Saving Seafood

Maine’s having a lobster boom. A bust may be coming.

June 15, 2021 — Ask any outsider what Maine brings to mind, and the response might well be: Bone-chilling winters. Forests. Moose. Quaint fishing villages along a rocky coast. Flannel shirts and Bean boots. And lobsters—lots of lobsters.

These cold-water-loving, bottom-feeding crustaceans are top of mind for many Mainers too, including Monique Coombs. She’s the director of community programs for the Maine Coast Fisherman’s Association, in Brunswick. She’s also the wife of Maine lobsterman, Herman Coombs, and the mother of 16-year-old Joceylne, who’s going into the family trade. Homarus americanus—the American lobster—is what keeps bread on the Coombs’ table.

Last year during the pandemic shutdown, Maine didn’t get its usual blast of summer visitors, but there were plenty of lobsters. Signs are promising for a revived tourism season in 2021, and Monique expects it to be another good year for lobsters.

But that doesn’t stop her from worrying. The waters off Maine’s coast are warming, and no one knows what that’s going to mean for the state’s half-billion-dollar-a-year lobster industry—the largest single-species fishery in North America. Some fear that continued warming could cause the lobster population to collapse.

Read the full story at National Geographic

ASMFC 2021 Spring Meeting Webinar Supplemental Materials Now Available

April 28, 2021 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Supplemental materials for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 2021 Spring Meeting Webinar are now available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2021-spring-meeting-webinar for the following Boards/Committees (click on “Supplemental” following each relevant committee header to access the information). For ease of access, all supplemental meeting materials have been combined into one PDF – http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/2021SpringMeetingWebinar/2021SpringMeetingMaterialsCombinedSupplemental.pdf. Below is the list of documents included in the supplemental materials.

American Lobster Management Board – April 2021 Technical Committee Meeting Summary and Memo on Electronic Vessel Tracking for Federal Lobster and Jonah Crab Fleet

ACCSP Coordinating Council – FY2022 Request for Proposal Package and ACCSP News & Web Announcements

American Eel Management Board – Advisory Panel Report on American Eel Fisheries, Recent Landings, and Market Demand

Climate Crisis Executive Order – Florida FWC Comments

Atlantic Menhaden Management Board – 2020 FMP Review; Memo on NC DMF Daily Pound Net Landings Proxy for Effort for Atlantic Menhaden; Memo on Atlantic Menhaden Spatial Model Needs

Shad and River Herring Management Board – Technical Committee Recommendations on American Shad Habitat Plan Updates

Webinar Information

Board meeting proceedings will be broadcast daily via webinar beginning Monday, May 3 at 1 PM and continuing daily until the conclusion of the meeting (expected to be 12:30 PM) on Thursday, May 6. The webinar will allow registrants to listen to board deliberations and view presentations and motions as they occur. To register for the webinar go to https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4182611915717793807, Webinar ID# 647-565-931.

Each day, the webinar will begin 30 minutes prior to the start of the first meeting so that people can troubleshoot any connectivity or audio issues they may encounter.  If you are having issues with the webinar (connecting to or audio related issues), please contact Chris Jacobs at 703.842.0790.

If you are joining the webinar but will not be using VoIP, you can may also call in at 1.562.247.8321 (a pin will be provided to you after joining the webinar); see webinar instructions  for details on how to receive the pin. For those who will not be joining the webinar but would like to listen in to the audio portion only, you can do so by dialing 1.562.247.8321 (access code: 785-852-884).

Public Comment Guidelines

To provide a fair opportunity for public input, the ISFMP Policy Board  approved the following guidelines for use at management board meetings. Please note these guidelines have been modified to adapt to meetings via webinar:

For issues that are not on the agenda, management boards will continue to provide an opportunity to the public to bring matters of concern to the board’s attention at the start of each board meeting. Board chairs will ask members of the public to raise their hands to let the chair know they would like to speak. Depending upon the number of commenters, the board chair will decide how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.

For topics that are on the agenda, but have not gone out for public comment, board chairs will provide limited opportunity for comment, taking into account the time allotted on the agenda for the topic. Chairs will have flexibility in deciding how to allocate comment opportunities; this could include hearing one comment in favor and one in opposition until the chair is satisfied further comment will not provide additional insight to the board.

