Island Institute
Ecotrust

Read the release here.