Management & Regulation

ELLSWORTH, Maine — At the urging of fishermen who dive for urchins to the west of Penobscot Bay, the advisory Sea Urchin Zone Council is recommending to state officials that those fishermen be given twice as many days to fish as they got this past year.

Due to previous overfishing, the number of urchins harvested annually in Maine remains at the lowest levels they have been over the last 25 years, resulting in a limited number of authorized fishing days. In 2010, an estimated 2.2 million pounds of urchins were caught in Maine, down from an all-time high of 41 million pounds in 1993. The estimated overall value to fishermen of the 2010 urchin landings in Maine was $4.5 million, according to official Maine Department of Marine Resources statistics.

Because of the decline, fishermen in urchin Zone 1, which includes the western side of Penobscot Bay and everything between it and the New Hampshire border, recently have been limited to only 10 days of harvesting urchins each year. Fishermen in Zone 2, which includes the eastern side of Penobscot Bay and the coast east to the Canadian border, have been allowed to fish for 45 days because the estimated urchin population is higher.

“It’s in a little better condition, but we are watching it closely,” Linda Mercer, director of DMR’s bureau of resource management, said Friday about the Zone 2 fishery.

Read the complete story from Bangor Daily News.

 

 

 

 

 

Federal fisheries regulators have proposed raising the limit on the New England's lucrative sea scallop catch.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration proposal, announced from NOAA's Northeast regional headquarters in Gloucester's Blackburn Industrial Park, raises the limit from 47 million to 51 million pounds this new fishing year, which begins Sunday, then to 55 million pounds in 2012.

The increases were recommended by regional managers last year.

The NOAA proposal, however, also limits fishing in certain areas from June to October to protect sea turtles.

While some Gloucester and other Cape Ann boats pursue scallops, the scallop haul has made New Bedford the country's No. 1 revenue port, with some $250 million in revenues in 2009, accroding to NOAA figures.

Read the complete story from The Gloucester Times.

 

 

 

 

 

Each week on WBSM in New Bedford, Massachusetts, Bob Vanasse of Saving Seafood joins host Phil Paleologos to discuss issues related to the fisheries with news-making guests.

Andy Winer, a senior NOAA official and former director of Barack Obama's presidential campaign in Hawaii, elaborates on the many items in his portfolio as Director of Strategic Initiatives & Partnerships — from essential satellite systems that provide maritime weather forecasting to outreach work with the fishing community.

[listen to this latest episode at Saving Seafood Radio]

 

 

MYSTIC, Conn – The New England Fishery Management Council received an important review at its spring meeting yesterday about the effectiveness of the processes it uses to govern New England’s commercial and recreational fisheries. Requested by Council Chairman John Pappalardo and commissioned by NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service Director, Eric Schwaab, the report is based on interviews with 179 stakeholders that were conducted by an independent consulting group who also wrote the report.

Chairman Pappalardo, reacting to the hour-long, detailed review said, “The report has exceeded my expectations,” and specifically pointed out the commitment of the Council leadership and staff to make improvements. While many positive elements of the management process were identified — dedicated staff, a transparent process, cooperative research programs, the more effective use of science in the process, the increasing role of sector managers and a training program that helps fishermen better participate in the process — the report clearly focuses on the challenges for each of the three regional fisheries organizations that play key roles in fisheries management.

The 19-page document addresses the functions of and coordination among the Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, MA and the National Marine Fisheries Service regional office in Gloucester, MA, in addition to the Council.

In discussing next steps, Mr. Pappalardo said the “Council will take ownership of the findings,” referring to meetings to be held in the near future during which planning for the changes will begin. The report identified eliminating redundancies across the entire system, building a shared sense of accountability for outcomes among the three organizations, defining clear and objective criteria for determining the success of a management decision and developing a shared vision and strategy to guide the process. 

The New England Fishery Management Council, one of eight regional councils established by federal legislation in 1976, is charged with conserving and managing fishery resources from three to 200 miles off the coasts of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.

Read NEFMC's press release.

 

 

 

 

 

April 27, 2011 – The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has just released phase one of an independent review of the fishery management system in New England and noted what specific steps it will take to address the agency’s shortcomings per the assessment’s recommendations.

The report offers findings and recommendations based on interviews with 179 fishers, other industry participants, local government officials, academic institution partners and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). 

Recommendations include taking more responsibility regarding the effectiveness of the regulations, enhancing the timeliness and confidence in the science used to design regulations and more focus on developing and serving the fishing sector.

