fisheries blog

Bluefin Tuna get a raw deal

2008-01-10T07:24:00.000-08:00

I remember as a child, looking with awe at the old photographs of Hemmingway standing on the docks of Cat Cay, Bimini, next to those great fish he had wrestled from the sea, and I wonder how much those pictures influenced my notion of the sea. Maybe I believed him when he evoked Milton’s description of “A dark Illimitable ocean without bound,Without dimension....” It was in those early days that I traveled with my father while he was a surveyor for the US Coast and Geologic Survey, from the cold rocky coasts of Maine, the splashing surf of Montauk, the brimming bay at Kiptopeke, the entire coast of Florida and the gulf haunts from Mobile to Galveston. In all of these places, there was a mystery and belief in the limitless bounty and life of the sea. But I was wrong.

The great Bluefin Tuna is in danger of collapse and on the brink of extinction, and as reported by the Virginia Pilot, a U.S. proposal to temporarily ban bluefin fishing in the Eastern fishery to allow the species to recover was overwhelmingly rejected the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) Ironically, this same commission also reports that nearly forty years of overfishing have depleted the stock of these giants to just 3% of its 1960 totals - a decline of 97%. Atlantic White Marlins are down to 6%, and Atlantic Blue Marlins have been driven to 20% of previous abundance. Intensified research has led to a better understanding of the Bluefin, but recent assessments show the population is at its lowest recorded levels, at the same time that fishing pressure is at its highest. Dockside reports from Atlantic fishers confirm what the scientific reports show – the Western Atlantic Bluefin populations continue to decline.

The great Bluefin Tuna are magnificent fish; they average ten feet in length and can weigh over 1,500 pounds. Atlantic Bluefin are warm-blooded ("homeothermic ") and are therefore able to regulate their body temperatures, which allows them to thrive in colder waters. Exceptional swimmers, they have been known to achieve speeds up to 20 knots and have been timed crossing the Atlantic Ocean in thirty days or less. They also have the ability to dive up to 3,000 feet in a matter of minutes. Unlike most tunas, Bluefin grow slowly and mature late, making them more vulnerable to intensive fishing. Demand is high since it is especially popular in sushi and sashimi dishes. In Japan, they can command prices of up to $100,000, (it is curious that ICCAT rejected the U.S. proposal, and instead adopted a Japanese proposal that requested that nations that fish the Eastern bluefin fishery submit a report to the commission that details how they are complying with the 2006 fishing plan that's in place.).

Note: Canned tuna purchased in the super market is most likely Yellowfin, Skipjack, Albacore or Bigeye (mostly the non-schooling fish).

According to Carl Safina of Blue Ocean Institute, the major cause for the decline of Bluefins is the unrestrained use of non-selective fishing gear, mainly pelagic longlines and seine or drift gillnets. Pelagic longlines can be over 25 miles in length and set with thousands of hooks. These nets and lines accidentally capture unmarketable juveniles; the majority of these fish are already dead when they reach the vessel. In many cases, the bycatch and bykill is larger than the actual number of marketable target fish caught.

But there are efforts to save the Bluefin. Earthjustice, on behalf of Blue Ocean Institute and Carl Safina, filed a lawsuit challenging the failure of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to limit longline fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. Dr. Safina is calling for the NMFS to close longline fishing in Bluefin spawning areas in the Gulf during the spawning season.

According to Dr. Safina and Earth Justice, there may be even fewer than 10,000 Bluefin left, “This is a charismatic fish species, a major predator that plays a crucial role in the web of oceanic life – but its population is at a dangerously low level. Bluefin populations have been steadily declining for the last 20 years. The Fisheries Service has a responsibility to follow the law, recognize the important scientific discoveries that show the Bluefin spawns during certain times and places when longline fishing is killing off huge numbers of fish, and protect the spawning Bluefin.”

Commercial fishing does most of the damage, but it is not the only culprit. The National Marine Fisheries Service estimates that 23 percent of the total Bluefin tuna killed in the Atlantic are killed for sport. Recreational anglers can also obtain commercial permits, so a great many giant Bluefin currently caught recreationally are marketed commercially; in Massachusetts, recreation charters are routinely run by commercial wholesalers who buy the catch from the “recreational angler”. In our area, a fairly well established charter or party-boat fishery for small Bluefin tuna also exists from the Outer Banks to Rudee Inlet (and actually on up to Massachusetts). There are an estimated 15,000 recreational anglers using this fishery annually, and this is the only U.S. fishery allowed to catch Bluefin that are below the minimum commercial size (1.78 m from tip to tail).

