Council Actions

At its meeting on Wednesday, October 5, 2011, the New England Fishery Management Council will continue development of Framework Adjustment 47 (FW 47) to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan.

For recreational fishermen interested in the accountability measures for GOM haddock that may be adopted for FY 2012, please note this issue will be discussed at a Groundfish Committee meeting that will be held November 2. There may also be a meeting of the Recreational Advisory Panel to discuss the same issue; ideally that would be before the November 2 Committee. Please check Savingseafood.org and nefmc.org closer to the meetings for additional information.

See the Committee Meeting Documents here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Responding to industry red flags, the regional fishery management council has signaled a willingness to rethink the scheduled shift in at-sea monitoring costs from the government to the industry for the 2012 fishing year.

Meanwhile, language directing NOAA to continue fully funding at sea monitoring has been written into a Senate appropriations bill.

"The council motion is 100 percent supported by the Northeast Seafood Coalition," Jackie Odell, executive director of the Gloucester-based coalition, said in an email to the Times. "Unfortunately, it may not be done in time for May 1, 2012 (the start of the 2012 fishing cycle), when industry payment kicks in. This makes what Congress does that much more important.

"The coalition thanks the entire New England delegation, especially Sens. (John) Kerry, (Olympia) Snow and (Susan) Collins," she added, "for working directly with us to make sure language directing their agency to fully fund monitoring in 2012 was included in the Senate fiscal year 2012 bill.

"This is the first critical hurdle in this appropriations process," Odell said, "The current annual catch limits and the financial state of the industry are not at a level to support at sea monitoring in 2012."

Read the complete story from The Gloucester Times

 

 

 

 

 

DANVERS — New England's Fishery Management Council Wednesday decided to attempt an after-the-fact tweaking of the groundfish catch share/sector system to prevent "excessive" control and "over consolidation" of the nation's newest commodities market in wild protein stocks.

But questions about when, how or even if to proceed that emerged in committee and during debate by the full council meeting here left no clear hint of what the effort might produce — if anything.

Some industry forces, representing big off-shore boats based in Maine, have cautioned against actions that could serve to redistribute equity in the fishery.

The action was unanimous, but came following a 14-3 vote against holding off the start of the initiative until November.

The decision came a week after a study of the full first year of catch share fishing by quasi voluntary business cooperatives known as sectors, but the anti-monopoly initiative has been working its way toward the public since last year.

Published by the NOAA science center in Woods Hole, the report confirmed anecdotal reports that many years of consolidation of the fleet, based primary in Gloucester and New Bedford, accelerated in 2010 after the fishery was reorganized to encourage buying and selling of permits under the new catch share management system and trading of ultra low allocations.

Read the complete story by Richard Gaines in The Gloucester Times

 

 

 

 

On the heels of a "sobering" report by NOAA scientists documenting accelerating consolidation in the groundfishery in the first year operating in sectors with catch shares, the regional management council Wednesday begins discussing fleet diversity and limiting the accumulation of quota by the biggest players.

In nine of 14 groundfish stocks, 25 fishermen or corporations have come to control at least 50 percent of the quota, according to a draft document by staff for the members of the New England Fishery Management Council.

The council debate Wednesday will be followed by "a scoping period" to provide the public with an opportunity to identify issues and alternatives to be studied before any action, which is projected in 2014.

The staff report reinforced the study by the five social scientists at NOAA's science center at Woods Hole that found 20 percent of the vessels accounted for 80 percent of the revenues. That report came out last Wednesday.

Read the complete story from The Gloucester Times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The New England Council will broadcast its September meeting from the CoCo Key Hotel and Resort in Danvers, MA (please note the additional day).

This Webinar will be held daily from:
Monday, September 26, 2011 to Thursday, September 29, 2011
7:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. EST

Register Now at:
https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/967505630
Once registered, you will receive an email confirming your registration with information you 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

 

 

 

 

 

 

Council Meeting Agenda
September 26-29, 2011
CoCo Key Resort and Hotel
50 Ferncroft Road, Danvers, MA 01923
Tel: (978) 777-2500 | Fax: (978) 750-7959

Monday, September 26, 2011
9:00 a.m. Introductions and Announcements (Acting Council Chairman Rip Cunningham)
9:05 Swearing in of Reappointed Council Members and Election of 2011-2012 Council Officers
(Pat Kurkul, NOAA/NMFS Regional Administrator)
10:30 Reports on Recent Activities
Council Chairman, Executive Director, NMFS Regional Administrator, NOAA General Counsel, Northeast Fisheries
Science Center and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council liaisons, and representatives of the U.S. Coast Guard,
NOAA Enforcement/VMS, and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
12:00 Experimental Fishery Permit Applications (Chris Kellogg, NEFMC staff)
Review and approve any comments on pending experimental fishery permits received since the last meeting
12:10 Open Period for Public Comments
Opportunity for the public to provide comments on items relevant to Council business but not listed on the meeting agenda
12:30 p.m. Lunch Break
1:30 NOAA and Council Response to the Touchstone Fisheries Management Process Report
Pat Kurkul (NOAA/NMFS Regional Administrator) and Frank Almeida (NEFSC Acting Science and Research Director)
on Regional Office and Science Center initiatives; Patricia Fiorelli (Council staff) on improving communications with
stakeholders; and Rip Cunningham about the development of a shared vision and strategy to guide the fishery
management process
4:00 Initial Discussion of 2012 Council Management Priorities (Executive Director Paul J. Howard)
Preliminary review of management priorities for next year

Tuesday, September 27, 2011
8:00 a.m. Monkfish Committee Report (Council member Terry Stockwell)
Review and consider approval of goals and objectives for Amendment 6; the action was initiated to consider catch shares
management for this fishery
9:30 Skate Committee Report (Council member David Goethel)
Approve final 2012-2013 specifications for the skate complex; possible changes address annual catch limits, total allowable
landings for the wing and bait fisheries, skate wing and bait possession limits, and a monitoring adjustment to count
transfers-at-sea reported on Vessel Trip Reports against the skate bait total allowable landings
10:30 Summary of the June 2011 Stock Assessment Workshop/Stock Assessment Review Committee Meetings
(SAW/SARC 52) (NEFSC liaison Dr. Jim Weinberg)
Review of the benchmark assessments for three winter flounder stocks
11:15 Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) (Maureen Bornholdt, BOEMRE)
General update and a review of two BOEMRE proposals: 1) Call for Information and Nominations for Commercial Leasing
for Wind Power on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Offshore Rhode Island and Massachusetts; and 2) A Notice of Intent
to Prepare an Environmental Assessment for Commercial Wind Lease Issuance and Site Characterization Activities on the
Atlantic OCS Offshore Rhode Island and Massachusetts
12:15 p.m. Lunch Break
1:15 Scientific and Statistical Committee Report (Dr. Chris Legault, SSC Chairman)
Review the SSC’s recommendations concerning ABC’s for a number of groundfish stocks in the Northeast multispecies
complex and the whiting and hake stocks that are regulated under the Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP)
2:15 Scallop Committee Report (Council member Dr. David Pierce)
Approve final action on Framework Adjustment 23 to the Scallop FMP; the alternatives proposed relate to: 1) A requirement
for a turtle deflector dredge for scallop dredge vessels; 2) A revision to the yellowtail flounder accountability measures
proposed in Amendment 15; 3) A change how catch in state waters is accounted for in the limited access general category
management program for the Northern Gulf of Maine area; and 4) When a scallop vessel declares into the scallop fishery to
improve scallop fleet operations
Times listed next to the agenda items are estimates and are subject to change. The meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities.
Council member financial disclosure forms are available for examination at the meeting.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011
8:00 a.m. Groundfish Oversight Committee Report (Rip Cunningham)
Issues to be discussed include: 1) Approval of a scoping document for an amendment to consider accumulation limits and
fleet diversity; 2) Update on the upcoming sector workshop scheduled for October; 3) Update on Framework Adjustment 47
to the Northeast Multispecies FMP, including recommendations that address accountability measures for ocean pout,
windowpane flounder, Atlantic halibut, and Atlantic wolffish, and alternative Georges Bank yellowtail flounder rebuilding
strategies and ABCs for fishing year 2012 -2014; 4) A report on the 2011 Transboundary Resources Assessment
Committee‘s review of the status of Eastern Georges Bank cod and haddock, and Georges Bank yellowtail flounder; and 5)
Consider and possibly approve the Transboundary Management Guidance Committee’s recommendations for fishing year
2012 quotas for Eastern Georges Bank cod and haddock, and Georges Bank yellowtail flounder
12:00 p.m. Lunch Break
1:00 Overview of the report At-sea and Dockside Monitoring Programs in the Northeast
(Marcus Hartley, Northern Economics)
1:45 Update to the NEFSC Report Performance of the Northeast Groundfish Fishery Interim Report for Fishing Year 2010
(May 2010 – January 2011) (Drew Kitts, NEFSC)
2:45 Whiting Committee Report (David Goethel)
Approve management alternatives for inclusion in a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Multispecies FMP
Amendment 19 (to address the small mesh fishery which includes stocks of red hake, silver hake, offshore hake);
alternatives may include annual catch limits (ex. allocations, buffers for management uncertainty, landings limits), as well as
accountability measures and possibly other mechanisms to regulate the fishery

