Saving Seafood

Development of Bluefish Allocation Amendment to Continue into 2019

September 4, 2018 — The ongoing development of a Bluefish Allocation Amendment was discussed in a meeting between the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Bluefish Management Board back in mid-August.

The Council and Board have agreed to continue to work on the amendment, opting not to finalize the public hearing document or hold public hearings until assessment results come out in the spring of 2019.

While most Board and Council members were in agreement that the results of the assessment should be incorporated with the amendment, some argued that postponing its development was unnecessary.

According to the Council’s Executive Director Chris Moore, several aspects of the amendment could be discussed without having to wait on the results of more assessments.

Some at the meeting expressed concerns that significant implications on the status of the bluefish fishery could result from the Marine Recreational Information Program’s (MRIP) recent release of revised recreational catch and effort estimates.

A delay to the amendment development was suggested to allow for the completion of an assessment incorporating updated MRIP numbers.

Read the full story at CapeCod.com

Have bluefish changed their habits?

September 4, 2018 — A fisherman dragging a burlap sack full of 10-pound bluefish off a party boat following a night of fishing used to be a familiar sight at the Shore.

And it may be again, but the habits of the once-dependable fish seem to have changed, at least in the present.

What is causing them to change their behavior is puzzling fishermen and federal fishery managers who appear to have hit a wall trying to figure out the best way to utilize the fish.

By all indications the numbers of bluefish up and down the East Coast are not scarce, they’re just not where they’re expected to be.

“There’s an abundance of them. They’re just 80 to 100 miles offshore where the longliners can’t keep them off the hook,” said Captain Lenny Elich, who runs the Miss Barnegat Light party boat.

But they’re not the on the Barnegat Ridge, and because of that the Miss Barnegat Light, which used to fish night and day for blues, has resorted to fluke fishing.

Read the full story at the Asbury Park Press

ASMFC Coastal Sharks Board Releases Draft Addendum V for Public Comment

August 31, 2018 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Coastal Sharks Management Board releases Draft Addendum V to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic Coastal Sharks for public comment. The Draft Addendum proposes options to allow the Board to streamline the process of state implementation of shark regulations so that complementary measures are seamlessly and concurrently implemented at the state and federal level whenever possible.

The FMP currently allows for commercial quotas, possession limits, and season dates to be set annually through Board approved specifications.  All other changes to commercial or recreational management can only be accomplished through an addendum or emergency action. While addenda can be completed in a relatively short period of time, the timing of addenda and state implementation can result in inconsistencies between state and federal shark regulations, particularly when NOAA Fisheries adopts changes through interim emergency rules. The only option for the Board to respond quicker than an addendum is through an emergency action, which has a set of criteria that are rigorous and often not met, making it rarely used to enact regulatory changes. The Draft Addendum seeks to provide the Board more flexibility in responding to changes in the fishery for shark species managed under the FMP.

A public hearing webinar will be held Tuesday, September 25th at 5:30 p.m. The details of the webinar follow:

Registration URL: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2613822106816627203

Phone: 1.888.585.9008

Room Number: 853-657-937

Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on Draft Addendum V either by attending the public hearing webinar or providing written comment. The Draft Addendum is available at

http://www.asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/CoastalSharksDraftAddendumV_PublicComment_Aug2018.pdf and 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 October 1, 2018 and should be forwarded to Kirby Rootes-Murdy, Senior 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: Draft Addendum V).

States Schedule Public Hearings on the Public Information Document for Atlantic Cobia Draft Amendment 1

August 29, 2018 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Atlantic coastal states and jurisdictions from New Jersey through Georgia have scheduled their hearings to gather public input on the Public Information Document (PID) for Draft Amendment 1 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic Migratory Group Cobia (Atlantic cobia). The details of those hearings follow.

New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife

*September 6, 2018; 7 PM

Atlantic County Library/Galloway Township

306 East Jimmie Leeds Road

Galloway, NJ

Contact: Joe Cimino at 609.748.2020

*This will be a state hearing conducted by New Jersey due to the timing of the hearing (the state requested a hearing date that is earlier than the Commission amendment process allows). Comments made at this hearing will be submitted to the Commission and included in the public comment summary for Board consideration.

