Saving Seafood

Management & Regulation

Native fishermen from US claim Canada’s DFO illegally removed lobster traps

October 24, 2023 — Native fishermen in the U.S. state of Maine claim officials with Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans recently took unwarranted and unauthorized action against them.

According to Henry Bear – past general manager of the Maliseet Nation’s commercial fishing fleet on Grand Manan Island, and past Maliseet Tribal Representative to the Maine House of Representatives – the DFO took unwarranted action against Maine-based Passamaquoddy and Maliseet fishermen by confiscating lobster traps. The fishermen were lobstering in Canadian waters of the Saint Croix River and of Passamaquoddy Bay – which form part of the border between New Brunswick, Canada and Maine in the U.S. – when the DFO reportedly confiscated the traps.

Read the full article at Seafood Source

Speeding ships and whales: NOAA sees progress, advocates not so much

October 23, 2o23 — A new analysis by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows more vessel operators are abiding by ship speed limits the agency sets to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales from ship strikes along the U.S. East Coast.

A few hours before the agency’s study came out, the environmental group Oceana issued an update in its own series of analyses tracking ship speeds. Its conclusion: far too many vessels are still breaking the recommended 10-knot limit when right whales are known to be in waters near U.S. ports.

Both reports rely on data from Automatic Identification System transmitters carried by most commercial vessels, which record their tracks at sea. AIS is chiefly a safety system – allowing vessel operators to broadcast their real-time positions and see where other ships and boats are in relation to them.

AIS data also allows observers to calculate real-time and past vessel tracks and speeds. NOAA and Oceana used the same data, but different methodologies to draw somewhat divergent conclusions.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Atlantic City’s massive offshore wind farm project highlights the industry’s growing pains

October 22, 2023 — Back in 2015, the US Department of Energy estimated wind farms could supply over a third of the nation’s electricity by 2050. Since then, numerous wind turbine projects have been green-lit offshore and across the country. However, when it comes to building, it can get tricky, like in the case of a planned wind farm 15 miles off the southeast coast of Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Danish wind farm company Ørsted recently promised to cut New Jersey a $100 million check if the company’s massive Ocean Wind 1 offshore turbines weren’t up and running by the end of 2025. Less than a week after the wager, however, officials in the state’s southernmost county have filed a US District Court lawsuit to nix the 1.1 gigawatt project involving nearly 100 turbines, alleging regulatory sidesteps and ecological concerns.

Read the full article at Yahoo!

New striped bass fishing curbs eyed amid poor spawning in Chesapeake Bay

October 22, 2023 — Acting on the heels of poor striped bass spawning reported again in the Chesapeake Bay, East Coast fisheries managers are considering new catch restrictions aimed at curbing the decline of the highly sought-after migratory fish.

At its annual meeting in North Carolina, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s striped bass board voted Oct. 18 to seek public comment on a suite of conservation measures that could be imposed starting in 2024.

The “draft addendum” to the commission’s striped bass fishery management plan lays out options for setting a variety of limits on the number and size of fish that anglers could catch in the Bay and along the coast. It also proposes reducing the commercial harvest quota by up to 14.5%, on par with the reduction sought in the recreational fishery.

The commission, which represents state fishery managers from along the coast as well as federal agencies, will hold a series of hearings and take public comments in writing on the plan over the next two months.  It intends to choose among the options and take final action at its next meeting in January in Arlington, VA.

The commission vote came less than a week after the Maryland Department of Natural Resources reported that its annual seine survey of state waters for juvenile fish yielded an average of just 1.02 little striped bass per net haul, far below the long-term average of 11.1. That is the second lowest tally since 1957. It also marks the fifth straight year of seriously subpar reproductive success for the species.

Read the full article at Bay Journal

Feds identify Gulf of Maine area for offshore wind

October 22, 2023 — The Biden administration announced Thursday that it has identified a 3.5 million-acre wind energy site in the Gulf of Maine that excludes lobster fishing grounds and right whale areas, drawing praise from environmentalists, the lobster industry and organized labor.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s draft wind energy area covers offshore Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, ranging from about 23 to 120 miles off the coast. Wind power will not likely be generated in the area until at least the next decade.

Its capacity of more than 40 gigawatts, enough to power millions of homes, exceeds the current combined offshore wind energy planning goals for Gulf of Maine states that include 10 gigawatts for Massachusetts and 3 gigawatts for Maine. Adjustments to the draft are likely following public comment.

