Page 22. MAINE COASTAL NEWS November 2012 Commercial Fishing News


ATLANTIC STATES MARINE FISHERIES COMMISSION FALL MEETING reviewed in June 2013. Rhode Island pre-


Continued from Page 21.


sented a request to allow the state to submit their commercial tagging report, as required under Addendum III, by January 1st rather than 60 days prior to the start of the fi rst fi sh- ing season (originally November 1st). The Board approved this request for 2013. The Board reviewed the 2012 Striped Bass FMP Review and found all states in compliance. The stock is currently not overfi shed and overfi shing is not occurring. For more information, please contact


Kate Taylor, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at 703.842.0740 or ktaylor@ asmfc.org. Motions


Move to approve the stock assess- ment terms of reference as modified today. Motion made by Mr. Augustine and seconded by Dr. Daniel. Motion carries. Move to approve Rhode Island re- quest on timeframe for implementation of Addendum III. Motion made by Mr. Fote and seconded by Mr. Adler. Motion carries without objection.


Move the Board approve the Striped


Bass FMP Review. Motion made by Mr. Augustine and seconded by Mr. Gibson. Motion passes without objection.


CAPTAIN DAVID H. HART AWARD LUNCHEON (October 24) ASMFC Presents George Lapointe Pres- tigious Captain David H. Hart Award


Philadelphia, PA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission presented George Lapointe, long- time ASMFC Com- missioner an former Maine Commissioner of Marine Resources, the Captain David H. Hart Award, its highest annual award, at the Commission’s 71st Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. “George Lapointe is without a doubt


a true embodiment of Captain Dave. For more than 30 years he has provided consis- tent fi sheries management leadership at the state, interstate, and federal levels; all the while passionately supporting the Commis- sion and its vision of stock rebuilding and sustainable resource management,” stated Jack Travelstead, Chair of ASMFC’s Award Committee. “He possesses the unique ability to temper the most heated debate with humor and a common sense approach transforming confl ict into workable solutions.” Serving as both an employee at the


Commission and as a Commissioner from Maine, Mr. Lapointe has shown an unwav- ering commitment and dedication to the success of marine fi sheries management. In his fi rst Commission position as Council Liaison, he fostered knowledge between the Commission and the Regional Councils. In 1994, Mr. Lapointe returned to the Commis- sion as the ISFMP Director where he served for nearly four years. During that time, he was instrumental in the development of the Interstate Fisheries Management Program Charter and worked with state members, federal partners, and a broad constituency to promote effi ciency, and foster outreach and public participation in the Commission’s fi sheries management process.


Despite being considered an “outsid-


er,” Mr. Lapointe was appointed as the Commissioner of Maine Department of Marine Resources in 1998. He served as Commissioner for 12 years, directing a critical marine resource agency at one of its most diffi cult times with a conscience for all


those involved. He was so well respected for his understanding of fi sheries management and his commitment to his state’s fi shing industries, he served at the pleasure of two Governors and was supported by a very active and challenging constituency. Mr. Lapointe was elected Commission


Vice-Chair in 2004 and Chair in 2006, serv- ing three years as Chair. Under his guidance, the Commission embarked on an extensive strategic planning effort, culminating in the development of the 2009-2013 Strategic Plan. The Plan formalized, for the fi rst time, Commissioner values in pursuit of the Commission’s vision and mission, and reaffi rmed the Commission’s commitment to transparency and accountability in its decision making process. Mr. Lapointe recognizes his success in natural resource management is due to the accumulated knowledge and experience of those he has had the honor of serving with. When veteran Commissioners with over 100 combined years of service retired, he personally oversaw a critical transition in Commission leadership, readying the next generation to take up the charge of pursuing the states’ collective mission of sustainable resource management. He also guided states’ efforts to conserve and rebuild diadromous species, completing the long-awaited Amer- ican shad benchmark stock assessment and the development and adoption of a new amendment for river herring. Throughout his career, Mr. Lapointe has strived to be fully informed of the issues (from all perspectives – science, management and user groups) and share that knowledge with next generation of fi sheries managers and scientists. He truly embodies the spirit and character of the Captain David H. Hart Award. The Commission instituted the Award in 1991 to recognize individuals who have made outstanding efforts to im- prove Atlantic coast marine fi sheries. The award is named for one of the Commission’s longest serving members, who dedicated himself to the advancement and protection of marine fi shery resources.


STURGEON MANAGEMENT BOARD ( October 25) Meeting Summary


The Sturgeon Management Board met to review and discuss a draft delisting/down- listing petition for Atlantic sturgeon, receive an update on the stock assessment timeline and required scientifi c support, take fi nal action on Draft Habitat Addendum I, and populate the Advisory Panel. The Board tasked the Technical Com-


mittee with the development of a draft petition to propose delisting or downlisting of Atlantic sturgeon from the Endangered Species List. A subset of the Technical Committee met to develop a draft for Board review, but did not propose any specifi c actions. Given that a stock assessment is cur- rently scheduled for completion by 2014, the Board opted to delay action on the petition until the stock assessment could provide the necessary information to guide management action.


