Saving Seafood

MASSACHUSETTS: Rep. Moulton introduces bill geared to lobstermen coping with right whale rules

May 31, 2022 — U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Salem, has introduced a bill called the CLAW (Conserving Lobstering and Whales) Act that would establish a tax credit to make it easier for lobstermen to afford gear meant to reduce the chance of endangered right whales becoming entangled.

Hunted to the brink of extinction by the early 1890s by commercial whalers, it’s estimated there are fewer than 350 right whales in existence, according to NOAA Fisheries’ website. Vessel strikes and entanglement in fishing gear are the leading causes of mortality, NOAA Fisheries says.

However, there is concern that regulations to conserve right whales, including seasonal area closures and the added cost for weak rope and inserts and gear marking requirements, have created an added cost burden to lobstermen.

Moulton said he and his office have been working on the legislation with various industry stakeholders, including the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association and the Massachusetts Seafood Collaborative.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

Pingree, New England Colleagues Urge Biden Administration to Study Sustainable Offshore Wind Development in Gulf Of Maine

February 22, 2022 — The following was released by The Office of Congresswoman Chellie Pingree:

U.S. Reps. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), Annie Kuster (D-N.H.), and Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) are urging the Biden Administration to fund critical baseline research and scientific studies to advance sustainable offshore wind opportunities in the Gulf of Maine. In a letter to Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Director Amanda Lefton, the New England lawmakers urged BOEM to prioritize two studies that are crucial in determining habitat use and distribution of species in the Gulf of Maine—information they say is needed to protect critically important habitats for American lobster and Atlantic cod.

“Our states have enormous potential to produce significant renewable energy as well as anchor a burgeoning industry and workforce through the responsible development of offshore wind,” Pingree, Moulton, Kuster, and Pappas wrote. “While our state governments are already engaging with leaders of our region’s fishing industries and other ocean users to lessen conflicts with existing users and marine life, it is still crucial that BOEM complete further stakeholder outreach and scientific research to inform the agency’s planning process before conducting lease sales.”

“BOEM’s work to support regional outreach and comprehensive habitat and wildlife data collection and analyses using the best available science will be essential to advancing offshore wind in a way that is environmentally and economically responsible,” they continued.

In late January, Maine Sens. Angus King and Susan Collins, and Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) also wrote to Director Lefton to highlight the significant potential for offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine, but stressed that additional thorough research is needed to assess the impacts on local industries and ecosystems.

Pingree, who is a member of the House Appropriations Committee and current Chair of the House Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, which oversees funding for BOEM, has been a longtime supporter of the efforts to develop sustainable offshore wind power.

Full text of the letter is available here and below.

Dear Director Lefton,

As members of the Congressional delegations of Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, we write in support of funding for critical baseline research and scientific studies to advance sustainable offshore wind opportunities in the Gulf of Maine. The recent announcement from Interior Secretary Deb Haaland outlining BOEM’s plans to pursue offshore wind leases in the Gulf of Maine by mid-2024 brings new urgency to commence key research studies that will ensure offshore wind development in this area is underpinned by robust scientific research.

Our states have enormous potential to produce significant renewable energy as well as anchor a burgeoning industry and workforce through the responsible development of offshore wind. While our state governments are already engaging with leaders of our region’s fishing industries and other ocean users to lessen conflicts with existing users and marine life, it is still crucial that BOEM complete further stakeholder outreach and scientific research to inform the agency’s planning process before conducting lease sales.

In BOEM’s National Studies List for 2022, the Office of Renewable Energy Programs identified two studies that would provide essential information and enhance BOEM’s capacity to assess, predict, monitor, and manage the potential environmental impacts of offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine prior to inform the agency’s planning process. The two studies include an Ecological Baseline Study of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Off Maine (AT-22-12), and a Comprehensive Assessment of Existing Gulf of Maine Ecosystem Data and Identification of Data Gaps to Inform Future Research (AT-22-11).

We urge BOEM to invest in the Gulf of Maine as funding decisions are made for the fiscal year by prioritizing these two studies, in particular the Ecological Baseline Study (AT-22-12). As part of this study, BOEM should consider using targeted benthic habitat surveys collected via high resolution multibeam mapping and ground truthing of the data using sediment sampling and benthic fauna characterization to generate detailed habitat and sediment maps.

Existing bathymetric and benthic habitat data is extremely limited for the Gulf of Maine, yet it is fundamental to determine habitat use and distribution of species. This information is needed to determine areas of complex habitats, which are critically important for several important species including American lobster and Atlantic cod. This survey would also protect areas in the Gulf of Maine that have been designated as critical habitat for the endangered North Atlantic Right Whale and other species. We also encourage you to prioritize a comprehensive marine mammal and wildlife surveys and the collection of fisheries data in coordination with NOAA and state marine resource agencies to inform our understanding of the potential impact of offshore wind development on regional fisheries and marine species.

