Saving Seafood

Activists and fishermen team up to address record whale entanglement

December 10, 2015 — Past efforts have pitted the wildlife experts and fishermen against each other and offered little additional protection for whales. This year, the two camps are trying something different: cooperation.

Fishermen have long been at odds with wildlife experts who claim lobster and crab traps are killing whales. And unusually warm waters off the coast of California this year have already caused 60 whales to become entangled in offshore fishing gear.

In response to a 400 percent increase in whale entanglements this year, whale advocates and fishermen teaming up to find solutions that protect both whales and area fishermen whose livelihoods depend on traps in the sea.

Prevention strategies over the last twenty years haven’t done much to help whales and only served to bankrupt the fisherman, says Geoff Shester, California campaign director for Oceana. This time around, wildlife advocates and fishermen are trying a new strategy: cooperation.

“We’ve got pots in the water, we’ve got ropes in the water and we’ve got whales in the water,” crabber Jim Anderson told the Associated Press. “What can we do to make this a safe place for everybody?”

Read the full story at The Christian Science Monitor

ASMFC 2016 Winter Meeting Preliminary Agenda and Public Comment Guidelines

December 9, 2015 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Please find below the preliminary agenda and public comment guidelines for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 2016 Winter Meeting, February 2-4, 2016 in Alexandria, VA. The agenda is also available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2016-winter-meeting. Materials will be available on January 21, 2016 on the Commission website at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2016-winter-meeting.

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

9:00 a.m. – Noon                    American Lobster Management Board

  • Technical Committee Report on the Southern New England (SNE) American Lobster Stock
  • Discuss Future Management of SNE American Lobster Stock
  • Consider Approval of Draft Addendum I to the Jonah Crab Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Public Comment
  • Review and Discuss Catch and Landings Records from Jonah Crab-only Trap Fishermen and Jonah Crab Claw Fishermen
  • Discuss Action to Establish Effort Controls for Jonah Crab-only Trap Fishermen and Create a Standard for Claw Landings
  • Review Implementation Plans for the Jonah Crab FMP
  • Update on State/Federal American Lobster Observer Programs
  • Elect Vice Chair

1:00 – 2:30 p.m.                    Atlantic Herring Section

  • Consider Final Approval of Amendment 3 to the Atlantic Herring FMP Action

 

2:45 – 4:15 p.m.                 Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board

  • Review 2016 Black Sea Bass Commercial Quotas
  • Consider Final Approval of Addendum XXVII
  • Update on Black Sea Bass and Summer Flounder Amendment Process
  • Elect Vice Chair

2:45 – 4:15 p.m.                Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program (ACCSP) Executive Committee

  • Program Updates
  • Independent Program Review Update
    • Review/Approve Initial Program Standard Operating Procedures
  • Governance Recommendation

4:30 – 6:00 p.m.                 ACCSP Coordinating Council

  • Program Updates
  • Independent Program Review Update
  • Governance Recommendation

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

 

8:00 – 10:00 a.m.              Executive Committee

  • Overview of Commission Guidance Documents and Consider Recommendations to the ISFMP Policy Board for changes to the Guidance Documents
  • ACCSP Governance
  • Upcoming Annual Meetings

10:15 – 11:00 a.m.            Atlantic Menhaden Management Board

  • Update on Draft Amendment 3 Development
  • Discuss Timeline for Setting the 2017 Fishery Specifications

11:15 – 11:45 a.m.            Atlantic Sturgeon Management Board 

  • Update on Progress of 2017 Benchmark Stock Assessment

·         Consider 2016 FMP Review and State Compliance Reports for the 2013 and 2014 Fisheries

 

Noon – 12:30 p.m.           Spiny Dogfish Management Board

  • Review and Set 2016-2018 Fishery Specifications
  • Elect Vice Chair

 

1:30 – 2:15 p.m.                Coastal Sharks Management Board 

  • Discuss Differences in State and Federal Smoothhound Catch Composition Regulations for Processing at Sea

 

2:30 – 3:30 p.m.                Horseshoe Crab Management Board

  • Review Scope of Work for Revisiting the Adaptive Resource Management Framework Model in 2016
  • Discuss Benchmark Stock Assessment Schedule for Horseshoe Crab with Update on Biomedical Landings and Confidentiality
  • Review Alternative Bait Trial Results

3:45 – 4:30 p.m.                South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board                     

  • Update on the Progress of the Red Drum Benchmark Stock Assessment and Desk Review
  • Discuss Recommendation to the ISFMP Policy Board Regarding Spotted Sea Trout Management
  • Consider 2015 FMP Review and State Compliance Reports for Spot
  • Elect Vice Chair

4:45 – 5:45 p.m.                Tautog Management Board

  • Update on Draft Amendment 1 Development
  • Update on Progress of UConn Long Island Sound and New York/New Jersey Stock Assessments
  • Review Commercial Harvest Tagging Program Objectives

  

Thursday, February 4, 2016

8:00 – 9:00 a.m.                 Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board

