Saving Seafood

NEW YORK: Photos and Video: Shark and Bunker Frenzy off Fire Island

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.

Read the full story at Fire Island and Beyond

ASMFC Atlantic Menhaden Board Initiates Addendum on Fishery Measures

August 6, 2021 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Menhaden Management Board initiated an addendum to Amendment 3 to consider changes to commercial allocations, the episodic event set aside (EESA) program, and the incidental catch and small-scale fisheries provision. This action responds to the recommendations of a Board work group charged with evaluating provisions of the current management program and providing strategies to refine those provisions.

Amendment 3 (2017) established commercial fishery allocations, allocating a baseline quota of 0.5% to each jurisdiction with the rest of the total allowable catch (TAC) allocated based on historic landings between 2009 and 2011. The work group report outlined landings have shifted in recent years, with some states landing significantly more quota (through transfers and other FMP provisions) than they are allocated due to changes in abundance of menhaden and availability of other bait fish. The Board action aims to align state quotas with recent landings and availability while maintaining access to the resource for all states, reduce dependence on quota transfers, and minimize regulatory discards.

The addendum will also propose changes to the EESA and incidental catch and small-scale fisheries provisions. Both provisions have been impacted by recent trends in landings, most notably in New England where states rely on the EESA to keep their commercial fishery open while working to secure quota transfers. The increasing abundance of menhaden in New England has also led to a rise of landings under the incidental catch and small-scale fisheries provision once commercial quotas have been met. The Board is interested in exploring options to promote accountability such as capping the total amount of landings under this category or to count these landings against the TAC. Management alternatives for the incidental catch and small-scale fisheries will also consider changes to the current eligibility of gear types under the provision. In addition to these topics, the Board indicated the management document should maintain flexibility to respond to management needs in the future.

The Board will consider the Draft Addendum at the Annual Meeting in October and provide feedback, if needed, to further develop the document. For more information, please contact Kirby Rootes-Murdy, Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at krootes-murdy@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

As fisheries managers consider ecosystem approaches, new study suggests no need for new strategies

July 13, 2021 — On 5 August, 2020, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission adopted ecological reference points (ERPs) for Atlantic menhaden, changing how the stock’s quota was managed.

The move meant that quota determinations for menhaden – a forage species for a variety of ocean predators on the Atlantic coast of the U.S. – would be based on ERPs. The final quota decision will now be made based on the availability of the stock, and on the influence it has on the predatory species that consume menhaden as a primary food source.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

These Maine fishermen cut a $20,000 pogie net in half because of new regulations

May 25, 2021 — Fisherman Rob Bichrest of Cundy’s Harbor bent over a huge, black net at the Portland Fish Pier on Monday morning. Using a pair of orange-handled scissors, Bichrest then began cutting the $20,000 piece of fishing gear in half.

He had to.

Under current Atlantic menhaden fishing regulations, the 870-foot-long purse seine net was too large. It had to be reduced from 120 feet high, to just 48 feet.

“I can’t use one that big,” said fisherman, Sonny Rich, who owns the net. “It’s not legal anymore.”

A purse seine is a floating and weighted net, set around a school of fish. The net is closed around the fish using a drawstring threaded through rings attached to the weighted part of the net at the bottom.

Atlantic menhaden are usually called “pogies” and used as lobster bait in Maine. Further south, in Virginia, they are rendered into oil and sold as omega-3 fish oil supplements.

Read the full story at the Bangor Daily News

ASMFC 2021 Spring Meeting Webinar Preliminary Agenda

April 5, 2021 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The agenda is subject to change. Bulleted items represent the anticipated major issues to be discussed or acted upon during the webinar. The final agenda will include additional items and may revise the bulleted items provided below. The agenda reflects the current estimate of time required for scheduled Board meetings. The Commission may adjust this agenda in accordance with the actual duration of Board meetings. Interested parties should anticipate Boards starting earlier or later than indicated herein.

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. Please note these guidelines have been modified to adapt to meetings via webinar:

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 webinar (April 19) will be included in the briefing materials.
  2. Comments received by 5:00 PM on Tuesday, April 27 will be included in the supplemental materials.
  3. Comments received by 10:00 AM on Friday, April 30 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.

