Weakfish Assessment Update Indicates Stock is Depleted

November 4, 2019 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The 2019 Weakfish Assessment Update indicates weakfish continues to be depleted and has been since 2003. Under the reference points, the stock is considered depleted when the stock is below a spawning stock biomass (SSB) threshold of 30% (13.6 million pounds). In 2017, SSB was 4.24 million pounds. While the assessment indicates some positive signs in the weakfish stock in the most recent years, with a slight increase in SSB and total abundance, the stock is still well below the SSB threshold. Given the weakfish management program is already highly restrictive with a one fish recreational creel limit, a 100-pound commercial trip limit, and a 100-pound commercial bycatch limit, the Board took no management action at this time.

The assessment indicates natural mortality (e.g., the rate at which fish die because of natural causes such as predation, disease, and starvation) has been increasing since the early 2000s. Fishing mortality was also high during the mid-to-late 2000s. Therefore, even though harvest has been at low levels in recent years, the weakfish population has been experiencing very high levels of total mortality (which includes fishing mortality and natural mortality), preventing the stock from recovering.

To better address the issues impacting the weakfish resource, the Technical Committee recommends the use of total mortality (Z) benchmarks to prevent an increase in fishing pressure when natural mortality is high. The assessment proposes a total mortality target of 1.03 and a threshold of 1.43. Total mortality in 2017 was 1.45, which is above both the threshold and target, indicating that total mortality is too high. Fishing mortality has increased in recent years but was below the threshold in 2017.

Weakfish commercial landings have dramatically declined since the early 1980s, dropping from over 19 million pounds landed in 1982 to roughly 180,560 pounds landed in 2017. The majority of landings occur in North Carolina and Virginia and, since the early 1990s, the primary gear used has been gillnets. Discarding of weakfish by commercial fishermen is known to occur, especially in the northern trawl fishery, and the discard mortality is assumed to be 100%. Discards peaked in the 1990s but have since declined as the result of management measures and a decline in stock abundance.

Like the commercial fishery, recreational landings and live releases have declined over time. It is assumed that 10% of weakfish released alive die so that total recreational removals are equal to the number of weakfish landed plus 10% of the weakfish released alive. The assessment update used the new time-series of calibrated estimates of landings and live releases from the Marine Recreational Information Program. These estimates were higher than the values used in the 2016 benchmark assessment but showed the same overall trend. Total recreational removals peaked in 1987 at 20.4 million pounds and have declined since then to slightly less than 500,000 pounds in 2017. The proportion of fish released alive has increased over time; over the past 10 years, 88% of weakfish were released alive. Most of the recreational catch occurs in the Mid-Atlantic between North Carolina and New Jersey.

The Assessment Update and a stock assessment overview will be available on the Commission’s website, www.asmfc.org, on the Weakfish page under Stock Assessment Reports. For more information on the stock assessment, please contact Katie Drew, Stock Assessment Team Leader, at kdrew@asmfc.org; and for more information on weakfish management, please contact Dr. Mike Schmidtke, FMP Coordinator, at mschmidtke@asmfc.org.

ASMFC 77th Annual Meeting Revised Preliminary Agenda

September 28, 2018 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 77^th Annual Meeting will be held October 21-25, 2018 at The Roosevelt Hotel, Madison Avenue. The room block is now closed. Please notify Cindy Robertson (crobertson@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740) if you need assistance reserving a room.

Please note: The preliminary agenda has been revised with the following changes: (1) meeting times have changed on Monday, October 22 for the American Lobster Board, Atlantic Herring Section, and the American Eel Board; and (2) the Atlantic Menhaden Board, previously scheduled for October 23^rd, and the Shad and River Herring Board, previously scheduled for October 25^th, have both been cancelled. Meeting times on those days have shifted to reflect those cancellations. The revised agenda is attached and follows below.

