Saving Seafood

Final Action on Summer Flounder Commercial Issues Amendment Postponed Until February 2019

December 19, 2018 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

During a joint meeting last week in Annapolis, Maryland, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Board (Board) voted to postpone final action on the Summer Flounder Commercial Issues Amendment until their next joint meeting in February 2019.

The amendment considers several potential changes to the management of the commercial summer flounder fishery and proposes modifications to the fishery management plan goals and objectives for summer flounder.

Discussion during the meeting focused predominantly on options in the amendment that could modify allocations of the commercial summer flounder quota to the states. The current commercial allocations were last modified in 1993 and are perceived by some as outdated given their basis in 1980-1989 landings data. The amendment proposes three sets of alternatives for modifying the current state-by-state allocations. After reviewing public comments on these options, the administrative Commissioner from New York introduced a motion that would have allowed states to submit additional commercial quota allocation options for discussion in February 2019. While some Council and Board members offered support for the motion, others felt that it was too late in the process to introduce new alternatives and that the existing options adequately address the purpose of the amendment. After a lengthy discussion, the motion was defeated due to lack of majority from the Council.

Given the limited time available to discuss the remaining issues addressed in the amendment, the Council and Board voted to postpone final action until their next joint meeting, to be held February 11-14, 2019 in Virginia Beach, VA. Additional information about this action is available at:
http://www.mafmc.org/actions/summer-flounder-amendment.

Questions? Contact Kiley Dancy, Fishery Management Specialist, kdancy@mafmc.org, (302) 526-5257.

Read the full release here

ASMFC Approves Addenda XXXI and XXXII to the Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan

December 14, 2018 — ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board (Board), at its joint meeting with the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council), approved Addenda XXXI and XXXII to the Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan (FMP).

Addendum XXXI

Addendum XXXI, coupled with the Council’s complementary Framework Document, adds to the suite of tools available for managing summer flounder, scup and black sea bass, with particular focus on enhancing the compatibility of state and federal regulations.

First, the joint action modifies the Council and Commission FMPs to allow the use of conservation equivalency for black sea bass recreational management, beginning in 2020. Conservation equivalency allows recreational management measures in federal waters measures to be waived, and instead requires recreational anglers to abide by the measures of the state in which they land their catch. As is done in summer flounder recreational management, the Board and Council will annually decide whether to enact conservation equivalency.

Second, the Commission recommended NOAA Fisheries implement transit provisions in Block Island Sound, allowing non-federally permitted recreational and commercial vessels to transit federal waters while in possession of summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass legally harvested from state waters.

Lastly, the Council’s Framework allows for the use of maximum sizes in addition to minimum sizes, commonly referred to as slot limits, to control catch in the summer flounder and black sea bass recreational fisheries. The Commission’s FMP already allows for use of this approach, thereby allowing both management bodies to use this measure in the future.

Addendum XXXII

Addendum XXXII establishes a new process for developing recreational management measures for summer flounder and black sea bass. These measures will be set on an annual basis through a specifications process, rather than addenda. The Board will approve measures in early spring each year, based on technical committee analysis of stock status, resource availability, and harvest estimates. Public input on specifications will be gathered by states through their individual public comment processes.

By removing the need to develop annual addenda to implement recreational measures, the specifications process will provide the Board more flexibility in adjusting measures, if necessary, to constrain harvest to the annual coastwide recreational harvest limit (RHL). Further, the process will enable the Board to consider a host of factors, including: regional equity; regulatory stability; species abundance and distribution; and late-breaking recreational harvest estimates. To further aid in setting specifications, the Addendum establishes standards and guiding principles intended to structure the development of recreational measures on a regional basis.

Addenda XXXI and XXXII will be available on the Commission website, www.asmfc.org, on each species webpage by the end of December. For more information on summer flounder and scup, please contact Kirby Rootes-Murdy, Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at krootes-murdy@asmfc.org, and for information on black sea bass, contact Caitlin Starks, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at cstarks@asmfc.org, or 703.842.0740.

