Council Actions

May 30, 2013 — The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Northern Shrimp Section will meet via conference call on June 13, 2013 at 9:30 AM to review the draft terms of reference for  the 2013 benchmark stock assessment and discuss next steps for northern shrimp management.

Meeting materials are available here. Interested parties may join the conference call by dialing 888.394.8197 (passcode 815277). There will be a limited opportunity to provide comments at the end of the agenda if time permits. We ask that the public and other nonparticipating attendees please mute their phones in order to minimize distractions to the Section's deliberations.

Please contact Marin Hawk mhawk@asmfc.org, FMP Coordinator, for more information.

 

May 30, 2013 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

To All Stakeholder and Interested Parties:

The public is invited to attend the June 18 – 20, 2013 New England Fishery Management Council meeting beginning at 9:00 a.m. at the Holiday Inn by the Bay, 88 Spring Street, Portland, ME. For further information about the location click http://www.innbythebay.com/.

The webinar will be activated beginning at 8:30 a.m. and end at approximately 5:00 p.m. each day.

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 (415) 363-0079
Access Code: 362-832-382

Meeting Materials: Please consult the Council’s website at www.nefmc.org. The meeting agenda as well as directions are attached below.

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

View the meeting agenda here

View directions to the hotel here

 

May 28, 2013 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Alexandria, VA – The Commission’s Winter Flounder Management Board has approved Addendum III to Amendment 1 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for the Inshore Stocks of Winter Flounder.  The Addendum establishes an annual specification process to set commercial and recreational management measures for the Gulf of Maine (GOM) and Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic (SNE/MA) fisheries. Each year, with advice from the Winter Flounder Technical Committee, the Board can adjust trip limits, size limits, and seasons for the commercial fishery; and size limits, bag limits, and seasons for the recreational fishery.

The Addendum will enable the Commission to respond more quickly to federal actions and changes in the winter flounder fishery. The Commission manages the two inshore stocks of winter flounder in the GOM and SNE/MA (0 – 3 miles from shore), while the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) manages winter flounder in offshore waters (3 – 200 miles).  NEFMC establishes specifications for winter flounder stocks, including catch limits (ACL), the allocation of the ACL by sub-component (including state water set-aside), and accountability measures (AMs). These specifications are forwarded to NOAA Fisheries Northeast Region for final approval. The state water set-aside is not subject to federal accountability measures.

The Board maintained existing management measures for the 2013 fishing season for the SNE/MA stock due to its continued poor stock status and for the GOM stock because of its unknown stock status. This action is consistent with recommended technical advice on catch limits.

Addendum III will be available on the Commission website (www.asmfc.org) under Breaking News or by contacting the Commission at 703.842.0740. For more information, please contact Melissa Yuen, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at myuen@asmfc.org.

 

 

May 28, 2013 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

John Bullard spent his first seven months as NOAA Fisheries Service’s Northeast Regional Administrator meeting with constituents throughout the region in a series of more than 20 public listening sessions. His goal was to learn more from fishermen, scientists, environmentalists, seafood dealers and processors, the aquaculture industry and other members of the interested public about not only the challenges they are facing, but also what success looks like. Last month NOAA Fisheries released a summary of “Listening Session Highlights” from the input provided by about 550 fishermen. The Listening Session Highlights are divided into ten main themes, including science and data, ecosystem and climate change, management issues, Mid-Atlantic concerns, and more. 

Now, Bullard and others at NOAA Fisheries are asking stakeholders to help them make sure that their input was accurately captured. These themes will be the focus of the Council’s next public listening session in Eatontown, NJ, where Bullard will meet with stakeholders again to answer questions and invite additional feedback or revisions to the meeting summaries. Additional details are available at the links below.

– Listening session highlights

– Individual Port Summaries

– June 2013 Council Meeting Information

Those who can’t attend the listening session in person can participate via webinar using the link at the top of the page or submit comments by emailing nmfs.ner.feedback@noaa.gov.

