Saving Seafood

News for the South Atlantic Region

NORTH CAROLINA: NC joins pact to cover offshore wind-related fisheries losses

June 14, 2023 — North Carolina has joined nearly a dozen other East Coast states to create a financial compensation program that would cover economic losses within the fisheries industry caused by Atlantic offshore wind development.

The Fisheries Mitigation Project aims to establish a regional administrator to oversee the process of reviewing claims and making payouts collected through a fund paid for by wind developers to commercial and for-hire recreational fisheries industries to mitigate financial loss associated with offshore wind farms.

Read the full article at CoastalReview.org

Staying Alive

June 13, 2023 — Thirty years on, fishermen call for a re-evaluation of catch share programs that give foreign investors and non-participants a share of the catch.

Individual Transferable Quotas are far from a new idea in fisheries.

The International Commission for the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries attempted to manage fisheries in the Northwest Atlantic from 1949 to 1979. The organization started discussing quota management in the 1960s and introduced national fishing quotas in the early 1970s. ICNAF sought to make these national quotas transferable in the late 1970s, but with Canada, the United States, and other North Atlantic Rim countries establishing what were then called Fisheries Conservation Zones extending 200 miles from their coasts, ICNAF was disbanded.

While countries such as Canada and Iceland aggressively pursued policies of quota management, including Individual Transferable Quotas (ITQs), the United States saw only three fisheries –Alaska halibut, Atlantic surf clam, and southern Atlantic wreckfish – adopt quota management before declaring a moratorium on the use of a tool that most saw as privatization of a public resource.

In 2000, Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe failed in her efforts to extend the moratorium. Under pressure from Jane Lubchenco, who headed to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries under President Obama, groundfish fishermen in New England – the last bastion of defiance against what many fishermen saw as the  privatization of fishing rights – agreed to the start of a catch share program in 2011.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Federal red snapper rules advance toward approval despite criticism

March 9, 2023 — New federal regulations on red snapper are on their way to final approval, and neither the people voting for the plans nor federal officials have much faith in them.

The Snapper-Grouper Committee of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) shepherded along Amendment 35, which is part of the SAFMC’s efforts to reduce overfishing of red snapper. Final approval is expected later in the week, despite its unpopularity among some Council members and from NOAA Fisheries.

“Bottom line for me is I don’t think (Amendment) 35 does anything for us,” NOAA Fisheries Regional Administrator Andy Strelcheck said at the SAFMC’s quarterly meetings on Jekyll Island, Georgia.

“I don’t think it’s a solution, I think it’s just going to create more anger with anglers, I think it’s ultimately not addressing the crux of the problem, which is, obviously, reducing discards and trying to shift discards to landed catch.”

The committee’s options at this point in the process were either to approve a proposal that significantly reduced catch limits, or approve one that shut down the fishery altogether, with the exception of those with exempted fishing permits.

Read the full article at Florida Politics

New research aims to keep sharks away from commercial fishing gear

February 21, 2023 — North Carolina Sea Grant’s Sara Mirabilio is continuing collaborative research to keep sharks away from commercial fishing gear. A multi-campus team is partnering with the private sector to pilot test a device that deters the predators.

“Several sharks are overfished or are experiencing overfishing on the U.S. East Coast,” says Mirabilio, a fisheries extension specialist. “Populations of scalloped hammerhead, dusky, sandbar, and blacknose sharks all could benefit from an effective deterrent from commercial fishing gear.”

Most often, sharks are caught unintentionally — as “bycatch” — when fishers are targeting other fish, she explains.

Mirabilio and colleagues, including Richard Brill, an affiliated scholar at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, are further testing a state-of-the-art electronic device that could help conserve species of sharks whose populations fishery managers are trying to rebuild. Brill says that unlike other fish, sharks possess an electrosensory system that equips them to detect close-range movements of predators or prey.

“The objective of the project is to keep the sharks away from the fishing gear, not the fishing gear away from the sharks,” says Brill. “To an approaching shark, even a weak electrical impulse can be disorientating or physically uncomfortable.” The device produces a small electric field around a baited hook

Read the full article at Island Free Press

NORTH CAROLINA: The Striped Mullet Supplement

February 21, 2023 — The following was released by the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission:

The North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission (MFC) is meeting this week to vote on a supplement to the current Striped Mullet Fisheries Management Plan (FMP) which would close mullet harvest during the middle of the roe season. 