For agenda action items that have already gone out for public comment, it is the Policy Board’s intent to end the occasional practice of allowing extensive and lengthy public comments. Currently, board chairs have the discretion to decide what public comment to allow in these circumstances.

In addition, the following timeline has been established for the submission of written comment for issues for which the Commission has NOT established a specific public comment period (i.e., in response to proposed management action).

  1. Comments received 3 weeks prior to the start of the webinar (April 19) will be included in the briefing materials.
  2. Comments received by 5:00 PM on Tuesday, April 27 will be included in the supplemental materials.
  3. Comments received by 10:00 AM on Friday, April 30 will be distributed electronically to Commissioners/Board members prior to the meeting.

Comments should be submitted via email at comments@asmfc.org. All comments must clearly indicate the commenter’s expectation from the ASMFC staff regarding distribution.

ASMFC 2021 Spring Meeting Webinar Preliminary Agenda

April 5, 2021 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The agenda is subject to change. Bulleted items represent the anticipated major issues to be discussed or acted upon during the webinar. The final agenda will include additional items and may revise the bulleted items provided below. The agenda reflects the current estimate of time required for scheduled Board meetings. The Commission may adjust this agenda in accordance with the actual duration of Board meetings. Interested parties should anticipate Boards starting earlier or later than indicated herein.

Public Comment Guidelines

To provide a fair opportunity for public input, the ISFMP Policy Board  approved the following guidelines for use at management board meetings. Please note these guidelines have been modified to adapt to meetings via webinar:

For issues that are not on the agenda, management boards will continue to provide an opportunity to the public to bring matters of concern to the board’s attention at the start of each board meeting. Board chairs will ask members of the public to raise their hands to let the chair know they would like to speak. Depending upon the number of commenters, the board chair will decide how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.

For topics that are on the agenda, but have not gone out for public comment, board chairs will provide limited opportunity for comment, taking into account the time allotted on the agenda for the topic. Chairs will have flexibility in deciding how to allocate comment opportunities; this could include hearing one comment in favor and one in opposition until the chair is satisfied further comment will not provide additional insight to the board.

For agenda action items that have already gone out for public comment, it is the Policy Board’s intent to end the occasional practice of allowing extensive and lengthy public comments. Currently, board chairs have the discretion to decide what public comment to allow in these circumstances.

In addition, the following timeline has been established for the submission of written comment for issues for which the Commission has NOT established a specific public comment period (i.e., in response to proposed management action).

  1. Comments received 3 weeks prior to the start of the webinar (April 19) will be included in the briefing materials.
  2. Comments received by 5:00 PM on Tuesday, April 27 will be included in the supplemental materials.
  3. Comments received by 10:00 AM on Friday, April 30 will be distributed electronically to Commissioners/Board members prior to the meeting.

Comments should be submitted via email at comments@asmfc.org. All comments must clearly indicate the commenter’s expectation from the ASMFC staff regarding distribution.

Read the full release here

Final Supplemental Materials for ASMFC 2021 Winter Meeting

January 29, 2021 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The final portion of supplemental materials for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 2021 Winter Meeting Webinar are now available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2021-winter-meeting-webinar for the following Boards/Committees (click on “Supplemental” following each relevant committee header to access the information). For ease of access, these materials have been combined into one PDF – http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/2021WinterMeetingWebinar/2021WinterMeetingSupplemental2.pdf.  Below is the list of documents included in the supplemental materials.

American Lobster Management Board – Revised Memo on Review of American Lobster Stock Status, Reference Points, and Recommendations from 2020 Benchmark Assessment and Peer Review (memo has been revised to replace mislabeled abundance and exploitation graphs for the Southern New England stock). This document has been replaced in the American Lobster Board’s main meeting materials on 1/28/2021 and is provided at the Supplemental2 link under the Lobster Board.

Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board & Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council – Correspondence to both bodies from Senator Charles Schumer and the Connecticut Congressional Members

Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board – Public comment

As a reminder, Board meeting proceedings will be broadcast daily via webinar beginning Monday, February 1 at  9:30 a.m. and continuing daily until the conclusion of the meeting (expected to be 4:30 p.m.) on Thursday, February 4. The webinar will allow registrants to listen to board deliberations and view presentations and motions as they occur. To register for the webinar go to https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4886491769864000527, Webinar ID# 151-774-483.

