Whiting Archives - Saving Seafood

USDA spends $70.9 million on domestic seafood

May 14, 2021 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced today that it will purchase $70.9 million of domestic wild seafood, registering its largest purchase of U.S. seafood to date.

The purchase, made possible under the Agricultural Adjustment Act, is one of many actions USDA is taking to address food insecurity and disruptions in the food system supply chain exacerbated by the pandemic.

The seafood purchases come from a $159.4 million commitment to buying domestic seafood, fruits, legumes and nuts for distribution to a variety of domestic food assistance programs, including charitable institutions.

“The impacts of covid-19 reverberated from our farms to our oceans,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in a statement. “U.S. fisheries and the American seafood industry were dealt a heavy blow. Today, USDA is pleased to make the largest single seafood purchase in the department’s history. These healthy, nutritious food purchases will benefit food banks and non-profits helping those struggling with food hardship as the Biden administration works to get the economy back on track for American families.”

Read the full story at National Fisherman

The Pacific Hake/ Whiting Agreement U.S. Delegation Meeting

March 25, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

March 25, 2021

Online Meeting

The U.S. Delegation to the Joint Management Committee (JMC) and Advisory Bodies created under the Pacific Hake/Whiting Agreement between the Governments of the United States and Canada (Agreement) will meet by webinar to discuss the lack of a bilateral agreement on the 2021 Pacific hake/whiting coastwide total allowable catch (TAC) during the JMC and Advisory Panel (AP) meeting held March 15-17, 2021. In addition, NMFS will provide information on the procedures to establish the 2021 Pacific whiting U.S. TAC as identified in the Pacific Whiting Act of 2006 (16 U.S.C. 7007(c)) when the JMC does not recommend a final coastwide TAC.

The U.S. Delegation meeting is open to U.S. members of the public.

Meeting Time: Thursday, March 25, 2021 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm

Webinar Meeting Information:

To join from your computer, smartphone or tablet:
Meeting link: https://noaanmfs-meets.webex.com/noaanmfs-meets/j.php?MTID=md36d86074802d683c53c129c1ceba2a8
Meeting number: 199 730 7021
Password: 5033437777

To join by phone: +1-415-527-5035 US Toll
Access code: 199 730 7021

Increased whiting quota could boost revenues

February 12, 2021 — The New England Fishery Management Council has approved new measures for the region’s small-mesh multispecies fishery for the next three fishing years, including a significant increase in whiting possession limits for individual trips.

The council, at its meeting in late January, set the per-trip possession limits for whiting — northern silver hake and southern whiting — at 15,000 pounds per vessel to help reduce discards.

“The increase is expected to reduce discards by fishermen using less than 3-inch codend mesh trawls,” the council said. “This mesh size is often used to target other species such as herring and squid, and whiting bycatch in the squid fishery has increased in recent years.”

The 15,000-pound limit, according to the council, will allow fishermen to land more of their whiting catch as they target the other species. It is expected the new limit will help fishermen increase revenues without having a negative impact on the stock status.

The council also approved a 90% total allowable catch trigger for northern red hake. The trigger is used as an in-season adjustment to prevent overfishing.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

NEFMC Approves Small-Mesh Multispecies Specifications for Fishing Years 2021-2023

February 11, 2021 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

During its late-January meeting, the New England Fishery Management Council approved new specifications for the small-mesh multispecies fishery for fishing years 2021-2023. These limits apply to whiting and red hake stocks and are based on recent stock assessment information and other data. The package contains:

Annual catch specifications for small-mesh stocks that follow overfishing limit (OFL) and acceptable biological catch (ABC) recommendations from the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) – except for southern red hake, where the Council went with a more conservative approach and selected an ABC that is 75% of the SSC’s recommendation in order to enhance stock rebuilding;
A provision to reset the total allowable landing (TAL) trigger for northern red hake from the current 38% to the original value of 90% so that in-season accountability measures don’t unnecessarily restrict the fishery at a very low level of landings; and
An adjustment to the whiting possession limit on trips using less than 3-inch mesh codend trawls so that fishermen can land up to 15,000 pounds of northern silver hake and southern whiting.

Read the full release here

Ask a Highliner: Bob Dooley talks fishing, bycatch reduction, safety and more

January 22, 2021 — How much firewood does it take to build a new 52-foot salmon troller? Bob Dooley has the answer to that and just about any other question about West Coast and Alaska fisheries you can throw his way.

When Brian Hagenbuch profiled Dooley as a 2017 NF Highliner, the title of his feature was “Community champion,” and that’s been Dooley’s story through every decade of his nearly 60-year career.

Starting as a deckhand on a salmon troller out of his home town of Half Moon Bay, Calif., at the age of 11, Dooley ended his fishing career on Bering Sea and West Coast pollock and whiting trawlers. In his years on the water, he witnessed the inception of the Magnuson Act and the 200-mile limit, joint-venture fishing, observer coverage, Coast Guard safety regulations, and perhaps the biggest change in fishing in his lifetime — bycatch reduction.

