Saving Seafood

NMFS Puts Councils on Notice for Three Species Subject to Overfishing or are Considered Overfished

September 28, 2017 — SEAFOOD NEWS — The National Marine Fisheries Service has notified regional fishery management councils that three species are subject to overfishing, approaching an overfished condition or are overfished.

South Atlantic red grouper, Gulf of Mexico greater amberjack and Northwestern Atlantic witch flounder are on the list and regional councils must take steps to end overfishing and/or rebuild those stocks.

South Atlantic red grouper, under the South Atlantic Fishery management Council’s purview, is subject to overfishing and also overfished, according to the stock assessment finalized this year using data through 2015, NMFS said in a Federal Register notice. This assessment supports a finding of subject to overfishing because the current estimate of fishing mortality is above the maximum fishing mortality threshold (MFMT), and overfished because the spawning stock biomass estimate is less than the minimum stock size threshold (MSST).

Gulf of Mexico greater amberjack is subject to overfishing, NMFS said, based on a stock assessment update finalized in 2016. That assessment also used data through 2015. This assessment supports a finding of subject to overfishing because the current estimate of fishing mortality is above the MFMT. Furthermore, greater amberjack remains overfished because the spawning stock biomass estimate is less than the MSST.

Northwestern Atlantic witch flounder is still overfished and the overfishing status is unknown, NMFS said in the notice. The assessment peer review panel for this stock rejected the most recent benchmark assessment, finalized in 2017, using data through 2015.

“However, this stock is at historical low levels and other signs of poor stock condition support this stock remaining listed as overfished,” the NMFS notice said. “Lack of similar reliable indicators for overfishing status support changing the overfishing status of this stock to unknown.”

Witch flounder is under the New England Fishery Management Council’s jurisdiction. NMFS said the NEFMC must implement conservation and management measures to rebuild it.

Similarly, the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico fishery management councils must take action to end overfishing of red grouper and greater amberjack immediately and implement conservation and management measures to rebuild those stocks.

This story originally appeared on Seafoodnews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

2 groups sue feds for extending anglers’ red snapper season

July 17, 2017 — Two environmental groups are suing the Trump administration for stretching the red snapper season for recreational anglers in the Gulf of Mexico.

Changes are needed — “The way we’re managing red snapper today stinks,” with states setting widely different anglers’ seasons in their waters and federal seasons getting shorter and shorter, Robert Jones of the Environmental Defense Fund said Monday.

But, he said, “I don’t want to return to the bad old days when my dad and I could barely find a red snapper.”

Jones and Chris Dorsett of the Ocean Conservancy, said during a conference call with reporters Monday that both groups want their lawsuit to prompt discussions about improvements.

The U.S. Commerce Department did not immediately comment. It has said the economic benefit from allowing weekend fishing this summer by recreational anglers in federal waters outweighs the harm to the red snapper species, which is still recovering from disastrous overfishing.

Gulf state officials had lobbied for and praised the change, but the federal lawsuit filed in Washington says the decision violated several laws by ignoring scientific assessments, promoting overfishing, and failing to follow required procedures.

The prized sport and table fish has rebounded under fishing limits and procedures set by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, but is only halfway to its goal, Dorsett and Jones told The Associated Press earlier. The lawsuit isn’t trying to cancel the current season but seeks to prevent similar decisions in the future.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at ABC News

39-day red snapper season gives private recreational anglers relief, but future seasons still unsettled

June 17, 2017 — Now that private recreational fishermen are in the first days of the new 39-day red snapper season in federal waters, there’s a lingering question about any future season or seasons for the hundreds of thousands of recreational anglers throughout the five Gulf States.

After Wednesday’s announcement came from the U.S. Department of Commerce, pro-fishing groups proclaimed a long-overdue win for the private recreation fishing community.

