Council Actions

June 20, 2013 — The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council today released a draft of its 5-year strategic plan for public comment. The draft plan, which outlines the Council’s vision, mission, and strategic goals for 2014-2018, is the culmination of the Council’s two-year-long Visioning and Strategic Planning Project. Comments from the public will be accepted through July 19, 2013 and reviewed by the Council at its August 13-15 meeting in Wilmington, DE.

Click here to download the Draft 2014-2018 Strategic Plan
 
The plan was developed over the past year by a working group composed of Council members and stakeholders through a series of strategic planning meetings. During the year prior, the stakeholder input for the plan was collected during the largest outreach initiative in the Council's history. More than 1,500 stakeholders contributed ideas and recommendations through online surveys, port meetings, and position letters. The results from this project were summarized in the Stakeholder Input Report and were used by the working group as a foundation for the plan. 
 
The Draft 2014-2018 Strategic Plan is available on the Council’s website, along with additional background information and instructions for submitting comments, at http://www.mafmc.org/strategic-plan.

Please direct questions about the draft strategic plan to Mary Clark at mclark@mafmc.org or (302) 526-5261.

View a PDF of the announcement here

 

June 20, 2013 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Arlington, Va. — The state of North Carolina has scheduled its public hearing to gather public comment on Draft Addendum I to the Omnibus Amendment to the Interstate Fishery Management Plans for Spanish Mackerel, Spot, and Spotted Seatrout. The date, time, and location of the hearing follows.
 
North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries
July 1, 2013; 6:00 PM
Central District Office
5285 Highway 70 West
Morehead City, North Carolina
Contact: Michelle Duval at 252.808.8011
 
The Draft Addendum proposes a pilot program that would allow states to reduce the Spanish mackerel minimum size limit for the commercial pound net fishery to 11 ½ inches for one or more of the summer months of July through September for the 2013 and 2014 fishing years only. The proposed measure is intended to reduce waste of these shorter fish, which are discarded dead in the summer months, by converting them to landed fish.
 
The Draft Addendum responds to reports about the increased incidence of Spanish mackerel ¼-inch to ½-inch short of the 12 inch fork length minimum size limit in pound nets during the summer months.  While the fish are alive in the pound, once the net is bunted and bailing commences, they die before being released.  This may be due to a combination of temperature, stress and crowding.  Most pound nets are constructed using 1 ½-inch to 1 5/8-inch inch mesh in the pound and 4-inch to 6-inch mesh for the leads.  While individual fishermen have experimented with different wall or panel mesh sizes depending on the target species, there is no consistent use of cull panels. Those who have used cull panels have noted the difficulty and lack of success in being able to release the undersized fish quickly enough to prevent dead discards during this time of year.
 
The proposed measure would only apply for the 2013 and 2014 fishing years only. Interested states would be required to notify the Commission of the specific month or months it intends to use the minimum size limit exemption.
 
Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the Draft Addendum either by attending the joint public hearing or providing written comment. Draft Addendum I is available here. Public comment will be accepted until5:00 PM (EST) on July 19, 2013 and should be forwarded to Kirby Rootes-Murdy, FMP Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or krootes-murdy@asmfc.org (Subject line: Spanish Mackerel Addendum I). For more information, please contact Kirby Rootes-Murdy at krootes-murdy@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.              

 

 

June 18, 2013 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Mangement Council:

Last week the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council approved a 236 metric ton (MT) cap on incidental catch of river herring and shad in the U.S. Atlantic mackerel fishery for 2014. Under the new cap, the mackerel fishing fleet—which is primarily composed of trawlers—will risk early closure if they are unable to successfully avoid river herring and shad.
 
River herring and shad once supported thriving commercial and recreational fisheries, but recent stock assessments indicate that their populations have reached near-historic lows. Although there is little debate about the need for river herring and shad conservation, their decline is likely the result of a combination of factors, including dams, predation, water quality, climate change, and fishing effort. A variety of analyses have suggested that the Atlantic mackerel fishery can have substantial river herring and shad catch in some years.
 
The catch cap is one of several protective measures slated to take effect next year as part of Amendment 14 to the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan. The amendment also calls for increased reporting and monitoring requirements for fishermen and dealers. These changes are expected to provide managers with much-needed and improved data about actual river herring and shad catch levels.
 
During the meeting the Council reviewed input from the fishery’s monitoring committee and took comments from the public, which included members of environmental groups and fishing industry participants. After discussing cap levels ranging from 119 to 456 MT, the Council settled on a cap of 236 MT. Council members noted that the lack of detailed information about river herring and shad posed a particular challenge in determining an appropriate cap level.
 
