By Richard GainesStaff WriterThe Gloucester Daily TimesFri Feb 03, 2012, 06:00 AM EST

Fishery Council: Cut cod catch 15 to 20 percent

PORTSMOUTH — The New England Fishery Management Council voted Wednesday to reduce cod catch limits for the upcoming season, seeking a balance between protecting the fishery and avoiding cuts that would ruin fishermen.

Pat Fiorelli, public affairs officer for the management council, said the council voted to reduce the catch in 2012 between 6,700 and 7,500 metric tons, representing a 15 to 20 percent decrease from 2011. There are roughly 2,020 pounds of fish in a metric ton, she said.

That move would spare fishermen from the 90 percent cut that was possible if the council voted for the most extreme measures, which fishermen feared would wipe out fishing businesses from the tip of Cape Cod to northern Maine.

Fiorelli said the council also proposed very broad measures to reduce recreational catch limits, including for private anglers and party boats.

Reducing fishing efforts on cod is considered an interim measure while regulators try to better understand what is happening with the prized species, which was thought to be rebounding just months ago.

Fishermen and industry advocates urged scientists and regulators to do whatever they can, as soon as they can, to improve fishery science and resolve questions about the recent cod assessment, which many fishermen say far underestimated how many cod are in the ocean.

"We've got a year before everything collapses," said council member David Goethel, a Hampton fisherman.

Commercial and recreational fishermen have told the Portsmouth Herald in recent months that the assessment does not match what they see on the water. But Teri Frady, a spokeswoman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Northeast Fisheries Science Center, said the cod stock is so highly concentrated that fishermen likely have seen little change in cod's availability.

"In the eastern and central Gulf of Maine, where these fish and fisheries for them used to be found, there are few of either," she said.

While the management council proposing these measures Wednesday in Portsmouth, a bipartisan group of 19 New England lawmakers voiced its support for help in preventing the collapse of the region's historic cod fishing industry.

Senators — including Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H.; Olympia Snowe, R-Maine; John Kerry, D-Mass.; and Scott Brown, R-Mass. — requested that Secretary of Commerce John Bryson use his authority to set 2012 catch levels that "would allow the industry to survive."

NOAA must still decide whether to accept the recommendation and determine what number in that range they will choose.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.

New No Fishing Zones for California

Long Anticipated Marine Protected Areas Became a Reality on New Years Day

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Love it or hate it, the waters of Southern California just become a whole lot more conservation-friendly.

After more than four years of meetings, votes, controversy, and public pleas both for and against the idea, January 1, 2012 marked the official roll-out date for 36 brand new state-sanctioned marine protected areas (MPAs) dotting the Pacific Ocean between Point Conception and the Mexico border. Designed first and foremost as a tool of protection for underwater ecosystems, the MPAs create a variety of new recreational and commercial fishing regulations for certain strategic areas throughout state waters.

Paul Wellman

A fishing boat trailed by seagulls.

“This is a great day for the ocean,” declared Mike Sheehy, the director of watershed programs for Santa Barbara Channelkeeper. “We have been waiting a long time for this.”

The new Southern California system, which totals some 186 square miles of ocean, is just the latest part of a larger statewide effort to deliver on the mandates of the Marine Life Protection Act that was passed in 1999. Similar arrays of preserves and reserves have already been crafted and implemented for areas between Point Arena and Point Conception, while others are still being fleshed out for the northernmost coast of California.

While beloved by conservationists, the MPAs are bemoaned by fishermen, especially commercial harvesters of the sea, who fear that the new rules have the potential to put them out of work. To help assuage such concerns, the MPAs were developed during an extensive — and occasionally brutal — stakeholder process that aimed to balance the various interests of ocean users while using science as a guide to carefully select key habitat zones that should will have the greatest chance for helping fish populations grow and permanently protecting ocean resources. As happens in many processes with multiple stakeholders, no one really left this process entirely happy with the final outcome. (For a more in-depth look at this topic, read The Santa Barbara Independent’s cover story from 2009 here.)

For those who plan to celebrate this first week of the new year with a rod in hand, here’s a break-down of Santa Barbara County’s newly restricted fishing areas:

* A State Marine Reserve for the waters surrounding Point Conception, including Cojo Reef, such that no fishing of any kind is allowed.

* A State Marine Conservation Area for waters in and around Campus Point in Goleta, from Ellwood Beach to the west and Poles to the east, such that no fishing of any kind is allowed.

* A State Marine Conservation Area for Naples Reef off the Gaviota Coast that prohibits the take of all living sea creatures except for recreational-only spearfishing of certain fish like the Pacific bonito and white seabass. Commercial kelp harvesting is also okay.

* State Marine Conservation Area for Kashtayit (near Gaviota State Park) that restricts fishing of all kinds save for recreational finfish fishing and shellfishing. (Mussels and rock scallop harvests are, however, prohibited.) Recreational kelp hand harvests will also be permitted.

* A State Marine Conservation Area for the Goleta Slough that outlaws all fishing but allows for a certain amount of dredging, habitat restoration, and assorted other maintenance efforts.

For a full listing of new MPAs, click here .

Irene the first hurricane to hit U.S. in three years; Northeast reminded it’s also vulnerable

November 28, 2011

The 2011 Atlantic hurricane season officially ends Wednesday, having produced a total of 19 tropical storms of which seven became hurricanes, including three major hurricanes. This level of activity matched NOAA’s predictions and continues the trend of active hurricane seasons that began in 1995.

The 19 tropical storms represent the third-highest total (tied with 1887, 1995, and 2010) since records began in 1851 and is well above the average of 11. However, the number of hurricanes and major hurricanes is only slightly above the average of six and two, respectively. This year’s totals include a post-storm upgrade of Tropical Storm Nate to hurricane status, and the addition of a short-lived, unnamed tropical storm that formed in early September between Bermuda and Nova Scotia. This unnamed storm, along with several other weak, short-lived named storms, could have gone undetected without modern satellite technology.

Irene was the lone hurricane to hit the United States in 2011, and the first one to do so since Ike struck southeast Texas in 2008. Irene was also the most significant tropical cyclone to strike the Northeast since Hurricane Bob in 1991.

“Irene broke the ‘hurricane amnesia’ that can develop when so much time lapses between landfalling storms,” said Jack Hayes, Ph.D., director of NOAA’s National Weather Service. “This season is a reminder that storms can hit any part of our coast and that all regions need to be prepared each and every season.”

As far as landfalling major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5 with top winds of 111mph and greater) are concerned, the lull continues. 2011 marks a record six straight years without one hitting the United States. The last one to do so was Wilma in 2005. Nonetheless, wind is not the only threat with tropical systems as proven by Irene and Lee, which caused deadly and destructive flooding. On average, more than half of the fatalities related to tropical systems are due to flooding.

Hurricane Irene is an example of increasing accuracy in forecasting storm track. Its landfall in eastern North Carolina and path northward were accurately predicted more than four days in advance by NOAA’s National Hurricane Center using information from weather satellites, hurricane models, aircraft observations, and other data. NOAA’s delivery of critical environmental forecasts provided essential advance information that allowed emergency officials to plan necessary evacuations and sparked individuals to take safety precautions. But a weaker-than-anticipated Irene at landfall also highlighted the challenges that remain in forecasting storm intensity.

“Improving intensity forecasts is a focus of ongoing research and is part of NOAA’s Hurricane Forecast Improvement Project,” said Frank Marks, Ph.D., director of NOAA’s Hurricane Research Division. HFIP bridges research and operational components to better anticipate rapid changes in storm intensity and its goal to extend track forecasts from the current five days to seven days.

“Although the 2011 hurricane season has ended, our need to prepare for disasters hasn't,” said Craig Fugate, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “Being prepared for all kinds of hazards, from hurricanes to blizzards to tornadoes, is a year-round activity. We encourage all members of the team, especially the public, to continue to prepare for emergencies by staying informed of forecasted weather events, making an emergency plan, and building your emergency preparedness kit. Visit Ready.gov to learn more.”

NOAA will issue its initial outlook for the 2012 hurricane season in May just prior to the official start of the season on June 1.

NOAA's National Weather Service is the primary source of weather data, forecasts and warnings for the United States and its territories. NOAA’s National Weather Service operates the most advanced weather and flood warning and forecast system in the world, helping to save lives and livelihoods and enhance the national economy. Working with partners, NOAA’s National Weather Service is building a Weather-Ready Nation to support community resilience in the face of increasing vulnerability to extreme weather. Visit us online at weather.gov and join us on Facebook, Twitter and our other social media channels.

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on Facebook, Twitter and our other social media channels.

November 21, 2011

I am pleased to report that the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) made significant progress on key U.S. priorities to improve science, management of fish stocks and their ecosystems, monitoring of fishing activities, and compliance with commission decisions at the recently completed annual meeting in Turkey.

U.S. stakeholders, including fishermen, will benefit from the actions that ICCAT has taken:

• The U.S. delegation was able to preserve the current North Atlantic swordfish annual quota of 3,907 metric tons for U.S. fishermen. We’re pleased that our fishermen’s sacrifices to help rebuild swordfish were recognized. Retaining U.S. quota will help the industry continue on its economic rebuilding path.

• ICCAT agreed to expand a time/area closure in the Gulf of Guinea off Africa to protect young bigeye and yellowfin tunas and to strengthen monitoring and control measures in the fishery. As these fish grow, they travel across the Atlantic Ocean where they are important to U.S. recreational and commercial fishermen. Although the U.S. believes that ICCAT needs to do more with respect to these stocks, they are moving in the right direction.
  
