March 8, 2017 — The following was released by the the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries:
The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries is seeking applicants for the division’s director. The news release is below, and the link to the posting is:
For more information, please contact Patricia Smith.
Patricia Smith
Public Information Officer
Division of Marine Fisheries
North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality
252 808 8025 office
252 342 0642 mobile
November 9th, 2016 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
States Schedule Hearings on Atlantic Menhaden Draft Amendment 3 Public Information Document
Arlington, VA – The Atlantic coastal states of Maine through Florida have scheduled their hearings to gather public comment on the Public Information Document (PID) for Draft Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Menhaden. It is anticipated Delaware will also be conducting a hearing; the details of which will be released when they become available. Information on the scheduled hearings follows.
Maine Department of Marine Resources
December 13, 2016; 6:15 PM
Casco Bay Lines Conference Room
56 Commercial Street
Portland, Maine
Contact: Terry Stockwell at 207.624.6553
*This hearing will immediately follow the Jonah Crab Draft Addendum II hearing
New Hampshire Fish and Game Department
December 6, 2016; 7:20 PM
Urban Forestry Center
45 Elwyn Road
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Contact: Doug Grout at 603.868.1095
* This hearing will immediately follow the Jonah Crab Draft Addendum II hearing
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
December 12, 2016; 5:30 PM
Bourne Community Center, Room 1
239 Maine Street
Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts
Contact: Nichola Meserve at 617.626.1531
* This hearing will immediately follow the Jonah Crab Draft Addendum II hearing
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
December 20, 2016; 6:00PM
Thayer Public Library, Logan Auditorium
798 Washington Street
Braintree, Massachusetts
Contact: Nichola Meserve at 617.626.1531
Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife
December 19, 2016; 7 PM
University of Rhode Island Bay Campus
Corless Auditorium, South Ferry Road
Narragansett, Rhode Island
Contact: Robert Ballou at 401.222.4700 ext: 4420
* This hearing will immediately follow the Jonah Crab Draft Addendum II hearing
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
December 14, 2016; 7 PM
CT DEEP Boating Education Center
333 Ferry Road
Old Lyme, Connecticut
Contact: David Simpson at 860.434.6043
*This hearing will precede the Jonah Crab Draft
Addendum II hearing
New York Department of Environmental Conservation
December 15, 2016; 6:30 PM
Freeport Memorial Library
144 West Merrick Road
Freeport, New York
Contact: Steve Heins at 631.444.0430
New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife
December 8, 2016; 6:30 PM
Nacote Creek Marine Law Enforcement Office
360 North New York Road, Mile Marker 51
Port Republic, New Jersey
Contact: Russ Allen at 609.748.2020
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
December 7, 2016; 6:00 PM
Calvary United Methodist Church
Fellowship Hall
301 Rowe Boulevard
Annapolis, Maryland
Contact: Lynn Fegley at 410.260.8285
Potomac River Fisheries Commission
December 6, 2016; 6:00 PM
Carpenter Building
222 Taylor Street
Colonial Beach, Virginia
Contact: Martin Gary at 804.456.6935
Virginia Marine Resources Commission
December 5, 2016; 6:00 PM
2600 Washington Ave, 4th Floor
Newport News, Virginia
Contact: Rob O’Reilly at 757.247.2247
North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries
November 30, 2016; 5:30 PM
5285 US Highway 70 West
Morehead City, North Carolina
Contact: Michelle Duval at 252.808.8013
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
December 1, 2016; 6:00 PM
Melbourne City Hall Chambers
900 E. Strawbridge Avenue
Melbourne, Florida
Contact: Jim Estes at 850.617.9622
As the first step in the amendment process, the document seeks input from stakeholders and those interested in Atlantic menhaden about changes observed in the fishery/resource and potential management measures. Draft Amendment 3 was initiated following Board review and acceptance of the 2015 Stock Assessment and Peer Review report, which found the menhaden resource in good condition — not overfished nor experiencing overfishing. Population fecundity, a measure of reproductive capacity, was estimated to be roughly double the threshold value (86.8 trillion eggs). Additionally, total fishing mortality was estimated to be 0.22, below both the fishing mortality threshold (1.26) and target (0.38).
