June 10, 2016 — 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 2016 Summer Meeting, August 2-5, 2016 in Alexandria, VA. The agenda is also available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2016-summer-meeting. Materials will be available on July 20, 2016 on the Commission website at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2016-summer-meeting.
June 7, 2016 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
PORTSMOUTH, NH – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Northern Shrimp Section resumed development of Draft Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Northern Shrimp. The amendment was initiated in 2014 to address overcapacity in the fishery. Prior to closure of the fishery in 2014 due to a collapsed resource, overcapacity had been identified as an important issue to be addressed in order to effectively control harvest.
Draft Amendment 3 explores state-by-state allocations, seasonal- and area-based management to manage effort in the fishery, and the mandatory use of size sorting grate systems to minimize harvest of small shrimp and ensure resource sustainability. The draft amendment will also explore additional reporting measures to ensure all harvested shrimp are being reported. The Section removed limited entry as an option for consideration in the draft amendment with the understanding that Maine would explore alternative options to reduce overcapacity in the state’s fishery.
The Section will meet in November to review the 2016 stock status report for northern shrimp and set fishery specifications for the 2017 fishing season. The draft amendment will be presented to the Section for its consideration this winter.
June 6, 2016 — One of Southern New England’s most iconic sea creatures is being displaced by a warming planet.
A trade group says rising ocean temperatures has been putting a strain on lobster fisheries in Southern New England, including Southern Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York.
According to a report from the National Observer, the Lobstermen’s Association of Massachusetts revealed that lobsters are moving further north, seeking habitats in colder waters.
“This is a real concern for us,” Beth Casoni, executive director of the Lobstermen’s Association of Massachusetts told weather.com in a phone interview.
Megan Ware, Lobster Fishery Management Plan Coordinator at the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, explained to weather.com that the number of adult lobsters in Southern New England —south of Cape Cod— has plummeted to “roughly 10 million.”
June 2, 2016 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
Inside This Issue
ASMFC Presents Annual Awards of Excellence page 1
Upcoming Meetings page 2
From the Executive Director’s Desk page 3
Gulf of Maine Lobster Warrants Close Monitoring
Species Profile page 4
Coastal Sharks
Proposed Management Actions page 6
Atlantic Menhaden
Coastal Sharks
Fishery Management Actions page 7
Jonah Crab
Atlantic Menhaden
ASMFC Urges Transparency and Public Input in Proposed New England Offshore and Canyons Seamounts Monument Decision-making page 9
In Memoriam page 9
Science Highlight page 10
River Herring Data Standardization Workshop
ACCSP Announces 2016 Funding Awards page 11
ASMFC Comings & Goings page 15
New Species Coordinator Assignments page 16
On the Legislative Front page 16
Read the full newsletter at the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
June 2, 2016 — ALBANY, NY — New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Acting Commissioner Basil Seggos continues to call on the federal government to improve management of the black sea bass fishery in the region. In a letter to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission on May 17th, DEC urged the federal government to expedite a new stock assessment for black sea bass and implement other modifications to improve regulation.
“The increasingly restrictive measures demanded of Northeastern states are inequitable and cause great socioeconomic harm to our anglers and related businesses,” Seggos said. “The ASMFC and NOAA must revise their management strategy and not keep New York and the Northeast commercial anglers at a competitive disadvantage while the black sea bass population continues to grow.”
Pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Act, black sea bass is managed jointly by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council with decisions for final annual coast wide quotas set under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries program. To implement these federal restrictions, New York’s commercial black sea bass quota is distributed into annual period allocations that were created in consultation with commercial fishermen, and include specific times of year the fishery will be closed to ensure New York stays within its allotment. Commercial anglers in consultation with DEC Division of Marine Resources staff had selected the June 1st – July 1st closure during development of the 2016 commercial fishing regulations.
June 2, 2016 — The following was released by the National Coalition for Fishing Communities:
UPDATE: A previous version of this release mistakenly omitted a statement by the American Bluefin Tuna Association. Additionally, since the original release, the American Scallop Association has endorsed the ASMFC resolution. The release has been updated to reflect these changes.
WASHINGTON (NCFC) — The most valuable fishing port in the U.S. – New Bedford, Mass. – and eight major fishing groups from Florida to Massachusetts are backing an Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) resolution opposing current proposals for a monument off the coast of New England. The fisheries most likely to be affected by a National Monument designation inside the continental shelf, including the valuable red crab, swordfish, tuna, and offshore lobster fisheries, have all come out in support of the ASMFC resolution.
Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT), Chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources, is in New Bedford today, where he will hear from regional stakeholders about the negative effects a monument would have on commercial fisheries.
Multiple environmental groups have been pushing the Obama Administration to use executive authority under the Antiquities Act to designate an offshore monument in the Atlantic. Earlier this month, the ASMFC unanimously approved a resolution urging the Administration to forgo a monument designation and instead allow the current management process protecting ocean ecosystems to continue. If the President decides to create a monument, the ASMFC resolution asks that it be seaward of the continental shelf, only prohibit bottom tending fishing, and that any plan be available for public review before it is implemented.
