Saving Seafood

News for the South Atlantic Region

REMINDER: NOAA Fisheries reaches out to fishermen by phone; conducting surveys for scientists to assess impacts on commercial/for-hire fishing operations and seafood dealers/processors related to COVID-19

February 17, 2021 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

KEY MESSAGE:

NOAA Fisheries and our partner, the University of Florida, are teaming up on a phone survey to assess the impact of COVID-19 on commercial/for-hire fishing operations and on seafood dealers and processors. The phone survey is a follow-up to an earlier on-line survey conducted in July and August on economic impacts for the first half of 2020. The upcoming survey will assist us in assessing economic impacts over the entire calendar year.

Survey participants were randomly selected to participate. If you receive a phone call from the University of Florida with a 352 area code, your response is very important to the success of this survey. It will take less than 10 minutes, and the information you provide is strictly confidential.

PURPOSE OF THE SURVEY:

We are using this multi-region survey to inform NOAA Fisheries, the Department of Commerce, Congress, fishery management councils, state fishery managers, and stakeholders about the economic and social impacts that the recent economic downturn has had on the fishing industry.

NOAA Fisheries will draft reports for the public detailing the revenue losses and recovery of fishing-dependent businesses over the past year. Here is a look at what we have already been able to capture and release in a series of snapshot reports. You helped make this information available to us. Thank you!

MORE INFORMATION:

If you have further questions regarding the survey please contact:

Mike Jepson in the Gulf of Mexico Region, Michael.Jepson@noaa.gov

Matt McPherson in the South Atlantic Region, Matthew.McPherson@noaa.gov

Meeting Materials and Online Public Comment Form Now Available for SAFMC March 1-5, 2021 Meeting via Webinar

February 16, 2021 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Meeting materials for the upcoming March 1-5, 2021 meeting of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council are now available, including the meeting week agenda and individual committee agendas and overviews. An online public comment form is also available.

The meeting will be held via webinar and is available to the public as it occurs. A single webinar registration will allow access to each day of the meeting. Register now to receive email reminders as the meeting date approaches. Additional materials and meeting details are available from the Council’s website.

Agenda Highlights

  • Amendment 10 to the Dolphin and Wahoo Fishery Management Plan
    • The Dolphin Wahoo Committee will review recent public comments and continue to work on the amendment with actions to modify catch levels and sector allocations for both Dolphin and Wahoo, reduce recreational vessel limits for Dolphin and Wahoo, reduce bag limits for Wahoo and other measures affecting the fishery along the Atlantic coast.
  • Shrimp Fishery Access Area in the Oculina Habitat Area of Particular Concern (Coral Amendment 10) – a public hearing on proposed measures will be held during the public comment session (see below)
  • Snapper Grouper Committee will address:
    • Red Porgy – (Snapper Grouper Amendment 50) – management measures to end overfishing and rebuild the stock
    • Greater Amberjack – (Snapper Grouper Amendment 49) – options to adjust catch levels and sector allocations
    • Wreckfish Individual Transferable Quota (ITQ) Program – proposed changes to modernize the existing program. Public scoping will be held during the public comment session (see below)
  • King Mackerel – options to adjust catch levels and sector allocations. Public scoping will be held during the public comment session (see below).

The meeting begins Monday afternoon, March 1, 2021 at 12:30 p.m. with a meeting of the Full Council. Meetings of the Council’s committees will continue through the week, concluding with a meeting of the Full Council on Friday, March 5th.

Public Comment Session – Wednesday, March 3, 2021 at 4:00 p.m.

The Council will accept public comment on agenda items during this time. In addition, public hearing comments specific to Coral Amendment 10 (Shrimp Fishery Access Areas) and scoping comments for the Wreckfish ITQ Program and proposed management options for King Mackerel will also be solicited. A separate registration is required to provide public comment.

All meeting materials, the online comment form, and webinar registration information is available by selecting the appropriate tab from the March 2021 Council meeting page at: https://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/council-meetings/.

Rally urges stakeholders to demand better protections for North Atlantic right whales

February 12, 2021 — Oceana hosted a Save the Whales Rally on Tuesday that aimed to support anyone hoping to speak up in favor of better protections for the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale.

