Saving Seafood

NEW JERSEY: Recreational fishermen will hate this: Regulators want more spiny dogfish in the water

February 7, 2023 — Federal fishery regulators slashed the coastwide commercial quota for spiny dogfish by nearly 60%, from just over 29 million pounds to 12 million pounds.

The Atlantic States Marine Fishery Commission’s spiny dogfish management board based its decision on declining trends in several indicators including survey abundance, catch per unit of effort, pup production and dogfish growth. New Jersey’s share of the quota fell from 2.2 million pounds, to just over 900,000 pounds.

While recreational fishermen have little palate for spiny dogfish ,which is viewed by this sector as more of nuisance fish that voraciously feeds on juvenile sea bass and fluke, and tangles up fishing line, gillnetters did establish a market for the spiny dogfish.

Read the full article at app.

‘There’s no fish that you can’t make delicious’

April 6, 2022 — Walking into Fearless Fish, a small market in Providence specializing in local seafood, is like walking into Tiffany’s. The showcases dazzle the eye.

There’s familiar fare, like Atlantic salmon, haddock, and sea scallops. There’s also a riveting range of fish that are relatively mysterious, curios like scup, butterfish, pollack, Acadian redfish, conger eel, and monkfish. While abundant in our waters, these so-called “underutilized” species — less known to New Englanders, less tasted, less in demand — are often exported to countries that apparently appreciate them much more than we do.

Most of the region’s Atlantic dogfish, for instance, goes to England for fish and chips. “It’s crazy,” said Chris Cronin, the chef at Union Flats Seafood in New Bedford, who prefers “unique” fish to the familiar. “Dogfish is pretty mild, slightly sweet with a flakey texture comparable to haddock. It takes on other flavors, and I like to serve it with citrus notes.”

Since Fearless Fish opened in early 2019, owner Stuart Meltzer’s main aim has been to try and broaden the consumer palate. “We want to help people become more confident, to try new fish,” he said one noontime, as mostly younger customers streamed through the door. The pandemic-driven interest in local foods has been good for sales, he noted, inspiring more daring in home kitchens. Skate piccata? Roasted mackerel with chimichurri? The store’s online recipes and cooking lessons help to demystify lesser-known fish, as does its disclosure of catch site and means. “Fluke, Pt. Judith, dragger.” “Monkfish, Gulf of Maine, dragger.”

“It’s important to me, and shared by customers, that the product is local,” said Meltzer.

Read the full story at the Boston Globe

Mid-Atlantic Council Seeks Applicants for Spiny Dogfish Advisory Panel Vacancies

August 31, 2021 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council is accepting applications to fill up to nine vacant seats on the Spiny Dogfish Advisory Panel. Individuals selected for the advisory panel will be appointed to serve for the remainder of the Council’s advisory panel term ending on June 30, 2024.

The Council completed an initial round of advisory panel appointments earlier this year. However, due to the limited number of applications received for the Spiny Dogfish Advisory Panel, the Council recommended a supplemental recruitment to ensure that membership is reflective of stakeholder interests and the fishery’s geographic range.

Advisory panels provide information and recommendations to the Council during the development of fishery management actions. One of the chief responsibilities of advisory panels is the development of annual Fishery Performance Reports, which provide the Council and SSC with information about the factors that influenced fishing effort and catch within each fishery during the previous year.

Advisory panels are composed of individuals with diverse experience and interest in Mid-Atlantic fisheries. Members may include commercial fishermen, recreational anglers, for-hire operators, commercial dealers, scientists, environmentalists, and other members of the interested public. Most advisory panels meet 1-2 times per year. Advisors are compensated for travel and per diem expenses for in-person meetings, but meetings are often convened via webinar.

How to Apply

Anyone interested in applying for the Spiny Dogfish AP may apply online or download an application at www.mafmc.org/advisory-panel-application.

Completed applications must be received by Wednesday, September 22, 2021.

Contact

For questions about the Spiny Dogfish AP, contact Jason Didden at jdidden@mafmc.org, (302) 526-5254. For questions about how to complete or submit the application, contact Mary Sabo at msabo@mafmc.org, (302) 526-5261.