During the same hours, groups long aligned with and supporting commercial fishing and the separation of the recreational fishing sector — it’s been three years since these groups pushed for separate seasons for private anglers and for-hire/charterboat interests — decried the move, even to the point of stating the National Marine Fisheries Service indicated red snapper numbers will continue to increase, but at a much slower rate.

None of those claims were revealed in Commerce’s announcement.

The advance of a 39-day season began in the days following the early May proclamation by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council that set a three-day, June 1-3, private recreational red snapper season in federal waters, that’s nine miles out to 200 miles into the Gulf.

And Wednesday’s announcement came just hours after U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., the majority whip, was critically wounded while practicing for the annual baseball game between Republican and Democratic members of the U.S. House and Senate.

“I’d like to offer my thoughts and prayers to Whip Scalise, his staff, the Capitol Police, and their families,” Commerce secretary Wilbur Ross said. “Majority whip Scalise and his staff have been incredibly helpful on this and a host of other issues, and I wish them and the other victims a speedy recovery.”

Tuesday night, on the eve of the announcement, Scalise declared the three-day season “unacceptable.”

Read the full story at The Acadiana Advocate

LOUISIANA: Red snapper dominates LWFC meeting

June 9, 2017 — Discussion of red snapper, and the state’s options about a new federal recreational plan, during Thursday’s Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission monthly meeting will spill over to Monday after commission chairman Chad Courville said more public input is needed for the seven-member commission to accept one of three options advanced earlier this week.

The special meeting is set for 1:30 p.m. Monday at state Wildlife and Fisheries headquarters at 2000 Quail Drive in Baton Rouge.

The options were revealed in a survey sent Monday by the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ Marine Fisheries Section to 15,000 holders of the state Recreational Offshore Landing Permit. LDWF secretary Jack Montoucet told the commission 5,000 holders responded to the survey in three days.

The survey’s three options included:

Option 1: Separate seasons for state and federal waters — in other words the status quo, a factor that led to the recent three-day (June 1-3) private recreational anglers red snapper season in federal waters;

Option 2: A joint 27-day Saturday-Sunday season in state and federal waters from June 17 through Labor Day with open fishing days July 3-4 and Labor Day with the possibility of an open state season after Labor Day, “… if biological data permits;”

Option 3: A joint 39-day Friday-Saturday-Sunday season in state and federal waters from June 16 through Labor Day with open fishing days July 3-4 and Labor Day, but no state season after Labor Day.

Read the full story at KPVI

LOUISIANA: Official says red snapper plan will result in higher harvest

June 2, 2017 — The head of the Fisheries Division of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says a pilot program designed to give a select few recreational anglers access to a sizable portion of the Gulf’s red snapper quota is simply an effort to reduce statistical error in the agency’s scientific analysis.

Patrick Banks told NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune Tuesday the exempted fishing permit, which has drawn howls of protest from the recreational-fishing industry, is designed to improve accuracy of LA Creel, an innovative fish-counting program designed by department biologists that has served as a guide for other Gulf states.

The EFP would allow 150 anglers, selected at random, to harvest 25,000 pounds of red snapper in both 2018 and 2019. These anglers would have no daily limits, and would be legally allowed to fish federal waters any time they like. In 2017, the red snapper season in federal waters for all private-boat anglers was only three days.

The proposal fits in with a seven-pronged approach the agency is working on to try to gain management authority over red snapper, Banks said.

The hallmark of that plan, according to Banks, is a so-called Louisiana-only amendment that would give the state full management authority of the fish in both state and federal waters in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Louisiana was given the go-ahead to flesh out the idea by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, but must ultimately present details of the plan to the council for a final up or down vote.

Read the full story at The Times-Picayune

Gulf Anglers, Fishery Managers Clash Over Red Snapper Opening in Federal Waters

May 30, 2017 — Despite a months-long season for red snapper in state waters off Florida and other Gulf states, fisherman across the Gulf of Mexico are gearing up to protest a brief three-day opening to catch the prized fish in federal Gulf waters. Fishermen argue a short opening hurts businesses and hampers anglers across the Gulf, but fishery managers say a small window is important to preserve a species still recovering from overfishing.

Florida state waters extend nine miles off shore in the Gulf of Mexico; beyond that, the federal government has jurisdiction over what fish can be caught, and when. Within Florida waters, FWC approved 78 days for catching red snapper. Similar seasons are found in other Gulf states like Alabama, while Texas allows for year-round red snapper fishing off it’s Gulf coast.

On June 1, federal regulations will allow just three days for recreational fisherman to tackle red snapper in federal waters in the Gulf. Deeper federal waters are where red snapper is usually found in Southwest Florida, while Florida’s panhandle is deep enough that fishermen can usually catch the fish within the 9-mile state boundary.

Read the full story at WGCU

Pilot program would give Louisiana control of red snapper stocks for three years

May 8, 2017 — The head of the Fisheries Division of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries on Thursday told the board that regulates his agency he’s optimistic Louisiana may get to manage red snapper in federal waters off the state’s coast in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

Patrick Banks updated the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission about a proposal he made to the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council that would establish a pilot program allowing Louisiana to manage red-snapper stocks in both state and federal waters off its coast for three years. By an 11 to 5 vote, the council approved the proposal, which gives Louisiana the go-ahead to flesh it out into an actual amendment that would ultimately need to be approved by the advisory panel.

“It’s not everything we want, but it’s certainly a better ride than what we’ve got right now,” Banks told the commission.

Details of the plan must still be worked out, and Banks said it’s possible the council will alter the ultimate amendment so much it will look nothing like what’s originally proposed. But his intention is to allow Louisiana to set seasons and regulations out to 200 nautical miles off the coast during the three years of the pilot program to demonstrate how regional management might work.

Banks cautioned, however, that wouldn’t mean a 365-day season with high daily limits.

Under the proposal, state anglers would get access to Louisiana’s historical catch, which is 15.8 percent of the total Gulf recreational red snapper quota. Based on current numbers, that would be about 1.1 million pounds of red snapper.

Since more waters would be open to anglers from the Texas to Mississippi state lines, Louisiana’s share of the quota would be much more quickly reached than under the current management regimen. In 2016, the federal season was only 11 days, but state waters were open to red snapper harvest for nearly nine months.

Read the full story at the Times-Picayune

Spiny Lobster Public Hearing Scheduled via Webinar – May 9, 2017

April 28, 2017 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council: 

The spiny lobster fishery managed in federal waters from North Carolina to Texas by both the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council.  The South Atlantic Council will hold a public hearing via webinar on management measures proposed in Regulatory Amendment 4 to the Spiny Lobster Fishery Management Plan. Proposed actions would:

  • Modify the Maximum Sustainable Yield, Acceptable Biological Catch, Annual Catch Limit and other parameters for spiny lobster.
  • Extend the prohibition on use of recreational spiny lobster traps in federal waters off the coasts of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina (they are currently prohibited in both state and federal waters off the coast of Florida).

Council staff will provide an overveiw of the regulatory amendment beginning at 6:00 PM, answer questions, and then take formal public comment. Written comments are also being solicited and must be received by May 19, 2017.   

Presentations, public hearing documents, and information on how to register for the webinar and submit public comments are now available from the Council’s website. 

Read more here

LOUISIANA: Threshold set for shrimp vessel permits in Gulf

April 14, 2017 — The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council last week set a threshold for shrimp vessel permits in the federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

According to an amendment approved at the council’s meeting in Birmingham, Alabama, if the number of permits drops below 1,175, a panel will form to discuss the issuance of more permits. The minimum permit threshold was set at 1,072.

Myron Fischer, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries senior adviser and one of the 17 voting members of the council, said he hopes the council will freeze the permits when they drop to 1,175 rather than waiting for them to drop to 1,072.

