NOAA Fisheries Archives - Page 31 of 204

Skates: NEFMC Signs Off on 2022-2023 Specifications; Discontinues Amendment 5 and Initiates Framework 9

October 4, 2021 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council dealt with two skate-related actions when it met by webinar in late-September. First, the Council voted to submit a fishing year 2022-2023 specifications package to NOAA Fisheries for review and implementation. Second, the Council agreed to: (a) discontinue work on Amendment 5 now that limited access and several other measures are no longer part of the action; and (b) initiate a simpler framework adjustment to address the last two outstanding components in the amendment.

Skates are managed by the Council under the Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The complex covers seven species – barndoor, clearnose, little, rosette, smooth, thorny, and winter skates, which are found in state and federal waters throughout New England and the Mid-Atlantic.

The Council sets skate specifications every two years for the entire complex based on an acceptable biological catch (ABC) control rule and a formula that were established under Amendment 3 to the FMP.

The Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) recommends the ABC. The Council then uses a flow chart (at right) to determine total allowable landings. Expected dead discards and state landings are subtracted from the annual catch target, and the resulting total allowable landings are divided between the skate wing and skate bait fisheries.

The 2022-2023 specifications were based on updated survey data through 2019. The Skate Plan Development Team developed a method for setting the ABC that accounted for missing survey stations in 2018 and no data from 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The SSC supported this approach and recommended the new ABC of 37,236 metric tons (mt), which is a 14% increase from the 2020-2021 ABC, largely due to trawl survey increases for skates. The Council previously decided that it would not adjust trip limits under this action. Prior to voting on the new specifications, the Council received a presentation that highlighted the following.

• Overfishing is not occurring on any of the seven species in the skate complex, and the risk of overfishing in the next two fishing years is low.

• The only species that is overfished is thorny skate, which is under a 25-year rebuilding plan. Possession is prohibited. The stock remains at a very low level and far below its rebuilding target.

• Little and winter skates, the primary components of the bait and wing fisheries respectively, continue to dominate stock assessment survey biomass for the skate complex. Since 2010, skates have generated between $5 million to $9 million in revenue annually.

• Warming ocean conditions are likely to impact the distribution of many or all skate species, and thorny skates are apt to shift northward into the Gulf of Maine and into deeper water.

• Skate have been landed in roughly 400 different fishing ports since 2018, but the fishery is primarily centered around three major landing ports – Chatham and New Bedford, MA and Point Judith, RI.

Framework Adjustment 9

During its April 2021 meeting, the Council voted to stop working on all alternatives in Amendment 5 that involved limited access. During its June 2021 meeting, Framework Adjustment 9 the Council recommended that NOAA Fisheries rescind the control dates for skates, which the agency did on August 31, 2021. Then, during this most recent September meeting, the Council further whittled down Amendment 5 to two elements: (1) clarification of the Skate FMP’s objectives; and (2) alternatives focused on federal skate permits and the interplay between fishing for skates in state and federal waters. Given the greatly narrowed scope of the action and based on a recommendation from its Skate Committee, the Council agreed by consensus to stop further work on Amendment 5 and instead refine and finalize the two remaining items in a framework adjustment. This will become Framework 9.

• The history of Amendment 5 can be found here and in the September 2021 meeting materials.

Questions? Contact Dr. Rachel Feeney, the Council’s skate plan coordinator, at (978) 465-0492 ext. 110, rfeeney@nefmc.org. Also visit the Council’s skate webpage.

Read the full release from the New England Fishery Management Council

Whale Protection Regulations Criticized by Opposing Sides

September 29, 2021 — New federal regulations meant to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales are set to be instituted soon.

But they’re facing opposition from the Maine Lobstermen’s Association despite endorsement by marine animal experts, and also being criticized as not stringent enough by environmentalists.

The association has filed a lawsuit against the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Secretary of Commerce over the 10-year whale protection plan.

It includes regulations like state-specific gear marks, more traps between buoy lines, more seasonal closure areas and requiring weaker ropes that the whales can break.

Read the full story at CapeCod.com

Lobster Lawsuit: Maine org sues feds over right whale rules

September 28, 2021 — On Monday, Sept. 21, the Maine Lobstermen’s Association filed a lawsuit challenging NMFS’ new rule for Northeast lobster and Jonah crab fisheries.

The rule, filed on Aug. 31, is a modification of the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan and is supposed to reduce the risk of entanglements to North Atlantic right whales in U.S. waters. The association says the modifications address only the perceived risk of Maine fisheries, which have no documented right whale interactions.

