Saving Seafood

South Atlantic Council Requests Allowing Harvest of Red Snapper in 2017 and 2018

September 26, 2017 — CHARLESTON, S.C. — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Members of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council voted today to approve a request to NOAA Fisheries that would allow fishermen access to red snapper in federal waters in the South Atlantic beginning in mid-to late October this year. If approved by NOAA Fisheries, it will be the first time since 2014 that the red snapper fishery has been open in federal waters off the coasts of the Carolinas, Georgia, and the east coast of Florida. The Council is requesting that NOAA Fisheries allow an interim annual catch limit (recreational and commercial) of 42,510 fish for 2017 via an emergency rule. The annual catch limit would allow for a recreational mini-season likely beginning the end of October, with approximately 6 to 12 days of fishing over a period of 3-day weekends. The recreational bag limit would be 1 fish per person/day with no minimum size limit. Commercial harvest would be allowed with a 75-pound trip limit. The recreational sector is allocated 71.93% of the total catch limit. If the Council’s request is approved, the number of days and specific dates of the recreational mini-season will be determined by NOAA Fisheries. A decision is expected in the coming weeks and will be announced by NOAA Fisheries.

In addition to the emergency rule request to allow an opening this year, the Council also approved measures in Amendment 43 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan with the intent to have a red snapper season in 2018. The amendment would revise the process to calculate the annual catch limit for red snapper, allowing mini-seasons for red snapper beginning in July. If allowed, the recreational fishery would open the second Friday in July (July 13, 2018) and the commercial fishery the second Monday in July (July 9, 2018). The annual opening dates for the fishery were established through an earlier amendment.

Under the Council’s approved preferred alternative, the 2018 annual catch limit would also be 42,510 fish. Because fishing pressure would be greater during the summer months in most areas, it is estimated that the recreational mini-season would last between 4 to 7 weekend days with a 1 fish per person/day bag limit and no minimum size limit. The commercial trip limit would remain at 75 pounds. The number of recreational fishing days would be determined by NOAA Fisheries and announced prior to the July opening. The Secretary of Commerce must approve Amendment 43 before it is implemented.

There was much discussion on various management alternatives as Council members reviewed public input. Public hearings on Amendment 43 were held in August and over 230 written public comments were recently received on both the emergency rule request and Amendment 43. Public comment was also taken during today’s meeting. “We’ve consistently heard from our constituents about the increasing number of red snapper encountered and concerns that harvest has been prohibited for the past four years,” said Council Chair, Dr. Michelle Duval. “The majority of comments support allowing a limited harvest of red snapper.”

The Council’s decision to move forward with options to establish an interim annual catch limit and allow limited harvest of red snapper was based in part on the public testimony and support. The Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee had recommended acceptable biological catch levels for red snapper following a 2017 stock assessment using both landings and estimated discards. Annual catch limits are based on those recommended catch levels. However, NOAA Fisheries later stated that using recreational discard estimates is likely ineffective for monitoring red snapper removals due to uncertainty in the estimates of discards. This inhibits the ability to set an acceptable biological catch that can be effectively monitored. In addition, the Council considered increases in the numbers of red snapper observed through a long-term scientific survey using fish traps.

Council members also noted the positive social and economic benefits of allowing mini-seasons beginning this year, especially on the heels of recent damage to fishing communities by Hurricane Irma.

State agency personnel will work diligently to collect information from fishermen if harvest is allowed. Personnel will be stationed at boat ramps, marinas, and other locations to gather data, similar to data collected during the 2012-2014 mini-seasons. “The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute will be conducting surveys of private recreational anglers and charter-for-hire crew,” explained Jessica McCawley, Council representative for FWC. “Additionally, biologists will be collecting tissue samples (ear bones and gonad samples) to evaluate the sizes, ages, and reproductive condition of the fish being harvested.” Council members noted that additional data collected during the mini-seasons would be useful in future management decisions.

Private recreational fishermen will also have an opportunity to report their catch information as part of a voluntary pilot project using the mobile iAngler tournament app. The free mobile app will allow fishermen to report their landings of red snapper, the number of fish released, depths fished, and other valuable information. Additional details will be publicized from the Council office as they become available.

“It is important for fishermen to remember that this is their red snapper resource,” explained Dr. Duval. “It is imperative that fishermen do everything possible to minimize the number of red snapper released during the season openings and use best fishing practices to improve the survival of released fish. Anglers are encouraged to move away from area populations after catching their bag limit and to use descending devices to reduce the impacts of barotrauma, especially when fishing in depths over 100 feet.” Dr. Duval also noted the rate of harvest in 2017 will determine the length of the 2018 red snapper season. “We must be cautionary in balancing access to the fishery without negatively impacting the sacrifices made thus far as this important stock continues to rebuild.”

