Saving Seafood

ASMFC 2020 Spring Meeting Preliminary Agenda and Public Comment Guidelines

March 11, 2020 — 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 2020 Spring Meeting, May 4-7, 2020, in Arlington, VA. The agenda is also available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2020-spring-meeting.  Included in the attachment are the travel authorization form, travel reimbursement guidelines, and directions to the hotel. Materials will be available on April 22, 2020 on the Commission website at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2020-spring-meeting. Currently, we are moving forward with our Spring Meeting. However, we continue to monitor the progress of the coronavirus and will notify you should we need to make any changes to the meeting.   

A block of rooms is being held at The Westin Crystal City, 1800 S. Eads Street, 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 Star Group Website at http://www.starwoodhotels.com/or call The Westin Crystal City at 703.486.1111 as soon as possible and mention the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to obtain the group room rate of $256.00 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 Monday, April 6, 2020.  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 at all regarding accommodations please contact Cindy at 703.842.0740 or at crobertson@asmfc.org.

ASMFC 2019 Annual Report Now Available

March 4, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is pleased to present our 2019 Annual Report, http://www.asmfc.org/files/pub/2019AnnualReport_Web.pdf. The report fulfills our obligation to inform Congress on the Commission’s use of public funds, and provides stakeholders with an overview of activities and progress in carrying out our cooperative stewardship responsibilities for the marine, shell, and diadromous species under our care.

In the report, you will find a quick guide to stock status for the 27 species groups the Commission manages; a fisheries management section, which focuses on species which had the most significant management or stock assessment activities in 2019; and sections highlighting our major accomplishments in 2019 in the areas of fisheries science, habitat conservation, and fishery-dependent data collection and management. Please visit the Commission’s website at www.asmfc.org for additional information on any of our programs or activities.

This report reflects our Commissioners’ commitment to accountability and transparency in all they do to manage and rebuild stocks under their care. We hope that you will find the information contained within this report useful and interesting.

MAINE: Herring hearing

March 2, 2020 — Atlantic herring, which is the fish used for bait by most Maine lobstermen, was expensive and hard to come by in 2019.

In 2020, the catch limit set by interstate fishery regulators will be even lower than last year, but the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is working on ways to provide more flexibility in how the quota is allocated.

A hearing on Draft Addendum III for the herring fishery management plan is planned for March 9 at 6 p.m. at the Maine Department of Marine Resources Augusta office.

Read the full story at the Mount Desert Islander

MAFMC and ASMFC to Hold Scoping Hearings for Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass

February 26, 2020 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) have scheduled a series of scoping hearings to gather public input on the range of issues and information to be considered in the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Commercial/Recreational Allocation Amendment. Hearings will be held February 13 – March 3. Written comments will be accepted through March 17, 2020. All comments provided at public hearings or in writing will be presented to the Council and Commission.

This amendment will consider potential modifications to the allocations of catch or landings between the commercial and recreational sectors for summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass. The commercial and recreational allocations for all three species were set in the mid-1990s based on historical proportions of landings (for summer flounder and black sea bass) or catch (for scup) from each sector. In July 2018, the Marine Recreational Information Program released revisions to its time series of catch (harvest and discards) estimates. These revisions resulted in much higher recreational catch estimates compared to previous estimates, affecting the entire time series of data going back to 1981. Some changes have also been made to commercial catch data since the allocations were established. The current commercial and recreational allocation percentages for all three species do not reflect the current understanding of the recent and historic proportions of catch and landings from the two sectors. This amendment will consider whether changes to these allocations are warranted.

Scoping is the first and best opportunity to raise concerns related to the scope of issues that will be considered. You are encouraged to submit comments on which options may or may not be useful or practical for meeting the goal of this action and any other relevant issues the Council and Commission should consider.

Learn More

The Scoping and Public Information Document linked below contains background information on summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass management and on issues that may be addressed in the amendment, as well as a description of the amendment process and timeline. Additional information and updates on development of this amendment are available on the amendment action page.

