Tag Archives: NMFS
Biggest fish in the ocean receives international protection
Tuna and other fish species may congregate around 
, but new rule reduces the chance that the giant sea creatures could get caught in nets targeting those species. Fishermen also learned that whale sharks are so large that they naturally attract tuna, much like a FAD.,,, Read the rest here 19:37
Magnuson-Stevens Act – National Standards 1, 3, 7 – Proposed Revisions
Today, a proposed rule to revise guidelines for National Standards 1, 3, and 7 was filed in the Federal Register. National Standards 1, 3, and 7 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act pertain to overfishing, rebuilding overfished stocks, and achieving optimum yield. NOAA Fisheries NMFS will accept public comments through June 30, 2015, Proposed rule (as filed version).Read the rest here 16:16
Fishermen’s offer: We’ll catch fewer cod for chance at more haddock
As trades go, this isn’t exactly guns for hostages or Heathcliff Slocumb for Jason Varitek and Derek Lowe. Still it’s pretty interesting. Fishermen in and other sectors, with funding assistance from the Gloucester Fishing Community Preservation Fund (GFCPF), are offering to surrender up to 60 metric tons of their annual cod catch entitlement if NOAA Fisheries will relax some of the emergency measures it instituted in November to protect Gulf of Maine cod. Read the rest here 09:53
Oil lobby sues feds over threatened Alaska ringed seals
The lawsuit also targets the National Marine Fisheries Service’s plan to label a 350,000-square-mile expanse of Alaska waters as critical habitat for the seals. Arctic ringed seals were designated by NOAA in late 2012 as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act — a status one step short of being endangered. Read the rest here 08:45
Etched in Stone – Oceana and Greenpeace think Best Available Science circa 1990 shouldn’t change! Stellar Sea Lion
Hundreds of endangered Steller sea lions may die from loss of prey and habitat if the federal government allows more industrial fishing in the Aleutian Islands, environmentalists claim in court. Moreover, the groups say, the biological opinion issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service in April 2014 was condemned by many of its own scientists as “fundamentally flawed” because it relied on incomplete and inadequate Steller sea lion telemetry and sighting data. Read the rest here 10:13
NMFS Announces Public Webinars for the Final Rule for Amendment 7 (Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Management Measures)
NMFS published a final rule to implement Amendment 7 to the 2006 Consolidated Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fishery Management Plan. NMFS is hosting two public webinars to provide the opportunity to explain management measures and effective dates outlined in Amendment 7. The public may participate by phone or online. Details for accessing the webinar are provided. Click here 00:09
As the oceans warm, fish populations are on the move.
Few people see the effects of climate change as clearly as fishermen. As the climate changes and the oceans warm, fish are moving in search of cooler water, and this can have a big effect on fishermen’s livelihoods. For some, the evidence of climate change turns up in the net, such as when they catch longfin squid in the Gulf of Maine. Read the rest here 10:11
Final Revisions to the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan Announced
Today NOAA Fisheries National Marine Fisheries Service (see agency name here in the Federal Register) announced that it has finalized changes to the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan. Read the rest here 14:31
NMFS Caves to the Enviro Quackeroos on Right Whale federally designated “critical habitat” under the Endangered Species Act
In 2009, a coalition of environmental and animal protection groups formally petitioned the National Marine Fisheries Service to significantly expand habitat protections to include all of the whales’ nursery and breeding and feeding grounds.,, protected area more than tenfold, from roughly 4,000 square miles to more than 50,000 square miles.,vulnerable to threats that include commercial fishing gear, ship strikes. Read the rest here 12:20
New Cod Restrictions Will Not Affect Rhode Island Fishermen
Christopher Brown, president of the Rhode Island Commercial Fishermen’s Association, reassures none of these fishing restrictions will have a direct impact on Rhode Island fishermen. Read the rest here 18:48
Hello Ms. Schiffer, Chief Counsel, NMFS – About that Document Shredding
Once again, I find it difficult to understand, as indicated by the attached article, how a poor working stiff fisherman is hauled all the way to the Supreme Court for discarding two fish. As I am sure you will recall, your Mr. Dale Jones (at the time, head of enforcement) admitted to Congress, on camera, that he routinely shredded documents, including those under scrutiny, and he appeared to be smiling when he admitted it. Mr. Jones apparently was confident that he was in safe hands. A short time later he was given a cushy reassignment and a raise. Crime pays when you work for the government! Read the rest here 15:56
Professional Environmental Litigation Hitmen oppose ahi increases in Western Pacific- To Sue NMFS AGAIN!
