Council Actions

August 7, 2012 — The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) will hold a meeting Tuesday, August 14, 2012 at 5:00 pm at the Courtyard Philadelphia Downtown located at 21 N. Juniper St., Philadelphia, PA 19107. The meeting can also be viewed over this internet at http://www.mafmc.org/. More details on the meeting below: 

Part 1: MAFMC Strategic Planning- Purpose, Process, and Expected Outcomes

On Monday, August 13, the Council’s Visioning and Strategic Planning Working Group will convene for the first in a series of meetings to develop a 10-year strategic plan.  Since the public has asked a number of questions and expressed an interest in the strategic planning process, Council staff will present a strategic planning overview during the August 14 listening session and will answer some of the most frequently asked questions such as:

Why does the Council need a strategic plan when the legal mandates of the Magnuson-Stevens Act provide very specific guidelines for fisheries management?
What kinds of changes could occur as a result of the strategic plan?
What role will the Stakeholder Input Report play in the planning process, and how will the concerns and interests of stakeholders be taken in to consideration?
Attend the listening session and get the answers to these questions and more!
 
Part 2: Meet John Bullard, the New NMFS Regional Administrator

John K. Bullard, former mayor of New Bedford, began work August 6 as the new Regional Administrator of NOAA’s Northeast Regional Office.  John will spend much of his time over the next several months meeting with stakeholders and asking two key questions:

What are your one or two most important issues?
What would success look like related to fisheries in the Northeast Region?
During this informal listening session, Mr. Bullard will be available to hear your answers to these questions and answer any questions that you may have for him.
 
You can attend in person in Philadelphia or via the internet.  For online webinar access register at:  https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/836113225 or just click this link at the time of the meeting.
 
Please contact Jason Didden at jdidden@mafmc.org or (302) 526-5254 if you have any questions regarding the listening session process or if you would like to confirm that your computer is set up to access the webinar.  The webinar works for most computers, but sometimes there are technical problems with remote voice communication from online participants.  In such cases, participants may still use a chat feature in the webinar to submit their comments or questions.

 

 

August 3, 2012 — The following is an informal update from N.E. Fishery Management Council Staffer/Groundfish Plan Development Team Chairman Tom Nies. It is a summary of issues addressed and items approved at Council’s Groundfish Committee Meeting, held on August 2, 2012 in Portsmouth, NH.

The Groundfish Committee took the following actions at its meeting August 2, 2012. These recommendations will be brought to the Council in September. This brief summary does not capture the entire discussion and only reports major decisions. Sound files are available (contact joleary@nefmc.org) and the meeting summary will be published in about ten days.
 
Much of the Committee work focused on responding to preliminary information provided by NMFS that indicates catch quotas for many stocks will probably  be drastically reduced in fishing year 2013. That has been the subject of several news articles so I won’t repeat the details. The Committee took the following actions to provide opportunities to mitigate these expected low catch levels. These alternatives will be considered in FW 48 (with one possible exception noted below). A final vote on that action is planned for November and if approved by NMFS measures would be implemented May 1, 2013.
 
1.       Added an option to FW 48 that would reduce minimum sizes to a level expected to reduce most regulatory discards of allocated groundfish. FW 48 already has an option that would eliminate minimum fish sizes for allocated groundfish.

2.       Added an option to consider prohibiting possession of GB yellowtail flounder in FY 2013.

3.       Added an option that if there is insufficient government funding to cover all at sea monitoring, the required level of coverage defaults to the NEFOP level.

4.       Added an option to allow increased access to year round closed areas (while this is intended to be in FW 48, it is possible it may be submitted in a separate action):
a.       Open the NLCA year round.
b.      Open CAI from May 1 through February 15 for selective fishing gear
c.       Open CAII south of 41-50N from May 1 through February 15 for the use of selective fishing gear
d.      Open the WGOM closed area, except for an area referred to as Jeffreys Ledge on page 5 of a Habitat PDT memo dated August 15, 2011
e.      Open the Cashes Ledge Closed Area year round except for an area around Ammen Rock identified as Habitat Area consistent with the Habitat PDT recommendation #4 on page 3 of the Habitat PDT memo dated August 15, 2011.
f.        Items d and e might be modified slightly based on minor changes made by the Habitat PDT to these areas since last August.
g.       Selective gear” was clarified to mean Ruhle trawls ,separator trawls, etc., as well as longline gear, but not sink gillnets and in the case of CAI and CAII, not recreational gear.

5.       Removed options that considered providing additional ACE to help fund monitoring costs because legal advice is that this cannot be done in a framework (as currently structured).

6.       Due to legal  and policy guidance from NERO ,decided not to pursue an expanded/enlarged carry-over provision in this action.

7.       Directed the PDT to further investigate a SNE/MAB windowpane flounder AM approach that would apply gear restrictions across gear types, regardless of fishery, rather than create sub-ACLs for the fluke, scup, squid, etc. fisheries that are managed by other jursidictions.
 
The Committee also received a report on the recent TRAC assessments for GB YTF, EGB cod, and EGB haddock and  discussed at-sea monitoring issues.

 

CORRECTION: 

August 17, 2012 — The Groundfish Committee took the following actions at its meeting August 2, 2012. These recommendations will be brought to the Council in September. This brief summary does not capture the entire discussion and only reports major decisions. Sound files are available (contact joleary@nefmc.org) and the meeting summary will be published in about ten days. Please contact me if there are errors or questions.
 
Much of the Committee work focused on responding to preliminary information provided by NMFS that indicates catch quotas for many stocks will probably  be drastically reduced in fishing year 2013. That has been the subject of several news articles so I won’t repeat the details. The Committee took the following actions to provide opportunities to mitigate these expected low catch levels. These alternatives will be considered in FW 48 (with one possible exception noted below). A final vote on that action is planned for November and if approved by NMFS measures would be implemented May 1, 2013.
 
1.       Added an option to consider prohibiting possession of GB yellowtail flounder in FY 2013.
 
This motion FAILED on a show of hands. The summary incorrectly said this motion passed.

August 2, 2012 — The remaining supplemental materials for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's 2012 Summer Meeting have been posted

These include new supplemental materials for the Sturgeon Board and revised supplemental materials for the Spiny Dogfish & Coastal Sharks Management Board. Click on "Supplemental Material" following the relevant board header to access the information. CDs with the full meeting materials (original plus supplemental) will be available at the meeting. 

View the supplemental materials here

 

 

August 1, 2012 — Please note the Executive Committee meeting scheduled for August 8, 2012 (7:30 – 9:30 AM) will be a closed session to allow the Committee to discuss issues related to the Executive Director position. A revised agenda has been released.

Supplemental meeting materials for the Commission's 2012 Summer Meeting have been posted for the following Boards/Sections  (click on "Supplemental Material" following each relevant board header to access information). CDs with the full meeting materials (original plus supplemental) will be available at the meeting.

Atlantic Herring Section – Law Enforcement Committee Comments on Draft Addendum V and SAW 54 Atlantic Herring Stock Assessment Reports
American Lobster Board – American Lobster Technical Committee Report: Assessment of Trawl-induced Damage to American Lobster
Atlantic Menhaden Board – Public Comment; Social and Economic Sections for Draft Amendment 2; ASMFC Atlantic Menhaden Draft Amendment 2 Guidance Document; Advisory Panel Report; and Assessing Potential Changes in Atlantic Menhaden Reporting by State
ISFMP Policy Board – Letter to ASMFC from Rep. Walter Jones and ASMFC Response
American Eel Board — Technical Committee Report: Management Options in Response to Benchmark Stock Assessment
Spiny Dogfish and Coastal Sharks Board — Revised Agenda and Meeting Overview; Technical Committee Report: Review of Smooth Dogfish Year Round Processing At Sea Request; Law Enforcement Committee Comments on Shark Finning; IUU Proposed Rule;  CITES Appendix III Listing of Porbeagle and Scalloped Hammerhead; New Jersey Marine Fisheries Administration Comments on Finning Bill; and Recent State Legislature Finning Bills
South Atlantic Board – Atlantic Croaker FMP Review; Red Drum FMP Review; Spot Triggers for 2011; and Black Drum PID Public Comment Summary

Supplemental materials for the Sturgeon Board will be posted to the website sometime tomorrow; an email will announce its availability.  

View the summer meeting website with supplemental materials

View the revised agenda here

 

 

July 31, 2012 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council.

DOVER, DE—The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council has released a final report summarizing the ideas, concerns, and recommendations from more than 1,500 individuals who provided input for the Visioning and Strategic Planning Project.

The Stakeholder Input Report outlines 55 themes/concerns and 123 recommendations from three of the Council’s primary stakeholder groups—the commercial industry, the recreational sector, and the environmental community. Participants commented on topics ranging from decision-making and communication procedures to management strategies for specific fisheries.

