Management & Regulation

PORTLAND, Maine — June 15, 2014 — Fishermen in two of the most lucrative fisheries in the Northeast — Atlantic herring and haddock —are at odds over the management of fishing in Georges Bank, a key nerve center for both species.

Atlantic herring fishermen who fish from mid-water trawl boats are on track this year to exceed their limit for incidental catch of haddock in Georges Bank, off the coast of New England, federal regulators said. That would trigger rules that would effectively shut down the herring fishery.

Herring fishermen are asking the New England Fishery Management Council, an interstate body that manages fisheries, for an emergency action that could include raising their limit for haddock bycatch. But many haddock fishermen are opposed to such a move because they say it would contribute to the depletion of their own fishery.

The council will consider the request at a meeting June 17-19, with a potential vote scheduled for the last day.

One solution could be to temporarily raise the bycatch cap, said Jeff Kaelin, who works in government relations for Lund's Fisheries of Cape May, New Jersey. He said haddock are abundant enough that heavy recent bycatch isn't a grave concern.

Read the full story from The Associated Press at The Wall Street Journal

June 11, 2014 — The National Marine Fisheries Service is soliciting public comment on a plan to survey charter operators about the halibut catch sharing plan implemented this summer, particularly the provision that allows charter operators to lease quota from the commercial sector.

The catch sharing plan divides the halibut catch limit in Area 2C, or Southeast Alaska, and Area 3C, or Southcentral, between the charter and commercial fishing sectors. The International Pacific Halibut Commission sets the limit for each area in January.

Under the CSP, the charter allocations range from 15.9 percent to 18.3 percent in Southeast and 14 percent to 19.9 percent in Southcentral, with the higher percentages kicking in at lower levels of abundance and the lower percentage at greater abundance.

The CSP also includes a provision — the guided angler fish, or GAF program — that allows commercial quota holders to lease their quota to charter operators. Then charter operators can offer their clients additional fishing opportunity.

Read the full story at the Alaska Journal of Commerce

SEAFOODNEWS.COM by John Sackton — June 5, 2014 — A new organization uniting some of the most effective regional seafood harvester groups has been formed, called Seafood Harvesters of America.

More than a dozen commercial fishing associations from all different regions of the country are announcing the creation of the only national organization of its kind representing the interests of U.S. fishermen that provide wild seafood to American consumers, ahead of this year’s Capitol Hill Ocean Week.
 
Leaders from important fisheries in key regions make up the new organization’s five-member board, including Chris Brown (Rhode Island Commercial Fishermen’s Association, John Schmidt (Gulf Fishermen’s Association, Jack Cox (South Atlantic Fishermen’s Association), Brent Paine (United Catcher Boats) and Mark Gleason (Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers).
 
With wide-spread support, from New England and the Gulf of Mexico to the Bering Sea in Alaska, the Seafood Harvesters of America will work to ensure a plentiful and lasting seafood harvest for generations to come.
 
Harvesters’ mantra is “accountability,” and it intends to make its voice heard on regulatory issues, budget priorities, conservation goals and the economic potential of America’s fisheries, among others.
 
Heading up Seafood Harvesters of America as its president is Chris Brown, who is well-known both as a commercial fisherman and as an advocate for U.S. fisheries.
 
Brown will participate alongside National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) assistant administrator Eileen Sobeck and National Geographic fellow and restaurateur Barton Seaver on a CHOW panel titled “The Future of American Fisheries,” on Thursday, June 12.
 
“What makes the Seafood Harvesters different is its unprecedented coast-to-coast support, from both industry and the environmental sector. We will partner with the National Marine Fisheries Service to advance the sustainability and accountability of our nation’s marine resources. Through Harvesters, America’s commercial fishermen will be at the table when important decisions are made,” said Brown.
 
“The focus of Seafood Harvesters – and in the Gulf of Mexico, where I fish – is on accountability. Every fishery in our country, commercial or sport, must demonstrate accountability and transparency in order to continue harvesting a public resource. This is just common sense, and the American people deserve no less. Seafood Harvesters are proud to deliver delicious and sustainable seafood to dinner tables across the country and globally,” said John Schmidt of the Gulf Fisehrmen's Association.
 
Mark Gleason of the Bering Sea Crabbers:  “Seafood Harvesters of America include commercial fishermen from New England, to the Florida Keys, to the Bering Sea in Alaska. Although our fisheries are very diverse and many of our organizations have critical needs at the regional level, through a very deliberative and thorough process we’ve been able to identify a set of common interests and positions on issues of national policy that we now hope to communicate to policy makers in Washington, DC. Most recently, we’ve engaged in the dialogue around MSA Reauthorization. The ability to speak with a unified, nationwide voice on this import piece legislation is unique in the commercial fishing world as far as I’m aware.”
 
So far, 14 organizations have already thrown their support behind Seafood Harvesters of America. The diversity of Harvesters’ members reflects the complexity of federal fisheries, as well as the enormous contribution of the commercial industry to America’s coastal communities.
 
Both chambers of Congress are now circulating draft MSA bills, and one of the Harvesters’ top priorities will be to ensure that the law maintains strict catch limits and does not erode any of the progress commercial fishermen have made with rebuilding fish stocks.
 
“Our members strive for strict accountability and science-based decision making to ensure healthy stocks for generations,” adds Brett Veerhusen, the new executive director of the Seafood Harvesters of America.
 
In addition to the Magnuson-Stevens reauthorization, the Seafood Harvesters of America will work to:
 
–Ensure sufficient funding for well-designed stock assessments
–Promote accountability in commercial and recreational fisheries management
–Advance cost-effective catch-monitoring programs
–Advocate for an increased role in cooperative fisheries management and cooperative research

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

June 6, 2014 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC):

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s April/May issue of Fisheries Focus is now available at http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/539217f7FishFocusAprilMay2014.pdf .
 
Inside this Issue
 
Upcoming Meetings
page 2
 
From the Executive Director’s Desk
ASMFC Weighs In on Magnuson-Stevens Act Reauthorization
page 3
 
Species Profile
Atlantic Herring
page 4
 
ASMFC Comings & Goings
page 7
 
Proposed Management Actions
American Eel
Atlantic Croaker & Spot
page 8
 
Species Updates
Atlantic Menhaden
Atlantic Striped Bass
Northern Shrimp
page 9
 
ACCSP Approves 2014-2018 Strategic Plan
page 10
 
ASMFC Employee of the Quarter Named
page 12
 
On the Legislative Front
page 13
 
Past issues of Fisheries Focus can be accessed at http://www.asmfc.org/search/%20/%20/Fishery-Focus.

June 5, 2014 — The recreational fishing and boating community is expressing collective disappointment after a saltwater fishing bill in the U.S. House of Representatives failed to address the community’s top priorities.

A reauthorization bill for the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act — the primary law governing U.S. marine fisheries management — did not include many of the top priorities of the recreational saltwater fishing industry.

Key stakeholders had hoped that more of the language in the Morris-Deal Commission report, A Vision for Managing America’s Saltwater Recreational Fisheries, would be included in a bill.

However, the bill brought by the House Natural Resources Committee last Thursday — the Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act (H.R. 4742) — disappointed many in the recreational fishing and boating community. The committee is chaired by U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings (R-Wash.)

“While we appreciate chairman Doc Hastings’ interest and efforts in Magnuson-Stevens Act reauthorization, we would like to have seen more done in this bill to address the needs of the recreational fishing community,” American Sportfishing Association president and CEO Mike Nussman said in a statement.

Read the full story at Trade Only Today 

 

June 4, 2014 — More than a decade after overfishing led to the collapse of the one of the West Coast’s most valuable fisheries, it has been certified as sustainable.

The international Marine Stewardship Council announced Tuesday in Portland that it has certified that 13 bottom-­dwelling species collectively known as groundfish are harvested in an environmentally sustainable way. That applies to species sold as red snapper, Dover sole and lingcod.

In a 400-page report, the council said federal regulations are in place to protect habitat, hold fishermen responsible and set harvest quotas based on scientific data.

The action led the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watchlist to move six West Coast rockfish species from “Avoid” status, to “Good Alternative.”

“A proud day for fishermen in Oregon, Washington and California,” Dan Averill, fishery outreach manager for the council, said in a statement. “MSC certification confirms the rigorous management of the fishery and assures a steady and stable supply of seafood long into the future.”

Read the full story from the Associated Press at The Register-Guard

June 3, 2014 — The summer flounder – one of the most sought-after catches on the U.S. East Coast – is stirring up a climate change battle as it glides through the sand and grasses at the bottom of a warming North Atlantic.

Also known as "fluke," the flat, toothy fish is remarkable for its ability to change color to adapt to its surroundings, rendering it almost invisible to predators and prey.

Some scientists say in recent years the species has begun adapting in another way. As the Atlantic Ocean has warmed, they say, the fish have headed north.

The center of summer flounder population, recorded as far south as Virginia around 1970, is now off the New Jersey coast. Its migration has set the stage for battle between northern and southern East Coast states on how to share the business of harvesting this tasty, lean fish – valued at $30 million per year commercially and untold millions more for the recreational fishing industry.

Read the full story from Scientific American

CHATHAM, Mass. — June 2, 2014 —  Like many who represent Cape and Islands fishermen, Alex Friedman, the president of the Dukes County Fishermen's Association, started getting calls a week ago that eight large vessels, operating in pairs, were towing large nets the size of football fields between them and cleaning out the herring just a few miles east of Cape Cod.

These boats caught so much herring in such a short period of time that they overshot the quota for the herring management area that runs from Chatham to Gloucester and 200 miles out to the territorial limit by 60 percent, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service.

"As our season, both the commercial and recreational, is about to start, to have such a massive effort on forage fish is unprecedented," Friedman said. "People start seeing the scale of these boats and connect that with the fact that they are removing food for tuna, whales and other important species."

Because these midwater trawl herring vessels, which run more than 160-feet long, must catch a lot of relatively low-priced herring to make a profit, and because herring tend to run in dense homogenous schools, this type of fishing technique is permitted by the federal government. But local fishermen worry that they are too efficient at catching herring and can quickly catch every school in an area, driving important species such as striped bass and bluefin tuna farther offshore, out of the reach of the Cape's small-boat fishermen.

The herring boats are permitted only in federal waters. But Cape fishermen said these vessels were towing right up on the state line, within three miles of shore and visible from the bluffs and beaches of the Outer Cape.

"People were calling me up and saying they were inside of three miles," said Raymond Kane, outreach coordinator for the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen's Alliance. "This should rankle everybody when they go 60 percent over what they were allocated."

The total allowable quota for Atlantic herring is divided among four different blocks or management areas that run from the Mid-Atlantic states up to the Canadian border. Herring are a key species in the ocean food web, converting plankton into protein. They are eaten by many species.

Read the full story from the Cape Cod Times

May 30, 2014 — Fishery managers are moving forward with proposals to slash harvest pressure on female blue crabs by 10 percent after an annual survey found their numbers had dipped slightly below the level deemed “safe” by scientists.

But managers and watermen alike are frustrated that the iconic blue crab population — after showing signs of recovery — has slipped back to low levels seen prior to ramped-up management efforts imposed in 2008 that included an initial 33 percent reduction in fishing pressure on adult females. There is no single, clear explanation for the decline.

“I’m still somewhat at a loss for an explanation,” said Tom Miller, director of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, and a scientist who has overseen the last three blue crab stock assessments.

“Single explanations are unlikely,” Miller added. “It is much more likely to be a multifaceted answer that involves several different mechanisms that are going on there.”

This annual blue crab winter dredge survey, in which scientists sample crabs buried in winter mud at 1,500 locations, showed that the number of adult female blue crabs fell to 69 million this winter, the lowest since 2002 and slightly below the 70 million threshold that scientists consider “safe.” Historically, the survey has provided an accurate snapshot of crab abundance and is the primary tool for assessing the health of the crab stock.

This year’s result would have once been defined as “overfishing” but scientists now describe the fishery as “depleted.” The reason is that in recent years fishing pressure on blue crabs has been in the range that should have protected the female population.

“The fishery now is managed in a way that we think should be sustainable,” Miller said. “So I don’t think the cause is fishery-related unless there is just massive unreported harvesting, and I don’t honestly think that is the case.”

The preliminary Baywide blue crab commercial harvest for last year was 37 million pounds, the lowest in two-and-a-half decades.

Nonetheless, managers say fishing is the one thing they can most immediately manage to reverse the blue crab population slide. So their immediate focus is for the three management agencies — the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, the Potomac River Fisheries Commission and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources — to enact regulations that would reduce harvest effort on females by an additional 10 percent. Managing harvest effort aims to maintain harvests at a certain level relative to the overall population, usually by regulating the numbers of days open to fishing and the amount and kind of gear used to fish.

Read the full story from the Bay Journal

Arlington, VA — May 29, 2014 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Atlantic coastal states from Maine through Georgia have scheduled their hearings to gather public comment on Draft Addendum IV to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Eel.  The dates, times, and locations of the scheduled meetings follow.

Maine Department of Marine Resources
June 30, 2014; 10 AM – Noon
Natural Resources Service Center
Conference Room
6 Beech Street
Hallowell, Maine
Contact: Terry Stockwell at 207.624.6553
 
June 30, 2014; 3 – 5 PM
Jeff’s Catering and Event Center
15 Littlefield Way
Brewer, Maine
Contact: Terry Stockwell at 207.624.6553
 
New Hampshire Fish and Game
June 23, 2014; 7:30 PM*
Urban Forestry Center
45 Elwyn Street
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Contact: Doug Grout at 603.868.1095
*Hearing to immediately follow ASMFC Atlantic Herring public herring which starts at 7 PM.
 
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
July 1, 2014; 6 – 8 PM
Bourne Public Library Meeting Room
19 Sandwich Road
Bourne, Massachusetts
Contact: Nichola Meserve at 617.626.1531
 
Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife
June 24, 2014; 6 PM
URI Narragansett Bay Campus
Corless Auditorium
South Ferry Road
Narragansett, Rhode Island
Contact: Phil Edwards at 401.789.0281
 
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
June 24, 2014; 7 PM
Dinosaur State Park
400 West Street
Rocky Hill, Connecticut
Contact: David Simpson at 860.434.6043
 
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
July 14, 2014; 7 PM
Marine Resources Office
205 North Belle Mead Road
East Setauket, New York
Contact: Carol Hoffman at 631.444.0476
*Informational workshop on American eels to be held at 7 PM on June 30 at the Upper Delaware River Council in Narrowsburg, NY. Contact Kathy Hattala at 845.256.3071 for more details.
 
New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife
July 10, 2014; 7 PM*
Atlantic County Library
Galloway Branch
306 Jimmie Leeds Road
Galloway, New Jersey
Contact: Russ Allen at 609.748.2020
*Hearing to immediately follow Marine Fisheries Council meeting which starts at 4 PM.
 
Delaware Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control
July 8, 2014; 7 PM
DNREC Auditorium
89 Kings Highway
Dover, Delaware
Contact: John Clark at 302.739.9914
 
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
July 2, 2014; 6 – 8 PM
Fisheries Service
Tawes State Office Building, C1 Conference Room
580 Taylor Avenue
Annapolis, Maryland
Contact: Keith Whiteford at 410.643.6776
 
Potomac River Fisheries Commission
June 26, 2014; 6:30 PM
222 Taylor Street
Colonial Beach, Virginia
Contact: Ellen Cosby at 804.224.7148
 
Virginia Marine Resources Commission
June 25, 2014; 6 PM
2600 Washington Avenue, Fourth Floor
Newport News, Virginia
Contact: Rob O’Reilly at 757.247.2247
 
North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries
June 24, 2014; 6 PM
943 Washington Square Mall
Highway 17
Washington, North Carolina
Contact: Garry Wright at 252.948.3864
 
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
June 11, 2014; 6 – 8 PM
SCDNR Marine Resources Auditorium
217 Fort Johnson Rd.
Charleston, South Carolina
Contact: Bill Post at 843.953.9821

The Draft Addendum proposes a wide range of management options with the goal of reducing mortality and increasing the conservation of American eel stocks across all life stages. Specific management options focus on the commercial (glass, yellow, and silver eel life stages) American eel fisheries. Draft Addendum IV is the second management document to respond to the findings of the 2012 benchmark stock assessment indicating the American eel population in U.S. waters is depleted.
 
Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on Draft Addendum IV by either attending public hearings or providing written comments. The Draft Addendum will be available by June 4th on the Commission website (wwww.asmfc.org) under Public Input or by contacting the Commission at 703.842.0740. 
 
The public comment deadline is 11:59 PM (EST) on July 17, 2014. Comments should be submitted to Kate Taylor, Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or at comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: American Eel). Final action on the Addendum is scheduled to occur in August. For more information, please contact Kate Taylor at ktaylor@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.