Potomac River Fisheries Commission and Maryland Department of Natural Resources

September 20, 2018; 6 PM

Potomac River Fisheries Commission

222 Taylor Street

Colonial Beach, VA

Contacts: Ellen Cosby (PRFC) at 804.224.7148 and Lynn Fegley (MD DNR) at 410.260.8285

Virginia Marine Resources Commission

September 19, 2018; 6 PM

2600 Washington Avenue

4th Floor Conference Room

Newport News, VA

Contact: Pat Geer at 757.247.2002

North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries

September 18, 2018; 6 PM

Dare County Commissioners Office

954 Marshall Collins Drive, Room 168

Manteo, NC

Contact: Chris Batsavage at 252.808.8009

September 10, 2018; 6 PM

Central District Office

5285 US Highway 70 West

Morehead City, NC

Contact: Chris Batsavage at 252.808.8009

Georgia Department of Natural Resources and South Carolina Department of Natural Resources

September 12, 2018; 6 PM

National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force

175 Bourne Avenue

Pooler, GA

Contacts: Doug Haymans (GA DNR) at 912.264.7218 and Mel Bell (SC DNR) at 843.953.9007

Draft Amendment 1 was initiated in anticipation of removal of Atlantic cobia from the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Councils’ Fishery Management Plan for Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources (CMP FMP). Both Councils approved removal of Atlantic cobia from the CMP FMP earlier this year, and this action is now pending review by the Secretary of Commerce. If approved by the Secretary of Commerce, there would no longer be a federal management plan for Atlantic cobia, and the Commission would become the sole management body for this stock. This would necessitate amending several portions of the current interstate FMP that are dependent on the CMP FMP and also provide the opportunity for the Board to construct a long-term strategy for managing in the absence of a federal FMP.

The PID is the first step of the Commission’s amendment process, and the intent of the PID is to elicit input from stakeholders and those interested in Atlantic cobia about changes observed in the fishery/resource and potential management measures that should be considered for inclusion in Draft Amendment 1. Additionally, the PID seeks input on three main issues: recommended management for federal waters, a harvest specification process, and biological monitoring requirements.

The PID is available at http://www.asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/CobiaDraftAmd1PID_PublicComment.pdf or via the Commission’s website, www.asmfc.org, under Public Input. Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the PID either by attending state public hearings or providing written comment. Public comment will be accepted until 5 PM (EST) on October 4, 2018 and should be forwarded to Dr. Michael Schmidtke, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St, Suite A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or at comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Cobia PID).

If your organization is planning to release an action alert related to the PID, please contact Michael Schmidtke at mschmidtke@asmfc.org prior to its release. The Management Board will meet at the Commission’s 2018 Annual Meeting in October to review and consider public comment and provide direction to staff for items to be included in Draft Amendment 1.

MAFMC and ASMFC to Continue Development of Bluefish Allocation Amendment

August 28, 2018 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) met jointly with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Bluefish Management Board (Board) on August 15 in Virginia Beach, VA to discuss the ongoing development of a Bluefish Allocation Amendment.

The Council and Board initiated the Bluefish Allocation Amendment in December 2017 to address several issues in the bluefish fishery, including goals and objectives for the Bluefish Fishery Management Plan (FMP), sector-based allocations, commercial allocations to the states, and the transfer processes. A series of scoping hearings were held earlier this year to gather public input on the scope of issues that could be considered in the amendment. During the joint meeting on August 15 the Council and Board reviewed this public input, discussed next steps for amendment development, and agreed on a number of issues that should be considered in the amendment.

Some members of the Council and Board expressed concern that the recent release of revised recreational catch and effort estimates from the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) could have significant implications for the status and management of the bluefish fishery. It was suggested that amendment development should be halted until the completion of an assessment which incorporates these updated MRIP numbers. The next assessment for bluefish is expected to be available in the spring of 2019.

Although Council and Board members were generally in agreement that the amendment should incorporate the results of the operational assessment, some felt that postponing amendment development was unnecessary. Chris Moore, the Council’s Executive Director, noted that several aspects of the amendment, such as FMP goals and objectives and a review of historical data, could be explored without the results of the new assessment. After some debate, the Council and Board decided to continue to work on the amendment but agreed they will not finalize the public hearing document or hold public hearings until after the results of the bluefish operational assessment are available in the spring of 2019.

