Tag Archives: Northeast Multispecies Groundfish Fishery
NEFMC votes to set a future target of 100% monitoring coverage on sector based groundfish vessels
The council, deliberating online via webinar on Amendment 23, overwhelmingly approved the motion for its preferred alternative of 100% coverage level for sector vessels in the Northeast Multispecies groundfish fishery. But the motion, crafted through a morning and afternoon of rulemaking on the fly, included a valuable caveat for fishermen: The region’s commercial groundfish harvesters likely won’t have to pay the full costs for the monitoring for the first four years the amendment is in effect or as long as supporting federal funds last. According to the approved measure, the commercial fishing industry will receive federal reimbursements, or money from other federal mechanisms, for 100% of their electronic monitoring costs and 100% of their at-sea monitoring costs in the first four fishing years the amendment is in effect. >click to read< 07:41
Council delays vote on at-sea monitoring
Meeting solely via webinar, council members voted 12-5 to postpone final action on Amendment 23 beyond its June meeting, when it expected initially to vote. The amendment will set at-sea monitoring levels in the Northeast Multispecies groundfish fishery. Many of those voting for the postponement expressed concern that fishermen have enough on their plate managing the economic and social impacts of the pandemic without having to deal with the complexities of the amendment and the need to develop public comment. “My day job is working with commercial groundfishermen and I can assure all of you, when I’m on the phone with them, it’s COVID-19 related, not Amendment 23-related,” said council member Libby Etrie. >click to read< 16:10
Northeast Seafood Coalition questioning the NEFMC fish monitoring regulation process
The New England Fishery Management Council is set to resume action on the contentious groundfish monitoring amendment next week, but the Gloucester-based Northeast Seafood Coalition is questioning whether the council is rushing its own process and operating with incomplete information. The council, scheduled to meet for three days next week in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, will return Wednesday to the arduous task of completing Amendment 23, which will set monitoring levels for vessels operating within the Northeast multispecies groundfish fishery. >click to read< 13:36
Hypothetically Speaking, Electronic Monitoring Cost Reports Released
Observer Committee members, Herring Committee members, and Herring Advisory Panel members, Please see below for links to reports re. cost information related to electronic monitoring (EM). This information will also be provided as part of the omnibus Draft Industry-Funded Monitoring (IFM) Amendment, to be released in the immediate future. The second report may be of particular interest, as it compares the costs of a hypothetical at-sea observer program with an electronic monitoring program for midwater trawl vessels to monitor maximized retention in the Atlantic herring and mackerel fisheries. Read the rest here 11:40
Report Report on the Economic Performance of the Northeast Multispecies (Groundfish) Fishery (May 2013 – April 2014)
The Northeast Fisheries Science Center (the fish stock assessment people) has issued an annual report on the economic performance of the fishery since 2010. The results provide indicators of vessel performance, employment, financial viability, and fleet diversity. Unlike the 2010-2013 reports, this year’s uses constant dollars (nominal dollars adjusted for inflation using 2010 as the base year) for information reported in dollars so that figures may be better compared over time. Read the bad news here 13:23
New Hampshire’s beleaguered commercial fishing industry – $2M in federal funds
New Hampshire’s 400-year-old commercial fishing fleet, made up of small boats, has worked under increasing federal regulations and restrictions since the Magnuson-Stevens Act was passed in 1976. It limits the catch and species of fish that can be caught, as well as when and where fisherman can fish. A 2010 amendment to the act introduced the “catch share” limit system for groundfish that hit small independent boat fishermen, like those in New Hampshire, the hardest. Read more here 08:52
Shaheen, Ayotte Ask Commerce to Waive State Matching Requirement on Behalf of New Hampshire Fisheries
(Washington, DC) – As part of their ongoing efforts to protect New Hampshire’s fishing industry and mitigate industry-wide economic losses, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) are calling on U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker to waive the state matching requirements for federally declared disaster relief funds for the Northeast Multispecies Groundfish Fishery. Read more here 17:21
