Saving Seafood

MAFMC and ASMFC to Hold Public Hearings for Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Commercial/Recreational Allocation Amendmen

January 15, 2021 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) are seeking public comment on the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Commercial/Recreational Allocation Amendment. Comments may be submitted at any of five virtual public hearings to be held between February 17 and March 2, 2021 or via written comment until March 16, 2021.

The Council and Commission are developing this joint amendment to consider adjusting the allocations of catch or landings between the commercial and recreational fisheries for summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass. The commercial and recreational allocations for all three species are currently based on historical proportions of landings (for summer flounder and black sea bass) or catch (for scup) from each sector. Recent changes in how recreational catch is estimated have resulted in a discrepancy between the current levels of estimated recreational harvest and the allocations of summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass to the recreational sector. Some changes have also been made to commercial catch data since the allocations were established. This amendment considers whether modifications to the allocations are needed in light of these and other changes in the fisheries. The amendment also considers options that would allow a portion of the allowable landings to be transferred between the commercial and recreational sectors each year, in either direction, based on the needs of each sector.

We encourage you to visit the Council’s Summer Flounder, Scup, Black Sea Bass Commercial/Recreational Allocation Amendment web page or the Commission’s Public Input web page, where you can read the Public Hearing Document, the Draft Amendment, and watch the public hearing presentation (to be posted by Friday, February 12, 2021). The Council’s Public Hearing Document is an abbreviated version of the amendment which summarizes proposed management options and impacts. The Commission’s Draft Amendment is a more comprehensive management document that will resemble the Commission’s final amendment once approved. Both documents contain identical options for public input, but each have been developed according to each management body’s differing requirements.

Read the full release here

COVID-19 HAS HIT COMMERCIAL FISHING HARD

January 4, 2021 — Of those who kept fishing, nearly all reported a decline in income compared with previous years, according to the study in PLOS ONE.

The study, which covers March to June and included 258 fishers, also examined data on fish landings and found that the catch for some species, such as squid and scallops, decreased compared with previous years. The catch for other species, such as black sea bass and haddock, was on par with or higher than previous years, suggesting that many fishermen fished as much as they had been before the pandemic, while earning less income.

“They may have kept fishing to pay their bills or crew, or to maintain their livelihoods or their quotas until markets rebound,” says main author Sarah Lindley Smith, a postdoctoral associate in the human ecology department in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. “Most of the fishermen who stopped fishing during the early months of the pandemic planned to resume fishing instead of leaving the industry.”

The pandemic has slammed the fishing industry due to the loss of restaurant sales, disruptions in export markets, and a decline in seafood prices. Before the pandemic, 70% of seafood spending in the United States took place in restaurants, the study notes.

Read the full story at Futurity

NOAA FISHERIES: Stock Assessment 2021 Schedule

January 4, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The Northeast Region Coordinating Council has approved the 2021 fisheries stock assessment schedule for management and research track assessments.

The management track assessments scheduled for 2021 are: Atlantic mackerel, golden tilefish, summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, bluefish, Georges Bank cod, Gulf of Maine cod, Georges Bank haddock, and Gulf of Maine haddock. Management track assessments follow a routine schedule to provide the updated advice needed to inform fisheries management.

There are two research track assessments scheduled for 2021. Haddock (all stocks) will be peer reviewed in July in conjunction with the Transboundary Resource Assessment Committee, while Illex squid and butterfish will be peer reviewed in November. The Illex Research Track Working Group will have its kick-off meeting on Tuesday, January 5 at 1pm. The Haddock Working Group will meet on January 7 and 11, while the Butterfish Working Group is scheduled to meet on January 21. Research track assessments dive deeper into research topics needed to better understand the overall condition of one or more stocks.

Our fisheries stock assessments follow a robust, transparent and collaborative process that brings experts together to determine the overall health of a fishery. Stock assessments have many steps to ensure the best available science and information about the fishery are considered.

Read the full release here

ASMFC 2021 Winter Meeting Webinar Preliminary Agenda and Public Comment Guidelines

December 21, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Winter Meeting Webinar will be held February 1-4, 2021. Please find attached and below the preliminary agenda and public comment guidelines The preliminary agenda is also available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2021-winter-meeting-webinar. The final agenda, meeting materials and webinar details will be available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2021-winter-meeting-webinar by January 20th.

Public Comment Guidelines

To provide a fair opportunity for public input, the ISFMP Policy Board  approved the following guidelines for use at management board meetings. Please note these guidelines have been modified to adapt to meetings via webinar:

For issues that are not on the agenda, management boards will continue to provide an opportunity to the public to bring matters of concern to the board’s attention at the start of each board meeting. Board chairs will ask members of the public to raise their hands to let the chair know they would like to speak. Depending upon the number of commenters, the board chair will decide how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.

For topics that are on the agenda, but have not gone out for public comment, board chairs will provide limited opportunity for comment, taking into account the time allotted on the agenda for the topic. Chairs will have flexibility in deciding how to allocate comment opportunities; this could include hearing one comment in favor and one in opposition until the chair is satisfied further comment will not provide additional insight to the board.

For agenda action items that have already gone out for public comment, it is the Policy Board’s intent to end the occasional practice of allowing extensive and lengthy public comments. Currently, board chairs have the discretion to decide what public comment to allow in these circumstances.

In addition, the following timeline has been established for the submission of written comment for issues for which the Commission has NOT established a specific public comment period (i.e., in response to proposed management action).

  1. Comments received 3 weeks prior to the start of the webinar (January 11) will be included in the briefing materials.
  2. Comments received by 5:00 PM on Tuesday, January 26 will be included in the supplemental materials.
  3. Comments received by 10:00 AM on Friday, January 29 will be distributed electronically to Commissioners/Board members prior to the meeting.

Comments should be submitted via email at comments@asmfc.org. All comments must clearly indicate the commenter’s expectation from the ASMFC staff regarding distribution.

MAFMC/ASMFC 2020 December Meeting Webinar Meeting Summaries and Motions Now Available

December 21, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Meeting summaries and motions from the joint meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass, Bluefish and ISFMP Policy Boards are now available at http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/ASMFC_MAFMC_December2020.pdf.  The document can also be obtained on the Commission website on the Meeting Archives page at http://www.asmfc.org/home/meeting-archive.

Meeting materials and presentations can be found on the MAFMC’s December meeting page at https://www.mafmc.org/briefing/december-2020.

NOAA Fisheries Announces Final 2021 Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Specifications

December 18, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

We are implementing the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s recommended 2021 summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass specifications. The final 2021 catch limits are increasing relative to previously approved 2021 quotas because the Council revised its risk policy, which defines the acceptable risk of overfishing. The revised catch limits still minimize the chance of overfishing, while providing more opportunities for fishermen. No additional changes to the federal commercial management measures were made.

Read the full release here

NOAA Fisheries Implements Amendment 21 to the Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan

December 11, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Effective January 1, 2021

NOAA Fisheries is implementing Amendment 21 to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan, also known as the Summer Flounder Commercial Issues Amendment. This final rule implements the measures in the amendment.

Amendment 21 changes the state-by-state commercial quota allocations when the coastwide quota exceeds 9.55 million lb, and updates the fishery management plan goals and objectives for summer flounder. When the coastwide quota is 9.55 million lb or less, the quota would be distributed according to the current allocations. In years when the coastwide quota exceeds 9.55 million lb, any additional quota beyond this threshold would be distributed in equal shares to all states except Maine, Delaware, and New Hampshire, which would split 1 percent of the additional quota.

Read the full release here

Reminder: December 2020 MAFMC Meeting Next Week, December 14-17, 2020

December 9, 2020 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will meet by webinar next week, December 14-17, 2020. Portions of the meeting will be conducted jointly with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board, Bluefish Management Board, and ISFMP Policy Board (please note that the agenda has been updated to reflect that the Council will meet jointly with the ISFMP Policy Board on Wednesday from 9:00 to 9:30 a.m.).

Briefing documents are now available on the December 2020 Council Meeting Page. Any supplemental documents will be posted by Friday, December 11.

Agenda

A detailed agenda is available here. Topics to be discussed at this meeting include:

  • 2021 Implementation Plan
  • SSC Economic Work Group Report
  • Council Recusal Process
  • Habitat Updates
  • 2021 Recreational Specifications for Scup, Black Sea Bass, Summer Flounder, and Bluefish
  • Recreational Reform Initiative Updates
  • Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Commercial/Recreational Allocation Amendment – Public Hearing Document Approval
  • Black Sea Bass Commercial State Allocation Amendment and Draft Addendum XXXIII – Final Action
  • Atlantic Right Whale Update

Public Comments

Written comments may be submitted using the online comment form linked below. Comments submitted before 5:00 p.m. on December 10, 2020 will be posted as supplemental materials on the meeting page. After that date, comments may only be submitted using the form below and will be automatically added to a spreadsheet available from the meeting page.

Webinar Instructions

Join the webinar during the meeting at http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/december2020/. Please note that participants will be required to use the Adobe Connect application. The browser option will not be available. You can download the application for Windows here and for Mac here. We recommend checking your system in advance, as it may take a few minutes to download. More detailed instructions are available on the meeting page. For telephone-only access, dial 800-832-0736 and enter room number 7833942# when prompted.

Questions? Contact Mary Sabo, msabo@mafmc.org, (302) 518-1143

MAFMC Webinar Meeting: December 14-17, 2020

November 19, 2020 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will meet by webinar December 14-17, 2020. Portions of the meeting will be conducted jointly with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board and Bluefish Management Board. Briefing documents and presentations will be posted on the December 2020 Council Meeting Page as they become available.

Agenda: A detailed agenda is available here. Topics to be discussed at this meeting include:

  • 2021 Implementation Plan
  • SSC Economic Work Group Report
  • Council Recusal Process
  • Habitat Updates
  • 2021 Recreational Specifications for Scup, Black Sea Bass, and Summer Flounder, and Bluefish
  • Recreational Reform Initiative Updates
  • Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Commercial/Recreational Allocation Amendment – Public Hearing Document Approval
  • Black Sea Bass Commercial State Allocation Amendment and Draft Addendum XXXIII – Final Action
  • Atlantic Right Whale Update

Public Comments: Written comments may be submitted using the online comment form linked below or via email, mail, or fax (see this page for details). Written comments must be received by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, December 2, 2020 to be included in the briefing book. Comments submitted after this date but before 5:00 p.m. on December 10, 2020 will be posted as supplemental materials. After that date, comments may only be submitted using the form below.

Webinar: Join the webinar during the meeting at http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/december2020/. Please note that participants will be required to use the Adobe Connect application. The browser option will not be available. You can download the application for Windows here and for Mac here. If you do not have the application, you will be prompted to download and install it when you click the webinar link. We recommend checking your system in advance, as it may take a few minutes to download. More detailed instructions are available on the meeting page. For telephone-only access, dial 800-832-0736 and enter room number 7833942# when prompted.

Questions? Contact Mary Sabo, msabo@mafmc.org, (302) 518-1143.

Study finds some sport fish are caught repeatedly – which could throw off population estimates

November 18, 2020 — A new study reports that, for several species of oceanic sport fish, individual fish that are caught, released and recaught are more likely to be caught again than scientists anticipated. The findings raise some interesting questions for policy makers tasked with preserving sustainable fisheries.

The study makes use of data from tagging programs, in which researchers tag  and release them into the wild. When those fish are caught, and the tag information is returned to the researchers, it can give scientists information that informs fishery policies.

“Fisheries researchers who work in tagging programs have long noticed that certain fish seem to get caught repeatedly, and we set out to determine the implications of this phenomenon,” says Jeff Buckel, co-author of the study and a professor of applied ecology at North Carolina State University.

To that end, researchers examined decades’ worth of Atlantic coast tagging datasets on four : black sea bass (Centropristis striata), gray triggerfish (Balistes capriscus), red grouper (Epinephelus morio), and Warsaw grouper (Hyporthodus nigritus). Using a computational model, the researchers determined that—for the black sea bass and both types of grouper—survival was significantly higher after the second, third, and fourth release as compared to the first release.

“Think of it this way,” says Brendan Runde, first author of the study and a Ph.D. student at NC State. “Let’s say you tagged 1,000 fish and recaptured 100 of them for a first time. After re-releasing those 100 fish, you would only expect to recapture 10 of them a second time. But that’s not what we’re seeing. We’re seeing much higher numbers of fish getting recaptured after the second time.

Read the full story at PHYS.org