Page 12. MAINE COASTAL NEWS June 2017 Commercial Fishing News
U.S. fi shing generated more than $200 billion in sales in 2015; two stocks re- built in 2016
M C F N
Two new reports reveal the nation’s progress in sustainably managing marine resources
U.S. commercial and recreational fi shing generated $208 billion in sales, contributed $97 billion to the gross domestic product, and supported 1.6 million full- and part-time jobs in 2015--above the fi ve-year average, according to NOAA’s Fisheries Economics of the United States report released today. Also out today, the Annual Report to
Congress on the Status of U.S. Fisheries shows that the number of domestic fi sh stocks listed as overfi shed or subject to overfi shing remain near all-time lows, with two new stocks rebuilt in 2016. The reports highlight the collaborative
role of NOAA Fisheries and many partners in making continued progress towards ending overfi shing, rebuilding stocks, and realizing signifi cant benefi ts to the U.S. economy. “U.S. fi sheries are big business,” said
Samuel Rauch, acting assistant adminis- trator for NOAA Fisheries. “Sustainable management of our nation’s fi sheries, sup- ported by sound science, opens up economic opportunities to Americans along the supply chain-- from buying bait at a local marina to enjoying a seafood dinner.” The U.S commercial fi shing and sea-
food industry (including imports) generated $144 billion in sales in 2015, a 6% decline from the previous year, and supported 1.2 million jobs, a 15% decline from 2014, although this is still above the fi ve-year average. Factors such as the “warm blob,” marine toxins, and El Nino aff ected the Pa- cifi c marine environment in 2015, and West Coast fi shermen saw lower landings and revenue for several key commercial species. Market forces aff ected fi sheries in other
regions, such as in the Gulf of Mexico, where revenue for shrimp landings decreased due to high inventories, dampening prices for both domestic harvest and imports. Seafood imports were also lower in 2015--$1.4 bil- lion less than in 2014. Saltwater angling generated $63 billion
in sales across the economy in 2015, up 5% from 2014. Job impacts in the marine rec- reational fi shing industry remained steady from 2014 at 439,000 jobs. Mississippi, Connecticut, South Carolina, Washington, and Alaska had the greatest recreational fi shing sector job growth in 2015. In 2016, U.S. fi sheries continued to
rebuild, with the number of stocks on the overfi shing and overfi shed lists remaining near all-time lows. Four stocks came off the overfi shing list, while six stocks were added
to the overfi shing list. There were no chang- es to the list of overfi shed stocks in 2016. Two additional stocks--barndoor skate in Georges Bank/Southern New England and albacore in the North Atlantic--were rebuilt in 2016, bringing the total stocks rebuilt since 2000 to 41. A stock is on the overfi shing list when
the catch rate is too high. A stock is on the overfi shed list when the population size of a stock is too low, whether because of fi sh- ing or other causes, such as environmental changes.
“These reports show that the U.S. is on
the right track when it comes to sustainably managing our fi sheries,” said Rauch. “Re- building and keeping stocks at sustainable levels will help us address the growing challenge of increasing our nation’s seafood supply and keep us competitive in a global marketplace.” View the 2015 Fisheries Economics of
the United States and 2016 Status of U.S. Fisheries reports.
Atlantic Herring Section members
from the States of Maine and New Hamp- shire and the Commonwealth of Massachu- setts will meet at 10:30 a.m. on May 23, 2017 to discuss ‘days out’ measures for the 2017 Trimester 2 Area 1A fi shing season, which occurs from June 1 to September 30. This meeting will take place at the New Hamp- shire Fish and Game Department, 225 Main St. Durham, NH 03824. Parking spaces for meeting participants will be marked with orange cones.
Federally-permitted Herring Category A vessels must declare into the Area 1A fi shery prior to the May 23rd
Days Out Meeting.
Small-mesh bottom trawl vessels with a Federal Herring Category C or D permit must declare into the Area 1A fi shery by June 1, 2017. States will send additional correspondence regarding the notifi cation procedure. The 2017 Area 1A allowable catch limit
is 31,115 metric tons after being adjusted for a carryover from 2015. The Section set the seasonal split as 72.8% allocated from June 1 – September 30 and 27.2% allocated from October 1 – December 31. Fishermen are prohibited from landing more than 2,000 pounds of Atlantic herring per day harvested from Area 1A until June 1, 2017. 2017 Atlantic Herring Fishing Season
Sub-ACLs, NMFS Final Rule: https://www.
federalregister.gov/d/2016-31392 Please contact Ashton Harp, Fish-
ery Management Plan Coordinator, at 703.842.0740 or
aharp@asmfc.org for more information.
