Saving Seafood

River Herring Data Collection Standardization Workshop

The Workshop, which is being supported with funding by NOAA Fisheries, will begin at 1 PM on November 18th and end at 3 PM on the 20th, and will be held at the Sheraton BWI, 1100 Old Elkridge Landing Road, Linthicum Heights, MD 21090. The Workshop is open to the public, with the exception of discussions of confidential data, when the public will be asked to leave the room.  Opportunities for public comment will be provided.

For more information, please contact Kirby Rootes-Murdy, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at krootes-murdy@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

 

Mrs. Deb Wilson Receives 2015 Melissa Laser Fish Habitat Conservation Award

November 16, 2015 — The following was released by the Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership:

Mrs. Deb Wilson was presented the 2015 Melissa Laser Fish Habitat Conservation Award by the Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership (ACFHP) for her exemplary work in furthering the conservation, protection, restoration, and enhancement of habitat for native Atlantic coastal, estuarine-dependent, and diadromous fishes. The award was presented at the 74th Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Annual Meeting Welcome Reception in St. Augustine, Florida on Monday, November 2nd.

Through her tireless fundraising and project oversight to restore the Damariscotta Mills fishway in Nobleboro, Maine, Deb has been instrumental in the return of more than 1 million alewives accessing 4,700 spawning acres upstream. With too many depleted runs along the coast, Damariscotta Mills fishway serves as a model of sustainable, community-based fisheries management and a beacon of possibility for other communities seeking to restore their diadromous fish runs. Deb spreads that message through education and outreach initiatives such as the annual Damariscotta Mills Fish Ladder Restoration Festival, which welcomes around 100,000 visitors each year. She brings her restoration experience to the whole coast through service on the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Shad and River Herring Advisory Panel.

The award was established in memory of Dr. Melissa Laser, who was a biologist with the Maine Department of Marine Resources, where she worked tirelessly to protect, improve and restore aquatic ecosystems in Maine and along the entire Atlantic Coast.  Dr. Laser brought her smiling dedication and enthusiasm to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Habitat Committee and Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership’s Steering Committee. Her contributions to these committees and to her home state were tremendous. Deb approaches her work with the same combination of warmth, humor, positivity, respectfulness, and quiet enthusiasm that Melissa exemplified, which has led to truly unique contributions to habitat conservation.

For additional information, please contact Lisa Havel, Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership Coordinator, at 703.842.0740 or lhavel@asmfc.org.

Robert Boyles new ACCSP Chair of the Coordinating Council

November 2, 2015 — ST. AUGUSTINE, Fl. — The following was released by the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program:

Today, Program partners of the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program’s (ACCSP) Coordinating Council (the ACCSP’s governing body), acknowledged the many accomplishments of outgoing Chair, Cheri Patterson of New Hampshire and elected Robert H. Boyles, Jr. as its new Chair.

In assuming the chairmanship, Mr. Boyles spoke eagerly about his new position, “It is with much honor that I accept the position of Chair of the Coordinating Council. To be elected by my fellow colleagues is humbling and I pledge to continue to advance the ACCSP as the principle source of dependable fisheries data on the Atlantic coast. In order to achieve this goal, I plan on guiding ACCSP through a successful governance review process to ensure that the ultimate decision is in the best interest of the Program. I also commit to working with ACCSP staff and Council members committees to upgrade ACCSP applications to the standards that our partners deserve.”

“My predecessor, Cheri Patterson, has paved a smooth path for me as I take on Chairmanship through what I know was countless hours of dedication to this Program. In two short years, Cheri has guided ACCSP through 67 recommendations that were a result of an Independent Review of the Program, ensuring that all recommendations were addressed for implementation through seven different vehicles. Additionally, Cheri oversaw a historic meeting at our last annual meeting in Mystic, Connecticut where the ACCSP’s Coordinating Council met jointly with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Interstate Fisheries Management Program Policy Board to decide on whether both groups, working with the Atlantic states, should move forward on conducting the Access Point Angler Intercept Survey (APAIS) portion of the Marine Recreational Information Program. The result was a unanimous vote to allow for state conduct of the APAIS beginning in 2016.

Mr. Boyles currently is the Deputy Director for Marine Resources with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. In this position, Mr. Boyles oversees the State of South Carolina’s marine resources research, management, and education operations. Mr. Boyles received his B.S. in Mathematical Economics from Wake Forest University and his M.S. in Marine Policy from the University of Delaware. In 1993, Robert was a Dean John A. Knauss Sea Grant Marine Policy Fellow, where he worked for the NOAA Coastal Ocean Program.

The Coordinating Council also elected Lynn Fegley from Maryland as its Vice-Chair. Ms. Fegley is the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Service Deputy Director.

View a PDF of the release

Decision on 2016 Maine shrimp season due Dec. 7, outlook bleak

November 13, 2015 — Interstate fishing regulators say they will meet next month to decide if there will be a fishing season for Gulf of Maine shrimp next year, though they say prospects are bleak.

