Saving Seafood

Council Actions

ASMFC 82nd Annual Meeting Final Supplemental Materials Now Available

October 18, 2024 – The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Final supplemental materials for the Commission’s 82nd Annual Meeting are now available athttps://www.asmfc.org/home/2024-annual-meeting for the following management Boards.

 
Horseshoe Crab Management Board – Public comment
 
Atlantic Menhaden Management Board – Public comment
 
Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board – Public comment

ASMFC Seeks Proposals for Passive Acoustic Monitoring for North Atlantic Right Whales: Proposals Due November 15

October 18, 2024 — The following was released by Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is releasing a request for proposals (RFP) with the intent to fund projects that will explore the use of bottom-mounted archival passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) to better understand North Atlantic right whale spatiotemporal distribution. Specifically, the RFP seeks to identify a qualified vendor to purchase, assemble, deploy, maintain, process and share the resulting data, and communicate the information from six bottom-mounted archival PAM devices off the coasts of New York and New Jersey. This funding is for a one-year study period. The Commission may extend and/or add funding to the solicitation if further Congressional appropriations become available.

 

 The purpose of this project is to generate data on the North Atlantic right whale vocal behavior and spatiotemporal distribution to inform future management actions. This project is part of a larger effort by the states and federal government to improve data inputs and reduce uncertainty in the existing right whale decision support tool. With a better understanding of risk along the East Coast, future fisheries management actions, aimed to reduce entanglements and minimize regulatory impacts to pot/trap fisheries, may be possible.
 
Researchers at US academic institutions, research laboratories, for-profit companies/firms, nonprofits, and state agencies are all eligible. Proposals involving multiple investigators are welcome. Proposals from foreign entities or US federal government agencies, including Regional Fishery Management Councils, are not eligible to receive funding through this solicitation. Federal staff may be collaborators on proposed projects, as long as they are not compensated for their contribution to the project.

 

 
Applicants must submit proposals via email to Alexander Law, Legislative Program Coordinator, atalaw@asmfc.org by 11:59 PM EST on November 15, 2024. Proposal PDFs should be searchable and should be created by direct conversion and should not be scanned. For identification purposes, all electronic files must be named using the proposer/entity name in the title of the document. The proposal should include all information listed in the Required Elements section. Any incomplete proposal may be subject to disqualification from consideration.  Proposal format must be in a format with at least 12-point font, single spaced with 1-inch page margins. Submissions should be brief as this will assist reviewers and program staff in dealing effectively with proposals. The RFP is available athttps://asmfc.org/files/RFPs/PassiveAcousticMonitoringRFP1_Oct2024.pdf. 
 
For more information, please contact Alexander Law, Legislative Program Coordinator, at alaw@asmfc.org. 

Methods Workshop Scheduled for Atlantic Menhaden Single-Species and Ecological Reference Point Stock Assessments

October 18, 2024 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Ecological Reference Point (ERP) Work Group and Atlantic Menhaden Stock Assessment Subcommittee (SAS) will be meeting November 4 – 8, 2024 at the Westin Crystal City, 1800 Richmond Highway, Arlington, VA, to continue work on the development of the single-species and ERP stock assessments. The SAS will meet November 4-5 to discuss natural mortality estimates and updates to the single-species model, while the ERP Work Group will meet November 5-8 to explore various modeling approaches to evaluate the health of the stock and inform the management of the species in an ecological context. The deadline for the submission of data and alternate multispecies/ecosystem models has passed.

An Assessment Workshop is anticipated to be held in February 2025 to finalize both assessments. The ERP assessment is scheduled to be peer reviewed later in 2025 through the SouthEast Data Assessment Review process. Visit the Commission’s website calendar (http://www.asmfc.org/calendar/) for information on the dates and times of those meetings. 
 
All Commission assessment workshops are open to the public. Time may be allotted for public comment at the discretion of the Chairs of the ERP Work Group and SAS, but may also be limited to keep the workshop on schedule. Additional information on the workshop can be found here. 
 
For more information about the assessments or attending the workshop, please contact James Boyle, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at jboyle@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740, or Jainita Patel, Fisheries Science Coordinator, at jpatel@asmfc.org or 703.842.0720.

