Saving Seafood

SAFMC: Proposed Commercial Trip Limit for the Atlantic Coast Dolphin Fishery

October 27, 2015 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is soliciting public input in November on measures affecting fishermen as far north as New England. Commercial fishermen that target dolphin (fish) in federal waters along the Atlantic coast may be operating under a new commercial trip limit if measures proposed by the Council are approved during its December 7-11, 2015 meeting in Atlantic Beach, NC. The Council is developing Regulatory Amendment 1 to the Dolphin Wahoo Fishery Management Plan with trip limit alternatives designed to help extend the commercial season. On June 30, 2015, the commercial dolphin fishery was closed for the first time when NOAA Fisheries projected that the annual catch limit of 1,157,001 pounds would be met. Dolphin are managed from New England to the Florida Keys under the fishery management plan, and the closure impacted the commercial fishery along the entire Atlantic coast. The Council approved measures in December 2014 to modify the allocation between commercial and recreational sectors, increasing the commercial allocation to 10% and the annual catch limit by 377,484 pounds. NOAA Fisheries is currently reviewing the measures approved by the Council. As proposed, the trip limit would become effective once a designated portion of the commercial annual catch limit is reached. Fishermen and other interested members of the public are being asked to provide their comments on various alternatives by participating in public hearings being held via webinar or by submitting written comments (see details below).

The Council is also requesting public input on proposed management measures for blueline tilefish, yellowtail snapper and black sea bass in Regulatory Amendment 25 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan. New annual catch limits for blueline tilefish in the South Atlantic and other management parameters are being considered based on a new Acceptable Biological Catch of 224,100 pounds. Changes to commercial trip limits and recreational bag limits for blueline tilefish are also being considered. For yellowtail snapper, a species commonly targeted off the southeastern coast of Florida, the amendment includes alternatives to change the fishing year and modify accountability measures. The change in the current fishing year is being requested by fishermen in order to allow harvest during the winter season and have any closures that may occur due to meeting the annual catch limit coincide with the spring/summer spawning season. The final action in Regulatory Amendment 25 would allow an increase in the current recreational bag limit for black sea bass of 5 fish per person per day. Alternatives range from increasing the bag limit to 6 fish up to a total of 10 fish per person per day. Once overfished, the stock was deemed rebuilt based on the 2013 stock assessment and the annual catch limit more than doubled. The Council is scheduled to approve measures in Regulatory Amendment 25 during its December meeting in Atlantic Beach, NC.

The public is encouraged to provide written comment and participate in upcoming public hearings scheduled via webinar with concurrent comment stations at various locations. A public hearing scheduled for Monday, November 9th will address actions proposed in Snapper Grouper Regulatory Amendment 25. A public hearing scheduled for Thursday, November 12th will address commercial trip limits for dolphin through Dolphin Wahoo Regulatory Amendment 1 and measures proposed in Snapper Grouper Regulatory Amendment 25. The public hearings begin at 6:00 PM.

Learn More – Q&A Webinar

Monday, November 2, 2015 at 6:00 PM – Question and Answer Webinar for Snapper Grouper Regulatory Amendment 25. Registration for the webinar is required and information is available from the Public Hearing and Scoping Meeting page of the Council’s website at www.safmc.net. Public Hearing Summary documents for each amendment and other materials will be posted on the same page by October 30, 2015.

Submit Written Comment

Written comments for both amendments can be submitted via mail, fax, and email and will be accepted until 5:00 PM on November 16, 2015. Instructions for submitting comments are available from the Public Hearing and Scoping Meeting page of the website or by contacting the Council office at 843/571-4366 or Toll Free 866/SAFMC-10.

Public Hearing Webinars and Comment Stations

Public hearings will be held via webinar in conjunction with comment stations throughout the region beginning at 6:00 PM. Stakeholders have two options for participating in the public hearings: Option1) Participate via webinar on the scheduled dates listed below; and Option 2) Participate in person at one of the designated comment stations in NC, SC, GA and FL on the scheduled dates listed below. Registration is required for each webinar. Webinar registration links are available from the Public Hearing and Scoping Meeting page of the Council’s website at www.safmc.net. Council staff will be available one hour prior to each webinar to assist with setup if needed. Call 843/571-4366 or Toll Free 866/SAFMC-10 for assistance. Council staff will review the amendments via webinar beginning at 6:00 PM and local Council members will be on hand at each comment station and tuned into the webinar. Members of the public on the webinar and at comment stations will then have an opportunity to go on record to provide comments for consideration by the Council.

