Saving Seafood

Management & Regulation

Interior cuts Gulf of Maine offshore wind area

March 18, 2024 — The Interior Department will not sell offshore wind rights in the Gulf of Maine’s prime lobster area in an upcoming auction, according to a final plan released Friday on where to advance wind energy in the north Atlantic Ocean.

Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said it has designated roughly 2 million acres in the Gulf of Maine for potential wind energy, enough to support 32 gigawatts of renewable electricity. The area is 40 percent smaller than a draft plan BOEM released last year and avoids habitat for the endangered North American right whale.

The move is a significant step toward holding the first auction in those waters later this year and could boost floating wind technology, an emerging field needed for deep waters. The final wind energy area lies off the coasts of Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, ranging from 23 to 92 miles from the coastline.

Read the full article at E&E News

South Fork Wind Farm off Rhode Island’s coast starts producing power

March 15, 2024 — The nation’s first utility-scale offshore wind farm is fully operational and capable of sending its entire capacity of power to the electric grid.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and other state and federal officials flipped a symbolic switch on Thursday, marking the completion of the South Fork Wind Farm, a 12-turbine project built off the Rhode Island coast and connected to the Long Island energy system.

“This will serve as a beacon to the rest of the nation, a statement of what is possible,” Hochul said at the event at Stony Brook University’s Southampton campus on Long Island.

Read the full article at The Providence Journal

Feds pick New England’s offshore wind development area, drawing cheers and questions alike

March 15, 2024 — The federal government on Friday designated a large area off the New England coast for offshore wind production development, setting the stage for a possible lease sale within the Gulf of Maine.

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said in a statement that the New England zone, which renewable energy advocates have identified as crucial for the growth of wind power, “avoids important areas for lobster fishing, North Atlantic right whale habitat, and other important fishing areas and habitats.”

Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills, and three Maine lawmakers — Republican Sen. Susan Collins, independent Sen. Angus King and Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree — also issued a joint statement saying the designated area “preserves vital fishing grounds and seeks to minimize potential environmental and ecological impacts to the Gulf of Maine.”

Read the full article at the Associated Press

California ocean salmon season options revealed by council

March 15, 2024 — The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) has produced three options for ocean salmon seasons beginning May 16, 2024. Two of the three alternatives would authorize short ocean salmon season dates and establish small harvest limits for commercial and sport fishing off California in 2024. The third alternative would be to close the ocean fisheries off California for a second consecutive year. The alternatives were approved by the PFMC for public review on Monday.

In response to several years of drought over the past decade, key California salmon target stocks are forecast to have 2024 abundance levels that, while higher than last year, are well below average. The 2024 stock abundance forecast for Sacramento River Fall Chinook, often the most abundant in the ocean fishery, is 213,600 adults. Meanwhile, abundance of Klamath River Fall Chinook is forecast at 180,700 adults. At this level of abundance, the Pacific Coast Salmon Fishery Management Plan authorizes only low levels of fishing on these stocks. It requires management to be designed to allow most of the adult population to return to the river to spawn.

Read the full article at The National Fisherman

Wriggling gold: Fishermen who catch baby eels for $2,000 a pound hope for many years of fishing

March 14, 2024 — They’re wriggly, they’re gross and they’re worth more than $2,000 a pound. And soon, fishermen might be able to catch thousands of pounds of them for years to come.

Baby eels, also called elvers, are likely the most valuable fish in the United States on a per-pound basis – worth orders of magnitude more money at the docks than lobsters, scallops or salmon. That’s because they’re vitally important to the worldwide supply chain for Japanese food.

The tiny fish, which weigh only a few grams, are harvested by fishermen using nets in rivers and streams. The only state in the country with a significant elver catch is Maine, where fishermen have voiced concerns in recent months about the possibility of a cut to the fishery’s strict quota system.

Read the full article at ABC News

NOAA’s FY 2025 budget request supports Biden-Harris Administration goals

March 13, 2024 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA’s fiscal year (FY) 2025 budget request proposes $6.6 billion in discretionary appropriations, an increase of $187.9 million from the FY 2024 annualized continuing resolution level. The request prioritizes investments in the critical operational and infrastructure activities that support NOAA’s ability to carry out its mission. These substantial investments, along with other targeted increases, build on investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) designed to foster a climate-ready nation and support economic development through enhanced science, data and observational capacity.

“People count on NOAA every day for reliable and actionable climate and extreme weather information to help make informed decisions that help save lives and livelihoods,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “This budget will allow NOAA to improve on our legacy systems while also providing significant improvements in diverse data and product services we provide the nation every day.”

NOAA will continue to integrate equity across the organization by improving capabilities, and honing product development and service delivery in tribal and underserved communities.

Invest in critical satellites

NOAA satellites are critical for NOAA’s mission, as well as the security, safety and prosperity of the nation. Data from these satellites provide essential support to all segments of the U.S. economy. NOAA will continue investing in observational infrastructure to ensure the next-generation satellite systems meet the ever-expanding needs of the nation. Concurrent investments in the current and next generation of environmental satellites, such as continuing the development of the GeoXO satellite program, will provide sustained observations from geostationary orbit to provide improved weather forecasting, real-time monitoring of air quality conditions and improved ocean forecasting and fisheries management.

