Saving Seafood

Conservation & Environment

IG: Cape wind farm review ‘rushed’

Several federal agencies that reviewed the proposed Nantucket Sound wind farm felt they were "unnecessarily rushed" to finish their work before President George W. Bush left office, according to a report released yesterday by the U.S. Interior Department's inspector general.

A final environmental report on the project required under federal law was released by the U.S. Minerals Management Service (MMS) more than a year ago, only days before the changeover to the current administration.

While supporters praised the largely favorable review, opponents criticized it as premature and flawed.

The inspector general investigated the review of the project by MMS after receiving multiple complaints, including a petition-style letter from a staff member of the project's primary opposition group, the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, and a letter from the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.

Read the complete story at The Cape Cod Times.

N.C. Meeting on gill net fishing proposal set

The North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission plans to consider a proposed gill net closure later this month in New Bern.

A meeting is set up for 1 p.m. on February 18th at the New Bern Riverfront Convention Center. 

The commission will take public comment on the plan to close large-mesh gill net fishing in many inshore waters of the state south of Oregon Inlet from May 15th through December 15th.

Read the complete story at WECT 6 News.

New Jersey fisheries update

January winds blew us out of the water but the political front continues to give us news to ponder.

The Mid-Atlantic Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Black Sea Bass Monitoring Committee agreed to increase the 2010 acceptable biological catch (ABC) for black sea bass from 2.71 million pounds to 4.5 million pounds.

The Fisheries Survival Fund (FSF), the largest national organization dedicated to protecting and strengthening the nation’s Atlantic sea scallop fishery, welcomed the announcement by the New England Fishery Management Council to reconsider its decision to restrict fishing opportunities for the Atlantic sea scallop fishery in 2010.

NOAA will convene a national summit on enforcement policies and practices in order to hear from constituents and experts in the field. The report is online at http://www.oig.doc.gov/oig/

Read the complete story at Cape May County Herald.

South Carolina fishermen fear loss of business, end of tradition

On Jan. 1 the U.S. Department of Commerce – the federal agency that controls fishing regulations – announced a six-month ban on fishing for snapper and grouper. This ban will put thousands of fishermen out of work. Ironically it was the same day the White House convened a summit on how to reduce job unemployment.

Many of these men will not be fishing for the next six months due to a recent decision by the South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council (SAFMC) to close the snapper and grouper fishery due to “over fishing.”

These men, who are usually upbeat and jovial, are anything but these days. The scope of the new laws affecting them is having wide reaching consequences. They sense that outside forces are at work in their lives and they are caught in a life or death battle for their right to fish for a living.

The SAFMC is one of eight councils in the country managing commercial and recreational fishing. They manage the area 3 to 200 miles offshore, from North and South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, including the Florida Keys. The council consists of 13 board members who implement bag limits, size limits, trip limits, commercial quotas and spawning season closures to prevent over fishing.

Read the complete story at The North Myrtle Beach Times.

BLOG: Update from North Carolina on Washington DC rally

Here is the deal in a short version — environmentals are in control of fisheries and the current administration that is in place is listening to them. I am all for conservation in fisheries, and there is no doubt many species need new rules. BUT, the problem as if often the human nature case, is the pendelum is swinging too far in one direction. For years there has not been enough legislation and laws and now they are going absolutely crazy. You will likely here the word "Magnuson Stevens Act" get thrown around.

I don't know exactly what it is, but in a nut, it says that all fisheries must be brough to "maximum sustainability" in the very near future- think they put a year on it, maybe 10',11', 12'. Thus, since this is place, fisheries panels as they put it "have no choice" but to shut down entire fisheries completely in order to bring them to "maximum sustainability" immediately. And therin lies the problem.

