Nov 25: Round three of  here an extension, there an extension, etc. NMFS responds to round two.  Plus a declaration from Pat Kurkul. 

And more from the plaintiffs.  Three this time: Cover Letter, Reply, and Exhibits.

Nov 21: And another filing, this time from the Northeast Seafood Coalition, in three parts:  1 letter, 2 memorandum, and 3 proposed order

Nov 20: I arrived at my desk this morning to find this very interesting snippet from AFSC Processed Report 2001-03 Retrospective Analysis of Suspiciously Small Catches in the National Marine Fisheries Service West Coast Triennial Bottom Trawl Survey.  I do not have the full report.

Nov 19: The Trawler Survival Fund and Associated Fisheries of Maine as well as the State Director coalition have filed responses to the NMFS and plaintiff court filing of November 6th

Nov 14: The New England Fishery Management Council has sent its letter to the court. Peruse at your leisure.  You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to read this file.

Nov 11: On the left at the bottom under commentaries is an editorial from the Portland Press Herald.  I am amazed how everything is continually the industry's fault.

Nov 7: The New England Fishery Management Council has voted to ask Judge Gladys Kessler for at least a one year delay - from August 2003 to August 2004 - of implementation of Amendment 13.  More details tomorrow.

Nov 6: NMFS and the environmentalist organizations involved in the Framework 33 lawsuit are asking for a 9 month delay in implementing Amendment 13, from August 2003 to May 2004.  But the states and the fishing community agree that's not good enough - see the November 6 links at left.

Nov 4:  Here it is after 8 at night and I am trying to get out of the office to go home and pack for the Council meeting.  I check my email for the last time and find the two gems below.  I mention this because this website is dependent on all of the people who send me tidbits.. Both of these are really good and different voices to boot. 

Menakhem Ben-Yami has forwarded his December column for World Fishing so that we can utilize it now! If you enjoy or learn from the article, please buy the paper in appreciation.

Walley Pereyra gives us some good historical insight.  Nils Stolpe Garden State Seafood Association/FishNet USA forwarded it.

Nov 1: NOAA does have a sense of humor, or perhaps they are practicing for their new assignment.

Direct quote from Fishnews - published by NOAA:  "They also conducted analyses to determine how much assessment advice would change if survey catches for the years in question were larger. These tests resulted in virtually no change in management advice for groundfish."  Now I realize it is late on Friday afternoon, but that says to me they don't care how many fish are in the ocean... or am I reading it wrong?

Trawlers Survival Fund and Associated Fisheries of Maine attempting to put some degree of sanity into the current situation comment to Lautenbacher and Hogarth on the GARM and other issues

 Oct 30:In two recent letters, the U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Advocacy has added its voice regarding trawlgate and related matters. The first is a letter to the New England Fishery Management Council.  The other letter was sent to Senator John Kerry in May relating to general science issues.

Oct 29: Bill Crowe of Fishermen's Voice voices his concern over trawlgate.

Oct 25: The Northeast Fisheries Science Center, in a renewed effort to involve the industry, is revising its survey protocol for the “5^th leg” of the fall trawl survey.  On this leg the Albatross will tow, on alternate days their survey gear as best guessed used in the last two years, and on the other days use their survey gear tuned to their specs.  The industry boat would use industry gear and tow side by side to give some gauge of day to day variation not associated with the differing gear.  This is a big step forward in the attempt for the Center and the Industry to work cooperatively.  Details are not complete, and there is still a possibility we may hit the proverbial brick wall, but it is looking hopeful today.  There are very significant concerns that external parties may misunderstand how much and how usable the information  gained from this leg alone can be, but as a foundation for the larger project to both improve the survey  and to see if it is possible to rectify the tainted trawl results, it is a useful step.

Then, just as one hopes progress is being made - comes a big step backward. Basically, NMFS is today attempting to sell the concept that warp offset has no effect on catch rate. I'm sure all past and present trawler captains and crews in New England will feel foolish, having taken such pains over the last 30 years or so to measure and mark wire, and ensure it is set evenly on each and every tow.  According to the scientists: It makes no difference at all!

Oct 24: Massachusetts Representative Barney Frank and Senators Snowe and Kennedy join Rep. Delahunt,  Senators Kerry and Collins, and the mayors of Gloucester and New Bedford calling for a regulatory time-out until the effect of the flawed trawl survey has been fully evaluated.  And six fishermen who were  trawl survey calibration cruise and workshop participants refuse to play any  further part in what they say is NMFS' attempt to "paper over the systemic problems, and white-wash results."

Oct 22: The log entry described below has mysteriously disappeared from the Albatross' online cruise notes.

Oct 21: This log entry from the Albatross on Oct 19 seems to be a perfect summation of the government's attitude toward the problem:

"...We have just received confirmation of the addition of a 5th leg to this fall grounfish survey. This is in response to recent public outcry over the use of wires that might have been mismarked. It is being put together quickly in direct response to pressure from commercial fisherman. The one thing that we are reminded of is of the sacrifices of the crew of this ship. Once again, the little things we plan for based on the schedule of the ship have to be changed at the last moment. But overall, the majority of us desire to assist in solving this problem to ensure accurate information is provided to the fishery management councils."

