Saving Seafood

Meet the new NMFS director: Janet Coit

June 22, 2021 — Janet Coit has been appointed the assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries. She will also serve as acting assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere, and deputy NOAA administrator, according to a press release from NOAA.

Coit succeeds Paul Doremus, who has been acting NMFS administrator since January. The appointment is effective immediately.

“I have worked closely with Janet Coit for many years in Rhode Island, and I am thrilled to see her expertise and skillful leadership recognized by this administration,” said Chris Brown, a Rhode Island commercial fisherman and president of the Seafood Harvesters of America. “Janet will be a thoughtful and steady NMFS AA, carefully listening to stakeholders while keeping sound science, not politics, at the heart of the agency. She won the respect of commercial fishing industry in Rhode Island, and I expect her to do the same as NMFS AA.”

Coit directed the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management for more than 10 years, where she focused on improving natural resource conservation, promoting locally grown and harvested food, including seafood. She worked to improve new infrastructure for commercial and recreational fisheries and promote sustainable management of fisheries, including a new shellfish initiative.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

NOAA Administrator Talks Recent U.S.-Canada Meeting on North Atlantic Right Whale Mortalities

June 21, 2021 — Acting NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Paul Doremus provided an update following a meeting with Canadian officials that focused on the management and conservation of North Atlantic right whales.

On June 10, NOAA, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Transport Canada held their first biannual meeting of the year. NOAA’s Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, Sam Rauch, and Regional Administrator for the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, Mike Pentony were present for the virtual meeting.

Read the full story at Seafood News

Janet Coit named NOAA Fisheries assistant administrator

June 21, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA:

Today, Janet Coit was appointed to lead NOAA Fisheries, which is responsible for managing our nation’s marine fisheries and conserving protected marine species, as the assistant administrator under the Biden-Harris Administration. Coit will also serve as acting assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and deputy NOAA administrator, for which she will support and manage NOAA’s coastal and marine programs.

Her appointment is effective today, and she succeeds Paul Doremus, Ph.D., who has been acting NOAA Fisheries assistant administrator since January 2021.

Coit has worked on environmental issues, natural resource management, and stewardship for more than 30 years. She brings extensive managerial and leadership experience to NOAA Fisheries, having worked at the intersection of policy and science throughout her career.

“Janet understands the direct link between natural resources management and economic vitality for our Nation,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo. “She is a tremendous addition to our NOAA team, who brings a wealth of experience in supporting fisheries, promoting the seafood sector, protecting the marine environment, and tackling climate change.”

NOAA Fisheries employs 4,800 people in five regional offices, six science centers, and more than 20 laboratories in 15 states and U.S. territories. As NOAA Fisheries’ assistant administrator, Coit will oversee:

  • Recreational and commercial fisheries management within federal waters of the U.S. exclusive economic zone;
  • Marine mammal protection and marine protected species conservation; and
  • Coastal fisheries habitat conservation.

“I am excited to join NOAA Fisheries to work with the agency’s incredibly skilled and dedicated employees to rebuild fisheries where necessary, and protect and conserve endangered and threatened marine resources and their habitats,” said Coit. “It’s clear that NOAA Fisheries is already pivoting to capture and incorporate climate impacts into its world-class science capabilities. That will serve us well as we focus on the management of some of the most iconic and sustainable fisheries in the world.”

Coit directed the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management for over 10 years where she focused on improving natural resource conservation, promoting locally grown food, including seafood, and addressing the climate crisis. She worked to improve new infrastructure for commercial and recreational fisheries and promote sustainable management of fisheries, including a new shellfish initiative. Coit also chaired Rhode Island’s Seafood Marketing Collaborative, and worked with stakeholders to promote supplying seafood locally and abroad.

She streamlined the permitting process to support environmental and economic interests in the state. Additionally, she provided more opportunities for families and tourists to connect with nature— building new boat ramps and fishing piers— while enhancing the Department’s customer service for all clients, including businesses and the public. Among her top achievements were improving morale at the agency and championing the need for more funding in support of parks and open space, clean water, brownfields remediation, and addressing climate change.

“Over the past ten years, some of my most rewarding work has been aimed at supporting a resilient marine fishing industry to supply fresh seafood to Rhode Island and abroad by focusing on fishing port infrastructure and services, and sustainability through the application of fisheries science and management,” said Coit. “I look forward to continuing this work at NOAA.”

Before joining Rhode Island DEM in 2011, Coit was the state director for The Nature Conservancy in Rhode Island for 10 years. Prior to that, she was counsel and environmental coordinator in the Providence office of the late Senator John Chafee and, subsequently, then-Senator Lincoln Chafee. Coit also served as counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works, where she advised on national environmental policy.

