Saving Seafood

Council Actions

American Eel Board Releases Draft Addendum VI for Public Comment Draft Addendum Considers Maine’s Glass Eel Quota for 2025 and Beyond

February 7, 2024 — The Commission’s American Eel Management Board has released Draft Addendum VI to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Eel for public comment. The Board initiated the addendum to address Maine’s glass eel fishery quota, which expires at the end of 2024. Draft Addendum VI presents options to set Maine’s quota as well as the number of years the quota would remain in place once it is implemented, and whether or not an additional addendum would be required to maintain the same quota for subsequent years.

 
Addendum V, approved in August 2018, maintained Maine’s glass/elver eel quota of 9,688 pounds, previously established by Addendum IV, and specified that the quota be set for three years (2019-2021). The quota was extended for an additional three years (2022-2024) through Board action in 2021. Since Maine’s current glass eel quota of 9,688 pounds expires after 2024, the Board initiated Draft Addendum VI to establish a quota for the 2025 fishing season and beyond.
 
One virtual public hearing has been scheduled to gather public input on Draft Addendum VI on Wednesday, February 28, 2024 from 4:00 to 5:00 PM. Details on how to register and attend the hearing are provided below.
 
Webinar Instructions
In order to provide comment at any virtual or hybrid hearings, you will need to use your computer (voice over internet protocol) or download the GoToWebinar app for your phone. Those joining by phone only will be limited to listening to the presentation and will not be able to provide input. In those cases, you can send your comments to staff via email or US mail at any time during the public comment period. To attend the webinar in listen only mode, dial 562.247.8422 and enter access code 960-376-742.
 
To register for the public hearing webinar, please click HERE. The hearing will be held via GoToWebinar, and you can join the webinar from your computer, tablet or smartphone. If you are new to GoToWebinar, you can download the software by (clicking here) or via the App store under GoToWebinar. We recommend you register for the hearing well in advance of the hearing since GoToWebinar will provide you with a link to test your device’s compatibility with the webinar. If you find your device is not compatible, please contact the Commission at info@asmfc.org (subject line: GoToWebinar help) and we will try to get you connected. We also strongly encourage participants to use the computer voice over internet protocol (VoIP) so you can ask questions and provide input at the hearing. 
Submitting Comments
The Draft Addendum is available athttps://asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/AmericanEelDraftAddVI_GlassEelQuota_PublicComment.pdf or via the Commission’s website at http://www.asmfc.org/about-us/public-input. Public comment will be 
accepted until 11:59 PM (EST) on March 24, 2024 and should be sent to Caitlin Starks, Senior FMP Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, Virginia 22201; or at comments@asmfc.org(Subject line: Glass Eel Draft Addendum VI).
 
For more information, please contact Caitlin Starks, Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, atcstarks@asmfc.org.

States Schedule Public Hearings on American Eel Draft Addendum VII Draft Addendum Considers Changes to Commercial Yellow Eel Coastwide Harvest Cap

February 7, 2024 — The majority of Atlantic coastal states from New Hampshire through Virginia have scheduled hearings to gather public input on Draft Addendum VII to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Eel. Draft Addendum VII considers management measures to reduce the commercial yellow eel coastwide harvest cap in response to the 2023 benchmark stock assessment, which found the stock remains depleted. The Draft Addendum also considers options to modify monitoring requirements based on recommendations from the stock assessment and Technical Committee. Some hearings will be conducted in-person, and some hearings will be conducted via webinar, or in a hybrid format. If your state does not hold a hearing, or you are unable to participate in your state’s scheduled hearing, you are welcome to participate in any of the virtual or hybrid hearings. The public hearing details follow:

Date and Hearing Format
State/Agency
Contact
Tuesday, February 20
Webinar Hearing
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection
 
The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below.  
Joe Cimino
609.748.2063
 
 
Tuesday, February 27
Webinar Hearing
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
 
New Hampshire Fish and Game Dept.
 
