MAFMC Archives - Page 35 of 39

NEW JERSEY: DEP Commissioner Martin, Rep. Pallone to lead fish rally at Fishermen’s Supply

January 26, 2017 — A rally against the proposed cuts to the summer flounder harvest is planned for this Friday morning in the parking lot of Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach.

Along with members of the fishing community, the commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Protection Bob Martin and U.S. Congressman Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) will lead the rally and speak in opposition to the harvest reduction.

Both Martin and Pallone have been critical of the Atlantic State Marine Fisheries Commission and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management for their proposed drastic cuts to the summer flounder harvest.

Pallone has been outspoken against the science used to count fish landings and stock biomass that has led those management bodies to conclude that anglers overfished their quota last year and the biomass of summer flounder is shrinking.

Read the full story at the Asbury Park Press

New England Fishery Management Council Selects Industry-Funded Monitoring Alternatives for Omnibus Amendment, Atlantic Herring Category A and B Boats

January 25, 2017 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Managment Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council yesterday selected preferred alternatives for the region’s Industry-Funded Monitoring (IFM) Omnibus Amendment, which is being developed jointly with the Mid- Atlantic Council, along with considerable administrative help from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). The Council also picked preferred alternatives for an IFM program for the Atlantic herring fishery but made clear that the measures – if approved and implemented – would apply only to Category A and B herring vessels.

The IFM Omnibus Amendment has two core components.

The first focuses on proposed alternatives to modify all New England and Mid-Atlantic Council fishery management plans (FMPs) so that both Councils have a standardized, streamlined process in place for developing future FMP-specific industry-funded monitoring programs.
The second part of the amendment contains alternatives that specifically would apply to the Atlantic Herring and Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish FMPs upon implementation of the IFM Omnibus Amendment.

Monitoring alternatives for other fisheries are not part of this amendment, and existing IFM programs for the Atlantic sea scallop and groundfish fisheries are not affected.

The Mid-Atlantic Council voted in mid-December to postpone further action on the Omnibus Amendment and the mackerel alternatives pending completion of an ongoing electronic monitoring (EM) pilot project. NMFS is currently conducting the project with 12 volunteer vessels in the Atlantic herring and mackerel midwater trawl fisheries to evaluate the utility of EM as a monitoring tool. The project will run through most of 2017.

The New England Council, however, opted to move ahead with its portion of the decision-making process here at its Portsmouth, NH meeting.

The Council selected Alternative 2 for the first half of the Omnibus Amendment – the part that establishes the basic foundation of the amendment to standardize cost responsibilities and administrative requirements for industry-funded monitoring service providers.

The Council made clear that any new IFM programs developed under this portion of the Omnibus would need to be crafted through a full amendment, which has an extensive public hearing process, rather than a framework adjustment. Once an IFM program is in place, the Council did agree that a framework could be used to establish a quota set-aside program to help fund IFM measures. The Council further supported using a “Council-led deliberative prioritization process,” which means the Council, possibly in conjunction with the Mid-Atlantic Council, would prepare analyses and set priorities for IFM issues rather than having NMFS take the lead. The Council also decided that any federal money used to fund administrative costs associated with IFM programs should be “equally weighted” among all the industry- funded monitoring programs that are in place for various fisheries.

Herring Alternatives: Next, the Council selected IFM alternatives for the Atlantic herring fishery – as allowed under the second half of the Omnibus Amendment – and reiterated that the measures apply only to Category A and B vessels using midwater trawl, purse seine, and small-mesh bottom trawl gear. The measures do not apply to “wing vessels” that don’t carry fish, and, to be clear, also do not apply to Category C and D boats.

Once the Council determines that electronic monitoring and portside sampling are an acceptable alternative to at-sea monitoring, then Category A and B vessels will be able to choose either:

At-sea monitoring with a “combined coverage” target of 50% between the IFM and Standardized Bycatch Reduction Methodology (SBRM) programs; or
A combination of EM and portside sampling with a coverage target of 50% in addition to SBRM.

The Council additionally supported: (1) the issuance of waivers if coverage is not available due to funding or logistical problems; (2) an exemption from IFM

Requirements for vessels that land less than 25 metric tons of herring; (3) applying 100% Northeast Fisheries Observer Program-level observer coverage for midwater trawl vessels fishing in groundfish closed areas; and (4) a reevaluation of the IFM herring requirements two years after implementation.

The New England Council will revisit the Omnibus Amendment in April, when it is expected to take final action to submit the document to NMFS. The Council also will discuss “next steps” with the Mid-Atlantic Council since action by both Councils is required before Omnibus alternatives can be implemented.

