One That Didn’t Get Away: The Atlantic Sea Scallop and the Future of Fishing
During National Seafood Month, it is important to appreciate the tremendous benefits the Cape and seafood consumers across the country have enjoyed thanks to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, which Congress is revisiting this year. In fact, without the science-based fisheries management required by this law, our rich heritage might have become ancient history. … More Info
“Data, data, data”
The Senate Subcommittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a hearing today on the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA), the primary federal law governing our nation’s fisheries. It was the first in a series of hearings about the MSA and its reauthorization; the focus of this particular hearing was to understand NOAA’s and the regional councils’ perspectives. The testifying witnesses were Chis Oliver, the newly appointed administrator of NOAA Fisheries, and Dr. John Quinn, Chairman of the Council Coordination Committee and the New England Fishery Management Council (Quinn testified on behalf of the CCC). … More Info
Latest U.S. Fisheries Management Bill, Like its Two Recent Predecessors, is Bad for Fish, the Ocean, and Coastal Communities
A fisheries bill recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives is a reprise of legislation we saw in the past two Congresses. And, just like those prior bills, the “new” one would significantly weaken our nation’s fishery management law, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA), which was enacted more than 40 years ago. … More Info
A Review of 2016 on Talking Fish
Many of us, Talking Fish included, are ready to leave 2016 behind and wish for the best in the New Year. But it’s still valuable to reflect on the past year and review some of the major topics that we covered around New England’s fisheries. Merriam Webster chose “surreal” as the 2016 word of the year; it seems a similar sentiment can be applied to the world of New England fisheries in 2016, as we encountered many ups and downs throughout the year. … More Info
With New Fish Rule, NOAA Lets the Big One Get Away
In October the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which oversees our nation’s fisheries, passed up a chance to take a major step toward EBFM. … More Info
Is the Acadian Redfish Helping Puffins Adapt to Climate Change?
As Atlantic herring follow cooler waters north, rebounding redfish populations have become a vital source of food for some puffin colonies … More Info
The Bedrock of U.S. Sustainable Fisheries Just Got Rumbled
National Standard 1 is regularly identified as the bedrock of sustainable U.S. fisheries management: prevent overfishing while producing optimum yield from the nation’s fisheries. The latter objective imports the linked statutory requirement that overfished stocks should be rebuilt as quickly as biologically possible. But NOAA Fisheries’ revisions seem determined to shake this foundation. … More Info
Final NOAA Rule Weakens Fisheries Protection
Protecting U.S. fisheries from overfishing, and restoring populations of fish that are at unsustainably low levels, just got a little tougher. On Oct. 13, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) announced a final version of guidelines to implement National Standard 1, which directs fisheries managers to prevent overfishing while attaining the greatest economic, ecological, and social benefits for the nation. National Standard 1 is the most important of the 10 standards that guide fisheries managers’ implementation of the nation’s primary fishing law, the Magnuson-Stevens Act. The final rule contains several critical deficiencies. … More Info
Fish Talk in the News – Friday, October 14
In this edition of Fish Talk in the News, new National Standard guidelines prioritize short-term profit over long-term sustainability; MA fishermen test weaker ropes so whales can break through them; barndoor skates are declared rebuilt in New England; New England states announce shellfish closures; and researchers use ‘robomussels’ to monitor climate change. … More Info
Optimum Yield for the Environment and All of Us
There is no shortage of historic firsts for the Atlantic Ocean. From the European discoveries of New England’s vast cod abundance that launched colonial America’s first industry to Marconi’s first trans-Atlantic wireless transmission to Lindberg’s harrowing trans-Atlantic flight, the Atlantic … More Info
