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(from Jersey Coast Anglers Association October 2000 Newsletter)
I have included the summaries written
by ASFMC staff following the ASMFC meeting (8/21). What
is missing from the summaries is the discussion on Striped Bass. There was a long discussion about the mistakes
made in the evaluation of 1999 mortality rates. The
original evaluation suggested we were overfishing. On
review it appears that we were right on target. There
was no need to force states to go through the addendum process which is long and
complicated. JCAA and New Jersey were opposed
to the addendum process from the beginning. JCAA
has been involved in this process since 1987. We
have experienced these useless meetings and are not likely to jump through hoops without
sufficient data and without enough time to really review the data. Usually, ASMFC takes the time they need but in
this instance they responded to the pressure brought to bear by some recreational
organizations and jumped the gun. This has
seriously slowed down the plan to move us to Amendment 6 which will address many of our
concerns. Other recreational groups need to
attend the necessary meetings, gather and reflect on both the current and the historical
data and engage in fruitful discussion with others before pushing any agenda.
Tautog Management Board – August
22, 2000
The Tautog Management Board met in
Alexandria, VA on August 22, 2000 to discuss the status of state compliance, the year 2000
Fishery Management Plan (FMP) review, and Technical Committee tasks assigned in Addendum
II. The Plan Review Team (PRT) reported that all states including Massachusetts, Rhode
Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia are in
compliance with the Tautog FMP for the year 2000. In
addition, the year 2000 FMP review was presented to the Management Board. The Technical Committee presented several
recommendations to the Board for consideration. They
included 1). Adoption of the current VPA
assessment methodology as the preferred assessment method and restate the target of F = M
= 0.15, 2) Document the new estimate of F1995 as the historical pre-plan high
and F1998 as the most current level of F, 3) Allow an equivalent Ftarget
at SSB equal to the plan target F (F42%) for states with size limits different
from the plan provided they use assessment derived estimates or can reliably estimate F on
their own, 4) Consider allowing total state programs to meet the plan target provided
historical shares are maintained or revisited, 5) Implement monitoring requirements
complementing the VPA assessment method at the regional level of resolution (200 age
samples per year and additional southern region states fisheries independent indices), or
coastal level of resolution (additional southern region states fisheries independent
indices and 100 age samples per year), 6) Spell out allowed interstate flexibility
options, data needs, and acceptable levels of precision equal to, or better than, plan
calculations and tables, and 7) Create new
recreational and commercial bag and season reduction tables based upon the needed
reduction to reach the plan final target using the information form the scheduled 2001
assessment update. After reviewing this information, the Management Board decided to
initiate an Addendum process to address Technical Committee recommendations 3 through 7.
Motions
Move to develop a draft public hearing
document for an addendum focusing on recommendations 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 of the Technical
Committee report (7-25-00), as staff time and funding permits; the addendum to be
effective April 2002.
Motion passes.
Weakfish Management Board –
August 22, 2000
The Weakfish Management Board met in
Alexandria, VA on August 22, 2000 to discuss recommendations of the Stock Assessment
Sub-Committee (SAS)/Technical Committee (TC) as well as FMP adjustment. The TC presented recommendations for revised
reference points of Ftarget = 0.31, Fthreshold = 0.5, SSBthreshold
= 20% = 14,400 mt as well as a revised reference period of 1981-1985. In addition, the TC presented two options for
Board consideration to revise creel limits. After
reviewing this information, the Management Board decided to initiate development of an
Addendum to extend the current management measures through the 2001 fishing year, while
simultaneously developing a plan Amendment to incorporate the Technical Committee’s
recommendations.
Move to direct the staff to develop for
consideration by the Board at the Annual Meeting an Addendum, or other action, that would
extend the current provision of the plan through March 2002 while an amendment is being
developed, include possible revisions to creel limit options based upon advice from the
Technical Committee, using recreational catch data from the reference period of 1981-1985.
Motion passes with one in opposition.
Motion to Amend to Include “include
possible revisions to creel limit options based upon advice from the Technical Committee,
using recreational catch data from the reference period of 1981-1985”
Motion passes with one in opposition.
Atlantic Menhaden Management Board
Atlantic Menhaden Draft Amendment Approved for
Public Review -- States Public Meetings to be Held
in Late September/Early October
Alexandria, Virginia – The
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Menhaden Management Board
today approved the Draft Amendment 1 to the Atlantic Menhaden Fishery Management Plan
(FMP) for public review and comment. It is anticipated that most Atlantic coastal states
from Maine through Florida will hold at least one public hearing on the Draft Amendment;
meetings will be scheduled for late September and early October. Details on these hearings will be released once
all the meetings have been finalized.