When I think back to when I was a kid, traveling the coasts with my dad, I wonder how it could have ever come to this. The worry is that later generations will be unaware of the abundance that used to be our seas, and the current levels will be viewed as the norm. Fisheries Biologist Daniel Pauley calls this “shifting baselines”, a metric that allows us to shift our notions of a depleted sea without understanding what has actually been lost.

Despite it all, I still enjoy viewing the old photos of proud fisherman standing by these thousand pound giants. They invoke a nostalgic feeling of when we still believed that the sea was indeed limitless. But I would caution us now, that each new photo we take is an image of a fish that will no longer be able to spawn or help propagate its species. As amazing (and fun to catch!) as they are, it’s time to let them be. Avoid charters that go after Bluefin or Marlin. And exercise good judgment; your food choices can make a difference. Ask the fishmonger about where his fish comes from, and don’t buy Bluefin or Swordfish. If you enjoy seafood (especially sushi), ask the chef what kind of tuna is being served. If it’s Bluefin, don’t order it.

The downward trend can be turned around, but only by employing restraint and common sense; in short, a sea ethic that preserves the integrity, stability, and beauty of the ocean and the creatures that live in it.

Final rule announced for Atlantic Scallop Fisheries

2008-01-10T07:12:00.000-08:00

NMFS issues this final rule to approve and implement measures contained in Framework Adjustment 20 (Framework 20) to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan (FMP). This action maintains the trip allocations and possession limits established by the interim measures that were enacted by NMFS on June 21, 2007, for the Elephant Trunk Access Area (ETAA) in 2007 to reduce the potential for overfishing the Atlantic sea scallop (scallop) resource and excessive scallop mortality. This action reduces the number of scallop trips to the ETAA, and prohibits the retention of more than 50 U.S. bushels (17.62 hL) of in-shell scallop outside ot the boundaries of the ETAA (deckloading).

This action maintains the trip allocations and possession limits enacted by NMFS on June 21, 2007, for the Elephant Trunk Access Area (ETAA) in 2007 to reduce the potential for overfishing the Atlantic sea scallop (scallop) resource and excessive scallop mortality. This action reduces the number of scallop trips to the ETAA, and prohibits the retention of more than 50 U.S. bushels (17.62 hL) of in-shell scallop outside of the boundaries of the ETAA (deckloading). The action also clarifies that the current restriction on landing no more than one scallop trip per calendar day for vessels fishing under general category rules does not prohibit a vessel from leaving on a scallop trip on the same calendar day that the vessel landed scallops.

IATTC Advisory Committee to Meet; May 30 in Long Beach, CA

2007-05-08T05:18:00.000-07:00

The General Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section to the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) will meet on May 30, 2007, in Long Beach, CA. The committee will discuss the following issues: 1) 2006 and 2007 IATTC activities; 2) status of the stocks and status of the fishery in 2006; 3) meetings of the IATTC and its working groups; 4) possible conservation and management measures for yellowfin and bigeye tuna in 2007 and beyond; 5) measures to be taken in cases of non-compliance with the IATTC's conservation and management measures; 6) management of fishing capacity; 7) measures to address bycatch (such as juvenile tunas, sea turtles, seabirds, and sharks); 8) financial issues pertinent to the financial solvency of the IATTC; 9) IATTC cooperation with other regional fishery management organizations; and 10) Advisory Committee operational issues. For more information, read the Federal Register notice.

Protect Local Shark Populations

2007-04-19T06:26:00.000-07:00

Protect our Coastal Shark Population

As the summer fishing season begins, all anglers, sport and commercial, should consider the plight of declining shark populations and the effects that the heavy fishing of them is having on the ecosystem. Fewer big sharks in the oceans mean that bay scallops, oysters and other shellfish may be damaged, tying unlikely members of the marine ecosystem to the same fate. A study by Dalhousie University has found that over fishing the largest predatory sharks, such as the bull, blue, dusky, and hammerhead has led to the rapid expansion of ray, skate, and small shark prey species. Large sharks have been functionally eliminated from the east coast, no longer performing their ecosystem role as top predators. Fewer big sharks mean there are more of the fish they once ate, such as the Cownose ray.

