Saving Seafood

Meeting Materials for the August 18th meeting of the ASMFC Northern Shrimp Section Now Available

August 10, 2022 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

Meeting materials for the August 18th meeting of the Commission’s Northern Shrimp Section are now available athttp://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/NorthernShrimpSection_Aug2022/NorthenShrimpSectionMtgMaterials_Aug2022.pdf. This in-person only meeting will take place at The Westin Portland Harborview, 157 High Street, Portland, Maine from 9:00 AM-1:00 PM. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the possibility of the Commission relinquishing management authority of the Northern Shrimp Fishery Management Plan. The Section will also review a sensitivity analysis that explores the potential scientific effects of eliminating the northern shrimp summer survey and will discuss management implications. The details of the meeting can also be found at http://www.asmfc.org/calendar/8/2022/Northern-Shrimp-Section-Meeting/1989.

The Section will provide the public the opportunity to bring matters of concern to the Section’s attention at the start of the meeting. Depending upon the number of commenters, the Section Chair will decide how to allocate the available time on the agenda to the number of people who want to speak.

Atlantic menhaden not overharvested, fisheries commission concludes

August 8, 2022 — An updated menhaden population assessment that takes into account the ecological role of the species as a popular food for other fish deems the coastwide stock to be in good shape.

The latest assessment, presented to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Aug. 3, incorporates data collected through last year. It concluded that “overfishing is not occurring, and the stock is not considered overfished.”

Menhaden are a small fish but have long stoked big controversies, especially in the Chesapeake Bay, where conservation groups contend commercial harvests leave too few of the “forage” fish in the water to support striped bass and other fish.

That concern spurred the ASMFC, an organization made up of fishery managers from East Coast states and federal agencies, to make adjustments to their assessment methodologies two years ago to better account for the role of menhaden in the food chain.

But even with the new methodology, the latest assessment concluded the overall stock was healthy — a finding immediately touted by the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition, a group representing commercial harvesters.

“Using these stricter standards that incorporate the forage needs of predators, the new assessment has found that the menhaden fishery is sustainable, and that menhaden fishing does not negatively affect predator populations,” it said in a statement.

Some conservation groups contend the assessment evaluates the menhaden stock coastwide and does not necessarily reflect what is happening in the Bay, where much of the harvest takes place.

Read the full article at Bay Journal

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

August 5, 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 Summer Meeting are now available athttp://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/2022SummerMeeting/2022SummerMeetingSummary.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-summer-meeting (under the respective Board header).

Atlantic Menhaden Board Approves Draft Addendum I for Public Comment & Assessment Update Finds Resource is Not Overfished or Experiencing Overfishing

August 4, 2022 — The following was released by Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Arlington, VA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Menhaden Management Board approved Draft Addendum I to Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Menhaden for public comment. The Draft Addendum considers potential changes to Amendment 3 provisions for commercial allocations, the episodic event set aside (EESA) program, and the incidental catch and small-scale fisheries (IC/SSF) provision.

 
The Board initiated Draft Addendum I in August 2021 in response to the recommendations of a Board work group charged with evaluating provisions of the current management program and providing strategies to refine those provisions. Since Amendment 3 was adopted in 2017, the EESA and IC/SSF provisions have been impacted by recent trends in landings. The impacts have been most notable in New England, which has seen an increase in abundance of menhaden and demand for bait in recent years. New England states rely on the EESA to keep their commercial fisheries open while working to secure quota transfers. In addition the increases have led to a rise in landings under the IC/SSF provision once commercial quotas have been met. The options in the Draft Addendum aim to align state quotas with recent landings and resource availability while maintaining access to the resource for all states, reduce dependence on quota transfers, and minimize regulatory discards.