In January 1999, the Atlantic
Menhaden Management Board passed a motion to initiate the development of an amendment to
the current FMP. This action was based, in
part, on concerns that the Atlantic coastal population is in decline and that the
management strategies set forth in the current plan may not adequately address declines in
the population. The current FMP relies on six “trigger variables” to monitor
changes in stock size and recruitment in the population.
Since the majority of these triggers are based on catch data, the Board is
concerned that the triggers do not reflect true trends in the population. Further, the trigger variables do not result in
any direct management and/or regulatory action. The
Draft Amendment proposes replacing these triggers with true biological reference points,
which the Board would use to evaluate the status of the stock and the fishery.
The Draft Amendment also addresses
the current management structure and process for Atlantic menhaden. The current Atlantic Menhaden Management Board is
unlike any other Commission management board in that it includes industry representation.
This structure has both pros and cons and these will be thoroughly debated throughout the
amendment process. The Draft Amendment also reviews the current status of the resource,
the various fisheries for menhaden, and the ecological role that menhaden play in the
ecosystem.
The next step in the process is to
schedule public hearings in all interested states, which in this case includes most of the
Commission’s member states from Maine through Florida. Copies of the Draft Amendment
should be available by September 1, and can be obtained by either contacting Vanessa
Jones, Administrative Assistant, at (202) 289-6400, ext. 324, or via the Commission’s
webpage under “Public Input” at www.asmfc.org. For more information, please
contact Dr. Joseph Desfosse, Fisheries Management Plan Coordinator, at (202) 289-6400,
ext. 329.
PR00-30
Move to approve the Public Hearing
Document, as revised, for public hearing
Motion passes unanimously.
Striped Bass Management Board
New Assessment Results Bring Good News for Striped Bass Fisheries
Alexandria, Virginia -- Atlantic
States Marine Fisheries Commission Striped Bass Management Board yesterday initiated
development of a draft Addendum V to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for
Atlantic Striped Bass. Specifically, the
draft Addendum will provide options for states to either maintain their current striped
bass fishery regulations or implement regulations similar to those in 1998/1999 for 2001
and possibly 2002.
“The latest stock assessment
shows significantly different results from last year’s. The 1998 and 1999 estimates
of fishing mortality were essentially equal to the targets in the FMP,” stated Board
Chair William P. Jensen of Maryland. “When the Board adopted Addendum IV, it was
intended to safeguard age 8 and older fish from disproportionate fishing mortality for at
least two years, while it prepared Amendment 6 to the FMP.
The states are currently in a position where no additional reductions in
harvest are required during 2001. In fact,
the states may be able to implement more liberal management measures such as those that
were in place in 1998/1999. And, this is good news for our fishermen,” concluded Mr.
Jensen.
Currently, striped bass is managed
through Addendum IV, which required states to implement at least a 14 percent reduction in
fishing mortality on age 8 and older fish for 2000.
Additionally, Addendum IV stipulated that states would have to implement
additional restrictions in 2001 if the fishing mortality target on older fish had not been
met in 2000. The Addendum did not
account for the possibility that the estimates of 1998 fishing mortality would be
substantially reduced. The latest assessment
indicates that the fishing mortality on older fish, as well as the entire population, is
at the target established in Amendment 5.
The Draft Addendum will present a
series of options for striped bass management for 2001 and possibly 2002. These options include requiring the states to
implement management measures that are equivalent to the 1998/1999 measures or retain
their current management measures. The Draft
Addendum also presents the option to implement these measures for one or two years
(2001/2002). The Draft Addendum will be
available for public review and comment by mid-September. Some states may hold public
meeting to gather comments from their fishermen. Information
on these meetings will be released as soon as it is available.
The Board also reiterated its
commitment to developing the Amendment 6 to ensure equity among user groups and the
continued health of the striped bass resource. In
June, the Board reviewed the comments received from the public information meetings that
were held in late spring. Currently, the
Striped Bass Plan Development Team and Technical Committee are finalizing the Public
Hearing Draft of Amendment 6. A series of
public hearings will be scheduled when the document is completed.
Copies of the 1999 stock assessment
can be obtained either by contacting Vanessa Jones, Administrative Assistant, at (202)
289-6400, or via the Commission’s webpage on its NEWS page at www.asmfc.org. For more information, please contact Robert Beal,
Fisheries Management Plan Coordinator, at (202) 289-6400, ext. 318.
Motions
Move that the Board proceed immediately
in the development of a draft addendum to include two sets of options: (1) a one or two
year timeframe (2001 or 2001/2002); and (2) states will be required to implement
regulations equivalent to those in place in 1998/1999, or states could choose to implement
the regulations that were approved by ASMFC for 2000.
Motion passes.
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