The lawsuit, filed against NMFS and the Secretary of Commerce in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, argues that “the federal government’s draconian and fundamentally flawed 10‐year whale protection plan… will all but eliminate the Maine lobster fishery yet still fail to save endangered right whales.” The result would put both fishermen and whales in harm’s way, industry leaders have said.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

$99.6 Million Approved to Continue Restoring Gulf-wide Resources Impacted by Deepwater Horizon

September 28, 2021 — NOAA and the Deepwater Horizon Regionwide Trustee Implementation Group have finalized their first restoration plan (PDF, 401 pages). The group includes all four federal agencies and all five Gulf states, collaborating and coordinating to restore the environment after the 2010 oil spill. The plan calls for $99.6 million to implement 11 restoration projects across all five of the Gulf coast states. It also targets specific locations in Mexico and on the Atlantic coast of Florida.

Wildlife and other natural resources affected by the spill often live and migrate across jurisdictional boundaries, which requires a region-wide approach to restoration. This approach also links projects across regional jurisdictions.

Read the full story at NOAA Fisheries

Maine Lobstermen’s Association Sues Feds Over Right Whale Protection Plan

September 28, 2021 — The Maine Lobstermen’s Association has filed suit against the federal government over its plan to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales from becoming entangled in lobster gear.

MLA executive director Patrice McCarron says a 10-year plan issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service this summer should be revised to reflect actions the industry has already taken.

“We are literally on a course to have our fishery erased, eliminated in ten years, because the plan’s not based upon the science. And the first phase of the plan has weaknesses, too, not based upon the best available science,” she says.

Read the full story at Maine Public

Success of the 2021 Mission to Clean up Marine Debris

September 27, 2021 — Scientists and divers from NOAA’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center and local nonprofit Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project (PMDP) returned to Honolulu on September 22, 2021, from a 30-day mission. The team removed marine debris from the shallow reefs and shorelines of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. These remote islands and atolls are centered among Pacific currents that carry lost and abandoned fishing nets and gear from all over the Pacific Ocean. The debris entangles wildlife and damages corals. Even during this mission, the team disentangled a 5-year-old female Hawaiian monk seal from derelict fishing rope.

The project staff collect valuable data during these missions:

Assessing the abundance and distribution of marine debris across Papahānaumokuākea
Evaluating rates of marine debris accumulation
Measuring habitat damage and the negative impacts of marine debris on coral reefs
Gauging recovery of coral reefs after marine debris removal
Increasing public awareness of marine debris issues through communication and outreach

The team of 16 divers expected to remove more than 110,000 pounds of derelict fishing nets, plastics, and other marine debris. Over only 18 days, they collected even more—nearly 124,000 pounds of debris—from these islands, atolls, and reefs of the monument:

Kamokuokamohoaliʻi (Maro Reef)—nearly 43,000 pounds
Kuaihelani (Midway Atoll)—approximately 24,500 pounds
Manawai (Pearl and Hermes Atoll)—23,650 pounds
Hōlanikū (Kure Atoll)—nearly 16,000 pounds
Kapou (Lisianski Island)—nearly 11,500 pounds
Kamole (Laysan Island)—more than 5,000 pounds

Read the full story at NOAA Fisheries

129 Fishing Industry Representatives Ask Congress to Oppose ‘Duplicative’ New Vessel Monitoring Requirements

September 27, 2021 — 129 fishing industry representatives have written to Congress asking them to reconsider a bill that would require all fishing vessels to use Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) in U.S. waters and on the high seas, citing redundancy with other monitoring systems, cost and privacy concerns.

The letter, organized by the Saving Seafood Coalition and delivered to the House Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife, concerns H.R. 3075, the Illegal Fishing and Forced Labor Prevention Act. This legislation would require commercial fishing vessels to install AIS systems; however, most vessels already use Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) to track their locations. The letter notes several reasons why vessel operators prefer VMS to AIS, specifically privacy concerns associated with adopting AIS.

Current VMS hardware, unlike AIS, is based on secured end-to-end transmissions. AIS relies on VHF radio signals, which are susceptible to interception and risk being spoofed. Additionally, AIS data can be seen by other vessels and competitors, undermining privacy and data security that up until now has been an important part of NOAA’s vessel monitoring and data collection policies.

“We were concerned by the viewpoint expressed by Rep. Ed Case [D-HI], a

cosponsor of the bill, that no one ‘fishing in [United States] waters has an inherent right to privacy’ and that VMS data should not be considered proprietary,” the letter states. “That viewpoint is contrary to twenty-seven years of agency policy set forth by NOAA Administrative Order 216-100, which created a strict regime of controls to protect the privacy of data collected by the agency for purposes including the regulation and conservation of our fisheries.”

