Saving Seafood

New striped bass regulations prove costly to Virginia’s fishing businesses

January 3, 2020 — Fishing rods were rigged and ready to go on the back of the Top Dog as Capt. Neil Lessard peered out into a thick covering of fog.

He had been excited about having an afternoon fishing trip in the Chesapeake Bay, where he hoped to put customers onto the fighting end of some big striped bass.

But the trip had to be canceled because of the weather. Normally that wouldn’t be a problem. He’d have another charter the next day. But the way this season has gone for area captains, every last trip could be the difference between food on the table or going broke.

New striped bass regulations adopted by Virginia this fall aren’t just hurting charter captains. Marinas, bait and tackle shops, gas stations, and restaurants all are reporting lower than usual sales. Two of the three hotels around Cape Charles shut down weeks ago because of a lack of customers.

Federal fisheries managers earlier this year issued statements saying the population of striped bass along the East Coast and in the Chesapeake Bay had been declining for several years because of overfishing, and that drastic measures needed to be taken to prevent a total crash of the stock.

Read the full story at The Daily News

Omega Protein says it will cooperate on Chesapeake menhaden cap

December 20, 2019 — Omega Protein said it will cooperate with interstate menhaden managers, after the Department of Commerce set a June 17, 2020 deadline for Virginia to come into compliance with the Chesapeake Bay cap on its reduction fishery or face a moratorium.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross formally concurred with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission finding of non-compliance, after the commission in October voted to insist the Reedville, Va.-based Omega Protein must adhere to the commission’s 51,000 metric tons bay cap.

Chris Oliver, the NOAA assistant administrator for fisheries, notified the commission Thursday of Ross’ decision.

“NOAA Fisheries also finds that this management measure is necessary for the conservation of the menhaden resource,” Oliver wrote in a letter to the commission. “The best available information shows that menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay are an important component of the overall health of the stock, and further that their role as forage for predator species in the Chesapeake Bay is critical to the marine environment.”

Omega officials, who faced off with critics for months before the commission vote, pledged Thursday to work toward solutions.

“Omega Protein will work with both the ASMFC and the Commonwealth of Virginia to lift the moratorium and bring the fishery back into compliance,” the company said in a prepared statement. “The company looks forward to working with the commission in the coming months as we move toward ecosystem-based measures, and will continue to support science-based fishery management and a healthy menhaden fishery.”

Read the full story at National Fisherman

ASMFC 2020 Winter Meeting Preliminary Agenda & Public Comment Guidelines

December 20, 2019 — 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 Winter Meeting, February 4-6, 2020, in Arlington, VA. The agenda is also available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2020-winter-meeting. Materials will be available on January 22, 2020 on the Commission website at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2020-winter-meeting.

A block of rooms is being held at The Westin Crystal City, 1800 S. Eads Street, Arlington, VA 22202. Please make your reservation 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 $184.00 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, January 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.

Read the full release here

ASMFC: 2019 Issue of Habitat Hotline Atlantic Now Available

December 20, 2019 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The 2019 issue of Habitat Hotline Atlantic is now available here.

In This Issue

Marine Aquaculture Along the Atlantic Coast and Beyond
Aquaculture and the Needy Fish: An Introduction to the Fishy Aspects of Farming the Sea — 1
Restorative Aquaculture: Can Farming Shellfish and Seaweed Provide Habitat Benefits? — 3
Combining Shellfish and Seaweed Aquaculture in Bioerxtraction of Nutrients in Long Island Sound — 4
Growing Innovative Aquaculture in the Waters of Hawaii — 5
Aquaculture and ASMFC — 15 
Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership Update
Massachusetts DMF Eelgrass Team Receives the 2019 Melissa Laser Fish Habitat Conservation Award — 8
Updates from Around the Coast
New Hampshire — 9
Massachusetts — 9
Rhode Island — 10 
New York — 11 
New Jersey — 11 
Delaware — 13 
Maryland — 14 
Virginia — 14 
North Carolina — 16 
South Carolina — 17 
Florida — 18
 
Prior issues of Habitat Hotline Atlantic can be found at http://www.asmfc.org/search/%20/%20/Habitat-Hotline.

NOAA Fisheries Announces Additional Funding to Support Recovery Actions for North Atlantic Right Whales

December 20, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

This year, NOAA Fisheries will add an additional $1.6 million in federal funds to current funding levels to support additional recovery actions for the North Atlantic right whale. The $1.6 million will support reducing the risk of entanglement of right whales in fishing gear while assisting the lobster fishing industry in adapting to the impacts of new management measures that mitigate the effects of trap/pot gear on right whales. These funds will assist the lobster fishing industry in complying with pending regulations and help to defray costs to support fishermen broadly. NOAA Fisheries plans to work through its partner, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), to expend these funds.

The North Atlantic right whale is critically endangered and fisheries gear entanglements and vessel strikes are among the leading causes of mortalities in both the U.S. and Canada. NOAA Fisheries and our partners are dedicated to conserving and rebuilding the North Atlantic right whale population.

For more information see our webstory.

