Regulations

March 27, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA:

Today, we announce that we have made a positive 90-day finding on two petitions submitted to us to consider listing porbeagle sharks (Lamna nasus) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This action is being taken in response to a recent court order concerning the negative 90-day finding we published in 2010, and in response to new information we have on porbeagle sharks.

We are initiating a status review of the species to determine if listing the species or any potential distinct population of the species is warranted. The information we compile will be used to develop a status review report, which will be independently peer-reviewed prior to making a listing decision.

We will use the information from the status review report, peer review reports, the petitions, and other available information to prepare and publish a determination regarding whether porbeagle sharks should be listed under the ESA. We intend to make a decision by mid-December 2015.

For the complete history and more background on this issue, read the new 90-day finding published in the Federal Register.

The comment period is open through May 12, 2015. Submit comments online using the Federal e-rulemaking portal, or send written comments to:

Assistant Regional Administrator
Protected Resources Division
Attn: Porbeagle Shark Status Review
Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office
National Marine Fisheries Service
55 Great Republic Drive
Gloucester, MA 01930.

Questions? Contact Jennifer Goebel, Regional Office, at 978-281-9175 or Jennifer.Goebel@noaa.gov.

 

March 20, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries today announces an increase in the 2015 butterfish landings quota from 3,200 metric tons in 2014, to 22,530 metric tons in 2015, due to improved stock condition.

We are decreasing the mackerel landings quota from 33,821 metric tons in 2014, to 20,872 metric tons in 2015 due to uncertainty in stock condition. This limit is still more than the fishery has caught in recent years.

We are also implementing a two-phase cap on river herring (blueback and alewife) and shad (American and hickory) to provide incentive for the mackerel fishery to avoid river herring and shad. 
 
Longfin and Illex squid limits will remain level for the next three years.
 
For more information, read the Fishery Bulletin or the final rule as published in the Federal Register.

 

March 20, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

We have published the 2015 Sea Turtle Observer Requirement, also referred to as the 2015 Annual Determination.
 
We identified 14 commercial fisheries operating within state and Federal waters in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Pacific Ocean that will be required to take observers, if requested, so we can learn more about sea turtle interactions in these fisheries in our effort to minimize or prevent take from occurring.
 
The Final 2015 Sea Turtle Observer Requirement Annual Determination is available online. Read the final rule in the Federal Register.

Questions? Contact Ellen Keane at 978-282-8476 or ellen.keane@noaa.gov.

 

March 16, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA:

NOAA Fisheries announces that a voluntary vessel speed restriction zone (Dynamic Management Area – DMA) is currently in effect south of Martha's Vineyard to protect an aggregation of 6 right whales spotted by NOAA Fisheries observers.

This DMA is in effect immediately through March 28, 2015. Mariners are requested to route around this area or transit through it at 10 knots or less.
This DMA is bounded by the following coordinates:
41 24N
40 41N
071 13W
070 11W

ACTIVE SEASONAL MANAGEMENT AREAS (SMAs)
Mandatory speed restrictions of 10 knots or less (50 CFR 224.105) are in effect in the following areas:
Cape Cod Bay U.S. SMA (through May 15, 2015)
Mid-Atlantic U.S. SMAs (through April 30, 2015)
Southeast U.S. SMA (through April 15, 2015)
Download the Whale Alert App for iPad and iPhone:
stellwagen.noaa.gov/protect/whalealert.html
For an automatic return email listing all current U.S. Dynamic Management and Seasonal Management Areas, please send a blank message to:
nmfs.gar.rightwhale@noaa.gov
 
Details and graphics of all ship strike management zones currently in effect:
www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/shipstrike
 
Approaching a right whale closer than 500 yards is a violation of federal and state law. Please report all right whale sightings to: 866-755-NOAA (6622)

 

February 27, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA:

NOAA Fisheries announces that a voluntary vessel speed restriction zone (Dynamic Management Area – DMA) has been established Southwest of Nantucket to protect an aggregation of 10 right whales sighted in this area on February 24, 2015.

This DMA is in effect immediately through March 10, 2015. Mariners are requested to route around this area or transit through it at 10 knots or less.
 
VOLUNTARY DYNAMIC MANAGEMENT AREAS (DMAs)
Mariners are requested to avoid or transit at 10 knots or less inside the following areas where persistent aggregations of right whales have been sighted. 
Southwest of Nantucket DMA (through March 10, 2015)
41 29N
40 43N
070 51W
069 52W

ACTIVE SEASONAL MANAGEMENT AREAS (SMAs)
Mandatory speed restrictions of 10 knots or less (50 CFR 224.105) are in effect in the following areas:
Cape Cod Bay U.S. SMA (through May 15, 2015)
Mid-Atlantic U.S. SMAs (through April 30, 2015)
Southeast U.S. SMA (through April 15, 2015)
Download the Whale Alert App for iPad and iPhone:
stellwagen.noaa.gov/protect/whalealert.html
For an automatic return email listing all current U.S. Dynamic Management and Seasonal Management Areas, please send a blank message to:
nmfs.gar.rightwhale@noaa.gov
 
Details and graphics of all ship strike management zones currently in effect:
www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/shipstrike
 
Approaching a right whale closer than 500 yards is a violation of federal and state law. Please report all right whale sightings to: 866-755-NOAA (6622)

 

February 27, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA:

We inadvertently left the Small Mesh Area 1 and 2 Exemption Areas out of the list of areas exempted from the Gulf of Maine Cod Seasonal Interim Closure Areas.
 
The correction will appear in the Federal Register on March 3, 2015, and is effective from February  26 through May 12, 2015.
 
Read the complete Bulletin or get more information about small mesh fishery exemptions, both available on our website.
 
Questions? Email Jennifer Goebel, Regional Office, or call her at 978-281-9175.

 

February 23, 2015 — The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold a meeting on Wednesday to consider emergency action on blueline tilefish that may include harvest reductions.

Yet those involved in the fishery say no emergency exists and it's just another instance of poor data and faulty management at work.

"The whole thing is a knee-jerk reaction," said Capt. Jeff Gutman of the Voyager.

The Voyager, out of Point Pleasant, is one of a handful of party boats that target golden and blueline tilefish.

One reason behind the emergency action was that the MAFMC became aware that a commercial long-liner out of North Carolina was planning on targeting blueline tilefish within the council's jurisdiction and landing the fish in New Jersey.

Read the full story at the Asbury Park Press

February 20, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA:

Today, the 60-day comment period opens on NOAA Fisheries' proposal to expand the designated critical habitat for endangered North Atlantic right whales in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, including areas that will support feeding, calving and nursing.
 
The proposed rule published in the Federal Register along with information on how to submit comments is available on our Web page.

For questions or additional information, please contact Jennifer Goebel at 978-281-9175 or email jennifer.goebel@noaa.gov

 

 

February 17, 2015 — New rules for fishing gear intended to protect whales, set to go into effect June 1, include adding special marks to buoy lines on gear set outside a Maine exemption line.

The rules are part of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction program. They were announced in the summer of 2014 to give fishermen plenty of time to make adjustments.

Most of Maine state waters are inside the exemption line designated in the rule. But any lobster gear set outside that line must have vertical lines marked at the top, middle and bottom with 12-inch red marks.

“We do not dictate how they do it,” said John Higgins, equipment specialist for NOAA’s Greater Atlantic Region Fisheries Office. “Fishermen just want to be careful that whatever they do is going to stay on, to show that they’re in compliance.”

The office recently published a supplement to the Take Reduction Plan, available on the Department of Marine Resources website, with maps of exempted areas and detailed information about weak link and gear marking requirements. Options for marking buoy lines include colored twine, paint and plastic electrical tape.

Read the full story at the Ellsworth American

February 17, 2015 — A federal fisheries commission has approved regulations that will keep in place last year's rules for recreational fluke fishing in New York — rules that reduced the size limit and started the season later than normal.

A vote by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission last week effectively continues what is referred to as a regional management scheme for fluke, which means that New York has the same size, bag limit and season length as New Jersey and Connecticut.

The new rules keep in place an 18-inch minimum size, with a five-fish bag limit and a 128-day season. For New York, the season starts May 17 and ends Sept. 21, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

"This extension of last year's successful fluke management plan ensures that New York's fishermen are not put at an unnecessary disadvantage to their competitors in other states," Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said in a statement.

Read the full story from Newsday