The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below.  
Cheri Patterson
603.868.1095
Tuesday, March 5
Webinar Hearing
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
 
New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation
 
The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below.  
Jesse Hornstein631.444.0714
Thursday, March 7
In-person Hearing
5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
 
Virginia Marine Resources Commission
 
Hearing Location:
Virginia Marine Resources Commission
380 Fenwick Road, Building 96
Fort Monroe, VA, 23651
Shanna Madsen757.247.2247
Tuesday, March 12
In-person Hearing
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
 
Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources
 
Hearing Location:
Tawes State Office Building, C-1
580 Taylor Avenue 
Annapolis, MD 21401
443.758.6547
 
 
 
Wednesday, March 13
Hybrid Hearing
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
 
Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife
 
The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below.
 
Hearing Location:
Dover Public Library
35 Loockerman Plaza 
Dover, DE 19901 
John Clark302.739.9108
The Board initiated Draft Addendum VII in August 2023 in response to findings of the 2023 Benchmark Stock Assessment and Peer Review Report. The results of the assessment indicate the stock is at or near historically low levels due to a combination of historical overfishing, habitat loss, food web alterations, predation, turbine mortality, environmental changes, and toxins, contaminants, and disease. The assessment and peer review recommend reducing fishing mortality on the yellow eel life stage, while also recognizing that stock status is affected by other factors. The benchmark assessment proposed a new index-based tool for setting the yellow eel coastwide cap, since there is no statistical model for estimating the population size of American eel. This tool, called ITARGET, is an index-based method that needs only catch and abundance data from surveys to provide management advice on coastwide landings.
 
Draft Addendum VII also proposes options to reduce the requirements for biological sampling during young-of-year surveys conducted by the states, based on the stock assessment finding that individual length and pigment stage data are not useful for evaluating population trends. In addition, it considers changing the requirements for the collection of trip-level harvester data on catch per unit effort, and the policy used to determine if a state qualifies for de minimis status and can be exempt from implementing fishery regulations and monitoring requirements.
 
Webinar Instructions
In order to provide comment at any virtual or hybrid hearings, you will need to use your computer (voice over internet protocol) or download the GoToWebinar app for your phone. Those joining by phone only will be limited to listening to the presentation and will not be able to provide input. In those cases, you can send your comments to staff via email or US mail at any time during the public comment period. To attend the webinar in listen only mode, dial 562.247.8422 and enter access code 796-096-508. If your state does not hold a hearing, or you are unable to participate in your state’s scheduled hearing, you are welcome to participate in any of the virtual or hybrid hearings.
 
For all virtual or hybrid hearings, please click HERE and select the hearing(s) you plan to attend from the dropdown menu to register for a public hearing webinar. Hearings will be held via GoToWebinar, and you can join the webinar from your computer, tablet or smartphone. If you are new to GoToWebinar, you can download the software by (clicking here) or via the App store under GoToWebinar. We recommend you register for the hearing well in advance of the hearing since GoToWebinar will provide you with a link to test your device’s compatibility with the webinar. If you find your device is not compatible, please contact the Commission at info@asmfc.org (subject line: GoToWebinar help) and we will try to get you connected. We also strongly encourage participants to use the computer voice over internet protocol (VoIP) so you can ask questions and provide input at the hearing. 
 
Hearing Presentation Recording
For those who cannot attend any in-person or virtual hearings, the Commission will also post a recording of the hearing presentation on the Commission’s YouTube page so that stakeholders may watch the presentation and submit comment at any time during the comment process. This recording will be available by mid-February.
Submitting Comments
The Draft Addendum is available athttps://asmfc.org/files/Science/AmEelDraftAddendumVII_YellowEelCap_PublicComment_Feb2024.pdf or via the Commission’s website at http://www.asmfc.org/about-us/public-input. All those interested in the management of American eel are encouraged to provide input either by participating in public hearings, which may be conducted via webinar, or providing written comment. Public comment will be accepted until 11:59 PM (EST) on March 24, 2024 and should be sent to Caitlin Starks, Senior FMP Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, Virginia 22201; or at comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Yellow Eel Harvest Cap Draft Addendum).

