The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) met last week in Philadelphia with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup, Black Sea Bass and Bluefish Boards (Board) to adopt 2003 fishery management measures. The Council and Board recommended a decrease in the total allowable landings (TAL) for summer flounder of 4 percent relative to the 2002 TAL. The Council and Board also recommended a 53 percent increase in the scup TAL for 2003, a 39 percent increase in the bluefish TAL, and status quo TAL for black sea bass.
The information below summaries the recommended fishery management measures for 2003 (in millions of pounds):
Summer Flounder
TAL: 23.3
Commercial Quota: 13.98
Recreational Harvest Limit: 9.32
Minimum Fish Size: 14"
Mesh Size: 5.5"
Quota Research Set-Aside: 91,163 (in pounds)
Scup
TAL: 16.5
Commercial Quota: 12.47
Recreational Harvest Limit: 4.03
Minimum Fish Size: 9"
Mesh Size: 4.5/5.0"
Quota Research Set-Aside: 66,650 (in pounds)
Black Sea Bass
TAL: 6.8
Commercial Quota: 3.33
Recreational Harvest Limit: 3.47
Minimum Fish Size: 11"
Mesh Size: 4.5"
Quota Research Set-Aside: 67,676 (in pounds)
Bluefish
TAL: 37.3
Commercial Quota: 10.5
Recreational Harvest Limit: 26.8
Minimum Fish Size: ---
Mesh Size: ---
Quota Research Set-Aside: 141,900 (in pounds)
The Council and Board adopted a summer flounder TAL of 23.3 million pounds, a slight reduction from the 2002 TAL. Although the stock itself has continued to improve, its growth has been slowed by excessive landings, primarily in the recreational fishery. As a consequence, biomass estimates for 2002 are lower than previously projected. Since the 2003 biomass projections are based on 2002 population sizes, the 2003 TAL has to be set lower than the 2002 TAL to achieve the target F of 0.26 mandated by the Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The 23.3 million pound TAL recommendation for 2003 meets the required 50 percent probability of achieving an F of 0.26 if the 2002 TAL and discards are not exceeded. The commercial fishery minimum fish size (i.e., 14") and commercial fishery trawl mesh size (i.e., 5.5") remain unchanged in 2003. In addition, there will be no change in the small mesh exemption programs for 2003.
In the scup fishery, the recommended total allowable catch (TAC) for 2003 is 18.65 million pounds with a TAL of 16.5 million pounds, reflecting an increase of 5.73 million pounds over the 2002 TAL level. The Council set the possession limit for 2003 as follows: Winter I - 15,000 pounds per week (Sunday through Saturday); and, Winter II - 1,500 pounds per trip. In 2003, the current gear restricted area (GRAs) will continue. The Council adopted net modifications to allow vessels fishing with small mesh and having an escapement extension of 45 meshes of 5.5" square mesh behind the body of the net and ahead of the codend to fish in the GRAs provided vessels have an observer onboard consistent with ACCSP standards. Regulations for the directed scup fishery related to mesh size will remain status quo for 2003.
In the black sea bass fishery, the Council and Board adopted a TAL of 6.8 million pounds, the same TAL implemented in 2002. This TAL was adopted even though the target exploitation rate dropped 32 percent from 37 percent in 2002 to 25 percent in 2003. State-by-state quotas will be implemented if Amendment 13 to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass is approved by January 1, 2003. If not, the current quarterly system will remain in effect for 2003. Because state-by-state measures were approved by the Board, and there is the possibility that federal implementation will not occur by January 1, 2003, the Council adopted very liberal possession limits so as not to constrain federal permit holders from landing in states with different landings limits. The Council approved possession limits as follows: 1st quarter - 7,000 pounds; and 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quarters - 5,000 pounds per trip. The minimum vent size in pots and traps will remain status quo as follows: circular vents - 2-3/8"; square vents - 2"; and rectangular vents - 1-3/8" x 5-3/4". The minimum fish size (i.e., 11") and the minimum mesh size (i.e., 4.5" throughout the net or a minimum of 75 meshes of 4.5" in the codend) will also remain unchanged.
In the bluefish fishery, the recommended TAL is set at 37.3 million pounds, representing a 39 percent increase from the 2002 TAL level of 26.9 million pounds. The commercial quota is set at the ceiling authorized in the FMP, i.e., 10.5 million pounds. The remaining TAL of 26.8 million pounds will be allocated to the recreational fishery as a harvest limit.
The Council and Board also adopted measures to set aside a portion of each species’ quota for research purposes. Under the research set-aside program, the Council, in consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service Northeast Regional Administrator and the Commission have recommended specific research proposals for 2003 to utilize the research set-asides.
In other action, the Council expressed concern regarding an Endangered Species Act listing for white marlin. The Council believes that stringent domestic regulations are already in place and an ESA listing would have little or no effect on the species inasmuch as 95 percent of white marlin fishing mortalities occur beyond U.S. jurisdiction. The Council will also send a letter to the USFDA and EPA requesting documentation to support their actions related to the consumer advisory announcing that tilefish contained high levels of methyl mercury. The Council will also notify U.S. Department of State that it does not support a new GIFA with the European Union.
The NMFS Northeast Regional Administrator announced the reappointment of Edward J. Mesunas to the obligatory seat for the state of Pennsylvania. A representative on the Council since 1999, Mesunas has served on various Council committees and is currently Chair of the Law Enforcement Committee.
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