September 15, 2015 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:
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NOAA teaches about devices that return fish to the deep
September 15, 2015 — A group of about 20 NOAA Fisheries port agents and other staffers will be heading out on an educational mission Wednesday to learn techniques to more safely catch and release deep-water groundfish without piling up dead discards.
The group, scheduled to head out of Gloucester aboard the Yankee Fleet’s 75-foot Yankee Clipper for a half-day charter that will cost the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration about $1,200, will learn how to use safe-handling devices designed to help return fish to the appropriate depths, even if they suffered barotrauma on the way up from the bottom.
“Our goal is to reduce the dead discards, which often occur because of barotrauma,” said Greg Power, a NOAA fisheries specialist who supervises the network of the agency port agents extending from Maine to Virginia. “We want to help get them safely back down to the bottom so they can survive.”
New York Tautog PID Public Hearing Date Changed from October 1 to September 28
September 15, 2015 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING PRESS RELEASE REVISES THE MEETING DATE OF NEW YORK’S PUBLIC HEARING ON THE TAUTOG PUBLIC INFORMATION DOCUMENT. THE HEARING WILL NOW BE CONDUCTED ON SEPTEMBER 28TH FROM 6 TO 8 PM. THE MEETING LOCATION REMAINS THE SAME.
ASMFC Releases Tautog Public Information Document for Public Comment
States Schedule Public Hearings for late September/early October
Arlington, VA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Tautog Management Board is seeking public comment on the Public Information Document (PID) for Draft Amendment 1 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Tautog. The PID responds to the findings of the 2015 benchmark stock assessment which, unlike previous coastwide assessments, evaluated stock status regionally to reflect differences in life history characteristics and harvest patterns. Based on its endorsed regional approach, the assessment also recommended associated biological reference points to guide management at the regional scale. Since tautog are currently managed on a coastwide basis, the Board initiated the PID to consider a new regional management approach.
As the first step in the development of an amendment, the PID seeks to gather information concerning the tautog fishery and to provide an opportunity for the public to identify major issues and alternatives relative to the management of this species. Input received at the start of the amendment development process can have a major influence on the final outcome of the amendment. Issues presented in the PID include FMP goals and objectives, adaptive management, monitoring requirements and illegal fishing of tautog. In addition, in order to streamline the development of the plan amendment, the PID seeks specific input on the selection of regional stock areas for management use.
The states of Massachusetts through Virginia have scheduled their hearings to gather public comment on the PID. The details of those hearings follow.
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
Tuesday, September 29th at 6:30 PM
Fairfield Inn & Suites
Vineyard Conference Room
185 MacArthur Drive
New Bedford, Massachusetts
Contact: David Pierce at 617.626.1532
Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management
Wednesday, September 30th from 6 – 9 PM
University of Rhode Island Bay Campus
Corless Auditorium
South Ferry Road
Narragansett Rhode Island
Contact: Jason McNamee at 401.423.1943
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Thursday, September 24th at 7 PM
CT DEEP Marine Headquarters
Boating Education Center (Rear Building)
333 Ferry Road
Old Lyme, Connecticut
Contact: David Simpson at 860.434.6043
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Monday, September 28th at 6 – 8 PM
Bureau of Marine Resources
205 North Belle Mead Road
East Setauket, New York
Contact: Steve Heins at 631.444.0435
New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife
Tuesday, September 22nd from 6:30 – 9:30 PM
Ocean County Administration Building
Public Hearing Room 119
101 Hooper Avenue
Toms River, New Jersey
Contact: Russ Allen at 609.748.2020
Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
Thursday, October 8th at 6 PM
DNREC Auditorium
89 Kings Highway
Dover, Delaware
Contact: John Clark at 302.739.9914
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Wednesday, October 7th at 5 – 6:30 PM
Ocean Pines Library Conference Room
11107 Cathell Road
Ocean Pines, Maryland
Contact: Michael Luisi at 410.260.8341
Virginia Marine Resources Commission
Tuesday, October 6th at 6 PM
2600 Washington Avenue, Third Floor
Newport News, Virginia
Contact: Rob O’Reilly at 757.247.2248
Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the PID either by attending state public hearings or providing written comment. The PID is available at http://www.asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/TautogAm1PID_PublicComment_Aug2015.pdf and can also be accessed on the Commission website (www.asmfc.org) under Public Input. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on October 23, 2015 and should be forwarded to Ashton Harp, FMP Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St, Suite A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or at aharp@asmfc.org (Subject line: Tautog PID). For more information, please contact Ashton Harp, at aharp@asmfc.orgor 703.842.0740.
