Saving Seafood

ASMFC American Lobster Board Approves Draft Addenda XXVI & III to the American Lobster and Jonah Crab FMPs for Public Comment

October 17, 2017 — NORFOLK, Virginia — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s American Lobster Management Board approved American Lobster Draft Addendum XXVI/Jonah Crab Draft Addendum III for public comment. Given the same data collection needs apply to both American lobster and Jonah crab fisheries, Draft Addendum XXVI and Draft Addendum III are combined into one document that would modify management programs for both species upon its adoption. The Draft Addenda seek to improve harvest reporting and biological data collection in the American lobster and Jonah crab fisheries. The Draft Addenda propose using the latest reporting technology, expanding the collection of effort data, increasing the spatial resolution of harvester reporting, and advancing the collection of biological data, particularly offshore.

Recent management action in the Northwest Atlantic, including the protection of deep sea corals, the declaration of a national monument, and the expansion of offshore wind projects, have highlighted deficiencies in current American lobster and Jonah crab reporting requirements. These include a lack of spatial resolution in harvester data and a significant number of fishermen who are not required to report. As a result, efforts to estimate the economic impacts of these various management actions on American lobster and Jonah crab fisheries have been hindered. States have been forced to piece together information from harvester reports, industry surveys, and fishermen interviews to gather the information needed. In addition, as American lobster and Jonah crab fisheries continue to expand offshore, there is a greater disconnect between where the fishery is being prosecuted and where biological sampling is occurring. More specifically, while most of the sampling occurs in state waters, an increasing volume of American lobster and Jonah crab are being harvested in federal waters. The lack of biological information on the offshore portions of these fisheries can impede effective management.

The Draft Addenda present three questions for public comment: (1) what percentage of harvesters should be required to report in the American lobster and Jonah crab fisheries; (2) should current data elements be expanded to collect a greater amount of information in both fisheries; and (3) at what scale should spatial information be collected. In addition, the Draft Addenda provide several recommendations to NOAA Fisheries for data collection of offshore American lobster and Jonah crab fisheries. These include implementation of a harvester reporting requirement for federal lobster permit holders, creation of a fixed-gear VTR form, and expansion of a biological sampling program offshore.

It is anticipated the majority of states from Maine through New Jersey will be conducting public hearings on the Draft Addenda. The details of those hearings will be released in a subsequent press release. The Draft Addenda will be available on the Commission website, www.asmfc.org (under Public Input) by October 27th. Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the Draft Addenda either by attending state public hearings or providing written comment. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on January 22, 2017 and should be forwarded to Megan Ware, FMP Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St, Suite A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741(FAX) or at comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Draft Addenda XXVI & III).

ASMFC 76th Annual Meeting Supplemental Materials Now Available

October 11, 2017 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Supplemental materials for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 76TH Annual Meeting have been posted at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2017-annual-meeting for the following Boards/Committees (click on “Supplemental” following each relevant committee header to access the information).

American Lobster Management Board – Draft Addendum XXVI to the American Lobster FMP; Draft Addendum III to the Jonah Crab FMP; Technical Committee Report on Harvester Reporting and Biological Sampling; American Lobster and Jonah Crab Technical Committee and Stock Assessment Subcommittee Tasks;  2017 American Lobster FMP Review

 Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership Steering Committee – ACFHP Science and Data Meeting Summary

Tautog Management Board – Public Comment; Long Island Sound Proposal; Tautog Draft Amendment 1 Decision Tree; Technical Committee and Stock Assessment Subcommittee Tasks

 Spiny Dogfish Management Board – Technical Committee and Stock Assessment Subcommittee Tasks

Atlantic Herring Section – Technical Committee Tasks

 Shad & River Herring Management Board – Technical Committee Review of Shad Sustainable Fishery Management Plans (SFMPs); South Carolina and Georgia SFMPs; Technical Committee and Stock Assessment Subcommittee Tasks

 Horseshoe Crab Management Board – Public Comment; Technical Committee and Stock Assessment Subcommittee Tasks

 Coastal Sharks Management Board – NOAA Fisheries Request for Complementary Measures for Dusky Sharks

American Eel Management Board – Technical Committee and Stock Assessment Subcommittee Tasks

 ACCSP Coordinating Council – Draft ACCSP Integrated Reporting Workshop Report and Operations Committee Letter to Coordinating Council FY18 Dogfish Proposal

 Habitat Committee – Draft Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Policy Update; Draft Aquaculture Habitat Management Series; Draft Climate Change Gaps and Recommendations

 Atlantic Sturgeon Management Board – Status of Incidental Take Permits for Atlantic Sturgeon by State;Technical Committee and Stock Assessment Subcommittee Tasks

 Business Session – Revised Draft Agenda; Draft 2018 Action Plan; Draft Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Northern Shrimp

 Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board – Black Sea Bass Recreational Working Group Call Summary; Revised Draft Addendum XXX; MAFMC Memo on Reconsideration of the 2018 Wave 1 Recreational Black Sea Bass Fishery – February 1 – 28 Open Season; Technical Committee and Stock Assessment Subcommittee Tasks

 Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board – Technical Committee and Stock Assessment Subcommittee MemoRequesting Board Guidance on Atlantic Striped Bass FMP Goals and Objectives

 ISFMP Policy Board – Revised Meeting Overview; Draft White Paper: Management, Policy and Science Strategies for Adapting Fisheries Management to Changes in Species Abundance and Distribution Resulting from Climate Change; Habitat Committee Update Draft Climate Change Report

 South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board – Draft Cobia FMP Public Hearing Summaries; Technical Committee Memo on Maryland Black Drum Commercial Fishery Proposal; Fishery management Plan Reviews for Red Drum and Spotted Seatrout; Technical Committee and Stock Assessment Subcommittee Tasks

For ease of access, supplemental meeting materials have combined into one PDF –http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/76AnnualMeeting/76AnnualMeetingSupplementalCombined.pdf.

