Council Actions

June , 3 2012 – MarineFisheries will host an Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) public hearing on Atlantic Striped Bass Draft Addendum III on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Hanover High School in to receive comment on a proposal to implement a mandatory commercial tagging program for all states or jurisdictions with commercial striped bass fisheries and increasing penalties for illegally-harvested fish.

Fishing commercially for striped bass by rod and reel anglers (netting is prohibited) with a commercial license and a striped bass endorsement is a traditional summer endeavor in local coastal waters during the prescribed season and this proposal will revise the regulations and require that all stripers to be sold have a tag affixed to them.

These options are intended to help prevent commercial striped bass quota overages and the illegal harvest of striped bass, both of which have the potential to undermine the sustainability of populations and reduce the economic opportunities of fishermen who are legally participating in the fishery. Options under consideration in the implementation of a tagging program include, but are not limited to, who applies the tags and when, how many tags a state can distribute and whether unused tags must be returned, whether tags are standardized among all states, and how long affixed tags are to stay in place.

Read the complete opinion piece from The Standard-Times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The public is invited to attend the New England Fishery Management Council Meeting on June 19-21, 2012. This meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn by the Bay, 88 Spring Street, Portland, ME 04101; telephone 207.775.2311

For online access to the meeting, please register by clicking the link below.
For information about meeting materials consult the Council’s website at www.nefmc.org.
Also be aware that if you use the phone-in option, your regular phone charges will apply.
If you have any questions, feel free to call the Council office at (978-465-0492, ext.100).
 
This webinar will be held daily, from June 19, 2012 to June 21, 2012 – 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM EDT
Register Now at:
https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/607598919
Once registered you will receive an email confirming your registration with the information you will need to join the webinar.
 
System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server
Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.5 or newer
 

 

Read the agenda

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arlington, VA – May 23, 2012 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The States of New Jersey, Delaware, North Carolina and the Commonwealth of Virginia have scheduled their hearings to gather public comment on the Public Information Document (PID) to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Black Drum. The PID provides the public an opportunity to submit input on the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's development of a Black Drum FMP.  Public comment is being solicited on changes observed in the fishery; actions to be taken in terms of management, enforcement, and research; and any other concerns about the resource or fishery. The dates, times, and locations of the scheduled meetings follow.

New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife
July 11, 2012; 7 PM
Galloway Township Branch of the
Atlantic County Library
306 East Jimmie Leeds Road
Galloway, New Jersey
Contact: Russ Allen at 609.748.2020

Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
June 12, 2012; 7 PM
DNREC Auditorium
89 Kings Highway
Dover, Delaware
Contact: Stewart Michels at 302.739.9914

Virginia Marine Resources Commission
July 10, 2012; 6 PM
VMRC Conference Room
2600 Washington Avenue, 4th Floor
Newport News, Virginia
Contact: Rob O’Reilly at 757.247.2248

North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries
July 9, 2012; 6 PM
Central District Office
5285 U.S. Highway 70 West
Morehead City, North Carolina
Contact: Chris Stewart at 910.796.7370

The Commission's South Atlantic State-Federal Fisheries Management Board approved the PID to the Black Drum FMP for public review and comment in May. As the first step in the development of the FMP, the PID presents the current status of the fishery and resource, and solicits public input on all aspects of the fishery and the resource.  The FMP is being initiated in response to concern regarding significant increases in harvest in recent years and the fact that the fishery primarily targets juveniles. The Commission is also moving forward with conducting the first coastwide assessment of this species.

The assessment will be developed concurrently with the FMP to support establishment of the interstate management program

Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the PID either by attending public hearings or providing written comments. The PID 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 PM (EST) on July 25, 2012 and should be forwarded to Danielle Chesky, FMP Coordinator, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, 1050 N. Highland St, Suite 200A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or atdchesky@asmfc.org (Subject line: Black Drum PID). For more information, please contact Danielle Chesky at dchesky@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

 

 

The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Arlington, VA – MAY 22, 2012 — Atlantic coastal states from Massachusetts through North Carolina have scheduled their hearings to gather public comment on Draft Addendum III to Amendment 6 to the Atlantic Striped Bass Fishery Management Plan.  The dates, times, and locations of the scheduled meetings follow.

