Saving Seafood

Red Snapper’s Overfishing Threat Triggers Records Suit

January 25, 2018 — BALTIMORE — Worried about regulatory changes that will exacerbate overfishing of red snapper, conservationists claim in a federal complaint that the Trump administration is stonewalling their records request.

Represented by Earthjustice, the nonprofit group Ocean Conservancy says it invoked the Freedom of Information Act on June 19, 2017 — the same day that the red snapper fishing season was expanded for private anglers in the Gulf of Mexico to 42 days, up from just three.

The National Marine Fisheries Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration “admitted that the action would cause the private recreational fishing sector to substantially exceed the annual catch limit set for that sector and delay rebuilding for the overfished population of red snapper, in violation of a number of statutes,” the complaint states.

Ocean Conservancy says it wants access to the agencies’ records about the rule change so that it can understand why the rule was adopted and inform the public.

“The government has an obligation to the citizens of this country to manage our shared public resources in a transparent way, and it is unacceptable for them to withhold that information from us,” Meredith Moore, director of fish conservation at Ocean Conservancy, said in a statement on the group’s website. “By all indications, the red snapper decision was a politically motivated action that ignored science, contrary to the law. Their decision will cause long-term damage to the fishermen and communities that depend on this economically and ecologically important fishery.

Neither the NOAA nor NMFS has responded to a request for comment on the lawsuit.

Read the full story at Courthouse News

 

New study highlights benefits of recreational fisheries reform

December 22, 2017 — A new paper published in the current issue of Fisheries Research finds that giving recreational fishing businesses the flexibility to take customers fishing when they want to in exchange for carefully tracking what they catch is a win-win for the environment and the economy. The results of a pilot program show that this added flexibility and accountability enables more fishing trips over a year-round fishing season, higher earnings for businesses, better data collection, adherence to science-based catch limits, and improved conservation of fish populations.

A growing number of commercial fisheries are operating under effective management that provides economic benefits to communities while ensuring fishermen stay within sustainable catch limits and contribute to rebuilding progress. This is good for the environment, the economy, and seafood consumers around the country. But unlike their commercial fishing counterparts, marine recreational fisheries have seen little policy innovation. Instead, they have been stuck in management that relies on season, size, and bag limits, promoting a “race to fish” resulting in even tighter regulations and growing waste of fish populations. The cost of inaction is high, as recreational fisheries are increasingly important to ocean ecosystems and coastal economies.

This failure of recreational fisheries management is showcased in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, where large overharvests have become the norm and fishing seasons for popular species like red snapper, grouper, and many others are now closed for much of the year. The policy response has been business as usual – mostly characterized by conflict over who gets the fish rather than how to make better use of them. The system is failing anglers and fishing businesses alike. But a recent trial of an innovative management approach – one that combines flexibility to fish throughout the year with sustainable catch limits and improved monitoring – shows that recreational fisheries can escape the broken system just like many commercial fisheries have done.

Read the full story at the Environmental Defense Fund

 

Trump team may have broken law to score red snapper win

December 19, 2017 — The Trump administration scored last week when a House panel voted to give Gulf of Mexico states more power in managing the popular red snapper, but court records suggest it may be a tainted victory.

Internal memos show that Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and a top adviser may have knowingly violated federal fisheries law in June when they extended the Gulf red snapper season, hoping the move would pressure Congress to act.

In a June 1 memo, Earl Comstock, the Commerce Department’s director of policy and strategic planning, told Ross that a longer season “would result in overfishing” of the stock by as much as 40 percent and possibly prompt a lawsuit.

But Comstock urged Ross to extend the season anyway, saying it could lead to “a significant achievement” by forcing Congress to liberalize the federal law and transfer more authority to Gulf states.

“It would allow a reset in the acrimonious relationship and set the stage for Congress to adopt a long-term fix,” Comstock told Ross.

Comstock followed up with a second memo on June 7, reminding his boss that both the White House and a dozen congressmen from Gulf states had asked Ross to explore the possibility of a longer fishing season.

The next week, Ross decided to extend the season from three to 42 days, much to the joy of recreational anglers in Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama (Greenwire, Sept. 20).

Critics say the memos offer proof that Commerce and NOAA Fisheries plotted to bypass the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, a 1976 law that sets quotas as a way to rebuild overfished stocks, including the red snapper.

“I appreciate it when people are transparent about their intentions,” said Janis Searles Jones, the CEO of Ocean Conservancy, a nonprofit environmental group.

Commerce made the memos public as part of its response to a lawsuit filed in July in U.S. District Court in Washington by Ocean Conservancy and the Environmental Defense Fund. The complaint accuses Ross, NOAA and NOAA Fisheries of mismanagement by allowing overfishing.