Currently there are about 1,440 permits with about 384 issued in Louisiana, Fischer said.

Last month, council members met with shrimpers to discuss the amendment, and the overwhelming majority of fishermen said the council should issue more permits sooner and the threshold should be much higher.

Read the full story at Houma Today

NOAA Fisheries: Changes to the King Mackerel Fishery in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Regions

April 13, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA:

KEY MESSAGE:

NOAA Fisheries announces a final rule implementing Amendment 26 to the Fishery Management Plan for Coastal Migratory Pelagics in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic regions (Amendment 26).  Amendment 26 contains actions related to king mackerel in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Region following review of the most recent population assessment.

WHEN RULE WILL TAKE EFFECT:

The rule will take effect on May 11, 2017.  

WHAT THIS RULE DOES:

  • Modifies the management boundary for the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic migratory groups of king mackerel to create a year-round boundary at the Miami-Dade/Monroe County line. The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will be responsible for management measures in the mixing zone, which includes federal waters off the Florida Keys.
  • Revises reference points, the acceptable biological catch, annual catch limits, commercial quotas, and recreational annual catch targets for Atlantic migratory group king mackerel.  These updated annual catch limits and quotas are included below in Table
  • Creates a limited incidental catch allowance for Atlantic migratory group king mackerel caught as bycatch in the shark gillnet fishery.  This rule allows for the harvest and sale of three king mackerel per crew member per trip from the Northern Zone and two king mackerel per crew member per trip from the Southern Zone, caught incidentally on shark gillnet trips.
  • Establishes a commercial split season for Atlantic migratory group king mackerel in the Atlantic Southern Zone. This split season allocates 60% of the quota to Season One (March 1 – September 30) and 40% to Season Two (October 1 – the end of February).
  • Establishes a commercial trip limit system for Atlantic migratory group king mackerel in the Atlantic Southern Zone. The commercial trip limit of 3,500 pounds remains in the area north of the Flagler/Volusia county line and remains in effect year-round when the fishery is open. South of the Flagler/Volusia county line, the trip limit is 50 fish from March 1 – March 31. After March 31, the trip limit increases to 75 fish for the remainder of Season One. For Season Two, the trip limit is 50 fish, except that beginning on February 1, if less than 70 % of the Season Two quota has been landed, the trip limit will be 75 fish.
  • Increases the recreational bag limit for Gulf of Mexico migratory group king mackerel from two to three fish per person per day.
  • Revises the annual catch limits and commercial zone quotas for Gulf of Mexico migratory group king mackerel. These updated annual catch limits and quotas are included below in Table 1.1.

Note:  As of April 1, the Gulf of Mexico/South Atlantic boundary shifted to the Collier/Monroe County line, and Monroe County is currently part of the  AtlanticSouthern Zone. When Amendment 26 becomes effective, Monroe County will become part of the Gulf of Mexico Southern Zone year-round.  The commercial zones in the Gulf of Mexico are currently closed for the 2016/2017 fishing season, but are expected to re-open when Amendment 26 becomes effective, with increased annual catch limits and commercial zone quotas. 

FEDERAL REGISTER NAME/NUMBER: 82 FR 17387, published April 11, 2017

This bulletin serves as a Small Entity Compliance Guide, complying with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996.  

Where can I find more information on Amendment 26? 

Contact NOAA Fisheries, Southeast Regional Office

By Mail: Karla Gore 

NOAA Fisheries, Southeast Regional Office 

Sustainable Fisheries Division 

263 13th Avenue South 

St. Petersburg, Florida 33701-5505 

By FAX: (727) 824-5308 

By Phone: (727) 824-5305

Amendment 26 may be found online at the NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office Web site at: http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sustainable_fisheries/gulf_sa/cmp/2016/am%2026/index.html.

Additional information on management of king mackerel in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic may be found at: http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sustainable_fisheries/gulf_sa/cmp/index.html.