Saving Seafood

Federal Fishery Advisory Panel Seats Open to Applicants

July 13, 2016 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Managment Council:

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is currently soliciting applicants for open advisory panel seats. Working at the grass roots level, advisory panel members provide information and guidance in the development and implementation of federal fishery management plans. The Council has eleven advisory panels composed of individuals who are engaged in the harvest of managed species, or are knowledgeable and interested in the conservation and management of the fishery or managed species. Members include recreational and commercial fishermen, seafood dealers and processors, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), scientists, and concerned citizens.

Advisory panel members are appointed by the Council and serve for a three-year period, based on the frequency of meetings. As those appointments expire, members currently serving on the AP may reapply for their positions. These seats also become open to new applicants. Members may serve for three consecutive terms before reaching their term limit. AP members generally meet no more than once or twice each year and are compensated for travel and per diem expenses for all meetings. Members must have access to a working email account and the Internet in order to receive meeting materials and correspondence relative to their service on the advisory panel.

See the full release at the South Atlantic Fishery Managment Council 

BILL COCHRANE: Snappers Wars not exactly what columnist argued

July 7, 2016 — In response to Charlie Everts’ guest column “Snapper fight about who owns the Gulf, its bounty” (The Daily News, June 30): His first statement is very telling. He says the snapper issue “pits commercial fishermen against recreational fishermen.” That’s true, but the snapper fishery is not set up that way, for this very reason.

The National Marine Fisheries Service, many, many years ago decided that, to be fair, the snapper should be divided equally between the commercials that supply Americans with fresh Gulf seafood, and boat owning recreational anglers. Simply put, the commercials have their fishery, and the recreationals have theirs. Both should mind their own business.

The National Marine Fisheries Service realized that there needed to be accountability on both sides. Since there were only about 100 commercial permits, they decided to stop issuing any more permits. Then they developed a system to manage the commercial fishery called Individual Fishing Quotas. This system tracks every commercial trip, maintains a real-time data system that counts each harvest, and gives law enforcement the ability of meeting each boat that unloads.

Of course, the recreational fishery in the Gulf consists of thousands and thousands of fishermen.

The recreational fishery is managed by daily bag limits and size limits. The federal daily limit is two snapper and minimum size of 16 inches.

As more and more recreational fishermen catch more and more snapper, the season gets shorter and shorter.

Read the full op-ed at The Daily Courier of Galveston County 

Commercial Harvest of Gray Triggerfish in South Atlantic Waters Will Close on April 2, 2016

The following was released by NOAA:

March 24, 2016 — Commercial harvest of gray triggerfish in South Atlantic waters will close at 12:01 a.m. (local time) April 2, 2016. The commercial annual catch limit for gray triggerfish in the South Atlantic is divided into two quotas for two 6-month periods (January through June and July through December). Landing reports indicate the January through June commercial quota of 156,162 pounds whole weight will be met by April 2, 2016. This commercial closure will be effective until June 30, 2016. Commercial harvest of gray triggerfish will re-open on July 1, 2016, with a commercial quota of 156,162 pounds whole weight for the July – December fishing season.

The operator of a vessel with a valid federal commercial permit for snapper-grouper and who is landing gray triggerfish for sale must have landed and bartered, traded, or sold such gray triggerfish prior to 12:01 a.m., local time, April 2, 2016. The prohibition on sale does not apply to sale or purchase of gray triggerfish that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold prior to 12:01 a.m. (local time) April 2, 2016, and held in cold storage by a dealer or processor.

During the commercial closure:

  • Harvest or possession of gray triggerfish in or from federal waters is limited to the recreational bag and possession limits when the recreational sector is open.
  • Sale or purchase of gray triggerfish from both state and federal waters is prohibited for a person onboard a vessel with a valid federal commercial or charter vessel/headboat permit for snapper-grouper.

This closure is necessary to protect the snapper-grouper resource.

NOAA Fisheries Announces New Regulations for Snapper-Grouper and Golden Crab in the South Atlantic, and Dolphin and Wahoo in the Atlantic Region

January 25, 2016 — The following was released by NOAA:

The final rule for the Generic Accountability Measures and Dolphin Allocation Amendment including: Amendment 34 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region, Amendment 9 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Golden Crab of the South Atlantic Region, and Amendment 8 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Dolphin Wahoo Fishery of the Atlantic published in the Federal Registrar on January 22, 2016 (81 FR 3731). Regulations will be effective on February 22, 2016.

The final rule:

Revises commercial and recreational sector allocations, and annual catch limits for dolphin in the South Atlantic. The commercial sector allocation for dolphin will increase from 7.54% to 10%, and the commercial annual catch limit will increase from 1,157,001 to 1,534,485 pounds whole weight. The recreational sector allocation for dolphin will change from 92.46% to 90%, and the annual catch limit will change from 14,187,845 to 13,810,361 pounds whole weight.

Revises the accountability measures for black grouper, mutton snapper, yellowtail snapper, greater amberjack, red porgy, gag, golden tilefish, red grouper, snowy grouper, gray triggerfish, hogfish, scamp, Atlantic spadefish, bar jack, the other snappers complex, the other jacks complex, the other shallow-water grouper complex, the other porgies complex; wreckfish (recreational), and golden crab (commercial).

Accountability measures are ways fishery managers prevent annual catch limits from being exceeded and to correct overages of the catch limits if they do occur. These measures can include in-season closures, and post-season paybacks, such as reducing the length of the next fishing season or reducing the annual catch limit in the next fishing season. See the Frequently Asked Questions for more detailed information on accountability measures for the commercial and recreational sectors.

This bulletin serves as a Small Entity Compliance Guide, complying with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996.

For more information on the final rule for the Generic Accountability Measures and Dolphin Allocation Amendment, please follow this link to the Frequently Asked Questions.

NORTH CAROLINA: Lesser-known catches taking center spot

November 1, 2015 — It’s been an upstream swim, but thanks to curious consumers, clever marketing and a widening understanding of environmental realities, North Carolinians are gradually weaning themselves from a steady diet of top-shelf but increasingly restricted fish like tuna, grouper and snapper. In their wake, previously disregarded or invasive species such as triggerfish and lion fish have taken center spot on our collective plates, and a shift to these lesser-known catch will likely continue as fishermen, fishmongers and fish fans adjust to availability.

“With all the regulations out there put on top of the North Carolina fishermen, there’s got to be some type of diversity, some other type of catch to help them make their income,” said John Aydlett, a seafood marketing specialist with the N.C. Department of Agriculture. “And by diversifying the species, it helps them spread out their season.”

Read the full story at Star News Online