Saving Seafood

Council Actions

AUDIO: NEFMC Scallop Committee’s Sept. 18 Meeting: access areas and yellowtail by-catch

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — September 18, 2012 — The New England Fishery Management Council's Scallop Committee met on Tuesday to review the Scallop Advisory Panel and Scallop Plan Development Team's recommendations regarding scallop fishery specifications for fishing years 2013 and 2014 (Framework 24). The committe also discussed possible modifications to access areas, as well as yellowtail flounder by-catch in the scallop fishery. The audio from that meeting is posted below in several segments.

Listen to the Scallop Committee's review of scallop survey methods and results for fishing year 2012 and fishery specification estimates for Framework 24.

Listen to the Scallop Committee's assessment of Framework 24 as they discuss possession limits and access area trips.

Listen to part 1 and part 2 of the Scallop Committee's discussion on closed access areas and the time sensitive nature of Framework implementation.

Listen to part 1 and part 2 of the Scallop Committee's consideration of alternatives in Framework 24 including measures to refine access area guidelines and manage yellowtail by-catch in the scallop fishery.

 

 

Mid-Atlantic Council Recommends Higher Butterfish Catch for Remainder of 2012

September 19, 2012 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC):

Dover, DE – During a special meeting last week the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council voted to recommend that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) increase the acceptable biological catch (ABC) of butterfish for the remainder of 2012 to a total of 4,200 metric tons (mt). The recommendation was based on advice from the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC).

The proposed increase would have the most direct impact on participants in the longfin squid fishery. The Council has used a butterfish mortality cap to limit butterfish bycatch in the squid fishery since 2011. Under the existing ABC of 3,622 mt, the longfin squid fishery could be restricted toward the end of the year depending on butterfish catches.  It is hoped that the increase will allow the squid fishery to stay open later in the year, allowing the squid fishery to utilize the full squid quota if squid are abundant and they continue to work to minimize butterfish bycatch.

“Butterfish and squid are some of the Council’s most unpredictable fisheries, and the recommendations of the SSC and Council are reasonable given the relatively high abundances of both butterfish and longfin squid indicated by the most recent data,” said Council Chairman Rick Robins. “This action allows us to avoid an unnecessary closure that would create hardships for the industry and families that depend on these fisheries, without compromising our statutory obligation to prevent overfishing.”

The impetus for an in-season adjustment was the Council’s June decision to increase the 2013 butterfish ABC to 8,400 mt.  This increase more than doubles the existing 2012 ABC of 3,622 mt. At the August meeting, the Council discussed whether an in-season ABC adjustment was also appropriate and decided to have the SSC reconsider the 2012 butterfish ABC. The SSC met via webinar on September 13 and recommended that the ABC be increased to 4,200 mt for 2012, noting that the increase appeared likely to have no impact on the risk of overfishing the butterfish stock.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) is one of eight regional councils established by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976.  The Council has primary responsibility for twelve species of fish and shellfish in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between 3 and 200 miles off the Mid-Atlantic coast.  Member states include New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. For more information, visit our website: www.mafmc.org.

 

 

AUDIO: NEFMC Scientific and Statistical Committee’s Sept. 13 Meeting Covers Broad Range of Management Issues

Providence, RI — Sept. 13, 2012 — The New England Fishery Management Council's Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) met on Thursday to develop acceptable biological catch (ABC) limits and overfishing limits (OFL) for groundfish and scallop stocks. The SSC also met to discuss the terms of reference for a review of scallop survey methods that will be conducted by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center. The audio from that meeting is posted below in several segments.

Listen to the SSC's discussion on plaice projections and the development of OFL and ABC limits for fishing years 2013 through 2015.

Listen to the SSC's discussion on witch flounder projections and the development of OFL and ABC limits for fishing years 2013 through 2015.

Listen to the SSC's discussion on white hake OFL and ABC limits for the 2013 fishing year.

Listen to part 1 and part 2 of the SSC's review of scallop projections, yellowtail by-catch and scallop survey methods.

Listen to the public's comments regarding the plan development team's scallop recommendations as well as the SSC's decision regarding scallop OFL and ABC limits.

Listen to the SSC's discussion on the terms of reference for a review of scallop survey methods.

