Page 10. MAINE COASTAL NEWS June 2009
Commercial Fishing News
MISCELLANEOUS COMMERCIAL FISHING NEWS
National System for Marine Protected demonstrates our willingness and ability to those that are being fished unsustainably. A charges and misdemeanor violations,
Areas Launched by U.S. Departments of work together to conserve our common ma- fourth stock, Gulf of Mexico pink shrimp, was bought the Chinese turbot from a fish whole-
Commerce and Interior rine heritage for future generations.” also listed as subject to overfishing but the saler in Rhode Island between 2003 and 2006.
In an effort to conserve critical natural NOAA understands and predicts stock assessment is being reviewed. He then had the fish shipped to a cold storage
and cultural marine resources, the U.S. De- changes in the Earth’s environment, from the “NOAA is working with the eight re- facility, where he repackaged and re-labeled
partments of Interior and Commerce are depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, gional fishery management councils around it as “Halibut Portions” or “Halibut Pieces,”
partnering with federal, state and territorial and conserves and manages our coastal and the nation to end overfishing through annual and “Product of USA.” Almost all of the fish
agencies to form a National System of Marine marine resources. catch limits and accountability measures,” was sold to retail outlets and restaurants in
Protected Areas (MPA). said Balsiger. “NOAA strongly supports Utah and Texas.
“This new national system provides a Public Invited to Comment on Tilefish establishing catch share programs that allo- The case was investigated by the
mechanism for all levels of government to Amendment cate the annual catch to participants in the NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement and was
work together to leverage resources, coordi- The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management fishery to give fishermen an economic incen- prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in
nate regional planning, and manage marine Council has submitted Amendment 1 to the tive to conserve fish stocks for the long Seattle.
protected areas as a system,” said Jane Tilefish Fishery Management Plan for review term.”
Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of com- by the Secretary of Commerce. This amend- Today’s report to Congress, 2008 Status Council Seeks Public Input on Amend-
merce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA ment includes measures that would imple- of U.S. Fisheries, is the latest annual update ment 16 to the Multispecies FMP
administrator. “We will continue to work with ment an Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) pro- on stocks that are subject to overfishing or The New England Fishery Management
federal, state, tribal and local governments gram, establish new monitoring and report- stock populations that are overfished—too Council will hold five public hearings to so-
and stakeholders to share best practices for ing requirements, modify designations of low to ensure a maximum sustainable yield. licit public comments on Draft Amendment 16
effectively achieving common marine con- Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) and habitat ar- Ending overfishing allows the fish popula- to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Man-
servation goals.” eas of particular concern, and implement tion to increase over time if conditions are agement Plan. This Amendment would be a
Two hundred and twenty-five (225) ex- measures to reduce gear impacts on EFH favorable and the stock responds as pre- step toward the expansion of sector manage-
isting MPAs managed by various agencies within the Exclusive Economic Zone. The dicted. ment, in which a percentage of the annual
will initially enter the system, which aims to proposed IFQ program is intended to reduce In the report, NOAA scientists reviewed catch of defined species is allocated to
enhance protection of marine resources, overcapacity in the commercial fishery, and 199 stocks and stock complexes to determine groups of fishermen. It would also continue
build partnerships to address issues affect- to address problems associated with a derby- if they were overfished—a population too and in some cases adjust the stock rebuilding
ing MPAs, and improve public access to style fishery. Amendment 1 also would create low to ensure a maximum sustainable har- programs now in place, with a particular focus
scientific information and decision-making a tilefish open access Charter/Party permit, vest—and found that 153 (77 percent) are not on several species of flounders; set up a
about marine resources. The national system which would require reporting by the recre- overfished, and 46 (23 percent) are over- system of annual catch limits and account-
does not bring state, territorial or local sites ational component of the fishery. fished. ability measures for the groundfish fishery;
under federal authority, nor does it restrict or Comments may be submitted at NOAA scientists also reviewed 251 include management measures for Atlantic
change the management of any MPA. www.regulations.gov until July 6, 2009. For stocks or stock complexes to see if they were wolffish; and revise a number of management
While MPAs have been established more information, read the Federal Register currently subject to overfishing – currently measures, including those that affect the
throughout the U.S. for decades, there has notice or contact Timothy Cardiasmenos at being fished at a level that would threatened leasing and transfer of days at sea.
not been an overarching mechanism to coor- 978-281-9204. the stocks – and found only 41 (16 percent) Comments may be sent to
dinate effective ecosystem management. are. multsamendment16@noaa.gov until 5pm on
About 100 federal, state, territory and tribal Measures Set for 2009 Bluefish Fisheries Under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery June 8, 2009.
agencies manage the nearly 2,000 MPAs NOAA Fisheries Service has published Conservation and Management Act, NOAA
across the country, often with no coordi- a final rule with specifications for the 2009 and the regional fishery management coun- World’s Large Marine Ecosystems
nated strategy. Atlantic bluefish fishery, including state-by- cils are required to end overfishing, and pre- Heating Up, Altering Fisheries Catches
MPAs are areas where natural or cultural state commercial quotas, a recreational har- vent future overfishing, through annual NOAA Scientists Contribute to U.N.