Read the full article at Portland Press Herald

Maine Aquaculture Association Responds to Inaccurate New York Times Reporting on Net Pen Salmon Farming

October 22, 2023 — The following was released by Maine Aquaculture Association:

Recent reporting in the New York Times on salmon aquaculture paints an incorrect picture of net pen salmon farming. Net pen farming is the most environmentally sustainable animal production on the planet, and our members take great pride in ensuring the welfare of the fish we raise and minimizing the environmental impacts of our operations.

Below is our letter to the Times, addressing several wrong points in the article and setting the record straight about sustainable Maine salmon farming.

October 20, 2023

Dear Editor:

The New York Times’ recent article on salmon aquaculture (“The Salmon on Your Plate Has a Troubling Cost. These Farms Offer Hope.”) gets several facts wrong and includes multiple misrepresentations about net pen farming operations. Regrettably, the Times chose to ignore information provided to them by industry professionals, instead relying on falsehoods from anti-net pen activists.

The Times states that 10 to 20 percent of salmon consumed in the U.S. is wild Pacific salmon, “but the rest is imported farmed fish.” In fact, Atlantic salmon has been farmed in coastal net pens right here in Maine since the 1970s. The Maine Aquaculture Association (MAA) is the lead trade group representing this industry, which produces between 33 million and 39 million pounds of salmon annually. We are dedicated to producing healthy, delicious seafood, while practicing sustainable management that minimizes environmental impacts.

Our members work with veterinarians, biologists, and feed specialists, and meet the highest international standards, including the rigorous four-star Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification process. We practice sustainable farming techniques, including bay management, site rotation, fallowing of farms between rotations, and strict bio-security protocols to keep our fish and environment healthy. As a result, as noted by the Times, our salmon is recommended as a “good alternative” by the Monterrey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program. Unfortunately, many of the Times’ other inclusions in the article paint a false picture of our operations.

The Times writes that salmon farming net pens face “severe crowding,” “pollute the surrounding ecosystem,” and “promote the spread of diseases and pests like sea lice, resulting in the need for antibiotics and pesticides.” The fact is that Maine is home to the only ocean-raised Atlantic salmon in America, and our net pens contain less than 4 percent fish and more than 96 percent water, giving our salmon plenty of room to swim, grow, and mimic natural schooling patterns. All of our farms adhere to rigorous environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, National Environmental Policy Act, and Coastal Zone Management Act. Farms are closely monitored using underwater cameras and divers to ensure that healthy environmental conditions in and near the pens are maintained at all times.

Our farmers have a stewardship responsibility to care for the animals they raise. Maine-farmed salmon are raised with little or no antibiotics under the watch of veterinarians. Farm-raised salmon receive the least medicines out of all the most popular animal proteins found at the grocery store.

The Times extensively quotes Catherine Collins, one of the authors of the book Salmon Wars, which has been heavily criticized by experts for factual errors.

Ms. Collins states that “Every place where Atlantic salmon is raised in net pens, the wild population has declined by as much as 70 percent.” This is false. In Washington state, where Atlantic salmon was farmed for three decades, a 2018 biological opinion from the National Marine Fisheries Service found little to no negative impact on Puget Sound species such as salmon and orcas, or their habitat. This finding was supported by a unanimous 2022 Washington State Supreme Court ruling, which concluded that fish farming in net pens would not have probable, significant adverse impacts on the environment, and that transmission from farmed Atlantic salmon to wild salmonid populations presents a low risk.

The reason wild salmon populations have declined is not net pen salmon farming, but growing seal populations, habitat loss due to development, continued commercial fishing in migratory routes, municipal waste treatment plants releasing untreated pollutants and contaminants which affect juvenile salmon and dam installations altering rivers, threatening ecological integrity, and resulting in loss of fish habitat.

While land-based recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) technology shows promise, significant challenges exist, and the overall viability of large-scale full-grown-out systems is unproven. Existing projects have performed well below their design capacity and have proven to be much more complicated to manage than expected. Significant environmental concerns around RAS fish farming include the large amount of concrete and steel required to build a facility, and the huge amount of electricity required to pump water to grow fish to harvestable size. Twice the number of greenhouse gases are emitted growing salmon in an RAS system compared to net pen salmon farming.

