ML072060345
| ML072060345 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Oyster Creek |
| Issue date: | 05/01/2006 |
| From: | Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission |
| To: | Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| Davis J NRR/DLR/REBB, 415-3835 | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML072060321 | List:
|
| References | |
| Download: ML072060345 (12) | |
Text
A Volume 15, Issue 4 ASMFC May 2006 Z',
F%:
I S<,
H IES o7Z Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission 1444 Eye Street, N.
Washington, D.C.
Working towards healthy, self-sus taining populations for all Atlantic coast fish species or successful restora tion welU in progress by the year 2015 American Lobster Board Approves Addendum VIII Addendum Establishes New Biological Reference Points and Enhances Data Collection Requirements On May 8, 2006, the Commission's American Lobster Management Board approved Addendum VIII to Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for American Lobster. The Addendum establishes new biological reference points to determine the stock status of the American lobster resource. It also expands the mandatory coastwide monitoring and reporting requirements of the plan to improve the ability of scientists and managers to assess and manage the lobster fishery. These actions are based on recommendations from the 2006 peer-reviewed stock assessment.
The new biological reference points replace the F, 0 egg production goals contained in Amendment 3 and include fishing mortality and abundance targets and thresholds for the three stock assessmentrareas - Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank and Southern New England (SNE). Unlike the F10 Var..iabe....-
G-B-K criteria, the new reference points will allow sci-F*Fishing a t entists to distinguish, between a depleted and
-Treshold 0.76.
034 082 overfished stock. They also are designed to make Target 0.67 0.31 0.74 Recent F (2001-2003) 0.69 0.29 0.84 the measures by which the lobster resource is Recent F below threshold?
Yes Yes No being assessed and managed more transparent.
Recent F.near or below target?
Yes Yes No The new biological reference points as well as Abundance (Millins of Lobst r)
Threshold 65.58 7.95
[ 22.31-1 current stock status (2001 - 2003) for each Target 69.62 8.61 23.90 American lobster stock unit is provided in the Recent Abundance (2001-2003) 123.12 9,05 14.01 adjacent table.
Recent abundance above threshold?
Yes Yes No The new reporting and data collection require-ments will mandate states to collect, at a mini-uInside ThisIssue um, catch and effort data summarized monthly by the National Marine Fisher-
.Spcies Profile: Bluefish ies Service's statistical areas and the Lobster Conservation Management.Areas in
,.Page an annual recall log format from each permit holder. The states will be required to orseshoeCrabBoard A collect trip-level catch and effort reports either as a census or a sample (at least proves Additional Restritions 10% of the fishery will be sampled). Dealers involved with primary purchases in the DE Bay Region Page 6 (first point of sale) will be required to report trip-level transaction data. The states Su me londrBor will have until January 1, 2008 to implement these measures. These actions will Smmer F!lounder :Board, Approves Addendum XVI advance the collection of accurate and comparable landings -- the principal data Page 7 needed to assess the impact of fishing on lobster populations.
A*SMFC Releases Coastal Sharks PID for Public InI response to poor stock conditions in SNE as indicated by the new reference Comment points, the Board has initiated the development of.Draft Addendum IX. Over ACCSPin Rev*ew Page 10 the next couple of months, the American Lobster Plan Development Team, work-Employee of te ing with the Commission's American Lobster Advisory Panel and Lobster Conser-Quarter Named Pa vation Management Teams for Areas 2 through 6, will be developing a suite of Rmanagement options to rebuild the SNE stock. This document will be available P age1*2i for Board review and consideration in August; once approved, it will be made 4
available for public review and comment.
CýA-LA~m-'
-ooS5V-
Upcoming Meetings A dAtv States Matr~t Fiszherie-f CvO*dU.siof ~wasform~sedby the, 15 Af,4t-Itic-coafstal stake iFt&
1942/or tk proostiot Of ait4a
't-o taio wof O as af1ishery 6/12-16:
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. Wyndham Grand Bay Hotel, 2669 South Bayshore Drive, Coconut.
Grove Florida; 800/996-3426.
6/13-15:
New England Fishery Management Council, Hyatt Regency, Newport, Rhode Island.