Expand climate products and services to build climate resilience

As part of a whole of government approach, NOAA’s FY 2025 request will invest in delivering actionable environmental information to decision makers focused on the risk areas of wildfires, floods, drought, extreme heat, the coasts, marine resources and overall climate risk mitigation while NOAA also continues to implement Executive Order 14008 on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad. Highlights include:

  • Establishing an end-to-end value chain for climate and weather data and services by investing more in observational infrastructure, decision-support tools, service delivery and conservation across its diverse set of missions.
  • Optimizing the NWS Integrated Dissemination Program to ensure the reliable and timely provision of weather and climate predictions, forecasts and warnings to the public, emergency management partners and the U.S. weather enterprise.
  • Supporting more days at sea and hours in the air for research needed to support critical mission requirements and complete the acquisition of a second high-altitude Gulfstream G-550 research jet to study hurricanes, atmospheric rivers and other weather phenomena using FY 2025 funding and previously approved IRA funding.

Provide science and data to inform economic development

The FY 2025 budget will allow NOAA to continue to foster environmental stewardship while optimizing advances in science and technology to support value-added, data-driven sustainable economic development, with a particular focus on the New Blue Economy. Highlights include:

  • Continuing to support the Administration’s goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030, minimizing the effects of offshore energy projects on protected marine resources, fisheries and important habitats, and mitigating impacts to NOAA assets and fisheries surveys. These and other activities will protect biodiversity and promote ocean co-use while supporting renewable energy development.
  • Supporting the production of 42 million hatchery salmon and steelhead released in the Columbia River Basin, which will translate into the harvest of about 250,000 fish that add to commercial, recreational and tribal fisheries. These funds will augment the $60 million in IRA funds for Columbia River Basin hatchery-deferred maintenance and repairs.
  • Enhancing commercial space companies’ experience obtaining regulatory approvals and providing a simple method to disseminate information regarding U.S. space activity regulation, standards and best practices.

Bolster equity

NOAA will continue to support Executive Order 13985 on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government and EO 14091 Further Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government. NOAA will integrate equity across the organization by improving capabilities and knowledge sharing, and honing product development and service delivery in tribal and underserved communities.

Update and maintain crucial facilities

Safe and modern facilities are vital to support NOAA’s mission of science, service and stewardship. In FY 2025, NOAA will continue investments to reduce its deferred facilities maintenance backlog and perform planned leasehold improvements.

NOAA talks new proposal for Papahanaumokuakea

March 12, 2024 — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is proposing a national marine sanctuary in the marine portions of the existing Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, which is a protected area to the northwest of the main Hawaiian Islands.

According to NOAA, Papahanaumokuakea is the “largest contiguous fully protected conservation area under the U.S. flag and one of the largest marine conservation areas in the world. It encompasses 582,578 square miles of the Pacific Ocean (1,508,870 square kilometers) – an area larger than all the country’s national parks combined.”

NOAA’s superintendent of Papahanaumokuakea, Eric Roberts, joined Take2 Friday morning to explain the importance of the proposal and what the benefits could be.

Read the full article at KHON

Regional council opposes further regulations in Bristol Bay savings area

March 12, 2024 — At their February meeting, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council decided not to move forward with the request to close the Bristol Bay red king crab 4000-square nautical mile saving area to all commercial fishing. The council investigated the effectiveness of closing this eastern Bering Sea section to commercial trawl, pot, and longline fishing. However, they advised that they will not tighten regulations in this area.

The savings box was established in 1996 as a haven for red king crabs. However, other fishing, such as midwater/ pelagic trawlers, pot fishing, and longlining, is allowed in the area. According to the AFDG Status of King Crab Stocks, the area is closed to bottom trawling. The year after the saving box was established, the mature male red king crab stock increased from 8.5 million to 10.5 million.

According to KUCB, at this meeting, the Council also evaluated a pot gear closure of a large section in the eastern portion of Bristol Bay, known as Area 512, to address drops in the Bristol Bay red king crab stock. Trawling has also previously been prohibited in that area.

Read the full article at The National Fisherman

Wind-farm opponents encouraged after hearing

March 9, 2024 — The U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals appears unlikely to overturn the approval of the Vineyard Wind offshore energy project sought by the advocacy group ACK for Whales (formerly Nantucket Residents Against Turbines), according to reporting from courthouse news services that covered a pretrial hearing Tuesday, citing questions the judges asked both sides.

But Amy DiSibio, a member of ACK for Whales who attended the hearing in Boston, had a much different take.

“I did not get that impression at all,” she said. “We left the courtroom feeling as confident as we could be, From what I understand the majority of these appeal cases get settled without a hearing. So, we felt really good that they were taking this seriously enough that they wanted (to hold a hearing).”

Read the full article at The Inquirer and Mirror

Governor questions designation of coral critical habitat

March 5, 2024 — GOVERNOR Arnold I. Palacios has expressed concern about the National Marine Fisheries Service’s designation of critical habitat for seven threatened corals in the waters surrounding the CNMI.

In his letter to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Assistant Administrator for Fisheries Janet Coit on Thursday, the governor thanked NMFS for addressing earlier concerns regarding public meetings and making them more accessible to the people of Saipan, Tinian and Rota.

He also commended the agency for adopting different approaches in designating coral critical habitat and giving affected communities the chance to submit comments for the revised critical habitat proposal.

Read the full article at Marinas Variety