Ahab's Journal

Federal Fishery Managers Make Decisions Affecting Both South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Fisheries

Regulations for spiny lobster, king and Spanish mackerel, and cobia determined at joint meetings

'Ecosystem' is the new coastal fishing buzzword

The future for anyone wanting to venture offshore to fish might be an ocean run like a national wilderness area. Angling could become more like what deer hunting is today - a niche business or pastime governed by harvest tags as well as licenses, seasons and catch restrictions now in place. No one knows what the specific rules will be yet, and nobody expects any wholesale shifts in current rules anytime soon. But the change is happening, right in front of your eyes. It's called ecosystem-based management. The new rules would be applied to habitats, or the "sweet spots" for catching fish, rather than individual species. Sweet spots would be opened and closed according to season and fish crops, in a chart of shifting territories, something like inland wildlife management areas are now. The territories will be networks of "special management zones," "marine protected areas" and the like, managed to keep the habitats productive.

Read more

CapLog Releases Overview of Commercial Fishing in the South Atlantic Snapper Grouper Fishery

In April 2011, CapLog (www.caploggroup.com) completed an overview of commercial fishing in the South Atlantic snapper grouper fishery. In the overview, CapLog looks at both the current state and trends in the fishery; such as who’s catching what type of fish where and how landings have changed over the years. The report uses data summaries generated by NMFS and Council staff to describe the participants and economics of the snapper grouper fishery. Find below some of the key findings:

Feds sink plan to ban bottom fishing off Florida, Georgia coast

The bottom-fishing ban was scheduled to take effect June 1, but NOAA officials formally abandoned it Wednesday.

That was a change recommended by a regional panel, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, after snapper population forecasts were updated in December.

Crabtree said information from fishermen fighting the closure ultimately helped change the forecast. Surveys of sport fishermen about the age of snapper they caught, for example, helped convince scientists that older snapper — the ones most important for breeding — moved into deeper waters where they were safer.

Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/florida/2011-04-27/story/feds-sink-plan-ban-bottom-fishing-florida-georgia-coast#ixzz1L2ezXyi0

NOAA Eliminates the Proposed Snapper-Grouper Area Closure in the South Atlantic

NOAA Fisheries Service will not implement the proposed snapper-grouper area closure in the South Atlantic. The snapper-grouper area closure is 4,827 square miles and extends from southern Georgia to northern Florida where harvest and possession of all snapper-grouper species would have been prohibited (except when fishing with black sea bass pots or spearfishing gear for species other than red snapper if implemented). The snapper-grouper area closure was previously approved through Amendment 17A to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (Amendment 17A). The final rule publishes in the Federal Register on April 28, 2011.

    An emergency rule was published on December 9, 2010, to delay the effective date of the snapper-grouper area closure specified in Amendment 17A to June 1, 2011. Temporarily delaying the effective date of the snapper-grouper area closure to June 1, 2011, was intended to allow the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) time to respond to new stock assessment information through Regulatory Amendment 10 to the FMP for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (Regulatory Amendment 10). The new assessment shows red snapper to be overfished (population too low) and undergoing overfishing (rate of removal too high); however, the current rate of overfishing is less than the rate of overfishing found in the previous stock assessment. This prompted the Council to review the assessment and other scientific information and propose eliminating the snapper-grouper area closure.

JONES URGES APPROVAL OF NC’S EMERGENCY REQUEST ON BLUELINE TILEFISH AND SNOWY GROUPER

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today Congressman Walter B. Jones (NC-3) weighed in with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke supporting the State of North Carolina’s request for emergency action to reopen the blueline tilefish and snowy grouper fisheries north of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.  These fisheries were closed earlier this year after the Secretary approved Amendment 17B to the South Atlantic Snapper Grouper Management Plan, which closed South Atlantic waters to bottom fishing from 240’ deep out to 200 miles offshore to protect two species of fish – speckled hind and warsaw grouper – for which there are no valid stock assessments.  The request from Congressman Jones and the State comes after new scientific information presented to South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council in March shows that reopening the blueline tilefish and snowy grouper fisheries north of Hatteras would have no impact on speckled hind and warsaw grouper.  Congressman Jones and State fisheries managers argue that emergency action is necessary to prevent severe economic losses to fishermen in Northeastern North Carolina.

