Saving Seafood

PUBLIC COMMENT TO SHAPE FUTURE OF ROCKFISH HARVEST

February 11, 2021 — Managing rockfish (striped bass) is like managing the Orioles or Nationals: everybody has an opinion on how to do it. Even as we acknowledge the significant challenges that Major League Baseball managers face, the rockfish issue is a lot more complicated. After all, it concerns tens of millions of fish swimming the Atlantic coast past 13 jurisdictions from North Carolina to Canada. The most recent data indicate that our beloved rock are overfished, and that we are overfishing them. Worse yet, the current version of the management plan in effect along the coast dates from 2003.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), which has legal authority to coordinate and enforce each jurisdiction’s local management plans, seeks to develop a new coastwide plan, to be known as Amendment 7. At its winter meeting last week, ASMFC’s commissioners (made up of three representatives from each Atlantic state, plus the Potomac River Fisheries Commission, the US Fish & Wildlife Service, and NOAA) approved a Public Information Document (PID), asking for written comment from “stakeholders” (that’s any of us concerned with the health of these iconic fish) through April 9. The commission will also conduct public hearings, probably by webinar with dates and information announced on its web site.

It reads, “The purpose of this document [the PID] is to inform the public of the commission’s intent to gather information concerning Atlantic striped bass and to provide an opportunity for the public to identify major issues and alternatives relative to the management of this species. Input received at the start of the amendment process can have a major influence in the final outcome of the amendment.”

Read the full story at the Chesapeake Bay Magazine

Presentations and Audio Files from ASMFC’s 2021 Winter Meeting Now Available

February 9, 2021 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Presentations and audio files from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 2021 Winter Meeting Webinar are now available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2021-winter-meeting-webinar;  go to the relevant board/committee header and click on either Presentations or Audio.  Audio files can also be found on the Commission’s YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/ASMFCvideos.

Atlantic Striped Bass Board Approves Draft Amendment 7 PID for Public Comment

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

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board approved for public comment the Public Information Document (PID) for Draft Amendment 7 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic Striped Bass. As the first step in the amendment process, the PID seeks input from stakeholders and those interested in striped bass about changes observed in the fishery/resource and potential management measures.

The last time a new plan amendment to the Atlantic Striped Bass FMP was adopted was in 2003 (Amendment 6). Since then, the status and understanding of the striped bass stock and fishery has changed considerably which raises concern that the current management program no longer reflects current fishery needs and priorities. The results of the 2018 Benchmark Stock Assessment in particular led the Board to discuss a number of prominent issues facing striped bass management. Consequently, the Board initiated the development of Amendment 7 in August 2020.

The purpose of the PID is to solicit stakeholder input on prioritizing the importance of each topic for continued development and potential inclusion in the Draft Amendment. The PID considers the following management topics: (1) fishery goals and objectives; (2) biological reference points; (3) management triggers; (4) stock rebuilding targets and schedule; (5) regional management; (6) management program equivalency (conservation equivalency); (7) recreational release mortality; (8) recreational accountability; (9) coastal commercial quota allocation; and (10) other issues raised in public comments.

Stakeholders are encouraged to provide input on the PID either by attending state public hearings or providing written comment. It is anticipated that states from Maine through North Carolina will be conducting public hearings, likely in a virtual format, in March and April 2021. A subsequent press release will provide the details of those hearings. The Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board will meet at the Commission’s 2021 Spring Meeting in May to consider public comment and provide direction to staff for items to be included in Draft Amendment 7.

The PID is available at http://www.asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/StripedBassAm7PID_PublicComment_Feb2021.pdf or via the Commission’s website, www.asmfc.org, under Public Input. Public comment will be accepted until 5 PM (EST) on April 9, 2021 and should be forwarded to Emilie Franke, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St, Suite 200A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or at comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Striped Bass PID). For more information, please contact Emilie Franke, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, atefranke@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

ASMFC 2021 Winter Meeting Webinar Press Releases, Meeting Summaries, and Motions Now Available

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

Press releases, meeting summaries and motions from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 2021 Winter Meeting Webinar are now available athttp://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/2021WinterMeetingWebinar/2021WinterMeetingSummary.pdf.  The document can also be obtained on the Commission website on the Meeting Archives page at http://www.asmfc.org/home/meeting-archive.

