Council to Hold Virtual Summer Flounder Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) Workshops

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold three virtual regional public workshops to solicit input on future management of the recreational summer flounder fishery. These workshops are part of the Council’s development of a management strategy evaluation (MSE) which will evaluate different management strategies designed to minimize discards in the recreational summer flounder fishery. Input provided during the workshops will build on the 800+ comments and suggestions that were submitted through a public comment form earlier this year. More information about this project can be found on the Summer Flounder Management Strategy Evaluation page.

During the workshops, participants will listen to a series of short background presentations and then provide input and feedback regarding summer flounder discard concerns, potential management objectives to address these concerns, and performance metrics and strategies to achieve these objectives. 

Workshop Schedule and Registration

The dates and times of the three virtual workshops are listed below. Individuals are encouraged to participate in the workshop for their region; however, all workshops are open to all individuals. Participants will first need to register for the workshop(s) in which they plan to attend. To help plan and organize the workshops, interested participants are encouraged to register at least 24 hours prior to a scheduled workshop.

  1. Massachusetts through Connecticut: Monday, March 29, 2021; 5:30 P.M. – 8:00 P.M.

    Register for the MA-CT Workshop

  2. New York through Delaware: Wednesday, March 31, 2021; 5:30 P.M. – 8:00 P.M.

    Register for the NY-DE Workshop

  3. Maryland through North Carolina: Monday, April 5, 2021; 5:30 P.M. – 8:00 P.M.

    Register for the MD-NC Workshop

Workshops will be held via Webex, which can be accessed using a computer, tablet, or smartphone. Participants can also join and participate in the workshop with a phone-only connection; however, you will not be able to see any presentations or other materials shared on the webinar.  Once registered, you will receive an email from Webex with the webinar information including the webinar link, telephone number and access code, and a calendar invite.

Questions? Contact Brandon Muffley, bmuffley@mafmc.org, (302) 526-5260

ASMFC and MAFMC Approve Changes to State Allocations of Commercial Black Sea Bass Quota

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board (Board) and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) jointly approved several changes to the management program for black sea bass commercial fisheries. These changes include modifying the state allocations of the commercial black sea bass quota, adding the state allocations to the Council’s Fishery Management Plan (FMP), and modifying the regulations for federal in-season closures. The Board adopted the new allocations through Addendum XXXIII to the Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass FMP, while the Council recommended these changes through an amendment to its FMP. These actions address significant changes in the distribution of black sea bass that have occurred since the original allocations were implemented under Amendment 13 in 2003 and also account for the historical dependence of the states on the black sea bass fishery. 

Under the approved changes, Connecticut’s baseline allocation will increase from 1% to 3% of the coastwide quota to address its disproportionally low allocation compared to the increased availability of black sea bass in state waters. The state allocations will then be calculated by allocating 75% of the coastwide quota according to the new baseline allocations (historical allocations modified to account for Connecticut’s increase to 3%) and 25% to three regions based on the most recent regional biomass distribution information from the stock assessment (see Table 1). The three regions are: 1) Maine-New York, 2) New Jersey, and 3) Delaware-North Carolina. The regional allocations will be distributed among states within a region in proportion to their baseline allocations, except Maine and New Hampshire will each receive 1% of the northern region quota. Because the allocations are based in part on the regional biomass distribution from the stock assessment, they will be adjusted if a new assessment indicates a change to the biomass distribution. The Board and Council committed to reevaluating the approved state allocation system within 5 years.

The Council and Board agreed to add the state allocations to the Council’s FMP. As a result, future modifications to the allocations will require a joint action of the Board and Council. Additionally, they approved a change to the federal regulations such that the entire black sea bass commercial fishery will close in-season for all federally permitted vessels and dealers once landings are projected to exceed the coastwide quota plus an additional buffer of up to 5%. The buffer aims to minimize negative economic impacts of coastwide closures on states that have not fully harvested their quotas. The Council and Board considered, but did not adopt, changes to the regulations for paybacks of state quota overages; states will only be required to pay back overages of their state quota if the coastwide quota is exceeded.

Table 1. Revised state allocation percentages of the black sea bass commercial quota based on the most recent regional biomass distribution information.

*These allocations are based on the results of the 2019 Operational Stock Assessment and will be updated if future assessments indicate a change to the biomass distribution.

Addendum XXXIII’s measures are final for state waters (0-3 miles from shore) and become effective January 1, 2022. The Council will submit their amendment to NOAA Fisheries for review, approval, and implementation.

Addendum XXXIII will be available on the Commission website, www.asmfc.org, on the black sea bass webpage by the end of February. Updates on the Council’s amendment will be posted at https://www.mafmc.org/actions/bsb-commercial-allocation.

Contacts

For more information, please contact either:

  • Julia Beaty, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, jbeaty@mafmc.org, 302.526.5250

  • Savannah Lewis, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, slewis@asmfc.org, 703.842.0715

MAFMC PRESS CONTACT: Mary Sabo, 302-518-1143

ASMFC PRESS CONTACT: Tina Berger, 703-842-0740

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Rutgers Cooperative Extension to Host Introductory Fisheries Science for Stakeholders (IFISSH) Course

Rutgers Cooperative Extension is offering an introductory fisheries science course for stakeholders of New Jersey's marine fisheries. The Introductory Fisheries Science for Stakeholders (IFISSH) course covers topics related to fisheries biology, oceanography, surveys of marine fishery resources, collection of commercial and recreational fishery catch data, stock assessments, and fisheries management.

Classes will be held weekly via Zoom on Tuesday evenings (6:30 - 9:00 p.m.) from February 16 through April 20. The program fee is $25.00 per person. Register by February 9 at this link or by contacting Kelly Jurgensen (Administrative Assistant, Marine Extension Program), Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Ocean County at kjurgensen@co.ocean.nj.us or 732-349-1152.

Visit the IFISSH web page or download the course flyer for additional details.

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Douglas Zemeckis (County Agent III - Assistant Professor), Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Rutgers University at zemeckis@njaes.rutgers.edu or 732-349-1152.

NOAA Fisheries Proposes Modifications to the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan

NOAA Fisheries has proposed modifications to the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan to further reduce the impacts of entanglement in fishing gear on right whales in U.S. waters. The proposed modifications focus on the Northeast jonah crab and lobster trap/pot fisheries, which deploy about 93 percent of the buoy lines fished in areas where right whales occur. In 2021, the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team will be asked to recommend risk reduction measures for other Atlantic trap/pot and gillnet fisheries.

Comments on the proposed modifications and on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement may be submitted through March 1, 2021. NOAA Fisheries will also hold a series of virtual public hearings to explain the proposed modifications and to accept public comments on the modifications. Learn more at the links below.

How to Comment

  1. Attend a public hearing. 

  2. Submit your comments in writing through our online comment portal. To comment, go to: regulations.gov. Search for NOAA-NMFS-2020-0031. Choose “Comment Now” to submit your comments.