Management & Regulation

SEAFOODNEWS.COM — June 25, 2014 — Gulf residents overwhelmingly oppose the  Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council's plan to take a portion of commercial red snapper and allocate it to recreational and charter fishermen. The council this week resumes consideration of Amendment 28, that would take a significant portion of the commercial quota, which has not been overfished, and allocate it to recreational users, who have consistently overfished their share of the reource.  A review of Council records shows that Gulf residents who have submitted written comments on the plan oppose it by a nearly 3-1 margin.

Known as “Amendment 28,” the plan would permanently shift the amount of red snapper caught in the Gulf away from commercial fishermen and consumers and towards the recreational sector. Red snapper is a shared fishery and the total allowable catch is already split almost evenly between commercial and recreational fishermen. Frustrating recreational fishermen and others, anglers are regrettably stuck in a failed management system that leads to shorter and shorter seasons every year

While the vast majority of recreational and commercial fishermen believe in sharing the Gulf’s resources, some suggest that the solution is simply to take fish from consumers and reserve more of it for offshore recreational fishing. Share the Gulf and the vast majority of Gulf residents disagree.

As of June 20, 2014, the Council received thousands of comments from Gulf residents on the measure. A review done by Share the Gulf of these comments shows that Gulf residents who oppose reallocation far outnumber those who support it, both as a region and in each individual Gulf state. In addition, during a series of public hearings this spring, representatives from the Council heard from an overwhelming number of recreational and commercial fishermen as well as other stakeholders who believe “Amendment 28” should be voted down by the Council.

Share the Gulf just submitted a letter to the Gulf Council signed by its state co-chairs from across the region. The Share the Gulf coalition represents more than 30,000 Gulf residents, including hundreds of chefs, restaurateurs, fishermen, seafood industry leaders, retailers, and conservationists, as well as every state restaurant association across the Gulf of Mexico and the National Restaurant Association. The letter from Share the Gulf states, “reallocation will hurt Gulf seafood businesses and will not help recreational fishermen.”

“There is increasing consumer demand for fresh, locally caught seafood,” said Chef Stephen Stryjewski, Share the Gulf’s Chef Co-Chair of New Orleans. “Gulf red snapper is a huge draw at restaurants like mine for tourists and locals alike and limiting the supply would hurt my business.”

Not only is the public opposed to reallocation, the economic justification for it just isn’t there.  Amendment 28 in its current form (“Alternative 5”) would take nearly half a million pounds of red snapper out of the commercial seafood market next year alone and shift the majority of future increases to the recreational sector. This is in exchange for adding maybe one day to a nine-day recreational fishing season. With this proposal, everybody loses. It is not surprising that NMFS scientists and the Council’s own socioeconomic advisors have repeatedly raised concerns about the validity of the economic analysis used to justify reallocation.

“Reallocating fish is not the answer to the problems recreational fishermen are facing,” said Shane Cantrell, a charter captain from Galveston, Texas and Share the Gulf member. “We need a management plan that will actually increase fishing opportunities over the long term. Amendment 28 is a false promise to Gulf anglers.”

“Every American should be able to enjoy the seafood from our fisheries we’ve worked so hard to rebuild,” said John Schmidt, a commercial fisherman from Clearwater, Florida and Share the Gulf co-chair. “The Council should be focused on new management plans that will actually improve seasons for recreational fishermen, not reallocation schemes that hurt seafood providers and consumers.”

This story originally appeared on SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

KEY WEST, Fla. — June 25, 2014 — The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council's Reef Fish Committee approved several preferred alternatives to the red snapper fishery management plan at its meeting Tuesday in Key West. The committee reaffirmed its support of reallocating a greater share of the combined quota to the recreational sector above a set benchmark as part of the process toward final passage of the management plan changes to Amendment 28 – Red Snapper Allocation.

Their preferred alternative would set 9.12 million pounds as a benchmark at which the historic allocation split that gives 51 percent of the combined red snapper quota to the commercial sector remains the same.

