Council Actions

Arlington, VA –  7 March 2012 – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's Tautog Stock Assessment Subcommittee has identified and corrected errors in the 2011 stock assessment update.  Based on the revised update, a coastwide reduction of 37% in exploitation is needed to meet the Addendum VI fishing mortality target (F target) of 0.15.  Originally, the assessment indicated a 53% reduction was needed to achieve the F target.   The revised assessment results show the stock continues to be overfished with overfishing occurring.  The spawning stock biomass (SSB) has remained at low levels for the last decade, with 2009 SSB estimated at 10,930 metric tons — 41% of the target SSB (26,800 metric tons). Current coastwide fishing mortality (F) is estimated at 0.25, well above the Addendum VI target of F=0.15.  The current F rate is calculated using a two-year average and is consistent with method used to determine original harvest reductions. Based on the revised results, SSB is not projected to reach the SSB threshold (20,100 metric tons) by 2025 under F = 0.15.

The Board approved Addendum VI in 2011 in response to the poor stock condition.  In order to end overfishing and initiate stock rebuilding, Addendum VI lowers the F target to 0.15 and requires states to implement measures to achieve this target by January 1, 2012. The Technical Committee recommended implementing an F target of 0.15 or lower to stop overfishing and improve chances of rebuilding. The species’ slow growth rate, late age of maturity, and spawning site fidelity makes it particularly susceptible to overfishing and hinders its ability to rebuild.

Given the corrected assessment update results, the Tautog Management Board will meet via conference call sometime over the next few weeks to review the revised assessment results and determine the reductions needed by each state to achieve the Addendum VI.  All involved states have submitted and received approval for proposals to achieve the original reductions.  It is likely that some state proposals will need to be modified given the new information. The details of the Board conference call will be released once they become available. For more information, please contact Christopher Vonderweidt, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at cvonderweidt@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

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The deadline for scoping comments on Amendment 18 to the Northeast Multispecies (Groundfish) Fishery Management Plan has been extended from March 1, 2012 to April 30, 2012. 

The Council agreed to hold scoping hearings based on concerns related to maintaining the diverse makeup of the groundfish fleet in the Northeast, as well as an interest in preserving active and thriving fishing ports. If adopted, measures could impose limits on the amount of fish allocations that individuals or groups of individuals may control.

To that end, the Council has announced its intent to gather information and ask for suggestions about the range of issues that could be addressed by the Council and possibly included in its Northeast Multispecies (Groundfish) Management Plan.

Written comments on Amendment 18 must be received by 5 p.m., EST on April 30, 2012 and may be:

·         mailed to the Council office at 50 Water Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950;

·         faxed to 978/465-3116; or

·         emailed to: Groundfish.Amendment18@noaa.gov (attention/subject line: Groundfish Amendment 18 scoping comments).

 

 

 

 

The Council has been engaged in a Visioning and Strategic Planning project with the goal of implementing changes to the management process and improving its fishery management plans based on stakeholder input.  As a direct result of this effort, the advisory panel process is being revised to enhance the role of advisors.  The Council is soliciting applications from qualified individuals to serve on its seven advisory panels.

Advisory panels will be composed of individuals with diverse experiences and interests in Mid-Atlantic fisheries.  Advisors will play an important role in the fishery management process and will be directly responsible for fishery performance reports that help the Council better understand trends in fisheries and impact of management decisions on stakeholders. In addition, these reports will be considered by the Scientific and Statistical Committee and by the Council in the quota setting process.
 
The Council is seeking advisors to serve on the following advisory panels:
     • Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass
     • Tilefish
     • Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish
     • Surfclam and Ocean Quahog
     • Bluefish
     • Dogfish (Jointly managed with New England Council)
     • Ecosystems, Habitat, and Ocean Planning
 
Advisory panel members will be appointed during the next meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council scheduled for April 10-12, 2012 in Duck, NC.  Appointed advisors will serve a term of 3 years.
Anyone interested in serving as a member on one of these advisory panels can submit an application to the Mid- Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 N. State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901, email the form to info1@mafmc.org or fax it to (302) 674-5399.  Please note as the subject on your email or fax:  ADVISORY PANEL.  Applications can be obtained by visiting http://www.mafmc.org/, or by contacting the Council office at (877) 446-2362.
 
