Management & Regulation

NEW BEDFORD, Mass., — February 20, 2014 — Recreational and charter boat owners are up in arms over a NOAA proposal to establish a research "reference area" that includes a slice of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.

The Stellwagen Bank Charter Boat Association said in emails this week that the restrictions would cause sweeping losses to the regional fishing economy and are ill-considered.

The 55-square-mile area is a narrow strip north of Provincetown, which would be closed to groundfishing by the recreational and charter boats, but not other types of fish, according to Dr. Craig MacDonald, superintendent of the sanctuary.

The goal is to establish an area where the impacts of non-fishing events can be observed and measured.

Pat Fiorelli, spokeswoman for the NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (formerly the Northeast Regional Office) said that contrary to the fears of the fishermen, no vote is likely at next week's meeting of the New England Fisheries Management Council.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times 

 

SEATTLE — February 18, 2014 — The following was released by the Center for Sustainable Fisheries:

On Tuesday, Feb. 11, the Center for Sustainable Fisheries and National Fisherman magazine kicked off their National MSA Reauthorization tour in Seattle.  Representatives from CSF included President and CEO, Brian J. Rothschild, and Chief Operating Officer, Kate Kramer.  Jessica Hathaway, Editor-in-Chief, took part in the workshop on behalf of National Fisherman.

Many highly respected fisheries experts represented North Pacific fisheries management, including federal and local public office holders, NOAA representatives, members of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, members of the fishing industry, and marine scientists and attorneys.  As attendees filed in and the event became standing room only, the MSA Reauthorization proved to be a key issue for North Pacific fisheries experts.

Hathaway discussed the need to find a balance between conservation and economic needs of fishing communities.  She noted that improving on scientific data collection through cooperative research and assessment methods is a necessary step and means to achieve this goal.  Fishermen are environmentalists who want healthy resources to pass onto future generations.

Rothschild discussed the scientific reasoning behind the organization’s proposed rewritten National Standards.  As he explained, the National Standards are the backbone of the MSA and fisheries management. As a result, the standards are a key component to gaining balance and flexibility to fisheries management programs. The interaction among the National Standards must be discussed during this Reauthorization.  The House of Representatives’ Discussion Draft was also a prominent topic at the workshop.  

Attendees inquired about how some proposals may affect the successes the North Pacific has achieved in management, such as minimal stocks that are classified as overfished and thriving economic communities.  There was concern about scientific research, the effects of the natural environment and natural mortality on fish stocks, the use of the term “overfishing,” and an increase in national dialogue between the councils.

As Mayor Stanley Mack of the Aleutians East recalled, when he moved to Alaska as a young boy in the early 1930s, his father, who was a cod fisherman, woke up one day and found there were no cod to catch.  He attributed this to increased natural mortality, not fishing because the fishing gear at the time was not capable of diminishing the stock.  If the MSA, as it is written today, was in existence in the 1930s, the cod fishermen would have been said to be “overfishing.”  The overfished classification would have been an inaccurate classification.  More research into natural mortality, population mobility and identification of the correct cause of a stock decrease is necessary.

A high expectation and standard of transparency and collaboration should be a high priority goal of the MSA.  A national dialogue among regions is necessary to ensure best practices are being shared and issues that all regions are having are resolved together. There has been improvement over the last five years, with national SSC and Council meetings, but sharing of information, advances in management, and struggles in management are important and should increase.

CSF and National Fisherman are pleased at the success of the workshop.  The workshop was a positive start to a comprehensive national discussion on the MSA Reauthorization among fishing regions.  Attendees left the workshop thinking even more strategically than before about the Reauthorization.

CSF is compiling an overview of the meeting, which will be made available to attendees for review, and then posted on CSF’s website for public viewing.

CSF and National Fisherman will also be hosting workshops in Boston, New Orleans and Washington, D.C. CSF and National Fisherman look forward to continuing the conversation across the country in the coming months.

View a PDF of the press release here

 

February 18, 2014 — The following was released by the Center for Sustainable Fisheries:

CSF and National Fisherman magazine will be hosting our next MSA Reauthorization Public Workshop in Boston in conjunction with the Boston Seafood Show. We are excited to announce that former Congressman and CSF Chairman Barney Frank will be speaking at and attending the event.

Date: Monday, March 17th
Time: 8am
Location: Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Room 254B

View a PDF of the invitation for more details, including directions and parking

 

 

February 14, 2014 — Walt is one of eight NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office port agents. Port agents are field staff who provide technical assistance to fishermen and dealers. They help clarify fishing rules and may provide training when changes are made to catch reporting systems and procedures.

“Walt is the quintessential port agent. He knows the answer to almost every question he gets from industry, and when he doesn’t know one he knows who does and gets the answer,” said Greg Power, NOAA Fisheries Port Agent Supervisor.