There's no middle ground. Instead of acknowledging that our Red Snapper population off of NC is depleted and shutting it down for 3, 6 or even 9 months, they shut it down completely because "they are forced" by the Magnuson Stevens Act. So, where we are right now is that the fisheries councils have all ready agreed to shut down ALL bottomfishing from middle Florida to the Frying Pan Shoals– the rough area covers depths from 80 feet o 150 feet. That is everything! No more Grouper, Snapper… AT ALL. It is complete closures of fisheries that will snowball into further regulation on other species. Even if you are not a bottom fisherman, if this goes forward, your King Mackerel, Dolphin, Wahoo, Cobia will be next.

Read the complete blog at Pier and Surf.

North Carolina fishermen to attend rally in support of industry

The next big trip won’t be offshore for some area fishermen with concerns about a federal fisheries law they say is flawed.

Fishermen from both the commercial and recreational side are making plans to attend a Feb. 24 rally in Washington, D.C., to stand up for the fishing industry and reform of the Magnuson Stevens Conservation and Management Act.

“We need the numbers to be up there to show support for the fishing industry,” said Capt. Sonny Davis, owner of the Capt. Stacy head boat based out of Atlantic Beach.

Davis plans to attend the rally and has worked to recruit others for a North Carolina Fisheries Association-organized bus trip, just one of several being planned around the region as the rally nears.

Read the complete story at ENC Today.

North Carolina Turtle lovers, gill-netters head toward showdown

A traditional way of fishing in North Carolina's extensive inland and near-shore waters is under threat because of its impacts on an already endangered species.

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries has proposed a temporary closure of large-mesh gill net fishing from May 15 through Dec. 15 for most areas south of Orgeon Inlet – including the Cape Fear River south of Snow's Cut – as it struggles to balance the popular and economically important fishing practice with federal rules protecting sea turtles.

The National Marine Fisheries Service has called the growing number of interactions between sea turtles and fishermen in the state's inshore waters “excessive and unacceptable,” and the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Topsail Beach could soon move the matter into federal court.

Read the complete story at Star News Online.

Welsh scallop fishing ban to protect habitat and stocks

Dredging for scallops is to be banned in several areas off the Welsh coast in a move aimed at protecting stocks and marine species and habitats.

The new regulations will come into force on 1 March, Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones has announced. The closed season for scallop dredging was extended in October amid fears of dwindling stocks.

Meanwhile, the management of cockle and mussel beds in Burry Inlet and the Menai Strait will change in April.

Read the complete story at The BBC.

Maine: NEFMC Member Glen Libby explains fishery council’s scallop regulation change and his “no” vote

Glen Libby said Jan. 28 that there was extensive debate about scallop regulation at the January meeting of the New England Fishery Management Council. Libby serves on the council.

Libby said he was concerned about the precedent set by the reversal, and he voted against the change.

"The much advertised loss of income in the press and from Capitol Hill was somewhat misleading," Libby said. "It was calculated using a simple deduction of days at sea from [2009], using that multiplier based on last year's income to extrapolate a figure of loss. In reality the fleet was expected to go well over this number and the loss would most likely have been considerably less than advertised."

Libby said the new catch rate of 24 percent still represented a reduction in both days at sea and closed area trips.

"The industry did accept a cutback, just not the one originally settled on," he said. "It should also be noted that the scallop industry has become very proactive when it comes to preserving the resource; they deserve credit for this."

Read the complete story at The Village Soup.

EDITORIAL: Common sense, pressure leads to better fishing management

A landmark deal between the groundfishing and scallop industries is being seen as proof that the so-called "catch share" system proposed by the Obama administration can work for the overall fishing industry.

The deal does offer evidence that it can work. But it is important to take note of why the deal got made in the first place: It made sense only after the New England Fishery Management Council reversed itself last week and voted for a more reasonable limit on the taking of scallops for the coming year.

And that only happened because of enormous pressure from political leaders, ranging from Congressman Barney Frank to Gov. Deval Patrick.

The agreement calls for the groundfishermen to give about 200,000 pounds of their yellowtail flounder allocation to the scallopers, in exchange for financial consideration that has not yet been determined.

Read the complete story at Newbury Port News.