Virginia Marine Resources Commission Archives - Page 5 of 6

Virginia Marine Resources Commission cuts crab season, scales back bushel limits

June 29, 2017 — Virginia crabbers will come up a bit short this fall after state fisheries managers opted Tuesday to close the season earlier than last year and scale back bushel limits to address an alarming drop in juvenile crab numbers in the Chesapeake Bay.

The Virginia Marine Resources Commission voted 6-1 in a public hearing to close the crab pot season on Nov. 30 and re-open it March 17 next year. This timeline aligns with a typical crabbing season, but will add up to 16 fewer crabbing days for watermen who’ve been working an extended season because of last year’s ideal stock numbers. Commissioners closed the season on Dec. 15 last year and opened it March 1 this year.

The commission also voted to reduce bushel limits for the entire month of November. Those reductions usually don’t begin until mid-November.

The move comes after a Blue Crab Advisory Report released Monday by the Chesapeake Bay Program showed that juvenile crab numbers had plummeted 54 percent over last year, dragging down the overall blue crab population by almost 18 percent, from 553 million to 455 million. That drop is despite surging numbers in spawning females.

Robert O’Reilly, chief of VMRC’s fisheries division, urged the commission to act to help the stock rebuild.

Read the full story at the Daily Press

VIRGINIA: Crabbers could see harvest limits as blue crab numbers drop

June 27, 2017 — A 54 percent drop in juvenile crab numbers over last year means Virginia watermen could soon see tighter harvest limits for the commercial fishery.

In a Blue Crab Advisory Report released Monday, the Chesapeake Bay Program is encouraging jurisdictions to take a “risk-averse” approach and consider scaling back the fall fishery so young crabs have a chance to grow and spawn next year.

The recommendation comes as the estimate for adult female crabs this year actually increased by 30 percent over last year, to 254 million. That’s higher than the target of 215 million considered a healthy female population.

But plummeting juvenile numbers dragged down the overall blue crab population by almost 18 percent, from 553 million last year to 455 million this year.

The Virginia Marine Resources Commission could make a decision on the matter as early as Tuesday afternoon at a public hearing at its offices in Newport News. VMRC manages all commercial fisheries for the state except for Atlantic menhaden, which is managed by the General Assembly.

Read the full story at the Daily Press

VIRGINIA: State cobia regulations to be set in late May

March 20, 2017 — The Poquoson Kiwanis Boating and Fishing Flea Market will be from 8 a.m.- 1 p.m. on Saturday at Poquoson High School. It will be a great opportunity to stock up on fishing gear and fishing related arts and crafts, while helping raise money for a good cause.

Virginia cobia regulations will be set over the next two weeks. There will be two public meetings where anglers can voice their opinions prior to the final decision. Both will be held at the VMRC building, 2600 Washington Avenue, Newport News.

The first will be the Finfish Management Advisory Committee meeting at 6 p.m. on Monday, March 27. There will then be a public hearing after the noon hour at the March 28 Virginia Marine Resources Commission’s monthly meeting. Following public comments, the commission will establish the 2017 cobia regulations.

Read the full story at the Daily Press

Fisheries managers seek Delmarva anglers’ input on flounder regulations

January 4, 2017 — BERLIN, Md. – The Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control each have public hearings scheduled to gather public comment on a new proposal for summer flounder management by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

The ASMFC’s Draft Addendum XXVIII seeks alternative management approaches for a coast-wide 30% reduction in the recreational harvest of summer flounder in 2017. This comes after the ASMFC says a 2016 stock assessment estimated the flounder population as lower than previously expected and fishing mortality higher than it had been in recent years.

According to the the addendum, the commission is considering several different management options to meet reduction goals, including coast-wide size limit increases for flounder and more consistency among different states’ possession and size limits.

Delaware, Maryland and Virginia all make up one region within the ASMFC’s five region flounder management area up and down the Atlantic coast.

Read the full story at WMDT

States Schedule Hearings on Jonah Crab Draft Addendum II

November 17, 2016 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Atlantic coastal states of Maine through Virginia have scheduled their hearings to gather public comment on Draft Addendum II to the Jonah Crab Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The details of the scheduled hearings follow.