The fishery is currently shut down over concerns about its low population. Fishermen haven’t been able to catch the popular food species since 2013. A panel of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission will make a decision about the coming season on Dec. 7 in Portsmouth, N.H.

The fishery was formerly a popular winter fishery for fishermen who spent the warmer months trapping lobsters.

Read the full story at Gloucester Daily Times

 

 

VIRGINIA: Special Investigation: Big fight over little fish

November 12, 2015 — REEDVILLE, Va. – Small business owners along the Chesapeake Bay are concerned that commercial fishing by Omega Protein is hurting their livelihood. Both rely on catching menhaden, a small bony fish that is valuable to Omega for its oil and bone meal, as well as for bait to charter boat captains and crabbers.

Omega has fished for menhaden out of Reedville since the 1870’s. It hauls in millions of them each weekday during a fishing season that is quota-based and runs roughly from May to November.

10 On Your Side visited the Reedville operation and spoke with several employees about the company’s importance to the community. We also met with a charter boat captain who is convinced that Omega’s large hauls are hurting his business along with hundreds of others – marinas, crabbers, tackles shops, etc.

“Used to be these creeks would just be chocked full of menhaden flipping all over the surface,” said Chris Newsome, owner of Bay Fly Fishing in Gloucester. Newsome’s charter clients fish for striped bass, bluefish, speckled trout and redfish, and they feed on menhaden. “They’ve definitely become a lot harder to find over the years.”

Read the full story at WAVY

Atlantic Striped Bass Fishing in the EEZ: Restrictions Support Sustainability of Species

November 12, 2015 — The following was released by the NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement:

In an effort to ensure the healthy population of the striped bass in the Mid-Atlantic region, NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement (OLE) is raising awareness of the federal regulations governing striped bass in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and increasing targeted enforcement efforts to protect the species from illegal poaching activities.

“Right now, the striped bass are beginning to migrate south from the northern states,” said Lt. Wynn Carney, OLE supervisory enforcement officer. “The striped bass will follow the bait south near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, and in spring they will begin making their way up our streams and rivers to lay eggs.” 

According to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, overfishing and poor environmental conditions lead to the collapse of the Atlantic striped bass fishery in the 1980s.

In order to ensure the sustainability of the species, the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act, found in Title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations part 697.7, was promulgated. Thus, during the months of November through February, NOAA Office of Law Enforcement is joining state and federal marine law enforcement organizations in supporting a focused enforcement effort, targeting vessels retaining and fishing for striped bass in the EEZ. Marine law enforcement officers, including OLE and the U.S. Coast Guard, in the Mid-Atlantic will be ticketing fishermen who violate these regulations and who target striped bass within the EEZ.

“I am excited about the Mid-Atlantic States conducting a focused enforcement effort,” said Carney. “It’s significant that we’re working together toward a common goal.”

For maximum enforcement, officers will be conducting at-sea, aerial, and dock-side inspections.

For more information, call your local OLE field office or visit http://www.asmfc.org/species/atlantic-striped-bass.

ASMFC Northern Shrimp Section and Advisory Panel to Meet December 7, 2015

November 12, 2015 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Northern Shrimp Section and Advisory Panel will meet on December 7, 2015 at the Urban Forestry Center, 45 Elwyn Road, Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

The Advisory Panel will meet in the morning from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. to review the 2015 Stock Status Report and develop  recommendations for the 2016 fishing season for Section consideration. The Section will meet in the afternoon from 1 – 4 p.m. to set specifications for the 2016 fishing season after reviewing the 2015 Stock Status Report, as well as the recommendations of the Northern Shrimp Technical Committee and Advisory Panel. The Section also will receive an update from Maine on the development of its proposal to address over-capacity in the fishery.

Both meetings are open to the public. The draft agendas for the meetings can be found at  http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/NShrimpSectionAP_Dec2015.pdf. For more information, please contact Max Appelman, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at mappelman@asmfc.org.

Agenda, NEFMC Meeting, December 1-3, Portland, ME

November 11, 2015 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council will hold a meeting on Tuesday-Thursday, December 1-3 at the Holiday Inn by the Bay, 88 Spring Street, Portland, ME.

