Saving Seafood

NOAA says it will do more analysis in wake of criticism of proposed whale rules

September 12, 2019 — NOAA Fisheries on Wednesday said it was disappointed the Maine Lobstermen’s Association pulled its support from the federal plan to implement stronger protections for right whales, but did not specifically address the lobster association’s criticisms of the science used to develop the plan.

The statement from Chris Oliver, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries, said the agency continues to review the lobster association letter and conduct additional analysis on the issues it raised. It said the agency will continue to work with the Maine Lobstermen’s Association “on any clarifying questions or concerns by other fisheries.”

Oliver also stated that the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team strives to develop consensus recommendations, but “the agency will consider the extent of support for alternative proposals when consensus is not reached.”

Oliver’s statement arrived following 11 days of silence from NOAA Fisheries after the Maine Lobstermen’s Association informed the agency on Aug. 30 that it was stepping away from the right whale take reduction plan.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Reminder: Northeast Multispecies (Groundfish) Gulf of Maine Cod and Haddock Recreational Measures

September 11, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

We are opening a two-week season for Gulf of Maine cod from September 15-30, 2019.

Possession limits are per person per day and size limits are minimum total length.

Cod and haddock on board a vessel must be readily available for inspection. Fillets must have at least 2 square inches of contiguous skin that allows for identification of fish species, while possessed on board and at the time of landing.

During multiple-day trips, a vessel may possess the daily limit up to the number of calendar days fished. Any trip covering 2 calendar days must be at least 15 hours in duration. The possession limit for the second day may be possessed only after the second calendar day begins, and the same applies for each additional day. For example, a vessel on a 2-day trip could not be in possession of more than 15 Gulf of Maine haddock, per person, on the first day of the trip.

Read more in the bulletin on our website.

If you have a mobile device, you can use the FishRules app to check recreational fishing regulations.

Read the full release here

Increase in Atlantic King Mackerel Commercial Trip Limits in the Atlantic Southern Zone March 1-September 30

September 11, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

KEY MESSAGE:

  • NOAA Fisheries announces an increase in commercial king mackerel trips limits in the Atlantic Southern Zone during Season 1 (March 1-September 30).
  • During March each year, the commercial trip limit will increase from 50 to 75 fish between the Flagler/Volusia County, Florida, boundary and the Miami-Dade/Monroe County, Florida, boundary.
  • In addition, the commercial trip limit will increase from 75 fish to 3,500-pounds from April 1 through September 30 off Volusia County, Florida.
  • On September 1, 2019, the National Marine Fisheries Service reduced the trip limit from 75 to 50 fish south of Volusia County, Florida, to the Miami-Dade/Monroe County, Florida, boundary because 75% of the Season 1 quota was landed.
  • Therefore, the trip limit will remain at 50 fish for the area south of Volusia County, Florida, through September 30.

WHEN RULE WILL TAKE EFFECT:

  • These changes to the commercial trip limits will be effective on September 11, 2019.

WHAT THIS MEANS:

  • Commercial trip limits are changing as a result of Framework Amendment 6 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Coastal Migratory Pelagics Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Region.
  • For the month of March, between the Flagler/Volusia County, Florida, boundary and the Miami-Dade/Monroe County, Florida, boundary, the king mackerel commercial trip limit will be 75 fish.
  • Between April 1 and September 30, the trip limit will be 3,500-pounds off Volusia County, Florida.
  • There are no changes to the current April 1 through September 30 trip limit south of Volusia County, Florida, to the Miami-Dade/Monroe County, Florida, boundary.

This bulletin serves as a Small Entity Compliance Guide, complying with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996.

Read the full release here

NOAA Fisheries Announces Reduction of the Northern Red Hake Commercial Possession Limit

September 10, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Effective today, we are reducing the northern red hake commercial per-trip possession from 3,000 lb to 400 lb per day. Federally permitted vessels fishing for northern red hake may not exceed the incidental commercial possession limit of 400 lb per trip for the remainder of the 2019 fishing year, which ends on April 30, 2020.

This reduction is required by regulation because as of September 3, 2019, the northern red hake fishery is projected to reach or exceed 37.9 percent of the total allowable landings (TAL) on or around September 4, 2019.

Vessels that are currently on a trip when this reduction becomes effective may retain northern red hake up to the prior possession limit of 3,000 lb for the completion of that trip. Dealers issued federal permits for small-mesh multispecies may not purchase more than 400 lb of northern red hake per trip from federally permitted vessels for any trip that started after September 9, 2019 through the remainder of the fishing year (April 30, 2020).

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

NAFO Consultative Committee Meeting September 16 in Gloucester MA

September 9, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is holding a public meeting of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization Consultative Committee.

NAFO is a regional fisheries management organization that coordinates scientific study and cooperative management of the fisheries resources of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, excluding salmon, tunas/marlins, whales, and sedentary species (e.g., shellfish).

This meeting will help to ensure that the interests of U.S. stakeholders in the fisheries of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean are adequately represented at the Annual Meeting of the Organization.

Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization Consultative Committee members and all other interested U.S. stakeholders are invited to attend.

Meeting Details

Date: September 16, 2019

Time: 1 pm – 3:30 pm EST

Location: Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930

Questions?

If you would like information about webinar access or have other questions about this meeting, please contact Moira Kelly, Regional Office, 978-281-9218

Sneak Peek: 2019 Northeast Groundfish Assessment Peer Review

September 5, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Peer reviewers are evaluating 14 Northeast groundfish stock assessments September 9-13. The review meeting is at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s Clark Conference Room, Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

How Much Review?

To keep fisheries and fishery management successful in the Northeast, scientists provide information on about 60 fishery stocks in the form of stock assessments. Of these,14 groundfish stocks are under review this year.

There are two tracks for peer review – one for management and one for research. This ensures that the information needed for fishery management in a given year is available and that there is sufficient time to improve assessment science.

Management Assessments

The management assessment schedule is designed to provide set cycles for each stock. Some are assessed every year, some every two years, and so on. In a given year, the selected stocks are reviewed in the early summer or in the early fall.  The timing aligns with the fishery management timelines for the various stocks.

This way, all stocks are assessed often enough to provide managers with what they need to develop good management measures and appropriate catch limits.

All of the assessments under review this week are management assessments. These are designed to be simple, quick, and more efficient than research assessments.

Using the new assessment process, an oversight panel met in June. They determined how much detail to include in each groundfish assessment and how much time to devote to review. Assessments for 10 of the 14 stocks will be further examined by the peer reviewers. Assessments for four will be reported directly to the New England Fishery Management Council.

Read the full release here

Notice to Fishermen: 2019 Surfclam/Ocean Quahog Cost Recovery Tag Fees

September 3, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

We are announcing the 2019 cost recovery per-tag fees for the Atlantic surfclam and ocean quahog individual transferable quota (ITQ) program.

We have calculated the fee for each cage tag based on the number of ITQ cage tags that were used to land surfclams or ocean quahogs during the 2018 fishing year, and the costs associated with operating the program in 2018. These fees are separate from, and in addition to, the price ITQ permit holders currently pay to the tag vendor to obtain cage tags each year.

2019 Cost Recovery Cage Tag Fees

Atlantic Surfclam: $0.92 per tag

Ocean Quahog: $0.55 per tag

The initial quota shareholder who first received the allocation of cage tags will be responsible for the fee even if the tag is leased, sold, or otherwise used by someone else.

For more information, please review the permit holder bulletin.

Accepting Applications for Groundfish At-Sea Monitoring Providers for Fishing Year 2020

September 3, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Sector at-sea monitoring provider applications for fishing year 2020 are due October 1, 2019.

If you would like to provide at-sea monitoring (ASM) services to groundfish sectors in fishing year 2020 (May 1, 2020, through April 30, 2021), you must submit an application by October 1, 2019. Companies already approved to provide at-sea monitoring services in fishing years 2019 and 2020 do not need to apply again in order to provide services in 2020. We will review your application in accordance with the monitoring provider standards.

Refer to the posted bulletin for more information on what to include in an application.

Approvals will cover fishing year 2020. If we receive any applications under this announcement final decisions will be published in the Federal Register in November. There will be a future opportunity to apply for a two-year approval to provide services in fishing years 2021 and 2022.

Questions?

Contact: Maria Vasta, Sustainable Fisheries Division, 978-281-9196

U.S. Territorial Bottomfish Stocks Less Healthy Than Previously Assessed

August 29, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Bottomfish stocks in three U.S. Pacific territories are not as healthy as previously thought, according to a new report from NOAA’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center. Scientists recently completed three new stock assessments for bottomfish species in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Guam, and American Samoa.

Stock assessment results differed among the regions. For the CNMI, the stock was healthy (not overfished and not experiencing overfishing). For Guam and American Samoa, the stocks were less healthy. The Guam stock was overfished but not experiencing overfishing, and the American Samoa stock was both overfished and experiencing overfishing.

Bottomfish include species of snapper, emperor, grouper, and jack. The assessments considered the health of multi-species groups of bottomfish in each territory. The bottomfish group in American Samoa has 11 species and the groups for the CNMI and Guam each have 13 species. The data showed that there were three species of bottomfish most commonly caught by fishers:

Read the full release here

JOHN FIORILLO: The US aquaculture industry is on life support

August 28, 2019 — We’ve been writing quite a bit lately about the fledgling land-based salmon farming sector in the United States, but before we rush into predictions about the coming of a golden new age in US aquaculture, let’s take a real assessment of where things are right now with aquaculture industry we currently have.

Spoiler alert: Things aren’t good.

US aquaculture production has been on a flat to decreasing trend since the early 2000s. There are spurts of growth in various species sectors, but nothing substantial. And the heavy lifter, catfish, has been in steep decline for more than a decade.

In 2008, for example, US catfish farmers produced 233,564 metric tons of fish. By 2016, production was down by nearly 38 percent to 145,230 metric tons, according to the most recent data from NOAA Fisheries.

Read the full story at IntraFish