Atlantic Coast Fisheries News

October 26: NOAA is seeking public comment on the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Restoration Blueprint and draft Management Plan, aimed at addressing ongoing concerns and building ecosystem resilience to threats such as climate change. Comments may be submitted through October 26.

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October 31: NOAA Fisheries announced a proposed rule to modify North Atlantic right whale vessel speed regulations. The Federal Register Notice for this action is available at the Federal Register webpage. Comments may be submitted through October 31.

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October 31: MD DNR announced a scoping period to identify issues, potential impacts, and reasonable alternatives associated with the blue crabs, oysters, gear, and penalties so that management actions can be developed. Comments may be submitted through October 31.

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November 7: NOAA Fisheries announced a proposed rule to list the queen conch as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and is requesting public comment. Comments may be submitted through November 7.

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ASMFC: September/October Issue of Fisheries Focus Now Available

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has released its September/October issue of Fisheries Focus. The issue highlights upcoming events, conversations on climate changes, a species profile of Spanish mackerel, and an update from ACCSP, among other things. A recent account of the comings and goings at the commission and recognition of the Employee of the Quarter are also detailed.

Reviewing Fisheries Focus is a great way to stay up to date with what is going on at the commission and learn more about new initiatives happening across the Atlantic coast states.

Find more information here.

ME DMR: Governor Mills Directs DMR to Push for Expedited Appeal of Court Decision Hurting Maine’s Vital Lobster Industry

Governor Janet Mills directed the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) to file a motion to expedite the appeal of a recent decision by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in Maine Lobstermen’s Association v. National Marine Fisheries Service.

The Mills Administration has partnered with the Maine Lobstermen’s Association in Maine Lobstermen’s Association v. National Marine Fisheries Service to assert that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Biological Opinion, released in May 2021, is unlawful. The State and MLA argue that NMFS acted arbitrarily by failing to rely on the best available scientific information and by failing to account for the positive impact of costly conservation measures already adopted by the Maine lobster fishery. In its September 8, 2022 opinion, the U.S. District Court sided with NMFS against Maine lobstermen.

Find more information here.

GA DNR: Coastal Resources Division postpones Red Drum regulation change proposal

A proposal to amend the recreational fishing regulations for Red Drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) has been postponed pending a thorough review of public comments by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the agency announced today.

DNR’s Coastal Resources Division, which manages the state’s saltwater fisheries, received more than 1,300 public comments regarding its proposal to reduce the daily creel limit from five Red Drum to three, establish a new vessel limit of nine, and prohibit for-hire guides and mates from retaining any Red Drum during a chartered fishing trip. Currently, the daily limit is five Red Drum and there are no restrictions on fish caught per vessel or on guides or mates from retaining fish.

Anyone seeking more information about the proposed rule change can view CRD presentations about the proposal, as well as a recording of the Sept. 22 Brunswick public hearing.

Find more information here.

NJFW: Free Fishing Day on October 22

The October Free Fishing Day allows the public to take advantage of the fall trout stocking. On this day, residents may fish on the Garden State’s public waters without a license or trout stamp. All other regulations, including size and daily catch limits, remain in effect.

New Jersey’s Free Fishing Day is a no-risk investment for an introduction to freshwater fishing in the Garden State and the perfect time for families to enjoy a day of outdoor fun for free. Though youngsters under the age of 16 don’t need a license, these days provide a special benefit to adults who can join in the fun without having to purchase a license. That is, until they get hooked on a sport that just might become a lifetime of fun for the whole family.

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NYS DEC: DEC Announces $1.4 Million in Grants for 23 Projects in Hudson River Estuary Watershed Communities

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today announced grants totaling more than $1.4 million for 23 projects to help communities along the Hudson River Estuary improve water quality and enhance environmental education and stewardship. The announcement coincides with the 20th Annual 'Day in the Life of the Hudson and Harbor ,' where 5,000 student scientists are gathering along the Hudson River and New York Harbor to collect data on the Hudson's fish and invertebrates, track the river's tides and currents, and examine water chemistry and quality.

