Saving Seafood

River herring, hurt by dams and climate, might be endangered

September 5, 2017 — PORTLAND, Maine — The federal government is reviewing the status of a pair of river herring species to see if the little fish should be listed under the Endangered Species Act because of factors including dams and climate change.

The National Marine Fisheries Service is looking at the health of the alewife and blueback herring populations. The fish live in rivers from Maine to Florida, and conservationists have long made the case that their declining populations pose a major problem for the health of ecosystems along the East Coast.

The herring species are estimated to be at about 3 percent of their historical abundance, fisheries service biologist Tara Lake said in August. The damming of rivers and the creation of other obstructions, she said, has reduced their access to habitat to 5 percent of its historic amount.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Westerly Sun

Request for Information: NOAA Fisheries Announces River Herring Status Review

August 15, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is initiating a new status review of alewife and blueback herring. In a status review, we evaluate the best scientific and commercial data available on the current status of the species. We use these reviews to determine whether listing under the Endangered Species Act is warranted.

Through this announcement, we are requesting submission of information on alewife and blueback herring rangewide, including any information on the status, threats, and recovery of the species that has become available since the previous listing determinations in 2013.

Please submit your information by October 16, 2017, either through the e-Rulemaking portal or by mail to:

Tara Trinko Lake

NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Region

55 Great Republic Drive

Gloucester, MA 01930

Stock Assessment Update Indicates River Herring Remain Depleted on a Coastwide Basis Though Improvements Have Occurred in Several River Systems

August 4, 2017 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Shad and River Herring Management Board reviewed the results of the 2017 River Herring Assessment Update, which indicates river herring remain depleted and at near historic lows on a coastwide basis. The “depleted” determination was used instead of “overfished” and “overfishing” because many factors, not just directed and incidental fishing, are contributing to the low abundance of river herring.

Alewife and blueback herring (collectively referred to as river herring) are anadromous species, spending the majority of their life at sea and returning to their natal streams to spawn. While at sea, mixing is believed to occur among multiple river-specific stocks and the incidental catch of river herring in non-targeted ocean fisheries is known to include both immature and mature fish.

The stock assessment update applied the same approaches used in the previous benchmark stock assessment with the incorporation of additional years of data (2011-2015). Of the 54 river herring stocks for which data were available, 16 experienced increasing abundance trends, 2 experienced decreasing abundance trends, 8 experienced stable abundance, 10 experienced no discernible trends in abundance due to high variability, and 18 did not have enough data to assess recent abundance trends (see Table 1, below).

While status on a coastwide basis remains unchanged, there are some positive signs of improvement for some river systems, with increasing abundance trends for a number of rivers in the Mid-Atlantic throughout New England region. While abundance in these river systems are still at low levels, dam removals and improvements to fish passage have had a positive impact on run returns. Since the completion of the 2012 assessment, NOAA Fisheries in partnership with the Commission have worked to provide state and local agencies with restoration project funding, leading to dam removals and fish passage improvement projects.

River herring are managed through Amendment 2 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Shad and River Herring, with the goal of conserving and protecting river herring along the coast. The Amendment prohibited state waters commercial and recreational fisheries beginning January 1, 2012, unless a state or jurisdiction had a Sustainable Fishery Management Plan (SFMP) approved by the Board. SFMPs must clearly demonstrate that the state’s or jurisdiction’s river herring fisheries meet sustainability targets which must be achieved and maintained. Amendment 2 also required states to implement fisheries-dependent and independent monitoring programs, and contains recommendations to member states and jurisdictions to conserve, restore, and protect critical river herring habitat. As of June 1, 2017, the Shad and River Herring Management Board approved sustainable fishery management plans for Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, and South Carolina. Upon receiving the results of the Stock Assessment Update, the Board did not take any management action at this time.

For a more detailed overview of the River Herring Stock Assessment Update go here –http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/598371e1RiverHerringAssessmentUpdateOverview_Aug2017.pdf.  The Overview is intended to aid media and interested stakeholders in better understanding the Commission’s stock assessment results and process.  The River Herring Stock Assessment Update will be available on the Commission website, www.asmfc.org, on the Shad and River Herring webpage under stock assessment reports. For more information, please contact Kirby Rootes-Murdy, Senior Fishery Management Coordinator, at krootes-murdy@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.        

Maine’s river herring making dramatic comeback, a godsend for the food chain

July 17, 2017 — Motorists crossing the bridge over the Kennebec this spring and early summer were afforded dramatic views of one of Maine’s mightiest rivers, a chain of islands and warships under construction at Bath Iron Works.

But one of the most awesome sights was hidden from view: millions of fish swimming under the bridge in a pilgrimage from the Atlantic Ocean to their spawning grounds in lakes, rivers and ponds scattered over hundreds of square miles of southern, central and western Maine.

River herring – in the midst of a dramatic comeback in Maine’s rivers with the recent removal of dams that blocked their spawning runs for decades – had a banner spring run this year, with millions of fish traveling up the Kennebec and Penobscot and the best run in decades recorded on the St. Croix. This was despite heavy rains this spring that created extra challenges for the fish.

The recovery of the small schooling fish is having dramatic secondary effects, as they represent a perfect food source for everything from bald eagles to Atlantic cod, and researchers anticipate future benefits as the herring’s numbers grow in the coming decade.

“You just don’t expect ecosystems to bounce back so quickly,” says Joshua Royte, a conservation scientist at The Nature Conservancy in Maine, which played a key role in a collaborative project to remove the Penobscot dams. “These rivers are coming back gangbusters and there will be children growing up now who will never know there was a time when you couldn’t run out to see fish running in these rivers.”

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

 

Fishery council says no to river herring and shad plan

October 7, 2016 — A call to put river herring and shad in the same fishery management plan as mackerel, squid and butterfish was voted down by the Mid-Atlantic Marine Fisheries Council.

Incidental bycatches in ocean trawl fisheries was a main reason behind the consideration, but the council will stick with a plan already in place for dealing with it.

American shad, hickory shad, alewife and blueback herring — a quartet of anadromous fish that are at historic low population levels — often mix with mackerel in the ocean.

They get scooped up incidentally in commercial trawl nets meant for mackerel. The MAMFC said the amount may be substantial enough to negatively impact their populations.

The plan had the support of many sport fishermen, environmental and conservation groups on the Eastern seaboard who said the it would’ve led to more aggressive stewardship on the species.

NOAA Fisheries Announces Proposed Management Measures for the 2016-2018 Atlantic Herring Fishery

June 22, 2016 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries announces proposed management measures for the Atlantic Herring fishery for the 2016-2018 fishing years. The proposed catch limits for fishing years 2016 through 2018 are slightly lower than the current catch limits because the most recent assessment shows a slightly lower spawning stock biomass and a slightly higher fishing mortality.

We are also proposing to increase the catch cap limits for river herring and American shad to increase access to the fishery, while still providing sufficient protection for these species.

Read the proposed rule as published in the Federal Register and supplemental documents.

The comment period is open through July 21.

You may submit comments by any one of the following methods:

  • Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Click the “Comment Now!” icon, complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments.
  • Mail: Submit written comments to NMFS, Greater Atlantic Regional Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside of the envelope “Comments on 2016-2018 Herring Specifications.”
  • Fax: (978) 281-9135, Attn: Shannah Jaburek.

Questions? Contact Jennifer Goebel at 978-281-9175 or email jennifer.goebel@noaa.gov.

Long slog ahead for new attempt to move shad past Conowingo, other dams

June 15, 2016 — Leon Senft remembers a time when he and other fishermen lined the shore of the Susquehanna River below the Conowingo Dam and hooked American shad almost as fast as they could cast their lines in the churning water.

“We really had a bonanza there for a while,” recalled Senft, 85, who’s been angling for the big migratory fish longer than most people are alive. “It was not unusual to catch 50–100 a day. My personal best was 175.”

That catch-and-release heyday for Senft was maybe 20 years ago, when American shad appeared to be on the rebound from a severe decline in their springtime spawning runs. Optimism abounded, as a big new fishlift hoisted more and more of them over the 94-foot dam on their way upriver to reproduce.

But the rebound went off the rails. Although the number of American shad getting a lift over Conowingo rose steadily for a decade, it then dropped and kept dropping.

Now, after years of study and negotiations, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Exelon Corp., Conowingo’s owner, have come up with a new plan for rebuilding the Susquehanna’s runs of American shad and river herring — related species that are even more depleted. In a press release announcing the deal in April, a federal wildlife official called it “a victory for everyone who lives or recreates on the Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake Bay.”

But those close to the situation are still cautious. Given the discouraging track record so far, they say, bringing these fish back will take a sustained effort for decades — if it can be done at all.

“I was around when we did this last time, 25 years ago,” said Bill Goldsborough, senior fisheries scientist for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. “We thought that was going to do a lot more than it did.”

