August 28, 2013 — Today, NOAA Fisheries announced that some groundfish fishery management actions are now finalized. These actions were implemented through Framework 48, Framework 50 and the Sector Operations Plans on May 1, but "interim" management measures to provide more time for public comment are now final. Read the final rule here
NOAA proposes revisions to mackerel, squid and butterfish plan to reduce river herring, shad bycatch
August 28, 2013 — Today at the recommendation of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, NOAA is proposing a number of revisions to the Atlantic mackerel, squid, and butterfish fishery management plan to improve the catch monitoring and reduce the bycatch of river herring and shad through Amendment 14.
NOAA Fisheries explained the changes to Congressional offices as follows:
The proposed measures include:
o Revise fishery management program measures (dealer and vessel reporting requirements, requirements for vessel monitoring systems);
o Increase observer coverage on mid-water trawl and small-mesh bottom trawl mackerel trips;
o Revise vessel requirements to improve at-sea sampling by observers;
o Establish measures to discourage the discarding of catch before it has been sampled by observers;
o Establish a mortality cap for river herrings and shads in the mackerel fishery, with amounts to be set in a future action.
NOAA Fisheries has concerns about three of these proposed measures and did inform the council of these concerns prior to the council's approval of Amendment 14 in a letter.
The concerns are:
o Requiring up to 100-percent observer coverage in the mackerel fishery coupled with an industry contribution of $325 per day;
o Establishing a cap that, if achieved, would require vessels discarding catch before it had been sampled by observers to return to port; and
o Requiring mackerel/squid/butterfish dealers to accurately weigh all fish and, if catch is not sorted by species, also requiring dealers to document how they estimated relative species composition.
Public comments on the Amendment 14 proposed measures will be accepted through October 11, 2013.
Visit the NOAA Fisheries page with related links
Comments Sought on Proposed Changes to Harbor Porpoise Take Reduction Plan
August 22, 2013 — NOAA Fisheries is proposing to revise the Harbor Porpoise Take Reduction Plan to eliminate the consequence closure strategy due to changes in fishing practices that have resulted in lower harbor porpoise bycatch in the gillnet fishery. The following is how the proposal was explained to Congressional offices.
NOAA filed with the Federal Register a proposal to amend its Harbor Porpoise Take Reduction Plan and eliminate the plan to close areas to gillnet fishing during certain times of the year to reduce unintended catch or bycatch of harbor porpoises in commercial gillnet fisheries.
NOAA Fisheries will be accepting public comments on these proposed measures through Tuesday, September 10, 2013. I've attached the proposal.
Since the implementation of this measure in 2010, a new sector management scheme has been implemented in the groundfish fishery, resulting in a significant shift in areas where fishing has typically occurred.
The harbor porpoise population appears to be increasing and the current overall bycatch of harbor porpoises is now below federal limits that are established under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
NOAA Fisheries, in consultation with the Harbor Porpoise Take Reduction Team, which is comprised of fishermen, scientists, environmentalists, state managers and gear specialists, determined that these changes in fishing practices have rendered the closures, which are triggered by high bycatch, to be obsolete.
We don't anticipate that eliminating the closures will pose any risk to harbor porpoise.
The closures had been done when bycatch rates exceeded the target rates in Coastal Gulf of Maine, Eastern Cape Cod, and Cape Cod South Expansion Consequence Closure Areas. They were done as an incentive for fishermen to use pingers, acoustic devices designed to scare porpoises away from nets.
Fisheries of the Northeastern United States: Summer Flounder Fishery; Commercial Quota Harvested for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
August 21, 2013 — NOAA Fisheries announces that the 2013 summer flounder commercial quota allocated to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has been harvested.
Vessels issued a commercial Federal fisheries permit for the summer flounder fishery may not land summer flounder in Massachusetts for the remainder of calendar year 2013, unless additional quota becomes available through a transfer from another state. Regulations governing the summer flounder fishery require publication of this notification to advise Massachusetts that the quota has been harvested and to advise vessel permit holders and dealer permit holders that no Federal commercial quota is available for landing summer flounder in Massachusetts.
DATES: Effective August 23, 2013, through December 31, 2013.
Read the full bulletin from NOAA Fisheries
Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Potential Changes to Federal American Lobster Regulations
August 21, 2013 — Based on Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission recommendations, NOAA Fisheries is issuing an advance notice of proposed rulemaking to provide background information and request public comment on potential changes to Federal American lobster regulations.
The proposed measures for the lobster trap fishery are intended to address the Commission's recommendations for Federal action to address the poor condition of the Southern New England (SNE) lobster stock and foster stock rebuilding. The rulemaking action considers management measures that would reduce lobster exploitation by 10 percent and reduce trap fishing effort in this area.