NORTH CAROLINA: Weekly Update for Sept. 14, 2015
September 14, 2015 — The following was released by the North Carolina Fisheries Association:
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JERRY’S LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEWS AND OBSERVER: In response to your Sept. 1 editorial “Fishy business on fish rules“: The N&O claimed the General Assembly was considering budget language that would keep the Marine Fisheries Commission from doing an amendment on southern flounder. That is not true, and our position has been that an amendment is what the commission should be doing. The issue is the relatively recent authority that has been given to the commission to do a supplement. That process is supposed to be a quick way to get regulations in place if it’s determined that the species in question is in dire straits. Although The N&O claims southern flounder is near collapse, there are no data to support such a claim. Further, the commission is using the supplement to ban gear, which can be done only through an amendment, as the supplement process does not allow for the more detailed public scrutiny. We expect all fishermen to abide by the rules. Should not the regulatory body be held to the same standards or higher? Why does The N&O support an agency going outside the rules? The Marine Fisheries Commission exists because it was created by the General Assembly. The commission is expected to abide by the rules that were adopted by the General Assembly. Why is it wrong for the General Assembly to provide oversight? I have never heard anyone dispute the notion that commercial fishermen are some of the hardest working laborer’s in our country. SIGN THE PETITION: SAY NO TO THE NEW ENGLAND MARINE NATIONAL MONUMENT MARINE FISHERIES COMMISSION REGIONAL COMMITTEES TO MEET ON POTENTIAL SEA TURTLE INCIDENTAL TAKE PERMIT MODIFICATIONS The purpose of the meetings is to review information from the division’s at-sea observer program, the number of large mesh gill net fishing days for each management unit, and to provide feedback on potential amendment items to the sea turtle and Atlantic sturgeon incidental take permits. Protected Resources staff will present information on the draft issue paper: Potential Amendments to the Sea Turtle and Atlantic Sturgeon Incidental Take Permits. Southern Regional Advisory Committee Briefing Materials Northern Regional Advisory Committee Briefing Materials ATLANTIC SHARK IDENTIFICATION WORKSHOPS AND PROTECTED SPECIES SAFE HANDLING, RELEASE AND IDENTIFICATION WORKSHOPS Free Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops and Protected Species Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops will be held in October, November, and December of 2015. Certain fishermen and shark dealers are required to attend a workshop to meet regulatory requirements and to maintain valid permits. Specifically, the Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop is mandatory for all federally permitted Atlantic shark dealers. The Protected Species Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshop is mandatory for vessel owners and operators who use bottom longline, pelagic longline, or gillnet gear, and who have also been issued shark or swordfish limited access permits. Additional free workshops will be conducted during 2016 and will be announced in a future notice. For more information and schedules see the news release. ASMFC FISHERIES FOCUS AUGUST/SEPTEMBER ISSUE US CUTS DUMPING TAX ON SHRIMP Cuts to anti-dumping tariffs are expected to accelerate shrimp exports to the US for the remaining part of the year after shrimp exports witnessed a hefty drop of more than 50 per cent. The US Department of Commerce on Monday announced the final result of the 9th period of review on anti-dumping tariffs imposed on Vietnamese frozen shrimp products exported to the US market from Feb. 1, 2013 to Jan. 31, 2014, according to the Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers. Read the rest of the story. NOAA AWARDS $2.75 MILLION FOR MARINE MAMMAL RESCUE EFFORTS NOAA Fisheries announced the award of $2.75 million in grant funding to partner organizations in 16 states to respond to and rehabilitate stranded marine mammals and collect data on their health. The John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Program provides funding to non-profit and for-profit organizations, academic institutions, and state agencies that are members of the National Marine Mammal Stranding Network. For more information read the news release. REGULATION AND RULE CHANGES: -USCG Mandatory Dockside Inspections Required Effective Oct. 15 DEADLINES: Sept. 14 – NMFS Generic Amendment to Snapper-Grouper, Golden Crab and Dolphin-Wahoo FMPs Comments Sept. 17 – 2016 Commercial Atlantic Shark Season Comments Sept. 21 at 5 p.m. – 2016-2018 Atlantic Herring Research Set Aside Applications Sept. 25 – MAFMC Cooperative Research Proposals Sept. 28 at 5 p.m. – MFC Kingfish and Interjusdiction FMP Update Comments Oct. 2 – MFC Proposed Rules Comments Oct. 2 – MAFMC Unmanaged Forage Species Scoping Comments MEETINGS: If you are aware of ANY meetings that should be of interest to commercial fishing that is not on this list, please contact us so we can include it here.