Federal Fishery Advisory Panel Seats Open to Applicants

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is soliciting applications for seats currently available on its advisory panels.  Working at the grass roots level, advisory panel members provide information and guidance in the development and implementation of federal fishery management plans.  The Council has 15 separate advisory panels composed of individuals who are engaged in the harvest of, or are knowledgeable and interested in the conservation and management of the fishery or group of fishes to be managed.  Members include recreational and commercial fishermen, seafood dealers and processors, conservationists, scientists, and concerned citizens.

Emergency Action requested on blueline tilefish and snowy grouper

In recent weeks I, and others, have been hearing a renewed call for consideration of emergency action for opening blueline tilefish and snowy grouper north of Cape Hatteras.  You may recall that I requested such an action at the December 2010 meeting in New Bern, NC.  However, at that time it was the judgment of NOAA GC that there wasn’t sufficient evidence to warrant an emergency and the best course of action would be to begin work immediately on a regulatory amendment to change the management measures.

 This new effort calling for emergency action now is based on the presentation made by NMFS SERO employee, Dr. Nick Farmer at the SAFMC meeting in March 2011 in St. Simons, GA.  Dr. Farmer’s presentation showed there have been virtually no interactions north of Cape Hatteras between blueline tilefish or snowy grouper and speckled hind or warsaw grouper, the two species the deepwater closure from Snapper Grouper Amendment 17B was designed to protect.

Hearing on King Mackerel, Spanish Mackerel, Cobia Set for April 11 in New Bern

Annual Catch Limits (ACLs) and other measures proposed for king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, cobia and lobster

 Federal fishery managers are soliciting public input on measures proposed for species managed jointly by the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Councils, including king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, and cobia.  Measures are also being proposed for the lobster fishery, also managed jointly.  Annual Catch Limits (in pounds or numbers of fish) and accountability measures (AMs) must be set for these species by the end of 2011, as required by the Magnuson-Stevens Act to prevent overfishing.  The measures will impact both commercial and recreational fishermen who fish in federal waters along the Atlantic coast and Gulf of Mexico.  A series of 7 public hearings are scheduled regarding the following:

SAFA response to changes in Amendment 21

March 15, 2011

Dear Chairman Cupka:

We are disappointed, but understand the South Atlantic Fishery
Management Council's decision to pull the commercial snapper grouper
catch share option out of Amendment 21, especially with all of the
complex, controversial, and legally-mandated actions you must focus on
right now. The discussion surrounding your decision was encouraging,
as it sounds like there is a lot of continued support for a commercial
snapper grouper catch share.

CCA: South Atlantic Council Votes Down Catch Shares

Anglers applaud decision to terminate catch share development in Amendment 21

 ST. SIMONS ISLAND, GA – Recreational anglers are applauding the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s decision today to “terminate all work relative to catch share development in Amendment 21,” the Comprehensive Catch Share Amendment. In a motion by Council member George Geiger of Florida, the Snapper Grouper Committee yesterday voted to remove catch shares from Amendment 21, setting up today’s action by the full Council. The decision is good news for recreational anglers who have been fighting the concept of catch shares as a one-size-fits-all solution to fishery management problems.

Federal fishery council: No to catch shares

The concept of catch shares for snapper and grouper in the South Atlantic fishery may have died Friday.

At its meeting in Georgia, the full federal South Atlantic Fishery Management Council unanimously adopted a recommendation from a subcommittee "to terminate all work relating to development of catch shares" in a pending rule for the harvest of several snapper and grouper species.

The South Atlantic Snapper-Grouper Committee voted, 9-3 with one abstention, Thursday to drop catch shares from rules contained in Amendment 21 to the council's snapper-grouper plan. George Geiger, a council member generally considered to favor conservation measures, made the motion to halt catch-share conservation for snapper and grouper.

Read more

Concerns with 17A & 17B & ACL Amendment Data Voiced in 2009 & 2010

 

 

  

Dear Secretary Locke:

On October 27

th, 2009, I testified on the implementation of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act before the Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife House Committee on Resources. My comments highlighted issues before the Council involving significant economic impacts based upon proposed closures and deficiencies in the current data collection system. I have attached my testimony and wish to make you aware of the Council’s belief that the current data delivery system is grossly inadequate to properly implement the system of annual catch limits (ACLs), accountability measures (AMs), and management measures that the Council is establishing in Snapper Grouper FMP Amendments 17A and 17B and the Comprehensive ACL Amendment.

Red-snapper tagging begins

THE ATLANTIC OCEAN -- From 25 miles offshore, the storm looked like a black tongue of night swallowing the western horizon, the direction a crew of three scientists and four fishermen would have to motor to make it back to the safety of Ponce de Leon Inlet.

