Saving Seafood

ASMFC Withdraws the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Atlantic Menhaden Noncompliance Finding

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

Today, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission notified the Secretary of Commerce that the Commonwealth of Virginia is in compliance with Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Menhaden. Specifically, the Commonwealth has promulgated regulations to implement the 51,000 metric ton (mt) Chesapeake Bay reduction fishery cap (cap). For the 2020 fishing season, the Commonwealth set the cap at approximately 36,000 mt, nearly 15,000 mt below Amendment 3’s cap to reflect overages that occurred in 2019. The Virginia Marine Resources Commission, which now has regulatory authority for menhaden management in state waters, will set the cap at 51,000 mt in 2021 as long as catch is below the cap set in 2020.

“I would like to thank my fellow Virginia Commissioners, Governor Northam, Secretary Strickler, the Virginia General Assembly, and the Virginia Marine Resources Commission for their attention to this issue,” stated Patrick Keliher, ASMFC Chair and Commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources. “We are appreciative of their hard work to bring the Commonwealth back into compliance prior to the effective date of the moratorium.”

Under the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act, upon receiving notification that a state has come back into compliance with a mandatory management measure, the Secretary of Commerce determines whether the state is in compliance. If he concurs with the Commission’s compliance finding, the moratorium is terminated immediately.

NOAA Fisheries Announces Final 2020 and Projected 2021 Scup and Black Sea Bass Specifications

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

We are implementing the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s recommended 2020 specifications for the scup and black sea bass fisheries. The revised specifications are based on recently completed operational stock assessments. The projected 2021 specifications are also included in this rule.

For more information, read the final rule as filed in the Federal Register, and our permit holder bulletin.

Read the full release here

Maryland seafood industry to receive $4.1M in federal funds

May 13, 2020 — Maryland’s seafood industry is taking a big hit from the coronavirus pandemic, but millions in financial relief is on the way.

Maryland’s congressional delegation announced Tuesday the state fishing industry will receive $4.1 million through the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Tribes, commercial fishing businesses, charter/for-hire fishing businesses, qualified aquaculture operations, processors and other fishery-related businesses are eligible for this relief.

Read the full story at WBAL

MAINE: Elver price plummets; lobster industry seeks help

May 13, 2020 — Earning a living as a fisherman is tough in the best of times. Right now, times are bad and Maine fishermen have to hope they don’t get any worse.

Last year, according to the Department of Marine Resources, Maine harvesters landed 9,620 pounds of elvers — juvenile eels — and dealers paid $20,119,194 for the catch, an average price of $2,091 per pound for the fishermen.

Things are markedly different in this year of the coronavirus pandemic.

DMR reported that, as of 6 p.m. Sunday, just 42 days into an already shortened fishing season, licensed dealers had already reported buying a total of about 9,353 pounds of elvers for a total of $4,877,240, an average price of $521 per pound, a $1,570 drop from last year in the price paid to elver harvesters.

While the season still has slightly more than three weeks left, only 267 pounds of the state’s annual elver quota established by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission remains unharvested. Of that total, no more than 99 pounds is available to harvesters licensed by DMR. At least 138 pounds of the unharvested quota is allocated among fishermen licensed by the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians or the government of the Penobscot Nation.

Read the full story at The Ellsworth American

FLORIDA: Funding process for Keys fishermen slowly unfolds

May 13, 2020 — Both commercial and for-hire fishermen in the Florida Keys hit hard by the economic shutdown spurred by the novel coronavirus may apply to receive a portion of $23.6 million allocated to the state through the CARES Act Stimulus.

Of the $300 million slugged for federal fisheries’ assistance, Florida is to receive about 12.7%, or the fourth largest share behind Alaska, Washington and Massachusetts.

While Capt. Bill Kelly, executive director of the Florida Keys Commercial Fishermen’s Association, says the Keys fisheries have been slighted, he remains optimistic about the upcoming lobster season.

“This pales in comparison to what was made available to the agriculture and livestock industries, but this is what we have to work with,” he said Monday. “We have a lot to be concerned over. It was the importance of the Keys fishermen that helped us out [in Monroe] of the 2008 recession fairly well. We could have the same rebound if we, in fact, maintain a strong fishery. We export 80% of live lobster to China, and when that fishery reopens on Aug. 6, we don’t know what the market in China will be. We’re hoping for a strong market.”