The Council will continue its meeting this week through Friday. Additional meeting information is available at: http://safmc.net/2017-september-council-meeting/.

Hurricane Irma delayed red snapper decision

September 15, 2017 — In a rare move, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council announced recently it would consider an emergency proposal to open a red snapper fishing season for anglers and commercial fishermen this year, as early as October.

Then, in just as rare a move, the Council announced it would postpone its scheduled meeting due to the arrival of Hurricane Irma.

The week-long meeting will now take place in Charleston, S.C. Sept. 25-29 at its previous scheduled location. On the meeting’s first day, Council members will discuss and decided whether to open the red snapper season.

What does it mean for the recreational anglers of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina? It could mean as many as 12 days of fishing opportunities for red snapper this year. If the season is approved, as it appears it will be, anglers will have a daily bag limit of one fish per angler and no minimum size limit.

Read the full story at TC Palm

South Atlantic States Schedule Public Hearings on Draft FMP for Atlantic Migratory Group Cobia

August 17, 2017 — ARLINGTON, Va. — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission: 

September 20, 2017 — This press release modifies that of August 17. North Carolina’s September 19th hearing has been rescheduled to Thursday, September 21st at the same location and time. South Carolina and Georgia have also rescheduled their hearing dates to September 26th and 25th, respectively. Please note Georgia’s hearing will occur via webinar only. Please see below for the revised details of the three hearings.

The South Atlantic states of Virginia through Georgia have scheduled their hearings to gather public comment on Draft Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic Migratory Group (AMG) Cobia. The details of those hearings follow.

Virginia Marine Resources Commission

September 12, 2017 at 6 PM

2600 Washington Ave 4th floor

Newport News, VA

Contact: Joe Cimino at 757.247.2236

RESCHEDULED: North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries

September 21, 2017 at 7 PM

Hatteras Community Center

57689 NC Highway 12

Hatteras, NC

Contact: Michelle Duval at 252.808.8013

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September 20, 2017 at 7 PM

Central District Office

5285 US Highway 70 West

Morehead City, NC

Contact: Michelle Duval at 252.808.8013

RESCHEDULED: South Carolina Department of Natural Resources

September 26, 2017 at 7 PM

Town & Country Inn

2008 Savannah Highway

Charleston, SC

Contact: Mel Bell at 843.953.9007

RESCHEDULED: Georgia Department of Natural Resources

September 25, 2017 at 6 PM

This hearing will occur via webinar only

Call in for webinar audio at 1.888.394.8197 and enter Passcode: 815277 when prompted

Webinar Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4807279626897305603

Contact: Pat Geer at 912.264.7218

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The intent of the Draft FMP is to complement federal AMG cobia management actions and distribute catches among member states through a proposed allocation strategy. The Draft FMP was initiated in response to recent overages of the federal annual catch limit (ACL) for AMG Cobia. The Draft FMP addresses immediate management and conservation goals in anticipation of a new benchmark AMG cobia stock assessment in 2018.  Management options include size, bag, and vessel limits to complement federal measures along with proposed de minimis options for Mid-Atlantic states (Maryland through New York) whose landings are minimal or episodic.

The most significant change may come in the form of state-specific recreational allocations.  The current ACL for AMG cobia is 670,000 pounds (620,000 pound recreational ACL and a 50,000 pound commercial quota). 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 Draft FMP contains a number of proposed options to allocate a recreational harvest limit (equal to the federal recreational ACL) to the four primary states (Georgia-Virginia) to allow those states more flexibility in developing seasonal options that best suit their specific state’s recreational and for-hire interests.

At this time, the options for the commercial AMG cobia fishery do not include state specific allocations and generally complement the proposed federal requirements. It is expected that the states from Georgia through Virginia will be conducting public hearings on the Draft FMP. The details of those hearings will be released in a subsequent press release.

The Draft FMP is available here or on the Commission’s website, www.asmfc.org, under Public Input. Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the Draft FMP either by attending state public hearings or providing written comment. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on October 6, 2017 and should be forwarded to Louis Daniel, FMP Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St, Suite A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or at comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Draft Cobia FMP). Final action on the Draft FMP is scheduled to occur in October 2017. For more information, please contact Louis Daniel, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at ldaniel@asmfc.org or 252.342.1478.

 

Chicken of the Sea invests over a million in new canning line, high-speed vision system

August 11, 2017 — As part of its latest campaign to invest in its presence in the United States, Chicken of the Sea will be outfitting its Lyons, Georgia U.S.A.-based processing facility with a cutting-edge technological upgrade totaling USD 1.4 million (EUR 1.1 million).

A new, high-speed vision system and canning line will be installed as part of the upgrade, with a completion date set for December 2017. The 200,000-square-foot Georgia facility, which opened back in 2009, employs hundreds of workers who package and can thousands of cases of quality seafood each day – the new technologies in store for the plant will make those employees’ lives easier, and help boost the local economy as well as facility efficiencies, the company said.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Federal Scientists, Fishermen Question Shark Fin Ban

July 27, 2017 — The following is an excerpt from a report, by Jim Strickland of WSB-TV in Atlanta, about a new bill, co-sponsored by Georgia Congressmen David Scott and Buddy Carter, that would outlaw the sale of all shark fins, including legally caught ones, in the United States:

The new bill, which would create the Shark Fin Trade Elimination Act, has stirred a fight over whether dealing in shark fins should be made illegal.

Videos of “finning,” where foreign fishing fleets cut the fins off live sharks then throw the fish back to slowly die, pepper YouTube.

“You shouldn’t do it and that’s all there is to it. Not to mention it’s cruel,” said licensed Georgia shark fisherman Charlie Phillips. As vice chair of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, Phillips advises the government on seafood policy.

Finning live sharks has been outlawed in the U.S. since 2000. Here, fins must be harvested on land, after the fish is caught and killed at sea. Violators risk fines and banishment from the industry.

“I don’t let anyone do anything illegal on my boat,” said commercial shark fisherman Dave Campo.

“They’re impacting the American fisherman for what may be happening in other places, that we’ll never control,” Campo said.

It’s not just the fishermen saying so. So does the director of the nation’s official shark research lab, Dr. Bob Hueter of Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota.

“They’ll have to throw the fins in the dumpsters which is wasteful and it doesn’t make any sense for the fishery,” Dr. Hueter said.

According to Dr. Hueter, a ban will wipe out responsible shark fishing here, while countries that still allow live finning will fill the void.

“By doing this we’re essentially punishing the wrong people,” Dr. Hueter told Strickland.

Read and watch the full story at WSB-TV

SEAMAP Releases 5-Year Management Plan

April 19, 2017 — The following was released by the Southeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program:

The Southeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (SEAMAP) has released its 2016-2020 Management Plan. Prepared by the South Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean components of SEAMAP, the Management Plan serves as a reference for official SEAMAP policies and procedures through 2020. The Plan also includes detailed information on SEAMAP activities and highlights how SEAMAP data meet critical needs for recent stock assessments and management decisions. Lastly and perhaps most importantly, the Plan details how SEAMAP’s core surveys have been impacted by level/declining funding. It identifies how expansions in funding could be used to refine existing assessments and advance the movement towards ecosystem-based management; ultimately, leading to more comprehensive fisheries management in the Southeast region.

SEAMAP is a cooperative state/federal/university program for the collection, management, and dissemination of fishery-independent data and information in the Southeastern U.S. and Caribbean. Representatives from Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) jointly plan and conduct surveys of economically and ecologically important fish and shellfish species and the critical habitats that support them. Since 1982, SEAMAP has sponsored long-term standardized surveys that have become the backbone of fisheries and habitat management in the Southeast and Caribbean. SEAMAP currently provides the only region-wide mechanism for monitoring long-term status and trends of populations and habitats within the region.

As a cooperative effort, SEAMAP monitors the distribution and abundance of fish and other marine resources from North Carolina through Texas and into the Caribbean. SEAMAP is intended to maximize the capability of fishery-independent and associated survey activities to satisfy data and information needs of living marine resource management and research organizations in the region. The primary means of performing that task is to optimize coordination and deployment of regional surveys and provide access to the collected data through documents and online databases. Additional roles of SEAMAP are to document long- and short-term needs for fishery-independent data to meet critical management and research needs, and to establish compatible and consistent databases for ecosystem and predictive modeling applications. SEAMAP promotes coordination among data collection, processing, management, and analysis activities emphasizing those specifically concerned with living marine resource management and habitat protection, and provides a forum for coordination of other fishery-related activities.

The 2016-2020 SEAMAP Management Plan is available online at: http://bit.ly/2pw1qXM. For more information about SEAMAP, particularly the South Atlantic component, please visit www.SEAMAP.org or contact Shanna Madsen, SEAMAP-SA Coordinator, at smadsen@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.      

GEORGIA: Progress on red snapper, ‘catch share’ request withdrawn

March 9, 2017 — In Weird Al Yankovic’s cult ’80s film “UHF,” contestants play for their weight in fish on a game show called, “Wheel of Fish.” A woman, the returning champion, gets the first spin at the wheel that, yes, sports a number of fish tied to it at regular intervals. Then the wheel stops.

“Ah, a red snapper,” says the show’s host, a character played by Gedde Watanabe. “Mmm — very tasty.”