See the full release at the NEFMC

NEW JERSEY: Bill asks NOAA to rethink increased flounder restrictions

January 19, 2017 — A South Jersey lawmaker introduced a bill Tuesday that would urge the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to halt proposed reductions to this year’s summer flounder catch.

Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo, D-Atlantic, introduced a resolution asking NOAA to conduct a new summer flounder assessment before implementing the proposed regulations, which would cut the flounder catch by 40 percent.

The reduction plan was advanced at a Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council meeting last month but has been roundly condemned by recreational fishermen and prominent state leaders, including U.S. Sen. Cory Booker and U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R-2nd.

Federal officials say the cuts are necessary because a recent NOAA report concluded the flounder fishery is overfished.

Recreational fishermen at a hearing earlier this month in Galloway Township questioned NOAA’s methods for measuring flounder, and Mazzeo’s resolution, a draft of which was sent to The Press of Atlantic City, asks the agency to take another look at the stock.

Read the full story at Press of Atlantic City

Mid-Atlantic Council Seeking Applications for Interim Advisory Panel Members

January 18, 2017 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council is soliciting applications from qualified individuals to serve on several advisory panels that currently have vacancies. Advisory panels provide information and recommendations to the Council during the development of fishery management actions. One of the chief responsibilities of advisory panels is the development of annual Fishery Performance Reports, which provide the Council and SSC with information on why catches may have fluctuated from year to year.

Advisory panels are composed of individuals with diverse experience and interest in Mid-Atlantic fisheries. Members include commercial fishermen, recreational anglers, for-hire operators, dealers, scientists, environmentalists, and other interested members of the public. Most advisory panels meet 1 – 2 times per year. Members are compensated for travel and per diem expenses for advisory panel meetings. Individuals appointed under this notice would serve on an interim basis and could re-apply during the next general application window in early 2018.

The Council is accepting applications for the following advisory panels:

Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish (1 vacancy)
Spiny Dogfish (2 vacancies)
Surfclam/Ocean Quahog (1 vacancy)

Anyone interested in serving on one of these advisory panels may apply online or download an application at www.mafmc.org/forms/advisory-panel-application. Applications can also be obtained by calling the Council office at (877) 446-2362 or emailing jsaunders@mafmc.org. Completed applications should be submitted using one of the following methods:

Online using the form at the web address above;
Mail to Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 N. State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901;
Email to jsaunders@mafmc.org; or
Fax to (302) 674-5399.

Please include “ADVISORY PANEL” in the subject of your fax or email.

See the full release at the MAFMC

MAFMC February 2017 Council Meeting Agenda

January 17, 2017 — The following is a schedule for the February meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Managment Council (MAFMC). It was released by the MAFMC:

Tuesday, February 14th

1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. River Herring/Shad Committee Meeting

Discuss criteria to assess progress in river herring/shad conservation

2:30 p.m. Council Convenes

2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Meeting as a Committee of the Whole

Review and approve public hearing document for Squid Amendment

4:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Law Enforcement Report

4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Presentation on National Marine Sanctuary Nomination Process, Paul Ticco – NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries

Wednesday, February 15th

9:00 a.m. Meeting with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Boards

9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. 62nd Northeast Regional Stock Assessment Workshop (62nd SAW), Jim Weinberg, NMFS, NEFSC

Overview of black sea bass benchmark stock assessment findings and peer review panelist findings

10:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Black Sea Bass 2017-2019 Specifications

Overview and staff recommendation
SSC recommendation
Review Monitoring Committee and Advisory Panel recommendations
Adopt recommendations for 2017-2019

11:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Black Sea Bass Research Update, Brad Stevens – UMES

12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. LUNCH

1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Black Sea Bass Recreational Specifications

Review Monitoring Committee and Advisory Panel recommendations
Adopt recommendations for 2017 management measures
Review Recreational Working Group recommendations and regional/state proposals (possible Board action)

3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Black Sea Bass Commercial AM Framework

Review background, issues, and draft alternatives

5:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Summer Flounder Amendment

Update on progress and timeline

Thursday, February 16th

9:00 a.m. Council Convenes

9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Business Session

Organization Reports
- NMFS Greater Atlantic Regional Office
- NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center
- NOAA Office of General Counsel
- Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
Liaison Reports
- New England Council
- South Atlantic Council
- Regional Planning Body
Executive Director’s Report, Chris Moore
Science Report, Rich Seagraves
Committee Reports
Continuing and New Business

See the full schedule at the MAFMC

Flounder controls set to tighten, despite South Jersey pleas

December 19th, 2016 — A federal regulatory council voted this week in favor of drastically cutting next summer’s flounder harvest, despite strong protest from South Jersey fishermen and politicians.

No final state bag or size limits were decided at the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council meetings in Baltimore, but the organization did approve a 40 percent reduction in the coast-wide summer flounder catch for 2017.

The number is subject to change pending data still coming in from this season’s catch, but fishermen targeting fluke will likely face much stricter controls on the fish they can keep next summer.

“The stock is currently in a state of overfishing,” said Kiley Dancy, a fishery management specialist at the council. “It’s not looking great right now.”

Local government leaders and fishing-related business owners fear the new regulations could hurt South Jersey’s economy.

“Basically, I came out of there understanding that they want to shut down fishing,” said Robin Scott, owner of Ray Scott’s Dock in Margate, who attended the meetings.

Jim Donofrio, executive director of the New Gretna-based Recreational Fishing Alliance, has even vowed to appeal the decision by asking President-elect Donald J. Trump’s incoming administration to strike down the restrictions.

Bob Martin, the commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, said he was “greatly disappointed” by the decision to tighten controls on flounder.

“In effect, these actions will result in a moratorium on one of our most important recreational fish species,” Martin said in a statement Thursday.

Read the full story at the Press of Atlantic City

Atlantic Ocean Area The Size Of Virginia Protected From Deep-Water Fishing

December 19, 2016 — Coral in an area in the Atlantic Ocean stretching from Connecticut to Virginia has been protected from deep-sea commercial fishing gear, by a new rule issued this week by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The protected area covers some 38,000 square miles of federal waters, NOAA says, which is about the size of Virginia. It’s the “largest area in the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico protected from a range of destructive fishing gear,” according to the NRDC, an environmental advocacy group.

The new regulations prohibit the use of bottom-tending fishing gear at depths below 1,470 feet. Boats are allowed to cross the protected area as long as they bring the banned heavy gear on board while they do so, according to the text of the rule. It is set to go into effect on Jan. 13.

It’s named the Frank R. Lautenberg Deep Sea Coral Protection Area, in honor the former New Jersey senator who was an advocate for marine conservation.

Coral grows extremely slowly and is vulnerable to damage from this kind of heavy equipment that drags along the sea floor. As the NRDC put it: “One pass of a weighted fishing trawl net can destroy coral colonies as old as the California redwoods in seconds.”

“They’ve lived a long time but they live in an environment that is cold, with huge pressure, without light,” Joseph Gordon, Pew Charitable Trust’s manager of U.S. northeast oceans, told Delaware Public Media. “And so fishing technology could damage them in a way that could take centuries to recover from.”

The area is also home to many other animals, the NRDC adds, “including the endangered sperm whale, as well as sea birds, sea turtles, tunas, sharks, billfish, and countless other species.”

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council began to look into setting up a protected area here in 2013, and NOAA issued a proposed federal rule in September 2016. It was finalized on Wednesday.

John Bullard, Regional Administrator for the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, hailed this rule as a “great story of regional collaboration among the fishing industry, the Mid-Atlantic Council, the research community, and environmental organizations to protect what we all agree is a valuable ecological resource.”

And Bob Vanasse, the executive director of Saving Seafood, which represents the commercial fishing industry, told Virginia’s Daily Press that he thinks this is “the right way to protect these resources.”

Read the full story at NPR

MAFMC & NOAA Fisheries Announce Frank R. Lautenberg Deep-Sea Coral Protection Area

December 14, 2016 — The following was released by NOAA:

Today, NOAA Fisheries and the Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council announced publication of the final rule for the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s action to designate a large offshore protected area for deep sea corals in the Mid-Atlantic. The Council approved the Deep Sea Corals Amendment to the Mackerel, Squid, Butterfish Fishery Management Plan in 2015 in order to protect deep sea corals from the impacts of bottom-tending fishing gear.

Most deep sea corals are slow-growing and fragile, making them vulnerable to damage from certain types of fishing gear that contact the sea floor. This final rule designates a large “deep sea coral zone” in areas where corals have been observed or where they are likely to occur. Under the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA), regional fishery management councils have the disretionary authority to designate zones where fishing may be restricted to protect deep sea corals. Although corals have been protected as essential fish habitat, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council is the first of the eight U.S. regional fishery management councils to use this discretionary authority.

The Council named the protected area in honor of the late Senator Frank Lautenberg, a five-term United States senator from New Jersey who was responsible for several important pieces of ocean conservation legislation, including the MSA provisions allowing for deep sea coral protections. The Frank R. Lautenberg Deep Sea Coral Protection Area encompasses areas of known or highly likely coral presence in underwater canyons or slope areas along the continental shelf edge, as well as deeper areas where the presence of corals is uncertain, but where little or no fishing effort currently occurs. In total, the coral zone encompasses more than 38,000 square miles of federal waters off the Mid-Atlantic coast, an area approximately the size of the state of Virginia.

Within the protected area, commercial fishermen are prohibited from using most types of bottom-tending fishing gear such as trawls, dredges, bottom longlines, and traps. The rule does not apply to recreational fishing, commercial gear types that do not contact the sea floor, or the American lobster trap fishery. An exemption is also provided for the deep sea red crab commercial trap fishery. Vessels may transit through the area if fishing gear is stowed and not available for immediate use.

Development of the deep sea coral protection area was informed by several recent scientific research efforts undertaken by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, including several deep sea surveys and the development of a predictive deep sea coral habitat suitability model. Using this information, members of the Council’s advisory panels, deep sea coral experts, fishing industry members, and other stakeholders cooperatively reviewed this information to identify the landward boundaries for the protected area.

“This is a great story of regional collaboration among the fishing industry, the Mid-Atlantic Council, the research community, and environmental organizations to protect what we all agree is a valuable ecological resource,” said John Bullard, Regional Administrator for the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office. “We owe a debt of gratitude to former Council Chair Rick Robins, who led the effort to establish this large protected area, which totals about 24 million acres, the size of state of Virginia. I’d also like to single out the contribution of current Vice Chairman Warren Elliot, who chaired the two-day workshop where all the stakeholders used the best available science to negotiate and agree upon the boundaries of the area to protect.”

“The Mid-Atlantic Council is extremely pleased that NOAA Fisheries has approved the Council’s recommended protection of deep sea corals in the Mid-Atlantic,” said Council chairman Michael Luisi. “We are proud of this achievement and want to thank and congratulate all those who contributed to this ground-breaking effort in the Atlantic.”

See the full release at NOAA

MAFMC Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland: December 12-15, 2016

November 21, 2016 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The public is invited to attend the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s December 2016 meeting to be held December 12-15, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. The meeting will be held at the Royal Sonesta Harbor Court, 550 Light St., Baltimore, MD 21202, Telephone 410-234-0550.

Webinar: For online access to the meeting, enter as a guest at: http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/december2016.

Meeting Materials: Briefing documents will be posted at http://ww.mafmc.org/briefing/december-2016 as they become available.

View the agenda at the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council

Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council to Hold Hearings on New Jersey Special Management Zones

October 21st, 2016 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold three public hearings in November 2016 to gather public comments on a request by the State of New Jersey to designate 13 of its artificial reef sites located in federal waters as Special Management Zones (SMZ). The hearings will be held November 15-17, 2016. Written comments will be accepted until Friday, November 25, 2016, 11:59 p.m. EST.

Background

In November 2015, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) petitioned the Mid-Atlantic Council to designate 13 artificial reef sites as SMZs under provisions of Amendment 9 to the Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan. The petition was based on the need to reduce gear conflicts between hook and line fishermen and fixed pot/trap gear at those sites. The SMZ designation could prohibit the use of any gear except hook and line and spear fishing within the 13 potential SMZ sites. The Council’s SMZ Monitoring Team (MT) evaluated the NJDEP request and recommended that the Council designate all 13 artificial reef sites as SMZs. The MT analysis indicated that commercial fishing vessels deploying pot/trap gear off the coast of New Jersey would likely face minimal to no losses in ex-vessel revenue if the artificial reefs are designated as SMZs. The Council is scheduled to review public comments and make a decision relative to NJ SMZ designation at its December 2016 meeting in Annapolis, MD.

Public Hearing Schedule

The dates and locations of the public hearings are as follows:

Tuesday November 15, 2016, 7:00-9:30 p.m., Kingsborough Community College, 2001 Oriental Blvd., Brooklyn NY 11235, Room M239 of the Marina and Academic Center (The Lighthouse).
Wednesday November 16, 2016, 7:00-10:00 p.m., Clarion Hotel & Conference Center, 815 Route 37 West, Toms River, NJ 08755.
Thursday November 17, 2016, 7:00-10:00 p.m., Congress Hall, 200 Congress Place, Cape May, NJ 08204.

These meetings are physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aid should be directed to M. Jan Saunders, 302-526-5251, at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

Written Comments

Written comments will be accepted until Friday, November 25, 2016, 11:59 p.m. and may be sent by any of the following methods:

Mail to Dr. Chris Moore, Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 North State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE, 19901 (include “NJ SMZ Request” on envelope);
Fax to Dr. Chris Moore, Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council at fax number 302-674-5399 (include “NJ SMZ Request” in the subject line); or
Email to Rich Seagraves at rseagraves@mafmc.org (include “NJ SMZ Request” in the subject line).

Contact

For more information, contact Rich Seagraves, Senior Scientist, at rseagraves@mafmc.org.

Press Contact: Mary Clark Sabo, (302) 518-1143