Council Actions

June 20, 2012 — Council Approves Amendment 14 and Initiates Amendment 15

At last week’s meeting in New York City, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council recommended measures to improve catch monitoring and reduce bycatch of river herrings (blueback and alewife) and shads (American and hickory) in the Atlantic mackerel and longfin squid fisheries.  These recommendations, if approved by The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), will be implemented via Amendment 14 to the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan.
 
River herrings and shads are among a number of important forage species in the Northeast region.  Although they are not managed as directed fisheries, river herrings and shads are caught as incidental catch (bycatch) by trawlers fishing for mackerel and squid.
 
Concerns about bycatch of these species have escalated in recent months after an Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) stock assessment indicated that 92% of the 24 assessed river herring stocks were depleted.  The Council initiated Amendment 14 in response to a request from the ASMFC to improve monitoring and reduce river herring interactions as part of a coordinated effort to address sources of river herring mortality.
 
The recommended measures for Amendment 14 include a catch cap for river herrings and shads in the mackerel fishery beginning in 2014 and increased vessel and dealer reporting requirements. The Council recommended that NMFS increase observer coverage in the mackerel fishery and require 100% coverage on mid-water trawlers.  A portion of the costs associated with these new requirements would be paid by fishery participants. More rigorous reporting and monitoring requirements are expected to result in more accurate and complete data on river herring and shad catches.
 
The Council discussed the feasibility of adding river herrings and/or shads as directly managed fisheries in Amendment 14, and they determined that a follow-up Amendment (15) would allow for a more complete consideration of the issue.  Amendment 15 could include provisions for setting Annual Catch Limits, identifying Essential Fish Habitat, and establishing joint management with management partners such as the New England Fishery Management Council and/or the ASMFC.
 
“The Council recommended a strong monitoring program that will substantially improve our understanding of river herring and shad interactions in these small-mesh trawl fisheries,” said Council Chairman Rick Robins. “A catch cap will enable the Council to directly limit river herring and shad bycatch in these fisheries, and it will encourage the fleet to utilize bycatch avoidance programs to target mackerel and longfin squid in areas with lower rates of river herring and shad interactions.”

This press release will be available on the MAFMC website in a downloadable PDF format in the coming days. 

June 18, 2012 – Please find below and attached the preliminary agenda and public comment guidelines for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's 2012 Summer Meeting in Alexandria, Virginia.

The agenda and guidelines are also available here.

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 $155.00 plus tax single/dbl. Hotel reservations must be made before July 6, 2012.  Room availability will not be guaranteed beyond this date. If you have any problems at all regarding accommodations please contact Cindy at (703) 842-0710 or crobertson@asmfc.org.

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

2012 Summer Meeting
August 7 – 9, 2012

Crowne Plaza Hotel Old Town
Alexandria, Virginia

August 7, 2012
8:30 – 11 AM                Atlantic Herring Section

11:15 AM – 12:45 PM        American Lobster Management Board
 
1:45 – 3:45 PM                Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board
 
4:00 – 5:30 PM                Shad & River Herring Management Board
 
August 8, 2012
7:30 – 9:30 AM                Executive Committee
     
9:45 AM – 12:45 PM        Atlantic Menhaden Management Board
& 1:45 – 2:45 PM

3:00 – 4:30 PM                Sturgeon Management Board
 
 4:45 – 6:15 PM                Interstate Fisheries Management Program (ISFMP) Policy Board
 
August 9, 2012
8:00 – 10:00 AM                American Eel Management Board
     
10:15 AM – 12:45 PM        Spiny Dogfish & Coastal Sharks Management Board
   
 1:15 – 2:45 PM                South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board
 
 2:45 – 3:15 PM                ISFMP Policy Board (continued)
 
 3:15 – 3:45 PM                   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 July 31, 2012 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, July 31, 2012 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.

Monday, June 18, 2012 — Portland, ME

 

Read about the meeting at the NEFMC webpage 

 

 

June 12, 2012 –  THe New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) has posted the discussion document for the upcomming meeting on June 19-21 on the Council website.

View the documents here.

 

 

June 12, 2012 – The New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) announced that it is looking to fill the position of Executive Director. The following is an excerpt from their vacancy announcement:

Position Description: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is one of eight Regional Councils established by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The Council is charged with developing fishery management plans for fisheries in the New England region (Maine through Connecticut). It is comprised of 21 members from the sport and commercial fisheries and government. The Executive Director is responsible for the activities of 19 technical and administrative staff members and the management of Council operations. The Executive Director serves at the pleasure of the Council and reports directly to an elected Chairman and/or Executive Committee as appropriate. More background information about the Council is available at: http://www.nefmc.org/.

Read the full announcement here.

