Tag Archives: South Atlantic Fishery Management Council.

Better science and data, not catch shares

csf logoWith the exception of three mini-seasons (2012-2014) the red snapper fishery in the South Atlantic has been effectively closed for over six years. By most accounts from fishermen, red snapper are very plentiful – they are routinely encountered while fishermen target other species and divers report large schools. Yet, the stock assessment presented to the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council in June says that red snapper are still overfished and that overfishing is still occurring. This despite a lot of uncertainty about the data used in the assessment. Give the SAFMC credit for not accepting the assessment and asking its Scientific and Statistical Committee to reexamine the assessment and stock status determination this fall. The ongoing saga of the red snapper fishery highlights the fact that stock assessments can be flawed because of the lack of good biological and historical abundance information. In other words, much better science and data on our fisheries is needed. Instead of devoting adequate financial resources into stock assessments, NOAA has spent about $160 million over the last six years pushing its National Catch Share Policy in an effort to privatize fisheries. Studies have shown that catch share programs hurt fishing communities by destroying jobs and don’t provide any biological benefit to fisheries. 10:36

U.S. Rep. Walter Jones and other congressmen want South Atlantic red snapper fishery reopened

Congressman JonesThe representatives said data produced by a Florida research institution shows the South Atlantic red snapper stock is healthier than what federal data indicates so the fishery should be reopened to commercial and recreational fishing. The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries program, announced the South Atlantic red snapper season is closed this year because the total number of red snapper removed from the population in 2015 exceeded the allowable level, according to the NOAA Fisheries website. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, a subsidiary of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, has data that shows the red snapper stock is healthier than the federal data indicates. “Unfortunately, reports indicate these data are not being considered as ‘best available science’ and, therefore, are at risk of being excluded from the (South Atlantic Fishery Management) Council’s deliberations,” Jones and his colleagues said in a letter to NOAA Administrator Kathryn Sullivan. Read the rest here  09:26

South Atlantic Fishery Management Council meeting June 13-17, 2016 Cocoa Beach FL

SAFMC SidebarThe public is invited to attend the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council to be held in Cocoa Beach FL at the Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront . Read the Meeting Agenda Click here, Briefing Book – June 2016 Council Meeting Click here Webinar Registration: Listen Live, Click here  Additional info, click here  22:54

Lobster-trap report draws ire from Florida Keys commercial lobster fishermen

Spiny lobsterFlorida Keys commercial lobster fishermen bristled at a report on traps in protected marine areas being presented at this week’s South Atlantic Fishery Management Council meeting. The report on small no-trapping areas created to safeguard spots with branching elkhorn or staghorn corals is scheduled for a Spiny Lobster Committee meeting at 9:30 a.m. Thursday in Cocoa Beach. “We worked [with fishery regulators] to develop these 60 coral protection areas,” said Ernie Piton, president of the Florida Keys Commercial Fishermen’s Association. “We even proposed more than they asked for.” Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission surveys at selected coral protection zones in 2014 and 2015 logged traps and parts of traps spotted in the zones, most of which are unmarked by warning buoys and do not appear on most nautical charts. “Some of the older gentlemen in our industry have been doing this 30 or 40 years and they don’t use GPS; they go by sight,” Piton said. Read the rest here 09:36

South Atlantic Fishery Management Council propose changes to Yellowtail Snapper fishery

yellowtail-snapper-side_mediumThe change comes following requests from a group of Florida Keys fishermen, as yellowtail snapper are primarily harvested in the Keys.  The commercial yellowtail fishery was closed in October in 2014, after National Marine Fisheries Service projected the fishery would meet its annual catch limit of 1.6 million pounds. The fishermen want the season to end in July when there is less fishing pressure and the fish are spawning, said Bill Kelly, executive for the Florida Keys Commercial Fishermen’s Association.  “The closure should occur when prices are at their lowest and demand is at its lowest,” Kelly said. “Also, the season should be closed when the fish is spawning.” In addition, commercial fishermen have lobbied to reallocate some of the recreational catch to the commercial side, as the recreational side has only caught a little more than half of its 1.4 million pound annual limit, according to federal fishery managers. Read the rest here 08:40

South Atlantic: Move surfaces to overhaul red snapper restrictions, limits

redsnapperFollowing the recent announcement that anglers will continue to be prohibited from keeping red snapper in the Atlantic Ocean this year, a member of the regional council that oversees fishing in the Southeast’s federal waters wants to overhaul how the species is regulated. Ben Hartig, a commercial fisherman from Hobe Sound, sent a letter last week to members of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council that said current regulations are based on unreliable information about the red snapper population and number of fish caught. Hartig proposed a range of possible changes to the years-long, controversial plan in place to help increase the species’ numbers that, if pursued by the council, could go into place as early as 2018. Read the rest here 10:24

Part of the bottom of the fabled Georgetown Hole will be closed to fishing by 2017

