GARFO Status Report for MAFMC

National Marine Fisheries Service
Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office
Sustainable Fisheries Division
www.greateratlantic.fisheries.noaa.gov

Status Report of
Greater Atlantic Region
Actions
Prepared for the February 9-11, 2016
Meeting of the
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council

February 9, 2016

Status Report of Greater Atlantic Region Regulatory Actions

Table of Contents
NEW ENGLAND COUNCIL ACTIONS ............................................................... 2
SMALL-MESH MULTISPECIES............................................................................................................. 2
GROUNDFISH...................................................................................................................................... 2
SCALLOPS .......................................................................................................................................... 2
MONKFISH ......................................................................................................................................... 2
HERRING ............................................................................................................................................ 2
SKATE ................................................................................................................................................ 2
ATLANTIC DEEP-SEA RED CRAB ....................................................................................................... 2

MID-ATLANTIC COUNCIL ACTIONS............................................................... 2
SUMMER FLOUNDER, SCUP, AND BLACK SEA BASS ........................................................................... 2
ATLANTIC BLUEFISH.......................................................................................................................... 2
SPINY DOGFISH .................................................................................................................................. 3
ATLANTIC MACKEREL, SQUID, AND BUTTERFISH .............................................................................. 3
TILEFISH ............................................................................................................................................ 3
SURFCLAM AND OCEAN QUAHOG ...................................................................................................... 4

OTHER ACTIONS ................................................................................................... 4
LOBSTER ............................................................................................................................................ 4
JONAH CRAB ...................................................................................................................................... 4
BLUELINE TILEFISH ........................................................................................................................... 4
PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT ........................................................................................................... 4

PROTECTED RESOURCES ACTIONS ............................................................... 5
RESEARCH DOCUMENT APPLICATIONS UNDER REVIEW .................................................................... 5
RESEARCH DOCUMENT APPLICATION REVIEW COMPLETED .............................................................. 6

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Status Report of Greater Atlantic Region Regulatory Actions

New England Council Actions
Small-Mesh Multispecies
None at the time

Groundfish
None at this time

Scallops
None at this time

Monkfish
None at this time

Herring
None at this time

Skate
None at this time

Atlantic Deep-Sea Red Crab
None at this time

Mid-Atlantic Council Actions
Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass
None at this time

Atlantic Bluefish
None at this time

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Status Report of Greater Atlantic Region Regulatory Actions

Spiny Dogfish
None at this time

Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish
2016-2018 Specifications and Management Measures for the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and
Butterfish Fisheries
NMFS published a proposed rule in the Federal Register on January 22, 2016, (81 FR 3768)
proposing 2016-2018 specifications for the Atlantic mackerel, squid, and butterfish fisheries. The
comment period closes February 22, 2016. This action proposes catch levels and associated
management measures for the 2016-2018 fishing years for species managed under the Atlantic
Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP).
The proposed action would:
 Lower the Atlantic mackerel quota by 56 percent to 9,177 mt for the next three years;
 Lower the cap on river herring and shad catch in the mackerel fishery from 89 mt to 82 mt
for the next three years;
 Increase the trigger for when 3-inch mesh is required for longfin squid and butterfish
moratorium permit holders from 2,500 lb to 5,000 lb of butterfish per trip;
 Clarify that 5-inch (square or diamond) or greater mesh (or net) strengtheners may be used
outside the 3-inch mesh to avoid breaking nets during large hauls; and
 Suspend indefinitely the pre-trip notification system requirement for longfin squid and
butterfish moratorium permit holders.

For additional information, please contact Carly Bari at (978) 281-9224 or email at
[email protected]

Tilefish
Tilefish IFQ Cost Recovery
As in previous years, tilefish cost recovery bills for the 2015 calendar year will be issued in
March. A preliminary review of recoverable costs indicates that 2015 recoverable costs were
approximately $21,000. This is higher than for 2014 ($14,662), but matches the average of the
prior 5 years (2010-2014). We will again release the annual IFQ cost recovery report, which will
provide more details about the recoverable costs and the value of the fishery when the tilefish cost
recovery bills are issued. The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires all Limited Access Privilege
Programs, such as the Tilefish IFQ Program, to undergo a periodic review every 5 years. The
work to complete this review and generate a report will result in additional staff time for both the
Regional Office and the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, which will be recoverable. Because
this is the first such 5-year review conducted in this region, we do not have a good estimate of how
much additional staff time this review will require. As a result, next year’s bills will likely be
higher. We will try to provide the Council and tilefish IFQ shareholders an estimate of total
recoverable costs when they become available. For additional information, please contact Douglas
Potts at (978) 281-9341 or e-mail at [email protected].

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Status Report of Greater Atlantic Region Regulatory Actions

Surfclam and Ocean Quahog
Surfclam/Ocean Quahog Cost Recovery Amendment (Amendment 17)
The Council approved the Cost Recovery Amendment at the February 2015 meeting. This action
proposes to implement a cost recovery program for the individual transferable quota (ITQ) fishery,
revise the process for incorporating new biological reference points into the FMP, and remove the
optimum yield range from the FMP. A Notice of Availability and Proposed Rule for this

action to solicit public comment on approval of the amendment and our proposed
implementing measures will be published soon. For additional information, please contact
Doug Potts at 978-281-9341 or email at [email protected].

