Saving Seafood

Regulators fail to decide on 2017 Atlantic menhaden harvest cap

August 4, 2016 — A new 2017 coastal catch limit for Atlantic menhaden proved a slippery target Wednesday as regional managers failed over and over to agree on a number.

In vote after vote by the Atlantic Menhaden Management Board meeting this week in Alexandria, representatives from Maine to Florida knocked down motions to raise the cap by as little as 1 percent to as much as 20 percent.

In the end, they could only agree to try again at their next meeting in October. The board is part of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

“They just kicked the can down the road,” said Bob Vanasse, executive director of Saving Seafood Inc., a D.C.-based outreach and advocacy group that coordinates the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition and supports raising the catch limit.

Read the full story at the Daily Press

DAVE FRULLA & ANNE HAWKINS: Whither the Lenfest report?

May 20, 2016 — The following is an op-ed by Dave Frulla and Anne Hawkins, published in the June 2016 issue of National Fisherman:

In 2012, the Lenfest Ocean Program commissioned a report entitled “Little Fish, Big Impact,” regarding management of lower trophic level fisheries. Lenfest and other environmental groups followed the report’s publication with a major domestic and international media campaign. If Lenfest wanted to spark scientific debate and inquiry regarding forage fish management, it did a good job. If, however, its plan was to drive a “one- size-fits-all” solution to a complex problem, the results are far less constructive.

The report consisted of a literature review and basic computer modeling to “quantify” the value of forage fish to their predators. It concluded these fish were twice as valuable to other animals as for human nutritional, agricultural and aquaculture uses. The report thus recommended cutting forage fish catch rates between 50 and 80 percent across the board, to double the amount of forage fish left for fish, seabirds and other predators. It also recommended closures for spawning and around seabirds that rely on forage fish, and instructed no additional forage fish fisheries be authorized.

At release, the Lenfest report was received relatively uncritically, despite its far-reaching conclusions and recommendations. Since then, globally preeminent fishery scientists, including some of the Lenfest report’s own authors, have begun to examine the report’s assumptions and conclusions. Despite the report’s confident tone, there is no consensus on whether special management measures will provide any benefit to forage stocks.

Criticism of the Lenfest report can be divided into two main categories: its application to specific forage species, and its general methodology. Regarding application to specific species, it is important first to highlight there is no common definition of “forage fish.” It is, rather, a loosely formed concept, given how many marine organisms (and not just finfish) can be labeled important prey species for a given ecosystem or even for just one species.

Further, not all low trophic species fit the Lenfest report’s biological archetype. For instance, in April 2015, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Biological Ecological Reference Points Workgroup presented a Memorandum to the Commission’s Menhaden Management Board stating that, “Ultimately, the BERP WG does not feel that the management actions recommended in [the Lenfest report]… are appropriate for Atlantic menhaden specific management,” in part because menhaden do not exhibit the stock-recruit relationship assumed in the Lenfest paradigm. (That is, menhaden recruitment is driven by environmental factors, rather than spawning stock size.)

As to methodology, the Lenfest report largely drew conclusions from ecosystem models that were not designed to evaluate management strategy impacts on low trophic level fisheries. The Lenfest report admits this shortcoming. Indeed, after its publication, Lenfest report authors Tim Essington and Eva Plaganyi co-authored their own follow-up paper showing that among the most common features absent from most of these ecosystem models were natural variability of forage fish stocks, important aspects of spatial structure, and the extent of overlap in size of predator and prey stocks. Regarding the last factor, a predator may eat smaller-sized year classes of prey fish than a fishery targets. Accordingly, humans and the predator fish aren’t competing; the forage species ran the predation gauntlet before being subject to fishing. Overall, Essington and Plaganyi concluded that “most of [the existing] models were not developed to specifically address questions about forage fish fisheries and the evaluation of fishing management.” Model suitability is but one element of the post-Lenfest report work on the scientific agenda for further consideration.

The ultimate question is whether the public, press and fisheries managers will pay attention as fisheries scientists pursue the important questions the Lenfest report raised, but did not resolve. The situation is reminiscent of the debate that occurred following publication by Dr. Boris Worm and other scientists of a 2006 report in Science suggesting all fisheries could collapse by 2048. That report received the same sort of PR roll-out as the Lenfest forage fish report. (We understand Dr. Worm’s work also received Pew Charitable Trusts/Lenfest funding.)

In 2009, Drs. Worm, Ray Hilborn (not a co-author of the initial report), and 19 other scientists collaborated on a subsequent report in Science concluding that existing fishery management tools were reversing the claimed global trend of depletion for individual stocks, and the situation was not so dire as Dr. Worm originally forecast. To this day, though, Dr. Worm’s original report is presented in press and policy debates without mention of his even more significant subsequent collaborative work. We hope the Lenfest report on forage fish management represents one early element — but not the final word — in consideration of the important topic it addresses.

