Virginia Saltwater Fishing

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council has extended the survey and comment deadline for its Visioning Initiative. The initiative is an opportunity for anyone interested in fisheries managed by the Council to weigh in on the future of fisheries management in the Mid-Atlantic. Survey responses can now be submitted until February 29, 2012.

The Council is asking the public to take one or more online surveys to provide their ideas and comments on fisheries management policies and processes. This is an opportunity for stakeholders to share their varied perspectives and opinions with the Council.

In addition to the main survey, there are short species-specific surveys where anyone interested in a particular species can provide detailed input on the management of that fishery. Links to all surveys are posted on the Visioning website: http://www.mafmc.org/vision.

Organizations also have the opportunity to submit position letters that will be included in the Visioning data package. Any organization, including non-governmental organizations, recreational fishing clubs, and commercial fishing associations, can submit a letter addressing areas of particular concern or providing recommendations to the Council. Position letter guidelines are available on the Visioning website.

The deadline for submission of surveys and position letters is February 29, 2012. All input received will be presented at the April Council meeting, at which point the Council will begin crafting a vision and accompanying strategic plan designed to achieve that vision. For additional details about the project, or for survey links and position letter guidelines, visit http://www.mafmc.org/vision or contact Mary Clark at mclark@mafmc.org or (302) 526-5261.

source: MAFMC

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) met with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Board (Board) on December 15 in in Virginia Beach, VA to recommend and adopt recreational management measures for summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass.

The Council and Board adopted the use of conservation equivalency to achieve the recreational harvest limit for summer flounder in 2011. This harvest limit (11.44 million pounds), approved in August by the Council and Board, represents a 33% increase relative to the limit implemented in 2010.  Conservation equivalency would require states to develop and implement state-specific management measures (i.e., possession limits, size limits, and seasons) to achieve the harvest limit for their state.

After considerable discussion of the proposed recreational harvest limit and the status of the scup stock, the Council and Board voted to increase the 2011 Total Allowable Landing Level (TAL) for scup to about 26 million pounds, an increase of 92% relative to the 2010 level. Although the Council and Board had agreed to a lower TAL in August, they agreed the revised TAL  recommendation would more effectively accommodate the region’s vibrant recreational scup fishery while staying within the maximum sustainable yield for this stock.

Based on the associated recreational harvest of 5.74 million pounds, the Council and Board adopted status quo (same as 2010) measures for federal and state waters in 2011 for scup.  These measures in federal waters would include a 10 fish possession limit, a 10.5-inch total length (TL) minimum fish size, and an open season July 6 to September 26.

The Council and Board adopted coastwide management measures for the 2011 recreational black sea bass fishery. These include a 13-inch TL minimum fish size, a 25 fish possession limit, and an open season from July 1 to October 1 and November 1 to December 31. The measures will remain in effect for 2011 until the ASMFC approves an addendum to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Plan that implements regional specifications for black sea bass that would achieve the necessary reduction in fishing mortality for 2011.

Once the addendum is in place, the Council and Board agreed that management measures in Federal waters would revert to the same measures in place for 2010 – a 12.5-inch TL minimum fish size, 25 fish possession limit, and an open season from May 22 to October 11 and November 1 to December 31.

Mid-Atlantic Council Chairman, Rick Robins, noted that “The Council and Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission worked together very effectively to craft measures that would mitigate potentially disruptive impacts within the black sea bass fishery by developing a provisional motion that would enable the Commission to address the geographic variability of the performance in this important recreational fishery.  Additionally, our actions this week set the stage for significant and long awaited increases in recreational opportunities in the summer flounder fishery, following a decade of difficult but successful stock rebuilding.”

source: MAFMC press release

The public is invited to attend the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s December 2010 meeting to be held at the Hilton, 3001 Atlantic Avenue, Virginia Beach, VA 23451 (telephone: 757-213-3000).  Below is the meeting agenda.
NOTE: There will be information for online access to the meeting on the Council’s homepage at www.mafmc.org by December 10.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 13

9:00 – 12:00                   River Herring and Shad Committee

·         Review MSB Amendment 14 FMAT input on management integration issues

·         Next steps?

