October 30, 2024 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
Presentations and recordings from last week’s 82nd Annual Meeting are now available athttps://www.asmfc.org/home/
October 29, 2024 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:
The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council is soliciting services to support its Climate Change and Communities Program (CCCP). Contractors and services are required to carry out projects as supported through NOAA’s Inflation Reduction Act funding. Contract services will support the Contractual Service Items below (See full Request for Proposals for additional details):
1. American Samoa CCCP coordinator to provide oversight and coordination of all Council CCCP projects and activities occurring in American Samoa in support of the four priority areas.
2. Mariana Islands CCCP coordinator to provide oversight and coordination of all Council CCCP projects and activities occurring in the Mariana Islands in support of the four priority areas.
3. Scenario Planning coordinator(s) and facilitator(s) for:
4. Contractor(s) to conduct regulatory reviews of the Council’s Fishery Ecosystem Plans (FEPs) and management regimes for U.S. Pacific Island fishery resources – American Samoa Archipelago FEP; Mariana Archipelago FEP; Hawaii Archipelago FEP; Pelagic FEP and Pacific Pelagic Remote Island Areas FEP.
5. Contractor(s) to review and update protected species-related fishery management processes to ensure flexibility and adaptability to climate impacts and ecosystem drivers. Contract services are sought to:
6. Community Engagement and Capacity-Building coordinator(s) to oversee efforts to engage Pacific Island communities to identify emerging impacts of climate change on fishing and underserved communities and to oversee capacity-building efforts as supported through the CCCP.
Interested persons or entities should submit one (1) proposal clearly identifying to which of the Contractual Service Items above they are applying. Proposals may target any single service item or combination thereof on a time and materials basis. Applicants shall include a timeline for completion of each service item project included in the proposal, with a maximum of two years to provide all contract deliverables.
CONTRACT PERIOD: The contract is expected to begin in January 2025 and end in December 2026.
HOW TO APPLY: Proposal submissions should include the following items (maximum 10 pages; 8.5x11inch paper; 12 point font; single space): (a) Project Principal Name, Co-principals, Affiliation and Contact information (email address, phone, mailing address); (b) Statement clearly identifying which Contractual Service Item(s) is/are being applied for; (c) Statement addressing the qualifications and requirements as stated above and in the attached Appendices for Contractual Service Items 3-6; (d) Compensation rate on a time and materials basis, inclusive of all taxes and fees, for principals, co-principles and subcontractors; (e) list of sub-contractors and services to be provided; (f) travel matrix including cost for airfare, lodging, ground transportation and per diem; (g) a curriculum vitae or resume for project principals, co-principals and sub-contractors; and (h) list of other participants as appropriate.
Interested persons or entities should submit one (1) proposal clearly identifying to which of the six (6) Contractual Service Items above they are applying. Proposals may target any single service item or combination thereof on a time and materials basis. Applicants shall include a timeline for completion of each service item project included in the proposal, with a maximum of two years to provide all contract deliverables.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Proposals will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. November 22, 2024 (HST), or until a contractor is engaged, whichever occurs first. Proposals may be submitted by e-mail (attach materials in PDF) to info@wpcouncil.org or via regular mail to: Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, 1164 Bishop Street, Suite 1400, Honolulu, HI 96813.
October 28, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:
The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) seeks candidates for the position of Public Affairs Officer (PAO). This is a highly visible, dynamic position. The PAO is responsible for managing communications with the public and media. These responsibilities include developing working relationships with media representatives, coordinating communications with other fisheries management and government agencies, keeping the Council informed on pertinent issues, and leading the Council’s social media outlets.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: November 15, 2024
PUBIC AFFAIRS OFFICER RESPONSIBILITIES:
QUALIFICATIONS: A complete list of educational requirements, professional requirements, and needed analytical skills is available in the vacancy announcement.
HIRING DATE: The anticipated hiring date is January 2025.
APPLICATION PROCESS: Applications must include a cover letter, at least two writing examples, and a resume detailing education and experiences. Address the submission package to Council Executive Director Cate O’Keefe and submit it by November 15, 2024:
SPECIAL CONDITIONS: This is a non-federal position. Upon hiring, the selected applicant will enter an initial probationary period of one year during which performance will be evaluated by the Executive Director.
October 25, 2024 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
Press releases, meeting summaries and motions from this week’s meetings are now available athttps://asmfc.org/files/
October 25, 2024 — 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 (Board) and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) have jointly approved modifications to two exemptions from the summer flounder commercial minimum mesh size requirements. The Board adopted these changes through Addendum XXXV to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan, and the Council recommended identical measures through a framework action which will be submitted to the National Marine Fisheries Service for review and implementation.
