Associated Fisheries of Maine Archives - Page 2 of 2

SEAN HORGAN: Fate of Raphael’s permits being debated

May 8, 2017 — As we have mentioned several times in the past, they don’t seem to brook a whole lot of foolishness up in Maine, particularly when it comes to cheating in the commercial fishing business.

So, it wasn’t really surprising when the Gloucester Daily Times received — ran — a letter last week from Maggie Raymond, the highly respected executive director of the Associated Fisheries of Maine, with her take on what should happen to convicted scammer Carlos Rafael’s surrendered groundfishing permits.

“For law-abiding fishermen, this day is long overdue,” Raymond wrote. “While other fishermen were complying with steep reductions in fishing quotas, Rafael decided those rules didn’t apply to him. Rafael’s violations set back groundfish rebuilding requirements, and forced others to compete with his illegal activity on the fishing grounds and in the market.”

But Raymond wasn’t done there. She followed by offering a solution for the distribution of Rafael’s still-to-be-decided permit forfeitures. It’s one sure to make New Bedford Mayor Jon F. Mitchell choke on his Wheaties.

“Rafael’s history is so egregious that the National Marine Fisheries Service is obliged to cancel all his groundfish permits and fishing privileges,” she wrote. “Existing regulations describe a process for redistributing the fishing privileges from cancelled permits to all other permit holders in the fishery — and this is precisely the process that should be followed in this case.”

Read the full opinion piece at the Gloucester Times

MAGGIE RAYMOND: ‘Codfather’ should lose all his permits

May 3, 2017 — Carlos Rafael’s environmental crime spree, spanning two decades, will finally come to an end. He pleaded guilty to federal charges of falsifying fish catch reports, conspiracy and tax evasion. He will serve at least four years in jail and will forfeit millions of dollars in fishing assets. For law abiding fishermen, this day is long overdue.

While other fishermen were complying with steep reductions in fishing quotas, Carlos Rafael decided those rules didn’t apply to him. His violations set back groundfish rebuilding requirements, and forced others to compete with his illegal activity on the fishing grounds and in the market. He has harmed the entire groundfish industry, and fishermen from Maine to New York deserve to be compensated.

Read the full letter at the New Bedford Standard-Times

Associated Fisheries of Maine Says Rafael’s Permits Must Go Back into Quota Pool

May 2, 2017 — SEAFOOD NEWS — In a statement today, Maggie Raymond, Executive Director of the Associated Fisheries of Maine, said that NMFS only legal option with Carlos Rafael’s permits is to cancel the permits and return them to the quota share pool.

Raymond says “Carlos Rafael’s environmental crime spree, spanning two decades, will finally come to an end. Rafael pled guilty to federal charges of falsifying fish catch reports, conspiracy and tax evasion. He will serve at least four years in jail and will forfeit millions of dollars in fishing assets. For law-abiding fishermen, this day is long overdue.”

“While other fishermen were complying with steep reductions in fishing quotas, Rafael decided those rules didn’t apply to him. Rafael’s violations set back groundfish rebuilding requirement and forced others to compete with his illegal activity on the fishing grounds and in the market. Rafael has harmed the entire groundfish industry, and fishermen from Maine to New York deserve to be compensated.”

“Rafael’s history is so egregious that the National Marine Fisheries Service is obliged to cancel all his groundfish permits and fishing privileges. Existing regulations describe a process for re-distributing the fishing privileges from cancelled permits to all other permit holders in the fishery – and this is precisely the process that should be followed in this case.”

The current New England groundfish management plan that established industry sectors and allocated quota based on fishing histories from 1996 to 2006 provides that if a permit is canceled, NMFS must recalculate the quota shares of all remaining fishing permits within that category, as the allocations were made based on a certain level of eligible fishing history.

The Associated Fisheries of Maine is saying that this system should be followed in Rafael’s case, meaning the catch share confiscated from Rafael due to illegal activity would be then redistributed among all remaining valid permit holders.

This is the option that concerns New Bedford because it would mean a re-distribution of some groundfish quota rights to other ports. However, Raymond argues that all New England fishermen who did abide bycatch limit rules were adversely affected by Rafael’s illegal fishing and that they deserve to be compensated.

This story originally appeared on SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

Cod Fishing Catches Plummet in Waters off New England

March 24, 2017 — ROCKPORT, Maine — The cod isn’t so sacred in New England anymore.

