Tag: NOAA

NOAA Fisheries Issues Final Rule Regarding Prohibited Species Catch Limit for Pacific Halibut
29Nov By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments
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NOAA Fisheries Issues Final Rule Regarding Prohibited Species Catch Limit for Pacific Halibut

NOAA Fisheries has issued a final rule, effective Jan. 1, 2024, regarding regulations governing limits on Pacific halibut prohibited species catch. The action implementing Amendment 123 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) Management Area was published in the Federal Register Nov. 24. According to NOAA officials, the final rule is expected to minimize halibut mortality and may result in additional harvest opportunities in the commercial halibut fishery, as well as to the subsistence and recreational fisheries. The final rule amends the regulations governing limits on Pacific halibut prohibited species catch (PSC) to link the halibut PSC limit for the Amendment 80 commercial groundfish trawl fleet in the BSAI groundfish fisheri...
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NOAA Fisheries Seeks Further Review Re: Expanding Seafood Import Monitoring Program
22Nov By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments
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NOAA Fisheries Seeks Further Review Re: Expanding Seafood Import Monitoring Program

NOAA Fisheries has withdrawn a proposed rule to expand the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP), saying that instead, the agency will review the program to explore ways to enhance and strengthen its overall impact and effectiveness. The decision to withdraw the proposed rule stems from extensive feedback received during the public comment period, said Alexa Cole, director of NOAA Fisheries’ Office of International Affairs, Trade and Commerce, who announced the withdrawal on Nov. 14. “While we do not have a set timeline, NOAA Fisheries will prioritize this important work and aim to complete this review and implement any needed changes as soon as possible,” NOAA Fisheries spokesperson Lauren Gaches said. Meanwhile, SIMP continues operating in its current form, with the list ...
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NOAA Study: Snow Crab Likely Well Adapted to Projected Ocean pH Levels
15Nov By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments
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NOAA Study: Snow Crab Likely Well Adapted to Projected Ocean pH Levels

Conclusions of a two-year federal study suggests that snow crabs are well adapted to projected increases in ocean acidification within the next two centuries, with no detectible effects on embryo development larval hatching or female calcification. Authors of the study, which was published Oct. 18 in the open access online journal Plos One, said that given the number of strongly negative effects they have documents over the years it is, in all honesty, a nice change to be able to report relatively good news in regard to how high the level of carbon dioxide will affect a commercial crab species. In both years of the study, starvation-survival, morphology, condition and calcium/magnesium content were assessed for larvae. The difference in response to high partial pressure of car...
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NOAA Report on Killer Whale Bycatch Prompts Call for Immediate Action
1Nov By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments
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NOAA Report on Killer Whale Bycatch Prompts Call for Immediate Action

U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, is calling on NOAA Fisheries to end the status quo on action to prevent killer whales from being caught up in groundfish trawl gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands. On Oct. 26, Peltola released a statement saying she has asked NOAA Fisheries to release conclusions of an analysis of the 10 killer whales caught in trawl nets this year. Peltola urged NOAA to consider increased whale-gear interactions in any National Standard revisions particularly learned whale behavior related to bycatch discards. Killer whales are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which requires vessel owners and operators to report to NOAA Fisheries all incidental mortalities and injuries of marine mammals that occur during commercial fishing and survey ope...
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NOAA Seeks Comment on Federal Management of Cook Inlet Fisheries
25Oct By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments
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NOAA Seeks Comment on Federal Management of Cook Inlet Fisheries

NOAA Fisheries is seeking public comment on a proposed rule to implement federal management of commercial and recreational salmon fishing in Alaska’s Cook Inlet Exclusive Economic Zone. NOAA published the proposed rule in the Federal Register on Thursday, Oct. 19. Previously, salmon management in the federal waters was deferred to the state of Alaska and fishing occurred without respect for the EEZ boundary. Amendment 16 and the proposed rule would result in separate federal management of salmon fishing in the Cook Inlet EEZ, with the state continuing to manage all salmon fishing within state waters. Federal management would implement new requirements for commercial drift gillnet vessels that are fishing in the Cook Inlet EEZ, which would occur from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays and T...
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NOAA Fisheries: Revision of Endangered North Pacific Right Whale Critical Habitat Warranted
11Oct By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments
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NOAA Fisheries: Revision of Endangered North Pacific Right Whale Critical Habitat Warranted

