Washington

Hours after activists at the Pew Environment Group complained that only tiny Monaco would support a ban on international trade in bluefin tuna — putting it in the same category as rare wildlife and ivory — the Obama administration threw its support behind shutting down bluefin exports to Japan.

It’s a move that will win applause from environmental groups — and very likely opposition from some fishing advocates who say a bluefin ban will penalize American fishermen for the overfishing of Mediterranean nations.

Wednesday was the deadline for nations that are parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES treaty, to propose new actions for the annual treaty conference to be held in March 2010.

Read the complete story at APP.

Nineteen members of the United States House and Senate have written to urge Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to oppose the listing of spiny dogfish under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

The signers of the letter are:

Senator Olympia Snowe,

Senator John Kerry,

Senator Susan Collins,

Senator Jeanne Shaheen,

Senator Richard Burr,

Senator Kay Hagan,

Senator Paul Kirk,

Senator Judd Gregg,

Senator Mark Warner,

Congressman Walter B. Jones,

Congressman Barney Frank,

Congressman Bill Delahunt,

Congressman Robert Wittman,

Congressman Frank Pallone,

Congressman Frank LoBiondo,

Congressman Timothy Bishop,

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree,

Congressman Mike McIntyre,

Congressman John Adler,

Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter,

and Congressman John Tierney.

Read the letter to Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

"Elliot Norse is not currently a candidate for the NMFS position," Justin Kenney, communications director for Jane Lubchenco,  said in an e-mail to the Gloucester Times.

Squelching a hot and fast-moving rumor, an official source yesterday said Elliott Norse, a crusading environmentalist and fierce opponent of trawling or dragging — hauling a weighted net along the ocean bottom for groundfish — is not a candidate to fill the top spot at the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Justin Kenney, communications director for Jane Lubchenco, the administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, responded to reports on a blog and industry Internet Web site that Norse — seen as something of a lightning rod figure — had become a candidate to head NMFS.

 Read the story in the Gloucester Times 

U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe has come to the defense of New England’s herring industry, which faces drastic cuts in next year’s allowable catch, triggered by what she describes as "woefully" outdated scientific data.

In a letter dated Wednesday, the Maine Republican urged Jane Lubchenco, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to quickly authorize a benchmark assessment of the herring stock to reduce the degree of uncertainty that scientists have acknowledged is behind the looming 50 percent reduction in future herring catches.

Herring is not overfished, or subject to overfishing, but the New England Fishery Management Council’s Science and Statistical Committee has identified a troubling "retrospective pattern" in runs of a computer model used to profile the stock.

Read the complete story at The Gloucester Daily Times.

See also: ‘Surreal’ cuts in herring catch.

A meeting took place this week on Capitol Hill with Dr. Jane Lubchenco and Dr. Jim Balsiger, with Rep. Barney Frank, and three industry members from New Bedford: Richie Canastra, operator of the New Bedford Seafood Auction, Roy Enoksen, owner of Eastern Fisheries which operates one of the largest scallop fleets in New Bedford, and Dr. Brian Rothschild, from U. Mass Dartmouth, chair of New Bedford’s Ocean and Fisheries Council (an advocacy group for the city’s fishing interests), and co-director of the Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Institute. Also attending was Vito Giacalone of Gloucester, head of the Northeast Seafood Coalition and organizer of a number of proposed sectors.  

The industry in New Bedford has a history of successfully working with NMFS and NOAA to facilitate making money in fisheries. The best example obviously is scallops. Dr. Rothschild pioneered a new method of counting scallops using video cameras instead of the NMFS method of counting scallops in a survey tow. The results validated industry claims of a much larger scallop stock. 

Then the industry and NMFS worked out a system of rotating closed areas that dramatically improved the quantity and value of the scallop catch. As a result, there is a recognition in New Bedford that they are in a partnership with NMFS and the government, and they pay attention to making sure their needs are addressed in this partnership.



The recent meeting orchestrated by Barney Frank was simply one step in this process, but one that should be understood by those who might otherwise think the entire industry in New England is in revolt against NMFS.  

 



From Seafood.com News:

SEAFOOD.COM NEWS by John Sackton – Oct 9, 2009 – The value of the scallop industry in 2008 approximately equaled the value of all salmon harvested in Alaska and on the West Coast.

The value of the lobster industry centered in Maine and Massachusetts is greater than that of Alaska pollock. 

It is no wonder then that major players in these industries are cultivating and developing the necessary political champions in Washington, in a manner analogous to how Senator Ted Stevens was the point person for Alaska fisheries interests until he left the Senate.

