Saving Seafood

NOAA Supports American Lobster and Jonah Crab Research Fleet Led by Fishermen

October 14, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The Lobster and Jonah Crab Research Fleet, organized by the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation (CFRF), was established in 2013. It has collected biological data from nearly 160,000 American lobsters and about 90,000 Jonah crabs from the Gulf of Maine and south to the Mid-Atlantic.

In September, the Northeast Fisheries Science Center provided funding to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to support the research fleet’s work.

“I am thrilled that we were able to work with the Commission to provide support for the Lobster and Jonah Crab Research Fleet,” says Anna Mercer, Science Center  Cooperative Research Branch Chief. “The project exemplifies the value of working with fishermen to address science needs and has tangible impacts on the stock assessments and management of these valuable species. I look forward to following along as this research continues and expands.”

Read the full release here

ASMFC 79th Annual Meeting Supplemental Materials Now Available

October 14, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Supplemental materials for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 79th Annual Meeting Webinar are now available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2020-annual-meeting-webinar for the following Boards/Committees (click on “Supplemental” following each relevant committee header to access the information). For ease of access, supplemental meeting materials (with the exception of the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program Coordinating Council) have been combined into one PDF –http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/79AnnualMeeting/ASMFC79thAnnualMeetingSupplementalMaterials.pdf.  Below is the list of documents  included in the supplemental materials.

Atlantic Herring Management Board – Letter from Mike Pentony to New England Fishery Management Council

Winter Flounder Management Board – Draft Working Papers of the 2020 Assessment Update Reports for Gulf of Maine and Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic Winter Flounder Stocks

American Lobster Management Board – Draft Fishery Management Plan Reviews for the 2019 Fishing Year for American Lobster and Jonah Crab

Atlantic Menhaden Management Board – Advisory Panel Recommendations on 2021-2022 Fishery Specificationsand Public Comment

South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board – Revised Agenda & Meeting Overview; Atlantic Cobia Draft Addendum I Public Hearing and Written Comment Summaries; Draft Fishery Management Plan Reviews for the 2019 Fishing Year for Red Drum, Atlantic Croaker and Atlantic Cobia

Executive Committee – Revised Agenda

Horseshoe Crab Management Board – ARM Subcommittee and Delaware Bay Ecosystem Technical Committee Call Summary

Spiny Dogfish Management Board – Revised Meeting Overview; MAFMC Scientific and Statistical Committee Report: Revised Risk Policy for 2021

Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board – Public Information Document for Amendment 7 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass

ACCSP Coordinating Council – Draft Agenda; Draft Proceedings from October 2020; FY21 Proposals; Funding Decision Process; Committee & Program Updates

Business Session – Draft 2021 Action Plan

Live-Streaming

Board meeting proceedings will be broadcast daily via webinar beginning Monday, October 19 at 9:00 a.m. and continuing daily until the conclusion of the meeting (expected to be 1:45 p.m.) on Thursday, October 22. The webinar will allow registrants to listen to board deliberations and view presentations and motions as they occur. Meeting participants and attendees can register for the webinar at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1878402776294803471 (Webinar ID: 796-314-395).

Each day, the webinar will begin 30 minutes prior to the start of the first meeting so that people can troubleshoot any connectivity or audio issues they may encounter.  If you are having issues with the webinar (connecting to or audio-related issues), please contact Chris Jacobs at 703.842.0790.

If you are joining the webinar but will not be using VoIP, you can also call in at 562.247.8422 (a pin will be provided to you after joining the webinar); see webinar instructions  for details on how to receive the pin. For those who will not be joining the webinar but would like to listen in to the audio portion only, you can do so by dialing 562.247.8422 (access code: 225-820-088).

Public Comment Guidelines

With the intent of developing policies in the Commission’s procedures for public participation that result in a fair opportunity for public input, the ISFMP Policy Board has approved the following guidelines for use at management board meetings. Please note these guidelines have been modified to adapt to meetings via webinar.

The following timeline has been established for the submission of written comment for issues for which the Commission has NOT established a specific public comment period (i.e., in response to proposed management action). 

