Council Actions

January 7, 2013 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC).

Please find below and attached the preliminary agenda and public comment guidelines for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's 2013 Winter Meeting in Alexandria, Virginia. The agenda and guidelines are also available here. The final agenda and meeting materials will be posted to the website by February 7, 2013.

A block of rooms is being held at the Crowne Plaza Old Town Alexandria, 901 North Fairfax Street, Alexandria, VA  22314. Please call the  Crowne Plaza Old Town Alexandria at (888) 233-9527 or  (703) 683-6000 as soon as possible and specifically mention the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to obtain the group room rate of $179.00 plus tax single/dbl. Hi-speed wireless Internet is provided in guestrooms and in public/common areas on a complimentary basis.
 
Please be aware that you must guarantee your room reservation with a major credit card or one night's advance payment.  Hotel reservations must be made before January 17, 2013.  Room availability will not be guaranteed beyond this date. You may cancel your hotel room reservation at any time prior to 24 hours of arrival without penalty. If you have any problems at all regarding accommodations please contact Cindy at (703) 842-0710 or crobertson@asmfc.org.
 
We look forward to seeing you at the Winter Meeting.

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission 2013 Winter Meeting Preliminary Agenda
February 19–21, 2013

Tuesday, February 19, 2013
 
9:30 a.m. – noon:  American Lobster Management Board
 
1:00  – 2:30 p.m.:  Atlantic Herring Section
 
2:45 – 4:15 p.m.:  Shad & River Herring Management Board
 
4:30 – 5:30 p.m.:  Sturgeon Management Board
 
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
 
8:30 – 10:30 a.m.:  Atlantic Menhaden Management Board                             
 
10:45 – 11:45 a.m.:  Winter Flounder Management Board
 
12:45 – 2:15 p.m.:  American Eel Management Board
 
2:30 – 5:30 p.m.:  SFMP Policy Board                                       
 
Thursday, February 21, 2013
 
8:00 – 9:00 a.m.:  Executive Committee (Closed Session)
 
9:15 – 11:15 a.m.:  Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board
 
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.:  Spiny Dogfish & Coastal Sharks Management Board
 
1:00 – 4:00 p.m.:  Northeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program Board (NEAMAP)
 
1:00 – 1:30 p.m.:  ISFMP Policy Board
 
1:30 – 2:00 p.m.:  Business Session

Public Comment Guidelines
 
With the intent of developing policies in the Commission’s procedures for public participation that result in a fair opportunity for public input, the ISFMP Policy Board has approved the following guidelines for use at management board meetings:
 
For issues that are not on the agenda, management boards will continue to provide opportunity to the public to bring matters of concern to the board’s attention at the start of each board meeting. Board chairs will use a speaker sign-up list in deciding how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.
 
For topics that are on the agenda, but have not gone out for public comment, board chairs will provide limited opportunity for comment, taking into account the time allotted on the agenda for the topic. Chairs will have flexibility in deciding how to allocate comment opportunities; this could include hearing one comment in favor and one in opposition until the chair is satisfied further comment will not provide additional insight to the board.
 
For agenda action items that have already gone out for public comment, it is the Policy Board’s intent to end the occasional practice of allowing extensive and lengthy public comments. Currently, board chairs have the discretion to decide what public comment to allow in these circumstances.
 
In addition, the following timeline has been established for the submission of written comment for issues for which the Commission has NOT established a specific public comment period (i.e., in response to proposed management action).
 
1. Comments received 3 weeks prior to the start of a meeting week will be included on the briefing CD.

2. Comments received by 5:00 PM on the Tuesday immediately preceding the scheduled ASMFC Meeting (in this case, the Tuesday deadline will be February 12, 2013) will be distributed electronically to Commissioners/Board members prior to the meeting and a limited number of copies will be provided at the meeting.

3. Following the Tuesday, February 12, 2013 5:00 PM deadline, the commenter will be responsible for distributing the information to the management board prior to the board meeting or providing enough copies for the management board consideration at the meeting (a minimum of 50 copies).
 