That's right, commercial fishermen: You're the problem.  But it's heartening to know that the majority, overall, of the crew wants to help ensure accurate information is provided to manage the resource.

Oct 19: Massachusetts Senator John Kerry joins his colleagues in recommending a regulatory delay. Be sure to note CLF's - that's the organization encouraging consumption of Georges Bank cod, which the government says is one of the most overfished of all multispecies stocks - position that no action is warranted without better scientific information.  Back in the Amendment 5 days, their argument was exactly the opposite: Action must be taken with whatever scientific information is at hand.

Oct 18: Former NMFS Northeast head Andy Rosenberg - now dean of the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture at the University of New Hampshire, and apparently another noted gear expert - claims the Albatross' myriad of gear problems is irrelevant.  I'm thinking it's definitely time to climb down from the ivory tower for some fresh air.  Meanwhile, it appears a little warp recalibration went a long way.  Here's the October 8 entry from the Albatross' cruise log:

"At 1300 today the trawl was hauled back to reveal an enormously packed cod-end full of fish. There were far too many fish stuffing the net to dump the catch in the checker, a larger wooden sorting/ holding table approximately 4'x 9' with a 12" lip that usually holds the catch, so they were emptied onto the back deck which they easily covered! The catch consisted mostly of haddock, pollock, and cod and brought back memories to some of the veteran scientist on the ship of catches commonly seen in the early 80's. The break down of number of fish and weights for these three key species came to 1,729 haddock at 3,280 pounds, 335 pollock at 2,318 pounds, and 203 cod at 1,491 pounds!!! The fish were caught in about 60 meters of water outside the closed area on the Northern Edge of Georges Bank."

Have a look at 3 photos of the haul - 1 | 2 | 3  - then head to my trawl survey page and compare those numbers to the last several years of fall catch data.  The picture couldn't be any clearer.

Oct 15: Fisherman, and calibration cruise and workshop participant Matt Stommel writes the Undersecretary of Commerce on the continuing problems surrounding trawl calibration.

Oct 13: The mayors of Gloucester and New Bedford add their voices to the call for a regulatory time-out.

Oct 11: Maine Sen. Susan Collins joins MA Rep. Delahunt and the Associated Fisheries of Maine in calling for a regulatory freeze until the problems surrounding the trawl survey are better understood.  NEFSC Trawlgate HQ has an update on the trawl survey workshop held a week ago (see the links on the left hand side of that page). On a related note, I've written a letter to NOAA chief Conrad Lautenbacher Jr. regarding issues of transparency and junk science.  And word is after a good deal of incredulity about the Albatross returning to survey work with existing doors (see the Oct 7 entry below), they have in fact been replaced at sea with a new pair.

Oct 10: In a hastily convened meeting, NMFS has invited a small group of trawl workshop participants to meet today and discuss parameters of a calibration cruise to begin Oct 15.  Click here to read a list of questions the industry is preparing to ask NMFS.

Oct 8: Citing the "credibility of the basic data," Massachusetts Rep. Bill Delahunt calls for a suspension on new fishery regulations until this ever-expanding Albatrocity is brought under control.  Associated Fisheries of Maine summarizes the regulatory issues in a white paper and calls for the same.  MIT's Cliff Goudey, who is a noted gear expert, shares a conversation he had with URI trawl workshop participant Dr. Joe DeAlteris on the effects of warp offset.  GSSA director Nils Stolpe shares Israeli gear technologist Menakhem Ben-Yami's - who was also consulted by Dr. DeAlteris - opinion of offset effects.  And fisherman Matt Stommel summarizes the views of six more gear experts who took part in the calibration cruise.

Oct 7: The saga continues: When 6 fishermen (with 175 years of combined fishing experience) were aboard the R/V Albatross, they noticed uneven wear on the trawl doors, indicating that the doors were not working properly. When asked (at the trawl survey workshop), NEFSC personnel directly in charge of the survey, "admitted" that the Albatross subsequently left on the final leg of the fall survey with those "bad" doors, despite the fact that they have several other pairs  available.  This is, apparently, part of the process of ensuring consistency amongst surveys.  One of the fishermen who took part in the trawl recalibration cruise took a few photographs - compare the wear marks on the port and starboard doors.

Meanwhile, fisheries lawyer David Frulla offers his view of the disconnect between academic and practical approaches to fisheries management.  And NEFMC Council member & trawl calibration cruise participant Bud Fernandes has more questions than answers after last week's trawl survey workshop - including use of a sensor which could introduce even more uncertainty into warp measurement.