When registering, Commissioners, proxies, and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council members (for Monday’s meeting), are requested to place two zeros (00) prior to their names (e.g., 00Toni Kerns). Detailed instructions on joining and participating in the webinars can be found athttp://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/2021WinterMeetingWebinar/Webinar_Instructions_Winter2021.pdf.

NOAA awards $850,000 for tracking, reporting lobster harvests

November 20, 2020 — Grant funds continue to flow into the Maine commercial lobster fishery on the heels of $2 million research grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Sea Grant American Lobster Initiative announced in September. NOAA is also behind these awards directed at monitoring the fishery: 

  • A grant of$250,000 to further test and develop vessel monitoring systems for lobster vessels. According to the Maine Department of Research, the funds will purchase 20 monitoring devices, cover staff verifying data generated by the trackers and fund integration of monitoring data with the new DMR harvester reporting application currently being created. 
  • A grant of$600,000 to meet the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASFMC) requirement to have 100 percent lobster harvest reporting in place by January 2024. The DMR plans to use the funds to support yearly maintenance on a new harvester reporting application, and to hire more staff. 

Read the full story at the Mount Desert Islander

ASMFC September/October 2020 issue of Fisheries Focus Now Available

November 12, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The September/October 2020 issue of ASMFC Fisheries Focus is now available at http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/5fad9e9dFishFocusSeptOct2020.pdf

INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Upcoming Meetings
page 2

Report from the Chair
page 3

Species Profile
American Lobster
page 4

Fishery Management Actions
Atlantic Cobia
Horseshoe Crab
Spiny Dogfish
page 6

Science Highlight
ACFHP Launches Fish Habitat Conservation Area Mapping and Prioritization Project
page 10 

On the Legislative Front
U.S. Congress Advances Marine Debris and Conservation Bills
page 11

ACCSP Facilitates Compromise for Meeting Federal Dual-permitted VTR Requirements
page 12

Employee of the Quarter
page 13

Comings & Goings
page 13

Past issues of Fisheries Focus can be found at http://www.asmfc.org/search/%20/%20/Fishery-Focus

American Lobster Benchmark Stock Assessment Finds GOM/GBK Stock Not Overfished nor Experiencing Overfishing & SNE Stock Significantly Depleted: Assessment Introduces Regime Shift Methodology to Address Changing Environmental Conditions

October 22, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The 2020 American Lobster Benchmark Stock Assessment presents contrasting results for the two American lobster stock units, with record high abundance and recruitment in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank stock (GOM/GBK) and record low abundance and recruitment in the Southern New England stock (SNE) in recent years. The GOM/GBK stock is not overfished nor experiencing overfishing. Conversely, the SNE stock is significantly depleted with poor prospects of recovery. Stock status was assessed using the University of Maine Stock Assessment Model for American Lobster (UMM, Chen et al. 2005), a statistical catch-at-length model that tracks the population of lobster by sex, size and season over time.

“On behalf of the American Lobster Board, I want to applaud the members of the Technical Committee and Stock Assessment Subcommittee for their exceptional work on the 2020 Benchmark Stock Assessment Report,” stated Board Chair Dan McKiernan from Massachusetts. “This assessment made a notable advancement in considering the impact of changing environmental conditions on lobster population dynamics.”

Extensive research has highlighted the influence of the environment on American lobster life history and population dynamics. Among the critical environmental variables, temperature stands out as the primary influence. Further, its range is experiencing changing environmental conditions at some of the fastest rates in the world. Therefore, considering these environmental influences is vital when assessing the lobster stocks and was a focal point of this stock assessment. Environmental data time series included water temperatures at several fixed monitoring stations throughout the lobster’s range, average water temperatures over large areas such as those sampled by fishery-independent surveys, oceanographic processes affecting the environment, and other environmental indicators such as lobster prey abundance.

Environmental time series were analyzed for regime shifts, which indicate a significant difference in the lobster’s environment and population dynamics from one time period to another. Regime shifts can change a stock’s productivity, impacting the stock’s level of recruitment and its ability to support different levels of catch. Temperature time series were also analyzed to quantify the effect of temperature on survey catchability of lobster and correct trends in abundance estimated from surveys by accounting for temperature-driven changes in catchability through time.

Read the full release here

ASMFC 79th Annual Meeting Webinar Final Agenda and Materials Now Available

October 7, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The final agenda and meeting materials for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 79th Annual Meeting Webinar (October 19-22, 2020) are now available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2020-annual-meeting-webinar; click on the relevant Board/Committee name to access the documents for that Board/Committee. For ease of access, all meeting documents, with the exception of the 2020 American Lobster Benchmark Stock Assessment and Peer Review Report (which is available as a separate link under American Lobster Management Board), have been combined into one document: Main Meeting Materials.

Supplemental materials will be posted to the website on Wednesday, October 14th. For those Boards that have FMP Reviews and Compliance Reports on their agendas, the compliance reports are not posted due to their large file sizes. If you would like a copy of a specific state’s or jurisdiction’s compliance report, please contact the respective FMP Coordinator.

The agenda is subject to change. The agenda reflects the current estimate of time required for scheduled Board meetings. The Commission may adjust this agenda in accordance with the actual duration of Board meetings. It is our intent to begin at the scheduled start time for each meeting, however, if meetings run late the next meeting may start later than originally planned.

Board meeting proceedings will be broadcast daily via webinar beginning Monday, October 19 at 9 a.m. and continuing daily until the conclusion of the meeting (expected to be 1:45 p.m.) on Thursday, October 22. The webinar will allow registrants to listen to board deliberations and view presentations and motions as they occur. Meeting participants and attendees can register for the webinar athttps://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1878402776294803471 (Webinar ID: 796-314-395).

Each day, the webinar will begin 30 minutes prior to the start of the first meeting so that people can troubleshoot any connectivity or audio issues they may encounter.  If you are having issues with the webinar (connecting to or audio-related issues), please contact Chris Jacobs at 703.842.0790.

If you are joining the webinar but will not be using VoIP, you can also call in at 562.247.8422 (a pin will be provided to you after joining the webinar); see webinar instructions  for details on how to receive the pin. For those who will not be joining the webinar but would like to listen in to the audio portion only, you can do so by dialing 562.247.8422 (access code: 225-820-088).

Public Comment Guidelines

With the intent of developing policies in the Commission’s procedures for public participation that result in a fair opportunity for public input, the ISFMP Policy Board has approved the following guidelines for use at management board meetings. Please note these guidelines have been modified to adapt to meetings via webinar.

The following timeline has been established for the submission of written comment for issues for which the Commission has NOT established a specific public comment period (i.e., in response to proposed management action).

  1. Comments received 3 weeks prior to the start of the webinar (September 28) will be included in the briefing materials.
  2. Comments received by 5 PM on the Tuesday, October 13 will be included in the supplemental materials.
  3. Comments received by 10 AM on Friday, October 16 will be distributed electronically to Commissioners/Board members prior to the meeting.

Comments should be submitted via email at comments@asmfc.org. All comments must clearly indicate the commenter’s expectation from the ASMFC staff regarding distribution.

Maine scientists get boost for lobster reproduction study

September 10, 2020 — Marine officials in Maine are going to try to find a more efficient way to examine the size at which female lobsters reach maturity.

The Maine Department of Marine Resources said the work will be funded by a grant of about $100,000 from the 2020 National Sea Grant American Lobster Initiative. The department said the work is important because regulators use the information to predict the growth of female lobsters and estimate egg production.

Read the full story at the Associated Press

NOAA’s Sea Grant program announced USD 2 million in support of US lobster

September 8, 2020 — NOAA Fisheries’ Sea Grant has announced a grant of USD 2 million (EUR 1.68 million) to support the Sea Grant American Lobster Initiative.

The grant is intended, according to a release from NOAA, to “address scientific and stakeholder needs associated with this important fishery.” The nine research projects earning funding are focused gaps in scientific knowledge about how the American lobster is being impacted by environmental changes.

Read the full story at Seafood Source