In a letter to the White House, the American Bluefin Tuna Association (ABTA) expressed concern that a monument designation would eliminate all forms of fishing in the protected areas. “Given that our fishing gear has no negative impact on deep sea coral, a proposed prohibition on the fishing methods we employ would be arbitrary, completely unnecessary and would result in significant negative economic consequences,” ABTA wrote.
A monument declaration may have devastating economic impacts on New Bedford as well. The mayor of New Bedford, Jon Mitchell, has come out strongly against a monument and praised the ASMFC resolution in a statement, saying he “applauds the ASMFC for asking the White House not to establish a marine monument off the coast of New England.”
East Coast fishing groups that may also be severely impacted by a monument designation, including many members of the National Coalition for Fishing Communities (NCFC), are lending their strong support to the ASMFC resolution. One fishery that could suffer if it is prohibited from fishing in a monument area is the red crab fishery, valued at over $15 million.
“Rarely in the history of New England commercial fishing have we seen the entire industry and its regulatory bodies unite behind a single cause,” said the New England Red Crab Harvester’s Association in a statement. “Yet with its recent unanimous vote on the marine monument designation, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission joined industry leaders in sending a clear message to the Obama administration: the current monument process poses a serious threat to effective ocean management, and would have disastrous environmental and economic impacts.”
The Fisheries Survival Fund (FSF), which represents members of the Atlantic sea scallop fishery, supported the ASMFC resolution in a letter to the White House. FSF argued that a monument designation would contradict the President’s own Executive Order 13563, which states in part that regulations should be based on the best available science, involve public participation, and include coordination across agencies.
“Public areas and public resources should be managed in an open and transparent manner, not an imperial stroke of the pen,” FSF wrote.
Other groups that have publicly supported the ASMFC plan are the Garden State Seafood Association, Long Island Commercial Fishing Association, Southeastern Fisheries Association, North Carolina Fisheries Association, and American Scallop Association. All of these groups are members of NCFC, which provides a unified voice for fishing groups and businesses. Similarly, the Blue Water Fishermen’s Association, which is not an NCFC member, wrote to the White House opposing an Atlantic Monument.
May 26, 2016 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
NOAA Fisheries has announced it will close the commercial fisheries for both blacknose sharks and non-blacknose small coastal sharks (SCS) south of 34˚00’ N. latitude effective 11:30 p.m. local time May 29, 2016. In accordance with the Coastal Sharks Interstate FMP, states are required to prohibit the commercial landing, harvest and possession of these shark species in state waters until NOAA Fisheries reopens the fisheries.
Commercial shark dealer reports received, as of May 23, 2016, indicate that landings for commercial Atlantic blacknose sharks are projected to exceed 80% of the available quota by May 27, 2016. Specifically, dealer reports indicate that 9.3 metric tons (mt) dressed weight (dw) or 59% of the available Atlantic blacknose shark quota had been landed and 31.5 mt dw or 12% of the available Atlantic non-blacknose small coastal shark (SCS) quota had been landed (Appendix 1). The blacknose shark and non-blacknose SCS fisheries south of 34˚00’ N. latitude are quota-linked under current regulations, meaning if landings of either fishery are projected to exceed 80% of the available commercial quota then the both fisheries will close.
All other shark species or management groups that are currently open in the Atlantic region will remain open, including the commercial Atlantic non-blacknose SCS management group north of 34°00′ N. latitude.
The Federal Register closure notification can be found at: https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2016/05/27/2016-12631/atlantic-highly-migratory-species-commercial-blacknose-sharks-and-non-blacknose-small-coastal-sharks
Please contact Ashton Harp, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at 703.842.0740 or aharp@asmfc.org if you have questions.
May 26, 2016 — PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — Interstate fishing regulators will meet to discuss what New England’s shuttered coldwater shrimp industry should look like if it reopens.
The little pink shrimp, Pandalus borealis, were popular as a grocery store item and with restaurants until regulators shut the fishery down in 2013. Scientists say warming ocean temperatures have made New England waters inhospitable for shrimp.
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Northern Shrimp Section will meet in Portsmouth on June 3 to discuss how much participation the fishery might be able to sustain if it reopens. The board will also consider the possibility of limiting entry into the fishery.
May 23, 2016 — PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — Interstate fishing regulators will meet to discuss what New England’s shuttered coldwater shrimp industry should look like if it reopens.
The little pink shrimp were popular as a grocery store item and with restaurants until regulators shut the fishery down in 2013. Scientists say warming ocean temperatures have made New England waters inhospitable for shrimp.
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Northern Shrimp Section will meet in Portsmouth on June 3 to discuss how much participation the fishery might be able to sustain if it reopens.
Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Boston Herald
May 20, 2016 — OLD LYME, Conn. — Interstate fishing regulators have scheduled public hearings about changes to rules that govern removal of fins from coastal sharks by fishermen.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is set to consider an amendment that would allow fishermen to bring smooth dogfish to land with fins removed as long as their total retained catch is at least 25 percent dogfish.
Read the full story from the Associated Press at the New Jersey Herald