  1. Comments received 3 weeks prior to the start of the webinar (September 28) will be included in the briefing materials.
  2. Comments received by 5 PM on the Tuesday, October 13 will be included in the supplemental materials.
  3. Comments received by 10 AM on Friday, October 16 will be distributed electronically to Commissioners/Board members prior to the meeting.

Comments should be submitted via email at comments@asmfc.org. All comments must clearly indicate the commenter’s expectation from the ASMFC staff regarding distribution.

Red Drum Simulation Assessment Data Workshop Scheduled for November 9-10 & 12-13, 2020

October 14, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

As the first step in the development of the next red drum benchmark stock assessment, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has scheduled a Data Workshop for November 9-10 & 12-13, 2020 to review and evaluate available data sets for use in the stock assessment. The Workshop will be held via webinar and is open to the public. The Workshop details and agenda can be found at http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/RedDrumSimulationAssmtDataWorkshopAgenda_Nov2020.pdf.

For more information, please contact Savannah Lewis, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at slewis@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

Reminder: Public Hearings on ASMFC Draft Addendum XXXIII and MAFMC Black Sea Bass Commercial State Allocation Amendment

October 13, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

As a reminder, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) are holding a series of public hearings to gather public input on the Commission’s Draft Addendum XXXIII and the Council’s Black Sea Bass Commercial State Allocation Amendment. The draft amendment and addendum propose alternative approaches for allocating the coastwide black sea bass commercial quota among the states. This action also considers changes to federal regulations and Council management of state allocations.

To learn more about this action and the proposed management alternatives, download the Council or Commission’s public hearing documents at the links below, or view the public hearing presentation on the ASMFC’s YouTube Channel.

Stakeholders are encouraged to provide input either by participating in the public hearing webinars or providing written comments (scroll down for instructions).

Upcoming Hearings

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all hearings will be conducted via webinar, with designated hearings for individual states and regions. You are encouraged to participate in the hearing for your state or region; however, all hearings are open to all individuals. Please note that in order to comment during the hearings you will need to use GoToWebinar. If you call in without using GoToWebinar, you will be in listen only mode and will not be able to provide input. Webinar registration links and call-in information are provided in the Webinar Instructions below.

  1. North Carolina and Virginia – Tuesday, 10/13/2020, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
  2. Delaware and Maryland – Wednesday, 10/14/2020, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
  3. Connecticut and New York – Thursday, 10/15/2020, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
  4. New Jersey – Tuesday, 10/27/2020, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
  5. Rhode Island – Wednesday, 10/28/2020, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
  6. Massachusetts – Thursday, 10/29/2020, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

See the public hearing press release for a list of hearing officers and contact information.

Webinar Instructions

To register for a public hearing please click here: Public Hearing Registration. As part of the registration process, you must select the date and time of the hearing you wish to attend (see Table above).

You can access GoToWebinar through your computer, tablet, or smartphone. If you are new to GoToWebinar, you can download the software here or in the App store by searching “GoToWebinar.” We recommend you register for the hearing well in advance. GoToWebinar will provide you with a link to test your device’s compatibility with the webinar. If you find your device is not compatible, please contact the Commission at info@asmfc.org (subject line: GoToWebinar help) and they will try to get you connected. We also strongly encourage participants to use the computer voice over internet (VoIP) so you can ask questions and provide input at the hearing.

To attend the webinar in listen only mode, you may dial this number: 562.247.8422; Access Code: 412-241-258. Please note that those joining by phone only will be limited to listening to the presentation and will not be able to speak. In those cases, you can send your comments to staff via email, mail, or fax at any time during the public comment period.

Submit Written Comments

In addition to providing comments at any of the scheduled hearings, written comments will be accepted until 11:59 PM (EST) on November 13, 2020 and may be sent by any of the following methods:

  1. MAIL to Caitlin Starks, FMP Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, Virginia 22201
  2. FAX to 703.842.0741
  3. EMAIL to comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Black Sea Bass Addendum XXXIII)
  4. ONLINE at https://www.mafmc.org/comments/bsb-allocation

All comments will be made available to both the Commission and Council for consideration; duplicate comments do not need to be submitted to both bodies.

