Saving Seafood

NOAA Announces an Increase in the Commercial Scup Quota and Possession Limit for the 2020 Winter II Period (October 1-December 31)

September 11, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

As authorized by the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan, we are transferring 4,850,963 lb of unused quota from the Winter I commercial scup fishery to the Winter II fishery. This results in a revised Winter II commercial scup quota of 8,394,299 lb.

We are also increasing the commercial scup possession limit for the Winter II season to 24,000 lb, per trip (from 12,000 lb), based on the amount of quota being rolled over from Winter I to Winter II.

When state and federal possession limits are different, fishermen with both state and federal permits are required to abide by the more restrictive of the two.

For more details, read the Federal Register notice as filed today, and the bulletin on our website.

Flounder: Summer landings on track; reductions coming for southern allocations

August 18, 2020 — Summer flounder is a popular commercial fishery in the Mid-Atlantic region, with North Carolina allocated the largest share at 27.44 percent. Despite the widespread disruption in markets from covid-19, the state’s fleet by early summer was on track for landings just slightly lower than 2019.

Preliminary statistics show 69 North Carolina vessels representing 131 trips had landed 744,479 pounds of summer flounder by late June, with a value of $2.67 million distributed to 16 dealers.

“Landings of summer flounder appear to be somewhat down from last year, but the trend seems similar,” said Lee Paramore, biologist supervisor with the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries. “Since we can modify trip limits to stay within quota, it may be possible to allow for increased harvest if landings remain down relative to last year.

“There a lot of factors that can impact landings, and we haven’t yet determined if covid will play a part, but currently the fish houses here that typically land summer flounder have been operating at same level.”

The state’s commercial landings for summer flounder have been consistent since 2008 ,with the exception of 2012-13, where excessive shoaling in Oregon Inlet limited the number of trawl boats able to land in North Carolina. Annual commercial landings averaged 2.25 million pounds of summer flounder since 2008.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

It’s nice to share: NMFS, Mid-Atlantic council propose more flounder quota for states

August 14, 2020 — With the East Coast summer flounder stock on an upswing, more states could share when the annual commercial quota can be raised above 9.55 million pounds, under a proposal by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and NMFS.

Amendment 21 to the council’s summer flounder management plan “would change the state-by-state commercial quota allocations when the coastwide quota exceeds 9.55 million pounds,” according to a rulemaking notice from NMFS in the Aug. 12 federal Register.

“When the coastwide quota is 9.55 million pounds or less, the quota would be distributed according to the current allocations,” held mostly by North Carolina, Virginia, New Jersey and Rhode Island, under historic allocation splits that date back to 1993, the notice explains.

Now, with the flounder biomass and the fishery in good shape, fishermen and their state governments have been pressing to share the benefits.

Under the proposed amendment, “in years when the coastwide quota exceeds 9.55 million pounds, any additional quota, beyond this threshold, would be distributed in equal shares to all states except Maine, Delaware, and New Hampshire, which would split 1 percent of the additional quota,” the notice states.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Massachusetts looks to extend commercial fishing season for some species

August 14, 2020 — The unrelenting COVID-19 pandemic has dampened commercial fishing in state waters for striped bass, black sea bass and summer flounder and state fishery regulators are trying to help fishermen make up for the slow start.

The state Division of Marine Fisheries wants to extend the seasons for the commercial harvest of the three species — and give commercial fishermen wider access to remaining quotas — by adding open fishing days to the late summer and fall portions of this fishing season.

“The purpose is to provide active commercial fishermen with additional access to these quota-managed fisheries during the fall,” DMF said in its announcement seeking public comment on the proposed in-season adjustments. “This will let these businesses fish around worsening seasonal weather, which typically has a limiting impact on commercial fishing quotas.”

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Meeting Summaries and Motions from the Joint ASMFC/MAFMC August Meeting Webinar

August 14. 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Meeting summaries and motions from the Joint meeting of the MAFMC and ASMFC Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass and Bluefish Boards are now available at http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/ASMFC_Bluefish_SFlounderScupBSBBoard_MAFMCMtgSummary_Aug2020.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 briefing materials are available on the MAFMC website at: https://www.mafmc.org/briefing/august-2020.

SCEMFIS Study Shows Importance of Summer Flounder Fishery to Mid-Atlantic Communities

August 13, 2020 — A new report from the Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCEMFIS) displays the importance of summer flounder to Mid-Atlantic coastal communities.

SCEMFIS found that $26.5 million worth of fish landed at the docks, generating over $151 million in total sales for wholesalers, retailers and restaurants. Overall, the fishery which operates in New Jersey, Virginia and Rhode Island is responsible for over $259 million in total economic output and over 1,600 direct jobs.