Thursday, September 29, 2011
8:00 a.m. Herring Amendment 5 Draft EIS Review/Approval (Council member Doug Grout)
1) Review the Draft Terms of Reference for the upcoming benchmark stock assessment for herring scheduled for June
2012 and forward any recommendations to the Northeast Regional Coordinating Committee;
2) Review and approve a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Amendment 5 to the Atlantic Herring FMP for the
purpose of further review and comment at public hearings; during the discussion the Council intends to:
address any outstanding/unresolved issues regarding the management alternatives under consideration; review Herring
Advisory Panel comments regarding Amendment 5; and review/discuss Amendment 5 impact analyses; possibly
identify preferred alternatives for public hearings; Amendment 5 alternatives currently address adjustments to the
fishery management program and reporting requirements for vessels and dealers, measures to address trip notification
requirements, carrier vessels, and transfers of herring at-sea; also a catch monitoring program that could maximize
sampling and address net slippage, alternatives to allocate observer coverage on limited access herring vessels; river
herring bycatch and criteria for midwater trawl vessel access to year-round groundfish closed areas
12:00 p.m. Lunch
1:00 Herring agenda items – continued
4:30 Other Business
Although other non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come before this Council for discussion, those issues may not be the subject of formal
action during this meeting. Council action will be restricted to issues specifically listed in this notice and any issues arising after publication of this notice that
require emergency action under section 305 (c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, provided the public has been notified of the Council's intent to take final action to
address the emergency. Documents pertaining to Council actions are available for review prior to a final vote by the Council. Please call (978) 465-0492,
ext. 100 for copies or check the Council website at www.nefmc.org. Comments submitted to the council for consideration at this meeting, must be
received by 12 p.m. EST on Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2011. Notice Issue, Friday, Sept 1, 2011.

 

 

 

 

 

The Commerce Department today announced the reappointment of John McMurray of New York to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. Under this appointment, McMurray will serve on the council until August 10, 2014.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council is one of eight regional councils established by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act that prepare fishery management plans for marine fish stocks in their respective geographical areas of responsibility. NOAA’s Fisheries Service works closely with the councils during plan development and also reviews, approves and implements the management plans developed by the councils.

Council members represent diverse constituents including commercial and recreational fisheries, environmental interests and academia. Each year, the Secretary of Commerce selects approximately one-third of the total of 72 appointed members to the eight regional councils. Twenty-one were named or reappointed in June, for terms which began on August 11.

NOAA’s Fisheries Service annually solicits nominations from the governors of fishing states and oversees the annual appointment process. The Secretary must select council members from the list of nominees provided by the governors to fill obligatory and at-large seats that have become available due to an expiring term, a resignation or other reasons. Obligatory seats are state-specific, while at-large seats can be filled by a person from any of the states in the region. Council members serve three-year terms, and may be reappointed to serve up to three consecutive terms.

McMurray is owner and primary operator of One More Cast charters. During his first term on the council, he was an active member, serving as chair of the Council’s Law Enforcement Committee, vice-chairman of the Ecosystems/Ocean Planning Committee, and a member of the Executive Committee.

 

Read the complete story from NOAA

 

 

 

 

 

 

The summer flounder stock is keeping on its strong growth trajectory, and managers this week voted for a 7 percent boost in potential 2012 landings – to a new high of 31.6 million pounds.

It could herald a return to the boom fishery of the 1980s, and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission are playing this hand very cautiously.

At a joint meeting Wednesday in Wilmington, De., members from both boards challenged recommendations to hold down the catch limits to account for estimated bycatch and discard of smaller fish – 600,000 pounds on the commercial side, and an estimated 2 million to 3 million pounds among recreational anglers.

But this is the first time the council and commission are applying strict new accountability measures required by Congress, and in the end they went with the conservative recommendations for 2012 landing limits: 18.95 million pounds on the commercial side and 12.63 million pounds recreational, after accounting for discards and catches used for research projects.

“We’re really happy to hear this,” said Greg Hueth of the Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund, which helped fund science that figured into a reassessment of the fluke stock. Assessment scientist John Maunder recently published a paper on flounder mortality that came out of research supported by the fund, “and we’ll have more information coming down the line to keep this going,” Hueth promised.

But Hueth cautioned there should not be a rush to liberalize conservation rules, like minimum sizes that have frustrated anglers for years.

 

Read the complete story from MyCentralJersey.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

The New England Fisheries Management Council has scheduled a meeting to talk about  the upcoming Gulf of Maine cod benchmark assessment.  

When:

Tuesday, August 16th.

Where: Gloucester Office – Annisquam River Marine Fisheries Field
Station
30 Emerson Ave.
Gloucester, MA 01930

Date: Tuesday August 16, 2011

When: 10 am – noon

 

 

 

 

 

 

The New England Fishery Management Council is beginning to devise so-called "accumulation limits" to restrict what any single fisherman or fishing business can haul home annually.

The idea is to keep the wealthiest fishing interests from accumulating such a dominant share of the catch that they swallow the small, independent boat owners who have sustained New England's fishing communities for centuries.

This persistent industry fear heightened last year, when a new management system was installed that allots each fisher a transferable share of the total catch, which they can lease or sell. Some say that makes it far easier for well-moneyed fishing interests to accrue catch shares from smaller, less profitable fishing businesses.

Read the complete story by Jay Lindsay of the AP at Mercury News.