Saving Seafood

Southeastern Fisheries Association: Who Gets the Fish Now?

May 17, 2018 — The following was released by the Southeastern Fisheries Association:

The American Sportfishing Association and other anti-commercial fishing groups told Congress that anglers only get 3% of the fish. They lie!

From the Virginia/North Carolina border through the Florida Keys, see how many pounds of fish are allotted for the non-fishermen? 

SEE HOW MANY POUNDS OF FISH ARE ALLOTTED FOR THE SPORT-FISHERMEN?

Is it legal to take so much fish away from non-fishing citizens?

National marine manufacturers, foreign outboard motor, gear, electronic companies and anglers clubs are pushing to privatize federal fish resources exclusively for sport fishing.

The following data is derived from NOAA’s listing of the Allowable Catch Levels (ACLs) for each of the following species. View the source material in its entirety here.

WHO GETS THE FISH NOW?

FISH Species #’s Non-fishing Consumers (Commercial) Anglers
Atlantic Spade Fish 150,552 661,926
Bar Jack 13,228 49,021
Black Grouper 96,884 165,750
Blueline Tile 87,251 87,277
Cobia NY to GA 50,000 620,000
Cobia East FL(Gulf) 70,000 860,000
Deepwater Complex 131,628 38,628
Dolphin 1,534,485 13,810,361
Gag grouper 335,188 348,194
Golden Tile 313,310 2,187 (Number of Fish)
Grey Trigger 312,324 404,675
Grunts 217,903 618,122
Hog Fish NC-GA 23,456 988 (Number of fish)
Hog Fish FLK-EFL 4,524 18,617 (Number of fish)
Jacks 189,422 267,799
Mutton 104,231 768,857
Porgies 36,348 106,914
Red Grouper 343,200 436,800
Red Snapper 0 0
Scamp 219,375 1,169,308
Shallow Grouper 55,542 48,648
Snapper (Exclud. R Snapper) 344,575 1,169,308
Snowy Grouper 144,315 4,983 (Number of Fish)
Vermillion Snapper 862,290 406,080
Wahoo 70,542 1,724,418
Wreckfish 385,985 20,315
Black Seabass 755,724 1,001,177
Greater Amberjack 769,388 1,167,837
King Mackerel 5,900,000 10,900,000
Spanish Mackerel 3,330,000 2,727,000
Yellow Tail Snaper 1,596,510 1,440,990
Total Allocations 17,912,450 40,000,785

 

Oil exploration raises issue of undersea munitions, including Tybee bomb

May 1, 2018 — Frank Knapp has been battling the prospect of offshore drilling for years, convinced the industry’s infrastructure or a major spill would spoil the lucrative tourism and commercial fishing industries in the Southeast.

Lately, though, he’s sounding a new alarm that focuses not on oiled beaches or injured dolphins but on the huge quantities of undersea munitions dumped off the East Coast following WWI and WWII. And off the Georgia coast, he points out, there’s the additional question of the never-located “Tybee bomb,” a nuclear weapon lost during a training exercise 60 years ago.

“Government documents and first-hand accounts of munitions and radioactive waste being dumped off the Atlantic Coast from Massachusetts to Florida came to our attention only recently,” Knapp, president and CEO of the S.C. Small Business Chamber of Commerce, wrote in recent comments to federal regulators. “Nine of the official dump sites are off the South Carolina coast. There is a serious threat of seismic airgun blasting disturbing these materials, many in unofficial and unknown locations and all in deteriorated containers, and releasing them into the water. Commercial fishing, the public, local economies and even seismic ships and crews are in jeopardy.”

Seismic testing uses repeated loud blasts of compressed air to map the sea floor. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has proposed mitigation to protect sea life from the effects of the barrage of underwater noise, but concerns persist that the air guns will harm sea life ranging from plankton to whales. The issue of its effects on undersea ordinance, however, is a new one.

Read the full story at the Savannah Morning News

 

Interior secretary: ‘Opposition’ to offshore drill plan

April 9, 2018 — PLAINSBORO, N.J. — Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Friday acknowledged there is “a lot of opposition” to President Donald Trump’s plan to open most of the nation’s coastline to oil and gas drilling.

Speaking at a forum on offshore wind energy in Plainsboro, New Jersey, Zinke touted Trump’s “all of the above” energy menu that calls for oil and gas, as well as renewable energy projects.

But he noted strong opposition to the drilling plan, adding there is little to no infrastructure in many of those areas to support drilling.

“There is a lot of opposition, particularly off the East Coast and the West Coast, on oil and gas,” Zinke said.