A native of Syracuse, New York, she is a magna cum laude graduate of Dartmouth College. She holds a law degree from Stanford Law School, where she was president of the Environmental Law Society and a member of the Environmental Law Journal.

An avid kayaker in her free time, she loves exploring Rhode Island’s waterways, historic sites, and wild places. She is married with two grown children and currently lives in Barrington, Rhode Island.

Updated Policy on Issuance of Observer Waivers

June 21, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Last week Paul Doremus, Acting Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, issued a Leadership Statement announcing an update to our observer waiver policy. In summary, a vessel will not be eligible for release from observer or monitor coverage if a fully vaccinated observer or a quarantined/shelter in place observer is available.

Questions?

Contact Katherine McArdle, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, 508-495-2377

Media: Contact Allison Ferreira, Regional Office, 978-281-9103

MASSACHUSETTS: Gov. Baker nominates locals for regional fish council

June 17, 2021 — The New England Fishery Management Council will lose four of its longest-serving members this summer because of term limits and two of the vacant seats could be filled by candidates from Cape Ann.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker has nominated Jackie Odell, the executive director of the Gloucester-based Northeast Seafood Coalition and a Gloucester resident, as his second choice to replace retiring council Chairman John Quinn in the obligatory Massachusetts seat.

“Ms. Odell’s support of the council process established by the (Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act) is rooted in a belief that utilizing data, sound science and comprehensive analyses are essential to the management decision-making process,” Baker wrote in his nominating letter to Paul Doremus, NOAA Fisheries acting assistant administrator for fisheries. “Encouraging advancements in science and evolving scientific methodologies is vital to ensure successful management measures.”

Baker listed recreational fishing stakeholder Mike Pierdinock, of Plymouth, as his preferred candidate for the Massachusetts seat.

The governor also nominated Odell as his preferred candidate for the at-large seat that will be vacated in August by Vincent Balzano, of Saco, Maine.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

‘Déjà vu for Louisiana’s fisheries’: Fishermen to receive federal aid to offset COVID-19 losses

April 5, 2021 — Louisiana fishermen and others in the industry will receive $12.5 million in federal aid to help offset financial losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It’s part of a $255 million package approved by Congress in December as part of a larger COVID relief and budget bill.

“Our priority is to award these funds as quickly as possible using existing processes established under the CARES Act,” Paul Doremus, acting assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries, said in announcing the aid last week.

It’s the second round of money aimed at helping fishermen weather the downturn in business caused by the pandemic.

Last year, Louisiana received $14.8 million from the CARES Act, which included about $300 million to aid the fishing industry throughout the U.S.

Read the full story at Houma Today

NOAA allocates more CARES Act funding, but some states want more

March 31, 2021 — An additional USD 255 million (EUR 217.3 million) in CARES Act fisheries relief funding has been released to states, territories, and tribal entities to help fisheries impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, once again, questions have been raised about the allocation process.

The move comes nearly a year after USD 300 million (EUR 255.6 million) was allocated to U.S. fisheries in the first round of funding.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Secretary of Commerce Announces Allocation of an Additional $255 Million in CARES Act Funding to States and Territories

March 30, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries announced the allocation of an additional $255 million in fisheries assistance funding provided by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. The funding will support activities previously authorized under Sec. 12005 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). It will be allocated to states and territories with coastal and marine fishery participants who have been negatively affected by COVID-19.

“Our priority is to award these funds as quickly as possible using existing processes established under the CARES Act,” said Paul Doremus, Acting Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries. “As a next step, we will use these allocations to provide additional funds to our partners—the interstate marine fisheries commissions, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands—to disburse funds to address direct or indirect fishery-related losses as well as subsistence, cultural, or ceremonial impacts related to COVID-19.”

The commissions then will work with each state and territory to revise their prior spend plans to be consistent with the Consolidated Appropriations Act, the CARES Act, and NOAA’s guidance. Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands will submit spend plans to the agency directly. All spend plans must describe the main categories for funding, including direct payments, fishery-related infrastructure, and fishery-related education. The funding will address direct and indirect COVID-19 impacts to eligible fishery participants, including:

  • Commercial fishermen
  • Charter businesses
  • Qualified aquaculture operations
  • Subsistence, cultural, and ceremonial users
  • Processors
  • Other fishery-related businesses

Congress also designated $30 million for all federally recognized Tribes in coastal states and the Great Lakes and $15 million for Great Lakes states. We will work with our state partners and Tribes to determine the approach we will use to allocate this funding to eligible fishery participants as quickly as possible.

Read the full release here