NOAA will administer the funds through the interstate marine fisheries arms. For here, that’s the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which will, in turn, contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to identify and establish a plan for fishermen to apply for funds.

Read the full story at Florida Keys News

Atlantic Herring Area 1A 2020 Effort Controls

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

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Herring Management Board members from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts set the effort control measures for the 2020 Area 1A (inshore Gulf of Maine) fishery for Season 1 (June-September).

The Area 1A sub-annual catch limit (ACL) is 2,957 metric tons (mt) after adjusting for the research set-aside, the 30 mt fixed gear set-aside, and the fact that Area 1A closes at 92% of the sub-ACL. In October 2019, the Atlantic Herring Management Board implemented seasonal allocations for the 2020 fishery which allocates the Area 1A sub-ACL between June-September (72.8%) and October-December (27.2%).

Days Out of the Fishery

  • Landing days will be set at zero from June 1 until the start of the fishery on July 19 in Maine and July 20 in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
  • Vessels with an Atlantic herring Limited Access Category A permit that have declared into the Area 1A fishery may land herring four (4) consecutive days a week. One landing per 24 hour period. Vessels are prohibited from landing or possessing herring caught from Area 1A during a day out of the fishery.
    • Landings days in Maine begin on Sunday of each week at 6:00 p.m. starting July 19.
    • Landing days in New Hampshire and Massachusetts begin on Monday of each week at 12:01 a.m. starting July 20.
  • Small mesh bottom trawl vessels with an Atlantic herring Limited Access Category C or Open Access D permit that have declared into the fishery may land herring five (5) consecutive days a week.

Weekly Landing Limit

  • Vessels with an Atlantic herring Category A permit may harvest up to 240,000 lbs. (6 trucks) per harvester vessel, per week starting July 19 in Maine and July 20 in New Hampshire and Massachusetts

At-Sea Transfer and Carrier Restrictions

The following applies to harvester vessels with an Atlantic herring Category A permit and carrier vessels landing herring caught in Area 1A to a Maine, New Hampshire, or Massachusetts port.

  • A harvester vessel may transfer herring at-sea to another harvester vessel.
  • A harvester vessel may not make any at-sea transfers to a carrier vessel.
  • Carrier vessels may not receive at-sea transfers from a harvester vessel.

Fishermen are prohibited from landing more than 2,000 pounds of Atlantic herring per trip from Area 1A until July 19 or 20, 2020, depending on the state. Landings will be closely monitored and the fishery will be adjusted to zero landing days when the seasonal period quota is projected to be reached.

For more information, please contact Max Appelman, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at mappelman@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

The announcement, including motions from yesterday’s days out meeting, can be found here –http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/5ebc0a0eAtlHerringDaysOutMeasures_May2020.pdf

Maine fishing industry to receive $20.1M in federal aid

May 11, 2020 — Maine’s fishing industry will receive $20.1 million out of $300 million in federal economic relief designated for U.S. fishermen and seafood industries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fishery participants eligible for funding include commercial fishing businesses, charter and for-hire fishing businesses, qualified aquaculture operations, processors and other fishery-related businesses, according to a news release. Tribes are also eligible for funding including for any negative impacts to subsistence, cultural, or ceremonial fisheries.

The shutdown of restaurants and other outlets serving fresh seafood has decimated the the supply chain of fishermen and seafood processors.

In 2019, Maine’s fishing industry generated a value for harvesters and aquaculture operators of more than $673 million, which translates to approximately $2 billion in overall value when accounting for the value added by dealers and processors.

Read the full story at MaineBiz

ASMFC 2020 Spring Meeting Webinar Summaries, Motions and Presentations Now Available

May 8, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Meeting summaries and motions from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 2020 Spring Meeting Webinar are now available at http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/2020SpringMeeting/2020SpringMeetingSummary.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 are also available on the Spring Meeting Webinar webpage at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2020-spring-meeting-webinar under the Board/Committee header (click onto presentations link).

Audio files from this week’s meetings will be posted at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2020-spring-meeting-webinar early next week.