August 2017 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 13. Commercial Fishing News
Marine Fisheries Commission that he has found the State of New Jersey to be in compliance with Addendum XXVII to the Summer Flounder Fishery Management Plan. According to the letter sent to the Commission, Secretary Ross’s decision was based on the assertion that “New Jer- sey makes a compelling argument that the measures it implemented this year, despite increasing catch above the harvest target, will likely reduce total summer fl ounder mortality in New Jersey waters to a level consistent with the overall conservation objective for the recreational fi shery.” This is the fi rst time since passage of the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act (Atlantic Coastal Act) in 1993 and the Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act in 1984 that the Secretary of Commerce failed to uphold a noncompliance recommenda- tion by the Commission.
M C F N
stock falls below the biomass threshold, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act requires the Council to initiate a rebuilding program, which could require more restrictive management mea- sures.
New Jersey was not the only state to be
concerned about the impact of the approved measures to its recreational fi shing commu- nity. Two other states submitted alternative proposals that were rejected in favor of the states equally sharing the burden of needed reductions. Those states, as well as other coastal states, implemented the approved measures in order to end overfi shing and support the long-term conservation of the resource. “The states have a 75-year track record
“The Commission is deeply concerned
about the near-term impact on our ability to end overfi shing on the summer fl ounder stock as well as the longer-term ability for the Commission to eff ectively conserve numerous other Atlantic coastal shared re- sources,” stated Commission Chair Douglas Grout of New Hampshire. “The Commis- sion’s fi nding of noncompliance was not an easy one. It included hours of Board delib- eration and rigorous Technical Committee review, and represented, with the exception of New Jersey, a unanimous position of the Commission’s state members. Our deci- sion was based on Technical Committee’s fi ndings that New Jersey’s measures were not conservationally-equivalent to those measures in Addendum XXVIII and are pro- jected to result in an additional 93,800 fi sh being harvested. Additionally, we had an ob- ligation as a partner in the joint management of summer fl ounder with the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) to implement measures to end overfi shing im- mediately or face the possibility of summer fl ounder becoming an overfi shed stock.” Based on the latest stock assessment
information, summer fl ounder is currently experiencing overfi shing. Spawning stock biomass has been declining since 2010 and is just 16% above the threshold. The vast ma- jority of fi shery-independent surveys show rapidly declining abundance. Any increase in overall mortality puts the stock at risk for further declines and increases the probabil- ity of the stock becoming overfi shed. If the
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of working together to successfully manage their shared marine resources,” contin- ued Chairman Grout. “We are very much concerned about the short and long-term implications of the Secretary’s decision on interstate fi sheries management. Our focus moving forward will be to preserve the integrity of the Commission’s process, as established by the Atlantic Coastal Act, whereby, the states comply with the manage- ment measures we collectively agree upon. It is my fervent hope that three-quarters of a century of cooperative management will provide a solid foundation for us to collec- tively move forward in achieving our vision of sustainably managing Atlantic coastal fi sheries.” The Commission is currently review-
ing its options in light of Secretary Ross’s action, and the member states will meet during the Commission’s Summer Meeting in early August to discuss the implications of the Secretary’s determination on the sum- mer fl ounder resource and on state/federal cooperation in fi sheries management under the Atlantic Coastal Act. For more information, please contact
Toni Kerns, Director, Interstate Fisheries Management Program, at tkerns@asmfc. org or 703.842.0740.
NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Administrator Announces Retirement
Bullard Counts Deep-Sea Corals Pro- tections, Electronic Monitoring Pilots, and Groundfi sh Response Among Top Accomplishments Since 2012
NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional PO Box 88 Belfast, ME 04915
207-338-1406 207-322-1924 207-322-1928
www.downeastlobstermen.org
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Administrator John Bullard formally an- nounced he will retire on January 5, 2018. Bullard, who took the top job in the agency’s Gloucester-based offi ce in 2012, will leave a legacy of improved relationships with the regulated community, the research commu- nity, environmentalists, local, state, and fed- eral offi cials and agency partners, including the New England and the Mid-Atlantic fi sh- ery management councils and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. As the regional administrator responsi-
ble for leading the agency’s approach to fi sh- eries, habitat, sea turtle, and marine mammal issues from Maine to North Carolina as well as the Great Lakes region, Bullard also provided a much-needed conduit helping the regulated communities understand the criti- cal role of science in informing management decisions. “As the former Mayor of New Bedford,
John brought with him a unique connection to the fi shing industry, and used that con- nection to improve communication with all aspects of the industry and Congress during a very challenging period for the agency,” said Sam Rauch, NOAA Fisheries Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs. As Regional Administrator, Bullard
worked with the fi shery management coun- cils and the commission to manage 44 fi sh
stocks, including two, scallops and lobster, worth more than $500 million each. During his tenure, he faced the daunting
New England groundfi sh crisis. Bullard met the challenge head on, making the tough and unpopular decision to impose emergency closures when the New England Council failed to act.
Continued on Page 20.
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