Saving Seafood

Overhaul being weighed in Atlantic coast menhaden management

Commission seeks comments on catch limits and distribution of catch among fisheries

August 29, 2017 — A major overhaul could be coming in how menhaden are managed along the East Coast — one that might, for the first time, try to account for the ecological role of the small and oily fish.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which oversees migratory fish along the coast, is preparing to update its menhaden management plan this fall. It’s looking to revisit how the catch is distributed among states and fisheries and may adjust the catch limit for the Chesapeake.

Public hearings on potential changes are scheduled for September, with written comments accepted through Oct. 20.

People generally don’t eat menhaden, yet the fish has been the focus of heated debates in recent years over how many should be caught. By weight, menhaden are the largest catch in the Bay, primarily because Reedville, VA — home port of Omega Protein’s “reduction” fishing fleet — is where the fish are reduced or processed into vitamin supplements, fish meal and other products.

The Omega fleet’s menhaden harvest accounts for about 75 percent of the coastwide catch, with the rest taken by small, but growing, operations that sell the fish as bait for recreational and commercial use.

Read the full story at the Bay Journal

Red Snapper Special Session – SAFMC Meeting – September 11-15, 2017 in Charleston, SC

August 28, 2017 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Meeting Location:

Town and Country Inn

2008 Savannah Highway

Charleston, SC 29407      

Phone: Reservations: 843/571-1000

Agenda Highlights  

  • Full Council Session – Monday, September 11
    Harvest Options for Red Snapper 
    The Council will hold a special session from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm on Monday of the meeting week to specifically address measures to allow harvest of red snapper. The Council will review alternatives in Snapper Grouper Amendment 43 to determine an annual catch limit for red snapper and allow a limited season in 2018. The Council will also consider options to request that NOAA Fisheries take emergency action for a red snapper mini-season in October 2017.

    • Red Snapper Public Comment – Monday, September 11 at 10:15 am
      Public comment will be solicited on measures proposed in Amendment 43 to allow for a limited harvest of red snapper in 2018 and options for requesting emergency action for harvest in 2017.  The Council is scheduled to take action during Monday’s Full Council Session.  Can’t attend? Provide your comments online and register to attend via webinar as the meeting occurs (see below).
  • Snapper Grouper Committee The committee will continue to review measures proposed for both recreational (Regulatory Amendment 26) and commercial (Regulatory Amendment 27) sectors as identified through the Council’s 2016-2020 Vision Blueprint. Measures include reducing the recreational size limit for black sea bass, commercial split seasons and more.
  • Mackerel Cobia Committee The committee will receive an update on the development of an interstate fishery management plan for Atlantic cobia (Georgia through New York) by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. A public hearing will be held during the meeting week (see below). Options to modify the current commercial trip limit for king mackerel will also be reviewed.

Hearings about menhaden fishing rules coming to East Coast

August 24, 2017 — BUZZARDS BAY, Mass. — Fishing managers are holding a series of public hearings along the East Coast about potential changes to the way they manage the menhaden fishery.

Menhaden are a heavily fished species of small fish that are used as bait and fish oil. They also play a critical role in ecosystems because they’re preyed upon by larger fish, seabirds, whales and dolphins.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission said last month it’s looking to balance “menhaden’s ecological role as a prey species” with the needs of people who harvest and use it.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Washington Post

ASMFC Atlantic Menhaden Management Board to Meet November 13th & 14th to Consider Approval of Amendment 3 and Set 2018 Specifications

August 24, 2017 — ARLINGTON, Va. — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission: 

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Menhaden Management Board will meet November 13-14, 2017 to consider approval of Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Menhaden and set specifications for the 2018 fishing season. The meeting, which is scheduled to begin at 1 PM on the 13th and end at 5 PM on the 14th, will take place at BWI Marriot, 1743 West Nursery Road, Linthicum, Maryland.

Draft Amendment 3, which is currently out for public comment, seeks to manage the menhaden resource in a way that balances menhaden’s ecological role as a prey species with the needs of all user groups. To this end, the Draft Amendment considers the use of ecosystem reference points (ERPs) to manage the resource and changes to the allocation method. In addition, it presents a suite of management options for quota transfers, quota rollovers, incidental catch, the episodic events set aside program, and the Chesapeake Bay reduction fishery cap.

Specifications for the 2018 fishery will occur following Board approval of the Amendment. The Commission’s Business Session will meet immediately following the conclusion of the Atlantic Menhaden Board meeting to consider final approval of the Amendment.

The meeting will be live-streamed via webinar; the details of which will be released at a later date. For more information, please contact Megan Ware, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at mware@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.   

Atlantic Herring Eastern Maine Spawning Closure in Effect Starting August 28, 2017 through September 24, 2017

August 23, 2017 — ARLINGTON, Va. — 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 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. However, if sufficient samples are not available then closures will begin on predetermined dates.

There is currently only one sample for the Eastern Maine spawning area to determine spawning condition; therefore, the Eastern Maine spawning area will be closed starting at 12:00 a.m. on August 28, 2017 extending through 11:59 p.m. on September 24, 2017. Vessels in the directed Atlantic herring fishery cannot take, land or possess Atlantic herring caught within the Eastern Maine 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 Eastern Maine spawning area.

Eastern Maine spawning area includes all waters bounded by the following coordinates:

Maine coast   68° 20’ W

43° 48’ N       68° 20’ W

44° 25’ N       67° 03’ W

North along the US/Canada border

For more information, please contact Toni Kerns, ISFMP Director, at tkerns@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

A PDF version of the announcement can be obtained here –http://www.asmfc.org/files/AtlHerring/AtlHerring_EasternMaineSpawningClosure_Aug2017.pdf.

ASMFC Northern Shrimp Section to Meet August 31st in Portland, ME to Consider Approval of Amendment 3

August 23, 2017 — ARLINGTON, Va. — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Northern Shrimp Section will meet on August 31st from 1 – 3:30 PM at the Westin Portland Harborview, Winslow Homer Ballroom, 157 High Street, Portland, ME (Tel: 207.775.2411). The Section will be reviewing submitted public comment and considering final action on Draft Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Northern Shrimp.

While the fishery is currently under a moratorium, the Amendment considers measures to improve management of the northern shrimp resource in the event the fishery reopens. Proposed options include state-by-state allocations and accountability measures to better manage effort in the fishery. The Draft Amendment also explores the mandatory use of size sorting grate systems to minimize harvest of small (presumably male) shrimp, as well as reporting measures to ensure all harvested shrimp are being reported. 

If approved by the Section, the Amendment will be forwarded to the Commission’s Business Session for final approval in October at the Commission’s Annual Meeting.

Meeting materials for the Section meeting can be accessed at  http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/NShrimpSectionMtgMaterials_Aug2017.pdf.

A PDF version of the press release can be found here –http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/599da091pr38NShrimpSectionMtg_Aug2017.pdf.

Maine fishermen, scientists combine forces with goal to save shrimp fishery

A new Fisheries Management Plan has been created for the fishery that has been closed since 2014.

August 21, 2017 — For more than 20 years, Dana Hammond made close to half his annual income shrimping. But his shrimping profits began to dwindle in 2013. That season, regulators were alarmed by the lack of shrimp biomass in the Gulf of Maine, and the amount he was allowed to catch was cut 72 percent. The fishery was closed entirely in 2014. It hasn’t reopened since and Hammond, who fishes out of Portland on his boat the Nicole Leigh, has been trying to make up the deficit from his other main source of income, groundfishing.

But Hammond isn’t ready to let shrimping go. It’s an ideal winter fishery for him, allowing him to stay close to shore during rough and cold weather. He’s so vested in the future of the fishery that this summer he went to sea with the Northeast Fisheries scientists who conduct the annual summer survey, the main source of data that determines the status of the fishery every year.

“I didn’t get paid,” Hammond said. “I went anyway because I want to make sure they are doing stuff right.”

Hammond’s goal is to help the scientists be better fishermen – the more they catch, the more likely it is his fishery will reopen. Or better put, the more shrimp the survey finds, the better chance it is that there will be another season for Maine shrimpers. The survey concluded earlier in August and though its findings won’t be available until late October, it is the key to determining whether Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission will decide at its meeting in early to mid-December whether to reopen the fishery for the tiny Northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) in 2018.

In the event that the fishery does reopen, it will likely follow different rules. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has, with the cooperation and input of local fishermen, developed a new Fisheries Management Plan, updated in consideration of the recent problems in the shrimp fishery. That plan, known as Amendment 3 will be finalized at a meeting in Portland on Aug. 31.

Typically, putting the regulatory side of a fishery in contact with those who do the fishing entails some tension, distrust even, the kind that can make for a combative relationship. The people who make their living on the water don’t want to be told what to do and how to do it, especially not by people who came up in the world of petri dishes and test tubes, not traps and trawls.

But as the Northern shrimp fishery faces the most extreme challenge in a history that spans nearly a century, the relationship between shrimpers and scientists has become, cautiously, more collaborative. The more so the better, from the perspective of fisheries biologist Peter Chase, who oversees the annual survey for the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration’s (NOAA) Northeast Fisheries Science Center. He’s used to getting a lot of questions about the survey as soon as he comes ashore in summer – starting with, “did you see a lot of shrimp?” Moreover, he understands the frustrations of the fishermen. Some of them “have been vocal about complaining about our survey,” he said. “Others have been really helpful.” Like Hammond.

“It shouldn’t be an us-versus-them thing here,” Chase said. “I don’t want to put anyone out of business.”

“We want to be in this together,” he added. “This is research that I am hoping will show that the resource is coming back.”

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

ASMFC Atlantic Herring Days Out Call for August 23 Cancelled

August 18, 2017 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (Commission) Atlantic Herring Section members from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts set effort control measures for the Area 1A fishery via Days Out meetings/calls.

The previously scheduled Days Out call on August 23, 2017 at 10:00 AM has been cancelled. The Atlantic Herring Section members from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts will continue to monitor landings information and will schedule a call if necessary. If a call is scheduled, at least 48 hours’ notice will be provided.

Please contact Toni Kerns, ISFMP Director, at tkerns@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740 for more information.

Reminder: Cobia Scoping via Webinar Tomorrow; Advisory Panel Applications Due Wednesday

August 14, 2017 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Reminder!

Atlantic Cobia Scoping Meeting via Webinar

Tomorrow Beginning at 6 PM

Advisory Panel Application Deadline is Wednesday, August 16th

Atlantic Cobia

– Public Scoping via Webinar

Amendment 31 to the Coastal Migratory Pelagics Fishery Management Plan

  • August 15th – Public Scoping via Webinar at 6:00 PM*
*A second presentation and comment opportunity will be repeated at 7:00 PM or later, depending on the end time of the first comment session.

The Council is soliciting public input on options for the management of Atlantic cobia (GA to NY). The recreational fishery for Atlantic cobia was closed in federal waters earlier this year after NOAA Fisheries determined the annual catch limit would be met. Options currently in the amendment include continuing efforts to develop a complementary plan with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) or the complete transfer of Atlantic cobia management to the ASMFC. The Council is considering options to allow additional flexibility for managing the fishery.

Note that webinar registration is required. Written comments are also be accepted. Additional information, including webinar registration, online public comment forms, comment deadlines, and scoping documents are available on the Council’s website at: http://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/public-hearing-and-scoping-meeting-schedule/.

Advisory Panel Applications Due Wednesday, August 16th

Seats open on Snapper Grouper, Dolphin Wahoo, Mackerel Cobia and More

The Council is soliciting applicants for seats on several advisory panels. Advisory panel members include recreational, commercial, and for-hire fishermen as well as others knowledgeable about fisheries and fisheries management issues. Learn more about seats that are currently open and access the online application form. Apply Now! Read more

ASMFC South Atlantic Board Approves Draft FMP for Atlantic Migratory Group Cobia for Public Comment

August 14, 2017 — ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board approved the Draft Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic Migratory Group (AMG) Cobia for public comment.  The intent of the Draft FMP is to complement federal AMG cobia management actions and distribute catches among member states through a proposed allocation strategy.

The Draft FMP was initiated in response to recent overages of the federal annual catch limit (ACL) for AMG Cobia. The Draft FMP addresses immediate management and conservation goals in anticipation of a new benchmark AMG cobia stock assessment in 2018.  Management options include size, bag, and vessel limits to complement federal measures along with proposed de minimis options for Mid-Atlantic states (Maryland through New York) whose landings are minimal or episodic.

The most significant change may come in the form of state-specific recreational allocations.  The current ACL for AMG cobia is 670,000 pounds (620,000 pound recreational ACL and a 50,000 pound commercial quota). Managing the recreational ACL on a coastwide basis has resulted in federal closures and significant overages in 2015 and 2016, disrupting fishing opportunities and jeopardizing the health of the stock.  The Draft FMP contains a number of proposed options to allocate a recreational harvest limit (equal to the federal recreational ACL) to the four primary states (Georgia-Virginia) to allow those states more flexibility in developing seasonal options that best suit their specific state’s recreational and for-hire interests.

At this time, the options for the commercial AMG cobia fishery do not include state specific allocations and generally complement the proposed federal requirements. It is expected that the states from Georgia through Virginia will be conducting public hearings on the Draft FMP. The details of those hearings will be released in a subsequent press release.

The Draft FMP is available here or on the Commission’s website, www.asmfc.org, under Public Input. Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the Draft FMP either by attending state public hearings or providing written comment. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on October 6, 2017 and should be forwarded to Louis Daniel, FMP Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St, Suite A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or at comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Draft Cobia FMP). Final action on the Draft FMP is scheduled to occur in October 2017. For more information, please contact Louis Daniel, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at ldaniel@asmfc.org or 252-342-1478.

A PDF version of the press release can be found here.