April 13, 2018 — HYANNIS, Mass. — NOAA Fisheries is seeking public comment on its proposed recreational fishery management measures in 2018 for summer flounder, scup and black sea bass.
The proposals would increase the summer flounder harvest from 3.77 million to 4.42 million pounds and increase the scup harvest to 7.37 million pounds, up from 5.5 million.
April 9, 2018 — On April 9, 1865, General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant at the Appomattox Court House in Virginia, signifying the end of the U.S. Civil War.
One hundred and fifty-three years to the day, north and south are set to do battle yet again, this time over sea bass.
From April 30 through May 3, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASFMC) will hold its 2018 spring meeting in Arlington, VA, a city that was once the dividing line between Confederates to the South and the Union Army to the north during the bloodiest war in U.S. history.
Sometime during the first week in May, the ASFMC policy board will address an appeal by Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York, over the disparity in coastwide black sea bass regulations with New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina. Late last week, a panel convened by ASMFC officially validated the northern appeal to allow their fight against the southern states to move forward during the first few days of May in Arlington.
Earlier this year, ASFMC’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 establishing a regional allocation of the coastwide Recreational Harvest Limit (RHL) of black sea bass. The final 6-4 vote across geographic lines separating north and south established three management regions for black sea bass; Massachusetts through New York (61.35% of the RHL), New Jersey as its own state-specific region (30.24% of the RHL), and Delaware through North Carolina (8.41% of the RHL). States within each region are collectively responsible for managing harvest to their regional allocation through cooperative measures.
When ASMFC members were considering their decision during their winter meeting in February, states from Delaware through North Carolina didn’t want New Jersey included in their southern region. On the other hand, northern states were already facing an 11% reduction in black sea bass landings for 2018, where New Jersey alone was expected to get hit with a significantly higher 20% reduction. Though New Jersey historically has the most participation in the black sea bass fishery and qualified for the highest RHL percentage coastwide, delegates from New York through Massachusetts viewed the 20% reduction as a potential liability, so they didn’t want New Jersey part of their northern region either.
Read the full story at The Fisherman
April 9, 2018 — The New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council met Thursday and set summer flounder and black sea bass regulations in front of an overflow crowd at the Bay Avenue Community Center in Stafford Township.
Although black sea bass regulations were set, they may change after the upcoming Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Council meeting April 30 to May 3, said Bob Rush, a council member and owner of the Starfish fleet out of Sea Isle City.
That’s where states unhappy with their reduced quota — such as New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island — will make their case that New Jersey should share some of its increased quota with them.
Unlike last year, when flounder regulations were controversial, this year it was sea bass regulations that generated more discussion, Rush said.
Rush said limits on flounder size are the same as last year’s, over which the council fought and won against ASMFC.
But other rules are more liberal this year.
“We are actually getting extra fish and days at sea,” said Rush. “Last year the season ended the beginning of September. This year we are getting an extra week or two out of it.”
But black sea bass rules remain uncertain, said NJMFC acting Chairman Dick Herb, captain of charter boats out of Avalon.
Read the full story at the Press of Atlantic City
April 5, 2018 — The federal government is proposing a 12 percent reduction for the recreational black sea bass fishery in 2018, despite the fact that scientists say the black sea bass fishery has been rebuilt to two-and-a-half times what regulators consider to be sustainable, and New York State is fighting back.
State Senator Ken LaValle and State Assemblyman Fred Thiele agree with DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos that “non-compliance is a legitimate remedy” for this cutback, stating that “this action discriminates against the State of New York. It would have a significant adverse effect on the Long Island economy” in a joint statement issued Monday.
“This has not been an isolated case of discrimination against New York State,” they added. “Unfortunately, this is part of a long history of federal action that has strangled the fishing industry in New York to the benefit of other states. DEC advocacy for our fishing industry is long overdue.”
New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut filed an appeal with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission over the catch reduction on March 16, and Mr. Seggos expects an answer by late April or early May. He has told the press he plans to litigate the matter if the state does not win the appeal.
“The State of New York should utilize every legal and administrative tool at its disposal to overturn this ill-considered federal proposal,” said Mr. Thiele and Mr. LaValle. “New York should not be at a disadvantage with other states on the East Coast. Again and again, we have seen politics replace science to the detriment of New York State fishermen, whether they are recreational anglers, charter boat captains, or commercial fishermen. When the federal government is arbitrary and capricious, the state must say “no.”
In late March, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced they had filed an appeal over commercial summer flounder (fluke) quotas set by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council of the National Marine Fisheries Service, and were also looking into taking action on New York’s quotas on black sea bass and bluefish.
For 2018, New York commercial fishing daily trip limits for fluke were set at 50 pounds. New York commercial fishermen are allowed to take just 7.6 percent of the fluke allocated among the mid-Atlantic states. These tight restrictions, compounded by monthly limits aimed at keeping the landings in check throughout the year, led to a closure of commercial fluke fishing here last fall.
Read the full story at the East End Beacon
April 3, 2018 — BOSTON — Interstate fishing managers are considering changing the rules governing the fishery for a popular species of flounder.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says managers are seeking comments about possible changes to the summer flounder fishery. The fish has been brought to land from Maine to Florida over the years and the catch was worth more than $30 million in 2016.
An entry in the Federal Register about the proposal says it concerns revisions to commercial and recreational quotas for the fish. Comments are due by April 30.
Fishermen caught a little less than 7.8 million pounds of summer flounder in 2016. That was the lowest total since 1972.
Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Greensboro News & Record
April 3, 2018 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned the U.S. Secretary of Commerce in October that if changes weren’t made to fluke quotas to be fair to New York’s economy and commercial fishing families, the state would take legal action.
Last week, that threat became more real as the governor and state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced the filing of a petition with the federal government to establish fair quota allocations for the state’s commercial harvest of fluke, or summer flounder.
In a March 23 statement, Mr. Cuomo said the federal government can’t rely on “decades-old data to uphold the fluke quotas, which put New York at a disadvantage compared to other states.”
“New York’s commercial fishing industry has been held back by archaic federal restrictions for too long, and by taking action to defend fair treatment of our fishers, we will help this valuable industry reach its full potential,” he said.
The state Department of Conservation petitioned for revised allocations with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council.
“New York’s commercial fishing industry deserves a fair shake — not the back of the hand — from the federal government,” Mr. Schneiderman said. “Federal law requires that our nation’s marine fisheries be managed according to the best available science, and in a fair, efficient, and safe way. Simply put, perpetuating New York’s undersized, outdated share of the commercial summer flounder fishery does not meet the requirements of the law.”
Department of Environmental Conservation commissioner Basil Seggos also said changes need to be made.
Local fishermen have long felt they’re left short-changed while other East Coast states have higher quotas. Some are skeptical of what will come next, as they’ve dealt with restrictions on fluke fishing since 1992, which state officials and fishermen say were based on inaccurate or outdated data on the fish population.
Read the full story at the Suffolk Times
March 29, 2018 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:
NOAA Fisheries has released a supplemental notice of intent (NOI) seeking public comments on the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s proposal to modify the scope of issues addressed in the amendment formerly referred to as the “Comprehensive Summer Amendment.”
The Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) originally initiated the amendment with the objective of performing a comprehensive review of all aspects of the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan (FMP) related to summer flounder, including commercial and recreational management strategies. To avoid delaying the amendment while waiting for updated recreational information, the Council and Commission are now proposing to limit the scope of this action to focus on FMP goals and objectives and commercial management issues. This action will now be referred to as the “Summer Flounder Commercial Issues Amendment.” Following completion of this amendment, the Council and Commission may then develop at least one future action relating to recreational fishery issues and commercial/recreational allocation to incorporate updated recreational fishery data when it becomes available later this year.
The purpose of this comment opportunity is to allow the public to comment on the Council and Commission’s decision to modify the scope of the amendment. The Council and Commission are continuing to analyze a previously approved range of alternatives and developing a draft amendment document for public review. The public will have future opportunities to comment on the amendment during a formal public hearing process.
Additional details and instructions for submitting comments are available in the notice published in the Federal Register.
To stay informed about this issue, sign up for our email list at http://www.mafmc.org/email-list and select “General Council News” or “Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass News.”
For additional information about the Summer Flounder Commercial Issues Amendment, go to http://www.mafmc.org/actions/summer-flounder-amendment.
March 23, 2018 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
NOAA Fisheries has set management measures in the Northern Gulf of Maine for the Atlantic Sea Scallop fishery for the 2018 fishing year (beginning April 1, 2018).
This action:
Prior to this action, limited access scallop vessels were able to fish in the Northern Gulf of Maine while on days-at-sea. To prevent excessive fishing in the area, this action prohibits the limited access fleet from fishing in the Northern Gulf of Maine while on days-at-sea, and only allows access if the vessel is participating in the scallop research set-aside program and is conducting a compensation fishing trip.
The remainder of Framework 29, including the full specifications for scallop fishery and adjustments to the several flatfish accountability measures, are being addressed in a trailing action.
Read the final rule as filed in the Federal Register, and the permit holder letter available on our website.
March 23, 2018 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:
The New England Fishery Management Council has POSTPONED two groundfish meetings.
Both meetings were intended to focus on Groundfish Monitoring Amendment 23, which currently is under development. However, the technical analyses related to this amendment are not ready for discussion at either meeting. New meeting dates will be announced soon on the Council’s Northeast Multispecies Webpage.
WHAT HAPPENED: Staff from both the New England Council and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS – NOAA Fisheries) have been working at full strength to complete two critical actions that need to be implemented in time for the May 1 start of the 2018 groundfish fishing year.
Completion of these two actions took top priority, and now work will resume on Groundfish Monitoring Amendment 23.
ADDITIONAL GROUNDFISH ACTIONS: Here are several other important groundfish-related actions that stakeholders should be aware of.
MORE INFORMATION: Visit “Related News,” “Upcoming Meetings,” and “Past Meetings” on the Council’s groundfish webpage for press releases and documents associated with upcoming and past meetings. Go to stay in touch.
March 21, 2018 — WASHINGTON — Donald Trump is known for hitting the golf course but his administration is now putting the power of the presidency behind another favorite American pastime: fishing.
During his little more than a year in office, the president has promoted the iconic, multi-billion-dollar recreational fishing industry that felt marginalized under the previous administration. Barack Obama routinely sided with environmental advocates concerned about long-term damage from overfishing but Trump, the father of two avid anglers, has tacked in a new direction.
“President Donald Trump was the best thing that ever happened to fishermen,” said Jim Donofrio, executive director of the Recreational Fishing Alliance which fought the Obama administration to overturn limits on what private anglers could catch in federal waters. “Some of them don’t realize it but they will.”
Almost from the beginning, Trump made it clear the ocean was a frontier to be exploited not only for its energy potential but also for recreational and food sources.
“The fisheries resources of the United States are among the most valuable in the world,” the president declared last year in a White House proclamation designating June 2017 as National Ocean Month. “Growing global demand for seafood presents tremendous opportunities for expansion of our seafood exports, which can reduce our more than $13 billion seafood trade deficit.”
In contrast, a similar proclamation by Obama in 2016 warned about “jeopardizing marine populations and degrading oceanic habitats.”
The Trump administration also increased recreational fishing access to three fish stocks protected under tight catch limits.
Read the full story at USA Today