Saving Seafood

Hearing on new shrimp rules draws tiny crowd

June 15, 2017 — Fishermen barely outnumbered representatives of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission last Thursday at a public hearing in City Hall on proposed rule changes that would reshape shrimp fishing in the Gulf of Maine.

Three fishermen — John Williams and Ricky Trundy, both of Stonington, and James West of Sorrento — offered comments on a proposed amendment to the ASMFC fisheries management plan for northern shrimp. Department of Marine Resources External Affairs Director Terry Stockwell and Resource Management Coordinator Trisha Cheney dutifully recorded those comments on behalf of the ASMFC.

Stockwell serves as DMR Commissioner Patrick Keliher’s representative on the multi-state fisheries management group. He plans to retire at the end of the month after 21 years at DMR and Cheney will assume his role.

Although a somewhat larger crowd was on hand for a hearing the previous evening in Augusta, the sparse audience reflected the state of the fishery from Downeast waters. It also is a reflection of the fact that there has been no commercial shrimp fishery in the Gulf of Maine since ASMFC shortened the season in 2013 and imposed a complete fishing moratorium before the 2014 season.

For more than a decade, ASMFC managed the fishery by establishing a total allowable catch (TAC) for the entire fishery based on assessments of the size and reproductive success of the shrimp resource that was adjusted annually. As the shrimp resource declined, so did the TAC — and the fishery.

Read the full story at The Ellsworth American

NOAA Fisheries Announces Reimbursement Rate of 60 Percent for 2017 At-Sea Monitoring Costs in Groundfish Fishery

June 16, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA:

Effective at-sea monitoring (ASM) programs are essential to the success and sustainability of Greater Atlantic Region fisheries. Groundfish vessels in the Greater Atlantic Region that participate in the sector program are required to carry a fisheries observer or an at-sea monitor for a portion of their trips. Fisheries observers are provided and typically paid for by the Federal government in the Standardized Bycatch Reporting Methodology (SBRM) program and at-sea monitors are partially paid for by industry in the at-sea monitoring program.

In 2016, industry began paying their portion of at-sea monitoring costs and NOAA Fisheries was able to reimburse 85 percent of industry’s expenses for July 2016-April 2017. We used these funds to offset a portion of industry’s costs of the groundfish ASM program through a grant administered by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC). For fishing year 2017, there are remaining funds in the grant, and therefore we will continue the reimbursement program.

We estimate there is funding to reimburse 60 percent of ASM costs for the 2017 fishing year. 

Any sector trip beginning on or after May 1 is now eligible for reimbursement. 

We are committed to providing as much stability to sectors as possible, so we have based our reimbursement rate on one that we anticipate will be consistent through the entire fishing year.

More information about our region’s observer program.

Elver season ends

June 8, 2017 — Maine’s elver season ended Wednesday. By most accounts it was successful.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission limited Maine harvesters to a landings quota of 9,616 pounds for this year. According to the Department of Marine Resources, as of 6 p.m. Monday, Maine dealers reported buying 9,281.269 pounds of elvers and paying harvesters a total of $12,088,884 — an average price of $1,303 per pound.

The total quota is allocated among harvesters licensed by the state and the four federally recognized Indian tribes.

As of Monday evening, DMR-licensed harvesters had landed just over 7,315 pounds out of a total quota of 7,566.3 pounds.

Harvesters of the Houlton Band of Maliseet had landed about 87 pounds from their approximately 107-pound quota.

Micmac Nation harvesters landed their entire 38.8-pound quota and Penobscot Nation harvesters had landed all but one pound of their 620-pound quota.

Read the full story at The Ellsworth American

New Jersey has good reasons to resist federal rules on fluke

June 7, 2017 — If federal fisheries managers got fan mail from some flounder these days, would it side with their catch limits or New Jersey’s defiant alternate rules?