“We went from the wild, wild west of joint ventures to overcapitalization of the fleet with the advent of factory trawlers, particularly in pollock and the West Coast in whiting. And we basically had 200 percent catching capacity with the same amount of fish,” Dooley says, describing technological advancements and government programs that changed the way people went fishing.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

NEFMC SSC – Listen Live – Thursday, November 12, 2020 – Small-Mesh Multispecies (Whiting) Issues, Stock Assessments

November 4, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will meet via webinar on Thursday, November 12, 2020 to discuss issues related to small-mesh multispecies – red hake, silver hake, and offshore hake. The public is invited to listen live. But first…

HERE’S AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: The Council is seeking qualified candidates to serve on its SSC for a three-year term from January 2021 through December 2023. The deadline for submitting nominations and related materials is 8:00 a.m. on December 20, 2020. Additional information is available in the request for nominations.

Now, here are the details for the SSC’s November 12^th webinar meeting.

START TIME: 9:00 a.m.

WEBINAR REGISTRATION: Online access to the meeting is available at Listen Live. There is no charge to access the meeting through this webinar.

CALL-IN OPTION: To listen by telephone, dial +1 (914) 614-3221. The access code is 611-762-686. Please be aware that if you dial in, your regular phone charges will apply.

AGENDA: The SSC will meet to:

Review recent information from: (1) the Fall 2020 Management Track Stock Assessments for northern and southern red hake, northern and southern silver hake, and offshore hake, and (2) the Council’s Whiting Plan Development Team;
Recommend the overfishing limit (OFL) and acceptable biological catch (ABC) levels for each of those stocks for fishing years 2021-2023; and
Discuss other business as necessary.

COMMENTS: The deadline for submitting written comments for consideration at this meeting is 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 10, 2020. Address comments to Council Chairman Dr. John Quinn or Executive Director Tom Nies and email them to comments@nefmc.org. Additional information is available in the meeting notice.

MATERIALS: All documents for this meeting will be posted on the SSC November 12, 2020 webpage.

QUESTIONS: Contact Joan O’Leary at (978) 465-0492 ext. 101, joleary@nefmc.org or Janice Plante at (607) 592-4917, jplante@nefmc.org.

NEFMC November 2020 Meeting Lineup – Groundfish, Scallops, Whiting, Habitat, and More

October 30, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council has scheduled several advisory panel and committee meetings throughout November to address actions related to groundfish, Atlantic sea scallops, whiting, habitat, and more. Webinar registration links and related documents are – or soon will be – posted on each of the respective meeting webpages. Here’s the lineup.

GROUNDFISH ROUND 1 – Wednesday, November 4: The Council’s Groundfish Advisory Panel (GAP) and Groundfish Committee will meet back-to-back to continue work on Framework Adjustment 61 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The GAP will meet from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and the Groundfish Committee will meet beginning at 12:45 p.m. Here is the joint meeting notice.

GROUNDFISH ROUND 2 – Monday, November 30: The GAP and Groundfish Committee will meet back-to-back once again to continue work on groundfish issues in preparation for the December 1-3, 2020 meeting of the full New England Council. More information will be posted shortly on the Council’s website.

Read the full release here

NEFMC Seeks Applicants for Whiting and Herring Advisory Panels

August 19, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council is soliciting applicants to fill one vacancy on its Whiting Advisory Panel and another vacancy on its Herring Advisory Panel (AP). The appointments will run through December 2022. The application deadline is Friday, September 4, 2020.

Advisory panel members reflect a wide range of expertise covering different gear types, user groups, geographic locations, and social and economic perspectives.

“We’re looking for applicants who understand the whiting and herring fisheries and are ready to commit to an active role on an AP,” said Council Executive Director Tom Nies. “We recognize that being an AP member can be challenging and sometimes time-demanding, but the Council benefits from the expertise of its AP members and genuinely appreciates their involvement in the development of our actions.”

Read the full release here

Pacific reopens some plants after COVID-19 outbreak; Icicle reports new cases in Alaska

June 12, 2020 — Pacific Seafood has reopened some of its five facilities in Newport, Oregon, U.S.A., that were hit by a coronavirus outbreak last week, with 132 of its workers testing positive for COVID-19.

The Pacific Surimi and Pacific Bio plants reopened in a limited capacity on Wednesday, 10 June, according to Pacific Seafood General Counsel Tony Dal Ponte. Pacific Fillet restarted some operations on Thursday, 11 June, and the Pacific Whiting and Pacific Shrimp facility remain closed, Dal Ponte said.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

West Coast Fishing Group Plans for Whiting Fleet Coronavirus Testing Prior to Season Opening

May 14, 2020 — A little forethought may help prevent the spread of the coronavirus among the West Coast whiting fleet. At the very least, it will give fishing captains some peace of mind.

The Newport, Ore.-based Midwater Trawlers Cooperative partnered with the Oregon Health Authority, Lincoln County Public Health and Samaritan Hospital to provide COVID-19 testing to crew members on Pacific whiting vessels prior to start of the season that starts Friday.

Read the full story at Seafood News