If the quota exceeds that benchmark, committee members recommended that the recreational sector receives 75 percent of the increase.
Based on the 2015 combined quota of 11 million pounds, the new recreational share would be 5.879 million pounds or 53.4 percent of the combined quota.

Other alternatives included no action, setting the benchmark combined quota at 10 million pounds before reallocation begins or simply giving the recreational sector additional quota percentage without a benchmark.

The Council also voted on alternatives to implement accountability measures in the recreational sector.

Read the full story at AL.com

GLOUCESTER, Mass. — June 24, 2014 —  The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is now seeking public comment on the proposed measures listed below.

In 2011, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council received a request from Delaware's Fish and Wildlife Division to designate five artificial reef sites as Special Management Zones. These areas each encompass roughly one square nautical mile of federal water off the coast of Delaware. The artificial reefs, built by Delaware Fish and Wildlife, under an U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit, with funding from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service were established to enhance recreational fishing. Over the years, recreational hook-and-line fishermen have voiced concerns that their gear often becomes entangled with lines from commercial pot fisheries.

The Council and NOAA Fisheries developed recommendations to reduce gear conflict while  maintaining the social economic benefits for all users. These recommendations were shared broadly during three public meetings. The Council refined its recommendations based on public input and asked that NOAA Fisheries to implement final measures. NOAA Fisheries is now seeking further public comment on the following recommendations:
(1) Establish year-round Special Management Zones for all five Delaware artificial reefs (each area including 500 yard buffer encompasses roughly 2.4 square nautical miles); and
(2) Permit only hook-and-line and spear fishing (including the taking by hand) in these areas.

The deadline for public comments is 5 p.m. EST, on August 4, 2014.  Click here to read more about the proposed measures.

June 23, 2014 — West Coast fishery managers on Monday adopted stringent regulations against California’s swordfish and thresher shark drift gill net fishery, laying the framework to more aggressively limit its bycatch of endangered ocean species.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council voted unanimously to establish hard limits on the fishery, which is active off the coast of Southern California, by the summer of 2016. If anyone in the fishery overreaches the new bycatch limits, it would result in a complete shutdown for the rest of the season. Additionally, the council is seeking to have observers on every fishing boat to ensure the new bycatch limits aren’t breached.

The regulations come after increased public concern about the fishery, which according to some estimates kills an average of 100 marine mammals a year.

“People love swordfish, but when they hear it comes at the expense of potentially killing endangered marine mammals and a vast amount of nontargeted fish, we believe their appetite wanes,” said Paul Shively, an oceans manager for The Pew Charitable Trusts, which support additional regulation of the fishery.

While some environmental advocates such as Oceana have pushed to close the fishery entirely, state regulators are seeking a compromise between the two sides.

Melissa Stevens, a project director for The Nature Conservancy, said she believes the council’s decision Monday was fair to both.

Read the full story from the Los Angeles Daily News

June 24, 2014 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA has released the FY14 federal funding opportunity, Understanding Climate Impacts on Fish Stocks and Fisheries to Inform Sustainable Management.  This FY14 call for proposals, supported by the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and NOAA Fisheries, is for collaborative research projects to improve understanding, projection, and management of the impacts of climate variability and change on fish stocks and fisheries in the U.S. Northeast Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem.
 
Letters of intent are due by 5 p.m. Eastern Time, July 15th, 2014 and the deadline for final applications is 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, September 12th, 2014.

For more information, please visit:

2014 Understanding Climate Impacts on Fish Stocks and Fisheries to Inform Sustainable Management Federal Funding Opportunity

NOAA Fisheries Science and Technology climate page

 

 

CHATHAM, Mass. — June 23, 2014 — Relatively few people in New England eat sea herring, but a lot of the fish they love to eat, do. That's why local fishermen are cheering two decisions by federal regulators this week that they hope will have a positive effect on cod, haddock, tuna and other important commercial species.

