Saving Seafood

The South Atlantic Bite – Newsworthy Notes – July 22, 2021

July 22, 2021 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

SAFMC Scientific and Statistical Committee Meeting to Address Red Snapper Catch Levels
Wednesday, July 28
9 a.m. – 5 p.m. via webinar

Join members of the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) as they meet next week to discuss catch level recommendations for Red Snapper based on the most recent stock assessment. The SSC reviewed the assessment in April 2021 and requested additional information be provided before making catch level recommendations, including a presentation on the usage rates of descending devices when releasing Red Snapper. The stock assessment used data through 2019.

In 2020, new regulations were implemented requiring a descending device be on board when harvesting or possessing species in the Snapper Grouper complex in federal waters, including Red Snapper. The SSC will receive presentations on estimating usage rate of descending devices and other information before setting catch level recommendations. The Council will receive a report from the SSC during the September 2021 Council meeting in Charleston, SC.

The SSC will also discuss managing annual catch limits for data-limited stocks and guidance for developing catch level projections. Meeting information, including the agenda and overview, public comment form, and briefing book materials are available from the Council’s website. Public comment will also be accepted during the meeting. Register now for the SSC meeting webinar and receive email reminders.

Learn more about descending device requirements and other best fishing practices from the Best Fishing Practices page of the Council’s website.

Get Your Fish On
Tour the best fishing guide of Gray’s Reef
Thursday, August 5
1 p.m. – 2 p.m. via webinar

Responsible recreation has kept Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary an ideal fishing destination for over 40 years. Join the sanctuary as they introduce an online best fishing practice guide for you to make the most of your trip to Gray’s Reef. Learn about the sanctuary’s regulations and other applicable federal and state fishing regulations, how to properly rig a fish descending device, and learn about apps to help you log your catch. Register now for the webinar.

Located 19 miles east of Sapelo Island, Georgia, Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary is in the South Atlantic Bight (the offshore area between Cape Hatteras, North Carolina and Cape Canaveral, Florida) on an area of the continental shelf where temperate and tropical waters mingle west of the Gulf Stream. Because of Gray’s Reef’s unique location at the intersection of temperate and tropical waters, the sanctuary serves as a sentinel point for various monitoring programs of the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. Learn more about Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary as it celebrates its 40th Anniversary!

Can You Name That Fish?
Test your fish ID skills and share your photos

Occasionally we receive email inquiries from fishermen and others asking for help to identify a fish that doesn’t commonly land on a boat deck. It is exciting to see the photos and the challenge of identifying the fish is always welcome.

This photo was recently sent to the Council office from Graham Harrison, a commercial snapper grouper fisherman from Hatteras, North Carolina. He was fishing off of Cape Hatteras, about 135 fathoms (810 feet) deep, near the Continental Shelf, when this Blackbar Drum (Pareques iwamotoi) took the squid bait he was using.

The deepwater drum is found off the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the U.S., the Caribbean, and South America. It has some interesting color variations and body shape transitions from juvenile to adult. While sometimes observed by scientists from deepwater submersibles and caught by commercial fishermen, Captain Harrison has fished for over 30 years and said he’s never seen one! Special thanks to the NCFishes.com team for their helpful online resource: Drum and Croaker Diversity in North Carolina.

Do you have an unusual fish photo and story to share? If so, send it our way. Kim Iverson at Kim.Iverson@safmc.net

Women’s History Month: Talking with Katey Marancik

March 11, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

My interest in a marine science career really started when I was 9 years old. My siblings and I were playing in the waves at our favorite place in the world—Island Beach State Park, New Jersey. The lifeguards started whistling, making everyone get out of the water. It turned out garbage, including syringes, was washing up on beaches nearby. I was furious! No one messes with my ocean, and no one makes me get out of the water except hunger or my mom. This seemingly small event inspired my fascination with how people use the sea and how things move around in it. Whether it’s garbage washing up on beaches from a barge offshore, or it’s fish larvae moving from a spawning site to juvenile habitat.

I went to college and grad school, working with some amazing men and women in the vast marine biology field. I earned my Bachelor of Science in marine biology from the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. While there, I narrowed my interests while participating in undergraduate honors research studying the movement of fish larvae through Beaufort Inlet in North Carolina. Fish larvae are so diverse in how they look and how they function in their environment. I was hooked—enjoy the pun!

After college, I earned a Master of Science at East Carolina University studying larval fish communities in and around Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary off the coast of Georgia. I then took on a series of research positions, including my current position where I’ve learned more about the amazing early life history of fish.

Now, I’m a contractor working with the talented and dedicated researchers of the science center’s Oceans and Climate Branch. We collect and analyze plankton and hydrographic data to inform how we understand and manage fisheries and protected species. All these years later, I’m still connecting my long-held fascinations with how people use the ocean and how fish larvae move through it.

Read the full release here