Saving Seafood

New Bedford Mayor, Port Authority, Successfully Advocate Opening Northern Edge Scallop Grounds to Boost Fishing Opportunities

April 18, 2024 — New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell delivered compelling testimony before the New England Fishery Management Council on Tuesday, urging the Council to open the Northern Edge scallop grounds to New Bedford commercial fishermen. Mayor Mitchell emphasized the potential benefits of this move, highlighting its significance as a new source of scallops while other locations recover, and scallop recruitment progresses.

Mayor Mitchell, who also serves as chairman of the New Bedford Port Authority, had previously written to Council Chair Eric Reid, noting that the work of the Habitat and Scallop Plan Development Teams has been careful and thoughtful, and has led to the cautious and prudent recommendation to pursue the opening of Concept Areas #2 and #4. Despite being the smallest of the Concept Areas evaluated, Mayor Mitchell stressed their importance in providing much-needed scallop fishing opportunities.

Concept Area #4 was highlighted for potentially harboring the highest concentration of scallops in recent surveys. Mayor Mitchell underscored that scallops have been spawning in the entire Closed Area for years, suggesting that a significant portion of the overall biomass would remain intact even after opening these areas to fishing. Additionally, the identified areas exhibit the lowest amount of complex bottom conditions, reducing the likelihood of adverse habitat impacts from scallop fishing.

Citing a long-term study conducted by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Mayor Mitchell emphasized that most habitats recover from scallop fishing impacts in less than 10 months, with even more complex habitats fully recovering within six years. This scientific evidence supports the feasibility and sustainability of opening the identified areas to scallop fishing.

It is anticipated that opening these areas wouldn’t necessitate new habitat closures elsewhere, easing the burden on other fishing interests.

National Marine Fisheries Service Regional Administrator Mike Pentony echoed support for moving forward with opening the two concept areas, noting that it was too early to abandon the concept areas over enforcement concerns, and that more can be done to improve enforceability if there are concerns.

Following Mayor Mitchell’s testimony, the Council took votes advancing Areas #2 and #4 towards a final action, possibly slated for September. This aligns with the Mayor’s request, both in his letter to Chair Eric Reid and in his in-person testimony.

The Port of New Bedford is the most valuable commercial fishing port in the U.S., maintaining its leadership position for more than two decades. With more than 7,000 jobs and 400 fishing vessels, the Port serves as a cornerstone of the regional economy, driving shoreside businesses and attracting significant public and private investments.

While New Bedford’s fishing vessels harvest multiple species, scallops remain the prime drivers of economic activity within the Port. Mayor Mitchell highlighted the fishermen’s commitment to maintaining the resource and their recognition of the strategic long-term importance of managing the scallop biomass.

The mayor’s letter to the NEFMC is available here.

 

Fishery council considering Mitchell’s plea to open Northern Edge to scallopers

April 18, 2024 — Mayor Jon Mitchell and New Bedford fishing representatives are urging the regional regulatory council to open up the Northern Edge — a lucrative scallop ground that has long been closed to commercial fishing. The council, which shot the motion down five years ago, has agreed to consider the request.

On Tuesday, Mitchell delivered testimony to the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC). He cited challenging years ahead for the scallop industry, which is being strained by a slump in prices and fewer days at sea for fishermen; and he stressed the importance of the scallop fishery as a foundational part of the port’s economy.

“The scallop fishery is facing some challenging years upcoming, after a few years of low recruitment,” Mitchell wrote in a letter to the council. “The industry would benefit greatly by adding these areas to its available fishing grounds.”

The region under consideration is the northernmost portion of the broad and productive fishing grounds called Georges Bank. In 1994, the Northern Edge was closed to commercial fishing to protect habitat for spawning cod and other bottom dwelling fisheries. Thirty years later, scallop representatives told the council, groundfish populations like cod have continued to decline while the area has remained locked up to scallopers.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Light

NEFMC: Last Call for Atlantic Herring Amendment 10 Scoping Comments

April 18, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council is wrapping up the scoping period for Amendment 10 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan. Amendment 10 is an action to: (1) minimize user conflicts, contribute to optimum yield, and support rebuilding of Atlantic herring; and (2) enhance river herring and shad avoidance and catch reduction.

Two opportunities remain to offer input on the potential range and direction of this amendment.

