Saving Seafood

NOAA To Reimburse 85 Percent Of Costs For Fishing Monitors

June 24, 2016 — The following is excerpted from a story published yesterday by the Gloucester Times:

NOAA Fisheries today said it will reimburse Northeast groundfishermen an estimated 85 percent of the 2016 sea days needed for at-sea monitoring, alleviating if only temporarily the burden of fishermen assuming the costs of the observer program.

In a reversal of its previous stance and statements, NOAA said any groundfish sector trip beginning on or after July 1 may be eligible for the reimbursement of at-sea monitoring costs through a program the federal fisheries regulator is developing with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

The agency also stressed the reimbursement program is temporary and unlikely to last beyond the 2016 fishing season but “preserves the the contract relationships sectors already have in place” with third-party at-sea monitoring providers.

Federal groundfish permit holders absorbed the costs of at-sea monitoring — estimated at an average of $710 per day per vessel —  on March 1 after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it had exhausted the funds budgeted for that program.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

Northeast Fishery Observer Sea-Day Schedule Posted, Short-Term Reimbursement for Groundfish At-Sea Monitoring Available July 1

June 23, 2016 — The following was released by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center:

Today NOAA Fisheries published the 2016 Standardized Bycatch Reporting Methodology Annual Discard Report with Observer Sea Day Allocation and the resulting final 2016 sea-day schedule for our Northeast Fishery Observer Program.

This year we are able to fully fund our SBRM monitoring program and will use remaining funds to offset some of industry’s costs of the groundfish at-sea monitoring program.

Any sector trip beginning on or after July 1 may be eligible for reimbursement of at-sea monitoring costs though a program we are developing with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

Because this support is not likely to last for the entire year, this method preserves the contract relationships sectors already have in place with at-sea monitor providers.

Changing ecosystem, disease challenge lobster industry

June 14, 2016 — In the past decade, the Gulf of Maine has seen an increase in the number of lobsters and a higher demand for lobsters in international markets, which have translated into a boom for Maine’s lobster industry. Recently, however, there have been concerns about what effect a changing climate and disease threats may have on the lobster population off the coast of the state.

As water temperatures rose in the Atlantic off the coast of southern New England and Maine, lobster landings off the coast of Maine rose from under 40 million pounds in 1981 to 140 million in 2013, according to data from Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

By contrast, landings in southern New England went from just over 20 million pounds in 1997, to less than 5 million pounds in 2013.

That change in population is both a boon and a benefit to the lobster economy Down East.

“In New England, we’re sort of straddling the adverse and the positive effects, if you will, of a warming climate,” said Richard Wahle, a marine researcher at the University of Maine. “The fishery has all but collapsed in southern New England, whereas not too much farther north, just into the Gulf of Maine, we’re seeing record abundance of lobsters.

“Things have just really taken off in the past 10-15 years” in the eastern part of Maine, Wahle continued.

Read the full story at the Ellsworth American

ASMFC 2016 Summer Meeting Preliminary Agenda and Public Comment Guidelines

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.

Read the full agenda as a PDF

ASMFC Northern Shrimp Section Resumes Development of Draft Amendment 3

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.

Northward Movement of New England Lobsters Putting Strain on Industry, Trade Group Says

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.”

Read the full story at The Weather Channel 

ASMFC April/May 2016 Issue of Fisheries Focus Now Available

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

Read past issues of Fisheries Focus

New York Urges Federal Government for Needed Regulatory Changes to Improve Black Sea Bass Fishery

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.

Read the full story at LongIsland.com

East Coast Fishing Groups Unite in Opposition to Atlantic Monument

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.

Closure of the Commercial Fisheries for Blacknose Sharks and Non-Blacknose Small Coastal Sharks South of 34˚N Latitude on May 29, 2016

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.