2009 Archives

CFA Urges Caution in Offshore Aquaculture Development

In the face of the Aquaculture Fishery Management Plan (FMP) which was adopted on January 28, 2009 by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, CFA registered its opposition in a letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke.

The letter points out that the Aquaculture FMP is fundamentally flawed in four critical areas:

1. The Gulf Council and NOAA lack the statutory authority to develop a permitting system for open ocean aquaculture.

2. The Aquaculture FMP is legally deficient as it fails to meet the minimum requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act.

3. The Aquaculture FMP lacks the types of environmental, socioeconomic and liability standards needed to protect Gulf ecosystems and their associated communities from the scientifically-documented risks of open ocean aquaculture.

4. The Aquaculture FMP will directly undercut the role of Congress in fully considering federal legislation to develop a coordinated national framework for open ocean aquaculture, with explicit environmental performance standards, to regulate this nascent industry.

Over 16,000 public comments were submitted to the Gulf Council on the Aquaculture FMP and less than 50 of these were in support of the plan.

Currently there are no commercial finfish offshore aquaculture operations in U.S. federal waters yet research among several aquaculture operations and commercial producers is underway in state waters off the coasts of California, New Hampshire, Hawaii, Washington, Maine, and Florida.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is one of the primary agencies charged with permitting and overseeing aquaculture. NOAA’s Aquaculture Program will be developing a new national policy for marine aquaculture in 2010.

CFA calls on Commerce Secretary Gary Locke to Help Resolve Salmon Crisis

The Commercial Fishermen of America added its name to a letter sent to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke regarding the crisis facing salmon populations, fishing businesses and communities.

Fishermen, scientists, salmon advocates, former governors, members of Congress and businesses are calling for a Northwest “solutions table” – a settlement process convened by the Obama administration – to bring together stakeholders for the purpose of creating effective solutions specifically related to the Columbia-Snake salmon crisis.

The letter outlines steps that need to be taken “to confront challenges and develop solutions to solve problems, create jobs, and protect and restore healthy, self-sustaining salmon fisheries across the West Coast.”

“President Obama has given our members new cause for hope. The Obama Administration can surely chart a better course with the states and affected publics — out of the court room and toward meaningful recovery.”

Idaho Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch and Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley have also gone on record to support the settlement process.

“For many of the endangered salmon populations in the Northwest, time is the enemy,” the letter continues. “We need to start immediately to develop and implement science-based plans that will restore salmon and revive our fishing sector.”

The CFA hopes that Secretary Locke will respond to the letter so that effective solutions to the Columbia River salmon crisis can be found.

To learn more about this issue, visit the Save our Wild Salmon website.

National Ocean Policy Task Force

In December 2009, the Obama administration’s Ocean Policy Task Force released its Interim Framework for Effective Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning, a regional process to be developed cooperatively among Federal, State, tribal, and local authorities.

The task force, consisting of 24 senior-level officials from Administration agencies, departments, and offices, is scheduled to release more formal results in March.

According to the Framework, the Federal Government’s approach to coastal and marine planning would significantly alter, in ways including:

A New Approach to How We Use and Protect the Ocean, Coast, and Great Lakes. The Interim Framework is designed to: decrease user conflicts; improve planning and regulatory efficiencies and decrease their associated costs and delays; and preserve critical ecosystem function and services.
Moves us Away From Sector-by-Sector and Statute-by-Statute Decision-Making. Comprehensive marine spatial planning presents a more integrated, comprehensive, ecosystem-based, flexible, and proactive approach to planning and managing uses and activities.
Brings Federal, State, and Tribal Partners Together in an Unprecedented Manner to Jointly Plan for the Future.Federal resource planning would be regionally based and developed cooperatively among Federal, State, tribal, and local authorities, and regional governance structures.
Places Science-Based Information at the Heart of Decision-Making. Scientific data, information and knowledge, as well as relevant traditional knowledge, will be the underpinning of the regionally developed plans.
Emphasizes Stakeholder and Public Participation. The planning process would be frequent and robust stakeholder engagement throughout all steps of the process (i.e., development, adoption, implementation, adaptation and evaluation).

Interim framework available at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/oceans/interim-framework

CFA testified at the National Ocean Policy Hearing in September

“Because fishermen are so much a part of our coastal communities and ocean waters and because fishermen have a working knowledge of ocean waters, they must be part of the Administration’s ocean policy making and planning process. The development of an effective ocean policy and planning process requires that fishing men and women be at the table. The Commercial Fishermen of America welcome that invitation.”

“Ocean zoning or spatial planning can help to avoid future conflicts among different uses or users of ocean waters. We know in the fishing industry we have had informal agreements among different gear types, for example, between trawlers and trap fishermen to avoid each others operations. Or, even between trap fishermen and tug-and-barge operations to avoid gear entanglement and loss. Thus, spatial planning could be advantageous to fishing – as long as it’s remembered that fishermen have to be able to follow the fish.”