   
• ICCAT continued its efforts to protect vulnerable species of sharks in adopting a measure co-sponsored by the U.S. to require release of silky sharks, a vulnerable species, in ICCAT fisheries, with a limited exception for developing nations that depend on these sharks for food. The U.S. hopes that next year ICCAT can make more progress on measures to address the protection of porbeagle sharks and to require that all sharks be landed with their fins naturally attached, measures that the commission was unable to reach agreement on this year.
  
   
• The commission advanced the U.S.-promoted plan to adopt electronic, real-time tracking of Atlantic bluefin tuna catch from the landing through international trade, a measure that will help prevent fraud and reduce the burden of the existing paper-based system.
  
   
• ICCAT adopted conservation and management measures for blue and white marlins, bycatch reporting, and the protection of seabirds.
  
   
• ICCAT adopted several measures to help combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, allowing for smaller vessels to be listed on IUU vessel lists and requiring greater transparency on bi-national fishing agreements to help improve catch reporting.
  
   
• Several measures were adopted to strengthen the link between scientific advice and management, which build on efforts to ensure that ICCAT applies a precautionary form of management that takes uncertainty into account.

In separate letters to the commission chairman before this year’s meeting, NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco and Maria Damanaki, European Union Commissioner for Maritime and Fisheries Affairs, both highlighted the importance of basing management on high quality science.

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on Facebook, Twitter and our other social media channels.

Northeast - NOAA Seeks Information on River Herring for Review on Whether Listing Under Endangered Species Act is Warranted; Information due Jan. 3

NOAA has determined that a petition to list alewife and blueback herring, collectively referred to as river herring, under the Endangered Species Act presents enough scientific and commercial information to merit further review. As a result, the agency will conduct a formal review of river herring population status and trends. NOAA will work with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to utilize information in their ongoing stock assessment for river herring. NOAA will also consider information contained in the petition, published literature and other information about the historic and current range of river herring, their physical and biological habitat requirements, population status and trends, and threats. To ensure that the review is comprehensive, NOAA is soliciting information pertaining to river herring from any interested party. Information must be received by January 3, 2012. Read more

BOSTON — A lawsuit filed in federal court Monday could push the National Marine Fisheries Service to do more to protect endangered whales from fishing gear entanglements off Cape Cod.

Three nonprofit whale advocacy groups filed the lawsuit in Boston seeking better protections for North Atlantic right whales, humpbacks, fin and sei whales in seas roughly three to 200 miles off the coast from Maine to Cape Hatteras, N.C.

Fishing industries that receive federal authorization to land lobster, ground fish, monkfish and spiny dogfish use gear that entangles the whales, according to the lawsuit.

In 2011, at least seven right whale entanglements and 10 humpback entanglements have occurred in the region, as well as at least two right whale deaths from injuries related to the errant fishing gear, the lawsuit states.

The Humane Society of the United States, Defenders of Wildlife and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society filed the suit.

The groups want to force the fisheries service, a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to do a complete analysis of the effects of the four fishing industries on the endangered whales.

A spokeswoman for the service declined comment Tuesday, saying the federal agency doesn't speak about pending litigation.

MARY ANN BRAGG

October 28, 2011

Dr. Larry Robinson, NOAA’s assistant secretary of commerce for conservation and management, and deputy administrator, announced today that he plans to step down effective November 18, returning to academia to resume his work in academic administration and train the next generation of environmental scientists and leaders.

Assuming his duties in May 2010, Robinson arrived shortly after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and immediately led the coordination of NOAA’s work with partners and stakeholders in the Gulf of Mexico. He also provided vital leadership to advance the Obama Administration’s priorities, serving as the NOAA representative to the National Ocean Policy Deputy’s Committee; the National Science and Technology Council Committee (NSTC) on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Education; the NSTC Committee on Environment and Natural Resources; the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force and other key restoration related taskforces.

Earlier this year, Robinson led a working group on ocean plumes established to model and predict ocean transport of radiation threats to U.S. assets in the Pacific and in the continental United States from radioactivity released by the damaged Japanese Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. His training as a nuclear chemist was critical to the group as they worked to generate models to enhance understanding of the movement of radiological contaminants in the ocean.

“I deeply appreciate Larry’s service, especially his ability to engage in the breadth of scientific activities during his tenure at NOAA, and the mentoring he provided to senior NOAA managers,” said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “In every instance his contributions on behalf of NOAA advanced the administration’s environmental and ocean conservation and management priorities.

In keeping with his commitment to education and diversity, Larry also focused his participation with the National Science and Technology Council Committee on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Education to highlight NOAA’s important role in education programs and activities to prepare the next generation of NOAA scientists from all segments of American society.

“From the visionary and inspirational leadership of Dr. Jane Lubchenco, to the world-class talent and unwavering commitment to our mission by the NOAA team all across the nation, and to the Department of Commerce and the federal family, I am privileged to have worked with them all in service critical to the well being of communities and ecological resources entrusted to us to manage and conserve,” said Robinson. “I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to this administration for providing me this opportunity to serve.”

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on Facebook, Twitter and our other social media channels.