Their trip earlier this week was the maiden voyage of the Florida East Coast Cooperative Red Snapper Tagging Program, a study being conducted by Florida's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute.

Commercial and recreational anglers will soon be able to receive tagging kits at training seminars on participating in the program.

Read more

Fisheries panel blasted for regulations

An expanding slate of federal fishing rules drew the wrath of commercial fishermen, charter captains and recreational anglers at a Thursday hearing in Key Largo.

"You guys are absolutely killing us," Islamorada charter captain Bruce Anderson told two members of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council.

Read more

Area fishermen taking fight to Congress

LITTLE RIVER -- Local fishermen united Thursday night to talk about stopping limits on the number of fish they're allowed to catch. .

The plan is to talk to lawmakers in the hope of getting a bill that would change fishery closures, said charter boat captain Keith Logan, with SouthCarolina-Offshore.com.

Read more: http://www.thesunnews.com/2011/02/04/1961753/fishermen-taking-fight-to-congress.html#ixzz1D1gu4ufD

CCA's Comments for SAFMC Public Hearings and Scoping Meetings

It must be pointed out that this comment process is seriously flawed given the sheer breadth and complexity of the issues that have been presented simultaneously here. This process, which involves hundreds of pages of documents on these issues, is not conducive to allowing stakeholders to develop informed decisions on the dozens of management options presented here, options that could have serious implications on the public’s ability to access these public resources in the future. As presented here today, this process threatens to damage any faith that the recreational angling community mayhave that the Council is sincere in its efforts to gather and utilize meaningful input from us.

Read more

CCA calls on managers to seek reasonable interim measures regarding black sea bass pending new assessment

Federal fisheries managers are set to close another popular recreational fishery in the South Atlantic in the latest example of how chronic lapses in science and data-collection are wreaking havoc on the recreational angling sector. Less than two months after narrowly avoiding a massive closure of all bottom fishing in the South Atlantic to recover red snapper, federal managers have announced that black sea bass are set to become off-limits from February to June due to circumstances that sound frustratingly familiar to anglers.

Local fishermen take fight against catch limits to Charleston

Grand Strand fishermen are taking their fight against a catch limits to North Charleston Wednesday.

About 40 men left Wednesday morning to attend one of several public hearings held by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council.

Charter fishing boat owners and commercial fishermen say that bag limits on black sea bass, scheduled to begin next month and continue until June first, will cripple their earnings.

Read more

SAFMC Hearing/Meeting in New Bern on January 24, 2011

Public Hearings/Scoping Meetings Set to Address Federal Fisheries Issues 

Council seeks input on Annual Catch Limits, trip limits, catch shares, and other management measures

 

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is holding a series of public hearings and scoping meetings regarding fisheries management measures proposed for several federally managed species, including those within the snapper grouper management complex, dolphin (fish), wahoo, golden crab, and octocorals within the South Atlantic region.  The measures will impact both commercial and recreational fishermen who fish in federal waters between 3 and 200 miles offshore ranging from the North Carolina/Virginia state line southward to the east coast of Florida and the Florida Keys. 

NOAA establishes annual catch limits for some South Atlantic snappers and groupers

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Fisheries Service announced Wednesday a final ruling establishing annual catch limits on nine species of snappers and groupers.

To further protect speckled hind and warsaw grouper, the rule prohibits the deepwater harvest of snowy grouper, blueline tilefish, yellowedge grouper, misty grouper, queen snapper, and silk snapper in depths below 240 feet.

Read more

Catch shares to go forward for comments

NEW BERN — The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is going to request input on catch shares from fishermen and others involved in fisheries soon.

The council approved on Friday at its meeting here Amendment 21 to the Snapper-Grouper Fishery Management Plan for public scoping. This amendment proposes several management measures to end overfishing in nine snapper-grouper species, five of which are already in overfished status. Catch shares are among those proposed measures.

The SAFMC also approved Amendment 22 for public scoping. This amendment is proposed to establish long-term management measures for red snapper, with catch shares being one of the proposed measures.

Read more

Fishermen tell panel rules are killing jobs

NEW BERN — Fishermen came from the Outer Banks to  as far away as Florida to speak Wednesday to representatives from the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) about issues they’re facing.

The council had an informal question-and-answer public comment period during the regular council meeting.

Dewey Hemeroy, a commercial fisherman from Wanchese in Dare County, said times are frustrating and hard for fishermen with current regulations.

