Council Actions

December 14, 2013 — The New England Fisheries Management Council will meet for three days next week in Danvers in deliberations that ultimately will lead to new policies for the Northeast multispecies fishery, including which specific areas will be open to fishing beginning around the winter of 2015.

The council, one of the eight regional councils created by the Magnuson Stevens Fishery and Conservation Act, is scheduled to spend much of Monday discussing its management priorities for the next year before delving into issues related to the region’s scallop fishery.

That discussion on management priorities is expected to include a recommendation by the Northeast Seafood Coalition that the council adopt alternative management strategies beyond the existing stock assessment models the coalition believes contribute to the instability and difficulties in managing the fishery through the industry’s current economic disaster.

Read the full story from the Gloucester Daily Times

SEAFOOD.COM NEWS by John Sackton — December 16, 2013 — At their meeting in Anchorage which is concluding this week, the North Pacific Fishery management council adopted the final harvest specifications for both he Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska.

The Bering Sea fishery is unique in that the council as established for many years a 2 million ton cap on total harvests, which is far below the allowable biological cap if all fisheries were fished at the sustainable level. This year, total allowable biological catch would have been 2.572 million tons, but it will be limited to 2 million tons.
 
One result is that Alaska is far more successful than other US fishery regions in catching their target harvest levels. For example, in 2013, 94% of the total TAC’s were actually landed. In New England, by contrast, the figure was 19.5% for the current fishing year at a time when most landings have occurred for the fishing year ending in May.
 
This year, the council added 20,000 tons to the Alaska pollock quota, and made it up by reducing some of the flatfish quotas. Total Alaska Pollock TAC will be 1.267 million tons, plus 19,000 tons in the Aleutians.
 
For Pacific cod, the combined Bering Sea and Aleutian TAC in 2013 was 260,000 tons; for 2014 the Bering Sea TAC will be almost 247,000, while the Aleutian TAC will be 7,000, for a total of 254,000, a tiny reduction.
 
For the flatfish complex, including yellowfin sole, arrow tooth flounder, Kamchatka flounder, Northern Rock sole, Flathead sole, Alaska Plaice and other flatfish, the 2013 TAC of 371,579 tons was reduced to 352,600 tons in 2014.
 
However the freezer longline fleet and the Amendment 80 fleet got some increases in important stocks. For example, Greenland turbot – which is a hot fishery at this time – saw an increase to 2124 tons, which will reduce the pressure of bycatch limiting that fishery. Also there were increases in the TAC for for flathead sole, and Alaska Plaice while yellowfin decreased by 14,00 tons. However, the catch on yellowfin was 35,000 tons less than the 2013 TAC of 198,000 tons.
 
For the Gulf of Alaska, pollock TACs were raised from 121,000 tons to 174,000 tons, and pacific cod was raised from 60,600 tons to 64,738 tons. The Gulf does not operate under a cap like the Bering Sea, so total harvests can fluctuate more freely based on stock abundance. Sablefish remained similar to 2013, while flatfish mostly decreased slightly.

This story originally appeared on Seafood.com, a subscription site. It has been reprinted with permission.

ANNAPOLIS, Md., — December 13, 2013 — 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 approved Draft Addendum XXV for public comment on proposed 2014 management approaches for summer flounder and scup recreational fisheries. For summer flounder, the Draft Addendum includes options that allow for management measures by region and the sharing of unused quota – both with the intent of providing more equity in recreational harvest opportunities along the coast. The specific regions being considered are (1) Massachusetts; Rhode Island through New Jersey; Delaware through Virginia; and North Carolina and (2) Massachusetts and Rhode Island; Connecticut through New Jersey; Delaware through Virginia; and North Carolina.

Draft Addendum XXV was initiated to address a growing concern that current summer flounder management measures (as established under the Fishery Management Plan) are not providing recreational fishermen along the coast with equitable access to the resource. Those measures, involving state-specific recreational management measures under conservation equivalency are increasingly being viewed as problematic due to several factors. These factors include: reliance upon recreational harvest estimates for a single year (1998) as the basis for individual state targets; a change in the abundance and distribution of the resource; and changes in the socio-economic characteristics of the fishery. The impact of the management program seemed to affect New York the most, with a 21” size limit (by 2009) and a very short season including mid-season closure. In 2013, with a fully recovered stock, New York’s minimum size (19”) was at least one inch higher than any other state, one and a half inches higher than its bordering states.

