Saving Seafood

NOW AVAILABLE: Draft Agenda, Meeting Materials and Webinar Information for the December 16 Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board Meeting

December 3, 2024 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The draft agenda and meeting materials for the December 16th Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board meeting are now available at https://asmfc.org/files/AtlStripedBassBoardMaterials_Dec2024.pdf or on the December 2024 Atlantic Striped Bass Board Meeting page. 

The Board will meet in-person and via webinar on Monday, December 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to consider changing 2025 management measures to increase the probability of rebuilding the stock by the 2029 deadline. The meeting will be held at the Westin Crystal City, 1800 Richmond Hwy, Arlington, VA 22202. The Advisory Panel Report and all written comments received by December 10 will be posted no later than December 13.

The meeting responds to the results of the 2024 Stock Assessment Update, which indicates the resource remains overfished but is not experiencing overfishing. Short-term projections estimate an increase in fishing mortality in 2025 due to the above average 2018 year-class entering the current recreational ocean slot limit combined with the lack of strong year-classes behind it. In this scenario, the probability of rebuilding by 2029 is less than 50%. Under Addendum II to Amendment 7, the Board can change management measures through Board action, instead of developing an addendum, if the stock assessment indicates a less than 50% probability of the stock rebuilding by 2029. As a result, the Board will meet December 16 to consider changing 2025 management measures to reduce fishing mortality and increase the probability of rebuilding to at least 50%.

Webinar Information

The meeting will be broadcast via webinar; to register for the webinar, please go tohttps://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4124340027335222108

(Webinar ID 586-838-579).

If you are joining the webinar but will not be using voice over internet protocol (VoIP), you can may also call in at +1.562.247.8422, access code 389-192-580. A PIN will be provided to you after joining the webinar. For those who will not be joining the webinar but would like to listen in to the audio portion only, press the # key when asked for a PIN.

The webinar will begin 15 minutes prior to the start of the meeting so people can troubleshoot any connectivity or audio issues they may encounter. If you are having issues with the webinar (connecting to or audio related issues), please contact Chris Jacobs at 703.842.0790.

Meeting Process

The Board Chair will ask both in-person and virtual board members if they wish to speak. In-person members can simply raise their hands at the meeting without logging on to the webinar, while virtual members will raise their hands on the webinar. The Chair will work with staff to compile the list of speakers, balancing the flow of questions/comments between in-person and virtual attendees.

The Board Chair will also provide the opportunity for comment at the meeting, taking into account the time allotted on the agenda. The Chair has the discretion in deciding how to allocate comment opportunities. This could include hearing one comment in favor and one in opposition of a motion until the Chair is satisfied further comments will not provide additional insight to the Board.

Public Comment Guidelines

The Commission anticipates a large volume of written public comments will be submitted for this meeting. In order to compile and provide the comments to the Board in a timely manner before the meeting, written comments may be submitted via email to comments@asmfc.org by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, December 10. Comments received after this date will not be included in the Board’s materials.

If your organization is planning to release an action alert, please contact Emilie Franke, FMP Coordinator, at efranke@asmfc.org or 703.842.0716, so she can work with you to develop a unique subject line to enable us to better organize incoming comments.

Informational Webinar to Review Technical Report

As a reminder, the Commission will host an Informational Webinar on Thursday, December 5 at 6 p.m. to review the management options developed by the Technical Committee and provide the public with sufficient background information to inform the development and submission of public comment by December 10. No public comments will be taken at this webinar; staff can address clarifying questions as time allows but public comments will not be taken. To register for the December 5 Informational Webinar, please go tohttps://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3243414609517348697 (Webinar ID 263-766-419).

If you are joining the webinar but will not be using voice over internet protocol, you can may also call in at +1.562.247.8422, access code 195-793-780. A PIN will be provided to you after joining the webinar. For those who will not be joining the webinar but would like to listen in to the audio portion only, press the # key when asked for a PIN.

For more information, please contact Emilie Franke at efranke@asmfc.org.

BOEM begins planning second Atlantic offshore wind lease

September 23, 2024 — The federal agency that identifies offshore wind energy areas is in the early stages of siting another possible commercial lease sale for the East Coast.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management held an open house last week at the Crystal Coast Civic Center in Morehead City, the first in the multiyear, multistep planning process for Central Atlantic 2. BOEM manages development of the U.S. outer continental shelf energy, mineral and geological resources.