The PID outlines a number of issues in the fishery and solicits feedback on how the resource should be managed. Specifically, the PID presents a suite of tools to manage the menhaden resource using ecological reference points and provides options to allocate the resource among the states, regions, and user groups. In addition to the specific issues identified in the PID, commenters are welcome to provide input on all aspects of the fishery and resource, including recommendations for future management.
Stakeholders are encouraged to provide input on the PID either by attending state public hearings or providing written comment. The PID can be obtained athttp://www.asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/AtlMenhadenAmend3PID_PublicComment.pdf or via the Commission’s website, www.asmfc.org, under Public Input. Public comment will be accepted until 5 PM (EST) on January 4, 2017 and should be forwarded to Megan Ware, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St, Suite A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or at comments@asmfc.org(Subject line: Menhaden PID). If your organization is planning to release an action alert related to the Amendment 3 PID, please contact Megan Ware at 703.842.0740 prior to its release.
The Management Board will meet at the Commission’s 2017 Winter Meeting to review and consider public comment and provide direction to staff for items to be included in the Draft Amendment 3.
October 17th, 2016 — A court injunction has stopped a planned closure of North Carolina’s flounder season that was set to begin this weekend.
The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries announced this week that the state will not close the flounder season on Oct. 16 as was planned due to a temporary injunction issued putting several new regulations for the southern flounder fishery on hold.
The season remains open for commercial and recreational fishermen.
The recreational hook-and-line and gig fisheries continue with the current 15-inch minimum size limit and six-fish bag limit.
The season also remains open for the anchored, large-mesh gill net fisheries but the December commercial closure for the flounder season will still take place as in previous years, the division said.
The halt to the season closure is the result of legal action taken by representatives of the commercial fishing industry over last year’s action by the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission.
The North Carolina Fisheries Association, a New Bern-based trade association representing commercial fishermen, announced that commercial fishermen have joined with several coastal counties in filing a legal complaint against the state over the process used in adopting new regulations for the southern flounder fishery.
August 11, 2016 — MANTEO, N.C. — About 50 exasperated, even angry, commercial fishermen gathered Monday to meet the new director of the North Carolina agency that governs how these watermen make a living.
They came to the Dare County offices from towns east and west of the Albemarle and Pamlico sounds, ranging from Hatteras Village to Elizabeth City. They came to voice frustrations and ask questions about what they believe are unfair and arbitrary regulations that shrink their livelihood.
Southern flounder harvest restrictions and sea turtle conservation efforts were sore points.
Sea turtles are best with “taters and onions,” said Sharon Peele Kennedy, a member of the Board of Directors for NC Catch, a group that advocates for local fishing and seafood.
This fight is old for fishermen on the Outer Banks, but their opponent has a new face: Braxton Davis, who in April became director of the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries and the Division of Coastal Management after the last director resigned.
In his new job, the watermen demanded he at least listen, tell the truth and be willing to make what they call common-sense changes in the rules that prevent them from setting their nets.
For the most part, the men spoke in thick coastal accents, each carried a three-day growth of beard, and had arms and faces weathered and brown. A few women in the audience were equally adamant about the cause. The language was occasionally salty.
But they came with data, documents and experience to buttress their arguments.
“We are the science,” a veteran waterman said. “We’re your biggest environmentalists.”
May 20, 2016 — The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries Commission voted Thursday to keep its state-waters cobia fishery open past a federally-ordered June 20 closing, putting the state in non-compliance with the South Atlantic Marine Fisheries Council.
But the commission made several drastic changes to size and bag limits, and severely cut the number of days that recreational anglers could keep the coveted species.
From May 23 to Sept. 30, charter boats will be able to fish every day with a four-fish limit per boat, with each fish measuring at least 37 inches. Pier and surf anglers also can fish every day, with one 37-inch minimum fish per person per day.
May 19, 2016 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
ARLINGTON, Va. — The states of Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and North Carolina have scheduled their hearings to gather public comment on Draft Addendum IV to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Coastal Sharks. The details of those hearings follow.