According to Walt, he has enjoyed being around the water since he was a boy living in Queens, NY. His uncle was a charter boat captain out of Montauk, NY. And, Walt spent countless summer vacations hanging around the docks. 

He turned his love of the sea into a marine science degree at Southampton College on Long Island, NY. Before becoming a port agent, Walt held a variety of positions as a foreign fisheries observer aboard a Japanese mothership in the Bering Sea; and a junior survey technician aboard the NOAA ship Rude mapping navigation hazards, such as boulders and uncharted wrecks, in tanker routes from Newport, RI to Mattituck, NY. He also worked as a tuna and swordfish buyer. Through all this, Walt gained both knowledge of the ocean and working relationships with members of the seafood business.

As a port agent, Walt has a big region to cover. It includes New Bedford, the highest value port in the country, largely due to the recovery of Atlantic sea scallops, and Point Judith, which is struggling with the decline of groundfishing. Still Walt maintains that even though some days are tough, the best part of his job is working with fishermen and seafood dealers. In the Northeast, it is not unusual for fishermen and dealers to hold multiple federal fishing permits so they can catch and sell a variety of fish species. As a result, there are many different fishing regulations that they have to be familiar with. Walt is the one that fishermen and dealers turn to if they need clarification on the regulations.

“Walt has a lot of patience,” said Eric Reid, owner, Deep Sea Fish, and Operations Manager, Seafreeze Shoreside. “It’s difficult to be a fisherman these days. You have so many regulations to comply with and some guys are really struggling under high fuel costs, low prices of fish and lower quotas because some fish stocks are down.” Walt’s job can be pretty tough too. I’ve been in Walt’s office when a fisherman has come in pretty upset and Walt has handled the situation like a professional.”

Donald Fox, owner of fishing vessel Lightning Bay and fleet manager for the Town Dock in Point Judith, echoed Reid’s praise for Walt’s ability to deal with a tough situation and his willingness to go that extra mile to answer a question.

“Today I manage six boats out of Point Judith, RI, but for nearly 25 years I ran my own boat so I’ve known Walt for a long time,” said Fox. I can’t say enough about him. He’s tremendously helpful and accessible.  I’d always make a point of stopping in to see Walt before fishing, so I was sure I was up on current regulations. And recently, several of my boats needed small mesh exemption letters of authorization, which he issued for us.”

Both Fox and Reid agree that knowing they can walk into Walt’s local office or call him on the cell, makes having port agents like Walt in the field extremely valuable to the industry.

Read the story from NOAA

February 13, 2014 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Today NOAA Fisheries announced some new management measures to, among other things, improve monitoring in the Atlantic herring fishery.

Click here to read more 

 

February 13, 2014 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

We want to make federal permit holders in the Atlantic sea scallop fishery aware of the management measures that will be in place on March 1, 2014. We also want to alert them of proposed changes to these management measures, which we expect to implement in June.

NOAA Fisheries is currently reviewing Framework Adjustment 25 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan, which includes proposed changes to the 2014 fishing year management measures. Framework Adjustment 25 was developed by the New England Fishery Management Council and now must be approved by NOAA Fisheries for implementation.

Click here to read more

 

February 10, 2014 — The following was released by NOAA:

NOAA Fisheries has changed the name of the Northeast Regional Office to the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office. We’re doing this at the direction of Congress to better reflect the broad extent of our region, which spans from Maine to North Carolina and includes the Great Lakes.

So as of today, we’ll start to use our new name in various communications. For instance, you’ll see our new name reflected on the home page of our regional office website, in emails and letters. When you call our office or one of our staff give a talk, you’ll hear the new name. Seafood dealers and fishermen will also see news about the name change when they log into various NOAA Fisheries catch and fish sales reporting systems such as SIMMs or Fish-on-Line.

Our goal is to make this transition as seamless as possible for constituents, but it will take some time to modify all of our operating systems, forms and procedures to reflect the new name. However, over time, you will see Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office and/or the Greater Atlantic Region used on all of our webpages, and in print and electronic communications materials, regulatory actions and legal documents. 

This change is in line with recent efforts to expand our presence in the Mid-Atlantic region. Our new Assistant Regional Administrator for Stakeholder Engagement, Kevin Chu, is based in Maryland and oversees our communications and fishing industry outreach teams. Click here to read more about this news.

So how will this change affect our constituents?

We don't expect there to be much of an impact on our constituents as we make this transition. But, we realize that it will take time for our stakeholders to become adjusted to seeing this new name and using it themselves.

As always, please feel free to contact our offices if you have questions about this news or other matters. You can reach us at 978-281-9300 or visit us at www.nero.noaa.gov.

