InTheBite

The National Marine Fisheries Service Closes the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Angling

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The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) closes the Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) Angling category fishery for large medium and giant “trophy” BFT (measuring 73″ or greater) in the southern area effective 11:30 p.m. local time, March 17, 2018, through December 31, 2018. The southern area is the area south of 39°18’N (off Great Egg Inlet, NJ), outside the Gulf of Mexico. The intent of this closure is to prevent further over-harvest of the Angling category southern area trophy BFT subquota. Fishermen may catch and release or tag and release BFT of all sizes, subject to the requirements of HMS catch-and-release and tag-and-release programs.

NOAA Fisheries

Longline Boats Allowed To Fish Florida’s East Coast

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After the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announced today its approval of the Exempted Fishing Permit that allows longline boats to fish in Florida’s east coast closed zone, Ellen Peel, President of The Billfish Foundation (TBF) said, “Florida anglers, all anglers who fish off Florida’s east coast and the recreational fishing industry should be irate at the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Office of Highly Migratory Species for not valuing or respecting recreational fishing by their approval of the Exempted Fishing Permit, which allows longline boats to fish inside Florida’s East Coast Closed Zone.

Florida has more anglers than any other state in the nation, 2.4 million, and the related industry generates an economic impact of $7.6 billion dollars (2015/16) and supports 109,300 jobs! This is a slap in the face of all connected to recreational fishing in Florida especially after strong opposition was expressed by the industry and community participants. This decision could have a negative impact on Florida’s wide ranging marine tourism.

Peel added, “she was not surprised, though held out some hope, the NMFS would realize allowing longlines back into Florida’s east coast closed zone to land the conservation benefits accrued over 16 years of closure would be illogical. The NMFS has accommodated the one scientist at NOVA, who filed for the permit, project after project, regardless of prior results or inappropriateness of this project. The hypocrisy of the situation is blatant for the scientist, along with the owner of many of the longline boats that will fish in the zone, were part of a CNN interview in 2012 (see video here), in which they made the argument that longlining was not a clean gear and should be replaced by buoy gear. Now that the scientist and boat owner can sell the conservation benefits their story has changed. The longlines will kill billfish, swordfish, sharks and sea turtles. Be prepared, the NMFS, HMS may issue more restraints on recreational fishing so there will be more fish for the “research longlines” to kill if their illogic continues. Keep in mind that the State of Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission opposed the permit being issued.”

The Billfish Foundation is the world’s leading science-based sportfishing conservation organization that advances research, education and advocacy for responsible management and conservation of billfish (marlin, sailfish, spearfish, swordfish) and other highly migratory fish, including tunas.  

Keep An Eye Out For Manatees

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manateWith winter’s chill approaching, Florida manatees are on the move. Manatees cannot tolerate cold water and may begin to seek warmer water when temperatures start to drop below 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Some travel hundreds of miles to reach a warmer destination. Because of the annual migration, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is reminding boat and personal watercraft operators that it is important to slow down to avoid manatees, particularly in shallow areas. Manatees can be difficult to see as they often swim and rest just below the water’s surface. Boaters wearing polarized sunglasses are more likely to spot manatees underwater.

November is Manatee Awareness Month. There is no better time to plan a visit to observe Florida’s beloved manatees. Find these places by going to MyFWC.com/Manatee and clicking the link under the “Where can I See Manatees?” box.

“Watching these large plant-eating mammals swim slowly through Florida waters, often accompanied by their calves, is a special experience for residents and visitors to the state,” said Carol Knox, the FWC’s Imperiled Species Management section leader. “Boaters following posted speed zones for manatees migrating to warmer waters help conserve this iconic Florida species for future generations.”

Boaters should be aware that many seasonal manatee protection zones go into effect on Nov. 15 throughout the state. For information about manatee protection zones by county, including the seasonal changes, go to MyFWC.com/Manatee, and click on “Data and Maps.” At the bottom of that same page, there also is information on FWC Manatee COLD-weather changes to speed zones. FWC law enforcement officers will be on the water enforcing these seasonal rules to protect manatees in busy boating areas.

People can report sightings of injured, sick or dead manatees to the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922, #FWC and *FWC on a cell phone, or with a text to Tip@MyFWC.com. The purchase of a Florida manatee license plate at BuyaPlate.com or a manatee decal from tax collectors’ offices in Florida is another way to help manatees. The license plate and decal support the FWC manatee program, including research, rescue, rehabilitation, conservation, management and education efforts.

Learn more about Florida manatees at MyFWC.com/Manatees. Click on “Manatee Habitat” to discover what plants they eat when inhabiting Florida’s rivers, bays, canals, estuaries and coastal areas. While on that page, click on “Boat, PWC & Paddle-sport Operators.” Also check out “A Boater’s guide to living with Florida Manatees” and “Guidelines for successful manatee watching in Florida.”