At the November MFC meeting staff at the Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) presented Supplement A to the Striped Mullet FMP. In Supplement A the DMF recommends a 20-33% reduction in mullet landings by closing the harvest season in late October or early November through December 31st for at least one year. The preferred option of a November 7th to December 31st closure was selected by the MFC at this meeting.

In December and January DMF held several public meetings giving people the opportunity to ask questions and give public comment on the end of season closure. Overwhelming public comment during these meetings suggests that mullet are not overfished and overfishing is not occurring. Definitely not to the extent that a 20-33% reduction in harvest is needed! 

 In fact, mullet abundance this past season seemed to be at a level not seen in decades! Many mullets left the sounds before the roe season and large numbers of mullets are still up the rivers right now. Furthermore, there is still plenty of time for the DMF to collect more data before this decision has to be made, if a closure is even necessary at all.

 It is not too late to comment and tell the MFC why reducing the Striped Mullet season is not necessary. 

 Come out and be seen and heard!

 Written comments are accepted until today (February 20th) at 4pm at this link:

https://deq.nc.gov/nc-marine-fisheries-commission-comment-form

 You can also comment in person at the Doubletree Hotel in New Bern, NC Wednesday night at 6:00pm or Thursday morning at 9:00am at the meeting this week. 

 (Important to note, no online comments will be accepted during the live meeting comment session.)

 The discussion and vote on the Striped Mullet Supplement will begin at approximately 2:30pm on Thursday (Feb. 23rd). Listen live on YouTube at this link once the meeting starts:

 https://youtube.com/live/QNrjWEW11z8?feature=share

 From my personal experience, the meeting streams much better on the YouTube app versus watching it from your web browser. You can download the YouTube app in the App Store or Google Play.

 As always, contact me with any questions or if you need help accessing any of the meeting materials.

 Thomas Newman 

Fisheries Liaison 

Thomasnewman@ncfish.org

Whale deaths in NC and along the East Coast have officials searching for answers

January 25, 2023 — On Jan. 7, a critically endangered North Atlantic right whale calf was found dead, wedged under a pier in Morehead City. In the previous month, three humpback whales washed up on beaches between Beaufort and the northern Outer Banks.

The four North Carolina deaths are part of at least 14 whales that have washed up on East Coast beaches since Dec. 1.

Federal officials, scientists and conservation groups have said there could be multiple factors contributing to the rise in whale strandings, including an increase in the population of the Western North Atlantic humpback whales.

But one idea that’s gained traction online and among some coastal residents and politicians is that huge offshore wind farms planned off many East Coast states, including North Carolina, could be harming the marine mammals. After nine whale deaths off their state in less than two months, several New Jersey GOP lawmakers have openly questioned if wind farms planned for the Garden State’s near-coastal waters are impacting the animals, with Fox News host Tucker Carlson calling the projects “the DDT of our times.”

Read the full article at Citizen Times

How the climate bill would shift offshore wind in 4 states

August 10, 2022 — The Democrats’ climate bill would erase former President Donald Trump’s 10-year moratorium on offshore wind in the U.S. Southeast, but few experts are betting on a regionwide surge in projects.

Signed by Trump in 2020, the moratorium banned new leasing for all types of energy off the coasts of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. It went into effect last month (Energywire, Sept. 29, 2020).

The “Inflation Reduction Act” — which the Senate passed over the weekend and is expected to be taken up by the House soon — would strip away the ban on offshore wind lease sales, while leaving it in place for oil and gas drilling.

But wind power has not generally experienced warm welcomes in the Southeast. Just one onshore wind farm — the Avangrid-owned Amazon Wind Farm near Elizabeth City, N.C. — currently generates electrons across the four moratorium states. Interest in offshore wind also has been mixed.

Lifting the moratorium may not transform that reality, even if Democrats’ climate bill becomes law, some clean energy advocates and environmentalists acknowledge.

In places such as Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, state officials largely haven’t enacted measures to promote offshore wind. This is in stark contrast to the state guarantees to buy offshore wind power that were crucial to the industry’s emergence in the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic.

North Carolina stands out as the region’s clear exception, taking concrete steps to embrace the industry. One of its major utilities, Duke Energy, won the right to generate power from federal lease areas for offshore wind in May, as did French oil and gas major TotalEnergies SE. The state’s Democratic governor, Roy Cooper, also has laid out specific targets for the sector: 2.8 gigawatts by 2030, and 8 gigawatts a decade later.

