Saving Seafood

NEFMC Approves Scallop Amendment 21 Range of Alternatives; Requests Emergency Action

April 22, 2020 — The New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) confirmed on Monday that they have approved a range of alternatives in Amendment 21 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan.

The vision of Amendment 21 is a “fleet made up of relatively small vessels, with possession limits to maintain the historical character of this fleet and provide opportunities to various participants, including vessels from smaller coastal communities.” The Council said that they have approved a range of alternatives that will be further analyzed for consideration in Amendment 21. This includes Northern Gulf of Maine management area issues; the limited access general category (LAGC) individual fishing quota (IQF) trip limit; and the potential one-way transfer of IQF from limited access vessels that hold IQF to LAGC IFQ-only vessels. Preferred alternatives will be selected during the Council’s June meeting.

Read the full story at Seafood News

New England panel asks for emergency action to aid scallop fishermen

April 22, 2020 — A regulatory panel that oversees East Coast fishing is requesting the federal government take some emergency actions to benefit the scallop fishery.

Scallops are one of the most valuable seafood items in the U.S. The New England Fishery Management Council has voted to ask the National Marine Fisheries Service to take a series of steps because of the stress the outbreak of coronavirus has caused the scallop fishery.

The recommended changes are technical in nature and concern issues such as how fishing quota can be carried from one year into the next.

Read the full story at The Boston Globe

At-sea waiver extended

April 20, 2020 — Local commercial groundfishermen breathed a double-sigh of relief last week. The New England Fishery Management Council voted 12-5 to postpone final action — initially anticipated for its June meeting — on the draft amendment that will set at-sea monitoring levels in the fishery for years to come. Fishing stakeholders argued the current immersion in everything COVID-19 made it almost impossible for fishermen to study the amendment in detail for public comment and that social distancing might have precluded final action at an in-person meeting in June (as opposed to a webinar).

And on Friday, NOAA Fisheries announced it is extending by two weeks its waiver period for at-sea monitors and human observers aboard vessels fishing in the Greater Atlantic Region. So, no observers or monitors until May 2 at the earliest.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

NEFMC postpones final action on groundfishing changes, pursues COVID-19 impact options

April 20, 2020 — The New England Fishery Management Council has continued to tackle managing the region’s fisheries, even as the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the council to meet via webinar.

During the recent April 14 to 15 meeting of the council – which was held entirely via webinar for the first time in its history – the council made a number of decisions pertaining to the region’s fisheries. Among those was a decision to postpone any final action on Groundfish Monitoring Amendment 23, which has been in development for three years.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Scallops: NEFMC Approves A21 Range of Alternatives; Requests Emergency Action Due to COVID-19

April 20, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council covered several important scallop-related issues during its April 14-15, 2020 meeting, which was held by webinar. Current COVID-19 restrictions on travel and public gatherings prevented the Council from meeting in person. Here’s a recap of the scallop highlights.

Amendment 21: The Council approved the range of alternatives that will be further analyzed for consideration in Amendment 21 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan. This amendment is being developed to address:

  1. Northern Gulf of Maine Management Area issues;
  2. The limited access general category (LAGC) individual fishing quota (IFQ) trip limit; and
  3. The potential one-way transfer of IFQ from limited access vessels that hold IFQ to LAGC IFQ-only vessels.

Read the full release here

Groundfish: NEFMC Postpones Final Action on Amendment 23; Pursues COVID-19 Impact Options

April 16, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council, which met April 14-15, 2020 exclusively by webinar for the first time in the Council’s history, confronted several issues challenging the groundfish industry during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The Council discussed mid-range planning at the start of its meeting. Given ongoing travel restrictions and limitations on public gatherings due to COVID-19, the Council voted to postpone final action on Groundfish Monitoring Amendment 23. The amendment is being developed to improve catch accounting in the fishery while minimizing costs to industry but still maximizing the value of the data that’s collected.

Read the full release here

NOAA Fisheries Sets the 2020 Atlantic Deep-Sea Red Crab Quota

April 13, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is setting the 2020 Atlantic deep-sea red crab fishery quota, including a 2,000-mt annual catch limit and total allowable landings limit, as recommended by the New England Fishery Management Council.

This rule includes two regulatory updates:

  1. Revising the specifications timeframe from 3 to 4 years to match the recently updated Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s stock assessment schedule.
  2. Removing an outdated and unnecessary regulation that requires the Red Crab Plan Development Team to meet annually to review the status of the fishery.

Read the final rule as filed in the Federal Register and supporting documents on the Council’s website.