From hake to skate: Behind the push to bring ‘unknown’ fish to New England’s dinner table

July 29, 2021 — It’s exceptionally rare to dine at a restaurant and hear someone say, “I’ll have the scup,” or, “I’ll have the conger eel.”

Salmon, cod and tuna dominate the plate in the U.S. – but why? The world’s oceans are home to more than 30,000 species of fish, and most of the edible ones have never been marketed to the average consumer’s tastebuds.

All along New England’s coastline, small boat fishermen are catching a wide array of fish for which there’s barely any market – hake, dogfish, butterfish, skate and countless others. They struggle to sell these lesser-known species, and in turn, people are missing out on high-quality, delicious seafood, industry advocates contend.

Some have historically labeled them as “trash fish,” but Ben Martens, executive director of the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, takes major exception to that.

“We don’t call any other type of food ‘trash’ except for seafood,” said Martens. “It’s coming out of the ocean, it’s not like we’re talking about highly processed fast food. I always get very prickly at that term ‘trash.’ We’re talking about food, and we’re talking about some of the best food for your body, mind and the environment.”

Rather, Martens says, these fish are “unknown” to most eaters.

There’s virtually no marketing behind them, he said, and organizations like his are trying to change that – through education, distribution and community projects. They’re partnering with restauranteurs, holding “meet the fishermen” events, and connecting food-insecure and multicultural populations with diverse seafood selections.

Read the full story at The Providence Journal

MAFMC Advisory Panel Applications Due This Friday, April 23

April 19, 2021 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The deadline to apply for the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s advisory panels is this Friday, April 23. All current advisory panel members must reapply to be considered for reappointment.

Apply Here

The Council is accepting applications for the following advisory panels:

  • Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass
  • Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish
  • Surfclam and Ocean Quahog
  • Tilefish
  • Bluefish
  • Ecosystem and Ocean Planning
  • River Herring and Shad
  • Dogfish (jointly managed with New England Council)
  • Communication and Outreach (NEW!)

How to Apply

Anyone interested in serving on an advisory panel may apply online or download an application at www.mafmc.org/advisory-panel-application. Applications can also be obtained by calling (302) 518-1143 or emailing msabo@mafmc.org.

Completed applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 23, 2021.

If you have questions or need additional information, please contact Mary Sabo at (302) 518-1143, msabo@mafmc.org.

About Advisory Panels

Advisory panels provide information and recommendations to the Council during the development of fishery management plans, amendments, specifications, and other initiatives. One of the chief responsibilities of advisory panels is the development of annual Fishery Performance Reports. These reports provide the Council and SSC with information about the factors that influenced fishing effort and catch within each fishery during the previous year. Learn more about advisory panels here.

Advisory panels are composed of individuals with diverse experience and interest in Mid-Atlantic fisheries. Members include commercial fishermen, recreational anglers, for-hire operators, commercial dealers, scientists, environmentalists, and other members of the interested public. Most advisory panels meet 1-2 times per year. Members are compensated for travel and per diem expenses for all meetings. Individuals who are appointed to advisory panels serve for three-year terms.

Feds eye expansion of dogfish catch

March 8, 2021 — Federal fishing regulators are considering letting commercial fishermen catch more of a species of shark in the coming year.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it’s considering allowing more harvest of spiny dogfish in the 2021-22 fishing year. Fishermen catch dogfish off the East Coast.

The top producing states include Massachusetts and Virginia.

The NOAA said the proposed revisions increase catch limits by nearly 10%. That would increase the commercial fishing quota to more than 29 million pounds.

That’s more dogfish than fishermen usually catch in a year. Fishermen brought more than 18 million pounds of spiny dogfish to docks in 2019. The last year in which fishermen brought more than 30 million pounds to docks was in 1999.