AR-160319858The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council approved in a final vote Friday to close off 3.1 square miles of the offshore fishing mecca, after looking at options as varied as closing off 15 square miles to not closing the Hole at all. Trolling, or fishing off the bottom would still be allowed. The move would reserve the acreage as a marine spawning sanctuary to help restore the lost stock, particularly those huge brood stock “trophy fish” that are rarely, if ever, caught today. Council also voted to close two artificial reef areas totaling about 6 square miles. Read the rest here 12:06

South Atlantic Fishery Management Council meeting , March 7-11, 2016, Jekyll Island, GA

The public is invited to attend the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council to be held in Jekyll Island, GA, at the Westin Jekyll Island. Read the Meeting Agenda Click here, Briefing Book – September 2015 Council Meeting Click here Webinar Registration: Listen Live, Click here  19:44

Federal and state fishery managers busy with half a dozen hearings, meetings in the Keys in February

A frenetic February features several fishery forums in the . The status of mutton snapper, barracuda, hogfish, mackerel and sea anemones will be reviewed for public comment at a slate of six Keys sessions hosted by state and federal fish-management agencies. A recommended reduction in mutton snapper harvests will be a prime topic at two sessions, held jointly by the federal South Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Rule changes may affect both state and federal waters. Read the article here 13:06

New rules for dolphin proposed

A federal fishery council has approved a rule that could keep the open so that by the time the migrating fish makes its way to the Florida Keys, the commercial fishery will not be closed. The National Marine Fisheries Service closed down the commercial dolphin fishery in July, the height of dolphin fishing in the Keys. For the past two years, fishermen off North and South Carolina, who generally fish for tuna, have targeted dolphin heavily and the annual commercial allocation has been near run out by the time Keys fishermen start fishing for dolphin. Read the article here 15:15

South Atlantic Fishery Management Council Meeting December 7-11, 2015 in Atlantic Beach, NC .

SAFMC SidebarThe public is invited to attend the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council to be held in Atlantic Beach, NC . Read the Meeting Agenda Click here, Briefing Book – September 2015 Council Meeting Click here Webinar Registration: Listen Live, Click here  12:35

Florida Keys commercial fishermen critical of proposed dolphin changes

The head of the Florida Keys Commercial Fishermen’s Association contends that a proposed increase to the dolphin fish allocation to the commercial fishing sector does not go far enough. Kelly proposed federal fishery managers increase the commercial catch in 5, 10 or 20 percent increases a year, depending on how much the recreational side of the fishery harvests the previous year, he said. The South Atlantic and could look at the harvest data each year and make adjustments. Read the rest here 08:17

Rep. Stephen Goldfinch correct to oppose closing more offshore areas to fishing

Our thanks to state Rep. Stephen Goldfinch for opposing more closed fishing areas in the South Atlantic and particularly off the Grand Strand at the famed Georgetown Hole. Goldfinch’s opposition is based on the facts: these proposed spawning Special Management Zones are not part of any fishery rebuilding plan and duplicate 700 square miles of existing no-fishing Marine Protected Areas (170 square miles are off South Carolina’s coast) that were put in place for the same purpose. Read the rest here 11:36

Keys commercial fishermen hurting from mahi mahi limit

Florida Keys commercial fishermen last week renewed their appeal to federal fishery managers to allow more harvests. The commercial fishery for dolphin, an offshore fish also known as mahi mahi, closed June 30 when the annual catch limit of 1.57 million pounds was reached. The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council met all last week in South Carolina. Kelly traveled up to testify. “They’re leaving millions of pounds of a highly sustainable fishery on the table,” said Bill Kelly, director of the Florida Keys Commercial Fishermen’s Association. Read the rest here 10:49

South Atlantic Fishery Management Council Meeting – Hilton Head, South Carolina. Listen Live

SAFMC SidebarThe public is invited to attend the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council to be held in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Read the Meeting Agenda Click here, Briefing Book – September 2015 Council Meeting Click here Webinar Registration: Listen Live, Click here  07:32

State Rep. Goldfinch applauded for stance against offshore no-fishing zones

The Council for Sustainable Fishing, a regional advocacy group for recreational and commercial fishing interests, Thursday applauded state csf logo, for his letter to the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council opposing additional offshore no-fishing zones. “We thank Rep. Goldfinch for standing up for fishing interests and the coastal economy and his recognition that there is simply no justification for any additional no-fishing areas in the South Atlantic,” Council for Sustainable Fishing Executive Director Tom Swatzel said. Read the rest here 09:19

South Atlantic Fishery Management Council Affected fishermen frustrated with proposed regulations

fishermen safmc frustrationThe South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is collecting feedback from dozens of fishing areas from Florida up to North Carolina about the snapper-grouper fishery. “We want some controversial items that are opposed by nearly all fishermen removed, like catch shares, which is an effort to privatize the fishery, electronic monitoring of a vessel, and more closed fishing areas,” said Tom Swatzel, a council member with Sustainable Fishing.  “We just don’t need those at this time.” “How much consideration was put in about what we the fishermen Read the rest here 13:05

