Saving Seafood

ASMFC proposes interim plan for male-only horseshoe crab harvesting

February 24, 2025 –A new draft plan from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) would allow regulators to set a multi-year male-only harvest of Delaware Bay horseshoe crabs while the commission updates the computer model it uses to manage the species.

Horseshoe crabs are primarily harvested for their blood, which is used for biomedical testing by the pharmaceutical industry – although they are also used as bait.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Ecological Reference Points Benchmark Stock Assessment Workshop Scheduled for March 3 – 6, in Arlington, VA

February 21, 2025 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Ecological Reference Points (ERP) Work Group will be meeting March 3 – 6, 2025 at the Commission’s office, 1050 N. Highland Street, Suite 200A-N, Arlington, VA.  The ERP Work Group will explore various modeling approaches to be used in the assessment, which will be used to evaluate the health of the stock and inform the management of the species in an ecological context.
 
The ERP assessment is scheduled to be peer-reviewed later in 2025 through the SouthEast Data Assessment Review process. Visit the Commission’s website calendar (https://asmfc.org/events/) for information on the dates and times of those meetings.  
 
All Commission assessment workshops are open to the public. Time may be allotted for public comment at the discretion of the Chair of the ERP Work Group but may also be limited to keep the workshop on schedule. Additional information on the workshop, including webinar registration, can be found here. 
 
For more information about the assessments or attending the workshop, please contact James Boyle, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at jboyle@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740, or Jainita Patel, Fisheries Science Coordinator, at jpatel@asmfc.org or 703.842.0720.

SAVE THE DATE: American Lobster Management Board Webinar Scheduled for March 18, 3 – 4 PM

February 19, 2025 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s American Lobster Management Board will meet via webinar on March 18, 2025 from 3 – 4 PM. The purpose of the webinar is for the Board to consider approval of Draft Addendum XXXII for public comment. The Draft Addendum will consider repealing all Addendum XXVII measures pertaining to gauge and escape vent size limits. This action responds to industry concerns regarding the potential economic impacts of an increase to the minimum gauge size in the Gulf of Maine and uncertainty surrounding trade issues with Canada. In addition, the Gulf of Maine states have agreed to work with the lobster industry to develop management strategies to ensure the long-term health of the resource and the coastal communities that it supports.

 
The draft agenda, meeting materials, and webinar details will be available two weeks prior to the meeting at https://asmfc.org/events/american-lobster-management-board-4/.  For more information, please contact Caitlin Starks, Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, atcstarks@asmfc.org.

NEW JERSEY: Should recreational fisheries be split into two management sectors? Public input sought

February 7, 2025 — Should party boats have different regulations for fluke than, say, surf fishermen?

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council are floating an idea to split several recreational fisheries into two separate management sectors, a strategy that fishermen have raised before at fishery meetings but never really got any air under it.

The federal regulatory bodies are currently scoping the idea and has opened the question to comment, giving the public until March 20 to submit their opinions. The separate management would just be for the summer flounder, porgy, sea bass and bluefish fisheries.

Read the full article at Asbury Park Press

ASMFC 2025 Winter Meeting Summary Document, Presentations and Recordings Now Available

February 7, 2025 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The press releases, meeting summaries, and motions from the Commission’s 2025 Winter Meeting are now available at https://asmfc.org/files/2025WinterMeeting/2025WinterMeetingSummary.pdf. Additionally, Board presentations and recordings are available on the Winter Meeting page at  https://www.asmfc.org/home/2025-winter-meeting; just scroll down to the relevant board/committee to access the links.

Spiny Dogfish Board Approves Addendum VII to Ensure Consistency with the Councils’ Spiny Dogfish Framework Adjustment 6

February 6, 2025 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Spiny Dogfish Management Board approved Addendum VII to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Spiny Dogfish. The Addendum implements measures to maintain consistency with the federal FMP in response to Spiny Dogfish Framework Adjustment 6.

 
The Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils developed Spiny Dogfish Framework Adjustment 6 in response to a 2021 Biological Opinion and 2022 Action Plan that called for reducing bycatch of Atlantic sturgeon in spiny dogfish gillnet fisheries. The coastwide Atlantic sturgeon population is made up of five distinct population segments, all of which are listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act, and Atlantic sturgeon harvest has been under a coastwide moratorium in federal and state waters since 1998. The Commission’s Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic sturgeon maintains the moratorium through at least 2038, and while the 2024 stock assessment update showed signs of improvement, the stock remains depleted coastwide.
 
The Framework prohibits overnight soaks for federal spiny dogfish permit holders on gillnets with 5”-10” mesh in November and May for a certain area of state and federal waters off of New Jersey (see figure 1 on next page), as well as for gillnets of 5.25”-10” mesh in November through March in specified areas off of Maryland and Virginia (see figure 2 on next page). Addendum VII ensures consistency by applying those overnight soak restrictions for harvesters who have state spiny dogfish permits in Maryland and Virginia but do not possess a federal spiny dogfish permit. New Jersey does not issue permits by species, but due to New Jersey’s permitting rules, any person or vessel selling spiny dogfish in the state is required to have a federal permit and follow the regulations in the bycatch reduction area, including state waters of the area. The Addendum’s measures are effective May 1, 2025.
 
Addendum VII will be available on the Commission’s website (https://asmfc.org) on the Spiny Dogfish webpage in late February. For more information, please contact James Boyle, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator at jboyle@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

ASMFC repeals proposed gauge increase

February 5, 2025 — The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission(ASMFC) sided with New England lobstermen and voted to repeal the proposed increase to the minimum allowable cast size of lobsters in the Gulf of Maine.

