Saving Seafood

New regulations enacted for striped bass fishing in Northeast states

May 7, 2023 — On Tuesday the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission approved a new emergency slot size limit for striped bass to be implemented this year of 28 inches to less than 31 inches, one fish/person/day.  Presently we have a 28-35-inch slot size.

“The emergency action was necessary because of last year’s striped bass catch rates which were found to have increased by over 1,000,000 bass from the prior year. This increase caused a significant reduction in probability of the current rebuilding plan as required by law to effectively rebuild the stock.” said Greg Vespe, executive director of the RI Saltwater Anglers Association.

The action requires states to implement the new 31-inch maximum size as soon as possible and no later than July 2, 2023.  At press time Rhode Island nor Massachusetts had announced when the new slot size regulation would be implemented.

Read the full article at The Providence Journal 

Horseshoe Crab Board Approves Best Management Practices for the Biomedical Industry

May 4, 2023 — The following was released by Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Commission’s Horseshoe Crab Management Board approved revisions to a guidance document on Best Management Practices (BMPs) for Handling Horseshoe Crabs for Biomedical Purposes. The document recommends broadly applicable industry standards that are expected to minimize mortality and injury of horseshoe crabs associated with the biomedical process. It also provides background on the horseshoe crab biomedical fishery, information on current regulations in the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Horseshoe Crab related to biomedical collections, and research recommendations that could further inform the BMPs and potentially further reduce mortality or injury of biomedical horseshoe crabs.

 
The revised document is the product of a Board-appointed work group that was tasked with reviewing and updating the BMPs for handling biomedical catch since over a decade has passed since the BMPs were originally developed. The work group included technical committee and advisory panel members with expertise in horseshoe crab biology, ecology, and biomedical processing.
 
It is the Board’s intention to keep this document up-to-date, with periodic updates in the future. The final document will be posted to the horseshoe crab webpage at https://asmfc.org/species/horseshoe-crabunder quick links by the end of May.
 
For more information, please contact Caitlin Starks, Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, atcstarks@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

ASMFC Atlantic Striped Bass Board Acts to Support Stock Rebuilding through Emergency Action and Addendum II Initiation Addendum I Approved to Allow Ocean Commercial Quota Transfers Contingent on Stock Status

May 3, 2023 — The following was released by Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Commission’s Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board approved an emergency action to implement a 31-inch maximum size limit for striped bass recreational fisheries, effective immediately for 180 days (through October 28, 2023). This action responds to the unprecedented magnitude of 2022 recreational harvest, which is nearly double that of 2021, and new stock rebuilding projections, which estimate the probability of the spawning stock rebuilding to its biomass target by 2029 drops from 97% under the lower 2021 fishing mortality rate to less than 15% if the higher 2022 fishing mortality rate continues each year.

 
“Based on concern for the stock and the long-term interests of its stakeholders, the Board acted decisively to protect one of the few remaining strong year classes,” said Board Chair Marty Gary with the Potomac River Fisheries Commission. “The public is concerned about stock rebuilding and has urged the Board to expeditiously respond to the new stock projections. Striped bass is one of the flagship species of the Commission, and this action sends a strong signal that the Board is firmly committed to rebuilding the stock for current and future generations. At the same time, the Board recognizes that this action will have a profound impact on the for-hire industry and recreational anglers, however, it feels it is a necessary step to ensure rebuilding.”
 
As outlined in the Commission’s Interstate Fisheries Management Program Charter, a management board can take emergency action to address circumstances under which public health or the conservation of coastal fishery resources or attainment of fishery management objectives has been placed substantially at risk by unanticipated changes in the ecosystem, the stock, or the fishery.
 
The Board implemented the emergency 31-inch maximum size limit for 2023 to reduce harvest of the strong 2015-year class. The 31-inch maximum size limit applies to all existing recreational fishery regulations where a higher (or no) maximum size applies, excluding the May Chesapeake Bay trophy fisheries which already prohibit harvest of fish less than 35 inches. All bag limits, seasons, and gear restrictions will remain the same. Jurisdictions are required to implement the required measure as soon as possible but no later than July 2, 2023. If it deems necessary, the Board may extend the emergency action for two additional periods of up to one year each at a future Board meeting.
 
The Commission will hold at least four virtual public hearings in mid- to late May to inform the public about the emergency action and identify next steps for management. A subsequent press release will provide the details of the public hearing schedule and webinar information. 
 