 
The Draft Addendum’s proposed options consider changes to the baseline quota of 0.5% and the time series that apportions the remaining quota to each jurisdiction, which is currently historic landings from 2009 to 2011. Furthermore, options within the Draft Addendum consider giving the Board the ability to change the proportion of the EESA from 1% up to 5%, with the option to make the potential change static with the approval of the Draft Addendum or dynamic such that the Board can reset it during the specification process. The Draft Addendum proposes a number of options to modify the IC/SSF provision in four major categories: the timing of the provision, permitted gear types, trip limits for permitted gear types, and catch accounting for the provision. 
 
The Draft Addendum will be posted to the website next week at http://www.asmfc.org/about-us/public-input. A subsequent press release will provide the details on the public hearing schedule and how to submit written comments. The Board will meet to review submitted comment and consider final action on the addendum in November at the Commission’s Annual Meeting in New Jersey.
 
Stock Assessment Update
The Board also reviewed the results of the 2022 Atlantic Menhaden Stock Assessment Update, which indicates the resource is not overfished nor experiencing overfishing relative to the current ecological reference points (ERPs). In 2021, population fecundity, a measure of reproductive capacity, is above both the ERP threshold and target and total fishing mortality is below both the ERP threshold and target. The stock assessment update extended the 2019 Atlantic Menhaden Single-Species Benchmark Stock Assessment model with additional years of data from 2018-2021 and made some changes to the model structure. Work is also underway for an Atlantic Menhaden-specific ERP Benchmark Assessment, which is scheduled for completion in 2025.

ASMFC Presents Annual Awards of Excellence for 2022

August 4, 2022 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

Arlington, VA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission presented its Annual Awards of Excellence to an esteemed group of fishery managers, scientists, and law enforcement officers for their outstanding contributions to fisheries management, science, and law enforcement along the Atlantic coast. Specifically, the 2022 award recipients were Eric Reid and Peter Burns for management and policy contributions; Dr. Conor McManus, Jeff Kipp, Dr. Burton Shank, Dr. Bryan Nuse, Dr. Anna Tucker, and Caitlin Starks for technical and scientific contributions; and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Law Enforcement 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
Eric Reid, Chair of the New England Fishery Management Council and Proxy for ASMFC Legislative Commissioner Senator Susan Sosnowski

 

For nearly a decade, Eric Reid has devoted countless hours to the fisheries management process at both the Commission and New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC), and increasingly at the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. Currently Chair of the NEFMC and longstanding proxy for Rhode Island’s Legislative Commissioner to the ASMFC, Senator Susan Sosnowski, Mr. Reid has been a fervent advocate for the New England commercial fishing industry, consistently bringing the industry’s perspective to actions taken by the Commission and Councils. His ability to be objective and seek creative solutions has often allowed for compromise amongst differing viewpoints. Mr. Reid has been an integral and important voice in numerous high-level actions and discussions including Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument and offshore wind development. His expertise in the commercial fishing industry as well as the fisheries management system allows him to offer unique insights and facilitate management progress on a wide range of important topics. Mr. Reid has played a positive and impactful role in the fisheries management process as a result of his full engagement in the issues before him and his thoughtful consideration of the resource, as well as the economic impacts of proposed actions on the fishing industry. 
 
Peter Burns, NOAA Fisheries 
A valued federal partner to the Commission and its member states for over 15 years, Peter Burns has served as NOAA Fisheries’ lead on numerous Commission management boards and sections, including those for American lobster, northern shrimp, bluefish, spiny dogfish, and tautog, providing sound advice and guidance on the management of these species. He also has made tremendous contributions to federal lobster management, coordinating and leading the Lobster Trap Tag Program, which constituted a fundamental shift in interstate lobster management. His efforts ensured that state and federal trap allocations were aligned and future transfers were correctly implemented and tracked. Mr. Burns fostered productive relationships with the states and industry members on measures put forward by the industry at the Large Whale Take Reduction Team. This action helped to build trust and buy-in to Commission/Take Reduction Plan processes. He also attempted to negotiate alternative measures to the Area 4 (South of Long Island) seasonal closure, coordinating a meeting with industry members and bordering states, putting forward numerous solutions for equivalent measures in an attempt to eliminate the closure. While ultimately unsuccessful, these efforts highlight his commitment to the Commission process as well as his commitment to collaboration and innovation.
 
Scientific and Technical Contributions
Dr. Conor McManus, Jeff Kipp, and Dr. Burton Shank
Based on their significant contributions to the 2020 Benchmark Stock Assessment for American Lobster, Dr. Conor McManus, Jeff Kipp, and Dr. Burton Shank are being recognized for their exceptional work and initiative on the American Lobster Stock Assessment Subcommittee (SAS). As lead modelers for the assessment, Dr. McManus, Mr. Kipp, and Dr. Shank contributed improved and novel analyses to more effectively characterize stock status for Southern New England and the Gulf of Maine/Georges Bank stocks. Throughout the assessment’s development, these three individuals consistently brought innovative ideas and technical expertise to SAS discussions. Their contributions and resourcefulness kept the assessment moving forward despite the complex challenges posed by the incorporation of new data to address environmental impacts on the lobster stocks. The contributions of these three individuals were essential to the successful completion and peer review of the 2020 assessment, as well as the adoption of updated reference points by the Management Board.
 
Dr. Bryan Nuse, Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, and Dr. Anna Tucker, Iowa Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife
Dr. Bryan Nuse, a Research Scientist with the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, and Dr. Anna Tucker, Assistant Professor at Iowa Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit, were instrumental in the development of the revised Adaptive Resource Management (ARM) Framework for the management of horseshoe crabs with consideration for the threatened red knot. In October 2019, the ARM Subcommittee was directed to revise the ARM Framework to incorporate more available data and update the software platform. The ARM Subcommittee recognized it would need expertise in adaptive management and quantitative ecology to successfully model the two species and revise the ARM Framework. Dr. Nuse was added to the committee as an ecologist with experience in bird conservation, adaptive management, and population models. Dr. Tucker joined the effort because she developed a state-of-the-science integrated population model for red knots as part of her PhD thesis with Auburn University and postdoctoral research with the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. While development of the ARM Framework was a lengthy process involving many collaborators, this substantial achievement would not have been possible without the contributions of Drs. Nuse and Tucker.
 
Caitlin Starks, Atlantic State Marine Fisheries Commission
Caitlin Starks, ASMFC Fishery Management Plan Coordinator for numerous species, is being recognized for her meticulous and thorough preparation prior to meetings, her command in leading the meetings in an effective and efficient manner, and her timely and detailed meeting follow-ups. In particular, Ms. Starks steady support and guidance in leading the Shad Technical Committee through many challenging meetings as they prepared the 2021 Benchmark Stock Assessment for American Shad. Disagreements between Committee members within a meeting routinely occurred and Ms. Starks would often offer reasonable solutions that allowed opposing sides to reach compromise and advance forward. During the assessment, Ms. Starks did a phenomenal job of keeping the Committee moving through the grind of completing what could have been a daunting task. She often went above the call of duty by having a multitude of meetings ensuring all states were well informed; all Committee members were engaged in and supportive of the assessment; all potential data sources had been identified and thoroughly vetted for potential use in the assessment; and all questions from members were answered before a final product was affirmed.
 
Law Enforcement Contributions
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Law Enforcement
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Bureau of Law Enforcement is recognized for its outstanding efforts to control illegal harvest of Atlantic striped bass from Raritan Bay and its tributaries. New Jersey Conservation Police Officers from both the inland and marine regions throughout the state were involved with the operation across New Jersey’s portion of the watershed. In December 2021, more than 200 summonses were issued and more than 500 illegal striped bass were confiscated. Efforts continued throughout the spring of 2022. From early March to the middle of May 2022, approximately 4,000 inspections were conducted over the course of 650 patrol hours within Raritan Bay, Newark Bay, Arthur Kill, and the Hudson River. These efforts resulted in over 300 summonses being issued for violations including undersized fish, over the limit catch, fishing during the closed season, and interference with the duties of a conservation officer. When possible, some of the seized fish were donated to food banks, while others were submitted to New Jersey Bureau of Marine Fisheries for the collection of biological data. The dedication and commitment of the Bureau’s Conservation Police Officers to the enforcement of sustainable fisheries regulations is truly worthy of recognition.

Climate Change Scenario Planning Invitation to Attend Scenario Deepening Webinars

August 2, 2022 — Over the past year, East Coast fishery management bodies have been collaborating on a climate change scenario planning initiative designed to prepare fishing communities and fishery managers for an era of climate change. The goals of this project are to assess how climate change might affect stock distribution and availability of East Coast marine fisheries over the next 20 years and to identify the implications for fishery management and governance.

 

In June 2022, a group of about 70 stakeholders attended a workshop to develop an initial set of scenarios, describing several different possible futures facing East Coast fisheries out to 2042. As the next step in the scenario planning process, two Scenario Deepening webinars will be held in August 2022. These webinars will offer all interested stakeholders an opportunity to review, validate, and add details to the draft scenarios.

Webinar Details

Each 2-hour session will begin with an overview of the outputs and stories from the draft scenarios. Participants will then have an opportunity to add comments and suggestions to make the scenarios more plausible, challenging, relevant, memorable, and divergent. For each scenario, participants will be encouraged to imagine specific examples about impacts to particular species, regions, and communities. Participants only need to attend one of the two webinars. Please use the links below to register:

 

The scenario creation workshop summary, including a description of the draft scenarios, is being developed and will be posted here once available. Participants are encouraged to review this summary before the webinars and come prepared to share comments on the specific scenarios.

 

Once again, stakeholder involvement is key, and these webinars are open to the public. The outcome of the two webinars will be a more detailed set of scenarios that will be used as a platform for later stages of the process, looking specifically at how fishery management and governance must change to be prepared for a future of climate change.

Atlantic Herring Area 1A Fishery Moves to Zero Landing Days for Season 1 on August 2, 2022 at 6:00 p.m.

August 1, 2022 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Area 1A (inshore Gulf of Maine) Atlantic herring fishery is projected to have harvested 92% of the Season 1 (June 1 – September 30) allocation by August 2, 2022. Beginning at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 2, 2022, the Area 1A fishery will move to zero landing days through September 30, 2022, as specified in Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Herring.

Vessels participating in other fisheries may not possess more than 2,000 pounds of Atlantic herring per trip per day harvested from Area 1A. In addition, all vessels traveling through Area 1A must have all seine and mid-water trawl gear stowed.
 
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Herring Management Board members from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts are expected to reconvene in September via conference call to set effort controls for the 2022 Area 1A fishery for Season 2 (October 1 – December 31). An announcement will be issued once the meeting is scheduled.

Federal commission considers increasing legal size of lobsters to protect fishery

August 1, 2022 — A federal commission will discuss increasing the minimum legal size of caught lobsters or other management measures to respond to a decline in numbers of juvenile lobster in recent years.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is scheduled to discuss proposed measures to protect the spawning stock of lobster in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank on Tuesday in Arlington, Va.

Measures the commission will be considering include increasing the minimum legal harvestable size of lobsters in the Gulf of Maine by up to 1/8 inch in increments, either scheduled proactively or triggered by a  decline in abundance of young lobsters.

Maine lobstermen say the measures come at a bad time, when they are already struggling to comply with new federal regulations to protect endangered right whales from entanglement in fishing gear, and they are facing economic challenges with the price of bait and fuel at record highs coupled with low prices they are getting for their catch at the dock.

The Maine lobster industry is known for its  sustainability, with strong conservation measures already in place to protect the spawning stock. These include a maximum harvestable size limit of 5 inches, and protections against harvesting egg-bearing females through a mandatory V-notching program, in which a V-shaped cut is made into the tail of a female bearing eggs. It is illegal to keep females with this mark even if they are caught when they’re not bearing eggs.

Though the commission has determined that lobster stock is not depleted and overfishing is not occurring now, the proposed actions are intended to protect landings from potentially dropping past 100 million pounds in for the Gulf of Maine and Georges Banks because of the economic impacts that could result. They cite the example of Southern New England where the fishery collapsed after a trend of declines in juvenile lobsters.

At Lobster Zone Council meetings this spring, Maine lobstermen expressed frustration about the proposal because they say they face far greater threats to the fishery through new and upcoming federal measures to protect right whales than they do from declines in abundance when landings are still high. Rather than making size limit adjustments, some have argued, efforts should be directed toward gathering data about the shifts in right whale habitat and causes of right whale deaths, because they do not believe Maine lobster gear is to blame.

Read the full article at Press Herald

ASMFC 2022 Summer Meeting Final Agenda and Materials Now Available

July 20, 2022 — The following was released by Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

The final agenda and meeting materials for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Meeting (to be held August 2-4 at the Westin Crystal City, 1800 Richmond Highway, Arlington, VA) are now available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2022-summer-meeting; click on the relevant Board/Committee name to access the documents for that Board/Committee. For ease of access, all meeting materials have been combined into one document:  Main Meeting Materials. Please note that materials for the Law Enforcement Committee are not included in the combined materials. Supplemental materials will be posted to the website on Wednesday, July 27, 2022.

This will be a hybrid meeting (both in-person and remote) to allow for remote participation by Commissioners and interested stakeholders (meeting process details are provided below). The agenda is subject to change. The agenda reflects the current estimate of time required for scheduled Board meetings. The Commission may adjust this agenda in accordance with the actual duration of Board meetings. Interested parties should anticipate Boards starting earlier or later than indicated herein.
 
Webinar Information
Board meeting proceedings will be broadcast daily via webinar beginning Tuesday, August 2 at  9 a.m. and continuing daily until the conclusion of the meeting (expected to be 1:30 p.m.) on Thursday, August 4. The webinar will allow registrants to listen to board deliberations and view presentations and motions as they occur.  
 
Each day, the webinar will begin 15 minutes prior to the start of the first meeting so that 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. 
 
To register for the webinar, please go to https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7218217294868422923(Webinar ID:  822-004-851).  If you are joining the webinar but will not be using VoIP, you can may also call in at +1 (415) 655-0060, access code 636-403-362. A PIN will be provided to you after joining the webinar; see webinar instructions for details on how to receive the PIN. 
 
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 616-672-938. A PIN will be provided to you after joining the webinar; see webinar instructions for details on how to receive the PIN. 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.
 
Meeting Process
In terms of meeting process, Board chairs 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 same process will be used for the public and interested stakeholders when the Board Chair provides an opportunity for public comment. 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.
 
Each day, the webinar will begin 15 minutes prior to the start of the first meeting so that 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. 
 
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 11) have been included in the briefing materials.
2.    Comments received by 5:00 PM on Tuesday, July  26th will be included in supplemental materials.
3.    Comments received by 10:00 AM on Friday, July 29th will be distributed electronically to Commissioners/Board members prior to the meeting.

Maine lobster industry could receive nearly $14 million in federal aid

July 5, 2022 — Maine’s lobster industry could receive most of the $14 million the federal government is allocating to help lobstermen comply with new rules that are intended to save the critically endangered right whale from extinction.

If approved by Congress, the $14 million will be doled out to states through the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to cover costs incurred by the fishing industry to comply with the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan. Costs may include gear modification, configuration and marking, both in federal and state waters.

Maine is expected to receive the lion’s share of the money, since the state is home to the vast majority of the American lobster fleet. Maine lobstermen already received more than $17 million in federal aid in March as part of a $1.5 trillion omnibus funding package.

It was not clear Friday how the proposed federal funding might be allocated among Maine’s 4,500 to 5,000 licensed lobstermen.

The funding has been included in the House of Representatives’ Commerce, Justice, and Science Fiscal Year 2023 Appropriations bill. The House Appropriations Committee approved the bill Friday. From there, it will be voted on by the full House.

Read the full story at The Portland Press Herald