Possum

WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS

National - Wanted: Information on Illegal, Unregulated or Unreported Fishing

NOAA Fisheries is seeking information regarding nations whose vessels are engaged in illegal, unregulated, or unreported (IUU) fishing or engaged in bycatch of protected living marine resources (PLMRs). Such information will be reviewed for the purposes of the identification of nations pursuant to the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act. This act requires the U.S. to strengthen international fishery management organizations, address IUU fishing and bycatch of protected species and report those nations whose fishing vessels are engaged, or have been engaged at any point during the preceding two years, in IUU fishing to Congress. At this time, NOAA Fisheries is gathering information to identify nations whose fishing vessels are engaged in IUU fishing or fishing practices that result in bycatch of PLMRs. Information must be received by April 21, 2008 and can be submitted by mail to the NOAA Fisheries Service Office of International Affairs, Attn.: Laura Cimo, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910; by E-mail to: laura.cimo@noaa.gov; or by fax to (301) 713-9106.

For additional information, please contact Laura Cimo, NOAA Fisheries Service Office of International Affairs, (301) 713-9090 ext. 132.

National - Nominations Sought for U.S. Delegation to International Whaling Commission

NOAA Fisheries is calling for nominees for the U.S. Delegation to the June 2008 International Whaling Commission (IWC) annual meeting. The non-federal representative(s) selected as a result of this nomination process is(are) responsible for providing input and recommendations to the U.S. IWC Commissioner representing the positions of non-governmental organizations. Generally, only one non-governmental position is selected for the U.S. Delegation. The IWC is holding its 60th annual meeting from June 23-27, 2008, in Santiago, Chile. All written nominations for the U.S. Delegation to the IWC annual meeting must be received by April 18, 2008 and should be addressed to Bill Hogarth, U.S. Commissioner to the IWC, and sent via post to: Cheri McCarty, NOAA Fisheries Service, Office of International Affairs, 1315 East-West Highway, SSMC3 Room 12603, Silver Spring, MD 20910.

For additional information, please contact Cheri McCarty, 301-713-9090, ext. 183.

National - NOAA Announces Environmental Education Funding Availability

NOAA Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) is an environmental education program that promotes locally relevant, experiential learning in the K-12 environment. B-WET is currently seeking proposals for new projects to support regional education and environmental priorities in the Pacific Northwest, the northern Gulf of Mexico and New England. Funded projects provide meaningful watershed educational experiences for students and related professional development for teachers. Proposals must be received by 5 p.m. on April 16, 2008.

For additional information, please visit the grants management website at Grants.gov.

East Coast - Recreational Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Conservation Measures Proposed

NOAA Fisheries has proposed new conservation measures for the 2008 summer flounder, Web Hosting, VPS and Dedicated Servers by eBoundHost, and black sea bass recreational fisheries to prevent overfishing and rebuild these vital fisheries. Recreational landings for 2007 Summer Flounder are estimated to have been 9.30 million lb, exceeding the 2007 limit by approximately 38 percent. Summer Flounder recreational overfishing is thought to have occurred in almost every coastal state. The 2008 coastwide harvest limit is 6,215,800 lb, a 9.2-percent decrease from the 2007 limit. Given the 2007 overages and reduction in available harvest for 2008, landings must be reduced by 33.2-percent coastwide from the 2007 levels to ensure that the 2008 harvest limit is not exceeded. The 2008 scup recreational harvest limit is set at 1,830,920 lb, roughly a 33-percent decrease from the 2007 recreational limit. This reduction is due to the requirements of the scup rebuilding plan, and to improve the overall condition of the fishery that is currently overfished. Based on 2007 landings of Black Sea Bass, no reduction in landings is necessary to achieve the 2008 target of 2.11 million lb.

NOAA Fisheries is seeking comments on these proposals. Please send comments, identified by RIN 0648-AV41, via the Federal eRulemaking Portal redirect, by mail or hand delivery to Patricia A. Kurkul, Regional Administrator, NOAA Fisheries Service, Northeast Regional Office, One Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside of the envelope:

"Comments on 2008 Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Recreational Measures." Comments can also be sent by fax to (978) 281-9135.

For additional information, please contact Michael Ruccio, Fishery Policy Analyst; telephone (978) 281-9104.

