Saving Seafood

ASMFC Schedules ISFMP Policy Board for July 11 from 1-3 PM

July 9, 2023 — The following was released by Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has scheduled a virtual meeting of the Interstate Fisheries Management (ISFMP) Policy Board to discuss and make a recommendation on the future of Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s (MAFMC or Council) Research Set-aside (RSA) Program. The meeting will be held via webinar on July 11 from 1 – 3 PM. The agenda and meeting materials are available athttps://asmfc.org/files/Meetings/ISFMP_PolicyBoardWebinarAgenda_Materials_July2023.pdf.

In 2014, the Council suspended the RSA Program due to concerns associated with the Program that included administrative, enforcement, and science issues. The Council is considering the potential redevelopment of the RSA Program. From July 2021 through February 2022, the Research Steering Committee (RSC) held a series of four exploration workshops focusing on the key issues of RSA research, funding mechanisms, enforcement, monitoring, and administration. In addition, the RSC reviewed the input from the workshops and developed a draft framework for a potentially revised RSA Program that would seek to address the issues of the original RSA Program. At its August meeting, Council staff will give a presentation on a potential draft RSA Framework, draft RSA Program elements, and recommendations developed by the RSC for Council consideration. Any potential action considered by the Council through a management document would need to be developed cooperatively with the Commission for jointly managed species to ensure a consistent and compatible RSA Program across fishery management plans. At its July 11 meeting, the ISFMP Policy Board will consider providing a recommendation to the Council on the future of the RSA Program.
The webinar details follow:

Webinar ID: 711-234-515

 
If you are joining the webinar but will not be using voice over internet protocol, you can may also call in at 415. 655.0052, access code 115-483-509. A PIN will be provided to you after joining the webinar; see webinar instructions for details on how to receive the PIN.
 
For more information, go to https://asmfc.org/calendar/7/2023/ISFMP-Policy-Board/2176 or contact Toni Kerns, Fisheries Policy Director, at tkerns@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

ASMFC Cancels July 5 Meetings of the Atlantic Striped Bass Board, ISFMP Policy Board & Full Commission

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

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has cancelled virtual meetings of the Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board, Interstate Fisheries Management (ISFMP) Policy Board and the full Commission. The three bodies were tentatively scheduled to meet on July 5 to review compliance with the emergency action taken by the Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board on May 2, 2023. However, since it is anticipated that all states and jurisdictions will have implemented regulations consistent with the required 31-inch maximum size limit for striped bass recreational fisheries by July 2, there is no need for the July 5 virtual meetings.

 
The Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board is scheduled to meet on August 1 during the Commission’s Summer Meeting to review a summary of the comments received at the public hearings on the emergency action and consider approval of Draft Addendum II for public comment. Addendum II was initiated to address concerns about increased removals and stock rebuilding beyond 2023. It is intended to follow the 2023 emergency action, and will consider 2024 management measures designed to reduce fishing mortality to the target.
 
For more information, please contact Toni Kerns, Fisheries Policy Director, at tkerns@asmfc.orgor 703.842.0740.

ASMFC 2023 Summer Meeting Details, Preliminary Agenda, and Public Comment Guidelines

June 21, 2o23 — The following was released by Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Meeting will be August 1-3, 2023 at The Westin
Crystal City. This will be a hybrid meeting (both in-person and remote) to allow for participation by
Commissioners and interested stakeholders; the details of which will be provided two weeks prior to the
meeting. A brief, preliminary agenda and public comment guidelines are included with this memorandum.
Materials will be available July 19th on the Commission website at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2023-
summer-meeting.