Draft Addendum II Initiated
To address the concerns about increased removals and stock rebuilding beyond 2023, the Board initiated Addendum II to Amendment 7 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan. The Draft Addendum will consider 2024 management measures designed to reduce fishing mortality to the target. Specifically, the Draft Addendum will propose options for the ocean recreational fishery, including modifications to the slot limit with harvest season closures as a secondary non-preferred option. It will also propose options for the Chesapeake Bay recreational fisheries, as well all commercial fisheries, including maximum size limits. Board members emphasized the importance of soliciting public input through the addendum process for 2024 measures following the 2023 emergency action. 
 
For measures beyond 2024, the Board intends to consider the results of the upcoming 2024 stock assessment update to inform subsequent management action. To enable an expedited management response to the 2024 stock assessment update, the Draft Addendum will propose a provision that would enable the Board to respond to the results of the stock assessment updates via Board action if the stock is projected to not rebuild by 2029. The Board will consider the Draft Addendum at the Summer Meeting, when it will either approve the document for public comment, or provide feedback for further development of the document.
 
Addendum I Approved 
The Board also approved Addendum I to Amendment 7. When the stock is not overfished, the Addendum enables the Board to decide every one to two years whether it will allow voluntary transfers of ocean commercial quota. The Board can also set criteria for allowable transfers, including a limit on how much and when quota can be transferred in a given year, and the eligibility of state to request a transfer based on its landings. When the stock is overfished, no quota transfers will be allowed.
 
To inform final action on this Addendum, the Board considered public comments, Advisory Panel input, and a Technical Committee report addressing the impact of additional quota utilization on stock rebuilding.
 
“The Board’s decision on Addendum I balances the commercial industry’s desire for a quota transfer mechanism with the need for caution when the stock is overfished,” said Board Chair Gary. “This was the most restrictive option for allowing transfers, giving the Board the ability to establish boundaries around quota transfers, as needed.”
 
Addendum I will be available by the end of May on the Commission website athttp://www.asmfc.org/species/atlantic-striped-bass under Management Plans and FMP Reviews. For more information, please contact Emilie Franke, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, atefranke@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

American Lobster Board Approves Addendum XXVII Addendum Establishes Measures to Increase Protection of Spawning Stock Biomass of the Gulf of Maine/Georges Bank Stock

May 3, 2023 — The following was released by Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Commission’s American Lobster Management Board approved Addendum XXVII to Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Lobster. The Addendum establishes a trigger mechanism to implement management measures – specifically gauge and escape vent sizes – to provide additional protection of the Gulf of Maine/Georges Bank (GOM/GBK) spawning stock biomass (SSB). It also implements changes to management measures for Lobster Conservation Management Areas (LCMAs) 1, 3, and Outer Cape Cod (OCC) to improve the consistency of measures across the GOM/GBK stock.

 
The Board initiated the Addendum as a proactive measure to improve the resiliency of the GOM/GBK stock. Since the early 2000s, landings in the GOM/GBK stock have rapidly increased. In Maine alone, landings have increased from 57 million pounds in 2000 to a record high of 132.6 million pounds in 2016. Maine landings have declined slightly but were still high at 97.9 million and 108.9 million in 2020 and 2021, respectively. However, since 2012, lobster settlement surveys throughout the GOM have generally been below the time series averages in all areas. These surveys, which measure trends in the abundance of juvenile lobsters, can be used to track populations and potentially forecast future landings. Persistent low settlement could foreshadow declines in recruitment and landings. In the most recent years of the time series, declines in recruitment indices have also been observed.
 
In response to these trends, Addendum XXVII establishes a mechanism where changes to the current gauge and escape vent sizes in LCMAs 1, 3 and OCC will be implemented automatically based on observed changes in recruit abundance indices. If the index of recruit abundance declines by 35% from the reference level (equal to the three-year average from 2016-2018), a series of gradual changes to gauge and vent size will be initiated in the following fishing year. These include two increases to the minimum gauge size in LCMA 1 (Gulf of Maine) and a single decrease to the maximum gauge size in LCMA 3 (offshore federal waters) and OCC. The gauge and escape vent size changes are intended to increase the proportion of the population that is able to reproduce before being harvested, and to enhance stock resiliency by protecting larger lobsters of both sexes.
 
Additionally, Addendum XXVII implements measures that resolve discrepancies between the regulations for state and federal permit-holders, provide a more consistent conservation strategy, and simplify interstate commerce and enforcement across management areas. Specifically, the Addendum implements a standard v-notch definition of 1/8” with or without setal hairs in LCMA 3 and OCC, and a standard maximum gauge size of 6 ¾” for LCMA 3 and state and federal permit holders in OCC. It also modifies the management program such that for LCMA 1 and 3 permit holders, states must limit the issuance of trap tags to equal the harvester trap tag allocations unless trap losses are documented. The implementation date for these changes is January 1, 2024.