 
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
June 5, 2012; 7 PM
Hanover High School
287 Cedar Street
Hanover, Massachusetts
Contact: Nichola Meserve at 617.626.1531

Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife
June 6, 201; 6 PM

URI Narragansett Bay Campus
Corless Auditorium
South Ferry Road
Narragansett, Rhode Island
Contact: Nicole Travisono at 401.423.1940

New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation
June 21, 2012; 7 PM
NYSDEC Bureau of Marine Resources
205 N Belle Mead Road, Suite 1
East Setauket, New York
Contact: James Gilmore at 631.444-0430

Delaware Dept. of Natural Resources & Environmental Control
June 7, 2012; 7 PM
DNREC Auditorium
89 Kings Highway
Dover, Delaware
Contact: John Clark at 302.739.9914

Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources
June 5, 2012; 6 PM
Maryland DNR Fisheries Service
580 Taylor Avenue
Annapolis, Maryland
Contact: Mike Luisi at 410.260.8341

Virginia Marine Resources Commission
June 18, 2012; 6 PM
2600 Washington Avenue
Fourth Floor Conference Room
Newport News, Virginia
Contact: Rob O’Reilly at 757.247.2236

North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries
June 19, 2012; 6 PM
Dare County Administrative Building
Dare County Commissioners Meeting Room
954 Marshall C. Collins Drive
Manteo, North Carolina
Contact: Kathy Rawls at 252.264.3911

The Draft Addendum proposes implementing a mandatory commercial tagging program for all states or jurisdictions with commercial striped bass fisheries and increasing penalties for illegally harvested fish. These options are intended to help prevent commercial striped bass quota overages and the illegal harvest of striped bass; both of which have the potential to undermine the sustainability of striped bass populations, as well as reduce the economic opportunities of commercial fishermen who are legally participating in the fishery. Options under consideration in the implementation of a tagging program include increased accounting of unused tags, timely reporting of catch, the point at which tagging must occur, standardization of tag type, and development of biological metrics for determining state/jurisdiction tag quantity.

The Draft Addendum responds to recommendations of the Interstate Watershed Task Force (IWTF). The IWTF conducted a multi-year, multi-jurisdictional investigation on illegal commercial striped bass harvest within Chesapeake Bay which resulted in over $1.6 million dollars in fines levied against 19 individuals and three corporations for more than one million pounds of illegal striped bass harvested estimated to be worth up to seven million dollars. The investigation revealed that some of the control measures in place for regulating the harvest of striped bass were ineffective or inadequately designed to maximize compliance. The investigation also found that greater accountability of wholesalers would be difficult to achieve without uniform tags (colors, design) and tagging requirements, valid year and size limits inscribed on tags, and increased dealer compliance education.

Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the Draft Addendum either by attending state public hearings or providing written comment. The Draft Addendum is available on the Commission website (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 July 13, 2012 and should be forwarded to Kate Taylor, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or ktaylor@asmfc.org (Subject line: Atlantic Striped Bass Draft Addendum III).

 

 

May 21, 2012 – The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Arlington, VA – Massachusetts and Rhode Island have scheduled a joint hearing to gather public comment on Draft Amendment XVIII to Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Lobster.  The date, time and location of this scheduled meeting follows.

Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries and Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife
June 21, 2012; 6:00 PM
Tiverton High School Auditorium
100 North Brayton Road
Tiverton, Rhode Island  
Contact: Dan McKiernan 617.626.1536 or
Mark Gibson at 401.423.1935

The Draft Addendum proposes a consolidation program for lobster conservation management areas 2 and 3 (LCMAs 2 & 3) to address latent effort and reduce the overall number of traps allocated. The specific management tools being considered in the addendum include trap allocations, trap banking, and controlled growth for participants in the fishery. The Draft Addendum proposes unique plans for each area.

The Draft Addendum responds to the depleted condition of the Southern New England (SNE) lobster resource and the Board’s intent to scale the capacity of the SNE fishery to the size of the SNE resource, with an initial goal of reducing qualified trap allocation by at least 25% over a five to ten year period. 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.