BOEM Project Coordinator Seth Theuerkauf explained that the agency has just begun the work to identify lease areas in the Central Atlantic region.

“We’re at the call area stage, the first step of our process,” Theuerkauf said, adding that what’s really driving the effort is the remaining offshore wind energy needs for North Carolina and Maryland.

Officials on Aug. 22 published in the federal register the call area, which is 13 million acres off the coasts of New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina, and launched the 60-day public comment period that ends Oct. 21.

BOEM has scheduled open houses over the coming weeks in the other states plus a virtual meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 2. Register for the Zoom meeting online. This meeting will feature presentations and offer a chance to comment.

Read the full article at CoastalReview.org

ASMFC Presents 2024 Annual Awards of Excellence

May 2, 2024 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Last evening, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission presented its Annual Awards of Excellence to a number of individuals for their outstanding contributions to management, scientific, and law enforcement efforts along the Atlantic coast. Specifically, the 2024 award recipients are Phil Edwards for management and policy contributions; Nicole Lengyel Costa and Laura Lee for technical and scientific contributions; and Deputy Chief Jason Snellbaker for law enforcement contributions.

“Every year a great many people contribute to the success of fisheries management along the Atlantic coast. The Commission’s Annual Awards of Excellence recognize outstanding efforts by professionals who have made a difference in the way we manage and conserve our fisheries,” said Awards Committee Chair Spud Woodward of Georgia. “I am humbled by the breadth and extent of accomplishments of the recipients and am grateful for their dedication to Atlantic coast fisheries.”

Management and Policy Contributions

Phil Edwards of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management

Phil has been an active and integral member on several Commission species management boards over the years, including serving as Chair of the American Eel, and Shad and River Herring Boards. Management of these diadromous resources is challenging due to data limitations and the various threats they face throughout their extensive range between freshwater and ocean ecosystems. Under his leadership, Phil has been able to deftly guide management of these species. As board chair and member on other boards, Phil has brought a wealth of knowledge and policy acumen to all his Commission endeavors, and the Commission at-large has benefitted from Phil’s work ethic, leadership, and expertise.

Phil’s strong policy and fisheries management skills are backed by over 20 years of participation on various technical committees and assessment work for Commission species. His extensive knowledge and years of work on fish passage has improved conservation of diadromous fish in Rhode Island, and by extension along the East Coast, and serves as an example of his dedication to these efforts.

Scientific and Technical Contributions

Nicole Lengyel Costa of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management

For many years, Nicole has been an engaged and important member of several Commission technical committees, fish ageing projects, and plan development teams, and has served as Chair of the Atlantic Striped Bass Technical Committee for the past few years.

Aside from her technical contributions, Nicole has helped the Commission develop several particularly tricky management actions for striped bass, including recent actions to stop overfishing and aid in stock rebuilding. These actions were structurally complex and Nicole, working closely with her colleagues at the Commission, put together well-crafted documents in order for the public to understand and comment on these complicated proposed measures.

In addition to her efforts with striped bass, Nicole is a long serving member of the ACCSP Operations Committee and has been involved with age and growth work used in stock assessments across Commission species. Nicole brings to all her endeavors a strong scientific skill set and a keen understanding of fisheries management policy. Her efforts not only benefit Rhode Island but fisheries science and management activities along the entire East Coast.

Laura Lee of the US Fish and Wildlife Service and formerly with the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (NC DMF)

Laura has been involved in Commission stock assessments for nearly 25 years, including some of the first stock assessments for species such as Atlantic croaker, American eel, and spot. She has advanced fisheries science through the development of innovative approaches to common issues faced by stock assessments and the contribution of years of expertise and mentorship to numerous stock assessment subcommittees and scientists along the Atlantic coast. There is hardly a coastal Atlantic species Laura has not worked on, having been involved with or serving as chair on technical committees or stock assessment subcommittees for a multitude of species. During her time as a stock assessment scientist with NC DMF, she developed numerous codes for routine analyses used by the majority of Commission stock assessments today. With her new position as an ecologist at the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Laura will continue her productive fisheries career.

Aside from these professional accomplishments, Laura is an invaluable resource on Atlantic coast fish species and stock assessment methods. She is generous with her time and has mentored several fisheries scientists through complex analyses and approaches. Laura provided advanced statistical analysis and guidance to DMF staff for virtually every FMP adopted during her tenure. Some of these scientists have 3 gone on serve on Commission technical committees and to further their careers at other state agencies, NOAA Fisheries, and in academia. Despite her formal transition off Commission and Division committees due to her new role, she has continued to show her dedication to Atlantic species by regularly participating in committee meetings and providing valuable feedback to keep science projects moving forward.