Read the release here

 

Ocean Shock: Fish Flee for Cooler Waters, Upending Lives in US South

November 7, 2018 — This is part of “Ocean Shock,” a Reuters series exploring climate change’s impact on sea creatures and the people who depend on them.

Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son” drifts from Karroll Tillett’s workshop, a wooden shed about half a mile from where he was born.

Tillett, known as “Frog” to everyone here, has lived most of his 75 years on the water, much of it chasing summer flounder. But the chasing got harder and harder, and now he spends his time making nets for other fishermen at his workshop, at the end of a dirt path next to his ex-wife’s house.

The house is on CB Daniels Sr. Road, one of several named after two of the fishing clans that have held sway for decades in this small coastal town. Besides CB Daniels Sr. Road, there’s ER Daniels Road and just plain Daniels Road. In Frog’s family, there’s Tink Tillett Road and Rondal Tillett Road.

Once upon a time, these fishing families were pioneers. In the 1970s and 1980s, they built summer flounder into a major catch for the region. The 15 brothers and sisters of the Daniels clan parlayed the business into a multinational fishing company, and three years ago they sold it to a Canadian outfit for tens of millions of dollars.

But for Frog Tillett and almost everyone else in these parts, there’s not much money to be made fishing offshore here anymore.

Forty years ago, Tillett fished for summer flounder in December and January in waters near Wanchese, then followed the fish north as the weather warmed. In recent years, however, fewer summer flounder have traveled as far south in the winter, and the most productive area has shifted north, closer to Martha’s Vineyard and the southern shore of Long Island.

Reuters has spent more than a year scouring decades of maritime temperature readings, fishery records and other little-used data to create a portrait of the planet’s hidden climate disruption — in the rarely explored depths of the seas that cover more than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface. The reporting has come to a disturbing conclusion: Marine life is facing an epic dislocation.

Read the full story from Reuters at Voice of America

Fight for New Fluke Quota in New York

October 26, 2018 — For many years, commercial fishermen in New York have complained about the inequities they faced in the numbers­­­ of summer flounder they could land (as well as other popular species), when compared to other states along the East Coast. The fight has gone on for nearly 30 years and continues to this day.

In April, the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council approved a summer flounder commercial issues draft amendment that rejected a motion by New York representatives to add provisions that would more adequately address the state-by-state quota inequity in the fluke fishery. Once again, the council and Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission solicited public comment on the draft amendment, which ended last week. While a decision has yet to be made, it’s very clear that frustration abounds concerning an imbalance between many on land and those who work on the water.

State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. has called for two additional options in the summer flounder commercial issues draft amendment — to negotiate new state quota shares of summer flounder and to include a coast-wide quota and management of summer flounder.

“The state-by-state quotas created by the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council and the Department of Commerce’s National Marine Fisheries Service, pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Act, are based upon faulty and incomplete collection data, which discriminate against commercial fishermen in the State of New York,” Mr. Thiele said in an Oct. 15 statement.

Read the full story at The East Hampton Star

 

States Schedule Public Hearings on Draft Addenda XXXI and XXXII: Management Board Seeks Input on Options for Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management

October 25, 2018 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Atlantic states from Massachusetts through Virginia have scheduled hearings to gather public comment on Draft Addenda XXXI and XXXII to the Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The details of those hearings follow:

Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries

  • November 28, 2018 at 6 PM
  • Bourne Community Center, Room 2
  • 239 Main Street
  • Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts
  • Contact: Nichola Meserve at 617.626.1531

Rhode Island Division of Fish & Wildlife

  • November 7, 2018 at 6 PM
  • University of Rhode Island Narragansett Bay Campus Corless Auditorium
  • South Ferry Road
  • Narragansett, Rhode Island
  • Contact: Robert Ballou at 401.222.4700 ext. 4420

Connecticut Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection

  • November 5, 2018 at 7 PM
  • DEEP Marine Headquarters
  • Boating Education Center, Building 3
  • 333 Ferry Road
  • Old Lyme, Connecticut
  • Contact: Justin Davis at 860.447.4322

New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation

  • November 27, 2018 at 6:30 PM
  • Division of Marine Resources
  • 205 North Belle Mead Road, Suite 1
  • East Setauket, New York
  • Contact: Maureen Davidson at 631.444.0483

