Saving Seafood

ASMFC Awards Grants to Four Aquaculture Pilot Projects

September 16, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, with the support of $575,000 from NOAA Fisheries, has selected four aquaculture pilot projects along the Atlantic coast to receive funding. NOAA Fisheries provided the funds as part of its efforts to foster responsible aquaculture and seafood security in the U.S. After rigorous reviews, which included an evaluation of the technical aspects of the proposals as well as their compliance with environmental laws, the following projects were selected.  All four projects explore promising, but less commercially-developed, technologies for finfish and shellfish aquaculture, with projects ranging from flounder to seaweed aquaculture. The projects started in July and are scheduled for completion in 2021.

For more information, please contact Dr. Louis Daniel, at ldaniel@asmfc.org or 252.342.1478.

Read the full release here

Tiny glass eel draws big money, political muscle and poachers

January 10, 2018 — During the past few years, the GOP-controlled General Assembly has slashed the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries budget by about 40 percent, leaving departments understaffed and some employees bending under heavy workloads.

At the same time,  a review of more than 3,000 public documents shows that  several elected and former state Department of Environmental Quality officials prompted what appears to be hundreds of hours of DMF time finding ways to justify obtaining a share of the federal glass eel quota to benefit just one company in Jones County — American Eel Farm, owned by Rick Allyn.

Since 2013, Allyn has solicited support from state senators Harry Brown, R-Jones, Bill Cook, R-Beaufort, and Bob Steinburg, R-Chowan, and U.S. Rep. Walter Jones, R-Farmville.

For almost two decades, the glass eel has been closely regulated by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s American Eel Management Board (AEMB), which has limited glass eel harvesing to Maine and South Carolina.

Most glass eels are exported to Asia to be raised to a larger size for use in kabayaki and other popular Japanese dishes. A pound of glass eels — about the size of a grapefruit — can consist of 2,000-4,000 fish. They are juvenile fish that are still transparent with only their spines and eyes visible.

Read the full story at the Outer Banks Voice

 

ASMFC South Atlantic Board Selects Final Measures for the Interstate FMP for the Atlantic Migratory Group Cobia and Recommends Final Approval by the Commission

October 20, 2017 — NORFOLK, Va. — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Commission’s South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board selected final measures for the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic Migratory Group (AMG) Cobia and recommended Commission approval of the FMP at its next Business Session meeting, scheduled for November in Baltimore, MD.

The FMP was initiated in response to recent overages of the federal annual catch limit (ACL) for AMG Cobia. Managing the recreational ACL on a coastwide basis has resulted in federal closures and significant overages in 2015 and 2016, disrupting fishing opportunities and jeopardizing the health of the stock. 
The Board-approved FMP complements many of the aspects of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s (SAFMC) cobia regulations from Georgia through New York.  The recreational fishery will be managed with a one fish bag limit and minimum size limit of 36” fork length (FL) or total length equivalent.  Vessel limits will be determined once individual states set their seasonal restrictions, but may not exceed six fish per vessel.  State-specific allocations of a coastwide recreational harvest limit that is equivalent to the federal AMG cobia ACL of 620,000 pounds result in the following state-specific soft targets:
 
·         Georgia: 58,311 pounds
·         South Carolina: 74,885 pounds
·         North Carolina: 236,316 pounds
·         Virginia: 244,292 pounds
 
Recreational harvest overages of specific-state allocations will be evaluated over a three-year time period. If overages occur, states will be required to adjust management measures to reduce harvest in the subsequent three-year period.
 
The commercial fishery will maintain the current management measures as implemented through the SAFMC plan and continue to be managed with a 33” FL minimum size limit and 2 fish limit per person, with a 6 fish maximum vessel limit.  The federal ACL of 50,000 pounds is allocated to the entire commercial fishery from Georgia through New York.  The commercial AMG cobia fishery will close once the ACL is projected to be reached.
 
The FMP provides the opportunity for states to declare de minimis status for their recreational fishery if landings constitute less than 1% of the recreational AMG cobia harvest. States must submit implementation plans to the Commission by January 1, 2018 for Technical Committee review and Board approval at the February 2018 meeting in Alexandria, Virginia. Approved plans must be implemented by April 1, 2018. For more information, please contact Dr. Louis Daniel, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at ldaniel@asmfc.org or 252.342.1478.

A PDF version of the press release can be found here – http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/59e95456pr54CobiaFMP_BoardApproval.pdf

ASMFC South Atlantic Board Approves Draft FMP for Atlantic Migratory Group Cobia for Public Comment

August 14, 2017 — ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board approved the Draft Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic Migratory Group (AMG) Cobia for public comment.  The intent of the Draft FMP is to complement federal AMG cobia management actions and distribute catches among member states through a proposed allocation strategy.

The Draft FMP was initiated in response to recent overages of the federal annual catch limit (ACL) for AMG Cobia. The Draft FMP addresses immediate management and conservation goals in anticipation of a new benchmark AMG cobia stock assessment in 2018.  Management options include size, bag, and vessel limits to complement federal measures along with proposed de minimis options for Mid-Atlantic states (Maryland through New York) whose landings are minimal or episodic.

The most significant change may come in the form of state-specific recreational allocations.  The current ACL for AMG cobia is 670,000 pounds (620,000 pound recreational ACL and a 50,000 pound commercial quota). Managing the recreational ACL on a coastwide basis has resulted in federal closures and significant overages in 2015 and 2016, disrupting fishing opportunities and jeopardizing the health of the stock.  The Draft FMP contains a number of proposed options to allocate a recreational harvest limit (equal to the federal recreational ACL) to the four primary states (Georgia-Virginia) to allow those states more flexibility in developing seasonal options that best suit their specific state’s recreational and for-hire interests.

At this time, the options for the commercial AMG cobia fishery do not include state specific allocations and generally complement the proposed federal requirements. It is expected that the states from Georgia through Virginia will be conducting public hearings on the Draft FMP. The details of those hearings will be released in a subsequent press release.

The Draft FMP is available here or on the Commission’s website, www.asmfc.org, under Public Input. Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the Draft FMP either by attending state public hearings or providing written comment. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on October 6, 2017 and should be forwarded to Louis Daniel, FMP Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St, Suite A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or at comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Draft Cobia FMP). Final action on the Draft FMP is scheduled to occur in October 2017. For more information, please contact Louis Daniel, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at ldaniel@asmfc.org or 252-342-1478.

A PDF version of the press release can be found here.

NORTH CAROLINA: Fraught year plunges fishermen into politics

April 25, 2016 — WILMINGTON, NC — When he took the podium at an N.C. Recreational Fishing Alliance meeting last week in Wilmington, Rep. Jimmy Dixon, R-Duplin, was about the only person in a suit and tie. Outfitted in baseball caps and T-shirts emblazoned with leaping marlins and big-mouth bass, some in the audience, Dixon suspected, might be in unfamiliar waters.

“Some of you in here don’t even know the definition of politics, and here you are trying to get involved in politics,” he said. Before diving into a speech on fisheries, Dixon broke down that definition.

“‘Poli,’ which means many,” he explained. “‘Ticks’: blood-sucking parasites.”

The crowd roared with laughter, and after the past year in North Carolina fisheries management you’d be hard-pressed to find a fisherman in the room who disagreed. A fight over flounder catch restrictions pitted commercial and recreational fishermen against each other and pulled state legislators into the fray; state cuts to cobia catch roiled sports-fishermen again; and in February Division of Marine Fisheries Director Louis Daniel abruptly resigned and moved to shellfish sanitation.

Just last week, the state Department of Environmental Quality gave coastal management director Braxton Davis control of marine fisheries. A news release states the divisions will stay separate, but officials will “examine ways in which the two divisions can achieve efficiencies in operations.”

Months of turmoil have left local anglers concerned the state is ignoring possible overfishing of some species, especially in North Carolina’s delicate estuaries. At the RFA meeting, Dixon was joined by other leaders — Rep. Ted Davis Jr., R-New Hanover; Rep. John Bell, R-Craven; Rep. Billy Richardson, D-Cumberland; and aides to Congressman David Rouzer — who told fishermen that they’re listening.

Read the full story at Star News Online

ASMFC American Eel Board Approves North Carolina Aquaculture Plan for 2016

February 5, 2016 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Management Council:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s American Eel Management Board approved North Carolina’s Aquaculture Plan for 2016, allowing up to 200 pounds of glass eels to be harvested for aquaculture purposes. North Carolina’s plan is the first to be approved under the aquaculture plan provisions of Addendum IV to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for American Eel. 

“North Carolina is grateful for the Board’s provisional approval of its Aquaculture Plan,” stated Dr. Louis Daniel, Director of the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries. “Through the plan, we hope to demonstrate that domestic aquaculture of American eel can be done successfully while maintaining the rebuilding goals and objectives of the FMP.” 

The Board reviewed comments provided by the Technical Committee, Advisory Panel, and Law Enforcement Committee on the various merits of the plan prior to its approval.  Board approval was contingent on two issues (1) export of glass eels will be prohibited, and (2) the first year of the plan will be conducted as a pilot program. During the first year, North Carolina will work with its industry to identify viable collection sites for glass eels for its use in aquaculture.  If North Carolina intends to continue this plan into a second year, which will require additional Board approval, the state will need to work with the Technical Committee to determine sampling protocols for obtaining glass eel abundance estimates across the identified collection sites. 

For more information, please contact Mike Waine, Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at mwaine@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.