Saving Seafood

South Atlantic Fishery Management Council Seeks Applicants for Executive Director

May 20, 2019 — The following was published by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, headquartered in North Charleston, S.C., is responsible for the conservation and management of fish stocks within the federal 200-mile limit of the Atlantic off the coasts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and east Florida to Key West. The Council is responsible for Coastal Migratory Pelagics from New York to Florida and for Dolphin/Wahoo from Maine to Florida.

The Executive Director serves as the chief executive offer of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council and is responsible for managing all administrative and technical aspects of Council operations.

For additional information including primary duties and responsibilities, knowledge, ability and skill requirements, and other details about the position, please visit the Council’s website at http://safmc.net/announcements/safmc-recruitment-announcement-executive-director/. Questions may be sent to Kelly Klasnick, Administrative Officer, at kelly.klasnick@safmc.net or by calling the Council office at 843/763-1050.

South Atlantic Council to Offer Training for Federally Permitted Charter Captains on Upcoming Electronic Reporting Requirements

November 1, 2018 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is continuing its series of hands-on training sessions for federally permitted charter captains.
TRAINING LOCATIONS: The next stop in the series is in South Florida with trainings in Key West through Miami over the course of next week. These trainings were originally scheduled for September but were postponed due to the threat of Hurricane Florence.  See the detailed schedule below.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND: 
Charter captains with South Atlantic federal, for-hire permits (Snapper Grouper, Dolphin Wahoo, and/or Coastal Migratory Pelagic fisheries).
TRAINING TOPICS:
  • Overview of the South Atlantic For-Hire Electronic Reporting Amendment and rulemaking process;
  • Proposed reporting requirements;
  • Timeline for possible implementation;
  • Hands-on training to learn how to use web-based and tablet reporting tools

Check the webpage for the latest schedule.

Informational Webinars

Can’t attend an in-person training? Council staff will also host informational webinars twice a month for federal for-hire permit holders to provide information about electronic reporting, the proposed amendment, and upcoming training sessions. Registration is required.
Below is the current schedule for informational webinars:

The Invasice Venomous Lionfish is Killing Atlantic Reefs. So Please Eat It.

October 24, 2018 — KEY LARGO, Fla. — What do you do with an invasive fish, covered from head to fin with venomous spines as sharp as hypodermic needles; a fish that can’t be caught with a rod or in a trawling net as it multiplies rapidly, deep in our oceans, flummoxing fishermen and scientists alike?

Conservationists are hoping you eat it.

The Indo-Pacific native lionfish arrived in the Atlantic about a decade ago, the product of well-meaning aquarium owners who released their charges into the ocean, not realizing they reproduce at an alarming rate, prey on more than 70 species of fish and hasten the dying-off of any coral reef they alight on. Scientists describe their invasion into Florida’s waters in the same words noted Key West fisherman Ernest Hemingway used to describe the onset of bankruptcy: slowly, and then all at once. Now estimated to number as many as 1,000 fish per acre, lionfish also have no known predators — except humans.

Read the full story at Vice News

 

China still buying spiny lobsters from US, driving up price to harvesters

September 26, 2018 — The price being paid to spiny lobster harvesters in the US’ Florida Keys is slowly increasing despite the 25% tariffs that took effect in China — their biggest market — in early July, The Key West Citizen reports.

Harvesters were getting $5 a pound in August but have been receiving as much as $9/lb in recent weeks, according to the newspaper.

The article quotes lobster fisherman Gary Nichols as saying the trade war with China is a big issue for spiny lobster harvesters, as 90% of their catch goes to Asia.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

 

Sustainable Shark Alliance Applauds Recent Seizure of Illegal Shark Fins by Florida Wildlife Officials

April 4, 2017 – The Sustainable Shark Alliance (SSA), representing shark fishermen and dealers on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, calls for an investigation into the recent illegal shark finning incident reported last week near Key West.

The SSA vehemently opposes the reprehensible and illegal act of shark finning. U.S. domestic shark fishermen adhere to the legal and sustainable shark fishing quotas set by the National Marine Fisheries Service. The following was released by the SSA:

The Sustainable Shark Alliance, a coalition of shark fishermen and dealers along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, applauds Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission efforts to combat unlawful shark finning in a reported enforcement action involving a Key West shrimp boat. Such alleged unlawful activities, where a shark’s fins are removed and its carcass is discarded, harm the legal and federally permitted shark trade by U.S. fishermen laboring under conservative catch quotas and strict anti-finning laws.

Shark finning has long been illegal, and shark finning in the United States is extremely rare. Given the frequency of at-sea and dockside enforcement inspections, this violation is clearly an outlier.