6/19 - 23:
ASMFC Technical Committee Meeting Week, Hotel Provi-dence, 311 Westminster Street, Providence, Rhode Island (see page 11 for meeting schedule).
6/20- 22:
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, Holiday Inn Se-lect, Claymont, Delaware.
6/26 (bheqiii, ai 9:00 AM) - 30 (enuotg 5 PM):
ASMFC Shad Stock Assessment Subcommittee, Albany Marriott, 189 Wolf Road, Albany, New York.
8/1 - 3:
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, Sheraton Soci-ety Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
8/14-17:
ASMFC Meeting Week, DoubleTree Hotel Crystal City, 300 Army Navy.Drive, Arlington, Virginia; 703/416-4100.
8/28 - 911:
ASMFC Technical Committee Meeting Week, location to be determined.
9/10 - 14:
American Fisheries Society 135th Annual Meeting, Lake Placid, New York.
9/18 - 22:
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, Town & Coun-try Inn, 2008 Savannah Highway, Charleston, South Caro-lina; 800-334-6660.
9/19 - 21:
New England Fishery Management Council, Courtyard by Marriott, Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
10/10- 12.:
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, Hilton Garden Inn, Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
10/22 - 26:
ASMFC 65th Annual Meeting, Sheraton Atlantic Beach Oceanfront Hotel, Atlantic Beach, North Carolina.
ASMFC Fisheries Focus, Vol. 15, Issue 4, May 2006 2
One of the great strengths of any organization is the care and attention it takes to recognize the contribu-tions of individuals who support and promote its goals.
The Commission does this each year through our An-nual Awards of Excellence, when we highlight the spe-cial accomplishments of those who have put forth ex-traordinary efforts in support of managing and restor-ing Atlantic stocks. The contributions reflected by this year's recipients are truly impressive.
Susan Olsen was recognized in the area of manage-ment and policy for her effectiveness and efficiency in managing the various federal grants in support of fish-eries management. As Grants Team Leader with NOAA Fisheries Northeast Region's State-Federal and Con-stituent Program Office, Susan serves as the primary contact in the administration of 10 grant programs, encompassing 250 active awards of more than $15 million. For nearly twenty years, Susan has helped en-sure delivery of critical federal funding to support the fisheries research and management activities of our member states.
Robert Glenn was recognized for his accomplishments in the area of scientific, technical, and advisory, through his work with American lobster., For the last ten years, as a scientist with the Massachusetts Divi-sion of Marine Fisheries, Bob Glenn has been dedi-cated to the study of the Commission's most economi-cally valuable commercial species, American lobster.
As Chair of the Lobster Technical Committee, Bob led a diverse group of scientists through the difficult pro-cess of producing an American lobster benchmark stock assessment that was rigorously reviewed and ac-cepted by a peer review panel of internationally recog-nized scientists. His technical expertise and calm de-meanor have enabled him to engage in a productive and respectful manner with the full range of partici-pants in the lobster fishery, including managers, sci-entists, and fishermen.
Andrew Kahnle was recognized-for his accomplish-ments in the scientific, technical, and advisory area for his work over the past 25 years while serving on the Striped Bass, American Shad, and Atlantic Stur-geon Technical Committees. A scientist with the New York State Department of Environmental Conserva-tion, Andy is currently leading a complex effort to com-plete a benchmark stock assessment of American shad, a species that is present in the waters of each of our 15 member states. Prior to this effort, as long serving Chair of the American Sturgeon Technical Committee, he developed an aggressive agenda leading to a coastwide stock assessment. Hle demonstrated that, even when there are gaps and uncertainty in scientific data, there are creative and compelling analyses that scientists can provide managers to help them make decisions. As a result, the Commission is taking action to protect the few sturgeon that remain and, hopefully, help ensure the survival of an ancient fish that has been in exist-ence for 70 million years.
Bryon Young was recognized for his contributions in the scientific, technical, and advisory area for his work over the past 30 years while a scientist with the New York State Department of Environmental Conserva-tion, particularly in the area of striped bass research and management. He initiated the Hudson River young-of-year index that continues today. In fact, all of New York's current striped bass monitoring projects, which are essential components of the Commission's science process, began under Bryon's supervision. In addition, he served as New York's first appointee to the Commission's Management and Science Commit-tee, a group that subsequently developed the Commission's first fisher), management plan in re-sponse to the Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act.