The federal government is seeking stakeholder comments about ways to reduce the risks that fishing gear in oceans pose to the whales. During the rally, Oceana staff offered background information, advice and tools to provide input on how and why to better protect the species, which is currently in its calving season off the coast of Georgia and northern Florida.

“North Atlantic right whales come down to the offshore waters of Georgia, north Florida and sometimes even South Carolina — many of them every winter — to have their calves and then they travel in the spring back all the way up into the North Atlantic into the Northeastern U.S. and Canadian waters,” said Paulita Bennett-Martin, Oceana’s field representative for Georgia campaigns. “And so they really come down here for the winter as our return visitor to seek warmer water, safe water, to have their calves. It’s a really exciting time of the year for us that love these whales, as we count the calves that are born every year. And unfortunately sometimes we also count the losses as well.”

The upcoming comment period is a chance to help the whales get on a path of recovery, said Gib Brogan, a senior fisheries manager for Oceana.

Read the full story at The Brunswick News

Presentations and Audio Files from ASMFC’s 2021 Winter Meeting Now Available

February 9, 2021 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Presentations and audio files from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 2021 Winter Meeting Webinar are now available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2021-winter-meeting-webinar;  go to the relevant board/committee header and click on either Presentations or Audio.  Audio files can also be found on the Commission’s YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/ASMFCvideos.

SAFMC Citizen Science Update – What do you want to see out of a citizen science mobile application?

February 8, 2021 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

What do you want to see in a customizable citizen science mobile application?

The role of citizen science is an evolving and potentially powerful tool to better understand marine fish populations. With that in mind, the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program has partnered with the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries to develop a mobile application that encourages and supports the capture and sharing of information about Atlantic coast fish.

We need your help to develop this application! We’re hosting a series of workshops in March and April 2021 to ensure we create something that meets the needs of all potential users.

Questionnaire

To prepare for the workshops, we invite you to contribute your voice and start the discussion by letting us know what you want out of a citizen science application.

Share your perspective by answering a short questionnaire at the link below by Monday, Feb 15 at 5pm EST. It should take no longer than 15 minutes to complete.

Citizen Science Mobile Application Questionnaire

We want to gather information from a diverse group of fishermen, fisheries scientists, and fisheries managers. So please share the questionnaire with others in your community who may be interested!

Town Hall Meetings

Want to play a larger role in the development of the citizen science application? Consider participating in one of our virtual town hall meetings. More details will be posted at the website below as they become available.

Tuesday, March 9 at 5pm
Thursday, March 11 at 10am

For more information on this project

Visit: https://safmc.net/cit-sci/customizable-citizen-science-app/

or

Contact us:

Julia Byrd
Citizen Science
Program Manager
julia.byrd@safmc.net

Allie Iberle
Citizen Science
Project Coordinator
allie.iberle@safmc.net

Coast Guard suspends search for missing boater

February 8, 2021 — In the first 24 hours after a 30-foot recreational crab boat was found empty and stuck on the pillars of the Buckman Bridge, personnel in the water and from the air searched more than 72 square miles of the St. Johns River looking for the missing boater. That area is roughly the same size as Washington, D.C.

Shortly before 8 p.m., the U.S. Coast Guard said that it suspended its search for the missing man.

The Coast Guard, Jacksonville Fire and Rescue and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission joined local responders in the search shortly after an off-duty police officer reported seeing a boat spinning aimlessly in a circle in the St. Johns River just before 8 a.m. Thursday. Minutes later, it crashed into the bridge.

FWC, the lead agency, identified the missing man as 20-year-old Michael Vaughn III, of St. Augustine, who was out crab fishing by himself. Local fishermen, who said they know Vaughn, pray that he’s found. One of them told News4Jax he believes the younger Vaughn was out on the water alone around 6 a.m. Thursday.

Read the full story at News4Jax

Closure for the Commercial Golden Tilefish Longline Component in South Atlantic Federal Waters on February 10, 2021

February 5, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

WHAT/WHEN:

The commercial longline component for golden tilefish in federal waters of the South Atlantic will close at 12:01 a.m., local time, on February 10, 2021.  The closure applies to all harvest or possession of golden tilefish with longline fishing gear.

WHY THIS CLOSURE IS HAPPENING:

  • Only golden tilefish longline endorsement holders are allowed to harvest golden tilefish with longline fishing gear.
  • The 2021 commercial catch limit for the golden tilefish longline component is 248,805 pounds gutted weight. NOAA Fisheries predicts this catch limit will be reached by February 10, 2021, and according to the accountability measure, harvest must close to prevent the catch limit from being exceeded.

DURING AND AFTER THE CLOSURE:

  • Golden tilefish harvested with longline fishing gear may not be sold or purchased after the closure. The prohibition on sale or purchase during the closure does not apply to fish that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold prior to 12:01 a.m., local time, on February 10, 2021, and were held in cold storage by a dealer or processor.
  • During the longline closure, a vessel with a golden tilefish longline endorsement may not commercially harvest golden tilefish using hook-and-line fishing gear, and is limited to the golden tilefish recreational bag and possession limits when the recreational sector is open, without regard to where the golden tilefish was harvested (i.e. in state or federal waters).
  • A vessel that does not have a longline endorsement, but has a commercial South Atlantic snapper-grouper unlimited permit, may commercially harvest golden tilefish with hook-and-line fishing gear until the hook-and-line catch limit is reached.
  • The commercial longline component for golden tilefish in federal waters of the South Atlantic will open at 12:01 a.m., local time, on January 1, 2022.

This bulletin provides only a summary of the existing regulations.  Full regulations can be found in the Federal Register or at https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=383bc195ccbeab4fd6bec1c24905df34&node=sp50.12.622.i&rgn=div6.

ASMFC 2021 Winter Meeting Webinar Press Releases, Meeting Summaries, and Motions Now Available

February 5, 2021 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Press releases, meeting summaries and motions from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 2021 Winter Meeting Webinar are now available athttp://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/2021WinterMeetingWebinar/2021WinterMeetingSummary.pdf.  The document can also be obtained on the Commission website on the Meeting Archives page at http://www.asmfc.org/home/meeting-archive.

Presentations and audio files from this week’s meetings will be posted at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2021-winter-meeting-webinar early next week.

SAFMC Meeting Scheduled via Webinar for March 1-5 , 2021

February 4, 2021 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council meet March 1-5, 2021 via webinar. During the week-long meeting Council members will discuss federal management measures affecting:

  • Dolphin and Wahoo (along the entire Atlantic coast)
  • Greater Amberjack
  • Red Porgy
  • King Mackerel
  • Wreckfish

The meeting agenda also includes continued review of a proposed Shrimp Fishery Access Area in the Oculina Habitat Area of Particular Concern (Coral Amendment 10) and an update on the Council’s Habitat and Ecosystem Blueprint development.

The meeting begins Monday afternoon, March 1, 2021 at 12:30 p.m. with a meeting of the Full Council. Meetings of the Council’s committees will continue through the week, concluding with a meeting of the Full Council on Friday, March 5th.

Public Comment Session – Wednesday, March 3, 2021 at 4:00 p.m.
The Council will accept public comment on agenda items during this time. In addition, public hearing comments specific to Coral Amendment 10 (Shrimp Fishery Access Areas) and scoping comments for the Wreckfish Individual Transferable Quota (ITQ) Program and proposed management options for King Mackerel will also be solicited.

Unless otherwise indicated, the meeting is open to the public via webinar. Registration is required. Register now and receive reminders as the meeting date approaches. Meeting materials and the public comment form will be posted to the Council’s website two weeks prior to the meeting at: https://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/council-meetings/.

They should be heading north, but whale and her calf are going south. Scientists worried

February 2, 2021 — The coasts off Northeast Florida, Georgia and South Carolina are the only known spots in the ocean where North Atlantic right whales give birth to their calves. After birth, the mother and calf usually swim north to New England.

But a right whale that recently gave birth to a calf is heading in the wrong direction, according to federal marine scientists.

The 12-year-old adult and her baby were first seen off Amelia Island near Jacksonville on Jan. 21. Scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are concerned because the pair was next spotted last Wednesday, Jan. 27, much farther south near the Lake Worth Inlet just north of West Palm Beach in South Florida.

“In this case, the pair is heading south, into areas they normally don’t go, making it important for people to be on the lookout for them,” said Allison Garret, spokeswoman with NOAA Fisheries.

Read the full story at The Bradenton Herald