Alexandria, VA – The Commission’s South Atlantic State/Federal Management Board approved the 2015 Black Drum Benchmark Stock Assessment and Peer Review Report for management use. Based on the assessment results, black drum is not overfished and not experiencing overfishing. Median biomass was estimated to have declined slowly and steadily from 135.2 million pounds in 1900 to 90.78 million pounds in 2012, though the median biomass estimate in 2012 is still well above the median biomass that produces maximum sustainable yield (BMSY; 47.26 million pounds). The median maximum sustainable yield (MSY) estimate is 2.12 million pounds and provides an annual catch…
Press Releases
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Board Approves State Plans for 2015 Recreational Black Sea Bass & Scup Fisheries
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Alexandria, VA – The Commission’s Winter Flounder Management Board maintained its winter flounder commercial and recreational management measures for the inshore waters of the Gulf of Maine (GOM) and Southern New England/Mid‐Atlantic (SNE/MA) for the 2015 fishing season (see Table 1). Table 1. Minimum commercial and recreational management measures for the Inshore Winter Flounder FMP. Stock Sector Trip Limit/ Possession Limit Size Limit Season Gear GOM Commercial 500 lbs/trip/ day 12” Maintain Closures Minimum 6.5” square or diamond mesh in cod‐end Recreational 8 fish 12” NA SNE/MA Commercial 50 lbs 38 fish/trip/day 12” Maintain…
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Alexandria, VA – The Commission’s American Lobster Management Board approved Draft Addendum XXIV to Amendment 3 to the Interstate Lobster Fishery Management Plan for public comment. Draft Addendum XXIV responds to recently finalized trap transfer regulations for the federal waters of Lobster Conservation Management Areas 2, 3, and Outer Cape Cod. While the majority of the implemented federal water measures are based on Commission recommendations and are consistent with the Commission plan, there are a few measures which are either inconsistent or are not addressed by the Commission plan. Specifically, the Draft Addendum includes options to better align state and…
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Alexandria, VA – The 2015 Atlantic menhaden benchmark assessment indicates the resource is not overfished nor experiencing overfishing relative to the current maximum spawning potential (MSP) based biological reference points. Population fecundity, a measure of reproductive capacity, is estimated to be 71% higher than the target value (100 trillion eggs). Additionally, total fishing mortality is estimated to be 0.27, below both the fishing mortality threshold (2.98) and target (1.03). The Atlantic Menhaden Management Board approved the benchmark stock assessment for management use. “The assessment findings bring good news regarding the status of the Atlantic menhaden resource and sets the stage…
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The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and NOAA Fisheries announced today they are awarding approximately a quarter of a million dollars to two research projects. Information generated from these projects supports the continued development of a coastwide river herring (i.e., alewife and blueback herring) conservation plan. “River herring are an important prey species for a variety of animals including commercial and recreational fish like cod and haddock. When they migrate from marine to freshwater, river herring also release important nutrients, which helps promote healthy aquatic ecosystems,” said John Bullard, regional administrator, NOAA Fisheries. “These awards complement the proactive conservation effort…
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Management Board Approves Continuation of Ad-Hoc Regional Management Approaches for 2015 Black Sea Bass Recreational Fishery
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Arlington, VA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has scheduled the Data Workshop for the upcoming bluefish benchmark stock assessment. The assessment will evaluate the health of the Bluefish population and inform the management of the species. The Commission’s stock assessment process and meetings are open to the public (with the exception of discussion of confidential data). The Commission welcomes the submission of data sets that will improve the accuracy of the assessment. These include, but are not limited to data on growth, maturation, migration, genetics, stock enhancement, tagging, recruitment, natural mortality, and abundance/biomass. An essential need is information…
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Arlington, VA – Beginning in 2016, all coastal states from Maine through Georgia will transition to conducting the Access Point Angler Intercept Survey (APAIS) to collect information on marine recreational fishing catch and effort data in their own waters. APAIS, which is a component of the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP), has been administered by NOAA Fisheries through a third party contractor. Over the past decade several states (e.g., Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia) have successfully improved data quality, and stakeholder confidence in that data, through greater state involvement with APAIS contractors. Based on these…
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