Oct 6: Here's your scary thought for the day: Last spring's Working Group on Re-Evaluation of Biological Reference Points set new biomass targets for 15  multispecies stocks.  Of those, 3 are to be evaluated directly on the basis of what the trawl survey caught.  Never mind non-survey based indices such as commercial CPUE  - these stocks are to be measured solely by what the trawl survey brings up in the net.  This is particularly critical when the requirements are so precise. For example, the new target biomass proxy for Gulf of Maine haddock is 22.17 kilograms per tow.  That's 48.88 pounds.  For 3 of the 15 stocks, the industry is being held to an average survey catch rate measured in hundredths of a pound.  With all due respect for CLF marine biologist and noted gear expert Anthony Chatwin, it seems rather apparent that factors such as a net which soars off the ocean floor, and wear marks on doors and cans clearly indicative of improper gear use, would have a dramatic effect on the survey's catch rate. 

Furthermore, some indices, such as a VPA analysis, include trawl survey numbers as an integral part of their formulae.  Here's one formula which never fails to hold true: Bad Data In = Bad Data Out.

Oct 4: More press links at left dated Oct 4 - in an about-face from yesterday, the scientists agree that the cumulative gear problems associated with the trawl survey warrant more investigation, a change in procedures, and a re-examination of estimated stock biomass levels. 

Oct 3: As was to be expected, NMFS is claiming the range of gear problems discovered on the calibration cruise are nothing overly problematic. See the several press links at left dated Oct 3.

Oct 2: The trawl survey workshop begins today.  Associated Fisheries of Maine Groundfish Group distributes a summary of the problems noted by fishermen on the calibration cruise.

Oct 1: More from today's New Bedford Standard-Times. And NEFMC member and fisherman Bud Fernandes describes his impressions of the calibration cruise.

Sep 30: Fisherman Jim Lovgren's report to the MAFMC details gear problems noted on the trawl survey calibration cruise that extend beyond the warp offset.

Sep 29: More in today's Boston Globe.

Sep 28: NMFS refuses to "speculate" ahead of next week's trawl survey workshop, but the fishermen who took part in the recalibration cruise know what they've seen: This net was not fishing properly.  Read about it in today's Boston Herald and Cape Cod Times

Sep 27: The Massachusetts Fishermen's Partnership weighs in on trawl survey accuracy.  Meantime, the calibration cruise has ended, and the word is indeed: "Houston, we have a problem."  Coverage begins tomorrow.

Sep 26: Noting that the potential impact of mis-calibrated gear could have a major impact on mid-Atlantic fisheries as well, New Jersey's Garden State Seafood Organization has launched their own Trawlgate tracking site.

Sep 25: In a surprise revelation, NMFS says it had no guidelines on how often - if ever - survey gear was checked for calibration.  Meanwhile, the state of Massachusetts has apparently had about enough of this foolishness and is designing its own industry-based survey. 

Sep 24: NMFS has published details of the trawl survey calibration cruise which begins tomorrow.

Sep 22: The Massachusetts Congressional delegation has some suggestions for the Secretary as well.

Sep 21: Maine Sen. Susan Collins writes the Secretary of Commerce regarding the importance of accurate science.

Sep 20: NMFS has updated its trawl warp page, including detailed measurements for the Albatross IV and the Delaware II, here.

Sep 19: NMFS files notice with Framework 33 lawsuit Judge Gladys Kessler of the Albatross IV trawl warp issue.

• In an almost brazen display of ignorance, Oceana lawyer Eric Bilsky, in a letter to the Boston Herald, appears to suggest that mis-matched trawl wire might actually result in increased survey catches!  And rather than the "best available science," Oceana now says we should instead move forward with the "data we have" - flawed or not.  Quite a change from the court filings of a few months ago!

• A press release from ME Sen. Olympia Snowe on the Albatross issue:

Sep 18: Today's Boston Globe (link at left) reports that NMFS has ordered all trawl cable used in the country to be measured for correct marking, and the MA Congressional delegation is weighing in.  And the Center for Consumer Freedom has picked up on the story as well

Sep 17: PM: Correction: Official word from NMFS is that the Delaware II measurements have not yet been completed, and they do not yet know if the wire on that boat is in fact mismarked.  I'll keep you informed.

• AM: The Northeast Fisheries Science Center removed and examined the trawl cable on NMFS' other survey ship, the Delaware II, yesterday.  Word is the cable was mis-marked even more than that of the Albatross.  I'll keep you informed.
 

Sep 13: On Wednesday September 11, the Northeast Fisheries Science Center reported that the trawl wires on the Albatross have been uneven since Feb 2000. The story is made more interesting by the fact that they were alerted to this problem on the very day the wires were installed by a fisherman who happened to be observing. The fisherman’s warning was ignored.

In response, the NEFMC passed a motion recommending that the NMFS alert Judge Kessler to this problem. (NMFS voted against the motion).  The Council also passed a motion recommending the establishment of a panel, including fishermen, to investigate the significance of this matter.

In late September, several fishermen will go out on the Albatross. The plan is to put a camera on the net and to tow it with even wires and uneven wires to capture the difference on tape. Word is that congressional staffers had a conference call with NMFS yesterday - but no details of what transpired on this call as of yet.