ASMFC 2023 Spring Meeting Supplemental Materials Now Available

April 26, 2023 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Supplemental materials for ASMFC’s 2023 Spring Meeting are now available below and athttps://www.asmfc.org/home/2023-spring-meeting for the following Boards/Committees (click on “Supplemental” following each relevant committee header to access the information). For ease of access, supplemental meeting materials have been combined into one PDF – http://asmfc.org/files/Meetings/2023SpringMeeting/2023SpringMtgSupplementalMaterials.pdf

 
This will be a hybrid meeting (both in-person and remote) to allow for remote participation by Commissioners and interested stakeholders. The agenda is subject to change. 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.
 
Below is the list of documents included in the supplemental materials.
 
 
Atlantic Menhaden Management Board – Atlantic Menhaden Stock Assessment Subcommittee and Ecological Reference Point Workgroup Call Summary & Public Comment
 
Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board – Conservation Equivalency and Reduction Considerations for Management Actions under Amendment 7 Memo & Public Comment
 
Executive Committee – Revised Draft Agenda; Commissioner Stipend Discussion Paper; and Draft Conservation Equivalency: Policy and Technical Guidance Document
 
ISFMP Policy Board – Revisions to the Stock Assessment Schedule Memo; Commissioner Stipend Discussion Paper; and Public Comment
 
Horseshoe Crab Management Board – Work Group Recommendations and Report on Biomedical Best Management Practices & Public Comment

Atlantic Herring Area 1A Days Out Meeting Scheduled for April 27

April 5, 2023 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Atlantic Herring Management Board members from the States of Maine and New Hampshire, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will meet via webinar on April 27, 2023 from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., to discuss days out measures for the 2023 Area 1A (inshore Gulf of Maine) fishing season. Days out measures can include specification of the number of consecutive landings days, weekly landings limits, and restrictions on at-sea transfers. The webinar and call information are included below:

 
Atlantic Herring Days Out Meeting
Thursday, April 27, 2023
9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
 
You can join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone at the following link:https://meet.goto.com/989454749. If you are new to GoToMeeting, you can download the app ahead of time (click here) and be ready before the meeting starts. For audio, the meeting will be using the computer voice over internet (VoIP), but if you are joining the webinar from your phone only, you can dial in at +1 (408) 650-3123 and enter access code 989-454-749 when prompted. The webinar will start at 8:45 a.m., 15 minutes early, to troubleshoot audio as necessary.
 
Federally-permitted Herring Category A vessels must declare into the Area 1A fishery at least 45 days prior to the start of the fishing season. Small-mesh bottom trawl vessels with a federal Herring Category C or D permit must declare into the Area 1A fishery by June 1, 2023. Vessels should check with each state of landing regarding their notification procedures.
 
The 2023 Area 1A sub-annual catch limit (sub-ACL) is 3,345 metric tons (mt). The initial specification for the 2023 Area 1A sub-ACL of 3,592 mt decreased by 247 mt due to the catch overage in Area 1A in 2021. After adjusting for the 30 mt fixed gear set-aside and the 8% buffer (Area 1A closes at 92% of the sub-ACL), the Area 1A sub-ACL is 3,050 mt. There is no research-set-aside for 2023.
 
In November 2022, the Board established the following seasonal allocations for the 2023 Area 1A sub-ACL: 72.8% available from June 1 – September 30 and 27.2% available from October 1 – December 31. Fishermen are prohibited from landing more than 2,000 pounds of Atlantic herring per day harvested from Area 1A until June 1, 2023.
 
Please contact Emilie Franke, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at 703.842.0716 orefranke@asmfc.org for more information.
 

ASMFC 2023 Spring Meeting Details, Preliminary Agenda, and Public Comment Guidelines

March 26, 2023 — The following was released by 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 2023 Spring Meeting, May 1 – 3, 2023, in Arlington, VA. This will be a hybrid meeting (both in-person and remote) to allow for remote participation by Commissioners and interested stakeholders; the details of which will be provided two weeks prior to the meeting. The agenda is also available at https://www.asmfc.org/home/2023-spring-meeting. Also attached is the travel authorization form, travel reimbursement guidelines, and directions to the hotel. The final agenda and materials will be available on April 19th on the Commission website at https://www.asmfc.org/home/2023-spring-meeting.

 
A block of rooms is being held at The Westin Crystal City, 1800 Richmond Highway, Arlington, VA  22202. Cindy Robertson will make Commissioner/Proxy reservations and will contact you regarding the details of your accommodations. Please notify Cindy of any changes to your travel plans that will impact your hotel reservations, otherwise you will incur no-show penalties. We greatly appreciate your cooperation.
 
For all other attendees, please reserve online via our group link at
Book your group rate for Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission May 2023 – May 01 – May 03, 2023 or call Marriott directly at 888.236.2427 as soon as possible and mention the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to obtain the group room rate of $258.00 plus tax single/dbl. Please be aware you must guarantee your room reservation with a major credit card or one night’s advance payment. Hotel reservations must be made by Wednesday, April 5, 2023.  Room availability will not be guaranteed beyond this date.  If you are being reimbursed by ASMFC for your travel, please make your reservation directly with the hotel. Reservations made through travel websites do not apply toward our minimum number of required reservations with the hotel. Please note, cancellations at The Westin must be made by 4:00 p.m. two days prior to arrival to avoid penalty and an early departure fee of $100 will apply when checking out prior to the confirmed date. If you have any problems regarding accommodations, please contact Cindy at 703.842.0740 or atcrobertson@asmfc.org.

Jonah Crab Benchmark Stock Assessment Workshop Scheduled for April 18-20 in New Bedford, MA

March 20, 2023 — The following was released by Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission will hold an in-person Jonah Crab Benchmark Stock Assessment Workshop at the UMass Dartmouth’s School for Marine Science & Technology, 706 South Rodney French Blvd., New Bedford, MA. The stock assessment, which will be the species’ first range-wide assessment, will evaluate the health of the Jonah crab population and inform its management. The Commission’s stock assessment process and meetings are open to the public, with the exception of discussions of confidential data*, when the public will be asked to leave the room.

Corrected American Lobster Draft Addendum XXVII Available for Public Comment

March 9, 2023 — The following was released by Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

An error has been identified in the previously released Draft Addendum XXVII to Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Lobster for public comment. Specifically, Section 3.2 (Issue 2, Option C) should have contained three steps in the proposed maximum gauge size changes for Area 3 and Outer Cape Cod rather than only two. The revised draft is available athttps://asmfc.org/files/AmericanLobster/AmLobsterDraftAddendumXXVII_PublicComment_Revised.pdf and the public comment deadline has been extended to April 8, 2023.

The Draft Addendum considers measures to increase protection of the Gulf of Maine/Georges Bank (GOM/GBK) spawning stock. Atlantic coastal states of Maine through New York are conducting hearings to gather public input on the Draft Addendum; some hearings will be conducted in-person, and some hearings will be conducted via webinar. Additional details on participating in the webinars can be found later in this release.
The American Lobster Management Board initiated Addendum XXVII in 2017 as a proactive measure to improve the resiliency of the GOM/GBK stock, responding to signs of reduced juvenile settlement and the combining of the GOM and GBK stocks following the 2015 Stock Assessment. Work on this addendum was paused due to the prioritization of work on take reduction efforts for North Atlantic right whales and the 2020 stock assessment. The Board reinitiated work on Draft Addendum XXVII in February 2021, and has since revised its goal to consider a trigger mechanism such that measures would be automatically implemented to increase the overall protection of the GOM/GBK spawning stock when a defined trigger level is reached. Draft Addendum XXVII also considers the standardization of management measures across Lobster Conservation Management Areas with the goal of providing a consistent conservation strategy and simplifying enforcement across management areas and interstate commerce.

New Web Page Highlights MAFMC Responses to Climate Change

March 7, 2023 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council is excited to announce the launch of a new web page highlighting the Council’s efforts to build resilient, climate-ready fisheries. The Climate Change and Mid-Atlantic Fisheries page is organized around eight themes:

  1. Strengthening partnerships to prepare for governance challenges
  2. Addressing changing distributions
  3. Monitoring emerging fisheries
  4. Implementing an ecosystem approach to fisheries management
  5. Incorporating climate information in management decisions
  6. Ensuring healthy fish habitat
  7. Advancing climate science
  8. Planning for the future

Climate change has the potential to affect all aspects of fisheries, from stock distribution and productivity to fisheries governance and management. Understanding and preparing for these impacts is critical to the long-term sustainability of Mid-Atlantic fisheries.

The new page provides a comprehensive overview of actions the Council has taken to enhance its adaptive capacity and address the effects of climate change on Mid-Atlantic fisheries. New information and resources will be added on an ongoing basis. Visit Climate Change and Mid-Atlantic Fisheries to learn more.