Saving Seafood

Atlantic Cod Management Track Peer Review – Report Finalization – July 8, 2024 at 12:30 p.m

July 2, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The Atlantic Cod Management Track Peer Review Panel will reconvene to complete its work on reviewing new management track stock assessments for Western Gulf of Maine cod, Eastern Gulf of Maine cod, Southern New England cod, and Georges Bank cod.  Members of the public are welcome to tune in, but there is not a scheduled public comment period.
 
DATE AND TIME:  The peer review panel will meet by webinar on Monday, July 8, 2024 from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.  Webinar information for this session is posted under Day 6 on the meeting webpage.  Scroll down to “Schedule.” 
 
WHY IS THIS HAPPENING:  The original peer review meeting for Atlantic cod stocks was held June 18, 20, and 21, 2024.  The peer review panel requested additional analyses for three of the four new cod stock units undergoing management track assessments.  The panel will review the information on July 8 in order to finalize its work on the peer review report.
 
MEETING MATERIALS:  Updated documents are posted on the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s Stock Assessment Support Information webpage.  
 
The peer review meeting is being hosted by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center.  The New England Fishery Management Council is sharing this information to ensure our Council community is aware of its happening.

Council Discontinues Work on Northern Edge Framework

July 2, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council voted on June 27, 2024 during its four-day meeting in Freeport, Maine to “discontinue development” of an action that potentially would have given scallop fishermen access to part of the Habitat Management Area on the Northern Edge of Georges Bank.

The Council viewed a staff presentation that summed up work to date and outlined additional decision points the Council needed to make regarding when and for how long scallopers would be able to access a new Northern Edge scallop rotational management area if one were to be developed.

The Council engaged in a lengthy debate, narrowing its focus to the pros and cons of further developing the alternatives for final action in September or stopping work on the action. In the end, the Council determined that, “after careful consideration of the ecological importance of the Northern Edge Habitat Management Area and the difficulties of identifying times and areas for scallop access that do not undermine those values,” it voted to halt further development of the framework.

The Council considered information about:

• The action’s goals and objectives;

• The latest memo provided by the Habitat and Scallop PDTs, which included cod spawning information along with details about scallop, habitat, and herring presence and condition; and

• The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s technical report on the lobster resource and fishery in and around the Northern Edge.

 

Council Receives Herring Amendment 10 Scoping Summary and Provides Guidance; Approves 2024-2028 Research Priorities

June 26, 2024 — The following was released by New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council discussed two issues related to Atlantic herring when it met in Freeport, Maine for its June 2024 meeting. It also received an update from its On-Demand Fishing Gear Conflict Working Group and approved a list of 2024-2028 research priorities and data needs.

Atlantic Herring Amendment 10: The Council conducted six scoping meetings in March and April 2024 on Amendment 10 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan.

This amendment proposes 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.

The Council received a comprehensive overview of the scoping process, which covered: the number of attendees at in-person and webinar scoping meetings; the number commenters at each meeting; a breakdown of commenters by affiliation or home state; the number of written comments received; general sentiments, major themes, and perceptions of current problems expressed during the meetings; desired outcomes from Amendment 10; the types of potential measures the action could contain; suggested data sources; and more.

Many of the comments focused on river herring and shad, emphasizing the role these species play in the ecosystem and their social and economic importance to many communities.

The compiled summary of all oral and written comments in available in this document.

After hearing the summary, the Council then provided additional guidance to its Herring Committee on next steps. The Council did sovia three motions to direct the Herring Plan Development Team (PDT) on where it should focus its efforts down the road. The tasking specified that the Herring PDT:

Assess data availability and analyze and develop alternatives for Amendment 10 that implement time/area closures for portions of Atlantic Herring Management Areas 2 and 3 where aggregations of river herring and shad overlap with the directed Atlantic herring fishery;

Assess data availability and analyze and develop alternatives for Amendment 10 that implement revisions to the basis of river herring and shad catch cap values that: (1) are reflective of regional river herring/shad abundance, and (2) scale with ceilings and floors to changes in Atlantic herring abundance and/or regional river herring abundance; and

Analyze and develop recommendations for implementing improvements to the accuracy and precision of river herring and shad catch estimates in the directed Atlantic herring fishery.

