January 2, 2019 — Bluefish harvest is set to stay steady on the East Coast in 2019
Federal fishing managers are looking to keep the quotas for bluefish about the same next year.
Bluefish are a popular sport fish that are also harvested commercially as food. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says it’s looking to implement proposed catch limits for the fish that are mostly status quo with the current year.
October 17, 2018 — INDIALANTIC, Fla. — While test results to prove red tide are pending, the itchy throats and rancid fish carcasses on the beach this week have some already convinced, and fearing a repeat of the toxic tides that thoroughly flogged the Space Coast 16 years ago.
For tourists, another red tide now would be lousy timing. For fish, too.
“Right now we’ve got a big mullet run on the beach, so there are a lot of migratory fish following the mullet runs,” said Jon Shenker, associate professor of marine biology at the Florida Institute of Technology. “I have no idea how bad this is.”
Beachgoers and beachside residents have complained in recent days of coughing and irritated throats after being by the ocean. Dead fish reported in Indialantic and Melbourne Beach on Tuesday included bluefish, Spanish mackerel, mullet and other fish. A dead fish dotted the shoreline every 10 feet or so at Paradise Beach Park.
Brevard County is helping Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission gather water samples to test for the red tide organism, Karenia brevis. The algae releases a neurotoxin that can cause asthma-like symptoms. If ingested, it can cause digestive problems. Brevard County Natural Resources has coordinated with FWC for sampling beginning Tuesday and hopes to know the results on Wednesday.
“In the meantime, we have been monitoring conditions and have reached out to various agencies, such as Keep Brevard Beautiful, Tourism and Development, the city of Cocoa Beach, to plan for a coordinated response if and when we have reported fish kills,” Brevard County spokesman Don Walker said via email.
Read the full story at Florida Today
October 1, 2018 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The August/September 2018 issue of Fisheries Focus is now available at http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/5bae9553FishFocusAugSept2018.pdf.
Upcoming Meetings
page 2
From the Executive Director’s Desk
MRIP’s Upgraded Fishing Effort Survey: A Significant Step Forward in Fisheries Science and Recreational Management
page 3
Species Profile
Horseshoe Crab
page 4
Essential Trawl Survey Receives Needed Boost
page 5
Fishery Management Actions
American Eel
Summer Flounder
Scup
Black Sea Bass
Bluefish
page 8
Science Highlight
Effects of the Biomedical Bleeding on the Behavior and Physiology of Horseshoe Crab
page 10
ACCSP Well Represented at AFS Annual Meeting
page 11
Proposed Management Actions
Summer Flounder
Scup
Black Sea Bass
Coastal Sharks
Cobia
page 12
In Memoriam
page 13
Comings & Goings
page 14
Employee of the Quarter Named
page 15
Past issues of Fisheries Focus can be found at http://www.asmfc.org/search/%20/%20/Fishery-Focus
September 4, 2018 — The ongoing development of a Bluefish Allocation Amendment was discussed in a meeting between the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Bluefish Management Board back in mid-August.
The Council and Board have agreed to continue to work on the amendment, opting not to finalize the public hearing document or hold public hearings until assessment results come out in the spring of 2019.
While most Board and Council members were in agreement that the results of the assessment should be incorporated with the amendment, some argued that postponing its development was unnecessary.
According to the Council’s Executive Director Chris Moore, several aspects of the amendment could be discussed without having to wait on the results of more assessments.
Some at the meeting expressed concerns that significant implications on the status of the bluefish fishery could result from the Marine Recreational Information Program’s (MRIP) recent release of revised recreational catch and effort estimates.
A delay to the amendment development was suggested to allow for the completion of an assessment incorporating updated MRIP numbers.
September 4, 2018 — A fisherman dragging a burlap sack full of 10-pound bluefish off a party boat following a night of fishing used to be a familiar sight at the Shore.
And it may be again, but the habits of the once-dependable fish seem to have changed, at least in the present.
What is causing them to change their behavior is puzzling fishermen and federal fishery managers who appear to have hit a wall trying to figure out the best way to utilize the fish.
By all indications the numbers of bluefish up and down the East Coast are not scarce, they’re just not where they’re expected to be.
“There’s an abundance of them. They’re just 80 to 100 miles offshore where the longliners can’t keep them off the hook,” said Captain Lenny Elich, who runs the Miss Barnegat Light party boat.
But they’re not the on the Barnegat Ridge, and because of that the Miss Barnegat Light, which used to fish night and day for blues, has resorted to fluke fishing.
August 28, 2018 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) met jointly with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Bluefish Management Board (Board) on August 15 in Virginia Beach, VA to discuss the ongoing development of a Bluefish Allocation Amendment.
The Council and Board initiated the Bluefish Allocation Amendment in December 2017 to address several issues in the bluefish fishery, including goals and objectives for the Bluefish Fishery Management Plan (FMP), sector-based allocations, commercial allocations to the states, and the transfer processes. A series of scoping hearings were held earlier this year to gather public input on the scope of issues that could be considered in the amendment. During the joint meeting on August 15 the Council and Board reviewed this public input, discussed next steps for amendment development, and agreed on a number of issues that should be considered in the amendment.
Some members of the Council and Board expressed concern that the recent release of revised recreational catch and effort estimates from the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) could have significant implications for the status and management of the bluefish fishery. It was suggested that amendment development should be halted until the completion of an assessment which incorporates these updated MRIP numbers. The next assessment for bluefish is expected to be available in the spring of 2019.
Although Council and Board members were generally in agreement that the amendment should incorporate the results of the operational assessment, some felt that postponing amendment development was unnecessary. Chris Moore, the Council’s Executive Director, noted that several aspects of the amendment, such as FMP goals and objectives and a review of historical data, could be explored without the results of the new assessment. After some debate, the Council and Board decided to continue to work on the amendment but agreed they will not finalize the public hearing document or hold public hearings until after the results of the bluefish operational assessment are available in the spring of 2019.
For additional information and updates on this amendment, please visit: http://www.mafmc.org/actions/bluefish-allocation-amendment.
June 21, 2018 — There’s still time to provide comments on bluefish allocation to interstate fishery managers considering changes to the bluefish fishery management plan.
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, two interstate fishery management agencies with jurisdiction in the federal waters 3-200 miles offshore in North Carolina, have scheduled a series of scoping hearings to gather public input on the range of issues and information to be considered in the Bluefish Allocation Amendment. Hearings are being held through Monday, July 16, in nine coastal states.
In North Carolina, a hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries Central District Office at 5285 Highway 70 West in Morehead City. An internet webinar will also be held at 6 p.m., July 16. Connection information is available at the website www.mafmc.org.
All comments, submitted either through public hearings or in writing, will be presented to the council and commission. Written comments will be accepted until Monday, July 30. In addition to providing comments at any of the scheduled scoping hearings, anyone interested may submit written comments online at the website www.mafmc.org/comments/bluefish-allocation-amendment.
Written comments may also be sent by email to mseeley@mafmc.org or by regular mail to Chris Moore, Ph.D, Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, North State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901.
Anyone interested in commenting should include “Bluefish Amendment Scoping Comments” in the subject line if using email or on the outside of the envelope if submitting written comments by mail.
June 18, 2018 — Fisheries agencies are considering changes to the Bluefish Fishery Management Plan and will hold public hearings this month to hear from recreational and commercial fishing interests.
The amendments are being considered by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council.
They would change commercial and recreational allotments, fishery management plan goals and objectives, commercial allocations among states and the commercial quota transfer process.
Public hearings in New Jersey will be held 6 to 8 p.m. June 27 at the Ocean City Library, 1735 Simpson Ave., Ocean City; and 6 to 8 p.m. June 28 at the Ocean County Administration Building, 101 Hopper Ave., Toms River.
Currently, the allocation is 83 percent for recreational and 17 percent for commercial fisheries, but transfers from the recreational to commercial sector have happened every year since 2001, the agencies said.
June 14, 2018 — 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) have scheduled a series of scoping hearings to gather public input on the range of issues and information to be considered in the Bluefish Allocation Amendment. Hearings will be held June 20 – July 16 in nine coastal states from Massachusetts to Florida. The last four hearings will be joint hearings of the Council and Commission. All comments, submitted either through public hearings or in writing, will be presented to the Council and Commission. Written comments will be accepted until July 30, 2018.
The amendment will involve a comprehensive review of the Bluefish Fishery Management Plan’s (FMP) sector-based allocations, commercial allocations to the states, transfer processes, and goals and objectives. Specifically, the Council and Commission will consider whether modifications to the FMP’s goals, objectives, and allocation strategies for bluefish are needed.
Scoping is the first and best opportunity for members of the public to raise concerns related to the scope of issues that will be considered. The public is encouraged to submit comments regarding the range of potential issues to be addressed in the amendment. In addition to comments on allocation and transfer processes, the Council and Commission are interested in comments on the following topics:
· Fishery productivity
· Ecosystem considerations
· Changes in the fishery
· Changes in distribution of bait fish
· Average fish size
· Changes in availability, effort, and marketability
· Impacts of changes observed over time
Learn More:
The Scoping Document contains background information on bluefish management and on issues that may be addressed in the amendment, as well as a description of the amendment process and timeline. Additional information and updates will be posted at http://www.mafmc.org/actions/bluefish-allocation-amendment.
June 8, 2018 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Council:
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) have scheduled a series of scoping hearings to gather public input on the range of issues and information to be considered in the Bluefish Allocation Amendment. Hearings will be held June 20 – July 16 in nine coastal states from Massachusetts to Florida. The last four hearings will be joint hearings of the Council and Commission. All comments, submitted either through public hearings or in writing, will be presented to the Council and Commission. Written comments will be accepted until July 30, 2018.
The amendment will involve a comprehensive review of the Bluefish Fishery Management Plan’s (FMP) sector-based allocations, commercial allocations to the states, transfer processes, and goals and objectives. Specifically, the Council and Commission will consider whether modifications to the FMP’s goals, objectives, and allocation strategies for bluefish are needed.
Scoping is the first and best opportunity for members of the public to raise concerns related to the scope of issues that will be considered. The public is encouraged to submit comments regarding the range of potential issues to be addressed in the amendment. In addition to comments on allocation and transfer processes, the Council and Commission are interested in comments on the following topics:
Learn More
The Scoping Document contains background information on bluefish management and on issues that may be addressed in the amendment, as well as a description of the amendment process and timeline.
Additional information and updates will be posted at http://www.mafmc.org/actions/bluefish-allocation-amendment.
Contacts
Hearing Schedule
Written Comments
Given the joint nature of this management effort and to streamline the public comment process, comments should be directed to Council contact information below. In addition to providing comments at any of the scheduled scoping hearings, you may submit written comments by 11:59 PM, Eastern Daylight Time, on July 30, 2018. Written comments may be sent by any of the following methods:
ONLINE: http://www.mafmc.org/comments/bluefish-allocation-amendment
EMAIL TO mseeley@mafmc.org
MAIL TO Chris Moore, Ph.D., Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, North State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901
Please include “Bluefish Amendment Scoping Comments” in the subject line if using email or on the outside of the envelope if submitting written comments by mail.
All comments, regardless of submission method, will be compiled into a single document for review and consideration by both the Council and Commission. Please do not send separate comments to the Council and Commission.