New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife

  • November 26, 2018 at 6 PM
  • Stafford Township Administrative Office
  • 260 East Bay Avenue
  • Manahawkin, New Jersey
  • Contact: Joseph Cimino at 609.748.2020

Delaware Dept. of Natural Resources & Environmental Control

  • November 8, 2018 at 6 PM
  • DNREC Auditorium
  • 89 Kings Highway
  • Dover, Delaware
  • Contact: John Clark at 302.739.9914

Maryland Department of Natural Resources

  • November 15, 2018 at 6 PM
  • Ocean City Municipal Airport
  • 12724 Airport Road
  • Berlin, Maryland
  • Contact: Steve Doctor at 410.213.1531

Virginia Marine Resources Commission

  • November 14, 2018 at 6 PM
  • 2600 Washington Avenue
  • 4th Floor Conference Room
  • Newport News, Virginia
  • Contact: Rob O’Reilly at 757.247.2248

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board approved Draft Addendum XXXI for public comment at the Joint Commission/Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council meeting in Virginia Beach, VA in August 2018, and approved Draft Addendum XXXII yesterday at the Commission’s Annual Meeting in New York City.

Draft Addendum XXXI

Draft Addendum XXXI and the Council’s complementary framework consider adding the following management options to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan.

  1. Conservation equivalency for the recreational black sea bass fishery
  2. Conservation equivalency rollover for summer flounder
  3. Transit provisions for Block Island Sound for recreational and/or commercial fisheries for all three species
  4. Slot limits (not currently a management option in the Council’s FMP)

The Draft Addendum aims to increase the suite of tools available for managing summer flounder, scup and black sea bass, as well as reduce inconsistencies between state and federal regulations. This action does not consider implementing black sea bass conservation equivalency or slot limits for any of the three species in 2019. Rather, the options would update the FMPs to allow these management tools to be used in future years.

Draft Addendum XXXII

Draft Addendum XXXII was initiated to establish new recreational management programs for summer flounder and black sea bass, as the current addenda under which the two fisheries are currently managed (Addenda XXVIII and XXX, respectively) expire at the end of 2018. The Draft Addendum proposes two options for each recreational fishery: (1) coastwide management (the default program for both species under the FMP), or conservation equivalency for summer flounder; and (2) setting measures through a specifications process.

The Draft Addendum seeks to address several challenges with the recreational management of summer flounder and black sea bass. Since the adoption of the FMP, shifts in abundance, distribution, and behavior of these two species have created challenges in constraining harvest to the coastwide recreational harvest limit (RHL) while providing fair and equitable access to fishermen throughout the species’ ranges. In addition, the use of highly variable and inherently delayed annual harvest estimates to establish management measures for the subsequent year has led to regulatory instability, regulatory disparities, and frustration on the part of stakeholders.

Setting measures through specifications would be a procedural change, allowing regional management to reflect the current condition and distribution of the stocks and fisheries, and enabling measures to be established based on more complete harvest data rather than preliminary projections. This process would eliminate the need for measures to be established through addenda; instead, the Board would approve measures in the late winter or early spring each year, based on technical committee analysis of harvest estimates and other information on resource availability. Public input on specifications would be gathered by states through their individual public comment processes. For each species, the Draft Addendum also includes proposed standards and guiding principles to structure how measures are set in order to provide fair and equitable access to the resource, and increase regulatory stability.

Interested groups are encouraged to provide input on Draft Addenda XXXI and XXXII either by attending state public hearings or providing written comment. Draft Addenda are is available at http://www.asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/SF_Scup_BSB_DraftAddendumXXXI_PublicComment_Oct2018.pdf and http://www.asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/SF_BSB_DraftAddendumXXXII_PublicComment_Oct2018.pdf. They can also be accessed on the Commission website (www.asmfc.org) under Public Input. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on November 28, 2018 and should be forwarded to Caitlin Starks, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, Virginia 22201; 703.842.0741 (fax) or at comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Draft Addendum XXXI and XXXII Comment).