 

 

Arlington, VA – June 11, 2012 – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission will begin work on the 2014 American lobster benchmark stock assessment this fall. The assessment will be used to evaluate the health of the lobster stocks. The Commission’s stock assessment process and meetings are open to the public (with the exception of discussions of confidential data when the public will be asked to leave the room). The Commission welcomes the submission of data sets that will improve the accuracy of the assessment. For data sets to be considered at the workshops, the data must be sent in the required format, with accompanying methods description, to the Commission at least one month prior to the meeting at which the data will be reviewed (see schedule of Life History and Data Workshops below). Those who are interested in submitting data should contact Genny Nesslage (gnesslage@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740) by July 6, 2012 to prepare for the August 6, 2012 Life History Workshop deadline and November 8, 2012 for the December 7, 2012 Data Workshop deadline in order to meet the submission requirements.

A list of the stock assessment meeting dates, topics, and submission deadlines is provided below.

September 5-7, 2012 Life History Workshop: This workshop will review all available data sources on lobster growth, maturation, migration, genetics, and natural mortality (including environmental data) and identify the data sets that will be incorporated in the assessment. Location: Maine DMR, West Boothbay Harbor Office.  Data submission deadline: August 6, 2012.

January 8-10, 2013 Data Workshop: This workshop will review all available indices of abundance, biosamples, and landings data and identify the data sets that will be incorporated in the assessment. Location to be determined.  Data submission deadline: December 7, 2012.

March 12-14, 2013 Modeling Workshop This workshop will include, but is not limited to, the development of catch-at-length matrices and model configuration and parameterization. Location to be determined.

June 25-27, 2013 Modeling Workshop: This workshop will include but is not limited to the development of catch-at-length matrices and model configuration and parameterization. Location to be determined.

June 11, 2012 — An important element of stock assessment is to forecast the abundance of fish in the future and then recommend catch limits that Incorporating climate change into fisheries management is going to be a major challenge facing NOAA in coming decades; they have tools and approaches that can be used now, but need to further develop these and expand their application to meet this growing challenge.  NOAA also needs to develop a dialogue with the Fishery Management Councils so that the needs and questions of the Councils are considered as the research into the effects of climate change on fisheries develops.  So, if you have questions, need answers, or just want to express your concerns regarding climate change, you will be able to talk directly to Jon Hare of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center Narragansett Lab and leaders from the Council and the National Marine Fisheries Service.

You can attend in person in New York or via the internet.  For online webinar access register here .  This is the same link for listening-in to the Council meeting -Agenda.
 
Regarding the Listening Session process, please contact Jason Didden at jdidden@mafmc.org or (302) 526-5254 if you have any questions 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.

 

Arlington, VA – June 8, 2012 – Robert E. Beal has been appointed the Acting Executive Director for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. He will serve in that capacity until an Executive Director has been selected by the Commission's Executive Committee. Bob Beal has been with the Commission for more than 15 years and has served as the Director for the Interstate Fishery Management Program for the past 10 years.

"Bob's excellent track record of leading the Commission's fisheries management process for the last decade made him a sure choice to serve as the Commission's Acting Executive Director," stated ASMFC Chair Paul Diodati.  "Recognized and well respected by the fisheries management community, he brings to the position strong leadership skills and a thorough understanding of the issues faced by the Commission and the states. His appointment will ensure continuity in the Commission's scientific and management programs during this time of transition."

Over the next couple of months, the Commission's Executive Committee will develop a vacancy announcement and selection process for the new Executive Director. Mr. Diodati continued, "This is an exciting time in the Commission's seventy year history. It offers our Commissioners an opportunity to look back at where we have been and what we have accomplished, and chart a new course for the future."

The Commission was formed over 70 years ago by the 15 Atlantic coast states to assist in managing and conserving their shared coastal fishery resources. With the recognition that fish do not adhere to political boundaries, the states formed an Interstate Compact, which was approved by the U.S. Congress in 1942. The states have found that their mutual interest in sustaining healthy coastal fishery resources is best promoted by working together cooperatively, in collaboration with the federal government. With this approach, the states uphold their collective fisheries management responsibilities in a cost-effective, timely, and responsive fashion.

