Saving Seafood

ASMFC Atlantic Menhaden Board Sets 2017 TAC at 200,000 MT & Approves Draft Amendment 3

October 31st, 2016 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission: 

The Commission’s Atlantic Menhaden Management Board approved a total allowable catch (TAC) forthe 2017 fishing season of 200,000 mt, a 6.45% increase from the 2016 TAC. According to Technical Committee analysis this increase has a zero percent probability of resulting in overfishing. The TAC will be made available to the states/jurisdictions based on the state‐by‐state allocation established by Amendment 2 (see accompanying table).

“Given the healthy condition of the resource, this modest increase provides additional fishing opportunities while the Board proceeds with the development of Draft Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan.” stated Board Chair Robert Ballou from Rhode Island.

Additionally, the Board approved the Public Information Document (PID) for Draft Amendment 3 for public comment. As the first step in the amendment process, the PID provides stakeholders with an opportunity to inform the Commission about changes observed in the fishery and provide feedback on potential management measures as well as any additional issues that should be included in the Draft Amendment. Specifically, the PID presents a suite of tools to manage the menhaden resource using ecological reference points as well as options to allocate the resource among the states, regions, and user groups.

The PID will be available on the Commission website, www.asmfc.org, early next week. It is anticipated that the majority of states will be conducting public hearings over the next couple months. A subsequent press release to provide the details of those hearings.  For more information, please contact Megan Ware, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at mware@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

View the full release at: http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/58113785pr32AtlMenhaden2017TAC.pdf 

Fisheries panel, after failed last try, agrees on increase in menhaden harvest

October 28th, 2016 — After failing two months ago to come up with a 2017 quota for commercial harvests of menhaden, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission this week finally settled on a number: 200,000 metric tons, a 6.45 percent increase from this year.

The commission struggled for 3-1/2 hours at its meeting in Alexandria in August to set next year’s quota, with a half-dozen proposals for various limits failing to win enough votes. On Wednesday in Bar Harbor, Maine, the commission’s menhaden management board settled on a number much quicker.

Still, the new limit was criticized by environmental groups, including the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Chris Moore, the foundation’s senior scientist in Virginia, said in a prepared statement that the fish – a staple in the diets of numerous marine creatures, from striped bass to whales – are “not abundant throughout their geographic range.”

Moore said that keeping the quota unchanged for the small, bony, oily fish “would have helped ensure a healthier menhaden population for all users.”

In most of the states from Maine to Florida under the commission’s watch, menhaden are harvested for bait.

Virginia is the exception. It’s the center of East Coast harvests, with next year’s quota allotting the state nearly 169,000 of the 200,000-ton limit. The overwhelming majority of Virginia’s catches will go to a plant in Reedville on the Northern Neck, where they’ll be reduced into products ranging from fish oil pills to cattle-feed supplements.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star

Chesapeake Bay Foundation Shamefully Fundraises off of Inaccurate Menhaden Claims

October 28, 2016 — The following was released by the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition:

A September 27 fundraising email from Rob Beach, the Director of Community Building and Digital Media at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, misrepresented accepted scientific conclusions about the health of the menhaden stock in the Chesapeake Bay in order to gain funding for the organization.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation repeatedly described menhaden in the Bay as being “under threat from industrial fishing.” The most recent science on Atlantic menhaden shows that this is wrong.

In 2012, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), which manages Atlantic menhaden, released the species’ latest updated stock assessment. Due to problems with the assessment model, the assessment suggested the menhaden stock was being overfished, a conclusion that has subsequently been found to be incorrect. As a result of this flawed assessment, the ASMFC slashed the annual menhaden catch by 20% as a precautionary measure.

Between 2012 and 2015, the menhaden stock assessment model was thoroughly reevaluated and updated with new tools and information that was previously unavailable. Consequently, when the 2015 benchmark stock assessment was released, it had reached a far different conclusion. It found that menhaden are neither overfished nor experiencing overfishing. This is a pattern that held for decades: in the assessment’s analysis, menhaden have not been overfished for nearly a half-century. Furthermore, the assessment found fishing mortality to be at an all-time low. This is especially significant, as it means that the impact of the commercial menhaden fishery is at its lowest point, and that regulators are already successfully managing the fishery.