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

9:00 a.m. Introductions and Announcements (Terry Stockwell, Council Chairman)

9:05 Reports on Recent Activities Council Chairman and Executive Director, NOAA Regional Administrator (Greater Atlantic Region), NOAA General Counsel, Northeast Fisheries Science Center and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council liaisons, and representatives of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, the U.S. Coast Guard, NOAA Enforcement, and the Northeast Regional Ocean Council

11:15 Spiny Dogfish Report (Jason Didden, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council staff) Approve final action on the 2016-2018 fishery specifications and associated management measures

12:30 p.m. Lunch Break

1:30 Open Period for Public Comments (Terry Stockwell) Opportunity for the public to provide brief comments on issues that are relevant to Council business but not listed on this agenda for formal discussion (speakers are asked to sign up beforehand and limit remarks to between 3-5 minutes)

1:45 Overview and Discussion of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s (NEFSC) Strategic Plan (Dr. Bill Karp, Science Director, NEFSC)

2:15 Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) Report (Dr. Jake Kritzer, SSC Chair)

  • Review and approve committee recommendations for an overfishing limit (OFL) and an acceptable biological catch (ABC) for the following: Atlantic sea scallops for fishing years 2016-2017; red hake for 2016-2017; most of the groundfish stocks in the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for fishing years 2016-2018;
  • Receive SSC comments on NOAA’s Ecosystem-based Fishery Management Policy

3:45 Ecosystem-based Fisheries Management (EBFM) Committee Report (John Pappalardo)

  • Receive a progress report on the development of a prototype Fishery Ecosystem Plan
  • Review and finalize NEFMC comments on NOAA’s EBFM policy

**Public scoping hearing on Amendment 22 to the Northeast Multispecies (Groundfish) Fishery Management Plan** at 5:30 or immediately following adjournment of the Council meeting

The intent of the amendment is to establish a limited access program for the five small mesh stocks that are regulated via the NEFMC’s Groundfish Plan — two stocks of whiting (silver hake), two stocks of red hake, and one stock of offshore hake.

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

8:30 a.m. Skate Committee Report (Libby Etrie) Approve final action on Framework Adjustment 3 to the Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan (FMP); in addition to setting specifications, other measures may include possession limits and modifications to the seasonal management of the wing fishery

9:15 Thorny Skate Update (Kim Damon-Randall, NOAA Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office staff) Update on NOAA Fisheries’ follow-up activities associated with the petition to list thorny skate as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act

9:45 Groundfish Committee Report (Frank Blount)

  • Overview of the Greater Atlantic Region’s (GAR) Recreational Fishery Implementation Plan (GAR staff) Following a presentation, opportunity for the Council to develop formal comments on the plan
  • Recreational Fishery Measures, beginning at approx. 10:30 Develop final recommendations for Gulf of Maine haddock and Gulf of Maine cod recreational measures for fishing year 2016;
  • Framework Adjustment 55, beginning at approx. 11:15 Take final action on the 2016-2018 fishery specifications for 20 groundfish stocks, plus the three U.S./CA stocks for 2016 only; this framework also could include final action on multiple at-sea monitoring and other management measures

12:30 p.m. Lunch Break

1:30 Groundfish Report/Framework Adjustment 55 – continue until meeting adjournment for the day

Thursday, December 3, 2015

8:30 a.m. Finalize NEFMC Management Priorities for 2016 (Executive Director Tom Nies)

10:00 Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program (ACCSP) Briefing (ACCSP staff) Program overview and update

10:45 Research Steering Committee Report (Mark Alexander) Request Council consideration of specific research recommendations for sea scallops and monkfish

11:00 Scallop Committee Report (Mary Beth Tooley)

  • Amendment 19 to the Sea Scallop FMP Take final action on an amendment that would allow earlier implementation of the sea scallop fishery specifications (now proposed as April 1)
  • Framework Adjustment 27 Take final action on fishing year 2016 specifications and default measures for fishing year 2017

12:00 p.m. Lunch Break

1:00 Scallop Committee Report – continued

3:00 Other Business

Times listed next to the agenda items are estimates and are subject to change. The meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities Council member financial disclosure forms are available for examination at the meeting.

View a PDF of the Agenda

Regulators consider what to do about collapsed lobster stock

November 9, 2015 — PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Interstate fishing regulators are considering what to do about southern New England’s collapsed lobster population, and fishermen fear new restrictions could land on them as a result.

The lobster population has sunk to the lowest levels on record in southern New England waters, affecting once-productive fishing grounds off Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts. The catch off Rhode Island is a third of the size that it was in the late 1990s, and it has all but disappeared off Connecticut.

A science committee of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is working on a report about the lobster stock that the commission’s lobster board will see in February. The board could then make a decision about the future of the fishery, including changing quotas or enacting new restrictions.

William Adler, a longtime Massachusetts lobstermen and a member of the lobster board, said that a moratorium is not likely on the table but that something needs to be done to conserve the region’s lobsters, which are beloved by restaurant diners.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Boston Globe

ASMFC 74th Annual Meeting Press Releases, Motions, and Meeting Summaries are Now Available

November 6, 2015 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Press releases, meeting summaries and motions from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 74TH Annual Meeting are now available at http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/2015AnnualMeeting/2015AnnualMeetingSummary.pdf. The meeting summary, as well as summaries and materials for past meetings, can also be found on the Commission website athttp://www.asmfc.org/home/meeting-archive. Presentations and audio files for the Boards/Sections that met during the Annual Meeting will be posted to the website early next week at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2015-Annual-Meeting.