Read the release from NOAA

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — February 7, 2014 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board has initiated the development of a Draft Addendum to the Fishery Management Plans for Spot and Atlantic Croaker. The Draft Addendum will propose replacing the current trigger analysis with the use of a traffic light approach in determining management measures for both species along the coast. The Draft Addendum will also include options that will allow for conservation equivalency measures to achieve reductions in catch and harvest when needed.

The Board initiated the Draft Addendum in response to concerns over trends in the spot and Atlantic croaker fisheries. The current management of Atlantic croaker and spot compares annual changes in various trigger indices (recent landings and survey information) for each non-assessment year to review trends in the fisheries. The results of the most recent trigger analysis found declines in the commercial and recreational landings for both Atlantic croaker and spot fisheries but did not trip the triggers. The Technical Committee was concerned that the current triggers do not illustrate long-term trends in the stocks and lack specific and timely management responses.  

The traffic light approach has been used as a precautionary framework for fisheries with limited data to allow for a reasonable level of resource management. The name comes from assigning a color (red, yellow, or green) to categorize relative levels of indicators on the condition of the fish population or fishery. The approach provides a clear illustration of the trends in the fishery and the need for management action. This method has been developed for use in the blue crab fisheries of North Carolina and Georgia.

The proposed traffic light approach is expected to be an interim approach until the completion of the next stock assessment for both species. The Draft Addendum will be presented to the Board for consideration and approval in May 2014. For more information, please contact Kirby Rootes-Murdy, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, atkrootes-murdy@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

February 7, 2014 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Commission’s 2014 Winter Meeting Press Releases, Meeting Summaries and Motions document is available on the Commission website at http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/Winter2014/2014WinterMeetingSummary.pdf. Summaries from prior meetings can be found at www.asmfc.org under News/Meeting Archives.

 

SEAFOOD.COM NEWS (John Sackton) — February 6, 2014 — A fish grab is underway in the Gulf, as recreational interests have mounted a fierce campaign over amendment 28 to the red snapper fishery.

The Gulf council is voting this week – and most options on the table involve taking some of the commercial quota and reallocating it to recreational fishermen.

The problem is that this is only feasible because the commercial sector got its act together, developed a limited access fishery, and since 2007 has consistently fished below its allocation.  Meanwhile, the recreational charter fishery has been managed by a shrinking number of days open, and at the same time has exceeded their planned allocation consistently year after year.

Now the council is being asked to take fish from the responsible commercial sector, and give it to the recreational sector.

The reef fish committee voted on Tuesday to pick alternative 5 as their preferred alternative.

This would take any TAC above 9.12 million pounds and divide it 75% recreational 25% commercial.  The TAC is currently at around 11 million pounds, so this would take nearly half a million pounds (488,800) away from the commercial fishery immediately.

The full Council is voting this afternoon, and could either follow the committee, or pick another plan.  The process would dictate that they move to public hearings after they vote their preferred alternative

The reallocation move would lead to widespread commercial losses as red snapper would become less available to the restaurants and tourist spots on the Gulf.  If the reef fish committee alternative stands, commercial fishermen will be penalized for acting responsibly, while the recreational sector is rewarded for exceeding their quotas.

Red drum is an example of a fish that used to be commercially available, but was taken 100% for sport fishing.  Prior to 1988, commercial gillnetters in the Gulf took about 28% of the annual landings, with 72% going to the recreational fishery.  Most commercial fishing was closed since then and the stock has rebuilt.  However, in 2007 Pres George Bush signed an executive order in response to lobbying from the recreational fishing groups, making red drum exclusively a game fish.

As a result, wild caught drum is not virtually unavailable on menus, although some farmed species are available.

Red snapper has a much larger population – but no commercial fishery can be built for the long term if those who come together to rebuild the stock through limited fishing and excersize of responsible fishing rights, find their efforts overturned as soon as they are successful.

There are alocation question that arise, but decisions about these must be made by a council that fully supports the rebuilding of the stock that has been achieved by the commercial industry.

Currently commercial fisherman can take 51% of the quota, and recreational fisherman get 49%.  If the reef committee plan is adopted, it would immediately take 488,000 lbs away from the commercial sector, reducing their share to 47%, and giving 53% to recreational fishermen.

This will impact tourism in the Gulf.  For example, Destin, Alabama is known for its local seafood; especially their red snapper.

"The public is used to having the snapper, and we have a tremendous demand and we don't want to lose that,” said David Krebs, Owner of Ariel Seafoods in Destin told WJHG – channel 7 in Destin.

This week, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is discussing possible changes to the amount of red snapper caught.

Dewey Destin says his Harborside Restaurant cooks between 700 to 800 pounds of red snapper a week during the summer months.

"To take it away from the commercial fisherman who supply the restaurants and seafood markets is not only something against tradition, it is going against the fairness of everybody in the country being able to enjoy the fresh, local fish,” said Destin.

Both Destin and Krebs have lobbied Congress on the issue, and say they plan to return to Washington next week.

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