Management & Regulation

NMFS release: NOAA Fisheries Service today announced that it is now possible for federal multispecies fishery permit holders fishing under the Days-at-Sea (DAS) Program who are interested in leasing their allocated fishing days to other fishing vessels in the program to do so electronically. This website will make it easier to lease DAS.  Most leases will be able to be processed instantly.

Federal multispecies permit holders who are interested in making their leasing transactions electronically are encouraged to visit our Fish Online homepage and click on "Days at Sea Leasing":

https://www.nero.noaa.gov/NMFSlogin/

If you have any questions about the Leasing Program, please contact our Sustainable Fisheries Division at 978-281-9315.

NOAA’s Fisheries Service today announced that it is reviewing and revising critical habitat designations for the North Atlantic right whale and expects to propose changes in the latter half of 2011.

Press Release:

"Critical habitat" is an area that contains physical or biological features that may require special management and that are essential to the conservation of the species. The agency designated three critical habitat areas in U.S. waters for these whales in 1994: calving grounds off Florida and Georgia and feeding grounds in Cape Cod Bay and the Great South Channel, both off Massachusetts.

In 2008, the listing of Northern right whales was changed by listing North Atlantic and North Pacific right whales as separate species under the federal Endangered Species Act.

In 2009, NOAA received a petition to enlarge existing,and designate new,critical habitat for North Atlantic right whales. NMFS received the petition while conducting an ongoing analysis and evaluation of new information available since the 1994 designation that indicates the designation should be revised.

Today's announcement finds that the petition includes substantial scientific information indicating that a revision to the areas may be warranted. It also explains that the agency is proceeding with the petition by working on a rule to propose revisions to the critical habitat designation for this species.

NOAA Fisheries Service is dedicated to protecting and preserving our nation’s living marine resources and their habitat through scientific research, management and enforcement. NOAA Fisheries Service provides effective stewardship of these resources for the benefit of the nation, supporting coastal communities that depend upon them, and helping to provide safe and healthy seafood to consumers and recreational opportunities for the American public.

 

 

 

 

New England-based environmental activist Lee Crockett stumped on your Opinion website on behalf of a preservationist agenda to end "overfishing'' in America (Sept. 14 column, Saving coastal jobs.)

I dare say there's not a fisherman who supports the biological overfishing of any stock. This is not what fishing communities are bound by in federal law.

In statutory terms, overfishing occurs “when a fish stock is being fished at a fishing mortality rate that exceeds the overfishing threshold set by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).'' The threshold defined as a species' “maximum sustainable yield'' is a static number that NMFS assigns for each rebuilding fishery, and it's what many field experts and scientists claim poorly reflects the randomness of nature.

Read the complete opinion piece from The Miami Herald.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sector management has been in place in the New England fishery now for several months, and while there are still some issues to be worked out, preliminary data show some positive results. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), fishing industry and the New England Fishery Management Council are all working together to address some of the initial hurdles and to help sectors operate more smoothly.

For starters, on Thursday the Council unanimously agreed to establish accumulation limits for the groundfish fishery. Once the cap is in place, this will benefit small boats and fishing communities because there will no longer be excess accumulation by a small group of individuals. This will make it easier for small boats to continue to fish profitably.

As reported at the Council meeting, the first three months of sector operations resulted in (May 1 – August 15):

    * Fishermen earning more money for less fishing under the new system. In 2010, landings are down compared to 2009. Only 85.8 percent of total landings last year were landed this year (for the same period of time). Meanwhile, revenues are up 112.4 percent.
    * Sector fishermen are avoiding weak stocks and targeting robust stocks. The ratio of Georges Bank cod to Georges Bank haddock (in metric tons) in 2009 was 1121:1532. In 2010, it was 743:2768.
    * Landings of Gulf of Maine winter flounder, a stock at very low abundance, are being effectively avoided under sectors. In 2009, 66 metric tons were landed. In 2010, 32 metric tons were landed.