The submitted comments must clearly indicate the commenter’s expectation from the ASMFC staff regarding distribution.  As with other public comment, it will be accepted via mail, fax, and email.

 

 

WAKEFIELD, Mass. — December 20, 2012 — The New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) met to review and select final measures for inclusion in Framework Adjustment 48 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management plan.

Saving Seafood has made available extensive audio highlights from the meeting which are accessible at the links below.

The Boston Globe produced a brief video of some of the anger that erupted at the meeting.

Among other issues in the framework, the NEFMC was scheduled to finalize acceptable biological catch and annual catch limits for groundfish for fishing year 2013 and beyond, as well as determine vessel access areas that did not previously permit groundfish trawling.

While the council voted to grant individual sectors the ability to amend Sector Operations Plans so that groundfish fishermen could have access to closed areas, a final decision regarding catch limits was postponed until the NEFMC’s January meeting.

With cuts to the groundfish catch potentially reaching as high as 80% and the, industry-favored, 10% cut being deemed “out of order” by Council Chairman Rip Cunningham, the livelihoods of the fishermen who rely upon groundfish are still very much on the line.

Listen to Rich Canastra of Buyers And Sellers Exchange (BASE) New England, discuss the groundfish industry’s lack of consistency in their product and the diminishing market that has emerged as a result.

Listen to Shawn Machie of the fishing vessel Apollo, discuss quota prices and take issue with basing decisions that will cost fishermen their livelihoods on uncertain survey data.

Listen to David Leveille, the manager of Northeast Fishery Sector II, discuss how the reported landings within his sector are not appropriately reflected in the current science.

Listen to Jeffrey Stieb, the Executive Director of the New Bedford Harbor Development Commission, read a letter written by Mayor Jon Mitchell of New Bedford on the upcoming council action.

Listen to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Regional Administrator, John Bullard, discuss scallop and groundfish landings, the resource-sharing agreement with Canada and the competence of the fishermen in their ability to avoid unwanted catch.

Listen to Maggie Raymond, of Associated Fisheries of Maine, discuss NOAA and other agency’s lack of investigation into unknown environmental fishing mortality factors.

Listen to the Director of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC), Dr. Bill Karp, respond to Maggie Raymond’s comment regarding unknown environmental fishing mortality factors.

Listen to Jim Odlin of Atlantic Trawlers Fishing, discuss the effect of the surveys on the United States and Canada sharing agreement.

Listen to Vito Giacalone of the Northeast Seafood Coalition, discuss the fishing industry’s economic instability.

Listen to Peter Shelley of the Conservation Law Foundation, threaten to sue the NEFMC if they pass a committee motion to adopt a constant harvest strategy.

Listen to Rich Canastra of Buyers And Sellers Exchange (BASE) New England, discuss stock assessment uncertainty, the Science Center’s mistreatment of stock assessment scientist, Dr. Doug Butterworth, and Peter Shelley’s threatened lawsuit.

Listen to Carlos Rafael, owner of Carlos Seafood in New Bedford, discuss his substantial investment in a fishing industry “on it’s last leg.”

Listen to Gloucester Fisherman, Mark Carroll’s emotional plea to the Council, whose cuts will likely put him and many other fishermen out of business.

Listen to Jim Kendall of New Bedford seafood consulting, take issue with the flawed stock assessment surveys.

Listen to Shawn Machie of the fishing vessel Apollo, discuss his dissatisfaction with NOAA’s survey vessel, the Bigelow, and its inability to locate what he claims to be a plentiful stock of yellowtail flounder.

Listen to Christopher Brown, President of the Rhode Island Commerical Fishermen’s Association, discuss the Science Center’s mistreatment of stock assessment scientist, Dr. Doug Butterworth and the need for an emergency yellowtail stock assessment.

Listen to NEFSC Director, Dr. Bill Karp, respond to Christopher Brown’s comments and address some of the public’s concerns.

Listen to Jackie Odell, the executive director of the Northeast Seafood Coalition, discuss the shock and uncertainty felt throughout the fishing industry within the past couple weeks.

