February 2010 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 13. Commercial Fishing News Atlantic Sturgeon May be Listed as Endangered Species


NOAA’s Fisheries Service announced that it will consider listing Atlantic sturgeon as threatened or endangered under the fed- eral Endangered Species Act. The agency received a petition from the Natural Re- sources Defense Council in October 2009, requesting that the species be listed through- out its range.


NOAA has been evaluating the need to list the species since 2007, when a formal status review was completed for the species by a team of biologists from NOAA, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.


The latest status review, which identi- fied five Atlantic sturgeon populations off the U.S. East Coast, found that the most significant threats to the species’ continued survival were unintended catch, vessel strikes, poor water quality, lack of regulatory mechanisms for protecting the fish, and dredging. It also recommended that specific sturgeon populations centered in the New York Bight, Chesapeake Bay and off the Caro- linas should be listed, but made no particular recommendation on listing those in the Gulf of Maine and the south Atlantic. Along with the action accepting the petition to list this species, NOAA is solicit- ing any new information about the status of these populations that may have been devel- oped since the review was concluded in 2007. Atlantic sturgeon are large, slow-grow-


ing, late-maturing, long-lived, estuary-de- pendent fish that are born and spawn in fresh water, and spend the majority of their lives in salt water. Historically, their range included most major estuary and river systems from Labrador to Florida. Atlantic sturgeon popu- lations have been found in 35 U.S. rivers, and spawning is believed to occur in at least 20 of these.


Historic catch records indicate that these fish were once abundant, supporting important colonial fisheries. The first major U.S. commercial fishery for them developed in the late 19th century, when demand grew for sturgeon caviar. This lasted until the 1950s, with landings peaking in 1890. The commercial fishery collapsed in 1901 when landings were about 10 percent of the peak, declining to even less later. Catching the fish was prohibited in 1998 by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, and it is cur- rently illegal to fish for, catch or keep Atlantic sturgeon from U.S. waters.


An Endangered Species listing would increase protection for the sturgeon by mak- ing it illegal to “take” (harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, col- lect, or attempt to do these things) the spe- cies, in addition to the current prohibition on catching it. Similar prohibitions usually ex- tend to threatened species.


You may submit comments, information or data, identified by the Regulation Identifier


MISC. COMMERCIAL FISHING NEWS Continued on Page 12.


support systems for both the expanded catch share program and for vessels that will still be fishing under the days-at-sea program will be in place,” said Patricia Kurkul, northeast regional administrator for NOAA’s Fisheries Service. “This is critical so we can track catches accurately, which is key to both sector and common pool management.”


A number of other measures are being proposed to afford greater protection to fish stocks most in need, including: Rebuilding programs for witch flounder, Georges Bank winter flounder, pollock, northern windowpane flounder, and Atlantic wolffish, which were recently determined to be overfished; An increase in the minimum fish size for Atlantic halibut from 36 inches to 41 inches to increase opportunities for halibut to spawn prior to capture, thereby increasing the likelihood that stock rebuilding will stay on track; Gear restricted areas to protect the depleted southernmost winter flounder and yellowtail flounder stocks by requiring vessels to use selective


Number (RIN), 0648-XT28, by any of the following methods: Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// www.regulations.gov. Mail: Assistant Re- gional Administrator, Protected Resources Division, NOAA Fisheries, Northeast Re- gional Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930 (for Atlantic sturgeon populations occurring in the Northeast); or


Assistant Regional Administrator, Protected Resources Division, NOAA Fisheries, Southeast Regional Office, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701 (for Atlantic sturgeon populations occurring in the Southeast). Facsimile (fax): 978-281-9394 (for Atlantic sturgeon populations occurring in the Northeast); 727-824-5309 (for Atlantic sturgeon populations occurring in the Southeast).


gear that minimizes catch of these species; and Longer closed season, adding two weeks in April, for the recreational fishery to reduce mortality on spawning Gulf of Maine cod.


There are also measures proposed to provide greater opportunities for harvesting healthy stocks, such as haddock. A reduction in the minimum legal size for haddock is proposed, which would allow more of these fish to be kept and landed. Gear that selectively catches haddock, but excludes most pollock and winter flounder is also being considered. Also, a commercial vessel would be allowed to simultaneously hold both a limited access scallop and a limited access multispecies permit. This would enable a vessel to be more efficient and profitable by being able to fish in both fisheries on one vessel during the same fishing year.


To view a copy of the rule as it was submitted to the Federal Register, please visit our Website. Public comments on the proposed measures will be accepted after the rule files in the Federal Register, which is expected shortly.


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