ASMFC Atlantic Herring Section Ap- proves Addendum I
ALEXANDRIA, VA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Herring Section approved Addendum I to Amendment 3 of the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Herring. The Addendum includes management measures intended to stabilize the rate of catch in the Area 1A fi shery and distribute the seasonal quota throughout Trimester 2 (June through September), which has 72.8 % of the sea- son’s allocation. The following measures were approved by the Section: Days Out Program (eff ective for the 2017 fi shing season) The Section will separately address
days out provisions for federal herring Cate- gory A vessels and small-mesh bottom trawl vessels with a federal herring Category C or D permit. In addition to landing restrictions asso- ciated with the days out program, Category A vessels are now prohibited from possess- ing herring caught from Area 1A during a day out of the fi shery. Small-mesh bottom trawl vessels with a
Category C or D permit will notify states of their intent to fi sh in Area 1A prior to June 1st
. Maine, New Hampshire and Massa-
chusetts will make days out decisions by consensus. If a consensus cannot be reached, then the default landing day scenario will be zero landing days. Weekly Landing Limit (eff ective for the 2017 fi shing season) The Addendum implements a weekly
harvester landing limit for vessels with a Category A permit. The weekly limit will be adjusted throughout the fi shing season based on eff ort. Forty-fi ve days prior to the start of the fi shing season, Category A vessels will notify states of their intent to fi sh in Area 1A, including a specifi cation of gear type. This will provide states with an estimate of eff ort to calculate the weekly landing limit. For the 2017 fi shing season, the notifi cation date is set at May 23rd
.
New Fishery Management Plan Tools The following measures may be consid-
ered as potential management tools prior to the start of the fi shing year: Herring caught in Area 1A can only be landed by the respective harvester vessel (i.e. no carrier vessels). Her- ring carrier vessels are limited to receiving at-sea transfers from one harvester vessel per week and landing once per 24-hour period
State Landing Report NOAA Fisheries has granted access to
vessel monitoring system-submitted daily catch report data for select staff in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. This will provide real-time data for the states to implement a weekly landing limit. There- fore, the implementation of a state landing report is not necessary at this time. The Section will include the option to implement
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a state landing report as part of the interstate fi shery management program if it becomes necessary at a future date. The Addendum will be available on the Commission web- site,
www.asmfc.org (on the Atlantic Her- ring webpage). The Section also approved continuing the use of the GSI30-based forecast system to determine spawning closures in Area 1A. This method was developed by the Technical Committee, then tested and evaluated for eff ectiveness during the 2016 fi shing season. The modifi ed GSI‐based spawning monitor- ing system tracks reproductive maturity to align the timing of spawning area closures with the onset of spawning. The modeling eff orts to forecast the spawning closures will be made available via a website. For more information, please con-
tact Ashton Harp, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at
aharp@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.
ASMFC Tautog Board Approves Draft Amendment 1 for Public Comment ALEXANDRIA, VA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Tautog Management Board approved Draft Amend- ment 1 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Tautog for public comment. The Draft Amendment proposes a fun- damental change in tautog management, moving away from management on a coast- wide basis towards regional management. In addition, Draft Amendment 1 proposes the establishment of a commercial harvest tagging program, as well as new goals and objectives, biological reference points and fi shing mortality targets, and a stock rebuild- ing schedule. Draft Amendment 1 proposes delineat-
ing the stock into four regions due to diff er- ences in biology and fi shery characteristics, as well as limited coastwide movement.
Table 1. Four-Region Management Approach
1) Massachusetts – Rhode Island 2) Long Island Sound (CT and NY LIS) 3) New Jersey – New York Bight 4) Delaware – Maryland – Virginia
Management options by region have
been developed in response to the 2016 stock assessment update. Long Island Sound and New Jersey-New York Bight would be required to take harvest reductions due to the regional overfi shing stock status, while Massachusetts-Rhode Island and Dela- ware-Maryland-Virginia would not have to take harvest reductions, but are proposing regional measures. A commercial harvest tagging program
is being proposed to address an illegal, unreported and undocumented fi shery that has persisted for more than a decade. Re- ports of illegally harvested fi sh have been documented in cases against fi shermen, fi sh houses, and at retail markets and restaurants.
2016 LOBSTER BOAT RACE CD
Over 800 photographs from all ten 2016 lobster boat races. $12.50, which includes postage.
To order: Maine Coastal News, P.O. Box 710, Winterport, ME, 04496 or call (207) 223-8846 and charge to your credit card.
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