Read the full story at The Boston Herald

NOAA Fisheries Announces Proposed 2021-2022 Spiny Dogfish Specifications

March 4, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is proposing the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils’ recommended catch specifications for the 2021-2022 spiny dogfish fishery. These proposed catch limits are revised from what was originally projected for fishing year 2021 to reflect the Mid-Atlantic Council’s updated risk policy to prevent overfishing, and project status quo (unchanged) specifications for 2022. Because the new risk policy accepts a higher level of risk for stocks at or above biomass targets, the proposed revisions increase all limits nearly 10 percent.

Comparison of Original (Current) and Revised (Proposed) Spiny Dogfish Fishery Specifications for Fishing Years 2021 and 2022, in metric tons.

All other management measures and requirements, including the 6,000-lb federal trip limit, would remain unchanged.

For more details on the proposed specifications, read the proposed rule as published in the Federal Register, and submit your comments through the online portal. The comment period is open through March 19, 2021.

Questions?

Fishermen Contact: Cynthia Ferrio, Sustainable Fisheries Division, 978-281-9180

Media: Contact Jennifer Goebel, Regional Office, 978-281-9175

Fishermen were right: Dogfish are eating cod

November 30, 2020 — When Chatham commercial fisherman Bruce Kaminski took Lt. Gov. Tim Murray and other state officials out fishing in August 2008, he hoped to prove the spiny dogfish were overrunning their fishing grounds and inhibiting the restoration of more valuable species such as cod.

That day, Kaminski and his crew caught 300 dogfish on 300 hooks in a scant 10 minutes. It was a sign that dogfish populations were rebounding from low numbers in the late 1990s. Cape fishermen were asking that their daily catch limit of dogfish be increased from 600 pounds per day to something closer to the 7,000 pounds per day they caught in the early ’90s.

Dogfish have since rebounded to relatively healthy levels, and fishermen are now allowed to catch 6,000 pounds per day, but they say the dogfish comeback happened at the expense of cod, which are still mired at all-time low population levels.

There are many reasons for the lack of success reviving the cod population — chronic overfishing, a rapidly warming ocean and insufficient habitat protection, to name a few. But fishermen told scientists for decades they think an imbalance in the ecosystem, brought on by a resurgent dogfish population, shares a good portion of the blame.

Fishermen say they have witnessed dogfish eating cod, but that’s been hard to quantify. From 1977 to 2017 only 14 cod were found in the stomachs of dogfish caught in NOAA’s annual bottom trawl survey that involves random sampling using a fishing net in waters from Cape Hatteras to the Canadian border.

Read the full story at the Cape Cod Times

NOAA Fisheries Approves Atlantic Spiny Dogfish Specifications for 2020

March 5, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is finalizing and implementing the Atlantic spiny dogfish commercial quota for the 2020 fishing year, which was originally announced on May 14, 2019. These specifications are unchanged from what was projected in the multi-year specifications for 2019-2021, and represent a 13-percent increase in coastwide commercial quota. These limits will be in place until April 30, 2021.

All other management measures and requirements, including the 6,000-lb Federal trip limit, remain unchanged.

For more details read the rule as filed in the Federal Register or the bulletin posted on our website.

Read the full release here

NEFMC Receives Skate, Herring, Dogfish, and EBFM Updates

December 5, 2019 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council began its December 3-5, 2019 meeting in Newport, RI by receiving numerous reports and updates from its own committees, as well as partner agencies. Here are a few highlights.

SKATES: The Council’s Skate Committee, Plan Development Team (PDT), and Advisory Panel (AP) continue to work on Amendment 5 to the Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The amendment is being developed to consider creating limited access permits for the skate wing and/or skate bait fisheries. The PDT is working to provide data to help the the Skate Committee and AP better understand the fisheries and fishermen using the skate resource. In other skate news, the Council was informed that:

  • The 2019 Skate Annual Monitoring Report, which covers fishing year 2018, had been finalized; and
  • Framework Adjustment 8 to the FMP, which contains 2020-2021 specifications for the skate wing and bait fisheries, appeared to be on schedule for approval and implementation by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS/NOAA Fisheries) in time for the May 1 start of the 2020 fishing year.

Read the full release here