Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership Archives

National Fish Habitat Partnership Projects to Enhance Recreational Fishing and Restore Habitat

May 6, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA is funding four projects designed to enhance recreational fisheries engagement and restore habitat through the coastal National Fish Habitat Partnerships. Saltwater recreational fishing is a part of the fabric of coastal communities, and anglers make critical contributions to the conservation of fish habitat nationwide. NOAA Fisheries is committed to collaborating with the recreational fishing community and supporting access to sustainable saltwater recreational opportunities. These projects will actively involve anglers in habitat restoration efforts that will benefit coastal communities and economies.

Recreational Engagement and Ecological Learning Series in Louisiana

Sponsoring Partnership: Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership

Anglers Bettering Louisiana’s Estuaries, Louisiana Sea Grant, and the Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership will work with local charter boat captains. They will provide an experiential learning program about Louisiana habitat restoration and coastal planning. The program will include classroom sessions, field days, and time on the water. During the field days, the charter captains will pot, plant, and monitor black mangroves to improve habitat for juvenile fish, shrimp, and crabs. The program will also recruit local high school students to participate in the field days. At the end of the program, the charter boat captains will take these students on two recreational fishing trips. They will teach the students to fish and share what they have learned about Louisiana habitats and their connection to fish.

Outreach and Education at Bill Burton Fishing Pier in Maryland

Sponsoring Partnership: Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership

As part of its Living Reef Action Campaign, Coastal Conservation Association Maryland will expand outreach and education efforts at the Bill Burton Fishing Pier. The pier is frequently visited by a diverse community in Dorchester County, Maryland, and is an access point to the Choptank River Habitat Focus Area. In 2014 and 2015, oyster reef balls were successfully deployed off the pier to provide habitat for striped bass, drum, shad, blue crab, and other species. In this project, CCA Maryland will host several public oyster reef ball building events to construct and deploy more reef balls at the site. The project will also add six bilingual (English and Spanish) signs to inform recreational anglers of the new and previously deployed reef balls at this site. The signs will describe their purpose, the habitat types along the pier, fishing regulations, gear disposal instructions, and seafood consumption safety. An underwater web camera will be installed at the reef and live video will be displayed at the nearby visitor center. A video about the resources at the pier will also be produced and shared with the local community.

Read the full release here

James J. Gilmore, Jr. Elected ASMFC Chair

October 19, 2017 — NORFOLK, Virginia — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Today, member states of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) thanked Douglas Grout of New Hampshire for an effective two-year term as Chair and elected James J. Gilmore, Jr. of New York to succeed him.

“I am honored by the support of my colleagues from the 15 Atlantic coast states, and grateful to Doug for shepherding the Commission through two challenging years,” said Mr. Gilmore. “I embrace the challenges that lie ahead and pledge to rise up to the lofty expectations set by my predecessors – especially Doug. Environmental and political threats to fisheries and management for the 15 sovereign coast states have never been greater. As the Commission has always done, we must use these obstacles as stepping stones. I will ensure the voices of our many stakeholders – recreational, commercial, and conservation alike – are heard. The Commission must seek ways to ensure the integrity of our management process is protected, strengthen our collaboration with NOAA Fisheries, and continue forging alliances on Capitol Hill. With all the challenges facing the Commission, it’s all too easy to lose sight of our Vision: Sustainably Managing Atlantic Coastal Fisheries. Our Vision must guide the Commission through all its decisions.”

Under Mr. Grout’s chairmanship, the Commission made important strides in furthering its strategic goals. The Commission approved new plan amendments for northern shrimp and tautog and, by the end of the year, will likely adopt an important amendment for Atlantic menhaden and a new Cobia FMP. Commission science staff along with state and federal scientists completed benchmark stock assessments for Atlantic sturgeon, Atlantic croaker, spot, red drum; stock assessment updates for American eel, menhaden and river herring; and regional stock assessments and an assessment update for tautog. All of these have provided much needed insight into the health of these species, as well as identified the continued challenges of assessing fish stocks given limited data and increasingly complex stock assessment models.

The Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program (ACCSP) is now fully integrated under the Commission’s umbrella. State conduct of the Marine Recreational Information Program’s Access Point Angler Intercept Survey is well into its second year and is estimated to have increased the number of angler intercepts by nearly 10%. ACCSP has been collaborating with NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Office on an integrated reporting system, which will allow all related fisheries-dependent data collected from various sources, including vessel, observer, and dealer reports, to be linked. ACCSP has also been working closely with the Mid-Atlantic Council on launching its mandatory for-hire electronic reporting system and have begun discussions with the South Atlantic Council on its efforts to move to for-hire electronic reporting.