Omega Protein says it will cooperate on Chesapeake menhaden cap

December 20, 2019 — Omega Protein said it will cooperate with interstate menhaden managers, after the Department of Commerce set a June 17, 2020 deadline for Virginia to come into compliance with the Chesapeake Bay cap on its reduction fishery or face a moratorium.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross formally concurred with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission finding of non-compliance, after the commission in October voted to insist the Reedville, Va.-based Omega Protein must adhere to the commission’s 51,000 metric tons bay cap.

Chris Oliver, the NOAA assistant administrator for fisheries, notified the commission Thursday of Ross’ decision.

“NOAA Fisheries also finds that this management measure is necessary for the conservation of the menhaden resource,” Oliver wrote in a letter to the commission. “The best available information shows that menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay are an important component of the overall health of the stock, and further that their role as forage for predator species in the Chesapeake Bay is critical to the marine environment.”

Omega officials, who faced off with critics for months before the commission vote, pledged Thursday to work toward solutions.

“Omega Protein will work with both the ASMFC and the Commonwealth of Virginia to lift the moratorium and bring the fishery back into compliance,” the company said in a prepared statement. “The company looks forward to working with the commission in the coming months as we move toward ecosystem-based measures, and will continue to support science-based fishery management and a healthy menhaden fishery.”

Read the full story at National Fisherman

ASMFC 2020 Winter Meeting Preliminary Agenda & Public Comment Guidelines

December 20, 2019 — 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 Winter Meeting, February 4-6, 2020, in Arlington, VA. The agenda is also available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2020-winter-meeting.  Materials will be available on January 22, 2020 on the Commission website at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2020-winter-meeting.

A block of rooms is being held at The Westin Crystal City, 1800 S. Eads Street, Arlington, VA  22202. Please make your reservation 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 $184.00 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, January 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.

Read the full release here

US commerce secretary Ross hands Virginia menhaden fishery its first moratorium

December 19, 2019 — Wilbur Ross, secretary of the US Department of Commerce, has agreed with Virginia governor Ralph Northam and placed the first-ever moratorium on the commonwealth’s menhaden fishery in the Chesapeake Bay — one of the two largest in the US — delivering a potentially nasty blow to Omega Protein.

But the moratorium doesn’t go into effect until June 17, 2020, giving the Houston, Texas-based division of Cooke Inc. plenty of time to work with the state to get into compliance.

The ruling follows Omega Protein’s admission in September of violating a federal cap set by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission in the area. The ASFMC cut the bay cap by 41% in 2017, in what it described as a precautionary measure, but without a finding of overfishing.

In October, during its week-long meeting in New Castle, New Hampshire, the ASMFC voted unanimously (15-0) to advance its finding of noncompliance against the state of Virginia to Ross.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

Read Omega Protein’s Statement Here

Read the letter from NOAA here

Secretary of Commerce Finds Commonwealth of Virginia Out of Compliance with Atlantic Menhaden Amendment 3

December 19, 2019 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission received notification today that the Secretary of Commerce concurs with the Commission’s finding that the Commonwealth of Virginia is out of compliance with Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Menhaden. Specifically, the Commonwealth has failed to implement the 51,000 mt Chesapeake Bay reduction fishery cap (cap). In accordance with this finding, the Secretary has declared a moratorium on the Atlantic menhaden fisheries in Virginia waters, effective June 17, 2020. In order to avert the moratorium, the Commonwealth must effectively implement and enforce the cap prior to June 17th. This action was taken pursuant to the provisions of the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act (Atlantic Coastal Act) of 1993.

“I am grateful for the Secretary’s support of the Commission’s fisheries management process and, in particular, our efforts to manage Atlantic menhaden, an important forage species, in a precautionary manner,” stated ASMFC Chair Patrick C. Keliher of Maine. “The Secretarial backstop is a key provision of the Atlantic Coastal Act.”

In today’s letter from NOAA Fisheries transmitting its determination of noncompliance, it stated, “NOAA Fisheries also finds that this management measure is necessary for the conservation of the menhaden resource. The best available information shows that menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay are an important component of the overall health of the stock, and further that their role as forage for predator species in the Chesapeake Bay is critical to the marine environment.” The letter explains that the June closure was selected “to give Virginia the time necessary for its legislature to bring these regulations back into compliance.”

Cuts Coming to Bluefish Recreational Fishing Limits

December 18, 2019 — According to federal fishery managers, one of the most popular sport fish in the Chesapeake and the Atlantic Ocean is overfished. Consequently, recreational anglers will see significant cuts to help rebuild the stock.

Under new rules approved last week, anglers fishing in state and federal waters will be limited to three bluefish per day while people fishing from charter boats may take home five.

The decision came at a joint meeting of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), which oversees migratory species in state waters along the coast, and the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Council (MFC), which manages fish three to 200 miles off the Mid-Atlantic coast.

Maryland’s current minimum size limit is eight inches with a 10-fish daily limit. Delaware and Virginia have no size limits and a 10-fish per-day per angler possession limit. It’s a 365-day season all around, and the current rules are the same for charter boats and individual anglers.

The current limit in federal waters from three to 200 miles offshore is 15 fish per person with no minimum size restriction. For 2020, no restrictions were made to minimum fish size or seasons. This amounts to a predicted 18 percent reduction in the recreational harvest. The commercial fishery will see a 64 percent reduction in quota.

Read the full story at the Chesapeake Bay Magazine