Continuing engagement with regional stakeholders has identified gaps related to the socioeconomic and cumulative impact assessments of offshore wind development in the Gulf of Maine. Accordingly, we support regionally specific research to investigate the projected economic impacts of offshore wind development on existing ocean users, as well as its cumulative impacts on our natural resources, existing uses, industries, and people.

The State of Maine spent more than a year working directly with fishermen and other stakeholders to put forward a comprehensive application to BOEM for a research lease. This project would use an innovative floating wind turbine technology developed at the University of Maine, which was developed with funding from the Department of Energy. We strongly support this research array application and believe it would contribute valuable and complementary data to an Ecological Baseline Study and a comprehensive evaluation of existing ecosystem data in the Gulf of Maine. Together, the resulting information will help advance floating offshore wind in the U.S. and build on our collective understanding of how to best minimize impacts to the fishing industry and the environment.

BOEM’s work to support regional outreach and comprehensive habitat and wildlife data collection and analyses using the best available science will be essential to advancing offshore wind in a way that is environmentally and economically responsible. We thank you for your attention to the Gulf of Maine and look forward to continuing to engage with you as you initiate these essential studies to aid in responsibly developing offshore wind.

 

Federal lawmakers want to save the North Atlantic right whale

February 18, 2022 — One of New England’s most critically endangered species is getting some love from federal legislators.

On Thursday, Congressional Democrats introduced a bill focused on saving the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale. The legislation, introduced by Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts and Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, would start a new grant program, making $15 million available each year for the next decade to projects that can reduce the risks of entanglement in fishing gear and vessel strikes.

North Atlantic right whales live almost exclusively along the eastern coasts of the United States and Canada. Many spend time in late winter and early spring feeding in Cape Cod Bay.

Read the full story at the Boston Globe

MASSACHUSETTS: Rep. Moulton thrilled by GMGI’s progress

January 7, 2022 — U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Salem, joined local officials, including newly installed Mayor Greg Verga, during a tour of the nonprofit Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute’s waterfront facility on Main Street.

There, he learned how the institute is making a difference when it comes to spurring marine biotech research in this 399-year-old seaport undergoing a sea change from its legacy fishing industry to a community able to attract life sciences companies.

He saw firsthand programs that will be helped by $1 million from the state Legislature’s pandemic relief bill, a combination of money from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the state budget surplus.

After a tour of the lab at 417 Main St. with GMGI Executive Director Christine Bolzan and science director Andrea Bodnar, the small entourage, including state Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, state Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante, D-Gloucester, and GMGI Board member Bill Kane, drove five minutes up the road to GMGI’s Biotechnology Academy at 55 Blackburn Center to tour the biotech workforce training center with Education Director John Doyle.

“This is fantastic,” Moulton said afterward. “I mean this is exactly what we need to see more of in terms of education but also in terms of our economy. There’s a synergy between the economic lifeblood of Massachusetts and tremendous educational opportunities for our students, this is incredible.”

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

Salem News: Finding common ground on fisheries data

November 5, 2021 — Building consensus between commercial fishermen, conservationists and marine regulators is no easy task. But a long, patient effort led by Congressman Seth Moulton’s office seems to be making progress, and a substantial influx of federal cash may finally help the often-warring factions find common ground.

There can be little argument that there are dramatically fewer fish in the North Atlantic today, in large part because of overfishing in the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s, fueled by massive outside investment and lax oversight from regulators.

But how many fish are left now? What kind? Where are they and how do they move?

Those are questions Moulton’s Groundfish Trawl Task Force has been working to answer since its formation in 2015. The panel’s efforts got a boost last month with a $500,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. At the heart of the effort is providing wider, more timely and more accurate data to decision makers. That in turn should go a long way toward rebuilding trust between fishermen and fisheries scientists.

Read the full editorial at the Salem News

 

Moulton Groundfish Trawl Task Force Receives $500,000 Backing From NOAA

October 26, 2021 — The following was released by the office of Congressman Seth Moulton:

It is an age-old question: how many fish are in the sea? In New England, the livelihoods of 34,000 people depend on the answer. A new federal grant that will fund the work of Rep. Seth Moulton’s Groundfish Trawl Task Force aims to get a more accurate count.

The results of the work have major implications for New England’s commercial fishermen. Government regulations that dictate how many groundfish commercial fishermen can catch are based on estimates of the groundfish population. Those estimates are currently calculated by combining decades of data from two research vessels that sporadically trawl the ocean and judge a species’ health based on what they catch. For decades, commercial fishermen have criticized the method as an archaic, inaccurate approach that leaves their financial security up to chance.

