Saving Seafood

NOAA Seeks Comments on Proposed Rule Adding Blueline Tilefish to Golden TIlefish Management Plan

June 28, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA:

NOAA Fisheries is asking for comments on a proposed rule to add blueline tilefish to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Golden Tilefish Fishery Management Plan.

Blueline tilefish have been managed for many years under the South Atlantic Council’s Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan, whose measures only apply south of the Virginia/North Carolina border. The fishery in the Mid-Atlantic was considered very small and remained unregulated until recently.

Recreational and commercial blueline tilefish catch has been increasing steadily in the Greater Atlantic Region (Virginia to Maine) since 2011. In 2014, commercial landings increased more than 20-fold from the previous several years’ average. This rapid increase in unregulated harvest represented a risk to the long-term sustainability of the stock, and triggered the Mid-Atlantic Council to request emergency management measures in 2015. Interim management measures took effect in June 2016, while the Council developed this proposed amendment.

Amendment 6 to the Tilefish Fishery Management Plan would manage the federal waters blueline tilefish fishery north of the Virginia/North Carolina border. We are proposing these management measures for blueline tilefish as part of the Tilefish Fishery Management Plan.

Through this action, we are proposing a commercial possession limit of 300 pounds per trip. 

We are also proposing a recreational season from May 1-October 31 and limits of:

  • 7 fish per person on Coast Guard inspected for-hire vessels (party boats)
  • 5 fish per person on uninspected for-hire vessels (charter boats), and
  • 3 fish per person on private recreational vessels.

The proposed rule would require fishermen to hold a valid Greater Atlantic Region open access tilefish commercial or charter/party permit to ensure adequate reporting and monitoring of blueline tilefish fishing activity. We also recommend requirements for new permits and catch reporting for private recreational fishermen.

More information is available in the proposed rule and Notice of Availability, along with the draft Environmental Assessment and preliminary Regulatory Impact Review. 

You may submit comments on either through the e-rulemaking portal or by mailing your comments to: John Bullard, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Please mark the outside of the envelope: “Comments on Blueline Tilefish Amendment.”

The comment period closes for the proposed rule on July 28, 2017 and for the Notice of Availability on August 14, 2017.

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

Commercial Harvest of Blueline Tilefish in Federal Waters of the South Atlantic Will Close on August 30, 2016

August 26, 2016 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Commercial harvest of blueline tilefish in federal waters of the South Atlantic will close at 12:01 a.m. (local time) August 30, 2016. Commercial harvest will reopen at 12:01 a.m. (local time) on January 1, 2017. The 2016 commercial catch limit is 87,521 pounds whole weight. Updated landings data indicate that commercial harvest of blueline tilefish will reach the annual catch limit by August 30, 2016. As a result, commercial harvest will close in federal waters of the South Atlantic.

The operator of a vessel that has been issued a federal commercial permit for snapper-grouper and who is landing blueline tilefish for sale must have landed and bartered, traded, or sold such blueline tilefish prior to 12:01 a.m., local time,

August 30, 2016.

During the closure:

Sale or purchase of blueline tilefish in or from federal waters in the South Atlantic is prohibited.

Harvest or possession of blueline tilefish in or from federal waters in the South Atlantic is limited to the recreational bag and possession limits when the recreational sector is open.

These bag and possession limits apply in the South Atlantic on board a vessel for which a valid federal commercial or charter vessel/headboat permit for South Atlantic snapper grouper has been issued without regard to where such species were harvested, i.e., in state or federal waters.

This closure is necessary to protect the blueline tilefish fishery by limiting landings to the commercial annual catch limit.

 

NOAA Fisheries Announces New Regulations for Blueline Tilefish, Black Sea Bass, and Yellowtail Snapper in Federal Waters of the South Atlantic

July 12, 2016 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The final rule for Regulatory Amendment 25 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (Regulatory Amendment 25) will publish on July 13, 2016.

The final rule for Regulatory Amendment 25 will implement the following changes:

Blueline Tilefish

Regulations for blueline tilefish will be effective on July 13, 2016.

  • Increase the annual catch limits for blueline tilefish from 26,766 to 87,521 pounds whole weight (commercial sector) and 26,691 to 87,277 pounds whole weight (recreational sector).
  • Reopen commercial harvest for blueline tilefish on July 13, 2016. Commercial harvest will close in 2016 if the commercial annual catch limit is met.
  • Increase the commercial trip limit from 100 to 300 pounds gutted weight.
  • Increase the recreational bag limit from one fish per vessel to three fish per person per day for the months of May through August within the aggregate bag limit. There will continue to be no recreational retention of blueline tilefish during the months of January through April and September through December, each year.
  • The increases in the commercial trip limit and the recreational bag limit are in response to the increase in the annual catch limit.

Black sea bass

Regulations for black sea bass will be effective on August 12, 2016.

  • Increase the recreational bag limit for black sea bass from five to seven fish per person per day.

Yellowtail Snapper

Regulations for yellowtail snapper will be effective on August 12, 2016.

  • Change the yellowtail snapper fishing year start date for both the commercial and recreational sectors from January 1 to August 1, each year. Changing the start of the fishing year to August 1 will benefit both sectors because it will ensure harvest is open during the winter months when yellowtail snapper obtains a higher price per pound commercially, and during peak tourist season in south Florida where the majority of yellowtail snapper harvest takes place.

More Information

For more information, including electronic copies of Amendment 25 and Frequently Asked Questions may be obtained from the NOAA Fisheries Web site.

MAFMC Meets in Delaware June 13

May 31, 2016 — The Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council will be meeting from Monday, June 13 through Thursday, June 16 at the University of Delaware in Clayton Hall, 100 David Hollowell Drive, Newark, DE 19716 (302-831-2998).

One of the key items of interest to many offshore anglers will be a 3 p.m. discussion on Wednesday regarding 2017 blueline tilefish specifications and potential alternatives to what was discussed at the last meeting (see the June edition of The Fisherman Magazine’s New Jersey, Delaware Bay edition for more.)

Monday, June 13th
1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Ecosystem and Ocean Planning Committee
• Fishing activities that impact habitat – draft policy document
• Review input from Advisory Panel
• Provide comments/revisions to draft document
• Other Committee updates

Read the full story at The Fisherman

Commercial Harvest of Blueline Tilefish in South Atlantic Federal Waters Will Close on June 1, 2016

May 25, 2016 — The following was released by NOAA:

Commercial harvest of blueline tilefish in federal waters of the South Atlantic will close at 12:01 a.m. (local time) June 1, 2016. The 2016 commercial annual catch limit is 26,766 pounds whole weight. Updated landings data indicate that commercial harvest of blueline tilefish will likely reach the annual catch limit by that date. As a result, commercial harvest will be closed in federal waters of the South Atlantic.

The operator of a vessel that has been issued a valid federal commercial permit for snapper-grouper and having blueline tilefish on board must have landed and bartered, traded, or sold such blueline tilefish prior to 12:01 a.m., local time,

June 1, 2016. The prohibition on sale or purchase does not apply to sale or purchase of blueline tilefish that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold prior to 12:01 a.m. (local time) June 1, 2016, and held in cold storage by a dealer or processor.

During the closure:

  • Sale or purchase of blueline tilefish in or from federal waters in the South Atlantic is prohibited.
  • Harvest or possession of blueline tilefish in or from federal waters in the South Atlantic is limited to the recreational bag and possession limits when the recreational sector is open.
  • These bag and possession limits apply in the South Atlantic on board a vessel for which a valid federal commercial or charter vessel/headboat permit for South Atlantic snapper grouper has been issued without regard to where such species were harvested, i.e., in state or federal waters.

Note: The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council has approved an action in Regulatory Amendment 25 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (Regulatory Amendment 25) to increase the 2016 commercial annual catch limit for blueline tilefish from 26,766 pounds whole weight to 87,521 pounds whole weight. The proposed rule is currently under review. If approved, regulations increasing the commercial annual catch limit for blueline tilefish could be implemented later this year, and the commercial fishery would reopen.

New Blueline Tilefish Regs Proposed

May 10, 2016 — The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council has approved measures to establish management of blueline tilefish in Federal waters off the Mid-Atlantic and New England coasts. Blueline tilefish are managed by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council from Florida to North Carolina, and there are currently no regular federal regulations north of the North Carolina/Virginia border. Last year, after catches of blueline tilefish off the Mid-Atlantic increased markedly, the Council requested that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) implement emergency measures to constrain landings of blueline tilefish in the Mid-Atlantic. These measures, which include a commercial trip limit of 275 pounds (gutted) and a recreational bag limit of 7 fish per person, are set to expire on June 3, 2016.

If approved by the Secretary of Commerce, the amendment would establish a separate blueline tilefish management unit in Federal waters north of the North Carolina/Virginia border extending up to the boundary with Canada. The management objectives for blueline tilefish would be the same as for golden tilefish, with the addition that “management will reflect blueline tilefish’s susceptibility of overfishing and the need for an analytical stock assessment.”

Read the full story at The Fisherman

Federal Fishery Management Measures Approved for Blueline Tilefish in the Mid-Atlantic

April 26, 2015 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council has approved measures to establish management of blueline tilefish in Federal waters off the Mid-Atlantic and New England coasts. The Blueline Tilefish Amendment includes a suite of measures that will incorporate blueline tilefish as a managed species in the Tilefish Fishery Management Plan.

Blueline tilefish are managed by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council from Florida to North Carolina, and there are currently no regular federal regulations north of the North Carolina/Virginia border. Last year, after catch of blueline tilefish off the Mid-Atlantic increased markedly, the Council requested that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) implement emergency measures to constrain landings of blueline tilefish in the Mid-Atlantic. These measures, which include a commercial trip limit of 275 pounds (gutted) and a recreational bag limit of 7 fish per person, are set to expire on June 3, 2016.

If approved by the Secretary of Commerce, the amendment would establish a separate blueline tilefish management unit in Federal waters north of the North Carolina/Virginia border extending up to the boundary with Canada. The management objectives for blueline tilefish would be the same as for golden tilefish, with the addition that “management will reflect blueline tilefish’s susceptibility of overfishing and the need for an analytical stock assessment.”

Based on the recommendation of its Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC), the Council adopted an Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) of 87,031 pounds for 2017. The Council voted to allocate 73% of total allowable landings to the recreational fishery and 27% to the commercial sector. This allocation was based on the median of annual commercial-recreational catch ratios from 2009-2013.

For the commercial fishery, the Council adopted a trip limit of 300 pounds gutted weight (head and fins must be attached). In addition, the amendment would require a joint golden/blueline tilefish open access commercial permit to retain blueline tilefish, subject to the applicable trip limit. Standard reporting of catch would be required for commercial vessels and dealers landing blueline tilefish.

For the recreational fishery, the Council recommended an open season from May 1 to October 31, when blueline tilefish are available to most anglers throughout the Mid-Atlantic. Recreational bag limits would be set at 7 fish per person for inspected for-hire vessels, 5 fish per person for uninspected for-hire vessels, and 3 fish per person for private vessels. In addition, the Council recommended mandatory permitting and reporting of golden and blueline tilefish for both for-hire and private recreational fishing in order to develop better information on recreational tilefish landings in the Mid-Atlantic.

“One of the challenges with developing this amendment has been the lack of data about the abundance and historical landings of blueline tilefish in the Mid-Atlantic,” said Council Chairman Rick Robins. “As we transition from emergency management to regular management of the fishery, it will be important for us to seek continual improvement in information on the status, productivity, and catch of blueline tilefish off the Mid-Atlantic. The Council will be working to encourage progress on the research needs identified by our SSC and will also be highly engaged in developing new information through the upcoming SouthEast Data, Assessment, and Review Assessment (SEDAR) for blueline tilefish.”

The public will have an opportunity to comment on the measures recommended by the Council during the comment period associated with the NMFS proposed rule. Publication of the proposed rule is expected this summer.

North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for March 14, 2016

March 15, 2016 — The following was released by the North Carolina Fisheries Association:

KENDALYN ROSE LEWIS:

As noted in a separate message yesterday, Capt. Kenny Lewis and his wife Lynda, lost their daughter, Kendalyn Rose, earlier this week. Words cannot begin to express our sadness and disbelief at the loss of a vibrant young lady who was known and loved by so many. Please keep the family in your thoughts and prayers. Visitation will be on Wednesday, March 16th, from 6:00 till 8:00pm at the Munden Funeral Home in Morehead City. The funeral service will be on Thursday, March 17th, at 2:00pm at the funeral home.  

May her soul and the souls of all of the faithful departed, rest in peace.

BLUELINE TILEFISH:

Below is part of an article that is on the NC Coastal Federation website about commercial fishermen donating to a local food pantry. Dewey Hemilright, an NCFA Board member, is one of those fishermen.

You can see the entire Coastal Federation article here: http://www.nccoast.org/2016/03/paying-it-forward-in-blueline-tilefish/

Here are some excerpts from the article:

Blueline tilefish are commercially harvested off the N.C. coast, provide lean, white meat and delicately flavor.

Several commercial fishermen from the Outer Banks have been paying it forward this winter with donations of fish to a local food pantry. Buddy Coppersmith (F/V Emily Shay), Jimmy Taylor (F/V Windy Gale), and Dewey Hemilright (F/V Tar Baby), have been commercial fishermen for most of their lives. Recently, they’ve been working under a cooperative research grant collecting data that will improve future stock assessments for blueline tilefish.

Hemilright, an avid community outreach volunteer with the Coastal Federation’s office in Manteo is well-known for leading education lessons for students and adults and was recognized for his outstanding contributions to the Coastal Federation’s northeast education program with a Pelican Award in 2015.

While participating in the cooperative research project to gather fisheries- independent data on blueline tilefish and snowy grouper, the fishermen were sent out to fish and collect samples. Since the fishermen were receiving payment through the cooperative research grant, they could not sell their catch. Nor did they want to see it go to waste, and so sought out other options for it.

HEARINGS FOR BLUELINE TILEFISH:

And speaking of blueline tilefish, there are some hearings coming up about it. From the Mid Atlantic Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council is soliciting public input on a draft amendment to address management and conservation of blueline tilefish in the Mid-Atlantic. Four public hearings will be held between March 21 and March 29, 2016. Written comments will be accepted until Wednesday, March 30, 2016.

The draft amendment considers adding blueline tilefish (Caulolatilus microps) as a managed species in the Golden Tilefish Fishery Management Plan, effectively turning that plan into the Golden and Blueline Tilefish Fishery Management Plan. The management measures proposed in the amendment are needed to constrain fishing mortality on the blueline tilefish stock and effectively manage the blueline tilefish fishery in waters off the Mid-Atlantic and New England coasts.

Additional information and documents, including a public hearing document (to be posted by March 14), may be obtained from http://www.mafmc.org/actions/blueline-tilefish.

Members of the public are invited to comment on any aspect of the draft amendment. Following a review of comments received, the Council will choose preferred management measures and submit the Amendment to the Secretary of Commerce for approval and publication of proposed and final rules, both of which have additional comment periods.

For more information, contact Jason Didden at (302) 526-5254 or jdidden@mafmc.org.

Hearings for our area are listed below in the Calendar section.

SOUTHERN FLOUNDER:

Thanks to those of you who have contributed to our Southern Flounder Fund. Those funds will be used exclusively for issues related to southern flounder, either legally or other avenues to address the situation.

If you have not yet contributed, please do so ASAP!

Send your donations to:

NCFA 2807 Neuse Blvd; Suite 11

New Bern, NC 28562

Please make your check out to NCFA/Southern Flounder Fund or to the NC Fisheries Association and be sure to put Southern Flounder Fund in the memo.

God bless, Jerry

CALENDAR

Mar 17; 4:00pm; MFC Sea Turtle Advisors; DEQ office; Washington, NC

Mar 21; 6:00pm; Blueline tilefish; Dare County Admin Bldg; Manteo

Mar 22; 7:00pm; Blueline tilefish; Hilton Oceanfront; Virginia Beach

Apr 4; Noon; NCFA Board meeting; Civic Center; Washington NC

Apr 6; 5:30pm; MFC Southern Advisory Cmte; DMF office; Morehead City

Apr 7; 5:30pm; MFC Northern Advisory Cmte; DEQ office; Washington

Apr 11; 6:00pm; Oyster/Hard Clam Advisors; DMF office; Morehead City

Apr 12-14; MAFMC meeting in Montauk, NY

Apr 14; 6:00pm; Shellfish/Crustacean Advisors; DMF office; Morehead City

Apr 25; North Carolina General Assembly convenes for the Short Session

May 2-5; ASMFC Spring Meeting; Westin; Alexandria, VA

May 18-20; MFC meeting; Civic Center; Morehead City

View a PDF of the Weekly Update

MAFMC Solicits Public Input on Blueline Tilefish Management

March 9, 2016 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council is soliciting public input on a draft amendment to address management and conservation of blueline tilefish in the Mid-Atlantic. Four public hearings will be held between March 21 and March 29, 2016. Written comments will be accepted until Wednesday, March 30, 2016.  

The draft amendment considers adding blueline tilefish (Caulolatilus microps) as a managed species in the Golden Tilefish Fishery Management Plan, effectively turning that plan into the Golden and Blueline Tilefish Fishery Management Plan. The management measures proposed in the amendment are needed to constrain fishing mortality on the blueline tilefish stock and effectively manage the blueline tilefish fishery in waters off the Mid-Atlantic and New England coasts. 

Additional information and documents, including a public hearing document (to be posted by March 14), may be obtained from http://www.mafmc.org/actions/blueline-tilefish.

Members of the public are invited to comment on any aspect of the draft amendment. Following a review of comments received, the Council will choose preferred management measures and submit the Amendment to the Secretary of Commerce for approval and publication of proposed and final rules, both of which have additional comment periods. 

For more information, contact Jason Didden at (302) 526-5254 or jdidden@mafmc.org. 

Public Hearing Schedule

There will be four hearings with the following dates/times/locations:

  1. Monday March 21, 2016, 6 pm.  Dare County Administration Building, Commissioners Meeting Room, 954 Marshall C. Collins Drive, Manteo, NC 27954; telephone: (252) 475-5700.
  2. Tuesday March 22, 2016, 7 pm.  Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront, 3001 Atlantic Ave, Virginia Beach, VA 23451; telephone: (757) 213-3001.
  3. Monday, March 28, 2016, 7 pm.  Hilton Suites Oceanfront, 3200 Baltimore Ave., Ocean City, MD 21842; telephone: (410) 289-6444.
  4. Tuesday, March 29, 2016, 7 pm.  Hilton Garden Inn Lakewood, 1885 Route 70, Lakewood, NJ 08701; telephone (732) 262-5232.

Written Comments

Written comments will be accepted until Wednesday, March 30, 2016, 11:59 pm. Comments may be sent by any of the following methods:

  • Email – jdidden@mafmc.org (Include “Blueline Tilefish Comments” in the subject line)
  • Mail – send comments to: Dr. Christopher Moore, Executive Director, MAFMC, 800 North State St., Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901 (Mark the outside of the envelope “Blueline Tilefish Comments”)
  • Fax – (302) 674–5399.

These public hearings are accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to M. Jan Saunders, (302) 526-5251, at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

View this press release on our website or as a PDF

Fishery managers weigh options as blueline tilefish boom in mid-Atlantic

June 29, 2015 — LEWES, Del. — An angler in Lewes set a new state record with a blueline tilefish caught earlier this month — even as regulators scramble to get control of the region’s booming tilefish harvest.

The record-setting fish was caught 65 miles off Delaware’s coast in Baltimore Canyon. It tipped the scales at 19.7 pounds — and it’s not the only one that local anglers have hauled in recently. Once most common in the Southern Atlantic, blueline tilefish have begun to make a splash further north.

Stewart Michels is a marine fisheries program manager with Delaware’s Division of Fish & Wildlife. He says the species is a whitefish sold domestically.

“It’s a sedentary fish for the most part — bottom-dwelling, slow-growing, so that makes it susceptible to over-harvest,” he says. “We don’t have a lot of data for the species; it’s a data-poor species, and particularly north of North Carolina, there’s not a lot of data available.”

That kind of data helps fishery managers set catch limits. But in the past, blueline tilefish were caught so infrequently in the mid-Atlantic that the harvest wasn’t controlled by regulators at all.

Read the full story and listen to the audio at Delaware Public Media