Saving Seafood

MAFMC: New Permitting and Reporting Requirements for Recreational Blueline and Golden Tilefish

August 4, 2020 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office published a final rule on July 16, 2020 establishing permitting and reporting requirements for recreational vessels fishing for tilefish north of the North Carolina/Virginia border. Beginning on August 17, 2020, any recreational vessel that intends to target or retain blueline or golden tilefish will be required to:

  • Obtain a Federal private recreational tilefish vessel permit through the GARFO Fish Online website.
  • Submit electronic vessel trip reports (eVTRs) through a NMFS-approved eVTR application within 24 hours of returning to port from any recreational trip targeting or retaining tilefish.

Recreational tilefish anglers will be able to choose between several eVTR applications, which currently include the NOAA Fish Online mobile app (for Apple iOS devices), the NOAA Fish Online web portal, the SAFIS eTrips/mobile 2 application (for Apple, Android, and Windows 10 devices), and SAFIS eTrips Online

Coming Soon: New Recreational Tilefish Reporting App

In response to feedback from recreational fishermen related to this permitting/reporting action, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council has been working with Harbor Light Software to develop a user-friendly application called “eFIN” where anglers can submit reports via Apple or Android devices. eFin was developed with input from private anglers and is designed to provide a simple, user-friendly interface. eFin is expected to be available for all users in the coming weeks. Updates on the availability of this application will be sent to the Council’s email list and posted on the Recreational Tilefish Permitting and Reporting page.

Reminder: New Permitting and Reporting Requirements for Recreational Blueline and Golden Tilefish

July 24, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Beginning August 17, all recreational vessels fishing for blueline or golden tilefish must have a permit and report catch within 24 hours of returning to port.

Who Does This Impact?

  • Vessels fishing for or retaining tilefish from Virginia to Maine.
  • For-hire vessels holding an existing GARFO permit who take private recreational tilefish trips.
  • States may have additional permitting or reporting requirements for recreational fishing.

What Do I Need To Do?

  • Obtain a Private Recreational Tilefish Permit from the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO).
  • Report your trip with one of the available reporting options.

How Do I Get a Permit?

  • Start by registering an account on GARFO Fish Online.
  • Create a user name and password.
  • Existing permit holders may apply through their current Fish Online account.
  • Click Initial Private Recreational Tilefish Permit.

How Do I Report?

More information on recreational tilefishing can be found on our recent Bulletin.

Questions?

Commercial Closure of the Golden Tilefish Hook-and-Line Component in South Atlantic Federal Waters on July 23, 2020

July 17, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

WHAT/WHEN:
The commercial hook-and-line component for golden tilefish in federal waters of the South Atlantic will close at 12:01 a.m., local time, on July 23, 2020.

WHY THIS CLOSURE IS HAPPENING:
The 2020 commercial catch limit for the golden tilefish hook-and-line component is 82,935 pounds gutted weight. Commercial landings are projected to reach the commercial catch limit and harvest must close to prevent the catch limit from being exceeded.

DURING AND AFTER THE CLOSURE:

  • The closure prohibitions for the commercial hook-and-line component apply in both state and federal waters for vessels that have a federal commercial South Atlantic Snapper-Grouper permit.
  • The South Atlantic golden tilefish commercial longline component already closed on March 23, 2020, for the remainder of the fishing year. Therefore, all commercial harvest and sale of South Atlantic golden tilefish will be prohibited effective at 12:01 a.m., local time, July 23, 2020.  Harvest or possession is limited to the golden tilefish recreational bag and possession limits when the recreational sector is open, without regard to where the golden tilefish was harvested (i.e. in state or federal waters).
  • Golden tilefish bag and possession limits and the prohibition on sale/purchase apply in the South Atlantic on board a vessel for which a valid federal commercial or charter vessel/headboat permit for South Atlantic snapper-grouper has been issued, without regard to where such species were harvested, i.e., in state or federal waters.
  • The prohibitions on harvest or possession and sale or purchase during the closure do not apply to fish that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold prior to 12:01 a.m., local time, on July 23, 2020, and were held in cold storage by a dealer or processor.
  • The 2020 fishing season for golden tilefish commercial hook-and-line component in the South Atlantic will open on January 1, 2021, with a commercial catch limit of 82,935 pounds gutted weight.

This bulletin provides only a summary of the existing regulations.  The complete list of regulations can be found in the Federal Register or at https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=383bc195ccbeab4fd6bec1c24905df34&node=sp50.12.622.i&rgn=div6.