A block of rooms is being held at The Westin Crystal City, 1800 Richmond Highway, Arlington, VA 22202. Lisa
Carty will make Commissioner/Proxy reservations and will contact you regarding the details of your
accommodations. Please notify Lisa of any changes to your travel plans that will impact your hotel
reservations, otherwise you will incur no-show penalties. We greatly appreciate your cooperation.
For all other attendees, please reserve online via our group link at
Book your group rate for Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission July 31 – August 03, 2023 or call
Marriott directly at 888.236.2427 as soon as possible and mention the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries
Commission to obtain the group room rate of $172.00 plus tax single/dbl. Please be aware you must guarantee
your room reservation with a major credit card or one night’s advance payment. Hotel reservations must be
made by Wednesday, July 5, 2023. Room availability will not be guaranteed beyond this date. If you are
being reimbursed by ASMFC for your travel, please make your reservation directly with the hotel. Reservations
made through travel websites do not apply toward our minimum number of required reservations with the
hotel. Please note, cancellations at The Westin must be made by 4:00 p.m. two days prior to arrival to avoid
penalty and an early departure fee of $100 will apply when checking out prior to the confirmed date. If you
have any problems regarding accommodations, please contact Lisa Carty at 703.842.0713 or lcarty@asmfc.org.
We look forward to seeing you at the Summer Meeting. If the staff or I can provide any further assistance to
you, please call us at 703.842.0740.

Enclosed: Preliminary Agenda, Hotel Directions, TA 23-043, and Travel Reimbursement Guidelines

Page 2 of 4; M23-061

Public Comment Guidelines

To provide a fair opportunity for public input, the ISFMP Policy Board has approved the following
guidelines for use at management board meetings:

For issues that are not on the agenda, management boards will continue to provide 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.

In addition, the following timeline has been established for the submission of written comment for issues
for which the Commission has NOT established a specific public comment period (i.e., in response to
proposed management action).

1. Comments received three weeks prior to the start of a meeting week (July 10th) will be included in
the briefing materials.

2. Comments received by 5:00 PM on Tuesday, July 25th will be included in supplemental materials.

3. Comments received by 10:00 AM on Friday, July 28th will be distributed electronically to
Commissioners/Board members prior to the meeting.
The submitted comments must clearly indicate the commenter’s expectation from the ASMFC staff
regarding distribution. As with other public comment, it will be accepted via mail and email.

ASMFC Schedules Tentative Meetings of the Atlantic Striped Bass Board, ISFMP Policy Board & Full Commission for July 5 from 1-3 PM

June 7, 2023 — The following was released by Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has scheduled tentative virtual meetings of the Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board, Interstate Fisheries Management (ISFMP) Policy Board and the full Commission to review compliance with the emergency action taken by the Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board on May 2, 2023. These meetings will be held via webinar on July 5 from 1 – 3 PM in the event that any state or jurisdiction fails to implement the required 31-inch maximum size limit for striped bass recreational fisheries by July 2.

Per the ISFMP Charter, a Board can initiate a compliance review any time after July 2, 2023 via an in-person or virtual meeting. If the Board finds a state or jurisdiction is not in compliance, the ISFMP Policy Board and then the Commission would meet immediately following the Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board to review the finding. The intention would be to hold the 3 virtual meetings back-to-back.

The Commission will notify the public of its intent to hold the meetings during the week of June 26th, although it may cancel these meetings anytime up until the morning of July 5th.

The tentative webinar details follow:

Webinar link:  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2120717568588686427

(Webinar ID 830-642-835)

If you will be 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 568-364-258. A PIN will be provided to you after joining the webinar; see webinar instructions for details on how to receive the PIN.

For more information, please contact Toni Kerns, Fisheries Policy Director, attkerns@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

Striped Bass Management Is Key and Complex

June 2, 2023 —  On May 2 of this year at its annual spring meeting, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission made history in the now decades-long saga of America’s great “gamefish,” the striped bass.

By a vote of 15 to 1 (with New Jersey standing alone in opposition), and for only the third time in the body’s 70-plus-year history, “emergency action” was invoked, allowing the commission to rapidly augment the regulatory structure of a threatened fishery. That action in this case amounts to narrowing the coastwide slot limit, so as to ban the recreational harvest of striped bass under 28 inches and over 31 inches for a period of 180 starting no later than July 2.