Maine Department of Marine Resources

December 13, 2016; 6 PM

Casco Bay Lines Conference Room

56 Commercial Street

Portland, Maine

Contact: Terry Stockwell at 207.624.6553

*This hearing will precede the Menhaden PID hearing

New Hampshire Fish and Game Department

December 6, 2016; 7 PM

Urban Forestry Center

45 Elwyn Road

Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Contact: Doug Grout at 603.868.1095

* This hearing will precede the Menhaden PID hearing

Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries

December 12, 2016; 5 PM

Bourne Community Center, Room 1

239 Maine Street

Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts

Contact: Dan McKiernan at 617.626.1536

* This hearing will precede the Menhaden PID hearing

Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife

December 19, 2016; 6 PM

University of Rhode Island Bay Campus

Corless Auditorium, South Ferry Road

Narragansett, Rhode Island

Contact: Robert Ballou at 401.222.4700 ext: 4420

* This hearing will precede the Menhaden PID hearing

Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection

December 14, 2016; 7 PM

CT DEEP Boating Education Center

333 Ferry Road

Old Lyme, Connecticut

Contact: David Simpson at 860.434.6043

* This hearing will follow the Menhaden PID hearing

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

December 5, 2016 at 7 PM

Cornell Cooperative Extension Office

423 Griffing Avenue

Riverhead, New York

Contact: Kim McKown at 631.444.0454

Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control & Maryland Department of Natural Resources

December 8, 2016; 6 PM

901 Pilottown Road

Lewes, Delaware

Contact: John Clark at 302.729.9914

* This is a joint hearing of DE DNREC and MD DNR; it precedes the DE DNREC menhaden public hearing

Virginia Marine Resource Commission

December 8, 2016; 5:30 PM

2600 Washington Ave, 4^th Floor

Newport News, Virginia

Contact: Joe Cimino at 757.247.2237

The Draft Addendum considers establishing a coastwide standard for claw harvest to address concerns regarding the equity of the current claw provision. Specific options include establishing a whole crab fishery or allowing for the harvest of claws coastwide. The Draft Addendum also considers establishing a definition of bycatch, based on a percent composition of catch, in order to minimize the expansion of a small-scale fishery under the bycatch allowance.

The FMP currently establishes a whole crab fishery with the exception of fishermen from NJ, DE, MD, and VA who have a history of claw landings prior to June 2, 2015. Following approval of the FMP, claw fishermen from NY and ME were identified. Currently, these fishermen are required to land whole crabs. As a result, jurisdictions have expressed concern regarding the equity of this provision as some fishermen with a history of claw landings are allowed to continue this practice while others must land whole crabs.

In order to address concerns regarding the expansion of a small-scale fishery, consideration of a bycatch definition was added as a second issue in the Draft Addendum. Addendum I established a bycatch allowance of 1,000 crabs per trip for non-trap gears and non-lobster trap gears (i.e., fish pots, crab pots, whelk traps). Fishermen using these gears are not required to have other species on Board when harvesting Jonah crab. As a result, fishermen harvesting Jonah crab under the bycatch limit may, in fact, directly target Jonah crab by landing 1,000 crabs per trip and nothing else. This does not reflect the intention of the bycatch allowance which is to account for Jonah crab caught while targeting another species.

Stakeholders are encouraged to provide input on Draft Addendum II either by attending state public hearings or providing written comment. The Draft Addendum can be obtained at http://www.asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/JonahCrabAddendumII_PublicComment.pdf or via the Commission’s website, www.asmfc.org, under Public Input. Public comment will be accepted until 5 PM (EST) on January 6, 2017 and should be forwarded to Megan Ware, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St, Suite A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or at mware@asmfc.org (Subject line: Jonah Crab Draft Addendum II).

The Board will review submitted public comment and consider final action on the Draft Addendum at the Commission’s Winter Meeting. For more information, please contact Megan Ware at mware@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

States Schedule Hearings on Atlantic Menhaden Draft Amendment 3 Public Information Document

November 9th, 2016 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

States Schedule Hearings on Atlantic Menhaden Draft Amendment 3 Public Information Document

Arlington, VA – The Atlantic coastal states of Maine through Florida have scheduled their hearings to gather public comment on the Public Information Document (PID) for Draft Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Menhaden. It is anticipated Delaware will also be conducting a hearing; the details of which will be released when they become available. Information on the scheduled hearings follows.