“The actions in the blueline tilefish seem way over the top,” he said. “The purpose seems to be to kill jobs and destroy livelihoods.”

Read more

Federal panel wants snapper ban reversed

A ban on all bottom fishing in a zone off Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia might not happen after all.

A federal fisheries panel voted Thursday to recommend scrapping a rule that would close about 4,800 square miles of ocean to bottom fishing starting June 1. The closure has been expected to cripple much of the region's fishing industry.

Read more

RFA-FL FILES SUIT OVER BOTTOM FISHING CLOSURE

Charges NMFS With Failure to Comply With Magnuson Stevens Act   Jacksonville, FL - In October the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) levied harsh criticism at the current Administration when the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) was notified by NMFS Southeast Regional Administrator Roy Crabtree that a 4,800-square mile fishing ban was pending for South Atlantic anglers.  At the time, Southeast recreational anglers were expecting the worst in terms of a final ruling by NMFS to implement controversial Amendment 17A, which will ultimately establish a closed area extending from southern Georgia to Cape Canaveral, FL affecting angler harvest and possession of all snapper-grouper species.   Last week, NMFS announced a six-month delay in implementing these large-scale closures on all bottom fishing resulting from the Amendment 17A management measure, but RFA and the RFA-FL chapter are wasting no time in responding to the pending closures.  According to RFA-FL representative Dave Heil, a lawsuit filed in the Federal District Court of Jacksonville, FL to overturn the red snapper closure and the bottom closure off of Northeast Florida.

NOAA Extends Fishing Ban for South Atlantic Red Snapper

In order to protect the red snapper population in the South Atlantic, NOAA’s Fisheries Service will extend the ban of commercial and recreational fishing for the red snapper in federal waters off North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and the Atlantic coast of Florida.

The final rule also includes an area closure off southern Georgia and northeastern Florida, which would prohibit commercial and recreational fishing for snappers, groupers, and some other bottomfish species to reduce bycatch of red snapper. However, the area closure will be delayed until June 1 to allow time to consider the results of a new scientific assessment that the red snapper population may be in better condition than was previously estimated.

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SAFMC Meets Dec. 6-10 in New Bern

Find agenda and briefing material here

Snapper fishing ban gets final OK; affects fishermen in Florida, Georgia

Protection plan covers 4,800 square miles of ocean bottom.

The plan is forecast to cost area fishermen millions of dollars in lost catch, not only in snapper but grouper, sea bass and other harvests from dozens of species commonly caught through bottom fishing.

Read more

Hatteras fisherman comments on Amendment 18A

I have been a fishermen in the South Atlantic’s  jurisdiction for over 30 years.  I have participated in practically every fishery within this councils jurisdiction….and yet now because I may not have landed a certain amount of golden tilefish or sea bass fish within  a certain timeframe I will find myself on the outside looking in.  This is nothing new with this council which back in 1994 instituted a 2/1 permit clause and culled the fleet down from approximately 3200 permits to about 800 with less than 300 of those considered active.  This begs the question, shouldn't this council be looking elsewhere ?

Proposed Amendment For Commercial Fishermen

Chris McCaffity shares his frustration with amendment 18A. This amendment allows the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council to say when commercial fisherman have met their quota for catching black sea bass and golden tile. The amendment has been changing since 2006. McCcaffity is upset that the amendment will regulate fishing rules even more. And have a bigger impact on his family.

Read more

Congressman Jones Submits Comments Opposing 17B

Dear Secretary Locke:

We are writing to express our strong opposition to the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s proposed Amendment 17B to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Management Plan of the South Atlantic Region.  Amendment 17B proposes to close the United States Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) from 240’ depth seaward to the end of the EEZ at 200 miles offshore to protect two species of fish – speckled hind and warsaw grouper – for which there are no valid stock assessments.  The Council’s action was based on unacceptably limited data and ignored reasonable alternatives that would have far less impact on fishing families already reeling from the economic downturn. 

SAFMC Meeting in New Bern October 25, 2010

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold a series of public hearings regarding Amendment 18A to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan later this month.  Amendment 18A primarily focuses on measures for the commercial golden tilefish and black sea bass fisheries to account for anticipated shifts to those fisheries as regulations become more restrictive for other snapper grouper species.  The amendment also addresses methods to improve the accuracy, timing, and quantity of fisheries data for both commercial and for-hire fisheries.

Report alters snapper numbers

The updated assessment estimates red snapper are down to only seven percent of their historic un-fished populations. The 2008 assessment's estimate was three percent.

