Public hearing webinars scheduled for January 26-28.
NOAA Fisheries Proposes Modifications to the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan
NOAA Fisheries has proposed modifications to the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan to further reduce the impacts of entanglement in fishing gear on right whales in U.S. waters. The proposed modifications focus on the Northeast jonah crab and lobster trap/pot fisheries, which deploy about 93 percent of the buoy lines fished in areas where right whales occur. In 2021, the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team will be asked to recommend risk reduction measures for other Atlantic trap/pot and gillnet fisheries.
Comments on the proposed modifications and on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement may be submitted through March 1, 2021. NOAA Fisheries will also hold a series of virtual public hearings to explain the proposed modifications and to accept public comments on the modifications. Learn more at the links below.
Message from Chris Oliver, Assistant Administrator for Fisheries
Information on Public Information Sessions in January and Public Hearings in February
How to Comment
Attend a public hearing.
Submit your comments in writing through our online comment portal. To comment, go to: regulations.gov. Search for NOAA-NMFS-2020-0031. Choose “Comment Now” to submit your comments.
New South Atlantic For-Hire Reporting Requirements – Information for Greater Atlantic Permit Holders
Beginning on January 4, 2021, all fishermen with Atlantic federal charter/headboat permits for Snapper-Grouper, Coastal Migratory Pelagics, and Dolphin/Wahoo issued by NOAA’s Southeast Regional Office (SERO) will be required to electronically report their fishing effort and landings through the NOAA Fisheries Southeast For-Hire Electronic Reporting Program.
How Will This Affect For-Hire Operators in the Greater Atlantic Region?
Individuals holding only for-hire permits issued by the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) will not be impacted by these changes. You can continue submitting your electronic VTRs as you are right now.
Individuals holding both a GARFO for-hire permit and a Southeast Region Office (SERO) charter/headboat permit for any of the species listed above will be subject to new reporting requirements.
Information for Dual GARFO and SERO For-Hire Permit Holders
In early December, SERO will be sending you an informational toolkit that explains the Southeast For-Hire Electronic Reporting Program. The toolkit is also available here.
New Reporting Requirements
As a result of holding the SERO permit, you will need to report the new information listed below, in addition to the GARFO information you are accustomed to reporting.
Socio-economic questions:
Trip Fee (dollars);
Fuel Used (gallons);
Price of Fuel (dollars per gallon).
Requirement to submit did-not-fish reports in weeks in which no fishing activity occurs in any fishery.
How to Report
As a holder of a SERO permit, you will be required to meet these reporting requirements regardless of where you fish or what species you target.
If you have been reporting using eTrips/Mobile 2, simply continue to report with this software as you have been, as the new fields will automatically appear in January and this system meets both regions’ requirements.
If you have been reporting using the Fish Online eVTR application, we strongly encourage you to convert to eTrips/Mobile 2 to satisfy the reporting requirements of both GARFO and SERO. At present, Fish Online does not meet SERO reporting requirements.
When to Report:
Reports must still be submitted within 48 hours of landing to meet GARFO requirements.
For Assistance with Reporting Requirements Contact
Your local GARFO Port Agent
GARFO reporting group at 978-281-9246
If you are a Fish Online user and want to switch to using eTrips, call 1-800-984-0810 or visit https://www.accsp.org/what-we-do/safis/etrips-mobile-instructions/
Additional Information
SERO Webinars to answer your questions: scheduled for 10:00 AM-12:00 PM and 6:00-8:00 PM, EST on December 16, 2020. Details are available here.
SERO Customer service hotline: available from 8:00-4:30, EST at 1-833-707-1632.
Customer service email: ser.electronicreporting@noaa.gov
NOAA Fisheries Announces Commercial Blueline Tilefish Fishery Closure
Proposed 2021 Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Specifications
Comments on the proposed rule are due December 2, 2020.
NEFSC Soliciting Butterfish and Illex Stock Assessment Working Group Members
NOAA Fisheries Announces Increase to the Illex Squid Annual Quota
August 3, 2020 - The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
NOAA Fisheries announces an increase to the 2020 acceptable biological catch (ABC) for the Illex squid fishery from 26,000 mt to 30,000 mt. This quota increase was recommended by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council based on preliminary work by its Illex Squid Working Group, which concluded that the species continues to be lightly exploited and the fishery footprint is small. The Illex squid fishery has closed each summer in 2017, 2018, and 2019. This increase will enable full utilization of the available resource. This rule is effective on August 4, 2020.
