Category: Fish

ASMFC alerts lobstermen to CA II agreement, future area changes

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Concerned that lobstermen might be caught off guard by recent developments at the federal level, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) American Lobster Management Board has initiated a new addendum to the interstate lobster plan to raise awareness that groundfish fishermen soon may be able to fish in previously closed areas …

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Bluefin: Assessment bodes well for recovery

GLOUCESTER, MA — Armed with reliable catch data and an enhanced understanding of bluefin biology, scientists conducted a new Atlantic bluefin tuna stock assessment this fall.  And they concluded there’s a good chance stock-rebuilding targets for both sides of the Atlantic will be achieved by 2022 under current — or even slightly higher — harvest …

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Dam removals aid groundfish rebuilding

GLOUCESTER, MA – In recent years there’s been little news to cheer fishermen in the Gulf of Maine, but they have reason to be encouraged by the 40 to 50 dam removal and fish passage improvement projects that are in various stages of planning and implementation over the next few years. As these project are …

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Georges Bank yellowtail quota fears

PLYMOUTH, MA – If nothing significant changes in the next few months, the 2013 quota for Georges Bank yellowtail flounder is likely to be a chokehold on both the Atlantic sea scallop and groundfish fisheries next year. Georges Bank is home to New England’s most abundant resource – haddock – and serves as a vital …

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Dogfish: Fishermen still struggle, despite quota hike, MSC label

BATH, ME – The spiny dogfish quota for the 2012-2013 fishing season is 35.6 million pounds, up from a 6-millionpound quota only six years ago. The increase is welcome news to fishermen facing what they perceive to be a fartoo- abundant resource, but has yet to translate into better pay for fishermen. Restrictions on the …

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Groundfish: Foreboding cuts on 2013 horizon

PORTSMOUTH, NH – The region’s battered groundfish industry, still struggling to cope with this year’s sharp reductions in Gulf of Maine cod and Georges Bank yellowtail flounder allocations, recently learned that annual catch limits (ACLs) for six key groundfish stocks could be reduced by as much as 73% for the 2013 fishing year. This jarring …

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Herring spawning issues continue to command industry attention

ALEXANDRIA, VA – Fishermen will receive plenty of advance notice if the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) ever decides to modify spawning area boundary lines in the Gulf of Maine for Atlantic herring. The commission’s Atlantic Herring Section had considered giving itself the ability to make fairly quick changes to existing boundary lines as …

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Cornell Cooperative Extension launches monkfish RSA study

RIVERHEAD, NY – Cornell University Cooperative Extension (CCE) researchers are looking for a few good monkfish samples – up to 1,200 fin clips, to be precise. In June, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) formally awarded 371 monkfish days-at-sea to CCE under the Research Set Aside (RSA) Program. The money generated by sales of the …

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ASMFC keeps dogfish quota rollover at 5% max

ALEXANDRIA, VA – An attempt to increase the 5% cap on the amount of unused dogfish quota that can be “rolled over” into the next fishing year failed in the face of strong opposition from scientists and the federal government. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Spiny Dogfish and Coastal Sharks Management Board had …

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NMFS shifts yellowtail quota from scallopers to groundfish fleet

GLOUCESTER, MA – Just three short weeks after receiving an official request from the New England Fishery Management Council to transfer a sizable portion of the scallop fishery’s Georges Bank yellowtail flounder allocation to the groundfish fleet, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announced on July 13 that it had the taken the necessary steps …

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