Disruption in the seafood supply chain ripples from empty Philly restaurants to idle N.J. docks

April 2, 2020 — The Monica should be steaming across the open Atlantic right now, cruising 80 miles southeast off the coast of New Jersey over the deep Hudson Canyon on a 10-day hunt for lucrative golden tilefish.

But the Monica’s owner, Dan Mears, had to call his boat back to the Barnegat Light docks after just two days. The COVID-19 pandemic had shuttered virtually every restaurant dining room in the nation. And by the time Mayor Jim Kenney ordered the closure of nonessential businesses for Philadelphia on March 16, the market value for tilefish had dropped by more than 50% overnight. Ernie Panacek, Mears’ seafood wholesaler at Viking Village, told him his catch wasn’t worth the price of diesel, bait, and tackle.

“Never had to do that in 42 years of fishing,” said Mears, 60, the son of a Barnegat Light fisherman, whose own son, Dan Jr., is now the Monica’s captain. “It’s Lent and people should be eating fish right now — but they aren’t. The (crew’s) food is still on the boat. We’re ready to go. But we just have to wait and wait for the word.”

That word — a return to normalcy of some sort — can’t come soon enough for Rodney Dickson, 55, a fish hauler who normally packs the Monica’s catch on ice but who’s spent his days of unemployment walking up and down Long Beach Island like a zombie: “Yesterday I took 22,945 steps and walked 10.9 miles.”

Read the full story at The Philadelphia Inquirer

Reopening of the Commercial Golden Tilefish Longline Component in South Atlantic Federal Waters on March 14, 2020, for 9 Days

March 11, 2020 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

WHAT/WHEN:

The commercial longline component for golden tilefish in South Atlantic federal waters will reopen for 9 days on March 14, 2020. Commercial harvest for the longline component will reopen at 12:01 a.m., local time, on March 14, 2020, and close at 12:01 a.m., local time, on March 23, 2020. During the 9-day reopening, the commercial trip limit for the commercial longline component for golden tilefish is 4,000 pounds gutted weight or 4,480 pounds whole weight.

WHY THIS REOPENING IS HAPPENING:

The 2020 golden tilefish commercial catch limit for the longline component is 248,805 pounds gutted weight. On February 18, 2020, the catch limit for the commercial longline component for the 2020 season was projected to be met, and NOAA Fisheries closed the season. However, a recent landings update indicates that the golden tilefish longline component catch limit has not been met, and reopening will allow the commercial longline component to reach its catch limit.

AFTER THE REOPENING AND SUBSEQUENT CLOSURE:

  • Only golden tilefish longline endorsement holders are allowed to harvest golden tilefish with longline fishing gear.
  • Golden tilefish harvested with longline fishing gear may not be sold or purchased after the closure. The prohibition on sale or purchase during the subsequent closure does not apply to fish that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold prior to 12:01 a.m., local time, on March 23, 2020, and were held in cold storage by a dealer or processor.
  • During the longline closure, a vessel with a golden tilefish longline endorsement may not commercially harvest golden tilefish using hook-and-line fishing gear, and is limited to the golden tilefish recreational bag and possession limits when the recreational sector is open, without regard to where the golden tilefish was harvested (i.e. in state or federal waters).
  • A vessel that does not have a longline endorsement, but has a commercial South Atlantic snapper-grouper unlimited permit, may commercially harvest golden tilefish with hook-and-line fishing gear until the hook-and-line catch limit is reached.
  • The 2021 fishing season for the golden tilefish commercial sector opens at 12:01 a.m., local time, on January 1, 2021.

This bulletin provides only a summary of the existing regulations. Full regulations can be found in the Federal Register
or at:
https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=383bc195ccbeab4fd6bec1c24905df34&node=sp50.12.622.i&rgn=div6#_top.

NOAA Fisheries – FB20-008: Closure for the Commercial Golden Tilefish Longline Component in South Atlantic Federal Waters on February 18, 2020

February 14, 2020 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

WHAT/WHEN:

The commercial longline component for golden tilefish in federal waters of the South Atlantic will close at 12:01 a.m., local time, on February 18, 2020. The closure applies to all harvest or possession of golden tilefish with longline fishing gear.

WHY THIS CLOSURE IS HAPPENING:

  • Only golden tilefish longline endorsement holders are allowed to harvest golden tilefish with longline fishing gear.
  • The 2020 commercial catch limit for the golden tilefish longline component is 248,805 pounds gutted weight. NOAA Fisheries predicts this catch limit will be reached by February 18, 2020, and according to the accountability measure, harvest must close to prevent the catch limit from being exceeded.