1:00 – 5:00                     Habitat-Ecosystem Workshop

·         Implementing the President’s National Ocean Policy – Jennifer Lukens

·         Policy / Management Panel (Montanio, Bigford, Colosi, Tsao, Catena, Wenzel, and Bohne)

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 14

8:00 – 12:00                   Habitat-Ecosystem Workshop   (Continued)

·         NMFS Habitat Assessment Improvement Plan (HAIP) – Tom Noji

·         Science Panel (Cyr, Fogarty, Robertson, Noji, and Manderson)

12:00 – 1:00                   Lunch

1:00 – 5:00                     Habitat-Ecosystem Workshop   (Continued)

·         Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Oceans (MARCO) – Mike Snyder

·         Stakeholder Panel (Link, Hawkins, DiDomenico, Odell, Kellogg, and Laney)

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15

8:30                              Council convenes jointly with Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Board

8:30 – 10:30                   Summer Flounder:  2011 Recreational Management Measures

·         Review and discuss Monitoring Committee’s recommendations on summer flounder management measures

·         Review and discuss Advisory Panel’s recommendations on summer flounder management measures

·         Develop and approve management measures for 2011 summer flounder recreational fishery

10:30 – 12:30                 Scup: 2011 Recreational Management Measures

·         Review and discuss Monitoring Committee’s recommendations on scup management measures

·         Review and discuss Advisory Panel’s recommendations on scup management measures

·         Develop and approve management measures for 2011 scup recreational fishery

12:30 – 1:30                   Lunch

1:30 -   3:00                   Black Sea Bass:  2011 Recreational Management Measures

·         Review and discuss Monitoring Committee’s recommendations on black sea bass management measures

·         Review and discuss Advisory Panel’s recommendations on black sea bass management measures

·         Develop and approve management measures for 2011 black sea bass recreational fishery

3:00 – 3:30                     Overview of the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) – Jean McGovern, National Science Foundation OOI Program Director

3:30 – 4:30                     Joint Spiny Dogfish Committee

·         Finalize issues to be resolved in Amendment 3

4:30 – 5:30                     Monkfish Amendment 6

·         Scoping Hearing for Amendment 6 regarding catch shares

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16

8:00 -   9:00                   Executive Committee

·         Visioning project update

·         Consider updating priorities to accommodate a bio-economic analysis of the scup allocations

·         Discussion of Council communications plan options

·         Update on AP Fishery Performance Report development

·         Review working group’s recommendations for webinar compensation and travel policy to  include in Council SOPPs

9:00                              Council Convenes

9:00 – 9:30                     Briefing on Proposed Listing of Atlantic Sturgeon under Endangered Species Act (ESA) – NMFS Office of Protected Resources

9:30 – 1:30                     Business Session

·         Approval of June and October minutes

·         Actions from October Meeting

Organizational Reports

·         NMFS NERO Regional Administrator

·         NMFS NEFSC Director

·         NOAA Office of General Counsel

·         Federal Enforcement Officials (NMFS and USCG)

·         ASMFC’s Executive Director

New England and South Atlantic Councils Liaison Reports

Executive Director’s Report

·                     Update on excessive the Excessive Share project

Status of MAFMC FMPs

Committee Reports

·         SSC

·         Ad Hoc River Herring/Shad Committee

o    Review FMAT Document for SMB Amendment 14

·         HMS

·         Executive

·         Joint Spiny Dogfish

·         Protected Resources

Continuing and New Business

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) has voted to increase the 2011 commercial and recreational harvest levels of both scup (porgy) and summer flounder, welcome news for a beleaguered Atlantic Coast fishing community.

Following input from the Scup Monitoring Committee, the MAFMC, which met jointly today with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) management boards, voted to increase the total allowable catch for scup (porgy) from this year’s 17.09 million pounds of quota to a catch of 24.1 million pounds in 2011. The Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) had recommended an acceptable biological catch as high as 51.7 million pounds, which would’ve represented a near 200% increase in quota if enacted.

Council members heard various recommendations from the monitoring committee, in addition to public comment from recreational and commercial fishing interests who traveled to Philadelphia to attend today’s meetings, but voted on a more precautionary 41% increase in total allowable catch for next season. For the recreational sector, the total allowable catch of 24.1 million pounds will result in a 4.4-million-pound harvest for the year.

On the summer flounder front, the MAFMC voted to increase the total allowable catch from this season’s 25.48 million pounds to an increased quota of 33.95 million pounds in the year ahead. The new total allowable landings for 2011 represent the highest allowable catch debated by the MAFMC today.

Recreational fishermen are hopeful that this increase in quota means improved summer flounder regulations for 2011, but that still rests in the hands of the Marine Recreational Fishing Statistical Survey (MRFSS) for 2010.

“The recreational fishermen won’t know what this means in terms of regulations until November at the very least,” said Capt. Adam Nowalsky, chairman of the Recreational Fishing Alliance’s New Jersey Chapter (RFA-NJ). “As anglers have come to recognize year after year, now we have to wait for this season’s landings information to come through from MRFSS to forecast how that compares to the 2011 recreational allowable landings.”

“Some of the reasons for this success should go to the science that was contributed by the grassroots efforts of the local fishing community,” said Ray Bogan, legal counsel for the RFA. “There has been an extraordinary contribution by the anglers, which makes up a significant portion of the scientific effort in the summer flounder assessments,” he said.

Bogan noted that private funding through the Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund, United Boatmen, and RFA, along with non-federal inshore survey analysis by the North East Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (NEAMAP) have helped lead to improved summer flounder assessments, which in turn has led to improved access for anglers.

A letter from Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) to the New York council members overnight was distributed amongst MAFMC members, in which the senator urged council members to provide increased access to summer flounder and scup resources for both recreational and commercial fishermen.

“As the Council knows, these species are not overfished and overfishing is not occurring,” Sen. Schumer said in his letter, adding “Fishermen have patiently waited for these stocks to rebuild and were promised relief when they were healthy again. Now is that time.”

“The scup biomass is rebuilt by around 200% and yet it seems that our quota is going to be raised only marginally,” said Capt. Paul Forsberg of the Viking Fleet out of Montauk, NY, who attended today’s meeting. “How high must the biomass go before we can achieve maximum sustainable yield?”

Despite pleas from fishermen to increase the porgy quota by 55% to a total allowable catch of 26-1/2 million pounds, a 9-8 council vote put the porgy limit at a more modest 41% increase.

For details on recent MAFMC actions, visit www.mafmc.org

source: RFA

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and four of its Committees met in Duck, North Carolina from April 13 until April 15, 2010.

The Council voted to send a letter to NMFS, upon receipt of NMFS’ black sea bass proposed rule, to support adoption of the ASMFC 2010 Black Sea Bass recreational measures of a 3.7 million pound total allowable landings (TAL), a 12.5″ minimum fish size, a 25 fish possession limit, and a season of May 22 through September 12.

source: MAFMC

Eric Schwaab has been appointed as Assistant Administrator to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). He brings more than 25 years of experience in local, state and federal natural resource management. Eric was a member of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) from 2000 to 2002 serving as Maryland’s State representative to the Council. He worked for many years at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, including serving as Director of Maryland’s Fisheries Service and most recently as Deputy Secretary of Natural Resources.

While serving as a member of the Council, Eric demonstrated a strong conservation ethic and helped the Council in its development and implementation of the Tilefish Fishery Management Plan (FMP); Framework Adjustment 1 (instituting the Research Set-Aside Program) to the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, Butterfish FMP, Summer Flounder, Scup, Black Sea Bass FMP, Bluefish FMP, the Tilefish FMP; and, Amendments 13 to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass and Surfclam and Ocean Quahog FMPs. During his tenure on the Council, Eric served on the Demersal, Ecosystems, and Law Enforcement Committees.

source: MAFMC press release

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) will host an educational workshop March 16-18, 2010 on “catch shares.” The workshop will be conducted in cooperation with the Fisheries Leadership and Sustainability Forum, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Participants will include MAFMC members, MAFMC staff, MAFMC Advisory Panel representatives, ASMFC representatives, MAFMC Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) representatives, as well as leadership from the New England Fishery Management Council, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, and NMFS. As with all MAFMC meetings, the workshop will be open to the public and there will be several opportunities for public comment.

The term “catch share” encompasses a broad spectrum of fishery management systems that share a common approach: allocating a portion of a scientifically determined catch limit to a discrete set of users (i.e. individuals, groups, or communities). The MAFMC adopted the first catch share programs in the United States when it implemented an ITQ (individual transferable quota) program for the surfclam and ocean quahog fisheries in 1990. The MAFMC also recently (2009) implemented a catch share system for tilefish (IFQ – individual fishing quota).

Given the high levels of interest regarding catch share programs, the MAFMC concluded that an educational workshop dedicated to catch share issues would be beneficial for its members and partners. As the workshop is educational in nature, no management decisions will be made at the workshop to initiate catch shares in any particular fishery managed by the MAFMC.

As more information becomes available, including agenda details and background briefing documents, the Council will post these materials on its website: www.mafmc.org. Please contact the Council at 302-674-2331 or by e-mail to info@mafmc.org to clarify any details or to address any questions.

Location details: Kingsmill Conference Center, 1010 Kingsmill Road, Williamsburg, VA 23185; 800-832-5665. Kingsmill is 20 minutes from the Newport News/Williamsburg Airport (PHF) and 45 minutes from either the Norfolk, VA or Richmond, VA airports.

source MAFMC press release

The public is invited to attend the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s December 2009 meeting to be held at the Sheraton Suites Hotel, 422 Delaware Avenue, Wilmington, DE 19801 (telephone: 302-654-8300). Below is the meeting agenda. NOTE: Log onto www.ustream.tv and type mafmc in the search block to view and listen to the meeting.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8

8:30 Council convenes jointly with Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup, Black Sea Bass, and Dogfish Boards

8:30 – 11:00 Summer Flounder: 2010 Recreational Management Measures

· Review and discuss Monitoring Committee’s recommendations on summer flounder management measures

· Review and discuss Advisory Panel’s recommendations on summer flounder management measures

· Develop and approve management measures for 2010 summer flounder recreational fishery

11:00 – 12:00 Scup: 2010 Recreational Management Measures

· Review and discuss Monitoring Committee’s recommendations on scup management measures

· Review and discuss Advisory Panel’s recommendations on scup management measures

· Develop and approve management measures for 2010 scup recreational fishery

12:00 – 1:00 Lunch

1:00 – 2:00 Scup: 2010 Recreational Management Measures – Continued

· Review and discuss Monitoring Committee’s recommendations on scup management measures

· Review and discuss Advisory Panel’s recommendations on scup management measures

· Develop and approve management measures for 2010 scup recreational fishery

2:00 – 4:00 Black Sea Bass: 2010 Recreational Management Measures

· Review and discuss Monitoring Committee’s recommendations on black sea bass management measures

· Review and discuss Advisory Panel’s recommendations on black sea bass management measures

· Develop and approve management measures for 2010 black sea bass recreational fishery

4:00 – 5:00 Spiny Dogfish

· Review and discuss SSC and Monitoring Committee’s recommendations for dogfish quota and related management measures for 2010/2011 fishing year and beyond

· Adopt quota and related management measures for 2010/2011 and beyond fishing years

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9

8:00 Council Convenes with Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Leadership and Board Chairs and Vice Chairs to Address Accountability Measures

8:00 – 9:30 Surfclam / Ocean Quahog / Tilefish Committee

· Discuss and recommend draft accountability measures (AM)

9:30 – 10:30 Dogfish Committee

· Discuss and recommend draft accountability measures (AM) to be included in the ACL/AM Omnibus Amendment

10:30 – 12:00 Squid, Mackerel, Butterfish Committee

· Discuss and recommend draft accountability measures (AM) to be included in the ACL/AM Omnibus Amendment for mackerel and butterfish

12:00 – 1:00 Lunch

1:00 – 1:15 Award Presentation and Recognition

· Fisheries Achievement Award – Jeff Deem

· Ricks E Savage Award – TBA

1:15 – 3:30 Demersal and Coastal Migratory Committee

· Discuss and recommend draft accountability measures (AM) to be included in the ACL/AM Omnibus Amendment

3:30 – 4:00 Monkfish Committee

· Discuss and recommend draft accountability measures (AM) to be included in the ACL/AM Omnibus Amendment

4: 00 – 5:30 Performance Monitoring and Evaluation of Catch Shares in Terms of Their Social, Cultural and Economic Impacts on Regional Fisheries – A Presentation by the NMFS’

Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s Social Sciences Unit

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10

8:00 – 9:00 Executive Committee

· Review draft recommendations for standards for SSC review of ABC recommendations

· New business

9:00 Council Convenes

9:00 – 10:00 Presentation on draft-interim NOAA Catch Share Policy by Monica Medina [Senior Advisor to Dr. Lubchenco and Catch Share Task Force Chairperson]

10:00 – 11:30 Business Session and Annual Picture

· Approval of October minutes

Organizational Reports

· NMFS NERO Regional Administrator

· NMFS NEFSC Director

· NOAA Office of General Counsel

· Federal Enforcement Officials (NMFS and USCG)

· ASMFC’s Executive Director

New England Council Liaison Report

Executive Director’s Report – Mr. Furlong

Status of MAFMC FMPs – Mr. Seagraves

11:30-12:00 Informal Question and Answer session regarding MPA nominations

12:00 – 1:00 Lunch

1:00 – 2:15 Solicit Public Comment regarding the Council’s Selection of Sites for MPA Designation and finalize MPA nominations

2:15 – 3:00 Committee Reports

· Scientific and Statistical

· Highly Migratory Species

· Surfclam / Ocean Quahog / Tilefish

· Dogfish

· Squid, Mackerel, and Butterfish

· Demersal and Coastal Migratory

· Monkfish

· Executive

3:00 – 3:30 Continuing and New Business

· Receive nominations for and vote on new members to be added to SSC

· Develop comments regarding NMFS’ changes to the General and Harpoon

Category fisheries for Atlantic bluefin tuna

The above agenda items may not be taken in the order in which they appear and are subject to change as necessary. Other items may be added, but the Council cannot take action on such items even if the item requires emergency action without additional public notice. Non-emergency matters not contained in this agenda may come before the Council and / or its Committees for discussion, but these matters may not be the subject of formal Council or Committee action during this meeting. Council and Committee actions will be restricted to the issues specifically listed in this agenda. Any issues requiring emergency action under section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act that arise after publication of the Federal Register Notice for this meeting may be acted upon provided that the public has been notified of the Council’s intent to take final action to address the emergency. The meeting may be closed to discuss employment or other internal administrative matters.