Byron's many contributions to marine fisheries science have been far reaching, providing ongoing benefits to coastal resources and fishermen of both New York as well as those of our other coastal states.
We had the pleasure of hosting the Awards of Excel-lence winners at a special reception held in their honor during our Spring Meeting Week in Crystal City, Vir-ginia (see page 12 for some pictures from the event).
Collectively, this year's winners represent more than 85 years of public service dedicated to the better un-derstanding, protection, and sustainable management of marine fisheries. Although they were recognized for their exceptional contributions, the award recipients are representative of the hundreds of dedicated profes-sionals who work tirelessly to support our Commis-sion process and assist in the sustainable management of the public marine fisheries resources under the Commission's stewardship. We should all be grateful for their dedication. Taking time out to say thanks to all those who work so hard is important and, hope-fully, something all of us can agree to do.
ASMFC Fisheries Focus, Vol. 15, Issue 4, May2006 3
Species Profile: Bluefish Joint Plan Seeks to Restore Premier Fighting Fish Introduction Bluefish are one of the most sought after recreational species along the Atlantic coast.
In the late 1970s, anglers petitioned the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) to develop a' Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Bluefish to address con-cerns over the potential for harvest of bluefish by tuna purse seiners. Today, bluefish are jointly managed by the Council and the Atlantic StatesMarine Fisheries Com-mission (Commission). The Bluefish FMP developed in the late 80s, is the first management plan developed jointly by an interstate commission and regional fishery management council. As a result of harvest restrictions im-posed under Amendment 1 (1998), bluefish are rebuilding, with 2004 stock biomass estimated at 104 million pounds, above the current biomass threshold of 73.5 million pounds:
Life History Bluefish are a migratory, pelagic species found throughout the world in most temper-ate, coastal regions, except the eastern Pacific. Bluefish migrate seasonally, moving north in spring and summer as water temperatures rise and moving south in autumn and winter to waters in the South Atlantic Bight. During the summer, concentrations of bluefish are found in waters from Maine to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. In winter they tend to be found offshore between Cape Hatteras and Florida. Bluefish generally school by size, with schools that can cover tens of square miles of ocean, equivalent to around 10,000 football fields.
Bluefish feed voraciously on their prey, eating almost anything they can catch and swallow. Over 70 species of fish have been found in their stomach contents, including butterfish, mackerel, and lobster. Razor sharp teeth and a shearing jaw movement allow bluefish to ingest large parts, which increases the maximum prey size bluefish catch. Bluefish live for up to 12 years and may exceed lengths of 39 inches and weights of 31 pounds.
Bluefish reach sexual maturity at age two and spawn offshore from Massachusetts through Florida. Discrete groups spawn at differ-ent times and are referred to by the season in which they spawn: the spring-spawned cohort and the summer-spawned cohort. Recent research has also identified a fall-spawned cohort, demonstrating an expansive and prolonged spawning season. The co-horts mix extensively on the fishing grounds and probably comprise a single genetic stock.
Recreational & Commercial Fisheries Bluefish are caught along the entire Atlantic coast.
Recreational anglers from New England to the upper part of the South Atlantic pursue blues, no doubt due to their aggressive feeding habits and the spirited fight. According to the Marine Recre-ational Fisheries Statistics Survey, recreational catch averaged 60 million pounds annually from 1981 Photo courtesy of NC Division of to 1993. Catch declined from 93 million pounds Marine Fisheries 4
ASMFC Fisheries Focus, Vol. 15, Issue 4, May 2006
in 1986 to I I million pounds in 2002. Since 2002, total catch has increased and reached 16 million pounds in 2005.
Commercially, bluefish are harvested using a variety of fishing gear including crawls, gillnets, haul seines, and pound nets. The commercial fishery landed 5.9 million pounds in 2005, down from eight million pounds in 2000, and the peak of 16.5 mil-lion pounds in 1981.