Sept. 14 at 2 p.m. – NCFA Board of Directors Meeting, Washington Civic Center, 110 Gladden St., Washington Sept. 14 at 6 p.m – Oyster and Hard Clam Fishery Management Plan Advisory Committee Meeting, DENR Regional Office, 943 Washington Square Mall, Washington Sept. 15 at 6:30 p.m. – MAFMC Scoping Hearing for Unmanaged Forage Species, DENR Regional Office, 943 Washington Square Mall, Washington Sept. 17 at 6 p.m. – MFC Sea Turtle Advisory Committee Meeting, DENR Regional Office, 943 Washington Square Mall, Washington PROCLAMATIONS: BLACK SEA BASS – COMMERCIAL FISHING OPERATIONS – ATLANTIC OCEAN – NORTH OF CAPE HATTERAS RESEARCH SANCTUARY (RS-4-2015 RESCINDED) |
Read the Weekly Update as a PDF
NOAA Fisheries Announces Increase in Common Pool Gulf of Maine Cod Possession and Trip Limits
September 15, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA:
NOAA Fisheries announces an increase to the trip and possession limit for Gulf of Maine cod for common pool vessels.
We had reduced possession and trip limits to zero on June 15, 2015, to prevent the common pool from exceeding its Trimester 1 quota. To date, the common pool fishery has harvested approximately 31% of its annual quota for Gulf of Maine cod.
Through this action, we are increasing the possession and trip limit from zero to 25 pounds per trip for the remainder of the fishing year, though April 30, 2016.
This new limit goes into effect with publication in the Federal Register on Wednesday, September 16.
Read the rule as filed in the Federal Register today, and the permit holder bulletin available on our website.
Questions? Contact Jennifer Goebel, Regional Office, at 978-281-6175 or Jennifer.Goebel@noaa.gov.
Join us for a NOAA Town Hall on September 15 in Providence, Rhode Island
September 3, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA:
NOAA invites you to participate in a Town Hall meeting to discuss possible permanent protections for three deep sea canyons—Oceanographer, Gilbert, and Lydonia Canyons—and four seamounts off of New England’s coast. Deep sea canyons, which plunge to depths greater than 7000 feet, and sea mounts, which rise thousands of feet above the sea floor, create unique habitats supporting tremendous biodiversity and fragile ecosystems that are home to corals, fish, marine mammals, turtles, and more.
To ensure that we protect these unique places for future generations while recognizing the importance of sustainable ocean-based economies, we are seeking input from all interested parties in the region.
The Town Hall discussion will be held on September 15, at the Providence Marriott Downtown, 1 Orms Street, Providence, Rhode Island. The meeting will be in the Sessions/College/Canal Room from 6:00 – 8:00 pm.
If you are unable to attend the Town Hall in person, please send comments by September 15, 2015 toatlanticconservation@noaa.gov.
Decision soon on listing eels under Endangered Species Act
September 14, 2015 — PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Fishermen benefiting from booming prices for American eels are squirming about a decision expected this month on whether to list the fish under the Endangered Species Act.
An environmental advocacy group wants the federal government to list the American eel as threatened, giving the fish protections that would greatly limit fishermen’s ability to pursue and catch them.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service‘s decision about protecting the eels will likely come toward the end of September, said Steven Shepard, a spokesman for the agency.
The decision will come as the market for baby eels, called elvers, is booming. In Maine, which has by far the most lucrative eel fishery in the country, elvers were worth more than $2,100 per pound in 2015 after being worth less than $100 per pound in 2009. The elvers are sold to Asian aquaculture companies that raise them to maturity and use them as food, including sushi.
The Fresno, Calif.-based Center for Environmental Science, Accuracy & Reliability says the eels have lost more than 80 percent of their habitat, largely due to dams that impede migration, and suffer from too much commercial fishing pressure. The group, which was called the Council For Endangered Species Act Reliability at the time of the petition, also states that the eels’ population is “declining catastrophically,” as are other eel species worldwide.
