Management & Regulation

December 11, 2014 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries published a final rule to implement Amendment 7 to the 2006 Consolidated Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP) (Amendment 7) on December 2, 2014 (79 FR 71509).  The Amendment focuses primarily on actions to reduce and account for bluefin dead discards in all categories; optimize fishing opportunities in all categories within the United States' quota; enhance reporting and monitoring; and adjust other management measures as necessary.
 
NOAA Fisheries is hosting two public webinars to provide the opportunity to explain management measures and effective dates outlined in Amendment 7.  The public may participate by phone or online.  Details for accessing the webinar are provided below.

 
Dates, times, and log-in information for upcoming public webinars on Amendment 7:

December 18, 2014
1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
1-800-779-8718
Participant pass code: 9570597
https://noaaevents2.webex.com/noaaevents2/onstage/g.php?d=997375416&t=a
Password: NOAA

December 22, 2014
1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
1-800-779-8718
Participant pass code: 9570597
https://noaaevents2.webex.com/noaaevents2/onstage/g.php?d=993403589&t=a
Password: NOAA

This notice is a courtesy to Atlantic HMS fishery participants to help keep you informed about the fisheries.  For further information on Amendment 7, contact Thomas Warren at (978) 281-9260.  Copies of the final rule and supporting documents are available upon request from the HMS Management Division at (978) 281-9260.  The information is also available at: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/documents/fmp/am7/index.html

December 11, 2014 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Please find below the preliminary agenda and public comment guidelines for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 2015 Winter Meeting, February 3-5, 2015 in Alexandria, Virginia. The agenda is also available online at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2015-winter-meeting. Please note our meeting location has changed to the Westin Alexandria, where we will also meet for our Spring and Summer meetings. Meeting materials will be available on January 23, 2015 on the Commission website. The agenda is subject to change. Bulleted items represent the anticipated major issues to be discussed or acted upon at the meeting. The final agenda will include additional items and may revise the bulleted items provided below. The agenda reflects the current estimate of time required for scheduled Board meetings. The Commission may adjust this agenda in accordance with the actual duration of Board meetings. Interested parties should anticipate Boards starting earlier or later than indicated herein.
 
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
 
Winter Meeting
February 3-5, 2015
 
The Westin Alexandria
400 Courthouse Square
Alexandria, Virginia
 
Preliminary Agenda
 
 
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
 
8:00 – 8:45 a.m. — Winter Flounder Management Board
– Set Specifications for the 2015 Fishing Season
– Review and Consider Approval of the 2014 FMP Review and State Compliance
 
9:00 – 10:30 a.m.– Atlantic Herring Section
– Review and Consider Approval of Draft Amendment 3 for Public Comment
– Review and Consider Approval of the 2014 FMP Review and State Compliance
 
10:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.– American Lobster Management Board
– Review and Consider Approval of Draft Addendum XXIV for Public Comment
– Review Preliminary Draft of Jonah Crab Fishery Management Plan
– Review and Consider Approval of Nominations to the Jonah Crab Advisory Panel
 
1:45 – 5:15 p.m.– Atlantic Menhaden Management Board
– Review and Consider Acceptance of 2015 Benchmark Stock Assessment and Peer Review Panel Reports
– Discuss Ecological Reference Points (ERP) Term of Reference
– Discuss Management Objectives Moving Forward Based on Results of the Benchmark Assessment/ERP Term of Reference
 
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
 
8:00 – 9:00 a.m.– Executive Committee
– Discuss Staff Tenure and Workload
– Review Suggested Changes to Commission Guidance Documents
– Update on 2015 Annual Meeting
 
9:15 – 11:15 a.m.– ISFMP Policy Board
– American Eel Fish Passage Update
– Review and Discuss 2014 Commissioner Survey Results
– Discuss Updating the Roles and Responsibilities of the Committee on Economics and Social Science
– Review and Consider Revisions to the ASMFC Committee Guidance and Assessment Process Document
 
11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.– Weakfish Management Board
– Review and Consider Approval of the Terms of Reference for the 2015 Benchmark Stock Assessment
– Review Abbreviated Stock Status Update
 
1:15 – 3:15 p.m.– South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board
– Review and Consider Acceptance of 2014 Black Drum Benchmark Stock Assessment and Peer Review Panel Reports
– Discuss Need for Management Response to the Benchmark Assessment
– Review and Consider Approval of 2014 FMP Reviews and State Compliance for Spanish Mackerel, Spot, and Spotted Seatrout
 
3:30 – 6:30 p.m.– Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board
– Review and Consider Final Approval of Addendum XXVI
– Set 2015 Black Sea Bass Recreational Management Measures
– Set 2015 Scup Recreational Management Measures
 
Thursday, February 5, 2015
 
8:00 a.m. – Noon — Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board
– Review and Consider Approval of Addendum IV Conservation Equivalency Proposals and Implementation Plans
– Review Virginia Proposal to Suspend Tagging Program
 
12:30 – 2:30 p.m.– Tautog Management Board
– Review and Consider Acceptance of 2015 Benchmark Stock Assessment and Peer Review Panel Reports
– Discuss Need for Management Response to the Benchmark Assessment
– Review and Consider Approval of the 2014 FMP Review and State Compliance
 
12:45 – 2:15 p.m.– Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program (ACCSP) Executive Committee
– Status Updates on the Program and MRIP-APAIS Transition
– Review Action Items from Previous Meeting
 
2:45 – 4:00 p.m.– Shad and River Herring Management Board
– Review and Consider Approval of 2014 FMP Reviews and State Compliance for Shad & River Herring
– Review New Hampshire Proposal for the Removal of Taylor River Monitoring
– Update on Shad and River Herring Related Activities of the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils
– Update on the River Herring Technical Expert Working Group
 
4:15 – 5:45 p.m.– ACCSP Coordinating Council
– ACCSP Status Reports on the Program, MRIP-APAIS Transition, Committee Activities, and Independent Program Review
– Discussion on Providing Operations Committee with More Authority to Recommend Different Funding Split than the 75/25 When Necessary
 
 
Public Comment Guidelines
 
With the intent of developing policies in the Commission’s procedures for public participation that result in 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 opportunity to the public to bring matters of concern to the board’s attention at the start of each board meeting. Board chairs will use a speaker sign-up list in deciding 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 comment 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 comment for issues for which the Commission has NOTestablished a specific public comment period (i.e., in response to proposed management action).
 
1. Comments received 3 weeks prior to the start of a meeting week will be included in the briefing materials.
2. Comments received by 5:00 PM on the Tuesday immediately preceding the scheduled ASMFC Meeting (in this case, the Tuesday deadline will be January 27, 2015) will be distributed electronically to Commissioners/Board members prior to the meeting and a limited number of copies will be provided at the meeting.
3. Following the Tuesday, January 27, 2015 5:00 PM deadline, the commenter will be responsible for distributing the information to the management board prior to the board meeting or providing enough copies for the management board consideration at the meeting (a minimum of 50 copies).
 
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, fax, and email.

 

December 9, 2014 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The latest issue of Stellwagen Bank E-Notes has just been released.  The November-December issue contains articles about the proposed Stellwagen Dedicated Habitat Research Area with Reference Area, the skin(ny) on whales, installation of a long-term listening post, the annual marine art contest, and a new photo caption-writing contest. To download the newsletter, Click here

Please forward this message on to others who may be interested in New England's only national marine sanctuary. 

If you would like to be placed on the sanctuary's mailing list for electronic notices and newsletters, send an email to:  stellwagen@noaa.gov (write — add to mailing list — in the subject line).  Place email address(es) in the text box. If you are interested in receiving additional updates on volunteering, the advisory council, education programs or research, add that information in the text box.

 

BALTIMORE, Md. — December 8, 2014 — The following was released by The National Aquarium:

The National Aquarium released today a new report, “Addressing Uncertainty in Fisheries Science and Management,” which contains the results from a year-long investigation into fisheries science and management practices.

An Aquarium-led panel of scientists and fisheries managers used case studies, consultations and expert deliberations to produce this set of findings, best practices and recommendations. The report, along with full examination of case studies and appendices, can be found at www.aqua.org/fisheries.

“Recognizing the many concerns that exist around uncertainty in the management process, we developed recommendations for understanding, communicating and better addressing uncertainties in fisheries science and management,” said Eric Schwaab, project leader and National Aquarium Chief Conservation Officer.

Read the full release from The National Aquarium

December 3, 2014 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Please see the following link for information regarding the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) 2015 request for proposals for the Fisheries Innovation Fund.
 
NFWF has announced the fifth round of Fishery Innovation Fund grant opportunities. The goal of the Fund, launched in 2010, is to increase revenue and provide additional access and fishing opportunities for both commercial and recreational fishermen and was created through a partnership between NFWF and NOAA, with additional support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation. The pre-proposal due date is December 19, 2014.

The Fund is a grant program designed to foster innovation in the fishing industry in order to sustain fishermen's livelihoods while rebuilding fish stocks. It supports the participation of fishermen and their communities in securing sustainable fisheries in the U.S. This year, NFWF anticipates awarding $1.16 million through this solicitation.

Successful proposals will develop innovative approaches to:
 
I.  Build the capacity of fishing businesses and communities to improve their sustainability and access additional forms of financing (loans and equity).
 
II. Support full utilization of Annual Catch Limits and minimize bycatch of overfished and endangered, threatened, and candidate species.
 
III. Improve the quality, quantity, and timeliness of fisheries-dependent data used for science, management, and fishermen's business purposes.

Full details about how to apply, evaluation criteria, and application assistance can be found on the NFWF website.

 

SEAFOODNEWS.COM By Peggy Parker — December 3, 2014 — The 2014 stock assessment of Pacific halibut shows continued low recruitment but a slower drop in the long-term problem of size-at-age.

Rumors that the stock “may have hit bottom” were supported by biomass estimates: 181 million pounds in 2014, compared to 170 million pounds in 2013. Female spawning biomass is estimated at 209 million pounds now compared to 197 million pounds a year ago.
 
Harvest advice for 2015, presented from the scientists to the industry every year in December, is then adjusted and finalized by the International Pacific Halibut Commission at their January annual meeting.  In 2014 it was 25 million pounds, slightly higher than last year’s "Blue Line" of 24.5 million pounds.
 
The Blue Line is the result of an ensemble modeling approach. It is a median amount that represents the closest catch limit to satisfy the IPHC’s harvest policy. It is usually adjusted upward during the January meeting. Last year it was adjusted from 24.5 to 27.515 million pounds.
 
The Pacific halibut stock has declined continuously from the late 1990s to around 2010. That trend is likely a result of decreasing size-at-age, as well as recent recruitment strengths that are much smaller than those observed through the 1980s and 1990s.
 
The good news is that the 2014 setline survey coastwide legal (over 32 inches) weight per unit of effort (WPUE) was 2% higher, and the total WPUE is 6% higher than values observed in 2013. For most regulatory areas these estimates are consistent with a relatively flat trend over the last 3-5 years, with the exception of Southeast Alaska[PP1] , which has increased steadily for the last four years.
 
Age distributions in 2014 from both the survey and fishery remained similar to those observed in 2011-2013, indicating a relatively stable stock, but not showing any evidence of strong recent recruitments.
 
The IPHC’s interim meeting continues through today in Seattle.

This story originally appeared on Seafood.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

December 2, 2014 — The Atlantic bluefin tuna gained protections from overfishing in the Gulf of Mexico and the waters off North Carolina under a federal rule published on Tuesday to better regulate a species coveted by sushi lovers.

The regulations, effective in January, restrict the use of certain longline fishing gear in parts of the Gulf of Mexico during April and May, when the species spawns in the region.

Off North Carolina, regulators are closely monitoring fishermen and tightening enforcement of quotas for the species. High numbers of bluefin tuna have been fatally snared in fishing lines set to catch swordfish, regulators said.

Many of the dead bluefin tuna were being dumped back into the ocean under current regulations.

"That is a waste," said Margo Schulze-Haugen, division chief of highly migratory species management for NOAA Fisheries, a federal agency. "The fish that are caught that are dead will come to shore, and they will be used," she added.

Read the full story at Reuters

December 3, 2014 — The issue: The crisis in the fishing industry has been building for the past four or five years over new management arrangements that were supposed to protect fish while being fair to fishermen. What kind of success have the fisheries regulators had in restoring groundfish populations in the Northeast?

The actions: In terms of groundfish, cod is causing the worry. Unlike haddock or yellowtail flounder, cod populations have plummeted to historical record lows. This is despite the heaviest regulation in the nation, which has been a failure in this regard.

NOAA Fisheries has been steadily reducing the cod quotas, cutting them by 75 percent in the next fishing year, which starts in May. Some fishermen say that NOAA can't catch fish, that they can, and cod are out there. The survey data is, by all accounts, all over the place, and generally it is not good. Yet the New England Fishery Management Council last month decided that since there will be more surveys next year, it would reject an emergency survey to get better numbers.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

December 2, 2014 — NOAA Fisheries has issued final regulations that will help protect Atlantic bluefin tuna by reducing dead discards and providing measures to help ensure compliance with international quotas.

These regulations were developed through a comprehensive process that included input from the public, states, industry and others.

The measures include areas in the Gulf of Mexico where gear is restricted in April and May — a time of year when the species spawns in that area — as well as off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, a prime bluefin feeding ground from December through April. The new restrictions also include a cap on Atlantic surface longline incidental catch of bluefin both at the vessel level as well as at the fleet level.

Atlantic bluefin tuna is regarded as one of the most important and prized species in the ocean. Weighing upwards of 1,000 pounds and reaching more than six feet long, bluefin tuna are near the top of the ocean food chain, giving them an important role in the marine ecosystem. They are also extremely valuable on the commercial market, which makes them particularly vulnerable to unreported and unregulated fishing internationally.

Read the full story from The Fish Site

December 1, 2014 — The following was released by the Maine Department of Marine Resources:

The Department of Marine Resources will hold three public meetings to provide information on the New England Fishery Management Council’s Omnibus Habitat Amendment 2.
 
This fishery management action will address habitat requirements for all fisheries managed by the New England Fishery Management Council (NEMFC) in federal waters and may impact Maine fishermen who operate in federal waters.
 
These meetings are informational only, not public hearings, but are intended to help inform industry members about what the proposed actions include and how they can provide input during the public comment period which ends in early January.
 
The amendment includes proposals for area closures for habitat protection, groundfish spawning, and research. Implications include the possibility of closures for the scallop, quahog, halibut, shrimp, herring and groundfish fisheries.
 
While lobster gear is not currently included in the list of gear potentially affected by the amendment, the possibility remains open that this could change as a result of public input and any supporting scientific information. The Council plans to work with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center and the coastal states in the Northeast on this issue, but very little information has been available to date. 
 
Meetings will be held December 9 at 5 p.m. at the Casco Bay Lines on Commercial Street in Portland, December 10 at 5 p.m. at the Ellsworth City Hall Auditorium, and December 15 at 5 p.m. at the University of Maine Machias, Room 102 in the Science Building.
 
A schedule of public hearings hosted by NEFMC to solicit public comment can be found at public hearing schedule notice.pdf. There will be one held Monday, January 5 via webinar. Register at http://bit.ly/1yDgJux. A summary document can be located by clicking here summary of proposed habitat measures.pdf.
 
In Maine, there will be public hearings on Tuesday, January 6 at 6 p.m. at Jeff’s Catering and Event Center in Brewer and Wednesday, January 7 at 6 p.m. at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland.
 
For more information, call Pat Fiorelli at the New England Fishery Management Council at 978-465-0492, ext. 106.