American Lobster and Jonah Crab Reports Now Available
ASMFC Releases Tautog Public Information Document for Public Comment: States Schedule Public Hearings for late September/early October
August 21, 2015 — ARLINGTON, VA — The following has been released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
Majuro Workshop Explores Management Options for Pacific Bigeye Tuna Overfishing
August 20, 2015 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:
MAJURO, REPUBLIC OF THE MARSHALL ISLANDS (21 August 2015) A workshop to discuss bigeye tuna management in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) was convened by the Marshall Islands Marine Resource Authority (MIMRA) and the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (WPFMC) on Aug. 19-21, 2015, in Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands. The workshop brought together representatives from Asian, U.S. and Pacific Island purse-seine and longline fishing industries, government officials of Pacific Island countries, and representatives from the Forum Fisheries Agency, Parties to the Nauru Agreement, Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), Secretariat of the Pacific Community, and non-governmental organizations. The workshop was chaired by Andrew Wright, former executive director of the WCPFC.
Bigeye tuna, which is currently overfished in the WCPO, is subject to international management through the WCPFC. The objective of the workshop was to identify options that could help improve the existing WCPFC bigeye conservation and management measure.
As summarized by Kitty Simonds, WPFMC executive director, “The workshop was the second in a series that was started in April 2015 in Honolulu to address bigeye overfishing. The workshop embodied the spirit of cooperation that was present in the development of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, which was initiated 20 years ago by the Majuro Declaration. It is critical that the fishing industries and governments work together to improve the status of bigeye; only through international cooperation can effective tuna conservation and management measures be adopted and implemented.”
Over the course of the three-day workshop, participants discussed purse-seine and longline management options, avoiding the transfer of a disproportionate conservation burden on Small Island Developing States and Territories (SIDS), compliance issues and key bigeye tuna research themes. The outcomes of the workshop are a contribution to the consultations that will involve all WCPFC members that will take place in the lead up to this year’s annual session of the Commission in Bali in December.
According to Glen Joseph, MIMRA director, “The status quo is not acceptable for bigeye conservation, and workshops like the one we just held are critically important to advance options and views on management measures well before the Commission meets in Bali in December. For most of the Pacific Islands, all we have is tuna, and we have to do everything in our power to ensure that tuna resources are sustainably managed.”
Sport fishermen win greater share of red snapper catch
August 15, 2015 — NEW ORLEANS — Recreational fishermen get a greater share of the red snapper catch in the Gulf of Mexico under a rule approved by a governing body.
On Thursday, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council increased the share of the catch going to recreational fishermen — made up of charter boats and non-commercial anglers. The council met in New Orleans.
The change gives recreational fishermen 51.5 percent of the total catch and commercial fishermen 48.5 percent. Currently the catch is split 50-50. The change needs the approval of the U.S. Commerce Department.
The increase came about after scientists re-examined catch data and discovered they’d underestimated what non-commercial fishermen caught.
Red snapper is a highly prized fish and highly managed. Commercial and recreational fishermen must abide by catch limits and other rules.
Roy Crabtree, regional administrator for the National Marine Fisheries Service, said management of red snapper has helped the stock recover and rebuild.
For instance, red snapper had disappeared off the coast of Florida near St. Petersburg 15 years ago, he said. “They’re back all the way down to the (Florida) Keys now,” he added. “We’ve made huge progress.”
Read the full story from the Associated Press here
Presentations and Audio Files of the ASMFC’s 2015 Summer Meeting Are Now Available
August 13, 2015 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
Presentations and audio links of Board/Section proceedings from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 2015 Summer Meeting are now available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2015-summer-meeting under the relevant Board/Section. Past meeting materials can also be accessed on the website (www.asmfc.org) under News/Meeting Archives.
NEFMC Solicits Groundfish Advisors
August 12, 2015 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC):
The New England Fishery Management Council has two vacancies on its Groundfish Advisory Panel. If you are interested in serving or have questions, please take a look at the details on the notice and, if appropriate, fill out the application form.
MAFMC: Trawl Survey AP Applications Due Tomorrow, August 4
REMINDER:
Mid-Atlantic Council Seeks Applicants for Trawl Survey Advisory Panel
Applications due August 4, 2015
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) is soliciting applications from qualified individuals to serve on the Northeast Trawl Survey Advisory Panel. The objectives for the panel are to understand existing NEFSC trawl survey gear performance and methodology, evaluate the potential to complement or supplement current NEFSC surveys, and to improve understanding and acceptance of NEFSC survey data quality and results.
The panel will identify concerns about regional research survey performance and data, identify methods to address or mitigate these concerns and promote mutual understanding and acceptance of results. The panel will consist of 16 members including members of the Councils and the Atlantic States Fishery Commission, industry experts, non-federal scientists and Northeast Fisheries Science Center scientists. Panel members are expected to serve for three years.
The Council is seeking applications to fill five positions:
- Three fishery stakeholder representatives
- Two academic or non-academic scientists
Anyone interested in serving on this advisory panel may apply online or download an application at www.mafmc.org/forms/advisory-panel-application. Applications can also be obtained by calling the Council office at (877) 446-2362 or by emailing jsaunders@mafmc.org. Completed applications should be submitted using one of the following methods:
- Online using the web form at www.mafmc.org/forms/advisory-panel-application;
- Mail to Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 N. State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901;
- Email to jsaunders@mafmc.org; or
- Fax to (302) 674-5399.
Please include “TRAWL SURVEY ADVISORY PANEL” in the subject of your fax or email.
Completed applications must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 4, 2015.
All nominees are subject to an additional level of review by NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement and may be declined membership because of a marine resource violation.
2016-2018 Atlantic Herring RSA Program Funding Opportunity – Proposals Due September 21, 2015
July 31, 2015 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:
NMFS, with assistance from the New England Fishery Management Council (Council), is soliciting proposals for 2016 – 2018 that address Atlantic Herring RSA research priorities. No Federal funds are provided for research under this notification. Rather, proceeds generated from the sale of RSA quota will be used to fund research activities and/or harvest set-aside quota.
Projects funded under the Atlantic Herring RSA Program must enhance the knowledge of Atlantic herring fishery resources or contribute to the body of information on which Council management decisions are made. Priority shall be given to funding research proposals in the following areas identified as research priorities by the Council for the 2016-2018 fishing years.
2016-2018 Atlantic Herring RSA Program Research Priorities – priorities are not listed in order of importance.
1. Atlantic herring portside sampling – Develop and/or demonstrate a portside sampling program.
2. River herring bycatch avoidance – Develop and/or demonstrate methods that will enable river herring bycatch avoidance in the Atlantic herring fishery.
3. Electronic monitoring – Investigate the feasibility of electronic video monitoring in the Atlantic herring fishery as a means to document vessel fishing and catch processing operations.
4. Stock Structure / Spatial Management
a. Investigate mixing of the Gulf of Maine-Georges Bank Atlantic herring resource with the Scotian shelf Atlantic herring resource.
b. Investigate whether Atlantic herring form contingents, and if schools segregate based on size, age, and spawning location.
c. Evaluate assumptions for developing spatial allocations (sub-ACLs) based on different stock structure models.
5. Availability and Detectability of Atlantic herring in Surveys and the Fishery
a. Investigate whether predation potential (e.g., cod) or school size affects the location of Atlantic herring in the water column.
b. Investigate whether the distribution of thermal habitat affects the availability of Atlantic herring to the survey or to the fishery.
6. Fishery acoustic indices – Develop and/or conduct a fishery-independent abundance survey using commercial vessels and fishery acoustics.
7. Volume to Weight Conversion
a. Investigate sources and magnitude of variability of herring catch volume to weight conversions made by vessel captains and dealers.
b. Investigate density-dependent growth /trade-off with reproduction and the potential effect on volume to weight conversions.
For instructions on submitting proposals, please see the attached Federal Funding Opportunity, or search www.grants.gov for funding opportunity NOAA-NMFS-NEFSC-2016-2004537. Complete proposals/applications must be received on or before 5 p.m. EDT on 9/21/2015.
Please forward to any interested parties. For questions, please contact Cheryl Corbett at cheryl.corbett@noaa.gov or 508-495-2070.
Hawaii Longline Bigeye Fishery in the Western and Central Pacific Forced to Close
July 30, 2015 — HONOLULU HI — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:
HONOLULU (29 July 2015) The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has announced that Hawaii longline vessels fishing in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) will no longer be able to retain and land bigeye tuna between August 5, 2015, and the end of the year. This is because the fishery has reached a bigeye catch limit of 3,502 metric tons (mt), established by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) in 2014.
The United States is a member of the WCPFC, which is an international fisheries organization consisting of over 30 countries charged with managing tuna and other highly migratory fish stocks in the WCPO. The WCPO is the world’s largest tuna fishery, driven by the industrial purse-seine fleets targeting skipjack and yellowfin, with recent annual catches estimated at around 3,000,000 mt.
Longline catch limits are among a suite of measures adopted by the WCPFC for the conservation and management of WCPO bigeye. Overexploitation of bigeye has developed over the past 30 years with increasing catches of juveniles by purse-seine vessels, on top of the catch of adults by longliners. Purse-seine vessels incidentally catch small bigeye while fishing on drifting fish aggregation devices (FADs) when targeting skipjack and yellowfin for canned markets. Longline vessels target adult bigeye for sashimi markets.
No bigeye catch limits are required of the various fleets of tuna purse-seine vessels in the WCPO, which collectively catch more bigeye in total than the longline fleets. Over the past decade, longline fleets throughout the WCPO have reduced their bigeye catches consistent with WCPFC conservation and management measures. Purse-seine bigeye catches, however, continue to rise, reaching record levels in 2013 of 82,000 mt versus a longline catch in the same year of about 63,000 mt.
Although the WCPO will be restricted to Hawaii longline vessels, some will be able to fish for bigeye to the east of the 150 degree line of longitude in the Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO), which is under a different international tuna management regime, the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission. However, Hawaii and other US longline vessels in the EPO are subject to a 500 mt bigeye limit for vessels greater than 24 meters. This limit is expected to be reached sometime in September. Approximately, 23 percent of the Hawaii longline fleet is over 24 meters.
The effects of these closures are going to reduce the supply of Hawaii longline-caught bigeye tuna to the Honolulu fish auction. From an economic perspective, each Hawaii longline vessel can be likened to a “mom and pop store” or similar small business. Not being able to fish is like a store closing for the same amount of time, with disastrous effects on livelihoods.
There is a ray of light on the horizon for Hawaii consumers who prefer locally caught bigeye tuna. Under federal regulations recommended by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (Council), the US Participating Territories to the WCPFC, which include Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands have the ability to transfer bigeye quota to the Hawaii longline fishery.
The Council has managed the Hawaii longline fleet for the past 30 years, and it continues to be a well-managed, highly monitored environmentally responsible fishery. The Hawaii fleet targets bigeye at high latitudes, well outside the tropical and equatorial zones, where 90 percent of bigeye fishing mortality occurs. Scientific research has shown that the operational area of the Hawaii fleet has very little impact on bigeye stock status.
The potential interruption in bigeye catch and the climate of uncertainty will have a negative impact on the seafood industry in Hawaii, especially for those dealers who prize US caught bigeye above foreign imports. There is an increasing demand by local retailers to supply not only locally caught fish, but to know that the supply is also from the environmentally responsible Hawaii longline fleet.
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