As noted in the letter, this position is shared by Janet Coit, who was recently confirmed as Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries. In earlier written testimony, she stated:

“[Section 501 of H.R. 3075] is duplicative of existing Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) requirements since it would require those vessels already equipped with VMS to carry AIS without significant benefits. AIS is primarily a collision avoidance system, but VMS are more effective for tracking fishing vessel movement and effort, are less susceptible to tampering, and have better tools for two-way communications with vessels.”

Read the letter here

US Pacific Fishery Managers Set Uku Catch Limits in Hawai‘i, Support Exploring Cultural Take of Green Sea Turtles

September 21, 2021 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council recommended that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) implement a 291,010-pound annual catch target for uku in the main Hawaiian Islands. This would include an in-season accountability measure to avoid surpassing this level for fishing years 2022 to 2025. The previous catch limit, effective from 2019 to 2021, was nearly half the amount at 127,205 pounds, but only applied to commercial fishers, whereas the new limit combines the commercial and noncommercial sectors.

The Council also heard a report on honu (green sea turtle, Chelonia mydas) management in Hawai‘i, noting continued requests from the fishing community to allow harvest for cultural purposes. Council members supported developing a way forward with NMFS. Manny Dueñas, Council member from Guam, expressed deep concern at the erosion of respect for indigenous cultures in our region, where turtles have been valued for medicine, food and sustenance for more than 4,000 years. The Council will work with communities to document the history of cultural harvest and use of honu in Hawai‘i.

The Council deferred taking final action on the rebuilding plan for the federally managed bottomfish complex in American Samoa, and will organize an intercessional meeting for the week of Oct. 18, 2021. Several Council members expressed their dismay at the low catch limit alternatives and the potential fishery closure. Archie Soliai, Council chair and director of the American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources said the extra time would allow him time to consult with the governor on the coordinated management of the bottomfish fishery in territorial and federal waters.

“We carefully balance the economic development aspirations with sustainable management of the bottomfish resource based on available scientific information,” Soliai said. The territory is working with local communities to develop a Territorial Bottomfish Fishery Management Plan that is in line with Fa’a Samoa, the Samoan identity and way of living.

“Fishing is how we keep in touch with Fa’a Samoa…our God-given right and our way of feeding our communities,” noted Howard Dunham, Council member from American Samoa and president of the American Samoa Alia Fishing Association. “We need to revive our alia fleet instead of further marginalizing a small underserved fishing community. Some alia still use wooden reels because modern reels are expensive.” The territory has a population of approximately 58,000 people, with more than 54% living in poverty.

The Council requested that the NMFS Stock Assessment Program separate the shallow- and deepwater-bottomfish into separate stock complexes in its next assessment. The Council also requested that the data workshop sharing information with the American Samoa fishing communities currently planned for November 2021 be held in-person.

For meeting agenda and briefing materials, visit www.wpcouncil.org/meetings-calendars.

NOAA awards education grants of $30 million each to two HBCUs to increase diversity in STEM Workforce

September 23, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

As part of NOAA’s continuing long-term commitment to ensuring a future NOAA workforce that is representative of the nation’s population, the agency has awarded grants of up to $30 million, over a five-year period, to two Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Florida A&M University and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

“Our nation’s HBCU’s are a precious resource that foster growth, opportunity, and ingenuity, serving as vital incubators for Black innovation and excellence,” said U.S. Department of Commerce Deputy Secretary Don Graves. “Earlier this month, President Biden issued a proclamation to honor and celebrate these critical institutions and these grants further that charge by supporting the next generation of HBCU scientists, researchers and engineers. I am hopeful that these bright minds will eventually find their way towards federal service and help ensure that agencies like NOAA continue to benefit from diversity and inclusion.”

“These grants will strengthen the federal workforce by promoting and advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility,” said Rick Spinrad, Ph.D., NOAA administrator. “This funding will directly benefit students at minority serving institutions who we hope will join the future NOAA workforce and who will contribute to U.S. global economic competitiveness.”

NOAA’s ongoing partnership with Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) is part of the efforts to provide opportunities for students from traditionally underserved communities. These awards provide NOAA the opportunity to train and recruit MSI graduates, who are an underutilized resource to advance America’s competitiveness in science and technology innovation.

These awards, delivered through NOAA’s Educational Partnership Program with Minority Serving Institutions (EPP/MSI) Cooperative Science Centers at the two universities, will train and graduate students in coastal and marine ecosystems and in living marine resources science and management, which are core science fields for NOAA.