One example of this was a meeting this week with Dr. Jane Lubchenco and Dr. Jim Balsiger, with Rep. Barney Frank, and three industry members from New Bedford: Richie Canastra, operator of the New Bedford Seafood Auction, Roy Enoksen, owner of Eastern Fisheries which operates one of the largest scallop fleets in New Bedford, and Dr. Brian Rothschild, from U. Mass Dartmouth, chair of New Bedford’s Ocean and Fisheries Council (an advocacy group for the city’s fishing interests), and co-director of the Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Institute. Also attending was Vito Giacalone of Gloucester, head of the Northeast Seafood Coalition and organizer of a number of proposed sectors. 

Rep. Barney Frank, as head of the House Financial Services Committee, is now one of the most powerful democratic representatives. But he also spends time looking out for New Bedford’s interests.

The specific items in the meeting revolved around the problems that have developed with the NMFS scallop observer program, which through a failure of management by NMFS, have created a situation where boat owners are looking at payments of as much as $10,000 per trip for observer coverage that was supposed to have been paid for out of a common fund.

Congressmen Frank and five other coastal representatives have asked NMFS to take budget responsibility for this failure, and not force it back on to the boat owners. 

Other issues involved changes to the skate ABC, upped by about 20% due to a mathematical error in the scientific stock calculations – which now have been demonstrated at the Council, but which NMFS has to accept. They also discussed sector allocations with Lubchenco, and the need that the allocations have to be done in a manner that keeps the sectors economically viable. 

Much of the meeting was to demonstrate NOAA head Lubchenco’s support for actions that would need to be taken by Acting NMFS administrator, Jim Balsiger. 

In New England, if you want to understand where fisheries political power lies, you have to follow the money. And the money is in New Bedford, which by itself for many years has been the port with the greatest landed value of any port in the U.S. With over $280 million worth of fish and shellfish coming across its docks, it lands six times the value of the next Massachusetts port, Gloucester.

Recently we ran an article on the fact that Gloucester has just gotten the sixth vessel over 85 feet operating out of that port. With about 500 active vessels, New Bedford has nearly a hundred greater than 85 feet.

The industry in New Bedford has a history of successfully working with NMFS and NOAA to facilitate making money in fisheries. The best example obviously is scallops. Dr. Rothschild pioneered a new method of counting scallops using video cameras instead of the NMFS method of counting scallops in a survey tow. The results validated industry claims of a much larger scallop stock. 

Then the industry and NMFS worked out a system of rotating closed areas that dramatically improved the quantity and value of the scallop catch. As a result, there is a recognition in New Bedford that they are in a partnership with NMFS and the government, and they pay attention to making sure their needs are addressed in this partnership.

The recent meeting orchestrated by Barney Frank was simply one step in this process, but one that should be understood by those who might otherwise think the entire industry in New England is in revolt against NMFS. 

John Sackton, Editor And PublisherSeafood.com News 1-781-861-1441 Email comments to jsackton@seafood.com

In an email to NOAA staff, Dr. Jane Lubchenco, NOAA Administrator announced a proposal to reorganize NOAA headquarters leadership structure.

This is the first time a reorganization has been proposed at NOAA since 1970.   She stated that "the addition of senior-level political appointees and the redefinition of some existing roles will streamline decision-making at headquarters, strengthen guidance to the agency, improve accountability, and more clearly outline authority and responsibilities among senior NOAA leadership."

The text of her email to staff follows: 

October 8, 2009 

At the beginning of this administration, the president’s transition team looked closely at how NOAA conducts everyday business. These consultations engaged many NOAA leaders and staff, as well as officials in the Department of Commerce. It was no surprise the team found that NOAA has an outstanding work force. However, they also recognized that our headquarters leadership structure is not aligned effectively to keep pace with the many changes our agency has experienced through the years, nor with the complex environmental, economic and social challenges facing our nation and the ever-growing demands for NOAA’s science, service and stewardship missions.

Our agency budget, roughly $250 million in 1970, has grown to about $4.5 billion. Yet, the administrative structure has changed little since 1970. We lack a sufficient number of senior-level administration officials to manage our resources and effectively oversee headquarters functions.I’m pleased to announce that, for first time since 1970, we are proposing to realign and enhance our headquarters leadership structure. The addition of senior-level political appointees and the redefinition of some existing roles will streamline decision-making at headquarters, strengthen guidance to the agency, improve accountability, and more clearly outline authority and responsibilities among senior NOAA leadership.

The proposed headquarters alignment establishes a clear plan for oversight of NOAA’s three main functions, consistent with the principle of ecosystem-based management: (1) Conservation and Management; (2) Environmental Observation and Prediction; and (3) Research and Education. By implementing this new alignment, as recommended by the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, NOAA will emerge a stronger, smarter and more responsive, science-centered organization.