  • Consider Tabled Motion from November 2015 Meeting Regarding Reconsideration of Addendum IV Management Options Based on the 2016 Stock Assessment Update Results
  • Update on 2016 Cooperative Winter Tagging Cruise
  • Elect Vice Chair 

9:15 – 10:15 a.m.              Winter Flounder Management Board

  • Review and Set 2016-2018 Fishery Specifications
  • Review and Discuss Technical Committee Report, Including an Analysis of Biomass Trends During Heightened Federal Restrictions (2009-2013)

 

10:30 – 11:30 a.m.            American Eel Management Board

  • Review and Consider North Carolina’s Aquaculture Plan

 

11:45 a.m. – 2:45 p.m. Interstate Fisheries Management Program (ISFMP) Policy Board

                                            (includes a 30-minute working lunch) 

  • Consider Changes to Commission Guidance Documents
  • Review Results of the 2016 Commissioner Survey
  • Review and Consider the Stock Assessment Schedule

 

2:45 – 3:15 p.m.                Business Session

  • Consider Final Approval of Amendment 3 to the Atlantic Herring FMP
  • Consider Amending the Commission’s Rules and Regulations

 

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:  

For issues that are not on the agenda, management boards will continue to provide opportunity to the public to bring matters of concern to the board’s attention at the start of each board meeting. Board chairs will use a speaker sign-up list in deciding 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 a meeting week will be included in the briefing materials.

2.    Comments received by 5:00 PM on the Tuesday immediately preceding the scheduled ASMFC Meeting (in this case, the Tuesday deadline will be January 26, 2016) will be distributed electronically to Commissioners/Board members prior to the meeting and a limited number of copies will be provided at the meeting.

3.    Following the Tuesday, January 26, 2016 5:00 PM deadline, the commenter will be responsible for distributing the information to the management board prior to the board meeting or providing enough copies for the management board consideration at the meeting (a minimum of 50 copies). 

The submitted comments must clearly indicate the commenter’s expectation from the ASMFC staff regarding distribution.  As with other public comment, it will be accepted via mail, fax, and email.

Read a PDF of the ASMFC Agenda here

ASMFC 74th Annual Meeting Final Agenda and Meeting Materials Now Available

October 22, 2015 — 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 74th Annual Meeting can be obtained at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2015-Annual-Meeting; click on the relevant Board/Committee name to access the documents for that Board/Committee. The agenda is subject to change. The agenda reflects the current estimate of time required for scheduled meetings. The Commission may adjust this agenda in accordance with the actual duration of meetings. Interested parties should anticipate meetings starting earlier or later than indicated herein.

For ease of access, meeting materials for all the Boards/Sections, including the ISFMP Policy Board and Business Session are combined into one PDF (http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/2015AnnualMeeting/CombinedFiles.pdf). This PDF does not include materials for any other committees that will be meeting; nor does it include the Benchmark Stock Assessment and Peer Review of Red Drum, which can obtained at http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/2015AnnualMeeting/RedDrumAssmt.pdf.Some documents may be large, so please be patient downloading. Supplemental materials will be posted to the website next Wednesday, October 28th.

Board/Section meeting proceedings will be broadcast daily via webinar beginning at 8:00 a.m. on November 2nd, continuing daily until the conclusion of the meeting (expected to be 1:45 p.m.) on November 5th.  The webinar will allow registrants to listen to the proceedings of the Commission’s management boards/sections during the  74th Annual Meeting, November 2-5, 2015. Registrants will also be able to view presentations and motions as they occur. No comments or questions will be accepted via the webinar. Should technical difficulties arise during the streaming of the broadcast, the boards/sections will continue their deliberations without interruption. We will attempt to resume the broadcast as soon as possible. To register for the webinar, please go to https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2086181846563838978.

Board/Section summaries, presentations, and audio files will be available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2015-Annual-Meeting the week of November 9th.

As a reminder, the guidelines for 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) are as follows: 

1.   Comments received 3 weeks prior to the start of a meeting week will be included with the main meeting materials.

2.   Comments received by 5:00 PM on Tuesday, October 27, 2015 will be distributed electronically to Commissioners/Board members prior to the meeting and a limited number of copies will be provided at the meeting.

3.   Following the Tuesday, October 27, 2015 5:00 PM deadline, the commenter will be responsible for distributing the information to the management board prior to the board meeting or providing enough copies for the management board consideration at the meeting (a minimum of 50 copies).

The submitted comments must clearly indicate the commenter’s expectation from the ASMFC staff regarding distribution.  As with other public comment, it will be accepted via mail, fax, and email.

American Lobster and Jonah Crab Reports Now Available

August 21, 2015 — The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has released the final versions of the 2015 American Lobster Benchmark Stock Assessment and Peer Review Report and Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Jonah Crab. Both documents can be found on the Commission website at www.asmfc.org on the American Lobster webpage. Direct links to the documents follow:
 
2015 American Lobster Benchmark Stock Assessment and Peer Review Report  – Please note this is a low resolution version; a high resolution copy of the report can be obtained at https://asmfc.egnyte.com/dl/kJfBicPSNR.