Read the full story at Seafood News

State Proposes Extending Commercial Fishing for Sea Bass, Striped Bass, Summer Flounder

August 11, 2020 — After a slow start to the summer, the state Division of Marine Fisheries has proposed extensions to the commercial striped bass, black sea bass and summer flounder seasons, hoping to add additional fishing days and adjust catch limits for fishermen as fall approaches.

The DMF is proposing to add Tuesdays and Thursdays to the commercial striped bass season starting Sept. 1. The agency is then planning to add Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays starting Oct. 2 — which would allow commercial striped bass fishing every day of the week.

A similar change has been proposed for the black sea bass fishery, with DMF planning to add Mondays and Wednesdays in September and expand the season to seven days per week in October. The DMF is also proposing to increase the commercial pot limit from 400 to 500 pounds per week.

Read the full story at the Vineyard Gazette

Study Confirms Summer Flounder Fishery Vital for Mid-Atlantic Fishing Communities; $259 Million in Economic Impacts

August 10, 2020 — The following was released by the Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCEMFIS):

A new economic report reveals a clearer picture of just how valuable summer flounder is for coastal communities in the Mid-Atlantic: $26.5 million worth of fish landed at the docks, generating over $151 million in total sales for wholesalers, retailers, and restaurants, and millions more in indirect impacts.

According to the study from the Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCEMFIS), the fishery, based largely in Mid-Atlantic states such as New Jersey, Virginia and Rhode Island, is responsible for over $259 million in total economic output. This includes the millions in direct landings and sales, but also $44 million in indirect economic impacts, and over 1,600 direct jobs.

“Summer flounder is one of the cornerstone fisheries of our community,” said Greg DiDomenico, the Chair of SCEMFIS. “It’s important that we’re able to quantify exactly how important it is. It will help us better manage this species and maintain the health of our coastal communities.”

The economic impact of the summer flounder fishery is spread across several sectors of the economy, with a diverse set of indirect economic impacts. In tracking where flounder ends up, the study finds that over half of landings eventually go to restaurants and other foodservice establishments, with the other half going to retail.

The report comes at an important time for the fishery. The most recent summer flounder assessment found that flounder are not overfished, and are not experiencing overfishing. Regulators at both the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission are currently considering how to reallocate flounder quotas as part of an update to the summer flounder management plan. At the same time, fishermen and coastal communities are dealing with the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 crisis, facing a loss of revenue from decreased sales opportunities. Managers now have critical new information on the benefits and contributions of the commercial fishery to guide their decisions.

Prepared by Thomas J. Murray and Associates on behalf of SCEMFIS, the report draws on information from NOAA landings and market data and interviews with members of the seafood sector.

The SCEMFIS study is one of several that the Center has done to quantify the true economic value of commercially important U.S. fisheries, and complements efforts by NOAA to track the economic contributions of the fishing industry nationally. Part of the National Science Foundation’s Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers program, SCEMFIS brings together leading academics and marine scientists with members of the fishing industry to provide new research on the industry’s unaddressed scientific needs.

Read the full report here

Summer flounder: good news on quota, but waiting for restaurants’ return

July 7, 2020 — The $25.2 million East Coast market for summer flounder — although a reliable bread-and-butter fish — has faced ups and downs in quotas over the years.

The 2020 commercial quota is 11.53 million pounds, while the recreational harvest limit is 7.69 million pounds. The highest percent of commercial allocation goes to Virginia (21.32 percent) and North Carolina (27.44 percent) while Delaware, Maine and New Hampshire have the smallest allocations.

Anecdotally, in the last few years, the price per pound for jumbo summer flounder (4 pounds or larger) decreased, with some vessels getting around 50 cents less per pound for jumbos compared to smaller sizes. As market conditions have shifted relative to quotas over the past few years, there is some speculation that markets prefer smaller product that fits better on a plate.

Now 2020 is the first full year with higher quotas for the fishery — but with the covid-19 crisis and its impact on markets globally, it remains to be seen if quotas will be fully utilized.

“It’s going to be very hard to predict summer flounder landings for 2020 at this point. Last year, the quotas were revised upward by about 50 percent, based on the new stock assessment, but that change wasn’t implemented until midyear,” says Kiley Dancy of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council staff.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

NOAA Fisheries Announces 2020 Recreational Rules for Summer Flounder

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

We are finalizing “conservation equivalency” for the summer flounder fishery. We have waived the federal recreational bag limit, minimum fish size, and fishing season for summer flounder. Fishermen are subject to regulations in the state where they land. Please contact your state for information on summer flounder recreational rules.

Read the final rule as filed in the Federal Register today.

Read the full release here