October 25, 2012 — NOAA Fisheries Service announced today that effective November 1, 2012, the Atlantic herring catch limit for Area 1A will be increased from from 24,373 mt to 27,373 mt.
Read the full announcement here
ASMFC Horseshoe Crab Board Sets Annual Specifications in Adaptive Multispecies Management
October 25, 2012 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.
Philadelphia, PA – The Commission’s Horseshoe Crab Management Board has approved the harvest specifications for horseshoe crabs of Delaware Bay origin. Under the Adaptive Resource Management (ARM) Framework, the Board set a harvest limit of 500,000 Delaware Bay male horseshoe crabs and zero female horseshoe crabs for the 2013 season. Based on the allocation mechanism established in Addendum VII, quotas were set for the states of New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, which harvest horseshoe crabs of Delaware Bay origin.
The ARM Framework, established through Addendum VII, incorporates both shorebird and horseshoe crab abundance levels to set optimized harvest levels for horseshoe crabs of Delaware Bay origin. It was developed in recognition of the relationship between horseshoe crab eggs and shorebirds in the Delaware Bay Region. The optimized harvest level will be reevaluated annually, allowing for management to adapt to the changes in the population levels of horseshoe crabs and shorebirds as a result of the regulations.
For additional more information, please contact Toni Kerns, Acting ISFMP Director, at 703.842.0740 or tkerns@asmfc.org.
ASMFC Winter Flounder Board Finalizes Addendum II & Approves Draft Addendum III for Public Comment
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.
CANADA: State-of-the-art plant in British Columbia brings jobs, hope for prosperity
October 25, 2012 — As Norman Black arrived for work at 7 a.m. at the new fish processing plant n the village of Lax Kw'allaams arlier this week, he couldn't elp but break into a grin.
There, at the dock, was the 33-metre trawler Nemesis, as its skipper had promised, with 50 tonnes of groundfish in its hold – the first fish to arrive at the dock in more than a year.
Black, the general manager of the state-of-the art plant, was on the dock with 75 other people to witness history. The Nemesis was carrying more than a cargo of fish. It was carrying the hopes of the 800 residents of Lax Kw'allaams, north of Prince Rupert, who have built what is arguably the most modern fish processing and freezing facility in Canada, revitalizing a north coast industry that has been shrinking for decades.
"We were speechless when they started unloading the fish," Black said. "It was pure excitement and joy. Our operations manager, Pam Tait, came down and let out a whoop that was heard across the bay.
"These are the first fish delivered to this plant. And for the 12 months we had the plant under construction, there was no smell of fish. And guess what? Today we smell of fish. It's the smell of money."
All the fish will be frozen by the end of the day. By the end of the month, it will be aboard a cargo ship on its way to China.
The new fish plant attracted such attention because the canneries that once dotted the coast have long since vanished and the processing plants in nearby Prince Rupert have either consolidated operations or closed. Lax Kw'allaams, formerly Port Simpson, had a cannery that was replaced 20 years ago with a processing plant that operated only seasonally.
Black said the First Nation saw an opportunity. Freezing technology had advanced to the point that groundfish like turbot, which have a short shelf-life, can be marketed if they are frozen quickly after being caught. The fishing grounds in Dixon Entrance were a short run away. The community had a trained workforce of fishcut-ters and, said Black, "we saw that markets around the world are getting hungry for what used to be called under-utilized species that are, after all, protein. The world is hungry."
The final piece in completing the business plan involved the Port of Prince Rupert, where a cargo ship bound for China departs weekly , where the flash-frozen fish is processed into seafood such as fish sticks.
To finance the processing plant, the First Nation raised $11 million, using for seed money its own cash earned in other business enterprises. It also received $1.25 million from the Coast Opportunity Funds, a $116-million fund set up by government and NGOs to develop sustainable coastal economies. The money was invested in an automated fish-cutting machine that makes it economical to filet small bottomfish like Dover sole for the fresh fish market, and in sophisticated freezing equipment.
Read the full story at the Vancouver Sun
EU Fisheries ministers decision on European Maritime and Fisheries Fund condemned
October 24, 2012 — European Council of fisheries ministers have reached an agreement on the partial general approach for the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF).
This new funding mechanism, which will replace the current European Fisheries Fund in 2014, will seal the future of the European fishing sector until 2020.
But Oceana says it is appalled by the outcome and by the reckless attitude of the Member States, who, by agreeing to this text, have put at risk both the future of the fisheries industry and the coastal communities that depend on it.
“The dire economic state of European fisheries has turned the majority of fisheries ministers from decision makers into fundraisers, aiming at getting their hands on as many subsidy schemes as possible,” commented Xavier Pastor, Executive Director of Oceana Europe. “Instead of realising that the direct fleet subsidies of the current financial mechanism have been a failure, they cling to old habits, the very same that have led to the economic, social and environmental crisis of fisheries.”