Read the full story at the Chesapeake Bay Journal

ASMFC April/May 2016 Issue of Fisheries Focus Now Available

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

Inside This Issue

ASMFC Presents Annual Awards of Excellence page 1

Upcoming Meetings page 2

From the Executive Director’s Desk page 3

Gulf of Maine Lobster Warrants Close Monitoring 

Species Profile page 4

Coastal Sharks

Proposed Management Actions page 6

Atlantic Menhaden

Coastal Sharks

Fishery Management Actions page 7

Jonah Crab

Atlantic Menhaden

ASMFC Urges Transparency and Public Input in Proposed New England Offshore and Canyons Seamounts Monument Decision-making page 9

In Memoriam page 9

Science Highlight page 10

River Herring Data Standardization Workshop

ACCSP Announces 2016 Funding Awards page 11

ASMFC Comings & Goings page 15

New Species Coordinator Assignments page 16

On the Legislative Front page 16

Read the full newsletter at the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

Read past issues of Fisheries Focus

Susquehanna River: Deal reached on fish, eel passage at Conowingo Dam

May 3, 2016 — Exelon Corp. has pledged in a deal announced last Monday to work to enhance spawning fish passage at Conowingo Dam over the next 50 years, seeking to revive the Susquehanna River’s meager stocks of American shad and river herring.

The Chicago-based company and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said they had reached agreement to improve at least one of two fish lifts at Conowingo and meanwhile start trucking migratory shad and river herring upriver past it and three other dams in Pennsylvania.

The agreement comes after years of negotiations between the company and wildlife agencies and conservation groups, which were seeking to revive the once-legendary spawning runs of shad and herring. The number of returning fish each spring has been trending downward since the 1980s, and wildlife agencies and conservationists wanted Exelon to make potentially costly upgrades to fish lifts there as a condition of renewing its federal license to operate the hydroelectric facility.

The company’s license to operate Conowingo expired in 2014, but the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has extended the permit while the parties — including Maryland —attempt to hash out their differences. An even more contentious issue involves what Exelon may have to do about the buildup of nutrient-laden sediment in the dam’s reservoir, which studies have shown could complicated efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay’s water quality.

Read the full story at the Bay Journal

ASMFC 2016 Spring Meeting Preliminary Agenda and Public Comment Guidelines

March 16, 2016 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Please find attached and below the preliminary agenda and public comment guidelines for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 2016 Spring Meeting, May 2-5, 2016 in Alexandria, VA. The agenda is also available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2016-spring-meeting.  Materials will be available on April 20, 2016 on the Commission website at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2016-spring-meeting. 

Monday, May 2, 2016

9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.              American Lobster Management Board

·         Discuss Future Management of Southern New England American Lobster Stock

o   Address Tabled Motion to Initiate an Addendum to Address the Declining Stock Conditions

o   Technical Committee Report

o   Plan Development Team Report

·         Discuss Future Management for Gulf of Maine/Georges Bank American Lobster Stock

·         Consider Final Action on Draft Addendum I to the Jonah Crab FMP

·         Discuss Possible Action to Create a Coastwide Standard for Claw Landings in the Jonah Crab Fishery

·         Update on Effort Control Measures for Jonah Crab Only Trap Fishermen in Rhode Island

·         Update on the New England Fishery Management Council Deep Sea Coral Habitat Amendment and ASMFC Survey to Area 3 Fishermen

·         American Lobster Law Enforcement Subcommittee Update on Offshore Enforcement and Trap Reduction Enforcement

 

2:30 – 3:30 p.m.                        Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program (ACCSP) Executive Committee

·         Program Update

·         Update on the MRIP APAIS Transition

·         Review and Approve Standard Operating Procedures Written in Response to the Independent Program Review

·         Develop a Program Governance Recommendation

·         Review Request for Proposals for the Upcoming Funding Cycle

3:45 – 4:45 p.m.                         ACCSP Coordinating Council

·         Program Update

·         Update on the MRIP APAIS Transition

·         Consider Approval of Standard Operating Procedures

·         Review and Consider Approval of Governance Recommendations

·         Review and Consider Approval of Request for Proposals for the Upcoming Funding Cycle

 

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

 

8:00 – 10:00 a.m.                      Executive Committee

·         Report of the Administrative Oversight Committee

·         Presentation of the FY17 Budget

·         Discussion of ACCSP Governance

·         Discussion of Plan Development Team Membership

·         Future Annual Meetings Update

 

10:15 – 11:15 a.m.                    Horseshoe Crab Management Board

·         Discuss Biomedical Data Confidentiality and Stock Assessment Planning

·         Review of Alternative Bait Costs

·         Update on Adaptive Resource Management Framework Review

 

11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.          Shad and River Herring Management Board

·         Report from Data Standardization Workshop

·         Update on Activities of the River Herring Technical Expert Work Group

·         Stock Assessment Planning and Timetable for American Shad and River Herring Benchmark Assessments

 

Noon – 5:00 p.m.                     Law Enforcement Committee (LEC)