Read the full release here

Council may delay vote on at-sea monitor levels

April 13, 2020 — The final agenda for the New England Fishery Management Council’s webinar-only meeting Tuesday and Wednesday has several items of significant interest to local groundfishermen.

On Tuesday, the council will hear a recommendation from its Executive Committee that it postpone final action on the contentious groundfish Amendment 23 to set at-sea monitoring levels because of the impact of the spread of the novel coronavirus and COVID-19. That council had anticipated taking final action at its June meeting.

“While it is possible that restrictions on public gatherings may be lifted and in-person meetings may be allowed by late May, it is not unreasonable to expect interested parties can devote their attention to commenting on this amendment over the next two-three months,” Council Chairman John Quinn wrote in a memo to council members.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Fishery management meeting goes online for first time

April 13, 2020 — In “The Godfather,” they go to the mattresses. In the age of COVID-19, we go to the webinar.

The New England Fishery Management Council will sail into uncharted waters Tuesday and Wednesday when it conducts its first-ever, full council meeting solely by webinar. All hands — council members, staff, stakeholders, media, and the public — only will be able to participate remotely.

The council was set to meet in Mystic, Connecticut, on April 14 to 16, but travel restrictions and other health precautions associated with the novel coronavirus and the spread of COVID-19 precluded using the usual on-site format. It also postponed less-pressing agenda items to condense the meeting into two days.

“It’s been hectic,” said Janice Plante, spokeswoman for the council. “We’ve been developing more ways for more people to participate in the webinar. We know that many fishermen probably aren’t used to attending meetings by webinar, as we’ve added extra instruction and help.”

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

NEFMC April 14-15, 2020 – By Webinar – Listen Live, View Documents

April 10, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council will hold a two-day meeting by webinar on Tuesday, April 14 and Wednesday, April 15, 2020. The public is invited to listen live and provide input during designated opportunities for public comment.

IMPORTANT:  This notice contains more information than usual.  Please read carefully and especially take note of:

WHY IS THE MEETING TAKING PLACE BY WEBINAR:  The Council cannot hold an in-person meeting due to travel restrictions and public safety guidelines associated with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

START TIME:  The webinar will be activated at 8:00 a.m. each day.  However, please note that the meeting will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday and 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday.  The webinar will end shortly after the Council adjourns on Tuesday and after the groundfish public hearing is concluded on Wednesday.

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

CALL-IN OPTION:  To listen by telephone, dial +1 (213) 929-4232.  The access code is 771-577-358.  Please be aware that if you dial in, your regular phone charges will apply.

HELPFUL INSTRUCTIONS:  Here’s what you need to know to successfully join the webinar and provide public comment.

  • 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.
  • Here is the updated “Remote Participation Guide” with instructions for how to provide oral comments during the webinar meeting.
  • Having trouble with the webinar?  We have a Help Line!  Our staff is only a phone call or email away.  Click HERE for assistance once the Council meeting is underway.

PUBLIC TRAINING WEBINAR:  The Council will conduct a Public Training Webinar on Monday, April 13 at 10:30 a.m. in order to: (1) walk through the steps for how the full Council meeting will be conducted; and (2) show participants how to speak and be heard on the webinar during designated public comment opportunities.  Join us for this practice run!

AGENDA:  The detailed agenda and meeting materials are available on the Council’s website atNEFMC April 14-15, 2020 Webinar.  Additional documents will be posted as they become available.
 
EMERGENCY ACTION:  In light of the unforeseen COVID-19 pandemic and the economic, social, and public health consequences that are rapidly unfolding, the Council will be discussing several requests for emergency action during the meeting.  Section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to implement emergency regulations to address fishery emergencies.
  • Scallops – The Council will consider requests for secretarial emergency action that involve potential carryover of certain fishing year 2019 allocations into fishing year 2020.
  • Groundfish – The Council will consider requesting secretarial emergency action to allow an increase in carryover of unused 2019 groundfish annual catch limits into the 2020 fishing year.
COMMENTS:  The deadline for submitting written comments for consideration at this meeting was8:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 9, 2020.
 
GROUNDFISH AMENDMENT 23 PUBLIC HEARING:  The Council will hold a public hearing on Amendment 23 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan on Wednesday, April 15, 2020 at 4:00 p.m.  This amendment will adjust the groundfish monitoring program to improve the accuracy and accountability of catch reporting in the commercial groundfish fishery.  The Council will adjourn its regular meeting for the day on April 15 and use the same webinar information to conduct the groundfish public hearing.
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.