January 24, 2020 — Maryland officials are stepping up their efforts to help crab houses in the state get the workers they need to remain viable.
Earlier this week, Governor Larry Hogan sent a letter to Acting U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf and Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia asking them to lift the cap on H-2B visas the country issues.
January 22, 2020 — Anglers who live for hooking a feisty striped bass are going to have fewer chances to do it in 2020 — and probably for at least a year or two afterward.
Prompted by a scientific finding that the East Coast’s most prized finfish are in trouble, Maryland, Virginia and the Potomac River are all moving to adopt new catch restrictions aimed at stemming the species’ decline.
But many anglers are complaining about the complexity, fairness and even the adequacy of the cutbacks under consideration, which range from a quota tuck of less than 2% for commercial fishermen in Maryland to a 24% reduction in fish removed by recreational anglers in Virginia.
The two states are taking somewhat different tacks to comply with a directive from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which regulates fishing for migratory species from Maine to Florida. Last October, the interstate panel ordered an 18% decrease in mortality of striped bass coastwide, including in the Chesapeake Bay, which serves as the main spawning ground and nursery for the species.
January 17, 2020 — December 9 marked the 36th anniversary of the signing of the first Bay Agreement at George Mason University in Virginia.
As a state senator serving on the Chesapeake Bay Commission, I joined 700 Bay enthusiasts as witnesses. The one-page Chesapeake Bay Agreement was signed by Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania’s governors, DC’s mayor, and the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, all of whom solemnly pledged to restore the Bay. I was also a member of a workgroup that recommended legislative actions for each signer that would aid the Bay’s restoration, including a phosphate detergent ban that I sponsored and was enacted in 1985.
All of the attendees — elected federal and state politicians, scientists, administrators and environmental leaders — were optimistic that the herculean task ahead would lead to the Chesapeake’s restoration. The optimism was fueled by the display of bipartisanship that led to President Ronald Reagan declaring in his 1984 State of the Union address, “Though this is a time of budget constraints, I have requested for EPA one of the largest percentage budget increases of any agency. We will begin the long, necessary effort to clean up a productive recreational area and a special national resource — the Chesapeake Bay.” The formal Bay Program under the EPA was established with $10 million in funding.
January 16, 2020 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) is seeking four qualified candidates to serve on its Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC). Successful candidates will serve a three-year appointment beginning in March of 2020. Applications must be received by 5:00 P.M. on Friday, January 24, 2020.
The SSC serves as the Council’s primary scientific/technical advisory body and provides independent scientific advice for fishery management decisions, including recommendations for acceptable biological catch and achieving rebuilding targets. The SSC also provides science advice and information on stock status, bycatch, habitat, social and economic impacts of management measures, and research priorities. The SSC typically meets 4-5 times per year, with meetings lasting from one to three days. In-person meetings are usually held in Baltimore, MD.
Membership is comprised of state and federal employees, academia, and independent experts with scientific and technical expertise in biology, statistics, economics, social science, and other relevant disciplines. The Council recently completed a comprehensive review of SSC membership in order to align new membership expertise with the future needs of the Council. Based on that review, the Council is seeking four candidates in the following areas:
Individuals interested in applying for nomination to the SSC must submit a current curriculum vitae (CV) or resume and a brief letter describing qualifications and relevant experience in priority areas identified above. All applications received will be reviewed by the Council and will require a nomination by a Council member in order to be considered for appointment.
Applications and materials may be submitted by email to Dr. Chris Moore, Executive Director, at cmoore@mafmc.org. All applications must be received by 5:00 P.M. on Friday, January 24, 2020. If you have any questions or need further information about the process, please contact Brandon Muffley at bmuffley@mafmc.org; 302-526-5260.
January 6, 2020 — Roughly three weeks ago, Maryland Public Service Commission granted a request from Ocean City, Md. officials to hold a hearing, set Saturday, Jan. 18, on the impact of a proposal to install taller turbines than originally planned as part of two proposed offshore wind farms including Skipjack LLC wind farm, a project of the Danish company Ørsted, due east of the Delaware coast.
The commission has scheduled the hearing in rooms 215, 216 and 217 of the Ocean City Convention Center, 4001 Coastal Highway, Ocean City, Md.
In a Dec. 13 order, commission Executive Secretary Andrew Johnston said the issue of viewshed was a significant focus during the approval process for U.S. Wind and Skipjack LLC, the two companies awarded Maryland’s offshore wind renewable energy certificates in 2017. While the commission will accept comment on the size of the turbines, it denied a request to reopen the case or reconsider the granting of offshore wind renewable energy certificates.
Discovery at the hearing will be limited to this topic, said Johnson.
December 31, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
Atlantic sturgeon were once a highly valued fishery along the U.S. East Coast. Their populations declined dramatically in the late 1800s when they were overfished for their eggs for high-quality caviar. Four of the five distinct population segments—those in the Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay, New York Bight, and South Atlantic—are now listed as an endangered species. These fish can be impressively large—up to 14 feet long and 800 pounds—but they are still vulnerable.
Habitat loss poses challenges for the recovery of the sturgeon population. Many places they need to live and reproduce are affected by degraded water quality or lack of the hard-bottom areas they need for spawning. Sturgeon can be injured or killed when hit by commercial and recreational boats. Virginia’s James River—occupied during the fall migration by a group of sturgeon—is frequently transited by shipping.
Scientists from the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office use sonar technology to map areas that could include sturgeon habitat. This helps them better understand the habitat features those places may offer. Sonar data can describe what the bottom is like in great detail—not just how deep it is, but whether it is sandy, muddy, rocky, or some other bottom type. After scientists gather the data, they create maps to identify areas that have hard, rough bottoms where sturgeon could spawn.