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
June 28, 2016 at 7 PM
Marine Headquarters
Boating Education Center
333 Ferry Road
Old Lyme, Connecticut
Contact: Colleen Giannini at 860.447.4308
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
June 28, 2016 at 6:30 PM
Bureau of Marine Resources
205 North Belle Mead Road
East Setauket, New York
Contact: Steve Heins at 631.444.0435
New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife
June 22, 2016 at 6:30 PM
Nacote Creek Marine Law Enforcement Office
360 North New York Road, Mile Marker 51
Port Republic, New Jersey
Contact: Russ Allen at 609.748.2037
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
June 21, 2016 at 3:30 – 5:00 PM
Ocean Pines Library Conference Room
11107 Cathell Road
Ocean Pines, Maryland
Contact: Michael Luisi at 410.260.8341
North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries
June 23, 2016 at 5:00 PM
Dare County Center
Courthouse Campus
950 Marshall C. Collins Dr.
Manteo, North Carolina
Contact: Holly White at 252.264.3911
The purpose of the Draft Addendum is to maintain consistency between federal and state FMPs, where possible, and to better incorporate the intent of the smooth dogfish limited exception in the Shark Conservation Act of 2010 (SCA) into state regulations.
Under current regulations, commercial fishermen with only a state commercial fishing license can land smooth dogfish with corresponding fins removed from the carcass. The Draft Addendum proposes to amend the FMP to allow smooth dogfish carcasses to be landed with corresponding fins removed from the carcass as long as the total retained catch, by weight, is composed of at least 25 percent smooth dogfish. This option is consistent with the federal catch composition requirement, which was included in NOAA Fisheries’ final rule for Amendment 9.
Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the Draft Addendum either by attending state public hearings or providing written comment. The Draft Addendum can be obtained here or via the Commission’s website, www.asmfc.org, under Public Input. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on July 11, 2016 and should be forwarded to Ashton Harp, FMP Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St, Suite A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or at aharp@asmfc.org (Subject line: Draft Addendum IV).
March 29, 2016 — The following was released by the North Carolina Fisheries Association:
CARTERET COUNTY FISHERMEN’S ASSOCIATION is meeting on Saturday, April 9th at 6:30pm in Marshallberg. The group will be planning their annual Fish Fry scheduled for May, among some other things.
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SKIMMER TRAWLS:
Last week we listed information about potential new regs for skimmer trawls. For those of you who use skimmer trawls, you will receive a mailing from us in the next couple of days about this issue.
PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO READ IT!
After looking it over, contact us at the office or an NCFA Board member about your thoughts as we will be discussing the subject at our Board meeting next Monday in Washington. The list of Board members and their phone numbers is listed in the mailing. If you’d like to attend the Board meeting, feel free to do so and participate in the discussion. The meeting begins at noon at the Civic Center in Washington NC.
For more info, contact NCFA’s biologist, David Bush: (910) 777-1605, or by email.
NOAA Fisheries hosts public meetings in April to discuss potential skimmer trawl regulations in Southeast US:
NOAA Fisheries is considering new regulations in the shrimp fishery of the southeastern United States based on information indicating sea turtles are vulnerable to capture by skimmer trawls and tow times may not be as effective in reducing bycatch-related mortality as turtle excluder devices. The agency will host five public meetings around the region to discuss and receive input from fishermen and other constituents on alternatives to reduce sea turtle bycatch and mortality.
These public meetings are the first stage in a multi-step process required by the National Environmental Policy Act to ensure that Federal agencies evaluate the environmental impacts of major Federal actions. During these meetings, the public is provided with an opportunity to assist us in determining the scope of issues that require analysis. The analysis of issues and the environmental impacts of the proposed actions will be presented in a draft Environmental Impact Statement, which will be made available for public comment. The notice of intent to prepare the draft statement will be published in the Federal Register on March 15, 2016.