This review was initiated last fall following a recommendation by Chairman of the New England Fishery Management Council John Pappalardo. 

He said that the snarled bureaucracy is driven by “process and protocol’’ instead of outcomes and thus not fit to enforce the many new requirements of the nation’s fishing laws, reports Associated Press.

Read the complete story from FIS Worldnews.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fisheries stakeholders are invited to participate in a conference call hosted by NOAA Fisheries on agency actions resulting from an independent review of the New England Fishery Management process on Thursday, April 28, 2011, from 6:00 -7:00 p.m. Eastern. The call will include a question and answer session.

Details
Date: Thursday, April 28, 2011
Time: 6:00- 7:00 p.m. Eastern
Call-in Number:  800-369-1866
Audible pass code: This is an operator-assisted call. Say the word "FISH" to gain access to the call.
 
On the call, Eric Schwaab, Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries, will present the specific steps the agency will take in response to the initial results and recommendations from the Management Review.
 
Mr. Schwaab will be joined on the call by Preston Pate, a current member of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and former chair of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. NOAA contracted with Mr. Pate and Touchstone Consulting Group to conduct the Management Review.
 
The review, which is available online, focused on the relationships among the Northeast Fishery Management Council, the NOAA Northeast Regional Office, and the NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center, and factors that affect the effectiveness of the three entities to carry out their responsibilities under fisheries law.
 
The document and other materials are available on the NOAA Fisheries website at:
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/publicreview/new_england_phase1/index.htm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A senior federal official today said his organization needs to do a better job of overseeing the management of the New England fishery. Eric Schwaab, the head the National Marine Fisheries Services, known as NFMS, released the first part of a highly-anticipated independent review of the agency that devises the region's fishing rules.

Speaking to reporters in a telephone news conference from a meeting of the New England Fishery Management Council in Mystic, Connecticut, Schwaab stopped short of overt self-criticism. "Every organization, no matter its size or how well-run, can benefit from efforts to improve its processes," he said.

He stressed that the decision of NMFS to undertake this review nine months ago does not mean the system is broken. "It also does not mean that the progress we're making together with the Fishery Management Council is not real, only that we can do better," he said. "We know we can do better for the fish, and the other resources we're responsible to manage. We know we can do better for the fishermen and the fishing communities–and frankly we can do better for our own process."

Read and listen to the complete story from The Maine Public Broadcasting Network.

 

 

 

 

 

 

PORTLAND, Maine — More than 100 fishermen turned out for a public hearing at the Holiday Inn by the Bay on Monday night to express opposition to a proposed federal rule that would reduce quotas on Atlantic bluefin tuna catches.

Fishermen and a representative for U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, argued that the rule would penalize fishermen by automatically subtracting 160 tons from what they will be allowed to catch along the Eastern Seaboard in 2011.

That amount is an attempt by regulators to account for the bluefin tuna that are caught inadvertently by other fishermen, especially longliners. Those fish must be thrown overboard and left to die in the ocean.

With a cap of 858 tons this year, "this fishery is headed for a train wreck," said Chris Weiner, of Ogunquit, who hunts bluefin tuna with a harpoon off Perkins Cove. "You see a lot of scientists at the National Marine Fisheries Service trying to paint a bleak picture, but everyone knows there is a lot of bluefin tuna out there."

Read the complete story from The Portland Press Herald.

 

 

 

 

 

 

BOSTON—An independent review of the bureaucracy that devises New England's fishing rules said the system is "beset with problems" and called for various reforms, including more accountability about whether the regulations actually work.

Other recommendations in the report released Tuesday included improving confidence in the fishery science, more emphasis on growing the fishing industry and uniting behind a long-term plan for the fishery that doesn't currently exist.

"There is a great deal of frustration among all … groups over the difficulty (some might say inability) to make progress and having to work in an environment of contention and mistrust," the report read.

Eric Schwaab, the head the National Marine Fisheries Services, said the report highlights ways managers can do better, but it doesn't erase the good work they've done, including improving the health of numerous species.

Read the complete story by Jay Lindsay of The AP at The Boston Globe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – April 25th, 2011 – At the request of U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine), the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) held a public meeting in Portland today regarding proposed modifications of the allocation of tuna quota specifications for the 2011 fishing year.  Senator Snowe, the lead Republican on the Commerce Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard, sought an extended comment period and a public hearing in Maine to address concerns expressed by Maine fishermen about the fairness of a reduced bluefin tuna quota.