Outreach and data gathering for the report occurred over a five month period beginning in September 2011. Online and mail surveys were available to anyone interested in providing input on fisheries management, and council members and staff met with more than 200 individuals in 20 locations throughout the Northeast region in roundtable sessions. Organizations also had the opportunity to submit position letters describing their concerns and priorities for Mid-Atlantic fisheries.

Common themes were identified by members of the commercial fishing industry, the recreational fishing sector, environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs), and the general public.  These themes included:

– There is a lack of confidence in the data that drive fishery management decisions.

– Stakeholders are not as involved in the Council process as they can and should be.

– Different jurisdictions and regulations among the many fishery management organizations result in complexity and inconsistency.

– There is a need for increased transparency and clearer communications in fisheries management.

– The dynamics of the ecosystem and food web should be considered to a greater extent in fisheries management decisions.

– Stakeholders are not adequately represented on the Council.

– Pollution is negatively affecting the health of fish stocks.

In addition to voicing concerns and providing recommendations, stakeholders identified elements of a “Vision” for successful fisheries and fisheries management in the Mid-Atlantic.  Five common characteristics of a vision were identified across all stakeholder groups, including:

– Fish populations are thriving and are harvested at sustainable levels.

– Management decisions are based on sound data and science.

– There is equitable consideration of the needs of diverse stakeholder groups; the interest of no one stakeholder group outweighs another.

– There is little waste in the fisheries, and regulatory discards are minimal. 

– More stakeholders are involved in the management process.    

 

Read the full release here.

Read the report here.

 

 

July 26, 2012 — In a letter to Capt. Paul Howard, executive director of the New England Fisheries Management Council, Daniel Morris, Acting Regional Administrator of NOAA Fisheries Northeast Regional Office stated that authorizing a year-to-year carryover on Gulf of Maine cod allocation would require a council action or the industry to voluntarily set aside a portion of their 2012 allocation for 2013.  The Commerce Secretary does not have the ability to implement the carryover through an interim or emergency rule.  It also explains that overfishing for Gulf of Maine cod must end in 2013 as the interim measures that were implemented in 2012 only can be in place for a period of one year.

Read the letter here.

 

 

The discussion documents are available here.

 

 

July 25, 2012 —

The final agenda and meeting materials for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's 2012 Summer Meeting are now available.  Please note the complete schedule for Tuesday (August 8, 2012) has been adjusted to allow for the addition of a meeting of the Winter Flounder Board from 5:00 – 6:00 PM.  

Supplemental materials will be posted to the website on Wednesday, August 1, 2012.

Final Agenda and Meeting Materials for ASMFC's 2012 Summer Meeting

 

 

On June 29, 2012, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council has written to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to oppose seismic testing on the US east coast due to their "grave concerns of the enormous Level A and Level B marine mammal takes and the unexamined but suspected deleterious effects on other marine species" that the Council manages.

The text of the letter follows:

Gary D. Goeke
Chief, Regional Assessment Section Office of Environment (GM23E)
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
Gulf of Mexico OCS Region
1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard
New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394

Dear Mr. Goeke,

Please accept these comments from the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC or "Council") in response to the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PElS) to evaluate potential environmental effects of multiple geologic and geophysical (G&G) activities in the Mid- and South Atlantic OCS Planning Areas. After receiving briefings on the proposed seismic activities and the potential impacts at the June Council meeting, the Council made the following motion:

Move to submit written comments opposing the BOEM seismic testing on the US east coast due to our grave concerns of the enormous Level A and Level B marine mammal takes and the unexamined but suspected deleterious effects on other marine species that our Council manages.

The Council's primary mission is to manage fishery resources in federal waters off the coast of the Mid- Atlantic region through the implementation of management measures that prevent overfishing while achieving optimum yield (OY) from each of 13 managed fisheries. Although the Council's focus is on sustainable fisheries management, this objective is only feasible in the context of a healthy and resilient ecosystem. It is clear that G&G activities have substantial impacts on marine environments, yet the Draft PElS provides insufficient information about how the specific proposed G&G activities may affect fish, marine mammals, benthic communities, and ecosystem structure and function. We understand that these impacts are difficult to predict or quantify, but given the existing value of marine resources to the region and the nation, it is clear that the potential benefits do not outweigh the risks of initiating the proposed G&G activities at this point.

