NOAA Category Archives — Maritime Injury Law Blog Published by Alaska & Washington Maritime Injury Lawyers

Published on: November 19, 2024

NOAA Unveils Plan to Strengthen Seafood Import Monitoring

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing harms both consumers and fishermen by undermining the seafood industry’s integrity. For fishermen, IUU fishing causes economic losses by flooding markets with illegal seafood, depletes fish stocks through overfishing, and creates unfair competition as illicit operators bypass regulations and compliance costs. Tackling IUU fishing is vital to ensure safe, sustainable seafood and protect fishermen’s livelihoods. For consumers, IUU fishing increases the risk of unsafe or mislabeled products, exposing them to potential health risks.

NOAA has just unveiled an action plan to enhance the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP), working to strengthen the integrity of U.S. seafood imports and fight IUU fishing. This plan follows a comprehensive review initiated in November 2023, during which NOAA worked with over 7,000 stakeholders, including industry professionals, foreign governments, researchers, and non-governmental organizations. The feedback gathered has been instrumental in developing a plan designed to strengthen SIMP’s impact and effectiveness. The plan outlines four primary goals.

Enhance NOAA Fisheries’ Ability to Combat IUU Fishing

Published on: November 12, 2024

Invasive European Green Crab Threatens West Coast Ecosystems

by Joseph Stacey

The European green crab, a small but vicious predator, has been making its presence known on the West Coast of North America and wreaking havoc on native ecosystems. Native to the coastlines of Europe and northern Africa, the green crab has spread to coastlines around the world, from Australia to South Africa, and now to the western United States. With alarming impact, these predators have been nicknamed “cockroaches of the sea”. Having reached Alaska, they may pose a new threat to salmon populations.

“I worry about the salmonids,” says Tammy Davis, Invasive Species Program coordinator at the Alaska Dept. of Fish & Game (ADF&G). “I don’t have any evidence that they are competing for food at certain life stages, but the green crabs tear up the eelgrass that provides vital habitat for juvenile salmon and their prey, and in an already stressed ecosystem, having another stressor can affect the whole food web.”

“In Southeast Alaska, we have an estimated 19,000 miles of coastline and much of it is suitable habitat for green crabs.” She adds that many of the islands and passages of the Southeast archipelago have estuaries with eelgrass meadows protected from heavy surf, providing food and protection for green crabs.

Published on: October 29, 2024

NOAA’s 2024 Seafood Industry Report

by Joseph Stacey

Alaska’s seafood industry, a cornerstone of the state’s economy and U.S. fisheries, is facing significant hurdles, as revealed in NOAA’s 2024 report. Economic conditions, workforce challenges, and climate impacts are driving this once-thriving sector into a difficult period, resulting in substantial declines in profits and industry-wide layoffs.

Economic Downturn and Job Losses

The report details that from 2021 to 2023, Alaska’s seafood industry saw a 50% drop in profitability, largely due to rising costs for fuel, labor, and materials combined with declining global seafood prices. In total, the industry suffered a revenue loss of around $1.8 billion, impacting over 38,000 jobs across the United States, including workers in Alaska and beyond. This economic slump is attributed to global market competition and a complex web of supply chain issues that continue to hinder recovery efforts.

Published on: October 8, 2024

Ropeless Crab Gear Trial

by Joseph Stacey

The recent trial of innovative ropeless crab fishing gear off the California coast has ignited controversy among the Dungeness crab fishing community. The trial, which ran from April 9 to June 30, 2024, allowed a limited number of commercial crabbers to use ropeless gear to harvest during a time typically restricted to protect whales and crabs. While the technology has been hailed by some as a major breakthrough in reducing whale entanglements, others in the community view it as a complication in an already strained industry.

The trial, the largest of its kind to date, focused on testing “pop-up” fishing gear designed to eliminate the need for traditional buoy lines, which are known to cause entanglements for marine mammals such as whales. Instead of using long lines of rope that extend from the ocean floor to a surface buoy, ropeless systems employ underwater cages that release to the surface when remotely activated by the fishermen. This eliminates the vertical ropes, which have been identified as a major hazard for migrating whales that can become trapped.

Whale entanglements in traditional crab fishing gear have become an increasingly urgent concern over the past decade, leading to frequent delays and shutdowns of the crabbing season in California. In recent years, crabbers have faced shortened seasons, which often fall during critical whale migration periods. As a result, the fishing industry has been under pressure to find solutions that balance both marine conservation and the economic sustainability of crab fishing. Proponents of ropeless gear argue that the technology offers a new way to allow crabbing to continue while protecting endangered species like humpback and blue whales.

Published on: October 1, 2024

Bycatch of Nearly 20,000 Chinook Salmon Shuts Down Alaska Pollock Fishery

by Joseph Stacey

Nearly 20,000 Chinook salmon were accidentally caught as bycatch in the Gulf of Alaska’s pollock fishery, forcing an early closure and igniting outrage among scientists studying endangered southern resident orcas and advocates for wild salmon. Chinook salmon, highly prized for their size and nutritional value, are a critical food source for the southern resident orcas that frequent the Salish Sea.

Although genetic testing of the caught Chinook has not yet been completed, it is highly likely that fish from Washington’s rivers were among those captured. Pollock, a white fish commonly used in products like fish sticks and fast-food sandwiches, was the intended target of the fishing operation.

