September 2016 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 13. M C F N
harvesting nations and, to the extent possi- ble, work with them to build their capacity to meet the rule’s standards. “The United States is already a global leader in marine mammal conservation and sustainable, resilient fi sheries,” said Sobeck. “This rule demonstrates progressive global conservation and expands international col- laboration for best stewardship.” The rule takes eff ect on January 1, and
establishes a one-time-only, initial fi ve-year exemption period to give nations time to assess their marine mammal stocks, and estimate and lower their bycatch. Over time, NOAA Fisheries expects the
rule to help safeguard the U.S. seafood sup- ply from products harvested unsustainably, without greatly limiting consumers’ seafood choices.
“NOAA carefully considered potential
impacts of a fi shery being unable to obtain certifi cation under this rule, and we’re con- fi dent the seafood supply chain is adequately robust to prevent any disruption to consumer access,” said John Henderschedt, director of NOAA Fisheries offi ce of International Aff airs and Seafood Inspection. “At the same time, NOAA intends to work closely with U.S. trading partners to ensure that their fi sheries are capable of achieving certifi ca- tion.”
ASMFC & MAFMC Maintain Multi-
Year Specifi cations for Black Sea Bass, Bluefi sh, and Scup and Modify Summer Flounder Specifi cations
The Atlantic States Marine Fisher-
ies Commission (Commission) and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) reviewed previously implement- ed specifi cations for scup, black sea bass and bluefi sh fi sheries and modifi ed specifi - cations for summer fl ounder. The Commis- sion’s actions are fi nal and apply to state waters. The Council will forward its federal waters recommendations regarding summer fl ounder specifi cations to NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Admin- istrator for fi nal approval. The table below summarizes commer-
cial quotas and recreational harvest limits for summer fl ounder, scup, black sea bass, and bluefi sh (2016 values are provided for comparison purposes). Please note specifi - cations for years 2017 and beyond may be adjusted based on changes in the fi shery or new scientifi c information.
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Summer Flounder For summer fl ounder, both groups ap-
proved a commercial quota of 5.66 million pounds and a recreational harvest limit of 3.77 million pounds for 2017, an approx- imate 30% decrease from 2016. This de- crease in catch and landings limits responds to the fi ndings of the 2016 stock assessment update, which indicates summer fl ounder has been experiencing overfi shing since 2008. In 2015, fi shing mortality exceeded its threshold by 26% (i.e., the level beyond which overfi shing is occurring). The 2015 estimate of spawning stock biomass (SSB) is at 58% of the biomass target, and only 16% above the threshold. If the stock were to fall below the threshold, it would be considered overfi shed, requiring the development of a rebuilding plan to reduce fi shing mortality and rebuild stock biomass. These results appear to be driven largely by below-aver- age recruitment, an underestimation of the fi shing mortality level in the last years of the assessment, and declining biomass indices. The assessment update indicates the stock experienced six below-average year classes from 2010 to 2015. Additionally, indices of abundance from state and federal surveys have indicated declines in abundance rang- ing from 9 to 97% from their most recent peaks (generally 2009 to 2012). The 2016 assessment update estimated biomass has been trending down since 2010. Summer fl ounder harvest limits for 2018 may be adjusted in the future based on changes in the fi shery or new scientifi c information. Scup and Black Sea Bass
For scup and black sea bass, the
Commission and Council maintained the previously implemented multi-year speci- fi cations set in August and October 2015, respectively. The decline in harvest limits for scup since 2016 is due to a decrease in SSB as projected by the 2015 benchmark stock assessment. For black sea bass, 2017 harvest
limits remain unchanged relative to 2016 levels (in 2016, there was a reduction in the commercial quota due to overages in the previous year). Both the commercial quota and recreational harvest limit may be changed pending the results of next benchmark stock assessment, scheduled for peer review through the Northeast Regional Stock Assessment Workshop/Stock Assess- ment Review Committee in late 2016. The Commission and Council will consider the
results of the benchmark stock assessment in early 2017.
Bluefi sh For the bluefi sh fi shery, the fi nal 2016
commercial quota is 4.88 million pounds and the recreational harvest limit is 11.58 million pounds. The fi nal 2016 harvest limits include a 1.58 million pound transfer from the recreational sector to the commer- cial sector. The Commission and Council did not make any changes to the 2017 and 2018 specifi cations. The 2017 and 2018 commercial quotas and recreational harvest limits are preliminary and will likely change following release of 2016 and 2017 fi nal Marine Recreational Information Program harvest estimates. These estimates can impact how much is transferred from the recreational sector to the commercial sector. For all four species, the Commission
and Council actions are consistent with the recommendations of the Council’s Scientifi c and Statistical Committee based on the best available scientifi c information. For more information about summer fl ounder, scup, or black sea bass, please contact Kirby Rootes-Murdy, Senior FMP Coordinator, at
krootes-murdy@asmfc.org. For more information about bluefi sh, please contact Max Appelman, FMP Coordinator, at map-
pelman@asmfc.org.
Commercial Fishing News
Atlantic Herring Eastern Maine Spawn- ing Closure in Eff ect Starting August 28 through September 24
The Atlantic herring Area 1A (inshore
Gulf of Maine) fi shery regulations include seasonal spawning closures for portions of state and federal waters in Eastern Maine, Western Maine and Massachusetts/New
Continued on Page 24.
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