All meetings throughout the week are open to the public, free of charge. However, if you are planning on attending any of the meeting events (Sunday and Monday Receptions, Tuesday Dinner, or Wednesday Hart Award Luncheon), please register as soon as possible; simply fill-in and submit the registration form to Lisa Hartman at lhartman@asmfc.org. Events are filling up quickly and we cannot guarantee you space unless you register. The meeting registration fee is $200/per participant and $150/per spouse or guest if you register by October 15, 2018. After October 15^th and in New York the fees will be $225 and $175, respectively. The registration fee will be used to defray the cost of the Sunday and Monday night receptions, the Tuesday night dinner, and the Wednesday Hart Award Luncheon, as well as event materials. Payment is not required until you arrive at the meeting; however, we ask that you please assist us in planning for the meeting by registering as soon as possible.

If you are driving to the meeting, we strongly encourage you to park in New Jersey at the Port Imperial/Weehawken Terminal and take a short ferry to Midtown Manhattan since parking in NYC is exorbitant. Directions are attached and can also be found here.

The final agenda and meeting materials will be available on October 10^th on the Commission website at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2018-annual-meeting.

ASMFC 77^th Annual Meeting:

October 21 – 25, 2018

The Roosevelt Hotel
Madison Avenue @ 45th Street
New York, NY

Revised Preliminary Agenda

The agenda is subject to change. Bulleted items represent the anticipated major issues to be discussed or acted upon at the meeting. The final agenda will include additional items and may revise the bulleted items provided below. 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.

Sunday, October 21

6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Hosts’ Reception

Monday, October 22

8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. American Lobster Management Board:

Review of the NOAA Fisheries Technical Memo on Right Whale Status and Recovery
Report on the October 2018 Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team Meeting
Review American Lobster Addendum XXVII Timeline
Discuss Protocols to Evaluate Bait Sources
Progress Update from the American Lobster Electronic Tracking and Reporting Subcommittees
Consider Approval of 2018 Fishery Management Plan Reviews and State Compliance Reports for American Lobster and Jonah Crab

12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Lunch (On Your Own)

1:30 – 3:30 p.m. Atlantic Herring Section:

Review 2018 Atlantic Herring Benchmark Assessment Peer Review Report
Review and Consider Approval of Benchmark Stock Assessment and Peer Review Report for Management Use
Review and Discuss White Paper on Atlantic Herring Spawning Protections
Update on 2019-2021 Fishery Specifications Process
Set 2019 Specifications for Area 1A
Review and Populate Atlantic Herring Advisory Panel

3:45 – 4:45 p.m. American Eel Management Board:

Presentation on Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species Workshop and Discuss Next Steps
Consider Approval of 2018 Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance Reports

6:30 – 8:00 p.m. Welcome Reception

Tuesday, October 23

8:00 – 10:15 a.m. Strategic Planning Workshop

10:15 – 11:15 a.m. Business Session:

Review and Consider Approval of the 2019 Action Plan
Elect Chair and Vice-Chair

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Coastal Sharks Management Board:

Review and Consider Addendum V for Final Approval
Review Proposed 2019 Coastal Sharks Fishery Specifications
Consider Approval of 2018 Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance Reports

12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Lunch (On Your Own)

12:30 – 5:00 p.m. Law Enforcement Committee:

(A portion of this meeting may be a closed session for Committee members only)

Review 2018 Action Plan and New Tasks for 2019
Progress Report on Enforcement of the Offshore American Lobster Fishery
Update on American Eel Addendum V and State Aquaculture Proposals
Review Federal Transit Zone Proposal for Striped Bass in Block Island Sound
Review Transit Zone Proposal for Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass
Review Tautog Commercial Tagging Program
Review ASMFC Managed Species
Review Ongoing Enforcement Issues (Closed Session)
Federal and State Agency Reports

1:30 – 2:30 p.m. Spiny Dogfish Management Board:

Review 2018 Stock Assessment Update
Set Spiny Dogfish 2019-2021 Fishery Specifications
Discuss Adjustments to Federal Commercial Trip Limit
Consider Approval of 2018 Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance Reports

2:45 – 4:00 p.m. Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board:

Review Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Regarding Lifting the Ban on Atlantic Striped Bass Fishing in the Federal Block Island Sound Transit Zone
Update on North Carolina Cooperative Winter Tagging Program
Progress Update on the Benchmark Stock Assessment

6:15 – 9:00 p.m. Annual Dinner

Wednesday, October 24

8:00 – 10:00 a.m. Executive Committee: (A portion of this meeting may be a closed session for Committee members and Commissioners only)

Consider Approval of FY18 Audit
Discuss Priorities for Use of Plus-up Funding
Consider Changes to the Appeals Process
Appointment of Aquaculture Committee
Report from the Awards Committee

8:30 a.m. – Noon Law Enforcement Committee (continued):

10:15 – 11:00 a.m. Weakfish Management Board:

Review Technical Committee Report on Commercial Discards
Consider Approval of 2018 Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance Reports
Elect Vice-Chair

11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Horseshoe Crab Management Board:

Set 2019 Delaware Bay Horseshoe Crab Fishery Specifications
Progress Update on the Horseshoe Crab Benchmark Stock Assessment
Consider Approval of 2018 Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance Reports
Elect Vice-Chair

12:15 – 1:30 p.m. Captain David H. Hart Award Luncheon

1:30 – 3:30 p.m. Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board:

Consider Approval of Draft Addendum XXXII (2019 Black Sea Bass and Summer Flounder Recreational Management) for Public Comment
Progress Update on Black Sea Bass Commercial Working Group

3:45 – 4:45 p.m. Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program (ACCSP) Coordinating Council:

Program/Committee Updates
Progress Report on SAFIS Redesign
Consider Recommendations of FY2019 Submitted Proposals
Clarify Funding Decision Process
Discuss Formation of Data Reporting Committee on Data Accountability

Thursday, October 25

8:00 – 9:00 a.m. Tautog Management Board:

Progress Update on Development of the Commercial Harvest Tagging Program
Technical Committee Report on Biological Sampling Requirements
Consider Approval of 2018 Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance Reports

9:15 – 11:00 a.m. Interstate Fisheries Management Program Policy Board:

Update from the Executive Committee
Progress Update on Risk and Uncertainty Workgroup
Review Recommendations of the October 2019 Atlantic LargeWhale Take Reduction Team Meeting and Possible Impact to Commission Species
Review and Consider Approval of the Stock Assessment Schedule
Update on the Northeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program
Standing Committee Reports

o Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership

o Law Enforcement Committee

Consider Noncompliance Recommendations (If Necessary)

11:00 – 11:15 a.m. Business Session (continued):

Review Noncompliance Findings (If Necessary)

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board:

Review Public Comment Summary for Cobia Draft Amendment 1 Public Information Document
Provide Guidance to the Cobia Plan Development Team on Options for Inclusion in Draft Amendment 1
Consider Approval of 2018 Fishery Management Plan Reviews and State Compliance Reports for Black Drum, Spotted Seatrout, and Spanish Mackerel

Public Comment Guidelines

With the intent of developing policies in the Commission’s procedures for public participation that result in 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 use a speaker sign-up list in deciding 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 3 weeks prior to the start of a meeting week will be included in the briefing materials.

2. Comments received by 5:00 PM on Tuesday, October 16, 2018 will be distributed electronically to Commissioners/Board members prior to the meeting and a limited number of copies will be provided at the meeting.

3. Following Tuesday, October 16, 2018 5:00 PM deadline, the commenter will be responsible for distributing the information to the management board prior to the board meeting or providing enough copies for the management board consideration at the meeting (a minimum of 50 copies).

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, fax, and email.

ASMFC 2018 Winter Meeting Supplemental Materials Now Available

January 31, 2018 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Council:

Supplemental meeting materials for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 2018 Winter Meeting have been posted at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2018-winter-meeting for the following Boards/Sections (click on “Supplemental” following each relevant committee header to access the information). For ease of access, supplemental meeting materials have combined into one PDF – http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/2018WinterMeeting/CombinedSupplementalFiles_Winter2018.pdf.