Help Keep Nets Out of Mosquito Lagoon

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MosqThis Thursday October 15 the Volusia County Council members will discuss a request from Oak Hill Commercial fisherman to endorse the repeal of the ban on seine nets in Volusia County which includes the entire north end of Mosquito Lagoon. The ban on seine nets in Volusia County has been in place for 45 years and precedes the 1994 constitutional net ban. The individuals of Volusia County saw the destruction of nets long before and took action. Help them in keeping nets out of the Mosquito Lagoon and contact the County Council members and voice your opinion.

The first step the commercial fishermen need to accomplish is to convince the Volusia County Council to ask FWC to remove this rule. The request is strongly supported by district council member Deb Denys. We should stop this before it starts. If you care about the future of recreational fishing in Volusia County make your voice heard. The item is a 9:40 AM time certain matter for the Volusia County Council Meeting on Thursday October 15th.

If you cannot attend the meeting please let the Commissioners know your feelings on this issue! Click here to email the Commissioners and County Manager

Or better yet send an email and attend the meeting. The Commissioners need to understand the value and importance of recreational fishing is not something to be ignored.

When and Where

October 15 Public Comment Period at 8:30 am Council Meeting is 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Frank T. Bruno Jr. County Council Chambers
on the second floor of the
Thomas C. Kelly Administration Center
123 W. Indiana Ave.
DeLand, FL

More information:
http://www.vcservices.vcgov.org/agenda/agendas/20151015/agenda.htm

Proposed Changes to Amberjack

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AmberjackNOAA Fisheries Seeks Comments on Proposed Changes to Greater Amberjack Management Measures
in the Gulf of Mexico

NOAA Fisheries is seeking comments on changes to the greater amberjack allowable harvest measures in the Gulf of Mexico.

Proposed Changes:
(1) Decrease the total annual catch limit from 1,780,000 pounds whole weight to 1,720,000 pounds whole weight.

(2) Set the commercial annual catch limit at 464,400 pounds whole weight and the commercial quota at 394,740 pounds whole weight.

(3) Set the recreational annual catch limit at 1,255,600 pounds whole weight and the recreational quota at 1,092,372 pounds whole weight.

(4) Increase the minimum recreational size limit from 30 inches fork length to 34 inches fork length.

(5) Reduce the commercial trip limit from 2,000 pounds whole weight to 1,500 pounds gutted weight.

Need for Action:
The 2014 population assessment indicates additional management measures are necessary to rebuild the greater amberjack population in the Gulf of Mexico.

How to Submit Comments:
NOAA Fisheries must receive comments on this proposed rulemaking no later than October 19,2015. You may submit comments on the amendment or the proposed rule, identified by “NOAA-NMFS-2015-0094”, by one of the following methods:

Electronic Submission: Go to the federal e-Rulemaking Portal at
http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2015-0094-0001, complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments. NOAA Fisheries will accept anonymous comments.

Mail:
NOAA Fisheries
Southeast Regional Office
Sustainable Fisheries Division
c/o Rich Malinowski
263 13th Avenue South
St. Petersburg, Florida 33701-5505

All comments received are a part of the public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on the regulations.gov website without change. All personal identifying information (e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential business information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily by the sender will be publicly accessible.

About Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is one of eight regional Fishery Management Councils established by the Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976. The Council prepares fishery management plans, which are designed to manage fishery resources within the 200-mile limit of the Gulf of Mexico.

Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council
Charlene Ponce
Public Information Officer
888-833-1844 ext. 229

Dolphin-Wahoo Snapper-Grouper Fishery Amendment Voting

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dolphComment Period Ends November 16, 2015

NOAA Fisheries is seeking public comment on Amendment 7 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the Dolphin Wahoo Fishery of the Atlantic and Amendment 33 to the FMP for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (Dolphin Wahoo Amendment 7 and Snapper-Grouper Amendment 33). The Notice of Availability for public comment on this amendment published in the Federal Register on September 17, 2015 (80 FR 55819). Comments are due by November 16, 2015.

The management measures in Dolphin Wahoo Amendment 7 and Snapper-Grouper Amendment 33 address dolphin, wahoo, and snapper-grouper species lawfully harvested by recreational fishers in The Bahamas and brought to the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Proposed management measures
If approved by NOAA Fisheries, Dolphin Wahoo Amendment 7 and Snapper-Grouper Amendment 33 would:
Allow recreational fishermen to bring fillets of dolphin and wahoo from The Bahamas into the U.S. EEZ and update regulations that currently allow recreational fishermen to bring snapper-grouper fillets from The Bahamas into the U.S. EEZ.
Specify two fillets are equivalent to one fish for dolphin, wahoo, and snapper-grouper species brought into the U.S. EEZ from The Bahamas.
Require fishers to retain skin on the entire fillet of dolphin, wahoo, and snapper-grouper species.
Require fishing gear to be stowed while transiting through the U.S. EEZ from The Bahamas. A vessel carrying fillets of dolphin, wahoo, or snapper-grouper species lawfully harvested in Bahamian waters would not be allowed to stop in the U.S. EEZ during the transit.
Require stamped and dated passports, as well as valid current Bahamian cruising and fishing permits to prove that the recreational fishers were indeed in The Bahamas.
Not allow recreationally caught dolphin, wahoo, or snapper-grouper from The Bahamas to be sold or purchased in the U.S.
Not exempt recreational fishermen from any other Federal fishing regulations such as fishing seasons, recreational bag limits, size limits, and prohibited species.

Request for Comments
Comments on the proposed rule must be received no later than November 16, 2015, to be considered by NOAA Fisheries. See the Addresses section for information on where and how to submit comments.

Addresses
Electronic or hard copies of the proposed rule may be obtained from:

The NOAA Fisheries Web site
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Web site at http://www.safmc.net.

You may submit comments by the following methods:
Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to:
http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2015-0047, click the “Comment Now!” icon, complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments.

Mail:
Nikhil Mehta
NOAA Fisheries
Southeast Regional Office
Sustainable Fisheries Division
263 13th Avenue South
St. Petersburg, Florida 33701

All comments received are a part of the public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying information (e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential business information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily by the sender will be publicly accessible. NOAA Fisheries will accept anonymous comments (enter “N/A” in the required fields if you wish to remain anonymous).

New Florida Barracuda Bag Limits

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Great_barracudaThe Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) at its Sept. 3 meeting in Fort Lauderdale approved new recreational and commercial bag limits for barracuda for waters off south Florida. The changes will apply in state and federal waters off Collier, Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Martin counties only, and will include a: Recreational and commercial daily bag limit of two fish per person and Recreational and commercial daily vessel limit of six fish per vessel.

These new limits will be effective Nov. 1, 2015. Stakeholders in southeast Florida and the Florida Keys have voiced concerns about declining barracuda numbers observed when fishing and diving. FWC staff gathered public input from concerned stakeholders at workshops conducted earlier this year.

The FWC is responding to these concerns by creating bag limits to prevent further declines and conserve barracuda in the region. The original proposal also included barracuda size limits, however the FWC wants to gather more input from stakeholders before creating additional limits. FWC staff will conduct another series of workshops in south Florida to gather more public input before considering any additional management measures.

Everglades National Park Final Plan

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everglades2Alexandria, VA– September 1, 2015 – The National Park Service recently released the final General Management Plan (GMP) for Everglades National Park, which includes several changes that will affect recreational boating and fishing access and habitat conservation in the park. The recreational fishing and boating community expressed its collective appreciation to Everglades National Park officials for meaningfully addressing concerns that were raised during the GMP development process.

“Covering much of the southern tip of mainland Florida and nearly all of Florida Bay, Everglades National Park is home to some of the best recreational fishing opportunities that Florida has to offer,” said Trip Aukeman, director of Advocacy for Coastal Conservation Association Florida. “Given that this GMP will guide management actions for the next 20 to 30 years, it’s critically important that we get it right. Overall, we believe the GMP strikes an appropriate balance of management measures to safeguard resources while allowing for reasonable boating and fishing access.”

Everglades National Park officials have been working on the GMP update for several years. After serious concerns were raised over the draft GMP and the potential for reduced public access to the park’s waters, park officials worked closely with members of the recreational fishing and boating community to identify ways to better facilitate access while minimizing boating impacts to important habitat, namely seagrass. As a result of those discussions, many significant changes were made from the draft GMP to the final GMP.

“The recreational fishing community recognizes pole and troll zones are an important management tool to conserve shallow water habitat, but these zones must be established at a reasonable size and with access corridors to allow anglers to still reach the area,” said Mike Leonard, Ocean Resource Policy director for the American Sportfishing Association. “In working with the recreational fishing community, Everglades National Park officials modified tens of thousands of acres of the park’s waters to better facilitate boating access, and included 29 new access corridors in the final GMP compared to the draft GMP. The level of responsiveness of Everglades National Park officials to our community’s input is reflective of how good public policy should be developed.”

One significant change that boaters in Everglades National Park will experience in the future is a mandatory boater education and boating permit system. Operators of motorboats and non-motorized boats, including paddled craft, would complete a mandatory education program to obtain a permit to operate vessels in the park.

“We are pleased to see a cooperatively developed plan that protects our natural resources as well boater access in a balanced manner,” said Nicole Vasilaros, vice president of Federal and Legal Affairs for the National Marine Manufacturers Association. “While we believe that boater education is best administered on the state level, we appreciate the collaborative work the Park has done to include stakeholders in this process and we agree that education is the best way to ensure a safe and fun day on the water. Utilizing state of the art technology, including updated maps and navigational charts, we hope boaters will have an improved experience operating within park waters while ensuring visitors maintain robust access.”

“It’s hard not to recognize the clear contrast between the degree to which stakeholder input was considered for Everglades National Park’s GMP compared to that of Biscayne National Park, where the recreational fishing community was resoundingly ignored,” noted Leonard. “By recognizing that habitat conservation can be achieved while still allowing the public to get out on the water and enjoy our public places, Everglades National Park officials set a positive example that we hope other National Park Service units will follow.”