Tag Archives: not overfished
Atlantic menhaden not overharvested, fisheries commission concludes
An updated menhaden population assessment that takes into account the ecological role of the species as a popular food for other fish deems the coastwide stock to be in good shape. The latest assessment, presented to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Aug. 3, incorporates data collected through last year. It concluded that “overfishing is not occurring, and the stock is not considered overfished.” But even with the new methodology, the latest assessment concluded the overall stock was healthy, a finding immediately touted by the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition, a group representing commercial harvesters. >click to read< 10:26
America’s scallop harvest projected to decline again in 2022
The decline in scallops is happening as prices for the shellfish, one of the most lucrative seafoods in America, has increased amid inflation and fluctuations in catch. Seafood counters that sold scallops for $20 per pound to customers two years ago often sell them for $25 per pound or more now. U.S. scallop fishers harvested more than 60 million pounds of scallops in 2019, but the catch has declined since, and fishers were projected to harvest about 40 million pounds of scallops in the 2021 fishing year. That number is projected to fall to 34 million pounds in the 2022 fishing year, which started this spring, according to the New England Fishery Management Council. >click to read< 13:48
Is It Time To Start Eating Western Atlantic Bluefin Tuna? Yes, it is, Margot! Its Sustainable!
Back in January, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch quietly changed their sustainability rating for western Atlantic bluefin tuna from Avoid to Good Alternative. Their report states that Atlantic bluefin caught using more sustainable fishing practices (e.g., rod and reel, harpoon, or larger fishing nets called purse seines) are a good alternative to higher risk commercially fished options. The authors note that additional research would need to be done to prove definitively that the Atlantic bluefin is no longer overfished, but the evidence points toward a healthy stock. They cite low bycatch in the handline and harpoon fisheries and “moderately effective” management as reasons for the changing the rating. Randy Blankinship, chief of NMFS’ Highly Migratory Species Management Division was quoted saying “when seafood consumers purchase Atlantic bluefin tuna caught in the United States, they’re supporting robust environmental standards that bolster both bluefin populations and our economy.” This should be good news, but it’s hardly been news at all. >click to read< 08:24
Striped bass are underfed, not overfished
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, or ASMFC, has determined (again!) that the number of spawning Atlantic striped bass is below the required threshold to maintain proper “recruitment” (newborns), and therefore, sustainable population abundance.,, Certainly, there is a lot of blame to go around, but the ASMFC seems to have only one conclusion: overfishing.,,, What about food?,,, This may be a shocking finding, but foreign-owned Cooke Inc., the owner of Omega Protein, “purse seins” hundreds of millions of pounds of menhaden a year,,, by Bev Landstreet >click to read< 09:36
NOAA Fisheries Seeks Comments on Proposed Scup Quotas
NOAA Fisheries proposes to revise the 2018 quotas and announce projected 2019 quotas for the scup fishery. Compared to the current specifications in place for 2018, this action would increase the commercial quotas and recreational harvest limits each by approximately 40 percent. The recent scup stock assessment update indicated that the stock is not overfished and overfishing did not occur in 2016. The update also showed that the 2015 year class was about 2.1 times larger than the average recruitment (i.e., number of age 0 scup) from 1984 to 2016. huh! click here to read the press release 17:28
Valuable west coast fishery to close July 1
Poor recruitment, thought to be the result of unfavorable ocean conditions, has resulted in a perilous drop in the Pacific sardine of the Pacific sardine off the U.S. West Coast. Just to note, contrary to recent claims and reports – the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee states the fishery is NOT overfished nor is it subject to overfishing. Read the rest here 10:39
Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission: “Gulf menhaden stock is not overfished, overfishing is not occurring”
The Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC) has completed a comprehensive, three year stock assessment of the Gulf menhaden population and found that the stock is healthy and sustainable at current harvest levels. [email protected] 11:28
Shad catch limited in move to restore depleted fishery
The Mid-Atlantic council was careful to call the fisheries depleted, not overfished, Didden said. The disappearance of shad could also be due to the huge dams blocking their spawning migration in rivers such as the Susquehanna. continued@washingtonpost