For more information, contact Olivia Rugo, NOAA Fisheries Northeast Regional Office, at (978) 675-2167 or e-mail her at Olivia.Rugo@noaa.gov. 

Meeting Information:

June 11, 2013 – 5:00 p.m.

Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council Meeting
Double Tree by Hilton Tinton Falls-Eatontown
700 Hope Road
Eatontown, NJ 07724
(732) 544-9300

For online access to the listening session, enter as a guest at: http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/council2013/

View a PDF of the announcemnet here

 

 

May 24, 2013 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 2013 Spring Meeting Press Releases, Meeting Summaries and Motions can now be accessed here. Presentations and audio files of the Board and Section meetings will be posted here early next week.

May 23, 2013 — The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has approved the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Black Drum. 

The FMP requires all states to maintain current regulations for black drum and implement a maximum possession limit and minimum size limit (of no less than 12 inches) by January 1, 2014. States will be required to further increase the minimum size limit (to no less than 14 inches) by January 1, 2016. Further, the FMP establishes a management framework to address future concerns or changes in the fishery or population. This will be particularly important as the Commission works towards the finalization of the first coastwide benchmark stock assessment for black drum in 2014.

The FMP was initiated to address a number of concerns. There has been a significant increase in harvest by both recreational and commercial fishermen in recent years, with the fishery targeting very young fish in some areas and more heavily targeting the established breeding stock in other areas; both of which could undermine the stock’s ability to sustain itself. Further, the lack of consistent coastwide regulations or management goals may negatively impact the black drum population as fishing pressures shifts from other stocks.

The FMP will be available on the Commission website www.asmfc.org under Breaking News or can be obtained by contacting the Commission at 703.842.0740. For more information, please contact Kirby Rootes-Murdy, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at krootes-murdy@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

 

May 28, 2013 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The Transboundary Resources Assessment Review Committee (TRAC) invites participation of interested industry members to a  ‘TRAC Science-Industry Meeting’ to be held June 7 in New Bedford, MA from 9:30 am – 12:00 pm.  Data inputs to the upcoming TRAC assessment review of eastern Georges Bank cod, Eastern Georges Bank haddock, and Georges Bank yellowtail flounder will be presented and discussion will focus on industry’s observations on the water over the last year relative to the data presented.

June 7, 2013
9:30 am – 12:00 pm
VENUE to be determined (check the NEFMC website for updates)
New Bedford, Ma.

 

 

May 23, 2013: The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Alexandria, VA – The Commission’s American Lobster Management Board approved Addendum XX to Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Lobster. The Addendum formalizes measures outlined in an agreement between the offshore lobster fishery and groundfish sector trawl fishermen for bottom sharing in Closed Area II of Georges Bank in order to prevent gear conflicts and to protect large concentrations of egg bearing females.

The agreement specifies certain times of year when lobster trap gear and sector trawl fishermen may fish in (or not fish in) certain portions of Closed Area II.  The fishing industry developed this agreement in anticipation of the final approval of the New England Fishery Management Council’s (NEFMC) Groundfish Framework 48 which contains measures to help mitigate the economic impact of the dramatic reductions in groundfish annual catch limits for the 2013 fishing year which began on May 1, 2013.  NOAA Fisheries has published an interim rule allowing for groundfish sectors to request, through their operations plans, access to areas currently closed solely to reduce fishing mortality.  NEFMC explicitly considered the potential for gear conflicts and included language in the Framework that states “when considering sector requests for access to closed areas, NMFS Regional Office should include, inter alia, consideration of the potential for gear conflicts, shifts in fishing effort out of the closed areas and impacts on protected species and lobsters.”

The Board also approved Draft Addendum XXI for public comment. The Draft Addendum 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 occur to address latent effort (unfished allocation) are implemented. The proposed measures are also intended to provide 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).