 

SAFMC November 2015 Public Hearings Webinar and Comment Station Dates 6:00 PM

 

Snapper Grouper Regulatory Amendment 25 

 

Monday, November 9th

 

Public Hearing via Webinar

Register at www.safmc.net

 

Comment Stations:

GA Department of Natural Resources

Coastal Resources Division

One Conservation Way

Brunswick, GA 31520-8687

Phone: 912/264-7218

 

Hilton Garden Inn Charleston Airport

5265 International Boulevard

North Charleston, SC 29418

Phone: 843/308-9330

 

Dolphin Wahoo Regulatory Amendment 1 and Snapper Grouper Regulatory Amendment 25 

 

Thursday, November 12th

 

Public Hearing via Webinar

Register at www.safmc.net.

 

Comment Stations:

Dare County Government Complex

Room 168, 1st Floor

954 Marshall C. Collins Drive

Manteo, NC 27954

Phone: 252/475-5000

 

Wingate by Wyndham (Hotel)

2465 State Route 16

St. Augustine, FL 32092

Phone: 904/824-9229

 

View a PDF of the release here

Reminder: SAFMC Scientific and Statistical Committee Meeting

Reminder: Scientific and Statistical Committee Meeting Scheduled October 20-22, 2015  

Meeting available via webinar, briefing book materials available

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold a meeting of its Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) on October 20-22, 2015 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 4831 Tanger Outlet Boulevard, North Charleston, SC.   

The SSC will review projections and provide guidance on rebuilding strategies for the Florida Keys/East Florida hogfish stock, review measures for establishing Spawning Special Management Zones for snapper grouper species, the draft System Management Plan for Deepwater Marine Protected Areas, and proposed changes to the commercial black sea bass pot fishery.  The SSC will receive reports on recreational catch estimation for rarely encountered/intercepted species, landings of Council managed stocks, the NOAA Fisheries stock assessment prioritization approach, and address other issues.   

The SSC assists the Council in the development, collection, evaluation, and peer review of information relevant to fishery management plans and amendments. Additional information about the SSC is available from the Scientific and Statistical Committee page of the Council’s website.  

The meeting is open to the public and public comment will be accepted. The meeting is also accessible via webinar as it occurs. Registration for the webinar is required. Information on how to register for the webinar, along with the meeting agenda, overview, and briefing book materials is now available from the Council’s website.  For additional information contact John Carmichael, Science and Statistics Program Manager at john.carmichael@safmc.net.  

Reminder: SAFMC Scientific and Statistical Committee Meeting

October 15, 2015 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Reminder: Scientific and Statistical Committee Meeting Scheduled October 20-22, 2015  

Meeting available via webinar, briefing book materials available

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold a meeting of its Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) on October 20-22, 2015 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 4831 Tanger Outlet Boulevard, North Charleston, SC.   

The SSC will review projections and provide guidance on rebuilding strategies for the Florida Keys/East Florida hogfish stock, review measures for establishing Spawning Special Management Zones for snapper grouper species, the draft System Management Plan for Deepwater Marine Protected Areas, and proposed changes to the commercial black sea bass pot fishery.  The SSC will receive reports on recreational catch estimation for rarely encountered/intercepted species, landings of Council managed stocks, the NOAA Fisheries stock assessment prioritization approach, and address other issues.   

The SSC assists the Council in the development, collection, evaluation, and peer review of information relevant to fishery management plans and amendments. Additional information about the SSC is available from the Scientific and Statistical Committee page of the Council’s website.  

The meeting is open to the public and public comment will be accepted. The meeting is also accessible via webinar as it occurs. Registration for the webinar is required. Information on how to register for the webinar, along with the meeting agenda, overview, and briefing book materials is now available from the Council’s website.  For additional information contact John Carmichael, Science and Statistics Program Manager at john.carmichael@safmc.net.

Fisheries of the South Atlantic; South Atlantic Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

October 2, 2015 — The following notice was released by NOAA:

ACTION: Notice Of A Public Meeting.

SUMMARY: The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold a meeting of its Habitat Protection and Ecosystem-Based Management (Habitat) Advisory Panel (AP) in N. Charleston, SC. The meeting is open to the public.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

  • DATES:
  • ADDRESSES:
  • FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
  • SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    • Special Accommodations

DATES: The meeting will be held from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 17, 2015, and from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, November 18, 2015.

ADDRESSES:

Meeting address: The meeting will be held at the Florida Fish and Wildlife and Resources Institute (FWRI), Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 100 8th Ave. SE., 3370, St. Petersburg, FL; telephone: (727) 896-8626.

Council address: South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 4055 Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, N. Charleston, SC 29405.

Read the full notice from the Federal Register here

NORTH CAROLINA: Weekly Update for Sept. 28, 2015

September 28, 2015 — The following was released by the North Carolina Fisheries Association:

WEEKLY UPDATE: 9/28/2015

NORTH CAROLINA FISHERIES ASSOCIATION

“Serving the Commercial Fishing Families of North Carolina since 1952”

Phone: (252) 745-0225 – www.ncfish.org

Jerry Schill, President: jerryschill@ncfish.org Cell: 252-361-3015  

Lauren Morris, Membership/Operations Manager:  

laurenmorris@ncfish.org  Cell: 252-725-2468

NCFA BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MONDAY

The association’s board of directors will meet 2 p.m., Monday, Oct. 5 at the Washington Civic Center located at 110 Gladden Street in Washington.  As always all members are welcomed and encouraged to attend, however, the board will be discussing the southern flounder management crisis at this meeting, and so we strongly urge all the fishery’s participants who are able to attend.  We need your input on this critical issue.  

SAMFC MOVES FORWARD TO PROTECT SPAWNING AREAS

Members of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council held lengthy discussions on the proposed designation of areas to help protect spawning fish and associated habitat during their meeting last week in Hilton Head, South Carolina. After reviewing both written and public comment received during a second round of public hearings, the Council narrowed their preferred alternatives to five Spawning Special Management Zones (SMZs) as proposed in Amendment 36 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan. Of the eleven candidate sites included in the amendment, the Council selected the following sites as preferred: 1) a five square mile area off the coast of North Carolina known as the South Cape Lookout site; 2) a 3.1 square mile area off the coast of Georgetown, South Carolina called “Devil’s Hole” or “Georgetown Hole”; 3) a 2.99 square mile artificial reef site off the coast of South Carolina known as Area 51; 4) a 2.99 square mile artificial reef site off the coast of South Carolina known as Area 53; and 5) a one square mile area off the east coast of the Florida Keys referred to as the “Warsaw Hole”. For more information, see the news release. 

NMFS RELEASES DRAFT ECOSYSTEM-BASED MANAGEMENT POLICY 

NOAA Fisheries is developing an agency-wide ecosystem-based fishery management policy, which outlines a set of principles to guide its actions and decisions over the long-term.  The draft policy goals and framework are informed by NOAA Fisheries’ own practices and experience from that of its partners.  These ideas are intended to limit neither discussion nor consideration of other potential policy goals. Read the draft policy and learn more about how to comment here. Comments on the proposed policy are due Dec. 16, 2015. 

CONGRESSMEN JONES & YOUNG FILE BILL TO PREVENT MARINE MONUMENT DESIGNATIONS WITHOUT CONGRESSIONAL CONSENT

Congressman Walter B. Jones (R-North Carolina) and Congressman Don Young (R-Alaska) have cosponsored H.R. 330, the Marine Access and State Transparency (MAST) Act.  The bill would prevent President Barack Obama, or any future president, from unilaterally designating offshore areas as “national monuments” and restricting the public’s ability to fish there.  Instead, the bill would require a president to get the approval of Congress and the legislature of each state within 100 nautical miles of the monument before any “monument” designation could take effect.

The bill comes in response to increasing speculation that President Obama may follow the example of his predecessor George W. Bush and unilaterally designate large swaths of coastal America as “national monuments.”  In 2006, President Bush short circuited the established process of public consultation and input and unilaterally designated 84 million acres off the coast of the Northwest Hawaiian Islands as a national monument. The new monument, which is larger than 46 of America’s 50 states, was then closed to fishing.    

“Presidents from both parties have abused their monument designation authority for far too long,” said Congressman Jones.  “No president should be allowed to just lock up millions of acres of fishing grounds by fiat, with no public input whatsoever.  Frankly, it’s un-American, and it must be stopped.  I am proud to be the first member of Congress to join my friend Don Young in fighting for this legislation, and I urge the rest of my colleagues to get behind it.” 

For additional information, please contact Maria Jeffrey in Congressman Jones’ office at (202) 225-3415 or at maria.jeffrey@mail.house.gov.

UPCOMING MAFMC COUNCIL MEETING

The public is invited to attend the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s October 2015 meeting on Oct. 6 – 8, 2015 in Philadelphia, PA. The meeting will be held at the Doubletree Philadelphia Center City, 237 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, Telephone 215-893-1600. Additional details and briefing materials will be posted on the  October 2015 Council Meeting page.

