Page 12. MAINE COASTAL NEWS February 2018 Commercial Fishing News
ASMFC Approves Black Sea Bass Draft Addendum XXX for Public Comment & ASMFC and MAFMC Initiate Blue- fi sh Amendment
M C F N
these documents will continue in 2018. Bluefi sh
The Council and Commission initiated
ANNAPOLIS, MD – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commis- sion) and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Manage- ment Council (Council) met jointly to estab- lish recreational specifi cations for black sea bass, scup, and summer fl ounder; consider approval of Black Sea Bass Draft Addendum XXX for 2018 recreational management; discuss the initiation of a new Bluefi sh Amendment; and jointly take action on sev- eral items related to all four species (detailed below). The Commission’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 Administrator for fi nal approval. Black Sea Bass
As part of the discussion on black sea
bass recreational specifi cations, the Com- mission approved Draft Addendum XXX to the Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for public comment. The Draft Addendum considers alternative regional management approaches for the recreational fi shery, including options for regional allo- cation of the recreational harvest limit (RHL) based on historical harvest and exploitable biomass. A subsequent press release on the document’s availability and the public hearing schedule will be distributed once hearings have been fi nalized. The Council recommended the following recreational measures for federal waters from February 1-28, 2018: a 12.5” minimum size limit and a 15 fi sh possession limit. Specifi cations for the remainder of 2018 fi shing season will be determined in February. The Commission and Council also
initiated the development of an addendum/ framework to address several recreational management issues. The addendum/frame- work will consider implementing a conser- vation equivalency management program for black sea bass similar to that used with summer fl ounder by allowing state or re- gional measures to be implemented in both state and federal waters; allow for a summer fl ounder, scup and black sea bass transit provision in federal waters around Block Island similar to the provision allowed for striped bass; and consider the possible im- plementation of slot limits in federal waters for summer fl ounder and black sea bass. This addendum/framework will be developed in 2018 with the goal of implementation prior to the 2019 recreational fi shing seasons. Additionally, the Commission/Council
reviewed draft alternatives for an adden- dum/framework to consider the opening of the Wave 1 recreational fi shery in 2019 through a Letter of Authorization. Work on
a new amendment to the Bluefi sh FMP. The intent of the Draft Amendment is to review and possibly revise commercial/recreational allocation of the resource, as well as the dis- tribution of the commercial quota among the states. A Scoping Document will be released sometime in 2018.
Scup For scup, Commission and Council
maintained status quo recreational manage- ment measures in federal waters (e.g., 9-inch minimum size, 50 fi sh possession limit, and year-round open season). For state waters, the Commission approved the continued use of the regional management approach. Based on interest expressed by fishery managers and stakeholders, the Technical Committee will conduct an analysis on the potential impacts of lowering the size limit for northern region state waters on the 2018 coastwide harvest. The Technical Committee will present this analysis at the Commission’s Winter Meeting in February. Summer Flounder
For summer fl ounder, the Commission
and Council extended the provisions of Addendum XXVIII, allowing for the use of conservation equivalency to achieve, but not exceed, the 2018 summer fl ounder RHL of 4.42 million pounds. Conservation equivalency allows individual states or multi-state regions to develop customized measures that, in combination, will achieve the coastwide RHL. Further, it was specifi ed that any modifi cations to state measures in 2018 should result in no more than a 17% liberalization in coastwide harvest relative to the projected 2017 harvest of 3.23 million pounds. This maximum liberalization was set based on continued concern for the stock status of summer fl ounder. Information sug- gests 2017 appears to be an anomalous low year in terms of eff ort and harvest, raising concern that overages in 2018 may occur under a larger liberalization in regulations if catch and eff ort rates increase in 2018. In extending the provisions of Addendum XX- VIII, the regional delineation for 2018 will be: (1) Massachusetts (2) Rhode Island (3) Connecticut‐New York, (4) New Jersey, (5) Delaware‐Virginia, and (6) North Carolina. Any state or region wishing to modify its management measures must submit propos- als for Technical Committee review in Jan- uary, and Board consideration in February. The Commission and Council set
non-preferred coastwide measures in the event that state conservation equivalency measures are not approved by NOAA Fisheries. These measures include a 4-fi sh possession limit, a 19-inch total length minimum size, and an open season of May 15 – September 15. The Council and
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Board also approved precautionary default measures (i.e., a 2-fi sh possession limit, a 20-inch total length minimum size, and an open season of July 1 – August 31), which will be implemented in any state or region that does not adopt measures consistent with the conservation equivalency guidelines. Lastly, work continues on the de-
velopment of a new Summer Flounder Amendment. The Commission and Council reviewed the latest revisions to the Draft Amendment, including FMP goals and ob- jectives, and commercial alternatives. An updated draft document is scheduled to be released in 2018 for public comment. For more information about black sea
bass and bluefi sh, please contact Caitlin Starks, FMP Coordinator at cstarks@asmf
NOAA Names Michael Pentony to Lead Greater Atlantic Region
Agency veteran brings over 20 years’ ex- perience in sustainable fi sheries manage- ment to the job
NOAA Fisheries announced that Mr.
Michael Pentony is the new Regional Ad- ministrator for NOAA Fisheries Greater At- lantic Regional Fisheries Offi ce in Glouces- ter, Massachusetts. He will assume his new duties on January 22, 2018. Mr. Pentony has been with the agency since 2002, serving in a series of positions including as the Assistant Regional Administrator for the Sustainable Fisheries Division since 2014. He succeeds retiring Regional Administrator John Bull- ard who had been in the position since 2012. “I am extremely pleased to announce
this appointment,” said NOAA Fisheries’ director Chris Oliver. “Michael’s deep experience in every aspect of sustainable fi sheries management, both commercial and recreational, positions him perfectly for this job. He is going to hit the ground running.” In his new role, Mr. Pentony will head
the agency’s regional offi ce, which has responsibility for managing approximately 100,000 square miles of the Northwest Atlantic, the large marine ecosystem from Maine to Cape Hatteras and the Great Lakes. To do that, the offi ce works closely with two fi shery management councils, the states, the fi shing industry, and other stakeholders to manage federal commercial and recreational fi sheries, marine mammals, habitat, and much more. As Administrator, he will also oversee critical aspects of inter- national fi sheries conservation and manage- ment in the region. Mr. Pentony has extensive experience
leading the development and implementa- tion of the fi shery management plans and regulations established by the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. In his role as the region’s lead for sustainable fisheries management, he oversaw all aspects of 14 management plans targeting 42 species val- ued at nearly $1.6 billion annually. Prior to taking the Assistant Regional Administrator position in 2014, Mr. Pentony served for 12 years as a team supervisor in the sustainable fi sheries division. “Under Michael’s leadership, the re-
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gion’s sustainable fi sheries team worked hard to meet the needs of fi shermen and fi shing communities from Maine to North Carolina. In doing so, they have imple- mented successful, innovative approaches to protecting and restoring stocks, habitat, and marine mammals. They also paved the way for an expansion of the aquaculture industry in the region by working hard to break through barriers to that industry,” said Oliver.
Before joining NOAA Fisheries in 2002, Mr. Pentony worked for fi ve years as
ASMFC Begins Preparations for Ameri- can Shad Benchmark Stock Assessment The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries
Commission has initiated a benchmark stock assessment for American shad (Alosa sapidissima) to be completed in the summer of 2019. The goals of the assessment are to evaluate the health of stocks along the Atlantic coast and inform management of this species. The Commission’s stock as- sessment process and meetings are open to the public, with the exception of discussions of confi dential data, when the public will be asked to leave the room. The Commission welcomes the sub-
mission of data sources that will contribute to the goals of the assessment. This includes, but is not limited to, data on abundance, stocking, biological samples (sex, maturity, age, weight, length), life history information (growth, fecundity, natural mortality, sex ratio, spawning), stock structure (tagging data, genetics), mortality (predator diet, anthropogenic sources such as hydropower dams), and catch (harvest, discard, fi shing eff ort). An essential need is data to inform the stock assessment of discards and bycatch in other directed fi sheries (e.g. the Atlantic herring fi shery). For data sets to be consid- ered, the data must be sent in the required format, with accompanying description of methods, to the Commission by February 23, 2018.
The Data Workshop will be conducted
March 5-8, 2018 at the Lord Baltimore Hotel, 20 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21201. This workshop will review all available data sources for American shad and identify datasets to be incorporated in the stock assessment. For those interested in submitting data and/or attending the American Shad Data Workshop (space is limited), please contact Jeff Kipp, Stock Assessment Scientist, at
jkipp@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.
New Report Documents Amazing U.S. Deep-Sea Coral and Sponge Ecosystems Highlights decade of conservation progress
Deep-sea corals are among the slowest
growing and oldest animals in the ocean, with some species living more than 4,000 years, and support ecosystems of incredible variety and diversity. In fact, 20 percent of all known deep-sea coral species can been found off U.S. coastlines at least 50 meters (164 feet) below the ocean’s surface. Deep- sea sponges can reach the size of a minivan, and may contain treatments for diseases such as pancreatic cancer. Many species create complex habitats that provide shelter,
a policy analyst for the New England Fishery Management Council, primarily on issues related to habitat, marine protected areas, and the deep-sea red crab fi shery. He has a Bachelor of Science in En-
gineering from Duke University in North Carolina, and a Master’s of Environmental Management from the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University. Between college and graduate school, Mr. Pentony served for six years as an offi cer in the United States Air Force as an engineer- ing project manager on a variety of military satellite and launch vehicle programs. Michael grew up in the town of Point
Pleasant, New Jersey, where he spent his summers fi shing for bluefi sh and fl uke at the Manasquan Inlet. He currently lives in New Hampshire with his family including his wife and daughter. In his free time he enjoys traveling with his family, cheering on his daughter at swim meets, cycling the back roads of New Hampshire, and trying to learn to play the bass guitar.
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