The Draft Addendum proposes a more flexible and equitable conservation approach that allows the management program to adjust to past, current, and future changes to the resource and the fishery. The biological characteristics of the summer flounder have changed with the restoration of this stock. In particular, there has been a substantial expansion in the size and age composition, with greater overall abundance and increased numbers of larger fish.

The Draft Addendum also proposes two options for the 2014 black sea bass recreational fishery (1) coastwide measures (currently proposed at 13” TL minimum size, a 5 fish possession limit, and a season from June 1 to September 30) or (2) the continued use of management measures by northern (MA – NJ) and southern regions (DE – NC). The regional management approach has been used since 2011 and offers some advantages over coastwide regulations, which can disproportionately impact states within the management unit. Specifically, regional measures can address geographic differences in the stock (size, abundance and seasonality) while maintaining the consistent application of management measures by neighboring states.

It is anticipated that several states will be conducting public hearings on Draft Addendum XXV. Information on those hearings will be released when it is finalized. Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on Draft Addendum XXV, either by attending state public hearings or providing written comment. The Draft Addendum will be posted to the Commission website – wwww.asmfc.org – by December 20, 2013. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on January 24, 2014 and should be forwarded to Kirby Rootes-Murdy, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (fax) or via email at krootes-murdy@asmfc.org (Subject line: Draft Addendum XXV).

 

ANNAPOLIS, Md., — December 13, 2013 — 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 approved Draft Addendum XXV for public comment on proposed 2014 management approaches for   summer flounder and scup recreational fisheries.  For summer flounder, the Draft Addendum includes options that allow for management measures by region and the sharing of unused quota – both with the intent of providing more equity in recreational harvest opportunities along the coast. The specific regions being considered are (1) Massachusetts; Rhode Island through New Jersey; Delaware through Virginia; and North Carolina and (2) Massachusetts and Rhode Island; Connecticut through New Jersey; Delaware through Virginia; and North Carolina.

Draft Addendum XXV was initiated to address a growing concern that current summer flounder management measures (as established under the Fishery Management Plan) are not providing recreational fishermen along the coast with equitable access to the resource. Those measures, involving state-specific recreational management measures under conservation equivalency are increasingly being viewed as problematic due to several factors. These factors include: reliance upon recreational harvest estimates for a single year (1998) as the basis for individual state targets; a change in the abundance and distribution of the resource; and changes in the socio-economic characteristics of the fishery. The impact of the management program seemed to affect New York the most, with a 21” size limit (by 2009) and a very short season including mid-season closure. In 2013, with a fully recovered stock, New York’s minimum size (19”) was at least one inch higher than any other state, one and a half inches higher than its bordering states.

The Draft Addendum proposes a more flexible and equitable conservation approach that allows the management program to adjust to past, current, and future changes to the resource and the fishery. The biological characteristics of the summer flounder have changed with the restoration of this stock.   In particular, there has been a substantial expansion in the size and age composition, with greater overall abundance and increased numbers of larger fish.

The Draft Addendum also proposes two options for the 2014 black sea bass recreational fishery (1) coastwide measures (currently proposed at 13” TL minimum size, a 5 fish possession limit, and a season from June 1 to September 30) or (2) the continued use of management measures by northern (MA – NJ) and southern regions (DE – NC). The regional management approach has been used since 2011 and offers some advantages over coastwide regulations, which can disproportionately impact states within the management unit. Specifically, regional measures can address geographic differences in the stock (size, abundance and seasonality) while maintaining the consistent application of management measures by neighboring states.

It is anticipated that several states will be conducting public hearings on Draft Addendum XXV. Information on those hearings will be released when it is finalized. Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on Draft Addendum XXV, either by attending state public hearings or providing written comment. The Draft Addendum will be posted to the Commission website – wwww.asmfc.org – by December 20, 2013. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on January 24, 2014 and should be forwarded to Kirby Rootes-Murdy, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (fax) or via email at krootes-murdy@asmfc.org (Subject line: Draft Addendum XXV).