Maine Department of Marine Resources

December 13, 2016; 6:15 PM

Casco Bay Lines Conference Room

56 Commercial Street

Portland, Maine

Contact: Terry Stockwell at 207.624.6553

*This hearing will immediately follow the Jonah Crab Draft Addendum II hearing

New Hampshire Fish and Game Department

December 6, 2016; 7:20 PM

Urban Forestry Center

45 Elwyn Road

Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Contact: Doug Grout at 603.868.1095

* This hearing will immediately follow the Jonah Crab Draft Addendum II hearing

Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries

December 12, 2016; 5:30 PM

Bourne Community Center, Room 1

239 Maine Street

Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts

Contact: Nichola Meserve at 617.626.1531

* This hearing will immediately follow the Jonah Crab Draft Addendum II hearing

Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries

December 20, 2016; 6:00PM

Thayer Public Library, Logan Auditorium

798 Washington Street

Braintree, Massachusetts

Contact: Nichola Meserve at 617.626.1531

Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife

December 19, 2016; 7 PM

University of Rhode Island Bay Campus

Corless Auditorium, South Ferry Road

Narragansett, Rhode Island

Contact: Robert Ballou at 401.222.4700 ext: 4420

* This hearing will immediately follow the Jonah Crab Draft Addendum II hearing

Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection

December 14, 2016; 7 PM

CT DEEP Boating Education Center

333 Ferry Road

Old Lyme, Connecticut

Contact: David Simpson at 860.434.6043

*This hearing will precede the Jonah Crab Draft
Addendum II hearing

New York Department of Environmental Conservation

December 15, 2016; 6:30 PM

Freeport Memorial Library

144 West Merrick Road

Freeport, New York

Contact: Steve Heins at 631.444.0430

New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife

December 8, 2016; 6:30 PM

Nacote Creek Marine Law Enforcement Office

360 North New York Road, Mile Marker 51

Port Republic, New Jersey

Contact: Russ Allen at 609.748.2020

Maryland Department of Natural Resources

December 7, 2016; 6:00 PM

Calvary United Methodist Church

Fellowship Hall

301 Rowe Boulevard

Annapolis, Maryland

Contact: Lynn Fegley at 410.260.8285

Potomac River Fisheries Commission

December 6, 2016; 6:00 PM

Carpenter Building

222 Taylor Street

Colonial Beach, Virginia

Contact: Martin Gary at 804.456.6935

Virginia Marine Resources Commission

December 5, 2016; 6:00 PM

2600 Washington Ave, 4^th Floor

Newport News, Virginia

Contact: Rob O’Reilly at 757.247.2247

North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries

November 30, 2016; 5:30 PM

5285 US Highway 70 West

Morehead City, North Carolina

Contact: Michelle Duval at 252.808.8013

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

December 1, 2016; 6:00 PM

Melbourne City Hall Chambers

900 E. Strawbridge Avenue

Melbourne, Florida

Contact: Jim Estes at 850.617.9622

As the first step in the amendment process, the document seeks input from stakeholders and those interested in Atlantic menhaden about changes observed in the fishery/resource and potential management measures. Draft Amendment 3 was initiated following Board review and acceptance of the 2015 Stock Assessment and Peer Review report, which found the menhaden resource in good condition — not overfished nor experiencing overfishing. Population fecundity, a measure of reproductive capacity, was estimated to be roughly double the threshold value (86.8 trillion eggs). Additionally, total fishing mortality was estimated to be 0.22, below both the fishing mortality threshold (1.26) and target (0.38).

The PID outlines a number of issues in the fishery and solicits feedback on how the resource should be managed. Specifically, the PID presents a suite of tools to manage the menhaden resource using ecological reference points and provides options to allocate the resource among the states, regions, and user groups. In addition to the specific issues identified in the PID, commenters are welcome to provide input on all aspects of the fishery and resource, including recommendations for future management.