In order to consolidate the fishery, latent effort must be addressed. Latent effort is traps allocated to an individual that are not fished. The limited entry programs for each LCMA have unique qualifying criteria and eligibility periods, resulting in differing levels of latent effort among the areas. Consequently, measures to remove latent effort from the fishery will need to be developed for each LCMA based on the current amount of latent effort. Consolidation is likely to occur as permit holders respond to the annual trap allocation cuts by obtaining allocation from permit holders who downsize their operations or leave the fishery through the transferability program.

For trap limits to be effective in reducing harvest and rebuilding the stock, latent effort must first be addressed to prevent this effort from coming back into the fishery as the stock grows and catch rates increase. It is anticipated that long-term reductions in traps fished will occur as a result of this addendum.

Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the Draft Addendum either by attending the public hearing or providing written comment. The Draft Addendum is available on the Commission website (www.asmfc.org) under Breaking News. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on July 10, 2012 and should be forwarded to Toni Kerns, Senior FMP Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or tkerns@asmfc.org (Subject line: American Lobster Draft Addendum XVIII).

       

Arlington, VA (May 10, 2012) – The Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program (ACCSP) is proud to release the latest edition of the Atlantic Coast Fisheries Data Collection Standards. This document is considered the blueprint for the Program, as well as partners, and will be used to direct partner data collection over the next several years.

Major highlights of this document include a call for more timely data, specifically:

·        Within the recreational (Private boat, rental boat, and shore based fisheries) and for-hire fisheries, the frequency of calculating catch and effort estimates was recommended as 1 month from the previous recommendation of 2 months.  

·        Within the recreational and for-hire fisheries, data availability (data collection and processing prior to initial review) was recommended as 38 days (preferably, 30 days) from the previous recommendation of 45 days.

·        Various conditions for accepting either census or survey methodology were recommended within for-hire fisheries for estimating catch and effort data.

·        Biological data is recommended as being collected every 30 days from the previous recommendation of 6 months.

Mark Alexander, Chair of the ACCSP Coordinating Council, states that these standards “are significant because they’ve been compiled by very knowledgeable professionals from all the Atlantic coast federal, state, and regional partners of the ACCSP. The breadth and detail of this collaboration makes it an essential resource that we expect all data collectors will come to rely on. Using this guide for sound and effective data collection will no doubt inform sound and effective fisheries management decisions”.

If you would like to learn more about the Atlantic Coast Fisheries Data Collection Standards the ACCSP is conducting a webinar on Thursday, June 7 at 10am EST. Please contact Ann McElhatton, Program Manager with ACCSP, at info@accsp.org or 703.842.0780 for more information on registration.

Read the latest edition of the Atlantic Coast Fisheries Data Collection Standards.

Register for the Atlantic Coast Fisheries Data Collection Standards Webinar.

 

 

Alexandria, VA – MAY 4, 2012  – An independent panel of scientists endorsed the findings of the 2012 Benchmark Stock Assessment for River Herring, concluding the overall coast-wide population of river herring (alewife and blueback herring) stocks on the US Atlantic coast is depleted to near historic lows. The "depleted" determination was used instead of "overfished" and "overfishing" because many factors, not just directed and incidental fishing, are contributing to the declining abundance of river herring. In addition to reducing harvest, recovery of river herring will need to address issues such as fish passage, predation, water quality, and climate change.

River herring are an anadromous species, spending the majority of their life at sea and  returning to their natal streams to spawn. While at sea, mixing is believed to occur among multiple river-specific stocks and the incidental catch of river herring in non-targeted ocean fisheries is known to include both immature and mature fish.

Ideally, river herring should be assessed and managed by individual river systems. However, with over 200 river-specific stocks, population estimates were difficult to develop for the majority of these due to insufficient data. For the 52 river-specific stocks of alewife and blueback herring for which data were available, 23 were depleted relative to historic levels, one stock was increasing, and the status of 28 stocks could not be determined because of the data’s limited time-series (see Table below).