NEW JERSEY: Land Bill to Assist Black Sea Bass and Flounder Commercial Fishermen Clears Assembly Panel

October 19, 2018 — In an effort to benefit commercial fishing operations, Assemblymen Robert Andrzejczak and Bruce Land (both D-1st) have sponsored legislation permitting commercial fishing vessels to possess more than the daily trip limit of black sea bass and summer flounder under certain conditions.

The bill was advanced Oct. 18 by the Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.

“It is not right to limit the amount of black sea bass and summer flounder commercial fishing boats can possess, so long as they are fished in a sustainable way,” stated Andrzejczak in a release. “As long as fishermen respect our environment and the fish they catch, we should not limit how our residents can make a living.”

“New Jersey’s fishermen pride themselves on providing the state with top-notch fish for our residents,” stated Land. “It is not fair for us to negate their hard work, and implement unnecessary restrictions on certain fish, limiting their income.”

The bill (A-4136) would prohibit the Commissioner of Environmental Protection from limiting the amount of black sea bass or summer flounder commercial fishing vessels may possess, as long as they don’t land summer flounder or black sea bass again in New Jersey for seven days after the initial pack-out.

Read the full story at the Cape May County Herald

Last Call for Public Comments on Summer Flounder Commercial Issues Amendment

October 10, 2018 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission & the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) are soliciting public input on a draft amendment to address several potential changes to the management of the commercial summer flounder fishery, as well as modifications to the fishery management plan (FMP) goals and objectives for summer flounder. The deadline to submit written comments is October 12, 2018. Written comments may be submitted online here or through email, mail, or fax (scroll down for addresses).
The specific issues under consideration in this amendment include:
  1. Requalifying criteria for federal commercial moratorium permits to address latent effort in the fishery: The amendment includes options to reduce the number of eligible commercial federal moratorium permits by implementing requalifying criteria for existing permits.
  2. Modifying commercial quota allocation: The amendment proposes several options for revising the current commercial allocation to the states, which has been in place since 1993 and is based on average landings from 1980-1989.
  3. Adding commercial landings flexibility as a framework issue in the Council’s FMP: This action does not consider implementing landings flexibility policies at this time but considers allowing the Council to implement landings flexibility through a future framework action instead of an amendment. The Commission’s adaptive management process already allows for landings flexibility.
  4. Revising the FMP objectives for summer flounder: This amendment proposes revisions to the current FMP objectives for summer flounder management to provide more meaningful and up-to-date guidance to managers.
Learn More
Additional information about the amendment and the management alternatives being considered can be found on the Council’s website at www.mafmc.org/actions/summer-flounder-amendment and on the Commission’s website at http://www.asmfc.org/about-us/public-input. This information includes three documents: (1) the Public Hearing Document, which includes all proposed management changes and was developed to solicit public comment; (2) the Commission’s Draft Amendment; and (3) the Council’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). Both the Commission’s Draft Amendment and the Council’s DEIS are required under their respective regulatory processes.
Contacts
  • Kiley Dancy, Fishery Management Specialist, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, kdancy@mafmc.org, 302.526.5257
  • Kirby Rootes-Murdy, Senior FMP Coordinator, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, krootes-murdy@asmfc.org, 703.842.0740
Written Comments
Given the joint nature of this management effort and to streamline the public comment process, comments should be directed to Council contact information below. You may submit written comments by 11:59 PM, Eastern Time, on Friday, October 12, 2018. Written comments may be sent by any of the following methods:
  1. ONLINE: www.mafmc.org/comments/summer-flounder-amendment
  2. EMAIL: nmfs.flukeamendment@noaa.gov 
  3. MAIL OR FAX TO:
    Chris Moore, Ph.D., Executive Director
    Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council
    North State Street, Suite 201
    Dover, DE 19901
    FAX: 302.674.5399
Please include “Summer Flounder Commercial Issues Amendment Comments” in the subject line if using email or on the outside of the envelope if submitting written comments by mail. All comments, regardless of submission method, will be compiled into a single document for review and consideration by both the Council and Commission. Please do not send separate comments to the Council and Commission.