Read the complete story from the EDF.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Local fishermen have another bone to pick with the mid-water trawler fleet.

They’ve long accused the boats, which are up to 150-feet long, of depleting local resources through their bycatch of everything from haddock to river herring to cod.

But last Friday the New England Fisheries Management Council revealed the trawlers had overshot their quota for Atlantic Herring (their actual target) caught off of Cape Cod by almost 40 percent. And they did it in two week’s time.

Atlantic herring is an important food for striped bass, bluefin tuna, cod and haddock among other key targets of the local industry. Commercially they’re sold as sardines and kippers but most of the catch winds up as bait, primarily for lobster and also tuna, crabs etc.

Read the complete story from Wicked Local.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following was released by the Council:

NEWBURYPORT, MA   The New England Fishery Management Council concluded a two–day marathon discussion in Newport, RI yesterday about upcoming rules for the sea scallop fishery. At issue was a final vote on Amendment 15 to the east coast sea scallop fishery management plan. The proposals under consideration would neither increase nor decrease the scallop harvest since the action focused on proposals to reduce excess capacity in the full-time active fleet and federal requirements for annual catch limits and accountability measures. Nonetheless, public testimony was critical to the Council’s decision-making and deeply divided.

Many scallop fishermen, local public officials and legislators had serious concerns over the two capacity reduction measures under consideration. One would increase the number of scallop permits allowed on a vessel from one to two. The Council also proposed to allow leasing of scallop access area trips and/or scallop days-at-sea. In what was clearly a difficult choice, members voted down both options despite a lengthy and open development process.

As background, each year the Council annually sets the number of trips that scallop vessels may take into the very productive scallop beds on Georges Bank and in the Mid-Atlantic region. Additional days-at-sea, time available to fish for scallops outside of the trips to the “access areas”, are also allocated each year. Under this system, a boat’s total fishing time can fluctuate, depending on the availability of harvestable scallops, but has remained constant at about 80 days annually over the last several years.
Many on one side of the debate agreed that leasing and/or “stacking” more than one permit on a vessel would be a reasonable option, given the large amount of time a boat spends at the dock as a result of the restrictions on scallop fishing time. Safety at sea was another important concern for vessel owners who might choose to place all of their fishing time on the newest or most efficient of two boats.

The opposing side worried that the proposals would have significant community impacts such as a further consolidation of fishing businesses into large corporations. Other concerns included a potential uptick in unfair business practices, unemployment, lower wages, monopoly pricing and a loss of shore-side support jobs during the current economic downturn.

A number of proposals in the scallop amendment did receive approval during the Council meeting. Several addressed the limited access general category fishery, which is made up of smaller boats that operate under an individual transferable quota system. Also approved were changes to the boundaries of areas closed to protect habitat so they will be consistent with the areas defined in the Council’s groundfish plan and improvements to the scallop research set-aside program. Measures in Amendment 15 are expected to take effect in January 2011.     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following summary was provided by Tom Nies of the Council Staff Here is a summary of Council actions on groundfish at the June 23, 2010, meeting in Newport, RI. As always, this brief summary does not capture the entire discussion. Sound files are available on our web page, and motions will be available in about a week. Please contact me if there are any questions or corrections.
 