The Commission’s Habitat Committee and the Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership continue to advance our understanding of the importance of the fisheries-habitat connection and provide us and habitat managers with tools to further habitat conservation. The Habitat Committee released the Sciaenid Fish Habitat Source Document, the most comprehensive compilation of habitat information to date on Commission-managed and other common sciaenid species found throughout the Western Atlantic. ACFHP completed its 5-year Conservation Strategic Plan and 2-year Conservation Action Plan which include goals, objectives, strategies, and actions to restore and enhance Atlantic coastal, estuarine, and diadromous fish habitat through conservation, science and data, outreach and communication, and financial initiatives. The Commission’s Law Enforcement Committee continued to coordinate enforcement activities directed at illegal glass eel harvest and to respond to lobster industry concerns about illegal activity in federal waters by working with our federal partners to place lobster as a high priority for federal enforcement and joint enforcement agreement activities.

Mr. Gilmore has served as Director of the Division of Marine Resources for New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for the past ten years. As a respected marine scientist and fisheries manager with more than 40 years of experience in both the public and private sector, Mr. Gilmore has built a reputation as a coalition builder and skilled negotiator. Mr. Gilmore is also an Executive Committee member of the New York Sea Grant Board of Directors and holds an adjunct faculty position at SUNY Stony Brook, where he teaches a graduate level fisheries management course. Most importantly, he is an avid marine angler, dividing his efforts between Long Island Sound’s south shore and southern New Jersey. Mr. Gilmore received a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from SUNY Plattsburgh and a Master’s in Marine Science from SUNY Stony Brook.

The Commission also elected Patrick Keliher, Commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources, as its Vice-Chair.

ASMFC Presents William Goldsborough Prestigious Captain David H. Hart Award

October 28th, 2016 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission presented William “Bill” Goldsborough of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation the Captain David H. Hart Award, its highest annual award, at the Commission’s 75^thAnnual Meeting in Bar Harbor, Maine. Bill is the first person to receive all three Commission awards, having previously received an Annual Award of Excellence for Management & Policy Contributions and the Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership (ACFHP) Melissa Laser Fish Habitat Conservation Award.

Throughout his 30 years on the front lines of fisheries management and conservation, Bill has remained a thoughtful and persistent voice of reason in his commitment to science-based decision making. A senior scientist for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation since 1988, Bill has provided an independent, conservation-oriented voice to the fisheries discussion. Bill joined the Commission in 1995 after having served as a member of the Commission’s Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act Transition Team. From 1995 through 2004 he was the Maryland Governor’s Appointee and again from 2007 until this year.

During his career, Bill has made significant contributions to the protection and recovery of several key Chesapeake Bay fishery species. He played a central role in the striped bass recovery, beginning with the implementation of the Maryland moratorium in 1985 and continuing through to the reopening the fishery in 1990, having achieved consensus among diverse stakeholders to move towards a conservation-based approach to striped bass management. He also led a public blue crab conservation campaign that resulted in a broad commitment to cap effort in the fishery and led to the adoption of bay-wide fishery management plans under the Chesapeake Bay Agreement.

A passionate advocate for aquatic habitat, Bill made habitat protection and restoration a topic of critical and common concern among fishermen. Regionally, he brought together a diverse group of commercial and recreational fishermen to adopt codes for protecting the Chesapeake Bay. Coastwide, he has left an indelible mark on the Commission’s Habitat Program as one of the earliest members of the Habitat Committee and its longest serving Chair, having serving in that position for 10 years. Thanks to his leadership and participation, the Committee has developed habitat sections for many of the Commission’s fishery management plans and released numerous publications – all of which have elevated our understanding that healthy aquatic habitats are the foundation of abundant fisheries. As a Steering Committee member, Bill also played an important role in the development and launching of the Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership.

Perhaps one of Bill’s most notable and lasting endeavors is his commitment to ecological fisheries management, which the Atlantic Menhaden Board is now pursuing through Amendment 3. In 2005 and 2006, he was instrumental in developing the Chesapeake Bay reduction cap for menhaden and prompting a five-year Chesapeake Bay population research program. Throughout the oftentimes contentious deliberations, Bill’s was the calm voice reminding us to stay the course.

His contributions and composure in the face of challenging decision-making negotiations undoubtedly spring from his concurrent participation in other fisheries management fora, including his work with the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program where he serves on the Sustainable Fisheries Goal Implementation Team, and his tenures as a member of the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Fishery Management Workgroup (1987-2001), Aquatic Reef Habitat Workgroup (1993-2000), Fish Passage Workgroup (1987-2000), and the Fishery Management Plan Review Taskforce (1993). From 1996 through 2003, he was a member of NOAA’s Bi-State Blue Crab Advisory Committee. For eight years (2002-2010), he was the NGO representative on NOAA’s Chesapeake Bay Fisheries Steering Committee.

