Saving Seafood

Council Actions

NTAP: MAFMC and NEFMC Seek Industry Representatives for Northeast Trawl Advisory Panel

December 13, 2024 — The following was released New England Fishery Management Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and New England Fishery Management Council are seeking applications from fishing industry representatives to fill two open seats on the Northeast Trawl Advisory Panel (NTAP). Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 31, 2024.

 
NTAP is a joint advisory panel of the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils. The primary purpose of the panel is to provide advice and direction on the conduct of trawl research in the northeast region, with a focus on the multispecies bottom trawl survey conducted by NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC). NTAP also discusses and recommends research priorities, and members frequently participate in recommended research projects. NTAP has guided multiple studies that have improved information used in stock assessments.
 
The twenty-member panel includes Mid-Atlantic and New England Council members, scientists and fishing industry representatives appointed by each Council, representatives of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, and NEFSC staff. Applications are currently being sought to fill the following open seats:
 
  • One fishing industry representative appointed by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council
  • One fishing industry representative appointed by the New England Fishery Management Council
 
Individuals with expertise in gear design and construction, trawl gear efficiency, trawl mensuration, commercial trawl fisheries, or survey design are encouraged to apply.
 
Applications can be downloaded at https://www.mafmc.org/ntap. The completed application should be submitted tohhart@mafmc.org by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 31, 2024.
 
If you have questions or need additional information, please contact Hannah Hart, Mid-Atlantic Council staff, athhart@mafmc.org or (302) 526-5263.

Biden-Harris Administration, NOAA make $20 million available for habitat restoration and resilience for tribes and underserved communities

December 13, 2024 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Today, the Department of Commerce and NOAA announced the availability of $20 million in funding for projects that will advance coastal habitat restoration and climate resilience priorities of tribes and underserved communities. Of the $20 million of funding available, 15% is specifically available to U.S. federally recognized tribes, Alaska Native corporations and organizations that represent tribes. This is the third and final round of funding for this initiative under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for habitat restoration focused on tribes and underserved communities. 

NOAA seeks to support opportunities for tribes and underserved communities to meaningfully engage in coastal habitat restoration activities, such as removing outdated dams and restoring coastal wetlands. These activities can help improve communities’ ability to adapt and recover from the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events. 

“Tribes and underserved communities are at the forefront of the climate crisis, and are often affected the most by hazards such as coastal storms and flooding,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “Thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, we are making sure tribes have the resources they need for habitat restoration efforts that strengthen ecological and economic prosperity.”

This funding opportunity will support the following activities:

  • Capacity building, including activities such as participation in municipal or regional-scale resilience planning, project planning and feasibility studies, community engagement or proposal development for future funding. 
  • Restoration, including activities such as demonstration projects, engineering and design, permitting and on-the-ground restoration.

“NOAA is committed to advancing equity in everything we do,”said Janet Coit, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries. “Through meaningful engagement and coalition-building, these investments will allow tribes and underserved communities to restore the lands and waters that support their economies and cultures.” 

Through historic investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, NOAA’s Office of Habitat Conservation has awarded more than $985 million for 214 projects across the country. The Office of Habitat Conservation has a long history of conducting habitat restoration efforts with large-scale competitive funding opportunities and expert technical assistance through its Community-based Restoration Program. 

Applications are due by May 12, 2025. For more information about this opportunity, visit the Coastal Habitat Restoration and Resilience Grants for Tribes and Underserved Communities webpage. 

Visit the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law webpage to learn about current and future funding opportunities.

Biden signs Coastal Habitat Conservation Act

December 13, 2024 — U.S. President Joe Biden has signed the Coastal Habitat Conservation Act, which codifies the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) Coastal Program and provides funding to protect, enhance, and restore priority habitats along the nation’s coasts.

“Coastal ecosystems are an integral part of our nation’s economy and well-being, but climate change, pollution, and unsustainable development are rapidly deteriorating these critical resources,” U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (D-California) said of the bill when he introduced it more than a year and a half ago. “This collaborative bill is a bipartisan solution to preserve the health and resilience of coastal habitats, benefiting the wildlife, communities, and economies that depend on them.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Appeals court upholds Vineyard Wind ruling, rejecting attempt by fishermen to stop project

December 12, 2024 — The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected an attempt by commercial fishermen to stop a large-scale offshore wind energy development project.

Vineyard Wind, which is to be located off the coast of the U.S. state of Massachusetts, is intended to be an 800-megawatt project built across 75,000 acres. The lawsuit, originally filed in 2022, was filed by the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA) against several federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), and NOAA Fisheries and claimed the agencies took shortcuts past statutory and regulator requirements intended to protect the environment.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

BOEM Announces Next Steps in Competitive Leasing Process for Offshore Wind Energy in Gulf of Mexico

December 12, 2024 — The following was released by BOEM:

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced today that it is issuing a Determination of Competitive Interest in two Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) in the Gulf of Mexico. The determination comes after an unsolicited request from Hecate Energy Gulf Wind LLC expressing interest in acquiring a commercial wind energy lease for WEA options C and D.