    • Framework Adjustment 45: The Council reviewed measures that are being considered in FW 45. The final meeting for this framework is planned for November. After NMFS review, approved measures should be effective on May 1, 2010. For the most part the Council adopted Committee recommendations for this framework. Draft measures will be posted on our web page early next week to reflect Council decisions and corrections that were suggested at the meeting. Measures that will be included are:
        • Revised biomass and mortality targets and annual catch levels (ACLs) for pollock as a result of the new assessment.
        • Alternative GB yellowtail flounder rebuilding strategies. Another option was added so there are now four combinations of ending date/probability of success (plus No Action): 2016/50 pct, 2016/60 pct, 2016/75 pct, and 2019/60 pct.
        • Several additional sectors have requested approval, including four lease-only sectors operated by the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, andRhode Island.
        • Revisions to Handgear A trip limits and reporting requirements.
        • Changes to commercial fishery monitoring requirements, including the possible elimination of dockside monitoring and changes to the language on funding of at-sea monitoring.
        • Removal of the current spring closures designed to protect spawning yellowtail flounder for the General Category Scallop Fishery.
        • Adoption of measures to protect spawning cod in the Whaleback Area off New Hampshire in April/May/June. These measures are likely to include closure of an area to recreational and commercial fishing.
        • There may be adjustments to the amount of yellowtail flounder allocated to the scallop fishery added to this framework after details of the scallop management program that will be adopted in FW 22 are determined.
    • During the FW 45 discussion the Council spent time discussing NOAA-sponsored, state-operated permit banks, and considered adding measures to FW 45 to facilitate their operating as entities distinct from sectors. Based on advice that these measures could not be included in a framework action, the Council decided to initiate a single-issue amendment to consider these measures. The timeline for this amendment has not yet been developed but rapid action is planned.
    • The Council approved recommendations from the Transboundary Management Guidance Committee for US/CA area TACs for 2011. The approved quotas are: (1) cod – 1,050 mt (US share 200 mt, Canadian share 850 mt), (2) haddock – 22,000 mt (US share 9,460 mt, Canadian share 12,540 mt), (3) yellowtail flounder – 1,900 mt (USshare 1,045 mt, Canadian share 855 mt).
    • The Council received a presentation on a draft white paper for accumulation limits prepared by the Groundfish PDT. After a brief discussion, the Council agreed to consider accumulation limits in the next appropriate groundfish action. The draft paper is posted on the Council web page.
    • In related actions, the Council approved Accountability Measures (AMs) for the scallop fishery catch of yellowtail flounder in Amendment 15 to the Scallop FMP. The Council also received a report from its Science and Statistical Committee (SSC) with recommended pollock and GB yellowtail flounder ABCs; these will be included in FW 45.
 
The next Council meeting will be in Brewster, MA November 16-18, 2010. In addition to final action on FW 45, the Council is expected to choose priorities that will guide Council work in 2011.
 
 

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.

Bob and Phil speak with Eric Schwaab, NOAA Assistant Administrator for Fisheries. Topics include Secretary Locke's announced changes in the wake of the inspector general report on enforcement, and initiatives to improve science.  Also discussed are the upcoming organizational and managerial examinations of the Northeast Regional Office, the New England Fisheries Management Council and the National Marine Fisheries Service.

[click here and listen now]

 

 

 

Federal fisheries chief Eric Schwaab says a sweeping review of Northeast management will focus on how the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, its regional fisheries science center and New England managers can work together and better fulfill their missions.

"This is something Fortune 500 companies do all the time, not because they believe they are performing poorly but because they want to ensure they do not miss opportunities to perform better,'' said Schwaab, NOAA's assistant administrator for fisheries.

But the review comes after a year of vociferous complaints from fishermen and coastal members of Congress, who say NOAA has fumbled management of key species at the expense of fishing communities. A NOAA inspector general's report this year found fault with the agency's law enforcement division, and a retired federal magistrate was appointed last week to review a number of controversial penalties against fishermen.

Read the complete story from The Asbury Park Press.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The top-dollar New England scallop fishery — a poster child for sustainability and economic productivity — will not undergo the proposed major changes that had been put before the New England Fishery Management Council.

The New England Fishery Management Council decided Wednesday against allowing scallop boat owners to accumulate permits by "stacking" and leasing, activities that would almost certainly have resulted in massive consolidation of the industry.

At the council's September meeting in Newport, R.I., a proposal to allow boat owners to lease their fishing days to other vessels was narrowly rejected, 9-7 with one abstention.

The stacking proposal — which would have allowed boat owners to acquire multiple permits — was beaten, 11-6.

Read the complete story from The Gloucester Times.