New Leadership Structure Summary

Approved by the administration and transmitted to the Congress for approval on Oct. 7, 2009, the proposed alignment will involve a number of structural changes to NOAA’s headquarters organizational chart and reporting, including:

• Increasing the number of senior-level political appointees from five to seven, in order to provide for improved oversight of, and direction for, NOAA’s roughly $4.5 billion budget.

• Establishing a Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere as a Senior Executive Service-level appointee who will be responsible for day-to-day oversight of headquarters functions. This position will manage a number of functions that cut across the agency, specifically: Communication and External Affairs; Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs; Federal Coordinator for Meteorology; Education; International Affairs; and Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships.

• Renaming the Deputy Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere as the Deputy Under Secretary for Operations. This position will continue to manage NOAA operations across the agency including oversight of line offices and supervision over corporate offices, specifically: Acquisition and Grants; Chief Administrative Officer; Chief Financial Officer; Chief Information Officer and High Performance Computing; Marine and Aviation Operations; Program Analysis and Evaluation; and Workforce Management.

• Renaming the Assistant Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere as the Assistant Secretary for Conservation and Management. This position, which requires a presidential appointment and Senate confirmation, will drive policy and program direction for NOAA’s stewardship responsibilities, including ocean resource management, coastal management, and protected resources.

• Establishing an Assistant Secretary for Environmental Observation and Prediction, to be appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. The Assistant Secretary will drive policy and program direction for weather and water, integrated mapping, and observing architecture, including satellites.

• Reinstituting and elevating the role of NOAA Chief Scientist, to be appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. As senior scientist for NOAA, the Chief Scientist will drive policy and program direction for science and technology priorities.

• Establishing a Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Fisheries, a non-career Senior Executive Service-level appointee charged with international fishery negotiations as specified in the 2007 reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Conservation and Management Act, who will report to the Assistant Secretary for Conservation and Management.

• Establishing an Office of Policy that reports to the Chief of Staff. This will include the existing Program Coordination Office, as well as manage the internal NOAA executive decision-making process and its committees, such as the NOAA Executive Panel and the NOAA Executive Council.

I want to emphasize that the day-to-day operations of NOAA line offices and corporate offices will proceed as usual. Further, the headquarters alignment will not adversely affect the reporting relationships or conditions of employment of any bargaining unit employees.I believe the benefits of the new headquarters alignment are significant. It will better enable NOAA’s fulfillment of key priorities for the Obama Administration and the Department of Commerce, principally those related to climate science and services, the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force, and the president’s science and technology initiatives. 

On a practical note, the addition of a second Assistant Secretary and a Principal Deputy Under Secretary will also allow me to take a more active role in many of our high priority programs and objectives, including the NPOESS program and implementation of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. I will be able to focus more productively on our primary strategic aims, develop and sustain our partnerships, create greater support for NOAA among stakeholders, and engage with other federal agencies in pursuit of good government outcomes.

I’m very eager to implement our new leadership structure and excited about the possibility its holds for enhancing our delivery of world-class science and services to the nation. I’ll have more news and details in the coming weeks and months as we complete our consultations with the Congress and as we welcome new appointees to our senior leadership team.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jane Lubchenco

Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator 

Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe says the decision of the Scientific and Statistical Committee to slash the acceptable biological catch of herring by 53% over 2009 levels was based on ‘data which, according to the SSC itself. contains high degrees of uncertainty.’

She says ‘I will not stand by and allow this fishery and the businesses it supports to be decimated based on information so woefully outdated that the scientists themselves complain about its applicability. It is absolutely critical that National Marine fisheries Service (NMFS) carry out a new benchmark assessment as soon as possible to ensure that our fishermen are not unfairly punished by the absence of viable data.’

Herring is a keystone species for the Gulf of Maine, providing most of the bait for the lobster fishery, which represents 79% of Maine’s commercial landings. Snowe says that lobstermen are already absorbing costs of $10,000 to $15,000 per vessel to convert to sinking lines, while receiving an historically low price for their catch. They cannot afford a bait crisis brought about by lack of availability of herring. SEAFOOD.COM NEWS by John Sackton – Oct 8, 2009 – Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe has some of the best fisheries staff in Washington. This is seen in her recent letter to NOAA administrator Jane Lubchenco, that succinctly lays out the need for better data collection in the herring fishery, before huge reductions are mandated by the Scientific and Statistical Committee based on poor data.

Under Magnuson-Stevens, the Fishery management councils are not legally bound to accept the recommendations of the SSC on stocks that are not overfished until 2011. As a result, in 2010, the Council can revisit the herring TAC issue.