Addendum XX and Draft Addendum XXI will be available on the Commission website (www.asmfc.org) under Breaking News or by contacting the Commission at 703.842.0740. It is anticipated that the states will be conducting public hearings on Draft Addendum XXI; a subsequent press release will be released once the hearing schedule has been finalized. For more information, please contact Kate Taylor, Senior FMP Coordinator, at ktaylor@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

 

May 23, 2013 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Alexandria, VA – The Commission’s Spiny Dogfish and Coastal Sharks Management Board has approved Addendum II to the Atlantic Coastal Sharks Fishery Management Plan. The Addendum allocates state shares of smoothhound sharks (also known as smooth dogfish) and changes the maximum fin-to-carcass ratio for smoothhound shark processing-at-sea.

The Addendum was developed in anticipation of NOAA Fisheries upcoming federal smoothhound shark quota, establishing state shares to prevent one region from harvesting the quota and excluding other regions (Table 1). The shares were established based on historical landings from 1998-2010. The Addendum also addresses changes to the maximum fin-to-carcass ratio for smoothhound sharks which were approved by Congress in the Shark Conservation Act of 2010.

Currently, there are no harvest restrictions for smoothhound sharks. Addendum I allows for the removal of all fins for processing-at-sea from March through June as long as the total wet weight of the fins found on board the vessel does not exceed 5% of the total dressed weight of smoothhound carcasses which are found on board the vessel. Addendum II was developed and approved to ensure consistency between the state and federal smoothhound shark plans.

The Atlantic Coastal Shark Plan and its two addenda continue to prohibit the finning of sharks.  Finning is defined as the removal of the fins of a shark while discarding the carcass at sea. Fin-to-carcass ratios are used in high volume fisheries to allow fishermen to process the catch at sea, so long as the weight of the fins corresponds to the correct ratio of carcasses on board the vessel. Processing at sea is used to prevent the meat from being contaminated with ammonia and spoiling while still at sea.

Draft Addendum III was also initiated to ensure consistency between the state and federal plans.  NOAA Fisheries’ Amendment 5a to the Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan changes coastal shark species groupings and the recreational size limit for hammerhead sharks. Draft Addendum III proposes changing the species groupings and recreational size limit in state waters accordingly. The Board will review the Draft Addendum and consider its approval for public comment at the Commission’s 2013 Summer Meeting.

Addendum II will be available on the Commission website (www.asmfc.org) under Breaking News or by contacting the Commission at 703.842.0740.  For more information, please contact Marin Hawk, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at mhawk@asmfc.org.

Final State Share Percentages as Approved in Addendum II

ME – 0.021%

MA – 0.433%

RI – 1.363%

CT – 0.234%

NY – 7.953%

NJ – 18.828%

DE – 0.339%

MD – 6.703%

VA -34.803%

NC – 28.583%

SC – 0.742%

 

 

May 23, 2013 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Alexandria, VA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Herring Section has approved Draft Addendum VI to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic Herring for public comment. The Draft Addendum proposes several changes to the management program, including (1) seasonal splitting of the annual catch limit sub-components (sub-ACLs) for Areas 1B, 2, and 3; (2) up to 10% carryover of a sub-ACL for all management areas; (3) the establishment of triggers to initiate the closing of directed fisheries, (4) a research set-aside of up to 3% of the sub-ACLs, and (5) using the annual specification process to set triggers and research set-aside.

Draft Addendum VI 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 Atlantic Herring 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. The Draft Addendum also 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.

States may be conducting public hearings on Draft Addendum VI. Information on those hearings will be released when it is finalized. Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on Draft Addendum VI, either by attending state public hearings or providing written comment. The Draft Addendum will be available on the Commission website (www.asmfc.org) under “Breaking News” by the end of May. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on July 12, 2013 and should be forwarded to Melissa Yuen, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741(fax) or via email at myuen@asmfc.org (Subject line: Atlantic Herring Draft Addendum VI).