Updates to the Atlantic Menhaden Board Supplemental Materials and Combined Supplemental Materials for ASMFC’s 2024 Annual Meeting

October 17, 2024 — The following was released by Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The supplemental materials for the Atlantic Menhaden Management Board have been revised and can be found at http://asmfc.org/files/2024AnnualMeeting/AtlMenhadenBoardSupplementalRevised_Oct2024.pdf. The combined supplemental materials have also been revised to reflect the updated menhaden material and can be found at http://asmfc.org/files/2024AnnualMeeting/2024AnnualMeetingSupplemental_Oct2024_v2.pdf.

 

NEFMC SSC – Listen Live – Monday, October 21, 2024 – Groundfish

October 15, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will meet to discuss issues related groundfish.  The public is invited to listen live.  Here are the details.

WHEN:  Monday, October 21, 2024

WHERE:  Hilton Garden Inn Boston – Logan Airport.  This is an in-person meeting, coupled with a webinar option.  Please do not attend this meeting in person if you do not feel well.

START TIME:  9:00 a.m.

WEBINAR REGISTRATION:  Online access to the meeting is available at Listen Live.  There is no charge to join the meeting through this webinar.

  • IMPORTANT:  The Council is now using Zoom to broadcast meetings.  Zoom requires users to be on the latest version of the application.  You must update your Zoom app to the latest version at least five minutes before joining the webinar to avoid glitches and be able to view presentations.

AGENDA:  The SSC will meet to:

  • Review information provided by the Council’s Groundfish Plan Development Team (PDT) and recent stock assessment reports, and then recommend the overfishing limits (OFLs) and acceptable biological catches (ABCs) for fishing years 2025-2027 for:
    • American plaice;
    • Gulf of Maine haddock;
    • Georges Bank haddock;
    • Pollock; and
    • Atlantic halibut; and
  • Discuss other business as necessary.

COMMENTS:  The deadline for submitting written comments for consideration at this meeting is 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 17, 2024.  Address comments to Council Chair Rick Bellavance or Executive Director Cate O’Keefe and email them to comments@nefmc.org.

MATERIALS:  All documents for this meeting will be posted on the SSC October 21, 2024 meeting webpage.

QUESTIONS:  Contact Dr. Rachel Feeney at (978) 465-0492, ext. 110, rfeeney@nefmc.org or Janice Plante at (607) 592-4817, jplante@nefmc.org.

Seafood industry DEI initiatives showing staying power

October 11, 2024 — Many U.S. companies across industries swiftly began adopting ambitious diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) goals in 2020, but work in the field has largely slowed as businesses grow wary of boycotts and other forms of backlash.

However, in the seafood industry, DEI remains integral to many companies’ sustainability goals, according to experts engaged in ensuring the sector supports these types of initiatives.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

ASMFC 82nd Annual Meeting Details, Final Agenda and Public Comment Guidelines

October 10, 2024 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Please find below the meeting details and public comment guidelines for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 82ndAnnual Meeting, which will be held October 21-24, 2024 at The Westin Annapolis, 100 Westgate Circle, Annapolis, Maryland. This will be a hybrid meeting (both in-person and remote) to allow for participation by Commissioners and interested stakeholders. The room block is now closed; if you need assistance reserving a room, please contact Lisa Carty at lcarty@asmfc.org.

 
The final agenda and meeting materials for the Annual Meeting are now available at https://www.asmfc.org/home/2024-annual-meeting; click on the relevant Board/Committee name to access the documents for that Board/Committee. For ease of use, Board and Council meeting materials have been combined into 4 documents: October 21, October 22, October 23 and October 24. The combined documents do not include materials for ACFHP Steering Committee, Law Enforcement Committee, and the Habitat Committee. Supplemental materials will be posted to the website on Wednesday, October 16th.
 
Please be advised the agenda’s schedule is subject to change; the order in which the agenda items are listed is subject to change, and other agenda items or meetings may be added as necessary.
 
