Saving Seafood

NOAA Publishes Proposal for Forage Species Limits

April 26, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA:

NOAA Fisheries has published a proposed rule for the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Unmanaged Forage Fish Omnibus Amendment. This amendment would implement an annual landing limit, possession limits, and permitting and reporting requirements for certain previously unmanaged forage species and species groups within Mid-Atlantic Federal waters. The purpose of this action is to prevent the development of new, and the expansion of existing, commercial fisheries on certain forage species until the Council has adequate opportunity and information to evaluate the potential impacts of forage fish harvest on existing fisheries, fishing communities, and the marine ecosystem.

Comments will be accepted through May 30, 2017. Please see the Proposed Rule for details and instructions for submitting comments.

Additional background information about the amendment may be found on the Council’s website at http://www.mafmc.org/actions/unmanaged-forage.

For further information, contact Douglas Christel, NMFS Fishery Policy Analyst, 978-281-9141, douglas.christel@noaa.gov, fax 978-281-9135.

NOAA Fisheries Publishes Proposed Rule for Unmanaged Forage Omnibus Amendment

April 24, 2017 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

NOAA Fisheries has published a proposed rule for the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Unmanaged Forage Fish Omnibus Amendment. This amendment would implement an annual landing limit, possession limits, and permitting and reporting requirements for certain previously unmanaged forage species and species groups within Mid-Atlantic Federal waters. The purpose of this action is to prevent the development of new, and the expansion of existing, commercial fisheries on certain forage species until the Council has adequate opportunity and information to evaluate the potential impacts of forage fish harvest on existing fisheries, fishing communities, and the marine ecosystem.

Comments will be accepted through May 30, 2017. Please see the Proposed Rule for details and instructions for submitting comments.

Additional background information about the amendment may be found on the Council’s website at http://www.mafmc.org/actions/unmanaged-forage.

For further information, contact Douglas Christel, NMFS Fishery Policy Analyst, 978-281-9141, douglas.christel@noaa.gov, fax 978-281-9135.

NOAA Fisheries Announces Proposed Rule for Unmanaged Forage Fish in the Mid-Atlantic

April 24, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA:

NOAA Fisheries announces a proposed rule to protect unmanaged forage fish. Forage fish are small schooling species that serve as prey for larger commercially and recreationally important fish, as well as for marine mammals and sea birds. Anchovies, herring, chub mackerel, and sardines are some common forage fish.

Commercial fisheries occasionally catch forage species, and we know little about the amount of forage species caught in Mid-Atlantic waters. Because of their importance to the food web, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council wants to keep current levels of forage species catch stable while it collects more information on these species. This new information will help inform future scientific assessments and management decisions.

This action would be the first action in the Atlantic to list 14 forage species and species groups as ecosystem component species. This action would set landing and possession limits to prevent the further expansion of commercial fisheries on forage species by federally permitted fishing vessels within Mid-Atlantic federal waters (see map below).

This action is part of an effort to integrate ecosystem-based management components into fishery management plans. 

Read the proposed rule as published in the Federal Register, as well as the supplemental documents on our website.

The comment period is open through May 30.

Submit your comments through the e-rulemaking portal or by mailing:

John Bullard, Regional Administrator

Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office

55 Great Republic Drive

Gloucester, MA 01930

Chub Mackerel Amendment Scoping Hearings: May 4–25, 2017

April 19, 2017 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold six public hearings in May 2017 to solicit public input on the Chub Mackerel Amendment to the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The Council is also soliciting written comments on the amendment through May 31, 2017.

The amendment considers measures to manage Atlantic chub mackerel (Scomber colias) as a stock in the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish FMP with catch limits, accountability measures, and other conservation and management measures required by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The Council is developing this action in response to the recent development of a directed chub mackerel commercial fishery in the Mid-Atlantic and Southern New England.

Hearing Schedule

  • Thursday, May 4, 2017, 7:00-9:00 pm. Kingsborough Community College, room V-219. 2001 Oriental Boulevard, Brooklyn, NY, 11235. Telephone: 718-368-5000.
  • Monday, May 15, 2017, 6:00-7:30 pm. Virginia Marine Resources Commission 4th Floor Meeting Room. 2600 Washington Avenue, Newport News, VA, 23607. Telephone: 757-247-2200.
  • Tuesday May 16, 2017, 6:30-8:00 pm. Princess Royale Oceanfront Resort & Conference Center. 9100 Coastal Highway, Ocean City, MD, 21842. Telephone: 410-524-7777.
  • Tuesday May 23, 2017, 6:30-8:00 pm. Congress Hall Hotel. 200 Congress Place, Cape May, NJ, 08204. Telephone: 888-944-1816.
  • Wednesday May 24, 2017, 6:30-8:00 pm. University of Rhode Island Bay Campus, Corless Auditorium. 215 South Ferry Road, Narragansett, RI, 02882. Telephone: 401-874-6222.
  • Wednesday May 25, 2017, 6:00-7:30 pm. Audio and visual access available at http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/chubscoping/. The webinar can also be accessed via phone by calling 1-800-832-0736, room #5068871.

Written Comments

Written comments are due by Thursday, May 31, 2017 and may be submitted by any of the following methods:

Please include “chub mackerel scoping comments” in the subject line if using email or fax, or on the outside of the envelope if submitting written comments.

Additional information and relevant background documents are available on the Council’s website at http://www.mafmc.org/actions/chub-mackerel-amendment. The scoping document will be posted on this page as soon as it becomes available.

Questions? Please direct any questions about the amendment to Julia Beaty (jbeaty@mafmc.org, 302-526-5250).

Web Version / PDF Version

NOAA Fisheries Proposes New Recreational Measures for Summer Flounder; No Changes to Scup

April 19, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA:

NOAA Fisheries is seeking comment on proposed recreational fishery management measures for the 2017 summer flounder and scup fisheries. 

The 2017 summer flounder recreational harvest limit is 3.77 million lb (1,710 mt), a decrease from the 2016 harvest limit of 5.42 million lb (2,458 mt). Accordingly, more restrictive management measures are necessary in 2017 to reduce landings by approximately 41 percent compared to 2016 landings, to ensure that the landings do not exceed the recreational harvest limit.

We are not proposing any changes to the recreational measures for the 2017 recreational scup fishery. The current measures are expected to keep landings within the 2017 recreational harvest limit. 

We are proposing black sea bass recreational management measures in a separate rulemaking action. 

Summer Flounder Proposed Measures

For summer flounder, in order to prevent overfishing in 2017, we are proposing stricter management measures than those in place in 2016. These measures would apply to all federally permitted party/charter vessels with applicable summer flounder and scup permits, regardless of where they fish, unless the state in which they land implements measures that are more restrictive.

We propose the Council’s and Commission’s recommended coastwide management measures for summer flounder, which are:

  • 19-inch minimum fish size
  • Four fish per person possession limit
  • Open season from June 1-September 15

We propose to continue the “conservation equivalency” approach, in which states develop state or regional minimum sizes, possession limits, and fishing seasons that will achieve the necessary level of conservation. Both the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission recommended continuing conservation equivalency.

For state waters, the Commission has reviewed measures submitted by the regions and certified that they are, in combination, the conservation equivalent of the Federal coastwide measures that would prevent overfishing. 

Read the proposed rule as published in the Federal Register today, and the Supplemental Information Report on our website.

The comment period is open through May 4.

Submit your comments through the e-rulemaking portal or by mailing:

John Bullard, Regional Administrator

Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office

55 Great Republic Drive

Gloucester, MA 01930

Joint Council Meeting with ASMFC Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Board in Alexandria, VA: May 10, 2017

April 19, 2017 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The public is invited to attend a joint meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Board to be held on May 10, 2017 in Alexandria, Virginia. The meeting will be held at The Westin Alexandria, 400 Courthouse Square, Alexandria, VA, 22314, Telephone (703) 253-8600.

Meeting Materials: Briefing documents will be posted at http://ww.mafmc.org/briefing/may-2017 as they become available.

Public Comments: Written comments received byThursday, April 27, 2017 will be included in the Council meeting briefing book. Comments received after this deadline but before close of business on Thursday, May 4, 2017 will be posted as “supplemental materials” on the Council meeting web page. After that date, all comments must be submitted using an online comment form. Comments submitted via the online form will be automatically posted to the website and available for Council consideration. A link to this form will be available at http://www.mafmc.org/public-comment. Late comments will no longer be distributed to Council members via email.

Webinar: Webinar connection information will be posted at http://ww.mafmc.org/briefing/may-2017 prior to the meeting.

Agenda

Wednesday, May 10th

1:00 p.m. Welcome/Call to Order

1:15 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Scup Quota Period Framework (Framework 10 to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass FMP)

  • Final action

2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Comprehensive Summer Flounder Amendment

  • Review draft range of alternatives for commercial issues
  • Approve range of alternatives for further development and inclusion in a public hearing document

3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Review Implementation of 2017 Summer Flounder and Black Sea Bass Recreational Measures

4:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Black Sea Bass Wave 1 Fishery

  • Review white paper on potential experimental recreational Wave 1 black sea bass fishery
  • Consider postponed motion to allow experimental wave 1 for-hire fishery: Motion to allow an experimental 2018 January/February (wave one), recreational, federally permitted for-hire fishery for black sea bass with a 15 fish per person possession limit, a suspended minimum size limit, and a zero discard policy to allow for barotrauma, and a mandatory trip reporting requirement.

4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Review Board White Paper on Summer Flounder Recreational Specifications

5:30 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. Other Business/Adjourn

Web Version / PDF Version

CANCELLED: April 20th ASMFC Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Board Conference Call

April 18, 2017 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Board Conference Call, which had been tentatively scheduled for April 20th at 2 PM, has been cancelled. The primary purpose of the call was to consider final 2016 black sea bass recreational harvest estimates and determine whether changes to 2017 recreational management measures are warranted.  However, since the release of the final harvest estimates by the Marine Recreational Information Program is still pending, the conference call has been cancelled. Discussion of the issue will occur at the next Board meeting (contingent upon the release of the final harvest estimates), scheduled for May 10, 2017 at 1 p.m., as part of the Commission’s Spring Meeting (http://www.asmfc.org/home/2017-spring-meeting). This meeting will be a joint meeting with the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council.

Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council to Offer Training on Electronic Vessel Trip Reports for the For-Hire Community

April 17, 2017 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

This is the final call for registration to participate in the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s (Council) workshops to help the for-hire community prepare for submitting Vessel Trip Reports (VTRs) electronically.

The Council approved a measure last year that will phase out the current paper-based reports over the coming year. For-hire vessel operators/owners who must report VTRs for species managed by the Mid-Atlantic Council will need to report using their mobile device or personal computer in order to be in compliance. Such options are already available on a voluntary basis.

While all options for electronic reporting will be briefly discussed, the workshops will focus on hands-on training for the eTrips/mobile and eTrips/PC system, a free program developed by the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program (ACCSP). Instruction and guidance will be led by Rick Bellavance, Owner/Operator of Priority Fishing Charters in Point Judith, Rhode Island, and ACCSP staff.

April 25th, 2017, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 pm at the Hilton Mystic Hotel 20 Coogan Blvd., Mystic CT 06355. Phone: (860) 572-0731.

April 27th. 2017, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at the Doubletree by Hilton Baltimore-BWI Airport, 890 Elkridge Landing Rd, Linthicum Heights, MD 21090. Phone:  (410) 859-8400.

Participation is limited to 30 individuals per workshop!

Registration: To register for one of the workshops, visit http://www.mafmc.org/forms/evtr-workshop-registration.

What to Bring: It would be extremely helpful to bring an electronic tablet or laptop capable of connecting to the internet via W-Fi. For the mobile-based version, participants will need either a Google account (for Android systems) or an iTunes account (for Apple systems) to download the eTrips/mobile app. This will allow you to work along with the instructors and be set up and ready to begin electronic reporting once you leave the workshop.

Please direct any questions to workshop coordinator Andrew Loftus (aloftus@andrewloftus.com; 410-295-5997).

Changes could be coming to East Coast squid fishery

April 10, 2017 — An effort to gain better control over the amount of participation in the East Coast squid fishery will be the subject of a series of public hearings this spring.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council wants to reduce latent permits for certain kinds of squid. Most years, a few vessels are responsible for bringing the majority of the commercially harvested squid to shore.

The fishery council says it’s concerned that excessive squid fishing could occur if latent permits become active.

Longfin squid fishing’s a major industry, with more than 26 million pounds coming to shore in 2015. It was valued at more than $31 million. Rhode Island’s the biggest producer.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the New Jersey Herald

Fishermen not on board with Hudson Canyon sanctuary

April 7, 2017 — The Hudson Canyon is in the spotlight.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hear a proposal from New York Aquarium, which has nominated the canyon for a National Marine Sanctuary designation.

The sanctuary program is run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In the program’s 40 years of existence 13 national marine sanctuaries and two marine national monuments have been established.

The sanctuaries are to be tailored to the needs of its stakeholders. New Jersey fishermen however, are raising concerns that they will be shut out of a prolific fishing ground.

“We’re in complete opposition. We’re not going to be fooled by the notion that the aquarium doesn’t intend to severely restrict fishing over time,” said Greg DiDomenico, Executive Director, Garden State Seafood Association.

The seafood association represents the interest’s of the state’s commercial fishermen.

The Hudson Canyon, a depression in the ocean floor that starts 80 miles east of Manasquan Inlet, is the largest submarine canyon on the Atlantic coast. It’s supports a rich diversity of marine life. Fishermen harvest seafood including squid, tunas, and shellfish from the canyon.

Read the full story at the Asbury Park Press