Page 20. MAINE COASTAL NEWS December 2014 MISCELLANEOUS COMMERCIAL FISHING NEWS Continued from Page 15.
in participation over the last 30 years. This open access, coupled with concern about the health of the stock, led the Section to move forward on a limited entry program to further control effort in the fi shery. A limited entry program will consider the appropriate number of participants in the fi shery given biological, environmental, and economic considerations. The Draft Amendment will also consider state-by-state allocations and revisit the fi shery specifi cations process. As the fi rst step in the Commission’s amendment process, the PID is intended to gather information concerning northern shrimp and provide an opportunity for the public to identify and comment on major issues relative to the management of this species. Following the initial phase of infor- mation-gathering and public comment, the Section will evaluate potential management alternatives and develop Draft Amendment 3 for public review. After the public com- ment period, the Section will specify the management measures to be included in Amendment 3. A tentative schedule for the completion of Amendment 3 is included in PID.
It is anticipated Maine, New Hamp- shire, and Massachusetts will be conducting public hearings on the PID. A subsequent press release will announce the PID’s avail- ability as well as the details of the scheduled hearings. For more information, please contact, Marin Hawk, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at
mhawk@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.
In season Management Measures to Re- spond to Changes in Gulf of Maine Cod and Haddock Stock Condition
The latest science tells us that Gulf of Maine haddock stock condition has im- proved. The stock is abundant. However, this good news is tempered by the bleak news about Gulf of Maine cod. Stock abun- dance is just 3-4 percent of levels deemed sustainable -- the lowest levels in the 40 years that we have been monitoring this fi sh stock.
Based on this new science, the New England Fishery Management Council requested that NOAA Fisheries implement immediate, short-term management measures in the 2014 fi shing year for the groundfi sh fi shery. Through the measures announced
today, we are attempting to help halt the continued decline of cod in the hopes that it may rebuild to support viable fi sheries in the future. At the same time, to provide some fi shing opportunity on abundant groundfi sh stocks in the near term, we are increasing the Gulf of Maine haddock quota. Given the breadth of the measures necessary to protect cod, the benefi ts to the industry from the haddock quota increase are certainly not going to be as signifi cant as we would like to see. However, we are trying to fi nd ways to keep fi shermen on the water and the businesses that support them operating while taking meaningful steps forward to protect cod. We intend to work closely with council members, in the coming months, as they develop management measures for the 2015-fi shing year, which begins on May 1. It is important that the council measures build on the efforts that we are undertaking now if we are to end overfi shing and encourage cod stock rebuilding. At the same time, we want to continue to help the industry capital- ize on new opportunities to catch abundant groundfi sh and other fi sh stocks.
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Atlantic Coastal States to Collect Recre- ational Intercept Data for MRIP
ARLINGTON, VA – Beginning in 2016, all coastal states from Maine through Georgia will transition to conducting the Access Point Angler Intercept Survey (APAIS) to collect information on marine recreational fi shing catch and effort data in their own waters. APAIS, which is a component of the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP), has been administered by NOAA Fisheries through a third party contractor. Over the past decade several states (e.g., Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, North Carolina, South Carolina and Geor- gia) have successfully improved data quality, and stakeholder confi dence in that data, through greater state involvement with APAIS contractors.
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through the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program (ACCSP) and the At- lantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), approved a plan to transition to state conduct of APAIS in 2016. The approved plan details the transition from a NOAA Fisheries contractor to ASMFC/ ACCSP and state conduct of the APAIS. Under this plan, NOAA Fisheries will retain primary accountability for APAIS and will be responsible for survey design, catch and effort estimation, and public dissemination. ASMFC/ACCSP will act as the central co- ordinator of the state-conducted APAIS and be responsible for data entry, compilation, quality control checks and edits, as well as formatting and delivery of intercept data to NOAA Fisheries. States will manage fi eld collection, which will be conducted by state employees in accordance with APAIS standard data collection protocols. The goals of the state conduct of APAIS are to: Build more cooperative ownership of recreational data and the data collection pro- gram; Support fi eld data collection via state staff with vested interest in fi sheries; Max- imize angler participation and minimize refusal rates; and Improve and maximize data quality and effi ciency of data collection. “The states, ACCSP, and ASMFC are very appreciative of the hard work and dedication provided by Geoff White and the ACCSP Recreational Technical Committee in developing the APAIS transition plan,” stated Cheri Patterson, ACCSP Coordinat- ing Council Chair from New Hampshire. “Through their efforts, the plan establishes a solid framework for the states and NOAA Fisheries to better meet the needs of fi shery stakeholders, scientists and managers.” For more information on the details of the transition plan, please contact Geoff White, ACCSP Data Team Leader, at Geoff.
white@accsp.org or 703.842.0785.
Federal Funds Available to Support River Herring Research and Conservation The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and NOAA Fisheries announce the availability of approximately $260,000 in federal funds to support scientifi c studies, further river herring conservation efforts in the hope that we can proactively conserve river herring to the point at which their population status throughout their full range is well understood and secure.
“By supporting this research, import- ant data gaps for alewife and blueback herring will be addressed,” said Toni Kerns, director of the interstate fi sheries manage- ment program, ASMFC. “This research will lead to an improved stock assessment and understanding of river herring’s role in the North Atlantic marine ecosystem.” Priority areas for funding include: gathering information/data to help develop performance measures for evaluating the effectiveness of fi sh passage improvement efforts; habitat restoration; evaluating dam-related river herring mortality due to upriver migration delays, predation, and downstream turbines; impacts of fi sheries on river herring and developing ways to reduce those impacts; and documenting life history information on the marine phase of river herring.
The agencies also will
consider proposals looking at contaminant effects in freshwater systems and trophic interactions such as those between river herring and other fi sh species (e.g., Atlantic herring, Atlantic mackerel) and predator/ prey impacts. “We have been working for the past year with our partners to develop and imple- ment a dynamic conservation plan to help restore river herring throughout their Atlan- tic coastal range,” said Kim Damon-Ran- dall, assistant regional administrator for protected resources, NOAA Fisheries. “Ideally, we hope that by supporting this research and fostering efforts to conserve the species, these populations will continue to improve and there won’t be a need to consider whether either species should be listed under the Endangered Species Act at some point in the future.”
The priority research areas were
identifi ed based on NOAA Fisheries’ river herring management and science needs and other information. This includes input from the technical expert working group, convened to help develop the conservation plan; the Commission’s 2012 benchmark assessment; council research priorities and needs; and public comments.
It is expected that these funds will pro- vide support for approximately 1- 5 projects at approximately $50,000 to $250,000 per project.
Continued on Page 21. HISTORY FOR YOURWALLS
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