For more information, please contact Caitlin Starks, ASMFC FMP Coordinator, at cstarks@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

Meeting Summaries and Motions from the Joint ASMFC/MAFMC October Meeting Webinar

October 13, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Meeting summaries and motions from the Joint meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) and the Commission’s Bluefish and ISFMP Policy Boards are now available athttp://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/ASMFCBluefish_ISFMP_PolicyBoards_MAFMC_October2020.pdf. The document can also be obtained on the Commission website on the Meeting Archives page athttp://www.asmfc.org/home/meeting-archive.  Presentations and briefing materials are available on the MAFMC website at: https://www.mafmc.org/briefing/october-2020.

ASMFC Black Sea Bass Draft Addendum XXXIII/MAFMC Black Sea Bass Commercial State Allocation Amendment Hearings & Providing Input

October 9, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) have scheduled a series of public hearings to gather public input on the Commission’s Draft Addendum XXXIII and the Council’s Black Sea Bass Commercial State Allocation Amendment. The Commission initiated the Draft Addendum in October 2019 to consider adjusting the commercial black sea bass allocations based on current distribution and abundance of the stock. In December 2019, the Council initiated an amendment, which will consider including the allocations in the Council fishery management plan (FMP), modifying the state-specific allocations, and other changes to federal regulations.

Overview of Proposed Action

Draft Addendum XXXIII proposes alternative approaches for allocating the coastwide black sea bass commercial quota among the states. The following options are proposed: A) status quo; B) increasing Connecticut’s allocation to 5%; C) dynamic allocations partially based on regional stock distribution and partially on historic allocations; D) a trigger-based approach where only coastwide quota above a certain level would be distributed according to a different allocation scheme; E) another trigger-based approach where quota above the trigger would first be used to increase Connecticut and New York’s allocations to 5% and 9%, respectively; and F) distributing a percentage of coastwide quota using initial allocations and the remaining proportion differently. A variety of sub-options are included to set the scale and pace of the allocation changes. Several options incorporate information on regional stock biomass; therefore, options are also proposed to define regions.

The Draft Addendum and Council Amendment also propose options to consider changes to federal regulations and Council management of state allocations. These options address whether the state allocations should be added to the Council’s FMP or remain only in the Commission’s FMP, whether changes should be made to the regulations regarding paybacks of state quota overages if added to the Council’s FMP, and whether to modify regulations regarding federal in-season closures.

Read the full release here

ASMFC 79th Annual Meeting Webinar Final Agenda and Materials Now Available

October 7, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The final agenda and meeting materials for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 79th Annual Meeting Webinar (October 19-22, 2020) are now available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2020-annual-meeting-webinar; click on the relevant Board/Committee name to access the documents for that Board/Committee. For ease of access, all meeting documents, with the exception of the 2020 American Lobster Benchmark Stock Assessment and Peer Review Report (which is available as a separate link under American Lobster Management Board), have been combined into one document: Main Meeting Materials.

Supplemental materials will be posted to the website on Wednesday, October 14th. For those Boards that have FMP Reviews and Compliance Reports on their agendas, the compliance reports are not posted due to their large file sizes. If you would like a copy of a specific state’s or jurisdiction’s compliance report, please contact the respective FMP Coordinator.

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. It is our intent to begin at the scheduled start time for each meeting, however, if meetings run late the next meeting may start later than originally planned.

Board meeting proceedings will be broadcast daily via webinar beginning Monday, October 19 at 9 a.m. and continuing daily until the conclusion of the meeting (expected to be 1:45 p.m.) on Thursday, October 22. The webinar will allow registrants to listen to board deliberations and view presentations and motions as they occur. Meeting participants and attendees can register for the webinar athttps://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1878402776294803471 (Webinar ID: 796-314-395).

Each day, the webinar will begin 30 minutes prior to the start of the first meeting so that people can troubleshoot any connectivity or audio issues they may encounter.  If you are having issues with the webinar (connecting to or audio-related issues), please contact Chris Jacobs at 703.842.0790.

