Saving Seafood

New York: Rep. Zeldin Slams ASMFC Black Sea Bass Allocation, Calls for Equitable Fishing Quotas

March 22, 2018 — LONG ISLAND, N.Y. — Congressman Lee Zeldin (R, NY-1) issued the following statement following the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) proposed allocation for black sea bass for the 2018 season, which would unfairly cut New York State’s share by up to 12%, while other states will see their allocations grow:

“With the vast majority of Long Island fishing taking place in waters shared with New Jersey and Connecticut, such as the Atlantic Ocean and Long Island Sound, it is unfair that New York anglers are, once again, being penalized with smaller fishing quotas than neighboring states. For my constituents, who are both fishermen and small business owners trying to attract customers, the ASFMC’s decision to, once again, cut New York off from its fair share while allowing New Jersey’s allocation to grow, is unacceptable. Two boats fishing next to each other with one allowed to catch up to double the amount of the other because they are landing the fish in New Jersey instead of New York is ridiculous and inequitable.

“That is why, when it comes to fishing quotas, tri-state parity is so important. At the state level, New York’s representatives must fight more aggressively within these regional bodies to advocate for New York’s anglers who rely on fishing as a way of life that supports so much of our local economy. If our state representatives on the ASMFC– who supported this terrible proposal and failed to fully advocate for New York– aren’t willing to fight for our anglers, then they should step aside.

“I call on all levels of government in our state to work together as one team to fight this unfair allocation and, if necessary, appeal this all the way to the Secretary of Commerce. Going into non-compliance is never the first option, but it may be the only one in taking a stand for New York anglers who year after year continue to get screwed.”

Read the full story at Long Island

 

SAMFC: South Atlantic Black Sea Bass Recreational Season Starts April 1, 2018

March 21, 2018 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

KEY MESSAGE:

The 2018-2019 recreational fishing season for black sea bass in federal waters of the South Atlantic, south of 35°15.9′ N. latitude (Cape Hatteras, North Carolina), will start on April 1, 2018, and end at 12:01 a.m., local time, on April 1, 2019. Estimates indicate recreational landings for the 2018-2019 fishing year will be below the 2018-2019 recreational catch limit. Therefore, black sea bass will be open for the entire 2018-2019 recreational fishing year.

WHY THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS HAPPENING: 

  • This announcement is in compliance with the final rule for Regulatory Amendment 14 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region, which published on November 7, 2014 (79 FR 66316).
  • NOAA Fisheries projects that the 2018-2019 recreational catch limit of 1,001,177 pounds whole weight will not be met as recreational landings in the past three fishing years were substantially below this value.

Access this and other Fishery Bulletins from NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office by clicking here.   

 

ASMFC: Meeting Summary, Motions, and Presentation from March 20th Now Available

March 20, 2018 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The meeting summary, motions, and presentation from today’s conference call of the Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board are below and can also be found at http://www.asmfc.org/home/meeting-archive.

Meeting Summary & Motions http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/SFlounderScupBSB_Board_MtgSummary_March20_2018.pdf

Presentation http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/SFlounderScupBSB_BoardPresentation_3_20_18.pdf

Learn more about the ASMFC by visiting their site here

 

ASMFC: Meeting materials for the March 20th conference call of the Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board

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

Meeting materials for the March 20th conference call of the Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board are now available at – http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/SFlounderScupBSB_BoardMaterials_3_20_18.pdf. The conference call will begin at 9 a.m. The public is welcome to listen to the discussion by phone (866.214.0726, followed by passcode: 993961) and view the webinar using the following link https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/6931931919817605123.

Time permitting, there will be a limited opportunity for the public to provide comments. The Board Chair will outline the procedures for accepting public comment at the beginning of the conference call. We request the public and other nonparticipating attendees to please mute their phones in order to minimize distractions to the Board’s deliberations.

Learn more about the ASMFC by visiting their site here.

 

ASMFC Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board to Meet Via Conference Call March 20

Board to Consider Approval of 2018 Recreational Black Sea Bass Regional Proposals

March 13, 2018 — ARLINGTON, Va. — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board will meet via conference call on Tuesday, March 20th at 9 a.m. to consider approval of regional proposals for the 2018 black sea bass recreational fishery. The proposals are required under Addendum XXX, which was approved in February 2018 and uses a combination of exploitable biomass information from the latest stock assessment and historical harvest to regionally allocate the coastwide recreational harvest limit (RHL). The three management regions are:  (1) Massachusetts through New York, (2) New Jersey, and (3) Delaware through North Carolina. Their respective allocations of the 2018 coastwide RHL are 61.35%, 30.24%, and 8.41%.

To improve accountability, Addendum XXX holds states within each region collectively responsible for managing harvest to their regional allocation through the cooperative development of recreational measures. To increase regional consistency in measures, each region will establish a standard set of measures, with each state in the region provided the flexibility to adjust its measures up to one inch in minimum size and three fish in possession limit. Collectively, the combined regional measures are intended to achieve, but not exceed, the 2018 RHL.

The public is welcome to listen to the discussion by phone (866.214.0726, followed by passcode: 993961) and view the webinar using the following link. The meeting agenda can be found here; meeting materials will be available March 15 here.

Time permitting, there will be a limited opportunity for the public to provide comments. The Board Chair will outline the procedures for accepting public comment at the beginning of the conference call. We request the public and other nonparticipating attendees to please mute their phones in order to minimize distractions to the Board’s deliberations.

For more information, please contact Caitlin Starks, FMP Coordinator, at cstarks@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

A PDF of the press release can be found here.

 

Massachusetts: Black sea bass shows promise for M.V. fishermen

March 6, 2018 — With no proposed changes in conch fishing regulations on the agenda, the annual Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) winter public hearing on proposed regulations was a relatively collegial gathering. A baker’s dozen of Island fishermen and stakeholders gathered at the Katharine Cornell Theater on Monday morning to weigh in on the potential changes the DMF is looking to implement in 2018.

The main topic of conversation was changes to regulations for the commercial black sea bass fishery. According to DMF Deputy Director Dan Mackiernan, stocks of the tasty fish have increased sharply in Vineyard waters.
“Black sea bass is poster child for climate change,” he said, referring to the increasing average temperature of Vineyard waters. “We’ve never seen sea bass like we have now. They’re more abundant than they’ve ever been.”

Warren Doty, Chilmark selectman and founding president of the Martha’s Vineyard Fishermen’s Preservation Trust, said black sea bass are the fish of the future for Island fishermen.

“The seabass fishery has become increasingly important here,” he said. “It’s eco-friendly because it’s a pot and hand line fishery. As the water temperature changes, it’s become much more common than it was 20, 30 years ago. It’s a good prospect for the Vineyard fishery.” Doty explained that Vineyard fishermen tend to use smaller boats and need to target higher priced fish like black sea bass, as opposed to scup, which is not productive at 50 cents a pound.

Read the full story at the Martha’s Vineyard Times

 

ASMFC Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Board Approves Addendum XXX for Recreational Black Sea Bass Management

February 12, 2018 — ARLINGTON, Va. — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board approved Addendum XXX to the Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan. The Addendum establishes a regional allocation of the coastwide Recreational Harvest Limit (RHL) to address state concerns regarding equity and accountability in recreational black sea bass management.

From 2012-2016, the recreational fishery was managed under an ad-hoc regional management approach, whereby the states of Massachusetts through New Jersey individually crafted measures aimed at adjusting harvest by the same percentage, while the states of Delaware through North Carolina set their regulations consistent with the federal waters measures. While this approach allowed the states flexibility in setting management measures, some states expressed a need for increased equity and accountability in managing harvest to coastwide catch limits.

Accounting for geographic differences in the stock and fishery interests, Addendum XXX uses a combination of exploitable biomass information from the latest stock assessment and historical harvest to regionally allocate the coastwide RHL. The final allocation is based on a hybrid of the allocation options that were presented in the Draft Addendum. The three management regions are defined as Massachusetts through New York, New Jersey as a state-specific region, and Delaware through North Carolina; their respective allocations of the 2018 coastwide RHL are 61.35%, 30.24%, and 8.41%. The Technical Committee will work with the states to develop regional proposals for Board review and approval in March 2018.

To improve accountability, the states within each region will be collectively responsible for managing harvest to their regional allocation through the cooperative development of recreational measures. To increase regional consistency in measures, each region will establish a standard set of measures, with each state in the region afforded the flexibility to adjust their measures up to one inch in minimum size and three fish in possession limit. The Addendum also initiates the development of a new process for evaluation and specification of measures against the annual catch limit, which aims to provide more year-to-year stability in management measures.

Learn more about the ASMFC by visiting their site here.

 

ASMFC 2018 Winter Meeting Supplemental Materials Now Available

January 31, 2018 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Council: 

Supplemental meeting materials for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 2018 Winter Meeting have been posted at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2018-winter-meeting for the following Boards/Sections (click on “Supplemental” following each relevant committee header to access the information). For ease of access, supplemental meeting materials have combined into one PDF – http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/2018WinterMeeting/CombinedSupplementalFiles_Winter2018.pdf.

American Lobster Management Board – Draft Addendum XXVI/III Public Comment; Southern New England memo: Goals and Objectives (revised)

Atlantic Herring Section – Technical Committee Review of Current Spawning Closure Procedure

American Eel Management Board – Draft Addendum V; Stock Assessment Committee Call Summary; 2017 FMP Review

Weakfish Management Board – 2017 FMP Review

South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board –  Cobia FMP State Implementation Plans; 2017 FMP Reviews for Spot and Spanish Mackerel

Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board – Submitted Public Comment

Risk and Uncertainty Workshop – Decision Tree

ISFMP Policy Board – 2017 Commissioner Survey Results; Submitted Public Comment on Virginia Appeal to Atlantic Menhaden Amendment 3

Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board – Revised Agenda and Meeting Overview; Draft Addendum XXX, Public Hearing Summaries, Submitted Public Comment and Advisory Panel Report

As a reminder, Board meeting proceedings will be broadcast daily via webinar beginning February 6th at 9:30 a.m. and continuing daily until the conclusion of the meeting (expected to be 5 p.m.) on Thursday, February 8th. 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.

Learn more about the ASMFC by visiting their site here.

 

NOAA Fisheries Announces February 2018 Recreational Season for Black Sea Bass

January 31, 2018 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries announces a February recreational season in 2018 for the black sea bass fishery.

The current black sea bass recreational management measures of a 12.5-inch minimum size and 15-fish possession limit apply during the February 1-28 federal season.

Federal measures for the rest of the 2018 recreational black sea bass fishery will be developed through a separate action to be implemented later this spring.

Only Virginia and North Carolina have committed to participating in this February season.

Federally permitted charter/party vessels are required to abide by the more restrictive set of regulations when federal and state measures differ.

If you have questions regarding your state’s recreational management measures, please contact the marine fisheries management agency for your state or the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

For more details, read the rule as filed in the Federal Register today, and the permit holder bulletin on our website.

Learn more about NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Region by visiting their site here.

 

MD & NJ Reschedule Black Sea Bass Draft Addendum XXX Public Hearings

January 8, 2018 — ARLINGTON, Va. — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Atlantic states from Massachusetts through Virginia have scheduled their hearings to gather public comment on Draft Addendum XXX to the Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan. The details of those hearings follow:

Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries

January 9, 2018 at 6 PM

Bourne Community Center, Room 1

239 Main Street

Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts

Contact: Nichola Meserve at 617.626.1531

Rhode Island Division of Fish & Wildlife

January 17, 2018 at 6 PM

University of Rhode Island 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

January 10, 2018 at 7 PM

Marine Headquarters

Boating Education Center (Rear Building)

333 Ferry Road

Old Lyme, Connecticut

Contact: Mark Alexander at 860.447.4322

New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation

January 11, 2018 at 6 PM

Division of Marine Resources

205 North Belle Mead Road, Suite 1

East Setauket, New York

Contact: John Maniscalco at 631.444.0437

*RESCHEDULED* New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife

January 11, 2018 at 7:15 PM

Stafford Township Municipal Building

260 East Bay Avenue

Manahawkin, New Jersey

Contact: Peter Clarke at 609.748.2020

Delaware Dept. of Natural Resources & Environmental Control

January 3, 2018 at 6 PM*

DNREC Shoreline & Waterway Services Facility

901 Pilottown Road

Lewes, Delaware

Contact: John Clark at 302.739.9914

* Facility doors will not open until 5:30 PM

*RESCHEDULED* Maryland Department of Natural Resources

January 11, 2018 at 6 PM

Ocean Pines Library

11107 Cathell Road

Berlin, Maryland 21811

Contact: Steve Doctor at 410.213.1531

Virginia Marine Resources Commission

January 16, 2018 at 6 PM

2600 Washington Avenue

4th Floor Conference Room

Newport News, Virginia

Contact: Rob O’Reilly at 757.247.2248

Draft Addendum XXX was initiated to consider alternative regional management approaches for the recreational fishery, including options for regional allocation of the recreational harvest limit (RHL) based on historical harvest and exploitable biomass. The Draft Addendum also includes an option for coastwide management of black sea bass recreational fisheries should a regional approach not be approved for management.

In recent years, challenges in the black sea bass recreational fishery have centered on providing equitable access to the resource in the face of uncertain population size, structure, and distribution. Since 2012, the recreational fishery has been managed under an ad-hoc regional management approach, whereby the states of Massachusetts through New Jersey have individually crafted measures aimed at reducing harvest by the same percent, while the states of Delaware through North Carolina have set their regulations consistent with the federal waters measures. While this approach allowed the states flexibility in setting measures, some states expressed concerns about equity and accountability in constraining harvest to coastwide catch limits. Additionally, the 2016 Benchmark Stock Assessment provided information on the abundance and distribution of the resource along the coast that was not previously available to include in the management program.

Draft Addendum XXX proposes two approaches for regional allocation of the RHL in the black sea bass recreational fishery: (1) allocation based on a combination of stock biomass and harvest information, or (2) allocation based solely on historical harvest. The regional allocation options offer advantages over coastwide regulations by addressing geographic differences in the stock (size, abundance, and seasonality) while allowing for more uniformity in measures between neighboring states. The Draft Addendum also proposes an option for evaluating harvest and adjusting measures against the annual catch limit, which aims to reduce year to year changes in management measures.

Anglers and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on Draft Addendum XXX either by attending state public hearings or providing written comment. The Draft Addendum is available at http://www.asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/BSBDraftAddendumXXX_PublicComment.pdf and can also be accessed on the Commission website (www.asmfc.org) under Public Input. To aid the submission of public comment, please refer to the decision tree found in Appendix III on PDF page 23, which outlines the management options being considered. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on January 22, 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 XXX).