Public Comment         

Feb. 16: NOAA Fisheries seeks public comment on the issuance of an exempted fishing permit to Dr. David Kerstetter of Nova Southeastern University to evaluate pelagic longline (PLL) catch and bycatch rates from within two different sub-areas in the northern portion of the East Florida Coast (EFC) PLL Closed Area and compare those rates to rates obtained by authorized samplers from outside the EFC PLL Closed Area and the availability of a draft Environmental Assessment analyzing the impacts of granting the application to conduct the research using commercial PLL vessels with certain terms and conditions. ( Find more information here.)  

Feb. 17: NOAA Fisheries seeks public comment on the proposed rule to implement Amendment 36 to the Fisheries Management Plan (FMP) for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region as prepared and submitted by the SAFMC. If implemented, this proposed rule would modify the FMP framework procedures to allow spawning special management zones (SMZs) to be established or modified through the framework process. ( Find more information here.)

Mar. 6: NEFMC seeks public comment for a scoping document for Amendment 5 to the Northeast skate complex FMP. The purpose of this scoping document is to inform the public of the Council's intent to gather information necessary for the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement that will analyze the impacts of this amendment on the affected biological, physical and human environments ( Find more information here.)

Mar. 10: NOAA Fisheries invites public comments on the information collection requirements mandated in the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan. Specifically, (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden (including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. (Find more information here.)

 Apr. 7: ASMFC seeks public comment on Draft Addendum I to Amendment 3 of the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Herring. Draft Addendum I includes management options to ensure the seasonal quota is distributed throughout Trimester 2, are applied consistently by the states adjacent to Area 1A, and address excessive capacity. The Draft Addendum
presents six management options to improve the performance of the Area 1A fishery, ranging from restricting a vessel from landing fish caught on days out of the fishery to limiting transfers at sea a well as the amount
a vessel can land per week. The document also seeks input on a tiered weekly landing limit for future management consideration. (Find more information here). 

Apr. 7:  ASMFC seeks public comment on  Draft Addendum XXV to Amendment 3 to the Interstate FMP
for American Lobster. The Draft Addendum seeks to address the  
depleted condition of the Southern New England (SNE) stock while preserving a functional portion of the SNE lobster fishery. The document presents a suite of management measures to increase egg production and lower fishing mortality through a combination of management tools including gauge size changes, season closures, and trap reductions. (Find more information here).  
 
National Updates
Regional Updates
Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO)
Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC)
Southeast Regional Office (SERO)
Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC)
USFWS - Northeast Office (Region 5)
USFWS - Southeast Office (Region 4)
New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC)
Potomac River Fisheries Commission (PRFC)
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC)
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC)
Featured Stories for the Week of February 15
ASMFC: Red Drum Stock Assessment Indicates Overfishing Not Occurring

The 2017 Red Drum Stock Assessment and Peer Review Report indicate overfishing is not occurring for red drum in either the northern (North Carolina-New Jersey) or southern (South Carolina-Florida) st ocks. The assessment was unable to determine an overfished/not overfish ed status because population abundance could not be reliably estimated due to limited data for the older fish (ages 4+) that are not typically harvested due to the current fishery measures (slot-limits). The Board accepted the st ock assessment and peer review report for management use. No management action was taken at this time since overfishing is not occurring. 

Find more information here.
States Schedule Public Hearings on Atlantic Herring Draft Addendum I & American Lobster Draft Addendum XXV
   
The states of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and New Jersey have scheduled their hearings to gather public comment on Draft Addendum I to Amendment 3 of the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Herring. Draft Addendum I includes management options to ensure the seasonal quota is distributed throughout Trimester 2, are applied consistently by the states adjacent to Area 1A, and address excessive capacity. 

Details of the scheduled hearings can be found here.

The states of Massachusetts through Delaware have scheduled their hearings to gather public comment on Draft Addendum XXV to Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Lobster. The Draft Addendum seeks to address the depleted condition of the Southern New England (SNE) stock while preserving a functional portion of the SNE lobster fishery.    
 
Details of the scheduled hearings can be found here. 
DNREC DEC: New Grants Available from DNREC's Division of Energy & Climate

DNREC's Division of Energy & Climate invites municipalities, county governments and their academic and non-profit partners to apply for the new Sustainable   Communities  Planning Grants now available. These competitive grants support planning and  assessment projects that improve a community's economy, environment and public health. 

Grant funds can be used to develop:  Community sustainability plans;  Climate change vulnerability assessments and action plans;  Greenhouse gas inventories and mitigation plans;  Natural areas inventories and conservation plans.
 