  • Join the April 22, 2024 Webinar: This is a webinar-only meeting that begins at 6:00 p.m. Here’s the link to register for the webinar. Voice your positions and offer suggestions during this final scoping session.
  • Write a Letter: Let the Council know your thoughts by letter or email. All written comments must be received by the Council no later than 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Written comments should be addressed to Executive Director Cate O’Keefe and mailed or emailed to:

New England Fishery Management Council 50 Water Street, Mill #2
Newburyport, Massachusetts 01950
comments@nefmc.org
** Please label your letter or email as “Atlantic Herring Amendment 10 Scoping Comments.” **

ANALYSIS: 2024 Scallop Season Expectations

April 11, 2024 — The 2024/2025 Atlantic sea scallop fishery season began on April 1, 2024. This fishery extends from the Mid-Atlantic region to the U.S.-Canadian border. The New England Fishery Management Council approved Framework Adjustment 38 in December, forecasting a catch of 27.4 million pounds of Atlantic sea scallops for the season. On March 22, 2024, NOAA issued the final rule in the Federal Register, effective from the season’s start. Per NOAA Fisheries, for the initial 60 days of the fishing year, vessels with limited access can utilize their remaining 2023 scallop allocation from the access area. These fishing trips must start by May 30, 2024. After this date, any unutilized 2023 access area allocations will become void.

Harvest projections of 27.4 million pounds marked a 2.4 million pound increase from the previous year. Contributing to the management actions of the first quota increase since 2019, the increase is a result, in part, of findings reported by the NEFMC that the scallop resource is not overfished and overfishing is not occurring, with most of the biomass currently concentrated on Georges Bank. Despite the increase, NEFMC also reported the Mid-Atlantic has experienced below average recruitment of incoming scallops since 2013.  Scientists have also expressed concern that warmer water temperatures and other environmental changes are contributing to scallop mortality, especially at the southern extent of the range near Virginia/North Carolina.

Read the full article at Seafoodnews.com

Scallops: NEFMC Advances Framework Adjustment 38 for Fishing Year 2024; Higher VMS Ping Rates Part of the Package

December 7, 2023 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council has signed off on Framework Adjustment 38 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan. Next, the framework will go to NOAA Fisheries for review and implementation. The target implementation date is April 1, 2024, the start of the new scallop fishing year.

Framework 38 contains specifications and other measures for 2024 and default specifications for 2025. It also includes more frequent reporting through the vessel monitoring system (VMS). A higher 5-minute ping rate will be triggered when a scallop vessel crosses seaward of the VMS demarcation line on a scallop declaration code. Implementation of this measure may be slightly delayed beyond April 1 but is intended for 2024 to improve enforcement.

FULL-TIME ALLOCATIONS: Full- time limited access scallop vessels will be allocated three 12,000-pound access area trips with two trips into Area II and one into the New York Bight. Full-time vessels also will be allocated 20 open area days-at- sea for fishing year 2024.

PART-TIME ALLOCATIONS: Part- time limited access vessels will be allocated one 14,400-pound trip, which can be fished in either Area II or the New York Bight. These vessels will be allocated eight open area days-at-sea.

LAGC ALLOCATIONS: Limited access general category (LAGC) vessels collectively will be allocated 856 access area trips that can be fished in Area II, the New York Bight, and the central portion of Area I as shown in the map on page 1 in green. Once the 856 trips have been taken, access area fishing by LAGC vessels will end. The Council did not suballocate trips by specific area.

The northern portion of Area I, known as “the sliver,” will be closed in 2024. The Area I-Sliver contains high densities of scallops that are likely to recruit to the 4” rings in scallop dredge gear by the 2025 fishing year. These scallops are being protected in 2024 to grow and gain weight for 2025.

Read the full release from the New England Fishery Management Council

NEFMC SSC – Listen Live – Friday, May 5, 2023 – Groundfish and Other Issues

April 28, 2023 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will meet by webinar to discuss issues related to groundfish, National Standard Guideline revisions, and other topics.  The public is invited to listen live.  Here are the details.

WHEN:  Friday, May 5, 2023

START TIME:  9:30 a.m.

WEBINAR REGISTRATION:  Online access to the meeting is available at Listen Live.  There is no charge to join the meeting through this webinar.  The Remote Participation Guide is posted here.

CALL-IN OPTION:  To listen by telephone, dial +1 (415) 930-5321.  The access code is 916-377-054.  Your regular phone charges will apply.

