Saving Seafood

Pilot program would give Louisiana control of red snapper stocks for three years

May 8, 2017 — The head of the Fisheries Division of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries on Thursday told the board that regulates his agency he’s optimistic Louisiana may get to manage red snapper in federal waters off the state’s coast in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

Patrick Banks updated the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission about a proposal he made to the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council that would establish a pilot program allowing Louisiana to manage red-snapper stocks in both state and federal waters off its coast for three years. By an 11 to 5 vote, the council approved the proposal, which gives Louisiana the go-ahead to flesh it out into an actual amendment that would ultimately need to be approved by the advisory panel.

“It’s not everything we want, but it’s certainly a better ride than what we’ve got right now,” Banks told the commission.

Details of the plan must still be worked out, and Banks said it’s possible the council will alter the ultimate amendment so much it will look nothing like what’s originally proposed. But his intention is to allow Louisiana to set seasons and regulations out to 200 nautical miles off the coast during the three years of the pilot program to demonstrate how regional management might work.

Banks cautioned, however, that wouldn’t mean a 365-day season with high daily limits.

Under the proposal, state anglers would get access to Louisiana’s historical catch, which is 15.8 percent of the total Gulf recreational red snapper quota. Based on current numbers, that would be about 1.1 million pounds of red snapper.

Since more waters would be open to anglers from the Texas to Mississippi state lines, Louisiana’s share of the quota would be much more quickly reached than under the current management regimen. In 2016, the federal season was only 11 days, but state waters were open to red snapper harvest for nearly nine months.

Read the full story at the Times-Picayune

3-Day Red Snapper Season for Anglers in Gulf’s US Waters

May 3, 2017 — Private recreational anglers went 25 percent over last year’s quota for red snapper , and will have only three days to fish federal waters this year for one of the Gulf of Mexico’s most popular sport and table fish, federal regulators said Tuesday.

Charter boat captains will have a 49-day season. Both seasons will start June 1.

“It’s a disappointment to me to that we have made such gains in rebuilding this stock but the season’s going to be this short,” said Roy Crabtree, regional fisheries administrator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

A big reason, he said, is that private anglers are expected to take 81 percent of their 3 million-pound (1.3-million kilogram) quota out of state waters, where seasons range from 66 days off Alabama to year-round off Texas.

 That leaves little to be caught farther offshore in federal waters — and GPS units, electronic fish finders and other advancements have made anglers far more efficient than they used to be, Crabtree said.

State officials and politicians say the 3-day season just proves states should regulate the species.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at U.S. News

China’s Appetite Pushes Fisheries to the Brink

May 1, 2017 — Once upon a time, the seas teemed with mackerel, squid and sardines, and life was good. But now, on opposite sides of the globe, sun-creased fishermen lament as they reel in their nearly empty nets.

“Your net would be so full of fish, you could barely heave it onto the boat,” said Mamadou So, 52, a fisherman in Senegal, gesturing to the meager assortment of tiny fish flapping in his wooden canoe.

A world away in eastern China, Zhu Delong, 75, also shook his head as his net dredged up a disappointing array of pinkie-size shrimp and fledgling yellow croakers. “When I was a kid, you could cast a line out your back door and hook huge yellow croakers,” he said. “Now the sea is empty.”

Overfishing is depleting oceans across the globe, with 90 percent of the world’s fisheries fully exploited or facing collapse, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. From Russian king crab fishermen in the west Bering Sea to Mexican ships that poach red snapper off the coast of Florida, unsustainable fishing practices threaten the well-being of millions of people in the developing world who depend on the sea for income and food, experts say.

But China, with its enormous population, growing wealth to buy seafood and the world’s largest fleet of deep-sea fishing vessels, is having an outsize impact on the globe’s oceans.

Having depleted the seas close to home, Chinese fishermen are sailing farther to exploit the waters of other countries, their journeys often subsidized by a government more concerned with domestic unemployment and food security than the health of the world’s oceans and the countries that depend on them.

