Saving Seafood

NOAA Fisheries Announces Proposed 2021-2022 Spiny Dogfish Specifications

March 4, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is proposing the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils’ recommended catch specifications for the 2021-2022 spiny dogfish fishery. These proposed catch limits are revised from what was originally projected for fishing year 2021 to reflect the Mid-Atlantic Council’s updated risk policy to prevent overfishing, and project status quo (unchanged) specifications for 2022. Because the new risk policy accepts a higher level of risk for stocks at or above biomass targets, the proposed revisions increase all limits nearly 10 percent.

Comparison of Original (Current) and Revised (Proposed) Spiny Dogfish Fishery Specifications for Fishing Years 2021 and 2022, in metric tons.

All other management measures and requirements, including the 6,000-lb federal trip limit, would remain unchanged.

For more details on the proposed specifications, read the proposed rule as published in the Federal Register, and submit your comments through the online portal. The comment period is open through March 19, 2021.

Questions?

Fishermen Contact: Cynthia Ferrio, Sustainable Fisheries Division, 978-281-9180

Media: Contact Jennifer Goebel, Regional Office, 978-281-9175

Spiny Dogfish Eat Atlantic Cod: DNA May Provide Some Answers

November 17, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Conventional observations show that spiny dogfish in the western North Atlantic rarely eat Atlantic cod. However, some believe the rebuilding dogfish populations are limiting depleted cod numbers by competition or predation. To find out what is going on, NOAA Fisheries scientists looked to genetic testing to confirm cod presence in dogfish stomachs.

To get the samples they needed, scientists at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center asked local fishermen for help. Commercial fishing boats from New Bedford, Gloucester, Plymouth and Newburyport in Massachusetts stepped up.  All participate in the Study Fleet, a program in the center’s Cooperative Research Branch. Spiny dogfish were collected on 15 fishing trips during normal trawling operations between May 2014 and May 2015 in the Gulf of Maine and on Georges Bank.

“This was an excellent example of how cooperating fishing partners supplied fish for a pilot study of interest, and have helped advance this field of study,” said Richard McBride, chief of the center’s Population Biology Branch and a co-author of the study. “We were able to demonstrate that identifying cod in predator stomachs with environmental DNA works. It let us show fishermen that these innovative laboratory techniques can work on samples collected in the open ocean.”

Read the full release here

ASMFC September/October 2020 issue of Fisheries Focus Now Available

November 12, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The September/October 2020 issue of ASMFC Fisheries Focus is now available at http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/5fad9e9dFishFocusSeptOct2020.pdf

INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Upcoming Meetings
page 2

Report from the Chair
page 3

Species Profile
American Lobster
page 4

Fishery Management Actions
Atlantic Cobia
Horseshoe Crab
Spiny Dogfish
page 6

Science Highlight
ACFHP Launches Fish Habitat Conservation Area Mapping and Prioritization Project
page 10 

On the Legislative Front
U.S. Congress Advances Marine Debris and Conservation Bills
page 11

ACCSP Facilitates Compromise for Meeting Federal Dual-permitted VTR Requirements
page 12

Employee of the Quarter
page 13

Comings & Goings
page 13

Past issues of Fisheries Focus can be found at http://www.asmfc.org/search/%20/%20/Fishery-Focus

ASMFC Spiny Dogfish Board Sets Quotas for 2021-2023 Fishing Seasons

October 22, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Spiny Dogfish Management Board approved a commercial quota of 29.6 million pounds for the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 fishing years (May 1–April 30). The quotas are consistent with the measures recommended to NOAA Fisheries by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council). State-specific allocations are provided in table below.

Although the Board had previously set multi-year specifications for 2019-2021, in December 2019 the Council approved a new Risk Policy with the intent that 2021/2022 specifications would be revised to reflect the new policy. As such, the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) recommended increasing the acceptable biological catch (ABC) for 2021 from 35.4 million pounds to 38.6 million pounds. Based on this revised ABC recommendation, the Council approved a commercial quota of 29,559,580 pounds, which is an 8% increase compared to the previously set 2021/2022 quota. The Council also voted to extend these same specifications to the 2022 fishing year to align with the timing of the 2022 research track assessment. The Board works cooperatively with the Council in managing the spiny dogfish fishery in order to have consistency in state and federal waters. Neither the Board nor the Council recommended trip limit changes but the Council has plans in 2021 to conduct socioeconomic analyses of potential trip limit changes.

The Commission’s actions are final and apply to state waters (0-3 miles from shore). The Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils will forward their recommendations for federal waters (3 –200 miles from shore) to NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Administrator for final approval. For more information, please contact Toni Kerns, ISFMP Director, at tkerns@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

Read the full release here

NOAA Fisheries Approves Atlantic Spiny Dogfish Specifications for 2020

March 5, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is finalizing and implementing the Atlantic spiny dogfish commercial quota for the 2020 fishing year, which was originally announced on May 14, 2019. These specifications are unchanged from what was projected in the multi-year specifications for 2019-2021, and represent a 13-percent increase in coastwide commercial quota. These limits will be in place until April 30, 2021.

All other management measures and requirements, including the 6,000-lb Federal trip limit, remain unchanged.

For more details read the rule as filed in the Federal Register or the bulletin posted on our website.

Read the full release here

ASMFC Spiny Dogfish Board Approves Addendum VI

October 31, 2019 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Commission’s Spiny Dogfish Management Board approved Addendum VI to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Spiny Dogfish. The Addendum allows commercial quota to be transferred between all regions and states to enable the full utilization of the coastwide commercial quota and avoid quota payback for unintended quota overages.

The Commission’s FMP allocates the coastwide quota to the states of Maine-Connecticut as a regional allocation and to the states of New York-North Carolina as state-specific allocations. Previously, the FMP only allowed quota transfers between states with individual allocations, with regions excluded from benefitting from quota transfers. The 2019-2020 coastwide quota was reduced by 46% due to declining biomass. If landings in the 2019-2020 fishing year remain the same as 2018-2019 landings, there was concern the coastwide quota would not be exceeded but some states could face early closures due to reaching their allocation and being unable to access available unused quota from the northern region through quota transfers.

In order for the northern region to participate in quota transfers the Director of each state’s marine fisheries agency within the region must agree to the transfer in writing. As with transfers between states, transfers involving regions do not permanently affect the shares of the coastwide quota. Additionally, the Addendum extends the timeframe for when quota transfers can occur up to 45 days after the end of the fishing year to allow for late reporting of landings data. The Addendum’s measures are effective immediately and allow for transfers between all states and the northern region starting with the 2019-2020 fishing year.

Addendum VI will be available on the Commission’s website (www.asmfc.org) on the Spiny Dogfish webpage in early November. For more information, please contact Kirby Rootes-Murdy, Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator at krootes-murdy@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

ASMFC Spiny Dogfish Board Approves Draft Addendum VI for Public Comment

August 22, 2019 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Commission’s Spiny Dogfish Management Board approved Draft Addendum VI to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Spiny Dogfish for public comment. New Hampshire and Rhode Island have scheduled hearings to gather public input on the Draft Addendum. The details of those hearings, as well as a public hearing webinar follow:

New Hampshire Fish and Game Department

September 3, 2019; 7 PM
Urban Forestry Center
45 Elwyn Road
Portsmouth, NH

Read the full release here

Mercury levels in seafood found to be affected by climate change and ecosystem shifts

August 15, 2019 — Mercury levels in seafood can shift as fish seek new sources of prey and as water temperatures warm due to climate change, according to a recent study.

The new study, published in Nature, illustrates that even as global human-driven mercury emissions are declining, warming oceans and shifting predator-prey relationships caused by human fishing practices could still be major drivers of mercury in seafood.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Spiny Dogfish Fishery Performance Review and Trip Limit Discussion

August 8, 2019 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Council’s Spiny Dogfish AP will meet via webinar on Monday, August 19, 2019 from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The meeting will examine recent fishery performance before the Council reviews specifications, and will gather input on possible modifications to the 6,000-pound federal spiny dogfish trip limit. An action to consider trip limit changes is listed in the Council’s “Possible Additions” for 2019 deliverables, and the Council is seeking input as it decides how to proceed.

Anyone interested in the spiny dogfish trip limit is encouraged to participate – there will be opportunities for input by both the Advisory Panel and the public.

Additional meeting details are available at http://www.mafmc.org/council-events/2019/spiny-dogfish-ap-aug19 or by contacting Jason Didden at jdidden@mafmc.org or 302-526-5254.

Atlantic Spiny Dogfish Benefits from Sustainable Shark Management

August 2, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Wielding two venomous spines and growing as long as 4 feet, Atlantic spiny dogfish can often be seen hunting prey in dog-like packs (hence the dog-like name). Today, these little sharks are the most commonly caught and exported U.S. shark species, but that wasn’t always the case.

Spiny dogfish were once one of the most abundant shark species in the world. They were historically considered a nuisance by many fishermen who believed they ate young Atlantic cod and other high-priced species. However, NOAA Fisheries shark scientist Dr. Tobey Curtis said studies of spiny dogfish diets do not support this perception.

Smaller spiny dogfish tend to feed primarily on crustaceans, while larger dogfish eat jellyfish, squid, and schooling fish. Cod, red hake, goosefish, other spiny dogfish, larger sharks, seals, and killer whales all prey on dogfish. Dogfish also have a habit of getting caught in fishing nets due to their small size, resulting in bycatch.

Read the full release here