resources are given greater protection than in vest limit, and recreational possession limits catch limits and accountability measures. Report
the surrounding waters. In the U.S., these for bluefish. The intent of these specifica- Federal fishery management plans must A new United Nations report, with key
areas may span a range of habitats including tions is to establish the allowable 2009 har- establish annual catch limits and account- contributions from NOAA, found that 61 of
the open ocean, coastal areas, inter-tidal vest levels and possession limits to attain the ability measures by 2010 for stocks subject to the world’s 64 large marine ecosystems –
zones, estuaries and the Great Lakes. The target fishing mortality rate, consistent with overfishing, and by 2011 for all other stocks. large coastal ocean waters adjacent to conti-
majority are ‘multiple-use’ areas, which allow the Atlantic Bluefish Fishery Management nents — show a significant increase in sea
fishing, diving, boating, swimming and other Plan. NOAA declared the Atlantic bluefish NOAA to Revise Procedures for Import surface temperatures in the last 25 years,
uses. ‘No-take’ MPAs allow human access stock fully rebuilt in 2008. and Export Documentation contributing to decreasing fisheries catches
but prohibit extraction or significant destruc- NOAA Fisheries Service is revising pro- in some areas and increasing catches in oth-
tion of natural or cultural resources. They are Measures Set for 2009 Spiny Dogfish cedures for filing import and export documen- ers.
sometimes used as research and monitoring Fisheries tation for certain fishery products to meet Harvests in several northern Atlantic
zones, to protect spawning or nursery NOAA Fisheries Service has an- requirements of the SAFE Port Act of 2006, LMEs, including the Norwegian Sea, the
grounds, or to protect ecologically important nounced specifications for the spiny dogfish the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conserva- Faroe Plateau and the Iceland Shelf, are in-
deep-water habitats. fishery for the 2009 fishing year (May 1, 2009, tion and Management Act, other applicable creasing due to the increase in zooplankton,
Eligible existing MPAs were invited to through April 30, 2010). The 2009 fishing year statutes, and obligations that arise from U.S. a vital fish food, brought about by the warm-
nominate themselves for inclusion into the quota for spiny dogfish is 12 million lb, and participation in regional fishery management ing waters.
national system beginning in November the possession limit of 3,000 lb. This rule also organizations. NOAA Fisheries intends to However, catches are declining in sev-
2008. The second round of nominations will modifies existing management measures. integrate the collection of trade documenta- eral European LMEs, including the North
begin later this year. Priority conservation tion within the government-wide Interna- Sea, the Celtic Biscay Shelf and the Iberian
objectives will continue to guide develop- NOAA Report: Four Fish Stocks Declared tional Trade Data System and require elec- Coastal LMEs, according to the United Na-
ment of the national system. Fully Rebuilt tronic information collection through the tions Environment Programme report, The
The value of MPAs as a tool for protect- Largest Number of Stocks Rebuilt Since 2001 automated internet portal maintained by the UNEP Large Marine Ecosystem Report: a
ing biodiversity and restoring fish popula- NOAA’s Fisheries Service reported to United States Customs and Border Protec- Perspective on Changing Conditions in
tions within ecosystems is well documented. Congress today that four stocks – Atlantic tion. Electronic collection of seafood trade LMEs of the World’s Regional Seas.
Many sites included in today’s charter group bluefish, Gulf of Mexico king mackerel and data through this portal will minimize the “The large majority of these ecosystems
have been the subject of scientific studies two stocks of monkfish in the Atlantic - have public’s reporting burden, reduce the are shared by two or more countries, under-
comparing commercially and recreationally been rebuilt to allow for continued sustain- agency’s data collection costs, improve the scoring the need for regional cooperation to
important fish populations both inside and able fishing. This is the largest number of timeliness and accuracy of admissibility de- advance sustainable management,” said Dr.
outside the boundaries of the MPA. In the stocks to be declared rebuilt in a single year cisions, and increase the effectiveness of Kenneth Sherman, director of the NOAA
Tortugas North Ecological Reserve in the since the fisheries service declared the first applicable trade restrictive measures. Large Marine Ecosystem program. “The
Florida Keys, studies on the number of fish stock successfully rebuilt in 2001. At this time, NOAA is seeking advance added stress of increasing sea surface tem-
populations were conducted before and after “Rebuilding these four stocks so they public comment on the feasibility of elec- peratures makes it that much more important
establishment of the reserve. Scientists can support the highest sustainable harvest tronic reporting. All parties involved in sea- that nations cooperate to sustainably man-
found that three species of commercially im- for future generations of Americans is a sig- food import or export transactions are invited age large marine ecosystems, the areas where
portant fishes increased in abundance and nificant milestone,” said Jim Balsiger, acting to submit comments at www.regulations.gov most marine fisheries are produced and
size within three years inside the reserve. NOAA assistant administrator for NOAA’s until August 6, 2009. caught.”
“MPAs are a critical tool for conserving Fisheries Service. “And while we can claim According to the report, 70 percent of
cultural resources, marine species, habitats success with these stocks and 10 others National - Fish Broker Fined, Sentenced global fish stocks within LMEs are overex-
and ecosystems, and a national system will we’ve rebuilt since 2001, this year’s report to Jail In False Seafood Labeling Scheme ploited, reducing the availability of fish for
make this tool even more effective,” said Will also shows the major challenges we face to A Washington state man has been fined food, which is especially critical in LMEs off
Shafroth, acting deputy assistant secretary end overfishing on other domestic fish $160,000 and sentenced to 30 days in jail for the coasts of Africa, Asia and Latin America,
of interior for fish, wildlife and parks. “The stocks in 2010, as we are ordered to do by intentionally mislabeling 136,000 pounds of where fish is a major protein source. This
diversity of sites accepted into the national law.” turbot from China as much higher priced U.S. contrasts starkly with the trend in the U.S.
system today help ensure that it is truly a Three stocks – thorny skate, Atlantic halibut-one of the strongest sentences ever where only approximately 23 percent of do-
representative system. This is a major step in blacknose shark and Atlantic shortfin mako imposed for this type of violation. The indi-
Continued on Page 13.
the nation’s marine conservation efforts, and shark – were added this year to the list of vidual, who pleaded guilty to federal felony
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32