Groundfish are fish that live on or near the ocean floor. They include species like the iconic Atlantic cod, haddock, and flounder which fetch the highest-values for commercial fishermen.

Today, Representative Seth Moulton (D-MA) announced a $500,000 federal grant from The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that will fund research designed by Moulton’s Groundfish Task Force. The work will lead to new data NOAA, scientists and fishermen hope will be more accurate measurements of the fish population.

Moulton formed the Groundfish Task Force in 2015 in order to build consensus between the scientific community that conducts research which informs commercial fishing regulations and the commercial fishermen who are most affected by those regulations.

“When I took office I was told I had to make a choice: stand with the fishermen or the environmentalists. I thought that was crazy because both want—and fishermen need—a sustainable fishery. So instead, we rallied both groups around getting better science, and that is exactly what this historic partnership has produced,” Moulton said. “This work will protect the livelihoods of thousands of people, it will protect our ocean, and it will preserve New England’s identity as a place where people can make a living fishing.”

Jackie Odell, Executive Director of the Northeast Seafood Coalition, said: “Working constructively and collaboratively through the Task Force has been invaluable. The upcoming research will make a positive scientific contribution. This research will fill-in gaps and reduce uncertainty with the existing science.”

The new data will influence the commercial fishing industry. Gloucester, in the 6th Congressional district, is the second busiest port in the state.

According to a 2021 report by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, 436 permitted commercial fish harvesters have a Gloucester address and 446 commercial fishing vessels are homeported in the city.

They keep busy. Commercial fishermen landed 63,098,659 pounds of catch in 2018, with an ex-vessel value of $53,210,608. The top-ranked species, by dollar value, landed in Gloucester between 2014-2018 included American Lobster, Atlantic sea herring, and haddock. Herring and haddock are two of the species affected by the grants announced today.

Gloucester Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken said: “As America’s Oldest Seaport, Gloucester has been proud to partner with Congressman Seth Moulton and our fishermen so that we can find common sense solutions to benefit the entire fishing industry. Our partnerships agree that we must continue to collaborate together, especially around sustainable solutions that will benefit us all.”

In December of 2020, with Moulton’s support, the task force sent NOAA several recommendations for ways that the government could improve its research.

In a letter in response to Rep. Moulton and the Task Force, NOAA’s Director of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Dr. Jon Hare said: “Thank you for forming the Cod Task Force. The Task Force has broad expertise and has made a number of helpful recommendations to the Northeast Fisheries Science Center.” 

It also outlined three recommendations that NOAA will fund.

NOAA selected three of the recommendations for funding. The first will explore whether NOAA can get a better count of how many fish are present in waters fished by commercial fishermen. It will do this by separating the data of the two research vessels NOAA used to conduct the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s trawl survey. The Albatross IV was used between 1963 and 2008, and the Bigelow was commissioned in 2007 and has been used since. NOAA currently combines the data gathered over the last six decades into one dataset in order to assess where and when fishermen can work.

The second will determine how many groundfish are present in the areas of the ocean where they are known to live but can be challenging to sample with traditional approaches such as trawl surveys. This study will use a variety of data sources including NOAA’s longline surveys. Longlining involves long strings of hooks dropped and left on or near the bottom of the ocean at depths beyond the reach of trawling vessels.

Finally, the grants will collect data on how many fish are caught by fishermen and compare that information to the trawl surveys that NOAA conducts. The goal is to determine the degree to which the trawl surveys overlap with where key groundfish stocks are caught in the Gulf of Maine.

The $500,000 grant that will fund these three projects was appropriated by Congress and sent to NOAA’s Cooperative Institute of the North Atlantic Region, which is housed at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. The institute divided the work into two parts. One part will fund the first two studies and will be conducted by the Gulf of Maine Research Institute with a subaward to Northeastern University. The third project will be funded through a grant to UMass Dartmouth.

Moulton and his team worked with Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)  to secure funding for the research with an amendment to a Senate appropriations bill late last year. The money is now on the way.

According to NOAA, Cooperative Institutes are NOAA-supported, non-federal organizations that have established outstanding research and education programs in one or more areas that are relevant to the NOAA mission. Cooperative Institutes’ expertise and facilities add significantly to NOAA’s capabilities, and their structure and legal framework facilitate rapid and efficient mobilization of those resources to meet NOAA’s programmatic needs.

 

Proposal to help young fishermen becomes law

January 7, 2021 — Federal legislation to help mobilize the next generation of commercial fishermen cleared its final hurdle this week, creating a national grant program to identify and train young fishermen in Gloucester and beyond.

