November 28, 2022 — Maine fishermen say a series of upcoming changes to the state’s menhaden quota should bring more certainty to lobstermen and others who rely on the fishery as a source of affordable bait.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission sets a series of quotas for the commercial menhaden fishery in the Northeast.
November 15, 2022 — East Coast fishery managers have approved increasing commercial harvests of Atlantic menhaden from Maine to Florida.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), which regulates near-shore harvests of migratory fish, voted Wednesday to set a new ceiling on the coastwide menhaden catch of 233,550 metric tons, a 20 percent increase over the current quota.
The longstanding cap on harvest in the Chesapeake Bay remains unchanged, at 51,000 metric tons. But conservationists and sports anglers continue to worry about the impact to the Bay from large-scale fishing of menhaden near its mouth.
The commission’s action follows a recent population assessment that concluded menhaden are not being overfished and that harvests could be increased substantially without endangering the stock’s abundance.
Menhaden are a small, oily fish that are harvested chiefly for processing or “reducing” them into animal feed and human food supplements, but also for use as bait in crabbing, lobstering and catching other fish.
August 29, 2022 — The following was released by Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The Atlantic coastal states of Maine through North Carolina have scheduled hearings to gather public input on the Draft Addendum I to Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan, which considers potential changes to current provisions for commercial allocations, the episodic event set aside (EESA) program, and the incidental catch and small-scale fisheries (IC/SSF) provision. Some hearings will be conducted via webinar and some hearings will be conducted in person. The details of those hearings follow.
August 26, 2022 — Maine’s commercial menhaden season will close Sunday, which could have implications for Maine lobstermen who depend on the fish as an affordable source of bait.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission sets a series of quotas for the commercial menhaden fishery in the Northeast, including a small-scale harvest once various thresholds have been reached. Menhaden are also referred to as pogies.
“Maine lobstermen are extremely disappointed to see the pogy fishery close since the resource is healthy and there are still plenty of fish to catch in Maine,” Patrice McCarron, executive director for the Maine Lobstermen’s Association, said in an email.
July 7, 2022 — The following is an excerpt of an op-ed by Ken Pinkard, a 38-year, third-generation menhaden fisherman in Virginia’s Northern Neck region. It was published yesterday by the Daily Press and the Virginian-Pilot.
The Virginia Saltwater Sportfishing Association’s Mike Avery inaccurately claims that the Chesapeake Bay’s menhaden fishery is hurting striped bass (“Advocates call for limits of menhaden fishing in Virginia”). In reality, menhaden fishing is not only sustainable, it’s a critical economic engine for Virginia’s Northern Neck.
For decades, menhaden fishermen have worked in the Chesapeake Bay alongside crabbers, oystermen and other watermen. The menhaden fishery is currently the largest employer of minority and union workers in rural Northumberland County, and Virginia will not attract “good-paying” jobs by destroying it. The proposals Avery promotes would have a devastating impact on hardworking Virginians whose families rely on the fishery for their livelihoods.
The economy of the Northern Neck depends on Omega Protein and affiliated companies, just as Detroit depends on GM and Ford. Omega Protein and its fishing partners offer the highest blue-collar wages with the most generous benefits in the Northern Neck. These are union jobs. Every worker has a voice. Some 98% of our Reedville-based employees live in Virginia and 90% live in the Northern Neck.
Supplemental materials for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 2022 Winter Meeting Webinar are now available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2022-winter-meeting for the following Boards/Committees (click on “Supplemental” following each relevant committee header to access the information). For ease of access, all supplemental meeting materials have been combined into one PDF – http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/2022WinterMeeting/2022WinterMeetingSupplementalCombined.pdf.
Below is the list of documents included in the supplemental materials.
Revised Final Notice & Agenda
American Lobster Management Board – Draft Fishery Management Plan Review for Jonah Crab for 2020 Fishing Year
Tautog Management Board – Revised Agenda and Meeting Overview
Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board – Revised Agenda and Meeting Overview; Technical Committee Memo on Summer Flounder & Black Sea Bass Methodology for Adjusting 2022 Recreational Measures; Public Comment
Spiny Dogfish Management Board – Revised Agenda and Meeting Overview
Executive Committee – Revised Agenda and DraftAppeals Process Revisions
Horseshoe Crab Management Board – Supplemental Report to the 2021 Revision to the ARM Framework; Public Comment
Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board – Revised Agenda & Meeting Overview; Advisory Panel Comments on the Scope of New Options for Draft Amendment 7; Public Comment
Atlantic Menhaden Management Board – Plan Development Team Recommendations on Draft Addendum l to Amendment 3; Advisory Panel Feedback on Options to Include in Draft Addendum; Advisory Panel Nominations; Public Comment
Webinar Information
Board meeting proceedings will be broadcast daily via webinar beginning Tuesday, January 25 at 10 a.m. and continuing daily until the conclusion of the meeting (expected to be 3:15 p.m.) on Thursday, January 27. The webinar will allow registrants to listen to board deliberations and view presentations and motions as they occur. 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.
Each day, the webinar will begin 30 minutes prior to the start of the first meeting so that people can troubleshoot any connectivity or audio issues they may encounter. If you are having issues with the webinar (connecting to or audio related issues), please contact Chris Jacobs at 703.842.0790.
If you are joining the webinar but will not be using VoIP, you can may also call in at +1 (415) 655-0600, access code 774-133-932. 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, press the # key when asked for a PIN.
Public Comment Guidelines
To provide a fair opportunity for public input, the ISFMP Policy Board approved the following guidelines for use at management board meetings.