Across other states, however, little groundwork has been done to establish offshore wind’s foothold as a future resource. And it remains unclear if, or how quickly, official indifference might transform into boosterism.

In South Carolina, for instance, Republican Gov. Henry McMaster recently signed a law calling for a first study of how offshore wind’s need for locally made parts and staging ports could benefit the state economically.

That could help convince South Carolinians that their state is well positioned to host the industry, said Hailey Deres, program associate at the Southeastern Wind Coalition.

Read the full article at E&E News

Department of Commerce Announces 2022 Appointments to the Regional Fishery Management Councils

June 28, 2022 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The U.S. Department of Commerce today announced the appointment of 20 new and returning members to the regional fishery management councils that partner with NOAA Fisheries to manage marine fishery resources.

Established by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, councils are responsible for developing region-specific fishery management plans that safeguard and enhance the nation’s fisheries resources. Council members represent diverse groups, including commercial and recreational fishing industries, environmental organizations, and academia. They are vital to fulfilling the act’s requirements to end overfishing, rebuild fish stocks, and manage them sustainably.

NOAA Fisheries works closely with the councils through the process of developing fishery management plans. We also review, approve, and implement the plans.

Each year, the Secretary of Commerce appoints approximately one-third of the total 72 appointed members to the eight regional councils. The Secretary selects members from nominations submitted by the governors of fishing states, territories, and tribal governments.

Council members are appointed to both state-specific and regional seats—also known as obligatory and at-large seats, respectively.  Council members serve a three-year term and may be reappointed to serve three consecutive terms.

* Asterisk following a member’s name indicates a reappointment

New England Council

The New England Council includes members from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. 2022 appointees will fill one obligatory seat for New Hampshire, and two at-large seats.

Obligatory seat

Peter Whelan (New Hampshire)

At-large seats

Eric Hansen (Massachusetts)

Richard Bellavance (Rhode Island)*

Mid-Atlantic Council

The Mid-Atlantic Council includes members from the states of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. 2022 appointees will fill one obligatory seat for Delaware, and three at-large seats.

Obligatory seat

Paul ‘Wes’ Townsend (Delaware)*

At-large seats

Scott Lenox (Maryland)*

Peter Hughes (New Jersey)*

Ken Neill (Virginia)

South Atlantic Council

The South Atlantic Council includes members from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. 2022 appointees will fill two obligatory seats for North Carolina and South Carolina.

Obligatory seats

Robert ‘Tim’ Griner (North Carolina)*

Gary Borland (South Carolina)

Caribbean Council

The Caribbean Council includes members from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The 2022 appointee will fill one at-large seat.

At-large seat

James Kreglo (U.S. Virgin Islands)

Gulf Council

The Gulf Council includes members from Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. 2022 appointees will fill two obligatory seats for Mississippi and Texas, and one at-large seat.

Obligatory seats

Michael McDermott (Mississippi)

Troy Williamson, II (Texas)*

At-large seat

Thomas Frazer (Florida)*

Pacific Council

The Pacific Council includes members from California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. The Pacific Council also includes one Tribal seat. 2022 appointees will fill one obligatory seat for Idaho, and one at-large seat.

Obligatory seat

Peter Hassemer (Idaho)*

At-large seat

Marc Gorelnik (California)*

North Pacific Council

The North Pacific Council includes members from Alaska and Washington. 2022 appointees will fill two obligatory seats for Alaska.

Obligatory seats

Angela Drobnica (Alaska)

Nicole Kimball (Alaska)*

Western Pacific Council

The Western Pacific Council includes members from American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 2022 appointees will fill one obligatory seat for American Samoa, and two at-large seats.

Obligatory seat

William Sword (American Samoa)*

At-large seats

Judith Guthertz (Guam)

Shaelene Kamakaala (Hawaii)

 

South Atlantic Council Moving Forward to Address Red Snapper and Reduce Release Mortality in Snapper Grouper Fishery

June 22, 2022 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will continue to develop measures to revise catch levels for Red Snapper and help reduce release mortality for all species managed in the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan. Reductions in catch levels for Red Snapper are required to end overfishing. The most recent stock assessment for Red Snapper shows the stock remains overfished and is undergoing overfishing, primarily due to the increasing number of fish that die after being released throughout the year as the stock continues to rebuild. Council members considered public input and recommendations from the Snapper Grouper Advisory Panel during discussions at the Council meeting last week in Key West, Florida. The measures are proposed in Regulatory Amendment 35 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan and would apply to federal waters off the coasts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and the east coast of Florida.