SAFMC Snapper-Grouper Vision Project hearings in SC and GA next week – Be heard on this very important plan.

csf logoA reminder of the important public hearings next week in South Carolina and Georgia on the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s snapper-grouper Vision Project. This long-term snapper-grouper management plan, which was promised by the SAFMC to be “stakeholder-driven,” contains measures that are overwhelmingly opposed by stakeholders: catch share programs for both commercial and for-hire fishermen that will privatize the fishery, expensive and burdensome vessel electronic monitoring for all fishermen, and more closed fishing areas. South Carolina, and Georgia schedules, locations, webinar info click here 16:24

Plan to privatize snapper-grouper fishery ownership off southeastern states blasted by fishing advocacy group

csf logoTom Swatzel says the SAFMC has purposely not used the controversial phrase “catch shares” in the plan, but instead has used less understood terminology for catch shares such as “sector share management system,” “individual quota management system,” “individual quota programs,” “sector share programs/cooperatives,” “individual quotas,” and “allocations by permit.” “It’s very troubling the SAFMC would resort to using code-speak for catch shares instead of being up front with fishermen about the fact that catch share programs are indeed in the plan,” Swatzel said. Read the rest here 11:07

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

Fate of the blueline tilefishery is now in the hands of the National Marine Fisheries Service

nmfs_logoThe species grabbed anglers’ attention in February when the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council requested that NMFS take emergency action on bluelines when it learned commercial fishing boats out of North Carolina planned on landing tilefish in New Jersey to take advantage of a no-limit loophole. A week after the Mid-Atlantic made its request, The SAFMC directed its Science and Statistical Committee (SSC) to determine if its earlier assessment, SEDAR 32, was applicable to the entire Atlantic Coast. Read the rest here 13:11

Battle over blueline tilefish intensifies-SAFMC requested emergency action for East Coast

MAFMC SidebarIn 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

‘The Hole’ a spawning sanctuary for big fish?

The Georgetown Hole is the stuff of legend — tiers and tiers of deep ocean ledges swarmed by species after species of fish. It’s the generations-old “sweet spot” where boats once pulled holds full of the monsters seen in the old photos, game fish almost as big as a man. Now regulators want to put the bottom off-limits as a marine spawning sanctuary to help restore the overall stock and maybe bring back those monster fish. Read the rest here 15:00

South Atlantic Fishery Management Council Meeting March 2-6, 2015

SAFMC SidebarMeeting Agenda (posted 2/10)  Briefing Book Materials (posted 2/13)  Webinar Registration: Watch the meeting LIVE as it happens – Sign up for daily Webinars at the links here. 15:31

Keys fishery issues back on tap

The ban and a lack of consistent fishing regulations among the major government fishery agencies that have jurisdiction in Keys waters has led to the formation of a committee to look at South Florida fishing regulations. The committee — which is comprised of members from South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management councils and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) — will meet for three days in Key West starting Jan. 13 Read the rest here 10:18

The fishery council credibilit​y gap – Wayne Mershon, President, Council for Sustainable Fishing

SAFMC SidebarThis week in New Bern, NC, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council created its own credibility gap with fishermen and other stakeholders when it decided to include catch share schemes for both the commercial and for-hire sectors, expensive vessel monitoring systems for all sectors, and more no-fishing Marine Protected Areas — all management measures vehemently opposed by the vast majority of stakeholders — in its draft long-term plan for the snapper-grouper fishery called the Vision Project. Read the rest here 18:55

South Atlantic Fishery Management Council Meeting December 1-5, 2014 – New Bern, NC Attend via Webinar

SAFMC SidebarClick here for  Meeting Agenda  Click here for Briefing Book Materials  Webinar Registration: Watch the meeting LIVE as it happens – Sign up for daily Webinars here 17:24

Possible rule changes for hogfish overfishing

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Life Research Institute recently completed a stock assessment of hogfish and found the ones in Atlantic Ocean waters off Florida are currently undergoing overfishing, which means the fish mortality rate is at a level that is too high and not sustainable, according to research institute fisheries biologist Mike Murphy. Read the rest here 09:02

South Atlantic Fishery Council credibility is at stake

council_fishing_headerLast year, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council made a big splash,,,  The phrase “catch shares” is nowhere to be found in the document. Instead creative code-speak is used to describe the strategy throughout the document: “sector share management system,” “individual quota management system,” We’re shocked and disappointed to see the SAFMC depart so dramatically from the stakeholder-driven,,,  Read the rest here 11:41

Regulations changed on AJs, black sea bass in South Atlantic

SAFMC SidebarThe date change also aligns the beginning of the commercial harvest season for black sea bass with the commercial season for vermilion snapper, which are commonly caught together with hook-and-line gear.,, The trip-limit changes will all be on the commercial side and include reducing the trip limit for black sea bass, Read the rest here 09:45