Read the full story from the Associated Press at SFgate
Federal Fishery Managers Cap Bycatch in California Swordfish Drift Gillnet Fishery
September 14, 2015 – Today, the Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) adopted hard limits on the number of endangered marine mammals and sea turtles that can be injured or killed in the California-based swordfish drift gillnet fishery. Oceana commends the Council’s action to safeguard sensitive marine wildlife. If too many endangered species are caught over a two-year period, the fishery will be shut down for the remainder of the fishing season.
“This important action is needed to clean up one of the nation’s dirtiest fisheries,” said Ben Enticknap, Oceana’s Pacific Manager and Senior Scientist. “The bycatch caps will help protect animals most at risk and create an incentive for fishermen to avoid catching these animals in the first place. Ultimately, however, the swordfish fishery needs to switch to clean gear types.”
Drift gillnets — stretching a mile in length and 200 feet below the ocean’s surface — target swordfish and thresher sharks in federal ocean waters off California. Yet they create a deadly trap for all ocean wildlife that swims in their path. On average, the swordfish drift gillnet fishery throws overboard 64 percent of its catch, much of it dead or dying. Marine mammals feeding off the coast of California are regularly ensnared in these invisible nets and they drown when they are not able to surface for air.
According to the Council decision, hard caps will be set for the following nine wildlife species: endangered fin, humpback, and sperm whales, short-fin pilot whales, and common bottlenose dolphins; as well as for endangered leatherback, loggerhead, olive ridley, and green sea turtles (see table, below). Federal fishery observers are expected to monitor 30% of the fishery to determine if the caps are hit in the next two fishing years, and fishery monitoring will increase to 100% in 2018 according to the Council action.
Access Granted to Chile’s Salmon Farming Antibiotic Use Info
CHILE — September 14, 2015 — Oceana has been granted access to information on Chile’s salmon farming antibiotic use between 2009 and 2013, following a unanimous ruling by Santiago’s Court of Appeals.
“We are pleased to hear the reversal of an incorrect ruling by the Transparency Council. Clearly, this is public information as it allows people to make decisions on fundamental issues, such as health and the environment, in addition to making scrutiny on whether the Government is effectively controlling this industry or not,” stated Alex Muñoz, Vice President for Oceana in Chile.
In July 2014, Oceana resorted to the Transparency Council after 50 salmon farms refused to reveal the amount and type of antibiotics used by them, on the grounds that this would entail “a competitive and commercial risk.”
The Transparency Council agreed with the salmon farms and declared that the National Fishery Service is not required to reveal disaggregated figures.
LOUISIANA: First Major Gulf Oyster Hatchery Revs Up Production on Grand Isle
September 14, 2015 — For more than 20-years, the old Grand Isle Sea Grant oyster hatchery and lab faced exposure to every known element the Gulf of Mexico could throw at it. The recently opened Mike Voisin Oyster Hatchery, whose namesake served as a Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries commissioner and chairman of the Louisiana Oyster Task Force, may not face that same exposure to the elements, but instead face new challenges both manmade and natural.
Water quality will be a continuing challenge for the new $3 million dollar hatchery according to John Supan, an oyster specialist with Louisiana Sea Grant, who designed and oversees the facility. “The building’s water system is designed to go into recirculating mode during times when water quality is not optimal. It is one thing to have the system, but making it work will be a big challenge,” he explained.
According to the oyster researcher, periods of low salinity from wind-driven plumes of Mississippi River water, or local heavy rainfall from tropical waves, affects larval production in a hatchery environment.
All About Water Quality
Water quality has plagued the Grand Isle operation since inception. With more than 27 years in the making, the new oyster hatchery is shielded from the elements of the Gulf’s uncertain weather and Supan is confident he has found the solution for the fluctuation of water quality.
An advanced water circulation system and temperature-controlled system allows larvae and spat to be produced year-round. This will be instrumental in meeting the hatchery’s billion oyster larvae a year contract with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF). Larvae produced at the facility will be used for the restoration of public reefs that were damaged after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 and specifically for corrective action towards the state’s Natural Resource Damage Assessment funded cultch plants.
Read the full story at the Gulf Seafood Institute