State and local officials and the N.J. congressional delegation pushed hard against this year’s federal plan to reduce the catch of summer flounder, also called fluke, by 30 percent. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission wanted to require fish to be an inch bigger to be kept — 19 inches in the ocean and nearby waters and 18 inches in Delaware Bay.

Since last year’s limits were already tough on fishers and marine businesses, the plan prompted an uproar. Rep. Frank LoBiondo said “unelected bureaucrats in Washington use questionable methodologies and outdated science to cut us off at the knees.” He and fellow Rep. Frank Pallone introduced bipartisan legislation to prevent the new flounder quotas from taking effect.

The state Department of Environmental Protection also went all in, telling the U.S. secretary of commerce the new rules would destroy recreational flounder fishing in the state, an important part of its summer tourism appeal. It asked for a return to 2016 rules and a new full assessment of the flounder stock.

Read the full editorial at Press of Atlantic City

Atl Herring Days Out Call on June 14 – Cancelled

June 7, 2017 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The previously scheduled Atlantic Herring Days Out call on June 14 at 10:00 AM has been cancelled. The Atlantic Herring Section members from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts are scheduled to reconvene via conference call to review fishing effort on the following days:

  • Wednesday, June 28 at 10:00 AM
  • Wednesday, July 12 at 10:00 AM
  • Wednesday, July 26 at 10:00 AM
  • Wednesday, August 9 at 10:00 AM

 To join the calls, please dial 888.394.8197 and enter passcode 499811 as prompted.

New Jersey ruled out of compliance on summer flounder, moratorium possible

June 5, 2017 — If New Jersey doesn’t bring its summer flounder limits in line with federal regulations, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission said it may result in a moratorium on fluke fishing.

When summer flounder season began May 25, New Jersey decided to keep in place an 18-inch limit it felt was a fair compromise to the 19-inch limit federal regulators were requiring.

The Marine Fisheries Commission did not agree and voted earlier that week not to accept New Jersey’s rules. On Thursday, the federal agency found New Jersey out of compliance with the mandatory management measures for summer flounder, scup and black sea bass.

The commission believes the 19-inch limit achieves conservation goals and helps to end overfishing of summer flounder. The state argues the larger minimum size would result in more dead fish. Other opponents of the federal rules, including many local anglers, say the rules directly target female spawning flounder.

“We’re disappointed the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission continues to myopically distance itself from sound fisheries management and advocates for a 19-inch size limit that kills more fish through dead discards than the actual harvesting of fluke,” N.J. Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin said. “This would result in an overall higher mortality rate and be more detrimental to the fish stock that we are sworn to protect.”

Read the full story at the Press of Atlantic City

ASMFC Finds New Jersey Out of Compliance with Addendum XXVIII to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass FMP

June 1, 2017 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Arlington, VA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has found the State of New Jersey out of compliance with the mandatory management measures contained in Addendum XXVIII to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass. The Commission will notify the Secretaries of Commerce and the Interior of its finding. This action was taken pursuant to the provisions of the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act of 1993. The State of New Jersey has failed to effectively implement and enforce the provisions of Addendum XXVIII to the FMP for Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass. Specifically, New Jersey has not implemented the following regulations required by Addendum XXVIII:

  • Shore mode for Island Beach State Park only: 17-inch minimum size limit; 2-fish possession limit and 128-day open season.
  • Delaware Bay only (west of the COLERG line):   18-inch minimum size limit; 3-fish possession limit and 128-day open season.
  • All other marine waters (east of the COLERG line):  19-inch minimum size limit; 3-fish possession limit and 128-day open season

The implementation of these measures is necessary to achieve the conservation goals and objectives of the FMP to end overfishing of the summer flounder stock. In order to come back into compliance the State of New Jersey must implement all of the above measures. Upon notification by the Commission, the Secretaries of Commerce and the Interior have 30 days to review the recommendation and determine appropriate action, which may include a federal moratorium on fishing for Summer Flounder in New Jersey’s state waters. For more information, please contact Toni Kerns, Director, Interstate Fisheries Management Program, at tkerns@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

ISFMP Policy Board & Business Session Schedule June 1 Conference Call to Consider a Noncompliance Recommendation

May 26, 2017 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Interstate Fisheries Management Policy (ISFMP) Board and Business Session will meet via conference call on Thursday, June 1 at 9:30 a.m. to consider a recommendation from the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board (Board) to find New Jersey out of compliance regarding the state’s 2017 summer flounder recreational measures.  

