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NOAA Update for Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery: Default Measures in Place for Start of the Fishing Year

March 16, 2018 โ€” The following was released by NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Region:

Effective Date: April 1, 2018

Please note that we will not have Framework 29 in place by April 1, the start of the Atlantic Sea Scallop fishing year. Therefore, the default measures published in 2017 will take effect on April 1. We do expect to have Framework 29 finalized in April, which will likely adjust scallop allocations for the 2018 fishing year.

Please read the permit holder letter on our website for the Framework 29 proposed allocations so you can consider these adjustments when planning your fishing activity between April 1 and the implementation of Framework 29.

We separated the Northern Gulf of Maine Measures from Framework 29 to ensure that these measures would be in place before April 1, and are on track to do so.

We will be sending a separate bulletin describing those measures once we publish the final rule.

Learn more about NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Region by visiting their site here.

 

NOAA to open New England scallop areas, invite record harvest

January 5, 2018 โ€” New England sea scallop fishers can start planning now for what promises to be their best season in 14 years, thanks to a decision coming soon from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrationโ€™s (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).

John Bullard, the outgoing administrator of NOAAโ€™s greater Atlantic region, informed the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC), in a five-page letter sent late Wednesday, that the agency will follow most of its recommendations with regard to the โ€œessential fish habitatโ€ amendment โ€“ a long-discussed plan to reset fishing management and conservation practices in the area.

That includes opening up to scallop harvesters an expanded portion of Closed Area I and the western part of the Nantucket Lightship area, two sections of the Atlantic Ocean that have been closed for a decade and are now expected to be loaded with large scallops.

โ€œNMFS determined that the removal of the Closed Area I designations and proposed new designations do not compromise the ability of the councilโ€™s fishery management plans to comply with the [essential fish habitat] requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Act,โ€ Bullard wrote in his letter, which was addressed to John Quinn, NEFMCโ€™s chairman.

Based on surveys reported in September, Closed Area 1, including the previous off-limit โ€œsliverโ€ area and northern portion, contains 19.8 million pounds (9,016 metric tons) of exploitable scallop meat, referring to scallops found with shells that were at least 4 inches wide. Even better, as much as 45.6m lbs (20,670t) of exploitable scallop meat is projected to exist in the west Nantucket Lightship area.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

 

Scallops: Framework 29 โ€œHighest Yield, Lowest Impactโ€ Alternative Advances Following NMFS Habitat Decision

January 5, 2018 โ€” The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

On Wednesday, January 3, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), also known as NOAA Fisheries, informed the New England Fishery Management Council that it had โ€œapproved the majorityโ€ of the Councilโ€™s Omnibus Essential Fish Habitat Amendment 2 (OHA2). The approved provisions include two actions that have a direct impact on Framework Adjustment 29 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan, which, among other measures, contains 2018 fishing year specifications and 2019 default specifications for the scallop fishery.

The Framework 29 preferred alternative that now will be advancing for NMFS review and implementation contains the following 2018 allocations for the fishing year that begins on April 1:

Full-time limited access scallop permit holders โ€“ 24 open-area days-at-sea and six 18,000-pound access area trips with:

  • Two trips in the Mid-Atlantic Access Area
  • Two trips in the newly available Nantucket Lightship West Access Area
  • One trip in the Nantucket Lightship South Area
  • One trip in the new Closed Area I Access Area with the northern portion, including the โ€œsliver,โ€ available

Part-time limited access scallop permit holders โ€“ 9.6 open area days-at-sea and three 14,400- pound access area trips with:

  • One trip in the Mid-Atlantic Access Area
  • One trip in the Nantucket Lightship West Area
  • One trip in the reconfigured Closed Area I Access Area

During its December meeting, not knowing whether NMFS would approve all of the proposed changes in the habitat amendment, the Council adopted four Framework 29 preferred alternatives for scallop allocations that covered the potential mix of access area possibilities โ€“ both with and without Closed Area I and Nantucket Lightship West. The breakdown of these alternatives is available at: http://s3.amazonaws.com/nefmc.org/NEFMC-Approves-Scallop-Framework-29-REVISED.pdf

Of the four scenarios, the one that now is moving forward for NMFS review and implementation provides the greatest benefits and is projected to result in close to 60.1 million pounds of landings in scallop meat weight over the next fishing year.