The award to the Cooperative Science Center for Coastal and Marine Ecosystems at Florida A&M University will increase the number of graduates with the skills and competencies necessary to support resilient coastal communities and economies.

“I must state first how much we welcome this opportunity to expand our ability to contribute to the well-being of coastal communities and ecosystems around the nation,” said Larry Robinson, Ph.D., president, Florida A&M University and principal investigator of the Center for Coastal and Marine Ecosystems. “Our deliberate engagement of underrepresented minorities in education, research and outreach will not only enhance diversity in the NOAA-related coastal and marine science and policy workforce, but also ensure that we stay attuned to the needs of our most vulnerable populations as solutions are developed.”

The award to the Cooperative Science Center for Living Marine Resources at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore will provide education, research, and training to students in areas relevant to the NOAA Fisheries mission as well as to NOAA’s healthy oceans research and management priorities.

“We are absolutely excited about this new Center award, and are deeply grateful to NOAA for its continued confidence in this endeavor,” said UMES President Heidi Anderson, Ph.D. “This investment will be invaluable in enabling the University of Maryland Eastern Shore together with its partner institutions to build on its excellent record of training and graduating a diverse future STEM workforce, particularly in marine and fisheries science.”

Since 2001, NOAA’s EPP/MSI Cooperative Science Centers have awarded 2,135 post-secondary degrees to students in NOAA mission-related STEM, natural resource management, and policy fields with funding support from the agency. An additional 258 students are currently pursuing degrees through these programs. Upon graduation, EPP/MSI-supported students are qualified to join the STEM workforce at NOAA, other natural resources and environment agencies, academia, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations.

These awards have also supported capacity building in NOAA-mission sciences at EPP/MSI centers. Since 2003, EPP center institutions have supported 35% of the PhDs earned by African American graduates in marine science and 30% of the PhDs earned by African American graduates in environmental sciences, as well as 39% of the PhDs earned by Latino graduates in marine science, and 19% of the PhDs earned by Latino graduates in environmental science.

The goal of NOAA’s EPP/MSI is to increase the number of students, particularly from traditionally underrepresented and historically excluded communities, who are educated and graduate in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, natural resource management and policy fields that directly support NOAA’s mission. These awards also provide NOAA’s subject matter experts as student mentors. Additionally, NOAA employees engage in substantial collaboration and engagement in research and professional development to ensure EPP/MSI graduates are ready to join and contribute to the future workforce in career paths aligned with the NOAA mission.

What Fish Fat Can Tell About the Value of Deep-Sea Coral and Sponge Habitat

September 22, 2021 — Rockfish have an affinity for structure, whether it is created by rocks, corals, or sponges. But do deep-sea coral and sponge ecosystems offer benefits beyond structure? Are fish in these habitats more productive?

A new NOAA Fisheries study is the first to look at the relationship between fish condition and reproductive success in a variety of habitats, focusing on deep-sea coral and sponge ecosystems. As part of the study, scientists are developing methods to accurately assess rockfish condition by measuring fat content. For rockfish in Alaska, fat means healthy.

The study looked at the most commercially important rockfish in the Gulf of Alaska and Aleutian Islands: northern rockfish and Pacific ocean perch. Samples are being collected during 2021–2022 Alaska Fisheries Science Center bottom trawl surveys.

The research addresses a priority of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council: understanding the importance of deep-sea coral and sponge ecosystems to commercially valuable fish.

“Developing a feasible method to accurately measure fish condition across Alaska waters during annual surveys will provide a wealth of data to help us understand how habitat influences fish productivity. That knowledge will also help us track how climate change is affecting the ecosystem,” said study leader Christina Conrath, NOAA Fisheries biologist at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center.

The new project is part of NOAA’s Alaska Deep-Sea Coral and Sponge Initiative, which is supported by the Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program. The initiative was established to provide the scientific data needed to inform management and protection of deep-sea coral and sponge ecosystems in Alaska. Discoveries made previously and under this initiative have greatly advanced our knowledge of corals and sponges and their role in Alaska marine ecosystems.

Rockfish in Alaska waters are frequently found in coral and sponge habitat. Previous Alaska Fisheries Science Center research found that rockfish densities were highest in structurally complex habitat. But that research showed no evidence that structure created by corals and sponges was more important than that formed by rocks.

“We know that rockfish get value from structure. But we don’t really have evidence yet that coral and sponge habitat offers benefits beyond structure,” Conrath said. “We’re exploring that.”

Read the full story from NOAA