 

December 5, 2013 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission announces the release of the Proceedings of the 2013 Black Sea Bass Ageing Workshop. The report is number seven in a series of Commission reports that document fish ageing techniques and seek to improve consistency in the collection and processing of ageing samples across all relevant state, federal and academic laboratories on the Atlantic coast.  Fish age and growth data are key components of stock assessments that improve our understanding of species’ population dynamics. With age samples being collected, processed, and read by scientists at several institutions every year, it is important to ensure all ageing labs follow consistent protocols.

The latest report summarizes the proceedings of a July 2013 workshop, which brought together fishery scientists  from the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Massachusetts Department of Marine Fisheries, Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries and South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, to explore current ageing techniques for black sea bass and evaluate the consistency of age data available for future stock assessments of the northern stock unit (Maine – Cape Hatteras, North Carolina). 

The workshop was held in response to the recommendations of the Northeast Regional Stock Assessment Review Committee following its peer review of the 2011 black sea bass benchmark assessment. In particular, the Committee identified the lack of sufficient ageing data to allow for the use of a more robust stock assessment model in the black sea bass assessment. The workshop focused on comparing methodologies used by laboratories ageing black sea bass to evaluate the consistency of age data available for future stock assessments. This was the first meeting between laboratories ageing northern stock fish to compare ageing methodologies. An exchange of ageing structures was completed prior to the workshop to inform discussions on ageing interpretation criteria. Workshop recommendations, results of the exchanges, and summaries of the discussions and working sessions during the workshop are included in the report. The workshop was funded by the Partnership for Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Science and was held at the Massachusetts Department of Marine Fisheries Annisquam River Marine Fisheries Field Station in Gloucester.

Proceedings of the 2013 Black Sea Bass Ageing Workshop as well as similar reports on tautog, winter flounder, bluefish, Atlantic croaker, red drum, Atlantic striped bass, American shad and American eel can be found on the Commission website on its Research page at http://www.asmfc.org/fisheries-science/research. Click here for a direct link to the black sea bass report.  For more information, please contact Jeff Kipp, Stock Assessment Scientist. 

 

December 4, 2013 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Northern Shrimp Section approved a moratorium for the 2014 northern shrimp fishing season. The results of the 2013 Assessment Report for Gulf of Maine Northern Shrimp indicate the northern shrimp stock is overfished and overfishing is occurring. Northern shrimp abundance in the western Gulf of Maine has declined steadily since 2006. Current biomass (500 mt) is the lowest value in recent history, estimated at 5.2% for the biomass reference period (1985-1994), and well below the biomass threshold of 9,000 mt and the biomass limit of 6,000 mt. Additionally, there has been recruitment failure for the past three years. The Northern Shrimp Technical Committee considers the stock to have collapsed with little prospect of recovery in the near future.

“Given the overwhelming evidence of recruitment failure and stock collapse, and continuing unfavorable environmental conditions, the Section felt it was necessary to close the 2014 fishery to protect the remaining spawning biomass and allow as much hatch to take place as possible,” stated Northern Shrimp Section Chair Terry Stockwell of Maine. “When environmental conditions are poor, the ability of the stock to withstand fishing pressure is reduced. With the stock at all time lows and only failed year classes to come, there is even greater loss of resilience for this stock.”

The 2013 season, which was classified as a “do no harm” fishery, still resulted in a fishing mortality rate (0.53) above the target (0.48). This was despite the fact that only 49% of the total allowable catch was harvested (307 mt of 625 mt). Since the fishery targets 4- and 5- year old females, the 2013 fishery targeted the 2008 and 2009 year classes. Projecting this forward, the 2014 fishery would fish on the 2009 and 2010 year classes, with the 2010 year class representing the first year of failed recruitment in the fishery. The Section noted that due to this recruitment failure, it is possible that the moratorium could extend beyond one year.