“Based on recent assessments indicating the population of bluefin tuna in the western Atlantic is on the rise, NMFS should redouble its efforts to protect US fishermen from inequitable quotas and increase allocations for New England fishermen through the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas,” said Senator Snowe.  “I hope NMFS takes seriously the concerns raised today by our fishermen, whose livelihoods are ultimately at stake.”

Snowe, who raised concerns about the proposed reduction in the bluefin quota to its lowest level in history with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco, said the proposal has created a climate of uncertainty in Maine’s coastal communities as the upcoming fishing season approaches.  On March 31, Snowe also expressed these concerns in a letter to Dr. Lubchenco.  A copy of the letter is attached.

BACKGROUND: Under a new rule proposed by NMFS, the total U.S. quota is 948.7 metric tons (mt) annually (i.e., a reduction of 28.7 mt or 2.9 percent from the 2010 total U.S. quota of 977.4 mt).  In addition, to establish the 2011 quota specifications, NMFS proposes subtracting a significant increase to 160 mt in the dead discard estimate from the U.S. baseline quota of 923.7 mt, and adding the 94.9 mt of underharvest allowed to be carried forward, for an adjusted total of 858.6 mt.  This would further limit the 2011 fishing allocation for Maine’s tuna fishermen.

The text of Senator Snowe’s statement, as prepared for submission to NMFS today, follows:

Ms. Sarah McLaughlin
Highly Migratory Species Management Division
Office of Sustainable Fisheries
National Marine Fisheries Service
55 Great Republic Drive
Gloucester, MA 01930

Dear Ms. McLaughlin and National Marine Fisheries Service Staff,

Please accept my welcome to Maine.  Thank you for honoring my request to extend the comment period and to add a public hearing in Portland, Maine, regarding the proposed Atlantic bluefin tuna base quotas for all domestic fishing categories issued on March 14, 2011, in the Federal Register.

As you know, this is a challenging economic climate for Maine’s tuna fishermen with the skyrocketing costs of diesel, uncertainty surrounding international markets given the nuclear disaster in Japan, and finally an implausible petition to actually list the bluefin tuna on the endangered species list.  As Ranking Member on the Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard subcommittee, I directly raised these issues to Administrator Lubchenco earlier this month in a letter and in an oversight hearing regarding NOAA’s budget for Fiscal Year 2012.

In view of these economic uncertainties, it is critical that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) develop allocation quotas that maximize the sustainable yield of a valuable fishery like the bluefin tuna.  Regrettably, the actions by this Administration to expand sustainable fisheries with respect to the bluefin tuna can at best be described as overly cautious.  For instance, last November I led a letter urging Administrator Lubchenco to pursue a modest and scientifically justifiable increase in the total allowable catch (TAC) of the western stock of Atlantic bluefin tuna from 1,800 metric tons (MT) within the negotiations at the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).   Yet the Administration fought and secured a reduction in allowable catch of 50 metric tons despite the fact that, according to NMFS, this level will “allow for continued stock growth under both the low and high stock recruitment.”  Unfortunately, these actions have exacerbated the challenge of developing the base quotas for both 2011-2012 and will tighten the margins for these fishermen, which we are discussing today.

Specifically, NMFS proposes modifying its accounting of dead discards by subtracting 160 metric tons from the reduced TAC rather than allocating dead discards to specific categories.  This reduces the TAC for all user-groups and unfairly penalizes groups that have successfully avoided dead discards.  I am concerned that NMFS’s proposal will have the counterproductive effect of removing incentives for fishermen to reduce discard rates in each category.  I request that NMFS develop a comprehensive plan through cooperative research to reduce dead discards, develop technologies to avoid bluefin tuna bycatch where applicable, and work through the ICCAT to recognize US tuna fishermen’s leadership in protecting bluefin tuna and advocate for increased allocations for coastal communities like Portland.  The bottom line is that this issue will continue to undermine efforts to maximize our harvest of bluefin tuna as the stock continues to rebuild.  Simply reducing the catch does little to help our tuna fishermen now or in the future.

Again, I thank NMFS for travelling to Portland and I look forward to reviewing the rest of the public comments provided here today and working with you to maximize the sustainable harvest of America’s Atlantic bluefin tuna.

Sincerely,
OLYMPIA J. SNOWE
United States Senator

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