With an average population increase of about eight percent per year, the east coast Cownose ray population may now number as many as 40 million. Cownose can grow to be more than four feet across, eat large quantities of bivalves, including bay scallops, oysters, soft-shell and hard clams in the bays and estuaries they use for habitat in the summer and spring. This increased predation by cownose rays inhibits the recovery of oysters and clams which are already damaged by overexploitation, disease, habitat destruction, and pollution. By 2004, Cownose rays had completely devastated North Carolina’s scallop population, collapsing a centuries-old fishery.
As many as 73 million sharks are killed worldwide each year for the finning trade, and the number is rising. Growing demand for shark fins and meat has led to increased fishing, but a large number are caught accidentally as "by catch" by fisherman after other types of fish. According to Carl Safina of Blue Ocean Institute, 75% of all fish are captured as by catch. The danger for Sharks (and other elasmobranches) posed by increased fishing pressure, is that they are long-lived, slow to mature, and produce few offspring. Aggressive fishing can take a toll much more quickly on sharks than other fish.

Ecologists have long held that maintaining the populations of top predators is critical for sustaining healthy oceanic ecosystems; its organisms are interconnected, and changes at one level have implications at others. An Ecosystem based view of fisheries management states the necessity of protecting species such as sharks as a primary player in the overall health of the ecosystem.

But, sharks are also a protected species. The Shark Finning Prohibition Act was signed into law on December 21, 2000. The Act prohibits people under U.S. jurisdiction from: (1) engaging in shark finning at sea; (2) possessing shark fins aboard a fishing vessel without the corresponding carcass; or (3) landing shark fins without the corresponding carcass. And according to NOAA’s Regulatory Changes in Amendment 1 to the Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Tunas, Swordfish, and Sharks, several species of pelagic and coastal sharks are protected by Time and Area Closures for commercial vessels with bottom longline gear on board from January through July off North Carolina.

A map of the closed shark areas can be found at: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/images/HMS_Closed_Areas_w_Bathymetry.jpg

Yet, without increased enforcement of existing regulations, big sharks may be fished to extinction. As sportsman, waterman, and stewards of our oceans, it is our duty to protect our Living Marine Resources and report violations. To help engage the public, the NOAA Office of Law Enforcement adopted COPPS (Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving) as a national initiative, designed to empower communities and individuals to actively participate in their local marine conservation management. The NOAA Fisheries Enforcement Hotline (1-800-853-1964) provides live operator coverage 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for anyone in the United States to report a federal fisheries violation.

I know it’s difficult to worry about the fate of sharks, but losing these top predators is having a devastating effect on our home waters, damaging the already fragile shell fish habitats and sea grass. This summer, a catch and release policy for sharks should be in every angler’s toolbox. Also, be on the lookout for illegal fishing activities. Sharks matter, so please report any and all violations to the NOAA COPS hotline at 1-800-853-1964.

NOAA publishes final rule on IUU Fishing

2007-04-19T06:25:00.000-07:00

NOAA Fisheries has published a final rule to define the term "illegal, unreported or unregulated (IUU) fishing", as required by section 403 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006. For purposes of the Act, this final rule defines "illegal, unreported, or unregulated'' fishing as:
(A) fishing activities that violate conservation and management measures required under an international fishery management agreement to which the United States is a party, including catch limits or quotas, capacity restrictions, and bycatch reduction requirements; (B) overfishing of fish stocks shared by the United States, for which there are no applicable international conservation or management measures or in areas with no applicable international fishery management organization or agreement, that has adverse impacts on such stocks; or (C) fishing activity that has an adverse impact on seamounts, hydrothermal vents, and cold water corals located beyond national jurisdiction, for which there are no applicable conservation or management measures or in areas with no applicable international fishery management organization or agreement.