·         Update on Maine Lobster Trap Tag Transferability Program

·         Discuss Lobster Offshore Enforcement Issues

·         Review Tautog  Tagging Program Options and Subcommittee Efforts

·         Discuss Aerial Enforcement Issues and Subcommittee Efforts

·         Review 2016 Action Plan Tasks for LEC

·         Discuss Ongoing Enforcement Activities (Closed Session)

·         Federal Agency Report Highlights

·         State Agency Report Highlights

·         Review and Discuss Additional ISFMP Species Issues (as needed)

1:15 – 3:45 p.m.                        Climate Change Workshop

 

4:00 – 5:00 p.m.                        American Eel Management Board

·         Discuss Potential Options for Revisiting Yellow Eel Commercial Quota

 

6:00 – 8:00 p.m.                        Annual Awards of Excellence Reception

  

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

 

8:00 – 10:00 a.m.                      Weakfish Management Board

·         Review and Consider Approval of the 2016 Weakfish Benchmark Stock Assessment for Management Use

·         Discuss Next Steps for Management in Response to Assessment Results

8:30 a.m. – Noon                       Law Enforcement Committee (continued)

                                                               

10:15 – 11:45 a.m.                    Interstate Fisheries Management Program (ISFMP) Policy Board

·         Executive Committee Report

·         Management & Science Committee Report

·         Assessment Science Committee Report and Approval of the Stock Assessment Schedule

·         Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership Report

·         Law Enforcement Committee Report

·         Consider Next Steps Relative to Climate Change and ASMFC Management

·         Report on Commissioner Survey Follow-up

·         Atlantic Sturgeon Benchmark Assessment Update

·         Overview of the Sturgeon Research and Recovery Workshop Scheduled for May 16-19, 2016 (Coordinated by NOAA Fisheries)

 

1:00 – 5:00 p.m.                        Commissioner Parliamentary Workshop

  

Thursday, May 5, 2016

 

8:00 – 10:00 a.m.                      Atlantic Menhaden Management Board

·         Consider Draft Addendum I for Public Comment

·         Provide Guidance to the Technical Committee Regarding Stock Projections

·         Consider 2015 FMP Review and State Compliance

10:15 – 11:00 a.m.                    Coastal Sharks Management Board

·         Review and Consider Approval of Draft Addendum IV (Smoothhound Dogfish) for Public Comment

11:15 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.            South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board

·         Review and Consider Approval of the 2016 Red Drum Benchmark Stock Assessment for Management Use

·         Discuss Next Steps for Red Drum Management in Response to the Assessment Results

·         Progress Update on Spot and Atlantic Croaker Benchmark Stock Assessments

·         Review North Carolina Report on Spanish Mackerel Pound Net Landings as Required by Addendum I to the Omnibus Amendment for Spanish Mackerel, Spot, and Spotted Seatrout

·         Elect Vice-Chair

 

2:00 – 2:30 p.m.                      Business Session (if necessary)

·         Review Noncompliance Findings (if necessary)

 

Public Comment Guidelines

With the intent of developing policies in the Commission’s procedures for public participation that result in a fair opportunity for public input, the ISFMP Policy Board has approved the following guidelines for use at management board meetings:

For issues that are not on the agenda, management boards will continue to provide opportunity to the public to bring matters of concern to the board’s attention at the start of each board meeting. Board chairs will use a speaker sign-up list in deciding how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.

For topics that are on the agenda, but have not gone out for public comment, board chairs will provide limited opportunity for comment, taking into account the time allotted on the agenda for the topic. Chairs will have flexibility in deciding how to allocate comment opportunities; this could include hearing one comment in favor and one in opposition until the chair is satisfied further comment will not provide additional insight to the board.

For agenda action items that have already gone out for public comment, it is the Policy Board’s intent to end the occasional practice of allowing extensive and lengthy public comments. Currently, board chairs have the discretion to decide what public comment to allow in these circumstances.

In addition, the following timeline has been established for the submission of written comment for issues for which the Commission has NOT established a specific public comment period (i.e., in response to proposed management action). 

1.    Comments received 3 weeks prior to the start of a meeting week will be included in the briefing materials.

2.    Comments received by 5:00 PM on the Tuesday immediately preceding the scheduled ASMFC Meeting (in this case, the Tuesday deadline will be April 26, 2016) will be distributed electronically to Commissioners/Board members prior to the meeting and a limited number of copies will be provided at the meeting.

3.    Following the Tuesday, April 26, 2016 5:00 PM deadline, the commenter will be responsible for distributing the information to the management board prior to the board meeting or providing enough copies for the management board consideration at the meeting (a minimum of 50 copies).

The submitted comments must clearly indicate the commenter’s expectation from the ASMFC staff regarding distribution.  As with other public comment, it will be accepted via mail, fax, and email.

View a PDF of the Agenda