February 22, 2016 —The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:
Dear Interested Parties:
February 17, 2016 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council has released a series of policy documents focused on non-fishing activities that threaten fish habitat. These documents outline the Council’s positions on five anthropogenic (human) activities: wind energy, offshore oil, marine transport, liquefied natural gas, and coastal development.
Productive commercial and recreational fisheries are inextricably linked to healthy habitat. Multiple factors are contributing to the degradation or destruction of fish habitat, such as coastal development, land-based pollution, and dams and other blockages that restrict the movement of migratory fish species and can alter the delivery of freshwater to estuaries.
The Council is limited in its ability to address these threats, as its authority is largely restricted to the development of fishing regulations. However, the Council is involved in a range of habitat management and conservation initiatives through collaboration with its partners in the Greater Atlantic region.
Development of habitat policy documents is one component of the Council’s ongoing Habitat Pilot Project, which was initiated in July 2014 with support from NOAA Fisheries. The project is focused on strengthening the use of existing habitat authorities and tools to address threats to fish habitat more effectively.
“Habitat is essential to the health and productivity of our marine fisheries, and is susceptible to a wide range of anthropogenic impacts, and emerging risks, including oil and gas development in the Mid-Atlantic region,” said Rick Robins, Council Chairman. “The Council’s habitat conservation policies recognize the foundational importance of habitat to our marine fisheries and the coastal communities that depend on a healthy marine ecosystem.”
Policy development was spearheaded by the Council’s Ecosystem and Ocean Planning (EOP) Committee in conjunction with input from members of the public, the Council’s EOP Advisory Panel, and subject matter experts on state coastal zone management, energy issues, and habitat.
By clearly communicating its positions on anthropogenic activities, the Council hopes to work more effectively with its management partners to mitigate and avoid adverse impacts to fish habitat. The Council is currently developing an additional set of policies focused on fishing impacts on fish habitat.
The habitat policies can be downloaded as a single document here. Individual policy sections and supporting documents are available on the Council’s website at www.mafmc.org/habitat.
February 16, 2016 — The following is a release from the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council has voted to name a new deep sea coral protection area in honor of the late Senator Frank Lautenberg, a five-term United States senator from New Jersey who was responsible for several important pieces of ocean conservation legislation. The proposed Frank R. Lautenberg Deep Sea Coral Protection Area encompasses more than 38,000 square miles of federal waters off the Mid-Atlantic coast.
Senator Lautenberg was a champion for ocean stewardship and worked with particular determination to establish protections for deep sea coral ecosystems. He authored several provisions included in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006, including a discretionary provision which gave regional fishery management councils the authority to protect coral habitat areas from fishing gear.
Last year the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council became the first of the U.S. councils to use this authority when it approved an amendment to establish a deep sea coral protection area off the Mid-Atlantic coast. The Council’s Deep Sea Corals Amendment, which is pending review by the Secretary of Commerce, includes measures to restrict bottom-tending fishing gear such as trawls, dredges, bottom longlines, and traps within the bounds of the protection area.
“Senator Lautenberg was steadfast in his advocacy for the protection of deep sea corals in the marine environment,” said Rick Robins, Council Chairman. “Naming this deep sea coral protection area provides the Council with a rare opportunity to honor and memorialize Senator Lautenberg’s legislative leadership in this important area of marine science and conservation.”
Although he advocated for stronger measures to protect fragile deep sea habitats, Senator Lautenberg emphasized the importance of balancing conservation objectives with the needs of the fishing industry: “I do not want to prevent fishermen from trawling. There are many areas where it is appropriate, but surely we can set aside some of the most fragile coral habitats and protect them from destruction.”
The Council strived to achieve this balance by developing the amendment through a collaborative process involving participation from a wide range of stakeholders. The specific boundaries of the deep sea coral protection area were refined during a workshop attended by fishermen, advisory panel members, scientists, and environmental advocates, resulting in a broad consensus.