“It’s important to understand the limitations of the data we are using to manage shad and river herring interactions in our offshore fisheries,” said Council Chairman Rick Robins.  "The Council had to develop management advice for a catch cap without the benefit of biological reference points. Given those limitations, the Council recommended a cap that would limit or reduce river herring and shad catch and provide an incentive for the industry to avoid them, consistent with the goals of Amendment 14.”
 
Although mackerel landings in 2011 and 2012 were relatively low, data suggest that a 236 MT cap would have been a limiting factor for the fishery in two out of six years between 2005 and 2010. “This level should allow fishermen, who are likely in the best position to figure out how to avoid river herring and shad, to catch the mackerel quota if they can achieve a relatively low catch rate of river herrings and shads,” said Jason Didden, fisheries management specialist for the Council.
 
River herring and shad avoidance will not be a new consideration for many mackerel fishermen. As concerns about river herring and shad populations have escalated in recent years, fishermen have become increasingly involved in voluntary avoidance programs such as the SMAST Bycatch Avoidance Program and the Squid Trawl Network Fleet Communication System for Butterfish/River Herring Avoidance. These programs will likely play an important role in helping fishermen to minimize river herring and shad catches and avoid early closure of the mackerel fishery under the new cap.
 
For more information about river herring and shad, contact Jason Didden at jdidden@mafmc.org or (302) 526-5254.
 
Quick Links

– June 2013 Meeting- Mackerel, Squid, Butterfish Briefing Materials (includes river herring and shad documents)

– Amendment 14 Background Documents

– Council Website

Read a PDF of the announcement here

 

June 18, 2013 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

During a meeting last week in Eatontown, New Jersey, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council voted on a suite of alternatives that would change the way the Council manages recreational fisheries. The measures were part of the Omnibus Recreational Accountability Measure Amendment initiated by the Council in December 2012 in response to concerns that the current system of accountability measures (AMs) did not adequately consider the inherent uncertainty in recreational fishery catch estimates.

If approved by the Secretary of Commerce, the Council’s recommendations would adapt the system of AMs to the realities of uncertain catch estimates and management controls associated with recreational fisheries. “An overage in the black sea bass fishery may have triggered this Council action, but it led to a comprehensive re-examination of how we can improve the management of all our recreational fisheries,” said Council Chairman Rick Robins.

AMs are required for all federally managed fisheries as a way of either preventing catch overages or responding to them when they occur. Current accountability measures for the Council’s commercial and recreational fisheries require overages to be paid back, pound-for-pound, as a deduction from the catch limit in a subsequent year.

Under the new amendment, a management response (i.e. reactive AM) would be invoked when the lower confidence limit, rather than the point estimate, of recreational catch exceeds the Annual Catch Limit (ACL). If this condition is met, paybacks would only be required in certain cases, such as when the stock is overfished or when both the overfishing limit has been exceeded and the stock has fallen below a certain level. If those conditions are not met, accountability measures would consist of adjustments to the bag limit, size limit, and season to prevent future overages.

“The amendment would temper the Council’s reactions to recreational overages by taking the statistical uncertainty of the catch estimate into consideration before applying corrective management responses,” said Chairman Robins. “This action responds directly to concerns expressed by stakeholders during the Visioning Project regarding the Council’s treatment of uncertainty in recreational data and the broadly-supported goal of regulatory stability, both of which have been incorporated into our draft 5-year Strategic Plan.”

The Council also voted to eliminate the exercise of in-season closure authority. This decision reflects the Council’s preference for addressing recreational overages in subsequent years instead of through closures, which can have regionally disproportionate impacts on the recreational fishing industry.

In cases where a payback is required, the Council recommended a scaled payback of the ACL overage rather than a pound-for-pound payback. This method would allow the payback amount to be scaled depending on the condition of the stock, meaning that payback for an overage in an overfished fishery would be more severe than payback for an overage in a non-overfished fishery.

For more information, contact James Armstrong at jarmstrong@mafmc.org or (302) 526-5250.

Quick Links

– June 2013 Meeting- Omnibus Amendment Briefing Materials
– Omnibus Amendment Background Documents
– Council Website

View a PDF of the release here

 

June 17, 2013 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

After considering public comment and recommendations from its advisory panels, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council has decided not to move forward with an amendment that would have required the use of Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) for vessels with a Federal Commercial Snapper Grouper Permit in the South Atlantic.  The decision was made during the Council's quarterly meeting last week in Stuart, Florida.  The Council received over 300 written comments from the public on Amendment 30 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan that proposed the use of the satellite-based systems to enhance enforcement capabilities and data collection.  The Council held a series of public hearings in April regarding the amendment and the majority of participants voiced strong opposition to the requirement.  Fishermen cited costs associated with VMS as a primary concern, including installation, maintenance, and monthly fees for service.  A federal fund is currently available to pay for the units, similar to an onboard computer, up to $3100.  Fishermen and others also cited concerns about being monitored while fishing, referring to the units as "ankle bracelets", and questioned the need for VMS for data collection purposes.  The Council will continue to explore options to improve electronic data collection.

