Page 12. MAINE COASTAL NEWS May 2010

Commercial Fishing News

NOAA Report: Progress is Being

Made to Rebuild and Sustain Fisheries and Ocean Ecosystems

Our Living Oceans: Report on the Sta- tus of U.S. Living Marine Resources.

A new NOAA report shows that the last decade has been a period of progress in rebuilding depleted fish stocks, sustaining many fisheries populations, and gaining a better understanding of the complex relation- ships between marine species and their habi- tats.

The report cites the Alaskan groundfish fisheries—walleye pollock, Pacific cod, rock- fishes and Atka mackerel—as a prime ex- ample of how managers and fishermen are working together to keep fish harvest rates at sustainable levels while reducing risks to other species in the ecosystem, including marine mammals, juvenile fish and other fish species not being targeted.

These findings are one of a number of highlights from the nation’s coastal commu- nities that are described in the newly released NOAA report Our Living Oceans: Report on the Status of U.S. Living Marine Resources. The report also describes how closed areas and other management of fishing ar- eas—called place-based management—are helping to restore ecosystems. By closing several areas in the Northeast off New En- gland, depleted groundfish stocks are being rebuilt while allowing some sustainable fish- ing for rebuilt populations of sea scallops. The West Coast is in the forefront of using place-based management through a network of marine conservation areas that have been established to protect habitat and assist in the rebuilding of depleted groundfish popu- lations.

“Our Living Oceans describes the suc- cesses in rebuilding some depleted fish stocks and restoring and protecting our ocean ecosystems,” said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA adminis- trator. “It also outlines the challenges we face and measures we are taking to end overfish- ing and restore the healthy and resilient eco- systems that sustain the lives and liveli- hoods of people in the nation’s coastal com- munities.”

The report describes the increasing use of catch share programs to manage fisheries

MISCELLANEOUS COMMERCIAL FISHING NEWS

supporting coastal communities. The report describes one example of an effective catch share program. Now nearly 15 years old, the program for halibut in Alaska has extended the season from less than a week to eight months, helped raise the value and quality of the catch in the marketplace, improved fishermen’s safety and reduced unintended bycatch of juvenile halibut and other species. While the report details much progress, it also outlines significant challenges, includ- ing ending overfishing for about 20 percent of U.S. stocks where overfishing persists. The Northeast continues to have the largest number of overfished stocks of any region, despite significant progress with some stocks due to fishing restrictions. Other areas of concern include the low populations of reef fishes— which grow slowly and repro- duce late—in the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, where fishing has increased as hu- man populations have grown.

The report also outlines the status of many marine mammals and sea turtles. Recent stock assessments in Alaska show contin- ued increases for bowhead, gray whales and North Pacific humpback whales. However, the stocks of northern fur seals have been decreasing and the Cook Inlet beluga whale has been classified as endangered. This sixth edition of Our Living Oceans, is now available online at http:// www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/LivingOceans.html, and will be available in printed copies soon from the NOAA’s Fisheries Service Office of Science and Technology.

NOAA Takes Steps to Assure Fair and Effective Enforcement, Protect Resources Move comes in response to Inspector General Review

NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco today outlined specific steps the agency has taken and will take to assure that NOAA has an effective and fair enforcement program to protect fisheries and other marine resources that sustain the jobs and economic vibrancy of America’s coastal communities, in response to a January review of the Com- merce Department Inspector General. The review of NOAA’s law enforcement program was requested by Dr. Lubchenco soon after she was named to head NOAA in 2009.

“We said in February we would take action, and that’s exactly what we’ve done,” said Dr. Lubchenco. “The steps we’ve taken, along with those we’ll implement as we move forward, will go a long way toward protecting our nation’s marine resources through the enforcement of fair, well understood, and effective regulations.”

NOAA’s law enforcement program is made up of more than 200 agents and attor- neys responsible for ensuring compliance with more than 35 statutes designed to con- serve and protect our nation’s marine re- sources and their habitat. The program has jurisdiction over three million square miles of open ocean, more than 85,000 miles of U.S. coastline, the nation’s 13 national marine sanctuaries, and its marine national monu- ments. Fair and effective enforcement to pro- tect fish stocks, marine mammals and the marine environment is essential to strong coastal communities with sustainable econo- mies.

The report details several actions al- ready taken by NOAA, including: Transfer- ring oversight of the Asset Forfeiture Fund, which holds fines imposed by NOAA, from NOAA’s Fisheries Service to the NOAA comptroller. Freezing the hiring of criminal investigators until a work force analysis is completed and approved by Dr. Lubchenco that will address the appropriate mix of crimi- nal investigators and civil enforcement offic- ers. Requiring high-level review of all pro- posed charges for alleged violations and of all settlements by the general counsel. Filing a rule today to place the burden of justifying a particular civil penalty or permit sanction on NOAA rather than the respondent in cases before administrative law judges. The report also outlines a number of specific actions that the agency intends to take, including: Developing a new penalty policy, including a revision of the penalty and permit sanction schedules. Reviewing and revising NOAA law enforcement and general counsel operations manuals. Developing a communications plan to provide greater out- reach to fishermen and fishing communities, and other fisheries stakeholders. “Under my leadership, I am confident these measures will produce a more effective enforcement system to protect our nation’s

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marine resources for all of us who rely on the many benefits of a healthy marine environ- ment,” said Dr. Lubchenco. “I encourage commercial and recreational fishermen and others who rely on healthy marine resources to work with us to achieve this goal.”

NOAA Announces Measures to Rebuild Blacknose Sharks, Manage Smooth Dogfish and End Overfishing of Shortfin Mako Sharks

NOAA’s Fisheries Service today out- lined new measures to rebuild the popula- tions of blacknose sharks, help end overfish- ing on shortfin mako sharks, and begin man- agement of smooth dogfish. The public may review the Final Environmental Impact State- ment on the measures, which are expected to go into effect this June.

“The new measures would help rebuild the population of blacknose sharks and allow sustainable fishing of other shark species in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and Car- ibbean Sea,” said Eric Schwaab, NOAA as- sistant administrator for NOAA’s Fisheries Service. “As top predators, sharks play an important role in maintaining a healthy eco- system that supports a myriad of other spe- cies.”

The new measures would place smooth dogfish under federal management for the first time, beginning in 2012. This open ac- cess fishery involves an estimated 223 vessel operators who use gillnets to fish for smooth dogfish in waters from North Carolina to New England. Conservation and management of the species, fished for food and its fins, would allow NOAA to collect data on fishing effort and information on the shark’s life history to better understand its role in a healthy ocean ecosystem.

NOAA’s Fisheries Service took public comment during nine public hearings last year on its proposed shark measures and has made several changes to its initial proposal based on public input.

To rebuild the blacknose shark popula- tion—named for the dusky blotch on the tip of their noses—NOAA would create a sepa- rate annual blacknose shark quota of 19.9 metric tons dressed weight, which is a 64- percent reduction from the average landings of 55 metric tons dressed weight from 2004 to 2008. A recent stock assessment determined that the rate of fishing – both directed and incidental – is unsustainable.

Blacknose sharks, which grow to about 4 ½ feet, are fished as game by recreational anglers and for food and their fins by commer- cial fishermen. As a top predator, they play an important role in the ocean ecosystem, help- ing control various fish populations. Remov- ing predators can result in an over-abun-

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