 

 

ASMFC Northern Shrimp Section Approves Northern Shrimp Draft Addendum I for Public Comment

Arlington, Va. — September 13, 2012 — The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Northern Shrimp Section has approved for public review and comment Draft Addendum I to Amendment 2 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Northern Shrimp.  The Draft Addendum seeks to provide flexibility and transparency in the annual specification process with the goal of maximizing benefits to the fishery while ensuring stock rebuilding. It presents options to set a hard total allowable catch (TAC), allocate the TAC by gear type and/or state (including a transferability provision), and close the fishery when a percentage of the TAC is projected to be reached in order to account for late reporting.  The Draft Addendum also presents options to implement gear modifications to minimize the retention of small shrimp, establish set aside harvest for research, and require the payback of quota overages from one year to the next. The Draft Addendum responds to recent trends in the fishery and the resource that jeopardize the stability of the northern shrimp resource. For the last three fishing seasons, late and incomplete reporting and continued fluctuations in participation have led to overharvest of the TAC.  These overages coupled with a decline in stock abundance resulted in an overfished and overfishing stock status.  The Draft Addendum proposes refinements to the annual specification process to better control annual harvest and minimize risks to the resource as it rebuilds.
 
Additionally, the Draft Addendum explores longer-term management options, such as limited entry programs, for consideration in the future.  In response to concern regarding shifts in effort to the northern shrimp fishery from market demands, stock condition, and reduced fishing opportunities in other New England fisheries, Amendment 2 approved, for future consideration,  the establishment of a limited entry program for the northern shrimp fishery (June 7, 2011 was set as the control date for the fishery).  Draft Addendum I seeks to continue a discussion on the various components of a limited entry system, including the categorization of effort in the fishery for the most recent time period.  The Draft Addendum will not implement limited entry for the upcoming season but does solicit feedback from the industry regarding potential limited entry programs that would be relevant to northern shrimp fishery in the future. Final action on the Addendum is slated to occur in November.
 
Atlantic coastal states from Maine through Massachusetts have scheduled their hearings to gather public comment on the Draft Addendum. The dates, times, and locations of the scheduled meetings follow:
 
Maine Department of Marine Resources
October 1, 2012; 4 PM
Meeting location to be determined
Ellsworth, Maine
Contact: Terry Stockwell at 207.624.6562
 
October 2, 2012; 4 PM
Yarmouth Log Cabin
196 Main Street
Yarmouth, Maine
Contact: Terry Stockwell at 207.624.6562
 
October 3, 2012; 4 PM
Rockland High School – Oceanside East
400 Broadway
Rockland, Maine
Contact: Terry Stockwell at 207.624.6562
 
New Hampshire Fish and Game
October 2, 2012; 7 PM
Urban Forestry Center
45 Elwyn Road
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Contact: Doug Grout at 603.868.1095
 
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
October 4; 6:30 PM
Annisquam River Station
30 Emerson Avenue
Gloucester, Massachusetts
Contact: Michael Armstrong at 978.282.0308

 
Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the Draft Addendum either by attending state public hearings or providing written comment. The Draft Addendum is available here or by contacting the Commission at 703.842.0740. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on October 12, 2012 and should be forwarded to Mike Waine, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or mwaine@asmfc.org (Subject line: Shrimp Addend I).

Revised NEFMC September Council Meeting Agenda

September 11, 2012 —

The Council meeting agenda has been revised to include a report on Standardized Bycatch Reporting Methodology (SBRM) on Thursday September 27, at 3:30 p.m. The Council will be asked to approve alternatives for analysis and possible inclusion in the SBRM Amendment now under development.
 
The meeting will adjourn once this issue and any other outstanding business has been addressed. We apologize for any inconvenience the change may present to those individuals who are attending or listening to the meeting via webinar.
 
A revised version of the complete agenda is avaliable here.

 

 

 

 

NEFMC announces agenda and live streaming information for September meeting

September 5, 2012 — The New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) has released the agenda for its September 25-27 meeting in Plymouth Harbor, Massachusetts. The public will be able to view the meeting online.

The meeting will be held at the Radisson Hotel, at 180 Water Street, Plymouth, MA, 02360. They will hold a webinar daily from September 25-27, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM EDT.

Register for the webinar here.

View the agenda for the meeting here.