In 2011, remarking on the impact of the Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization Act, Senator Lautenberg said: “I am proud that the law included my language to safeguard deep sea corals—which are sometimes known as the ‘rainforests of the ocean’ because of the diversity of species that call them home. We know that we must ensure the sustainability of fisheries—not just for the health of our oceans, but for the continued success of the U.S. fishing industry.”
Senator Lautenberg passed away in 2013 at the age of 89 as the Senate’s oldest member and last surviving veteran of World War II.
February 8, 2016 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold the final in a series of public hearings tonight via webinar to solicit public input on management measures that may affect fishermen fishing in federal waters (greater than 3 miles offshore) along the entire Atlantic coast. Join Council staff at 6:00 p.m. as they review proposed measures in the two amendments listed below. Then provide your formal comments via the webinar for Council consideration.
Federally-Permitted Charterboats
The Council is considering mandatory reporting requirements for charterboats (6-pack) with federal for-hire permits including Atlantic Dolphin Wahoo For-Hire and Coastal Migratory Pelagic For-Hire permits. The amendment also modifies existing requirements for headboat electronic reporting.
Additional information, including public hearing summaries, video presentations for each amendment, and additional resources are available from the
Public Hearing and Scoping Meeting page of the Council’s website at www.safmc.net. Written comments may be submitted until Wednesday, February 10, 2016. Email comments to mike.collins@safmc.net with “For-Hire Amend” and/or “Mackerel Amend 26” in the Subject line of the email.
February 8, 2016 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:
The public is invited to attend the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s February 2016 meeting to be held February 9-11, 2016 in New Bern, North Carolina.
Tuesday, February 9, 2016 – Thursday, February 11, 2016
Double Tree by Hilton New Bern
100 Middle Street
New Bern, NC 28560
Telephone 252-638-3585
Webinar:
For online access to the meeting, enter as a guest at: http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/february2016/
Briefing Materials:
Briefing materials will be posted on the February 2016 Meeting page as they become available.
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council
Public Hearing via Webinar
Today, February 8, 2016, 6:00 p.m.
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold the final in a series of public hearings tonight via webinar to solicit public input on management measures that may affect fishermen fishing in federal waters (greater than 3 miles offshore) along the entire Atlantic coast. Join Council staff at 6:00 p.m. as they review proposed measures in the two amendments listed below. Then provide your formal comments via the webinar for Council consideration.
NOTE: Registration for the webinar is required. Click below to register and join us later today to learn more and provide your comments!
Additional information, including public hearing summaries, video presentations for each amendment, and additional resources are available from the Public Hearing and Scoping Meeting page of the Council’s website. Written comments may be submitted until Wednesday, February 10, 2016. Email comments to mike.collins@safmc.net with “For-Hire Amend” and/or “Mackerel Amend 26” in the Subject line of the email.
February 5, 2015 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC):
Press releases, meeting summaries and motions from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 2016 Winter Meeting are now available at http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/2016WinterMtg/2016WinterMeetingSummary.pdf. The meeting summary, as well as summaries and materials for past meetings, can also be found on the Commission website at http://www.asmfc.org/home/meeting-archive. Presentations and audio files for the Boards/Sections that met during the Winter Meeting will be posted to the website early next week at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2016-winter-meeting.
February 5, 2016 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:
At its Jan. 26-28 meeting in Portsmouth, NH, the Council approved actions related to the development of several fishery management plans. The issues involved:
February 5, 2016 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Management Council:
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s American Eel Management Board approved North Carolina’s Aquaculture Plan for 2016, allowing up to 200 pounds of glass eels to be harvested for aquaculture purposes. North Carolina’s plan is the first to be approved under the aquaculture plan provisions of Addendum IV to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for American Eel.
“North Carolina is grateful for the Board’s provisional approval of its Aquaculture Plan,” stated Dr. Louis Daniel, Director of the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries. “Through the plan, we hope to demonstrate that domestic aquaculture of American eel can be done successfully while maintaining the rebuilding goals and objectives of the FMP.”