On May 22, the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Board considered New Jersey’s Conservation Equivalency Proposal for 2017 summer flounder recreational measures. The Board found the proposal’s measures were not conservationally-equivalent to Addendum XXVIII’s measures. As a result, the Board recommended to the ISFMP Policy Board that New Jersey be found out of compliance for not fully and effectively implementing and enforcing the measures of Addendum XXVIII.  The ISFMP Policy Board will consider this recommendation on June 1.  If the Policy Board agrees with the recommendation, the Business Session will meet immediately following the Policy Board, on the same call, to consider any recommendations from the ISFMP Policy Board.

Addendum XXVIII, approved by the Board in February 2017, requires a one‐inch increase in size limit and a reduction in possession limits to no more than four fish to constrain coastwide harvest to the 2017 recreational harvest limit (RHL). These measures are broadly applied across all states to reduce harvest and provide for more coastwide consistency in regulations. The measures approved in the Addendum seek to achieve the 2017 RHL.

The public is welcome to listen to the discussion by phone (888.394.8197; passcode 499811) and view the webinar using the following link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8790318770047891969. The meeting agenda and materials are available at http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/ISFMPpolicyBoardMaterials_June2017.pdf.

Time permitting, there will be a limited opportunity to provide comments at the end of the agenda. The Board Chair will outline the procedures for accepting public comment at the beginning of the conference call. We ask the public and other nonparticipating attendees to please mute their phones in order to minimize distractions to the Board’s deliberations.

For more information, please contact Toni Kerns, ISFMP Director, at tkerns@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.         

New Jersey assures fishermen they can fish for summer flounder

May 26, 2017 — In the tumultuous lead-up to the opening of summer flounder season, the state has assured recreational fishermen that the season will start on Thursday with an 18-inch size limit and 3-fish possession limit in place.

In simpler words, fishermen can fish for summer flounder despite a motion Monday by a regional fishery body to not accept New Jersey’s approved regulations.

New Jersey’s Marine Fisheries Council adopted the state’s new regulations last week but a motion to not accept them was made by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder Management Board on Monday.

In a press release on Wednesday, just hours before the start of the recreational season for summer flounder, the Department of Environmental Protection said any possible federal non-compliance decisions would first need to be voted on by ASFMC’s Policy Board and the full Commission before a finding of non-compliance is sent to NOAA Marine Fisheries for consideration.

Read the full story at the Asbury Park Press

New Jersey’s flounder season starts Thursday with 18-inch limit

May 26, 2017 — The state’s summer flounder season will begin Thursday as scheduled despite an Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission board motion Monday to not accept New Jersey’s new rules.

Recreational anglers in state waters will get to keep up to three summer flounder per day that meet the 18-inch minimum-length requirement. The season will run through Sept. 5.

The state Marine Fisheries Council last week adopted the regulations, which they believe achieve the conservation equivalency the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service requested.

“We are going forward with the regulations, because we strongly believe that we have passed regulations that meet the conservation equivalency of the Commission’s proposed quota limits,” state Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin said Wednesday.

Last year, anglers in the state were allowed to keep five fish at 18 inches in the ocean and four fish at 17 inches in the bay.

In February, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission approved reductions that would have limited New Jersey recreational fishermen to three fish at 19 inches in the ocean and three at 18 inches in the Delaware Bay.

Read the full story at the Press of Atlantic City