If you are joining the webinar but will not be using VoIP, you can also call in at 562.247.8422 (a pin will be provided to you after joining the webinar); see webinar instructions  for details on how to receive the pin. For those who will not be joining the webinar but would like to listen in to the audio portion only, you can do so by dialing 562.247.8422 (access code: 225-820-088).

Public Comment Guidelines

With the intent of developing policies in the Commission’s procedures for public participation that result in a fair opportunity for public input, the ISFMP Policy Board has approved the following guidelines for use at management board meetings. Please note these guidelines have been modified to adapt to meetings via webinar.

The following timeline has been established for the submission of written comment for issues for which the Commission has NOT established a specific public comment period (i.e., in response to proposed management action).

  1. Comments received 3 weeks prior to the start of the webinar (September 28) will be included in the briefing materials.
  2. Comments received by 5 PM on the Tuesday, October 13 will be included in the supplemental materials.
  3. Comments received by 10 AM on Friday, October 16 will be distributed electronically to Commissioners/Board members prior to the meeting.

Comments should be submitted via email at comments@asmfc.org. All comments must clearly indicate the commenter’s expectation from the ASMFC staff regarding distribution.

ASMFC Black Sea Bass Draft Addendum XXXIII/MAFMC Black Sea Bass Commercial State Allocation Amendment Public Hearing Presentation Now Available

October 2, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) have scheduled a series of public hearings to gather public input on the Commission’s Draft Addendum XXXIII and the Council’s Black Sea Bass Commercial State Allocation Amendment. The Commission initiated the Draft Addendum in October 2019 to consider adjusting the commercial black sea bass allocations based on current distribution and abundance of the stock. In December 2019, the Council initiated an amendment, which will consider including the allocations in the Council fishery management plan (FMP), modifying the state-specific allocations, and other changes to federal regulations.

Overview of Proposed Action

Draft Addendum XXXIII proposes alternative approaches for allocating the coastwide black sea bass commercial quota among the states. The following options are proposed: A) status quo; B) increasing Connecticut’s allocation to 5%; C) dynamic allocations partially based on regional stock distribution and partially on historic allocations; D) a trigger-based approach where only coastwide quota above a certain level would be distributed according to a different allocation scheme; E) another trigger-based approach where quota above the trigger would first be used to increase Connecticut and New York’s allocations to 5% and 9%, respectively; and F) distributing a percentage of coastwide quota using initial allocations and the remaining proportion differently. A variety of sub-options are included to set the scale and pace of the allocation changes. Several options incorporate information on regional stock biomass; therefore, options are also proposed to define regions.

The Draft Addendum and Council Amendment also propose options to consider changes to federal regulations and Council management of state allocations. These options address whether the state allocations should be added to the Council’s FMP or remain only in the Commission’s FMP, whether changes should be made to the regulations regarding paybacks of state quota overages if added to the Council’s FMP, and whether to modify regulations regarding federal in-season closures.

Hearing Schedule

The Commission and Council have scheduled seven public hearings to gather public input on the Draft Addendum and Council Amendment. Members of the commercial fishing industry and other stakeholders are encouraged to provide input either by participating in the public hearing webinars or providing written comment. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all hearings will be conducted via webinar, with designated hearings for individual states and regions. You are encouraged to participate in the hearing for your state or region; however, all hearings are open to all individuals. Please note that in order to comment during the hearings you will need to use GoToWebinar. If you call in without using GoToWebinar, you will be in listen only mode and will not be able to provide input. Webinar registration links and call-in information are provided in the Webinar Instructions below.

Webinar Instructions

You can access GoToWebinar through your computer, tablet, or smartphone. If you are new to GoToWebinar, you can download the software (click here) or via the App store under GoToWebinar. We recommend you register for the hearing well in advance. GoToWebinar will provide you with a link to test your device’s compatibility with the webinar. If you find your device is not compatible, please contact the Commission at info@asmfc.org (subject line: GoToWebinar help) and we will try to get you connected. We also strongly encourage participants to use the computer voice over internet (VoIP) so you can ask questions and provide input at the hearing. Those joining by phone only will be limited to listening to the presentation and will not be able to provide input. In those cases, you can send your comments to staff via email, mail, or fax at any time during the public comment period.

