Virginia Saltwater Fishing

New VMRC Commissioner Appointed

Virginia Saltwater Fishing — Mon, 07 May 2012 22:27:23 +0000

Jack G. Travelstead was recently named as commissioner of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission. Mr. Travelstead has served with the Virginia Marine Resources Commission since 1981. He has been chief of the Fisheries Management Division since 1984, and deputy commissioner since 2006.

Mr. Travelstead was appointed acting commissioner by Governor McDonnell on March 22, 2012, when former Commissioner Steven G. Bowman retired from state service.

The Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) manages recreational and commercial saltwater fishing was well as public waterways for the Commonwealth.

Mid Atlantic Deep Sea Coral Management

Virginia Saltwater Fishing — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 21:40:40 +0000

Deep dropping off the Virginia coast for grouper, tilefish, black sea bass, and other deep sea species has gained popularity in recent years. In the future, these and other offshore fisheries could be impacted by new deep sea coral management plans.

During its April 2012 meeting in Duck, NC, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) voted to develop a plan amendment to protect deep-sea corals. This is the first time the Council has ever initiated an action specifically to protect corals in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Deep-sea corals provide important habitat for many commercially and recreationally important fisheries in the Mid-Atlantic. These corals, which are important habitat areas, are thought to be particularly vulnerable to physical damage because of their slow growth rates.

“This decision demonstrates the Council’s commitment to manage and protect not only Mid-Atlantic fisheries but also the habitats that those fish rely on,” said Council Chairman Rick Robins. “Our understanding of the location and ecological significance of deep-sea corals has improved in recent years and will benefit from upcoming benthic survey work in the Mid-Atlantic region. This deep-sea coral amendment will put the Council in a position to manage these sensitive components of the marine ecosystem.”

The amendment would include provisions for developing management measures to protect areas with high densities of deep-sea corals. These areas were identified in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions during the development of the New England Fishery Management Council’s Omnibus Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) Amendment. The amendment was initiated in 2005 to develop a comprehensive plan that will minimize adverse effects of fishing on deep-sea corals and other areas of EFH.

To date, efforts to identify and protect deep-sea coral areas have involved collaboration between the Mid-Atlantic and New England Councils. In order to preserve the continuity of the process, the Council also voted to develop a memorandum of understanding between the Mid-Atlantic, New England, and South Atlantic Councils. This will allow the councils to coordinate broad-scale deep-sea coral management measures.

A more detailed summary of the meeting can be found online at:

http://mafmc.org/press/2012/April_2012_Council_Report.pdf

source: NOAA FishNews

Virginia Whale – Vessel Interactions

Virginia Saltwater Fishing — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 21:38:43 +0000

Each year, from November to April, fishermen and other mariners encounter whales as they migrate along the Virginia coast.

During this time, the Coast Guard, in partnership with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service, enforces the Ship Strike Reduction Rule (50 CFR 224.105) for a seasonal management area in the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay.

According to the Coast Guard, vessels greater than or equal to 65 feet in length are subject to a 10-knot speed limit in the management area. The purpose of the regulation is to decrease the likelihood of deaths and serious injuries to whales that result from collisions with ships, including the critically endangered North Atlantic Right Whale.

Additionally, the Coast Guard has been notifying commercial and recreational boaters of key regulations concerning approaching whales.

* All boaters within half a mile of any whale species are required to reduce speed to 7 knots or less.

* Approaching within 500 yards of a Right Whale is a violation of federal law that can result in civil or criminal penalties under the Endangered Species Act.

* All boaters are required to maintain a 100-foot buffer zone for all other whale species.

Coast Guard vessels are actively monitoring the management area to ensure compliance. Throughout the season the Coast Guard transmits marine information broadcasts, which include locations of whale sightings, via channel VHF-FM channel 16.

source: USCG

2012 Virginia Black Sea Bass Regulations

Virginia Saltwater Fishing — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 17:28:28 +0000

2012 Virginia black sea bass regulations will include a 12.5 inch minimum size, possession limit of 25 fish, and open seasons from May 19 – October 14 and November 1 – December 31, according to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC).

After reviewing 2011 black sea bass recreational data, the Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board modified the percent that states may liberalize their 2012 recreational management measures to achieve the 1.32 million pound (942,857 fish) harvest limit for the 2012 fishery.

Since the Board’s approval of Addendum XXII and the resultant 2012 state recreational management measures in February 2012, new 2011 recreational harvest estimates were released by the National Marine Fisheries Service. The data indicates the projections used to form the basis of this year’s regulations under estimated the 2011 harvest. Coastwide recreational harvest for the 2011 black fishery is now estimated at 713,478 fish (versus the initial estimate of 654,142 fish).

Based on the stock projections completed in 2011, the black sea bass stock is not overfished and overfishing is not occurring. The projections indicate the stock is at about 111% of its biomass target.

source: ASMFC

ASMFC Lowers Tautog Harvest Reduction

Virginia Saltwater Fishing — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 17:26:34 +0000

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Tautog Management Board has lowered the harvest reduction necessary for states to comply with Addendum VI. Under the revised stock assessment update, states from Connecticut through Virginia are required to reduce harvest by 39% from the average of 2008 and 2009 levels. This change responds to errors found in the 2011 assessment update, which overestimated the 2009 fishing mortality rate and, therefore, the associated harvest reduction necessary to achieve the fishing mortality target. Previously, states had been required to reduce harvest by 53%.

Approved in late 2011, Addendum VI lowers the fishing mortality target to 0.15 and requires states to implement measures to achieve this target. Additionally, it allows for reductions based on regional/state fishing mortality rates for states that can demonstrate a lower regional fishing mortality rate than the coastwide assessment.

Massachusetts and Rhode Island submitted and received Board approval for a regional assessment which demonstrated a local fishing mortality rate below the Addendum VI target. Therefore, they will not need to make any harvest reductions. All other states are required to meet the 39% reduction in harvest and can employ a combination of bag limits, size limits and/or closed seasons based on approved methodologies to achieve the reductions.

All states have the option of implementing more conservative management measures. The revised assessment results show the stock continues to be overfished with overfishing occurring.

source: ASMFC

2011 Tautog Stock Assessment Update Errors

Virginia Saltwater Fishing — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 00:40:33 +0000

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission recently reported that its Tautog Stock Assessment Subcommittee has identified and corrected errors in the 2011 stock assessment update.

Originally, the assessment indicated a 53% reduction was needed to meet the Addendum VI fishing mortality target (F target) of 0.15. The revised update indicates that a coastwide reduction of 37% in exploitation is should achieve the F target.

Despite the revised data, tautog will still be listed as overfished with overfishing occurring. The Board approved Addendum VI in 2011 in response to the poor stock condition.

In order to end overfishing and initiate stock rebuilding, Addendum VI lowers the F target and requires states to implement measures to achieve this target by January 1, 2012.

According to ASFMC, the tautog’s slow growth rate, late age of maturity, and spawning site fidelity makes it particularly susceptible to overfishing.

The Tautog Management Board is expected to complete a conference call over the next few weeks to review the revised assessment results and determine the reductions needed by each state to achieve the Addendum VI.

source: ASFMC

Atlantic HMS Advisory Panel Meeting March 13-15

Virginia Saltwater Fishing — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 00:38:19 +0000

NOAA Fisheries will hold a 3-day Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Advisory Panel meeting March 13 through March 15, 2012. During the event, options will be considered for the conservation and management of Atlantic highly migratory species. The meeting is open to the public. The meeting will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 8777 Georgia Avenue, Silver
Spring, MD 20910.

source: NOAA

Atlantic Menhaden Amendment 2 PID Hearings

Virginia Saltwater Fishing — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 20:50:03 +0000

Atlantic coastal states from Maine through Georgia have scheduled their hearings to gather public comment on the Public Information Document (PID) for Amendment 2 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Menhaden.

The date, time, and location of the Virginia meeting is:

Virginia Marine Resources Commission
March 22, 2012; 6 PM
2600 Washington Avenue, Fourth Floor
Newport News, Virginia
Contact: Jack Travelstead at 757.247.2247

source: ASFMC

2012 Virginia Summer Flounder Regulations

Virginia Saltwater Fishing — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 11:52:40 +0000

2012 Virginia summer flounder regulations have been established. For the 2012 fishing season, the minimum size for flounder will be 16 1/2 inches with a 4 fish possession limit. The regulations will become effective on 3/1/12.

source: VMRC

Illegal Striped Bass Harvest Investigation Sparks ASMFC Addendum

Virginia Saltwater Fishing — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 23:55:13 +0000

The ASFMC Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board initiated an addendum to address illegal striped bass harvest, following an investigation conducted by the Interstate Watershed Task Force (IWTF).

The IWTF conducted a multi-year, multi-jurisdictional investigation on illegal striped bass harvest within Chesapeake Bay which resulted in over $1.6 million dollars in fines levied against 19 individuals and three corporations for more than one million pounds of illegal striped bass harvested estimated to be worth up to seven million dollars.

The covert investigation determined that some Virginia commercial fishermen were illegally harvesting fish during the Potomac River Fisheries Commission’s closed season, as well as illegally harvesting oversized fish from Virginia waters during the spawning season.

Additionally, some Maryland commercial fishermen were taking advantage of loopholes in the state tagging system to falsely report large numbers of smaller, legal-sized fish, allowing them to obtain more tags and exceed quota limits.

The investigation also found some wholesale dealers were complicit through false recordkeeping, false check-in, and knowingly buying illegal or untagged fish.

The Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board will consider potential management options for inclusion in the Draft Addendum for public comment at the Commission’s Spring Meeting in May.

For more information, please contact Kate Taylor, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at ktaylor@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

source: ASMFC