In the Gulf of Maine, increasing water temperatures and a decline in phytoplankton abundance (a food source for shrimp) are factors which likely have and will continue to contribute to the poor recruitment in the stock. The increased abundance of northern shrimp predators (spiny dogfish, redfish and silver hake) may play a role in declining biomass. Northern shrimp stocks in other areas of the world (Greenland, Flemish Cap, Grand Banks) have also seen decreasing trends in abundance and recruitment, providing additional evidence that environmental conditions are impacting northern shrimp across their range.

The 2013 Assessment Report for Gulf of Maine Northern Shrimp is available here. The benchmark stock assessment is scheduled to be peer reviewed January 27-31, 2014. This assessment uses a new model which incorporates additional data sets that are not included in the stock assessment update. Once the benchmark assessment has been reviewed by a panel of independent experts through the Northeast Regional Stock Assessment Review Committee, the Section will consider the report for management use.

The northern shrimp fishery is jointly regulated by Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts through the Commission’s Northern Shrimp Section. The cooperative management program has been in place since 1972 and is currently managed under Amendment 2 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Northern Shrimp. For more information, please contact Marin Hawk, FMP Coordinator, at 703.842.0740 or mhawk@asmfc.org.

 

December 3, 2013 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC)

To All Stakeholders and Interested Parties:
 
The public is invited to attend the December 16-18, 2013 New England Fishery Management Council meeting.
It will be held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, 50 Ferncroft Road in Danvers, MA. For further information about the
location, click here. The meeting agenda as well as directions are attached.
 
On Monday, the meeting will begin at 10:00 a.m. On both Tuesday and Wednesday it will start at 8:30 a.m.
If, per the Council Chairman these times change, we will send out a notice to that effect. 
 
The webinar will be activated about one-half hour prior to the start time of the meeting each day and will adjourn
at approximately 5:00-5:30 p.m. daily.
 
Webinar Registration: For online access to the meeting, please register.

Once registered, you will receive an email confirmation with the information you will need to join the webinar.
 
Charges for Listening: There are no charges for accessing the webinar via your computer.
If you would like to listen to the meeting on your telephone, however, please be aware
that regular phone charges will apply.
 
Toll: +1 (626) 544-0058
Access Code: 874-291-366
 
 
Meeting Materials: Meeting documents will be posted on the Council’s website at www.nefmc.org.
Check for them on the Calendar or What’s New/Helpful Information pages.
 
Questions: If you have questions prior to the meeting, feel free to call Pat Fiorelli at the Council office at (978-465-0492, ext. 106) or pfiorelli@nefmc.org.
During the meeting, please contact Pat at 617.548.5786 or use the email address.

November 27, 2013 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

Newburyport, Mass. — The Council’s one-day meeting in Newport, RI addressed outstanding issues that followed on its early fall meeting. The next meeting is scheduled for Monday through Wednesday, December 16-18, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Danvers, MA. Please see the published agenda at http://www.nefmc.org/calendar/agendas/dec13_agenda.pdf for detailed information.

Atlantic Herring

The Council debated and heard several hours of public testimony on a motion postponed from the September Council meeting that, if approved, would have requested that NOAA Fisheries take emergency action to ban herring midwater trawl gear — at least until 100 percent at-sea monitoring and dumping regulations are implemented.

As background, NOAA Fisheries’ disapproval of management measures in Amendment 5 to the Herring Fishery Management Plan two months ago triggered a long discussion of herring midwater trawl operations and at-sea monitoring issues at the September Council meeting as well as the debate at last week’s meeting. Specific issues were the level of at-sea monitoring necessary to adequately assess herring fishery activities, funding for the observer coverage, net slippage and dealer weighing of catch.

After lengthy discussion, the Council agreed the initial request did not meet the defined requirements for an “emergency” action. It also based its decision, in part, on observer reports that were reviewed on November 20, which indicated relatively low levels of midwater trawl gear encounters with groundfish stocks, such as haddock.

Council members did agree that the issues identified in testimony are of concern, and acknowledged this by approving the following motion in lieu of the emergency request: “To task the Herring Committee to have a one-day meeting with the appropriate personnel from the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, NOAA General Counsel’s office, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, and [including] the NOAA Regional Administrator, to address all the disapproved elements of Amendment 5 [to the Herring Fishery Management Plan] prior to the New England Council meeting in December or January.”