Stock Status The most recent stock status information in-dicates that bluefish are not overfished and overfishing is riot occurring, based on the biological, reference points developed in the 2005 stock assessment (see sidebar opposite page). Trends in state and Northeast Fisher-ies Science Center data show a decreasing trend in fishing mortality, an increasing trend in population biomass, and an increas-ing trend in population numbers. Popula-tion abundance estimates show a general in-crease in overall abundance since 1997.
Abundance peaked in 1982 at 176 million fish, declined to 57 million fish in the mid-1990s and has since increased to 92 million fish.
While the 2005 stock assessment was ap-proved for management purposes, a num-ber of research needs were identified including Figure 1. Total Bluefish Landings, with Estimated Fishing Mortality Source: Northeast Regional Stock Assessment Workshop, 2005 140 120 CS100 00 00 "O 80 40 20 Landings Fishing Mortality 0.50 0.45 0.40 0,35 0.30 0.25.
0.20 0.15 "
0.10 0.05 0.00 C4 n~ ýr to to
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0) 04 Figure 2. Estimated Bluefish Biomass, 1982 - 2004 Source: Northeast Regional Stock Assessment Workshop. 2005 250
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increased collection of age data, improved estimates of discard mortality, and initiation of tagging studies to improve understanding of migration and distribution.
Atlantic Coastal Management Considerations The Commission and Council approved Amendment 1 to the FMP in 1998. Amendment 1 allocates 83 percent of the resource to recreational fisheries and 17 percent to commercial fisheries. However, the commercial quota can be increased up to 10.5 million pounds if the recreational fishery is projected to not land its entire allocation for the upcoming year. The commercial fishery is controlled through state-by-state quotas based on historic landings from 1981-1989. The recreational fishery is managed using a 15 fish bag limit. The Commission and NOAA Fisheries approved a total allowable landings limit of 24.8 million pounds for 2006. Of that amount, the Commission allocated 9.5 million pounds to the commercial fishery.
Based on updated landings projections that suggest that recreational harvest levels could be exceeded, NOAA Fisheries allocated 7.9 million pounds to the commercial fishery.
Amendment 1 established a rebuilding schedule that sets a target fishing mortality (F) value to achieve a biomass that will support the maximum sustainable yield by year 2008, while providing the Commission and Council with the flexibility to modify the management program based on changes in. the fishery or the resource. For the first two years of the bluefish rebuilding schedule (1999-2000), F was set at 0.51, reduced to 0.41 in years 3-5 (2001-2003) and finally, to 0.31 in years 6-9 (2004-2007).
During the rebuilding period, the target F for the next fishing year will be set at the level specified in the schedule or the level estimated for the most recent year, whichever is lower. This strategy has allowed for re-building of the resource. For more information, please contact Julie Nygard, Fisheries Management Plan Coordinator, at <jnygard@asmfc.org>.
ASMFC Fisheries Focus, Vol. 15, Issue 4, May 2006 5
Horseshoe Crab Board Approves Additional Restrictions in Delaware Bay Region In an effort to balance the needs of migratory shorebirds and commercial watermen, the Commission's Horseshoe Crab Management Board has approved the implementation of a partial moratorium for horseshoe crab fishing in the Dela-ware Bay Region. The action is designed to maximize egg availability to migratory shorebirds in the Delaware Bay by prohibiting harvest of horseshoe crab prior to and during the peak spawning season for the crabs as well as the peak feeding period for shorebirds.
Addendum IV allows a delayed, male-only harvest in New Jersey and Delaware for two years. Specifically, it prohibits year round the harvest and landing of female horseshoe crabs in the Delaware Bay and restricts the annual harvest to 100,000 males per state from June 8 through December 31. This is a 33 percent reduction in available quota, for each state.
The Addendum also establishes a delayed harvest in Maryland, prohibiting horseshoe crab harvest and landings from January 1 through June 7 for two years. The Addendum further prohibits landing of horseshoe crabs in Virginia from federal waters from January "1 through June 7 for two years. No more than forty percent of Virginia's quota may be landed from ocean waters and those landings must be comprised of a minimum male to female ratio of 2:1. As is the case with all ASMFC species management plans, the states have the option to impose more conservative regulations.
The Addendum intends to address the needs of the migratory shorebirds, particularly the red knot, while allowing a limited commer-Important Facts cial bait fishery. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Shorebird Technical Committee has S
EIstimatclorseshd o crab abundane ii n 2I0'04i*)tn the 1e1awar y
indicated that the red knot, one of many abs shorebird species that feed upon horseshoe I
fedIucedsesi bmaIi gI percent crab eggs, is at low population levels. Red sn, Yc 1998,with, apreiminary, coasw1idc total of 730,890 crabs knots have shown no sign of recovery, de-landed in 2005,r spite a four-fold reduction in horseshoe crab
......Sufi. l 5nChM-a e
psi epend 1on 1oh rsesa'l landings since 1998. Population counts of f
- for bait.
red knots in its Tierra del Fuego wintering ovrshe crbgg provide a,
i..
f, ii ource for i ground have dropped from 51,255 in 2000 shorebik (Including the. red kt inIIe Delaware BaV.,
to 17,653 in 2005. Further evidence of the Red kn>ot e
)ik ulationc1o0untCOIIW t
D elaware B1 tre down.....
- t.
5,309.
red knot population decline are seen in the in 21 1
Delaware Bay counts that have decreased i
Tk-ASMFG's Hmsesho (>Cab
'limkd mmii tteýe indica ted that from 43,145 individuals in 2000 to 15,300 both-the partial and full mo),,rator;ui iii mo baIthrst in New.Jersey.
in 2005.
ndIelaware; prllovlde s
Ins m
r ease inegg aaa Affected states are required to implement the
>aThe Addendtfm does not 1i1111(
from raking more restrictive provisions of Addendum IV by October 1,
)
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inInaIe'e1' me IIut-5,For example New Jrsey has imple*ented 2006. Copies of the final Addendum will tv'I inoAtorsuM Oil crab1)landintgs and I be available by mid-June via the Is igslar action Commission's website at www.asmfc.org or
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avall holreh ca.)11 b
1,11
\\ (,)I by contacting the Commission at (202) 289-qoti1y113*3% i w
y lIiminate al 6400. For more information, please contact mi:
,s Braddock Spear, Fisheries Management Plan Tliý Addenmdu pride i
prtction to horsehoie crabs Coordinator, at (202) 289-6400 or
)I~elwr Ba orm ign through retriction to 11)~s
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<bspear@asmfc.org>. (2land a89-60 on igiia water(
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ASMFC Fiiheries Focus, Vol. 15, Issue 4, May2006 6
ASMFC Fisheries F6cus, Vol. 15, Issue 4, May 2006
ASMFC Board Approves Addendum XVI to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Plan: Addendum Establishes Procedures to Address Delayed Implementation of Required Fisheries Management Measures The Commission's Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board has approved Addendum XVI to the Fishery Management Plan. The Ad-dendum addresses issues of delayed implementation of required manage-ment measures for summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass fisheries. It pro-vides a species-specific mechanism of ensuring that states meet their-obliga-tions under the plan in a way that mini-mizes the probability that a delay in complying does not adversely affect other states' fisheries or the conservation of the resource. The measures promote the long-term conservation of summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass.
The Addendum responds to an ISFMP Policy Board directive to its manage-ment boards to improve the states' implementation of all interstate fishery management plans (FMPs). Summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass man-agement programs have been-given the highest priority since these species FMPs have repeatedly been affected by delays in implementation of required regula-tions. This has limited the effectiveness of the management program and ad-versely affected the timely conservation efforts of other states. The Addendum establishes a mechanism to ensure states meet their obligations under the man-agement program and provides disincen-tives to minimize delayed implementa-tion of required management measures.
The Addendum addresses delayed implementation of both commercial and recreational fishing measures. In the commercial fishery, season closures will.
be used to address delays in implement-ing size and trip limits, while quota ad-justments will address harvest overages.
For example, if a state does not imple-ment appropriate minimum fish sizes for the first two weeks of the fishing sea-son, in the following year the season would be closed for the first two weeks of the season. In the recreational fish-ery, season closures will be used to ad-dress delays in implementing size lim-its, possession limits, and seasons. For example, if a state does not implement appropriate possession limits for the first two weeks of the fishing season, in the following year the season would be closed for the first two weeks of the sea-son. The addendum also deals with the timeliness of the notification period for
.management changes..
