Page 20. MAINE COASTAL NEWS October 2016 M C F N Continued from Page 13. The New England Fishery Management
Council today clarifi ed the range of fi shing gear restrictions that will be analyzed under its Deep-Sea Coral Amendment. The Council is considering alternatives to restrict (1) trawl and dredge gear only; or (2) all fi xed and mo- bile bottom-tending gears in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank coral zones. Previously, the Council had not taken a position on how to address the lobster and Jonah crab fi sheries, which are not managed by the Council under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act but rather by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. The 4,913-square-mile monument en-
compasses three deep-sea canyons – Ocean- ographer, Gilbert, and Lydonia – and four seamounts – Physalia, Bear, Retriever, and Mytilus (red boundaries on map above). The Council’s amendment covers 10 can- yons west of Oceanographer and fi ve east of Lydonia, which are outside the monument boundaries. In a move that eliminated this ambiguity,
the Council asked for additional analyses from its Habitat Plan Development Team (PDT) about the potential economic and biological impacts of restricting lobster and crab traps in coral zones. The Council then added an alter- native to the amendment to potentially exempt these trap fi sheries from bottom-tending gear restrictions. Updated NOAA Fisheries policy guid-
ance, which states that restrictions in coral zones ”may apply to … state-regulated fi shing that is authorized in the Exclusive Economic Zone,” enabled the Council to take this step. On Sept. 15, President Obama desig-
nated the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, which overlaps portions of the Council’s Coral Amendment. The Council considered – but ultimately postponed to November – a motion to remove canyons and seamounts that fall within the monument’s boundaries from further consid- eration in the Coral Amendment. The Council fi rst wanted additional infor-
mation from NOAA Fisheries about how reg- ulations related to the monument designation will be developed and implemented, as well as additional analyses from the PDT, before taking action.
The deep-sea canyon zones in the
Council’s amendment that fall completely or partially within the monument boundaries are Oceanographer, Gilbert, Lydonia, Filebottom, Chebacco, and Heel Tapper. The overlapping seamount zones are Physalia, Bear, Retriever, and Mytilus. The monument also includes portions of the depth-based, broad zone pro- posals. In addition, the Council approved:
Boundary adjustments to the Central Jordan Basin coral zone in the Gulf of Maine based on updated information from the PDT; and Adding a 600-meter depth-based broad zone to be considered alongside the other broad cor- al protection contour zones of 300, 400, and 500 meters that currently are under analysis. Several workshops, meetings, and public
hearings will be held prior to the Council taking any fi nal action on this issue or other Coral Amendment issues.
Clam Dredge Framework Adjustment After fi ne-tuning several details, the
New England Council in early September resubmitted Omnibus Essential Fish Habitat Amendment 2 (OHA2) to the the National Marine Fisheries Service’s Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Offi ce (GARFO) for ap- proval. The Council and GARFO expect the amendment will be implemented next spring. Implementation will trigger a one-year
exemption for the surfclam/ocean quahog clam dredge fi shery from a prohibition on fi sh- ing in the Great South Channel and Georges Shoal Habitat Management Areas (HMAs) identifi ed in the map below. At industry’s request, the Council ini-
tiated a framework adjustment to OHA2 to consider development of a longer-term access program so clam fi shermen could continue working in both areas beyond the one-year exemption. The Council now is in the process of identifying areas within both HMAs that provide suitable bottom for clam fi shing but minimize adverse fi shing impacts on habitat to the extent practical. The Council’s ultimate goal is to balance conservation and industry needs. Great South Channel and Georges Shoal
Habitat Management Areas, shown above, are under consideration for surfclam/ocean quahog fi shery exemptions in the Clam Dredge Framework..
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Visit the New England Council’s hab-
itat webpage at:
http://www.nefmc.org/ management-plans/habitat. The draft coral amendment is available directly at: http://
s3.amazonaws.com/nefmc.org/3a-160708_ Coral_Amendment.pdf. For more informa- tion contact Habitat Coordinator Michelle Bachman at (978) 465-0492 ext. 120, email
Council Reviews Sea Scallop Survey Findings and FW 28 Status In preparation for developing new speci-
fi cations for the Atlantic sea scallop fi shery, the New England Fishery Management Council today received a broad overview of 2016 scal- lop survey results. These results will guide the Council, Scallop Committee, Scallop Plan Development Team (PDT), and industry in formulating 2017 fi shing year days-at-sea and access area trip allocations for limited access vessels, as well as individual fi shing quotas for limited access general category boats. Default specifi cations for 2018 also will be developed. In short, here are some of the key survey
fi ndings: Total biomass is at a very high level and expected to increase as a result of growth from previous large year classes. Survey results did not show signs of good incom- ing recruitment on Georges Bank or in the Mid-Atlantic. The vast majority of the current high biomass is located either in closed areas or scallop access areas. Biomass is high in the Mid-Atlantic
closed and access areas, but scallops in the closed portion of the Elephant Trunk are still small in size. Portions of Nantucket Lightship have extremely high biomass. The Closed Area I “sliver,” for which access is pending approval of the Council’s Omnibus Habitat Amendment, has a nice amount of biomass. The Closed Area II Scallop Access Area in the south has exploitable biomass, but scallops in the Closed Area II Extension are still small and not optimal for harvest. The surveys also came across an unprece-
dented number of densely concentrated, “slow growing” scallops in the southern portion of the Nantucket Lightship area in deep water. Many of these age-four scallops had only reached a size normally achieved by age two. The PDT said that “growth potential” for these animals may be limited given their depth. In another development, large concentra-
tions of starfi sh, a known predator of scallops, were observed in the shallow portion of the Habitat Area of Particular Concern on the Northern Edge. Surveys also found Didem- num, an invasive tunicate, covering the gravel in this shallow area. These tunicates may be interfering with scallop seed settlement. Given current low densities of scallops
in open areas, the Scallop Committee and industry advisors may consider scaling back open-area days-at-sea and concentrate eff ort in selected high-biomass scallop access ar- eas.