In 2008, in response to perceived declines, the Management Board initiated the development of Amendment 2 to the Shad and River Herring FMP. Under Amendment 2, states and jurisdictions without an approved sustainable fisheries management plan were required to close their river herring fisheries by January 1, 2012. States with approved plans are Maine, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina and South Carolina. Prohibitions on harvest currently occur in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, District of Columbia, Potomac River Fisheries Commission, Virginia, Georgia, and Florida. The Commission will continue to coordinate with the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils in monitoring and reducing river herring by-catch in at-sea fisheries.

A more detailed overview of the River Herring Stock Assessment is available here.  It was developed with the intent of aiding media and interested stakeholders in better understanding the Commission’s stock assessment results and process. Copies of the River Herring Stock Assessment Report and Assessment Peer Review Report will be available on the Commission website under Breaking News on May 7. For more information, please contact Kate Taylor, Fishery Management Coordinator, at ktaylor@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.    

 

 

 

 

 

Alexandria, VA – May 4, 2012 —  The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's Spiny Dogfish and Coastal Sharks Management Board increased the 2012/2013 spiny dogfish quota from 30 to 35.6 million pounds.  The increase is consistent with proposed regulations for federal waters as well the recommendations of the ASMFC Spiny Dogfish Technical Committee and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council Spiny Dogfish Monitoring Committee. The table below shows preliminary regional and state commercial quotas for the 2012/2013 season as adjusted for overages and rollovers.

The Board also approved Draft Addendum IV to the Spiny Dogfish Fishery Management Plan for public comment.  The Draft Addendum proposes allowing exemptions (with Board approval) to the 5% maximum quota rollover provision as well as measures to update the spiny dogfish overfishing definition based on recommendations of the ASMFC Spiny Dogfish Technical Committee.  The rollover provision exemption seeks to provide states the opportunity to rollover more than 5% of their unharvested quota from one year to the next. It responds to concerns by states in the southern region that early closure of federal water fisheries often leaves more than 5% of their quota unharvested.

The Draft Addendum also proposes providing the Board the flexibility to update or modify the management program’s overfishing definition by Board action based on the recommendations of its Technical Committee and best available science. The current overfishing definition is based on the number of pups per female that recruit to the stock and was adopted in 2002 from the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Plan.  Since that time, the Council has updated its definition based on maximum sustainable yield or a reasonable proxy, consistent with the best available science.  Adjusting the overfishing definition is a technical consideration and will not impact management significantly.

Preliminary 2012/2013 regional and state commercial spiny dogfish quotas adjusted for overages and rollovers from the 2011/2012 fishing season 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alexandria, VA — May 2, 2011– The Executive Committee of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission met yesterday afternoon to consider the future direction of the Commission. After lengthy discussion, the Executive Committee approved an action to move forward with new leadership in the near future.

The approved change includes appointment of a new Executive Director, thus replacing the current Executive Director, John V. O'Shea, who has served in the position for the past ten years.

Paul Diodati, the Chairman of the Commission said, "The Commission has prospered under Executive Director O'Shea's administrative oversight. His professionalism and conservation ideals set a high standard for the Commission that will guide us in making a new appointment. We will work closely with Mr. O'Shea over the next few months to help make a successful transition in leadership."

Last evening as part of its Annual Awards of Excellence, the Commission honored Mr. O’Shea’s 10 years of contributions to Atlantic coastal fisheries management.

 

The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

May 10, 2012 — The Benchmark Stock Assessments for American Eel and River Herring are now available on the Commission's website, www.asmfc.org, under Breaking News. Please note that the documents are large and may take some time downloading. The reports are also available on CD-ROM; please contact Kate Taylor at ktaylor@asmfc.org if you are interested in receiving a CD.  

Please also note that the format of these documents are different from previous Advisory and Stock Assessment Reports.  For American eel, both the Terms of Reference and Advisory Report are combined in one report, called American Eel Benchmark Stock Assessment. Due to the volume of information contained therein, the river herring report is divided into two volumes. Volume I contains the Terms of Reference and Advisory Report, the ASMFC Shad and River Herring Technical Committee Response to the Peer Review, and the Coast-wide Assessment. Volume II contains state/jurisdiction-specific stock status summaries.

Stock Assessment Overviews for both benchmark assessments can also be found on the Breaking News page.