The Board approved Habitat Adden-


dum I for Atlantic Sturgeon. This Adden- dum was developed by the ASMFC Habitat Committee, in conjunction with the Atlantic Sturgeon Technical Committee, and is based on the 2010 ASMFC Diadromous Fish Hab- itat Document. The Addendum contains no


management or compliance measures but rather describes signifi cant habitat by life stage, provides recommendations on habitat improvements, and details research needs. The Board approved Michael Doebley to the Advisory Panel. For more information, please contact


Kate Taylor Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at 703.842.0740 or ktaylor@ asmfc.org.


Motions Move that the Board approve the


Habitat Addendum I as presented. Motion made by Mr. Augustine and seconded by Mr. Grout. Motion passes without objection. Move to approve Michael Doebley to


the Atlantic Sturgeon AP. Motion made by Mr. Pankowski and seconded by Mr. Augus- tine. Motion approved without objection.


SUMMER FLOUNDER, SCUP AND BLACK SEA BASS MANAGEMENT BOARD (October 25) Meeting Summary


The Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board reviewed MRFSS harvest estimates for the recre- ational fi sheries for summer fl ounder, scup, and black sea bass through wave 4. Harvest estimates for summer fl ounder and scup are below the 2012 harvest targets. Black sea bass harvest estimates have exceed both the harvest target (RHL) and the Annual Catch Limit (ACL). When the ACL is exceeded it triggers a closure of the recreational fi shery in federal waters. NOAA Fisheries


announced this closure on October 23, 2012. State water fi shing seasons will re- main as published at the start of each state’s fi shing season. The Commission will track the progress of NOAA Fisheries and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) as they implement the federal FMP’s accountability measures for the black sea bass recreational fi shery.


The Board initiated an addendum for


the 2013 black sea bass recreational fi shery. The addendum will options that would allow the Board to set recreational measures on a state-by-state, regional, or ad hoc basis. The Plan Development Team will present a draft for Board consideration at the joint Commission/Council meeting in Decem- ber. For more information, please contact Toni Kerns, Acting ISFMP Director, at 703.842.0740 or tkerns@asmfc.org.


Motions


Move to initiate an addendum to use management measures other than coastwide measures. Motion made by Mr. Nowalsky and seconded Mr. Augustine. Motion passes (10 in favor, 1 null). Move that the Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Board rec- ommend that states initiate any and all applicable regulations to close state recre- ational fi sheries for black sea bass in 2012. Motion made by Mr. Luisi and seconded by Mr. O’Reilly. Motion fails (5 in favor, 6 opposed).


MISC. COMMERCIAL FISHING NEWS Continued from Page 13.


(WHOI), was then able to photograph what was on the bottom at the sites they chose, which is important for ground truthing the modeling data.


Many corals observed during the Bige-


low cruise live at depths between 200 and 2,000 meters (roughly between 650 and 6,500 feet deep). Although no specimens were collected during this expedition, more than 38,000TowCam images will be ana- lyzed in the coming months. Data derived from these images will be used to evaluate the presence or absence of corals in areas having historical records; to quantitatively verify the habitat suitability model; and to enhance knowledge of the diversity and distributions of deep-sea corals in the region. These data will also provide the baseline in- formation for a three-year research effort in the Northeast funded by NOAA’s Deep-Sea Coral Research and Technology program. “These are the fi rst surveys in several decades for deep-sea corals and sponges in the mid-Atlantic,” said David Packer, a marine ecologist at the NEFSC’s James J. Howard Marine Sciences Laboratory at Sandy Hook, NJ. Packer participated in the Bigelow cruise, and was excited about the amount and variety of corals, sponges, and related marine life encountered during the survey and the importance of these fi ndings for the future of deep-sea coral research in the region. “We previously had little or no data about some of the canyons or the available data were decades old, so what we learned in just a few weeks provided a ‘quantum leap‘ in our knowledge about the canyons and their habitats.” The modeling effort to develop the predictive habitat suitability maps was conducted by Amy Drohan at the NEFSC’s Sandy Hook lab and Brian Kinlan and Matt


Poti, both at NOS. Kinlan participated in the Bigelow cruise and was able to use his expertise to interpret the model fi ndings in the fi eld as well as help guide the search for coral hotspots.


Although the July cruise focused on only a few of the canyons mapped using multibeam sonar, the researchers will also use the bathymetry data collected by the Okeanos Explorer and the Hassler at other deepwater canyons to refi ne and revise their coral model. In fact, work has already started on a revised model incorporating the new fi ndings.


“Like the hub of a wheel with many spokes, the July Bigelow cruise was central to a project that seemed to grow over time as opportunities arose to leverage resources and use these to their fullest potential,” said Nizinski, who has studied deep-sea coral habitats off Florida, off the North Carolina coast, and in the Gulf of Mexico. “What originally started with 16 days of ship time, provided and funded by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center to ex- plore deepwater canyons off the Northeast coast, rapidly developed into a much larger project,” Nizinski said. “What started with informal discussions between NOAA and colleagues led to a major fi eld program that fi rst surveyed and mapped deepwater canyons along the northeast continental shelf and slope, followed by underwater observations to verify coral occurrence. We are excited about the possibilities given the results from this fi rst cruise.”


In addition to scientists from NEFSC


and WHOI, cruise participants represented the NOS’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Biogeography Branch; the NOAA Offi ce of Ocean Exploration; the Delaware Museum of Natural History; and the NOAA Teacher at Sea program.


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