NEFMC June 24-27, 2024 Meeting – Freeport, ME – Listen Live, View Documents

June 17, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council will hold a four-day meeting from Monday, June 24 through Thursday, June 27, 2024.  This will be an in-person meeting coupled with a webinar option for individuals who cannot or prefer not to attend in person.  Please participate remotely if you do not feel well.

LOCATION:  Hilton Garden Inn, Freeport, Maine.

START TIME:  1:00 p.m. on Monday and 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  The webinar will end shortly after the Council adjourns each day.

COUNCIL PUBLIC OUTREACH:  Join the Council on Tuesday, June 25, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. for an informational exchange to foster open lines of communication among Council members, staff, industry, and meeting attendees.  The event will be held in the lobby area of the Hilton Garden Inn, right down the hall from the Council’s meeting room.  All are welcome.  Light snacks will be provided.

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, June 20, 2024. Please note that written comments mustaddress 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
  2. By speaking during the open period for public comment.  Here are the Guidelines for Providing Public Comment.
  • OPEN PERIOD FOR PUBLIC COMMENT:  On Wednesday, June 26, 2024 at 1:45 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.

  • Here are instructions in the Remote Participation Guide for successfully joining and participating in the webinar.
  • 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 (213) 929-4212.  The access code is 794-178-483.  Please be aware that if you dial in, your regular phone charges will apply.  This phone number provides a “listen-only” option without the webinar component.  You will not be able to speak if you do not first join the webinar.

AGENDA:  All meeting materials and the agenda are available on the Council’s website at NEFMC June 24-27, 2024 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.

Council Takes Final Action on Joint Monkfish/Dogfish/Sturgeon Framework; Posts 2024 Monkfish RSA Project Summaries

May 21, 2024 — The following was released by New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council took final action during its April 2024 meeting on a joint framework adjustment to reduce the bycatch of Atlantic sturgeon in the large-mesh gillnet fisheries for monkfish and spiny dogfish.

The New England and Mid-Atlantic Councils jointly manage both fisheries. The two Councils each took final action in April on:

• Framework Adjustment 15 to the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan, for which the New England Council has the lead; and

• Framework Adjustment 6 to the Spiny Dogfish Fishery Management Plan, for which the Mid-Atlantic has the lead.

Approved Measures: Here are the measures the Councils selected as preferred alternatives and submitted to NOAA Fisheries for approval and implementation.

A year-round low-profile gear requirement in the New Jersey bycatch hotspot polygon for federal gillnet fishing vessels targeting monkfish (colored magenta at right); and

An overnight soak time prohibition from 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. for vessels targeting spiny dogfish in (1) the New Jersey bycatch hotspot polygon in May and November, and (2) the Delaware/Maryland/Virginia (DE/MD/VA) bycatch hotspot polygons from November through March – with an exemption for federal vessels using <5.25” mesh in the DE/MD/VA polygons (colored blue in the map at right).

NEFMC: Scallop Research Set-Aside Program to Support 14 New Projects; Several 2024 Announcements Include Multi-Year Awards

May 2, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The Atlantic Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program will support 14 new projects that were selected from the 2024 RSA solicitation. Several awards will support multi-year research, including a four-year regional survey effort. The set-aside harvest is expected to generate $22 million in revenue. Of that total, $5 million will fund the targeted research and $17 million will compensate industry partners who harvest the set-aside scallops. To determine the award amounts, the price of sea scallops was projected to average $14 per pound of meats.

Council Priorities and Research Partners

Seven different institutions will lead the projects, partnering with fishermen, fishing businesses, and non-profit fishery research organizations. The new RSA projects address 2024-2025 research priorities identified by the New England Fishery Management Council in June 2023. At that meeting, the Council asked NOAA Fisheries to modify the Scallop RSA Program to allow for longer-term RSA awards for regional survey work, which the agency accommodated in this latest round of funding with a four-year award. Other Council priorities are listed here on page 1. RSA-funded scallop surveys have been a long-standing priority. They have become increasingly important in: (1) providing information that directly helps scientists determine the status and distribution of the resource; and (2) guiding the Council in making management decisions for this valuable resource.