Law Enforcement Contributions

Deputy Chief Jason Snellbaker of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Bureau of Law Enforcement

Since becoming a member of the Commission’s Law Enforcement Committee (LEC) in 2014, Jason has promoted the role of law enforcement in fisheries management. He has represented the Committee on a number of species management boards, including tautog; summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass; Atlantic sturgeon; and bluefish. He has been the voice of the LEC on critical topics such as commercial tautog tagging and the summer flounder research set aside program.

During Jason’s time with the LEC, he was selected by his peers to serve in a leadership role as Vice-chair and Chair. He accepted these roles during the pandemic, a particularly challenging time for the LEC as members were drawn to other responsibilities in their home states. Jason kept the flow of communication open and provided steady leadership by staying on as Chair for an extended period. At the state level, Jason’s exceptional leadership has been recognized by both NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement for his efforts in support of the Cooperative Enforcement Program, and by the Commission for his work as part of a team of officers working in the New Jersey Fish and Wildlife marine region. He has also promoted marine fisheries law enforcement in forums such as the National Association of Conservation Law Enforcement Chiefs where he took on an advisory role and participated in an exchange program with an agency in Belize. 

$1M to help with ‘vital’ Chesapeake Bay improvement

March 27, 2023 — The Chesapeake Bay Trust nonprofit based in Annapolis, Maryland, will receive over $1 million in funding from the federal government to strengthen tidal wetland restoration, public education and bolster green infrastructure projects.

In a news release Friday, U.S. Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressman John Sarbanes announced that $1,129,063 in federal funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will go toward local projects to restore, preserve and protect the Chesapeake Bay.

“The health of the Chesapeake Bay is vital to the health of our communities and our regional economy,” said Van Hollen.

“We fought to pass the infrastructure modernization law — and within it to boost resources for our efforts to protect the Bay — in order to invest in projects like this that will help restore our wetlands and habitats that serve as essential filters to prevent pollutants from poisoning the Bay.”

Read the full article at WTOP

Final Supplemental Materials Now Available for ASMFC 2023 Winter Meeting

January 27, 2023 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Final supplemental materials for ASMFC’s 2023 Winter Meeting are now available. They include public comment for the Atlantic Herring and Atlantic Menhaden Management Boards and can be found in the below links or athttp://www.asmfc.org/home/2023-winter-meeting.

Atlantic Herring Management Board Supplemental2 – Public Comment

Atlantic Menhaden Management Board Supplemental2 – Public Comment

As a reminder, the Commission’s Public Comment Guidelines are:

For issues that are not on the agenda, management boards will continue to provide an opportunity to the public to bring matters of concern to the board’s attention at the start of each board meeting. Board chairs will ask members of the public to raise their hands to let the chair know they would like to speak. Depending upon the number of commenters, the board chair will decide how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.

For topics that are on the agenda, but have not gone out for public comment, board chairs will provide limited opportunity for comment, taking into account the time allotted on the agenda for the topic. Chairs will have flexibility in deciding how to allocate comment opportunities; this could include hearing one comment in favor and one in opposition until the chair is satisfied further comment will not provide additional insight to the board.

For agenda action items that have already gone out for public comment, it is the Policy Board’s intent to end the occasional practice of allowing extensive and lengthy public comments. Currently, board chairs have the discretion to decide what public comment to allow in these circumstances.

 

Expert: New England herring industry to receive $11M

June 2, 2022 — The federal government is giving $11 million to New England herring fishermen following a declared disaster within the industry.

However, some experts claim the situation was avoidable.

Overfishing herring created the situation in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of New England, according to Niaz Dorry, director of the North American Marine Alliance.

In November, the federal government declared a “fishery disaster” allowing assistance in tax dollars to flow into the region, the Gloucester Daily Times in Massachusetts reported. Maine will receive $7 million, Massachusetts over $3.2 million, New Hampshire will receive $600,000, and Rhode Island is set to receive $241,299.