Additionally, we prepared a scoping document and a list of frequently asked questions as aids to the public on the upcoming scoping process. These documents are available on the NOAA Fisheries website at: http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/protected_resources/index.html. The scoping document describes the major issues, current management and legal requirements, and identifies potential management measures to reduce interactions, and in particular, lethal interactions, between sea turtles and trawl fisheries.
There are several meetings being held but the North Carolina meeting is:
Morehead City, NC — April 13, 2016, 2 p.m. – 4 p.m., Crystal Coast Civic Center.
Scoping comments may also be submitted during a concurrent 45-day comment period. When they publish the draft EIS, it will also have a 45-day public comment period.
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FROM THE DIVISION OF MARINE FISHERIES:
State seeking public comment on management options required to improve blue crab stock
The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries is accepting public comment on management options for the blue crab fishery. The management measures are required under Amendment 2 to the N.C. Blue Crab Fishery Management Plan to improve the condition of the state’s blue crab stock.
Division staff will discuss the possible management measures and receive public comment at the following upcoming advisory committee meetings:
Southern Regional Advisory Committee
April 6, 5:30 p.m.
DMF Central District Office; Morehead City
Northern Regional Advisory Committee
April 7, 5:30 p.m.
DEQ Washington Regional Office; 943 Washington Square Mall, Washington
Shellfish/Crustacean Advisory Committee
April 14. 6 p.m.
DMF Central District Office; Morehead City
Additionally, comments can be directed by phone to division biologists Jason Rock at 252-948-3874 or Corrin Flora at 252-264-3911, or by email to Jason.Rock@ncdenr.gov or Corrin.Flora@ncdenr.gov.
The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission is scheduled to consider management action at its May meeting. Possible management options include:
* Increasing the minimum size limit for male and immature female crabs
* Establishing a seasonal size limit on peeler crabs
* Reducing the tolerance of sub-legal size blue crabs to a minimum of 5 percent and/or implementing gear modifications to reduce sublegal catch
* Eliminating the harvest of v-apron immature hard crab females
* Restricting the harvest of sponge crabs
* Prohibiting all harvest of sponge crabs and/or requiring sponge crab excluders in pots in specific areas
* Closing the crab spawning sanctuaries from Sept. 1 to Feb. 28 and possibly imposing further restriction
* Expanding existing and/or designating new crab spawning sanctuaries
* Closing the fishery by season and/or gear
* Gear modifications in the crab trawl fishery
Management measures will be implemented by proclamation following the commission’s May meeting.
Management action is required under Amendment 2 to the N.C. Blue Crab Fishery Management Plan, adopted by the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission in November 2013. Amendment 2 uses an adaptive management framework based on the condition of the Blue Crab Traffic Light, which requires annual evaluation of three indicators to determine if any change in management is warranted. The indicators are adult abundance, the abundance of juvenile crabs in the stock (recruit abundance), and production (which evaluates the reproductive potential or resilience of the stock).
The annual evaluation has been completed, and management thresholds have been exceeded, requiring management action.
For more information, go to http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/home under “Hot Topics.”
SOUTHERN FLOUNDER:
Thanks to those of you who have contributed to our Southern Flounder Fund. Those funds will be used exclusively for issues related to southern flounder, either legally or other avenues to address the situation.
If you have not yet contributed, please do so ASAP!
Send your donations to:
NCFA
2807 Neuse Blvd; Suite 11
New Bern, NC 28562
Please make your check out to NCFA/Southern Flounder Fund or to the NC Fisheries Association and be sure to put Southern Flounder Fund in the memo.