For issues that are not on the agenda, management boards will continue to provide an 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 3 weeks prior to the start of the meeting (January 10) will be included in the briefing materials.
2. Comments received by 5:00 PM on Tuesday, January 18 will be included in the supplemental materials.
3. Comments received by 10:00 AM on Friday, January 21 will be distributed electronically to Commissioners/Board members prior to the meeting.
Comments should be submitted via email at comments@asmfc.org. All comments must clearly indicate the commenter’s expectation from the ASMFC staff regarding distribution.
January 14, 2022 — The Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCEMFIS) highlighted a new project that will look to count a population of menhaden that could help inform not only a local New Jersey fishery but other fisheries in New England and the Mid-Atlantic region.
A team from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s (UMCES) Chesapeake Biological Laboratory and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, in collaboration with NOAA Fisheries are on the verge of launching a winter population survey of menhaden, specifically off the coast of New Jersey, SCEMFIS said.
That area is home to a growing winter bait fishery but because there hasn’t been much work to survey the population that far north, there is not a strong enough count of how many fish are in that area.
The survey, which will launch from Cape May, New Jersey, will use sonar equipment to estimate the number of menhaden schooling in the area, and will collect additional information to estimate age, size, and weight, data that will be important for managing the fishery, per SCEMFIS.
January 12, 2022 — The following was released by the Science Center for Marine Fisheries:
Despite being one of the largest and most high-profile fisheries on the East Coast, there are still gaps in our understanding of Atlantic menhaden. This is especially true in their northern range, in New England and the Mid-Atlantic. But this winter, a new project will look specifically to count menhaden in these areas, shedding new light on an important but underexamined portion of this species.
A team from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s (UMCES) Chesapeake Biological Laboratory and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, in collaboration with NOAA Fisheries, is about to launch a winter population survey of menhaden, specifically of menhaden spending the season off the coast of New Jersey. The area is home to a growing winter bait fishery, but because there have been few attempts to survey menhaden this far north, there is currently not a good count of how many menhaden are in the area, as well a lack of good data on measurements like age and weight compositions.
The survey, which will launch from Cape May, New Jersey, will use sonar equipment to estimate the number of menhaden schooling in the area, and will collect additional information to estimate age, size, and weight, data that will be important for managing the fishery.
“Right now, having a full picture of menhaden is limited by the lack of available information on the northern part of the stock,” said Dr. Genny Nesslage, a professor at UMCES and one of the lead researchers on the project. “Surveying this part of the population will hopefully give regulators the data they need to make informed decisions on how to manage menhaden coastwide.”
Atlantic menhaden are a coastwide species, with a range spanning from Maine to Florida. But most of our knowledge of the stock comes from data collected from purse seine fisheries in the Mid-Atlantic and around the Chesapeake Bay. Because older, larger menhaden are more likely to be found in northern waters, an entire segment of the menhaden population is not fully counted by current data collection methods.
As it is increasingly clear that there are significant numbers in this northern portion of the menhaden stock, surveys like these will be important in providing a fuller picture of the population, benefitting both the regional bait fishery and other, existing menhaden fisheries.
“Getting a better count of menhaden in the north is critical in improving our understanding of the fishery coastwide, and validating the population estimates that come from our current assessment models,” said Dr. Nesslage. “The more diverse sources of data we have on menhaden, the more confident we can be in our decisions on how to manage it.”
The survey was funded by the NOAA Fisheries Saltonstall-Kennedy Competitive Grants Program and its design was funded by a grant from the Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCEMFIS), which connects marine scientists with members of the fishing industry to fund needed research for finfish and shellfish.
December 9, 2021 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
Please find attached and below the preliminary agenda and public comment guidelines for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 2022 Winter Meeting, January 25-27, 2022, in Arlington, VA. The agenda is also available at www.asmfc.org/home/2022-
· Consider Draft Addendum XXVII for Public Comment: Electronic Vessel Tracking for Federal Permit Holders
· Consider Fishery Management Plan Reviews and State Compliance for American Lobster and Jonah Crab for 2020 Fishing Year
· Consider Terms of Reference for Jonah Crab Benchmark Stock Assessment
· Review and Discuss Hypothetical Scenarios for Risk and Uncertainty Decision Tool
· Review Feedback from Law Enforcement Committee on Commercial Tagging Program
· Discuss Appeals Process
· Consider Noncompliance Recommendations (if necessary)
August 19, 2021 — If you have been to the beach this summer, odds are you have seen some big schools of bunker (Menhaden) just offshore. While it is not uncommon, this year they seem to be thicker than normal and attract a variety of fish and marine mammals close to shore to feed. A few weeks ago, I was at Davis Park and filmed a few sharks and Cow Nose Rays just off the beach. I have also seen reports of Striped Bass, Tuna, and Humpback Whales as well.
Last Sunday morning, I was watching the Fireislandandbeyond.com Beach and Surf Cams that stream from the top of the Davis Park Casino Bar and Cafe and noticed some big bunker schools close to the beach with occasional big splashes and knew I had to get over there and see what was on them. I got to the beach around Noon but unfortunately, they had moved off the beach and were split into much smaller pods. I tried to take a look with my drone but the mid-day light made it very difficult to see through all the glare.
At this time I figured I missed the opportunity and put the drone away and went for a swim. Around 2:00 p.m. I started noticing the bait move in and create a massive, dark cloud of bunker approach and cover almost the entire beach. As I got my drone ready, the lifeguards were alerted to sharks and quickly cleared the beach of swimmers. In the photos and video above, you can see almost the entire crowded beach standing on the shore to see the bunker and occasional splash of the feeding sharks.