Council Actions

October 26, 2012 — The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has released the press releases, meeting summaries and motions from the ASMFC's 71st Annual Meeting.

Read the full document here

Philadelphia, PA –- October 25, 2012–The Commission’s South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board has approved the Draft Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Black Drum for public comment. The Draft FMP solicits comment on a range of issues, including management goals and objectives; recreational and commercial management measures; flexibility to react to new assessment information; de minimis levels and exemptions; monitoring requirements and recommendations; and recommended measures for implementation by NOAA Fisheries in federal waters.

The FMP was initiated in response to concern regarding significant increases in harvest in recent years and the fact that the fishery primarily targets juveniles. Further, the lack of consistent coastwide regulations or management goals may negatively impact the black drum population as fishing pressures shifts from other stocks.
 
Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the Draft FMP either by attending state public hearings or providing written comment. The Draft FMP will be available on the Commission website (www.asmfc.org) under Breaking News or by contacting the Commission at 703.842.0740. Public comment should be forwarded to Toni Kerns, ISFMP Acting Director, 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or tkerns@asmfc.org (Subject line: Black Drum FMP). It is anticipated the majority of South Atlantic states will be conducting hearings in early 2013; the details of those hearings will be released once they are finalized. The FMP is scheduled for final approval during the Commission’s 2013 Spring Meeting.

October 25, 2012 — Philadelphia, PA – The Commission’s Winter Flounder Management Board has approved Addendum II to Amendment 1 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for the Inshore Stocks of Winter Flounder. The Addendum modifies the commercial and recreational management requirements for the Gulf of Maine (GOM) stock in response to updated stock status information and recent federal action to increase the GOM winter flounder state waters’ estimated harvest level. Specifically, the commercial trip limit has been increased to 500 pounds per trip and the recreational season has been expanded to year round. These measures apply only to GOM state waters’ fisheries until June 1, 2013.

A peer reviewed stock assessment (SAW/SARC 52) of GOM winter flounder was completed in 2011, which changed the stock’s status to not experiencing overfishing, although the overfished status could not be determined. NOAA Fisheries responded to this finding by more than doubling the ACL for the remainder of 2011 fishing year. The ACL was nearly doubled again for the 2012 fishing year. The state waters estimated harvest limit for 2012 fishing year was increased to 272 mt, a 450% increase from 60 mt in 2010.
 
The Board also approved Draft Addendum III for public comment. The Draft Addendum proposes to establish output controls for GOM state waters for both recreational and commercial fisheries in order to stay within the annually established state waters harvest limit. The proposed controls include trip limits, size limits, area closures, seasons, and possession limits to be determined by the Board on an annual basis. The Draft Addendum also proposes a trigger to reduce commercial trip limits when a percentage of the state water harvest (established by NOAA Fisheries) has been reached.

Draft Addendum III will be released over the next month. It is anticipated that New England states will be conducting public hearings on Draft Addendum III; information on the Draft Addendum’s availability and the details of state hearings will be released once they are finalized.

Addendum II will be available on the Commission website under Breaking News or by contacting the Commission at 703.842.0740.

DOVER, Delaware — October 24, 2012 — Last week the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council voted to increase the commercial quota for spiny dogfish by 14% to 40.8 million pounds in 2013. If approved by the National Marine Fisheries Service, 2013 will be the fifth consecutive year with a higher commercial quota than the year before. At last week’s meeting, the Council also voted to increase the trip limit for the first time since 2009, adopting a 4,000 pound trip limit for 2013-2015.

The Council began managing spiny dogfish under a ten year rebuilding plan in 2000 after the stock was severely depleted. In 2009, the fishery was determined to be above the target population size—one year ahead of the 2010 rebuilding deadline. As of mid-September the commercial fishery was on track to under-harvest this year’s 35.7 million pound quota for the first time since the directed fishery was reopened. “When the rebuilding plan was implemented, it abruptly curtailed a 60 million pound fishery and resulted in significant impacts on the region’s fishing and processing sectors,” said Council Chairman Rick Robins. “It is encouraging to see a portion of the fishery recover to a 40 million pound level with strong scientific evidence that the dogfish population is above sustainable levels.”

For some Council members and fishermen, the large number of trips with landings equal to the trip limit suggested that the current 3,000 pound trip limit was limiting the industry’s efficiency. Others urged the Council not to raise the trip limit on the basis of limited processing capacity. The Fishery Performance Report provided by the Council’s spiny dogfish advisory panel (AP) noted that underperformance of the fishery early this year was related to fish being pushed offshore by higher than normal water temperature. The Monitoring Committee noted that raising the trip limit would increase the likelihood of an early closure, but they determined that the decision was a question of policy rather than biology and chose not to make a specific recommendation.

