NOAA releases Cooperative Research DVD

NOAA Fisheries has produced a new DVD, In Good Company , that describes recent activities of the Cooperative Research Partners Program. This DVD includes exciting on-the-water footage, as well as interviews with fishermen and scientists who have participated in the program. In recent years, commercial and recreational fishermen have become more involved in fisheries research throughout the Northeast Region, lending their unique perspective and technical expertise to the scientific process. The mission of the Cooperative Research Partners Program is to guide the management of fishery resources in New England by building cooperative relationships among industry, scientists and managers.
Several recent studies are profiled in the DVD. The development of a rope separator trawl allows fishermen to capture healthy populations of haddock, while allowing overfished cod to escape through a specially designed net. Another project is exploring the impacts of bottom trawling in the Western Gulf of Maine, by comparing the quality of seafloor habitat in open and closed areas. An industry-based survey of cod in the Gulf of Maine is evaluating the importance of inshore areas as nursery and spawning grounds. Recreational and commercial fishermen have tagged more than 114,000 cod; these data are being used to assess migration patterns and collect growth information for stock assessments.
Through the Cooperative Research Partners Program, Federal, state, academic, and private partners are working together in real-life settings to set research priorities, collect and analyze data, and discuss scientific findings. Scientists benefit from increased time at sea and the opportunity to gain local knowledge from fishermen, while captains are compensated for the use of their vessel through monetary payments or the sale of their catch. These cooperative projects have demonstrated success in improving relationships and building a foundation of trust in fisheries science. To learn more, visit www.nero.noaa.gov, and click on “Cooperative Research”.

NOAA Prohibition on Grouper

A seasonal prohibition on fishing for or possession of red, black, tiger, yellowfin, or yellowedge grouper (Grouper Unit 4) in Caribbean federal waters will be in effect from 12:01 a.m., local time, February 1 through April 30, 2007 . Caribbean federal waters are those waters extending to 200 nautical miles offshore from the nine-mile seaward boundary of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the three-mile seaward boundary of the territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands. This prohibition on possession does not apply to grouper that are harvested and landed ashore prior to the closure.
Also, from February 1 through April 30 each year no person may fish for or possess any species of fish, except highly migratory species, within the Grammanik Bank closed area. An annual spawning aggregation of yellowfin grouper has been documented at Grammanik Bank, south of St. Thomas , occurring from about February through April each year. This closure is designed to address overfishing and protect the yellowfin grouper spawning aggregation. The term “fish” includes finfish, mollusks, crustaceans, and all other forms of marine animal and plant life other than marine mammals and birds. Highly migratory species refers to bluefin, bigeye, yellowfin, albacore, and skipjack tunas; swordfish; sharks; white marlin, blue marlin, sailfish, and longbill spearfish.
For more information, read the fishery bulletin.

New England Shellfish Areas Closed due to Red Tide

On October 18, 2005, at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), NOAA Fisheries took emergency action to close certain New England waters due to the presence of a toxin that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning. The FDA has recently renewed this recommendation based on current oceanographic conditions and alga sampling data. These data suggest that the northern section of the Temporary Paralytic Shellfish Poison Closure Area should remain closed to the harvest of bivalve molluscan shellfish, and that the southern area should remain closed to the harvest of whole or roe-on scallops. Therefore, a new temporary rule has extended these closures through June 30, 2007. A map of the affected area is available online.