The grants are administered by DEC's Hudson River Estuary Program. Now in its 20th year, the Estuary Grants Program implements priorities outlined in DEC's Hudson River Estuary Action Agenda 2021-2025. To date, DEC's Hudson River Estuary Program has awarded 617 grants totaling nearly $27 million.

A list containing each project, the county it supports, and the grant value awarded can be found on the linked page.

Find more information here.

NC DMF: Seeking Grant Proposals for Fishing Access and Education Projects within North Carolina

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries is accepting applications for proposals for fishing access and education projects for the 2023-2024 funding cycle from the N.C. Marine Resources Fund.

The fund, which receives proceeds from the sale of Coastal Recreational Fishing Licenses, provides grants for projects that help manage, protect, restore, develop, cultivate, and enhance the state’s marine resources.

Proposals will be evaluated based on the N.C. Marine Resources Fund and Marine Resources Endowment Fund Strategic Plan to Manage, Protect, Restore, Develop, Cultivate, Conserve, and Enhance North Carolina’s Marine Resources.

Find more information here.

NC DMF: Trip limit reduced for pound nets in Central Management Area & commercial flounder season reopening for gigs and hook-and-line in Northern Management Area

The flounder trip limit was reduced in the Pound Net Central Management Area on Oct. 15. Additionally, the commercial flounder season reopened on Oct. 14 for gigs and hook-and-line in the Mobile Gear Northern Management Area.

Beginning on Oct. 15, pound net harvest in the Pound Net Central Management Area was limited to 1,000 pounds of flounder per day. The Pound Net Central Management Area includes Pamlico Sound and its tributaries. The trip limit is needed to ensure this fishery does not exceed its harvest quota.

The commercial flounder season for gigs and hook-and-line in the Mobile Gear Northern Management Area reopened, Oct. 14 with a 50-fish per person per day trip limit. The harvest season will close when the Total Allowable Landings for this sector is approached. The Mobile Gear Northern Management Area includes the upper portion of Core Sound and waters north to the Virginia State line.

Find more information here.

DE DNREC: Working Into Fall on Beach Nourishment Projects

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control is set to continue beach nourishment along the Delaware Bay when the DNREC Shoreline and Waterway Management Section begins a month-long project Monday, Oct. 17 at Pickering Beach in Kent County that will bring some 3,500 cubic yards of sand trucked in from local sources to cover 2,500 feet of community beachfront.

The Pickering Beach nourishment project and others in Delaware Bay communities to be undertaken this year by DNREC are funded in large part by the American Rescue Plan. Funds totaling $1.3M will be used by the Shoreline and Waterway Management Section for deploying small nourishment projects along the Bay beaches to include Pickering Beach, Kitts Hummock, and Cape Shores, in addition to Atlantic Ocean nourishment work at Delaware Seashore State Park’s North Inlet Day Use Area. Work this fall and into winter is expected to lengthen the beach and dune life of a DNREC project that spanned five Bay beach communities and was completed last winter.

Find more information here.

SAFMC: Federal Fishery Advisory Panel Seats Open for South Atlantic Region

Persons interested in federal fisheries management have an opportunity to become more involved by applying now for open seats on the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s advisory panels. The advisory panels inform and guide the Council in developing and implementing federal fishery management plans and amendments. Issues currently being addressed by the Council include options for Spanish Mackerel management measures, development of the Council’s Habitat Blueprint, and input on law enforcement issues affecting several fisheries. Advisory panel members also provide periodic Fishery Performance Reports to the Council, providing updated descriptions of the factors influencing fishing efforts and catch within individual fisheries.

Information on individual advisory panel seat availability and member restrictions can be found on the linked page. As well as instructions for how to apply.

Find more information here.

NOAA Fisheries: BlueTrace Wins NOAA Small Business Innovation Research Grant

Maine-based shellfish technology company BlueTrace has won a $500,000 NOAA Small Business Innovation Research grant to expedite their innovative shellfish tagging and traceability efforts. Seeing a need in the shellfish market to more effectively manage and track harvests, founder and CEO Chip Terry and his partners started Oyster Tracker. That product quickly evolved into the BlueTrace tool for shellfish harvesters to print tags and digitally record the harvest logs required by law.

BlueTrace’s pioneering iOS app allows shellfish growers to input data through their phones (or iPads) in the field, simplifying required financial and harvest reporting. Buyers can then print harvest and dealer tags with an embedded QR code, recording all the necessary information for tracking and selling. BlueTrace tags cost less on average than preprinted tags, without the more cumbersome and error-prone labor of handwriting data.

Find more information here.

NOAA Fisheries: Workshops to Discuss Dolphinfish (Mahi Mahi) Management Strategy

NOAA Fisheries is holding a series of in-person workshops to gather input from stakeholders in the region that will guide dolphinfish (i.e. dolphin or mahi mahi) management.

The workshops are being led in collaboration with the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, and build on previous participatory workshops on the dolphin/wahoo fishery. Results from this previous effort indicate that a more flexible management approach is needed to respond to changing conditions and levels of abundance, and to account for regional differences in the dolphinfish fishery. Stakeholder input will help us identify and rank the relative importance of management objectives (e.g. high catch, consistency of catch, long seasons) across the region. It will also help to determine where the major risks and uncertainties lie within the stock and fishery. This input will be used in a management strategy evaluation to develop a management procedure that best achieves the suite of management objectives identified for the U.S. Atlantic dolphinfish fishery.

Find more information here.

NOAA Fisheries: Thirty-Six Morbidity Cases Added to North Atlantic Right Whale Unusual Mortality Event

NOAA Fisheries is adding morbidity cases (i.e., sublethally injured or ill whales) to the ongoing North Atlantic Right Whale Unusual Mortality Event based on a new scientific veterinary peer-reviewed protocol. NOAA Fisheries and external experts in whale biology and health developed this protocol to provide a more complete picture of the North Atlantic right whale population’s health status and challenges impeding its recovery. The North Atlantic right whale is one of the world’s most endangered large whale species. The latest preliminary estimate suggests there are fewer than 350 individuals and 70 reproductive females.

The leading causes of the UME are vessel strikes and entanglement in fishing gear. Dead, seriously injured, and sublethally injured or ill right whales have been found in both U.S. and Canadian waters. The real number of right whales impacted by human interactions is likely much larger. Scientists have estimated that, on average, about only one third of North Atlantic right whale mortalities are actually detected.

Find more information here.

What We're Reading

All that plastic in the ocean is a climate change problem, too Researchers worry that microplastics may be messing with an important carbon sequestration process (Grist)

Alaska cancels snow crab season over population decline

Causes being researched but likely included increased predation and stresses from warmer water (The Guardian)

Underwater Camera Trap Video Confirms 1,100-Mile Swim of Tagged Great White Shark (Wildlife Conservation Society)

As Indonesia protects more marine areas, top priority is management Effective management of these marine areas must be the government’s top priority in a world faced with global climate change and biodiversity crises (Mongabay)

Past the Salt After 150 years of salt mining, a tidal marsh returns to California (Sierra Club)

Podcast or Article: Murder at Sea When a grainy video of a grisly mass shooting on the high seas surfaced, one determined detective and a host of NGOs went on a quest for justice (Hakai Magazine)

Women researchers are cited less than men. Here’s why—and what can be done about it Understanding these underlying biases is critical for evaluating progress toward gender parity (Science | AAAS)

Proposal to grant the ocean rights calls for a sea change in legal framework While some laws protect parts of the ocean, there is currently no framework to specifically recognize the ocean’s inherent rights on a national or international level (Mongabay)

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