June 1, 2018 — HYANNIS, Mass. — NOAA Fisheries has announced the 2018 recreational rules for summer flounder, black sea bass and scup.
Federal officials are continuing “conservation equivalency” for summer flounder and have waived the recreational bag limit, minimum fish size and fishing season for the fishery. Fishermen are subject to regulations set by the state where the fish land.
June 1, 2018 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The April/May 2018 issue of Fisheries Focus is now available at http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/5b103db7FishFocusAprilMay2018.pdf.
Upcoming Meetings
page 2
From the Executive
Director’s Desk
Black Sea Bass: Seeking Solutions through Compromise
page 3
Species Profile
Atlantic Sturgeon
page 4
Fishery Management Actions
Atlantic Menhaden
Black Drum
Black Sea Bass
page 6
Science Highlight
ASMFC Habitat Committee Revisits 20-Year Policy on Submerged Aquatic Vegetation
page 7
On the Legislative Front
page 8
Comings & Goings
page 9
Proposed Management Action
American Eel
page 11
In the News: Maine’s Elver Fishery Shuts Down
page 11
ACCSP Update
FY19 Proposals Due June 11
ACCSP Releases 2017 Annual Report
page 13
Employees of the Quarter Named
page 14
May 29, 2018 — DEERFIELD, Mass. — The state has awarded $10,000 to a local seafood marketing campaign.
Our Wicked Fish in Deerfield said the funding will help them get more restaurants and consumers access to the state’s local seafood.
Our Wicked Fish is a non-profit organization that connect restaurants and residents with New England’s local seafood.
Our Wicked Fish Founder Amanda Davis told 22News the money will fund evaluations of restaurants in Massachusetts that offer local seafood.
They will also determine whether the restaurants have access to red fish, hake, the black sea bass and other underutilized fish.
May 18, 2018 — Climate change is making oceans warmer and the fish are taking flight.
And that could have a big impact on New Jersey’s $7.9 billion fishing industry according to a new Rutgers-led study published Wednesday.
Aquatic life has a narrow tolerance for temperature range, so as the water heats up species populations are shifting northward to find suitable habitat according to Malin Pinksy, a co-author of the study and an assistant professor in Rutgers’ Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources.
By 2100, the Atlantic’s temperature off the Jersey Shore could rise to levels currently seen in Virginia. That could lead to species like black sea bass and summer flounder, both staples of New Jersey’s fishing industry, leaving the area and being replaced by more southern species like Atlantic Croaker.
Pinsky said the most dramatic example of a shifting fishery is the Atlantic Cod. The species could lose 90 percent of its habitat in U.S. waters by 2100 in a worst case scenario.
May 15, 2018 — The Gulf of Maine’s warming waters could mean that new fisheries are coming to Maine.
The Bangor Daily News reported that many lobster fishermen, concerned about a possible drop-off in the lobster resource, are looking at other species like Jonah crab and black sea bass. In 2016, fishermen in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island together earned $2.38 million from their black sea bass fishery.
If Maine were to develop a black sea bass fishery, she said, fishermen could use techniques and equipment that are very similar to what they use now to catch lobster, which would help with the transition, Marissa McMahan, a senior fisheries scientist for the environmental science nonprofit Manomet, told the BDN.
Read the full story at MaineBiz
May 10, 2018 — Fishermen critical of a recent deal to ease black-sea bass regulations demanded further state action at a fisheries meeting Tuesday, but officials said the interstate agreement was the best they could get this year.
Around a dozen angry party- and charter-boat captains attended a meeting of the Marine Resources Advisory Council in Setauket Tuesday night to raise objections to the deal, which effectively nixed a planned 12 percent reduction in the state’s recreational black sea bass quota this year. They and a supporting lawmaker cited a more lenient quota for competing New Jersey fishermen, saying anglers would favor the Garden State given its earlier season open and ability to keep more fish at a smaller size.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s original order would have pushed New York’s season opening to July, but a deal brokered by the state and led by Jim Gilmore, the commission’s chairman and head of the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s marine division, resulted in a season that will instead open on June 23 – four days earlier than last year.
Read the full story at Newsday
May 4, 2018 — An interstate fisheries commission voted Thursday to reverse a planned reduction to New York’s 2018 quota for locally-abundant black sea bass.
New York recreational anglers could have faced a 12 percent decrease in the allowable catch for black sea bass this year under a federal mandate. The season also would not have started until July.
But in response to an appeal filed by New York and other states, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission instead voted Thursday to extend the fishing season by four days, a commission manager said.
New York’s black sea bass season will open on June 23, compared with June 27 last year, according to Caitlin Starks, fishery management plan coordinator for black sea bass at the commission.