Read the full story at The Center Square

 

Multi X mortality event revised downward by 50,000 fish

June 1, 2022 — Puerto Montt, Chile-based salmon farmer Multi X, which reported the death of 300,000 fish at one of its farms on 22 May, has revised the number downward to 250,000 fish totaling 1,075 metric tons (MT), Chile’s National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service, Sernapesca, reported.

The mortality was associated with a decrease in dissolved oxygen content affecting Atlantic salmon at the farmer’s San Luis center in the concession group ACS 1, located in the Reloncaví Estuary in the Los Lagos region. The extraction of all mortality was completed on 22 May and subsequently sent to the Fiordo Austral Holding’s Salmonoil and Los Glaciares reduction plants in Puerto Montt.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

ASMFC 2022 Spring Meeting Press Release, Summaries, and Motions Now Available

May 6, 2022 – The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Press releases, meeting summaries and motions from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 2022 Spring Meeting are now available athttp://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/2022SpringMeeting/2022SpringMeetingSummary.pdf. The document can also be obtained on the Commission website on the Meeting Archives page athttp://www.asmfc.org/home/meeting-archive.

The presentations and recordings from this week’s meetings will be available early next week athttp://www.asmfc.org/home/2022-spring-meeting (under the respective Board header).

Happy weekend everyone!

 

ASMFC Approves Amendment 7 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass: Amendment Strengthens Measures to Support Stock Rebuilding

May 6, 2022 — The following was released by the The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission approved Amendment 7 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic Striped Bass. The Amendment establishes new requirements for the following components of the FMP: management triggers, conservation equivalency, measures to address recreational release mortality, and the stock rebuilding plan. The last striped bass stock assessment found the stock was overfished and that overfishing was occurring. This finding required the Board to end overfishing within one year and rebuild the stock by 2029. Amendment 7 strengthens the Commission’s ability to reach the rebuilding goal by implementing a more conservative recruitment trigger, providing more formal guidance around uncertainty in the management process, and implementing measures designed to reduce recreational release mortality. This Amendment builds upon the Addendum VI action to address overfishing and initiate rebuilding in response to the assessment findings.

“On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this amendment process over the past few years to address these critically important management issues. This includes ASMFC staff, and the state and federal partners who served on all the various committees involved in the development of Amendment 7, as well as the Advisory Panel. I would especially like to acknowledge former Board Chair David Borden of Rhode Island for his leadership throughout much of the process,” stated Board Chair Marty Gary with the Potomac River Fisheries Commission. “Stakeholders clearly voiced their dedication and commitment to the conservation of this species through the thousands of comments we received. The Board is grateful for this tremendous public participation and believe that the actions we took through Amendment 7 are reflective of the majority of stakeholders’ priorities. The Board remains focused on rebuilding this iconic species.”

Amendment 7 establishes an updated recruitment management trigger, which determines when the Board is required to make management adjustments based on striped bass young-of-the-year data. The updated recruitment trigger is more sensitive to low recruitment than the previous trigger, and it requires a specific management response to low year class strength. The response requires reevaluation of the fishing mortality management triggers to account for low recruitment. If one of those triggers trips after reevaluation, the Board is required to take action to reduce fishing mortality.

Amendment 7 also updates the spawning stock biomass triggers by establishing a deadline for implementing a rebuilding plan. The Board must implement a rebuilding plan within two years of when a spawning stock biomass trigger is tripped.

For conservation equivalency (CE), which provides states the flexibility to tailor management measures, Amendment 7 does not allow CE to be used for most recreational striped bass fisheries when the stock is overfished. Amendment 7 also provides constraints around the use of Marine Recreational Information Program data for CE proposals and defines the overall percent reduction/liberalization a proposal must achieve, including required uncertainty buffers. These restrictions are intended to minimize the risks due to uncertainty when CE is used for non-quota managed striped bass fisheries.

Since recreational release mortality is a large component of annual fishing mortality, Amendment 7 establishes a new gear restriction which prohibits gaffing striped bass when fishing recreationally. This new restriction, along with the existing circle hook requirement when fishing recreationally with bait, are intended to increase the chance of survival after a striped bass is released alive. Additionally, Amendment 7 requires striped bass caught on any unapproved method of take (e.g., caught on a J-hook with bait) must be returned to the water immediately without unnecessary injury. This provision, which is related to incidental catch, was previously a recommendation in Addendum VI to Amendment 6.