“Aquaculture development would be safer conducted ashore – and have less of a carbon footprint. NOAA should focus its aquaculture plans for on-shore, contained facilities that are much safer and do not threaten our native marine life.”

“As there are many regional and national agencies with a stake in protecting and managing our oceans and waterway’s health, we need to improve communication and coordination between the agencies and increase capacity to respond to negative impacts in a swift and cohesive manner. NOAA needs to have more of a leadership role in all policy decisions affecting our oceans. The Commercial Fishermen of America welcomes the opportunity to work with the Interagency Ocean Task Force to help ensure the implementation of a truly comprehensive and workable National Ocean Policy.”

CFA’s Jeremy Brown and Sara Randall Speak to the Importance of Sustaining Fishing Communities at Seafood Summit

The International Seafood Summit 2010: Challenging Assumptions in a Changing World took place in Paris, France from 31 January – 2 February 2010, bringing together over 600 representatives of the seafood industry and conservation community.

The National Organizer Sara Randall moderated a panel including Jeremy Brown from Bellingham, WA, fisherman and Vice-president of the Commercial Fishermen of America, Kim Libby from Port Cylde, ME, founder of the first Community Supported Fishery (CSF) and Barbara Rodenburg of the Wadden Sea in the Netherlands.

Their panel “The Role of Direct Marketing in Sustaining Fishing Communities,” looked at successful initiatives by fishing communities to promote direct marketing approaches, including “community supported fisheries” and co-ops.

OBAMA ADMINISTRATION, GOVERNORS, AND KLAMATH COMMUNITIES SIGN PACT FOR KLAMATH DAM REMOVAL

Members of a broad-based coalition that spent five years to craft an agreement have now cemented a 50-year commitment to restore the Klamath Basin’s fisheries and economy.

The Governors of Oregon and California, the Secretary of the Interior, and Obama administration officials signed the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (KBRA), which addresses environmental and economic issues, and the Klamath Hydropower Settlement Agreement (KHSA), which outlines the removal of four Klamath River dams.

The KHSA includes the largest dam removal project in history, scheduled for 2020. Proponents of this plan state that for the first time in 100 years there is a chance to bring back some of the West Coast’s biggest salmon runs, with up to 230,000 acre-feet more water to be added to the Klamath River.

Critics of the agreement point out that dam removal will not occur until 2020, and in the process dam owner PacifCorp will continue operations that are degrading water quality and harming salmon. There is no specific agreement for removal of the dams, only a recommended process for determining whether the dams should be removed or not.

Also, commercial farming on 22,000 acres of the Lower Klamath and Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge is planned to be locked in for 50 years rather than being phased out.

DNA ‘Barcodes’ Surface Fishy Imposters on Menus

Researchers using a new DNA test recently discovered that fish ordered from menus in New York and Denver might not always be the species served…Read More

Alaska awaits word on Fisheries Disaster

Four months after putting in a request for a federal fishery disaster declaration with the U.S. Department of Commerce, the state of Alaska is still waiting for an answer…Read More

Proposed waterfront protection zone draws mixed reviews

Providence officials are looking to grow the city’s economy by looking to the water…Read More

Pollock a hit in schools, fisheries hiring

More of America’s school kids will be eating fish for lunch now that top-quality pollock has been added to the government’s Commodity Processing Program…Read More

Working Waterfront Festival goes on despite torrential rain

The sixth annual Working Waterfront Festival concluded with a splash on Sunday with strong winds gusting throughout the afternoon, pummelling the festival tents and driving sheets of torrential rain across the docks…Read More

Look-alike sturgeon may get protection

Good news for shovelnose sturgeon may be bad news for this region’s commercial fishermen, who sell them to make caviar…Read More

Hawaii fishers at odds over what to do about declining catches

Talk of bag limits and minimum size restrictions for three popular reef fish species is building on the mistrust between segments of the fishing community and scientists and conservationists concerned about the impacts of fishing on Hawai’i’s reefs..Read More

CFA Calls On Commerce Secretary Gary Locke to Help Resolve Salmon Crisis

Today, seven major regional and national recreational and commercial fishing associations wrote to Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke requesting a face-to-face meeting on the crisis facing West Coast salmon populations and fishing businesses and communities..Read More

Scientists finalize recommendations for offshore fisheries within the Pacific Marine National Monuments and Hawaii

The Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council concluded its three-day meeting this week at the King Kamehameha Beach Hotel in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.. Read More

Fishermen and public invited to participate in meeting on federal management of offshore fisheries

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council—which was established by Congress to manage fisheries in the offshore waters of Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands..Read More

NOAA Opens 60-Day Public Comment Period for Gulf Aquaculture Amendment

On June 4, 2009, NOAA opened a 60-day public comment period for the Fishery Management Plan for Regulating Offshore Marine Aquaculture in the Gulf of Mexico..Read More

Fisheries had their challenges

Voices from the Fisheries, an archive of oral histories of recreational and commercial fishermen and the communities and families that rely on them, documents the human experience with the nation’s coastal, marine and Great Lakes environments and living marine resources….Read More