Stakeholders are encouraged to provide input on the PID either by attending state public hearings or providing written comment. The PID can be obtained athttp://www.asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/AtlMenhadenAmend3PID_PublicComment.pdf or via the Commission’s website, www.asmfc.org, under Public Input. Public comment will be accepted until 5 PM (EST) on January 4, 2017 and should be forwarded to Megan Ware, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St, Suite A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or at comments@asmfc.org(Subject line: Menhaden PID). If your organization is planning to release an action alert related to the Amendment 3 PID, please contact Megan Ware at 703.842.0740 prior to its release.

The Management Board will meet at the Commission’s 2017 Winter Meeting to review and consider public comment and provide direction to staff for items to be included in the Draft Amendment 3.

Fishing report: Crabbing rules provide hot topic for discussion

July 1, 2016 — Crabs were the hot topic Tuesday at the Virginia Marine Resources Commission. Crab stocks have increased, not yet to desired levels, but enough that regulations were relaxed some. Commercial crabbers will have extended potting seasons.

The winter crab dredge fishery was kept closed. Recreational crabbing regulations did not change for the most part. The exception is the five-pot recreational license. Everyone may use up to two crab pots for personal consumption without a license. Recreational crabbers may use up to five pots with a license.

This license technically is for using commercial gear for recreational purposes. When crabbing under this license, you have commercial regulations with which to comply — as in mandatory reporting, time-of-day restrictions, no crabbing Sunday and a shorter season. Again, these regulations only apply to the five-pot license, not to all other recreational crabbing.

With the increase in the commercial potting seasons, arguments were to also increase this recreational five-pot season, but it was kept unchanged. What was changed is that there are now two five-pot license fees. This is due to the Northern diamondback terrapin. Some get drowned in crab pots. Now, if you have turtle-excluder devices on your crab pots, you can buy a five-pot license for $36. If you do not have the devices, you can buy a five-pot license for $46. This does not apply to commercial pots or to normal recreational (two) pots.

Read the full story at the Daily Press

Virginia Defies Federal Mandate That Restricts Cobia Fishing Season

May 27, 2016 — This past Tuesday, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission voted 5-4 to keep the Commonwealth’s cobia season open until August 30th of this year. The debate lasted well over four hours. The National Marine Fisheries Service issued a South Atlantic Marine Fishery Council order that would have closed the cobia fishery starting June 20th spanning from Georgia to New York. As a response, this order didn’t sit well with Virginia anglers and others serviced by the fishing industry in the state.

Here is the deal the commission reached regarding the cobia fishery in Virginia:

The Commission did raise the size limit from 37 to 40 inches, kept a one-fish per person possession limit, instituted a two-fish daily vessel limit, allowing only one of those fish to be more than 50 inches, for all vessels including for-hire (charter and head boats). The Commission also voted prohibited the gaffing of cobia by recreational anglers. In addition, the Commission decided to close the fishery on August 30 and will begin a reporting system for recreational anglers to report their cobia catches to the agency. The Commission had been requested by the National Marine Fisheries Service to close the recreational cobia fishery on June 20 because federal data showed the Georgia-New York allowable recreational catch of cobia was greatly exceeded in 2015 and Virginia alone caught the entire coastal quota.

Read the full story at Wide Open Spaces

Fishing forecast: Decision looms on whether to shut down cobia fishing

May 19, 2016 — Yes, it is starting to sound like a broken record. But the stakes are too high to not talk about cobia before an incredibly important meeting Tuesday at the Virginia Marine Resources Commission in Newport News.

The commission that afternoon will decide whether or not it will comply with federally ordered rules that will shut down cobia fishing along the East Coast on June 20.

North Carolina’s fisheries managers meet today and Friday to decide whether that state will go non-compliant. Should Carolina do so, the feds most likely would make the coastal closing date earlier.

The thing is, cobia in the two states are almost exclusively caught in state waters inside three miles. In the past, state agencies usually have adopted federal water rules in fear of suffering paybacks from the feds. But not always.