Webinar Information
Board and ACCSP Coordinating Council meeting proceedings will be broadcast daily via webinar beginning Monday, October 21 at 9 AM and continuing daily until the conclusion of the meeting (expected to be 3 PM on Thursday, October 24). To register for the webinar, please go to: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/9011130451108002141 (Webinar ID: 565-353-915).
 
If you are joining the webinar but will not be using voice over internet protocol (VoIP), you can may also call in at +1.562.247.8422, access code 953-170-135. A PIN will be provided to you after joining the webinar. For those who will not be joining the webinar but would like to listen in to the audio portion only, press the # key when asked for a PIN. 
 
Each day, the webinar will begin 15 minutes prior to the start of the first meeting so people can troubleshoot any connectivity or audio issues they may encounter. If you are having issues with the webinar (connecting to or audio related issues), please contact Chris Jacobs at 703.842.0790.


Meeting Process
Board chairs will ask both in-person and virtual board members if they wish to speak. In-person members can simply raise their hands at the meeting without logging on to the webinar, while virtual members will raise their hands on the webinar. The chair will work with staff to compile the list of speakers, balancing the flow of questions/comments between in-person and virtual attendees. The same process will be used for public comment. Depending upon the number of commenters, the board chair will decide how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak. 
 
Getting to Annapolis
The Westin Annapolis is easily accessible by automobile, train, or airplane. BWI is the closest airport and you can take a taxi or UBER to get to the hotel.  You won’t need to rent a car because Annapolis is a very walkable town and we will provide transportation to the social events.  It is also an easy drive from most Mid-Atlantic states.
 
Fishing Tournament
Plans are well underway for the 31st Annual Laura Leach Fishing Tournament. Everyone is invited and encouraged to participate. You will receive a t-shirt with your $20 entry fee; and 100% of the tournament proceeds will be donated to the Catch More Mentorship Academy.  The tournament runs from Sunday (10/20) through Wednesday (10/23); tournament prizes will be awarded on Thursday morning. 
 
Public Comment Guidelines
To provide 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 opportunities to the public to bring matters of concern to the board’s attention at the start of each board meeting. Board chairs will ask members of the public to raise their hands to let the chair know they would like to speak. Depending upon the number of commenters, the board chair will decide 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 comments 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 comments 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 three weeks prior to the start of a meeting week (September 30) will be included in the briefing materials.
2.    Comments received by 5 PM on Tuesday, October 15 will be included in supplemental materials.
3.    Comments received by 10 AM on Friday, October 18 will be distributed electronically to Commissioners/Board members prior to the meeting.
 
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 and email.

Scallops: Council Receives 2024 Survey Season Overview and Framework 39 Update; Recaps Upcoming Work Priorities

October 8, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council received an overview of the 2024 Atlantic sea scallop survey season when it met in Gloucester, Massachusetts for its September 24-26, 2024 meeting. The Council also received updates on: (1) Framework Adjustment 39 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan, which will set specifications and other measures for the 2025 scallop fishing year; and (2) additional ongoing scallop projects, including the development Georges Bank Scallop Biomass Estimates By Sub-Region (2015 – 2024) of a three-to-five-year strategic plan for the fishery.

2024 SCALLOP SURVEY SEASON: Results from the 2024 scallop survey season indicate that overall biomass remains low compared to the 2016-2019 peak years of the fishery. The population of harvestable-size scallops expected to be available for the 2025 fishing year also remains low and may result in reduced allocations to the fishery.

However, surveys did show some positive signs of recruitment – seed and juvenile scallops – in multiple areas that could contribute to the fishery down the road. Here are a few 2024 survey highlights.

• Overall survey biomass decreased from 2023 to 2024.

• Biomass on Georges Bank is over two times higher than in the Mid-Atlantic, although biomass in the Mid-Atlantic bumped up due to new recruitment in the Elephant Trunk and, to a lesser extent, Hudson Canyon South.

• Multiple surveys documented a large recruitment event in Nantucket Lightship South (see maps below). While not as large as the 2013 year-class, the recruitment event is strong. The Council will consider closing the area in 2025 to protect these young scallops for additional grow-out within revised boundaries that better surround the new recruitment event.