American Lobster Management Board – Draft Addendum XXVI/III Public Comment; Southern New England memo: Goals and Objectives (revised)

Atlantic Herring Section – Technical Committee Review of Current Spawning Closure Procedure

American Eel Management Board – Draft Addendum V; Stock Assessment Committee Call Summary; 2017 FMP Review

Weakfish Management Board – 2017 FMP Review

South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board – Cobia FMP State Implementation Plans; 2017 FMP Reviews for Spot and Spanish Mackerel

Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board – Submitted Public Comment

Risk and Uncertainty Workshop – Decision Tree

ISFMP Policy Board – 2017 Commissioner Survey Results; Submitted Public Comment on Virginia Appeal to Atlantic Menhaden Amendment 3

Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board – Revised Agenda and Meeting Overview; Draft Addendum XXX, Public Hearing Summaries, Submitted Public Comment and Advisory Panel Report

As a reminder, Board meeting proceedings will be broadcast daily via webinar beginning February 6th at 9:30 a.m. and continuing daily until the conclusion of the meeting (expected to be 5 p.m.) on Thursday, February 8th. The webinar will allow registrants to listen to board/section deliberations and view presentations and motions as they occur. No comments or questions will be accepted via the webinar. Should technical difficulties arise while streaming the broadcast the boards/sections will continue their deliberations without interruption. We will attempt to resume the broadcast as soon as possible.

Learn more about the ASMFC by visiting their site here.

Atlantic Menhaden Board Meeting Added to ASMFC 2018 Winter Meeting Preliminary Agenda

January 11, 2018 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Comission:

Please note there are two changes to the ASMFC Winter Meeting preliminary agenda: (1) an agenda item has been added to the ISFMP Policy Board (i.e., Consider the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Atlantic Menhaden Amendment 3 Appeal); and (2) the Atlantic Menhaden Management Board has been added to the agenda and will meet on Thursday, February 8 from 1:45 – 2:45 p.m. There has been shift in meeting times that day to accommodate the added meeting. The agenda can also be found on the ASMFC website at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2018-winter-meeting.

Revised Preliminary Agenda

The agenda is subject to change. Bulleted items represent the anticipated major issues to be discussed or acted upon at the meeting. The final agenda will include additional items and may revise the bulleted items provided below. 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.

Tuesday, February 6

9:30 a.m. – Noon American Lobster Management Board

Consider American Lobster Addendum XXVI and Jonah Crab Addendum III for Final Approval
Subgroup Report on Goals and Objectives for Management of the Southern New England Stock
Consider 2020 American Lobster Benchmark Stock Assessment Terms of Reference
Elect Vice-chair

1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Atlantic Herring Section

Review Technical Committee Report on Effectiveness of Current Spawning Closure Procedure
Elect Chair and Vice-chair

2:15 – 4:15 p.m. Winter Flounder Management Board

Review Results of the 2017 Groundfish Operational Stock Assessment for Gulf of Maine and Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic Winter Flounder Stocks
Discuss Potential Management Response
Consider Specifications for 2018 Fishing Year

Consider Approval of Fishery Management Plan Review for 2016-2017 Fishing Year
Elect Chair and Vice-chair

4:30 – 6:00 p.m. American Eel Management Board

Consider Approval of Draft Addendum V for Public Comment
Consider Approval of 2016 Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance Reports

Wednesday, February 7

8:00 – 9:30 a.m. Executive Committee

(A portion of this meeting may be a closed session for Committee members and Commissioners only)

ACCSP Program Update
Discuss ASMFC Leadership Nomination Process
Discuss Updating Appeals Process
Discuss Updating Conservation Equivalency Guidelines

9:45 – 11:15 a.m. Strategic Planning Workshop

Review Annual Commissioner Survey Results
Discuss Next Steps in Developing 2019-2023 Strategic Plan

11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Weakfish Management Board

Consider Approval of 2017 Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance Reports
Consider the Use of Fishery-independent Samples in Fulfilling Biological Sampling Requirements of the Fishery Management Plan

12:45 – 2:45 p.m. South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board

Review Technical Committee Report on State Implementation Plans for the Interstate Cobia Fishery Management Plan
Consider Approval of Draft Addendum I to the Black Drum Fishery Management Plan for Public Comment
Review Technical Committee/Plan Review Team Report on Recommended Updates to the Annual Traffic Light Analyses for Atlantic Croaker and Spot
Consider Approval of 2017 Fishery Management Plan Reviews and State Compliance Reports for Spanish Mackerel and Spot