Read the full story at the Virginian-Pilot

STATES SCHEDULE PUBLIC HEARINGS ON DRAFT ADDENDUM XXVII

ARLINGTON, VA — December 21, 2015 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC):

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board approved Draft Addendum XXVII for public comment at the Joint Commission/Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council meeting in Annapolis, Maryland earlier this month. Draft Addendum XXVII proposes regional management approaches for the 2016 summer flounder and black sea bass recreational fisheries. The Atlantic coast states of Massachusetts through Virginia have scheduled public hearings to gather public comment. The details of those hearings follow:

Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
January 14, 2016 at 4:30 PM
Massachusetts Maritime Academy
101 Academy Drive
Buzzards Bay, MA 02532
Contact: Nichola Meserve at 617.626.1531

Rhode Island Division of Fish & Wildlife
January 6, 2016 at 6 PM
University of Rhode Island, Corliss
Auditorium
South Ferry Road
Narragansett, Rhode Island
Contact: Jason McNamee at 401.423.1943

Connecticut Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection
January 5, 2016 at 7 PM
Marine Headquarters
Boating Education Center, Building 3
333 Ferry Road
Old Lyme, Connecticut
Contact: David Simpson at 860.434.6043

New York State Dept. of Environmental
Conservation
January 7, 2016 at 6 PM
Bureau of Marine Resources
205 North Belle Mead Road, Suite 1
East Setauket, New York
Contact: Steve Heins at 631.444.0436

New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife
January 7, 2016 at 6:30 PM
Stafford Township Municipal Building
260 East Bay Avenue
Manahawkin, New Jersey
Contact: Tom Baum at 609.748.2020

Delaware Dept. of Natural Resources & Environmental Control and Maryland Department of Natural Resources
January 12, 2016 at 6 PM
DNREC Lewes Building (at the Lewes Boat Ramp)
901 Pilottown Road
Lewes, Delaware
Contacts: Delaware – John Clark at 302.739.9914 and Maryland – Mike Luisi at 410.260.8341

Virginia Marine Resources Commission
January 12, 2016 at 6 PM
2600 Washington Avenue
4th Floor Conference Room
Newport News, Virginia
Contact: Rob O’Reilly at 757.247.2248

Draft Addendum XXVII was initiated to consider extending use of regional management approaches for the 2016 recreational summer flounder fishery, including an option that would allow for a Delaware Bay specific region. The Draft Addendum also includes options for extending use of ad-hoc regional management approaches for black sea bass recreational fisheries in 2016 and 2017. In the event the options in Draft Addendum XXVII are not approved for management, the Board extended the current summer flounder regional management approach for use in 2016.

In 2014, the Board approved Addendum XXV to shift away from traditional use of state-by-state harvest targets under conservation equivalency to use of an alternative regional strategy for managing summer flounder recreational fisheries. Based on its success in keeping recreational harvest within the RHL and providing greater regulatory consistency among neighboring states, this strategy was extended for use in 2015. State-by-state harvest targets previously utilized under conservation equivalency created difficulties for some states as overages occurred due largely to state shares and limits not reflecting local summer flounder abundance and its availability to recreational fishermen. In 2014 and 2015 management regions were the following: 1) Massachusetts; 2) Rhode Island; 3) Connecticut-New Jersey; 4) Delaware-Virginia; and 5) North Carolina.

The Draft Addendum also proposes two options for the 2016 black sea bass recreational fishery (1) coastwide measures or (2) the continued use of management measures by northern (Massachusetts – New Jersey) and southern regions (Delaware – North Carolina). The regional management approach has been used since 2011 and offers advantages over coastwide regulations by addressing geographic differences in the stock (size, abundance and seasonality) while maintaining the consistent application of management measures by neighboring states.

Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on Draft Addendum XXVII either by attending state public hearings or providing written comment. The Draft Addendum is available at http://www.asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/DraftAddendumXXVII_PublicComment_Dec2015.pdf and 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 January 21, 2016 and should be forwarded to Kirby Rootes-Murdy, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, Virginia 22201; 703.842.0741 (fax) or at krootes-murdy@asmfc.org (Subject line: Draft Addendum XXVII). For more information, please contact Kirby Rootes-Murdy at krootes-murdy@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.