Snowe says the decision of the SSC to slash the acceptable biological catch of herring by 53% over 2009 levels was based on ‘data which, according to the SSC itself. contains high degrees of uncertainty.’

She says ‘I will not stand by and allow this fishery and the businesses it supports to be decimated based on information so woefully outdated that the scientists themselves complain about its applicability. It is absolutely critical that National Marine fisheries Service (NMFS) carry out a new benchmark assessment as soon as possible to ensure that our fishermen are not unfairly punished by the absence of viable data.’

Herring is a keystone species for the Gulf of Maine, providing most of the bait for the lobster fishery, which represents 79% of Maine’s commercial landings. Snowe says that lobstermen are already absorbing costs of $10,000 to $15,000 per vessel to convert to sinking lines, while receiving an historically low price for their catch. They cannot afford a bait crisis brought about by lack of availability of herring.

Calls for redfish assessment also

In the letter, Snowe said ‘Before herring became the preferred bait in the lobster industry, many lobstermen used redfish in their pots. After years of overfishing followed by drastic regulatory changes, in 2007 Acadian redfish was removed from both NMFS’s ‘overfished’ and ‘overfishing’ lists. Subsequently, Maine’s Department of Marine Resources proposed to NMFS an experimental fishery for Acadian redfish. If found to be successful, this proposal could benefit the lobster and herring fisheries by diversifying the bait supply and reducing pressure on the herring stock. Furthermore, it could provide additional fishing opportunities for ground-fishermen, as redfish is managed under the Northeast Multi species Fishery Management Plan. As such, in addition to prioritizing a herring assessment, I request that you expedite review of this redfish proposal to determine whether it is viable under the terms of current law.

The SSC itself has acknowledged the shortcomings of its data set and has called for NMFS to fund a new benchmark assessment of Atlantic herring. When our scientists clamor for better data, it is the responsibility of the Federal government to heed that call and ensure that our fisheries managers are capable or setting limits that meet the MSA’s mandate of achieving, ‘on a continuing basis, the optimum yield’ from our oceans. A new herring benchmark assessment will help achieve this goal and I urge you to prioritize such research .’

John Sackton, Editor And Publisher
Seafood.com News 1-781-861-1441
Email comments to jsackton@seafood.com

Read the letter from Senator Snowe to Dr. Lubchenco

(10-7-09) The Obama administration’s Ocean Policy Council is calling for a coordinated approach to restoring fragile ocean areas, many of which have been damaged by decades of piecemeal management decisions by the federal government.

According to Larry Crowder, a professor of marine biology at Duke University, dividing ocean management among multiple agencies has taken a heavy toll on marine ecosystems and economies. "There were 20 different federal ocean science agencies trying to enforce 140 different ocean laws."

Comparing the work of ocean agencies to that of doctors evaluating patients, Crowder said that collaboration is essential. "We need to get all of the ocean specialists in the same room before we can ask: How are we going to treat Long Island Sound?"

Read the complete story at McClatchy DC.

(10-5-09) The following information was released by the office of New Jersey Rep. John Adler :

Congressman John Adler, joined Reps. Barney Frank (D-MA) and Walter Jones (R-NC), today in sending a letter to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) urging the agency to fix burdensome compensation issues for scallop fishermen. Under normal circumstances, the fishermen pay out-of-pocket for a federally mandated "observer" on their vessel, and are compensated through a resource set-aside of extra days at sea or extra harvest. This year, NOAA miscalculated the set-aside amount, and New Jersey scallop fishermen are now forced to pay for observer coverage out of their own pockets through February 2010.

Congressman Adler today asked the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), part of NOAA, to take action to fund the observer program until proper compensation can once again be ensured for scallop vessels and their crews.

Read the complete story at All Business.

September 30, 2009 — (Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Judd Gregg and Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter today called on Commerce Secretary Gary Locke to adjust proposed fisheries regulations in New England to reflect the unique needs of New Hampshire’s fishing fleet, which has suffered disproportionately under previous regulations. Shaheen, Gregg and Shea-Porter also requested that the agency’s budget provide adequate resources to help New Hampshire fishermen transition to the new management system.

"As currently proposed, the new rule threatens these small businesses that contribute to the economic vitality and cultural identity of the entire Seacoast region," said the delegation in a joint statement. "While we understand that a new management system is vital to continuing efforts to rebuild New England’s groundfish stocks, it cannot overlook the unique needs and viability of New Hampshire’s
small-boat fleet."

Amendment 16 of the New England Fisheries Management Plan creates a new management system that is centered on fishing cooperatives, or "sectors," which are annually allocated a sustainable share of the fishery’s resources to harvest. The amendment was recently approved by the New England Fisheries Management Council (NEFMC).

Read the complete story at All American Patriots.