Recent discussions of spiny dogfish management have attracted the interest of fishermen and stakeholders involved in other fisheries—many of whom have encouraged the Council to increase the spiny dogfish quotas and trip limits to keep pace with population growth. As top-level predators, spiny dogfish feed on other commercially and recreationally-targeted species in the region, and fishermen have become increasingly concerned about the impacts of dogfish on other species. In fact, the need for more effective consideration of predator-prey interactions was one of the most frequently cited ecological issues of the Council’s Visioning Project.

Some fishermen and processors opposed higher quotas and trip limits because the changes might exacerbate existing economic challenges that have developed during the transition to a larger-scale fishery. Although the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) recently certified the spiny dogfish fishery as sustainably managed, the industry has faced reduced demand in recent years for the species in Germany and other European countries that import spiny dogfish from the United States.

In the 2012 Fishery Performance Report, the spiny dogfish AP suggested that a slower transition to a large-scale directed fishery may allow time for the market and processors to adjust to a larger supply of dogfish. Sean McKeon, President of North Carolina Fisheries Association, pointed out during public comments that the fishing industry needs to see consistency and continuity of regulations before they get back in to the dogfish fishery. McKeon, who acknowledged that processing capacity is a constraint in North Carolina, supported a higher quota and trip limit, but he urged the Council adopt management measures designed for long-term consistency so that processors will begin to accept dogfish again.

Upon discussion of staff and advisory group recommendations and public comments, the Council voted to adopt the higher quotas and trip limits for 2013-2015. The Council will have opportunities to revisit management measures for the 2014 and 2015 fishing years if necessary. “The Council has been working to identify areas where we can make decisions that will promote stability within the fishing industry,” said Chairman Robins. “This year we are setting multi-year specifications for the first time in many of our fisheries, and we intend to continue exploring stability in the quota setting process whenever it is feasible and practical.”

October 24, 2012 — The following was released by the ASMFC.

PHILADELPHIA — The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s American Lobster Board has approved Draft Addendum XIX to Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Lobster for public comment and review. The Draft Addendum proposes to change the transfer tax for Lobster Conservation Management Area 3 (LCMA 3 – offshore waters) to a single conservation tax of 10% for full business or partial trap sales within the area.

In approving Addendum XVIII in August 2012, the American Lobster Management Board inadvertently failed to include a proposed change to LCMA 3’s transfer tax. Since this issue will be considered in the upcoming federal rule-making process this winter, the Commission’s Plan Development Team recommended that the Board finalize its action relative to the LCMA 3 transfer tax and provide its recommendations to NOAA Fisheries during its winter 2012 public comment period on the LCMA 3 transfer tax.

Both Addendum XVIII and Draft Addendum XIX respond to the depleted condition of the Southern New England (SNE) lobster resource and the Board’s intent to scale the capacity of the SNE fishery to the size the SNE resource.  Since the scope of the SNE resource encompasses all or part of six of the seven LCMAs established by Amendment 3, additional addenda will be developed to address effort reductions in the remaining LCMAs (4, 5, and 6).  The Board will continue to work on addressing trap banking, controlled growth, and trap caps for LCMA 2 and 3 participants in the fishery.

The Board also initiated development of Draft Addendum XX to formalize measures outlined in an agreement between the offshore lobster fishery and sector trawl fishermen for bottom sharing in Closed Area II of Georges Bank in order to protect large concentrations of egg bearing females and to prevent gear conflicts. The agreement specifies certain times of year when lobster trap gear and sector trawl fishermen may fish in (or not fish in) in certain portions of Closed Area II.  The fishing industry developed this agreement in anticipation of the final approval of the New England Fishery Management Council’s (NEFMC) Groundfish Framework 48 which contains measures to help mitigate the economic impact of the dramatic reductions in groundfish annual catch limits for the 2013 fishing year which begins May 1, 2013.  If approved, groundfish sectors may request, through their operations plans, access to areas currently closed solely to reduce fishing mortality.  In addition, the NEFMC explicitly considered potential gear conflicts and included language in the Framework that states “when considering sector requests for access to closed areas, NMFS Regional Office should include, inter alia, consideration of the potential for gear conflicts, shifts in fishing effort out of the closed areas and impacts on protected species and lobsters.”