Other Actions
Lobster
None at this time

Jonah Crab
None at this time

Blueline Tilefish
None at this time

Paperwork Reduction Act
NMFS published a notice in the Federal Register on October 19, 2015 (80 FR 63201), requesting
comments on a renewal for collection of information requirements under the Paperwork Reduction
Act. This collection of information included the rules for the issuance and use of a vessel
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system, a Vessel Monitoring System (VMS), Vessel Trip
Report (VTR) and Clam Log forms to obtain fishery-dependent data to monitor, evaluate, and
enforce fishery regulations. NMFS is seeking comments on whether the collection is necessary, if
NMFS’s estimate of costs and burden is accurate, and ways to reduce these costs and improve data
collection. The comment period for the information collection ended on December 18, 2015, but
NMFS will accept comments until February 9, 2016.
Direct all written comments to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental Paperwork Clearance Officer,
Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 14th and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC
20230 (or via email at [email protected]).
Requests for additional information or copies of the information collection instrument and
instructions please contact James St. Cyr, at (978) 281–9369 or email at [email protected].

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Status Report of Greater Atlantic Region Regulatory Actions

Protected Resources Actions
Thorny Skates
NMFS received a petition from the Animal Welfare Institute and Defenders of Wildlife on May
28, 2015, to list the "Northwest Atlantic" or "United States" population of thorny skate as
threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). On October 26, 2015, we
published a "positive" 90 day finding in the Federal Register (80 FR 65175) noting our
determination that the petition presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating
that the petitioned action may be warranted and that we are initiating a status review. 90 day
findings are only a preliminary step in the listing process and afford thorny skate no additional
protections under the ESA. The FR notice requested scientific and commercial information
pertaining to this species to be submitted to us by December 28, 2015. We received information
from NEFMC, Maine DMR, Fisheries Survival Fund, Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association,
Sustainable Fisheries Association, and the Associated Fisheries of Maine. GARFO is working
closely with the NEFMC to complete a status review report, which will undergo external peer
review. We anticipate convening an expert panel for an extinction risk workshop (to be held in
Spring 2016). This workshop will be open to the public. For additional information, please
contact Julie Crocker at (978) 281-9328 or email at [email protected].
North Atlantic Right Whale Critical Habitat
On January 27, 2016, NMFS published a final rule (81 FR 4838) to replace the critical habitat for
right whales in the North Atlantic with two new areas. The areas being designated as critical
habitat contain approximately 29,763 nm2 of marine habitat in the Gulf of Maine and Georges
Bank region (Unit 1) and off the Southeast U.S. coast (Unit 2). In 1994, NOAA Fisheries
designated critical habitat for the northern right whale in the North Atlantic Ocean. This
designation included portions of Cape Cod Bay and Stellwagen Bank, the Great South Channel,
and waters adjacent to the coasts of Georgia and Florida. NOAA Fisheries received a petition
from the Center for Biological Diversity and several other NGOs to revise and expand the
designated critical habitat of the North Atlantic right whale in feeding and calving areas and along
a migratory corridor. The final rule expands feeding and calving areas but does not designate a
migratory corridor. For additional information, please contact Mark Minton at (978) 282-8484 or
e-mail at [email protected].

Research Document Applications Under Review
On December 15, 2015, Coonamessett Farm Foundation (CFF) submitted an application for an
experimental fishing permit (EFP) to test an experimental Turtle Excluder Device (TED) in the
summer flounder otter trawl fishery. This EFP would allow two commercial fishing vessels to
trawl for summer flounder using an experimental TED in order to test target catch retention, and
would exempt the vessels from minimum size requirements and possession limits found at 50 CFR
648 in order to sample restricted catch for scientific purposes only. Summer flounder would be
kept and sold as allowed by the vessels’ quotas. For additional information, please contact Liz
Scheimer at (978) 281-9236 or email at [email protected].

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Status Report of Greater Atlantic Region Regulatory Actions
On November 12, 2015, CFF submitted an application for an EFP for two projects studying the
feasibility of a reseeding program to enhance and stabilize scallop recruitment on Georges Bank in
the Atlantic sea scallop fishery. One project has already received funding under the 2015 Atlantic
Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program, and the other project has been proposed for
funding under the 2016 RSA program. For additional information, please contact Shannah
Jaburek at (978) 282-8456 or email at [email protected].

Research Document Application Review Completed
On January 5, 2016, NMFS issued a Letter of Acknowledgement (LOA) to the University of
Massachusetts, Dartmouth, School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) to continue a
study that investigates the application of video technology in a survey trawl to help improve
estimates of the abundance, spatial distribution, size structure, and length-weight relationship of
Gulf of Maine cod. For additional information, please contact Liz Sullivan at (978) 282-8493 or
email at [email protected].
On January 6, 2016, NMFS issued a Letter of Acknowledgment (LOA) to the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service to tag striped bass in effort to assess their annual mortality from fishing and to
collect information on their movement, age and growth, and habitat use. For additional
information, please contact Daniel Luers at (978) 282-9457 or email at [email protected].
On January 26, 2016, NMFS issued a Letter of Acknowledgement (LOA) to Fisheries and Oceans
Canada (DFO) for the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Teleost to conduct a bottom trawl survey of
Georges Bank. For additional information, please contact Liz Sullivan at (978) 282-8493 or email
at [email protected].

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