NOAA Fisheries has announced its decision to revise endangered North Pacific right whale habitat. The agency noted that there are only an estimated 30 eastern North Pacific right whales remaining. Critical habitat for North Pacific right whales was designated in 2008 and consists of two areas: one in the Southeast Bering Sea, the other in the Gulf of Alaska off the coast of Kodiak Island. The areas are about 35,460 square miles and 1,175 square miles, respectively. NOAA officials said their decision is in response to a petition received March 10, 2022 from the Center for Biological Diversity and Save the North Pacific Right Whale. The petition asked that NOAA revise the critical habitat designation for the species to connect the two existing critical habitat areas. Doing so wo...
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NOAA Fisheries Offering $2.3M for Bycatch Reduction Projects
4Oct By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments
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NOAA Fisheries Offering $2.3M for Bycatch Reduction Projects

NOAA Fisheries on Sept. 28 announced funding totaling about $2.3 million is available for collaborative bycatch reduction projects. NOAA has invited non-federal researchers who are working on development of improved fishing practices and innovative gear technologies that reduce bycatch to apply. The stated goal is to find proactive, meaningful and equitable community engagement in the identification, design and/or implementation of proposed projects. The agency is encouraging applicants to include and demonstrate principles of diversity, equity, including and accessibility. Funding is expected to be issue in 2024. Bycatch is defined by NOAA as catch fishermen don’t want, cannot sell or aren’t allowed to keep. The concern is that bycatch of fish, marine mammals or turtles can h...
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NOAA Fisheries Releases Aquaculture Accomplishments Report
4Oct By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments
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NOAA Fisheries Releases Aquaculture Accomplishments Report

NOAA Fisheries has released its Alaska 2023 Aquaculture Accomplishments Report, highlighting 14 projects that supported the Alaska aquaculture priorities of managing sustainably and efficiently, leading science for sustainability and educating and exchange of information. For 2023, NOAA’s Alaska Aquaculture Program prioritized 10 of 17 total national objectives listed in the 2023-2028 Aquaculture Strategic Plan. One highlight of the year is a project underway at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center’s (AFSC) Kodiak Lab, a collaboration with local kelp farmers to investigate how farmed seaweed compares to natural seaweed beds as a habitat for local marine animal species. Fishery ecologist Alix Laferriere is using video surveys, Standard Monitoring United for the Recruitment of Fi...
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NOAA Report Cites IUU, Forced Labor, Shark Catch Issues
6Sep By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments
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NOAA Report Cites IUU, Forced Labor, Shark Catch Issues

NOAA’s 2023 Report to Congress on Improving International Fisheries Management identifies seven nations and entities engaged in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU), including incidents involving force labor and targeted or incidental shark catches. The report, released Aug. 31, said the U.S. will work with identified parties to address IUU issues and forced labor activities and support effective management of protected species and shark catch. “IUU fishing and other unsustainable fishing practices undermine U.S. and global efforts to sustainably manage fisheries and conserve marine resources,” Janet Coit, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries, said. “Combating these practices is a top priority of the United States, and we’ll work with each identified nation and ent...
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NOAA: Climate Change Will Likely Send West Coast Fish Farther Offshore
30Aug By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments
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NOAA: Climate Change Will Likely Send West Coast Fish Farther Offshore

Scientists at NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center say their research shows that shifting ocean conditions associated with climate change will likely send high-value sablefish into deeper waters off the West Coast. This means vessels may have to travel farther and fish deeper in order to keep catching fish. The new report, which provides a glimpse of what West Coast fisheries will look like with climate change, notes that fishing crews must always balance the value of different commercial species against the distances involved in catching them, but that climate change could alter that equation in new ways. Researchers studied how four species of West Coast groundfish commonly caught together may respond to climate change. They include sablefish, Dover sole, shortspine tho...
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