Presentations and audio files from this week’s meetings will be posted at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2021-winter-meeting-webinar early next week.

ASMFC and MAFMC Approve Changes to State Allocations of Commercial Black Sea Bass Quota

February 4, 2021 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board (Board) and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) jointly approved several changes to the management program for black sea bass commercial fisheries. These changes include modifying the state allocations of the commercial black sea bass quota, adding the state allocations to the Council’s Fishery Management Plan (FMP), and modifying the regulations for federal in-season closures. The Board adopted the new allocations through Addendum XXXIII to the Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass FMP, while the Council recommended these changes through an amendment to its FMP. These actions address significant changes in the distribution of black sea bass that have occurred since the original allocations were implemented under Amendment 13 in 2003 and also account for the historical dependence of the states on the black sea bass fishery.

Under the approved changes, Connecticut’s baseline allocation will increase from 1% to 3% of the coastwide quota to address its disproportionally low allocation compared to the increased availability of black sea bass in state waters. The state allocations will then be calculated by allocating 75% of the coastwide quota according to the new baseline allocations (historical allocations modified to account for Connecticut’s increase to 3%) and 25% to three regions based on the most recent regional biomass distribution information from the stock assessment (see Table 1). The three regions are: 1) Maine-New York, 2) New Jersey, and 3) Delaware-North Carolina. The regional allocations will be distributed among states within a region in proportion to their baseline allocations, except Maine and New Hampshire will each receive 1% of the northern region quota. Because the allocations are based in part on the regional biomass distribution from the stock assessment, they will be adjusted if a new assessment indicates a change to the biomass distribution. The Board and Council committed to reevaluating the approved state allocation system within 5 years.

The Council and Board agreed to add the state allocations to the Council’s FMP. As a result, future modifications to the allocations will require a joint action of the Board and Council. Additionally, they approved a change to the federal regulations such that the entire black sea bass commercial fishery will close in-season for all federally permitted vessels and dealers once landings are projected to exceed the coastwide quota plus an additional buffer of up to 5%. The buffer aims to minimize negative economic impacts of a coastwide closures on states that have not fully harvested their quotas. The Council and Board considered, but did not adopt, changes to the regulations for paybacks of state quota overages; states will only be required to pay back overages of their state quota if the coastwide quota is exceeded.

Read the full release here

Gathering data will help manage our coastal resources

February 4, 2021 — Resource management is a tricky thing. That’s especially true in the marine environment where things are so interconnected. Nutrients literally float from one area to the next and the larvae of spawning sea creatures similarly drift from place to place. Marine species do not abide by borders but are instead are a part of a larger ecosystem where things literally flow from one location to another.

For this reason, there are few marine species that are managed at a municipal level. Some, like lobster, are managed by the state – by Maine’s Department of Marine Resources. The DMR has jurisdiction over subtidal waters (those below mean low water) throughout the state. Others, like stripers, are managed by interstate groups like the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Council. And others, like cod and haddock, are managed regionally by bodies like the New England Fisheries Management Council. They have jurisdiction over waters beyond three miles from shore classified as federal water.

So, what does that leave for the municipalities? That’s a seemingly tiny sliver of intertidal coast. But, this sliver often isn’t tiny at all. It is shallow and broad and supports a valuable array of shellfish species like soft shell, hard shell, and razor clams. While these species do move around as larvae, they are more likely to stay put than other more mobile creatures. For that reason, these are the resources that each town is in charge of managing under a system called co-management. This means that towns work with the DMR who helps to classify areas that are safe for harvesting in terms of water quality and also helps with enforcing statewide regulations.

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

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

Menhaden Fisheries Coalition Members Call on ASMFC for a Fair and Equitable Reallocation Process

February 1, 2021 — The following was released by the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition:

As the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) undertakes a performance review of the Atlantic menhaden fishery, members of the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition (MFC) are urging 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 call came in a letter to ASMFC Menhaden Board Chair A.G. “Spud” Woodward, signed by several organizations in the menhaden bait and marine ingredient industries, representing several states including New Jersey, Virginia and Maryland.  The signatories of the letter include New Jersey’s Lund’s Fisheries, Virginia’s Omega Protein, Reedville Bait, and Kellum Maritime, and Delmarva Fisheries Association based in Maryland.

