Mid-Atlantic Archives - Page 268 of 343

Fishermen will be allowed to catch more monkfish

July 17, 2017 — Federal fishing regulators will allow fishermen to catch a little bit more monkfish over the next three years.

The monkfish, also known as goosefish is a popular food fish that’s native to the East Coast. They’re a staple of displays in New England fish markets, where they often stick out because of their bizarre appearance.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says it’s increasing the monkfish quota in the northern fishery management area by 8 percent. The quota’s going up in the southern fishery area by 1 percent.

Monkfish are caught from Maine to Virginia, with most of the catch coming to shore in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The harvest was worth more than $19 million in 2015.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Portland Press Herald

NEW JERSEY: Trump official’s fish ruling could harm conservation

July 17, 2017 — A row with an appointee of President Donald Trump’s administration over the regulation of flounder fishing off New Jersey jeopardizes conservation of marine species all along the East Coast, interstate fishing managers said Monday.

The flatfish in question is the summer flounder, which is popular with sport fishermen and commercial fishermen from Maine to Florida. The regulatory Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission announced in June that it had found New Jersey out of compliance with management of the summer flounder fishery.

But Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross needed to sign off on the ruling, and he instead reversed it. The commission said in a statement that Ross’ ruling represents the first time since passage of the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act in 1993 that a commerce secretary has failed to uphold such a noncompliance recommendation.

Ross’ ruling has the potential to soften the regulatory authority of the commission, which is tasked with managing fisheries along the coast, said Toni Kerns, director of the interstate fisheries management program for the Atlantic States.

The Atlantic States found that New Jersey was not implementing conservation measures, and Ross could have called for a federal moratorium on fishing for summer flounder in New Jersey’s state waters, Kerns said. Instead, his reversal sends a message that Atlantic States’ rulings lack teeth, she said.

“If the secretary of commerce isn’t agreeing to use that tool, then other states will see that and start not implementing measures,” Kerns said.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at The News & Observer

House Committee Approves Harris Chesapeake Bay Amendment

July 17, 2017 — The following was released by the office of Representative Andy Harris (R-MD)

On July 13, the House Appropriations Committee adopted an amendment introduced by Congressman Andy Harris (MD-01) to the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2018. This amendment prohibits the use of funds to implement or enforce the designation of any area of the Chesapeake Bay watershed as a “Critical Habitat” for the Atlantic Sturgeon. Congressman Harris issued the following statement praising the amendment’s passage:

“The Appropriations Committee’s adoption of this amendment is a victory for both the conservation of the Bay and the Eastern Shore’s economy. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) proposal to designate the Chesapeake Bay as a Critical Habitat for the Atlantic Sturgeon was crafted without adequate opportunity for input from the communities surrounding the Chesapeake Bay. Furthermore, NOAA has failed to document sufficient cause for the designation.

Designation of the Bay as a Critical Habitat for the Sturgeon is an unnecessary and burdensome regulation that could lead to restricted use of various regions of the Bay, stifling commercial activity in the Bay and inhibiting oyster restoration and other important conservation activities.”

Rep. Andy Harris amendment aims to stop Chesapeake sturgeon effort

July 17, 2017 — An amendment from Congressman Andy Harris (R-Md.-1st) to an appropriations bill would prohibit funds to implement a “Critical Habitat” designation for Atlantic Sturgeon anywhere in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

On Thursday, the House Appropriations Committee adopted Harris’ amendment to the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2018, according to a statement from Harris’ office.

Harris said a proposal from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to designate the Chesapeake Bay as a Critical Habitat for the Atlantic Sturgeon was created without adequate opportunity for input from the communities surrounding the bay, and that NOAA has not documented sufficient cause for the designation.

Read the full story at Delmarva Now

ASMFC Reacts to Commerce Secretary Decision to Reject Commission Advice on Summer Flounder

July 14, 2017 — ARLINGTON, Va. — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

On July 11^th, Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross, notified the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission that he has found the State of New Jersey to be in compliance with Addendum XXVII to the Summer Flounder Fishery Management Plan. According to the letter sent to the Commission, Secretary Ross’s decision was based on the assertion that “New Jersey makes a compelling argument that the measures it implemented this year, despite increasing catch above the harvest target, will likely reduce total summer flounder mortality in New Jersey waters to a level consistent with the overall conservation objective for the recreational fishery.” This is the first time since passage of the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act (Atlantic Coastal Act) in 1993 and the Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act in 1984 that the Secretary of Commerce failed to uphold a noncompliance recommendation by the Commission.