Fishermen, state and federal fisheries management officials have been in disagreement for three years now about whether red snapper are overfished and about the plan to fix that -- a 4,800 square mile area closed to bottom fishing off the coast of Florida.

Read more

Council Reviews Options for Future Management of Red Snapper

New stock assessment due for completion in December may prompt changes in regulations

 The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council met last week in Charleston, South Carolina to discuss several amendments currently under development that may impact fishermen in the future who target species such as snapper, grouper, dolphin, and mackerel.  An issue of special interest to both commercial and recreational fishermen is the ongoing closure of the red snapper fishery in the South Atlantic and the possible implementation of a large area closure off the central and northeastern coast of Florida and southern coast of Georgia. Within the proposed area closure, fishing for all snapper grouper species in water depths ranging from 98 feet to 240 feet would be prohibited (with the exception of spearfishing and use of black sea bass pots).

NCWU Asks Locke to Reconsider SAFMC Appointment

August 9, 2010

Dear Secretary Locke,

 

The North Carolina Watermen United would like to respectfully request that you reconsider the appointment selection for the North Carolina seat on the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council.

 

We would like Mrs. Rita Merritt to be reappointed to the seat. She has served two terms on the South Atlantic Council, and her participation has been exemplary. She has been endorsed by Governor Bev Perdue as the preferred nominee. Our North Carolina US Congressional Delegation, including Senators Richard Burr and Kay Hagan and Congressmen Walter Jones and Mike McIntyre, has also supported her reappointment to the Council.

King Mackerel Catch Shares Update from Rusty Hudson (DSF,Inc.)

 

NOTE: Quoted from the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (GMFMC) August 2010 Briefing Book, Minutes of the June 16, 2010 GMFMC meeting held in Gulfport, Mississippi. http://www.gulfcouncil.org/council_meetings/briefing_books/august_2010.php

Federal Fishery Advisory Panel Seats Open to Applicants

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is soliciting applications for seats currently available on its advisory panels.  Working at the grass roots level, advisory panel members provide information and guidance in the development and implementation of federal fishery management plans.  The Council has 15 separate advisory panels composed of individuals who are engaged in the harvest of, or are knowledgeable and interested in the conservation and management of the fishery or group of fishes to be managed.  Members include recreational and commercial fishermen, seafood dealers and processors, conservationists, scientists, and concerned citizens.

Congressmen Jones and McIntyre Demand Reconsideration of Commerce Secretary's Decision to Bypass Rita Merrit

June 28, 2010

Dear Secretary Locke,

We are writing to you as members of Congress representing the coastal and fishing communities in North Carolina. We are very troubled by your appointment selection for the obligatory North Carolina seat for the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council as announced by the Department of Commerce on June 23, 2010.

Mrs. Rita Merritt has served two terms in the obligatory North Carolina seat on the South Atlantic Council, and she has done so with distinction. 

Deepwater reefs to get federal protection

The federal government has signed off on a plan, designed and already approved by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, to designate nearly 23,000 square miles of deepwater coral habitat as Coral Habitat Areas of Particular Concern.

The designation, which takes effect July 22, will mean the five deep-sea areas – two of which are off North Carolina – will be off limits to bottom-disturbing fishing practices, including longlines and trawling.

Read more

Red Snapper Fishery Remains Closed in South Atlantic

Additional regulations to end overfishing and restore stock approved for review by Secretary of Commerce

Council Approves Measures to End Overfishing of Red Snapper

Members of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council approved an amendment to address overfishing of red snapper and rebuild the South Atlantic stock during its meeting in Orlando earlier today.  Measures include a continuation of the closure of the red snapper fishery for both commercial and recreational fishermen in federal waters in the South Atlantic and a new area closure off of northeastern Florida and southern Georgia, where fishing for all snapper grouper species in water depths of 98 - 240 feet would be prohibited. Fishing for pelagic species such as tuna, dolphin, and billfish would be allowed within the area.  Amendment 17A to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan was approved by the Council in a split vote (9 to 4) for submission to the Secretary of Commerce.  The amendment will undergo further review by NOAA Fisheries Service before submission to the Secretary.  The amendment is designed to meet the requirements of the reauthorized Magnuson-Stevens Act to end overfishing and rebuild stocks within a specified time period. 

