Saving Seafood

SAFMC: Upcoming Meetings Will Address Federal Fisheries Management Issues

Advisory panels provide grassroots input; Cobia Stock ID Workshop; Scientists convene in May

April 3, 2018 — NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Fishermen and others interested in federal fishery management issues will want to mark their calendars for upcoming meetings that may affect fishing for snapper, grouper, black sea bass, mackerel, cobia, rock shrimp, and golden crab as well as policies affecting essential fish habitat and ecosystem-based management. The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold several advisory panel meetings as well as a meeting of the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) in the coming weeks. A workshop to address stock boundaries for cobia is also scheduled as part of a benchmark stock assessment for cobia.

The Council’s advisory panel members, representing recreational fishermen, charter captains, commercial fishermen, seafood dealers and others knowledgeable about fisheries issues, provide grassroots input into the fishery management process. The Council’s SSC is responsible for reviewing the scientific basis of Council management plans and actions and developing fishing level recommendations in accordance with national fisheries guidelines. Members of the SSC include stock assessment scientists, economists, biologists, sociologists, and others knowledgeable about fisheries in the South Atlantic.

Additional information about the meetings listed below, including meeting agendas, overviews, and briefing book materials will be available online (see details below). Members of the public are invited to attend all meetings. The advisory panel meetings and the SSC meeting will also be accessible online via webinar as they occur. Webinar registration is required and details are posted on the meeting pages of the website.

SEDAR Cobia Stock ID Workshop

April 10-12, 2018

Meeting Location: Town and Country Inn, 2008 Savannah Highway, Charleston, SC 29407

The Southeast Data, Assessment, and Review (SEDAR) benchmark stock assessment for cobia is scheduled to start in 2018. It will be a multi-step process consisting of a series of workshops and webinars. Cobia stock identification will be resolved through a multi-step process prior to the Data Workshop scheduled as part of the SEDAR 58 stock assessment. The Cobia Stock ID Workshop is the first step in this process. Participants in the Stock ID Workshop include data collectors, database managers, stock assessment scientists, fishermen, environmentalists and non-government organizations, and staff from state and federal agencies.

Workshop participants will review all available, relevant information on cobia stock structure including genetic studies, growth patterns, movement and migration, existing stock definitions, and oceanographic and habitat characteristics and make recommendations on biological stock structure and the assessment unit stock or stocks to be addressed through the SEDAR 58 assessment. They will also document the rationale behind their recommendations. Additional information is available at: http://sedarweb.org/sedar-58.

Read the full list of meetings at the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council

NOAA Fisheries Reminds Permit Holders to Renew Permits Following Hurricane Season

December 1, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries: 

KEY MESSAGE:

  • With hurricane season over, the Southeast Permits Office reminds all permit holders, including those who may have been impacted by extreme weather events, that all limited access permits must be renewed by the termination date printed on the face of the permit or the permit will become non-renewable.
  • If you have lost your permitted vessel, you can transfer the permit to another vessel, or even a U.S. Coast Guard or state registered raft or dinghy, to keep the permit viable.  Permit holders may call the Southeast Permits Office toll free at (877) 376-4877 to ask about transfer provisions and what their opportunities are to retain their limited access permits.

MORE INFORMATION:

  •  The Southeast Region was impacted by a number of hurricanes in 2017, and those impacts may have resulted in a loss of property, including fishing vessels.
  • NOAA Fisheries reminds permit holders to ensure they renew their limited access permits before the termination date printed on the face of the permit or the permit will become non-renewable.
  • All limited access permits, except South Atlantic Golden Crab and Atlantic Tuna Longline, are renewable within one year of the permit’s expiration date.
    • Federal law requires the Southeast Regional Office receive renewal applications for South Atlantic Golden Crab no later than June 30 following the permit’s December 31 expiration.
    • There is no termination date printed on the face of the Atlantic Tuna Longline permit, and therefore, this permit can be renewed at any time.
  • Permit holders renew their permits by submitting an application with required documents to the Southeast Permits Office.  Permit holders can call the Southeast Permits Office and request an application or download one from  sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/permits.
  • An application postmarked within the renewal period but received by the Southeast Permits Office after the last day of the renewal period does not meet this requirement.
  • If the last day of the renewal period falls on a weekend or holiday, then the Southeast Permits Office must receive the application on the last business day before that weekend or holiday.
  • If the permit is not renewed before the termination date, the permit will be terminated and cannot be transferred or renewed.
  • Turnaround time, from the date the Southeast Permits Office receives an application to the date they mail out permits, varies.  Applications are reviewed in the order in which they are received to ensure fairness to all applicants.  The regulations advise to allow at least 30 days for the review of the application.
  • Applicants cannot fish while waiting for the Southeast Permits Office to renew their expired permit.  Applicants fishing on an expired permit could be subject to penalties.
  • The number of limited access permits has been capped and no new permits can be issued for a specific fishery.  If a permit holder loses a limited access permit, they must transfer an existing permit to their vessel.