Sharks functionally extinct: from CBC news

2007-04-02T07:16:00.000-07:00

The overfishing of large shark species off the eastern seaboard of the United States has upset the balance of marine life, a team of Canadian and U.S. scientists says.
"We're chopping off the top of the food chain," said Julia Baum of Dalhousie University in Halifax, co-author of a study outlining the huge decline in big sharks over 35 years.
Overfishing of several species of sharks, including hammerheads, is causing a dangerous ripple effect through the marine food chain, a new study says.Overfishing of several species of sharks, including hammerheads, is causing a dangerous ripple effect through the marine food chain, a new study says.
(Yves Lefebre - Fundacion Malpelo/Associated Press)
Fewer big sharks mean there are more of the fish they once ate, such as the cownose ray.
The population of the rays in Chesapeake Bay has grown by 20 times in 30 years, said Charles Peterson, a professor of marine sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and co-leader of a study published in Science on Friday.
As the rays increase — they may now number 40 million — they have slashed the populations of bay scallops, oysters and soft-shell and hard clams, Baum said. The century-old bay-scallop fishery is now just a memory.
So many sharks have been killed that they are "functionally extinct," which means they can no longer perform their role of controlling middle predators in the marine ecosystem, Baum told CBC News.

The population imbalance shouldn't be a surprise considering the drop in large sharks in recent decades. While they are fished to meet the growing demand for shark fins and meat, the single largest problem is the sharks taken accidentally as "bycatch" by fishermen seeking other species, she said.
As many as 73 million sharks are killed worldwide each year for their fins, and the number is rising rapidly.
The new study, funded by the Pew Institute for Ocean Science, updated a 2003 study by Baum and noted Dalhousie fisheries biologist Ransom A. Myers, who died recently.
The new study concluded that the original estimates of declines in big sharks had been too conservative.

Populations plunge

Now the population of scalloped hammerhead and tiger sharks may have fallen by more than 97 per cent since 1970, while bull, dusky and smooth hammerhead sharks are down by more than 99 per cent.
As the shark populations fell, the fish they once ate boomed and the marine life at the bottom of the food chain — scallops, shrimp, clams — have been ravaged.
The rise of the cownose ray is even affecting the underwater vegetation.
"They're known in the Chesapeake Bay, in their great schools, to excavate and denude large areas of sea grass," Peterson said.
Increased protection for great sharks, including reduced fishing of all shark species and enforcing bans on shark finning, is needed to rebalance the system, Baum said.

Green Peace Pirate Fishing Blacklist

2007-03-15T06:49:00.000-07:00

View the Blacklist here

Greenpeace has compiled this database from existing official registries of Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) vessels and companies. Industrial fishing vessels and fishery support vessels, including motherships, refrigerated carriers and supply vessels, may be included on the database. The purpose of this blacklisted vessels and company database is to provide a single database tool with convenient search functions for national fisheries administrators, particularly from developing countries, and others to quickly check on the compliance status of foreign vessels trying to unload its catch in port, seeking services in port, seeking a fishing license or to register or flag in a country. It is also hoped that the database will serve as tool for retailers and suppliers to ensure the fish they source do not come from pirate fishing vessels or from companies involved in such activities. At a later stage the database will also hold information of irresponsible fishing vessels and companies that fish without a license or are in breach of management and conservation measures that Greenpeace comes across during it’s time at sea or in monitoring well known ports of illegal fish landings, or is reported from other reliable sources. It is hoped that this information will further assist authorities to deal adequately and in timely and efficient manner with pirate fishing.

VIMS finds worldwide problem with Ocean Seagrass

2007-02-15T07:49:00.000-08:00

After more than 30 years of studying Chesapeake Bay seagrasses, Virginia Institute of Marine Science researcher Dr. Robert Orth is well aware that this vital resource is in serious trouble, beset by a host of ills including excess nutrients, turbid water, and a warming climate.
Now, a new study by Orth and an international group of colleagues reveals what may be the most troublesome finding of all: the seagrass problem is global, yet the public remains largely unaware of its scope and significance.
The study, which appears in the December issue of BioScience, was conducted by Orth and 12 other members of the Global Seagrass Trajectories Working Group, part of a national effort to promote the analysis and synthesis of ecological information.