INTERESTED CANDIDATES FOR SAFMC SEAT EXPIRING IN 2016

Members interested in serving in the obligatory seat for the South Atlantic Marine Fishery Commission, please let Lauren know.  You can email or give her a call at 252-725-2468.

REGULATION AND RULE CHANGES:

–Commercial Scup Winter II quota and possession limits increase effective Nov. 1

DEADLINES:

Sept. 28 at 5 p.m. – MFC Kingfish and Interjusdiction FMP Update Comments

Oct. 2 – MFC Proposed Rules Comments

Oct. 2 – MAFMC Unmanaged Forage Species Scoping Comments

Dec. 16 – NMFS Draft Ecosystem-based Fishery Management Policy Comments

MEETINGS:

If you are aware of ANY meetings that should be of interest to commercial fishing that is not on this list, please contact us so we can include it here.    

Sept. 28-29 – Southeast Data, Assessment and Review Steering Committee Meeting via Webinar

Oct. 5 at 2 p.m. – NCFA Board of Directors Meeting, Washington Civic Center, 110 Gladden St., Washington

Oct. 6-8 – MAFMC Meeting, Philadelphia, PA

PROCLAMATIONS: 

RULE SUSPENSION – GILL NET RESTRICTIONS: INTERNAL COASTAL WATERS

TRAWLING, SPECIAL SECONDARY NURSERY AREA (OPENING: Core Sound, West Bay, and Turnagain Bay) 

GILL NETS – ALBEMARLE SOUND AREA- MANAGEMENT UNIT A-OPENING EASTERN PORTION

RULE SUSPENSION – GILL NET RESTRICTIONS: INTERNAL COASTAL WATERS-OPENING MANAGEMENT UNIT B AND E

STOP NETS – MULLET BEACH SEINE FISHERY – ATLANTIC OCEAN – CARTERET COUNTY

GILL NETS – BOGUE BANKS

STRIPED BASS SEASON – COMMERCIAL FISHING OPERATIONS – ALBEMARLE SOUND MANAGEMENT AREA

STRIPED BASS RECREATIONAL SEASON – ALBEMARLE SOUND MANAGEMENT AREA

STRIPED BASS RECREATIONAL SEASON – CENTRAL SOUTHERN MANAGEMENT AREA

View a PDF of the Weekly Update here

NORTH CAROLINA: Spawning site to help rebuild snapper-grouper fishery

September 23, 2015 — A spawning site off of the North Carolina coast is one of five locations selected to help in efforts to rebuild declining stocks in the snapper-grouper fishery.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council met Sept. 14-18 at Hilton Head, S.C., and identified the sites to be considered for final designation as Spawning Special Management Zones (SMZs).

The council recently held a series of public hearings on a proposal to establish up to nine SMZs off the coast from North Carolina to eastern Florida to protect valuable spawning sites.

While bottom fishing for the snapper-grouper species would be prohibited in the zones, activities such as trolling for tuna, dolphin and billfish would still be allowed.

There were four proposed sites off the North Carolina coast ranging in size from 1-2 square miles to a proposed site of 4-12 square miles.

The council selected the South Cape Lookout site, which is five square miles, as the preferred site.

Read the full story at Jacksonville Daily News

 

 

NORTH CAROLINA: Few Attend Important Hearing on Snapper-Grouper Fishery

August 15, 2015 — MOREHEAD CITY, N.C. — Few people showed up for a public hearing on a proposal that federal fisheries officials say could have a big impact on rebuilding declining stocks in the snapper-grouper fishery.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is holding a series of public hearings this week and next on a proposal that would establish up to nine Special Management Zones from North Carolina to eastern Florida to protect valuable spawning sites.

While bottom fishing for the snapper grouper species would be prohibited, activities such as trolling for tuna, dolphin and billfish would still be allowed.

SAFMC Deputy Executive Director Gregg Waugh said the proposed SMZs are smaller, more targeted areas focused on spawning sites rather than the larger scale Marine Protected Areas that have met with opposition in the past.

The idea is to designate small, localized areas that are proven to be productive spawning locations for snapper-grouper species that have seen a decline in population.

It’s a more strategized effort to help rebuild populations by targeting spawning grounds.

“This is a way we can get a lot more bang for the investment and higher return on investment,” he said.

The proposed sites off of North Carolina range in size from one to five square miles.

This is the final round of public hearings before the council makes a decision at its September meeting on which sites to consider for final designation.

Read the full story at The Daily News