Amendments Approved for Public Hearing

The Council also continued to review a broad range of management measures and approved six draft amendments for public hearings to be held August 5-15, 2013.  The hearings will be held from New Bern, North Carolina to Key Largo, Florida and the specific dates and locations will be announced once they are finalized.
 
– Regulatory Amendment 14 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan – The draft regulatory amendment addresses proposed changes for species within the snapper grouper management complex including greater amberjack, gag grouper, vermilion snapper, and black sea bass.
 
– Amendment 5 to the Dolphin Wahoo Fishery Management Plan – The draft amendment includes minor revisions to the acceptable biological catch, annual catch limits, and other management parameters for dolphin and wahoo to incorporate updates to the Marine Recreational Information Program.  Additionally, the amendment includes measures for revising the framework procedure for dolphin and wahoo, and establishment of commercial trip limits for dolphin.

– Amendments 19, 20 and Framework to the Coastal Migratory Pelagics Fishery Management Plan – Three draft amendments affecting fisheries for king mackerel, Spanish mackerel and cobia are being developed jointly by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council.  Issues include: the sale of bag limit king mackerel and Spanish mackerel (including tournament sale of king mackerel); elimination of inactive king mackerel permits; modifications to income requirements for federal permits; transit provisions; annual catch limits and targets for cobia; transfer at sea and gillnet allowances for Spanish mackerel; trip limits for king mackerel; and consideration of regional annual catch limits for king mackerel and Spanish mackerel.
 
– Amendment 8 to the Coral Fishery Management Plan – The amendment includes alternatives for expanding protection of of Deepwater Coral Habitat Areas of Particular Concern (HAPCs) and transit provisions through the Oculina Bank HAPC located off the central east coast of Florida.

Other Actions:
 
Red Snapper

NOAA Fisheries' Southeast Fisheries Science Center provided the Council with an update on the calculations for establishing the Annual Catch Limit for red snapper in 2013 and provided estimates for how long the recreational and commercial mini-seasons may last this year…
 
See the complete news release for additional information about the amendments approved for public hearings and the latest on red snapper.
 
The next meeting of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is scheduled for September 16-20, 2013 in Charleston, SC. Details for the meeting and meeting materials will be posted at www.safmc.net as they become available.

 

 

June 17, 2013 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Arlington, Va — The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission announces the release of its report, Research Priorities & Recommendations to Support Interjurisdictional Fisheries Management. The report highlights research priorities and data critical to the continued success and improvement of the Commission’s 25 species management programs. The report can be used by state and federal marine fishery agencies, and university research programs to develop projects to answer outstanding research questions.
 
The report identifies research priorities and recommendations by individual species and species groups, as in the case of diadromous species (American eel, shad, river herring, Atlantic sturgeon, striped bass), as well as socioeconomic data needs for all species. Research needs were identified from a variety of sources, including Commission fishery management plans and amendments, annual plan reviews, and peer-reviewed stock assessments. Research focal areas were prioritized by the Commission’s species stock assessment subcommittees and technical committees, with additional input from management boards and advisory panels, the Habitat Committee, the Committee on Economics and Social Sciences, and the Management and Science Committee.
 
State, federal, and non-profit organizations are encouraged to use the report to identify research projects and design studies for future funding programs. To ensure its usefulness and relevancy, the report will be is updated periodically as research priorities are met and new research needs are identified. The full report can be obtained here, with species-specific sections available on the individual species pages. For more information, please contact Jeff Kipp, Stock Assessment Scientist, or Patrick Campfield, Director of Fisheries Science, at 703.842.0740.

June 10, 2013 — The public is invited to attend the June 11, 2013 meeting of the New England Fisheries Management Council's Joint Habitat/Groundfish Committee via GoToWebinar. The meeting at the Providence Biltmore Hotel, 11 Dorrance Street in Providence, RI. will begin at 9:00 a.m., although you may access the webinar starting at 8:30 a.m.

Webinar Registration: For online access to the meeting, please register by clicking here. 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, please be aware
that regular phone charges will apply.

Dial in number: 1 (626) 544-0058
Access Code: 610-108-864

Meeting Materials: Please consult the Council’s website
for the agenda and associated meeting materials.

Meeting Location Information: click here

Questions: If you have questions prior to the meeting feel free to call the
Council office at (978-465-0492, ext.106). If you are having trouble with the webinar
during the meeting, please contact Pat Fiorelli at 617.548.5786 or pfiorelli@nefmc.org.

 

June 7, 2013 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Arlington, VA – The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the state of Rhode Island have scheduled a joint hearing to gather public comment on Draft Addendum XXI to Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for the American Lobster. They are the only states that will be conducting a hearing; the hearing details follow.

Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries & Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management
June 26, 2013; 7 – 9 PM
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Advanced Technology and Manufacturing Center
151 Martine Street
Fall River, MA
Contact: Jared Silva at 617.626.1534

Draft Addendum XXI proposes changes to the transferability program for Lobster Conservation Management Areas (LCMAs) 2 and 3. These changes are designed to allow for flexibility in the movement of traps as the consolidation program for LCMAs 2 and 3 is implemented. The proposed measures are intended to address latent effort (unfished allocation) while also providing a mechanism for industry to maintain a profitable fishery as trap reductions occur.
 
The Draft Addendum is the second in a series of addenda that respond to the depleted condition of the Southern New England (SNE) lobster resource by scaling the capacity of the SNE fishery to the size the SNE resource.  Since the scope of the SNE resource encompasses all or part of six of the seven LCMAs established by Amendment 3, additional addenda will be developed to address effort reductions in the remaining LCMAs (4, 5, and 6).
 
Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the Draft Addendum either by attending the joint public hearing or providing written comment. Draft Addendum XXI is available here or by contacting the Commission at 703.842.0740. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on July 15, 2013 and should be forwarded to Kate Taylor, Senior FMP Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or ktaylor@asmfc.org (Subject line: Lobster Draft Addendum XXI). For more information, please contact Kate Taylor at ktaylor@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

 

ARLINGTON, Va., — June 5, 2013 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Maine Department of Marine Resources
July 9, 2013; 1:00 PM
Rockland Ferry Terminal
517 Main Street
Rockland, Maine
Contact: Terry Stockwell at 207.624.6553

New Hampshire Fish and Game Department
July 8, 2013; 1:00 PM
Region 3 Office
225 Main Street
Durham, New Hampshire
Contact: Doug Grout at 603.868.1095

Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
July 15, 2013; 5:30 PM
Annisquam River Station
30 Emerson Avenue
Gloucester, Massachusetts
Contact: David Pierce at 617.626.1532

Draft Addendum VI proposes several changes to the Atlantic herring management program: (1) allow seasonal splitting of the annual catch limit sub-components (sub-ACLs) for Areas 1B, 2, and 3; (2) allow up to 10% carryover of a sub-ACL for all management areas; (3) establish triggers to initiate the closing of directed fisheries, and (4) use the annual specification process to set triggers. The Draft Addendum was initiated to establish consistent tools for all four management areas for Atlantic herring and to complement the New England Fishery Management Council’s Framework 2, which was submitted to NOAA Fisheries in February 2013. While the current Interstate FMP provides states the flexibility to split quota in Area 1A, it does not include provisions for seasonal splitting in Areas 1B, 2, and 3. The Draft Addendum proposes to allow for up to 10% of unused sub-ACL for all management areas to carry over from one year to the next. This provision would allow for unused quota to be rolled from one season to the next within the same fishing year. Additionally, the Draft Addendum proposes triggers that would close directed fisheries (1) in a management area when 92% of a sub-ACL is projected to be reached and (2) stock-wide when 95% of the ACL is projected to be reached. A 2,000 pound bycatch allowance would continue after directed fisheries are closed. The 10% rollover provision is intended to provide greater flexibility to herring industry, while the triggers are intended to prevent overharvesting in individual management areas and coastwide.

Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the Draft Addendum either by attending state public hearings or providing written comment. Draft Addendum VI is available here or by contacting the Commission at 703.842.0740. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on July 19, 2013 and should be forwarded to Melissa Yuen, FMP Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or myuen@asmfc.org (Subject line: Atlantic Herring Draft Addendum VI). For more information, please contact Melissa Yuen at myuen@asmfc.org.

 

 

May 31, 2013 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Arlington, VA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board has approved for public comment Draft Addendum I to Amendment 2 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Red Drum.  The Draft Addendum proposes revisions to the habitat section of Amendment 2 (2002) to include the most current state of information on red drum spawning habitat and habitat by life stage (egg, larval, juvenile, sub-adult, and adult). It also identifies and describes the distribution of key habitats and habitats of concern, including potential threats and habitat bottlenecks (habitat or habitat characteristics that limit the sustainability or recovery of red drum), as well as ecosystem considerations.

The Draft Addendum is available on the Commission’s website (www.asmfc.org) under Breaking News or is available here. Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide written comment on Draft Addendum I. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on June 30, 2013 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: Red Drum Habitat Addendum)