Tag Archives: blueline tilefish
Controversy brewing over snapper-grouper Exempted Fishing Permit
A storm is brewing in the South Atlantic region, a storm of controversy over snapper-grouper fisheries access and allocation. A group of four commercial fishing businesses – the South Atlantic Commercial Fishing Collaborative – filed an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) application with the National Marine Fisheries Service on Feb. 6. If approved by NMFS, the EFP would allow a group of 25 snapper-grouper boats operated by the four businesses to harvest blueline tilefish, gag grouper, gray triggerfish, greater amberjack, vermilion snapper and species in the jacks complex for two years (2018-19) in a pilot program while being exempt from numerous fishing regulations. The generic name for such a fisheries management method is catch shares, which, according to NOAA Fisheries, is a program in which “a portion of the catch for a species is allocated to individual fishermen or groups. Each holder of a catch share must stop fishing when his/her specific share of the quota is reached.” But it is a concept the huge majority of saltwater fishermen – recreational fishermen and small commercial fishing operations – have proven to be vehemently opposed to. continue reading the story here 08:12
Paying It Forward in Blueline Tilefish
Several commercial fishermen from the Outer Banks have been paying it forward this winter with donations of fish to a local food pantry. Buddy Coppersmith (F/V Emily Shay), Jimmy Taylor (F/V Windy Gale), and Dewey Hemilright (F/V Tar Baby), have been commercial fishermen for most of their lives. Recently, they’ve been working under a cooperative research grant collecting data that will improve future stock assessments for blueline tilefish. Read the article here 09:59
NMFS Announces Control Date of December 14, 2015 for Mid Atlantic Blueline Tilefish Catch Share Fishery
My name and title is John K. Bullard, Regional Administrator, National Marine Fisheries Service
NMFS, announces December 14, 2015 as the control date for commercial and for-hire fishermen regarding future entry ( catch shares) into a blueline tilefish fishery managed by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council.The blueline tilefish fishery south of the Virginia/North Carolina border is managed by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council as part of the Snapper-Grouper Fishery Management Plan. The blueline tilefish fishery in the Mid-Atlantic has been unregulated and historically has had very low landings. In order to prepare management measures for blueline tilefish in the Mid-Atlantic, the Council has asked us to set a “control date” for the commercial and for-hire recreational blueline tilefish fisheries. Read the notice here 13:05
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council – No red snapper take in 2015
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council announced Friday, there will not be commercial or recreational season in 2015 because the total number of red snapper removed from the population in 2014 exceeded the allowable level. In other news, the SAFMC also announced that no more recreational harvest of blueline tilefish in South Atlantic waters will be allowed after 12:01 a.m. (local time) Wednesday. The commercial sector for blueline tilefish was closed to harvest on April 7. Read the rest here 13:02
NMFS Emergency Action on Blueline Tilefish Effective June 4, 2015
The measures, which go into effect Thursday, June 4 for vessels fishing north of the Virginia/North Carolina border, are: Commercial possession limit of 300 pounds whole weight per trip; Recreational limit of 7 fish per person, per trip; Requirement that commercial and charter/party vessels must hold a valid open access golden tilefish permits to land blueline tilefish. This temporary rule will be in place for 6 months, and may be extended for an additional 6 months, while the Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic Councils develop a long-term management plan for the stock. Read the rest here 17:20
Battle over blueline tilefish intensifies-SAFMC requested emergency action for East Coast
In a move that’s certain to heighten tensions over the management of blueline tilefish, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council has requested emergency action that will extend the regulations governing the fishery in its jurisdiction to the entire east coast. The MAFMC became concerned for the stock when commercial fishing boats out of North Carolina made it known they planned on landing tilefish in New Jersey, which has no limit on catches. There is no fishery management plan — or available science Read the rest here 16:25
Mid-Atlantic Council Initiates Action to Manage Blueline Tilefish
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council voted to move forward with development of measures for the long-term management of blueline tilefish in the Mid-Atlantic. The Council will consider several approaches, including creation of a new fishery management plan (FMP) and development of an amendment to add blueline tilefish to the existing Golden Tilefish FMP. Read the rest here 14:28
NMFS Implements Management Measures to End Overfishing of Blueline Tilefish in the South Atlantic
NOAA Fisheries NMFS is implementing management measures in Amendment 32 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (Amendment 32). The final rule publishes in the Federal Register, and is effective, on March 30, 2015. A commercial trip limit of 100 pounds gutted weight is included. Read the notice here 16:57
Latest twist in blueline tilefish tale
It appears that the management of blueline tilefish is turning into a battle of emergency actions.Last week, at the South Atlantic Management Council Meeting in Georgia, a motion was approved that directed the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee to determine if the stock assessment for the tilefish, SEDAR 32, was applicable to the entire range of the species. That includes the waters off New Jersey, which is under the jurisdiction of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. As of right now, there are no limits on tilefish here. Read the rest here 15:49:
MAFMC meeting Wednesday to consider emergency action on blueline tilefish, may include harvest reductions
Yet those involved in the fishery say no emergency exists and it’s just another instance of poor data and faulty management at work. One reason behind the emergency action was that the MAFMC became aware that a commercial long-liner out of North Carolina was planning on targeting blueline tilefish within the council’s jurisdiction and landing the fish in New Jersey. The long-liner picked New Jersey because there are no landing limits, whereas states further south have limits on blueline tilefish. Read the rest here 20:19
