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Page 12. MAINE COASTAL NEWS December 2013 Commercial Fishing News MISCELLANEOUS COMMERCIAL FISHING NEWS Continued from Page 1.


Addendum XXII and Draft Addendum XXIII will be available on the Commission website (www.asmfc.org) or by contact- ing the Commission at 703.842.0740. Fishermen and other interested groups are


encouraged to provide input on the Draft Addendum XXIII. Public comment will be accepted until 5 PM EST on December 20, 2013 and should be forwarded to Kate Tay- lor, Senior FMP Coordinator, 1050 N. High- land St, Suite A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or at ktaylor@asmfc. org (Subject line: American Lobster). For more information, please contact Kate Tay- lor, , at ktaylor@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.


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ASMFC Presents G. Ritchie White Pres- tigious Captain David H. Hart Award The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission presented G. Ritchie White, long-time ASMFC Commissioner from New Hampshire and fi sheries advocate, the Captain David H. Hart Award, its highest annual award, at the Commission’s 72st Annual Meeting in St. Simons Island, GA. Mr. White contributed fi rsthand to the recovery of striped bass and the steady increase of recreational and commercial fi shing opportunities as a member of the ASMFC Striped Bass Advisory Panel in the 1990s. In 2000, Mr. White was selected by Governor Jeanne Shaheen to offi cially join the Commission as his state’s Governor’s Appointee. During his fourteen years as an ASMFC Commissioner, he has actively participated in the Commission’s fi sheries management process, serving on a number of species management boards, sections and committees, and took on his fi rst leadership role as Chair of the Northern Shrimp Section in 2006 and as past chair of the Governors Appointees. Mr. White now serves as the Chair of the Winter Flounder Board, and remains an infl uential member in numerous other areas of the Commission. What makes Mr. White exceptional is his role as a dedicated and staunch advocate for science-based management. He consis- tently strives to put the resource fi rst while balancing the needs of commercial and recreational anglers and coastal communi- ties. His steadfast commitment can further be illustrated with his many contributions to fi sheries and wildlife management that extend far beyond his work with the Com- mission. Mr. White serves on the Board of Directors of Ducks Unlimited and the Amer- ican Bluefi n Tuna Association, and was a founding member of the Coastal Conserva- tion Association of New Hampshire, where he has been an active member of the Board of Directors since its inception. Recently, Mr. White has taken on the job of Coordinator for New Hampshire’s Revolving Loan Fund, providing low interest loans for the New Hampshire fi shing industry. He was also a founding member of Rescue Great Bay where he promoted the importance of clean water for estuarine habitats and its value to coastal communities that rely on healthy


marine resources for economic success. As Commissioner, Mr. White has fostered an open approach to fisheries management and ownership of the Com- mission actions, holding the Commission to the highest standards of transparency and accountability in all that it does. His actions and demeanor truly embody 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 improve 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.


Atlantic Striped Bass Benchmark Assessment Finds Resource Not Over- fi shed and Overfi shing Not Occurring Board Initiates Draft Addenda to Adopt New Reference Points & Considers Man- agement Measures to Address Declines in Spawning Stock Biomass


The 2013 Atlantic striped bass bench- mark assessment indicates the resource is not overfi shed or experiencing overfi shing relative to the proposed new reference points defi ned in the assessment. Although the stock is not overfi shed, female spawn- ing stock biomass (SSB) has continued to decline since 2004 and is estimated at 128 million pounds just above the SSB threshold of 127 million pounds, and below the SSB target of 159 million pounds. Additionally, total fi shing mortality is estimated at 0.20, a value that is between the proposed new fishing mortality threshold (0.219) and fi shing mortality target (0.18). The Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board approved the benchmark stock assessment for man- agement use.


Projections of female SSB and fi shing mortality suggest if the current fi shing mortality rate (0.20) is maintained during 2013-2017, the probability of the stock being overfi shed (SSB less than the SSB threshold) is high and increases until 2015- 2016, but declines thereafter. This trend is driven by the lack of strong year classes currently in the fi shery, and the emergence of the strong 2011 year class that matures into the spawning stock in three to four years. Despite recent declines in SSB, the stock is still well above the SSB during the morato- rium that was in place in the mid-1980s (see Figure 1). Given these fi ndings and the manage-


ment plan’s triggers (e.g., both fi shing mor- tality and SSB are between their respective target and threshold limits), the Management Board initiated the development of two draft addenda. The fi rst addendum will propose adoption of the new fi shing mortality refer-


ence points recommended by the benchmark assessment. These include fi shing mortality reference points for the coastal stock as described above, as well as stock-specifi c reference points for the Chesapeake Bay and Albemarle/Roanoke stocks that will be developed by the Technical Committee. The second addendum will propose a range of commercial and recreational management measures for the coastal, Chesapeake Bay, and Albemarle/Roanoke stocks to reduce fi shing mortality to at least the target with a proposed implementation date of January 2015.


The Board intends to consider approv-


al of the fi rst draft addendum for public comment in February at the Commission’s Winter Meeting, and consider approval of the second draft addendum for public com- ment in May at the Commission’s Spring Meeting. A more detailed description of the stock assessment results is available on the Commission’s website at http://www.asmfc. org/uploads/file/AtlStripedBassStockAs- sessmentOverview_Oct2013.pdf. The 2013 Atlantic Striped Bass Benchmark Stock Assessment and Peer Review is still being fi nalized by the Northeast Regional Stock Assessment Workshop/Stock Assessment Committee; please check http://www.nefsc. noaa.gov/saw/reports.html for its availabil- ity. The Commission’s 2013 Stock Assess- ment Update, which revises the benchmark stock assessment with fi nal 2012 landings, is available at http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/ file/AtlStripedBass2013AssessmentUp- date.pdf


For more information, please contact


Mike Waine, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at 703.842.0741 or mwaine@ asmfc.org.


ASMFC American Eel Board Postpones Action on Draft Addendum IV Maine Commits to Develop Plan with Industry to Control Glass Eel Harvest The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries


Commission’s American Eel Management Board has postponed action on Draft Adden- dum IV until the it’s 2014 Spring Meeting so that it can continue to develop options for implementation during the 2015 fi shing season. In the interim, Maine will meet with stakeholders in the glass eel fi shery and develop a plan to reduce harvest of glass eels by 25-40% from the 2013 harvest for the 2014 fi shing season. Landings in 2013 totaled 18,253 pounds and were valued at nearly $33 million. Draft Addendum IV was initiated in response to 2012 American Eel Benchmark Stock Assessment. The assessment found that American eel populations are depleted coastwide and recommended to reduce mor- tality across all life stages. Draft Addendum IV proposes management changes to the commercial glass, yellow, and silver eel fi sheries. The Board approved Addendum III in August 2013 which implemented a 9 inch minimum size for the commercial and recreational yellow eel fi shery, gear restrictions for the commercial yellow eel fi shery, restrictions to the commercial silver eel fi shery, and a decrease to the recreational creel limit. Combined both addenda intend to reduce fi shing mortality and improve the health of the resource.


For more information, please contact


Kate Taylor, Senior FMP Coordinator, at ktaylor@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.


ASMFC Spiny Dogfi sh Board Revises Quotas for 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 Fishing Seasons


The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries


Commission’s Spiny Dogfi sh and Coastal Sharks Management Board increased its


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