Read the op-ed at National Fisherman

ASMFC Atlantic Menhaden Board Approves Draft Addendum I for Public Comment

May 5, 2016 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Comission:

Alexandria, VA – The Atlantic Menhaden Management Board approved Draft Addendum I to Amendment 2 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic Menhaden for public comment. The Draft Addendum proposes modifying the FMP’s bycatch allowance provision. Specifically, it considers allowing two licensed individuals to harvest up to 12,000 pounds of menhaden bycatch when working from the same vessel fishing stationary, multi-species gear – limited to one vessel trip per day. Bycatch represents less than 2% of the total coastwide landings.

The practice of two permitted fishermen working together from the same vessel to harvest Atlantic menhaden primarily occurs in the Chesapeake Bay pound net fishery.  This practice enables the fishermen to pool resources for fuel and crew.  However, the practice is currently constrained by the FMP’s bycatch allowance provision, which includes a 6,000 pound/vessel/day limit. The Draft Addendum seeks comment on whether the provision should be revised to accommodate the interests of fixed-gear fishermen who work together, as authorized by the states and jurisdictions in which they fish.

The intent of Draft Addendum I is to add flexibility to one element of the bycatch allowance provision while the Board prepares to address menhaden management more comprehensively through the development of Draft Amendment 3 to the FMP over the next two years. A subsequent press release on the public hearing schedule and Draft Addendum I availability will be distributed once state hearings have been scheduled.

In a separate action, the Board extended the episodic event set aside program until the finalization of Amendment 3. It also conditionally approved a request from New York to be added as an eligible state.  The program reserves 1% of the coastwide total allowable catch to be used by New England states in areas and times when menhaden occur in higher abundance than normal.  Rhode Island opted into the program in 2014 and 2015, and harvested a portion of the set aside each year.  As a result of the Board’s decision to extend the program, the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut remain eligible to participate in the program in 2016.

New York is currently reporting unusually large amounts of menhaden in the Peconic Bay estuary, raising the potential for more large fish kills, similar to last year, as the waters warm.  New York sought Board approval to participate in the episodic event set aside program so fishermen can harvest a portion of the large build-up of menhaden in the Peconic Bay estuary to mitigate the impacts of additional fish kills. The Board approved the request subject to a one million pound harvest cap under the episodic event set aside.

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 Seeks Proposals for a Socioeconomic Study on Atlantic Menhaden Commercial Fisheries

November 29, 2015 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC):

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is soliciting proposals from research teams to conduct a socioeconomic study of Atlantic menhaden commercial fisheries. The study, expected to begin in February 2016, is intended to characterize the coastwide commercial fisheries, including bait and reduction sectors and the fishing communities they support. Funding for the project has been provided through a cooperative agreement with NOAA Fisheries. Approximately $80,000 will be available to fund the study.

“We anticipate this project will be key to assisting the Board with future decisions on the management of the menhaden resource,” stated Robert Boyles, Chair of the Commission’s Atlantic Menhaden Management Board. “As such, we are hopeful state agencies and stakeholders will fully and openly participate in the collection of new socioeconomic information. The Board will incorporate the products of the study as it moves forward with the development of Draft Amendment 3 in 2017.”

The primary objective of the study is to provide socioeconomic information to better understand the impacts of potential changes to the management of Atlantic menhaden commercial bait and reduction fisheries. The project will identify individuals, families, firms, organizations, and communities to better characterize the menhaden fisheries and their stakeholders. The study will also gather both primary and secondary information from stakeholders and state agencies on the fisheries (e.g., landings, value, participation, capacity utilization, fixed costs) and market (e.g., retailers/wholesalers, clients/purchasers, number/types of employees) to more thoroughly evaluate the socioeconomic value of Atlantic menhaden.

The research deliverables were identified by the Commission’s Committee on Economics and Social Sciences (CESS) using the general framework from a previous menhaden socioeconomic study conducted in the Chesapeake Bay region by Kirkley and colleagues in 2011. CESS also worked closely with the Atlantic Menhaden Board Allocation Workgroup to address research needs.

“We are excited the Commission was able to secure funding for this in-depth study of the menhaden fishery,” said Madeleine Hall-Arber, CESS Chair. “The effort represents a new direction for the Commission to provide detailed socioeconomic information to help managers better understand management impacts. Similar resources are needed to support socioeconomic studies in other fisheries along the Atlantic Coast.

A full list of the anticipated project deliverables can be found within the Request for Proposals at http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/565b56a0MenhadenRFP_Nov2015.pdf. Proposals should be submitted to Shanna Madsen (smadsen@asmfc.org) by 5 p.m. EST, January 4th, 2016. For more information, please contact Shanna Madsen, Fisheries Science Coordinator, at smadsen@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

Read the release from the ASMFC