Saving Seafood

Management & Regulation

Amendment 13 to control fishing rules while judge considers request

NEW BEDFORD, MA (February 11, 2009) – Federal fisheries regulators have reverted to an old set of fishing rules to govern New England’s groundfishing industry while a court-ordered suspension of current rules is in effect for 60 days.

A cloud of uncertainty has plagued the industry in recent weeks following a Jan. 26 federal court ruling that suspended current fishing restrictions, known as Framework 42.

The ruling has left fishermen wondering what rules apply to them when they head out to sea.

Patricia Kurkul, regional administrator for NOAA’s Fisheries Service, told The Standard-Times on Tuesday that previous groundfishing rules, known as Amendment 13, are now in effect.

Read the Standard-Times story in full

Related story:  New England Council Rejects Federal Regulators’ Position

 

OPINION: Finally, a demand for reasonable fishery rules

SALEM, MA (February 10, 2009) – Maybe, just maybe, what’s left of the commercial fishing industry on the North Shore will survive, thanks to a man in a black robe.

It looked dubious as recently as last month. While plenty of fishermen, politicians and scientists have been willing to challenge the National Marine Fisheries Service’s regulatory squeeze in recent years, none has had the authority to back up those challenges.

That all changed recently. U.S. District Judge Edward Harrington does have such authority, and has at least temporarily eliminated the current draconian restrictions on fishing with a blistering opinion that chastises the regulators for failing to abide by their own written obligations. Finally, there is someone who recognizes the rights of humans as well as fish, and has the legal muscle to do something about it.

Read The Salem News commentary in full

For additional SavingSeafood coverage, see this related story: Fishing chiefs grapple with mandate suspension

 

 

New England fishery managers, feds, spar over intent of fishing rule

PORTSMOUTH, NH (February 10, 2009) — Regional fishery managers are at odds with their federal counterparts over a court-ordered report analyzing controversial groundfishing rules, known as Framework 42, which have been suspended for 60 days.

The New England Fishery Management Council, which met Tuesday in Portsmouth, N.H., voted 11 to 6 to reject a draft report prepared by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Service.

The two regulatory bodies are in disagreement over how Congress intended to interpret federal fishing law, particularly with regard to a special rule that would allow for overfishing of a depleted fish stock so that fishermen could harvest healthier stocks that swim in the same area.

Read the Standard-Times story in full

 

Fishing chiefs grapple with mandate suspension

PORTSMOUTH, NH (February 10, 2009) — The region’s two-week-long descent into legal confusion and fishing frustration was extended indefinitely yesterday when a federal judge rejected the National Marine Fisheries Service’s plea that he step aside and cease interfering with its efforts at restoring the health of the fishery.

NMFS’ motion for a stay of U.S. District Judge Edward Harrington’s Jan. 26 order suspending the regulatory framework that has been in force for the past 16 months was denied by Harrington in Boston without comment.

Word of the ruling was announced by NMFS regional general counsel Gene Martin to the region’s fishing interests, who’ve gathered here for a three-day meeting of the New England Fishery Management Council, a broad-based body that advises NMFS and also makes policy.

Read the Gloucester Daily Times story in full

 

Fishers Learn to Share Shrinking Catch

SAN DIEGO, CA (February 10, 2009) – With the oceans in crisis, where will our fish – an important source of protein for billions of people – come from?

Innovative new fisheries management tools called "catch share" have begun in recent years and promise to keep fish on the menu for future generations, according to experts at the recent Seafood Summit in San Diego.

"Adaptation is the key – adaptation and innovation," Kristjan Davidsson, former CEO of Iceland Seafood International, told over 450 conference attendees last week.

"It is not hard to see that sustainability is the way to go but that requires collaboration with all sectors," Davidsson said.

Read the Inter Press Service story in full

 

New England Council Rejects Federal Regulators’ Position

PORTSMOUTH, NH (February 10, 2009) – Members of the New England Fisheries Management Council voted against a position taken by federal regulators regarding ground fish regulations at a meeting in Portsmouth this morning.

New Hampshire’s representatives on the regional council were among those who voted against an interpretation by the National Marine Fisheries Service of the intent of a mixed stock exception in the Magnusson-Stevens Fishery and Conservation Act.

The debate at the regional meeting in Portsmouth stems from a recent court ruling by a federal court judge in Boston in which the judge asked the NMFS to take another look at the mixed stock exception.

Read the UnionLeader.com story in full

 

Judge won’t reconsider suspending fishing rules

BOSTON, MA (February 10, 2009) — A federal judge has refused to reconsider his order suspending key New England fishing rules, leaving fishermen wondering which rules are in place.

Last month, U.S. District Judge Edward Harrington suspended the rules, called Framework 42, saying a key portion hadn’t been adequately analyzed.

Last week, NOAA Fisheries Service asked Harrington to reconsider his order. NOAA argued the decision had caused widespread confusion, lifted protections on vulnerable fish stocks and suspended a program that helped fishermen by allowing them to lease unused fishing days from other fishermen.

Read the Associated Press story in full

 

A renewed attempt to save Georges Bank from drilling

BOSTON, MA (February 9, 2009) – Last year, US Representative Edward J. Markey added a clause to the energy bill, passed by the House, protecting historic Georges Bank fishing grounds from gas and oil exploration. The Senate never took up the issue.

But the debate about drilling off New England is far from over. As President Obama considers where drilling should be allowed and polls show public support for it, Markey last week reintroduced his legislation, saying any drilling on Georges could be disastrous to the New England fishing industry.

His Georges Bank Preservation Act would protect the submerged land mass, as well as marine national monuments or national marine sanctuaries, from exploration and drilling.

Read the Boston Globe's environmental blog entry in full

 

Showdown on fishing mandates

PORTSMOUTH, NH (February 9, 2009) — The New England Fishery Management Council today opens a three-day meeting in the home state of Sen. Gregg Judd, nominated to be the next cabinet secretary for fisheries, with this region’s fishery in a state of hyper uncertainty.

Over the past month, unsettling events seemed to pile up like waves in a squall. Between the regulators in the National Marine Fisheries Service and the regulated fishing interests, the normal chasm of mistrust has become an abyss.

Read the Gloucester Daily Times story in full

View the New England Fishery Management Council’s current and upcoming event

 

 

Pew Environmental Group Director Urges Adoption of Sectors

WASHINGTON, DC (February 08, 2009) – Once there was such an abundance of cod, haddock and flounder in the waters just off our shores that as the saying goes, "you could walk across Cape Cod Bay on the backs of cod." New England was built on fisheries. Those days, however, are long gone. Now, we see great reductions in the numbers of fish — and fishermen. We desperately need a new fisheries management system that will protect the livelihood of fishermen while groundfish stocks are being rebuilt.

This new system, which is under consideration in Portsmouth this week at the New England Fishery Management Council meeting, operates on three simple premises. First, it ensures that scientific catch limits don't allow overfishing and that fishing stops once the limits have been reached. Second, it incorporates monitoring so fishermen and regulators know exactly how much fish is being caught. Finally, it establishes community-based co-ops, called sectors, which receive a share of the catch limit. While respecting catch limits, the co-ops can develop guidelines that fit their own fishing methods, providing them with the flexibility to develop their business plans.

Read the Pew Environment Group commentary in full in Seacoastonline.com