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Weakfish Public Hearings & JCAA Testimony/Summary
by Ed Cherry
(from Jersey Coast Anglers Association November 2002 Newsletter)
JCAA supports the position that the NJ division of fish, game and wildlife has taken. JCAA regards this amendment as unnecessary, biased and discriminatory.
This plan places all the burden of restrictions on the recreational community and none on the commercial sector. New Jersey and Delaware have been asked to carry the burden of these restrictions. New Jersey faces 60-76% reduction in bag limits.
The same pervasive thought pattern seems to be present in this plan as in Amendment 6 striped bass plan. Namely, creating a trophy fishery. This plan seems to be driven by a small segment of the recreational fishery. It is not stated specifically as such, but, nonetheless, this is what is going on. A rush to get larger, older fish for a small segment of the recreational fishery, when in reality the stock survey shows these fish are currently present in the population. They just have not had time to grow any older than 5-6 years old yet!
Recreational fishermen simply will not harvest any of the theoretical miniscule gains made by the recreational sacrifices.
Amendment 4 propose an overfishing definition level of
SSB threshold = 14,400 MT (31.8 million pounds)
F Threshold=0.50
F Target=0.30
We are currently fishing at well below these F targets already within Amendment 3.
The current stock assessment through 2000 including estimates of stock size on Jan 1, 2001 (published April 30,2002) presents some very interesting statistics.
2000 estimate for SSB = 41-56,000 MT. A corrected value may be 35,000 MT. Certainly indicating a current stock at least 2.5 times to 3.5 times as much as the goal in the Amendment 4 draft threshold of 14,400 MT.
The size and age structure has been restored in Amendment 3. The age 6+ fish in 1990 was 0.3% of the population. It currently is at 6.8%, almost at the goal for Amendment 4.
There is nothing in the survey that indicates this is a troubled fishery and requires the severe cutbacks proposed.
Fishing Mortality:
In 1984 F = 2.52 (~90 % kill rate) which is within the new proposed reference period.
In 2000 F= 0.12 (12-16% kill rate) well below the Amendment 4 F target of .31 and F threshold of 0.50.
It appears Amendment 3 has been working quite well. Recruitment of age 1 weakfish was 19 million in 1989. 2000 estimate is 111 million. A 6 fold increase! Even if radically corrected to a value of 50-60 million fish, it represents a fishery in good health.
JCAA regards the arbitrary changing the reference period to 1981-1985 as absolutely unnecessary (there was a very low SSB and High F during this period*). *This time period had an average annual fishing mortality of 85% (F=1.9), average spawning stock biomass of 10,904 metric tons (less than the proposed threshold of 14,400 metric tons) and the 0.6% of 6 year and older fish during the 1982 – 1985 period hardly reflects a healthy fishery. A reference period of 1998-2000 would make more sense. At the least the current reference period should be maintained. (A reference period such as the 1998 – 2000 time period with its low annual fishing mortality of 16% (F=0.17), high spawning stock of more than 30,752 metric tons and better age structure of 5% of age 6 year and older weakfish.)
1998-2000 would reflect a better reference period as both the recruitment and SSB for this time period is higher, and F is far lower than the newly proposed (1982-85) reference period.
The Bycatch issue:
We advocate no Bycatch.
Of the options presented, JCAA can accept status quo of the current 150 LB Bycatch. NO additional increases in Weakfish Bycatch should be allowed in any commercial fishery.
Discards:
Discards must be accounted for accurately in the commercial where they are not currently accounted for, and also within the recreational sector where real data is not available.
If management zones are necessary:
Then North-South management zones should be the same for commercial and recreational. The commercial line is the NY-NJ border. The recreational zone should be the same.
In Conclusion
This is nothing more than a reallocation of the resource! If you penalize 30% of the fishery, you must place the same restrictions on the commercial side which takes ~70% of the resource. There is nothing preventing the commercial gill net fishery from doubling or tripling. What happens then to the sacrifices the recreational fishery is being asked to make? Directly into the commercial nets, that is what happens! We find it outrageous that 9” weakfish are kept in the pound net fishery and end up as scrap fish. This fish is too valuable a fish to waste as scrap! We favor one size limit throughout the fishery.
Jcaa cannot support the adoption of Amendment 4 as currently written, as it does not fairly address the needs of NJ fishermen and the recreational fishery as a whole.
Amendment 4 Weakfish Hearings Summary
By Ed Cherry
The weakfish hearings attendees were virtually unanimous in the support of the JCAA and New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife’s positions on the issue. The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife’s statement is included in another section of the JCAA Newspaper. It is most unusual that the division would read a position paper at a public hearing! Extraordinary measures indeed, to deal with a most inappropriate, discriminatory and unnecessary amendment. This amendment is a blatant reallocation of the resource and not the conservation measure that it pretends to be.
These hearings attracted approximately 150 people, and the economic havoc that would be caused by this amendment in the counties of Cape May, Cumberland and Salem was brought out by many of the residents, business owners and fishermen from these areas. Even commercial netters expressed dismay over the recreational cutbacks.
Assemblymen Nicholas Asselta R and Assemblymen Jeff Van Drew from the 1st district both send aides to the hearing in Vineland and expressed their displeasure with Amendment 4. The Legislative ASMFC Commissioner, Assemblyman Robert Smith 4th District D, and the Governor's Appointee, Tom Fote, were particularly vocal in his condemnation of this Amendment.
The same comments were expressed at the Ocean County meeting. The main portion of the JCAA position on Weakfish can be found in this issue of the newsletter. You still have time to express your displeasure with this Amendment.
Written comment will be accepted until October 31, and should be submitted to Carrie Selberg, Weakfish FMP Coordinator 1444 Eye Street, NW Washington, DC, 20005 (202) 289-6051 (fax) or cselberg@asmfc.org For more information, please contact Carrie Selberg, at (202) 289-6400.
Write or call for a copy of the draft amendment 4, or download the .PDF format document from http://www.asmfc.org.