The fish-and-chips staple was once a critical piece of New England’s fishing industry, but catch is plummeting to all-time lows in the region. The decline of the fishery has made the U.S. reliant on foreign cod, and cod fish fillets and steaks purchased in American supermarkets and restaurants are now typically caught by Norway, Russia or Iceland in the north Atlantic.

In Maine, which is home to the country’s second-largest Atlantic cod fishery, the dwindling catch has many wondering if cod fishing is a thing of the past.

“It’s going to be more and more difficult for people to make this work,” said Maggie Raymond, executive director of the Associated Fisheries of Maine.

State records say 2016 was historically bad for cod fishing in Maine. Fishermen brought less than 170,000 pounds (77,110 kilograms) of the fish to land in the state last year.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at U.S. News & World Report

Environmental groups release scientific analysis of areas proposed for Atlantic marine monuments

March 29, 2016 – WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) – This morning, the “Protect New England’s Ocean Treasures Coalition” released an analysis of Northeast ocean areas under consideration for designation as marine National Monuments. The analysis was conducted by Dr. Peter Auster of Mystic Aquarium and Dr. Scott Kraus of the New England Aquarium, and was presented in a press webinar organized by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Dr. Auster and Dr. Kraus concluded, among other findings, that the proposed monument areas possess high habitat diversity and an abundance of species, function as a source of habitats including for commercial species, and contain species sensitive to disturbance. However, they noted that they do not have adequate data to address what the economic and human effects of area closures to fisheries might be. Presenters also acknowledged that the areas under consideration are already protected, but expressed concern about the future possibility of drilling and mining.

A monument designation would likely affect the fisheries for Atlantic red crab, offshore lobster, squid, mackerel, butterfish, tilefish, albacore wahoo, dolphinfish (mahi mahi), and others. Pelagic longline, rod and reel, and greenstick fisheries including yellowfin tuna, bluefin tuna, bigeye tuna, and swordfish may also be affected. During the webinar, the presenters conceded that they do not have enough data to analyze how a monument designation would affect many of these fisheries.

The analysis addressed both Cashes Ledge and the Northeast Seamounts and Canyons. White House officials stated last week that Cashes Ledge is “not under consideration for a [national monument] designation at this time.” However, representatives of the Northeast Seafood Coalition and Associated Fisheries of Maine, who attended meetings with White House officials, said in a joint statement that offshore canyon areas east of Cape Cod remain under consideration and “affected fishermen should remain vigilant in assuring that any concerns they may have are addressed.”

The Protect New England’s Ocean Treasures Coalition, which “is advocating for the establishment of a Marine National Monument in the North Atlantic Ocean,” is composed of:

Center for American Progress
Conservation Law Foundation
Environment America
Mystic Aquarium
National Geographic Society
National Wildlife Federation
Natural Resources Defense Council
New England Aquarium
Ocean Conservancy
Oceana
The Pew Charitable Trusts

Read a fact sheet about the proposed Atlantic monument areas

Captions courtesy of Pew Charitable Trusts

Proposed Marine National Monument in Northeastern Waters of the U.S.

These maps illustrate that while whale and dolphin species are distributed throughout the whole Cashes Ledge region, the deep water toward the center of the proposed monument area is a hot spot for both the total numbers of species (left) and the total numbers of animals (right). Courtesy of Scott Kraus and Brooke Wikgren, New England Aquarium

This map illustrates the pattern of species richness (number of species) of bottom-dwelling animals in the Cashes Ledge area. Warmer colors indicate more species. The largest red diversity hot spot is the peak of Cashes Ledge, where the largest continuous kelp forest on Cashes Ledge is located. Note that this map displays number of species, not numbers of individuals or density of animals. Courtesy of Peter Auster and Michel McKee, Mystic Aquarium

Topographic roughness – essentially, small-scale bumpiness of the seafloor – is linked to the distribution and diversity of microhabitats that in turn support a diversity of species. Warmer colors indicate greater “roughness” and are linked to locations of species-rich communities. For example, the area of high roughness on the top of Cashes Ledge (right inside the proposed monument boundary) is where the kelp forest is located and a species diversity hotspot. Courtesy of Peter Auster and Michel McKee, Mystic Aquarium

These maps illustrate patterns in the richness of species (left) and total numbers of whales and dolphins (right) observed during surveys in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts region. Warmer colors indicate greater richness or abundance. Note how species concentrate on the eastern Georges Bank, where the shelf descends into the deep ocean, and hot spots for concentrations of whales and dolphins dot the shelf-edge. Courtesy of Scott Kraus and Brooke Wikgren, New England Aquarium

This map shows hot and cold spots for species of bottom-dwelling animals in the New England Canyons and Seamounts areas. Species are especially diverse along the edge of Georges Bank, where the shelf descends into the deep ocean. Hot spots are also visible on Bear, Physalia, Retriever and Mytilus Seamounts. Courtesy of Peter Auster and Michel McKee, Mystic Aquarium

Topographic roughness – essentially small-scale bumpiness of the seafloor – is linked to the distribution and diversity of microhabitats that in turn support a diversity of species. Warmer colors indicate greater “roughness” and are linked to locations of species-rich communities. A high topographic roughness value suggests where especially rich communities may be found. The entire shelf-edge, where Georges Bank descends into the deep ocean, is topographically rough, and Bear, Physalia, Retriever and Mytilus Seamounts stand out. Courtesy of Peter Auster and Michel McKee, Mystic Aquarium

President Obama Will Not Designate Cashes Ledge as a National Monument

WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) — March 25, 2016 — Earlier today, a spokesperson for the White House Council on Environmental Quality told the Associated Press that Cashes Ledge is “not under consideration for a [national monument] designation at this time.” According to attendees at meetings held yesterday in Massachusetts, Christy Goldfuss, Managing Director at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, stated, “Based on feedback we received, we are not considering Cashes Ledge for any kind of action at this time.” Located approximately 80 miles offshore in the Gulf of Maine, Cashes serves an important and historic area that has been fished commercially and recreationally for decades.

The Northeast Seafood Coalition and Associated Fisheries of Maine noted in a joint statement that, “Consideration of National Monument designations in the offshore Canyon areas of Southern New England remains ongoing, and affected fishermen should remain vigilant in assuring that any concerns they may have are addressed.” Fishing interests including the Atlantic red crab fishery, offshore lobster fishery, squid, mackerel, butterfish, tilefish, albacore wahoo,dolphinfish (mahi mahi), and others have interests in areas that remain on the table. Pelagic longline, rod and reel and greenstick fisheries including yellowfin tuna, bluefin tuna, bigeye tuna and swordfish could also be affected.

The New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) is in the midst of an ongoing process working with fishing, environmental and scientific interests to protect deep sea coral and other important sea bottom attributes in the Northeast Canyons. NEFMC executive director Tom Nies told Saving Seafood, “The Council’s recommendations to protect Cashes Ledge are still being reviewed as part of our Omnibus Habitat Amendment. The Council has not taken a position on any of the monument proposals that have been circulated, but the meeting in Boston did give us the opportunity to explain our deep-sea coral amendment process directly to Ms. Goldfuss. We are very pleased that CEQ traveled to New England to give us this opportunity. I think the industry and state representatives present also appreciated this face-to-face meeting and we all look forward to a continuing dialogue.”

In response to the announcement, Terry Alexander, President, Associated Fisheries of Maine said, “Commercial fishermen in New England face continuous regulatory uncertainty, so it is a relief to know that there is one less restriction on fishing to worry about. We believe that the President was persuaded by a lack of scientific information to support such a designation, as well as the position expressed by stakeholders that decisions about closing areas to fishing should take place under the process outlined in the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA).”

Vito Giacalone, Chair of Governmental Affairs for the Northeast Seafood Coalition said, “We are relieved by the President’s decision to forego a National Monument designation on Cashes Ledge, As stakeholders who participated in a lengthy, thorough and transparent public process to identify and protect important marine habitats such as Cashes Ledge, we are grateful and pleased to hear that the MSA process we all followed has been acknowledged and respected by the Obama Administration. We are sincerely grateful that the President, after gathering all pertinent facts, saw that the use of Executive Order was unnecessary in light of the process that has already taken place through the New England Fisheries Management Council.

The American Antiquities Act of 1906 provides authority for the President to declare national monuments by public proclamation on lands owned or controlled by the Government of the United States, but fishing representives attending the meeting expressed concern that establishing an Atlantic marine monument usurps the public, inclusive Council/NMFS processes already undertaken and ongoing.

While the process in New England is ongoing, similar processes in the Mid-Atlantic were praised by environmental groups. For their efforts Garden State Seafood Association (GSSA) Executive Director Greg DiDomenico and Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) Chairman Rich Robbins were lauded last September as as Conservation Leaders by the New York Aquarium. In October, the two men were honored again together with GSSA president Ernie Panacek as Regional Ocean Champions by the Urban Coast Institute at Monmouth University. “The process in the Mid-Atlantic should be the model for developing targeted habitat protection in New England,” said Mr. DiDomenico. “An open, collaborative process is the best way to build on these efforts.”