Supplemental Materials Available for the February 14th Meeting of the ASMFC Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board

February 7, 2024 — The following was Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Supplemental materials for the February 14th meeting of the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Board are available athttps://asmfc.org/files/Meetings/SFlounderScupBSB_BoardSuppMaterials_Feb2024.pdf. These include a revised memo to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Board. The only change to the revised memo is the inclusion of an additional summer flounder option for the states of Delaware to Virginia. The revised summer flounder option is depicted in Table 4 Options 6-7 and includes a 4 fish bag limit, 17.5” size limit, year-round open season, and associated percent reduction in summer flounder harvest of -33.53%.

 

Council Recommends 2024 Recreational Measures for Cod and Haddock; Discusses Upcoming Atlantic Cod Transition Plan

February 7, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council voted on recreational fishing measures for three groundfish stocks when it met January 30-February 1, 2024 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The proposed measures, which are in the form of recommendations to NOAA Fisheries, include bag limits, fishing seasons, and minimum fish sizes for Gulf of Maine cod, Gulf of Maine haddock, and Georges Bank cod. NOAA Fisheries will strive to implement final measures by May 1, which is the start of the 2024 fishing year for groundfish.

The Council also received a presentation from NOAA Fisheries on its Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP), which included a status update on the agency’s Fishing Effort Survey Pilot Study and next steps.

Additionally, the Council:

• Discussed the upcoming management track stock assessments for the four new Atlantic cod biological units and received an overview of what to expect next with the Atlantic Cod Transition Plan;

• Received a progress report on the Groundfish Plan Development Team’s work to develop metrics to evaluate the groundfish monitoring program in Amendment 23 to the Northeast Multispecies (Groundfish) Fishery Management Plan; and • Reviewed a quarterly outlook for the year ahead.

 

 

Fishing regulators say no to catching more of this most valuable species

February 6, 2024 — Fishermen who harvest one of the most valuable marine species in the U.S. hoped for permission to catch more baby eels next year, but regulators said Monday the tight restrictions that have been in place for several years are likely to stay the same.

The tiny baby eels, which are often worth more than $2,000 per pound, are also called elvers. They are a critically important link in the worldwide supply chain for Japanese food. They are harvested from rivers and streams in Maine, sold to aquaculture companies and raised to maturity, then resold as food.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission needs to set a new quota for next year and beyond because the current management plan is expiring. The commission said Monday it’s only considering one option for next year’s limit and that is a little less than 10,000 pounds (4,535 kilograms), the same the level fishermen have been allowed to catch for several years.

Read the full article at the Associated Press

Virginia advances legislation against harassing fishermen

February 6, 2024 — Virginia state legislation to protect commercial fishermen and their boats from harassment from sport fishermen at sea was approved 8-0 by the state House Courts of Justice – Criminal Subcommittee on Feb. 2 and will move on to the next level of the House in Richmond, Va.

Virginia House Bill 928, sponsored by Delegate Hillary Pugh Kent, increases penalties for harassing watermen to a Class I misdemeanor which is confinement in jail for not more than twelve months and a fine of not more than $2,500, either or both. Anyone convicted will forfeit Virginia’s hunting and fishing licenses for one year on first offense, and three years on a second offense.

The bill was prompted by a dangerous engagement between a jet skier and an Ocean Harvesters menhaden fishing crew that occurred on September 23, 2023, which was documented in a video by a menhaden spotter pilot.

The incident occurred approximately 1.5 miles east of Buckroe Beach off Hampton, Va., in Chesapeake Bay. As an Ocean Harvesters’ crew was making a set, the rider of the jet ski ran his boat between the two purse boats and was able to get inside the set and out before the set was completed. This was the third harassment issue by a recreational boater occurring last year, said Monty Deihl, CEO of Ocean Harvesters, a U.S. fishing company that has a long-term contract to harvest and deliver menhaden for Omega Protein.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

 

‘Great news’: 17 North Atlantic right whale calves spotted so far this season

February 6, 2024 — Marine wildlife officials on Monday shared promising news about the number of North Atlantic right whales born this season, as they continue to monitor the number of whales being injured or killed by entanglement and vessel strikes at sea.

The number of North Atlantic right whales born this season has already surpassed that of last year, with 17 new calves spotted with their mothers along the coast from Florida to South Carolina, according to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute on Cape Cod.