These are only some of the highlights in the remarkable career of an exceptional ecologist who has found ways to bridge gaps between stakeholders and the environment while deftly negotiating the terrain between what could be ideal and what is humanly possible.

The Commission instituted the Award in 1991 to recognize individuals who have made outstanding efforts to improve Atlantic coast marine fisheries. The Hart Award is named for one of the Commission’s longest serving members, who dedicated himself to the advancement and protection of marine fishery resources.

Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partners Initiate Black Sea Bass Habitat Research Project in the Mid-Atlantic

August 4, 2016 — The following was released by the ASMFC:

The Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership (ACFHP) has established a new collaborative project with the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES), Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council), and National Fish Habitat Fund (Fund) to study black sea bass habitat characteristics, fish abundance, and fish diets in the Mid-Atlantic. The project, led by Dr. Brad Stevens of UMES, is titled ‘Hab in the MAB: Characterizing black sea bass habitat in the Mid-Atlantic Bight.’ The new study will combine SCUBA, photography, videography, controlled angling, and stable isotope analysis techniques to better understand the importance of habitat and prey community structure on black sea bass feeding ecology.

“ACFHP and our collaborative partners are excited about the unique opportunity to work together over the next few years to collect data that will inform both science and management, and support healthy fisheries in the Mid-Atlantic region,” stated Kent Smith, ACFHP Steering Committee Chair.

In the summer of 2015, ACFHP applied for and received funding from the Council to manage a short-term research project focusing on Mid-Atlantic habitat (natural and/or artificial reef) and fisheries productivity. Black sea bass was chosen as a focal species because it is managed by both the Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), and because the species is structure oriented. ACFHP formed a subcommittee of representatives from the ACFHP Steering Committee, Council, and ASMFC Artificial Reef Committee to develop a request for proposals dedicated to black sea bass habitat research and/or restoration in the Mid-Atlantic region.

After careful review of several strong proposals, the ACFHP subcommittee chose to provide a $216,000 award to Dr. Stevens and his PhD student, Cara Schweitzer. Their study will determine if there are differences resulting in the use of artificial vs. natural habitats.

In particular, study objectives include:

1. Determining the preference of black sea bass for particular habitats by assessing their abundance, size structure, and feeding ecology within natural and artificial reefs;

2. Improving the understanding of benthic habitat structure by quantitatively assessing biodiversity, rugosity (e.g., surface roughness measurements routinely used by reef biologists), and other habitat characteristics of natural and artificial reefs; and

3. Determining if increased connectivity of habitat type increases fish recruitment, by experimentally manipulating connecting areas between isolated habitat patches.

“I’m glad that the Mid-Atlantic Council was able to work with the NFHP Board to support this important research,” said Chris Moore, Executive Director of the Council. “The outcomes of this project will significantly improve our understanding of black sea bass habitat and productivity.”

ACFHP is the first of the 19 Fish Habitat Partnerships (FHPs) throughout the U.S. to support a habitat research project using the NFHP Beyond the Pond Fund. The Fund is a 501(c)3 entity created in 2015 to provide the FHPs an opportunity to connect with the private sector and maximize funding and collaboration opportunities. It supports the leveraging of resources and grassroots actions to achieve maximum impact in protecting and restoring fish habitat from the local to national levels.

ACFHP Study Finds Benthic Habitats Play an Important Role in Contributing to the Health of Coastal Fish and Invertebrates

March 30, 2016 — The following was released by the Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership:

According to the findings in the Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership’s (ACFHP) recent article in the journal BioScience, benthic habitats play a critical role in the life cycles of most coastal fishes and invertebrates along the Atlantic coast of the United States. The article, titled ‘The Importance of Benthic Habitats for Coastal Fisheries’ presents the findings of the ACFHP Species-Habitat Matrix, which evaluates the relative importance of coastal, estuarine, and freshwater habitat types as living space during the major life stages of over 100 fish species. The study evaluated the importance of benthic habitats as a space for shelter, feeding, and breeding by coastal fishes and invertebrates in four biogeographic regions of the eastern United States: the North Atlantic (Canadian border to Cape Cod), the Mid-Atlantic (Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras), the South Atlantic (Cape Hatteras to Cape Canaveral), and South Florida (Cape Canaveral to Florida Keys).

Key findings and recommendations include:

The importance of different habitats changed with latitude: soft sediments and riverine systems scored higher in northern regions (North and Mid-Atlantic), and marshes and coral reefs scored higher in the south (South Atlantic and South Florida).
The ecological importance of soft sediments to fish and invertebrates have been widely undervalued. Increased recognition of the importance of this habitat in environmental assessments is essential because these areas, found in both estuarine and marine waters, are typically used for offshore energy and other development activities.
Submerged aquatic vegetation was a key nursery habitat coast-wide.
Anthropogenic impacts have altered habitat availability and use, and climate change is causing disturbance.
When assessing the value of habitats in a particular site, distinct habitats (e.g., submerged aquatic vegetation) should be evaluated and managed as an interconnected ecosystem rather than in isolation.