3:00 – 4:30 p.m. Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board

Review and Consider Maryland Conservation Equivalency Proposal
Update on Process and Timeline Regarding Board Guidance on Benchmark Stock Assessment

Thursday, February 8

8:00 – 10:00 a.m. Risk and Uncertainty Policy Workshop

10:15 a.m. — 1:15 p.m. Interstate Management Program Policy Board

Consider the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Atlantic Menhaden Amendment 3 Appeal
Consider Approval of Climate Change and Fisheries Management Policy
Review Shad Benchmark Stock Assessment Timeline and Consider Terms of Reference
Habitat Committee Report
NOAA Fisheries Overview of Right Whale Issue

1:15 – 1:30 p.m. Business Session

Consider Noncompliance Recommendations (If Necessary)

1:45 — 2:45 p.m. Atlantic Menhaden Management Board

Consider ISFMP Policy Board Recommendation Regarding the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Atlantic Menhaden Amendment 3 Appeal (If Necessary)

3:00 — 5:00 p.m. Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board

Consider Black Sea Bass Addendum XXX for Final Approval
Finalize Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Recreational Measures

Learn more about the ASMFC by visiting their site here.

March/April 2017 Issue of ASMFC Fisheries Focus Now Available

May 2, 2017 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has released the 14th report in its Habitat Management Series entitled, Atlantic Sciaenid Habitats: A Review of Utilization, Threats and Recommendations for Conservation, Management and Research. Prepared by ASMFC staff, sciaenid experts, and a subset of the Commission’s Habitat Committee, the report is the most comprehensive compilation of habitat information to date on Commission-managed and other common sciaenid species found throughout the Western Atlantic. These species include Atlantic croaker, black drum, red drum, spot, spotted seatrout, weakfish, northern kingfish, southern kingfish and Gulf kingfish. The report provides a habitat description for all stages of each species’ life cycle, their associated Essential Fish Habitats and Habitat Areas of Particular Concern (when applicable), threats and uncertainties to their habitats, and recommendations for habitat management and research. It was developed to serve as a resource for fisheries managers to use when amending existing fishery management plans.

Sciaenids are found throughout the Western Atlantic Ocean from Maine to Mexico, in shallow coastal waters and larger bays and estuaries, including their tributaries. They utilize a variety of habitats throughout their life stages, including estuaries, salt marshes, freshwater marshes, oyster reefs, sea grasses and mud banks/shores. Because of the way different species of sciaenids use various types of habitats throughout their life, several different habitats are key for maintaining healthy populations.

Read the full release here

ASMFC Releases Report on Sciaenid Fish Habitat

March 29, 2017 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Arlington, Va. — The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has released the 14^threport in its Habitat Management Series entitled, Atlantic Sciaenid Habitats: A Review of Utilization, Threats and Recommendations for Conservation, Management and Research. Prepared by ASMFC staff, sciaenid experts, and a subset of the Commission’s Habitat Committee, the report is the most comprehensive compilation of habitat information to date on Commission-managed and other common sciaenid species found throughout the Western Atlantic. These species include Atlantic croaker, black drum, red drum, spot, spotted seatrout, weakfish, northern kingfish, southern kingfish and Gulf kingfish. The report provides a habitat description for all stages of each species’ life cycle, their associated Essential Fish Habitats and Habitat Areas of Particular Concern (when applicable), threats and uncertainties to their habitats, and recommendations for habitat management and research. It was developed to serve as a resource for fisheries managers to use when amending existing fishery management plan (FMPs).

Estuarine habitats are particularly important to many sciaenids at every life stage. In the Mid-Atlantic Bight, as many as 14 species can be present in estuaries as larvae, juveniles, or adults over the course of a year. Weakfish, for example, use estuaries as primary spawning habitat, while Atlantic croaker and spot use them as nurseries and seasonal adult foraging grounds. Young sciaenids play important roles as both predators and prey in these habitats.

Temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen vary considerably in estuarine environments and these factors are known to affect sciaenid growth rates, spawning, and spatial and temporal distribution. As a group, sciaenids are habitat generalists rather than specialists and may therefore be relatively resilient to changes in environmental factors. However, Atlantic coast estuaries have been profoundly altered. Despite their ability to take advantage of a range of habitats, sciaenids are not immune to habitat degradation or suboptimal conditions, especially in the face of climate change.

Increasingly dense human populations along our coastlines threaten the health of estuaries and coastal waters, including sciaenid habitats. Widespread development, beach renourishment, dredging, overfishing, coastal armoring, pollution, and other human impacts have significantly altered the physical and chemical environments of estuarine and marine waters. Changes in hydrologic processes and runoff characteristics can increase turbidity and sedimentation and decrease light transmittance, which may lead to the loss of submerged aquatic vegetation. Human-caused alterations to the estuarine environment have been linked to changes in hydrography and salinity regimes, as well as food web modification, which can eventually reduce the quality of habitat for sciaenids and other estuarine-dependent fish.

The Commission would like to thank the following individuals for their contributions to the report: Jay Odell, Brian Boutin and Kate M. Wilke with The Nature Conservancy; Douglas H. Adams and Kent Smith with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; William Collier II, South Atlantic Fishery Management Council; Alison Deary, University of Southern Mississippi; James A. Johnson, Jr., North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality; Stephen R. Midway, Louisiana State University; January Murray, Georgia Department of Natural Resources; and Lisa N. Havel and Melissa W. Yuen, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

The report is available online at http://www.asmfc.org/files/Habitat/HMS14_AtlanticSciaenidHabitats_Winter2017.pdf. Species-specific chapters are also available on the Commission’s website, www.asmfc.org, on the respective species pages (on the left navigation bar under Quick Links). For more information, please contact Lisa Havel, Habitat Coordinator, at LHavel@asmfc.org.

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PR17-15

A PDF of the press release can be found at –http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/58dc0346pr15AtlanticSciaenidHabitats_Release.pdf.

Science on Menhaden Continues to Support Increased Quota

August 3, 2016 — The following was released by the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition:

Peter Baker, the Director of U.S. Oceans, Northeast for the Pew Charitable Trusts, argues in a recent article that fisheries managers should not raise the coastwide Atlantic menhaden harvest level (“10 Reasons to Maintain the Atlantic Menhaden Catch Limit in 2017”). But this recommendation goes against the last two years of menhaden science, which found in 2015 that the stock is healthy and sustainably managed, and this year finds that the quota can be significantly and sustainably raised.

Mr. Baker writes that “the [Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission] created the first coastwide catch limit in 2013 and set the allowable catch lower than the amount taken in preceding years in order to help menhaden rebuild.” In fact, the cuts were made to address overfishing that turned out never to have existed. The quota cut was instituted following a flawed stock assessment in 2010 that underestimated the health of the menhaden population, leading to an unnecessarily strict quota. Contrary to that assessment, menhaden was, and remains, a healthy and vibrant stock.

The numbers are not better now because cuts allowed the stock to rebuild, but rather because the earlier numbers were inaccurately low and have been corrected in the most recent assessment. The more recent, accurate ASMFC assessment, released in 2015, conclusively found that menhaden was “neither overfished nor experiencing overfishing” – in other words, the stock is sustainable and successfully managed.

Scientists with the ASMFC Menhaden Technical Committee recently gave regulators further evidence in favor of a quota increase. In a series of simulations – 9,000 to be precise – the Technical Committee analyzed what would happen if the menhaden quota was raised by various increments, up to a 40 percent increase. Their conclusion: there is a zero percent chance of overfishing occurring should the quota be increased.

Mr. Baker also questions the ecological effect a quota increase would have. Menhaden play a role in the food chain, with juvenile menhaden—menhaden from ages 0-1—serving as food for larger predators. Commercial fishermen do not fish for juvenile menhaden, a fact supported by the available data.

Additionally, Mr. Baker alleges that striped bass and weakfish populations are diminished because they have a lack of menhaden to consume. But striped bass and weakfish are susceptible to a wide variety of environmental factors, which regularly cause fluctuations in the population.

