December 7, 2021 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The meeting summary, motion, presentation, and recording from yesterday’s American Lobster Management Board webinar have all been posted to the Commission’s website at http://www.asmfc.org/home/
December 3, 2021 — A group of experts is recommending to keep New England’s shrimp fishing industry closed down because of concerns about the health of the population.
The industry has been shut down since 2013. Scientists have said the shrimp are in jeopardy in part because of the warming of waters off New England. A board of the regulatory Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is slated to vote Dec. 17 on whether to reopen fishing.
Read the full story at the Associated Press
December 2, 2021 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The materials for the December 17th meeting of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Northern Shrimp Section are now available here. The Section will meet via webinar on December 17th from 9-11 AM. The purpose of the meeting is to review the results of the 2021 Stock Assessment Update Report and set specifications for the 2022 fishing season. The Northern Shrimp Advisory Panel will be meeting on December 16th from 9-10:30 AM to develop recommendations regarding 2022 specifications for the Section’s consideration; more information on the Panel’s meeting can be found here.
Section Webinar Information
To register for the webinar go to https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3795028573879517455 (Webinar ID: 433-977-227). If you are joining the webinar but will not be using VoIP, you can also call in at +1 (914) 614-3426. 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 (914) 614-3426, access code 361-188-250.
The webinar will allow registrants to listen to the Section’s deliberations and view presentations and motions as they occur. The Section will provide the public the opportunity to bring matters of concern to the Section’s attention at the start of the meeting. The Section Chair 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 Section Chair will decide how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.
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/sections 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/section 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/section 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 by 5 PM on Monday, December 6 will be included in the supplemental materials.
2. Comments received by 10 AM on Thursday, December 16 will be distributed electronically to Section members prior to the meeting.
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.
November 30, 2021 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The materials for the December 6th meeting of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s American Lobster Management Board are now available here. The Board will meet via webinar on December 6th from 1 – 3 PM. The purpose of the meeting is to consider approval of Draft Addendum XXIX: Electronic Vessel Tracking in the Federal American Lobster and Jonah Crab Fisheries for public comment.
To register for the webinar go to https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2167530362779140620 (Webinar ID: 826-323-515). If you are joining the webinar but will not be using VoIP, you can also call in at +1 (415) 930-5229. 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 (415) 930-5229, access code 324-415-385.
The webinar will allow registrants to listen to the Board’s deliberations and view presentations and motions as they occur. The Board will provide the public the opportunity to bring matters of concern to the Board’s attention at the start of the meeting. The Board Chair 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.
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 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 by 5 PM on Monday, November 29 will be included in the meeting materials.
2. Comments received by 10 AM on Friday, December 3 will be distributed electronically to Board members prior to the meeting.
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.
November 29, 2021 — The latest chapter of Maine’s shrimp fishery is expected to be decided next month.
The fishery has been closed for nearly a decade after a collapse of the northern shrimp’s stock in 2013. A moratorium on the fishery has been in place ever since. It is set to expire at the end of this year and regulators plan to review an updated stock assessment and decide if the fishery should reopen.
The Atlantic State Marine Fisheries Commission’s Northern Shrimp Section plans to meet virtually from 9-11 a.m. on Dec. 17 to discuss the update and set the specifications for the 2022 shrimp season.
An advisory shrimp panel plans to meet the morning before to develop recommendations for the section to consider.
November 18, 2021 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission will convene a Data Workshop as part of the development of a benchmark stock assessment for black drum that will be used to inform management. At the Workshop, the Black Drum Technical Committee and Stock Assessment Committee will conduct a thorough review of all available data. The Workshop will be conducted virtually by webinar December 7-9, and is open to the public,except for discussions regarding confidential data*, when the public will be asked to exit the webinar. The link to the webinar follows:
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/307963085. The draft agenda for the Workshop can be found at http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/BlackDumBenchmarkAssmtDataWorkshopAgenda_Dec2021.pdf.
The Methods Workshop will be held in February 2022 and the Assessment Workshop will be held in July 2022, with the Peer Review to follow in December 2022. For more information about the Data Workshop, please contact Savannah Lewis, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at slewis@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.
* Each state and federal agency is responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of its data and deciding who has access to its confidential data. In the case of our stock assessments and peer reviews, all analysts and, if necessary, reviewers, have been granted permission by the appropriate agency to use and view confidential data. When the assessment team needs to show and discuss these data, observers to our stock assessment process are asked to leave the room to preserve confidentiality.
November 15, 2021 — An oversight board is slated to make a decision next month on whether to allow shrimp fishing off New England this winter.
The fishery, based mostly in Maine, has been shut down since 2013. An arm of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is slated to make a decision about whether to allow a season this winter at a meeting on Dec. 17.
Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Bangor Daily News
November 10, 2021 — The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Northern Shrimp Section will meet via webinar on December 17th from 9-11 AM. The purpose of the meeting is to review the results of the 2021 Stock Assessment Update Report and set specifications for the 2022 fishing season. The Northern Shrimp Advisory Panel will be meeting on December 16th from 9-10:30 AM to develop recommendations regarding 2022 specifications for the Section’s consideration; more information on the Panel’s meeting can be found at http://www.asmfc.org/calendar/12/2021/Northern-Shrimp-Advisory-Panel/1843. The draft agenda for the Section’s webinar is available athttp://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/NShrimpSectionAgenda_December2021.pdf. Meeting materials will be available by December 7th.
To register for the webinar go to https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3795028573879517455 (Webinar ID: 433-977-227). If you are joining the webinar but will not be using VoIP, you can also call in at +1 (914) 614-3426. 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 (914) 614-3426, access code 361-188-250.
The webinar will allow registrants to listen to the Section’s deliberations and view presentations and motions as they occur. The Section will provide the public the opportunity to bring matters of concern to the Section’s attention at the start of the meeting. The Section Chair 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 Section Chair will decide how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.
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/sections 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/section 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/section 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 by 5 PM on Monday, December 6 will be included in the meeting materials.
2. Comments received by 10 AM on Thursday, December 16 will be distributed electronically to Section members prior to the meeting.
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.
November 8, 2021 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
Please note there has been a slight change to the notice below:
In order to prevent the waste of Atlantic herring, the closure time has changed from 6 PM to 9 PM today. Several vessels sent messages they had fish on-board when the closure notification was released and they would not make it back to port by 6 PM, thus, requiring them to dump fish without an extension.
NOAA Fisheries and the states of Maine and New Hampshire, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts project the Atlantic herring fishery will catch 92% of the Area 1A sub-ACL by November 8, 2021. The Area 1A directed fishery will close effective 6:00 p.m. on November 8, 2021 and remain closed until further notice. Vessels that have entered port before 6:00 p.m. on November 8, 2021 may land and sell, from that trip, greater than 2,000 pounds of herring from Area 1A.
During a closure, vessels participating in other fisheries may retain and land an incidental catch of herring that does not exceed 2,000 pounds per trip or calendar day. In addition, directed herring vessels traveling through Area 1A must have all fishing gear stowed.
In accordance with the Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Herring, the fixed gear set-aside of 30 metric tons will continue to be available to fixed gear fishermen operating in Area 1A west of Cutler, Maine through December 31, 2021.
Please contact Emilie Franke, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at 703.842.0716 or efranke@asmfc.org for more information.
The closure announcement can also be found at http://www.asmfc.org/files/AtlHerring/AtlHerring1A_Closure_Nov2021.pdf
November 8, 2021 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission), in partnership with the NOAA Fisheries Office of Aquaculture, is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP), seeking marine aquaculture pilot projects focused on sustainable aquatic farming techniques and regional business practices to grow U.S. domestic seafood. The geographic scope of the proposed projects is the U.S. East Coast states from Maine to Florida. The primary location of the proposed projects must be in the marine/estuarine environment. Examples of the types of pilot projects being sought through the RFP follow:
• Research and development related to the production and distribution of shellfish seed stock.
• Finfish, shellfish (other than oyster*), and seaweed farming systems, especially for those species new to aquaculture in the region or that use novel production systems.
• Identification and development of Aquaculture Development Zones with pre-planning and pre-permitting for a range of aquaculture activities.
• Resolution of issues (e.g., enforcement, water quality, public trust concerns or impacts) related to open water finfish farming in state waters.
• Business incubators
• Regional market and economic impact studies
*Note: Proposals for oyster projects were already requested in a separate RFP (2019 Regional Oyster Aquaculture Research Consortia)
NOAA Fisheries, through the Commission, is planning on issuing approximately $600,000 for the funding period of July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023. Individual proposals should not exceed $200,000 or be less than $75,000. It is anticipated that approximately 3-5 projects will be funded. Eligible applicants include researchers at U.S. academic institutions, research laboratories, for-profit companies/firms, nonprofits, and state agencies. Proposals from foreign entities are not eligible. Proposals involving multiple investigators are welcome. U.S. federal government agencies, including Regional Fishery Management Councils, are not eligible to receive funding through this solicitation. Federal staff may be collaborators on proposed projects, as long as they are not compensated for their contribution to the project.
Applicants seeking to apply to the RFP must submit, as a single file, an electronic proposal by email no later than midnight on February 1, 2022. Please see the RFP for complete proposal details, qualifying requirements, and submission instructions. The RFP is available at.http://www.asmfc.org/files/RFPs/2022PilotAquacultureRFP_Nov2021.pdf.
For more information, please contact Pat Campfield and Lindsey Aubart at Aquaculture@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.