Current regulations for the summer flounder trawl fishery require a minimum mesh size of 5.5-inch diamond mesh or 6.0-inch square mesh to retain more than 200 pounds of summer flounder from November through April, or 100 pounds of summer flounder from May through October. The Small Mesh Exemption Program provides an exemption from these requirements for authorized vessels fishing in a designated area from November 1 through April 30. This exemption is designed to allow vessels to retain some bycatch of summer flounder while operating in other small-mesh fisheries. Through this action, the Board and Council agreed to expand the exemption area by moving the boundary of the northern portion of the area approximately five miles west, then connecting the western boundary to the southern scup Gear Restricted Area. While this has the appearance of notably increasing the size of the exemption area, a large portion of the area overlaps with the Frank R. Lautenberg deep sea coral zone, where bottom tending gear is already prohibited. The intent of this change is to increase economic opportunities for industry while continuing to protect the summer flounder stock and prevent regulatory discards.
The Board and Council also voted to implement a tiered monitoring approach for the Small Mesh Exemption Program. Current regulations allow the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office Regional Administrator to terminate the program for the remainder of the season if vessels fishing under the exemption are discarding on average more than 10%, by weight, of their entire catch of summer flounder per trip. Under the new tiered monitoring approach, the discard trigger will be increased to 25%, and once the trigger is reached, a more detailed review of discards will be conducted to determine whether the exemption should be rescinded. The intent of this review is to allow for a more comprehensive consideration of the drivers of, and appropriate response to, discards.
Finally, the Board and Council approved a revised definition of the term “flynet” as it relates to the flynet exemption from the summer flounder commercial minimum mesh size requirements. The revised definition encompasses similar high-rise net types which have very large mesh in the wings, with mesh size decreasing through the body of the net. These nets are not designed to catch flatfish and generally catch small amounts of summer flounder.
Addendum XXXV, including the map showing the approved boundaries, will be posted athttps://asmfc.org/species/summer-flounder under Management Plans and FMP Reviews once the map is finalized. Updates on the Council’s framework will be posted athttps://www.mafmc.org/actions/summer-flounder-commercial-mesh-exemptions.
For more information, please contact either Chelsea Tuohy, ASMFC Fishery Management Plan Coordinator at ctuohy@asmfc.org or Kiley Dancy, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, at kdancy@mafmc.org.
October 25, 2024 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The Commission’s Spiny Dogfish Management Board approved Draft Addendum VII to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Spiny Dogfish for public comment. The Draft Addendum considers potential measures to maintain consistency with the federal Fishery Management Plan in response to the proposed rule to implement Spiny Dogfish Framework Adjustment 6.
October 24, 2024 — The following was released by Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The Commission’s Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board reviewed the results of the 2024 Atlantic Striped Bass Stock Assessment Update, which indicates the resource is not experiencing overfishing but remains overfished relative to the updated biological reference points. Female spawning stock biomass (SSB) in 2023 was estimated at 191 million pounds, which is below the SSB threshold of 197 million pounds and below the SSB target of 247 million pounds. Total fishing mortality in 2023 was estimated at 0.18, which is below the fishing mortality threshold of 0.21 and above the fishing mortality target of 0.17. The 2024 Assessment Update included data through 2023 and used the same model from the approved peer-reviewed 2018 Benchmark Stock Assessment. The model structure was the same as the 2022 Stock Assessment Update, which accounted for the period of low recruitment the stock is experiencing and for new management changes starting in 2020.
October 24, 2024 — The New England Fishery Management Council is seeking qualified candidates to serve on its Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC). The application deadline is December 20, 2024.
SSC nominees should have expertise in stock assessment methods, population dynamics, statistics, fisheries biology, marine ecology, economics, or other social sciences as they apply to fisheries management. SSC members are expected to provide independent, scientific advice to the Council.
The purpose of the SSC is to assist the Council in the development, collection, evaluation, and peer review of statistical, biological, economic, social, and other scientific information relevant to the development of fishery management plans. The committee may:
More information is available in the Council’s Operations Handbook. If you have questions or need further details, please contact Rachel Feeney: rfeeney@nefmc.org; (978) 465-0492 ext. 110.
October 23, 2024 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The 2024 Red Drum Benchmark Stock Assessment and Peer Review Report indicates the northern stock of red drum (New Jersey through North Carolina) is not overfished and not experiencing overfishing, while the southern stock (South Carolina through the east coast of Florida) is overfished and experiencing overfishing.
October 23, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:
The New England Fishery Management Council took final action on Amendment 25 to the Northeast Multispecies (Groundfish) Fishery Management Plan (FMP) when it met September 24-26, 2024 in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
The Council is now focused on Framework Adjustment 69 to the FMP. The framework is being developed to establish measures for the 2025 groundfish fishing year and, for certain stocks, 2026 and 2027 as well. The Council is scheduled to take final action on the framework at its December 3-5, 2024 meeting in Newport, Rhode Island. The 2025 groundfish fishing year begins on May 1.
AMENDMENT 25: The 2023 Atlantic Cod Research Track Assessment determined that Atlantic cod would be better assessed as four stock units as shown in the map below. The groundfish plan, however, continues to refer to only two stocks – Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank. Amendment 25 takes the necessary first step of incorporating the four newly defined stocks into the plan as follows: