June 2014 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 11. Commercial Fishing News MISCELLANEOUS COMMERCIAL FISHING NEWS


Two new NOAA reports show strong economic gains from fi shing, continued improvement in fi sh stocks


April 29, 2014 U.S. commercial and recreational


saltwater fi shing generated more than $199 billion in sales in 2012, a gain of seven percent over the previous year, with the economic impact of fi shing jobs increasing three percent from 2011 to 2012, according to a new NOAA Fisheries economics report. Further, two more fi sh stocks were


rebuilt to target levels in 2013, bringing the number of rebuilt U.S. marine fi sh stocks to 34 since 2000, according to another NOAA Fisheries report also released today. Taken together, the two reports, Fish- eries Economics of the United States 2012 and the Status of U.S. Fisheries 2013, show positive trends in the steady rebuilding of the country’s federally managed fi sheries off our coasts, and the important role fi sheries contribute to the United States economy. “These two reports highlight the steady rebuilding of U.S. fi sheries and the broad and positive economic impact of commer- cial and recreational fi shing to the nation’s economy. These reports are an excellent example of the environmental intelligence NOAA uses and provides every day,” said Eileen Sobeck, assistant NOAA administra- tor for fi sheries. “Fishing is big business and culturally important in our country. On top of that, it supports a lot of jobs.” According to the economics report, commercial and recreational fi shing sup- ported approximately 1.7 million jobs in 2012, the most recent year for which data are available, a gain over 2011’s 1.6 million. The commercial fishing industry-harvesters, processors and dealers, and wholesalers and retailers-generated $141 billion in sales, $39 billion in income, and supported 1.3 million jobs in 2012 in fi shing and across the broader economy.


Recreational fishing generated $58 billion in sales, $19 billion in income, and supported 381,000 jobs in 2012 in fi shing and across the broader economy. The annual economics report also breaks down the sales, income and job fi g- ures for each coastal state. The fi ve states that generated the most commercial fi shing jobs in 2012 were California, Massachu- setts, Florida, Washington, and Alaska. The fi ve states that generated the most rec- reational fi shing jobs were Florida, North Carolina, Louisiana, Texas, and New Jersey. The other new report, Status of U.S.


Fisheries 2013, also shows improvement as U.S. fi sheries continue to rebuild. The two stocks rebuilt in 2013 are Southern Atlantic Coast black sea bass and Sacramento River fall Chinook salmon.


As an example of the benefi ts from sustainable management, Southern Atlan- tic Coast black sea bass is a popular fi sh prized by recreational anglers, charter boat captains, and commercial fi shermen alike. The stock ranges from Cape Hatteras to the Florida Keys and is managed by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. It was declared overfi shed in 2005 and NOAA Fisheries instituted a rebuilding plan in 2006. Management measures for both the commercial and recreational fi sheries led to an early recovery of the stock. As a result of rebuilding, annual catch limits have more than doubled.


“Sustainable management of our fi sh stocks is critically important to the nation’s economy. These results demonstrate the strength of the U.S. science-based manage- ment model under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act,” Sobeck said. “The positive impacts we see in these two reports continue a long-


term trend in improving the stock status and rebuilding in U.S. fi sheries using sustain- able management practices. The percent of assessed stocks that are not overfi shed or subject to overfi shing continues to improve, with 91 percent of those stocks not subject to overfi shing and 83 percent not overfi shed.” The Status of U.S. Fisheries 2013 high- lights the progress that collectively, NOAA Fisheries, the regional fi shery management councils, and stakeholders have made to end overfi shing and rebuild stocks. The report is submitted annually to Congress.


NOAA selects two areas in the North Atlantic for targeted habitat conserva- tion efforts


NOAA announces the selection of two sites in NOAA’s North Atlantic Region as the next Habitat Focus Areas under NOAA’s Habitat Blueprint. The Penobscot River watershed in Maine and the Choptank River complex in Maryland and Delaware are areas where the agency will focus its resources to support habitat conservation and restoration. “Many NOAA offi ces already are ac- tively engaged with federal, state and local partners to protect and restore habitat in both of these areas,” said John Bullard, regional administrator, NOAA Fisheries, Greater At- lantic Regional Fisheries Offi ce, which cov- ers the Great Lakes and federal coastal areas from Maine to North Carolina. “However with the designation, we’ll gain effi ciencies and be able to direct our collective internal resources to further achieve benefi ts for communities and natural resources.” The North Atlantic includes a variety of habitats such as salt marshes, rivers, sea- grass beds, and shellfi sh reefs. Both selected areas have experienced habitat degradation and face challenges from pollution, devel- opment, overfi shing, invasive species, and barriers to fi sh passage. This has reduced the resilience of fi sh and other wildlife com- munities, degraded water quality and habitat health, and impacted public use and tourism. Penobscot River Watershed, Maine The Penobscot River is New England’s