Read the full story at E&E News

 

US seafood industry, ocean groups in unison against red snapper bill

December 19, 2017 — The National Fisheries Institute and ocean conservation groups don’t always see eye to eye on legislation, but they do with regard to HR 3588, the Red Snapper Act, which has been advanced by the US House of Representatives’ Committee on Natural Resources.

They are both against it.

The bill, which the panel approved by a 22-16 vote following a brief markup hearing on Wednesday, along with two amendments to the Magnuson-Stevens Act, would transfer management of the red snapper recreational fishery in the Gulf of Mexico from a federal fisheries management council to several gulf states, including Louisiana. Representative Garrett Graves, who introduced the bill, represents the Republican districts of northern Terrebonne and Lafourche, in Louisiana.

Graves’ bill must still get to the House floor for a vote. And its companion bill, S. 1686, introduced in August by Louisiana senator Bill Cassidy, also a Republican, in the upper chamber’s Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, has just two co-sponsors (Republicans John Kennedy, also from Louisiana, and Luther Strange, from Alabama).

But the recreational fishing industry is excited.

“The need to update our nation’s fisheries management system to ensure the conservation of our public marine resources and reasonable public access to those resources is abundantly clear. We look forward to the full House consideration of the bill,” said Patrick Murray, president of Coastal Conservation Association, one of the nation’s largest sport fishing groups, in a written statement following the vote.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

 

House Natural Resources Committee Passes Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization

December 13, 2017 — WASHINGTON — The following was released by the House Committee on Natural Resources:

Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources passed H.R. 200, the “Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act.” Introduced by Chairman Emeritus Don Young (R-AK), the bill reauthorizes and modernizes the Magnuson-Stevens Act by implementing regional flexibility, tailored management practices and improved data collection for America’s federal fisheries.

“It has been 11 years since the Magnuson-Stevens Act was reauthorized and when we first passed this law, we saw tremendous success for the fisheries nationwide. Alaska is considered the gold standard of fisheries management and this industry is crucial to our local economy. I am proud to see my bill pass out of Committee today. This legislation will improve the management process by allowing regional fisheries to develop plans that match the needs of their area. Ultimately, this bill updates the Magnuson-Stevens Act to ensure a proper balance between the biological needs of fish stocks and the economic needs of fishermen and coastal communities,” Rep. Young stated. 

“America’s fisheries are governed by an outdated regulatory scheme and inflexible decrees imposed by distant bureaucrats. Fishermen and biologists on the ground should be partners in the formation of management plans, not powerless onlookers,” Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) said. “This bill provides flexibility so we can better meet local needs, expand economic activity and conserve ecosystems. Rep. Young has delivered a win for local management and I look forward to moving this bill through the chambers in the coming year.” 

Click here to learn more about the bill.

The following was released by the Democrats of the House Committee on Natural Resources:

Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today highlighted the broad-based economic and environmental opposition to H.R. 200, today’s highly partisan rewrite of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, which governs fisheries and fishing quotas across U.S. waters. The GOP bill is opposed by the Seafood Harvesters of America and a wide swathe of restaurants and individual commercial fisherman and by dozens of environmental groups, including the Alaska Wilderness League, Defenders of Wildlife, Earthjustice, the League of Conservation Voters, the National Audubon Society, Pew Charitable Trusts, the Ocean Conservancy and the Wilderness Society.

Opponents of the Republican bill have written a barrage of letters to Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) and other Republican leaders, including Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.), who chairs the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans, urging them to reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Act and abandon today’s bill, which was written by Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) on highly partisan lines. The letters are available at http://bit.ly/2nYuEin.

“Republicans’ plan is to deregulate our oceans and fish everywhere until there’s nothing left, and we’re not going to let that happen,” Grijalva said today. “Ocean management is about sustainable use and enjoyment, not just making environmentalists unhappy. Like most of the bills advanced by the leadership of this Committee, this bill is extreme and has no future in the Senate. Until my counterparts decide to take the issues in our jurisdiction more seriously, we’re going to keep wasting time on unpopular bills that have no chance of becoming law.”

Grijalva also underscored the deep opposition to H.R. 3588, Rep. Garret Graves’ (R-La.) bill deregulating red snapper fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. Many letter-writers who oppose H.R. 200 also oppose Graves’ effort, which an alliance of chefs and restaurateurs noted in a Nov. 7 letter “could inadvertently result in significant overfishing and deprive our customers of one of their favorite fish.”