For stock rebuilding, Amendment 7 addresses the upcoming 2022 stock assessment and how it will inform efforts to meet the 2029 stock rebuilding deadline. Given concerns about recent low recruitment and the possibility of continued low recruitment, Amendment 7 requires the 2022 stock assessment’s rebuilding projections to use a low recruitment assumption to conservatively account for that future possibility. Amendment 7 also establishes a mechanism for the Board to respond more quickly to the 2022 assessment results if action is needed to achieve stock rebuilding by 2029.

All provisions of Amendment 7 are effective immediately except for gear restrictions. States must implement gear restrictions by January 1, 2023. Amendment 7 will be available on the Commission’s website,http://www.asmfc.org/species/atlantic-striped-bass, by the end of May. For more information, please contact Emilie Franke, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at efranke@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

 

ASMFC Presents Annual Awards of Excellence for 2020 and 2021

May 5, 2022 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission presented its Annual Awards of Excellence to an esteemed group of fishery managers, scientists, stakeholders and law enforcement officers for their outstanding contributions to fisheries management, science, and law enforcement along the Atlantic coast. Specifically, the award recipients for 2020 and 2021 were Lynn Fegley and Derek Orner for management and policy contributions; Rich Wong, Jimmy and Bobby Ruhle, and a subset of the Atlantic Menhaden/Ecological Reference Points Team for technical and scientific contributions; Greg DiDomenico for outreach and advocacy contributions; and Captain Michael Eastman, Special Agents Chris McCarron and Steven Niemi, and Enforcement Officer Timothy Wilmarth for law enforcement contributions.

“Every year a great many people contribute to the success of fisheries management along the Atlantic coast. The Commission’s Annual Awards of Excellence recognize outstanding efforts by professionals who have made a difference in the way we manage and conserve our fisheries,” said ASMFC Chair Spud Woodward of Georgia. “I am humbled by the breadth and extent of accomplishments of the recipients and am grateful for their dedication to Atlantic coast fisheries.”

Management and Policy Contributions
Lynn Fegley, Maryland Department of Natural Resources

It is impossible to overstate Lynn Fegley’s contributions to the Commission and her leadership in interstate fisheries management and coastwide data collection. Her notable accomplishments include work on the implementation of ecosystem-based reference points in the management of Atlantic menhaden; writing and implementing Maryland’s CARES Act Spending Plan; serving as an active member of the South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board and subsequently the recently established Sciaenids and Pelagics Management Boards; and leading the discussion to improve accountability in coastwide harvest data standards while  Chair of the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program Coordinating Council. Highly knowledgeable about and committed to effective interstate fisheries management and policy, Ms. Fegley consistently shows her dedication to hard work, scientific rigor, and integrity in all that she does.

Derek Orner, NOAA Fisheries 

A valued federal partner for many years, Derek Orner has served as NOAA Fisheries’ lead on numerous Commission management boards and committees, including those for striped bass, shad and river herring, and Atlantic menhaden, providing sound advice and guidance on the management of these species. Additionally, Mr. Orner has played a critical role to the ongoing success of interstate fisheries management through his efforts to ensure the Commission and states consistently receive their appropriated funding from Congress in a timely manner. He has a keen understanding of the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act and a strong commitment to state/federal partnership, as exemplified by his contributions to the recently signed interagency Memorandum of Understanding between NOAA Fisheries, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey.

Scientific and Technical Contributions
Dr. Rich Wong, Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife 

During Rich Wong’s 17-year career with Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife, he has been a mainstay of the technical committees for a number of Mid-Atlantic species, including bluefish, summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass. Dr. Wong has long been recognized for his strong stock assessment skills, spotlighted recently in his development of the catch multiple survey analysis for the horseshoe crab benchmark assessment which was also used in the 2021 Revision of the Adaptive Resource Management Framework for the Delaware Bay.

Jimmy and Bobby Ruhle

Father and son Jimmy and Bobby Ruhle have been tireless advocates for the commercial fishing industry, while concurrently advancing cooperative/collaborative approaches to fisheries science. With decades of fishing expertise and knowledge of local fishing grounds, The Ruhles have served on the trawl committees and advisory panels for both the Commission and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, as well as North Carolina. They are both committed to ensuring the trawl gear used on research surveys promote confidence within the industry. When it became evident that a federal research survey would not be able to sample the nearshore regions, it was Jimmy Ruhle who stepped in to work with state and federal partners to fill the gap and establish the NorthEast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (NEAMAP) in 2007. NEAMAP has been providing valuable fisheries data ever since and is used in multiple stock assessments.