second largest river. It provides habitat for 11 sea-run fi sh species, including three listed under the Endangered Species Act, Atlantic salmon, Atlantic sturgeon and shortnose sturgeon. The river is host to the largest run of Atlantic salmon in the United States. It also is home to the Penobscot Indian Nation. Despite its low population density and forest-lined banks, dam and culvert con- struction, water pollution and overfi shing have degraded the watershed. Many sea-run fi sh species are no longer abundant, which has impacted commercial, recreational and sustenance fi sheries that target them. NOAA selected the Penobscot River watershed as a Habitat Focus Area for sever- al reasons. Federal, state, and local organiza- tions already are collaborating to protect and restore habitat and study fi sh populations. As a result, there is abundant monitoring data (pre- and post-dam removal) to inform future work. NOAA’s investments include large-scale projects like the removal of the Veazie and Great Works dams. However, en- dangered Atlantic salmon and other wildlife can still benefi t from the removal of smaller dams that block their access to historic hab- itat.


“Over the years, we’ve made a sig-


nifi cant investment both in terms of staff time and funding to restore sea-run fi sh for the benefi t of the aquatic ecosystem and human communities that depend on them,” said John Catena, supervisor, Habitat Res- toration Center Northeast and Great Lakes Regional Offi ce. “Our future efforts will be focused on identifying priority areas for fi sh


passage, removing dams, replacing culverts and enhancing fl ood forecasting capabili- ties.”


Choptank River Complex, Maryland and Delaware


The Delmarva Peninsula is bounded by the Chesapeake Bay to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east; the Choptank is the largest river on the Delmarva Penin- sula and empties into the Chesapeake Bay. Most of the surrounding land is currently used for agriculture. However, growing populations and land development threaten the traditional agricultural base as well as working waterfronts and natural shorelines and marshes. These landscape changes will continue to impact fi sh like menhaden, river herring and shad, prey for commercially and recreationally important species like striped bass, weakfi sh, bluefi sh and predatory birds such as osprey and eagles. Once-abundant Eastern oyster populations have been re- duced to just 1 percent of historic levels. Oysters help fi lter water and oyster reefs provide critical habitat for a range of Ches- apeake Bay species, including juvenile and adult blue crabs and fi nfi sh.


“The Choptank River Complex is a microcosm of the many tidal tributaries in Chesapeake Bay - and of great importance to ensuring sustainable fi sheries and coastal economies. Working with partners at NOAA and around the area, we hope to successfully protect and restore the ecological health of this watershed and apply the habitat blue- print model to other coastal ecosystems throughout the region,” said Peyton Robert- son, director of the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Offi ce.


NOAA conducts mapping and acous- tic survey work in the Chesapeake Bay, including the Choptank River watershed, to support native oyster restoration. NOAA also funds on-the-ground restoration work and applied research to quantify how oyster reefs provide ecosystem services. Areas in


several subtributaries in the Choptank River were designated as oyster sanctuaries by the state of Maryland. This affords an excellent opportunity for intensive oyster restoration on an unprecedented scale. NOAA has also conducted extensive environmental moni- toring programs. Data generated will help managers address future challenges due to storm fl ooding, sea level rise, barrier Island movement, degraded water quality and wet- land loss.


NOAA’s Habitat Blueprint The Habitat Blueprint is NOAA’s strategy to integrate habitat conservation throughout the agency, focus efforts in priority areas, and leverage internal and ex- ternal collaborations to achieve measurable benefi ts within key habitats such as rivers, coral reefs, and wetlands. Under the Habitat Blueprint, NOAA selects certain Habitat Focus Areas to prioritize long-term habitat science and conservation efforts. The goals in Habitat Focus Areas include: Sustainable and abundant fish populations; Recovered threatened and endangered species; Protected coastal and marine areas and habitats at risk; Resilient coastal communities; and Increased coastal/ marine tourism, access, and recreation. NOAA’s fi rst Habitat Focus Area was


California’s Russian River watershed. Two sites in the Great Lakes and two other sites in the Pacifi c Islands were subsequently selected as Habitat Focus Areas. NOAA’s work is generating results. For instance, in the Russian River watershed, tributaries were reopened for coho salmon to reach breeding grounds, underwater antennas were installed to track the number of salmon returning from the ocean to spawn, and habi- tat was improved to recover fi sh populations. Next steps for the Penobscot River wa- tershed and the Choptank complex include developing implementation plans for each


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