NOAA Fisheries is initiating a planning process to support its intention to transition part or all of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s spring and fall bottom trawl surveys from the NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow to fishing industry vessels.
Request for Proposals: Tilefish Surveying (Deadline Extended to 8/19/2016)
NEFSC 2016 Study Fleet Solicitation - Due Aug. 11, 2016
August 2016 Council Meeting Agenda
SAFMC August 2016 Public Hearing/Scoping Meetings of Interest
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council has scheduled a Q&A and public hearings for Coastal Migratory Pelagics Framework Amendment 4 addressing cobia management from GA through NY. The Council will also hold a Q&A and scoping meeting (via webinar) on management measures proposed for dolphin fish in federal water along the entire Atlantic coast.
June 2016 Council Meeting Summary
Publication: A Framework for Incorporating Species, Fleet, Habitat, and Climate Interactions into Fishery Management
The following article was published in Frontiers in Marine Science, section Marine Ecosystem Ecology.
A Framework for Incorporating Species, Fleet, Habitat, and Climate Interactions into Fishery Management
Sarah K. Gaichas, Richard J. Seagraves, Jessica M. Coakley, Geret S. DePiper, Vincent G. Guida, Jonathan A. Hare, Paul J. Rago, and Michael J. Wilberg.
Abstract
Marine ecosystems are characterized by many complex interactions. Fisheries managers face the challenge of maintaining or restoring sustainability for individual living resources which are affected by both ecological and economic interactions with other species, through processes like predation and fishing fleet interactions. These species interactions are further complicated by interactions with habitats that are changing due to both human activities and climate change. Often, fishery management systems designed to promote sustainability of individual resources have few tools or processes that also address interactions between species, fleets, habitat, and climate. Here, we review existing and potential fishery assessment and management information and tools, and we develop a potential framework for addressing interactions in management at the request of the U.S. Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. The structured framework can be used to first prioritize interactions, second specify key questions regarding high priority interactions, and third tailor appropriate analyses to address them. The primary tools for the initial steps in the framework are risk assessment and Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE). Finally, implemented management would be evaluated to ensure that objectives are being met, or to adjust measures as conditions change. In the final section, we outline an example to illustrate how a structured decision making process within the framework could work.
Full Article:
BOEM to Hold Public Meetings on New York Offshore Wind
NOAA Fisheries Announces Interim Management Measures for Blueline Tilefish in the Greater Atlantic Region
NOAA Fisheries has announced interim management measures for the blueline tilefish fishery in the Greater Atlantic Region. The interim measures, which go into effect on Friday, June 17 for vessels fishing north of the Virginia/North Carolina border, are the same as the previous emergency measures that expired on June 3.