AGENDA:  The SSC will meet to discuss:

  • The challenges the SSC has faced when applying acceptable biological catch (ABC) control rules for Northeast multispecies (groundfish) stocks;
  • Progress made on scoping a model for enhanced use of the SSC’s sociocultural and economic expertise in the SSC and Council process;
  • An update on plans for the eighth meeting of the Council Coordination Committee’s Scientific Coordination Subcommittee; and
  • Other business, including: (1) an update on the SSC’s 2023 work plan; and (2) an upcoming opportunity for the SSC to comment on NOAA Fisheries’ soon-to-be-published advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) to update Guidelines for National Standards 4, 8, and 9.

COMMENTS:  The deadline for submitting written comments for consideration at this meeting is 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 3, 2023.  Address comments to Council Chair Eric Reid or Executive Director Tom Nies and email them to comments@nefmc.org.  Additional information is available in the meeting notice.

MATERIALS:  All documents for this meeting will be posted on the SSC May 5, 2023 meeting webpage.

QUESTIONS:  Contact Joan O’Leary at (978) 465-0492, ext. 101, joleary@nefmc.org or Janice Plante at (607) 592-4817, jplante@nefmc.org.

Council Presents 2022 Award for Excellence to Maggie Raymond

January 26, 2023 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council honored Maggie Raymond, former Executive Director of Associated Fisheries of Maine and a 25-year participant in the Council process, by presenting her with the 2022 Janice M. Plante Award for Excellence.

Council Chair Eric Reid called the recognition “long overdue.”

“Maggie represents the epitome of someone dedicated to both the commercial fishing industry and sustainable fisheries management,” said Chair Reid. “Her tenure covers a period of tremendous change, stretching from the early days of the Magnuson-Stevens Act to our evolving adaptation to climate change and the challenges of coping with offshore wind development.”

Maggie’s strongest connection with the Council is with groundfish, beginning around the time the Council adopted limited entry and was transitioning the entire fishery to days-at-sea management. It was a period of intense conflict between fishermen and managers, driven by fear in the industry that the changes would collapse the fishery.

“Maggie helped people navigate these tumultuous changes and served as an invaluable conduit to explain the science and management implications to fishermen,” said Chair Reid. “She was a fierce advocate for industry interests.”

Read the full release here

Monkfish: Council Takes Final Action on Fishing Year 2023-2025 Specifications/Measures; Revises Research Set-Aside Priorities

January 26, 2023 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council voted on a package of measures during its January 2023 meeting that set the stage for how the monkfish fishery will operate during the 2023-2025 fishing years.

The measures were developed through Framework Adjustment 13 to the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan and include the following:

• Acceptable biological catches (ABCs) and other specifications for both the Northern and Southern Monkfish Fishery Management Areas (see map on page 2);

• Days-at-sea allocations and a days-at-sea usage cap for both the northern and southern areas; and

• A 12″ minimum mesh size requirement for monkfish gillnets with implementation delayed until 2026.

The monkfish fishery is managed jointly between the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils. The New England Council has the administrative lead, but joint management means both Councils must vote on new measures before an action can be submitted to NOAA Fisheries for review, approval, and implementation. The Mid-Atlantic Council will discuss and vote on Framework 13 on February 7, 2023.

The New England Council also revised its 2023-2024 priorities for the Monkfish Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program during the January meeting in Portsmouth, NH.

Read the full release here

 

New England council honors Maggie Raymond of Maine

January 26, 2023 — The New England Fishery Management Council honored Maggie Raymond, former executive director of the Associated Fisheries of Maine and a 25-year participant in the council process, by presenting her with the 2022 Janice M. Plante Award for Excellence.

Council Chair Eric Reid called the recognition “long overdue.”

“Maggie represents the epitome of someone dedicated to both the commercial fishing industry and sustainable fisheries management,” said Reid. “Her tenure covers a period of tremendous change, stretching from the early days of the Magnuson-Stevens Act to our evolving adaptation to climate change and the challenges of coping with offshore wind development.”

Raymond’s strongest connection with the council is with groundfish, beginning around the time the council adopted limited entry and was transitioning the entire fishery to days-at-sea management. It was a period of intense conflict between fishermen and managers, driven by fear in the industry that the changes would collapse the fishery.

Read the full article at National Fisherman

NEFMC January 24-26, 2023 Meeting

January 18, 2023 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council will hold a three-day meeting from Tuesday, January 24 through Thursday, January 26, 2023. This will be an in-person meeting coupled with a webinar option for individuals who cannot or prefer not to attend in person.