The commission also initiated the development of an amendment to its current Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass. This so-called Addendum II is intended to “address the concerns about increased removals and stock rebuilding beyond 2023.”

While leaving many asking if it’s too little, too late, the measure is undoubtedly a win for conservation advocates and wild fish activists. Whether it will be a win for the stripers has yet to be determined.

The commission’s rationale for taking this action was straightforward. From 2021-2022, harvest of striped bass in the Atlantic more than doubled, ballooning from close to 16 million pounds to more than 35 million pounds.

Read the full article at Vineyard Gazette 

ASMFC River Herring Benchmark Stock Assessment Workshop Scheduled for August 21-25, in Arlington, VA

May 23, 2023 — The following was released by Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission will hold the River Herring Benchmark Stock Assessment Workshop on August 21-25 at the Westin Pentagon City, 1800 Richmond Highway, Arlington, VA. The stock assessment, which is scheduled for completion in early 2024, will evaluate the health of both alewife and blueback herring stocks (collectively referred to as river herring) along the Atlantic coast and inform management of these species. Both species were last assessed in 2017. The Commission’s stock assessment process and meetings are open to the public, with the exception of discussions of confidential data*, when the public will be asked to leave the room.

For more information about the assessment or attending the upcoming workshop (space is limited), please contact James Boyle, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, atjboyle@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.
* Each state and federal agency is responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of its data and deciding who has access to its confidential data. In the case of our stock assessments and peer reviews, all analysts and, if necessary, reviewers, have been granted permission by the appropriate agency to use and view confidential data. When the assessment team needs to show and discuss these data, observers to our stock assessment process are asked to leave the room to preserve confidentiality.

Data & Methods Workshop Scheduled for Atlantic Menhaden Ecological Reference Point Benchmark Stock Assessment

May 22, 2023 — The following was released by Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has begun work on the Atlantic Menhaden Ecological Reference Point (ERP) Benchmark Stock Assessment. The assessment will be used to evaluate the health of the stock and inform the management of the species in an ecological context. In order to ensure the incorporation of the most up-to-date information on Atlantic menhaden, a single-species menhaden stock assessment update will also be completed in 2025. The ERP assessment will be peer-reviewed in 2025.                                                       

The ERP Work Group will conduct a Data & Methods Workshop from October 2 – 6; details on the location will be released once they become available. The Workshop is open to the public, with the exception of discussions of confidential data*, when the public will be asked to leave the room.
The Commission welcomes the submission of data sources and alternate models that will improve the accuracy of the assessment. This includes, but is not limited to, data on commercial landings and discards, catch per unit effort and relative abundance, biological samples (length or age frequency), and life history information (growth, maturity, fecundity, natural mortality, spawning stock biomass) for Atlantic menhaden. As an ecological-based assessment, the Commission is also interested in information on major predators of Atlantic menhaden (e.g., predator diets, consumption rates, trends in abundance) and alternate prey species such as Atlantic herring or bay anchovies, including evidence for localized depletion or changes in abundance at finer regional scales. For data sets or models to be considered, the data must be sent in the required format with accompanying description of methods to Katie Drew, Stock Assessment Team Lead, at kdrew@asmfc.org by Friday, September 1, 2023.  Any models submitted without complete, editable source code and input files will not be considered.
For more information about the assessments, the submission and presentation of materials at the Data and Methods Workshop, or attending the Workshop, please contact James Boyle, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at jboyle@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

New limits imposed on striped bass size

May 9, 2023 — There could be fewer striper keepers under new size limits recently imposed by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s striped bass management board.

The minimum size allowable for an angler to keep a fish remains the same at 28 inches, but the maximum size has been reduced. Last year, someone could keep a fish that was up to 38 inches long. The approved emergency action will drop that to 31 inches.

The move comes in hopes of preserving striped bass that were spawned in 2015, and part of an overall attempt to return the striped bass population to previous levels by 2029.

“It’s an emergency measure to protect the fish,” said Richard Herb, the acting chair of New Jersey’s Marine Fisheries Council. He said the New Jersey council takes direction form the Atlantic States commission, which would usually present rules for evaluation in advance of a vote.

Read the full article at The Press of Atlantic City

Virtual Public Hearings Scheduled on 2023 Atlantic Striped Bass Emergency Action

May 9, 2023 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Commission has scheduled four public hearings on the emergency action approved on May 2, 2023 by the Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board for 2023 recreational management measures. The Board implemented a 31-inch maximum size limit for striped bass recreational fisheries, effective immediately for 180 days (through October 28, 2023). This action responds to the unprecedented magnitude of 2022 recreational harvest, which is nearly double that of 2021, and new stock rebuilding projections, which estimate the probability of the spawning stock rebuilding to its biomass target by 2029 drops from 97% under the lower 2021 fishing mortality rate to less than 15% if the higher 2022 fishing mortality rate continues each year.

The Commission will conduct four virtual public hearings via webinar to inform the public about this action and identify next steps for management. A summary of these hearings will be provided to the Board at its next meeting. Additional details on participating in the webinars can be found later in this release. All hearings are open to anyone from any state. If you are planning to attend multiple hearings, staff requests that you provide comments at only one hearing to allow time for all hearing participants to provide comments.

As outlined in the Commission’s Interstate Fisheries Management Program Charter, a management board can take emergency action to address circumstances under which public health or the conservation of coastal fishery resources or attainment of fishery management objectives has been placed substantially at risk by unanticipated changes in the ecosystem, the stock, or the fishery. The Board implemented the emergency 31-inch maximum size limit for 2023 to reduce harvest of the strong 2015-year class. The 31-inch maximum size limit applies to all existing recreational fishery regulations where a higher (or no) maximum size applies, excluding the May Chesapeake Bay trophy fisheries which already prohibit harvest of fish less than 35 inches. All bag limits, seasons, and gear restrictions will remain the same. Jurisdictions are required to implement the required measure as soon as possible but no later than July 2, 2023. If it deems necessary, the Board may extend the emergency action for two additional periods of up to one year each at a future Board meeting.

For 2024 management, the Board initiated Addendum II to Amendment 7 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan to consider measures designed to reduce fishing mortality to the target. The Draft Addendum II process will include a public comment period and public hearings, likely later this year, regarding options for 2024 management measures.

Webinar Instructions

For all virtual hearings, please note that in order to comment during virtual webinar hearings you will need to use your computer or download the GoToWebinar app for your phone. Those joining by phone only will be limited to listening to the presentation and will not be able to provide input. To attend the webinar in listen only mode, dial 914.614.3221 and enter access code 424-938-669.

For all virtual hearings, please click HERE and use the dropdown menu to select the hearing date you plan to attend to register for a public hearing webinar. Hearings will be held via GoToWebinar, and you can join the webinar from your computer, tablet or smartphone. If you are new to GoToWebinar, you can download the software by (clicking here) or via the App store under GoToWebinar. We recommend you register for the hearing well in advance of the hearing since GoToWebinar will provide you with a link to test your device’s compatibility with the webinar. If you find your device is not compatible in advance of the hearing, please contact the Commission at info@asmfc.org (subject line: GoToWebinar help) and we will try to get you connected. We also strongly encourage participants to use the computer voice over internet protocol (VoIP) so you can ask questions and provide input at the hearing.

For more information, please contact Emilie Franke, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, atefranke@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

Regulators approve new lobster size limits in Maine to preserve young population

May 8, 2023 — An Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission board has approved new measures that could change the minimum and maximum catch sizes for lobster in certain parts of Maine.

The fisheries commission said it will gradually implement changes to measurement sizes by fractions of an inch in certain parts of the Gulf of Maine — but only if it observes a 35 percent decline in the young lobster population through trawl and trap survey data.

Recent assessments have shown a 23 percent decline in juvenile lobsters, said Pat Keliher, commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources.

Read the full article at Bangor Daily News