โ€œBy giving the fleet access to dense concentrations of scallops in the northern portion of Closed Area I and Nantucket Lightship West, scallopers will be able to catch their trip limits faster and reduce the amount of time dredges are on bottom,โ€ said Council Chairman Dr. John Quinn. โ€œThis scenario has another benefit in that it lets us shift effort away from Closed Area II, which means flatfish bycatch will be lower and the scallops in that area will have a chance to grow larger.โ€

The Council also included a provision in Framework 29 to allocate the existing 1.64 million pounds of Closed Area I carryover that are still on the books. These pounds are from trips allocated to Closed Area I in 2012 and 2013 through a lottery system but never were taken due to poor fishing.

The resulting Framework 29 allocations for the Limited Access General Category (LAGC) Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) fishery include: (1) a 3,086,050-pound quota, equivalent to 5.5% of annual projected landings for the fishery as a whole; and (2) a total of 3,426 access area trips at a maximum of 600 pounds each into the following areas:

  • 1,142 trips in the Mid-Atlantic Access Area
  • 1,142 trips in the Nantucket Lightship West Access Area
  • 571 trips in the Nantucket Lightship South Access Area
  • 571 trips in the Closed Area I Access Area

Framework 29 also includes flatfish accountability measures and Northern Gulf of Maine Management Area catch limits and related provisions, which are described at the link above. The Council will provide a broader overview of the habitat amendment decision in a subsequent release.

To view the release from the NEFMC in its entirety click here.

 

NOAA decision could trigger largest scallop harvest in 14 years

December 12, 2017 โ€” What the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) decides next to do about areas off the coast of New England thatโ€™ve been closed to scallop fishing for a decade or more could be the difference between another good season and a 14-year record in terms of harvest volumes.

Based on earlier surveys and estimates made by staff at the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC), the 2018-19 scallop season, which starts April 1, will generate at least 51.5 million pounds worth of landings โ€“ a little better than the roughly 47.5m lbs expected this season.

But it could also generate as much as 60m lbs, which would be the biggest harvest since the 2004-05 season when 64.6m lbs of scallops were landed.

One of the most important factors will be whether NOAA follows NEFMCโ€™s recommendations and opens the Closed Area 1 โ€œsliverโ€ of the Georges Bank and also an area described as Nantucket Lightship West.

Based on surveys reported in September, Closed Area 1 contains 19.8m lbs (9,016 metric tons) of exploitable scallop meat, meaning a lot of scallops were found with shells at the minimum 4 inch-wide diameter needed to be caught in dredging nets. Even better, as much as 45.6m lbs (20,670t) of exploitable scallop meat is projected to exist in the western portion of the Nantucket Lightship area.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

 

US sea scallop surveys open door for big harvest in 2018

October 11, 2017 โ€” GLOUCESTER, Massachusetts โ€” Extensive surveys of Atlantic sea scallop beds on Georges Bank and in the Mid-Atlantic bode well for area fishermen counting on a good haul in 2018: The biomass is so high that itโ€™s possible catch limits could even be increased.

Sea scallops have been a more solid source of seafood business in New England than other fish and shellfish in recent years. The 35.7 million pounds harvested in 2015, the most recent year available from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data, were worth $437.9m in ex-vessel landings value, sixth most valuable among all seafood landings in the US and an almost 6% weight gain over the previous year. The average ex-vessel price per pound of meats in 2015 was $12.26.

No wonder scallops make up 80% of the total value of all landings in the Port of New Bedford, Massachusetts.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

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