Hawaii’s longline fleet may be rejoicing over a new opportunity to catch ahi, under a new agreement that allows them access to quota from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa and Guam. Earthjustice is examining legal options and is likely to take The National Marine Fisheries Service to court for approving the rule change, Henkin said. Read the rest here 17:38
Herring, tuna fishing interests collide at sea
The collision of fishing interests came Saturday night into Sunday morning, out along Jeffreys Ledge, ground zero for the extraordinarily hard bluefin tuna bite that unfolded in the waters off Cape Ann throughout the middle of October. By all accounts, including those of NOAA Fisheries, the state’s and even Moody, the herring boats had every right to be fishing in the area as long as they didn’t violate the spawning closure by fishing before 12:01 a.m. Sunday and landing any of their catch before Monday at 12:01 a.m. Read the rest here 14:31
Gulf of Alaska catch share proposals move to analysis
Catch shares in the Gulf of Alaska are one step closer after the North Pacific Fishery Management Council asked for analysis of an alternative structure to reduce bycatch and end the race to fish. Read the rest here 16:18
Cordova residents voice concerns over Navy training in Gulf of Alaska
“The proposed increase would cause an additional 10,000 pounds of hazardous material to be expended in the Gulf, over 350,000 pounds of other materials,” said Eyak Preservation Council member Peter Knape. ”They’d sink two ships. They’d conduct two carrier strike exercises and some anti-submarine warfare exercises.” Video, Read the rest here 15:23
Bureaucracy: New federal task force to deal with climate change’s effects on fisheries
A new federal task force will advise the U.S. Department of Commerce about fishery policies concerning climate change. The Department’s National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration is announcing in the Federal Register of Thursday, Aug. 16, 2014 that it is seeking nominations for membership in the forthcoming Climate & Marine Resources Task Force that will work with the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) will appoint the members in conjunction with the committee. Read the rest here 13:28
First federally permitted offshore mussel aquaculture project on east coast soon to get underway
The first shellfish aquaculture project permitted in federal waters off the U.S. east coast is expected to begin operating next spring. Scientists and fishermen are partnering on this project to grow blue mussels within a 30-acre area in Nantucket Sound. . Read the rest here From Mussel beds planned near wind farm 08:38
NMFS caught up on rulemaking for North Pacific regulations
NMFS Assistant Regional Administrator Glenn Merrill updated the council on rulemaking processes this morning as part of the agency’s staff report. Merrill said it’s the first time that he hasn’t had any rules to work on at his desk, and was in part due to a lot of hard work by staff this summer. That’s likely to change at this meeting, he noted. Read the rest here 13:05
Oh WOW, Man. Not the Pot Gardens! – Biologists identify pot gardens as salmon threat
Water use and other actions by the marijuana industry in the Emerald Triangle of Northern California and Southern Oregon are threatening salmon already in danger of extinction, federal biologists said Tuesday. Concerns about the impact of pot farming were raised by the NOAA Fisheries Service in its final recovery plan for coho salmon in the region. The full plan was to be posted on the agency’s website. Read the rest here 15:38
Gulf of Maine: ‘Poster child’ for global warming
Long-established species of commercial fish, like cod, herring and northern shrimp, are departing for colder waters. Black sea bass, blue crabs and new species of squid — all highly unusual for the Gulf — are turning up in fishermen’s nets. The Gulf of Maine’s warming reflects,, Lots of info that appears to be new.BH Read the rest here 07:54
Federal agency to shut down 2014 amberjack fishing in the Gulf
Judge rules that NMFS failed to consider costs, data of new observer program
A federal judge ordered the National Marine Fisheries Service to prepare a supplemental environmental assessment for the revised marine observer program that was implemented in 2013, <Read more here> 21:59
NMFS publishes at-sea scale changes
The changes would affect catcher processors and motherships that fish for pollock in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands as part of the American Fisheries Act fleet, groundfish trawlers that are part of the Amendment 80 program, the Gulf of Alaska rockfish trawl fleet, longliners targeting Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Pacific cod, and CDQ catcher processors fishing in the bering Sea and Aleutian Islands. <Read more here> Federal Register Background story 21:19
Out of Nowhere Comes an Updated Stock Assessment on Cod!
Some quips, quotes and communications of the new reformulated and deadly impromptu Cod Assessment from the good people at NOAA, and its under agencies. Read it, and tell me what you think. Our comment section is open! <Read more here> 17:16
New England Set Gear Fishermen – Final Rule – Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan. Are you Affected?
NMFS issues this final rule to amend the regulations implementing the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction. This rule revises the management measures for reducing the incidental mortality and serious injury to the North Atlantic right whale, humpback whale, and fin whale in commercial trap/pot and gillnet fisheries to further the goals of the MMPA, and the ESA. . Read final rule in the Federal Register 18:49
Blue and Flathead Catfish Invade the Chesapeake Bay – No wonder prefered stocks are in trouble!
Initially introduced for sport fishing in several Virginia tributaries in the 1960s to 1980s, blue and flathead catfish are now considered invasive in the Chesapeake Bay have , and they are now present in every major Chesapeake Bay tributary. Read more here 11:36
NMFS canceling plan to write new rules regarding the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
Instead of issuing new rules, NMFS opted to go with an official policy, which it adopted on Feb. 19, 2013. The policy is known as the NEPA Compliance for Council-Initiated Fishery Management Actions under the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Read more here 23:37
Washington and Oregon: Commercial salmon fishery open until Tuesday
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries, NMFS in consultation with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, representatives from the commercial troll fishery, and the Pacific Fishery Management Council, has taken in-season actions with respect to the commercial troll salmon fishery. Read more here 09:41
Cold fronts create shrimpy season – the current state of shrimping in San Antonio Bay. Video
This year’s brown shrimp production is below the historical average, according to scientists at the National Marine Fisheries Service. Record low temperatures and a continued drought along the Gulf Coast of Texas and western Louisiana have caused the drop in shrimp production, according to a report released by the fisheries service last week. Video, Read more here 10:21
NMFS Announces Final 2014 Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Quotas
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announces final quota specifications for the 2014 Atlantic bluefin tuna fishery. NMFS is adjusting the annual U.S. baseline bluefin quota recommended by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) to account for underharvest of the adjusted 2013 U.S. bluefin quota. Read more here 07:19