It is also worth noting that all land-based hatcheries, RAS systems and other commercial livestock facilities must manage animal health with veterinarians to control disease and bacteria. No fish farm is immune to disease and fish mortalities, including RAS facilities.

Net pen salmon farming is the most environmentally sustainable animal production on the planet, with the lowest freshwater use and lowest carbon emissions. Freshwater and saltwater aquaculture technology is also enabling innovative new techniques to address the decline of wild salmon stocks in rivers.

All forms of food production have some environmental impact. As farmers we have a responsibility, irrespective of the farming method we use, to recognize those impacts and work collectively to reduce them. Here in Maine we have a long tradition of doing that in cooperation with ENGO organizations such as Trout Unlimited, the Atlantic Salmon Federation and the Conservation Law Foundation. Demand for healthy seafood is increasing every year and net pen aquaculture will continue to play an important role in keeping Americans well-fed and healthy.

Consumers have the right to make informed decisions about the foods they eat. But they should also expect journalists at respected publications like the New York Times to tell them the truth about their options. Unfortunately, it failed to do so in its reporting on net pen aquaculture.

Sincerely,
Sebastian M. Belle
Executive Director

Young lobsters show decline off New England, and fishermen will see new rules as a result

October 19, 2023 — The population of young lobsters has declined nearly 40% in some of the most critical fishing waters off New England, officials said Wednesday, triggering new restrictions for the fishermen who harvest the valuable crustaceans.

Officials with the regulatory Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission said surveys have detected a 39% decline in young lobsters in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank areas for 2020-22 compared to 2016-18. The areas are among the most important lobster fishing grounds in the world.

The drop in lobster recruitment is a continuation of a recent trend off New England, said Caitlin Starks, senior fisheries management plan coordinator with the commission.

Read the full article at the Associated Press

NOAA Fisheries Seeks Comment on Proposed Federal Management of Salmon Fishing in Cook Inlet

October 19, 2023 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is seeking public comment on a proposed rule that would implement federal management of commercial and recreational salmon fishing in the Cook Inlet Exclusive Economic Zone. Previously, salmon management in these federal waters was deferred to the State of Alaska and fishing occurred without respect to the EEZ boundary.

This action—Amendment 16 and the proposed rule—would result in separate federal management of salmon fishing in the Cook Inlet EEZ. The State of Alaska would continue to manage all salmon fishing within state waters.

Federal management would implement new requirements for commercial drift gillnet vessels fishing in the Cook Inlet EEZ. Fishing in the EEZ would occur on Mondays and Thursdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. beginning on or after June 19 each year until either the total allowable catch is taken or August 15. Commercial fishing vessels would have to obtain a federal permit, maintain a fishing logbook, and have a vessel monitoring system installed on their vessels. Commercial fishing vessels would not be allowed to participate in the federal fishery at the same time as participating in the state water fishery.

Processors and buyers receiving deliveries of salmon commercially caught in the Cook Inlet EEZ would have to obtain a federal permit. They would also need to report deliveries using the eLandings system.

Recreational anglers and charter operators fishing for salmon in the Cook Inlet EEZ would have to check federal regulations to ensure they are in compliance with bag and possession limits.

NOAA Fisheries developed this action after considering input from all affected stakeholders and tribes. It adheres to all Magnuson-Stevens Act requirements.

If approved, this proposed action would be effective for the 2024 salmon fishing season.

We developed Amendment 16 to address a Ninth Circuit court ruling requiring federal management of salmon fishing in the Cook Inlet EEZ in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Act.

The management measures proposed under this action are designed to address identified challenges and minimize burden to the extent practicable while comprehensively fulfilling all federal requirements.

How to Comment

A copy of the notice of availability and proposed rule to implement Amendment 16 is available online. The public comment period on Amendment 16 is open for 60 days from the date of publication in the Federal Register. Comments must be received no later than December 18, 2023.

Address comments to Gretchen Harrington, Assistant Regional Administrator, Sustainable Fisheries Division, Alaska Region NMFS, and identified by FDMS Docket Number NOAA-NMFS-2023-0065.

Comments may be submitted by any of the following methods:

We will respond to all public comments received on this action following the close of the 60-day comment period. We will make any required modifications prior to publishing a final rule.