The shutdown came after just two fishing vessels surpassed the allowable bycatch limit during the weekend of September 21-22. According to Julie Fair, a spokesperson for the Alaska region of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the boats were monitored by either onboard human observers or cameras. Starting next year, the entire fleet will be subjected to this level of monitoring.

Published on: September 3, 2024

Six Fishermen Saved by Personal Locator Beacon

by Nigel Stacey

A group of fishermen stranded in the remote Western Pacific were recently rescued, thanks in large part to a personal locator beacon they had with them, according to a U.S. Coast Guard search coordinator.

According to a news release from the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Guam, the six fishermen became stranded about 30 miles north of Satawal Atoll in the Caroline Islands when their engine failed at approximately 9 a.m. on August 17, 2024. The fishermen activated a personal locator beacon (PLB), sending a distress signal that transmitted their location to the Joint Rescue Sub-Center Guam, over 430 miles away.

The distress signal was relayed to the USCGC OLIVER HENRY, which was on patrol approximately 270 miles northeast of the fishermen, as well as the Panamanian-flagged cargo vessel ZHONG YU MARINE, a 97-meter cargo vessel located about 160 miles north of the stranded boat. Despite challenging conditions, including the remote location, thunderstorms, and low visibility, both ships reached the search area by 3 a.m. on August 18, 2024. The distressed fishing vessel was located, then towed to a nearby atoll.

Published on: August 13, 2024

U.S. Coast Guard Rescues 6 After Mayday Call from Burning Fishing Vessel

by Joseph Stacey

On Sunday August 11^th, 2024, at 8:56 p.m., the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Northern New England command center watchstanders received a mayday call from the F/V THREE GIRLS stating that the vessel was on fire, and all aboard were preparing to abandon ship. The vessel was located about 105 nautical miles east of Portsmouth, New Hampshire at the time of the incident.

The First Coast Guard District command center also received an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) alert from the vessel. The trawler was carrying six people, including a NOAA fishery observer.

At 9 p.m., Sector Northern New England diverted the USCGC William Chadwick, a fast response cutter, to respond. An MH-60 Jayhawk aircrew and a HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircrew from the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod was also launched in an effort to provide aerial support.

Published on: May 3, 2024

Federal Government Assumes Management of Salmon Fishing in Parts of Cook Inlet

by Joseph Stacey

Spring Chinook Salmon. Photo courtesy Michael Humling, US Fish & Wildlife Service

Salmon fishing in the federal waters of Cook Inlet will restart this summer with a shift in management to the federal government, as finalized in a recent ruling. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries), a branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is assuming control over salmon management in the inlet waters categorized as the federal exclusive economic zone, extending beyond 3 miles offshore. This new regulation becomes effective on May 30th.

Up until this point, the state had overseen salmon fisheries in both state and federal waters of the inlet. However, due to a decade-long legal battle, federal courts mandated a shift in management. The United Cook Inlet Drift Association (UCIDA), comprising commercial salmon fishermen, initiated legal action against the federal government in 2013, alleging a failure to formulate a salmon harvest management plan for the federal waters of the inlet. Instead of crafting a specific plan for Cook Inlet salmon, the National Marine Fisheries Service had relied on the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, which historically managed salmon harvests across the inlet in both state and federal waters since statehood.

Published on: March 5, 2024

Bering Sea Trawling Study Postponed

by Nigel Stacey

A federal agency has decided not to proceed with a controversial bottom-trawling experiment that was planned this year for the Northern Bering Sea. Tribal and environmental groups, prepared to take legal action to stop the project, are welcoming the decision.

The Northern Bering Sea Effects of Trawling Study (NETS) aims to investigate the consequences of commercial bottom trawling, a fishing technique utilizing nets to sweep the seafloor, in an area of the Bering Sea where it is presently prohibited. Despite the ban on bottom trawling in the Northern Bering Sea, the study anticipates that changes in fish populations due to climate change may create future pressures for its implementation in the region.

The research project, slated to begin as early as August, is structured as a multiyear endeavor. Janet Coit, the director of NOAA Fisheries, conveyed the decision via email to tribal organizations that had voiced objections to the project.

Published on: December 19, 2023

Legislators Introduce Bill Ensuring Protection and Welfare of Commercial Fishermen

by Joseph Stacey

Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Dan Sullivan (R-AL), and Edward Markey (D-MA) have spearheaded a bipartisan initiative by introducing the FISH Wellness Act, aimed at enhancing safety, health, and well-being in the fishing industry. This proposed legislation aims to expand upon the successes of the Commercial Fishing Occupational Safety Research & Training Program. It seeks to tackle a spectrum of occupational hazards encountered by fishermen, including worker fatigue and substance use disorders. The act will boost funding for the program, making research and training grants more attainable by removing match requirements.

During the Pacific Marine Expo this year, a coalition of commercial fishing industry professionals convened to deliberate on approaches to tackle the mental health concerns among commercial fishermen. Across generations, individuals have dealt indirectly with mental health challenges, prompting the newer generation to advocate for a more straightforward approach; talking openly about and resolving mental health issues.

“Providing our next generation of fishermen and women with the mental health and substance abuse care that they need is vital to the success of our industry,” said Andrea Tomlinson, founder and executive director of New England Young Fishermen’s Alliance. “Commercial fishing is the second most dangerous job in the US after logging, and these workers require extra mental and behavioral health support due to the strenuous and challenging conditions of this valuable trade.”