To register for a public hearing please click here: Public Hearing Registration 

As part of the registration process, you must select the date and time of the hearing you wish to attend (see Table above). To attend the webinar in listen only mode, you may dial this number: 562.247.8422; Access Code: 412-241-258. Please note that those joining by phone only will be limited to listening to the presentation and will not be able to provide input. In those cases, you can send your comments to staff via email, mail, or fax at any time during the public comment period.

Learn More

Draft Addendum XXXIII is available athttp://www.asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/BSB_DraftAddendumXXXIII_PublicComment.pdf or via the Commission’s website at http://www.asmfc.org/about-us/public-input. A recording of the hearing presentation will be posted on the Commission’s YouTube channel in late September. A subsequent press release will announce the availability of the recording.

Submit Written Comments

In addition to providing comments at any of the scheduled hearings, written comments will be accepted until 11:59 PM (EST) on November 13, 2020 and should be sent to Caitlin Starks, FMP Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, Virginia 22201; 703.842.0741 (fax) or at comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Black Sea Bass Addendum XXXIII).  All comments will be made available to both the Commission and Council for consideration; duplicate comments do not need to be submitted to both bodies.

For more information, please contact Caitlin Starks, ASMFC FMP Coordinator, at cstarks@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

ASMFC to Convene Jonah Crab Data Workshop

September 25, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission will convene a Data Workshop to evaluate data for future stock assessments. Currently, there is no stock-wide assessment for Jonah crab. The purpose of the workshop is to evaluate all available data sources to determine whether enough data of sufficient quality are available to conduct a stock assessment.  The Workshop will be conducted virtually by webinar November 16-18, 2020, and is open to the public. The workshop agenda will be available on the Commission’s website at http://www.asmfc.org/calendar/11/2020/Jonah-Crab-Data-Workshop/1623 in advance of the workshop.

In preparation for the workshop, the Commission is requesting data from academia, member states, federal partners, non-governmental organizations, participating jurisdictions and stakeholders. The Commission welcomes the submission of data sources that will aid in conducting a stock-wide benchmark stock assessment and allow for a determination of stock status. This includes, but is not limited to, data on catch per unit effort, tag-recapture data, biological samples (individual length and weight), and life history information (growth, maturity, natural mortality). For data sets to be considered, the data must be sent in the required format with accompanying description of methods to Jeff Kipp, Senior Stock Assessment Scientist, at jkipp@asmfc.org by November 2, 2020.

For more information about the workshop including presentation of materials, please contact Caitlin Starks, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at cstarks@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

JIM HUTCHINSON JR: What I’m Reading

September 22, 2020 — I received a regular email update (Atlantic Coast Fisheries News) from the ASMFC Communications Team on August 26th which contained an interesting section called What We’re Reading featuring links to various online articles that ASMFC staff finds interesting in their daily work.  You tell me if these stories are in any way related to bunker, shad, stripers or tautog. There’s a Wildlife Conservation Society story about statues at the Central Park Zoo in New York City, an appeal by Ocean Conservancy about COVID-19’s effect on marine sciences with instructions on “writing to your representatives” and a link to something called The Revelator about “The 10 Hottest Climate Change Books of Summer.”

ASMFC staff suggests an article from the NY Times entitled “Why Some Tropical Fish Are Gettin’ Squiggly With It” and another from the British tabloid The Guardian about visiting California’s Monterey Bay aquarium via the web.  There’s also a piece from the Canadian based publication Hakai about British Columbia fish farming, as well as a Mother Jones hit piece through a Seattle based non-profit called Grist about President Trump, Kanye West and the greater sage-grouse.

But from a private sector perspective, if you run a widget factory and learn your staff spends a good portion of their work day catching up on the NY Times best seller list or reading up on the indigenous people of Bolivia as spotlighted in the September 3 edition of Atlantic Coast Fisheries News, what exactly would you do?

Read the full opinion piece at The Fisherman