Herring Management Priorities for 2014

In additional motions related to Atlantic herring, the Council also supported pursuing solutions to the disapproved Herring Amendment 5 issues as management priority in 2014, ensuring further attention to the issues identified above. This will take the form of a framework adjustment that will be initiated at the January Council meeting. A related consideration is that the NOAA Fisheries/Northeast Region has discussed taking the lead on an omnibus amendment that would create a mechanism to accommodate industry-funded observers across all fisheries, and suggested addressing the Herring Amendment 5 industry-funded observer issues in this same action. The Council’s Executive Committee supported this approach but the Council may discuss the issue further. Other herring priorities included staff preparation of a paper on river herring and shad stocks.

Amendment 18 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (Groundfish FMP)

The Council staff brought members up to date on the development of Amendment 18 to the Groundfish Plan. The amendment is focused on the development of measures to promote fleet diversity, enhance sector management, promote resilience and stability of fishing businesses, and prevent excessive shares in the fishery.

A number of measures have been considered by the Groundfish Committee, including accumulation caps for permit banks and other entities. Associated motions were postponed from the November meeting, because of time constraints, until the January 28-30 Council meeting in Portsmouth, NH. The next Groundfish Committee meeting is scheduled for December 9 in Providence, RI. However, only a brief update on Amendment 18 is expected. Please see http://www.nefmc.org/nemulti/meeting_notice/131209-10MtgNotice.pdf for the notice. The Committee meeting in January (date TBD) will focus on Amendment 18.

Open Public Comment Period at Council Meetings

The Council approved a new policy to address a standing item on most Council meeting agendas. For a number of years the Council has held an Open Period for Public Comment so that the public may address issues not listed on the NEFMC meeting agenda, but that could be of interest to Council members. This opportunity will remain intact, but with a few caveats. Individuals bringing issues to the Council during this agenda item will be limited to between three and five minutes and will be asked to sign up before making comments. This is intended to enable all who would like to speak to do so.

As stated in the policy and as Council members emphasized at the meeting, this identified period would not serve as, take the place of or preclude any comments that are traditionally called for at the discretion of the Chairman during the consideration of listed agenda items. The public comment period is open to anyone who would like to make comments about issues not on the agenda but that could be of interest to the Council.

As always, NEMFC members encourage public comments and intend to accommodate as many people as
time allows.

Read the release here

 

November 26, 2013 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

Please note that the Groundfish PDT Conference Call scheduled for tomorrow is canceled. We will be updating our website accordingly.

 

November 20, 2013 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

Newport, RI Testimony from fishermen both supporting and opposing the issue of whether the New England Fishery Management Council should request that NOAA Fisheries take emergency action to effectively close the Atlantic herring midwater trawl fishery was among the key topics at the Council’s one-day meeting in Newport today.

At issue is the perception as well as the opinion of many groundfish fishermen andenvironmental advocates that the midwater trawl fleet catches and discards large amounts of groundfish, particularly small haddock, in the course of catching Atlantic herring. Herring fishermen argued that their fishery is not catching large amounts of haddock and they support additional observer coverage. While existing records that were reviewed at the meeting indicate that levels of groundfish bycatch have been relatively low, there are concerns that the current level of observer coverage does not provide adequate information to document the extent of bycatch in the large volume herring fishery.

Lengthy debate, and a great deal of public participation resulted in the Council’s conclusion that while there are problems in the Atlantic herring fishery, they do not meet the strict requirements for an emergency action. Ultimately, its members voted to address this issue during a meeting to be scheduled as soon as possible, focusing on the most pressing problems in the fishery, including requirements for observer coverage.

The meeting also would address the development of an action to reconsider measures that were adopted by the Council in Amendment 5 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan, but disapproved by NOAA Fisheries last month, including net slippage provisions (dumping of unwanted catches) and dealer weighing requirements.

The NEFMC, one of eight regional organizations established by federal legislation in 1976, is charged with conserving and managing fishery resources from three to 200 miles off the coasts of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.

View a PDF of the press release here