Atlantic Menhaden/Ecological Reference Points Team of Dr. Amy Schueller, Dr. Matt Cieri, Dr. Jason McNamee, Dr. David Chagaris, Dr. Andre Buchheister, Dr. Kristen Anstead, Dr. Katie Drew, Sarah Murray, and Max Appelman

A subset of members from the Atlantic Menhaden/Ecological Reference Points Team were recognized for their successful completion of two concurrently developed Benchmark Stock Assessments for Atlantic Menhaden and Ecological Reference Points (ERP). While these assessments, particularly the ERP assessment, were many years in the making and involved the contributions of dozens of individuals, this group of people have been instrumental in making the ERP assessment a reality. Through their collective work and leadership, this team of state and federal scientists and ASMFC staff helped to significantly advance the understanding of Atlantic menhaden and its role as an important forage fish. Their efforts have provided the Commission with the tools needed to fulfill its promise to stakeholders to manage menhaden in an ecologically sustainable way. Of special note are the efforts of Dr. David Chagaris and Dr. Andre Buchheister, preeminent experts in the field of fisheries resources, predator-prey interactions, and ecosystem-based fisheries management and models, for their work on the development of the ERP model which is currently being used in management.

Outreach and Advocacy Contributions
Greg DiDomenico, Lund’s Fisheries

Longtime industry advocate Greg DiDomenico was recognized for his outreach and advocacy contributions to fisheries management along the coast. Previously with Garden State Seafood Association and now with Lund’s Fisheries, Mr. DiDomenico has been a tireless voice for New Jersey’s commercial fishing industry at the state, interstate, regional and federal levels. He has been an ever present voice at Commission and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council meetings speaking on behalf of the needs of commercial harvesters.

Law Enforcement Contributions
Captain Michael Eastman, New Hampshire Fish and Game Department Law Enforcement Division

Throughout his more than 20 year career, Captain Michael Eastman with New Hampshire Fish and Game Department Law Enforcement Division has proven himself as a very capable leader who cares about the officers he works with and the resources he is charged to protect. He is a longstanding member of the Commission’s Law Enforcement Committee, serving as both Vice-chair and Chair to that Committee. He also serves as the law enforcement liaison on several species management boards, including Atlantic herring, northern shrimp, and American eel. His fair and professional approach has earned him the respect of the public he serves. He has led by example and demonstrated for other officers how to become successful through hard work and determination. Captain Eastman’s work ethic and level of professionalism have been assets to both New Hampshire Fish and Game and the Commission throughout his career.

Special Agents Chris McCarron and Steven Niemi, NOAA Office of Law Enforcement

The thorough and relentless investigative efforts of NOAA’s Special Agents McCarron and Niemi ensured the success of two concurrent prosecutions whose illegal activities undermined the integrity of the Chesapeake Bay blue crab industry. The NOAA Office of Law Enforcement received multiple industry complaints regarding the actions of several companies who were accused of selling imported crab meat as Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab. As the Case Agents from the lead agency, Agents Niemi and McCarron coordinated with multiple State and Federal Law Enforcement entities to create and execute the investigative plan. This comprehensive investigation resulted with the companies admitting responsibility for importing over $8.7 million dollars of foreign crab meat into the U.S. illegally, mislabeled, repacked and marketed the product as Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab. Agents McCarron and Niemi worked tirelessly during their investigations and their work has had a profound and immediate impact on the region’s industry.

Enforcement Officer Timothy Wilmarth

Enforcement Officer Timothy Wilmarth is being recognized for his focus and determination in developing a safe and effective enforcement strategy to address the effects of non-compliant offshore, deep set lobster gear on the mortality of the critically endangered North Atlantic right whales and in support of the Commission’s American lobster management program. Enforcement Officer Wilmarth took the idea of using remote operated vehicles from concept to reality and has allowed officers to effectively locate and inspect deep set lobster gear without having to physically retrieve the gear, which has historically posed a variety of problems including the safety of officers conducting the inspections. When deployed, the ROV can detect and record any gear or tag violation from the ocean surface down to the ocean floor to include inspecting tags, escape panels, markings, and compliance with trap limits. Through his hard work and technological innovation on the project, law enforcement officers will now have a safer platform to ensure gear compliance and boost efforts to protect endangered species such as the North Atlantic right whale.