Copies of the Addendum will be avail-able by June 1 via the Commission's website at www.asmfc.org under Break-ing News or by contacting the Com-mission at (202) 289-6400. For more information, please contact Toni Kerns, Fisheries Management Plan Coordina-
- tor, at (202) 289-6400 or tkerns@asmfc.org.
Atlantic Coastal States Schedule Public Meetings to Gather Input on Coastal Sharks PID Atlantic coastal states from Maine to Florida have scheduled their public meetings in order to gather public comment on the Public Information Document (PID) for the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic Coastal Sharks. The dates, times, and locations of those meetings follow:
North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries Thursday, June 1, 2006; 6.00 pm Crystal Coast Civic Center 3505 Arendell Street Morehead City, North Carolina
Contact:
Louis Daniel at (252) 726-7021 South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Monday, June 5, 2006; 7:00 pm Marine Resources Division Office 217 Fort Johnson Road James Island/Charleston, South Carolina
Contact:
Mel Bell at (843) 953-9007 ASMFC Fisheries Focus, Vol. 15, Issue 4, May 2006 Georgia Division of Coastal Resources Wednesday, June 7, 2006; 6:00 pm Holton's Restaurant 13711 E Oglethorpe Highway Midway, Georgia
Contact:
Spud Woodward at (912) 264-7218 Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission Thursday, June 8, 2006, 6.00 pm Public Water Works Reclaim Building 1600 Minuteman Causeway Cocoa Beach, Florida
Contact:
Michelle Mitchell at (727) 896-8626 continued on page 8 7
Atlantic Coastal States Schedule Public Meetings to Gather Input on Coastal Sharks PID (continued from page 7)
Maryland Department of Natural Resources Tuesday, June 13, 2006; 6.00 pm Ocean Pines Library 1 1107 Cathell Road Berlin, Maryland
Contact:
Mike Luisi at (410) 260-8341 New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife June 15, 2006; 7:00 pm Nacote Creek Enforcement Office Route 9, 360 New York Road Galloway, New Jersey
Contact:
Paul Scarlett at (609) 748-2020 New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation Monday, June 19, 2006; 7:00 pm 205 North Belle Mead Road East Setauket, New York
Contact:
Gordon Colvin at (631) 444-0433 Maine Department of Marine Resources June 19, 2006; 6:00 pm 194 McKown Point Road West Boothbay Harbor, Maine
Contact:
Terry Stockwell at (207) 624-6562 Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Wednesday, June 21, 2006; 6.00 pm Plymouth Radisson 180 Water Street Plymouth, Massachusetts
Contact:
Melanie Griffin at (617) 626-1528 Rhode Island Division of Fish & Wildlife Thursday, June 22, 2006; 6:00pm Fort Wetherill Marine Laboratory 3 Fort Wetherill Road Jamestown, Rhode Island
Contact:
Chris Powell at (401) 423-1929 Virginia Marine Resources Commission Wednesday, June 28, 2006; 6:00 PM 2600 Washington Avenue Fourth Floor Conference Room Newport News, Virginia
Contact:
Jack Travelstead (757) 247-2247 New Hampshire, Connecticut and Delaware have declined to hold public meetings.
As the first step in the development of an interstate FMP, the PID presents a broad overview of the issues facing Atlantic coastal sharks and the fishing industry. It provides the public with the opportunity to tell the Commission about changes observed in the fishery, things that should or should not be done in terms of management, regulation, enforcement, re-search, development, and enhancement, and any other concerns about the resource or the fishery' as well as the reasons for those concerns.
Please note that the PID focuses entirely on Atlantic coastal sharks (see table below). This species complex does NOT include spiny dog-
- fish, as
- such, commenters are W'anagerent Unit. (6).
.Shark Species Included.
Large Coastal Sharks Sandbar, silky, tiger, blacktip, bull, spinner, lemon, nurse, smooth hammerhead, input on those spe-(11) scalloped hammerhead, and great hammerhead sharks cies under consider-Small Coastal Sharks (4)
Atlantic sharpnose, blacknose, finetooth, and bonnethead sharks ation for inclusion Pelagic Sharks (5)
Shortfin mako, thresher, oceanic whitetip, porbeagle, and blue sharks in the PID.
