July 17, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
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NOAA Fisheries Reminds Commercial Fishermen that the Recreational Bag Limit Applies for Some Species After a Commercial Closure if the Recreational Season is Open
July 17, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA:
Atlantic Dolphin, Atlantic Wahoo, and Snapper-Grouper Species (Except for Wreckfish)
After the catch limit is met and the commercial sector is closed for Atlantic dolphin, Atlantic wahoo, or snapper-grouper species (except for wreckfish):
- The recreational bag limit for these species applies to commercial vessels.
- If a commercial vessel is on a trip that lasts longer than one day, each person onboard the commercial vessel is limited to only one day’s bag limit.
- Sale and purchase of these species is prohibited.
- The commercial closure applies in both state and federal waters for vessels with a federal commercial permit.
- The recreational bag limit for dolphin is 10 per person per day, not to exceed 60 per vessel, whichever is less, except on board a headboat, where the bag limit is 10 per paying passenger.
- The recreational bag limit for wahoo is 2 fish per person per day.
- Recreational bag limits for snapper-grouper species can be found at 50 CFR § 622.187.These measures apply from:
- Maine through the east coast of Florida for dolphin and wahoo.
- North Carolina/Virginia border through the east coast of Florida for snapper-grouper species (except black sea bass and scup).
- Cape Hatteras, North Carolina through the east coast of Florida for black sea bass and scup.
Atlantic King and Spanish Mackerel
After the catch limit is met and the commercial sector is closed for Atlantic king or Spanish mackerel:
- There is no recreational bag or possession limit that applies to commercial vessels, and commercial fishermen may NOT fish under the recreational bag limit of king mackerel and Spanish mackerel.
- A person aboard a vessel that has both a valid charter vessel/headboat permit for South Atlantic coastal migratory pelagic fish and a valid commercial vessel permit for king or Spanish mackerel, may continue to fish under a bag limit, provided the vessel is operating as a charter vessel or headboat.These measures apply from:
- New York through the east coast of Florida.
Standardized Bycatch Reporting Methodology Rule is Now Final
June 29, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA:
NOAA Fisheries today announced that it is finalizing regulations to implement the Standardized Bycatch Reporting Methodology Omnibus Amendment developed by the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils. NOAA Fisheries published a proposed rule on January 21, 2015, with a comment period open through February 20, 2015.
This amendment will go into effect 30 days after publication in the Federal Register, July 30, 2015.
Under federal fisheries law, NOAA Fisheries is required to establish a standardized bycatch reporting methodology to assess the amount and type of bycatch occurring in all federally managed fisheries.
This amendment was developed, in part, to respond to a U.S. District of Columbia Court of Appeals mandate. The amendment adds various measures to improve and expand on the Standardized Bycatch Reporting Methodology previously in place for 13 fishery management plans for fisheries operating in New England and Mid-Atlantic federal waters.
Read the final rule, as filed in the Federal Register, and the supporting documents for this final rule.
Questions? Contact Jennifer Goebel, Regional Office, at 978-281-9175 or Jennifer.Goebel@noaa.gov.
NOAA Fisheries Announces the Re-opening of the Commercial Sector for Atlantic Dolphin
June 24, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA:
Because we understand that commercial Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) vessels may occasionally catch Atlantic dolphin, we want to make sure Atlantic HMS permit holders are aware of the following action.
NMFS announces the re-opening of the commercial sector for Atlantic dolphin (dolphin) in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the Atlantic states (Maine through the east coast of Florida) through a temporary rule. The most recent landings for dolphin indicate the commercial annual catch limit (ACL) has not yet been reached. Therefore, NMFS re-opens the commercial sector for dolphin at 4:15 p.m., local time, June 24, 2015, and it will close at 12:01 a.m., local time, June 30, 2015 in the EEZ of the Atlantic. A June 30, 2015, closure will minimize the risk of the commercial ACL being exceeded and provides more sufficient notice to fishermen of the closure.
For more information, please contact the NMFS Southeast Regional Office Sustainable Fisheries Division at 727-824-5305
Commercial Harvest of Atlantic Dolphin (Mahi-Mahi) Extended to June 30, 2015
June 24, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA:
The commercial harvest of Atlantic dolphin from Maine through the east coast of Florida will reopen from 4:15 p.m. (local time), June 24, until 12:01 a.m. (local time) June 30.
A previous Federal Register notification announced the commercial sector for dolphin would close at 12:01 a.m. June 24, 2015. However, a landings update indicates the dolphin catch limit has not yet been met. Information received from fishermen after the notification indicates that some vessels are far offshore and need additional time to return to port. Therefore, we are reopening the commercial sector for five days to allow for the catch limit to be caught and for vessels to return to port without having to discard dolphin.
The operator of a vessel with a federal commercial permit for dolphin-wahoo that is landing dolphin for sale must have landed and bartered, traded, or sold such dolphin prior to 12:01 a.m. (local time), June 30.
The prohibition on sale does not apply to sale or purchase of dolphin that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold prior to 12:01 a.m. (local time), June 30 and held in cold storage by a dealer or processor.
During the closure:
- Harvest or possession of dolphin is limited to the recreational bag and possession limits.
- Sale and purchase of dolphin is prohibited.
- The closure applies in both state and federal waters for vessels with a federal commercial permit.
This closure is necessary to protect the dolphin-wahoo fishery because the commercial annual catch limit will be reached.
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council has developed a fishery management plan amendment that would increase the commercial sector’s dolphin allocation from 7.54% to 10%, and the resulting catch limit from 1,157,001 pounds whole weight to 1,534,485 pounds whole weight. If the amendment is approved and landings are below the catch limit, the commercial sector will be reopened later this year.
Questions? Call 727-824-5305 or fax 727-824-5308.
Fisheries Council approves Georges Bank changes to help groundfishermen
June 17, 2015 — PORTLAND, Maine — Fishery regulators are approving a plan to reconfigure closed fishing areas on Georges Bank, one of New England’s key fishing grounds.
The New England Fishery Management Council voted to make the changes on Tuesday. The council’s decision followed an April vote to keep protections to Cashes Ledge in the Gulf of Maine.
Washington state’s Southern coast closed to all Dungeness crab fishing due to increase in marine toxins
June 9, 2015 — The problems that plagued and eventually closed the late-spring coastal razor clam season seems to have now spread to the Dungeness crab fisheries off the southern coast.
State Fish and Wildlife announced this past week, the immediate closure of sport and commercial Dungeness crab fishing from the Washington-Oregon border north to Point Chehalis off the southern jetty at Westport in Grays Harbor County due to a rise in marine toxin levels. The closure also includes the Columbia River and inside Willapa Bay.
The area north of Point Chehalis, including Grays Harbor, still remains open to sport and commercial crabbing.
Water samples recently collected by state Fish and Wildlife showed the levels of domoic acid, a natural marine toxin, had spiked. If ingested by humans, the toxin can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or abdominal pains. Other symptoms could include dizziness, disorientation, seizures and difficulty breathing. In a worst-case scenario the toxin affects the brain and can even be fatal. Cooking or freezing doesn’t rid the toxin in shellfish.
Commercial, Recreational Red Snapper Fishing in South Atlantic Federal Waters Shut Down for Rest of 2015
June 9, 2015 — Red snapper is a prized catch in both the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, but federal regulators are concerned the species is being overfished.
As a result, red snapper fishing — commercial and recreational — is off-limits for the rest of 2015.
Captain Lee Lingo was preparing to take the Sea Spirit out for a half-day trip into the Atlantic Ocean on Monday. Last year, three short sessions allowed Lingo and his crew help customers snag red snapper.
“It was the busiest we’ve been in probably 15 years,” Lingo said.
He wasn’t the only one landing the fish, though.
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, which governs the federal waters off Florida’s coast, deemed 106,000 could be caught from the Carolinas to the Florida Keys. The council determined about 206,000 red snapper were caught, and so the fishery was shut down.
Read the full story at News 13
NOAA halts commercial fishing in Atlantic for blacknose sharks and small coastal sharks
June 6, 2015 — Climate change continues to affect the species swimming in our waters. The multitude of sharks now common off our Atlantic beaches are a good example.
The Marine Stewardship Council predicts that as sea temperatures change, fish numbers will change and fish will move to different areas and predators and prey will move to different areas, disrupting food chains.
Despite the movie Jaws and its ilk, there hasn’t been a death due to a shark since 1936 as the New Bedford newspaper reports on the right. Click the newspaper image to see it larger.
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is now closing the fisheries for commercial blacknose sharks and non-blacknose small coastal sharks (SCS) in the Atlantic region. This action is necessary because the commercial landings of Atlantic blacknose sharks for the 2015 fishing season have exceeded 80 percent of the available commercial quota as of May 29, 2015, and the blacknose shark and non-blacknose SCS fisheries are quota-linked under current regulations.
Read the full story at Cape Cod Today
North Carolina waters close to gill nets
June 8, 2015 — MOREHEAD CITY — Waters in Pamlico Sound and the northern portion of Core Sound will close to anchored, large-mesh gill nets today due to interactions with sea turtles.
The closure takes effect at 12:01 a.m. June 8, according to an announcement by the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries.
The closure impacts Management Unit B under the state’s Sea Turtle Incidental Take Permit, which includes all of Pamlico Sound and the northern portion of Core Sound down to a line from Club House on Core Banks to a point on the shore at Davis near Marker 1.
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