Marine fisheries provide food, employment, recreational opportunities for millions of people in the Mid- Atlantic region, and many coastal communities depend on the utilization of fishery resources. For example, in 2009, the dockside value of commercial landings in the Mid-Atlantic region was $511.6 million. In addition, more than 2.6 million recreational anglers took 17 million fishing trips and spent more than $800 million on trip expenses. The commercial and recreational fishing industries in the Mid-Atlantic region support more than 166,000 jobs with an associated income exceeding $6 billion. In light of the insufficient data and analysis about potential impacts of G&G activities on these valuable marine resources, the Council cannot support the Draft PElS.

Over the past decades the Council has implemented management strategies to maintain sustainable levels of fishing and, in some cases, to rebuild overfished stocks. These efforts have often necessitated sacrifices from both the commercial and recreational fishing sectors in the form of economic losses and foregone fishing opportunities. After many years of working to rebuild Mid-Atlantic fisheries to sustainable levels, the potential negative impacts of G&G activities on these rebuilt resources are extremely troubling.

The Council recently hosted two scientists, Chris Clark and Aaron Rice of Cornell University, at a meeting in June. Dr. Clark reviewed the physical propagation of sound from seismic air gun surveys, and Dr. Rice addressed the potential for negative impacts of acoustic surveys on fish and fish populations. Their remarks suggest that highly mobile fish are able to easily relocate within 50 meters to avoid lethal effects of the air gun array. They may also avoid sub-lethal damage by maintaining even greater distances from areas subject to noise disturbance from the survey. However, the extensive (months long) survey timeframe makes it likely that prolonged avoidance of the arrays will be necessary and could lead to interruptions in fish spawning and access to forage. More importantly, the area under consideration in the PElS, which includes the entire continental shelf along the mid- and South Atlantic, is enormous, and much of the shelf is at a depth « 50 m) that would place the entire water column within the "lethal range" of the array.

The Council also has substantial concerns about the potential and unknown adverse impacts of G&G activities on marine mammals. The Council has participated in the development of Take Reduction Plans under the Marine Mammal Protection Act for Atlantic Large Whales, Harbor Porpoise and Bottle-nose Dolphin. These efforts have resulted in area and gear restrictions for several fisheries within the Council's

jurisdiction. In the case of north Atlantic right whales, which are among the most endangered whales in the world, protection measures have been extended to include seasonal vessel speed restrictions along the U.S. East Coast where endangered right whales travel to protect them from being injured or killed by ships. Initiating the activities described in the PElS, many of which could harm or endanger marine mammals, would counteract many of the conservation measures that have taken years to enact.

The general lack of information included in the PElS relative to impacts of G&G activities on fish, marine mammals, and the surrounding ecosystem is of serious concern. The Council recognizes the importance of energy exploration to U.S. economic security, but the activities described in the Draft PElS have the potential to contravene the Council's efforts to conserve and manage living marine resources and habitat. Thank you for the opportunity to submit comments on this Draft PElS. The Council looks forward to working with BOEM to ensure that any future G&G activities in the Mid-Atlantic region are conducted in a manner that minimizes negative impacts on the marine environment.

Christopher M. Moore, PhD
Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council

 

View the original letter here

 

 

June 24, 2012 — After their meeting earlier this week, the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC), announced new rules impacting the Atlantic herring, groundfish, and sea scallop fisheries.

After their meeting earlier this week, the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC), announced new rules impacting the Atlantic herring, groundfish, and sea scallop fisheries.

The rule with the most impact is that Atlantic herring fishermen are now subject to a comprehensive monitoring program that includes full observer coverage on all of the fleet's 46 vessels. The council chose to focus on boats that land about 97 percent of the herring quota, therefore excluding smaller vessels that catch only small amounts of herring.

Recent statistics indicate that about 144 million pounds of Atlantic herring were sold by federally permitted dealers generating about $17.9 million for the boats. This represents a 22 percent decrease in revenues from 2009 because the council approved fishery specifications for 2010-2012 which lowered the herring catch limits for 2010-2012 to ensure sustainability.

The council also proposed measures to address the very low quota of Georges Bank yellowtail flounder that will be available to groundfish fishermen in 2012. The allowable catch has and will continue to severely constrain New England boats that harvest cod, haddock, flounders and other bottom-dwelling species.

A majority of the council voted to request that NMFS take action to re-apportion the amount of Georges Bank yellowtail allocated to the scallop fishery by reducing it to 346,185 pounds while increasing the groundfish fisheries' allocation to 811,440 pounds. In addition, they asked the agency to approve a one-time measure through an emergency action that would allow the scallop fishery to continue its operations next year without any additional restrictions unless it exceeded its original yellowtail allocation of 674,730 pounds.

 

Read the full story here