For more details, please read the rule as filed in the Federal Register, and our permit holder bulletin.
NOAA Fisheries Implements Atlantic Chub Mackerel Measures
NOAA Fisheries to Begin Redeployment of Observers and At-Sea Monitors in Northeast on August 14
On July 30, NOAA Fisheries announced that deployment of observers and at-sea monitors in the Northeast partial-coverage fisheries will resume on August 14. To improve transparency in its approach to observer deployment, NOAA Fisheries has established national-level criteria for vessels to be waived (released) from observer or at-sea monitor coverage. Going forward, observer or monitor coverage may be waived, for both full and partial-coverage fisheries, on a trip-specific basis if one of the following two criteria are met:
Observers or at-sea monitors are not available for deployment; or
The observer providers cannot meet the safety protocols imposed by a state on commercial fishing crew or by the vessel or vessel company on its crew.
For additional details, read the full announcement here.
NOAA Fisheries Proposes Electronic Vessel Trip Reporting for Commercial Vessels
NOAA Fisheries: Private Vessels Fishing for Tilefish in the Mid-Atlantic Must Now Get Permits and File Catch Reports
NOAA Fisheries Extends Northeast Observer Waiver Through July 31; Coverage to Resume August 1
NOAA Fisheries to Redeploy Observers July 1; Mid-Atlantic Council Responds
Responsible Offshore Science Alliance (ROSA) Seeking Advisory Council Applications
Northeast Observer Waiver Extended Through June 30, 2020; Coverage to Resume July 1, 2020
NOAA Fisheries Announces Projects Recommended for S-K Funding
Northeast Observer Waiver Extended Through May 30, 2020
NOAA Fisheries is extending the waiver granted to vessels with Greater Atlantic Region fishing permits to carry human observers or at-sea monitors for an additional two weeks, through May 30, 2020. This action is authorized by 50 CFR 648.11, which provides the Greater Atlantic Regional Administrator authority to waive observer requirements, and is also consistent with the criteria described in the agency's emergency rule on observer waivers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
NOAA Fisheries will continue to monitor and evaluate this situation. As we have done in other parts of the country, we will use this time to work with the observer service providers to implement adjustments to the logistics of deploying observers, ensuring qualified observers or at-sea monitors are available as soon as safely possible.
Observers and at-sea monitors are an essential component of commercial fishing operations and provide critical information that is necessary to keep fisheries open and to provide sustainable seafood to our nation during this time. We will continue to monitor all local public health notifications, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for updates. We are committed to protecting the public health and ensuring the safety of fishermen, observers, and others, while fulfilling our mission to maintain our nation's seafood supply and conserving marine life.
Questions? Contact Allison Ferreira, Regional Office, 978-281-9103
NOAA Fisheries Approves Revised 2020-2021 Scup and Black Sea Bass Commercial Quotas and Recreational Harvest Limits
NOAA Fisheries is implementing revised 2020 scup and black sea bass specifications and announcing projected 2021 specifications. Read more.
NOAA Fisheries: Proposed Rule to Implement 2020-2021 Specifications and Recreational Management Measures for the Atlantic Bluefish Fishery
NOAA Fisheries proposes revised specifications for the 2020 Atlantic bluefish fishery and projected specifications for fishing year 2021, as recommended by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. These proposed catch limits are reduced to account for the results of the recent operational assessment and prevent overfishing on the now overfished bluefish stock.
The commercial total allowable landings would be reduced by 25 percent, from 3.71 to 2.77 million pounds. The recreational total allowable landings would be reduced by 39 percent, from 15.62 to 9.48 million pounds. The federal bluefish recreational fishery daily bag limit would remain reduced from 15 to 3 fish per person for private anglers and to 5 fish per person for for-hire (charter/party) vessels as set forth in the interim measures recently announced. All other recreational management measures and commercial management measures would remain unchanged.
This action is necessary to establish allowable harvest levels and other management measures to prevent overfishing, consistent with the most recent scientific information.