Applications must be received by March 30, 2012.

 

 

 

 

 

As you may be aware, the Council is conducting seven public hearings during March 2012 to solicit comments on the management measures under consideration in Amendment 5 to the Herring Fishery Management Plan.  The Council will be accepting public comments on the Draft Amendment 5 document through April 9, 2012.

The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for Amendment 5 is still under review by NMFS.  Once this document is approved by NMFS and published for review, NMFS will commence an additional 45-day comment period on the Draft Amendment and DEIS.  Any significant differences between the Council’s draft document and the Draft EIS will be identified for the public.
 
When selecting final management measures for inclusion in Amendment 5, the Council will review and consider all public comments – those received during the Council’s public hearings as well as any additional comments received during the 45-day comment period on the DEIS.  Final decisions regarding Amendment 5 cannot be made by the Council until the 45-day comment period on the DEIS has ended and all comments can be summarized/reviewed by the Council.
 
This approach allows additional time for the public to review and comment on the measures under consideration and the draft Amendment 5 document.  While it remains unclear at this time when the 45-day comment period on the Amendment 5 DEIS will begin, it is assumed that the Council will not be able to select final management measures at its April 24-26, 2012 meeting.  However, there will likely be time scheduled at the April Council meeting to review/discuss comments received during the Council’s public hearings.  There may also be a public hearing on the DEIS in conjunction with the April Council meeting, if this meeting falls within the 45-day comment period.
 
Adequate time must be provided for the public to review the document and provide comments, and for the Council to review the comments and consider final action.  We are hopeful that the Council will be able to select final management measures at its June 19-21, 2012 meeting in Portland, ME.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arlington, VA – Preliminary landing projections by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's Northern Shrimp Technical Committee suggest landings are quickly approaching 95% of the total allowable catch for 2012.  To prevent significant landing overages that may occur by keeping the fishery open, the Commission’s Northern Shrimp Section will meet via conference call Wednesday (2/15) at 3pm to review the current status of landings and projections regarding a season closure date. The Section will likely take action to determine a closure date for the fishery during the call.   

Procedures for public comment during the call will be detailed at the beginning of the conference call. Interested stakeholders may listen-in on the conference call at 1.888.394.8197 (Passcode: 499811).  Meeting materials will be posted to the meetings page at http://www.asmfc.org/meetings.htm as soon as available.
For more information, please contact Robert Beal, Director, Interstate Fisheries Management Program, at (703) 842-0740 or rbeal@asmfc.org 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alexandria, VA – The Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board approved Addendum XXII to the Fishery Management Plan. The Addendum, which applies only to black sea bass, replaces coastwide recreational management measures for the second consecutive year and attempts to again mitigate potential disproportionate impacts to some Mid-Atlantic states whose landings have declined markedly in recent years.

In 2011, Addendum XXI established state-by-state measures, requiring states from Massachusetts to New Jersey, plus North Carolina to cut harvest by 37% to 43% to meet the coastwide recreational harvest target. Addendum XXII establishes a regional management approach which allows the northern region states (Massachusetts to New Jersey) to collectively liberalize up to 57%. The southern region states (Delaware to North Carolina) have committed to implementing measures consistent with those recommended for federal waters (the 25 fish, 12.5 inches TL minimum fish size, and an open season from May 19 to October 14 and November 1 to December 31). Preliminary estimated harvest in 2011 was 0.99 million pounds, approximately 0.8 million pounds below the 2012 harvest target. While not required, states in the northern region will strive to implement similar recreational measures throughout that region. The regulations will be implemented for state waters only. Over the next two months, states will submit proposed recreational measures for Technical Committee review and Board approval.

The Board approved state proposals for the 2012 summer flounder fishing recreational fishery.  All states, with the exception of Delaware, have the potential to liberalize their regulations in 2012.  Delaware’s 2011 harvest (preliminary estimate) is 8% higher than its 2012 harvest target which would normally require stricter conservation measures this year under the FMP. However, the Board approved status quo measures for Delaware in 2012 recognizing Delaware’s harvest is small (less than 5% of the total) and other states are taking a precautionary approach to liberalization. Over the next two months, states will select one of the approved proposals for the 2012 fishing year and publish their regulations upon implementation.

The states of New Jersey to North Carolina have implemented status quo measures for the 2012 scup recreational fishery. The states of Massachusetts to New York will be able to significantly liberalize their 2012 recreational measures given the near doubling of recreational harvest target from 2011 levels.  For more information, please contact Toni Kerns, Senior FMP Coordinator, at tkerns@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

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Alexandria, VA – The Commission’s American Lobster Board approved Addendum XVII to Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Lobster. The Addendum establishes area-specific management measures for Lobster Conservation Management Areas (2, 3, 4, 5, and 6) as the first step in initiating Southern New England (SNE) stock rebuilding. The measures are intended to reduce fishing exploitation on the SNE stock by 10% starting in July 2013 in response to the stock’s depleted condition, which has been at low levels of abundance and experiencing persistent low recruitment since 2002.  The approved area-specific measures are as follows:

LCMA 2 (waters off of Rhode Island and Massachusetts) – In lieu of a closed season, a conservation equivalency program was approved to allow the states to implement a mandatory v-notch program for all legal-sized egg bearing females beginning June 1, 2012. The Technical Committee will review the proportion of v-notch females in the catch to determine compliance by July, 1 2014; if the measures do not meet the conservation objectives, a four month closed season from January 1 to April 30 will be implemented.

LCMA 3 (offshore federal waters from Maine to North Carolina) – A minimum size of 3 17/32” effective January 1, 2013. 

LCMAs 4 and 5 (South and east of Long Island, New York to North Carolina) – A conservation equivalency program, composed of a mandatory V-notching program for all legal-sized egg bearing females and a closed season to be determined by the states pending Technical Committee approval, was approved. The closed season would include one or more months between January and April, with lobster traps removed from the water during the closed season.  If the closed season extends four weeks or longer, the Board will allow a two-week grace period for removal of lobster traps and the setting of un-baited lobster traps one week prior to the season reopening. The grace period is intended to allow industry to safely remove and set a large number of traps if inclement weather occurs. Lobster landings will continue to be prohibited during the grace periods. The Technical Committee will review the proportion of v-notch females in the catch to determine compliance by July, 1 2014; if the measures do not meet the conservation objectives, a two-month closed season from April 29 to May 31 will be implemented.

LCMA 6 (Long Island Sound) – A closed season was approved for LCMA 6, with lobster traps removed from the water during the closed season. The exact dates of the closed season will be chosen from a suite of options approved by the Board following in-state public comments, but the season could include the months September through December. The Board will allow a two-week grace period for removal of lobster traps and the setting of baited lobster traps one week prior to the season reopening. Lobster landings will continue to be prohibited during the grace periods.

The most restrictive rule will apply to lobstermen who have elected to fish in multiple LCMAs, meaning that lobstermen fishing in multiple areas will be held to the most restrictive management measures of the areas identified on their permits. The intention of this rule is to maintain the conservation benefits of the closed season and not increase effort in other areas. Addendum XVII measures will remain in place until replaced by Board action.

The Addendum will be available on the Commission’s website (www.asmfc.org) under Breaking News once the LCMAs have finalized their seasons. For more information, please contact Toni Kerns, Senior FMP Coordinator, at tkerns@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.        

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Alexandria, VA – The Commission’s Atlantic Menhaden Management Board approved the Public Information Document (PID) for Amendment 2 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Menhaden for public comment and review.  As the first step in the development of Amendment 2, the PID presents the current status of the fishery and resource, and solicits public input on which major issues and alternatives should be included for consideration and analysis in Draft Amendment 2.

The PID’s primary focus is to initiate discussion on the timing and implementation of achieving the new fishing mortality threshold (F = 1.32) and target (F = 0.62) reference points recently adopted through Addendum V.  Since fishing mortality in 2008 (the latest year in the assessment) is estimated at 2.28, overfishing is occurring, however, the stock is not overfished. The goal of the new reference points is to increase abundance, spawning stock biomass, and menhaden availability as a forage species. The PID also seeks public input on a more timely and comprehensive catch reporting system, and scopes potential options to be used in managing Atlantic menhaden commercial bait and reduction fisheries as well as recreational fishery.

Alongside the development of Amendment 2, the peer-reviewed stock assessment will be updated with data through 2011 to provide a more recent estimate of fishing mortality.  Results of the assessment update will be used to estimate the harvest reductions needed to achieve the new threshold and target fishing mortality rates.  Therefore, preliminary harvest reductions are provided in the PID but will likely change based on the results of the stock assessment update.

Staff will be finalizing the draft over the next week based on the Board’s input yesterday; a subsequent press release will announce the document’s availability as well as the state public hearing schedule. The Board will meet in May at the Commission’s Spring Meeting to review submitted comment and identify the measures to be included in the Draft Amendment. The Board will meet again in August to review and incorporate the results of the 2012 stock assessment update and consider approving the Draft Amendment for public comment. Final amendment approval is anticipated for October, with plan implementation scheduled for 2013. For more information, please contact Michael Waine, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at 703.842.0740 or mwaine@asmfc.org.                       

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Alexandria, VA – The Commission’s Bluefish Management Board approved Addendum I to Amendment 1 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Bluefish. The Addendum establishes a coastwide sampling program to improve the quantity and quality of information available for use in future bluefish stock assessments. The approved sampling program is in direct response to the recommendations of both the Commission’s Bluefish Technical Committee and the peer review panel from the latest bluefish benchmark assessment.

The last peer-reviewed stock assessment, conducted in 2005, supported the finding that the bluefish stock was rebuilt and not experiencing overfishing. However, the peer review panel expressed concern regarding the level of uncertainty in the assessment, particularly with regards to bluefish ageing data. It noted discrepancies in ageing protocols (e.g. the use of scales versus otoliths), gaps in the age-length keys from a lack of samples, and samples being geographically limited to Virginia and North Carolina. Age information is an important component of stock assessments because it is the basis for determining growth rates, the lifespan of a species, and size-at-age to evaluate stock structure. The panel recommended that ageing practices be standardized and sampling expanded to overcome these deficiencies in the assessment.

In May 2011, the Commission’s Bluefish Technical Committee conducted a workshop to review current bluefish ageing data, establish consistent ageing techniques, and explore opportunities to make aging efforts more cost-effective. A primary workshop recommendation was the establishment of a coastwide sampling program for bluefish. This recommendation was the basis for Addendum I.   

The Addendum will be available on the Commission’s website (www.asmfc.org) under Breaking News or by contacting the Commission at 703.842.0740.   For more information, please contact Michael Waine, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at mwaine@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

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Alexandria, VA – The Commission’s Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board initiated an addendum to address illegal striped bass harvest. The Board’s action is in response to recommendations of the Interstate Watershed Task Force (IWTF). The IWTF conducted a multi-year, multi-jurisdictional investigation on illegal 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 covert investigation determined that some Virginia commercial fishermen were illegally harvesting fish during the Potomac River Fisheries Commission’s closed season, as well as illegally harvesting oversized fish from Virginia waters during the spawning season. Additionally, some Maryland commercial fishermen were taking advantage of loopholes in the state tagging system to falsely report large numbers of smaller, legal-sized fish, allowing them to obtain more tags and exceed quota limits. The investigation also found some wholesale dealers were complicit through false record-keeping, false check-in, and knowingly buying illegal or untagged fish. 

The investigation revealed that the current control measures for regulating striped bass harvest could be improved.  The IWTF and the Commission’s Law Enforcement Committee (LEC) recommended increasing penalties for illegally harvested fish and implementing a uniform commercial tagging system among all states with commercial striped bass fisheries.

The IWTF and LEC acknowledge the efforts of Maryland, Virginia and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission in initiating measures to deter the activities detected by the Task Force. Maryland has reformed its commercial fishing management rules, including the suspension or revocation of commercial licenses from violators and increasing the penalty for commercially fishing without a license. The Potomac River Fish Commission has permanently revoked the commercial licenses of the violators identified from the investigation, while Virginia suspended the commercial licenses of identified violators for two years, the maximum amount allowed by Virginia law.

The Board will consider potential management options for inclusion in the Draft Addendum for public comment at the Commission’s Spring Meeting in May. For more information, please contact Kate Taylor, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at ktaylor@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

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