NOAA files final rule to give additional opportunities to U.S. fishermen to fish swordfish using selective handgear
WASHINGTON – August 20, 2013 – NOAA has filed a final rule to give additional opportunities to U.S. fishermen to fish swordfish using selective handgear. The rule was explained to Members of Congress by NOAA with the following text:
NOAA is filing a final rule that will give additional opportunities to U.S. fishermen to fish swordfish using selective handgear (rod and reel, handline, harpoon, bandit gear, greenstick), known to have low levels of bycatch. The goal of the rule is to more fully use our domestic swordfish quota allocation, which is based upon the recommendation of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)
The North Atlantic swordfish stock is one of the success stories of international fisheries management. It is fully rebuilt due to ongoing domestic and international conservation measures designed to reduce mortality, protect juvenile swordfish, monitor international trade, reduce bycatch, and improve data collection. Several strong year classes in the late 1990s, and an overall reduction in catch since 1987, have helped recover the stock. This success has allowed NOAA Fisheries to provide additional commercial fishing opportunities in the North Atlantic swordfish fishery.
This action establishes a new open-access commercial swordfish handgear permit (Swordfish General Commercial permit) similar to the existing Atlantic Tunas General category permit. The new permit will be available for application in late November 2013 for the 2014 fishing year. Effective upon issuance of a 2014 permit, Highly Migratory Species Charter/Headboat vessel permit holders would also be authorized to fish with rod and reel and handline under open-access swordfish commercial retention limits when not on a for-hire trip.
This action establishes regional management for this permit, allowing for in-season adjustments to the retention limits in each region. The geographic range of the regions are based upon large reporting areas ((Northwest Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean) with the addition of a separate Florida Swordfish Management Area.
The initial regional swordfish retention limits are as follows:
-Florida Swordfish Management Area: zero swordfish per vessel per trip
-U.S. Caribbean: two swordfish per vessel per trip
-Northwest Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Regions: three swordfish per vessel per trip
The Florida Swordfish Management Area has been modified from the proposed rule due to its unique importance as a swordfish migratory corridor and as juvenile swordfish habitat. The northern boundary has been moved from Jekyll Island, GA, to Cocoa Beach, FL.
The retention limit within each region can be adjusted in-season based on pre-established criteria (i.e., dealer reports, quota availability, landing trends, availability of swordfish on the fishing grounds, variations in seasonal distribution, abundance, or swordfish migration patterns, and other relevant factors).
Read about the public hearings
Areas Reopened to Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Fishing
August 15, 2013 — NOAA Fisheries today announced that it has reopened an additional portion of Georges Bank to surfclam and ocean quahog fishing.
Click here to read the full press release.
Amendment 14 to Squid, Mackerel, Butterfish Fishery Management Plan Available
August 13, 2013 — The Public is invited to submit comments on the Notice of Availability. Comments must be received by October 11, 2013. The primary goals of Amendment 14 are to implement an effective program for monitoring river herring and shad incidentally caught in these fisheries; and reduce the incidental catch of river herring and shad in the mackerel fishery.
Click here to see the Notice – Comments must be received by October 11, 2013
You may submit comments on this document, identified by NOAA-NMFS-2013-0128, by any of the following methods:
– E-Mail comments may be submitted, identified by NOAA-NMFS-2013-0128, via the Federal eRulemaking Portal http://www.regulations.gov.
– Mail comment may be submitted to: John K. Bullard, Regional Administrator, NMFS, Northeast Regional Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside of the envelope, “Comments on the MSB Amendment 14.”
– Fax comments may be submitted to (978) 281-9135; Attn: Aja Szumylo.
The comment period for the notice of availability for Amendment 14 ends on October 11, 2013. Comments submitted on the notice of availability prior to October 11, 2013, will be considered in NOAA Fisheries’ decision to approve, partially approve, or disapprove Amendment 14. Comments submitted by the end of the comment period for the proposed rule (not yet published) will be considered in NOAA Fisheries decision to implement measures proposed by the Council.
Read the full announcement from NOAA
NOAA: Endangered Species Act Listing for River Herring not Warranted At This Time
August 8, 2013 — NOAA Fisheries Developing Conservation Plan to Address Data Needs & Implement Conservation Measures
NOAA Fisheries announced today that listing is not warranted at this time for alewife and blueback herring, collectively known as river herring, as either threatened or endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act. The agency has already funded and will be implementing, in conjunction with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and other partners, a coordinated coast-wide effort to continue to address data needs and proactively conserve river herring and their habitat.
Read the full story at NOAA Fisheries
Control Date Established for Illex Squid Fishery
August 2, 2013 — The following was released by the NOAA Northeast Regional Office:
Today, at the request of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, we published a notice establishing August 2, 2013 as the new control date for the Illex squid fishery. By establishing this control date, we are notifying the public that the Council may consider an action to limit the number of participants in the fishery.
Read the full release from NOAA
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