He said on the East Coast, only the Republican governors of Maine and Georgia have expressed support for the drilling plan, which has roiled environmentalists but cheered energy interests. Maine Gov. Paul LePage has endorsed the plan, but Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal has hesitated to take a public position on it.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Washington Post

South Atlantic Council to Offer Training Opportunities in SC and GA on Proposed Electronic Reporting Requirements for Federally Permitted Charter Captains

March 28, 2018 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is offering hands-on training sessions for federally permitted charter captains in South Carolina and Georgia over the course of the next week.  Informational webinars are also being offered in April and May. (See training and webinar schedule below.)

WHO SHOULD ATTEND: 

Charter captains with South Atlantic federal, for-hire permits (Snapper Grouper, Dolphin Wahoo, and/or Coastal Migratory Pelagic fisheries).

TRAINING TOPICS:

The training sessions will provide captains with an overview of the South Atlantic For-Hire Electronic Reporting Amendment that is under review by the Secretary of Commerce, proposed reporting requirements, the timeline for possible implementation, and how you can provide feedback on the proposed requirements during the anticipated 2018 public comment period.  Fishermen will also have the opportunity to try out some of the electronic reporting tools (website and tablet-based app) that may be used for submitting reports once the reporting requirements are implemented.

Training Session Schedule – South Carolina

All Meetings Begin at 6:00 PM 

March 28

SCDNR – Ft. Johnson

(training will be held in the

indoor classroom in the lab building)

217 Fort Johnson Rd

Charleston, SC 29412

 Click here to RSVP

 March 29

Hilton Head Boathouse,

405 Squire Pope Rd,

Hilton Head Island, SC 29926

Click here to RSVP

Training Session Schedule – Georgia

All Meetings Begin at 6:00 PM 

April 2

GADNR Coastal Resources Headquarters,

Susan Shipman Environmental

Learning Center,

One Conservation Way

Brunswick, GA 31520

Click here to RSVP

 April 3

Armstrong Campus (GSU),

University Hall, Room 111,

11935 Abercorn Street

Savannah, GA 31419

 Click here to RSVP 

(Note: Click here for campus map/directions; After parking, come directly to Rm. 111 to receive your parking pass.)

*Note: Additional training sessions will be scheduled for 

Florida in June and July 2018 and for North Carolina in the Fall 2018.

Informational Webinars

Can’t attend an in-person training? Council staff will also host informational webinars twice a month for federal for-hire permit holders to provide information about electronic reporting, the proposed amendment, and upcoming training sessions. Registration is required.

Below is the current schedule for informational webinars:

Learn more about the SAFMC by visiting their site here.

 

Hope, but no calves, spotted as right whales return to Georgia waters

February 5, 2018 — They call her Halo — the right whale was born to another documented calving female, Loligo, in 2005, and was last seen in 2016. That was until staff with the Sea to Shore Alliance spotted her Wednesday near Little St. Simons Island. She, and her companion, are the first right whales seen off the coast of Georgia this calving season, which typically is from November to April.

“There was an adult female spotted that has had calved before — or has had a calf before — and so we’re hoping that she’s pregnant and we’ll have a calf in the upcoming days or weeks,” said Clay George, who heads up the state Department of Natural Resources’ right whale efforts. “There was another whale seen with her that was large and appeared to be an adult or a juvenile, but it was not a calf that was born this year. So, we are hoping that perhaps it was also an adult female and may be pregnant also.”

There has also been action in the Gulf of Mexico this year.

“My understanding, from talking to colleagues that work for the state of Florida, that at least two of the sightings (in the gulf) have been confirmed to be a right whale, and the photos suggest that it may have been the same individual whale was seen in both locations, and if so, it appears to be a 1-year-old whale that was born last year,” George said. “So, those three whales are the only whales that have been seen south of Cape Hatteras, N.C.”

There is more than a little amount of worry among whale researchers and experts that the world could be watching the extinction of right whales, considering births are not keeping up with deaths — especially with human-influenced mortality from whales becoming entangled in heavy fishing gear used for lobsters and snow crabs further north.

Read the full story at the Brunswick News

 

SAFMC: Federal Waters Off Georgia Closed to All Fishing for Brown, Pink, and White Shrimp

January 24, 2018 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

WHAT/WHEN:

  • No person may trawl for brown, pink, or white shrimp in federal waters off Georgia.
  • The closure is effective, January 24, 2018.
  • NOAA Fisheries will issue a new Fishery Bulletin announcing the re-opening to shrimp harvest in federal waters off Georgia.

WHY THIS CLOSURE IS HAPPENING

  • The purpose of the closure is to protect the white shrimp spawning population.
  • Georgia closed its state waters to all shrimping on January 15, 2018, due to a prolonged period of water temperatures at or below 9°C in the region.
  • Georgia requested NOAA Fisheries to close federal waters off Georgia.

DURING THE CLOSURE:

  • Possession of brown, pink, or white shrimp is prohibited on board a vessel in federal waters off Georgia unless the vessel is in transit through the area and all nets with a mesh size of less than four inches, as measured between the centers of opposite knots when pulled taut, are stowed below deck.
  • Any vessel trawling within 25 nautical miles seaward from the Georgia shoreline must use trawl nets with a minimum mesh size of four inches or greater.

This bulletin provides only a summary of the existing regulations.  Full regulations can be found in the Federal Register.

Access this and other Fishery Bulletins from NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office by clicking here.

 

Federal Fishing Regulations Moving to New Fish Rules Mobile App

December 14, 2017 — CHARLESTON, S.C. — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Keeping up with offshore fishing regulations can be a challenge. Many fishermen have taken advantage of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council-sponsored South Atlantic Fishing Regulations mobile application over the past few years. The free app has provided regulation information for both recreational and commercial fishermen fishing in federal waters (ranging from 3 to 200 nautical miles) off the South Atlantic Coast.

As of January 1, 2018, the Council will begin using the Fish Rulesmobile app to keep fishermen updated on federal fishing regulations in the South Atlantic. Fish Rules offers a platform for new features, is user friendly, and has a fast-growing user base along the entire East coast. It also hosts state fishing regulations for those anglers fishing in state waters. For now, the Fish Rules mobile app provides regulation information for recreational regulations. Work is underway with the app developers to also provide commercial regulations in the future.

In order to keep stakeholders accurately informed during the transition, users of the current SA Fishing Regulations mobile app are asked to begin moving to Fish Rules. Both mobile applications will be updated until January 1, 2018, when regulation information will transition completely to Fish Rules.

Information on the mobile regulations application is available from the Council’s website at: http://safmc.net/regulations/transition-to-fish-rules-mobile-app/. Please contact Outreach Specialist Cameron Rhodes at cameron.rhodes@safmc.net or call 843/571-4366 with specific questions. Both commercial and recreational federal regulations for species managed by the Council are available from the Council’s website at: http://safmc.net/regulations/.

About the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, one of eight regional councils, conserves and manages fish stocks from three to 200 miles offshore of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and east Florida. For more information, visit: www.safmc.net

 

SAFMC Fishery Managers Address Multiple Issues at December Meeting

December 11, 2017 — ATLANTIC BEACH, N.C. — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Members of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council wrapped up their weeklong meeting today in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, after considering management measures for several species including Atlantic cobia, red snapper, red grouper, and golden tilefish. The Council also held a workshop on recreational reporting and received an update on the pilot electronic recreational reporting project MyFishCount underway for red snapper. The red snapper recreational mini-season reopens today and continues over the weekend. Members of the public thanked the Council for taking measures to open the fishery in 2017 but also acknowledged that weather conditions are keeping fishermen off the water during the mini-season. Recreational anglers, including charter and headboat fishermen, unable to make their trips this weekend are encouraged to report cancelled trips using the pilot reporting program at MyFishCount.com.

If approved by the Secretary of Commerce, an interim catch level for red snapper proposed by the Council in September may allow for a red snapper mini-season beginning in July 2018. Efforts are underway to establish an acceptable biological catch for red snapper and scheduled for review by the Council during its June 2018 meeting. The Council moved forward with proposed measures to improve data collection and reduce bycatch of red snapper and other species in the snapper grouper management complex through actions in Amendment 46. Public hearings on the measures will be held in 2018.

Atlantic Cobia

Atlantic cobia are currently managed in federal waters from Georgia to New York. The recreational fishery closed in federal waters in June 2016 after landings estimates exceeded the annual catch limit the previous year and the recreational fishery was closed in January of this year in federal waters, as states landings were expected to exceed the federal catch limits. The fishery primarily occurs in state waters. In an effort to provide more flexibility in management, the Council requested that the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) develop an Interstate Management Plan for Atlantic Cobia.

The Council, through measures proposed in Amendment 31, is considering options for transferring management of Atlantic Cobia to the ASMFC as well as complementary management with the Commission. Public hearings on Amendment 31 will be scheduled for January 22-24, 2018. The public will also have the opportunity to provide comment on timing for the measures, with consideration given for an upcoming Cobia Stock Identification Workshop scheduled for 2018 and a benchmark stock assessment scheduled for 2019.

Red Grouper

A recent stock assessment for red grouper showed the red grouper stock is still overfished and undergoing overfishing. Under requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the Council is required to take measures to end overfishing. During this week’s meeting, the Council approved measures to significantly reduce both commercial and recreational annual catch limits for red grouper. The total catch limit would be reduced from 780,000 pounds to 139,000 pounds beginning in 2018. There are concerns that recruitment for red grouper, or the number of young produced each year, has been poor for several years. Landings in the commercial fishery have been lower than the current catch limits. Based on average landings from 2014-16, it is predicted that the recreational fishery for red grouper will close in July 2018 with the reduced catch limit of 77,840 pounds.