NOAA releases Cooperative Research DVD

2007-01-31T06:38:00.000-08:00

NOAA Fisheries has produced a new DVD, In Good Company , that describes recent activities of the Cooperative Research Partners Program. This DVD includes exciting on-the-water footage, as well as interviews with fishermen and scientists who have participated in the program. In recent years, commercial and recreational fishermen have become more involved in fisheries research throughout the Northeast Region, lending their unique perspective and technical expertise to the scientific process. The mission of the Cooperative Research Partners Program is to guide the management of fishery resources in New England by building cooperative relationships among industry, scientists and managers.
Several recent studies are profiled in the DVD. The development of a rope separator trawl allows fishermen to capture healthy populations of haddock, while allowing overfished cod to escape through a specially designed net. Another project is exploring the impacts of bottom trawling in the Western Gulf of Maine, by comparing the quality of seafloor habitat in open and closed areas. An industry-based survey of cod in the Gulf of Maine is evaluating the importance of inshore areas as nursery and spawning grounds. Recreational and commercial fishermen have tagged more than 114,000 cod; these data are being used to assess migration patterns and collect growth information for stock assessments.
Through the Cooperative Research Partners Program, Federal, state, academic, and private partners are working together in real-life settings to set research priorities, collect and analyze data, and discuss scientific findings. Scientists benefit from increased time at sea and the opportunity to gain local knowledge from fishermen, while captains are compensated for the use of their vessel through monetary payments or the sale of their catch. These cooperative projects have demonstrated success in improving relationships and building a foundation of trust in fisheries science. To learn more, visit www.nero.noaa.gov, and click on “Cooperative Research”.

NOAA Prohibition on Grouper

2007-01-24T03:38:00.000-08:00

A seasonal prohibition on fishing for or possession of red, black, tiger, yellowfin, or yellowedge grouper (Grouper Unit 4) in Caribbean federal waters will be in effect from 12:01 a.m., local time, February 1 through April 30, 2007 . Caribbean federal waters are those waters extending to 200 nautical miles offshore from the nine-mile seaward boundary of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the three-mile seaward boundary of the territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands. This prohibition on possession does not apply to grouper that are harvested and landed ashore prior to the closure.
Also, from February 1 through April 30 each year no person may fish for or possess any species of fish, except highly migratory species, within the Grammanik Bank closed area. An annual spawning aggregation of yellowfin grouper has been documented at Grammanik Bank, south of St. Thomas , occurring from about February through April each year. This closure is designed to address overfishing and protect the yellowfin grouper spawning aggregation. The term “fish” includes finfish, mollusks, crustaceans, and all other forms of marine animal and plant life other than marine mammals and birds. Highly migratory species refers to bluefin, bigeye, yellowfin, albacore, and skipjack tunas; swordfish; sharks; white marlin, blue marlin, sailfish, and longbill spearfish.
For more information, read the fishery bulletin.

New England Shellfish Areas Closed due to Red Tide

2007-01-16T03:56:00.000-08:00

On October 18, 2005, at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), NOAA Fisheries took emergency action to close certain New England waters due to the presence of a toxin that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning. The FDA has recently renewed this recommendation based on current oceanographic conditions and alga sampling data. These data suggest that the northern section of the Temporary Paralytic Shellfish Poison Closure Area should remain closed to the harvest of bivalve molluscan shellfish, and that the southern area should remain closed to the harvest of whole or roe-on scallops. Therefore, a new temporary rule has extended these closures through June 30, 2007. A map of the affected area is available online.

EL NIÑO GAINS STRENGTH

2006-12-13T03:29:00.000-08:00

Dec. 7, 2006 — The latest El Niño/Southern Oscillation Diagnostic Discussion, produced by scientists at the NOAA Climate Prediction Center, indicates El Niño conditions are now evident in the tropical Pacific and should intensify during the next one to three months. However, this episode is expected to be much weaker than the very strong 1997-1998 El Niño event.
“Evolving current conditions in the equatorial Pacific are likely to cause a substantial increase in sea surface temperature along the west coast of South America in late December 2006 and January 2007,” said Vernon Kousky, Ph.D., NOAA’s lead El Niño forecaster. “At about the same time, rainfall is expected to increase over the warm waters in the central equatorial Pacific, thus setting the stage for typical El Niño effects over the U.S. during January through March 2007,” he added.
El Niño events influence the predominate position and strength of the jet stream over the Pacific Ocean, which in turn affect winter precipitation and temperature patterns across the country. During El Niño events, the jet stream is stronger than normal across the southern U.S. As a result, increased storminess and wetter-than-average conditions occur across the southern tier of the U.S. from central and southern California across the Southwest to Texas and across the Gulf Coast to Florida and the Southeast. Meanwhile, drier-than-average conditions are experienced in the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys, and in the northern Rockies.
“NOAA’s investment in climate models is paying off,” said Jim Laver, director of the NOAA Climate Prediction Center. Statistical and coupled model forecasts, including the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Prediction Climate Forecast System, show El Niño conditions peaking during the northern hemisphere winter (December 2006 through February 2007) and then weakening during the northern hemisphere spring (March through May 2007). “This event may be with us for a while, and we will be closely monitoring how the atmosphere reacts,” he said.