While it is currently unclear whether the ASMFC will initiate an action to revisit current menhaden quota allocations, the letter asks the Commission to recognize in any possible decision factors such as changing patterns in landings, strong demand for menhaden products, and the need to ensure that the fishing industry has a fair opportunity to harvest their quota.

Specifically, the letter highlights the disparity between how the quota is currently distributed among states and where the harvest is occurring, impeding efforts to fully harvest the quota. The letter asks that if the Commission pursues quota reallocation, that it recognizes the few states that have already sacrificed some of their historical quota share, and that it ensures that the burden of any new cuts is fairly distributed throughout the stock’s range. Traditionally, both current use and a state’s fishing history are key determinants in resource allocations made by the Commission.

“Since the menhaden quota was established in 2012, cuts have come almost entirely at the expense of New Jersey and Virginia fishermen,” said Wayne Reichle, President of Lund’s Fisheries. “Now that the Commission has decided to reduce the quota for ecological reasons, the conservation burden needs to be fairly shared throughout the fishery, not by taking allocation from the two states with the largest historical fisheries.”

The menhaden fishery has changed significantly since the ASMFC passed Amendment 3 to its menhaden Fishery Management Plan in 2017. The Commission has adopted Ecological Reference Points (ERPs) to better account for the role that menhaden play in the ecosystem and has instituted a 10 percent cut in the coastwide quota. Also, a significant new bait fishery has developed in Gulf of Maine states, which join Virginia and New Jersey as a top harvesting region.

According to the letter, these changes have resulted in “a significant mismatch between the total menhaden catch allocation (TAC) and its actual use.” For this reason, the Coalition urges the Commission to focus any possible reallocation decisions to ensure the fishery can reach its optimum yield. It argues that “provid[ing] a reasonable opportunity for the bait and marine ingredients fisheries to fully harvest the amount of menhaden [the Commission] has determined to be sustainable” is particularly important as fishing communities have suffered economic harm by pandemic-related reductions in demand for other seafood products.

The ASMFC’s Menhaden Board takes up its review of this fishery tomorrow afternoon.

Final Supplemental Materials for ASMFC 2021 Winter Meeting

January 29, 2021 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The final portion of supplemental materials for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 2021 Winter Meeting Webinar are now available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2021-winter-meeting-webinar for the following Boards/Committees (click on “Supplemental” following each relevant committee header to access the information). For ease of access, these materials have been combined into one PDF – http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/2021WinterMeetingWebinar/2021WinterMeetingSupplemental2.pdf.  Below is the list of documents included in the supplemental materials.

American Lobster Management Board – Revised Memo on Review of American Lobster Stock Status, Reference Points, and Recommendations from 2020 Benchmark Assessment and Peer Review (memo has been revised to replace mislabeled abundance and exploitation graphs for the Southern New England stock). This document has been replaced in the American Lobster Board’s main meeting materials on 1/28/2021 and is provided at the Supplemental2 link under the Lobster Board.

Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board & Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council – Correspondence to both bodies from Senator Charles Schumer and the Connecticut Congressional Members

Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board – Public comment

As a reminder, Board meeting proceedings will be broadcast daily via webinar beginning Monday, February 1 at  9:30 a.m. and continuing daily until the conclusion of the meeting (expected to be 4:30 p.m.) on Thursday, February 4. The webinar will allow registrants to listen to board deliberations and view presentations and motions as they occur. To register for the webinar go to https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4886491769864000527, Webinar ID# 151-774-483.

When registering, Commissioners, proxies, and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council members (for Monday’s meeting), are requested to place two zeros (00) prior to their names (e.g., 00Toni Kerns). Detailed instructions on joining and participating in the webinars can be found athttp://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/2021WinterMeetingWebinar/Webinar_Instructions_Winter2021.pdf.