Golden Tilefish

A 2016 update to the golden tilefish stock assessment, a popular deepwater species primarily targeted by commercial fishermen, indicated the stock in the South Atlantic is undergoing overfishing. To meet mandates to address overfishing, the Council proposed an interim rule in June 2017 to reduce the annual catch limit from 558,036 pounds (gutted weight) to 323,000 pounds (gw). NOAA Fisheries has reviewed the measures and it is expected they will be implemented January 1, 2018. The interim rule would be in effect for 180 days and may be extended for 186 days. During this week’s meeting, the Council decided to move forward to develop a framework amendment to revise catch levels of golden tilefish and consider modifications to management measures with approval of the amendment in June 2018. Public hearings will be held prior to the Council’s June meeting.

Final Committee Reports, a meeting Story Map, Meeting Report, and other materials from this week’s Council meeting are available from the Council’s website at: http://safmc.net/2017-december-council-meeting/. The next meeting of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is scheduled for March 5-9, 2018 in Jekyll Island, Georgia.

About the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, one of eight regional councils, conserves and manages fish stocks from three to 200 miles offshore of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and east Florida. For more information, visit: www.safmc.net

 

NOAA about-face on red snapper revives overfishing debate

October 31, 2017 — Reversing course, NOAA Fisheries said it will allow anglers in the South Atlantic to catch red snapper for the first time in three years.

Calling it an “emergency action,” the fisheries service said it would create two mini-seasons over the next two weekends for recreational anglers in federally controlled waters off the coast of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.

Commercial fishermen may be allowed to catch red snapper until Dec. 31.

“NOAA Fisheries has determined that the limited harvest in 2017 is not expected to result in overfishing and will not prevent the continued rebuilding of the red snapper population,” the agency said in a statement released late Friday.

Coming only four months after Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross extended the red snapper season in the Gulf of Mexico, the decision revived a long-simmering debate about how much fishing should be permitted and the federal government’s management of the popular species (Greenwire, Sept. 20).

Read the full story at E&E News

ASMFC South Atlantic Board Selects Final Measures for the Interstate FMP for the Atlantic Migratory Group Cobia and Recommends Final Approval by the Commission

October 20, 2017 — NORFOLK, Va. — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Commission’s South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board selected final measures for the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic Migratory Group (AMG) Cobia and recommended Commission approval of the FMP at its next Business Session meeting, scheduled for November in Baltimore, MD.

The FMP was initiated in response to recent overages of the federal annual catch limit (ACL) for AMG Cobia. Managing the recreational ACL on a coastwide basis has resulted in federal closures and significant overages in 2015 and 2016, disrupting fishing opportunities and jeopardizing the health of the stock. 
The Board-approved FMP complements many of the aspects of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s (SAFMC) cobia regulations from Georgia through New York.  The recreational fishery will be managed with a one fish bag limit and minimum size limit of 36” fork length (FL) or total length equivalent.  Vessel limits will be determined once individual states set their seasonal restrictions, but may not exceed six fish per vessel.  State-specific allocations of a coastwide recreational harvest limit that is equivalent to the federal AMG cobia ACL of 620,000 pounds result in the following state-specific soft targets:
 
·         Georgia: 58,311 pounds
·         South Carolina: 74,885 pounds
·         North Carolina: 236,316 pounds
·         Virginia: 244,292 pounds
 
Recreational harvest overages of specific-state allocations will be evaluated over a three-year time period. If overages occur, states will be required to adjust management measures to reduce harvest in the subsequent three-year period.
 
The commercial fishery will maintain the current management measures as implemented through the SAFMC plan and continue to be managed with a 33” FL minimum size limit and 2 fish limit per person, with a 6 fish maximum vessel limit.  The federal ACL of 50,000 pounds is allocated to the entire commercial fishery from Georgia through New York.  The commercial AMG cobia fishery will close once the ACL is projected to be reached.
 
The FMP provides the opportunity for states to declare de minimis status for their recreational fishery if landings constitute less than 1% of the recreational AMG cobia harvest. States must submit implementation plans to the Commission by January 1, 2018 for Technical Committee review and Board approval at the February 2018 meeting in Alexandria, Virginia. Approved plans must be implemented by April 1, 2018. For more information, please contact Dr. Louis Daniel, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at ldaniel@asmfc.org or 252.342.1478.

A PDF version of the press release can be found here – http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/59e95456pr54CobiaFMP_BoardApproval.pdf