Among measures the Council is considering to reduce release mortality for the snapper grouper fishery are gear modifications, seasons, and area closures. Options for gear modifications include disallowing the use of electric reels (exceptions would be made for individuals with physical disabilities) and requiring single hook rigs for the recreational sector. Alternative timing for the Red Snapper recreational season, options for a recreational snapper grouper season, and periodic area closures for the snapper grouper fishery could also be considered. Council members requested additional information and analyses and will continue discussion during the September 2022 meeting.

While not specific to Regulatory Amendment 35, Council members also stressed the need to expand outreach and education efforts for Best Fishing Practices, including the use of descending devices, proper handling, and other measures to improve the likelihood that released fish survive. 

The Council approved two amendments for public hearings. Snapper Grouper Amendment 51 includes measures to end overfishing for Snowy Grouper. A reduction in harvest of approximately 43% is needed to end overfishing. In addition to modifying catch limits, the amendment proposes to revise sector allocations using updated recreational landings, shorten the current recreational season (May 1 – August 31), and modify recreational accountability measures. Snapper Grouper Amendment 52 includes proposed management measures for Golden Tilefish and Blueline Tilefish. The amendment allows for an increase in catch levels for Golden Tilefish based on the most recent stock assessment and would modify the recreational bag limit, season, and accountability measures for Blueline Tilefish. Public hearings for both amendments will be scheduled for later this summer via webinar and also held during the Council’s September 2022 meeting.

After considering public comment and recommendations from its Snapper Grouper Advisory Panel, the Council modified management measures proposed for Greater Amberjack through Snapper Grouper Amendment 49. The stock is not overfished and overfishing is not occurring, allowing for an increase in catch levels. An action to increase the recreational minimum size limit from 28” fork length was removed from the amendment. Actions to revise catch levels and sector allocations, reduce the commercial minimum size limit, modify commercial trip limits during split seasons, and revise the April spawning season closure remain. The Council will address the amendment again during its September meeting where the amendment is scheduled to be voted on for final approval.

Other Actions

Council members continued to hear concerns about the Dolphin fishery from fishermen and stakeholders. The Council is responsible for management of Dolphin in federal waters from Maine to the Florida Keys. Given the broad management area, expansive seasonal migratory patterns, and relatively short life span, management of Dolphin presents a unique challenge. To help the Council address these challenges, NOAA Fisheries Southeast Fisheries Science Center presented plans to begin work on a Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) for the Dolphin fishery. The project goal is to develop an index-based management procedure that may provide more robust analytical support for catch levels and management evaluations for the fishery. The Council prioritized collaboration on the project, including assisting with stakeholder meetings to be held this summer and fall. 

The Council is continuing to develop Regulatory Amendment 3 for the Dolphin Wahoo Fishery Management Plan with options to modify the applicable geographic range of the minimum size limit for Dolphin as well as recreational bag and vessel limits. The Council will address Dolphin management during its December 2022 meeting. 

During last week’s meeting, the Council received key findings from an initial program evaluation plan for its Citizen Science Program as well as project updates. The Citizen Science Program’s SAFMC Release Project allows fishermen the opportunity to provide information via a mobile app about releases of shallow water grouper species and Red Snapper. Additional information is available from the Council’s website: https://safmc.net/citizen-science/safmc-release/. 

Additional information about the June Council meeting, including committee and Full Council reports, is available from the Council’s website at:https://safmc.net/events/2022-june-council-meeting/. The next meeting of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is scheduled for September 12-16, 2022, at the Town and Country Inn in Charleston, South Carolina. 

 

Florida captain pays $22,300 to settle federal fisheries case

May 20, 2022 — A Florida commercial fishing captain agreed to pay $22,300 restitution in a settlement with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and National Marine Fisheries Service for resource-related violations dating back to 2015, the agencies said in a May 17 statement.

Darrell York of the commercial fishing vessel Watch Out settled on charges of illegally taking red snapper and grouper, according to the agencies.

“This case is a great example of our commitment to working with our state and federal partners in bringing those who show complete disregard for Florida’s natural resources and are actively evading officers to justice,” said Col. Roger Young of the state commission’s Division of Law Enforcement.

Read the full story at National Fisherman