 

SAFMC Fishery Managers Address Multiple Issues at December Meeting

December 11, 2017 — ATLANTIC BEACH, N.C. — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Members of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council wrapped up their weeklong meeting today in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, after considering management measures for several species including Atlantic cobia, red snapper, red grouper, and golden tilefish. The Council also held a workshop on recreational reporting and received an update on the pilot electronic recreational reporting project MyFishCount underway for red snapper. The red snapper recreational mini-season reopens today and continues over the weekend. Members of the public thanked the Council for taking measures to open the fishery in 2017 but also acknowledged that weather conditions are keeping fishermen off the water during the mini-season. Recreational anglers, including charter and headboat fishermen, unable to make their trips this weekend are encouraged to report cancelled trips using the pilot reporting program at MyFishCount.com.

If approved by the Secretary of Commerce, an interim catch level for red snapper proposed by the Council in September may allow for a red snapper mini-season beginning in July 2018. Efforts are underway to establish an acceptable biological catch for red snapper and scheduled for review by the Council during its June 2018 meeting. The Council moved forward with proposed measures to improve data collection and reduce bycatch of red snapper and other species in the snapper grouper management complex through actions in Amendment 46. Public hearings on the measures will be held in 2018.

Atlantic Cobia

Atlantic cobia are currently managed in federal waters from Georgia to New York. The recreational fishery closed in federal waters in June 2016 after landings estimates exceeded the annual catch limit the previous year and the recreational fishery was closed in January of this year in federal waters, as states landings were expected to exceed the federal catch limits. The fishery primarily occurs in state waters. In an effort to provide more flexibility in management, the Council requested that the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) develop an Interstate Management Plan for Atlantic Cobia.

The Council, through measures proposed in Amendment 31, is considering options for transferring management of Atlantic Cobia to the ASMFC as well as complementary management with the Commission. Public hearings on Amendment 31 will be scheduled for January 22-24, 2018. The public will also have the opportunity to provide comment on timing for the measures, with consideration given for an upcoming Cobia Stock Identification Workshop scheduled for 2018 and a benchmark stock assessment scheduled for 2019.

Red Grouper

A recent stock assessment for red grouper showed the red grouper stock is still overfished and undergoing overfishing. Under requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the Council is required to take measures to end overfishing. During this week’s meeting, the Council approved measures to significantly reduce both commercial and recreational annual catch limits for red grouper. The total catch limit would be reduced from 780,000 pounds to 139,000 pounds beginning in 2018. There are concerns that recruitment for red grouper, or the number of young produced each year, has been poor for several years. Landings in the commercial fishery have been lower than the current catch limits. Based on average landings from 2014-16, it is predicted that the recreational fishery for red grouper will close in July 2018 with the reduced catch limit of 77,840 pounds.

Golden Tilefish

A 2016 update to the golden tilefish stock assessment, a popular deepwater species primarily targeted by commercial fishermen, indicated the stock in the South Atlantic is undergoing overfishing. To meet mandates to address overfishing, the Council proposed an interim rule in June 2017 to reduce the annual catch limit from 558,036 pounds (gutted weight) to 323,000 pounds (gw). NOAA Fisheries has reviewed the measures and it is expected they will be implemented January 1, 2018. The interim rule would be in effect for 180 days and may be extended for 186 days. During this week’s meeting, the Council decided to move forward to develop a framework amendment to revise catch levels of golden tilefish and consider modifications to management measures with approval of the amendment in June 2018. Public hearings will be held prior to the Council’s June meeting.

Final Committee Reports, a meeting Story Map, Meeting Report, and other materials from this week’s Council meeting are available from the Council’s website at: http://safmc.net/2017-december-council-meeting/. The next meeting of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is scheduled for March 5-9, 2018 in Jekyll Island, Georgia.

About the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, one of eight regional councils, conserves and manages fish stocks from three to 200 miles offshore of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and east Florida. For more information, visit: www.safmc.net

 

Gulf of Mexico red snapper get traded like stocks. So just how big is the market?

December 5, 2017 — For the next two years, a team of researchers studying red snapper — the sweet and nutty star of seafood menus that also happens to be at the center of a heated regulatory battle — will do the seemingly impossible: count the number of fish swimming in the Gulf of Mexico.

The $10 million study, meant to provide an independent tally for fishermen around the Gulf, may ultimately offer the largest fish survey ever performed, and lead to more accurate counting tools for the complex job of assessing fish stocks. It’s also a stab at resolving the ongoing dispute over strict snapper rules that critics say favor commercial fishermen, allowing a few powerful ones to control lucrative catch limits traded like shares in the stock market.

“It’s a very touchy subject,” said Bob Spaeth, former owner of the Madeira Beach Seafood Co. on Florida’s Gulf Coast and executive director of the Southern Offshore Fishing Association. “We have some unintended consequences.”

Red snapper once filled the Gulf and supplied an industry that made fried, grilled or blackened snapper a staple at seafood restaurants and markets. But by the 1980s, the population had dropped to unsustainable numbers, with an absence of long-lived adults, which can live to age 50. That spawned years of shifting regulations, scrutinized stock assessments and debates between commercial and recreational fishermen who were regulated differently.

Read the full story at the Miami Herald

 

Recreational Reporting Pilot Project Continues for December Red Snapper Opening

November 30, 2017 — CHARLESTON, S.C. — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council: 

Information and data provided by recreational fishermen through the new pilot electronic reporting project MyFishCount.com were considered by NOAA Fisheries in order to extend the red snapper mini-season into December. NOAA Fisheries recently announced the reopening of the red snapper mini-season in federal waters for December 8-10, 2017. The bag limit will continue to be one fish per person/day with no minimum size limit.

Angler participation in MyFishCount, a voluntary recreational reporting pilot project developed by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council in collaboration with the Snook and Gamefish Foundation and Elemental Methods, was instrumental in the re-opening of this fishery by providing information not previously captured by current monitoring programs. MyFishCount is an online web portal that allows recreational fishermen to report information about their red snapper fishing activities, including the length of the fish kept and of those released, catch location, depth fished, hook type, hooking location, release treatment, and reason for release. Anglers are also able to report if trips were not taken for various reasons, including weather. For example, 106 reports were submitted for the second weekend of the mini-season and over 95% of trips were reported as abandoned due to weather. A detailed report including facts and figures of the information provided by anglers through MyFishCount during the November mini-season can be found on MyFishCount.com under the “2017 Season” tab.

Recreational fishermen are encouraged to continue reporting or to create a member profile on MyFishCount.com in order to report during the December 8-10 mini-season. Feedback from members has already been utilized in order to improve the program design. While the reporting platform will close after the December mini-season, MyFishCount will be modified into a mobile application to improve ease and timeliness of reporting and expanded to include other species. The pilot mobile app will be available for testing in 2018. If you would like to become involved in the piloting of the enhanced app in 2018 or provide feedback on the 2017 red snapper mini-season MyFishCount reporting platform, please contact Kelsey Dick at kelsey.dick@safmc.net or Chip Collier at chip.collier@safmc.net.

Learn more about the SAFMC by visiting their site here.

 

Red Snapper Fishing Opens for Three Extra Days in South Atlantic

November 29, 2017 — Recreational anglers can once again fish for and keep red snapper in 2017.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced in its South Atlantic Fishery Bulletin newsletter that harvesting will reopen to recreational anglers for three days, December 8-10, because preliminary estimates indicate anglers have not reached the 29,656-fish catch limit set for 2017.

The recreational and commercial harvest of red snapper was allowed for six days in November — the first time anglers were allowed to fish for red snapper in this area since 2014 — and projections estimate an additional three days will not surpass the catch limit.

Read the full story at Sport Fishing Magazine Online

 

Reminder: South Atlantic Fishery Management Council Meeting December 4-8, 2017 in Atlantic Beach, NC

November 28, 2017 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council: 

Agenda Highlights  

  • Snapper Grouper Committee

The Committee will address measures to reduce the annual catch limit for red grouper to end overfishing. Members will continue to work on long-term management measures for red snapper, improving recreational data, and the use of powerhead gear through actions currently in draft Amendment 46.  The Committee will also discuss a proposed moratorium on federal For-Hire/Charter permits in the snapper grouper fishery.

  • Citizen Science Committee

Program partner Rick Bonney (Cornell University, Lab of Ornithology) will provide an update on an upcoming pilot project addressing scampgrouper discards and other items of interest. Development of the program continues as the committee receives Action Team progress reports.

  • Data Collection Committee

The committee will receive an update on the status of an amendment approved by the Council in December 2016 to require federally permitted for-hire (6-pack) vessels to provide electronic reports. An update on outreach efforts for the proposed reporting requirement will also be provided.

Workshop: Recreational Reporting

Join Council members Tuesday, December 5th from 8:30 a.m. until 12:00 noon as they receive an update on the 2017 results of the red snapper recreational reporting pilot program MyFishCount.com and receive presentations relative to recreational reporting of red snapper and other reef fish in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as big game tagging.

Additional Meeting Information

Can’t attend? Watch the meeting live via webinar at it occurs! Webinar registration is required for each day of the meeting. Registration information – along with meeting materials including committee agendas, overviews, presentations, and documents – is available from the December 2017 Council Meeting page.

Public Comment Session

Wednesday, December 6 – 4:30 PM 

Formal public comment

The Council will be accept comments on meeting agenda items. The Council Chair, based on the number of individuals wishing to comment, will determine the amount of time provided to each commenter.

Learn more about the SAFMC at their site here.