Saving Seafood

ASMFC Coastal Sharks Board Approves Addendum V

October 25, 2018 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Coastal Sharks Management Board approved Addendum V to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic Coastal Sharks. The Addendum allows the Board to respond to changes in the stock status of coastal shark populations and adjust regulations through Board action rather than an addendum, ensuring greater consistency between state and federal shark regulations.

Previously, the FMP only allowed for commercial quotas, possession limits, and season dates to be set annually through specifications. All other changes to commercial or recreational management could only be accomplished through an addendum or emergency action. In instances when addenda were initiated, the timing of when the addenda were completed and state implementation resulted in inconsistencies between state and federal shark regulations, particularly when NOAA Fisheries adopted changes through interim emergency rules.

Moving forward, Addendum V will allow the Board to change a suite of commercial and recreational measures, such as recreational size and possession limits, season length, and area closures (recreational and commercial) in addition to the current specifications for just the commercial fishery, throughout the year when needed. Under this provision, if the Board chooses to adjust measures through Board action, the public will be able to provide comment prior to Board meetings, as well as at Board meetings at the discretion of the Board Chair. Additionally, the Board can still implement changes in shark regulations through an addendum.

In addition, the Board considered proposed federal 2019 Atlantic shark specifications. Similar to recent years, NOAA Fisheries is proposing a January 1 open date for all shark management groups, with an initial 25 shark possession limit for large coastal and hammerhead management groups, with the possibility of in-season adjustments. The Board will set the 2019 coastal shark specifications via an email vote after the final rule is published later this fall.

Addendum V will be available on the Commission’s website (www.asmfc.org) on the Coastal Sharks webpage by the end of October. For more information, please contact Kirby Rootes-Murdy, Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at krootesmurdy@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

ASMFC Presents Roy W. Miller Prestigious Captain David H. Hart Award

October 25, 2018 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission presented Roy W. Miller, Delaware’s Governor Appointee to the Commission and former Director of Delaware’s Division of Fish and Wildlife, the Captain David H. Hart Award, its highest annual award, at the Commission’s 77th Annual Meeting in New York City. Mr. Miller has admirably served the State of Delaware and the Commission since 1978 when he first started with the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife as a Program Manager.

Right from the start, Mr. Miller became a member of the Striped Bass Technical Committee, then known as the Striped Bass Science and Statistical Committee. The Committee had a lot on its plate given the precipitous decline of the striped bass population. As part of those discussions, Mr. Miller was instrumental in getting Delaware to join Maryland in a moratorium on the Delaware striped bass fishery. To this day, he considers the recovery of the striped bass population and the return of the Delaware Bay as a productive and important spawning area as two of his proudest Commission moments. Mr. Miller served on the committee through passage of the Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act in 1984.

Beginning in 2003, as Section Administrator for the Division of Fish and Wildlife, Mr. Miller became the state’s Administrative Commissioner Proxy. In that position, he served on and chaired numerous management boards, including Shad and River Herring, Weakfish, and, most memorably for Mr. Miller, the Horseshoe Crab Board. His chairmanship of the Horseshoe Crab Board was during the highly contentious development and implementation of the FMP, which sought to balance the needs of watermen, who wanted to continue to harvest crabs to use as bait, with the desires of environmentalists, who wanted to preserve the crabs so their eggs could feed migrating shorebirds. Mr. Miller skillfully guided the Board through some intense Board meetings, which included extensive and impassioned public comment on both sides of the issue. In addition to a management program that accommodated the needs of all the stakeholders and the resource, those meetings also resulted in revised comment protocols for public speaking at ASMFC meetings.

Immediately after his retirement in 2009, Mr. Miller was chosen by Governor Jack Markell (D-DE) to serve as his Appointee to the Commission. Notably, Mr. Miller didn’t miss a meeting between his retirement and the Governor’s appointment, continuing to serve to this day. As Governor Appointee, Mr. Miller continues to chair management boards and has been a regular visitor to Capitol Hill, keeping staffers apprised of important developments in Delaware and at the Commission. At one such meeting with former Congressman Carney’s staff, Mr. Miller expressed his concern about funding shortfalls that resulted in the discontinuance of the Mid-Atlantic Horseshoe Crab Trawl Survey. That meeting and others that followed ultimately led to the restoration of the survey’s funding in 2016. It is now supported by Senators and Representatives throughout the Mid-Atlantic, and the survey’s third consecutive year was completed just this month.

Throughout his 40 years of service, Mr. Miller has distinguished himself by his dedication to the Commission’s management process. He is always prepared for board meetings, asks insightful questions and is always a respectful debater. One of the most collegial Commissioners, Mr. Miller consistently reaches out to other Commissioners and seeks compromise instead of contention. These traits, combined with his long and meritorious record of accomplishments and dedication to sustainable fisheries management, make him a most worthy award recipient.