The bill, co-authored in the House by Rep. Seth Moulton and signed into law Tuesday by President Donald Trump, addresses the succession void that many traditional fisheries are experiencing as the pipeline of entry-level crew and prospective captains has dried up.

The new law provides $2 million in funding to distribute grants of up to $200,000 to support and enhance local and regional training, education and technology development for entry-level commercial fishermen.

“This important new law creates opportunities that will foster young and beginning fishermen with the education, training, and mentorship needed to overcome the steep financial costs of entering the fishing fleet, allowing them to compete within the industry while fishing in a sustainable manner,” said Robert C. Vandermark, executive director of the Marine Fish Conservation Network.

The legislation had significant bipartisan support in the House and the Senate from representatives of fishing communities throughout the United States, from Cape Ann to Alaska. The Senate passed its version first, with the House following suit in December before the two bills were reconciled.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Massachusetts Delegation Pleased With Additional Fisheries Disaster Funds in COVID Relief Package

January 6, 2021 — A Massachusetts delegation led by Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Representatives William R. Keating (MA-09) and Seth Moulton (MA-08) supported the inclusion of $300 million in national fisheries disaster assistance as part of the $900 billion coronavirus relief legislation.

In the last COVID relief package, the state received 28 million in fisheries assistance via the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) Act.

Read the full story at Seafood News

Congressman Don Young’s Bill to Create Opportunities for Young People in the Fishing Industry Sails Through the House

December 11, 2020 — Today, the Young Fishermen’s Development Act (H.R. 1240), legislation authored by Alaska Congressman Don Young, was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. H.R. 1240 addresses the longtime decline in younger Americans entering the commercial fishing industry. This legislation would create the first ever national grant program through the Department of Commerce to support training, education, and workforce development for the nation’s next generation of commercial fishermen. H.R. 1240 was introduced earlier in the 116th Congress with Representative Jared Golden (D-ME) along with original cosponsors Representatives Seth Moulton (D-MA) and Aumua Amata (R-American Samoa).

“This is a great day for Alaska’s fishing industry, and young people across the country hoping to make a living on the water. Young commercial fishermen are facing bigger challenges than ever before – new barriers to entry, limited training opportunities, and a lack of support,” said Congressman Don Young. “Fishing is important not only to Alaskan culture, but it is central to our rich history. Our legislation is about supporting the livelihoods of fishing communities across the nation by making the next generation aware of the opportunities available in the commercial fishing industry. I want to sincerely thank Representatives Golden, Moulton, and Amata for partnering with me on this critical issue. I am also deeply grateful to my colleagues in the House for supporting its passage. My work on behalf of our fishing fleet is not done. The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated our fishermen, processors, and countless others who depend on a strong, thriving seafood industry. I will continue to fight to ensure a strong future full of opportunity and growth for fishermen of all ages.”

“The average age of Maine lobstermen is over 50. Same goes for scallop fishermen. The future of the fishing industry depends on young people learning the ropes right now,” said Congressman Jared Golden. “The Young Fishermen’s Development Act takes important action to help young Mainers get ready for fulfilling careers in fishing and lobstering so they can stay in Maine, build our economy, and support our communities. I’m proud of this bipartisan effort and encourage the president to sign the bill when it reaches his desk.”

Read the full story at Alaska Native News

Senators Markey and Warren, and Reps. Moulton and Keating Request USDA Continue Purchasing Atlantic Seafood for Food Banks

October 21, 2020 — The following was released by The Office of Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.):

Today, Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Rep. Seth Moulton (MA-06) and Rep. William Keating (MA-09) wrote to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to express appreciation for the inclusion of Atlantic seafood in Section 32 purchases, based on requests from the Massachusetts lawmakers during the coronavirus pandemic, and to ask that the USDA continue to dedicate funds to the purchase of Atlantic pollock, haddock, and redfish. On May 4, the USDA announced a $20 million solicitation for these fish, but thus far only a single $4.4 million contract has been made. The lawmakers encourage the USDA to continue to dedicate the remaining funds to the purchase of more Atlantic seafood and to build on these initial partnerships by including the New England seafood industry in other USDA procurement programs, like the National School Lunch Program.

“Steady demand from regular USDA purchases will further support the industry’s recovery from the pandemic, help businesses operate with additional certainty, and direct surplus products to supply healthy meals to American families,” write the lawmakers. “We ask that the USDA continue to dedicate those funds specifically to the purchase of Atlantic pollock, haddock, and redfish. Section 32 purchasing is a new type of market opportunity for Atlantic fishermen and processors and surplus stocks will remain accessible throughout next year.”

A copy of the letter can be found HERE.