Prohibited Species (16)
Whale, basking, sandtiger, bigeye sandtiger, white, dusky, night, bignose, narrowtooth, longfin mako, bigeye thresher, sevengill. sixgill, bigeye sixgill, The PID and sub-smalltail, and Atlantic angel sharks.
sequent FMP are being developed to help coordinate the conservation and management of coastal sharks among the Atlantic coastal states and between the states and the federal government. Currently, Atlantic coastal sharks are managed by individual states in inshore waters (0 - 3 miles from shore) and by the federal government through the 1999 Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Tunas, Swordfish and Sharks in offshore waters (3 to 200 miles from shore). Cooperation between federal and state governments in developing coordinated conservation measures is important to successful domestic management of coastal shark species because range, migrations, mating and pupping areas overlap state and federal jurisdictions. Many coastal species utilize highly. productive 8
ASMFC Fisheries Focus, Vol. 15, Issue 4, May 2006
bays and estuaries within state waters as nursery habitat. In addition, because the unique nature of shark biology (late matu-rity, low fecundity) makes shark species more susceptible to overfishing, traditional fisheries management methods become less effective.
Following the initial phase of information-( II gathering and public comment, the Com-mission will evaluate potential management alternatives and 'develop a draft FMP with preferred management measures identified for public review. Following that review and public comment, the Commission will specify the management measures to be included in the new FMP. A tentative schedule for the completion of the FMP for Atlantic Coastal Sharks is included in PID.
Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the PID, either through attending public hearings or providing written comments. Copies can be obtained by contacting the Commission at (202) 289-6400 or via the Commission's website at www.asmfc.org under Breaking News.
Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM on July 14, 2006 and should be forwarded to Ruth Christiansen, Fisheries Management Plan Coordinator, 1444 'Eye' Street, NW, Sixth Floor, Washington, DC 20005; 202-289-6051 (FAX) or at comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Coastal Sharks).
For more information, please contact Ruth Christiansen at 202-289-6400.
ASMFC Fisheries Focus, Vol. 15, Issue 4, May 2006 9
ASMFC Fisheries Focus, Vol. 15, Issue 4, May 2006 9
odD ACCSP in Review IT Priorities for the Remaining Year, Surplus Funds,
& New Staff IT Priorities The Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program (ACCSP)
Information Systems staff have been busy this year, working on a number of projects. These include: transitioning the Data Warehouse from Business Objects to ORACLE Dis-coverer, development of the SAFIS eVTR module, deploy-ment of the SAFIS eDR auditing module, and working with Northeast partners on the deployment a PC-based data col-lection system that feeds the SAFIS database.
The recent IS Committee meeting resulted in changes in priority. These priorities include an effort to get the SAFIS registration tracking module in place as soon as possible, populating the Data Warehouse with commercial catch and effort legacy data (data from,1981-2003), and continuing to update and upgrade the SAFIS data auditing process.
In addition, work for the remaining year includes continued migration of commnercial and recreational queries to ORACLE Discoverer, completion of the eVTR module (specifically the fisherman allocation and dealer reporting portions of the sys-tem), continuing populating the InPort system with metadata, and creating the New Jersey striped bass trophy fish reporting application.
Surplus Funds The negotiated contract with the Marine Recreational Fish-ery Statistics Survey for 2006-2008 was recently completed by the National Marine Fisheries Service, and unexpectedly, prices went down in several areas. This has resulted in a surplus of approximately $134,000 from two projects funded for FY06 through the Recreational Technical Committee. The ACCSP Director and the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Op-erations Committee discussed options for the surplus and they recommend that the money fund the next two highest priority projects in line for funding. These projects are the consolidation of Maryland's biological sampling data for in-clusion in the ACCSP biological module (data warehouse) and the socioeconomic analysis of commercial fisheries of the Core Sound area of North Carolina.
However, funding these two projects would still leave ap-proximately $24,000, which is not enough to fund any of the other remaining projects that were submitted for FY06.
The recommendation was to add the remainder to the ACCSP Administrative Grant to pay for contract labor to assist with some of ACCSP's many IT projects that are currently under-way in order to speed up their completion. Those projects include (in no particular order) completing the deployment and testing of SAFIS electronic reporting for vessel trip re-ports (E-VTR) in New Hampshire and Connecticut and even-tually to all interested, partners, completing the transition from Business Objects to ORACLE Discoverer, starting the New Jersey striped bass trophy fish reporting application, deploying BioTarget, and building the next version of SAFIS electronic dealer reporting in ORACLE HTML-DB.
The recommended use of the $134,000 surplus will benefit all of ACCSP's partners and provide a diverse use of funds over ACCSP modules.
About the ACCSP The ACCSP is a cooperative state-federal program to design, implement, and conduct marine fisheries statistics data col-lection programs and to integrate those data into a single data management system that will meet the needs of fishery managers, scientists, and fishermen. It is composed of repre-sentatives from natural resource management agencies coastwide, including the Commission, the three Atlantic fish-ery management councils, the 15 Atlantic states, the Potomac River Fisheries Commission, the DC Fisheries and Wildlife Division, NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Ser-vice. For further information please visit www.accsp.org or call (202) 216-5690.
10 ASMFC Fisheries Focus, Vol. 15, Issue 4, May 2006
Braddock Spear Awarded ASMFC Employee of the Quarter For more than three and a half years Braddock Spear has played a vital part in the management of a number of Atlan-tic coast fisheries, significantly contributing to the Commission's vision* of "healthy, self-sustaining populations for all Atlantic coast fish species or successful restoration well in progress by the year 2015." In recognition of his efforts, Brad was awarded Employee of the Quarter (April - June 2006). The award is intended to recognize special contribu-tions and qualities in the areas of teamwork, initiative, re-sponsibility, quality of work, positive attitude, and results.
Since coming to the Commission in October 2002, Brad has made substantial contributions to the management of northern shrimp, horseshoe crab, Atlantic sturgeon, and weakfish. He spearheaded the completion of Amendment 1 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Northern Shrimp. The first plan revision in 20 years, the Amendment establishes biological reference points and provides new tools for management of the northern shrimp.fishery. The ben-efits of these measures are already being realized through a recovering stock that allows for expanded fishing seasons in 2006 and 2007.
Brad has also contributed to the development.of multiple addenda for Atlantic sturgeon, weakfish, and horseshoe crab.
Most notable are his efforts.working with the Commission's Horseshoe Crab Technical Committee and the U.S. Fish &
Wildlife's Shorebird Technical Committee to identify the eco-logical interactions of horseshoe crabs and migratory shore-birds in the Delaware Bay region.
Guided by their collec-tive input, the states have reduced coastwide landings by 76 percent since 1998, and have initiated further reductions in the Delaware Bay region for 2006 and 2007.
Brad has played an important role in gathering necessary data for the management of northern shrimp and horseshoe crab. For the last three years, he has participated in the Gulf of Maine Northern Shrimp Summer Survey, which provides the foundation for this species' annual stock assessment. Ev-ery year he has also taken part in collaborative horse-shoe crab tagging activities led by the U.S. Geo-logical Survey.
Brad has a Bachelor of Science from the Univer-sity of Maryland (College Park) and a Master of Arts in. Marine Affairs from the University of Rhode Island. As Employee of the Quarter, he received a $500 cash award, an engraved pewter pencil cup, and a letter of appreciation for his per-sonnel record. In addition, his name will be en-graved on the Employee of Quarter Plaque dis-p*layed in the Commission's lobby.
Congratula-tions, Brad!
ASMFC Fisheries Focus, Vol. 15, Issue 4, May 2006 I1I
AAE Award Recipients Celebrate!
The New York Contingent (from left): Gordon Colvin, Byron Young (Award Recipient), Pat Augustine, Andy Kahnle and Brian Culhane The Massachusetts Contingent (from left): Mike Armstrong, Bob Glenn (Award Recipient), Paul Diodati and Dan McKiernan Federal Partners from NMFS' Northeast Regional Office (from left): Pat Kurkul, Bob Ross, Susan Olsen (Award Recipient),
and Harry Mears Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission 1444 Eye Street, N.W, 6th Floor Washington D.C. 20005 Return Service Requested