December 19, 2019 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council approved the Excessive Shares Amendment to the Atlantic Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Fishery Management Plan (FMP) during its meeting last week in Annapolis, Maryland. The Excessive Shares Amendment was developed to address the “excessive share” provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). The amendment also considered revisions to the multi-year specification setting process and modifications to the FMP goals and objectives. Below are summaries of the issues addressed and the Council’s preferred alternatives.
Excessive Shares Cap and Review Timeframe
National Standard 4 (NS4) of the MSA mandates that allocations of fishing privileges must be “carried out in such manner that no particular individual, corporation, or other entity acquires an excessive share of such privileges.” To be consistent with NS4, the Council was required to develop measures which specifically define what constitutes an excessive share in the surfclam and ocean quahog individual transferable quota (ITQ) program.
The Council considered a wide range of excessive shares cap alternatives, including options that would place limits on quota share ownership and options that would limit annual allocations based on both owned quota share and possession of cage tags. The Council ultimately selected an alternative which would implement a quota share ownership cap of 35% for surfclams and 40% for quahogs and an annual allocation cap (based on the possession of cage tags) of 65% for surfclams and 70% for ocean quahogs. The Council’s preferred alternative represents a compromise on the part of the fishing industry and will allow for some additional efficiencies in the fisheries (through further consolidation). This option will allow a reasonable number of entities to exist if fully consolidated and will bring the FMP in to compliance with NS4. The Council specified that the excessive shares measures should be reviewed at least every 10 years or as needed.
Multi-Year Management Measures
Currently, surfclam and ocean quahog management specifications are set for up to 3 years. Through this amendment, the Council voted to allow specifications to be set for the maximum number of years consistent with the stock assessment schedule. As a result, based on the current stock assessment schedule, surfclam specifications would be set for four years and ocean quahog for six years.
FMP Goals and Objectives
Finally, the Council adopted a suite of revised goals and objectives recommended by the Fishery Management Action Team that better reflect the Council’s long-term intent for these fisheries. These goals and objectives focus on sustainability, a simple and efficient management regime, managing for stability, management that is flexible and adaptive to changes, and the promotion of science and research.
Additional information and background documents related to this amendment are available at http://www.mafmc.org/actions/scoq-excessive-shares-amendment.
December 18, 2019 — According to federal fishery managers, one of the most popular sport fish in the Chesapeake and the Atlantic Ocean is overfished. Consequently, recreational anglers will see significant cuts to help rebuild the stock.
Under new rules approved last week, anglers fishing in state and federal waters will be limited to three bluefish per day while people fishing from charter boats may take home five.
The decision came at a joint meeting of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), which oversees migratory species in state waters along the coast, and the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Council (MFC), which manages fish three to 200 miles off the Mid-Atlantic coast.
Maryland’s current minimum size limit is eight inches with a 10-fish daily limit. Delaware and Virginia have no size limits and a 10-fish per-day per angler possession limit. It’s a 365-day season all around, and the current rules are the same for charter boats and individual anglers.
The current limit in federal waters from three to 200 miles offshore is 15 fish per person with no minimum size restriction. For 2020, no restrictions were made to minimum fish size or seasons. This amounts to a predicted 18 percent reduction in the recreational harvest. The commercial fishery will see a 64 percent reduction in quota.
December 18, 2019 — The following was released by Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council met December 9-12, 2019 in Annapolis, Maryland. During this meeting, the Council:
Read the full December 2019 Council Meeting Report for details on these discussions and decisions. Briefing materials, presentations, motions, and webinar recordings are available here.
* Items denoted with an asterisk (*) were undertaken during joint meetings with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board and Bluefish Management Board.
December 4, 2019 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The Commission’s South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board (Board) releases two documents for public comment: Draft Addendum III to Amendment 1 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic Croaker and Draft Addendum III to the Omnibus Amendment to the Interstate FMPs for Spanish Mackerel, Spot, and Spotted Seatrout. The states of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina have scheduled their hearings to gather public input on the Draft Addenda. The details of those hearings, as well as an ASMFC Public Hearing webinar, follow.
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
December 3, 2019 at 6 PM
December 16, 2019 at 6 PM*
Virginia Marine Resources Commission
North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries
REVISED: ASMFC Public Hearing Webinar
The Board initiated the development of the Draft Addenda for Atlantic croaker and spot to incorporate updates on the annual traffic light approach (TLA) and propose changes to the management program. In the absence of an approved stock assessment, which is the case for both species, the TLA is conducted each year to evaluate fishery trends and develop management actions (e.g. bag limits, size restrictions, time and area closures, and gear restrictions) when harvest and abundance thresholds are exceeded. The TLA assigns a color (red, yellow, or green) to categorize relative levels of indicators on the condition of the fish population or fishery. For example, as harvest or abundance increases relative to its long-term average, the proportion of green in a given year will increase and as harvest or abundance decreases, the amount of red in that year will increase. The Board annually evaluates the proportion of red against threshold levels to determine if management action is required. In recent years, fisheries for both Atlantic croaker and spot have experienced declines in harvest, but not declines in abundance as indicated by fishery-independent surveys used in the TLA. Therefore, management action has not been triggered. The lack of triggering management action with these harvest declines has raised concerns, leading to re-evaluation of TLA methods and the proposal of changes to management.
Both Draft Addenda present updates to resolve issues with the TLA analyses in order to better reflect stock characteristics, based on recommendations from the Atlantic Croaker Technical Committee and Spot Plan Review Team. Each Draft Addendum also presents options for four issues that address the TLA management triggering mechanism, triggered management responses for the recreational and commercial fisheries, and evaluation of the population’s response to triggered management actions.
The Draft Addenda are available athttp://www.asmfc.org/files/