At their meeting in Portland, Maine, Thursday, the New England Fishery Management Council approved taking a closer look at changing the boundaries of where the herring fleet is allowed to fish. They also denied the fleet's request for an increase in the amount of haddock the fleet can catch while fishing for herring.

The first decision could help to settle a long-standing grievance from Cape fishermen that the herring fleet is allowed to operate too close to the shore. Their vessels — 100 to 165 feet long — generally operate in pairs, towing massive fine-mesh nets between them, and wipe out the food supply of bigger, more valuable commercial stocks such as bluefin tuna, cod and haddock. This forces commercial species farther offshore in search of food, beyond the reach of the Cape's small vessels.

"Two (herring management areas) come right up to state waters off the Cape and Islands. That's why we see what should be offshore boats pounding away off the back side of the Cape, right off the beach at Nauset," said Tom Dempsey, policy director for the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen's Alliance, and a member of the New England council.

A month ago, much of the herring fleet was visible from Orleans and Chatham beaches as they quickly caught their herring quota for the area and then went over by 60 percent.

"They were just 3 miles off the beach, with a lot of (migratory) species coming through at that time," said Chatham fisherman Ray Kane. "Even the international fleet didn't fish within 3 miles of the beach."
The council approved Dempsey's motion to have its herring committee look into ways to deal with that problem. Dempsey thinks one possible answer is extending the closure area that protects the inshore fish stocks in the Gulf of Maine.
"This constant fighting with the herring industry goes beyond the point of absurdity," said council member Dave Preble. "Somehow we have to deal with this."

The council also decided to deny the herring fleet's request to catch more haddock than they are currently allowed. A resurgent haddock population has long been posited as the best hope that local fishermen have to replace depleted cod stocks. But local fishermen fear the herring industry might be eroding that future by catching too many juvenile haddock that sometimes school with herring.
Herring is important because they are valuable food for predator species. Atlantic herring is considered to be abundant, but fetches a relatively low price because it is not typically eaten by New England diners. It's caught for bait in lobster and other fisheries, and exported as food to other countries.

Read the full story at Cape Cod Times

June 19, 2014 — Environmental group Oceana released a report calling out nine US fisheries for allegedly wasteful practices producing harmful levels of bycatch, but it only tells half the story according to US organization Saving Seafood.

Bycatch remains one of the top concerns of US fisheries management from coast to coast, and several prominent fisheries, aided by contributions from concerned members of the industry, government officials, and conservation groups, have made great strides in reducing bycatch and creating more sustainable marine resources, it said.

The New England scallop fishery is one of the best examples of where collaborative efforts to reduce bycatch have yielded positive results, it proposed.

Since 2010, the fishery has partnered with the School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth to avoid one of the species most commonly caught as scallop bycatch, yellowtail flounder.

The SMAST Yellowtail Bycatch Avoidance Program uses information provided by participating vessels to identify areas where yellowtail are sighted, and help the rest of the fleet avoid them. Almost 75% of the scallop fleet participates in the program, which the industry has helped fund since its inception. The scallop fishery has not exceeded its annual allocation of yellowtail flounder since the program began.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

June 20, 2014 — The dilemma is always thus: How do you take a complicated, multi-layered subject, such as fisheries management, and render it down until it’s comprehensible to those outside the fishing industry?

If you’re Maritime Gloucester, you add a dash of interactive technology and a dollop of visual fun, and you’re off and running.

That’s the concept behind the new Think Tank exhibit at Maritime Gloucester.

With the help of a $25,000 technology grant from Applied Materials in the Blackburn Industrial Park, Maritime Gloucester has developed a state-of-the-art, multi-touch table that allows up to six players to play a game that is as much about learning the intricacies of fisheries management as it is about fun.

“We think this will be a great teaching tool and a way to engage the community and our visitors about the dynamic systems and multiple variables involved in fisheries management,” said Thomas Balf, executive director of Maritime Gloucester. “The game is really unique. I’m not aware of anything comparable in a museum setting.”

Maritime Gloucester expects the Think Tank exhibit will be a popular attraction for school groups, as well as tourists and community members.

The Think Tank table, which measures 48 inches on the diagonal, is housed at the center of the exhibit space on the second floor of the working waterfront museum on Harbor Loop. Players look down at what is effectively a large, blue touch-screen.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

PORTLAND, Maine — June 19, 2014 — Commercial fishermen who trawl for herring off the coast of New England will not be allowed to exceed their incidental haddock catch limit this year after a ruling in a dispute pitting two of the Northeast's key fisheries against each other.

Atlantic herring fishermen who fish from mid-water trawl boats are on track to exceed their bycatch of haddock in Georges Bank, off the coast of New England, federal regulators have said. That would trigger rules that would prohibit fishermen from catching more than 2,000 pounds per trip — effectively shutting down the herring fishery.

The New England Fishery Management Council, an interstate body that manages fisheries, voted down an emergency request from herring fishermen on Thursday that could have raised their limit for haddock bycatch. Many haddock fishermen opposed the move because they said it would contribute to the depletion of their fishery. The council voted down the request, 10-0, at a meeting in Portland.

Council member Tom Dempsey called raising the cap a "terrible idea" that would jeopardize the health of the haddock fishery. Haddock fishermen and environmentalists who spoke at the meeting agreed.

"What we should be doing is working to reduce haddock bycatch," said Roger Fleming, an attorney speaking on behalf of the Herring Alliance.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Wall Street Journal

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SCOM] — June 19, 2014 — The Sustainable Fisheries Partnership's annual overview of the sustainability of US pelagic fishing found mostly positive results though it did reveal work left to be done.

The overview, Small Pelagics: SFP Fisheries Sustainability Overview 2014, covers 28 fisheries around the Atlantic Ocean and South America rated according to the sustainability assessment presented on www.fishsource.com. The ratings are based on data publicly available in April 2014.

The report shows that about two thirds of fish from the Atlantic and South American stocks of small pelagic species come from relatively well managed fisheries. A slightly smaller proportion – 55% – would meet the current feed requirements of the leading aquaculture certifications. The other 33% of fish originate from stocks that are not well managed, although only 17.8% of fish come from fisheries that are actually depleted.

The main conclusions of the report were a mixed bag.

The SFP found 8% of the total catch comes from stocks in very good condition. This corresponds to two herring stocks and one blue whiting stock from the Northeast Atlantic.

Cumulatively, 66.5% of the catch supply comes from stocks that are reasonably well managed or better.

More than half of the catch comes from stocks that are in line with the current Aquaculture Stewardship Council requirements for fisheries providing fishmeal and fish oil for feed to certified farms.

Meanwhile, 33.5% of the catch comes from stocks that are not effectively managed. These stocks have not been effectively managed or are currently in poor condition and significant improvements are required.

In terms of MSC certification, four of the stocks contain fisheries that are certified according to the Marine Stewardship Council or in full assessment. Twelve of the stocks are used as sources of fishmeal that are certified for use under the International Fishmeal and Fish Oil Organisation Responsible Supply (IFFO RS) program. Only 3% of the total volume of fish from the 28 stocks is MSC certified.

The report also highlights an emerging scientific consensus that certain small pelagic stocks can be considered “key” to ecosystems because of their role in energy flows from primary producers to higher trophic levels. Stocks that are identified as key in the future will need to be managed with greater precaution than under current regimes in order to ensure responsible stewardship of this resource.

“This report brings both good news for the fishmeal and oil industry and a strong note of caution about the future. Many of these fisheries are well managed and it’s a credit to the industry that more than half the fish can meet the current feed requirements of the Aquaculture Stewardship Council," said Commenting on the results, Jim Cannon, CEO of Sustainable Fisheries Partnership. "However, there is an increasing body of scientific knowledge that suggests we need to adopt a more precautionary approach when managing some stocks of small pelagic fish and this may well have implications for the fishmeal and oil industry in the future.”

This story originally appeared on Seafood.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.