 

COVID PROTOCOLS:  The Council continues to follow all public safety measures related to COVID-19 and intends to do so for this meeting.  Please participate remotely if you are experiencing COVID symptoms or do not feel well.  Updates will be posted on the meeting webpage as needed.

 

START TIME:  9:00 a.m. each day.  The first day will begin with a short closed session. The webinar will end shortly after the Council adjourns each day.

 

Here are a few items of note for Tuesday, January 24, 2023.

 

NGOM CONTROL DATE:  The Council will discuss and then decide whether to recommend a control date to potentially limit the movement of limited access general category (LAGC) permits in the Northern Gulf of Maine (NGOM) scallop fishery.  A control date by itself is not binding, and it does not commit the Council to taking any specific management action. The purpose of a control date is to discourage speculative entry or fishing activity while the Council considers if and how participation in the fishery may be affected or controlled.  If the Council decides to recommend a control date for the NGOM scallop fishery, the control date itself will be the day NOAA Fisheries publishes a notice in the Federal Register.

 

MOBILE GEAR AND GILLNET FISHERMEN:  Gear researchers from the Northeast Fisheries Science Center will give the Council a presentation on engaging mobile gear fishermen to visualize ropeless gear positions to prevent gear conflicts.  Ropeless gear is being tested and used by some fishermen to reduce right whale entanglements.  In addition to answering questions during the Council meeting, the gear researchers will be available afterward to meet with fishermen to gather additional feedback and respond to any remaining questions.

 

  • The Council will receive an update on the development of Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan Phase 2 measures, including proposals to reduce entanglements of large whales in gillnet fisheries.  Also on the agenda is a short update on Council coordination with the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council to develop sink gillnet measures to protect Atlantic sturgeon and potentially large whales.

 

PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITIES:  The Council wants to hear from you.  Here’s how you can let the Council know what you think.

 

  • WRITE A LETTER:  The deadline for submitting written comments for consideration at this meeting is 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 19, 2023.  Please note that written comments must address items listed on the agenda for this meeting.

 

  • TALK TO THE COUNCIL:  You’ll be able to address the Council directly through two different avenues:

 

  1. By commenting on motions at the discretion of the Council chair (if commenting remotely, raise your hand on the webinar and unmute yourself when called upon); and

 

  1. By speaking during the open period for public comment.  Here are the Guidelines for Providing Public Comment.

 

  • OPEN PERIOD FOR PUBLIC COMMENT:  On Wednesday, January 25, 2023 at 12:15 p.m., the Council will offer the public an opportunity to provide comments on issues relevant to Council business but not listed on this agenda.  Given the Council’s busy meeting schedule, we ask that you limit remarks to 3-5 minutes.

 

    • SIGN UP:  Interested in speaking?  If attending in person, fill out the sign-up sheet on the table at the entrance to the Council meeting room.  To speak remotely, email Janice Plante at jplante@nefmc.org to get on the list.

 

WEBINAR REGISTRATION:  Online access to the meeting is available at Listen Live.  There is no charge to access the meeting through this webinar.

 

 

  • THIS IS KEY!  If you want to speak during opportunities for public comment, you need to: (1) register for the webinar; and (2) actually “join” the webinar.  People who call in by telephone without joining the webinar will be in listen-only mode.  Those who take both steps – register and then join the webinar – will see the meeting screen and be able to click on a “raise hand” button, which will let the meeting organizer know you want to be unmuted to speak.

 

  • We have a Help Desk in case you get stuck joining the webinar or have trouble along the way.  Just email helpdesk@nefmc.org and we’ll get right back to you.

 

CALL-IN OPTION:  To listen by telephone without joining the webinar, dial +1 (415) 655-0052.  The access code is 424-643-767.  Please be aware that if you dial in, your regular phone charges will apply.  Remember, you will not be able to speak if you do not first join the webinar as described above.  This phone number provides a “listen-only” option without the webinar component.

 

AGENDA:  All meeting materials and the agenda are available on the Council’s website at NEFMC January 24-26, 2023 meeting webpage.  Additional documents will be posted as they become available.

 

THREE MEETING OUTLOOK:  A copy of the New England Council’s Three Meeting Outlook is available HERE.

 

COUNCIL MEETING QUESTIONS:  Anyone with questions prior to or during the Council meeting should contact Janice Plante at (607) 592-4817, jplante@nefmc.org.