These results can be used to evaluate trade-offs and develop habitat-management strategies. ACFHP is currently working to create a web-based tool that will allow fishery and habitat managers, scientists, and grassroots organizations to query data in the Species-Habitat Matrix to help determine the impacts of proposed coastal development or habitat restoration activities. The web-based tool should be available in the upcoming months.

The Species-Habitat Matrix was based on the expertise of many scientists along the Atlantic coast, and was spearheaded by a team of authors: Jake Kritzer (Environmental Defense Fund), Mari-Beth DeLucia (The Nature Conservancy), Emily Greene (Earth Resources Technology, Inc.), Caroly Shumway (Merrimack River Watershed Council), Marek Topolski (Maryland Department of Natural Resources), Jessie Thomas-Blate (American Rivers), Lou Chiarella (National Marine Fisheries Service), Kay Davy (National Marine Fisheries Service), and Kent Smith (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission).

Read the release at ACFHP

ACFHP Seeks Nominations for Melissa Laser Fish Habitat Conservation Award: Nominations Due April 22nd

March 10, 2015 — The following was released by the Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership:

The Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership (ACFHP) is seeking nominations for its annual Melissa Laser Fish Habitat Conservation Award. The award is bestowed upon individuals deemed to further the conservation, protection, restoration, and enhancement of habitat for native Atlantic coastal, estuarine-dependent, and diadromous fishes in a unique or extraordinary manner. 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.

Award nominations should be sent to Lisa Havel (LHavel@asmfc.org) by April 22, 2016. The nomination should include the following information:

· how and to what project the individual or individuals contributed (please note if the individual or individuals are directly associated with ACFHP (i.e. member of a committee, working group, or funded/endorsed project team);

· a description of how this project furthers the goals or mission of ACFHP; and

· what qualities the individual or individuals possess that set them apart from others

Please go here for more information on the award and the process to submit nominations. The award will be presented at the 75^th Annual Meeting of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission in October 2016 in Bar Harbor, Maine. For more information, please contact Lisa Havel, ACFHP Coordinator, at lhavel@asmfc.org.

ACFHP Extends Deadline for Proposals to Study and/or Restore Black Sea Bass Habitat along the Mid-Atlantic

December 7, 2015 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership (ACFHP) is seeking research and/or restoration proposals to address black sea bass habitat issues in the Mid-Atlantic region (from Long Island Sound to Cape Hatteras), with an emphasis on the use of natural and/or artificial reefs and their ability to maintain and enhance fishery productivity. Projects can range from 12 – 24 months in length, and should include guaranteed monitoring for at least three years. The maximum award for an individual project is $225,000, and multiple highly ranked projects will be considered if the amount requested totals less than the $225,000 in available funds. All proposed artificial reef construction projects must be developed in coordination with the artificial reef manager in their respective state (contact information listed in the Request for Proposals) to be eligible for funding.

Proposals are due by February 1, 2016 at midnight. The full Request for Proposals is available here: Black Sea Bass Habitat RFP. For questions or to submit a proposal, please email Lisa Havel, ACFHP Coordinator, at LHavel@asmfc.org.

NEW JERSEY: Black sea bass: We’ll make more

December 8, 2015 — New Jersey is very interested in a new federal grant program designed to create more black sea bass habitat and also to answer scientific questions about what this particular fish needs to thrive in mid-Atlantic waters.

Black sea bass are both a popular fish for anglers in New Jersey and an important catch for commercial fishermen. For a type of fish that relies on underwater structure, which ran range from a shipwreck to a natural rocky outcrop, a key question is whether building artificial reefs creates new black sea bass or simply concentrates ones already in the ocean.

“That would be a great question to ask. We’d absolutely be interested in that,” said Lisa Havel, a coordinator for the Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership or ACFHP.

The partnership, through the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, is offering grants of up to $225,000 for projects that restore black sea bass habitat or qualify as research projects to learn more about the habitat needs of a fairly strange fish species, known for, among other things, the ability to change sexes (hermaphrodite transition) as needed.

The restoration or research proposals are for a region that runs from Long Island Sound to Cape Hatteras. While black sea bass range from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, there is a distinct population in the Mid-Atlantic region the study wants to address.

Read the full story at Press of Atlantic City

ACFHP Releases Request for Proposals to Study and/or Restore Black Sea Bass Habitat

December 7, 2015 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Proposals are due by January 15, 2016 at midnight. The full Request for Proposals is available here: Black Sea Bass Habitat RFP. For questions or to submit a proposal, please email Lisa Havel, ACFHP Coordinator, at LHavel@asmfc.org.

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.