Saving Seafood

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

New England Shrimp Population Still Depleted, Board Says

October 11, 2018 — A regulatory board says New England’s shrimp population remains depleted years after the fishery for the species was shut down.

Fishermen in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts used to harvest Northern shrimp in the winter, but regulators shut the fishery down in 2013 amid concerns about low population and warming waters.

An arm of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission says it has reviewed a new assessment of the shrimp population that says there are far fewer of the crustaceans off of New England than there used to be. The commission says the rising temperatures of the Gulf of Maine are a threat to the shrimp.

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

Northern shrimp surveys point to another year of moratorium

October 10, 2018 — The shrimp section of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission met in Portland, Maine, last week and voted to accept the 2018 benchmark assessment for northern shrimp — a report that shows a bleak future for the fishery.

The assessment indicates the northern shrimp population remains severely depleted, spawning stock biomass remains at the same low levels that have kept the fishery shuttered since the 2013 season. The assessment also recorded historically low recruitment of new shrimp into the fishery.

“Warmer water temperatures are generally associated with lower recruitment indices and poorer survival during the first year of life,” the section said in a statement. “Ocean temperatures in the western Gulf of Maine shrimp habitat have increased over the past decade, and temperature is predicted to continue rising as a result of climate change. This suggests an increasingly inhospitable environment for northern shrimp in the Gulf of Maine.”

The decision on whether or not to close the fishery for the sixth year straight will be made during a Nov. 15-16 commission shrimp managers’ meeting with the advisory panel to discuss the 2019 season.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

 

Last Call for Public Comments on Summer Flounder Commercial Issues Amendment

October 10, 2018 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission & the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) are soliciting public input on a draft amendment to address several potential changes to the management of the commercial summer flounder fishery, as well as modifications to the fishery management plan (FMP) goals and objectives for summer flounder. The deadline to submit written comments is October 12, 2018. Written comments may be submitted online here or through email, mail, or fax (scroll down for addresses).
The specific issues under consideration in this amendment include:
  1. Requalifying criteria for federal commercial moratorium permits to address latent effort in the fishery: The amendment includes options to reduce the number of eligible commercial federal moratorium permits by implementing requalifying criteria for existing permits.
  2. Modifying commercial quota allocation: The amendment proposes several options for revising the current commercial allocation to the states, which has been in place since 1993 and is based on average landings from 1980-1989.
  3. Adding commercial landings flexibility as a framework issue in the Council’s FMP: This action does not consider implementing landings flexibility policies at this time but considers allowing the Council to implement landings flexibility through a future framework action instead of an amendment. The Commission’s adaptive management process already allows for landings flexibility.
  4. Revising the FMP objectives for summer flounder: This amendment proposes revisions to the current FMP objectives for summer flounder management to provide more meaningful and up-to-date guidance to managers.
Learn More
Additional information about the amendment and the management alternatives being considered can be found on the Council’s website at www.mafmc.org/actions/summer-flounder-amendment and on the Commission’s website at http://www.asmfc.org/about-us/public-input. This information includes three documents: (1) the Public Hearing Document, which includes all proposed management changes and was developed to solicit public comment; (2) the Commission’s Draft Amendment; and (3) the Council’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). Both the Commission’s Draft Amendment and the Council’s DEIS are required under their respective regulatory processes.
Contacts
  • Kiley Dancy, Fishery Management Specialist, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, kdancy@mafmc.org, 302.526.5257
  • Kirby Rootes-Murdy, Senior FMP Coordinator, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, krootes-murdy@asmfc.org, 703.842.0740
Written Comments
Given the joint nature of this management effort and to streamline the public comment process, comments should be directed to Council contact information below. You may submit written comments by 11:59 PM, Eastern Time, on Friday, October 12, 2018. Written comments may be sent by any of the following methods:
  1. ONLINE: www.mafmc.org/comments/summer-flounder-amendment
  2. EMAIL: nmfs.flukeamendment@noaa.gov 
  3. MAIL OR FAX TO:
    Chris Moore, Ph.D., Executive Director
    Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council
    North State Street, Suite 201
    Dover, DE 19901
    FAX: 302.674.5399
Please include “Summer Flounder Commercial Issues Amendment Comments” in the subject line if using email or on the outside of the envelope if submitting written comments by mail. All comments, regardless of submission method, will be compiled into a single document for review and consideration by both the Council and Commission. Please do not send separate comments to the Council and Commission.

Mainers grapple with risk that a shrimp season this year could be the last one

October 5, 2018 — PORTLAND, Maine — Scientists and policymakers gathered Thursday in Portland to weigh their desire for a 2018 Maine shrimp season — the first in five years — against the very real possibility that allowing shrimp to be harvested this year could leave the species beyond the point of return.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission presented a draft of its Northern Shrimp 2018 Stock Assessment Report, which those assembled at the Maine Historical Society heard with resignation but not surprise.

The northern (Maine) shrimp stock is depleted and the biomass is at an all-time low due to high fishery removals and a less favorable environment, according to the draft.

The mortality rate in 2011-2012, the last years with shrimp seasons — was very high, and the number of juvenile shrimp has remained “unusually low” since 2010.

Furthermore, the environment in the Gulf of Maine is in flux, Margaret Hunter of the Maine Department of Marine Resources and chairwoman of the assessment subcommittee, said Thursday.

Read the full story at the Bangor Daily News

 

Latest shrimp assessment points to closure of fishery

October 5, 2018 — The shrimp section of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission voted Thursday to accept the 2018 benchmark assessment for northern shrimp that continues to reflect a stock in free fall and facing a highly uncertain future.

The assessment seems to point to another closure for the fishery that has been shuttered since after the 2013 fishing season because of the dire and deteriorating state of the northern shrimp stock.

The final decision on whether to close the fishery for the sixth consecutive year will come in November, when the shrimp section and its advisory panel are scheduled to meet to set specifications for the 2019 fishing season.

It does not look good.

The assessment, according to the section, indicates the northern shrimp population remains severely depleted, spawning stock biomass remains at the same low levels that have existed since 2013 and recruitment of new shrimp into the fishery continues at historically low numbers.

It also underlines the negative impact of the Gulf of Maine’s warming waters on the northern shrimp stock.

“Warmer water temperatures are generally associated with lower recruitment indices and poorer survival during the first year of life,” the section said in a statement. “Ocean temperatures in the western Gulf of Maine shrimp habitat have increased over the past decade, and temperature is predicted to continue rising as a result of climate change. This suggests an increasingly inhospitable environment for northern shrimp in the Gulf of Maine.”

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Maine fishermen demand better science before canceling another shrimp season

October 4, 2018 — Members of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission will meet Thursday in Portland to review the most recent stock assessment and make recommendations on whether Maine will see a shrimp season next year for the first time since 2013.

Initial indications from both federal and state surveys are that the shrimp population is in no better shape than any of the past five years.

“Spawning stock biomass and total abundance remain low, with little sign of recovery,” Toni Kerns, an ASMFC fishery management plans coordinator, wrote in an email about the shrimp population in the Gulf of Maine.

Fifty years ago, fishermen caught 11,000 metric tons of Maine shrimp. But the numbers steadily decreased and, by 2012, the catch was down to 2,185 metric tons. Then, even that bottom dropped out, and in 2013 fishermen brought in only 255 metric tons, prompting complete closure of the fishery other than a small “research set-aside” that in 2018 totaled 13.3 tons, the Press Herald reported.

Trends include the lowest abundance and biomass numbers in more than three decades, ASMFC told the Gloucester Times last month.

And Maggie Hunter, lead shrimp scientist for the Maine Department of Marine Resources, said the inshore trawl survey conducted every spring and fall by the Maine DMR and New Hampshire Fish and Game found “very low” numbers as well.

Read the full story at the Bangor Daily News

Lack of stock growth points to Gulf of Maine shrimp closure

October 3, 2018 — Nothing significant has changed for the Gulf of Maine’s imperiled northern shrimp stock in the past five years, as the fishery continues to be haunted by historically low abundance and biomass numbers that just refuse to improve.

The fishery’s recent past may indeed be prologue, as fishery managers from the shrimp section of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission get ready to meet Thursday to review and make recommendations on the most recent benchmark assessment of the stock, as well as a peer-review report on the assessment.

The meeting, set for Portland, Maine, is one of the final steps before the ASMFC decides in November whether to reopen the fishery for the 2019 season.

The early returns point to another closure.

Megan Ware, an ASMFC fishery management plans coordinator, said the 2018 stock assessment offers the same dismal assessment of the northern shrimp stock as every assessment since the 2013 assessment that instigated the past five closures.

“The trends are similar,” Ware told the Gloucester Daily Times last month. “We’re still seeing the low trends that we’ve seen in the past five years.”

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

August/September 2018 issue of Fisheries Focus Now Available

October 1, 2018 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The August/September 2018  issue of Fisheries Focus is now available at http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/5bae9553FishFocusAugSept2018.pdf.

Upcoming Meetings

page 2

From the Executive Director’s Desk 

MRIP’s Upgraded Fishing Effort Survey: A Significant Step Forward in Fisheries Science and Recreational Management

page 3

Species Profile

Horseshoe Crab

page 4

Essential Trawl Survey Receives Needed Boost

page 5

Fishery Management Actions

American Eel

Summer Flounder

Scup

Black Sea Bass

Bluefish

page 8

Science Highlight

Effects of the Biomedical Bleeding on the Behavior and Physiology of Horseshoe Crab

page 10

ACCSP Well Represented at AFS Annual Meeting

page 11

Proposed Management Actions

Summer Flounder

Scup

Black Sea Bass

Coastal Sharks

Cobia

page 12

In Memoriam
page 13

Comings & Goings

page 14

Employee of the Quarter Named

page 15

Past issues of Fisheries Focus can be found at http://www.asmfc.org/search/%20/%20/Fishery-Focus