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Page 20. MAINE COASTAL NEWS March 2012


COMMERCIAL FISHING: LOBSTER, COD, MENHADEN &... Continued from Page 1.


policies, I am deeply concerned that the in- dustry will not survive if our quota is so drastically reduced.”


“As Massachusetts fishermen continue to struggle with a seriously flawed fishery management system, the stakes couldn’t be higher,” Congressman Tierney said. “It is imperative that the Council and NOAA use the emergency provision provided to them in federal law to establish an interim Gulf of Maine Cod catch level and prevent a poten- tially disastrous economic loss for our fisher- men. While NOAA has signaled that it agrees the Council can take this step, I urge the Council and NOAA to ensure the interim catch levels are high enough to keep our fisheries afloat. Anything less will be devas- tating to our communities.”


Atlantic cod are managed and assessed in two separate stocks the Gulf of Maine stock and the Georges Bank stock. Under Section 304 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fish- ery Conservation and Management Act, a ten-year rebuilding timeline was placed on over fished stocks in the Northeast. Senator Snowe and Representative Barney Frank ini- tiated a National Research Council study to provide a scientific analysis of the appropri- ateness of that rebuilding timeline. A 2008 assessment showed that the recovery of the Gulf of Maine cod population was on target to meet the law’s mandated requirements until the release of the most recent assess- ment. The most recent cod assessment re- vealed that the young fish scientists origi- nally believed they saw in the 2008 assess- ment, and which fishermen would be catch- ing now, may have been overestimated or did not recruit to the fishery as expected.


NOAA doubles Gulf of Maine winter flounder catch limits


New science shows overfishing has ended NOAA has announced that it is dou- bling the amount of Gulf of Maine winter flounder commercial fishermen can catch from almost 510,000 pounds to more than 1.1 million pounds for the current fishing season, which ends April 30. New scientific informa- tion shows that overfishing is no longer occurring on this important fish stock. This past year, NOAA scientists com- pleted a new Gulf of Maine winter flounder stock assessment using three years of addi- tional catch data and a more sophisticated stock assessment model. The assessment shows that fishing effort was well within the sustainable level, allowing catch limits to be increased.


“Raising catch limits for Gulf of Maine winter flounder is good news for fishermen and fishing communities,” said Sam Rauch, acting assistant NOAA administrator for NOAA’s Fisheries Service. “Increased catch levels will provide important economic ben- efits at a time when there is significant con- cern about the status of the Gulf of Maine cod stock.”


The potential revenue increase from the new catch limit using recent average prices from fishing years 2007-2010 could be as high as $1.2 million if the entire catch limit is actu- ally landed by fishing vessels. Also, since fishermen are no longer constrained by the currently low Gulf of Maine winter flounder catch limit, they can target other groundfish stocks which may lead to another source of increased revenues.


Catch limits for this fishing season had been set by the New England Fishery Man- agement Council based on the 2008 Gulf of Maine winter flounder stock assessment, which contained catch and survey informa- tion compiled through 2007.


In June 2011, NOAA scientists com-


pleted a new assessment of the Gulf of Maine winter flounder stock. With three years of additional catch data, which enabled the use of a more sophisticated stock assessment model, NOAA was able to determine that fishing effort was well below what can sustainably be taken from this fish stock, so the catch limit increases are warranted.


ASMFC American Lobster Board Ap- proves Area-Specific Measures to Reduce Fishing Exploitation on Southern New England Stock by 10%


ALEXANDRIA, VA – The Commission’s American Lobster Board approved Adden- dum XVII to Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Lob- ster. The Addendum establishes area-spe- cific management measures for Lobster Con- servation Management Areas (2, 3, 4, 5, and 6) as the first step in initiating Southern New England (SNE) stock rebuilding. The mea- sures are intended to reduce fishing exploita- tion on the SNE stock by 10% starting in July 2013 in response to the stock’s depleted condition, which has been at low levels of abundance and experiencing persistent low recruitment since 2002. The approved area- specific measures are as follows: LCMA 2 (waters off of Rhode Island and Massachusetts) – In lieu of a closed season, a conservation equivalency program was approved to allow the states to implement a mandatory v-notch program for all legal- sized egg bearing females beginning June 1, 2012. The Technical Committee will review the proportion of v-notch females in the catch to determine compliance by July, 1 2014; if the measures do not meet the conservation ob- jectives, a four month closed season from January 1 to April 30 will be implemented. LCMA 3 (offshore federal waters from Maine to North Carolina) – A minimum size of 3 17/32” effective January 1, 2013. LCMAs 4 and 5 (South and east of Long Island, New York to North Carolina) – A conservation equivalency program, com- posed of a mandatory V-notching program for all legal-sized egg bearing females and a closed season to be determined by the states pending Technical Committee approval, was approved. The closed season would include one or more months between January and April, with lobster traps removed from the water during the closed season. If the closed season extends four weeks or longer, the Board will allow a two-week grace period for removal of lobster traps and the setting of un- baited lobster traps one week prior to the season reopening. The grace period is in- tended to allow industry to safely remove and set a large number of traps if inclement weather occurs. Lobster landings will con- tinue to be prohibited during the grace peri- ods. The Technical Committee will review the proportion of v-notch females in the catch to determine compliance by July, 1 2014; if the measures do not meet the conservation ob- jectives, a two-month closed season from April 29 to May 31 will be implemented. LCMA 6 (Long Island Sound) – A closed season was approved for LCMA 6, with lob- ster traps removed from the water during the closed season. The exact dates of the closed season will be chosen from a suite of options approved by the Board following in-state public comments, but the season could in- clude the months September through Decem- ber. The Board will allow a two-week grace period for removal of lobster traps and the setting of baited lobster traps one week prior to the season reopening. Lobster landings will continue to be prohibited during the grace periods.


The most restrictive rule will apply to lobstermen who have elected to fish in mul- tiple LCMAs, meaning that lobstermen fish-


ing in multiple areas will be held to the most restrictive management measures of the ar- eas identified on their permits. The intention of this rule is to maintain the conservation benefits of the closed season and not in- crease effort in other areas. Addendum XVII measures will remain in place until replaced by Board action.


The Addendum will be available on the Commission’s website (www.asmfc.org) un- der Breaking News once the LCMAs have finalized their seasons. For more information, please contact Toni Kerns, Senior FMP Co- ordinator, at tkerns@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.


ASMFC Atlantic Menhaden Board Approves the Public Information Docu- ment for Draft Amendment 2 States to Conduct Public Hearings in March & April


ALEXANDRIA, VA – The Commission’s Atlantic Menhaden Management Board ap- proved the Public Information Document (PID) for Amendment 2 to the Interstate Fish- ery Management Plan for Atlantic Menha- den for public comment and review. As the first step in the development of Amendment 2, the PID presents the current status of the fishery and resource, and solicits public in- put on which major issues and alternatives should be included for consideration and analysis in Draft Amendment 2.


The PID’s primary focus is to initiate discussion on the timing and implementation of achieving the new fishing mortality thresh- old (F = 1.32) and target (F = 0.62) reference points recently adopted through Addendum V. Since fishing mortality in 2008 (the latest year in the assessment) is estimated at 2.28, overfishing is occurring, however, the stock is not overfished. The goal of the new refer- ence points is to increase abundance, spawn- ing stock biomass, and menhaden availabil- ity as a forage species. The PID also seeks public input on a more timely and comprehen- sive catch reporting system, and scopes potential options to be used in managing Atlantic menhaden commercial bait and re- duction fisheries as well as recreational fish- ery.


Alongside the development of Amend- ment 2, the peer-reviewed stock assessment will be updated with data through 2011 to provide a more recent estimate of fishing mortality. Results of the assessment update will be used to estimate the harvest reduc- tions needed to achieve the new threshold and target fishing mortality rates. Therefore, preliminary harvest reductions are provided in the PID but will likely change based on the results of the stock assessment update. Staff will be finalizing the draft over the next week based on the Board’s input yester- day; a subsequent press release will an- nounce the document’s availability as well as the state public hearing schedule. The Board will meet in May at the Commission’s Spring Meeting to review submitted comment and identify the measures to be included in the Draft Amendment. The Board will meet again in August to review and incorporate the results of the 2012 stock assessment update and consider approving the Draft Amend- ment for public comment. Final amendment approval is anticipated for October, with plan implementation scheduled for 2013. For more information, please contact Michael Waine, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at 703.842.0740 or mwaine@asmfc.org.


Atlantic Menhaden Public Information Document Available for Public Comment ARLINGTON, VA – The Public Information Document (PID) for Amendment 2 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for At- lantic Menhaden is now available for public


comment and review on the Commission’s website at http://www.asmfc.org/ speciesDocuments/menhaden/fmps/ Amend2PID_DraftForPublicComment.pdf. As the first step in the development of Amendment 2, the PID presents the current status of the fishery and resource, and solic- its public input on which major issues and alternatives should be included for consider- ation and analysis in Draft Amendment 2. The PID’s primary focus is to initiate discussion on the timing and implementation of achieving the new fishing mortality thresh- old (F = 1.32) and target (F = 0.62) reference points recently adopted through Addendum V. Since fishing mortality in 2008 (the latest year in the assessment) is estimated at 2.28, overfishing is occurring, however, the stock is not overfished. The goal of the new refer- ence points is to increase abundance, spawn- ing stock biomass, and menhaden availabil- ity as a forage species. The PID also seeks public input on a more timely and comprehen- sive catch reporting system, and scopes potential options to be used in managing Atlantic menhaden commercial bait and re- duction fisheries as well as recreational fish- ery.


Alongside the development of Amend- ment 2, the peer-reviewed stock assessment will be updated with data through 2011 to provide a more recent estimate of fishing mortality. Results of the assessment update will be used to estimate the harvest reduc- tions needed to achieve the new threshold and target fishing mortality rates. Therefore, preliminary harvest reductions are provided in the PID but will likely change based on the results of the stock assessment update. Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the PID either by attending public hearings or provid- ing written comments. Public comment must be received no later than 5:00 PM (EST) on April 20, 2012 and should be forwarded to Michael Waine, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St, Suite A- N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or mwaine@asmfc.org (Subject line: Menha- den PID). A subsequent press release will announce the state’s public hearing sched- ule. For more information, please contact Michael Waine at 703.842.0740.


ASMFC Atlantic Striped Bass Manage- ment Board Initiates Addendum to Address Illegal Striped Bass Harvest ALEXANDRIA, VA – The Commission’s Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board initiated an addendum to address illegal striped bass harvest. The Board’s action is in response to recommendations of the Inter- state Watershed Task Force (IWTF). The IWTF conducted a multi-year, multi-jurisdic- tional investigation on illegal striped bass harvest within Chesapeake Bay which re- sulted in over $1.6 million dollars in fines levied against 19 individuals and three corpo- rations for more than one million pounds of illegal striped bass harvested estimated to be worth up to seven million dollars. The covert investigation determined that some Virginia commercial fishermen were illegally harvesting fish during the Potomac River Fisheries Commission’s closed season, as well as illegally harvesting oversized fish from Virginia waters during the spawning season. Additionally, some Mary- land commercial fishermen were taking ad- vantage of loopholes in the state tagging system to falsely report large numbers of smaller, legal-sized fish, allowing them to obtain more tags and exceed quota limits. The investigation also found some wholesale dealers were complicit through false record-


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