Fishing & Boating ServicesSport Fisheries Advisory Commission – October 13, 2020
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ASMFC / MAFMC Updates and Announcements
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission• Next meeting to be held via webinar October 18 - 22
Fishing & Boating ServicesSport Fisheries Advisory Commission – October 13, 2020
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ASMFC / MAFMC Updates and Announcements
⮚ Menhaden Board – Tuesday October 20 9am – 12:00 noon
⮚ Set coastal total allowable catch (TAC) for 2021 and 2022
⮚ Adopt abundance (fecundity) reference points to match target and
threshold fishing ecological reference points (Housekeeping).
Fishing & Boating ServicesSport Fisheries Advisory Commission – October 13, 2020
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Probability of Exceeding ERP
Target
TAC for 2021-2022 TAC for 2021 TAC for 2022 2021 TAC % Redux from 2020
216,000 mt
25% 148,700 148,700 150,800 31%
30% 153,200 153,200 157,200 29%
35% 158,000 158,000 162,900 27%
40% 163,100 163,100 169,400 25%
45% 169,400 169,400 177,300 22%
50% 176,800 176,800 187,400 18%
55% 186,600 186,600 200,600 14%
60% 197,200 197,200 216,200 9%
MENHADEN COAST WIDE TAC OPTIONS I
Fishing & Boating ServicesSport Fisheries Advisory Commission – October 13, 2020
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MENHADEN COAST WIDE TAC OPTIONS II
TAC Probability of Exceeding ERP Target
Probability of Exceeding ERP Threshold
2021 2022 2021 2022
194,400 mt (-10%) 58.5 % 52.5 % 0 % 0 %
205,200 mt (-5%) 63.5 % 56.5 % 0 % 0 %
216,000 mt (current TAC) 66 % 60 % 0 % 0 %
226,800 mt (+5%) 68.5 % 62.5 % 0 % 0.5 %
237,600 mt (+10%) 70.5 % 65 % 0.5 % 0.5 %
Fishing & Boating ServicesSport Fisheries Advisory Commission – October 13, 2020
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0
2,000,000
4,000,000
6,000,000
8,000,000
10,000,000
12,000,000
14,000,000
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Current Quota
50% Probability
-10%
Year
Poun
ds o
f Men
hade
n
Menhaden Harvest 2010-2019 compared to three proposed TAC Levels
Fishing & Boating ServicesSport Fisheries Advisory Commission – October 13, 2020
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ASMFC / MAFMC Updates and Announcements
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission⮚ South Atlantic Board– Cobia – Finalize Addendum I
⮚ Options to modify coastwide commercial/recreational allocation because of
updated MRIP estimates. In all options, coastwide quotas increase for both
recreational and commercial sectors.
✓ Options for size limit changes for de minimis states (remove option for
29 inch minimum)
✓ Coastwide commercial fishery housekeeping: options for closure triggers
and set asides for de minimis states
Fishing & Boating ServicesSport Fisheries Advisory Commission – October 13, 2020
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• Addresses allocation to offset impact of increased recreational catch estimates, proposes a new commercial closure trigger and updates de minimis options.
• Board specified 80,112 fish (~2.4 million lb) total annual harvest quota based on SEDAR 58 projections
• Allocations: 92% recreational (73,703 fish) & 8% commercial (146,232 lb)
• Previous quota: 670,000 lb (620,000 lb recreational & 50,000 lb commercial)
South Atlantic Board - Tues 10/20 @ 1:15
COBIA - Finalize Addendum I
Fishing & Boating ServicesSport Fisheries Advisory Commission – October 13, 2020
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COBIA Issue 1 ALLOCATION:
Option A. (Status Quo) Recreational quota: 92% (73,703 fish) of the coastwide total harvest quota; Commercial quota: 8% (146,231 lb)
Option B. Recreational quota: 97% (77,917 fish) of the coastwide total harvest quota; Commercial quota: 3% (54,837 lb)
Option C. Recreational quota: 96% (70,908 fish) of the coastwide total harvest quota; Commercial quota: 4% (73,116 lb)
Option D. Recreational quota: 95% (76,106 fish) of the coastwide total harvest quota; Commercial quota: 5% (91,394 lb)
Fishing & Boating ServicesSport Fisheries Advisory Commission – October 13, 2020
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COBIA Issue 2 Commercial Trigger (Housekeeping):
Option A is status quo which does not work with new, increased quota
Option B provides new way to calculate trigger in order to provide at least 30 days notice of closure
COBIA Issue 3 Commercial de minimis options
De minimis states (including Maryland) harvest on a de minimis set aside. The amount set aside is not accessible to non de minimis statesThere is no consequence for exceeding set aside
Range of options – 3% or 4% of quota or 3,000 or 5,000 lbs if those are less.