On Friday, the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries announced at the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association meeting that it would join Maine and New Hampshire in rejecting the gauge increase.

Maine and New Hampshire decided to withdraw the increase following strong opposition from the fishing community in both states. New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell called for the repeal of the gauge increase. In a letter to ASMFC on Feb. 3, Mayor Mitchell warned that the rule would place U.S. lobster fishermen at a significant competitive disadvantage compared to Canadian counterparts.

New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association (NEFSA) COO Dustin Delano commented on the final decision, “NEFSA thanks the commission for hearing the voice of lobstermen. Raising catch sizes at this time would bankrupt many lobstermen and surrender the U.S. market to foreign competitors. NEFSA is grateful that the commission has chosen to support our historic trade, which contributes billions to New England’s economy and shapes the character of the region.”

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Horseshoe Crab Board Approves Draft Addendum IX for Public Comment to Consider Multi-Year Specifications for Male-Only Harvest

February 5, 2025 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Horseshoe Crab Management Board approved Draft Addendum IX for public comment. The Draft Addendum considers allowing the Board to set specifications for male-only harvest for multiple years. It also considers alternative methods for managing male-only harvest limits, seasonal harvest restrictions, and harvest caps for Maryland and Virginia.

Draft Addendum IX responds to recommendations from the July 2024 Horseshoe Crab Management Objectives Workshop, which convened a group of stakeholders to explore management objectives for the Delaware Bay-origin horseshoe crab fishery. The workshop participants recommended the Board establish an interim solution to maintain male-only harvest while changes to the Adaptive Resource Management (ARM) Framework are explored to better align the model with stakeholder values. Additionally, the Draft Addendum proposes an alternative method for setting maximum male harvest limits based on Delaware Bay region spawning survey data in years when the ARM Framework is not used.
Regarding seasonal closures for the Delaware Bay region states, Draft Addendum IX includes two options: to maintain the current seasonal closure of May 1 through June 7 or reestablish the longer closure from January 1 through June 7. The Board also added options to the Draft Addendum to establish a rule for applying Maryland and Virginia harvest caps included in Addenda VII and VIII.
A press release will follow with details on the public hearing schedule and how to submit written comments. The Board will meet to review submitted comments and consider final action on the addendum at its next meeting. For more information, please contact Caitlin Starks, Senior Fishery Management Coordinator, at cstarks@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

MASSACHUSETTS: New Bedford Mayor Calls for Repeal of Lobster Size Limits New Bedford Mayor Calls for Repeal of Lobster Size Limits

February 4, 2024 — Mayor Jon Mitchell has penned a letter he hopes will help New Bedford lobstermen not feel the pinch come this summer.

Mitchell sent a letter today to Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Executive Director Robert Beal pushing for the repeal of Addendum XXVII to the ASMFC’s lobster fishery management plan, which is set to take effect in July and will limit the catch size of lobsters.

“As Mayor of America’s top commercial fishing port, I write to urge the ASMFC to repeal Addendum XXVII concerning lobster gauge size,” Mitchell wrote.

“I submit that the ASMFC should listen to lobstermen and work with them on alternatives that would be far less draconian and far more effective at sustaining the fishery and the fishermen in the long term,” he wrote.

Read the full article at WBSM

 

American Lobster Board Initiates Draft Addendum XXXII to Repeal Gauge and Escape Vent Measures of Addendum XXVII

February 4, 2025 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s American Lobster Management Board initiated Draft Addendum XXXII to Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Lobster. The Addendum will consider repealing all Addendum XXVII measures pertaining to gauge and escape vent size limits. This action responds to fervent industry concerns about the potential economic impacts of an increase to the minimum gauge size in the Gulf of Maine and uncertainty with trade issues with Canada.

“Rolling back the resiliency measures in Addendum XXVII results in increased risk to the long-term viability of the lobster fishery,” states Board Chair Patrick Keliher of Maine. “This action being considered by the Board will require the Gulf of Maine lobster industry to develop management strategies to ensure the long-term health of the resource and the coastal communities that it supports.” The Gulf of Maine states also reiterated their commitment to the sustainability of the lobster fishery and working closely with the lobster industry to develop alternative conservation measures.


Addendum XXVII was approved with the goal of providing additional protection of the Gulf of Maine/Georges Bank (GOM/GBK) spawning stock biomass through proactive conservation measures. Under Addendum XXVII, changes to the current gauge and escape vent sizes in Lobster Conservation Management Areas (LCMAs) 1, 3, and Outer Cape Cod were triggered based on observed declines in recruit abundance indices, with the original implementation date of June 1, 2024. In August 2024, the Board approved Addendum XXXI to push back the implementation date so that the series of changes to gauge and vent sizes would begin July 1, 2025. While the overall stock condition remains favorable, persistent declines in the juvenile lobster population, and now in landings, are cause for concern. Specifically, there has been a 40% decline in pre-recruits in the multiple ventless trap and trawl surveys and a 24% decline in lobster landings in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts since peak landings in 2016.
The Draft Addendum will not consider repealing regulations prohibiting the issuance of 10% additional trap tags in Areas 3 and 1 above the trap limit or allocation, nor v-notch possession definitions established by Addendum XXVII. The Board will consider approval of Draft Addendum XXXII for public comment in March.
For more information, please contact Caitlin Starks, Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at cstarks@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.