“The Commission is deeply concerned about the near-term impact on our ability to end overfishing on the summer flounder stock as well as the longer-term ability for the Commission to effectively conserve numerous other Atlantic coastal shared resources,” stated Commission Chair Douglas Grout of New Hampshire. “The Commission’s finding of noncompliance was not an easy one. It included hours of Board deliberation and rigorous Technical Committee review, and represented, with the exception of New Jersey, a unanimous position of the Commission’s state members. Our decision was based on Technical Committee’s findings that New Jersey’s measures were not conservationally-equivalent to those measures in Addendum XXVIII and are projected to result in an additional 93,800 fish being harvested. Additionally, we had an obligation as a partner in the joint management of summer flounder with the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) to implement measures to end overfishing immediately or face the possibility of summer flounder becoming an overfished stock.”

Based on the latest stock assessment information, summer flounder is currently experiencing overfishing. Spawning stock biomass has been declining since 2010 and is just 16% above the threshold. The vast majority of fishery-independent surveys show rapidly declining abundance. Any increase in overall mortality puts the stock at risk for further declines and increases the probability of the stock becoming overfished. If the stock falls below the biomass threshold, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act requires the Council to initiate a rebuilding program, which could require more restrictive management measures.

New Jersey was not the only state to be concerned about the impact of the approved measures to its recreational fishing community. Two other states submitted alternative proposals that were rejected in favor of the states equally sharing the burden of needed reductions. Those states, as well as other coastal states, implemented the approved measures in order to end overfishing and support the long-term conservation of the resource.

“The states have a 75-year track record of working together to successfully manage their shared marine resources,” continued Chairman Grout. “We are very much concerned about the short and long-term implications of the Secretary’s decision on interstate fisheries management. Our focus moving forward will be to preserve the integrity of the Commission’s process, as established by the Atlantic Coastal Act, whereby, the states comply with the management measures we collectively agree upon. It is my fervent hope that three-quarters of a century of cooperative management will provide a solid foundation for us to collectively move forward in achieving our vision of sustainably managing Atlantic coastal fisheries.”

The Commission is currently reviewing its options in light of Secretary Ross’s action, and the member states will meet during the Commission’s Summer Meeting in early August to discuss the implications of the Secretary’s determination on the summer flounder resource and on state/federal cooperation in fisheries management under the Atlantic Coastal Act.

For more information, please contact Toni Kerns, Director, Interstate Fisheries Management Program, at tkerns@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

Dave Goethel takes case to US Supreme Court

July 13, 2017 — After losing a lawsuit alleging a federal agency has imposed unfair regulations, Hampton fisherman David Goethel is taking his case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Cause of Action Institute, which is representing Goethel and a group of other fishermen pro bono, filed a petition to be taken up by the Supreme Court Tuesday. The suit was originally filed in U.S. District Court against the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and U.S. Department of Commerce in 2015. It alleges NOAA unfairly requires commercial groundfishermen to fund at-sea monitors to join them on fishing trips and observe their compliance with regulations. Groundfish include popular New England fishing species like cod and haddock.

A First U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel in Boston affirmed a ruling in favor of NOAA and the DOC this spring. According to Cause of Action’s petition, the lower court erred in dismissing the case based on the original suit being filed well after a 30-day deadline for challenging the regulation. Cause of Action is arguing the ruling prevented the court from addressing the merits of the suit’s argument – that fishermen believe it is unconstitutional for the government to force an industry to pay for its own policing.

Read the full story at the Portsmouth Herald

Lobster season slow, prices holding steady for seafood fans

July 13, 2017 — New England’s summer lobster season is off to a slow start, but consumers are paying a little bit less for the critters than they were a year ago.

The annual summer boom in lobster catch has yet to arrive, lobster fishermen and distributors said. Lobster catch typically picks up in the warm months when many lobsters shed their shells and reach legal harvesting size.

So far, supply is lower than recent years, but that hasn’t translated into higher prices for consumers. The wholesale price for 1¼-pound hard shell lobsters was $7.63 per pound in early July, business publisher Urner Barry reported. The price was a little more than $8 per pound at the same time last year.

Members of Maine’s lobster industry said they still expect a healthy catch this year, but it appears to be arriving somewhat late compared to recent years, when the catch has soared.

“It’s starting to trickle in. It has just been a slow start to the season. It’s reminiscent of an old-fashioned season,” said Bill Bruns, operations manager for The Lobster Co. in Arundel. “We’re starting to see some signs of life.”

American lobster, most of which comes ashore in Maine, has been booming in terms of volume of catch in recent years. Maine’s lobster catch exceeded 130 million pounds for the first time last year, and has surpassed 100 million pounds for six years in a row after previously rarely reaching 80 million.

The value of the crustaceans has also been high, and consumers and wholesalers have frequently been paying more for them, partly because of increased interest in U.S. lobster from China.

This year, stores in New England are selling them for $8 to $13 per pound depending on how large they are and whether they are hard shell or softshell. Hard shell lobsters tend to be more expensive. Those prices are about in line with recent years.

“When there is just a slow and steady delivery that is not too great and not too little, it leads to a much more stable sort of market,” said John Sackton, who publishes the SeafoodNews.com website.

The other coastal New England states, New York and New Jersey also have lobster fisheries, with Massachusetts having the second-largest lobster catch in the country. The crustacean is also the subject of a large fishery in Canada.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the San Francisco Chronicle

NEW JERSEY: Rep. LoBiondo Applauds Decision on Summer Flounder

July 13, 2017 — After months of fighting against proposed reductions on summer flounder harvest limits for New Jersey commercial and recreational fishermen, U.S. Representative Frank A. LoBiondo (NJ-02) applauded U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross’ decision late last night to accept New Jersey’s management plan.

“Commerce Secretary Ross’ decision to adopt New Jersey’s conservation equivalency plan for summer flounder signals a win-win for our fishing industry and conservation efforts,” said LoBiondo. “For months I have argued that NOAA and ASMFC were flawed in their data and decision-making process, creating a significant and arbitrary disadvantage to New Jersey fishermen. Going forward we must reform the use of questionable methodologies and outdated science by federal bureaucrats that, left unchecked, will again threaten fishing operations in South Jersey. I will continue to work with my colleagues and Commerce Secretary Ross to protect the critical fishing industry in South Jersey as well as the summer flounder stocks.”

Earlier this month LoBiondo joined with fellow New Jersey Representative Chris Smith (NJ-04) and other members of the Congressional delegation to urge delaying 2017-2018 restrictions on New Jersey fishermen proposed by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC).

The letter requested Commerce Secretary Ross consider the management plan proposed by the state of New Jersey, and urged him to, “work administratively with the State of New Jersey to approve, implement and enforce New Jersey’s 2017 Summer Flounder regulations.” The full letter is available here.

Read the full story at the Cape May County Herald

How Trump administration ended great New Jersey fish fight

July 11, 2017 — President Donald Trump’s administration sided with New Jersey Tuesday in a dispute over catch limits for summer flounder that threatened to shut down the entire fishing season.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross approved the state’s Marine Fisheries Council proposal for 24 fewer fishing days but a smaller minimum size for fish, rather than the limits imposed by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

Rep. Chris Smith (R-4th Dist.) called Ross’s decision “great news for the state of New Jersey, our fishing community, our economy and all who visit the shore.”

Members of the state’s congressional delegation had opposed the more stringent limits of a 19-inch minimum, with a three fish limit per trip over a 128-day season.

At one point, the fisheries commission threatened to impose a moratorium on all fishing.

“The decision to not institute a fishing moratorium, and instead accept New Jersey’s more balanced and reasonable summer catch standards, will sustain New Jersey’s summer flounder industries while upholding conservation standards,” Smith said.

Read the full story at NJ.com

Bill package in Congress funds Chesapeake Bay cleanup

July 11, 2017 — A legislative package in Congress proposes funding several environmental initiatives that would help pay for Chesapeake Bay cleanup efforts.

Six out of nine of the bills included in the package were originally introduced by U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., according to the senator’s spokesman.

According to a statement from the senator’s office, the package would “reauthorize marquis programs at the heart of restoring and maintaining the health of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.” Both Democrats and Republicans have signed on as sponsors.

“A healthy Bay means a healthy economy for Maryland and the entire Chesapeake Bay Watershed region, which cannot be accomplished without a reliable federal partner,” Cardin said. “I urge appropriators to take note of the bipartisan support for authorizing these programs, despite the president’s lack of understanding of their worthiness.”

Chesapeake Bay cleanup funding is feared to be in jeopardy following the release of President Donald Trump’s proposed budget, which altogether eliminates funding for the Chesapeake Bay Program, an arm of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s that helps facilitate Bay cleanup between states across the watershed and tracks progress of pollution reduction.

One part of the legislation would reauthorize and fund the Chesapeake Bay Program until 2023 at $90 million each year, which Cardin’s office said is more than the program has ever been funding in its history.

Read the full story at The Star Democrat

News for the Mid Atlantic Region