For additional information and updates on this amendment, please visit: http://www.mafmc.org/actions/bluefish-allocation-amendment.

MAINE: Odds may be bad for winter shrimp fishery

August 22, 2018 — Scientists gathered at a downtown hotel last week for a three-day “peer review” of the latest Northern Shrimp Benchmark Stock Assessment from by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

The assessment evaluates the condition of the Gulf of Maine northern shrimp resource and provides regulators with the information they need to manage the fishery.

The sessions were mostly open to the public but, as of Tuesday morning, the ASMFC had yet to publish a summary of the proceedings.

Whatever happened, the odds are against the fisheries managers allowing any shrimp fishing this coming winter.

Last year’s stock report showed that stock abundance and biomass between 2012 and 2017 were the lowest on record during the 34 years records have been kept. The 2017 numbers were the lowest ever observed.

Recruitment — the number of animals entering the fishery — has been poor since 2011 and includes the four smallest year classes on record.

There is little to suggest those numbers are likely to improve.

Recruitment of northern shrimp is related to both spawning biomass and ocean temperatures, with higher spawning biomass and colder temperatures producing stronger recruitment.

Read the full story at The Ellsworth American

ASMFC & MAFMC Approve Catch and Landings Limits for Summer Flounder, Scup, Black Sea Bass and Bluefish for 2019

August 21, 2018 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) reviewed previously approved specifications for scup and established new specifications for black sea bass, bluefish, and summer flounder fisheries. The Commission also approved Draft Addendum XXXI for public comment and agreed to provide the states the opportunity to open their black sea bass recreational fisheries in February 2019.

Catch and landings limits for the summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, and bluefish fisheries were established for 2019 only. The Commission’s actions are final and apply to state waters (0‐3 miles from shore). The Council will forward its recommendations for federal waters (3 – 200 miles from shore) to NOAA Fisheries’ Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Administrator for final approval. The table below summarizes commercial quotas and recreational harvest limits (RHL) for summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, and bluefish (2018 values are provided for comparison purposes).

Summer Flounder

For summer flounder, the Commission and Council received a data update, including catch, landings, and survey indices through 2017, and stock projections for 2019. Taking into consideration the data update and model-projected increases in spawning stock biomass, the Commission and Council approved, on an interim basis, a commercial quota of 7.72 million pounds (16% increase from 2018) and RHL of 5.15 million pounds for 2019 (16% increase from 2018). Both the commercial quota and RHL may be changed in early 2019 pending the results of the upcoming benchmark stock assessment. 

Scup

For scup, the Commission and Council received a data update, including catch, landings, and survey indices through 2017. The update indicates biomass continues to be high, and the 2015 year class appears to be above average.  In response, the Commission and Council maintained the previously implemented multi‐year specifications set in August 2017. For 2018 and 2019, the commercial quota is 23.98 million pounds and the RHL is 7.37 million pounds. The Commission and Council also adjusted the incidental possession limit for the commercial fishery to 2,000 pounds during April 15 – June 15 (see table below). The adjustment was considered based on a proposal submitted by Massachusetts and Rhode Island to address discards of scup in the inshore spring longfin squid fishery. The incidental possession limit applies to vessels with commercial scup permits fishing with nets with diamond mesh smaller than 5 inches in diameter (there is no separate incidental permit for scup).  Note that during the summer quota period (May 1 – September 30), a state possession limit for directed trips may supersede the incidental possession limit.

Black Sea Bass

For black sea bass, the Commission and Council received a data update, including catch, landings, and survey indices through 2017. The update indicates biomass continues to be high, and the 2015 year class appears to be above average. The Commission and Council established, on an interim basis, a 3.14 million pound commercial quota and a 3.27 million pound RHL for 2019. Both values are a slight increase from those recommended by the Monitoring Committee due to a change in the calculation of discards. Both the commercial quota and RHL may be changed in early 2019 pending the results of the upcoming operational stock assessment update.

Bluefish

For bluefish, the Commission and Council received a data update, including catch, landings, and survey indices through 2017.  The update indicates all survey indices except one showed a decrease from 2016 values.  The Commission and Council approved a 7.71 million pound commercial quota and an 11.62 million pound RHL. The final 2019 harvest limits include a transfer of up to 4 million pounds from the recreational to the commercial sector, which generally reflects the distribution of recreational and commercial landings in 2017. The 2019 commercial quota and RHL are preliminary and will likely change following release of 2018 final Marine Recreational Information Program harvest estimates. These estimates can impact how much is transferred from the recreational sector to the commercial sector. An operational assessment is scheduled for 2019.