Fishing & Boating ServicesSport Fisheries Advisory Commission – October 13, 2020
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COBIA Issue 4 Recreational de minimis options
De minimis state can match nearest or neighboring non de minimis neighbor or choose 1 fish per vessel per day with no seasonal restriction.
Recreational de minimis options raise size limit for single fish from:29 inches FL (status quo) to31 inches FL33 inches FL
Virginia - Even with quota increases from new stock assessment, Virginia has exceeded it’s soft cap and is evaluating reductions for 2021. Will manifest in shorter season or lower bag.Impacts us if we continue to match Virginia’s regs.Otherwise - we can go to 1 fish / vessel / day with no season.
Fishing & Boating ServicesSport Fisheries Advisory Commission – October 13, 2020
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• Required actions are outlined in the current plan. Maryland is scoping these regulations now so that we can have them in place by spring. The Board will discuss how states proceed to implementation
• 50 fish per person possession limit for recreational anglers
• Provisions to use spot as live bait on for hire trips
• For commercial fisheries, a 1% reduction is required. We are scoping an array of season options that will result in a 1 - 5% reduction.
South Atlantic Board - Tues 10/20 @ 1:15
SPOT - Updated traffic light approach (TLA) will trigger action for 2021
Fishing & Boating ServicesSport Fisheries Advisory Commission – October 13, 2020
Striped BassCircle Hook Update - Statewide RequirementStriped Bass Amendment 71. fishery goals and objectives; 2. stock rebuilding/timeframe; 3. management triggers; 4. biological reference points; 5. regional management (recreational measures, coastal and producer
areas, regional reference points); 6. recreational discard mortality;7. conservation equivalency; 8. recreational accountability; and 9. coastal commercial quota allocation.
9/25/2020
Photo by Herb Floyd
Fishing & Boating ServicesSport Fisheries Advisory Commission – October 13, 2020
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3 Joint Council/Commission Actions Moving Forward
1. Bluefish Allocation and Rebuilding Amendment2. Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass
Commercial/Recreational Allocation Amendment3. Recreational Reform Initiative
9/25/2020
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council&
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
Invasive Catfish Management Strategy
Sustainable Fisheries Goal Implementation Team
Invasive Catfish Work Group
October 13, 2020
What is the Sustainable Fisheries Goal Implementation Team?
What does the Sustainable Fisheries Goal Implementation Team do?
▶Blue Crab ▶Forage
▶Oyster Restoration ▶Fish Habitat
Invasive Catfish Background
• Bay wide concerns in 2012
• Potential to impact fishery management
• Agreement to slow spread and reduce ecological impacts
• High precipitation and low salinity event 2018-2019 prompted renewed focus
• Effort to broaden stakeholder inclusion Spring 2020 led to management strategy
Invasive Catfish Workshop
Management Approach #1Improve public awareness through outreach and marketing campaigns
Objectives:
• Improve public understanding of ecological impacts
• Increase market demand
• Increase participation in the recreational fishery
Strategies:
• Social media (Facebook, Twitter)
• Outreach events (festivals, fishing tournaments, conferences, expos)
• Guide services
• Brand development
Management Approach #2Remove processing barriers
Objectives:
• Explore potential to relax inspection requirements for wild-caught, domestic catfishes
Strategies:
• Continued communication with appropriate state and federal officials
• Economic impact analysis of inspection requirements on the fishery
Management Approach #3Conduct and synthesize scientific research
Objectives:
• Synthesize knowledge of ecological impacts and evaluate options to quantify those impacts
Strategies:
• Identify/compile data sources and evaluate alternative survey methods
• Develop indicator scorecards to track status and invasion risk of tributaries
• Use ecosystem models to assess ecological impacts
• Model/assess economic benefits of fisheries to inform optimal allocations
Management Approach #4Tributary-specific management
Objectives:
• Develop management plans that consider each tributary (population) individually
Strategies:
• Use ecosystem models to develop management objectives• Examine economic/ecological trade-offs
of removal
• Develop preliminary population models using available data to estimate removal targets
• Conduct angler surveys to understand catfishing interests in each tributary
Questions?
Credit: Ian Vorst, VA Sea Grant
Invasive Catfish Workgroup