In an effort to purposely mislead, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation claims that increasing the menhaden quota would change that reality. The science tells a different story. Recently, the ASMFC ran a comprehensive series of simulations to test the potential impact of various quota raises. The Commission concluded that raising the quota as high as 40% has a 0% chance of leading to overfishing.

Chesapeake Bay Foundation staff regularly attends meetings of the ASMFC; in fact, the group’s Director of Fisheries, Bill Goldsborough, has served in various roles with the ASMFC for nearly 25 years. It is shameful this fundraising campaign knowingly perpetuates misconceptions and inaccuracies about the health of a significant Bay fishery. It is using false fear to spur contributions.

Fearmongering for financial gain should be beneath the dignity of an organization that claims to be dedicated to “science-based solutions.”

About the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition
The Menhaden Fisheries Coalition is a collective of menhaden fishermen, related businesses, and supporting industries. Comprised of over 30 businesses along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition conducts media and public outreach on behalf of the menhaden industry to ensure that members of the public, media, and government are informed of important issues, events, and facts about the fishery.

Atlantic Menhaden Management Board approves increase in 2017 catch limit

October 27, 2016 — After failing to agree on an increase in the 2017 Atlantic menhaden catch limit at an August meeting, regional managers voted Wednesday to increase it by 6.45 percent.

But it’s not a surprising move, said John Bull, commissioner for Virginia Marine Resources.

“I believe the Atlantic Marine Fishery operates on sound science, and the science was not just sound,” Bull said.

The Atlantic Menhaden Management Board — a board within the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission — passed the vote 16-2 at a meeting Wednesday. Pennsylvania and the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife dissented, hoping to keep the status quo.

“That was overwhelmingly approved because the stock is in good shape,” Bull said. “An increase of even up to 40 percent would have carried minimal risks that the harvest could’ve resulted in overfishing.”

Read the full story at the Daily Press

Regulators increase menhaden quota, which could help ease bait fish shortage

October 27, 2016 — Regulators voted Wednesday to increase the annual quota for menhaden in 2017, giving Maine lobstermen a welcome boost in the supply of a popular bait fish, but no relief for Maine fishermen who want a bigger share of the national menhaden harvest.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has struggled to set its quota for the oily forage fish, also known as pogey, with members split between wanting to maintain the annual menhaden catch at 187,880 metric tons and those who say the stock has rebounded enough to raise the quota.

On Wednesday, as the commission gathered for its annual meeting in Bar Harbor, the menhaden board voted 16-2 to increase the annual quota by 6.5 percent, to 200,000 metric tons, with Pennsylvania and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service holding out for keeping the quota unchanged.

Some member states had wanted to raise the quota by 20 percent or 40 percent, saying that government scientists believe there is no chance that even an increase of that size would lead to overfishing of the population, which appears to have rebounded after years of decline.

“Science says the stock’s in good shape,” said Bill Adler of the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association. “I find it difficult that we can deal with overfishing, we can do a good job of cutting things down, but then we have success and we don’t know what to do with it.”

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

Latest report says menhaden thriving in the Gulf

October 25th, 2016 — A commission that assesses the health and viability of the menhaden population in the Gulf released a report this week that says despite massive commercial hauls, the menhaden population is sound.

It’s called a stock assessment for menhaden — a fish caught for catfood and fish oil supplements and a favorite food of large game fish. If fact, there’s been controversy this year over how many redfish commercial menhaden boats in the Gulf should be allowed to keep in the bycatch while fishing for menhaden.

Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission evaluated the status of the Gulf menhaden in U.S. waters and concluded the “Gulf of Mexico’s menhaden stock is not experiencing overfishing,” said Steven J. VanderKooy, a fisheries coordinator with the commission, which has an Ocean Springs office.

The assessment was completed as a cooperative effort of Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Texas and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Menhaden catches support the second largest commercial fishery by weight in the United States. Menhaden are small filter feeders that don’t grow much longer than a foot and only live for three or four years.

Despite the fact that millions of pounds are hauled in each year, they are thriving, VanderKooy said. “They are really, really resilient. It’s a great fish and short-lived.”

