Public Comment
November 17:
MAFMC seeks public comments on a 5-year review of the golden tilefish individual fishing quota (IFQ) program.
The report was developed to provide the first comprehensive review of the progress of the Golden Tilefish IFQ Program towards achieving the stated goals of reducing overcapacity and eliminating the problems associated with derby fishing. In general terms, it was found that overcapacity has been reduced since the program was implemented, and it appears that derby-style fishing has subsided and that ex-vessel prices have improved under the IFQ system. The review also addresses recent administrative changes to the program, and summarizes future research needs and recommended changes to the program. (
Find more information here)
November 22:
NOAA Fisheries proposes to revise the 2018 quotas and announce projected 2019 quotas
for the scup fishery. Compared to the current specifications in place for 2018, this action would increase the commercial quotas and recreational harvest limits each by approximately 40 percent.
(Find more information here)
November 27:
NOAA Fisheries seeks comment on Amendment 41 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (Amendment 41) and proposed rule. The proposed actions would update mutton snapper catch limits and fishing regulations based on the most recent population assessment.
(
Find more information here)
December 15: NOAA Fisheries is considering changes to the lobster managment program and may select a control date to restrict the number of permits or traps an individual or business entity may own, with specific emphasis on Lobster Conservation Management Areas (LCMAs) 2 and 3. (
Find more information here)
January 22: ASMFC seeks public comments on American Lobster Draft Addendum XXVI/Jonah Crab Addendum III. The Draft Addenda seek to improve harvest reporting and biological data collection in the American lobster and Jonah crab fisheries. The Draft Addenda propose using the latest reporting technology, expanding the collection of effort data, increasing the spatial resolution of harvester reporting, and advancing the collection of biological data, particularly offshore. (
Find more information here)
|
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 November 16
|
|
|
|
ASMFC: Amendment 3 approved to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Menhaden
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has approved Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic Menhaden. The Amendment maintains the management program's current single-species biological reference points until the review and adoption of menhaden-specific ecological reference points as part of the 2019 benchmark stock assessment process. It also addresses a suite of commercial management measures including allocation, quota transfers, quota rollovers, incidental catch, the episodic events set aside program, and the Chesapeake Bay reduction fishery cap.
In addition to its Amendment 3 deliberations, the Board set the total allowable catch for the 2018 and 2019 fishing seasons at 216,000 metric tons with the expectation that the setting of the TAC for subsequent years will be guided by menhaden-specific ecological reference points.
Find more information
here
.
|
|
ASMFC: Interstate FMP for the Atlantic Migratory Group Cobia Approved
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission approved the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic Migratory Group (AMG). The FMP complements many of the aspects of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council's (SAFMC) cobia regulations for federal waters extending from Georgia through New York. The FMP was initiated in response to recent overages of the federal annual catch limit (ACL) for AMG Cobia. Managing the recreational ACL on a coastwide basis has resulted in federal closures and significant overages in 2015 and 2016, disrupting fishing opportunities and jeopardizing the health of the stock.
Under the Interstate FMP, the recreational fishery will be managed with a one fish bag limit and minimum size limit of 36" fork length (FL) or total length equivalent. Vessel limits will be determined once individual states set their seasonal restrictions, but may not exceed six fish per vessel. State-specific allocations of a coastwide recreational harvest limit that is equivalent to the federal AMG cobia ACL of 620,000 pounds result in the following state-specific soft targets:
- Georgia: 58,311 pounds
- South Carolina: 74,885 pounds
- North Carolina: 236,316 pounds
- Virginia: 244,292 pounds
Find more
information here
.
|
|
ME DMR: Elver Lottery to Allow New Entrants into Maine's Lucrative Elver Fishery
A handful of lucky Mainers will soon have a chance to join the state's lucrative elver fishery.
Starting November 15, the Maine Department of Marine Resources will be implementing a lottery to allow at least seven new licenses to be issued for the 2018 season, which starts March 22, 2018.
The lottery, authorized during the past legislative session, is available to Maine residents who are at least 15 years of age by the start of the 2018 season, and who are eligible to purchase an elver license in 2018 because they have not had their right to obtain an elver license suspended.
Each new license holder will receive a minimum of four pounds of quota, which at the most recent season's average value could amount to nearly $6,000 of income.
"Maine's elver fishery is by far the most valuable on a per-pound basis," said Maine Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher. "We're pleased to be able to provide new opportunity for commercial fishing in Maine, or perhaps a chance for an existing fisherman to diversify into another fishery."
The cap on licenses was established at 425, seven more than are currently
eligible for renewal in 2018. If additional license-holders choose not to renew their license by the end of the year, more licenses will be available through the lottery.
Find
more information
here.
|
|
NYS DEC: Winners of 14th Annual Environmental Excellence Awards Announced
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today recognized seven organizations for their state-of-the-art programs and commitment to environmental sustainability, social responsibility, and economic viability at the 14th Annual New York State Environmental Excellence Awards celebration, held at Union College's Park Hall.
DEC Commissioner Seggos said, "I am proud to present this year's Environmental Excellence Awards to municipalities and organizations that are demonstrating outstanding leadership by adopting innovative solutions to protect our environment and strengthen our economy. These projects set a high bar for others to follow as we collectively address critical environmental issues such as fighting climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, protecting pollinator habitats critical to our agricultural economy, advancing the use of electric vehicles, protecting the vitality of our waterways, and keeping potentially hazardous materials out of landfills. Congratulations to all of our outstanding award winners."
At the event, the awards were presented by DEC acting Chief of Staff Julie Tighe.
Find more
information here
.
|
|
US FWS: Service's Environmental Assessment Balances Protection of Aquaculture with Conservation of Cormorant Populations
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has taken action towards providing relief to fish production facilities that are suffering significant economic losses due to predation of their fish stocks by double-crested cormorants. The Environmental Assessment released today was completed by the Service under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in consultation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Wildlife Services. It evaluated options for issuing individual permits to lethally control cormorants (known as depredation permits) while ensuring the long-term health of the cormorant population.
Cormorants can feed on fish raised for human consumption and on fish raised for other commercial purposes. In addition, cormorants may cause economic damage to property as well as other damage and conflicts associated with increasing populations.
Find more information
here
.
|
|
NOAA: New Assessment of Climate Change and Impacts on U.S. regions, sectors
On behalf of the U.S.
Global Change
Research Program, we are pleased to announce major milestones in the timelines of three important reports.
As an authoritative report of the physical science of
climate change
with a focus on the United States, the CSSR represents the scientific consensus on climate science in America. The assessment was written by a team of America's top experts in climate change science, including representatives from the Federal government, national laboratories, universities, and the private sector. It underwent six rounds of expert, technical review and is intended to serve as the foundation for an assessment of climate-related impacts, risks and
adaptation
, as reflected in NCA4 Vol. II.
|
|
NOAA: US Leads in Global Fisheries Management
The United States has some of the best managed marine fisheries in the world. With that leadership comes the opportunity and responsibility to advance sustainable conservation and management practices on the high seas and, as appropriate, to support other nations in achieving similar outcomes in their economic zones. NOAA Fisheries, through the work of our Office of International Affairs and Seafood Inspection-along with our national program offices, regional offices, fisheries science centers, and international partners-leads the nation's efforts in achieving globally sustainable resources and conservation of living marine resources while ensuring U.S. fishermen's access to high-seas fisheries.
Much of this is achieved through bilateral engagement, participation in regional fishery management organizations, other multilateral conservation fora, and scientific exchanges. But we also use our role as a major importer of seafood by enforcing laws requiring seafood exported to the United States to originate from fisheries that have comparable conservation measures in place. Over the past year, the Office of International Affairs and Seafood Inspection has worked to implement two new regulations:
-
The Seafood Import Monitoring Program, which established traceability requirements for certain priority fish species entering U.S. commerce.
-
The international import provisions of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which require that seafood exported to the United States is from fisheries with measures in place to reduce the bycatch of marine mammals that are comparable in effectiveness to U.S. measures.
Find more
information here
.
|
|
NEFSC: Shifting Presence of North Atlantic Right Whales Tracked with Passive Acoustics
A new study confirms what marine mammal researchers have suspected for a while: right whales use nearly the entire eastern seaboard during the winter, and they move around a lot more than was previously thought. How long they spend in some areas of their range has also changed in recent years.
The findings, published in
Nature Scientific Reports, were based on passive acoustic monitoring. Using bottom-mounted listening devices deployed along the coast, researchers can record whale calls 24/7 and obtain new insights into how whales use all habitats.
"This study demonstrates that passive acoustic monitoring is a useful tool in understanding and tracking shifts in the movements of large whales over long periods of time," said Genevieve Davis, an acoustician at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center's Woods Hole Laboratory in Massachusetts and lead author of the study. "This kind of information is impossible to access in any other way because of weather and day light constraints for visual surveys."
Find more
information here
.
|
|
GARFO: Rhode Island Commercial Summer Flounder Fishery Closure
Effective 0001 hours
November 14, 2017, fishing vessels issued a Federal moratorium permit for the summer flounder fishery may no longer land summer flounder in Rhode Island for the remainder of the 2017 calendar year.
The 2017 commercial summer flounder quota allocated to Rhode Island has been harvested.
This closure is concurrent with the State of Rhode Island's closure of its commercial summer flounder fishery to state permitted vessels and dealers.
Find more information
here
.
|
GARFO: NOAA Fisheries Announces Final Blueline Tilefish Amendment to the Golden Tilefish Fishery Management Plan
NOAA Fisheries announces that we are implementing regulations for Amendment 6 to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's
Tilefish Fishery Management Plan. This action sets commercial and recreational management measures for the blueline tilefish fishery in the Mid-Atlantic. Blueline tilefish (
Caulolatilus microps
) is also known as grey tilefish.
This rule goes into effect on December 15, 2017.
Blueline tilefish have been managed for many years under the South Atlantic Council's
Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan, whose measures only apply south of the Virginia/North Carolina border. The fishery in the Mid-Atlantic was considered very small and remained unregulated until recently.
Find more information
here
.
|
Please feel free to forward to fishery friends & colleagues! If you have a suggestion for a feature, please email
[email protected].
|
|
|
Upcoming Meetings and Events
|
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)
Facebook |
Twitter
Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MD DNR)
News Room
|
Calendar of Events
Facebook |
Twitter
District Department of the Environment (DC DOEE)
News Room |
Calendar of Events |
Twitter
Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC)
News Room |
Calendar of Events
Facebook |
Twitter
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)
|
|
|
|