Read the full story at the New York Times

Louisiana Seeks Public Input on Red Snapper Management

April 10, 2017 — As the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission (LWFC) and Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries continue to work towards a resolution regarding the management of red snapper, the LWFC invited representatives from the Louisiana commercial, charter and private sectors to their monthly meeting to provide input. Two representatives from each sector expressed their respective group’s concerns and comments on the topic.

The department urges Louisiana red snapper fishermen to voice their opinions and will continue to accept public comments on red snapper management via their website and email. Individuals interested in submitting a comment can visit the department’s homepage and navigate to the ‘red snapper management’ button, click here or email redsnapper@wlf.la.gov.

Read the full story at The Fishing Wire

SAFMC News Release: Upcoming Meetings Will Address Federal Fisheries Management Issues

April 7, 2017 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Fishermen and others interested in federal fishery management issues will want to mark their calendars for upcoming meetings that may affect fishing for snapper grouper, mackerel, cobia, dolphin and wahoo, as well as policies affecting essential fish habitat and ecosystem-based management and the harvest of spiny lobster. The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold several advisory panel meetings as well as a meeting of the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) and the SSC Socio-Economic Panel in the coming weeks. A public hearing for issues affecting spiny lobster will be held via webinar in May.      

The Council’s advisory panel members, representing recreational fishermen, charter captains, commercial fishermen, seafood dealers and others knowledgeable about fisheries issues, provide grassroot input into the fishery management process. The Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) and Socio-Economic Panel are responsible for reviewing the scientific basis of Council management plans and actions and developing fishing level recommendations in accordance with national fisheries guidelines. Members of the SSC include stock assessment scientists, economists, biologists, sociologists, and others knowledgeable about fisheries in the South Atlantic.      

Additional information about the meetings is listed below, including meeting agendas, overviews, and briefing book materials are posted on the Council’s website (see details below). Members of the public are invited to attend all meetings and encouraged to participate in the spiny lobster public hearing via webinar. The SSC and advisory panel meetings will also be accessible online via webinar as they occur. Webinar registration is required and details are posted on the meeting pages of the website.  

Advisory Panel Meeting Agenda Highlights

Meeting Materials: The AP meeting materials and webinar registration information is now available at: http://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/current-advisory-panel-meetings/.

Meeting Locations: With the exception of the Habitat Advisory Panel and Law Enforcement Advisory Panel, all of the following advisory panel meetings will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 4831 Tanger Outlet Blvd., North Charleston, SC 29418, phone: 843/744-4422.  

April 17-19, 2017 Snapper Grouper Advisory Panel Meeting 

  • Red snapper management options to reduce discards, improve the survival of released fish, and improve recreational reporting (Amendment 43)
  • Vision Blueprint Regulatory Amendment 26 (Recreational) – measures include modifications to aggregate bag limits, reducing minimum size limits for black sea bass and gray triggerfish, and changes to the current spawning season closure for shallow-water grouper 
  • Vision Blueprint Regulatory Amendment 27 (Commercial) – measures include options for split seasons, shallow-water grouper season closure, and trip limits for the Jacks complex
  • Limited-entry for the for-hire (charter) fishery  

April 19-20, 2017 – Mackerel Cobia and Cobia Sub-Panel Advisory Panel Meeting

  • Updates on Atlantic cobia recreational fishing season, upcoming stock assessment, and ongoing cobia research
  • Atlantic Spanish mackerel – possible limited entry for federal commercial permits, and gillnet endorsements
  • King mackerel – latent commercial permits, Atlantic king mackerel trip limits on Spanish mackerel gillnet trips

April 21, 2017 – Dolphin Wahoo Advisory Panel Meeting

  • Dolphinfish Research Program presentation
  • Update on South Atlantic Council actions including recent changes to commercial trip limits for dolphin and the status of electronic reporting requirements for charter vessels
  • AP input on management options including the definition of Optimum Yield for dolphin,management of annual catch limits, allowable gear in the commercial fishery for dolphin and wahoo, and operator card requirements.  

May 16-17, 2017 – Habitat Protection and Ecosystem-Based Management 

Advisory Panel Meeting

  Meeting Location: Town & Country Inn, 2008 Savannah Highway, Charleston, SC 29407

  • Continued development of the Council’s Fishery Ecosystem Plan II 
  • Draft Essential Fish Habitat Policy Statement for Artificial Reefs 
  • Presentation by the Sargasso Sea Commission

May 18-19, 2017 – Law Enforcement Advisory Panel Meeting 

  Meeting Location: Town & Country Inn, 2008 Savannah Highway, Charleston, SC 29407

  • Updates on recent Council actions and the electronic reporting pilot program for charter vessels 
  • Possible changes to Operator Permits to improve utility 
  • Enforcement of fishery closures 
  • Retention of recreational bag limits when citations are issued and other issues 

Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) and Social & Economic Sub-Panel Meeting – April 24 – April 27, 2017

Analysis of fishing behavior, a socio-economic analysis of the snapper grouper fishery, and economic and social indicators of stock abundance top the agenda for a meeting of the Social & Economic Sub-panel of the Council’s SSC beginning on April 24th. Members of the SSC will then convene for the next three days to discuss scientific issues affecting the upcoming stock assessment for vermilion snapper, golden tilefish projections, approaches for obtaining an acceptable biological catch for red snapper, black sea bass bag and size limit analysis, and uncertainty in the Marine Recreational Information Program estimates and discuss a possible joint meeting of the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council’s SSCs in the future to address these estimates. Public comment will be accepted during the SSC meeting and the meeting is available via webinar. Registration is required. Additional information will be posted at: http://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/scientific-and-statistical-committee-meetings/ as it becomes available. Meeting location: Town & Country Inn, 2008 Savannah Highway, Charleston, SC 29407

Spiny Lobster Regulatory Amendment 4 Public Hearing via Webinar

May 9, 2017 at 6:00 p.m.   

Spiny lobster in federal waters from North Carolina to Texas are managed jointly by the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils. The South Atlantic Council will hold a public hearing via webinar to address management measures proposed in Regulatory Amendment 4 to the Spiny Lobster Fishery Management Plan. Actions in the amendment address biological parameters such as acceptable biological catch (ABC) for spiny lobster in both the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico following a recent stock assessment.  The amendment would also prevent the use of lobster traps for recreational harvest in federal waters in the South Atlantic. Additional information, including webinar registration and public hearing documents and presentations will be posted at: http://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/public-hearing-and-scoping-meeting-schedule/by April 25, 2017.   

A PDF copy of this news release is available from the Council’s website.

Restaurateur accused of operating illegal seafood network

April 6, 2017 — A well-known Houston restaurateur has been accused of operating an illegal seafood network that allegedly funneled nearly 28,000 pounds of unlawfully-caught finfish through his restaurants.

Texas game wardens allege that Bruce Molzan, 59, bought and then sold the illegal finfish off the menus at Ruggles Green and Ruggles Black. Molzan hasn’t been associated with Ruggles Green since 2016 but still owns Ruggles Black.

In addition, another restaurant illegally sold shrimp to Molzan for use in his restaurants in violation of commercial fish wholesale regulations, according to investigators.

The illegal catches were made by a web of about a dozen unlicensed commercial fishermen and sold to the restaurants, according to Texas Parks & Wildlife investigators. Their catches consisted primarily of highly-regulated red snapper, along with other protected game fish species, including tuna, amberjack, grouper and red drum.

The investigation expanded significantly last April after U.S. Coast Guard crews stopped an unlicensed commercial fishing boat in coastal waters near Freeport with 488 red snapper weighing approximately 1,900 pounds. Texas game wardens and the National Marine Fisheries Service seized the fish, which were illegally caught in the Gulf of Mexico off Freeport and Galveston, and investigators were able to link the subjects with the illegal seafood operation.

“This is a big deal and exemplifies the critically important work our Texas game wardens do to protect the state’s natural resources,” said Col. Craig Hunter, TPWD law enforcement director. “Not only did these unscrupulous actors violate recreational fishing regulations at an extreme level for personal profit, but they also circumvented restrictions and rules governing the possession, safe handling and sale of commercial aquatic products intended for human consumption.”

Read the full story at WTSP

Texas game wardens bust massive illegal seafood network

April 6, 2017 — A Houston chef is being accused by state wildlife officials of participating in an illegal seafood network that funneled tons of unlawfully caught fish to his businesses.

The network is made up of about a dozen unlicensed commercial fishermen who caught fish off the Texas coast and sold them to Houston-area restaurants, state wildlife officials said. The catches included protected fish species, including red snapper, tuna, amberjack, grouper and red drum.

State investigators said they suspect the network began operating in 2013, and could be the largest of its kind in Texas history.

“This is a big deal and exemplifies the critically important work our Texas game wardens do to protect the state’s natural resources,” said Col. Craig Hunter, the department’s law enforcement director.

“That is not something we in law enforcement will tolerate and we are confident these individuals will be prosecuted to the fullest extent the law allows.”

A break in the investigation came in April 2016, when the U.S. Coast Guard stopped a commercial fishing boat in coastal waters near Freeport. The boat was carrying 1,900 pounds of red snapper.

Read the full story at the Galveston County Daily News

Senator Shelby leads way on more data on Gulf red snapper populations

March 27, 2017 — Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby paved the way for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to land a multimillion-dollar grant to innovate Gulf of Mexico reef-fish survey assessments and technologies.

This $9.5 million grant program, authored by Shelby, is directed by the 2016 Appropriations Act. The goal is to produce a more-accurate estimate of Gulf red snapper populations and improve fishing access.

Read the full story at the Sun Herald

SAFMC News Release: Federal Fishery Managers Continue to Explore Options for Red Snapper

March 13, 2017 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Members of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council addressed a number of issues affecting offshore fisheries during their meeting this week in Jekyll Island, Georgia including the continued closure of the red snapper fishery in federal waters off the South Atlantic coast and the prohibition of recreational harvest of Atlantic cobia in federal waters from Georgia to New York. Red snapper were initially closed to harvest in the South Atlantic in 2010 in order to rebuild the stock and end overfishing. Limited harvest was allowed in 2012, 2013 and 2014 through weekend openings. Recreational fishing for Atlantic cobia closed early in 2016 after it was estimated that anglers had exceeded the total annual catch limit for the year. NOAA Fisheries announced on January 24, 2017 that the Atlantic cobia recreational fishery would be closed for the remainder of the year in federal waters after exceeding the annual catch limit in 2016 and in anticipation of harvest being allowed by some states that will likely result in the catch limit being exceeded again in 2017.

The Council, whose members include representatives from state marine resources agencies, federal agencies, and recreational, charter and commercial fishermen, discussed options to reduce discards, improve the survival rate of fish that are released, and perhaps allow limited harvest of red snapper in the future as the stock continues to rebuild. The latest stock assessment update for red snapper was completed in 2016 using data collected through 2014. The Council recently received notification from NOAA Fisheries, the agency responsible for collecting fisheries data, that due to several factors, including uncertainty in the stock assessment and in estimates of fishing mortality, along with anticipated changes to the current methods used for recreational data collection, that an Acceptable Biological Catch for red snapper cannot be determined at this time. Without this number, the Council is unable to set other parameters for red snapper, including Annual Catch Limits. During its meeting the Council requested a joint meeting of the Scientific and Statistical Committees from both the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, along with scientists from NOAA Fisheries Southeast Fisheries Science Center and the Marine Recreational Information Program to address the issue as it applies to red snapper and other species.

“We have to come to some resolution of what kind of management approach may be acceptable as we work towards getting an ABC for red snapper,” said Council Chair Dr. Michelle Duval. “We should stay focused on the goal of Amendment 43 to reduce discards and turn discards into landings. The unfortunate reality is that we simply aren’t going to have numbers for the next few months.” The Council is developing Snapper Grouper Amendment 43 with management options to reduce discards, improve discard mortality, and improve recreational data collection. Public scoping meetings were held in January and February of this year to get input from the public on how best to reduce discards/discard mortality and improve private recreational data. The Council removed an action that considered large area closures and agreed to continue to develop best fishing practices management measures during its June 2017 meeting.

Vision Blueprint 

Development of additional management measures continues as part of the Council’s 2016-2020 Vision Blueprint for the snapper grouper fishery. The Council reviewed public comment received as part of the public scoping held earlier this year and discussed options for the recreational fishery including restructuring aggregate bag limits, adjusting the current shallow-water grouper spawning season closure, and reducing the minimum size limit for black sea bass through Visioning Regulatory Amendment 26. Commercial measures are being addressed through Visioning Regulatory Amendment 27 and include options for split seasons, and modifications to trip limits and step-downs.

Yellowtail Snapper and Dolphin 

The Council decided to postpone further actions on two amendments to allow for further analyses that may be necessary following changes underway to NOAA Fisheries Marine Recreational Information Program. Management measures addressing allocations of yellowtail snapper through Snapper Grouper Amendment 44 and for dolphin (fish) through Dolphin Wahoo Amendment 10 will be delayed until the revised recreational catch data are available.

Atlantic Cobia 

The Council also received an update on management measures affecting Atlantic cobia, including a report from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission on its development of a complementary management plan that will allow additional flexibility for cobia management. In September 2016, the Council approved measures through Regulatory Amendment 4 to help reduce harvest of Atlantic cobia in federal waters that include increasing the minimum size limit, reducing the recreational bag limit, and establishing vessel limits. The regulations are currently being reviewed by NOAA Fisheries. The Council’s Mackerel Cobia Advisory Panel will meet April 19-20, 2017 to continue discussions and provide input.

Other Actions

The Council heard from more than 30 fishermen and other stakeholders during a public comment session held on Wednesday afternoon, with the majority of comments directed toward opposition to a proposed Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) that would have allowed for a voluntary pilot catch share program. The Council may provide recommendations for the permits with the final determination made by NOAA Fisheries. Dr. Roy Crabtree, Regional Administrator for NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office announced just prior to the public comment session that the EFP for the pilot project had been withdrawn by the applicants. Although many attending the public comment session expressed support for withdrawal of the pilot project, some had driven several hours to provide comment. The Council allowed attendees to voice their concerns and discussed ways to avoid the situation for reviewing EFPs in the future. Over 600 written comments were received online regarding the EFP for the pilot program and various other issues addressed by the Council this week.

The next Council meeting is scheduled for June 12-17, 2017 at the Sawgrass Marriott in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Final committee reports, public comments, and other materials from this week’s meeting are available from the Council’s website at http://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/council-meetings/. 

Read further details and see images and other related meeting links at the March 2017 Council Meeting Round-up Story Map 

The March 2017 Meeting Report is also available.

 

GEORGIA: Progress on red snapper, ‘catch share’ request withdrawn

March 9, 2017 — In Weird Al Yankovic’s cult ’80s film “UHF,” contestants play for their weight in fish on a game show called, “Wheel of Fish.” A woman, the returning champion, gets the first spin at the wheel that, yes, sports a number of fish tied to it at regular intervals. Then the wheel stops.

“Ah, a red snapper,” says the show’s host, a character played by Gedde Watanabe. “Mmm — very tasty.”

They are tasty, which created a problem the closed red snapper season off the Southeast United States was supposed to solve — rebuilding the fish’s population so as to allow both commercial and recreational fishing for red snapper once again.

At the Tuesday morning meeting of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Snapper Grouper Committee meeting, there appeared to be some progress in moving toward reopening red snapper fishing in federal waters off Georgia, Florida and the Carolinas.

Zack Bowen, a charter fisherman from Savannah, pushed the need for movement, saying, “The recreational anglers are mad as hell,” charter operations are starving for business and there needed to be something done soon to address opening red snapper fishing.

Read the full story at The News