The politically charged discussions started on Monday, October 22 in a stand-off between Member States trying to water down the Commission’s proposal as much as possible and those holding onto the much needed reform set out by the Commission. The former have won as the partial general approach not only supports subsidies that fuel overfishing, such as funding to replace engines on board a fishing vessel, but also puts measures back on the table, such as the scrapping of boats and temporary cessation, that had been excluded by the Commission because they were misused by Member States.
”Reintroducing these subsidies, which have been proven to be ineffective, will only succeed in wasting taxpayer money again and again and increasing the pressure on fish stocks” added Vanya Vulperhorst, Policy advisor at Oceana Europe. “This stubborn refusal to move away from the status quo is a disgrace that brings into question the need to waste more time reforming the Common Fisheries Policy.”
Read the full story here
Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery; Emergency Rule Extension, Closure of the Delmarva Access Area
October 25, 2012 — NMFS has extended the emergency closure of the Delmarva Access Area (DMV) published on May 14, 2012, which is scheduled to expire on November 10, 2012.
Specifically, this temporary rule extends the 180-day closure of the DMV in fishing year (FY) 2012 for an additional 186 days, through May 13, 2013.
ASMFC Spiny Dogfish Board Sets Quotas for 2013 – 2015
October 25, 2012 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.
Philadelphia, PA – The Commission’s Spiny Dogfish and Coastal Sharks Management Board approved spiny dogfish quotas for the 2013/14, 2014/15, and 2015/16 fishing seasons (May 1 – April 30), with a maximum possession limit of 4,000 pounds per day for the northern region states (Maine through Connecticut). The approved quotas represent an approximately five million pound increase in quota over the 2012/13 season. State-specific shares for the northern region and southern states (New York through North Carolina) are provided in the table below. Any overages from the previous fishing seasons will be paid back by the region or state in the following season, as has been done in years past. The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) forwarded the same recommendation to the National Marine Fisheries Service Northeast Regional Administrator for final action prior to the start of the 2013/14 fishing season. The New England Fishery Management Council will take action at its November meeting.
View a chart of regional/state quotas and possession limits here
The Board’s action responds to the findings of the 2012 Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) Update on the Status of Spiny Dogfish, which estimates that spiny dogfish are not overfished and not experiencing overfishing. Spawning stock biomass (SSB) was estimated at 474.97 million pounds in 2012, and has exceeded the target (351.23 million pounds) for the past five years. Fishing mortality is estimated to be 0.114 in 2011, well below the plan’s threshold (0.2439). The recommendation from the MAFMC Science and Statistical Committee (SSC) took into account the projected record low recruitment from 1997 to 2003, and the recommended quotas are not expected to cause SSB to decline below the biomass threshold.
Discards have remained relatively stable around 11 million pounds over the past decade and are expected to remain near that level in the future fishing seasons. Canadian landings have also decreased significantly in recent years (249,000 pounds in 2009; 13,230 pounds in 2010; 273,000 pounds in 2011). It is anticipated the Canadian dogfish harvest will not increase in the near future given the lack of demand for the product and the subsequent closure of Canadian spiny dogfish processors.
Additionally, based on the recommendation of its Coastal Sharks Technical Committee, the Board approved a 36 fish possession limit for sharks in the large coastal sharks (LCS) species group (silky, tiger, blacktip, spinner, bull, lemon, nurse, scalloped hammerhead, great hammerhead, and smooth hammerhead sharks) for 2013. The Board increased the LCS possession limit, consistent with the proposed federal shark specifications.
For more information, please contact Marin Hawk, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at 703.842.0740 or mhawk@asmfc.org.
Effective November 1, 2012 the Recreational Black Sea Bass Fishery Will be Closed for 2012 Fishing Year
October 24, 2012 — NOAA Fisheries announced today that the 2012 black sea bass recreational harvest limit has been reached.
Effective 0001 hours, November 1, 2012, no one may fish for or possess black sea bass in Federal waters for the remainder of the 2012 calendar year, unless issued a commercial moratorium permit and fishing commercially.
View the official announcement on the NOAA website
Mid-Atlantic Council Votes to Increase Commercial Quota and Trip Limits for Spiny Dogfish
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.”
Center for Biological Diversity to Congress: Carbon dioxide and ocean acidification threaten marine life
October 23, 2012 — On Monday, Congress was called on by a leading environmental organization to address the increasing threat to sea life that has been caused by decades of warming ocean temperatures and C02 pollution.
The action by Center for Biological Diversity included submitting a detailed letter to the House of Natural Resources Committee, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and the Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee.
The Center’s letter asked for a hearing focused on solutions that would curb carbon pollution, which threatens fish, corals, sea otters and other marine life; from the smallest microbes to the largest whales.
Moreover, ocean acidification threatens the world’s shellfish and seafood supply, which many people around the globe depend on for food and income.
Ocean acidification, referred to by scientists as the evil spawn of global warming— because emissions from burning coal and fossil fuels get trapped in the atmosphere— is caused when too much carbon dioxide is absorbed into the world’s seas and oceans.
Read the full story in the Examiner