Read the full release here

NJDEP Proposes Changes to Marine Management, Seeks Public Input

March 10, 2021 — The state Department of Environmental Protection is seeking comments on proposed new rules regulating crab and lobster management, marine fisheries and fishery management in New Jersey. Written comments can be electronically filed until April 30 or submitted via the regular mail.

“The department is proposing to reduce the number of commercial crab pot/trot line licenses and crab dredge licenses for both the Delaware Bay and the Atlantic coast due to a reduction in the number of actively harvesting license holders,” according to the March 1 DEP bulletin on the proposed rule change.

Under the proposal, a licensee could transfer licenses to any person, based upon the number of available licenses.

Read the full story at The Sand Paper

Menhaden Fisheries Coalition Urging ASMFC to Consider Fair and Equitable Reallocation Process

February 3, 2021 — On Monday several organizations who are part of the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition submitted a letter to Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Menhaden Board Chair A.G. “Spud” Woodward. The letter called for the Commission to consider, as part of its decision-making, the “importance of historic landings records and the impacts to the fishing industry of the recently implemented ecosystem-based management.”

The Menhaden Fisheries Coalition is asking that the review process be guided by three principles:

1.The Management Board should ensure that the full amount of sustainable yield set for this year and next is able to be harvested.

2. Understanding that the total allowable catch for 2021 and 2022 is lower than total landings for 2019 (and, likely 2020), any  reallocation scheme should recnogie states that have already contributed to menhaden conservation since the TAC was first established in 2012.

3. The conservation burden of the TAC reduction must be fairly and equitably distributed among states.

Read the full story at Seafood News

ASMFC could reallocate menhaden quota, industry pushes for equity

February 3, 2021 — The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) will likely look into how the U.S. Atlantic menhaden fishery allocates its quota in 2021.

The commission is considering reallocating the menhaden fishery this year based on Amendment 3. Implemented in 2018, the rule requires the Atlantic Menhaden Management Board to revisit its quota allocations every three years. A letter written by the MFC, which represents some of the largest players in the menhaden fishing industry, is asking the commission to take into account historic catch levels in its deliberations.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Atlantic coast’s menhaden fishing haul cut by 10% for 2021 and 2022

October 21, 2020 — A new way of thinking about fishing quotas will bring a 10% cut in the coastwide cap for menhaden, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission decided Tuesday.

The commission’s menhaden board voted to cut the quota for 2021 and 2022 to 194,400 metric tons from the current 216,000, a 10% reduction.

What drives the cut is a new approach to managing fisheries — an ecosystem-based one pioneered for menhaden, the small fish that is harvested for fish oil and bait and is an important source of food for other fish, birds and whales.

The older technique considers how many young fish join the population of a species in a year, how many die from natural causes and how many are caught. The idea with this traditional approach is to calculate how many can be caught without causing a species’ numbers to fall too far.

Read the full story at The Daily Press

ASMFC Atlantic Menhaden Board Approves TAC for 2021-2022

October 21, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Menhaden Management Board (Board) approved a total allowable catch (TAC) of 194,400 metric tons (mt) for the 2021 and 2022 fishing seasons, which represents a 10% reduction from the 2018-2020 TAC level. The 2021-2022 TAC was set based on the ecological reference points (ERPs) approved by the Board in August, and reaffirms the Board’s commitment to manage the fishery in a way that accounts for the species role as a forage fish.

“This TAC represents a measured and deliberate way for this Board to move into the realm of ecosystem-based management,” said Board Chair Spud Woodward of Georgia. “The TAC strikes a balance between stakeholder interests to maintain harvest on menhaden at recent levels, while also allowing the ERP models to do what they are intended to do.”

Based on projections, the TAC is estimated to have a 58.5% and 52.5% probability of exceeding the ERP fishing mortality (F) target in the first and second year, respectively. The TAC will be made available to the states based on the state-by-state allocation established by Amendment 3 (see accompanying table for 2021 and 2022 based on a TAC of 194,400 mt).

In determining which level to set the TAC, the Board also considered recent updates to the fecundity (FEC) reference points, and current stock condition. According to the latest assessment results, the 2017 estimate of fecundity, a measure of reproductive potential, was above both the ERP FEC target and threshold, indicating the stock was not overfished. A stock assessment update is scheduled for 2022 which will inform the TAC for 2023 and beyond.

For more information, please contact Max Appelman, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, or Toni Kerns, ISFMP Director, at mappelman@asmfc.org or tkerns@asmfc.org, respectively.