Listen to Ellen Goethel of the fishing vessel Ellen Diane in New Hampshire, discuss her view of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, with an emphasis on coastal communities and their economic well-being.

Listen to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Regional Administrator, John Bullard, respond to the heartfelt and emotional pleas of the fishermen

Listen to Groundfish Committee member, David Goethel, respond to Council Chairman Rip Cunningham’s ruling, which determined the 10% cut to the groundfish catch to be “out of order.”

 

 

Baltimore, Md. —  DECEMBER 20, 2012 — 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 met in Baltimore last week and approved two actions with regards to the 2013 recreational black sea bass fishery. Specifically, it approved opening the black sea bass recreational fishery for January and February with a 15 fish bag limit and a 12.5 inch minimum size limit and released Draft Addendum XXIII to the Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass FMP for public comment. The Draft Addendum proposes the use of state-by-state or regional measures to manage the 2013 black sea bass recreational fishery.
 
The management plan for black sea bass does not provide an opportunity to craft recreational measures by regions or state, it only allows for a coastwide measure. Due to the wide geographic range of this species, the application of coastwide minimum size, possession limit, and season restrictions may not affect every area involved in the fishery the same way. States were concerned the coastwide regulations disproportionately impact states within the management unit; therefore, they approved Addendum XXI and XXII which allowed for state-by-state measures in 2011 and 2012 for state waters only. Because Addendum XXII expires at the end of 2012 and the Board continues to have the same concerns for the 2013 fishing season, the Board initiated Draft Addendum XXIII. The Draft Addendum is intended to provide the necessary management flexibility to mitigate potential disproportionate impacts on states that can result from coastwide measures for 2013.
 
Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the Draft Addendum. The Draft Addendum can be obtained via the Commission’s website at www.asmfc.org under Breaking News or by contacting the Commission at 703.842.0740. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on February 6, 2013 and should be forwarded to Toni Kerns, Acting ISFMP Director, 1050 N. Highland St, Suite A-N, Arlington, VA 22201

 

 

Wakefield, Mass. — December 20, 2012 —  The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council.

Amid fishermen’s testimony about negative economic impacts to the region’s groundfish fishery and its obligations under the rules that govern fisheries management in federal waters, the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) today voted to delay setting controversial catch limits for 2013-2015 until its late January 2013 meeting in Portsmouth, NH.

In recognizing the potentially devastating consequences of cuts of up to 70 and 80 percent from 2011 levels for some commercially important groundfish species, the 18-member federally appointed Council agreed to examine possible options available to it between now and its January 29-31 meeting in Portsmouth, NH. “There is too much on the line,” as one Council member commented during the discussion. Importantly, the Council will by then have received the results of the most recent cod assessments, reports that will outline the health and abundance of both the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank stocks.

Other significant issues were approved that will affect the groundfish fishery that harvests cod, haddock, pollock and several types of flounders. The NEFMC supported a measure that allows groundfish sectors, a type of harvesting cooperative established in 2010, to request exemptions from the longstanding prohibition on fishing in the year-round groundfish closed areas on a limited basis. These restrictions provide that:

• Access would only be granted for the parts of areas that are not defined as habitat closed areas, or that have not been identified as potential habitat management areas currently under consideration in a habitat action that is currently in development;

• Access to Closed Area I and Closed Area II (on Georges Bank) would only be granted for the period May 1 through February 15 to protect spawning fish;

• Access to the Western Gulf of Maine Closed Area (off MA and NH) would only be granted during periods not subject to rolling closures that are applicable to sectors and already specified in the Groundfish Management Plan;

• Access to defined portions of Cashes Ledge would be allowed year round; and

• Access to defined portions of the Nantucket Lightship Closed Area would be allowed year round.

The Council will submit these and other measures in final documents to the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Secretary of Commerce for final approval and implementation as soon as possible. Measures approved today will in place at the start of the new fishing year that begins on May 1, while others will likely be delayed as a consequence of the postponed decision on 2013-2015 catches.