DURING AND AFTER THE CLOSURE:

  • Golden tilefish harvested with longline fishing gear may not be sold or purchased after the closure. The prohibition on sale or purchase during the closure does not apply to fish that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold prior to 12:01 a.m., local time on February 18, 2020, and were held in cold storage by a dealer or processor.
  • During the longline closure, a vessel with a golden tilefish longline endorsement may not commercially harvest golden tilefish using hook-and-line fishing gear, and is limited to the golden tilefish recreational bag and possession limits when the recreational sector is open, without regard to where the golden tilefish was harvested (i.e. in state or federal waters).
  • A vessel that does not have a longline endorsement, but has a commercial South Atlantic snapper-grouper unlimited permit, may commercially harvest golden tilefish with hook-and-line fishing gear until the hook-and-line catch limit is reached.
  • The commercial longline component for golden tilefish in federal waters of the South Atlantic will open at 12:01 a.m., local time, on January 1, 2021.

This bulletin provides only a summary of the existing regulations. Full regulations can be found in the Federal Register or at: https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=383bc195ccbeab4fd6bec1c24905df34&node=sp50.12.622.i&rgn=div6

NOAA Fisheries Announces Final 2020 Golden Tilefish Commercial Fishery Specifications

October 10, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is implementing golden tilefish quotas for the 2020 fishing year that we previously announced as projected on November 7, 2017. There have been no overages in 2019, and there is no new biological information, so we are now finalizing the 2020 quotas. The quotas are the same as in 2019.

Approved measures include acceptable biological catch (ABC), annual catch limit (ACL), and total allowable landings (TAL) for the individual fishing quota (IFQ) and incidental components of the commercial fishery.

All other requirements remain the same.

 For more details, read the final rule as filed in the Federal Register today and the permit holder bulletin posted on our website.

Read the full release here

2020 Golden Tilefish Survey RFP – Deadline Extended

July 23, 2019 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid‐Atlantic Fishery Management Council is seeking a qualified industry representative to conduct the first year of a long-term tilefish survey. A successful project would develop and implement a golden tilefish survey to create an index of abundance, collect life history data, and observe habitat preference for determination criteria of overfishing limits and acceptable biological catches.

The deadline for proposals submission has been extended to August 14, 2019.

Please review the updated Request for Proposals for complete details and instructions for proposal submission.

Commercial Closure of the Golden Tilefish Hook-and-Line Component in South Atlantic Federal Waters on July 23, 2019

July 19, 2019 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

WHAT/WHEN:

The commercial hook-and-line component for golden tilefish in federal waters of the South Atlantic will close at 12:01 a.m., local time, on July 23, 2019.

WHY THIS CLOSURE IS HAPPENING:

The 2019 commercial catch limit for the golden tilefish hook-and-line component is 82,935 pounds gutted weight. Commercial landings are projected to reach the commercial catch limit and harvest must close to prevent the catch limit from being exceeded.

DURING AND AFTER THE CLOSURE:

  • The closure prohibitions for the commercial hook-and-line component apply in both state and federal waters for vessels that have a federal commercial South Atlantic Snapper-Grouper permit.
  • The South Atlantic golden tilefish commercial longline component closed on March 14, 2019, and the recreational sector closed on June 17, 2019, for the remainder of the fishing year. Therefore, because the commercial longline component and the recreational sector are already closed, and the commercial hook-and-line component will close on July 23, 2019, all harvest and possession of South Atlantic golden tilefish will be prohibited effective at 12:01 a.m., local time, July 23, 2019.
  • The prohibitions on harvest or possession and sale or purchase during the closure do not apply to fish that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold prior to 12:01 a.m., local time, on July 23, 2019, and were held in cold storage by a dealer or processor.
  • The 2020 fishing season for golden tilefish commercial hook-and-line component in the South Atlantic will open on January 1, 2020, with a commercial catch limit of 82,935 pounds gutted weight.
  • This bulletin provides only a summary of the existing regulations. The complete list of regulations can be found in the Federal Register or at:
    https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=383bc195ccbeab4fd6bec1c24905df34&node=sp50.12.622.i&rgn=div6.

Request for Proposals: 2020 Golden Tilefish Survey

June 27, 2019 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid‐Atlantic Fishery Management Council is seeking a qualified industry representative to conduct the first year of a long-term tilefish survey. A successful project would develop and implement a golden tilefish survey to create an index of abundance, collect life history data, and observe habitat preference for determination criteria of overfishing limits and acceptable biological catches.

Proposals are due by July 31, 2019.

Please review the Request for Proposals for complete details and instructions for proposal submission.