Read the full release here

MASSACHUSETTS: Gloucester to host hearing on herring rules

February 18, 2020 — Cape Ann fishermen and other stakeholders will have a chance to weigh in on a plan to better manage the New England fishery for Atlantic herring next month.

Interstate fishing regulators are holding a hearing at 6 p.m. March 2 at the state Division of Marine Fisheries’ Annisquam River Station, 30 Emerson Ave. in Gloucester. Other hearings will be held March 3 in Wakefield and Portsmouth, New Hampshire; March 9 in Augusta, Maine, and by webinar on March 12.

Herring are important economically because they serve as key bait for the lobster and tuna industries. They’re also used as food for human consumption. But perhaps most important, the fish is a critical part of the marine ecosystem because it serves as food for whales, seals and larger fish.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission said in a statement that a recent assessment of the herring stock found downward trends in the health of the population.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Regulators to hold hearings about planned changes to New England’s herring fishery

February 14, 2020 — Interstate fishing regulators are holding a series of public hearings in March about plans to try to better manage the fishery for Atlantic herring.

Herring are the subject of a major fishery on the East Coast, as the fish are used as food for humans and as bait for species such as lobsters. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission said in a statement that a recent assessment of the herring stock found downward trends in the health of the population.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Bangor Daily News

Changes to herring business subject to New England hearings

February 13, 2020 — Interstate fishing regulators are holding a series of public hearings in March about plans to try to better manage the fishery for Atlantic herring.

Herring are the subject of a major fishery on the East Coast, as the fish are used as food for humans and as bait for species such as lobsters. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission said in a statement that a recent assessment of the herring stock found downward trends in the health of the population.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at WGME

Presentations and Audio Files from ASMFC’s 2020 Winter Meeting Now Available

February 11, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The presentations and audio files from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 2020 Winter Meeting are now available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2020-winter-meeting;  go to the relevant board/committee header and click on either “Presentations” or “Audio.” Please note there is no audio file for the South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board due to technical difficulties in recording the Board’s proceedings resulting from a remote presentation at that meeting.

REVISED: States Schedule Hearings on Atlantic Herring Draft Addendum III (NEFMC hearing added to schedule)

February 11, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic coastal states of Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts have scheduled their hearings to gather public input on Draft Addendum III. The details of those hearings and the public hearing webinar follow:

Maine Department of Marine Resources

  • March 9, 2020 at 6 PM
  • ME DMR Augusta Office 32 Blossom Lane, Room 118 Augusta,
  • Maine Contact: Megan Ware at 207.624.6563

New Hampshire Fish and Game

  • March 3, 2020 at 6 PM
  • Urban Forestry Center 45 Elwyn Road Portsmouth, New Hampshire
  • Contact: Cheri Patterson at 603.868.1095

Read the full release here

Atlantic Cobia Benchmark Stock Assessment Finds Resource Not Overfished Nor Experiencing Overfishing: South Atlantic Board Sets Harvest Specifications & Initiates Addendum

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

The Commission’s South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board accepted the Atlantic Cobia Benchmark Stock Assessment and Peer Review Report, including new reference points, for management use. The assessment, which was conducted through the Southeast Data, Assessment, and Review (SEDAR) process, evaluated the Atlantic stock of cobia, which extends from the Georgia/Florida border north. Assessment results indicate the stock is not overfished and overfishing is not occurring.

Spawning stock biomass (SSB) has been above the overfished threshold throughout the timeframe (1986-2017), indicating the coastwide stock is not overfished. SSB has shown several large increases following years of high recruitment, the most recent following the 2011 recruitment peak, with the largest SSB in the time series occurring in 2013. These peaks in SSB have been followed by declines when recruitment moves back towards its average. While SSB has undergone a steep decline since the 2013 peak, SSB remains above the overfished threshold.

This assessment used recalibrated recreational catch data from the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP). Landings of Atlantic cobia have generally increased since the 1980s, primarily driven by the recreational fishery, which accounts for about 96% of the total landings. Fishing mortality showed some increase in the most recent years, but did not approach the overfishing threshold, indicating the coastwide stock has not undergone overfishing during the assessment timeframe.

Read the full release here