 

 

WAKEFIELD, Mass. — December 20, 2012 — Fishermen's frustration, two decades in the making, exploded in a hotel ballroom Thursday as fishery regulators reluctantly debated devastating cuts to the size of the New England fleet's allowable catch.

“I can’t sleep,” Mark Carroll, a Gloucester fishermen, said to the 18-voting member council before getting up in agitation and facing scores of fishermen seated in the ballroom. “All these people are going to lose their job, this has run amok. I get so upset I can’t think straight … It’s lights out, it’s over.”

Stone-faced and sympathetic members of the New England Fishery Management Council were listening to fishermen – including pleas not to slash fishing quotas in the range of 50 to 80 percent for some prized stocks, including Atlantic cod and flounder.

Warming waters and a changing ocean possibly related to man-made climate change are contributing to dismal populations of cod and flounder, scientists say. But while overfishing may not be solely to blame, they say the only way to try restoring fish populations is reduce the size of the yearly catch.

 

Read the full story at the Boston Globe

 

 

December 20, 2012 — With fishery regulators poised to impose devastating cuts Thursday on the New England fleet, blame for the disappearance of once-abundant cod and flounder populations is shifting from fishermen to a new culprit: the changing ocean.

Warming waters and an evolving ocean ecosystem possibly related to man-made climate change are contributing to the anemic populations, not just decades of overfishing, government officials say.

Researchers are just beginning to understand how the vast Gulf of Maine is responding to global warming and exactly what will happen to fragile fish populations. They acknowledge they don’t know whether prized cod and flounder stocks will ever rebound — and if they don’t, what species will take their place.

“While we are not blaming fishermen, this is not good news,’’ said John Bullard, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s regional chief. “We can control overfishing — it’s hard but we can do it — but how do you control this?”

The only option, Bullard and other regulators say, is to dramatically restrict fishing to give the bottom-hugging fish any hope of a comeback.

The New England Fishery Management Council could vote Thursday on cutting catch quotas by up to nearly 80 percent for some stocks of cod, as well as cuts to other species. To ease the pain, the council, a governmental body made up fishermen, industry representatives, state officials, and environmentalists, will also decide whether to open more than 5,000 square miles of conservation area now closed to most fishermen.

Large numbers of fishermen are expected at the meeting in Wakefield, hoping to persuade the council not to take such drastic measures. Environmentalists are also planning to show up, to urge conservation.

 

Read the full story at the Boston Globe

 

 

December 17, 2012 — The public is invited to attend or listen live to the December 20, 2012 New England Fishery Management Council meeting.

The Council is scheduled to take final action on Framework 48 to its Northeast Multispecies (Groundfish) Fishery Management Plan. See the agenda below for details.
 
The meeting will begin at 9:00 a.m. at the Sheraton Colonial Hotel, One Audubon Road in Wakefield, MA. For further information about the location click here. The webinar will be activated beginning at 8:30 a.m. and end at approximately 5:00 p.m. EST.
 
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 (480) 297-0022
Access Code: 150-175-797
 
Meeting Materials: Please consult the Council’s website at www.nefmc.org.
 
Questions: Feel free to call the Council office at 978-465-0492, ext. 100 or ext. 101.
 

 

December 11, 2012 — The New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) is soliciting applications for seats currently available on several of its advisory panels. Panel members provide information and guidance to specific oversight committees and recommendations to the Council during the development of federal fishery management plans or plan amendments. Advisors also may be asked to assist in addressing a special issue or problem.

Currently, the Council invites applicants to fill vacant seats on its Groundfish, Recreational Fishing, Monkfish, Sea Scallop, Herring and Enforcement Panels.

Anyone interested in serving as an advisor to one or more of these panels may download the application materials; call the Council office at 978.465.0492. If you have any questions or need more specific information about panel responsibilities or upcoming Council actions during 2013, please contact Pat Fiorelli at 978.465.0492, ext. 106 or pfiorelli@nefmc.org.

Please note this solicitation applies only to vacancies on various panels at this time. Unless you have already notified the Council, current advisors are still in place through the 2011-2013 term. A new notice for the next three-year appointment term, 2014-2016, will be distributed to all interested parties at a future date.