The Commission instituted the Hart Award in 1991 to recognize individuals who have made outstanding efforts to improve Atlantic coast marine fisheries. The Hart Award is named for one of the Commission’s longest serving members, who dedicated himself to the advancement and protection of marine fishery resources, Captain David H. Hart, from the State of New Jersey.

States Schedule Public Hearings on Draft Addenda XXXI and XXXII: Management Board Seeks Input on Options for Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management

October 25, 2018 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Atlantic states from Massachusetts through Virginia have scheduled hearings to gather public comment on Draft Addenda XXXI and XXXII to the Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The details of those hearings follow:

Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries

  • November 28, 2018 at 6 PM
  • Bourne Community Center, Room 2
  • 239 Main Street
  • Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts
  • Contact: Nichola Meserve at 617.626.1531

Rhode Island Division of Fish & Wildlife

  • November 7, 2018 at 6 PM
  • University of Rhode Island Narragansett Bay Campus Corless Auditorium
  • South Ferry Road
  • Narragansett, Rhode Island
  • Contact: Robert Ballou at 401.222.4700 ext. 4420

Connecticut Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection

  • November 5, 2018 at 7 PM
  • DEEP Marine Headquarters
  • Boating Education Center, Building 3
  • 333 Ferry Road
  • Old Lyme, Connecticut
  • Contact: Justin Davis at 860.447.4322

New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation

  • November 27, 2018 at 6:30 PM
  • Division of Marine Resources
  • 205 North Belle Mead Road, Suite 1
  • East Setauket, New York
  • Contact: Maureen Davidson at 631.444.0483

New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife

  • November 26, 2018 at 6 PM
  • Stafford Township Administrative Office
  • 260 East Bay Avenue
  • Manahawkin, New Jersey
  • Contact: Joseph Cimino at 609.748.2020

Delaware Dept. of Natural Resources & Environmental Control

  • November 8, 2018 at 6 PM
  • DNREC Auditorium
  • 89 Kings Highway
  • Dover, Delaware
  • Contact: John Clark at 302.739.9914

Maryland Department of Natural Resources

  • November 15, 2018 at 6 PM
  • Ocean City Municipal Airport
  • 12724 Airport Road
  • Berlin, Maryland
  • Contact: Steve Doctor at 410.213.1531

Virginia Marine Resources Commission

  • November 14, 2018 at 6 PM
  • 2600 Washington Avenue
  • 4th Floor Conference Room
  • Newport News, Virginia
  • Contact: Rob O’Reilly at 757.247.2248

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board approved Draft Addendum XXXI for public comment at the Joint Commission/Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council meeting in Virginia Beach, VA in August 2018, and approved Draft Addendum XXXII yesterday at the Commission’s Annual Meeting in New York City.

Draft Addendum XXXI

Draft Addendum XXXI and the Council’s complementary framework consider adding the following management options to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan.

  1. Conservation equivalency for the recreational black sea bass fishery
  2. Conservation equivalency rollover for summer flounder
  3. Transit provisions for Block Island Sound for recreational and/or commercial fisheries for all three species
  4. Slot limits (not currently a management option in the Council’s FMP)

The Draft Addendum aims to increase the suite of tools available for managing summer flounder, scup and black sea bass, as well as reduce inconsistencies between state and federal regulations. This action does not consider implementing black sea bass conservation equivalency or slot limits for any of the three species in 2019. Rather, the options would update the FMPs to allow these management tools to be used in future years.

Draft Addendum XXXII

Draft Addendum XXXII was initiated to establish new recreational management programs for summer flounder and black sea bass, as the current addenda under which the two fisheries are currently managed (Addenda XXVIII and XXX, respectively) expire at the end of 2018. The Draft Addendum proposes two options for each recreational fishery: (1) coastwide management (the default program for both species under the FMP), or conservation equivalency for summer flounder; and (2) setting measures through a specifications process.

The Draft Addendum seeks to address several challenges with the recreational management of summer flounder and black sea bass. Since the adoption of the FMP, shifts in abundance, distribution, and behavior of these two species have created challenges in constraining harvest to the coastwide recreational harvest limit (RHL) while providing fair and equitable access to fishermen throughout the species’ ranges. In addition, the use of highly variable and inherently delayed annual harvest estimates to establish management measures for the subsequent year has led to regulatory instability, regulatory disparities, and frustration on the part of stakeholders.

Setting measures through specifications would be a procedural change, allowing regional management to reflect the current condition and distribution of the stocks and fisheries, and enabling measures to be established based on more complete harvest data rather than preliminary projections. This process would eliminate the need for measures to be established through addenda; instead, the Board would approve measures in the late winter or early spring each year, based on technical committee analysis of harvest estimates and other information on resource availability. Public input on specifications would be gathered by states through their individual public comment processes. For each species, the Draft Addendum also includes proposed standards and guiding principles to structure how measures are set in order to provide fair and equitable access to the resource, and increase regulatory stability.

Interested groups are encouraged to provide input on Draft Addenda XXXI and XXXII either by attending state public hearings or providing written comment. Draft Addenda are is available at http://www.asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/SF_Scup_BSB_DraftAddendumXXXI_PublicComment_Oct2018.pdf and http://www.asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/SF_BSB_DraftAddendumXXXII_PublicComment_Oct2018.pdf. They can also be accessed on the Commission website (www.asmfc.org) under Public Input. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on November 28, 2018 and should be forwarded to Caitlin Starks, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, Virginia 22201; 703.842.0741 (fax) or at comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Draft Addendum XXXI and XXXII Comment).

ASMFC Spiny Dogfish Board Sets Quotas for 201 9-2021 Fishing Seasons

October 25, 2018 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Spiny Dogfish Management Board approved the following coastwide commercial quotas for the 2019-2021 fishing seasons (May 1-April 30): 20,522,832 pounds for 2019/2020; 23,194,835 pounds for 202/2021, and 27,421,096 pounds for 2021/2022 (state-specific allocations are provided in table below). The quotas are consistent with the measures recommended to NOAA Fisheries by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. The Board also established a 6,000 pound commercial trip limit for the northern region states of Maine through Connecticut, while New York through North Carolina have the ability to set state-specific trip limits based on the needs of their fisheries. The Commission’s actions are final and apply to state waters (0-3 miles from shore). The Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils will forward their recommendations for federal waters (3 –200 miles from shore) to NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Administrator for final approval.

The quotas are based on the 2018 Stock Assessment Update, which indicates that while the population is not overfished and overfishing is not occurring, biomass has declined, requiring an approximate 46% reduction in the 2019-2020 quota to ensure that overfishing does not occur. The next benchmark stock assessment is currently scheduled for completion in 2021.

For more information, please contact Kirby Rootes-Murdy, Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at krootes-murdy@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

MAINE: Regulators moving to ban exotic bait that could threaten lobster fishery

October 23, 2018 — The American Lobster Management Board took a first step toward adopting regional bait safety rules, voting Monday to develop a resolution to prohibit the use of exotic baits that could introduce disease, parasites or invasive species to East Coast waters.

The board unanimously agreed on the need to shield native species, including the $1.4 billion Maine lobster industry, from the dangers posed by the mad scramble for new kinds of bait that may occur when regulators slash herring quotas next year.

This action came at the request of Maine Department of Marine Resources, which enacted its strict bait rules in 2013. But Commissioner Pat Keliher said risky bait is still finding its way into the Gulf of Maine through New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Canada.

“This is one of the most serious issues we face as an organization,” Keliher told the board.

The board – which is part of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission – agreed to develop a bait safety resolution based on Maine’s rules that all lobstering states would enact by 2020 – a quick but voluntary fix. To get compliance, the board also plans to begin the slow process of adding bait safety to its lobster management plan.

The horseshoe crab board, for example, passed a similar resolution banning the use of Asian horseshoe crabs as bait. Most member states voluntarily honored the bait ban resolution, but New York continues to allow the practice, regulators noted.

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

Right Whales Could Drop to Levels Unseen Since 1990

October 23, 2018 — Scientists say the population of North Atlantic right whales could decline to levels not seen since 1990 in as few as 12 years.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which manages coastal fisheries, received an update on the status of the whales on Monday. The whales are among the most endangered marine mammals and are thought to number only about 437.

The population was only 268 in 1990 before it rebounded to a recent high of 481 around 2010. But the species has been hindered by poor reproduction and several years of high mortality since then.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at U.S. News

Atlantic Herring Massachusetts/New Hampshire Spawning Closure in Effect October 26 through November 22, 2018

October 19, 2018 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic herring Area 1A (inshore Gulf of Maine) fishery regulations include seasonal spawning closures for portions of state and federal waters in Eastern Maine, Western Maine, and Massachusetts/New Hampshire. The Atlantic States marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Herring Management Board (previously Atlantic Herring Section) approved a forecasting method that relies upon at least three samples, each containing at least 25 female herring in gonadal states III-V, to trigger a spawning closure.

Eight samples of female herring were collected to evaluate spawning condition. Based on the analysis of the samples, the Massachusetts/New Hampshire spawning area will be closed starting at 12:00 a.m. on October 26, 2018 extending through 11:59 p.m. on November 22, 2018. Vessels in the directed Atlantic herring fishery cannot take, land or possess Atlantic herring caught within the Massachusetts/New Hampshire spawning area during this time and must have all fishing gear stowed when transiting through the area. An incidental bycatch allowance of up to 2,000 pounds of Atlantic herring per trip/calendar day applies to vessels in non-directed fisheries that are fishing within the Massachusetts/New Hampshire spawning area.

The Massachusetts/New Hampshire spawning area includes all waters bounded by the Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine coasts, and 43° 30’ N and 70° 00’ W.

Please contact Megan Ware at 703.842.0740 or mware@asmfc.org for more information.

A copy of the announcement can be found here – http://www.asmfc.org/files/AtlHerring/MA_NHSpawningClosure_Oct2018.pdf.

ASMFC: 77th Annual Meeting Supplemental Materials Now Available

October 17, 2018 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Supplemental materials for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 77th Annual Meeting are now available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2018-annual-meeting for the following Boards/Committees (click on “Supplemental” following each relevant committee header to access the information). For ease of access, supplemental materials have been combined into one PDF – http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/77AnnualMeeting/2018AnnualMeetingCombined_Supplemental.pdf

American Lobster Management Board – Revised Agenda & Meeting Overview; ME DMR letter on NOAA Technical Memorandum on North Atlantic Right Whales—Evaluating Their Recovery Challenges in 2018; Memo on Recent Meeting of Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team; American Lobster FMP Review; and Report of the Electronic Reporting Subcommittee

Atlantic Herring Management Board – Memo on 2019 Specifications for Area 1A; Amendment 3 Spawning Re-Closure Protocol; and Public Comment

Strategic Planning Workshop – Draft Agenda & Summary of Strategic Planning Workgroup Meeting

Business Session – Draft 2019 Action Plan & Anticipated Board Activities for High Priority Species

Coastal Sharks Management Board – Advisory Panel Meeting Summary

Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board – Public Comment

Executive Committee – Draft Recommendations for Revising the Appeals Process & Awards Committee SOPPs

Weakfish Management Board – FMP Review

Horseshoe Crab Management Board – FMP Review & Public Comment

ISFMP Policy Board – Revised Draft Agenda & Meeting Overview; Public Comment; and Living Shorelines Factsheet

South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board – Public Comment Summary on Cobia PID (including hearing overviews and submitted comment); Black Drum, Spotted Seatrout and Spanish Mackerel FMP Reviews; Advisory Panel Nomination

As a reminder, Board proceedings will be broadcast daily via webinar beginning October 22nd at 8:30 a.m. and continuing daily until the conclusion of the meeting (expected to be 1 p.m.) on Thursday, October 25th. The webinar will allow registrants to listen to board/section deliberations and view presentations and motions as they occur. No comments or questions will be accepted via the webinar. Should technical difficulties arise while streaming the broadcast the boards/sections will continue their deliberations without interruption. We will attempt to resume the broadcast as soon as possible. Please go to https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4350173068754736387 to register.

 

Hearings set on future of New England shrimp fishery

October 16, 2018 — Interstate fishing managers are holding a pair of public hearings about the future of the New England shrimp fishery, which continues to look bleak.

The shrimp fishery has been shut down since 2013 and the shrimp have been largely unavailable to the public. A new analysis of the shrimp stock says they remain depleted and threatened by warming waters.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is hosting the hearings on Nov. 5 in Augusta, Maine, and Nov. 6 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. An arm of the commission is set to vote on whether to reopen the fishery late in the month.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at The State

Northern Shrimp Draft Addendum I Public Hearings Scheduled

October 16, 2018 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Maine and New Hampshire have scheduled their hearings to gather public input on Draft Addendum I to Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Northern Shrimp. The details of those hearings follow.

Maine Department of Marine Resources

Monday, November 5, 2018 at 4 PM

Maine Department of Marine Resources

Conference Room #118

32 Blossom Lane

Augusta, Maine

Contact: Nicholas Popoff at 207.624.6554

New Hampshire Fish and Game

Tuesday, November 6, 2018 at 7 PM

Urban Forestry Center

45 Elwyn Road

Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Contact: Doug Grout at 603.868.1095

The Draft Addendum proposes providing states the authority to allocate their state-specific quota between gear types in the event the fishery reopens. The Draft Addendum is available at http://www.asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/NShrimpDraftAddendumI_PublicComment.pdf and can also be accessed on the Commission website (www.asmfc.org ) under Public Input.

Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on Draft Addendum I either by attending a public hearing or providing written comment. Public comment will be accepted until 5 PM on November 7, 2018 and should be forwarded to Megan Ware, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland Street, Suite 200A-N, Arlington, VA, 22201; 703.842.07401 (fax); or comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Northern Shrimp).

The Section and its Advisory Panel will be meeting November 15-16, 2018. At this meeting, the Section will consider final action on Addendum I and set 2019 specifications. Information regarding the date and location of the November meeting will be provided, when available, in a subsequent press release.

For more information, please contact Megan Ware, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at mware@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740