• Area I and Area II on Georges Bank both harbor multiple year classes of scallops, which will prove challenging as the Council considers how to protect smaller scallops while providing access to larger, harvestable-size fiveyear-old scallops. The Council’s Scallop Plan Development Team will investigate options for protecting two-year olds in the Area I-Sliver and Area II Extension.

Atlantic Herring: Council Takes Final Action on Fishing Year 2025-2027 Specifications; Requests In-Season Adjustment

October 4, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council took final action on fishing year 2025-2027 specifications for Atlantic herring when it met September 24-26, 2024 in Gloucester, Massachusetts. The Council also asked the Regional Administrator of NOAA Fisheries to use his existing authority to implement an in-season adjustment to reduce default 2025 specifications to the level recently recommended by the Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC).

The Council’s revised 2025 specifications, which are part of the new 2025-2027 package, are much lower than the default or backup 2025 specifications the Council developed in 2022 to cover the 2023-2025 fishing years. At the time, the Council knew it would need to update 2025 catch limits, but it included backups in a three-year package in case the next action was delayed.

BOTTOM LINE: The default 2025 annual catch limit (ACL) is 23,961 metric tons (mt). The revised 2025 ACL, which is based on the latest stock assessment, is 2,710 mt, marking an 89% reduction. For comparison, 2,710 mt equates to 14% of the 2024 ACL now in place.

The Council is deeply concerned about the magnitude of the needed adjustments and the inevitable social and economic impacts associated with the upcoming reductions in catch.

The revised ACL, if approved by NOAA Fisheries as expected, will result in the lowest catch limits in the history of the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan. The new catch limits will not support a directed commercial fishery for Atlantic herring. Area-by-area sub-ACLs are shown in the table below.

 

NEFMC SSC – Listen Live – Wednesday, October 9, 2024 – Scallops, Witch Flounder, and More

October 2, 2024 — The following was released by New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will meet to discuss issues related to Atlantic sea scallops, witch flounder, and more.  The public is invited to listen live.  Here are the details.

WHEN:  Wednesday, October 9, 2024

WHERE:  Hilton Providence, Rhode Island.  This is an in-person meeting, coupled with a webinar option.  Please do not attend this meeting in person if you do not feel well.

START TIME:  9:00 a.m.

 WEBINAR REGISTRATION:  Online access to the meeting is available at Listen Live.  There is no charge to join the meeting through this webinar.

 

  • IMPORTANT:  The Council is now using Zoom to broadcast meetings.  Zoom requires users to be on the latest version of the application.  You must update your Zoom app to the latest version at least five minutes before joining the webinar to avoid glitches and be able to view presentations.

 

AGENDA:  The SSC will meet to:

 

  • Review information provided by the Council’s Scallop Plan Development Team (PDT) and recommend the overfishing limits (OFLs) and acceptable biological catches (ABCs) for Atlantic sea scallops for fishing years 2025-2026;

 

  • Review witch flounder information provided by the Council’s Groundfish PDT, as well as stock assessment information, and recommend OFLs and ABCs for witch flounder for fishing years 2025-2027;

 

  • Review draft outcomes of the 8th National Workshop of the Council Coordination Committee’s Scientific Coordination Subcommittee (SCS8) held in August 2024 and discuss potential next steps;

 

  • Review outcomes of the May 2024 workshop on Implementing Social Science Methods for Fisheries Decision-Making, discuss a proposal for establishing a formal committee on social science, and discuss potential next steps for the SSC; and

 

  • Discuss other business as necessary.

 

COMMENTS:  The deadline for submitting written comments for consideration at this meeting is8:00 a.m. on Monday, October 7, 2024.  Address comments to Council Chair Rick Bellavance or Executive Director Cate O’Keefe and email them to comments@nefmc.org.

MATERIALS:  All documents for this meeting will be posted on the SSC October 9, 2024 meeting webpage.

QUESTIONS:  Contact Dr. Rachel Feeney at (978) 465-0492, ext. 110, rfeeney@nefmc.org or Janice Plante at (607) 592-4817, jplante@nefmc.org.