Saving Seafood

Georgia congressman wants to block US agency from slowing boats to protect endangered whales

June 23, 2023 — A Georgia congressman moved Friday to stop a federal agency from imposing new speed restrictions on boats and ships in order to protect critically endangered whales.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration proposed a year ago to broaden the geographical area of its seasonal speed restrictions along the U.S. East Coast and expand the types of vessels required to slow down. The rule change is intended to protect North Atlantic right whales, a species that scientists say is perilously near extinction with a dwindling population of less than 340.

U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, a Republican whose district includes Georgia’s 100-mile (160-kilometer) coast, introduced a bill Friday that would prohibit NOAA from spending federal dollars to implement the rule change until its parent agency, the Department of Commerce, develops and deploys new technology to monitor Atlantic waters for right whales.

Read the full article at the Washington Post

Appeals court grants Maine lobster industry an “overwhelming victory” in right whale rules fight

June 16, 2023 –A U.S. District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has ruled in favor of Maine lobstermen in ordering the National Marine Fisheries Service to vacate a 2021 biological opinion regarding North Atlantic right whales that led to more stringent rules being implemented for lobster fishing.

The unanimous 3-0 ruling, filed with a majority opinion written by U.S. Senior Circuit Judge Douglas Ginsburg, found the service went too far in its analysis of the lobster and Jonah crab industries’ potential harm to the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Feds want tougher rules to protect whales, frustrating boaters

June 10, 2023 — Proposed federal regulations would restrict more boaters over more water to try and protect the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale. Environmental advocates and boating industry representatives clashed over the draft rule in a House subcommittee hearing Tuesday.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s new rule would expand the category of boats that must comply with speed restrictions off the East Coast to reduce right whale strikes and deaths, and it would approximately double the total protected area in the North Atlantic. Scientists say the rule is critical to avoiding extinction, but boating industry stakeholders say the restrictions will cost them millions.

Read the full article at wbur

Congress hears arguments on vessel speed limit to protect whales

June 7, 2023 — With only around 340 North Atlantic right whales surviving in one of the world’s most endangered species, preventing their deaths in ship strikes is critical, conservationists say.

“Even one human-caused mortality puts the species at risk of extinction,” whale researcher Jessica Redfern of the New England Aquarium warned, as a Congressional subcommittee heard testimony Tuesday on new proposed vessel speed limits to protect the whales.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

An unusually high number of whales are washing up on U.S. beaches

February 6, 2023 — Researchers are trying to figure out a mystery: Why are so many humpback whales, right whales, and other large mammals dying along the U.S. East Coast? One possible explanation is a shift in food habits. And while theories are circulating that blame the growing offshore wind industry, scientists say there’s no proof to support that idea.

Since Dec. 1, at least 18 reports have come in about large whales being washed ashore along the Atlantic Coast, according to the Marine Mammal Stranding Network. The losses are hitting populations that were already under watch, due to ongoing rises in unexpected deaths.

“Unfortunately, it’s been a period of several years where we have had elevated strandings of large whales, but we are still concerned about this pulse” in deaths that’s now been going on for weeks, as Sarah Wilkin, the coordinator for the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program, said on a recent call with journalists.

Read the full article NPR

Seafood group ‘red lists’ lobster over risk to right whales

September 7, 2022 — American lobster is now on a “red list” of seafood to be avoided because of the risks lobster fisheries pose to endangered North Atlantic right whales, according to Seafood Watch, a sustainable seafood advocacy group.

Members of the Maine lobster industry are “extremely disappointed” with the listing, saying it does not take into account the many changes that the industry has enacted to protect whales.

“Lobster is one of the most sustainable fisheries in the world due to the effective stewardship practices handed down through generations of lobstermen,” said Patrice McCarron, executive director of the Maine Lobsterman’s Association. “These include strict protections for both the lobster resource and right whales.”

Gov. Janet Mills said Tuesday that the label is “flat out wrong.”

“(The designation) sends the wrong message about Maine lobster, and it insults thousands of hardworking lobstermen who risk their lives to put food on the table while practicing responsible stewardship and taking action to protect whales,” she said. “Consumers and businesses must see through this list and recognize that lobstermen are partners in conservation and sustainability and that the delicious Maine lobster can and should continue to be enjoyed.”

Sen. Angus King called the listing “absurd,” pointing out that there hasn’t been a documented entanglement in Maine gear since 2004, and that no documented whale deaths have been attributed to Maine gear.

Read the full article at the Press Herald

Claws out! Maine lobster listed as seafood to ‘avoid,’ angering restaurateurs

September 7, 2022 — This is not the way to butter up the people of Maine.

The claws are out in the New England state after an environmental group put the region’s renowned lobsters on a list of seafood to “avoid” because their harvest is allegedly putting whales in danger.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s environment-focused seafood watch program’s decision to “red-list” the tasty crustacean left state officials steaming mad.

“This is an outrageous act with very real-world consequences, and no real scientific evidence,” US Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) fumed to The Post. “It’s infuriating.”

Industry reps and restaurateurs — including owners of beloved lobster roll joints in the Big Apple and the Hamptons — also said the list can go to shell.

Read the full article at the New York Post

Some ships push back at rules requiring slowdown for whales

August 15, 2022 — Federal regulators who want to enforce new vessel speed rules to help protect rare whales can expect some pushback from ship operators.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced the new proposed rules, which are designed to protect the last remaining North Atlantic right whales, last month. The rules would expand seasonal slow zones off the East Coast, and require more vessels to comply with the rules.

The agency’s National Marine Fisheries Service is holding a series of informational meetings on the new rules, including one scheduled for Aug. 16. Some shipping and maritime groups said they have concerns the rules could make their jobs more difficult or less safe.

Read the full article at the Associated Press

NOAA lays out plans for expanded testing of ropeless fishing technology

August 11, 2022 — In their latest effort to protect endangered right whales, federal regulators have released a plan to increase the use of on-demand – or ropeless – fishing gear, an initiative that includes expanded testing of the new technology.

In an effort to address the two main causes of human-induced whale mortality – vessel strikes and entanglement in fishing gear – the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently released rules to reduce ship speeds and its “Ropeless Roadmap” to prepare for widespread adoption of ropeless fishing.

The vertical lines that connect strings of traps on the ocean floor to buoys on the surface can get caught on a whale’s fins or in its mouth as it swims, leading to death in some cases. There are fewer than 350 North Atlantic right whales, according to NOAA.

On-demand fishing gear would eliminate the need for the vertical lines in the water until the lobster trap, pot or gillnet is being hauled. Different technologies are under development now. Some include floatation devices that are triggered by an acoustic signal to return the gear or rope end to the surface when the fishing boat returns to collect it. Others use timers to release the rope and buoy to the surface, reducing the amount of time the rope is in the water column. And in a lower-tech option available in some cases, the traps or other gear can simply be removed by a grappling hook. The location of the gear can be communicated to boats above by acoustic signal.

Read the full article at the Press Herald

Proposed federal speed rule for vessels could further protect endangered right whales

August 5, 2022 — More ships will have to slow down when crossing the ocean to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales if a proposed federal rule change passes.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries division announced last week a proposal to expand current seasonal speed restrictions of about 12 mph or less to all vessels that are at least 35 feet in length.

In addition, the proposal includes a draft “roadmap” outlining possible ways to increase the use of ropeless fishing gear.

The suggested changes are part of a larger strategy to conserve and rebuild the right whale population, said NOAA Assistant Administrator Janet Coit. Collisions with vessels and entanglements in fishing gear are among the leading causes of injury and death for the species.

It is believed that fewer than 350 North Atlantic right whales remain, and under 100 of those are reproductively active females.

Read the full article at The Post and Courier