As a reminder, Board meeting proceedings will be broadcast daily via webinar beginning October 16th at 10:15 a.m. and continuing daily until the conclusion of the meeting (expected to be 3:00 p.m.) onThursday, October 19th. The webinar will allow registrants to listen to board/section deliberations and view presentations and motions as they occur. No comments or questions will be accepted via the webinar. Should technical difficulties arise while streaming the broadcast the boards/sections will continue their deliberations without interruption. We will attempt to resume the broadcast as soon as possible. Please go to https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8911027556606824449 to register. Board/Section summaries, presentations, and audio files will be available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2017-annual-meeting the week of October 23rd.

Changes coming to southern New England lobster fishery

August 11, 2016 — ELLSWORTH, Maine — While Maine’s lobster industry continues to be strong, problems with the bait supply notwithstanding, fishermen seeking lobsters in the waters in southern New England have not been so lucky. Over the past several years, the effects of warming ocean temperatures have wreaked havoc on the lobster stock in southern New England.

Last month, fisheries regulators once again turned their attention to the problem.

The American Lobster Management Board of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has approved the development of new changes to the fishery management plan that regulates the inshore lobster fishery. The changes are aimed at finding ways to rebuild the depleted stock of lobsters in the waters of southern New England while preserving a functional portion of the lobster fishery in the area.

The changes could include a variety of measures aimed at increasing egg production and lower fishing mortality of the challenged stock. Among the new controls could be an increase in the minimum size of legal lobsters and of the escape vents in lobster traps. The plan also might include seasonal fishing closures, limits on the number of traps that may be fished and a reduction in the number of traps in the water.

Read the full story at The Ellsworth American

Draft plan unveiled to curb Southern New England lobster declines

August 9, 2016 — The American Lobster Management Board has released a draft plan responding to declining stocks of lobsters in Southern New England waters that will be considered by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission at its annual meeting in late October.

The proposal presents a suite of management measures to increase egg production and lower harvesting mortality through a combination of management tools that include season closures, trap limits and reductions and changes in escape vent and lobster size regulations. The goal is to increase egg production for lobsters in Southern New England waters from zero to 60%.

The draft responds to the 2015 American lobster benchmark stock assessment that found the Southern New England “stock severely depleted and undergoing recruitment failure with poor prospects of recovery,” according to Friday’s statement from ASMFC.

“Declines in population abundance were most pronounced in the inshore portion of the stock where environmental conditions have remained unfavorable to lobsters since the late 1990s,” according to ASMFC. “Despite fleet attrition, stock declines have continued. These declines are largely in response to adverse environmental conditions including increasing water temperatures over the last 15 years combined with continued fishing mortality.”

ASMFC reported that declines in in the offshore portion of the fishery were evident as well though not as severe. But it also noted the offshore portion of the Southern New England stock depends on a viable population of young lobsters in waters closer to the shore.

The lobster stock in Southern New England increased from the early 1980s, peaked during the late 1990s and then started declining steeply to a record low in 2013, according to ASFMC’s 2015 benchmark study. The study attributes the decline as being largely due to “increasing water temperatures over the last 15 years combined with sustained fishing mortality.”

Read the full story at Maine Biz

Regulators Consider How To Save Southern New England Lobster

May 2, 2016 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — Interstate fishing regulators will consider authorizing new tools to address southern New England’s declining lobster population.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s American Lobster Management Board will consider the status of the fishery on Monday. The board will discuss a potential motion to create new management measures that address the lobsters’ decline.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at CBS Boston

ASMFC American Lobster Board Initiates Addendum to Jonah Crab FMP

November 2, 2015 — ST. AUGUSTINE, Fl. – The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s American Lobster Management Board initiated Addendum I to the Jonah Crab Fishery Management Plan (FMP) to consider changes the incidental bycatch limit for non-trap gear. The FMP currently prescribes a 200 crabs per calendar day/500 crabs per trip incidental bycatch limit; however, concerns were expressed over the appropriateness of these limits. Data submitted by the New England Fishery Management Council and NOAA Fisheries illustrated while 97-99% of trips from 2010 through 2014 have been within the current limit, there were a number of trips above the limit. Furthermore, current bycatch landings are sufficiently low, accounting for approximately 1% of total landings.

Given a goal of the Jonah Crab FMP is to prevent expansion of the fishery while including all current participants, the Board has initiated an addendum to consider altering the incidental bycatch limit with options to increase the  limit to 1000 crabs per trip or eliminate the bycatch limit for non-trap gear. Draft Addendum I will be presented to the Board in February. If approved, the Board would release the Draft Addendum for public comment and will consider final approval of the addendum at the Commission’s Spring Meeting in May. For more information, please contact Megan Ware, FMP Coordinator, at mware@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.