They are tasty, which created a problem the closed red snapper season off the Southeast United States was supposed to solve — rebuilding the fish’s population so as to allow both commercial and recreational fishing for red snapper once again.

At the Tuesday morning meeting of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Snapper Grouper Committee meeting, there appeared to be some progress in moving toward reopening red snapper fishing in federal waters off Georgia, Florida and the Carolinas.

Zack Bowen, a charter fisherman from Savannah, pushed the need for movement, saying, “The recreational anglers are mad as hell,” charter operations are starving for business and there needed to be something done soon to address opening red snapper fishing.

Read the full story at The News 

Atlantic Cobia (Georgia to New York) Recreational Fishing Season is Closed in Federal Waters

January 26, 2017 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

WHAT/WHEN:

Recreational harvest of Atlantic migratory group cobia (from Georgia to New York) closed at 12:01 a.m. on January 24, 2017. Recreational harvest of cobia will remain closed until January 1, 2018.

WHY THIS CLOSURE IS HAPPENING:

  • In 2016, the recreational and total annual catch limits of Atlantic migratory group cobia were exceeded. Therefore, the 2017 recreational season must account for this overage.
  • When landings of Atlantic migratory group cobia exceed annual catch limits, accountability measures are in place to ensure overfishing (rate of removal is too high) does not occur. If total landings (commercial and recreational) for the Atlantic migratory group cobia exceed the total annual catch, NOAA Fisheries is required to reduce the length of the recreational fishing season in the following fishing year.
  • With the understanding that recreational harvest of cobia will remain open in some state waters during the federal closure, NOAA Fisheries has determined that the annual catch limit in 2017 will likely be exceeded as the majority of cobia landings come from state waters.
  • NOAA Fisheries will reevaluate the federal closure if state regulations change in 2017.

DURING THE CLOSURE:

  • During the closure, recreational harvest of cobia is prohibited in federal waters from Georgia through New York. Cobia off the east coast of Florida are part of the Gulf of Mexico migratory group.
  • This closure only applies to the recreational sector. The possession limit of two cobia per day remains in effect for Atlantic cobia that are sold in state or federal waters.

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

Read the complete Fishery Bulletin, including a list of Frequently Asked Questions available from the NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office website.

Hurricane Matthew wreaks havoc on US seafood industry, distribution

October 12th, 2016 — U.S. federal and state government officials are still assessing the damage caused by Hurricane Matthew, which struck the east coasts of four states with brutal force this past weekend, but initial reports indicate potentially significant damage to the area’s seafood industry.

On Friday, 7 October, Florida and Georgia were pounded by the hurricane, which reached category 4 status, meaning wind speeds reached beyond 130 miles per hour. The next day, Saturday, 8 October, the hurricane hit portions of North Carolina and South Carolina, causing widespread flooding and power outages.

At least 24 deaths in the U.S. are attributed to Hurricane Matthew, and more than one million homes and businesses were still without power on Tuesday, 11 October. In addition, many suppliers and distributors in some areas of North Carolina and South Carolina are not able to operate currently because of the heavy flooding and road closures – including portions of Interstate 95, the main shipping artery running along the East Coast.

Many piers were smashed along the Brevard County, Florida, coast and thousands of dead fish washed ashore on Collier County, Florida beaches, which officials blame on Hurricane Matthew and red tide, according to the Naples News.

A longstanding St. Augustine, Florida seafood restaurant, Matanzas Innlet Restaurant, was completely destroyed by the storm.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Feds propose new limits on cobia to avoid closing fishery

September 21, 2016 — Regulators have agreed to recommend changes to cobia limits in federal waters for next year that may prevent another near-debacle like this past summer in management of the popular fish.

If approved by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, the new regulations from the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council developed at their meeting last week in Myrtle Beach would be implemented in 2017 in waters beyond three miles from shore from Georgia to New York.

According to a news release from SAFMC, the changes are designed to help extend the season for recreational and commercial fishermen and help ensure stable fishing opportunities for the migratory stock.

Advocates for anglers and charter captains expressed satisfaction with the compromise but cautioned that there may be other restrictions adopted by individual states.

“The regulations for cobia in federal waters that were passed 7-to-6 last week at the SAFMC meeting were a direct result of the fishing community’s engagement in fisheries management,” said Southern Shores resident Billy Gorham, who owns Bowed Up Lures.

The SAFMC recommended that the recreational bag limit be cut to one fish per person, per day, with a vessel limit of six, and the recreational minimum size limit increased to 36 inches measured from the tip of the mouth to where the tail begins to split, known as the fork length.

A commercial trip limit of two fish per person per day, with no more than six fish per vessel per day, whichever is more restrictive, would also be established.

Read the full story at The Outer Banks Voice