Page 12. MAINE COASTAL NEWS September 2016
Commercial Fishing News Continued from Page 11.
to achieve sustainable fi sheries and enhance economic opportunities for fi shing commu- nities and working waterfronts.
ASMFC Atlantic Menhaden Board Approves Addendum I
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries
Commission’s Atlantic Menhaden Man- agement Board approved Addendum I to Amendment 2 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Menhaden. The Addendum modifi es the bycatch pro- vision of Amendment 2 by allowing two permitted commercial fi shermen working together from the same vessel using station- ary multi-species gear to land up to 12,000 pounds of menhaden per trip per day. In this case, stationary multi-species gears are defi ned as pound nets, anchored/staked gillnets, and fyke nets. Interested states may implement the new bycatch provision as their regulatory processes allow, but no earlier than August 15. The practice of two permitted fi shermen
working together from the same vessel to harvest Atlantic menhaden primarily occurs in the Chesapeake Bay pound net fi shery. This practice enables the fi shermen to pool resources for fuel and crew. However, the practice was constrained under Amendment 2’s bycatch allowance provision, which stipulated a 6,000 pound/vessel/day limit. Board members also discussed 2017
specifi cations but postponed fi nal action on these measures until the Commission’s Annual Meeting in late October. Adden- dum I will be available of the Commission website,
www.asmfc.org, on the Atlantic Menhaden page by mid-August. For more
M C F N
information, please contact Megan Ware, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at
mware@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.
ASMFC Coastal Sharks Board Ap- proves Addendum IV to the FMP The Coastal Sharks Management Board approved Addendum IV to the Inter- state Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic Coastal Sharks. The Addendum amends the FMP to allow smooth dogfi sh carcasses to be landed with corresponding fi ns removed from the carcass as long as the total retained catch on board at the time of landing is composed of at least 25 percent smooth dogfi sh. Trips that do not meet the 25 percent catch composition requirement can land smooth dogfi sh, but the fi ns must remain naturally attached to the carcass. Naturally attached is defi ned as attached to the corresponding shark through some portion of uncut skin. Through the Board’s action, the Adden-
dum maintains consistency between federal and state shark FMPs and better incorporates the intent of the smooth dogfi sh limited exception in the Shark Conservation Act of 2010 (SCA) into state regulations. States are required to implement the Addendum’s management measure by January 1, 2017. The Addendum will be available on the
Commission website,
www.asmfc.org, on the Coastal Sharks page by mid-August. For more information, please contact Ashton Harp, Fishery Management Plan Coordina- tor, at
aharp@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.
ASMFC American Lobster Board Iden- tifi es Management Goal and Options for Draft Addendum XXV to Address Southern New England Stock Declines
The American Lobster Management
Board approved development of Draft Addendum XXV to Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Lobster. The Draft Addendum seeks to respond to the depleted condition of the SNE stock while preserving a functional portion of the lobster fi shery in this area. The document will present a suite of man- agement measures to increase egg produc- tion and lowerfi shing mortality through a combination of management tools including lobster size and escape vent changes, season closures, and trap limits and reductions. The Draft Addendum responds to the
results of the 2015 American lobster bench- mark stock assessment which found the SNE stock severely depleted and undergoing recruitment failure with poor prospects of recovery. Declines in population abundance were most pronounced in the inshore portion of the stock where environmental conditions have remained unfavorable to lobsters since the late 1990s. Despite fl eet attrition, stock declines have continued. These declines are largely in response to adverse environmental conditions including increasing water tem- peratures over the last 15 years combined with continued fi shing mortality. Declines in in the off shore portion of
the fi shery were evident as well though not as severe. However, the off shore portion of the SNE stock likely depends on nearshore larval settlement and off shore migration as the source of recruits (e.g., young of the year lobsters). Therefore, the off shore com- ponent is expected to see eventual declines as well. The Draft Addendum will include a
suite of management options aimed to in- crease egg production from zero to 60%. In its discussion of the stock, the Board agreed the addendum is an initial response to the 2015 stock assessment and stock status will continue to be reviewed. The Draft Adden- dum will be presented for Board review and possible approval for public comment at the Commission’s Annual Meeting in late October. For more information, please contact Megan Ware, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at
mware@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.
The National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS) has announced a proposed rule to the Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan that would estab- lish a commercial possession limit of eight blacknose sharks per trip. It would apply to federal Atlantic shark limited access permit holders targeting small coastal sharks (SCS) south of 34¢ª N. latitude. If approved, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commis- sion¡¯s Coastal Sharks Management Board could take action to apply this to state li- censed fi shermen as well. In 2016, commercial fi sheries for both blacknose sharks and SCS south of 34¢ª
N. latitude were closed approximately fi ve months after the opening date of May 29, 2016 because the commercial Atlantic blacknose shark landings were projected to have exceeded 80% of the available quota. The blacknose shark and non-blacknose SCS fi sheries south of 34¢ª N. latitude are quota-linked under current regulations, meaning if landings from either fi shery are projected to exceed 80% of the available commercial quota then the both fi sheries will close. As a result of the early closures, the
non-blacknose SCS quota was underuti- lized in 2016. The purpose of the proposed rule is to maximize the utilization of the non-blacknose SCS quota, while minimiz- ing the mortality and discards of blacknose sharks and other small coastal sharks. Under current regulations, there is no commercial retention limit for blacknose sharks. The preferred alternative would establish a com- mercial retention limit of eight blacknose sharks per trip for all federal Atlantic shark limited access permit holders. The full range of alternatives considered can be found in the Draft Environmental Assessment and/ or proposed rule. The public comment period is open
until September 20, 2016. NMFS will hold a public hearing and conference call for the proposed rule (see Table 1). Written comments, identifi ed by “NOAA- NMFS-2016-0095,” may be submitted electronically via the Federal eRulemaking Portal
http://www.regulations.gov.
NOAA Fisheries establishes internation- al marine mammal bycatch criteria for U.S. imports
Fish and fi sh products must meet protec- tion standards comparable to the U.S. Nations exporting fi sh and fi sh products
to the United States will have to meet fi shing standards for protecting marine mammals equal to those American fi shermen follow, under a fi nal rule published today by NOAA Fisheries. U.S. trade partners will need to show that killing or injuring marine mammals inci- dental to fi shing activities, or bycatch, in their export fi sheries do not exceed U.S. standards.
“Fishing gear entanglements or ac-
cidental catch is a global threat to marine mammal populations,” said Eileen Sobeck, assistant NOAA administrator for fi sheries. “Establishing these bycatch criteria mark a signifi cant step forward in the global con- servation of marine mammals.” The rule implements Marine Mammal
Protection Act requirements, outlines ways to evaluate a nation’s marine mammal by- catch reduction eff orts, and sets procedures a nation must follow to receive authorization for sending their products into the United States. NOAA Fisheries will consult with
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