The following institutions contributed
to the 2016 scallop survey: The Virginia In- stitute of Marine Science (VIMS) conducted dredge surveys in the Mid-Atlantic, Nantucket Lightship, and Closed Area II and surround- ing bottom; The School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) at the University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth conducted intensive Closed Area I and Nantucket Light- ship drop camera surveys; The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) with Lund’s Fisheries conducted a HabCam Ver- sion 4 survey on the Northern Edge of Georges Bank; Arnie’s Fisheries conducted an inten- sive Elephant Trunk survey with HabCam 3; The Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) conducted the federal Georges Bank dredge survey plus Mid-Atlantic and Georges Bank HabCam 4 surveys; and The Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) and University of Maine conducted a Northern
Gulf of Maine dredge survey. The Maine DMR, with help from the
University of Maine, conducted a May- June 2016 dredge survey for the Northern Gulf of Maine Area. The survey covered 238 stations across seven areas (in blue above) from Cape Ann up to Machias Seal Island. Biomass has increased substantially since the last survey was conducted in 2012. The majority of the biomass was found off Cape Ann and in portions of Stellwagen Bank. The 2017 specifi cations and 2018 default
measures will be part of Framework Adjust- ment 28 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan, which is still under devel- opment and scheduled for fi nal action at the Council’s Nov. 15-17 meeting in Newport, Rhode Island. The full range of specifi ca- tions will include: (a) acceptable biological catches (ABCs), annual catch limits (ACLs), days-at-sea, and access area allocations for both limited access (LA) and limited access general category (LAGC) vessels; (b) a hard total allowable catch (TAC) for the Northern Gulf of Maine Management Area; (c) a target TAC for the LAGC incidental catch; and (d) set-aside amounts for the scallop observer and research set-aside programs. The framework also contains: (1) a mea-
sure to potentially restrict the possession of shell stock inshore of the days-at-sea demar- cation line north of 42° 20’ N; (2) measures to apply spatial management to fi sheries speci- fi cations (ACL fl owchart); and (3) measures to modify the Closed Area I Scallop Access Area boundary to be consistent with potential changes to habitat and groundfi sh mortality closed areas as outlined in the Omnibus Hab- itat Amendment, which is under review by the National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) Greater Atlantic Region Fisheries Offi ce. A Note to Industry: The 2017 scallop
fi shing year will begin on March 1. The 2018 fi shing year will begin April 1 as a result of Framework Adjustment 19, which is under review by NMFS. For more information, contact Scallop
Plan Coordinator Jonathon Peros at (978) 465-0492 ext. 117, email jperos@nefmc. org. Or visit the Council’s scallop webpage at
http://www.nefmc.org/management-plans/ scallops.
Council Approves 2017-2019 Atlantic Deep-Sea Red Crab Specs The New England Fishery Management
Council today approved new specifi cations for the Atlantic deep-sea red crab fi shery that maintain catch levels at status quo for the next three fi shing years given the stable biological and economic state of the fi shery. The Council considered the following
information before making this decision: Updated fi shery statistics; Results from the most recent peer-reviewed deep-sea red crab stock assessment, which was carried out by the Data Poor Stocks Working Group in 2009; and Recommendations from the New England Council’s Scientifi c and Statistical Committee (SSC). The Council’s Red Crab Plan Develop-
ment Team (PDT) conducted the analyses for this action. If approved by NOAA Fisheries, the new specifi cations are expected to be in place by the March 1 start of the 2017 red crab fi shing year. Although the overfi shing limit (OFL) for red crab is “undetermined,” the Council accepted the PDT and SSC advice that the new catch limits are safely below the OFL and adequately account for scientifi c uncertainty as long as the 1,775-metric-ton Acceptable Biological Catch is not exceeded. For more information, visit the Council’s
red crab webpage at:
http://www.nefmc.org/ management-plans/red-crab.
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