Find more information  here . 

NEFMC: Schedules Workshops on Deep Sea Coral Management Areas  
 
NEFMC is hosting two workshops (in March) to bring together active fishermen who use bottom-tending mobile and fixed gear to discuss issues related to its Deep_sea Coral Amendment. Advance registration is strongly encouraged,. NEFMC is seeking guidance primarily from active fishermen who use trawls, traps or pots, gillnets, longlines, and/or dredges offshore in the Gulf of Maine and in the slope/canyon region south of Georges Bank. The Coral Amendment contains several alternatives that are under development. NEFMC is looking for (1) industry feedback on fishing activity within the proposed coral protection zones; and (2) help in refining management area boundaries to limit impacts to fishing operations while still providing protection to coral.

Find more information here.
NEFSC: Deploys Early 21st Century Communications Tools
  
AS of February 13th, the number of Facebook users rose to 1.86 billion +1, and the Twitterverse expanded by a fraction of a megaparsec. Yes, the NEFSC is now reaching out through social media. We're sharing the Facebook page with our Greater Atlantic Regional Office and Tweeting alongside them and other NOAA Fisheries staff. Whale week is our opening theme, but we'll be posting about all our science, our staff, and news and oddities from around the NEFSC. Also, the field science blog will soon be featuring our Ecosystem Monitoring cruise, so so check it out soon.

We invite you to follow/like/share us, and share what's important to you. Links to all three platforms are in the "Related Links" box to the right.
 
Find more information here . 
NOAA: Delay in Implementation of Final Rule for Black Sea Bass and Dolphin in Federal Waters of the Atlantic
 
NOAA Fisheries has delayed the effectiveness of two final rules affecting fishermen in Atlantic waters: a requirement to mark buoy lines for black sea bass pots in the South Atlantic with purple marks, and a 4,000-pound whole weight trip limit for dolphin in the Atlantic after 75 percent of the commercial sector annual catch limit has been met or projected to be met. 
 
The delay is in accordance with a memorandum dated January 20, 2017, issued by the White House.   Find more information  here .

ME DMR: Seeks Industry Participants for 2017 Lobster Ventless Trap Program

ME DMR, in cooperation with the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation, seeks three industry participants for the Regional Ventless Trap Program through a competitive bid process. This is an opportunity to participate in a cooperative research project between industry and scientists from Maine through New York. Three of nine legs are open for bid, covering (1) Muscongus Bay, (2) South Penobscot Bay, and (3) Isle au Haut to MDI. Each leg will have 75-100 small mesh traps rigged as triples randomly positioned at three depths.

Sampling will take place during June, July and August 2017. Each trap will be baited and hauled twice each month on three night soaks making a total 3 day commitment each month. The lobster catch will be measured by a sea sampler and immediately returned to the ocean. All traps, line and buoys will be supplied to participating fishermen. Interested parties will need to complete the application to identify vessel specifications, daily rate and  preferred sampling leg.

Find more information  here . The application deadline is March 10, 2017.
Ventless Trap (c) Trisha Cheney, ME DMR
 
Upcoming Meetings and Events 
 
Feb. 14-16: MAFMC (Kitty Hawk, NC)
 
Feb. 15-16: NC MFC (Wilmington, NC)
 
Feb. 22: RIMFC Shellfish Advisory Panel meeting (Narragansett, RI)
 
Feb. 27: NEFMC Skate Amendment 5 scoping hearing (Narragansett, RI)
 
Feb. 28- Mar. 1: Council Coordination Committee (Arlington, VA)
 
Mar. 2-4: Maine Fishermen's Forum (Rockport, ME)

Mar. 6-10: SAFMC (Jekyll Island, GA)
 
Mar. 8: Feeding the Future: An Ocean of Opportunity  (Washington, D.C.)
 
 
Apr. 11-13: MAFMC (Avalon, NJ)
 
Apr. 9-11: Northeast Fish & Wildlife Conference (Norfolk, VA)
 
Apr. 19-25: International Pectinid Workshop (Portland, ME)
Coastwide Updates
State Updates
Maine Department of Marine Fisheries (ME DMR)
New Hampshire Fish & Game Department (NH FGD)
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MA DMF)
Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife (RI DFW)
Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (CT DEEP)
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC)
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC)
New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife (NJ DFW)
Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife (DE DFW)
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Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MD DNR)
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District Department of the Environment  (DC DOEE)
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Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC)
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North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (NC DMF)
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SC DNR)
Georgia Department of Natural Resources - Coastal Resources Division (GA CRD)
Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWCC)