Saving Seafood

NOAA Fisheries Reminds Commercial HMS Permit Holders of U.S. Coast Guard Commercial Fishing Vessel Dockside Safety Examination Requirements

January 31, 2017 — The following was released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration:

NOAA Fisheries is reminding commercial Highly Migratory Species (HMS) vessel permit holders that they are required to obtain a United States Coast Guard (USCG) Commercial Fishing Vessel Dockside Safety Examination.

Effective October 15, 2015, the law requires completion of a mandatory dockside safety exam at least once every five years.  See USCG Marine Safety Information Bulletin, or MSIB, 12-15 for clarification about the five-year mandatory dockside safety exam.

Commercial fishing means a vessel that commercially engages in the catching, taking, or harvesting of fish which, either in whole or in part, is intended to enter commerce through sale, barter, or trade. 

So, whether your vessel is USCG documented or State registered, if you catch fish beyond 3 nautical miles with the intent to sell them, you are operating a commercial fishing vessel.  The USCG categorizes vessels that hold one or more of the follow HMS permits as commercial fishing vessels subject to mandatory dockside safety exams:

  • Atlantic Tunas General Category
  • Atlantic Tunas Harpoon Category
  • HMS Charter/Headboat Category
  • General Commercial Swordfish
  • Atlantic Tunas Longline
  • Atlantic Tunas Purse Seine
  • Atlantic Shark Directed Limited Access
  • Atlantic Shark Incidental Limited Access
  • Atlantic Smoothhound
  • Atlantic Swordfish Directed Limited Access
  • Atlantic Swordfish Incidental Limited Access
  • Atlantic Swordfish Harpoon Limited Access

Commercial fishing vessels are required to comply with the commercial fishing vessel safety regulations found in 46 CFR Part 28.

For more info about dockside safety exams and how to obtain a decal: https://www.uscg.mil/msib/docs/012_15_10-20-2015.pdf

USCG has a helpful tool to assist vessel owners/operators prepare their fishing vessel prior to examination.  Commercial Fishing Vessel Checklist Generator: https://www.uscg.mil/d13/cfvs/test/1ChecklistCover.html

This notice is a courtesy to commercial HMS permit holders to help keep you informed about the fishery.  For additional information, call (978) 281-9260, or go to hmspermits.noaa.gov.  Official notice of Federal fishery actions is made through filing such notice with the Office of the Federal Register.

Directed Sustainable Fisheries, Inc. Distributes Fisheries Mgmt Events Calendar

October 13, 2015 — The following was released by Directed Sustainable Fisheries, Inc:

2015-2016 Fisheries Events Calendar Version 12

Commercial ACL Info http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sustainable_fisheries/acl_monitoring/commercial_sa/index.html

Recreational ACL Info http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sustainable_fisheries/acl_monitoring/recreational_sa/index.html

January 01, 2015

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Highly Migratory Species (HMS) shark quotas open, except Atlantic Large Coastal Shark quota opened July 01, 2015 and Porbeagle shark quota is closed in 2015

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/news/news_list/2014/12/120114_2015_final_shark_specs.html

January 01

South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) Calendar and Closures

http://www.safmc.net/fish-id-and-regs/fishing-season-calendar-closures

January 01

Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (GMFMC) Commercial Regulations Mixing Zones

http://www.gulfcouncil.org/fishing_regulations/CommercialRegulations.pdf See Page 3 (PDF Page 5)

October 13

Written Comments Due on ESA Petitions for Smooth Hammerhead and Bigeye Thresher sharks

https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/08/11/2015-19550/endangered-and-threatened-wildlife-90-day-finding-on-a-petition-to-list-the-smooth-hammerhead-shark

https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/08/11/2015-19551/endangered-and-threatened-wildlife-90-day-finding-on-a-petition-to-list-the-bigeye-thresher-shark-as

October 14-15

SAFMC Visioning Meeting in Charleston, South Carolina

http://safmc.net/Oct2015_VisioningWorkshop

October 20-22

SAFMC SSC Fall Meeting Date

http://www.safmc.net/Meetings/SSCMeetings

October 29

NMFS SERO Written Comment Due on Dolphin Allocation & Generic Amendment Proposed Rule

https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/09/29/2015-24576/fisheries-of-the-caribbean-gulf-of-mexico-and-south-atlantic-snapper-grouper-fishery-and-golden-crab

November 03-04

SAFMC Snapper-Grouper Advisory Panel meeting in North Charleston, South Carolina

http://safmc.net/meetings/current-advisory-panel-meetings

November 04

Written Nominations for HMS Shark SEDAR Pool requested by this date

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/news/news_list/2015/10/100215_sedar_pool_nominations.html

November 17-20

SEDAR 41 Red Snapper/Gray Triggerfish Assessment Workshop in Morehead City, North Carolina

http://sedarweb.org/sedar-41

December 07-11

SAFMC Meeting, Hilton Oceanfront Hotel, 2717 W. Fort Macon Rd, Atlantic Beach NC

http://safmc.net/sites/default/files/meetings/pdf/Council/2015/2015_SAFMC_MeetingDates.pdf

January 01, 2016

Many SAFMC Snapper-Grouper Species Annual Catch Limits (ACLs) Open http://safmc.net/

Most HMS Shark, Swordfish and Tuna Quotas Open http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/

January 19-22

SAFMC Citizen Science Workshop in Charleston, South Carolina

http://safmc.net/sites/default/files/meetings/pdf/SSC/2015/10_2015_SSC/A9_SA_CitSci_one-pager_062615.pdf

March 07-11

SAFMC Meeting in Jekyll Island, Georgia

http://www.safmc.net/meetings/council-meetings

March 15-18

SEDAR 41 Review Workshop Red Snapper & Gray Triggerfish in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina http://sedarweb.org/sedar-41

June 13-17

SAFMC Meeting in Cocoa Beach, Florida

http://www.safmc.net/meetings/council-meetings

View a PDF of the DSF events calendar

NOAA Fisheries Announces the Re-opening of the Commercial Sector for Atlantic Dolphin

June 24, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA:

Because we understand that commercial Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) vessels may occasionally catch Atlantic dolphin, we want to make sure Atlantic HMS permit holders are aware of the following action.

NMFS announces the re-opening of the commercial sector for Atlantic dolphin (dolphin) in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the Atlantic states (Maine through the east coast of Florida) through a temporary rule. The most recent landings for dolphin indicate the commercial annual catch limit (ACL) has not yet been reached. Therefore, NMFS re-opens the commercial sector for dolphin at 4:15 p.m., local time, June 24, 2015, and it will close at 12:01 a.m., local time, June 30, 2015 in the EEZ of the Atlantic. A June 30, 2015, closure will minimize the risk of the commercial ACL being exceeded and provides more sufficient notice to fishermen of the closure.

For more information, please contact the NMFS Southeast Regional Office Sustainable Fisheries Division at 727-824-5305