Source: NOAA

Magnuson-Stevens Act Passes

2006-12-13T03:27:00.000-08:00

On December 8, 2006, in the final hours of the 109th Congress passed the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act.
President Bush, through his Ocean Action Plan, made reauthorizing the Magnuson-Stevens Act a top priority. The President called for an end to overfishing, increased use of market-based management tools, creation of a national saltwater angler registry, and an emphasis on ecosystem approaches to management.
The bill keeps intact the existing 10-year rebuilding timeframe and adds in new protections against overfishing. It requires fishery managers to base all quotas on the advice of scientists and advances new limitations on "cap-and-trade" fishing permit programs.
The new bill will:
authorize the use of market-based limited access privilege programs; require establishment of a regionally-based registry for recreational fishermen; strengthen fisheries enforcement; authorize the Secretary to provide assistance to the Regional Fishery Management Councils for development of regional ecosystem pilot programs; and establishes Community Based Restoration Programs that utilize public-private partnerships to restore fishery and coastal habitat, in line with the President's Cooperative Conservation Agenda. "We believe that this legislation is an important step for the United States to rebuild our nation's fisheries and will allow our fishers to utilize all of the tools that are available so their fishing businesses can operate safely and economically," said Bill Hogarth, director of the National Marine Fisheries Service.

U.S. Completes First Successful Felony Prosecution for Illegal Imports of Chilean Sea Bass

2006-11-29T03:25:00.000-08:00

This is the first successful federal felony prosecution in the United States for activities involving illegal importation and sale of toothfish. Fadilur was convicted of false labeling, importation of illegally possessed fish, and attempted sale of that fish. Eleven cargo containers of toothfish, with an approximate wholesale value of $3.5 million, were shipped on three separate vessels as part of this scheme to illegally import the fish into the United States. Government agents in Miami, Los Angeles, and New York seized all the containers.

Read the NOAA news release.

Fishery Crisis Facts

2006-11-20T10:52:00.000-08:00

The loss of ocean biodiversity is accelerating, and 29 percent of the seafood species humans consume have already crashed. If the long-term trend continues, in 30 years there will be little or no seafood available for sustainable harvest.

GreenPeace has put together a list of amazing fishery crisis facts.

Read it Here

Ecosystems based Fisheries Management

2006-11-02T11:27:00.000-08:00

New report from NOAA EcoCheck summarizes ongoing development of a model that describes fluctuations in the number of young menhaden within Chesapeake Bay. Using both menhaden spawning stock and striped bass predation potential, the model successfully accounts for most
(~70%) of the variability seen in Chesapeake Bay menhaden recruitment. With ongoing work suggesting that weather patterns can improve the model, this approach appears to have the potential to support ecosystem based management for the Bay’s menhaden and
striped bass fisheries.

Get the full PDF here

Groundfish Measures Modified through Final Rule to Support Rebuilding

2006-11-01T10:48:00.000-08:00

NOAA Fisheries has published a final rule that implements Framework Adjustment 42 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP) and Framework 3 to the Monkfish FMP. Framework 42, developed by the New England Fishery Management Council, is a biennial adjustment to the Northeast Multispecies FMP that sets forth a rebuilding program for Georges Bank yellowtail flounder and modifies management measures to reduce fishing mortality rates on six other groundfish stocks. This will maintain compliance with the rebuilding programs of the FMP. Framework 42 also modifies an! d continues specific measures to mitigate the economic and social impacts of Amendment 13 to the FMP and to allow harvest levels to approach optimum yield. All provisions from the proposed rule are approved except one that would have allowed trip limits for six species to be raised during a fishing year.
A summary of the new regulations is provided in a letter to permit holders. Information on restrictions that apply to recreational fishermen, charter boats and party boats is also available online. The provisions of this final rule take effect on November 22. For more information, contact Douglas.Christel@noaa.gov.

