Page 12. MAINE COASTAL NEWS January 2011 Commercial Fishing News


NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement and NOAA Office of General Counsel for Enforcement and Litigation Seek Public Comment on Setting Annual National and Regional Priorities


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The NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement and the NOAA Office of Gen- eral Counsel for Enforcement and Litigation are seeking comments from the public and other interested stakeholders on setting an- nual priorities at the national and regional level. Adopted priorities will support NOAA’s statutory mandates to manage ma- rine resources and Department of Commerce and NOAA strategic goals. We intend to use stakeholder recommendations, emphasize partnerships with State and Federal partners, work to increase compliance, and implement the priorities in a manner that will result in effective and fair enforcement programs. Regional enforcement proposals will be re- viewed annually and national priorities every two years.


This request for recommendations follows the August 2010 NOAA National Enforcement Summit that brought together more than 60 stakeholders from the commer- cial and recreational fishing industries, non- governmental organizations, and state and federal enforcement officials to focus on how NOAA can better manage marine resources through consistent and transparent enforce- ment of natural resource laws.


NOAA is particularly interested in recommendations from all interested parties on how the agency can develop national and regional priorities that reflect: The potential effect and/or threat of non-compliance to the resource (high, medium, low); The status of the resource (e.g., endangered, threatened,


depleted, overfished, overfishing occurring, etc.); Efforts to improve compliance; Oppor- tunities for deterrence; Catch share pro- grams; Efforts on cases outside specific pri- orities; Available resources; and Other con- siderations as warranted.


If the Council or any interested party wishes to provide recommendations, please forward them to the Regional NOAA OLE Special Agent in Charge or Deputy Assistant General Counsel for Enforcement and Litigation no later than January 3, 2011.


NOAA Sets $15 Fee for the National Saltwa- ter Angler Registry


NOAA announced the fee for regis- tering with the National Saltwater Angler Registry will be $15 as of Jan. 1, 2011. The good news is that anglers in 22 of 24 coastal states do not need to register or pay a fee since those states have agreements to share fishing license or registry information with NOAA for data collection purposes. For rec- reational fishermen in Hawaii, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands who are required to register, there’s still time to register for free. Registration is free for those who sign up or renew their registrations be- fore the end of the year. For more information or to register, go online at www.CountMyFish.noaa.gov or call toll- free at (888) 674-7411.


NOAA Fisheries Service Publishes 2011 List of Fisheries Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act


NOAA Fisheries Service recently published its final List of Fisheries for 2011, as required by the Marine Mammal Protec- tion Act (MMPA). The final list for 2011


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reflects new information on interactions be- tween commercial fisheries and marine mam- mals. NOAA Fisheries Service must classify each commercial fishery on the List of Fish- eries into one of three categories under the MMPA based upon the level of serious in- jury and mortality of marine mammals that occurs incidental to each fishery. The classi- fication of a fishery on the List of Fisheries determines whether participants in that fish- ery are subject to certain provisions of the MMPA, such as registration, observer cov- erage, and take reduction plan requirements. This final rule is effective January 1, 2011.


United States Leads Push for Strong Mea- sures to Protect Sharks and Sea Turtles ICCAT Takes More Steps for Bluefin Tuna Conservation November 27, 2010


The 17th special meeting of the In- ternational Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) ended today with successes in some important areas and room for improvement in others. The United States met many of its important objectives this year, including the adoption of measures to address the bycatch of endangered sea turtles, conservation measures for shortfin mako sharks, a recommendation on scientific observer programs, and continued progress toward a more robust compliance system. In adopting these measures, ICCAT was acting in accordance with scien- tific advice and building on many steps al- ready taken by American fishermen. The United States also successfully maintained its 2010 quota level for North Atlantic sword- fish, a fully rebuilt stock that is important for U.S. commercial and recreational fisheries from New England to Florida.


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The United States was disap- pointed that in other areas ICCAT did not fully act in accordance with the scientific advice of the ICCAT scientific body. For example, nations only agreed to minor quota reductions for bluefin tuna fisheries, and didn’t take the precautionary steps neces- sary to accelerate stock growth. The levels of catch approved in the eastern and western stocks are expected to support some im- provement in the eastern and western stocks, although the United States had hoped to reduce catch levels to improve the health of the resource for the long-term benefit of U.S. fishermen. U.S. fishermen have sacrificed significantly to begin the rebuilding of this stock. The United States believes that it is important that ICCAT act to ensure that fu- ture fishing does not result in overfishing that undoes these successes.


“The United States pushed hard for parties to adopt science-based management measures for bluefin tuna and other species, applying a precautionary approach where


needed and taking into account impacts to the ecosystem,” said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., the U.S. under secretary for oceans and atmo- sphere and NOAA administrator. “While we met with mixed success at this meeting, we will continue to push for sustainable manage- ment to support the long-term stability of jobs associated with the recreational and commercial fishing industries.”


The final measure for eastern Atlan- tic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna stock reduces the quota from 13,500 metric tons to 12,900 metric tons and improves monitoring and control of the fishery through new re- porting requirements, measures that seek to reduce overcapacity and rationalize the fish- ery, and establishment of a more robust com- pliance program. Underreporting and illegal fishing has been a persistent problem in this fishery, although there have been significant improvements in the last few years. The quota for the western Atlantic stock (which the U.S. fishes on) was reduced from 1,800 metric tons to 1,750 metric tons.


“The United States succeeded in protecting the gains in conservation we achieved last year while making significant progress in other areas,” said Russell F. Smith, III, deputy assistant secretary for in- ternational fisheries, who led the U.S. nego- tiating team, along with Ellen Peel, U.S. recre- ational fisheries commissioner, and Randi Parks Thomas, U.S. commercial industry commissioner.


ICCAT members adopted a U.S. proposal, co-sponsored by ten other coun- tries, to reduce the impact of ICCAT fisheries on sea turtles through more responsible fish- ing practices and mandate reporting of inter- actions with sea turtles in ICCAT fisheries. Parties also agreed to prohibit retention of the oceanic whitetip shark, a species considered to be highly vulnerable to fishing pressure. Retention of hammerhead sharks that are caught in association with ICCAT fisheries will also be prohibited, with a limited excep- tion for developing coastal states that retain hammerheads for food. Conservation mea- sures for bigeye tuna, blue marlin and white marlin were extended through next year. Finally, the parties agreed to de- velop an improved system for tracking Atlan- tic bluefin tuna to combat illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing. An electronic sys- tem will require detailed documentation of bluefin tuna beginning at the point of land- ing, and following the product through inter- national trade. This will enable verification in near real-time and reduce the burden on the seafood industry that is associated with a paper-based system.


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