EDF: Vote on Massive Southeast Fishing Closures Passes

Today in Orlando, Florida, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) approved amendment 17A (17A) to the snapper grouper fishery management plan. Now it will go to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke for approval. 17A closes the red snapper fishing season throughout the Southeast. It also closes a 5,000 square mile area for additional kinds of snapper and grouper fishing from Georgia to South Florida.

Read more

New fishing restrictions could push boats here

Combined with oil spill, net effect is likely to be price spike

The cause of one potential problem, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, is being partly blamed on a lack of government regulation.

The cause of another potential headache, the expected closing of nearly 6,000 square miles of federal waters off Georgia and Florida to snapper and grouper fishing, is seen by some fishermen as an overreaction by government regulators.

Together, the two factors could help make North Carolina's seafood a very sought-after product this year.

Read more

Dates & Times for key Mackerel Events at June 7-11 SAFMC Meeting in Orlando

From DSF, Inc.:

 

Don't shut down healthy fisheries Petition

We, the undersigned, strongly urge the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) to remember: 1) in a petition, over 10,000 local citizens and business owners formally opposed the emergency red snapper closure, which the SAFMC ultimately approved with a 7-6 vote, and 2) that many state and local governments have since voted unanimously in favor of resolutions formally opposing large area closures to bottom fishing as part of the SAFMC’s 17A proposals to rebuild red snapper stocks. These were the results of a true grass roots effort for the truth to be known and the public to sustain as little harm from draconian and unwarranted management measures as possible.

Read & Sign Petition Here

View June 7-10 SAFMC Meeting Agenda Here

JONES SEEKS RECONSIDERATION OF AMENDMENT 17B

Amendment would cause massive fisheries closure from North Carolina to Florida and result in significant economic harm 

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week U.S. Congressman Walter B. Jones (NC-3), Senator Richard Burr and Congressman Mike McIntyre (NC-7) asked U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Gary Locke to direct the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council to reconsider its recent decision on Amendment 17B to the Snapper-Grouper Management Plan.  Unless changed, Amendment 17B would close U.S. waters from 240 foot depth to 200 miles offshore, from Florida to North Carolina, in an attempt to protect two fish species – speckled hind and warsaw grouper – for which there are no valid stock assessments.  The closure would have a significant negative impact on fishermen and fishing communities.  Jones, McIntyre and Burr joined the five members of the South Atlantic Council who voted against Amendment 17B in arguing that the Council acted on unacceptably limited data and ignored reasonable alternatives. 

Jones-Burr-McIntyre Ask for Reconsideration of 17B

Download Jones-Burr-McIntyre Letter to Secretary Locke re 17B

Sign of the times

State and local officials discuss fishing issues

Outer Banks Sentinel - by Susan West - Fishermen and county commissioners exchanged information with state officials about a host of fisheries issues at the Dare County Commission for Working Watermen meeting April 21.

State officials attending the meeting included NC Rep. Tim Spear, Division of Marine Fisheries director Louis Daniel, and Wildlife Resources Commission director Gordon Myers.  Chris Dillon, special projects director for Senator Marc Basnight, also participated.

In a report on issues affecting Dare County, state fisheries chief Louis Daniel said his agency fully supports the South Atlantic Council minority report objecting to Amendment 17B to the Snapper-Grouper Fishery Management Plan that was approved by the council majority in December.

EDF Comments on Sebastian and Stuart, FL meetings with king mackerel industry

Dear Council Members,

Many of you may have heard about two mackerel management meetings held in Florida last week, hosted by EDF and moderated by Ben Hartig. As the host of these meetings, I want to provide you an overview of how they went.

On Monday, March 29 and Tuesday, March 30 two informational meetings were convened for the mackerel fishing communities in Sebastian, FL and Stuart, FL to provide South Atlantic fishermen the opportunity to talk about management options, what the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is looking at, and have a dialogue with Gulf fishermen currently fishing under a catch share system.

Each meeting featured a panel of fishermen from the Gulf of Mexico representing support and opposition for catch shares, including: Buddy Guidon, Bob Spaeth, and Matt Andrews. In addition to this group, Mason Bowen, a commercial mackerel fisherman from Sebastian joined the panel on March 29. Ben Hartig moderated both meetings and facilitated discussions.

An impressive 125 people attended the meeting on Monday at Captain Hiram's in Sebastian, FL. Attendees included fishermen and dealers from the area, plus some fishermen and dealers who were parachuted in from the Gulf of Mexico with the specific purpose of opposing catch shares. There is no question this meeting was rowdy, much the result of the location’s proximity to a bar.