The new awards were announced on May 2, 2024 by the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) of NOAA Fisheries. The Council and NOAA Fisheries work together to support the Scallop Research Set-Aside Program. While the Council sets the research priorities, NOAA Fisheries manages the RSA competition and administers the program.

Read the full release from the NEFMC

Groundfish: Council Begins Work on Amendment 25 to Add Four Atlantic Cod Assessment Units to Management Plan

April 28, 2024 — The following was released by New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council has agreed to develop a new amendment to the Northeast Multispecies (Groundfish) Fishery Management Plan (FMP) to incorporate four new Atlantic cod assessment units into the FMP.

This action, now designated as Amendment 25, was discussed during the Council’s April 16-18, 2024 meeting in Mystic, Connecticut. It is the first step in the Council’s work to adjust the way it manages Atlantic cod based on the new scientific understanding of the composition of this species.

The Council will receive a progress report on Amendment 25 during its June 2024 meeting in Freeport, Maine. It expects to take final action in September 2024 when it meets again in Gloucester, Massachusetts.

IMPORTANT: This amendment will NOT modify the current management units for cod. It is intended to be a simple action to add the new assessment units to the management plan. Currently, the FMP identifies two cod stocks: Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank. The amendment will modify the plan to instead identify:

• Eastern Gulf of Maine cod;
• Western Gulf of Maine cod, including winter and spring spawners;
• Georges Bank cod under new assessment boundaries; and
• Southern New England cod (see graphic below).

Northern Edge of Georges Bank: Council Narrows Range of Scallop Access Concept Areas for Further Analysis

April 20, 2024 — The following was released by New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council has narrowed the range of options to be further analyzed in a draft framework action to potentially allow scallop fishery access to the Northern Edge of Georges Bank. This potential access would occur inside the Habitat Management Area, which is currently off limits to scallop fishing.

During its April 16-18, 2024 meeting in Mystic, Connecticut, the Council reviewed extensive information related to four different “concept areas” initially developed for discussion. The Council then voted to remove Concept Area 1 and Concept Area 3 from the mix. The Council concluded that Areas 1 and 3 were inconsistent with the goal and objectives of the framework. The background information presented to the Council included:

  • Historic distribution of scallops in the Northern Edge region, scallop biomass estimates within each concept area, and the size of each area;
  • Dominant types of sediment in each area – sand, pebble, cobble, and/or boulder –to define high complexity bottom;
  • Estimates of habitat disturbance from scallop fishing activity based on the Fishing Effects Model and estimates of
    habitat recovery time under various fishing scenarios; and
  • Enforceability of concept area boundaries.

The Council also: (1) considered recommendations from its Scallop and Habitat Committees, Scallop and Habitat Advisory Panels, and Enforcement Committee; and (2) took into account the Scallop and Habitat Committees’ rationale for recommending removal of Concept Areas 1 and 3.

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.” **

Council Schedules Three Facilitated Workshops to Solicit Public Input on Atlantic Cod Management Transition Plan

April 10, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council will host three in-person public workshops to identify challenges and begin discussing ideas for how to address Atlantic cod management considering that, moving forward, Atlantic cod will be assessed as four biological stock units instead of two.

The Council used to receive stock assessments for Gulf of Maine cod and Georges Bank cod. It now will receive stock assessments for: (1) Western Gulf of Maine cod; (2) Georges Bank cod under new stock boundaries; (3) Eastern Gulf of Maine cod; and (4) Southern New England cod.

As a result, the Council must deal with these new biological stock units on a management level. The three workshops will offer fishermen and other stakeholders an opportunity to weigh in before the Council begins formulating alternatives under Phase 2 of the Atlantic Cod Management Transition Plan.