August/September 2018 issue of Fisheries Focus Now Available

October 1, 2018 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The August/September 2018  issue of Fisheries Focus is now available at http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/5bae9553FishFocusAugSept2018.pdf.

Upcoming Meetings

page 2

From the Executive Director’s Desk 

MRIP’s Upgraded Fishing Effort Survey: A Significant Step Forward in Fisheries Science and Recreational Management

page 3

Species Profile

Horseshoe Crab

page 4

Essential Trawl Survey Receives Needed Boost

page 5

Fishery Management Actions

American Eel

Summer Flounder

Scup

Black Sea Bass

Bluefish

page 8

Science Highlight

Effects of the Biomedical Bleeding on the Behavior and Physiology of Horseshoe Crab

page 10

ACCSP Well Represented at AFS Annual Meeting

page 11

Proposed Management Actions

Summer Flounder

Scup

Black Sea Bass

Coastal Sharks

Cobia

page 12

In Memoriam
page 13

Comings & Goings

page 14

Employee of the Quarter Named

page 15

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

Notice of Rescheduled Hearings for Summer Flounder Commercial Issues Amendment

September 11, 2018 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

This week the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission will begin a series of public hearings for the Summer Flounder Commercial Issues Amendment. Due to predicted inclement weather associated with Hurricane Florence, several of these hearings have been rescheduled. Hearing date and location changes are highlighted below in bold.

  • The Washington, NC hearing originally scheduled for September 12 has been rescheduled for Monday, September 24, 6:00 PM, North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries, Washington Regional Office, 943 Washington Square Mall, US Highway 17, Washington, North Carolina 27889.
  • The Dover, DE hearing originally scheduled for September 13 has been rescheduled for Wednesday, September 26, 6:00 PM, and the hearing location has been moved to Dover Public Library, Meeting Room B, 35 Loockerman Plaza, Dover, Delaware 19901.
  • The Newport News, VA hearing originally scheduled for September 13 has been rescheduled for Wednesday, September 26, 7:00 PM, Virginia Marine Resources Commission, 2600 Washington Avenue, 4th Floor, Newport News, Virginia 23607.

An updated version of the public hearing document is available here. A complete hearing schedule and additional details about this action are available here.

ASMFC Meeting Changes and Postponements in Response to Hurricane Florence

September 11, 2018 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Scheduling changes have been made to following meetings and public hearings originally planned for this week in response to Hurricane Florence. We hope that all those in the path of Hurricane Florence stay safe.
 
NO CHANGE: Atlantic Striped Bass Tagging Subcommittee, which is scheduled to meet tomorrow, September 11, is still on and will be held at the Commission’s offices.
 
IN-PERSON MEETING CHANGED TO WEBINAR: Atlantic Striped Bass Stock Assessment Workshop, which is scheduled for September 12 – 14 at the Commission’s offices, will now occur via webinar. Members can register for that webinar at https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/130242117; to join the conference call dial 1-888-585-9008 and enter passcode 110-057-813 when prompted.
 
HEARING RESCHEDULED: NC Public Hearing on the Summer Flounder Commercial Issues Amendment, which was scheduled for September 12th at 6 PM, has been rescheduled for September 24th at 6 PM at the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries Washington Regional Office, 943 Washington Square Mall, US Highway 17, Washington, NC
 
HEARING RESCHEDULED: GA and SC Public Hearing on Atlantic Cobia PID, which was scheduled for September 12th at 6 PM, has been tentatively rescheduled for September 24th or 25th.  We will issue another press release once the details are finalized.
 
HEARING RESCHEDULED: VA Public Hearing on the Summer Flounder Commercial Issues Amendment, which was scheduled for September 13th at 6 PM, has been rescheduled for September 26th at 7 PM at the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, 2600 Washington Avenue, 4th Floor, Newport News, VA
 
HEARING DATE AND LOCATION CHANGED: DE Public Hearing on the Summer Flounder Commercial Issues Amendment, which was scheduled for September 13th at 6 PM, has been rescheduled for September 26that 6 PM at the Dover Public Library, Meeting Room B, 35 Loockerman Plaza, Dover, DE