Paper copies should be addressed to the attention of the Executive Director, 50 Water Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950. If using a fax, please send the applications to 978.465.3116 or email electronic copies to Karen Roy at kroy@nefmc.org.

Completed applications must be submitted to the Council office no later than 5:00 p.m. on January 16, 2013.

The Council’s policy on Advisory Panels limits membership to a maximum of 15 individuals. The current vacancies are as follows:

Groundfish Advisory Panel, (1) open seat
Recreational Fishing Advisory Panel, (2) open seats
Monkfish Advisory Panel, (2) open seats
Sea Scallop Advisory Panel, (2) open seats
Herring Advisory Panel, (1) open seat
Enforcement Advisory Panel, (7) open seats


Each oversight committee will review any applications received and forward their recommendations to the Council’s Executive Committee. The Executive Committee has the responsibility for final approval of NEFMC advisory panel members. All nominees are subject to an additional level of review by NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement and may be declined because of a marine resource violation.

 

 

December 5, 2012 — The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will discuss the impacts of "Superstorm" Sandy at the next public listening session in Baltimore, MD on Wednesday, December 12.

The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act allows the U.S. Department of Commerce to provide economic relief to the fishing industry under a disaster declaration, but fishermen, processors, boat owners, and others have faced confusion and uncertainty about what type of assistance is available, who is eligible, and how to apply.  During the listening session, representatives from the National Marine Fisheries Service will describe their preliminary assessment of the storm’s economic impacts.  They will also explain the agency’s role in providing assistance and answer some frequently asked questions.  Following the presentations, all members of the public are invited to ask questions and participate in an open discussion with Council members and NMFS representatives.  Interested individuals may attend in person or participate via webinar.
 


Superstorm Sandy hit the East Coast late last month, causing billions of dollars of damage along the coastlines of Mid-Atlantic and New England states.  In the following weeks, individuals in the affected states have begun working to rebuild and repair destroyed docks, boats, marinas, homes, and other infrastructure—many of them will face lost income for weeks, and possibly months, to come. Although the economic impacts have not yet been fully calculated, preliminary assessments indicate that the storm’s impacts have been devastating to several areas of the Mid-Atlantic.

The meeting will take place on Wednesday, December 12, 2012, 5:00 pm at Pier V Hotel, 711 Eastern Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21202

 

Register for the webinar here

 

 

December 4, 2012 — The following was released by the ASMFC.

PORTLAND Maine — The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Northern Shrimp Section approved a total allowable catch (TAC) of 625 mt, representing a 72% reduction from last year’s quota. The TAC is further subdivided into a research set aside of 5.44 mt, a trawl fishery TAC of 539.02 mt, and a trap fishery TAC of 80.54 mt. Each fishery will close when 85% of its TAC is projected to be reached and a 4-day advance notice will be issued prior to the closure of each fishery. The trawl fishery will begin on Jan 22, 2013, with two landing days (Monday and Wednesday) and no trip limit. The trap fishery will begin on February 5, 2013, with six landing days (everyday but Sunday) and an 800 lb trip limit.

The Section considered several factors in setting the specifications for the 2013 fishery. These include (1) the northern shrimp stock is overfished and overfishing has been occurring for the last three years; (2) all abundance surveys are exhibiting a downward trend (since 2007 biomass has steadily declined and is currently at its lowest level); and (3) poor recruitment (shrimp entering into the fishery) in 2010 and 2011. Northern shrimp recruitment is related to both spawning biomass and ocean temperatures, with higher spawning biomass and colder temperatures producing stronger recruitment. Ocean temperatures in the western Gulf of Maine shrimp habitat have been increasing in recent years and have reached or approached unprecedented highs in the past three years. This suggests an increasingly inhospitable environment for northern shrimp and indicates the critical need for protecting spawning biomass.

The northern shrimp fishery is jointly regulated by Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine through the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries 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 Michael Waine, FMP Coordinator, at 703.842.0740 or mwaine@asmfc.org.