Read the full story at the Sun Herald  

JEFF KAELIN: Fisheries commission should increase menhaden quota

October 24, 2016 — The following is excerpted from an opinion piece by Jeff Kaelin from the Asbury Park Press. Mr. Kaelin directs government relations for Lund’s Fisheries:

At its meeting Wednesday, the ASMFC will be voting on whether to increase the number of menhaden fishermen can catch each year. By voting in favor of a quota increase, which is strongly supported by the science New Jersey’s commission representatives can improve local economies and bolster the bottom line of hard-working fishermen during the summer and fall seasons while maintaining a balanced ocean ecosystem.

The most unfortunate part of the 2012 harvest cut is that it was not even necessary. In 2015, a newer stock assessment was conducted that overturned the results of the 2012 assessment. Not only did it find fault in the science undermining the earlier assessment, but it also emphasized that menhaden are not overfished. This is not a new phenomenon — in fact, the assessment found that menhaden have not been overfished for the past half-century.

In anticipation of potentially raising the quota this year, the ASMFC underwent an exhaustive and comprehensive analysis of the potential impact of raising the quota. Testing several different quota levels, and after more than 8,000 simulations, the ASMFC concluded raising the probability of a quota raise leading to overfishing is zero.

With such strong odds, it is clear the quota should be raised. New Jersey fishermen will reap tremendous benefits from the ability to sustainably harvest and sell more menhaden each year, as will other fishing businesses such as charter rentals and boat maintenance facilities. Finally, increasing the menhaden quota will help protect one of New Jersey’s strongest assets — the pristine coastline.

Read the full opinion piece in the Asbury Park Press

PATRICE MCCARRON: Current fisheries science supports increasing menhaden quota

KENNEBUNK — Maine’s lobstermen recently caught a break with the reopening of the state’s menhaden fishery. A key source of local, fresh bait for Maine’s lobster fishery, menhaden has been an increasingly common presence in Maine waters. But the fishery’s reopening is only a temporary patch on a long-standing problem.

Scientists have determined that the menhaden stock is in great shape. But the fishery suffered steep cuts in quota by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, the interstate body that manages menhaden, because the stock assessment conducted in 2012 had erroneously concluded that the stock was overfished.

The most recent menhaden assessment, conducted in 2015, found that the opposite was the case: Menhaden is not being overfished and has not been overfished since the 1960s. In short, the fishery is being managed sustainably. When read in conjunction with other metrics from the assessment, including all-time low levels of fishing mortality, it is clear that the menhaden stock is poised for long-term success.

Last year, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, in recognition of the sustainability of current menhaden management, raised the coastwide quota by 10 percent. While this increase was a positive development for fishermen, the quota still remains well below what it what it was nearly five years ago.

Read the full opinion column at the Portland Press Herald

Bunker or Pogie: Menhaden by Any Name Makes a Great Bait

September 12, 2016 — Menhaden may have a bit of an identity problem. Most of the Northeast refers to them as “bunker.” But around Massachusetts they’re often known as “pogies.” Whatever you decide to call them, they’re great bait this time of year for fishing big stripers.

Menhaden are a member of the herring family. They migrate into our waters seasonally, arriving from the south each spring. They grow out to a couple of pounds and about a foot long. They’re schooling fish, typically swimming in big schools.

In this week’s Fishing News, Kevin Blinkoff, of On The Water magazine, talks about snagging pogies and using them to fish bigger striped bass in Boston Harbor.

Read and listen to the full story at WCAI

ME, NJ, and VA Atlantic Menhaden Harvester and Dealer Survey Participants Sought for Socioeconomic Study

September 2, 2016 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Arlington, Va. — The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission awarded funding to a research team headed by Dr. John Whitehead of Appalachian State University and Dr. Jane Harrison from North Carolina Sea Grant to conduct a socioeconomic study of Atlantic menhaden commercial fisheries. The study is intended to characterize the coastwide commercial fisheries, including bait and reduction sectors and the fishing communities they support.

The principal investigators have sent survey announcements to fishermen and bait dealers in Maine, New Jersey, and Virginia. Virginia fishery participants will receive postcards announcing the surveys while Maine and New Jersey participants will receive an email announcement. Reminders will be sent throughout August and early September. Participation in this survey is highly encouraged, as the data from this study will be used in the development of Draft Amendment 3 to the Atlantic Menhaden Fishery Management Plan in 2017 and subsequent management decisions. The deadline for responding to this survey is September 15.

The full proposal can be found here. For more information, please contact Dr. Jane Harrison, North Carolina Sea Grant, at jane_harrison@ncsu.edu or 919.513.0122.