The Board reviewed comments provided by the Technical Committee, Advisory Panel, and Law Enforcement Committee on the various merits of the plan prior to its approval. Board approval was contingent on two issues (1) export of glass eels will be prohibited, and (2) the first year of the plan will be conducted as a pilot program. During the first year, North Carolina will work with its industry to identify viable collection sites for glass eels for its use in aquaculture. If North Carolina intends to continue this plan into a second year, which will require additional Board approval, the state will need to work with the Technical Committee to determine sampling protocols for obtaining glass eel abundance estimates across the identified collection sites.
For more information, please contact Mike Waine, Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at mwaine@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.
February 4, 2016— The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
ALEXANDRIA, VA—The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s American Lobster Management Board approved Draft Addendum I to the Jonah Crab Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for public comment. The Draft Addendum proposes changes to the incidental bycatch limits for non-trap gear (e.g., otter trawls, gillnets) and non-lobster trap gear (e.g., fish, crab, and whelk pots). For non-trap gear, the Draft Addendum includes options to maintain, increase, or eliminate the bycatch limit, while options for non-lobster traps include establishing bycatch limits of varying size or maintaining no limit on these gears. The intent of the Draft Addendum is to cap incidental landings of Jonah crab while ensuring the inclusion of current participants in the Jonah crab fishery.
The FMP currently prescribes a 200 crab per calendar day/500 crab per trip incidental bycatch limit for non-trap gear; however, concerns were expressed over the appropriateness of these limits. Data submitted by the New England Fishery Management Council and NOAA Fisheries illustrate while 97-99% of trips from 2010 through 2014 were within the current limit, there were several trips above the limit. Furthermore, current bycatch landings were sufficiently low, accounting for approximately 0.1% of total landings.
Bycatch limits for non-lobster trap gear were added as a second issue for consideration in the Draft Addendum to address concerns regarding the lack of effort controls on non-lobster traps and the potential for trap proliferation. Data submitted by NOAA Fisheries show between May 1, 2013 and August 31, 2015, 194 trips landed Jonah crab with whelk pots, crab pots, and fish pots. Of these, 80 trips landed 100 crab or fewer and 115 trips landed 200 crab or fewer. Approximately 45 trips landed between 200 and 500 crab and 40 trips landed more than 450 crab. Landings from Maryland show between 2012 and 2015, 33 trips landed Jonah crab with fish pots. All of these trips were under 200 pounds. Reports also indicated from 2014-2015, 36 trips landed Jonah crab with whelk pots. Average landings per trip with whelk pots were under 500 pounds; however, there is concern that these whelk pot landings may in fact be rock crab, a closely related species which is often misreported as Jonah crab.
It is anticipated the states of Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York and Maryland will be conducting public hearings on the Draft Addendum. The details of those hearings will be released in a subsequent press release. The Draft Addendum will be available on the Commission website, www.asmfc.org(under Public Input) by February 10th. Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the Draft Addendum either by attending state public hearings or providing written comment. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on April 1, 2016 and should be forwarded to Megan Ware, FMP Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St, Suite A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or at mware@asmfc.org (Subject line: Draft Addendum I).
January 28, 2016 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC):
The December 2015/January 2016 issue of ASMFC Fisheries Focus is now available at http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file//56aa587cFishFocusDec15Jan16_web.pdf.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Upcoming Meetings
page 2
From the Executive Director’s Desk
Looking Back and Reviewing the Year Ahead
page 3
Species Profile
Atlantic Croaker
page 4
ACCSP Launches Redesigned Website
page 9
Science Highlight
Habitat Bottlenecks and Fisheries Management
page 10
On the Legislative Front
page 11
ASMFC Comings & Goings
page 11
Past issues of Fisheries Focus can be found at http://www.asmfc.org/search/%20/%20/Fishery-Focus.