“While this is great news, the North Atlantic right whale population is still dwindling,” Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute officials said in a statement.

Read the full article at Boston 25 News

Dutch Harbor state-waters cod fishery opens with largest harvest level to date

February 6, 2024 — The state-water cod fishery for pot gear boats of 58 feet or less in the Dutch Harbor Subdistrict opened Thursday, Feb. 1 at noon. Those harvesters have a limit of 60 pots per vessel and a guideline harvest level of a little more than 44 million pounds.

That’s the largest harvest level the fishery has ever seen. Last year’s was the second biggest at just over 38 million pounds.

State fisheries managers said they expect about 20 to 25 boats to register for the fishery. The Dutch Harbor Subdistrict is the largest state managed Pacific cod fishery in Alaska and was founded in 2014.

Read the full article at KYUK

California salmon disaster funding falls far short, say fishing advocates

February 6, 2024 –The $20.6 million allocated for federal relief to California’s Chinook salmon closure is just two-thirds of the state’s aid request, and threatens the survival of fishing businesses, California commercial anglers and for-hire recreational groups said Monday.

In a letter to U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, the Golden Gate Fisherman’s Association, and the Northern California Guides and Sportsmen’s Association called for “immediate full funding of salmon disaster funding assistance” in the $30.7 million figure sought by state officials.

“The State’s economic analysis already falls short of expected needs, and the federal disaster assistance package add insult to injury,” leaders of the fishing groups wrote in their joint letter. “Additionally, nearly a year after the declaration of the complete season closure, not one dollar of relief funds have been made available to affected businesses or their employees.”

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Examination Continues into Cause of Whale’s Death on Martha’s Vineyard

February 6, 2024 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

On January 28, 2024, NOAA Fisheries was notified of a deceased female North Atlantic right whale near Joseph Sylvia State Beach on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. We worked closely with the International Fund for Animal Welfare, Stranding Network partners, and local responders to recover the carcass and conduct a necropsy.

Preliminary observations indicated the presence of rope entangled near the whale’s tail. State law enforcement officials collected some of the rope and turned it over to NOAA’s Office Law Enforcement. It is now being examined by gear experts.

Whale Identified as #5120

Last week, scientists at the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life reviewed several images of the dead North Atlantic right whale. They matched it to whale #5120 in the right whale catalog based on clear matching features, such as callosity patterns and markings. This right whale, the only known calf of Squilla (#3720), was born during the 2021 calving season.

Necropsy Confirms Chronic Entanglement

A stranding response team completed the necropsy of North Atlantic right whale #5120 on February 1, 2024. From the necropsy, experts confirmed a chronic entanglement, with rope deeply embedded in the tail, and thin body condition. The necropsy showed no evidence of blunt force trauma. Cause of death is pending further histological and diagnostic testing of collected samples, which can take weeks to complete. We will share more information as it is available.

Large whale experts at the International Fund for Animal Welfare led the necropsy, with the assistance of more than 20 biologists from:

  • Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah)
  • Atlantic Marine Conservation Society
  • Whale Dolphin Conservation
  • New England Aquarium
  • Center for Coastal Studies
  • Marine Mammals of Maine
  • Virginia Aquarium
  • Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative

Previous Entanglements

Aerial survey teams had previously seen right whale #5120 several times with entanglements, including August 2022 and January 2023.

Whale #5120 was last seen in June 2023 by Northeast Fisheries Science Center aerial observers, 60 miles northeast of Shippagan, New Brunswick. She was feeding with other whales. Her overall condition had declined and the wounds from the wraps of rope at the peduncle appeared to be more severe. No trailing line or buoys were seen.

Studies suggest that more than 85 percent of North Atlantic right whales have been entangled at least once. About 60 percent have been entangled multiple times. Entangling rope can cut into a whale’s body, cause serious injuries, and result in infections and mortality. Even if gear is shed or removed through disentanglement efforts, the time spent entangled can severely stress a whale, weaken it, and prevent it from feeding. It can sap the energy it needs to swim, feed, and reproduce.