Black sea bass Archives - Page 17 of 25

Reminder! SAFMC Meeting Starts Next Week in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

June 5, 2017 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Workshop:

Improving Survival of Released Fish

Monday, June 12th from 3:30 – 5:30 PM

Join members as they receive presentations on best fishing practices being used to reduce discard mortality.
Presenters:
- Dr. Chuck Adams and Dr. Kai Lorenzen – Florida Sea Grant/University of Florida
- Brian Husky – KeepEmWet Fishing
- Andy Loftus – Fish Smart/ASA
- Cameron Rhodes – SAFMC Outreach Staff
- Stephen Theberge, Jr. – Rising Leaders Academy
- Tom Twyford – West Palm Beach Fishing Club

Snapper Grouper Committee

Work continues on development of adaptive management measures for the red snapper fishery (Amendment 43). The committee will also 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. In addition, the Committee will continue to review a white paper outlining approaches for developing a limited entry program for federal for-hire (charter) permits in the snapper grouper fishery.

Read the full release here

NOAA Revises Catch Limits for Black Sea Bass for 2017

June 2, 2017 — The catch limits for black sea bass have been revised for the remainder of 2017.

NOAA Fisheries has increased the commercial quota by 53 percent and the recreational harvest limit by 52 percent.

The revisions were based on new stock assessment information.

For planning purposes, fishery officials have also released the catch limit projections for 2018.

Read the full story at CapeCod.com

ASMFC Finds New Jersey Out of Compliance with Addendum XXVIII to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass FMP

June 1, 2017 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Arlington, VA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has found the State of New Jersey out of compliance with the mandatory management measures contained in Addendum XXVIII to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass. The Commission will notify the Secretaries of Commerce and the Interior of its finding. This action was taken pursuant to the provisions of the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act of 1993. The State of New Jersey has failed to effectively implement and enforce the provisions of Addendum XXVIII to the FMP for Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass. Specifically, New Jersey has not implemented the following regulations required by Addendum XXVIII:

Shore mode for Island Beach State Park only: 17-inch minimum size limit; 2-fish possession limit and 128-day open season.
Delaware Bay only (west of the COLERG line): 18-inch minimum size limit; 3-fish possession limit and 128-day open season.
All other marine waters (east of the COLERG line): 19-inch minimum size limit; 3-fish possession limit and 128-day open season

The implementation of these measures is necessary to achieve the conservation goals and objectives of the FMP to end overfishing of the summer flounder stock. In order to come back into compliance the State of New Jersey must implement all of the above measures. Upon notification by the Commission, the Secretaries of Commerce and the Interior have 30 days to review the recommendation and determine appropriate action, which may include a federal moratorium on fishing for Summer Flounder in New Jersey’s state waters. For more information, please contact Toni Kerns, Director, Interstate Fisheries Management Program, at tkerns@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

MASSACHUSETTS: Black sea bass poachers on Buzzards Bay return with the season

May 28, 2017 — Harbormaster and shellfish employees waded knee-deep in the Wareham River last weekend, fetching dead, floating fish and dropping them into black plastic trash bags.

Each fish would serve as evidence. An angler had spied Environmental Police seizing 225 black sea bass from another boat and dumped his own illegal catch to avoid arrest.

On the same sunny Sunday, beach-goers snapped cellphone pictures of boats that buzzed to the shoreline to drop off coolers, which Wareham Harbormaster Garry Buckminster believes were filled with illegal fish. The boats then motored back offshore to catch more.

“It’s really a wild west in some of these areas,” Buckminster said.

Black sea bass season had officially begun.

Hundreds of anglers converged on Wareham, Mattapoisett and other SouthCoast communities to take advantage of the pristine fishing conditions and haul sea bass from close-to-shore shallow waters. Most began the recreational season bagging the limit of five per person. But others hauled in 30 times that much, likely with their eyes on the black market, where black sea bass can sell for $5 a pound.

“As long as you have people buying the stuff, people are going to poach it,” Maj. Pat Moran of the Environmental Police said.

Smugglers stow the bass in hidden compartments within their boats, using false bottoms, plastic bags and beer coolers to collect their catch. Then it’s a rush to shore and out of town before they’re spotted by environmental police.

“They’ve really got their racket put together,” Buckminster said. “They’d going to do whatever they can. They’ve got a plan in place and they’re trying to make it happen.”

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

ISFMP Policy Board & Business Session Schedule June 1 Conference Call to Consider a Noncompliance Recommendation

May 26, 2017 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Interstate Fisheries Management Policy (ISFMP) Board and Business Session will meet via conference call on Thursday, June 1 at 9:30 a.m. to consider a recommendation from the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board (Board) to find New Jersey out of compliance regarding the state’s 2017 summer flounder recreational measures.

On May 22, the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Board considered New Jersey’s Conservation Equivalency Proposal for 2017 summer flounder recreational measures. The Board found the proposal’s measures were not conservationally-equivalent to Addendum XXVIII’s measures. As a result, the Board recommended to the ISFMP Policy Board that New Jersey be found out of compliance for not fully and effectively implementing and enforcing the measures of Addendum XXVIII. The ISFMP Policy Board will consider this recommendation on June 1. If the Policy Board agrees with the recommendation, the Business Session will meet immediately following the Policy Board, on the same call, to consider any recommendations from the ISFMP Policy Board.

Addendum XXVIII, approved by the Board in February 2017, requires a one‐inch increase in size limit and a reduction in possession limits to no more than four fish to constrain coastwide harvest to the 2017 recreational harvest limit (RHL). These measures are broadly applied across all states to reduce harvest and provide for more coastwide consistency in regulations. The measures approved in the Addendum seek to achieve the 2017 RHL.

The public is welcome to listen to the discussion by phone (888.394.8197; passcode 499811) and view the webinar using the following link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8790318770047891969. The meeting agenda and materials are available at http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/ISFMPpolicyBoardMaterials_June2017.pdf.

Time permitting, there will be a limited opportunity to provide comments at the end of the agenda. The Board Chair will outline the procedures for accepting public comment at the beginning of the conference call. We ask 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 Toni Kerns, ISFMP Director, at tkerns@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

Federal Black Sea Bass Management Measures for Recreational Fishermen Stay Same for 2017

May 25, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA:

For recreational fishermen fishing in federal waters, the black sea bass minimum size, possession limit, and fishing season will stay the same for 2017.

The measures are:

Minimum size: 12.5 inches

Possession limit: 15 per angler

Open Seasons: May 15-Sep 21 and Oct 22-Dec 31.

For more information, please read our permit holder bulletin posted online.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission recently made adjustments to recreational management measures in state waters for New Jersey through Massachusetts to limit recreational catch in 2017.

If the federal minimum size, possession limit, and/or season differ from the regulations for your state (where you will be landing the fish), you must follow the more restrictive regulations. Please contact your state for the latest information.

Questions? Contact Jennifer Goebel at 978-281-9175 or jennifer.goebel@noaa.gov

Revised Black Sea Bass Catch Limits for 2017 and Projected Limits for 2018

May 24, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA:

Today, NOAA Fisheries announces it has revised the 2017 black sea bass specifications to increase catch limits based on updated information on the status of the stock.

Specifically, this action will:

Increase in the 2017 commercial quota by 53 percent;
Increase the the 2017 recreational harvest limit by 52 percent; and
Establish projected catch limits for 2018.

Through this action, we are also removing an accountability measure that would have reduced the amount of quota available to the commercial fishery in 2017.

Read the Fishery Bulletin for more information or the final rule as published in the Federal Register.

Questions? Contact Allison Ferreira at 978-281-9103 or allison.ferreira@noaa.gov

Meeting Summary, Motions and Presentation from May 22 Meeting of the ASMFC Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Board Now Available

May 23, 2017 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The meeting summary, motions and presentations from the May 22, 2017 meeting of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Board are available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/meeting-archive. The audio proceedings of that meeting will be posted to the website by 1 PM.

Supplemental Materials for May 22 Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board Conference Call

May 19, 2017 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The supplemental meeting materials for Monday’s Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Board are available at http://www.asmfc.org/calendar/5/2017/Summer-Flounder,-Scup-and-Black-Sea-Bass-Board-Conf-Call/1052.

The materials include the Technical Committee Report on New Jersey’s Proposal and New Jersey’s Notification to Implement Conservation Equivalency Measures. The direct link to those materials is http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/SFLScBSB_BoardConfCallSuppMaterials_May22_2017.pdf.

ASMFC Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board Schedules Conference Call to Consider New Jersey Conservation-Equivalency Proposal for the 2017 Summer Flounder Recreational Fishery

May 18, 2017 — 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 Monday, May 22 at 12:30 p.m. to review the Technical Committee’s report on New Jersey’s 2017 summer flounder recreational fishery proposal and consider final action on New Jersey’s measures.

The Board tasked the Technical Committee with reviewing the technical merits of the New Jersey’s proposal in meeting both the objectives of the proposal and the objectives of Addendum XXVIII. Addendum XXVIII, approved by the Board in February 2017, requires a one‐inch increase in size limit and a reduction in possession limits to no more than four fish to constrain coastwide harvest to the 2017 recreational harvest limit (RHL). These measures are broadly applied across all states to reduce harvest and provide for more coastwide consistency in regulations. The measures approved in the Addendum seek to achieve the 2017 RHL.

The public is welcome to listen to the discussion by phone (888.394.8197; passcode 815277) and view the webinar using the following link – https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/499991200830679809.

The meeting agenda and materials are available at http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/SFLScBSB_BoardConfCallMaterials_May22_2017.pdf.

The Technical Committee report on New Jersey’s proposal will be posted, no later than 5 PM on May 19^th, at http://www.asmfc.org/calendar/5/2017/Summer-Flounder,-Scup-and-Black-Sea-Bass-Board-Conf-Call/1052.

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