Framework and Addendum XXXI on Conservation Equivalency, Block Island Sound Transit and Slot Limits

The Commission and Council jointly approved for public comment alternatives included in the Council’s Framework and Commission’s Draft Addendum XXXI. Both documents propose options for conservation equivalency for black sea bass and summer flounder, and transit provisions for summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass for Block Island Sound. The Council’s Framework also addresses the use of slot limits for all three species in federal waters. The transit provision options include two alternative transit areas that could apply to recreational fisheries only, or both commercial and recreational fisheries for all three species, depending on the alternatives selected. They could also apply to differences in state and federal seasons, minimum fish sizes, and/or possession limits, depending on the alternatives selected. The Commission will issue a press release on Draft Addendum XXXI’s availability for public comment and scheduled public hearings once the hearings have been finalized.

Black Sea Bass Wave 1 Fishery and LOA Program

The Commission and Council considered opening a 2019 black sea bass recreational fishery in wave 1 (January-February). In 2017, the Commission and Council agreed to open a recreational fishery in February 2018, and to continue development of a letter of authorization (LOA) program for possible implementation in 2019. For 2019, the Commission and Council approved a February fishery with a management program similar to that used in 2018. The 2019 wave 1 fishery will be open from February 1-28 with a 15 fish possession limit and a 12.5 inch minimum size limit for states that choose to participate in the fishery. All participating states are required to adjust their 2019 recreational management measures to account for their wave 1 harvest. The Commission and Council suspended further development of an LOA program.

For more information about summer flounder or scup, please contact Kirby Rootes-Murdy, Senior FMP Coordinator, atkrootes-murdy@asmfc.org. For more information about black sea bass or bluefish, please contact Caitlin Starks, FMP Coordinator, at cstarks@asmfc.org.

New England shrimp population still looks bad amid shutdown

August 20, 2018 — A new analysis of New England’s shrimp population doesn’t bode well for the future of the long-shuttered fishery for the crustaceans.

The Maine-based shrimp fishery has been shut down since 2013 because of concerns such as warming ocean temperatures and poor survival of young. Scientists working with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission are assessing the shrimp stock, and so far it looks like little has changed.

Results of the stock assessment “look fairly similar to what we’ve seen in previous years,” said Megan Ware, a fishery management plan coordinator with the Atlantic States. That means reopening the fishery any time soon could be a tough sell when regulators meet to discuss and vote on the subject this fall.

“We’re still seeing low trends for northern shrimp,” said Ware. “Low abundance, low biomass.”

The small, pinkish shrimp were previously a popular winter seafood item in New England and around the country before regulators shuttered the fishery. Fishermen sought them with trawler boats and traps in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, sometimes catching more than 10 million pounds in a single year.

Scientists have said the shrimp face a long-term threat from the warming of the Gulf of Maine, which is one of the fastest-warming bodies of water in the world. Warm water is inhospitable for the animal’s recovery, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has said.

The closure of the fishery has left New England fishermen, who also contend with other declining species such as cod, with one less option. Terry Alexander, a longtime fisherman from Harpswell, Maine, said he’d like to see the fishery reopen, but he’s not optimistic.

Read the full story at the Associated Press

Presentations and Audio Files from ASMFC’s 2018 Summer Meeting Now Available

August 14, 2018 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The presentations and audio files from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 2018 Summer Meeting are now available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2018-summer-meeting; go to the relevant board header and click on either “Presentations” or “Audio.”  The Atlantic Herring Section has two audio links given the length of the meeting (NOTE: the very beginning of the afternoon session was not recorded).

ASMFC 2018 Summer Meeting Press Releases, Summaries and Motions Now Available

August 13, 2018 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Press releases, meeting summaries and motions from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 2018 Summer Meeting are now available at http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/2018SummerMeeting/2018SummerMeetingSummary.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 and audio files from this week’s meetings will be posted to the 2018 Summer Meeting page (http://www.asmfc.org/home/2018-summer-meeting) early next week.