Addendum XIX will be available on the Commission website (www.asmfc.org) under Breaking News or by contacting the Commission at 703.842.0740. Draft Addendum XX will be developed for Board consideration during the Commission’s Winter Meeting. For more information, please contact Toni Kerns, Acting ISFMP Director at tkerns@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

October 24, 2012 — The following was released by the ASMFC:
PHILADELPHIA — Oct. 24, 2012 – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission presented George Lapointe, long-time ASMFC Commissioner an former Maine Commissioner of Marine Resources, the Captain David H. Hart Award, its highest annual award, at the Commission’s 71st Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

“George Lapointe is without a doubt a true embodiment of Captain Dave. For more than 30 years he has provided consistent fisheries management leadership at the state, interstate, and federal levels; all the while passionately supporting the Commission and its vision of stock rebuilding and sustainable resource management,” stated Jack Travelstead, Chair of ASMFC’s Award Committee. “He possesses the unique ability to temper the most heated debate with humor and a common sense approach transforming conflict into workable solutions.”

Serving as both an employee at the Commission and as a Commissioner from Maine, Mr. Lapointe has shown an unwavering commitment and dedication to the success of marine fisheries management. In his first Commission position as Council Liaison, he fostered knowledge between the Commission and the Regional Councils. In 1994, Mr. Lapointe returned to the Commission as the ISFMP Director where he served for nearly four years. During that time, he was instrumental in the development of the Interstate Fisheries Management Program Charter and worked with state members, federal partners, and a broad constituency to promote efficiency, and foster outreach and public participation in the Commission’s fisheries management process.

Despite being considered an “outsider,” Mr. Lapointe was appointed as the Commissioner of Maine Department of Marine Resources in 1998. He served as Commissioner for 12 years, directing a critical marine resource agency at one of its most difficult times with a conscience for all those involved. He was so well respected for his understanding of fisheries management and his commitment to his state’s fishing industries, he served at the pleasure of two Governors and was supported by a very active and challenging constituency.

Mr. Lapointe was elected Commission Vice-Chair in 2004 and Chair in 2006, serving three years as Chair. Under his guidance, the Commission embarked on an extensive strategic planning effort, culminating in the development of the 2009-2013 Strategic Plan. The Plan formalized, for the first time, Commissioner values in pursuit of the Commission’s vision and mission, and reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to transparency and accountability in its decision making process.

Mr. Lapointe recognizes his success in natural resource management is due to the accumulated knowledge and experience of those he has had the honor of serving with. When veteran Commissioners with over 100 combined years of service retired, he personally oversaw a critical transition in Commission leadership, readying the next generation to take up the charge of pursuing the states’ collective mission of sustainable resource management. He also guided states’ efforts to conserve and rebuild diadromous species, completing the long-awaited American shad benchmark stock assessment and the development and adoption of a new amendment for river herring.

Throughout his career, Mr. Lapointe has strived to be fully informed of the issues (from all perspectives – science, management and user groups) and share that knowledge with next generation of fisheries managers and scientists. He truly embodies the spirit and character of the Captain David H. Hart Award. The Commission instituted the Award in 1991 to recognize individuals who have made outstanding efforts to improve Atlantic coast marine fisheries. The award is named for one of the Commission’s longest serving members, who dedicated himself to the advancement and protection of marine fishery resources.

PHILADELPHIA– October 24. 2012 – Paul Diodati, Chair of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, has announced the selection of Robert E. Beal as the Commission’s new Executive Director. Mr. Beal has been with the Commission for more than 15 years and has served as the Director for the Interstate Fishery Management Program for the past 10 years.

“After a thorough search and interview process, Bob clearly demonstrated he possesses the leadership skills, expertise and management qualities required to lead the Commission as it enters into a new phase of strategic planning and cooperative partnerships among the states, interstate commissions, and federal agencies,” stated Mr. Diodati.  “Bob will be an outstanding representative of the states to the Congress and to the commercial, recreational and environmental stakeholders that depend on our effective stewardship of Atlantic coastal fishery resources.”

In accepting the position, Mr. Beal stated, “I am honored and privileged to serve as the Commission’s Executive Director and work for people I admire and for a cause I feel so strongly about. It’s been nearly 20 years since passage of the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act and the states, through the Commission, have achieved many impressive accomplishments from species rebuilding, improved data collection, to sound stock assessments for data poor species such as American eel and shad and river herring. I am excited about the opportunity to work with the states, in concert with our federal partners, to build upon these successes and address the challenges that are ahead.”

The Commission was formed over 70 years ago by the 15 Atlantic coast states to assist in managing and conserving their shared coastal fishery resources. With the recognition that fish do not adhere to political boundaries, the states formed an Interstate Compact, which was approved by the U.S. Congress in 1942. The states have found that their mutual interest in sustaining healthy coastal fishery resources is best promoted by working together cooperatively, in collaboration with the federal government. With this approach, the states uphold their collective fisheries management responsibilities in a cost-effective, timely, and responsive fashion.

October 23, 2012 — The originally scheduled meeting has now been changed to a conference call.

View the details of the conference call on the NEFMC website