Lessons in Marine-Life Restoration

2006-10-24T06:44:00.000-07:00

Dr. Safina’s work on the interrelated behaviors and annual rhythms of the common tern and bluefish, which feast on the same bay anchovies and other small prey are still very interesting and relelvent to state of the fishteries world. His latest book, "Voyage of the Turtle: In Pursuit of the Earth’s Last Dinosaur” (Henry Holt, 2006), follows the struggles of the ocean’s ancient leatherbacks and other sea turtles. His prime goal, he has said, is to develop a “sea ethic” similar to the land ethic of Aldo Leopold, and a scattering of success stories has convinced him that a balance is still possible between exploitation and conservation of marine resources.

There is a decent NY Times Q&A here.

New Management Plan for Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary

2006-10-19T07:34:00.000-07:00

NOAA has issued a final revised management plan and revised regulations for the Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary. The revised regulations prohibit anchoring in the sanctuary, and restrict all fishing except that conducted by rod and reel, handline, or spearfishing gear without powerheads. All other forms of fishing gear must be stowed while in the sanctuary. For more information, read the announcement

Deep-sea fish in Atlantic at brink of extinction

2006-10-19T07:32:00.000-07:00

Overfishing has driven several species of deep-water fish in the Atlantic to the brink of extinction in a single generation, Canadian biologists have found.
Populations have plummeted so rapidly that two commercially fished species, the roundnose grenadier and onion-eye grenadier, and three other species, should be classified as critically endangered – a higher rating than for the giant panda and Bengal tiger.
Between 1978 and 1984, catch data from research trawl surveys showed the relative abundance of the five species declined between 87 per cent and 98 per cent in Canadian waters, the researchers found.
Read full story

America's Living Oceans: Charting a Course for Sea Change

2006-10-16T08:47:00.000-07:00

The final reports from the Pew Ocean Trust, although now dated back to 2003 are still quite relevant. If you haven't read them, you can download the Executive Summary
and the full report--America's Living Oceans: Charting a Course for Sea Change.

Science Reports are also available here:
Marine Reserves Key to Preserving Ocean Systems
Managing Marine Fisheries
Dialogue on America's Fisheries
Socioeconomic Perspectives of Fishing
Ecological Effects of Fishing
Sprawl and Declining Coastal Health
Marine Pollution in the United States
Marine Aquaculture in the United States
Introduced Species in U.S. Coastal Waters

US Coast Guard Analysis of Fishing Vessel Casualties

2006-10-12T08:40:00.000-07:00

The Compliance Analysis Division
collaborated with the Fishing Vessel Safety program manager and prepared a follow-on
review to provide information about why and how such incidents occurred. That report was
distributed in October of 1999. This document is the third edition of the casualty study with
newly added data for calendar years 2001 through 2004.2 The resulting updated data set
includes such factors as:
• Operation of the vessel at the time of the incident.
• Geographic or location information of the incident.
• Participation of the vessel in the voluntary exam program and its decal status.
• Causal information about vessel loss, (what went wrong).
• Causal information about deaths and missing persons.
• Assistance by Good Samaritan vessels, and
• Availability and use of lifesaving equipment.
Analysis of the casualty data is presented in two parts: vessel losses, and crew fatalities.
Each part begins with overall summaries and descriptive statistics. From that starting point,
a more detailed "drill down" analysis is provided on the data. In other words, for each of the
two groupings, the broad based information was examined in increasing detail, in order to
"peel back," or focus on, the most significant factors involved in these fishing vessel
incidents.
For the eleven-year period from 1994 through 2004, there were 1398 lost vessels and 641
fatalities. Of those fatalities, 328 occurred at the same time a vessel was lost. Overall, this
is an average of 127 lost vessels and 58 fatalities per year.
The information showed that the majority of fishing vessel losses and deaths occurred in
the 17th and 8th Coast Guard Districts.

View full report here

Bush Seeks Ban on Destructive Fishing

2006-10-04T07:59:00.000-07:00

President Bush called for a halt to destructive fishing on the high seas Tuesday and said the United States will work to eliminate or better regulate practices such as bottom trawling that devastate fish populations and the ocean floor....Read AP Report Here

Cod still overfished in the North-West Atlantic despite ban

2006-10-04T04:19:00.000-07:00

The Grand Banks fisheries, once home to one of the world's most abundant populations of cod, collapsed in the 1990s, leading to a total fishing moratorium for this species in 1994.However, the report Bycatch on the High Seas: A review of the effectiveness of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization shows that despite the ban over 13,000 tonnes of cod and other fish, including American plaice and redfish, are taken every year as bycatch — the accidental capture of non-targeted fish.

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