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CALENDAR
Apr 4; Noon; NCFA Board meeting; Civic Center; Washington NC
Apr 6; 5:30pm; MFC Southern Advisory Cmte; DMF office; Morehead City
Apr 7; 5:30pm; MFC Northern Advisory Cmte; DEQ office; Washington
Apr 9; 6:30pm; Carteret County Fishermen’s Association; Marshallberg
Apr 11; 6:00pm; Oyster/Hard Clam Advisors; DMF office; Morehead City
Apr 12-14; MAFMC meeting in Montauk, NY
Apr 13; 2:00-4:00pm; Skimmer Trawl meeting; Civic Center; Morehead City
Apr 13; 5:30pm; Finfish Advisors; DEQ office; Washington
Apr 14; 6:00pm; Shellfish/Crustacean Advisors; DMF office; Morehead City
Apr 25; North Carolina General Assembly convenes for the Short Session
May 2-5; ASMFC Spring Meeting; Westin; Alexandria, VA
May 18-20; MFC meeting; Civic Center; Morehead City
March 21, 2016 — The following is an excerpt of a Letter-to-the-Editor written by Jerry Schill, President of the North Carolina Fisheries Association:
In response to a letter to the editor, “Thoughts on marine fisheries,” Wednesday, March 16, I offer the following comments. It should be noted that the Kinston authors sent the letter to several media outlets.
On the subject of shrimp trawling, the writers fail to acknowledge the many studies done by researchers over the years that have documented bycatch associated with this fishery and that despite decades of trawling, overall benthic productivity is dramatically increased. They also ignore the efforts by commercial fishermen to work proactively to reduce bycatch. Those studies began in the late 1980s and resulted with bycatch reduction devices in shrimp trawls. Currently, even though North Carolina is ahead of federal requirements to reduce bycatch, there is cooperative research ongoing to reduce it even further.
According to Kevin Brown, a gear development biologist with the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries, biologists and fishermen were amazed how effective the test devices have been. “I am pleasantly shocked at where we are,” he stated at a recent workshop of a bycatch reduction team that includes state biologists, net makers, boat owners, shrimp boat captains and Sea Grant. It should also be noted that nearly 50% of the Pamlico Sound is already off limits to shrimp trawling due to the status of primary or secondary nursery areas, which were so designated with the support of the North Carolina Fisheries Association many years ago.
February 29, 2016 — In a move that surprised commercial and recreational fishermen alike, Dr. Louis Daniel, III resigned as director of the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries this afternoon.
John Evans, chief deputy secretary of the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality sent an e-mail to all NCDEQ personnel that Daniel had stepped down, effective immediately, and that Col. Jim Kelley of the N.C. Marine Patrol would serve as acting director until a replacement for Daniel is selected.
Daniel, who received his B.A. in Biology from Wake Forest University, a M.S. in Marine Science from the College of Charleston, and a Ph.D. in Marine Science from the College of William and Mary, School of Marine Science, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, followed Preston Pate as the DMF director on Feb. 1, 2007.
Daniel worked a year with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service before joining DMF as a biological supervisor in 1995. Before being appointed director, he served nine years as an executive assistant to director Pate, working extensively with the South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council (SAFMC). Daniel served as chairman of the SAFMC from 2004 to 2006.
Daniel began as the North Carolina commissioner to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission in 2007 and was elected ASMFC Chair in 2013. He is a recipient of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources Distinguished Service Award and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Outstanding Service Award.
February 5, 2016 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Management Council:
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s American Eel Management Board approved North Carolina’s Aquaculture Plan for 2016, allowing up to 200 pounds of glass eels to be harvested for aquaculture purposes. North Carolina’s plan is the first to be approved under the aquaculture plan provisions of Addendum IV to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for American Eel.
“North Carolina is grateful for the Board’s provisional approval of its Aquaculture Plan,” stated Dr. Louis Daniel, Director of the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries. “Through the plan, we hope to demonstrate that domestic aquaculture of American eel can be done successfully while maintaining the rebuilding goals and objectives of the FMP.”
The Board reviewed comments provided by the Technical Committee, Advisory Panel, and Law Enforcement Committee on the various merits of the plan prior to its approval. Board approval was contingent on two issues (1) export of glass eels will be prohibited, and (2) the first year of the plan will be conducted as a pilot program. During the first year, North Carolina will work with its industry to identify viable collection sites for glass eels for its use in aquaculture. If North Carolina intends to continue this plan into a second year, which will require additional Board approval, the state will need to work with the Technical Committee to determine sampling protocols for obtaining glass eel abundance estimates across the identified collection sites.
For more information, please contact Mike Waine, Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at mwaine@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.