On July 29, 2024, BOEM published a Request for Competitive Interest (RFCI) in the Federal Register seeking feedback on Hecate’s unsolicited lease request. Invenergy GOM Offshore Wind LLC expressed interest in WEA options C and D. BOEM has deemed both Hecate and Invenergy to be legally, technically, and financially qualified to hold an OCS renewable energy lease in the Gulf of Mexico. As a result of this review, BOEM has determined that competitive interest exists in the RFCI areas.

“The Gulf of Mexico remains an attractive option for offshore wind energy development,” said Gulf of Mexico Regional Director Jim Kendall. “We are excited about the future of this emerging sector in the region.”

BOEM will move forward with the competitive lease process and proceed to hold the next offshore wind lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico in 2026. The next step in that process will be to continue to analyze the other comments received in response to the RFCI and evaluate which portions of WEA options C and D, and other potential WEA options, are best suited for sale. BOEM will release draft WEAs for public input early next year.

A notice announcing the determination of competitive interest will publish in the Federal Register on Dec. 13, 2024. For more information on the notice and offshore wind energy in the Gulf of Mexico, see the BOEM website: https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/gulf-mexico-activities.

Trump’s fish farm proposal for the Gulf sparks concerns

December 12, 2024 — The Trump administration is considering expanding floating fish farms in the Gulf of Mexico, a plan to boost domestic seafood production and reduce reliance on imports. However, this initiative faces significant opposition from environmental groups and fishing communities that worry about its potential impact on the Gulf’s delicate ecosystem.

The proposed aquaculture industry would establish floating farms for fish such as tuna and snapper, a concept already used in other countries like Norway and Japan. According to Verite News, proponents argue that offshore farms could provide a sustainable alternative to wild-caught fish, which are increasingly threatened by overfishing and habitat loss. They contend that by utilizing unused ocean space and reducing the carbon footprint of seafood transport, the fish farming industry could help meet growing global demand.

Read the full article at National Fisherman

ALASKA: A Few Surprises in Alaska’s Marine Environment in 2024

December 12, 2024 — The Gulf of Alaska and Aleutian Island waters were on the warm side for a good part of the year. In fact, winter sea surface temperatures in 2023–2024 were among the 10 warmest years since 1900 in the Aleutians. The eastern Bering Sea appears to be in a period of transition as it continues to recover from record heatwave conditions (2014–2021).

This year’s Ecosystem Status Reports provide a comprehensive look at 2024 conditions and trends over time (whether some indicators were increasing or decreasing) for key indicators. Scientists use these indicators to monitor Alaska marine ecosystem health.

“We look at numerous indicators that tell us about the ocean environment, the animals that live there, what they’re eating, who is eating them and how healthy they all are. That includes everything from water temperature, pH, ocean currents, and weather patterns to abundance of plankton, fish, crabs, seabirds, marine mammals and other species,” said Bridget Ferriss, author of the Gulf of Alaska Ecosystem Status Report.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries 

Over 74 percent of Pacific halibut quota caught before Dec. 7 closure

December 12, 2024 — Alackluster Pacific halibut season closes on December 7 in fisheries across Alaska, British Columbia and along the U.S. west coast.

By December 6, just over 74% of the 28.86 million pound coastwide commercial catch limit had crossed the docks since the fishery opened on March 15, with a net weight barely topping 21.43 million pounds. Fishermen for the most part reported sketchy catches and lots of smaller sized halibut.

Alaska always get the lion’s share of the annual commercial halibut catch which this year totaled 18.47 million pounds, a 2.7% decrease from 2023. By the season’s closure, Alaska fishermen had delivered nearly 14 million pounds to fishing communities across the state.

Fishermen at Southeast, Area 2C, caught 87% of their halibut limit, the harvest at the Central Gulf, Area 3A, came in at 91%, 3B, the Western Gulf, at 88%, at 4A, the Aleutians region, 55% of the allowable halibut was taken, and the Bering Sea areas of 4B were at 31% and 43% of the halibut catch limit.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

IUCN report questions China’s fish conservation, management efforts to revive domestic stocks

December 12, 2024 — A new report from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has highlighted China’s weak efforts to revive fish stocks in its own waters, suggesting a need for China to implement more stringent controls on its fleet’s landings and collect better data to effectively measure the impacts of those controls.

Titled “Unselective, unsustainable, and unmonitored trawl fisheries?” the report states that efforts made in the past decade by China to replenish fish stocks in its domestic waters, such as scrapping vessels and instituting annual moratoriums on fishing in the East and South China seas, have not been enforced strongly enough to combat dwindling fish populations.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

NOAA Fisheries announces final USD 100 million grant opportunity for coastal habitat projects

December 12, 2024 — NOAA Fisheries has opened up the final round of funding for coastal habitat restoration and community resilience projects under the U.S. Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), announcing USD 100 million (EUR 95 million) in available funding.

“Projects selected through this funding opportunity will have a transformative impact for coastal communities and Tribes across the country,” NOAA Fisheries said in a release. “They will help sustain our nation’s fisheries, make significant strides in the recovery of threatened and endangered species, and help protect coastal communities and ecosystems from the impacts of climate change. They will support efforts such as reconnecting rivers to their historic floodplains, outplanting corals to rebuild reefs, building living shorelines that protect coasts from erosion and sea level rise, and more.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource