Saving Seafood

ASMFC Atlantic Menhaden Board Approves TAC for 2021-2022

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

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Menhaden Management Board (Board) approved a total allowable catch (TAC) of 194,400 metric tons (mt) for the 2021 and 2022 fishing seasons, which represents a 10% reduction from the 2018-2020 TAC level. The 2021-2022 TAC was set based on the ecological reference points (ERPs) approved by the Board in August, and reaffirms the Board’s commitment to manage the fishery in a way that accounts for the species role as a forage fish.

“This TAC represents a measured and deliberate way for this Board to move into the realm of ecosystem-based management,” said Board Chair Spud Woodward of Georgia. “The TAC strikes a balance between stakeholder interests to maintain harvest on menhaden at recent levels, while also allowing the ERP models to do what they are intended to do.”

Based on projections, the TAC is estimated to have a 58.5% and 52.5% probability of exceeding the ERP fishing mortality (F) target in the first and second year, respectively. The TAC will be made available to the states based on the state-by-state allocation established by Amendment 3 (see accompanying table for 2021 and 2022 based on a TAC of 194,400 mt).

In determining which level to set the TAC, the Board also considered recent updates to the fecundity (FEC) reference points, and current stock condition. According to the latest assessment results, the 2017 estimate of fecundity, a measure of reproductive potential, was above both the ERP FEC target and threshold, indicating the stock was not overfished. A stock assessment update is scheduled for 2022 which will inform the TAC for 2023 and beyond.

For more information, please contact Max Appelman, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, or Toni Kerns, ISFMP Director, at mappelman@asmfc.org or tkerns@asmfc.org, respectively.

GEORGIA: COVID relief deadline nearing for marine fisheries industry

October 13, 2020 — Marine fishery businesses have until Thursday to apply for federal COVID-19 relief.

As part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security, or CARES, Act passed by Congress in March 2020, the federal government set aside $2 million in funds to be distributed to commercial fishermen, wholesale dealers, processors of saltwater species, aquaculturists with a Georgia commercial fishing license and for-hire guides, according to the Department of Natural Resources.

Of that, a total of $1.87 million is expected to be awarded to successful applicants.

Participants in Georgia’s marine commercial and for-hire industry who experienced a greater than 35 percent loss in revenue between March and May 2020 due to COVID-19 as compared to the same months in the prior five-year period may qualify for federal aid.

Read the full story at The Brunswick News

Fishermen, charters nearing deadline to apply for COVID relief funds

October 9, 2020 — Participants in Georgia’s marine fisheries industry have until Thursday to apply for federal COVID-relief aid.

Congress in March appropriated nearly $2 million to supplement Georgia’s marine industry’s’ pandemic-related revenue losses and applications must be postmarked by Oct. 15, 2020, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources reminded the public Friday.

Eligible industry members must have experienced a revenue loss of greater than 35 percent between March and May compared to the same period for the past five years. Other eligibility requirements and more information can be found at www.CoastalGaDNR.org/CARES or by calling 912-264-7218.

Read the full story at the Savannah Morning News

Trump’s SC offshore drilling moratorium doesn’t stop seismic testing, feds say in lawsuit

September 23, 2020 — The federal government said in a court filing Monday that a new Trump administration ban on oil drilling off the south Atlantic coast doesn’t stop companies from requesting to search for oil in those waters.

The case involves two consolidated lawsuits challenging permits issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service that allow seismic testing companies to disturb marine life.

The testing involves shooting air gun blasts at the ocean floor to map whether fossil fuels lie underneath. It has been shown to harm sea life such as whales.

The litigation fell into question briefly when President Donald Trump announced earlier this month he was ordering a 10-year ban on drilling off the coasts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.

Read the full story at The Post and Courier

Cooper urges Trump administration to include North Carolina in offshore oil drilling moratorium

September 16, 2020 — Governor Roy Cooper said he’s reached out to President Donald Trump and his administration to include North Carolina in the recently announced moratorium on offshore oil drilling in the Atlantic Ocean.

Last week, Trump extended a ten-year moratorium on offshore oil drilling for South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, but did not include North Carolina in the executive order.

“I am deeply concerned and disappointed that you did not include North Carolina in the moratorium,” Cooper wrote in a letter to President Trump on Tuesday. “Offshore drilling threatens North Carolina’s coastal economy and environment and offers our state minimal economic benefit. Accepted science tells us that there is little, if any, oil worth drilling for off North Carolina’s coast, and the risks of offshore drilling far outweigh the benefits.”