Reaction to the vote was mixed.
Joe Tangel, captain of the King Cod charter boat in Moriches, said the new quota still leaves New York fishermen at a disadvantage to New Jersey, where anglers can keep smaller fish and more of them — up to 15 fish a day in November at 12.5 to 13 inches or larger.
May 3, 2018 — ARLINGTON, Va. — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
Upon the direction of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Interstate Fisheries Management Program (ISFMP) Policy Board, the Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board (Board) approved revised 2018 recreational measures for the Northern Region states of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York (see Table 1). Further, the Board initiated new management action for the 2019 black sea bass recreational fishery and tasked the Plan Development Team to develop a white paper to consider the impacts of changes in black sea bass abundance and distribution to the management of commercial and recreational fisheries.
This action is taken in response to a Northern Region state appeal of the approved 2018 recreational measures under Addendum XXX. The appeal argued the Board’s action under Addendum XXX incorrectly applied technical data and was inconsistent with the Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan. After reviewing the appeal, Commission Leadership agreed there was adequate justification to bring portions of the appeal forward to the ISFMP Policy Board.
During the ISFMP Policy Board’s deliberations regarding consideration of the appeal, a potential management program for the 2018 black sea bass recreational fishery was presented to replace the allocations specified in Addendum XXX. The revised management program was developed to meet the needs of the Northern Region without impacting the remaining states, while still constraining harvest to the 2018 recreational harvest limit of 3.66 million pounds.
View the release in its entirety here.
April 30, 2018 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold a meeting of its Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) this week, beginning tomorrow and running through Thursday, May 3rd. The SSC is responsible for reviewing the scientific basis of Council management plans and actions, and developing fishing level recommendations in accordance with national fisheries management guidelines.
Agenda Highlights
Meeting Materials and Webinar Registration:
A complete meeting agenda, overview, and briefing book materials are available from the Council’s website at: http://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/scientific-and-statistical-committee-meetings/. The meeting is also available to the public via webinar. Registration is required.
Tuesday, May 1
Wednesday, May 2
Thursday, May 3
Meeting Location:
The SSC meeting will be held at the Town & Country Inn, 2008 Savannah Highway, Charleston, SC 29401. The meeting is open to the public and public comment will be taken as part of the meeting agenda.
Learn more about the SAFMC here.
April 26, 2018 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
Supplemental materials for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Spring Meeting are now available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2018-spring-meeting for the following Boards/Sections (click on “Supplemental” following each relevant committee header to access the information). For ease of access, supplemental meeting materials have combined into one PDF – http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/2018SpringMeeting/SupplementalMaterialsCombined.pdf. NOTE: The Shad and River Herring Management Board, previously scheduled for May 1st (11:15 a.m. – Noon), has been cancelled. The Tautog Management Board will be meeting in its place (same date and time). The Tautog Board’s materials can be accessed through the Board link and is also in the combined supplemental materials file.
Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Board jointly with the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council – Revised Draft Agenda and Meeting Overview; Summer Flounder Commercial Issues Amendment Draft Public Hearing Document; Draft Amendment to the FMP for Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass for Public Comment; Black Sea Bass Management Reform Initiative
Bluefish Management Board jointly with the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council – Draft Agenda
Tautog Management Board – Draft Agenda & Meeting Overview; Draft Proceedings from October 2017; Connecticut 2018 Commercial Measures
Atlantic Herring Section – Technical Committee Task List & Update on River Herring/Shad Catch Caps, Accountability Measures in the Mackerel Fishery, and Potential Impacts on Atlantic Herring
Northern Shrimp Section – Technical Committee Task List
Executive Committee – Draft Meeting Summary from February 2018
American Lobster Management Board – Technical Committee Task List & Public Comment
Winter Flounder Management Board – Technical Committee Task List; Technical Committee Report on Proposed Aggregate Weekly Limits in the Commercial SNE/MA Fishery; Law Enforcement Committee Guidelines on the Enforceability of Fishery Management Measures
South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board – NOAA Southeast Regional Office Correspondence to ASMFC
As a reminder, Board meeting proceedings will be broadcast daily via webinar beginning April 30th at 10 a.m. and continuing daily until the conclusion of the meeting (expected to be 2:15 p.m.) on Thursday, May 3rd. The webinar will allow registrants to listen to board/section deliberations and view presentations and motions as they occur. No comments or questions will be accepted via the webinar. Should technical difficulties arise while streaming the broadcast the boards/sections will continue their deliberations without interruption. We will attempt to resume the broadcast as soon as possible. Please go to https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1945339924799258370 to register.