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

Learn more about NOAA by visiting their site here.

 

NOAA Fisheries Announces New Regulations for Snapper-Grouper and Golden Crab in the South Atlantic, and Dolphin and Wahoo in the Atlantic Region

January 25, 2016 — The following was released by NOAA:

The final rule for the Generic Accountability Measures and Dolphin Allocation Amendment including: Amendment 34 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region, Amendment 9 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Golden Crab of the South Atlantic Region, and Amendment 8 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Dolphin Wahoo Fishery of the Atlantic published in the Federal Registrar on January 22, 2016 (81 FR 3731). Regulations will be effective on February 22, 2016.

The final rule:

Revises commercial and recreational sector allocations, and annual catch limits for dolphin in the South Atlantic. The commercial sector allocation for dolphin will increase from 7.54% to 10%, and the commercial annual catch limit will increase from 1,157,001 to 1,534,485 pounds whole weight. The recreational sector allocation for dolphin will change from 92.46% to 90%, and the annual catch limit will change from 14,187,845 to 13,810,361 pounds whole weight.

Revises the accountability measures for black grouper, mutton snapper, yellowtail snapper, greater amberjack, red porgy, gag, golden tilefish, red grouper, snowy grouper, gray triggerfish, hogfish, scamp, Atlantic spadefish, bar jack, the other snappers complex, the other jacks complex, the other shallow-water grouper complex, the other porgies complex; wreckfish (recreational), and golden crab (commercial).

Accountability measures are ways fishery managers prevent annual catch limits from being exceeded and to correct overages of the catch limits if they do occur. These measures can include in-season closures, and post-season paybacks, such as reducing the length of the next fishing season or reducing the annual catch limit in the next fishing season. See the Frequently Asked Questions for more detailed information on accountability measures for the commercial and recreational sectors.

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

For more information on the final rule for the Generic Accountability Measures and Dolphin Allocation Amendment, please follow this link to the Frequently Asked Questions.

NOAA Fisheries Seeks Comments on Proposed Changes to Regulations for Snapper-Grouper and Golden Crab in the South Atlantic, and Dolphin and Wahoo in the Atlantic Region

September 28, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Comment Period Ends October 29, 2015

 NOAA Fisheries is seeking public comment on a proposed rule that would:

  • Revise commercial and recreational sector allocations, and annual catch limits for dolphin in the South Atlantic. The recreational sector allocation for dolphin would change from 92.46% to 90% and the annual catch limit would change from 14,187,845 to 13,810,361 pounds whole weight. The commercial sector allocation for dolphin would increase from 7.54% to 10% and the commercial annual catch limit would change from 1,157,001 to 1,534,485 pounds whole weight.
  • Revise the accountability measures for black grouper, mutton snapper, yellowtail snapper, greater amberjack, red porgy, gag, golden tilefish, red grouper, snowy grouper, gray triggerfish, hogfish, scamp, Atlantic spadefish, bar jack, the other snappers complex, the other jacks complex, the other shallow-water grouper complex, the other porgies complex; wreckfish (recreational), and golden crab (commercial).
  • Accountability measures are management controls to prevent annual catch limits from being exceeded and to correct overages of the catch limits if they do occur. Accountability measures include in-season closures, and post-season paybacks, such as reducing the length of the next fishing season or reducing the annual catch limit in the next fishing season. See the Frequently Asked Questions for more detailed information on accountability measures for the commercial and recreational sectors.

The proposed rule will publish on September 29, 2015, with a 30-day comment period starting on September 29, 2015, and ending on October 29, 2015.

Request for Comments

Comments on the proposed rule must be received no later than October 29, 2015, to be considered by NOAA Fisheries. See the Addresses section for information on where and how to submit comments.

Addresses

Electronic or hardcopies of the proposed rule may be obtained from:

 You may submit comments by the following methods:

Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2013-0181, click the “Comment Now!” icon, complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments.

  • Mail:

Mary Janine Vara

NOAA Fisheries

Southeast Regional Office

Sustainable Fisheries Division

263 13th Avenue South

St. Petersburg, Florida 33701

All comments received are a part of the public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying information (e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential business information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily by the sender will be publicly accessible. NOAA Fisheries will accept anonymous comments (enter “N/A” in the required fields if you wish to remain anonymous).

More Information

For more information on the proposed rule for the Generic Accountability Measures and Dolphin Allocation Amendment, please follow this link to the Frequently Asked Questions:

http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sustainable_fisheries/s_atl/2014/am_dolphin_allocation/index.html.