Read the full story at WECT

Georgia Fishing Industry Now Eligible to Apply for CARES Act Financial Assistance

September 11, 2020 — Georgia is ready to distribute nearly $2 million in funds to commercial fishermen, wholesale dealers, and others in the seafood industry who have been financially impacted by the coronavirus.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act, was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump on March 27. The CARES Act included $300 million in fisheries assistance funding, but it wasn’t until May that NOAA even released a breakdown of the funds by state, tribe and territory. With growing frustration from those affected by the pandemic, states have been working out how to distribute the federal relief aid. As SeafoodNews confirmed last month, Massachusetts announced that they were finally able to move forward with dispersing the money. And now, it seems like Georgia is ready to join them.

Read the full story at Seafood News

Trump signs order extending and expanding oil drilling moratorium off Florida’s shores

September 9, 2020 — President Donald Trump brushed back critics of his record on the environment in the crucial swing state of Florida Tuesday during a visit to Palm Beach County by signing a presidential order that extends and expands a ban on drilling off the state’s coastline.

The order — which Trump signed atop a stage not far from the mouth of the Loxahatchee River — extends by 10 years the life of a moratorium that previously prohibited drilling in federal waters off Florida’s Gulf Coast until July 1, 2022. He said it also expanded the ban on energy exploration, development and production to include the Atlantic coast off Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.

Read the full story at the Miami Herald

ASMFC South Atlantic Board Releases Atlantic Cobia Draft Addendum I for Public Comment

September 4, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s South Atlantic States/Federal Fisheries Management Board has approved for public comment Draft Addendum I to Amendment 1 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Migratory Group Cobia. The Draft Addendum was initiated in response to the 2020 quota, which is based on the results of the 2020 Atlantic cobia benchmark stock assessment. The benchmark assessment incorporated new recreational catch estimates, which were about two times higher than those previously used. The Draft Addendum considers options to change the allocation between commercial and recreational sectors, taking into consideration the change in recreational estimates. Currently 92% of the total quota is allocated to the recreational fishery, and 8% is allocated to the commercial fishery under Amendment 1.

The Commission and its member states from Maryland to Georgia will be conducting a series of public hearings to gather public input on Draft Addendum I. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic all hearings will be conducted via webinar, with some hearings state-specific and others regionally-focused. Webinar links and call-in information are below. Please note that in order to comment during the hearings you will need to use your computer or download the GoToWebinar app for your phone (the phone numbers provided below are for listening only). Additional details on participating in the webinar can be found later in this release; this information is particularly important for those that have not used the GoToWebinar platform before.

Virginia Maine Resources Commission

Regional Hearing 1 – Delaware Department of Natural and Environmental Control,
Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Potomac River Fisheries Commission

Regional Hearing 2 – South Carolina and Georgia Departments of Natural Resources
North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries 

* Please note: Those joining by phone only, will be limited to listening to the presentation but will not be able to provide input during the hearing. In those cases, you can send your comments to staff via email, US mail, or fax at any time during the public comment period.

The Draft Addendum proposes strategies that could reduce commercial percent allocations, without reducing the commercial quota below its 2019 level (50,000 pounds). Options for lower commercial allocations were proposed because of a large increase in the 2020-2022 total quota, which resulted in a larger commercial quota (as 8% of the total). The higher overall quota is due, in part, to the increase in recreational catch estimates that resulted from the 2018 calibration of recreational data to the new, mail-based Fishing Effort Survey conducted by the Marine Recreational Information Program. The updated recreational data were incorporated into the 2020 assessment, which estimated a greater abundance of fish than the previous assessment and provided the basis for the 2020-2022 total quota.

The Draft Addendum additionally proposes changes to the calculation of the commercial trigger (determines whether an in-season coastwide commercial closure occurs) and de minimis measures (applied to states with relatively small commercial or recreational harvest). The current trigger calculation method is dependent on recent harvests meeting the current or upcoming quota. Proposed changes to the commercial trigger would allow this trigger to be calculated based on harvests in the most recent 5 years, regardless of the size of the harvests relative to a quota. Proposed changes to de minimis measures include consideration of a cap on the amount of the commercial quota that can be set aside to account for harvest in commercial de minimis states as well as increasing the alternative recreational minimum size limit, which can be adopted by recreational de minimis states that choose not to adopt the measures of a neighboring or nearest non-de minimis state.

Webinar Instructions

You can join the webinar from your computer, tablet or smartphone. If you are new to GoToWebinar, you can download the software (click here) or via the App store under GoToWebinar.  We recommend you register for the hearing well in advance of the hearing since GoToWebinar will provide you with a link to test your device’s compatibility with the webinar. If you find your device is not compatible, please contact the Commission at info@asmfc.org (subject line: GoToWebinar help) and we will try to get you connected. We also strongly encourage participants to use the computer voice over internet (VoIP)so you can ask questions and provide input at the hearing. Those joining by phone only, will be limited to listening to the presentation but will not be able to provide input during the hearing. In those cases, you can send your comments to staff via email, US mail, or fax at any time during the public comment period.

The Commission will also post a recording of the hearing presentation on the Commission’s YouTube page so that stakeholders may watch the presentation and submit comment at any time during the comment process.  This recording will be available mid-September; a subsequent press release will announce the availability of the recording.

Draft Addendum I is available at http://www.asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/CobiaDraftAddI_PublicComment_September2020.pdf or via the Commission’s website at http://www.asmfc.org/about-us/public-input. Recreational anglers, members of the commercial fishing industry, and other stakeholders are encouraged to provide input on Draft Addendum I either by participating in the public hearing webinars or providing written comment. Public comment will be accepted until 5 PM (EST) on October 6, 2020 and should be sent to Savannah Lewis, FMP Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, Virginia 22201; 703.842.0741 (fax) or at comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Cobia Draft Addendum I). For more information, please contact Toni Kerns at tkerns@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

Georgia becomes latest state to gain CARES Act spend-plan approval

August 28, 2020 — Georgia has become the latest state in the U.S. to gain approval from NOAA for its plan to allocate its CARES Act funds to relevant seafood industry interests in the state.

The funds are part of a USD 300 million (EUR 252 million) pot of funds allocated to 20 states in May. Each state received a separate portion of the money, with Georgia receiving just over USD 1.9 million (EUR 1.59 million) – among the lowest amounts awarded.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

NOAA Fisheries Seeks Comments for an Application for an Exempted Fishing Permit to Test Experimental Retrieval Devices for Black Sea Bass Pots in South Atlantic Federal Waters

July 15, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

KEY MESSAGE:

NOAA Fisheries is accepting comments on an application for an exempted fishing permit (EFP) from the University of Georgia Marine Extension, Georgia Sea Grant. The applicant proposes to deploy modified black sea bass pots with Acoustic Subsea Buoy Retrieval Systems in federal waters off Georgia. The project would examine the potential usefulness of the devices for use in the black sea bass pot component for the commercial sector of the snapper-grouper fishery while minimizing impacts to protected species.

HOW TO COMMENT ON THE APPLICATION:

The comment period is open now through August 14, 2020. You may submit comments by electronic submission or by postal mail. Comments sent by any other method (such as e-mail), to any other address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, may not be considered by NOAA Fisheries.

Application information:  https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/southeast/black-sea-bass-pot-pilot-project-exempted-fishing-permit-application/

Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal.

  1. Go to https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=NOAA-NMFS-2020-0090.
  2. Click the “Comment Now!” icon, complete the required fields.
  3. Enter or attach your comments.

Mail:  Submit written comments to Frank Helies, NOAA Fisheries, Southeast Regional Office, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.

Program Concepts

  • Acoustic Subsea Buoy Retrieval Systems are an example of gear that store buoys and their retrieval devices at depth. These systems exist in the water column for minutes instead of hours or days as they are activated via acoustic releases only when fishers are present.  Currently, vertical end lines and buoys, such as those utilized for black sea bass pots, present an entanglement risk to the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, a species that migrates and calves off the coast of Georgia in the winter months.
  • Adaptation of “ropeless” systems for this style of pot fishing could reduce risk to these whales and other marine animals that suffer entanglements. Up to six different designs would be tested during this study.
  • Black sea bass pots would be fished as singles with a traditional configuration and as experimental configurations of black sea bass pots (four regulation-sized pots connected together with wire connecting clips) without vertical buoy lines on live bottom during August and September 2020. Virtual gear marking (marking of gear deployment location with chartplotters, GPS, and manufacturer-provided software) would be utilized and evaluated, with analysis of the interoperability of systems being shared with fishery management partners.
  • Testing would occur in depths from 10-30 meters in federal waters 10 to 32 nautical miles off Townsend, Georgia. Deployments would be limited to 35 total pots, up to 300 gear hauls, with an average soak time of 90-120 minutes per configuration.  The applicant intends to collect data from 90 traditional gear deployments and 270 ASBRS gear deployments.

NOAA Fisheries finds this application warrants further consideration, and is seeking public comment on the application.  A final decision on issuance of the EFP will depend on NOAA Fisheries’ review of public comments received, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils’ recommendations, consultations with the affected states, and the U.S. Coast Guard, as well as a determination that it is consistent with all applicable laws.