Page 12. MAINE COASTAL NEWS June 2014 Commercial Fishing News Continued from Page 11.
area. NOAA will also begin the selection process for the next Habitat Focus Areas in other U.S. regions. NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment,
MISCELLANEOUS COMMERCIAL FISHING NEWSASMFC Atlantic Herring Section The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries
from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and our other social media channels.
ASMFC American Eel Board Approves Draft Addendum IV for Public Comment
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ALEXANDRIA, VA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s American Eel Management Board approved Draft Addendum IV to the Interstate Fishery Man- agement Plan for American Eel for public comment. Draft Addendum IV proposes a suite of options to address the commercial glass, yellow, and silver eel fi sheries along the Atlantic coast. Management options un- der consideration include glass and yellow eel quotas, a catch cap for the yellow eel fi shery, a moratorium on the glass eel fi shery, and a seasonal closure and license cap for the silver eel fi shery in the Delaware River (NY). The Draft Addendum also includes glass eel harvest allowances for aquaculture purposes and a conservation-based alloca- tion program in which the states may earn a glass eel quota via stock enhancement programs that increase glass eel passage. The Draft Addendum intends to build upon the management measures established under Addendum III in order to reduce overall mortality and increase conservation of American eel stocks. The Board’s actions respond to the findings of the 2012 benchmark stock assessment indicating the American eel population in U.S. waters is depleted. The stock has declined in recent decades and the prevalence of signifi cant downward trends in multiple surveys across the coast is cause for concern. Causes of decline are likely
due to a combination of factors including historical overfi shing, habitat loss, food web alterations, predation, turbine mortality, environmental changes, toxins and contam- inants, and disease.
Commercial regulations vary by state.
Glass eel fi sheries currently occur in Maine and South Carolina. Signifi cant yellow eel fi sheries occur in New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, the Potomac River, Virginia, and North Carolina. Although commercial fi shery landings and effort in recent times have declined in most regions, current levels of fi shing effort may still be too high given the depleted nature of the stock. The recreational fi shery is managed under a 25 recreational fi sh per day creel limit (with an exception for party/charter boats) and 9 inch minimum size.
As part of the Board’s deliberations, it received a report on ongoing law en- forcement activities to address American eel poaching. The Board commended the states and federal government in devoting signifi cant resources to curtail the illegal harvest of glass eels. The implementation of Maine’s swipe card system, which allows for real time quota monitoring and harvester verifi cation, has also been effective in inhib- iting illegal harvest.
It is anticipated that the majority of states will be conducting public hearings on the Draft Addendum throughout the summer. A subsequent press release will announce the Draft Addendum’s availability as well as the details of the scheduled hear- ings. For more information, please contact Kate Taylor, Senior FMP Coordinator, at
ktaylor@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.
Approves Draft Amendment 3 PID for Public Comment
Commission’s Atlantic Herring Section approved the Public Information Document (PID) for Draft Amendment 3 to the Inter- state Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for public comment. Draft Amendment 3 was initiated to strengthen spawning sea herring protections in Area 1A (inshore Gulf of Maine) and address concerns raised by the commercial Atlantic herring industry. The PID presents four issues the Commission is seeking public input on to better inform the development of management measures for the Atlantic herring fi shery. The issues focus on (1) spawning area boundaries and closures in Area 1A, (2) a fi xed gear set-aside rollover provision, (3) declaration of fi shing gear prior to the beginning of a quota period in order to provide fi shery managers a more accurate estimate of effort for decisions relative to harvest control measures and (4) requirement for a vessel’s fi sh hold to be emptied before leaving on a fi shing trip in order to allow for full accounting of catch and to discourage dumping of unsold fi sh. The 2012 stock assessment estimated
the Atlantic herring spawning stock biomass (SSB) at 517,930 mt (1.1 billion pounds) in 2011. Atlantic herring is considered re- built; it is not overfi shed and overfi shing is not occurring. Commercial landings have increased since 1983 to a high of 101,859 mt (224.6 million pounds) in 2009. Annual catch has averaged 82,407 mt (181.7 million pounds) since implementation of the FMP in 1993.
The PID is the fi rst step in the Commis-
sion’s amendment process. It is intended to gather information concerning the Atlantic herring fi shery and provide an opportunity for the public to identify and comment on major issues relative to the management of these species. Following the initial phase of information-gathering and public comment, the Commission will evaluate potential management alternatives and develop Draft Amendment 3 for public review. After the public comment period, the Commission will specify the management measures to be included in Amendment 3. A tentative schedule for the completion of Amendment 3 is included in PID.
Maine, New Hampshire, and Massa- chusetts will be conducting public hearings on the PID. Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the four issues in the PID, as well as com- ment on other management measures that should be considered, either by attending state public hearings or providing written comment. A subsequent press release will announce the PID’s availability as well as the details of the scheduled hearings. For more information, please contact, Melissa Yuen, Fishery Management Plan Coordina- tor, at
myuen@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.
ASMFC Spiny Dogfi sh Board Initiates Draft Addendum V to the Spiny Dogfi sh Interstate Fishery Management Plan The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries
Commission’s Spiny Dogfi sh Board initiat- ed Draft Addendum V to the Interstate Fish- ery Management Plan (FMP) for Spiny Dog- fi sh. The Draft Addendum seeks to ensure consistency with the Shark Conservation Act of 2010. The Act was signed into law to close loopholes in the U.S. shark fi nning regulations. Specifi cally, the Act prohibits the removal of any fi ns of the shark (includ- ing the tail) while at sea (with an exemption for smooth dogfi sh). Fins must remain natu- rally attached to the corresponding carcass
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