The SSA strongly urges state and federal law enforcement agencies to remain vigilant in their efforts to eliminate illegal activities, including identifying the would-be buyers and ultimate customers for the fins. The legal shark fishery is closely monitored: harvesters must report catches of individual sharks and total amounts landed, and buyers must have federal permits and report all sharks purchased to the federal government. Exports are also reported, though the SSA supports enhancing the system for tracking shark fins after they leave the dock.

“This reprehensible activity harms law-abiding U.S. fishermen,” said Shaun Gehan, attorney for the SSA. “While some groups will use this unfortunate incident to push an agenda of banning fin sales, the fact is such laws will not dissuade criminals as would meaningful penalties such as those now before the Florida Legislature.” Nearly all fins harvested in the United States are exported to China.

The ability to sell fins is essential to the economic survival of SSA members. On average, fins account for fifty percent of the value of the landed catch. Given restrictive harvest limits and the costs associated with operating fishing vessels, loss of fin income would make it unprofitable for the fishery to continue. This would harm U.S. fishermen and their communities, while boosting profits for foreign fishermen not subject to the same strict conservation laws and oversight.

Sharks are managed by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) under a very restrictive quota system that has been in place since the mid-1990s. As a result, populations of large and small sharks have been sharply increasing.  In its last survey, NMFS found the most sharks in the survey’s 29-year history, 65 percent more than the one prior.  Given the success of domestic shark management, efforts to ban fin sales have been opposed by fishery managers and leading scientists specializing in sharks.

Butchered shark fins seized from shrimp boat off Key West

April 4, 2017 — Florida wildlife officers made a grisly discovery aboard a Key West shrimp boat this week: dozens of pairs of dismembered shark fins.

The boat was discovered about 20 miles north of the island Wednesday night, an indication that illegal finning still occurs in Florida waters despite being banned more than 16 years ago. Buying and selling fins also remains legal in most states, fueling a practice that targets some of the world’s biggest and longest-lived sharks that are also among the planet’s oldest species.

“When we import them we have no idea if they came from sustainable shark fisheries or fisheries where they’re still finning,” said Mariah Pfleger, a scientist for Oceana, which is pushing a bill to ban the trade.

The boat was stopped by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers who alerted the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service. FWC referred questions to NOAA and NOAA declined to release details, saying it was too soon in the investigation.

However, Oceana reported that officers found between 30 and 40 pairs of fins. NOAA Fisheries is continuing to investigate and no charges have been filed, spokeswoman Kim Amendola said in an email.

Read the full story at the Bradenton Herald

The following was released by the Sustainable Shark Alliance in response to this event:

The Sustainable Shark Alliance (SSA), a coalition of shark fishermen and dealers along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, applauds Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission efforts to combat unlawful shark finning in a reported enforcement action involving a Key West shrimp boat. Such alleged unlawful activities, where a shark’s fins are removed and its carcass is discarded, harm the legal and federally permitted shark trade by U.S. fishermen laboring under conservative catch quotas and strict anti-finning laws.

Shark finning has long been illegal, and shark finning in the United States is extremely rare. Given the frequency of at-sea and dockside enforcement inspections, this violation is clearly an outlier.

The SSA strongly urges state and federal law enforcement agencies to remain vigilant in their efforts to eliminate illegal activities, including identifying the would-be buyers and ultimate customers for the fins. The legal shark fishery is closely monitored: harvesters must report catches of individual sharks and total amounts landed, and buyers must have federal permits and report all sharks purchased to the federal government. Exports are also reported, though the SSA supports enhancing the system for tracking shark fins after they leave the dock.

“This reprehensible activity harms law-abiding U.S. fishermen,” said Shaun Gehan, attorney for the SSA. “While some groups will use this unfortunate incident to push an agenda of banning fin sales, the fact is such laws will not dissuade criminals as would meaningful penalties such as those now before the Florida Legislature.” Nearly all fins harvested in the United States are exported to China.

The ability to sell fins is essential to the economic survival of SSA members. On average, fins account for fifty percent of the value of the landed catch. Given restrictive harvest limits and the costs associated with operating fishing vessels, loss of fin income would make it unprofitable for the fishery to continue. This would harm U.S. fishermen and their communities, while boosting profits for foreign fishermen not subject to the same strict conservation laws and oversight.

Sharks are managed by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) under a very restrictive quota system that has been in place since the mid-1990s. As a result, populations of large and small sharks have been sharply increasing. In its last survey, NMFS found the most sharks in the survey’s 29-year history, 65 percent more than the one prior. Given the success of domestic shark management, efforts to ban fin sales have been opposed by fishery managers and leading scientists specializing in sharks.

Population Recovery of 800-Pound Groupers Not Entirely Welcome

November 28th, 2016 — After many years of a fishing ban in the U.S. on this endangered species, the goliath grouper population is recovering as sports fishermen and charter boat operators in the Keys report that the 800-pound fish has been causing big trouble according to National Geographic.

Fished to near-extinction in its western north Atlantic habitat by 1990, the goliath grouper was listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Goliath groupers, long-lived fish that could reach 40 years old, can grow up to eight feet in length.

“There are a lot of spots we don’t go to anymore because you won’t catch anything,” said Brice Barr, a charter boat skipper and president of the Key West Charter Fishermen’s Association. “The goliaths will catch every single fish that you hook. They hear the sound of our boats and that’s the dinner bell. They know they are going to get fed.”

Groupers are also blamed for the Florida reef’s dwindling snapper and smaller grouper stock, leading fisherman to petition for the fishing ban to be lifted. “They’re not selective in what they eat,” Barr continued. “If you ask most fishermen, they say we need to get rid of the goliath. These top predators are becoming so protected, they are starting to prey more and more on the rest of the fish.”

Read the full story at Nature World News 

South Atlantic Fishery Managment Council Solicits Public Input on Proposed Measures for Atlantic Cobia and Mutton Snapper Plus Options for Allocation of Dolphin and Yellowtail Snapper

July 21, 2016 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Federal fishery managers are currently soliciting public input on proposed measures that may affect fishermen fishing in federal waters ranging from 3 to 200 miles offshore along the Atlantic coast. A series of public hearings and scoping meetings are scheduled for August including in-person hearings from Virginia Beach to Key West and online webinars. Written comments are also being accepted until August 19, 2016.

Regulation changes are proposed for Atlantic cobia, a species commonly targeted by recreational fishermen as it migrates northward in the late spring and early summer. The Atlantic cobia stock is managed by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council in cooperation with the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council from Georgia to New York in federal waters. The recreational fishery for Atlantic cobia was closed in federal waters on June 20, 2016. Recreational landings in 2015 exceeded the annual catch limit and accountability measures currently in place were implemented for the following year, resulting in a shorter season. Management measures are being considered to lengthen the recreational season beginning in 2017 and help ensure consistent and stable fishing opportunities.

Changes are also proposed for mutton snapper regulations in South Atlantic federal waters following a recent stock assessment and concerns about fishing pressure during the spring spawning season. The harvest of mutton snapper occurs primarily off the coast of southern Florida. The fish gather in large numbers to spawn during the full moon each spring, making them highly susceptible to fishing efforts. Proposed management measures would reduce fishing pressure during the spawning season and provide further protection to the stock. The Council is coordinating with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission to develop compatible regulations.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is also considering options for modifying allocations between commercial and recreational sectors for dolphin (mahi mahi) and yellowtail snapper. The options are being considered based on public input for the need to ensure the longest fishing season for both sectors.

Read the full release at the SAFMC

REP. ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN & REP. CARLOS CURBELO: We must overcome the threat of growing acidity in our oceans

July 12, 2016 — Our two districts are among the most recognizable in Florida because they are defined by the waters around them. South Florida’s world-famous beaches, delicious seafood, incomparable fishing, boating, and sailing, spectacular marine life, and cultural connections to the Caribbean, can all be traced back to the sea.

Even the limestone bedrock we live on was created over thousands of years, in part, by the rise and fall of the ocean. South Florida’s economy and our very way of life — from the shores of Biscayne Bay to Key West — all depend on a healthy ocean.

However, our coastal waters are facing tremendous challenges from continuing pollution and water quality issues, and now from ocean acidification, as well.

Ocean acidification occurs when carbon dioxide is absorbed by seawater and the resultant chemical reactions increase the concentration of hydrogen ions in the water, making it more acidic. When the ocean becomes more acidic, animals like stone crabs, lobsters, and corals have trouble building their own natural defenses that they rely on for survival. The impacts on these species and our treasured coral reefs can ripple out to touch all our lives.

Read the full op-ed at the Miami Herald

Asian economic slump hurt lobster prices

April 1, 2016 — A slump in the Asian economy dented last season’s record-high prices for Florida Keys spiny lobster, but a solid harvest satisfied commercial fishermen.

The 2015-16 lobster season closes Friday, with state fishery researchers expecting a commercial harvest of nearly 6 million pounds when the last crustacean is counted.

“Production was up, a lot better than last year,” Key West commercial fisherman Jason Yarbrough said Tuesday.

“But when you’re getting $3 a pound less than last season, that does make a substantial difference,” Yarbrough said.

Read the full story at Bloomberg