Lastly, Mr. Baker argues that the public supports the existing quota limitations based upon the results of online petitions with leading questions, funded and promoted by his organization. The accuracy of Pew’s campaigns notwithstanding, commercial fisheries are not managed by popularity contests.

Over the past three years, commercial fisheries and related industries have suffered lost revenue and workers have lost jobs. We now know that the unnecessarily low quotas were based on flawed data.

It is time to set quotas based on solid data and scientific review, not by demands made in well-funded media campaigns from the Pew Charitable Trusts and other special interest groups.

About the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition
The Menhaden Fisheries Coalition is a collective of menhaden fishermen, related businesses, and supporting industries. Comprised of over 30 businesses along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition conducts media and public outreach on behalf of the menhaden industry to ensure that members of the public, media, and government are informed of important issues, events, and facts about the fishery.

Weakfish Stock Assessment Indicates Stock is Depleted and Overfishing Not Occurring

May 5, 2016 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Comission:

Alexandria, VA – The 2016 Weakfish Benchmark Stock Assessment and Peer Review Report indicate weakfish is depleted and has been for the past 13 years. Under the new reference points, the stock is considered depleted when the stock is below a spawning stock biomass (SSB) threshold of 30% (15.17 million pounds). In 2014, SSB was 5.62 million pounds. While the assessment indicates some positive signs in the weakfish stock in the most recent years, with a slight increase in SSB and total abundance, the stock is still well below the SSB threshold.

The assessment indicates natural mortality (e.g., the rate at which fish die because of natural causes such as predation, disease, starvation) has been increasing since the mid-1990s, from approximately 0.16 in the early 1980s to an average of 0.93 from 2007-2014. Therefore, even though fishing mortality has been at low levels in recent years, the weakfish population has been experiencing very high levels of total mortality (which includes fishing mortality and natural mortality), preventing the stock from recovering.

To better address the issues impacting the weakfish resource, the Technical Committee recommends the use of total mortality (Z) benchmarks to prevent an increase in fishing pressure when natural mortality is high. The assessment proposes a total mortality target of 0.93 and threshold of 1.36. Total mortality in 2014 was 1.11, which is above the threshold but below the target, indicating that total mortality is still high but within acceptable limits. This is the first time in 13 years that Z has been below the threshold, and additional years of data are needed to determine whether estimates in Z in the most recent years will remain below the threshold.

Weakfish commercial landings have dramatically declined since the early 1980s, dropping from over 19 million pounds landed in 1982 to roughly 200,000 pounds in 2014. The majority of landings occur in North Carolina and Virginia and, since the early 1990s, the primary gear used has been gillnets. Discarding of weakfish by commercial fishermen is known to occur, especially in the mixed species trawl fishery, and the discard mortality is assumed to be 100%. Discards peaked in the 1990s but have since declined as the result of management measures and a decline in stock abundance.

Like the commercial sector, catch in the recreational fishery has declined from over 11 million pounds in 1983 to roughly 77,000 pounds in 2014. Recreational harvest has been dominated by New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. Recreational discard mortality, which is assumed to be 10%, has decreased with recreational catch.

The Board accepted the stock assessment and peer review report for management use, including its proposed new reference points for both SSB and Z. Given the weakfish management program is already highly restrictive with a one fish recreational creel limit, 100 pound commercial trip limit, and 100 pound commercial bycatch limit, and the assessment showed a slight increase in SSB, the Board took no management action at this time. It directed the Technical Committee to prepare for an assessment update in two years, at which time the Board will review the results and consider possible management action.

A more detailed description of the stock assessment results is available on the Commission’s website at http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file//572b74a22016WeakfishAssessmentOverview_Final.pdf. The final assessment and peer review report will be posted to the Commission website, www.asmfc.org, by mid-May on the weakfish webpage. For more information on the stock assessment, please contact Katie Drew, Senior Stock Assessment Scientist, at kdrew@asmfc.org; and for more information on weakfish management, please contact Megan Ware, FMP Coordinator, at mware@asmfc.org.