 

Arlington, VA – June 8, 2012 – Members of the horseshoe crab and whelk industry from the Chesapeake Bay Packing, LLC and Bernie's Conchs, LLC, have collectively pledged $10,000 to support the Horseshoe Crab Trawl Survey for 2012. An additional $500 was contributed by Parenteral Drug Association, a pharma/biopharmaceutical scientific organization. This is the second year the commercial fishing industry has provided much needed funds to help support the Horseshoe Crab Trawl Survey. Last year, the survey was funded in total through the combined contributions of the commercial fishing and biomedical industries with a matching grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

"On behalf of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's Horseshoe Crab Management Board, I want to sincerely thank and commend Rick Robins for his advocacy and support of horseshoe crab scientific and management activities from his valuable input on the development of the ARM framework to his continuing fundraising on behalf of the Horseshoe Crab Trawl Survey," stated Board Chair David Simpson. "Hopefully, the seed money provided by Chesapeake Bay Packing, Bernie's Conchs, and Parenteral Drug Association will encourage other interested groups to come forward to help support this important survey. An additional $190,000 is needed to fully fund the survey in 2012."

Rick Robins, who coordinated the commercial fishing industry's support for the survey, stated, "The Commission deserves credit for putting the Delaware Bay regional horseshoe crab population on a solid path to recovery.  The Virginia Tech Horseshoe Crab Trawl Survey provides scientific information to the Commission that is essential to the successful management of this ecologically and economically important fishery."

The survey, which has been administered by Virginia Tech since 2002, is the only survey designed to sample the horseshoe crab population in coastal waters. Its data are a critical component of the coastwide stock assessment and the new Adaptive Resource Management (ARM) framework, both of which were endorsed through an independent peer review in 2009.  The ARM framework, to be implemented in 2013, includes modeling that links management of Delaware Bay horseshoe crab harvest to multispecies objectives, particularly red knot shorebird recovery. It was developed jointly by the Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Geological Survey in recognition of the importance of horseshoe crab eggs to shorebirds in the Delaware Bay Region.

Generally supported by congressionally-directed funds in the past, the survey would have been shut down last year without the generosity of the companies from the biomedical and fishing industries, who depend upon a healthy population of horseshoe crabs.  To garner support for the 2012 survey, the Commission has reached out to various stakeholders groups that have an expressed interest in shorebird conservation and horseshoe crab management. Currently, donations have been received from the commercial horseshoe crab and whelk processors and dealers with a minor contribution from a pharma/biopharmaceutical scientific organization. Support is still being sought to fund the remainder of the 2012 survey, as well as the long-term continuance of the survey.

Horseshoe crabs play an important role on many levels – their blood is used to produce Limulus Amoebocyte Lysate, an important tool for detecting contaminated medical devices and drugs; their eggs are consumed by hundreds of thousands of migratory shorebirds as they complete their northward migration to the Arctic; and the crabs themselves are harvested by fishermen to be used as bait for whelk and eel fisheries.  The Commission and the states manage horseshoe crabs through the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Horseshoe Crabs (adopted in 1998) and subsequent addenda.  The commercial bait fishery is controlled through state quotas, male-only harvest, and closed seasons.               

 

June 8, 2012 – The Council will hold an informal question and answer period in conjunction with its June 19-21 meeting in Portland, ME. Tuesday’s 45-minute session, which will be open to the public, is an opportunity to comment on items relevant to Council business but not listed on this agenda, or to ask questions of the Council itself. This listening session is not intended to be used for nor will it replace the public’s opportunity to make comments during consideration of any actions scheduled for a Council vote at this meeting.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012, 5:00 to 5:45 p.m.

Holiday Inn by the Bay, 88 Spring Street Portland, ME 04101

NEFMC Chairman Rip Cunningham will preside over the listening session, in addition to the rest of the meeting. You may attend in person, or if you are listening via webinar, you may participate by typing your question, name and affiliation in the “questions” box. They will be projected on a screen for Council members as well as the audience in the meeting room. Feel free to send your message prior to the 5:00 p.m. start time of the listening session.

Typed questions should be brief so that they may be easily transmitted. They also may or may not be provided to Council members in the same order they are received, so please be patient. Actual exchanges between on-line participants and Council members are not feasible.

Questions that are very detailed or specific to an individual situation should be addressed in a call to the Council office during the staff’s Monday – Friday work week or in written correspondence, including email. Send these to Pat Fiorelli, pfiorelli@nefmc.org.

Participants will have a chance to address many topics, but those related to policy, Council timelines, future actions, suggestions for better communications with stakeholders, meeting schedules and/or issues that have been overlooked to date, may best suit the listening session format. The New England Council welcomes your participation.

    •  For online access to the meeting, please register by clicking the “Register Now” link below.

    •  A detailed agenda and meeting materials are available on the NEFMC website, www.nefmc.org .

    •  If you have any questions, feel free to call the Council office at (978‐465‐0492, ext. 102).

    •  If you have already registered for the webinar, there is no need to re‐register for the listening session.

The webinar for this Council meeting will be held daily, from June 19, 2012 to June 21, 2012, 8:30 a.m. – approximately 6:00 p.m., EDT.

Register now here . Once registered you will receive an email confirming your registration with the information you will need to join the webinar.