Alaska - Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Crab Rationalization Plan Comments Sought

The revised Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act requires NOAA Fisheriesto develop a crab rationalization plan for Bering Sea and Aleutian Island fisheries thatallocates crab resources among harvesters, processors, and coastal communities. The Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for these fisheries requires amendments that would exempt quota share issued to crew members from requirements that would restrict delivery to specific processors and would allow crew to participate in arbitration to resolve price disputes. Comments on plan amendments, identified by 0648-AW45, must be received by May 20, 2008 via the Federal eRulemaking Portal website at redirect, mailed to Sue Salveson, Assistant Regional Administrator, Sustainable Fisheries Division, Alaska Region, NOAA Fisheries Service, Attn: Ellen Sebastian; P. O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802. Comments may also be faxed to (907) 586-7557or hand-delivered to the Federal Building: 709 West 9th Street, Room 420A, Juneau, AK.

For additional information, please contact Glenn Merrill, telephone (907) 586-7228.

EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

North Pacific Fisheries Management Council Meeting April 1-7, 2008

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) and its advisory committees will hold public meetings, April 1-7, 2008, in Anchorage, AK at the Hilton Hotel, 500 W 3rd Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99501 .The Council will begin its plenary session at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, April 1 continuing through Tuesday April 7, 2008. The Council's Advisory Panel (AP) will begin at 8 a.m., Monday, March 31 and continue through Friday April 4. The Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will begin at 8 a.m. on Monday, March 31 and continue through Wednesday, March 2, 2008. The Enforcement Committee will meet Tuesday, April 2, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Iliamna Room. The Ecosystem Committee will meet Wednesday, April 2, from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Dillingham/Katmai Room. The Council will meet Tuesday, April 8, with Alaska Board of Fisheries, and may discuss any of the items listed in this notice, or other issues involving state/federal authorities for parallel fisheries or Board proposals with federal waters relevance. All meetings are open to the public, except executive sessions. David Witherell, Council staff; telephone: (907) 271-2809.

Pacific Fishery Management Council Meeting April 6-12, 2008

The Pacific Fishery Management Council and its advisory entities will hold public meetings April 6-12, 2008. The Council meeting will begin on Monday, April 7, at 12:30 p.m., reconvening each day through Saturday. All meetings are open to the public, except a closed session will be held from 12:30 p.m. until 1:30 p.m. on Monday, April 7 to address litigation and personnel matters. The Council will meet as late as necessary each day to complete its scheduled business. The meetings will be held at the Seattle Marriott Hotel, 3201 South 176th Street, Seattle, WA 98188. An agenda for the meetings is available online .

For additional information, please contact Dr. Donald O. McIsaac, Executive Director, Pacific Fishery Management Council; telephone: (503) 820-2280.

Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council Meeting April 7-11, 2008

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will convene public meetings held April 7, 2008 through April 11, 2008 at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 4914 Constitution Ave., Baton Rouge, LA 70808 . An agenda for the meeting is available online.

For additional information, please contact Wayne E. Swingle, Executive Director, Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; telephone: (813) 348-1630.

Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council Meeting April 7-10, 2008

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, its Science and Statistical Committee, its Ad Hoc Excessive Shares Committee, the Mid-Atlantic section of the Joint Monkfish Committee, its Protected Resources Committee, its Research Set-Aside Committee, its Executive Committee, its Surfclam/Ocean Quahog Committee, its Bycatch Committee, and its Demersal Committee, will hold public meetings on Monday, April 7, 2008 through Thursday, April 10, 2008 at the Sheraton Annapolis Hotel, 173 Jennifer Road, Annapolis, MD 21401 . An agenda for the meeting is available online.

For additional information, please contact Daniel T. Furlong, Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council; telephone: (302) 674-2331 ext. 19.

South Atlantic Fishery Management Council Meeting April 8-9, 2008

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold a meeting of its Allocation Committee on April 8-9, 2008 at Southern Wesleyan University, Classroom 6, 4055 Faber Place Drive, Suite 301, North Charleston, SC 29405 . The Committee will continue to work on alternatives for consideration in the Council's draft Comprehensive Allocation Amendment. The amendment addresses allocations between recreational and commercial fishing sectors. The amendment currently includes alternatives to determine allocations based on Landings data from the NOAA Fisheries Service or Atlantic Coast Cooperative Statistics Program, catch data from stock assessments (including discard mortality), the Council's judgment on Fairness and Equity, and detailed economic and social analysis. The Committee will receive a report on social projects/data collection completed or planned for the South Atlantic region, an overview of previous management actions and how reductions in harvest were applied to each sector, and a presentation on the applicability of certain economic models that may prove useful for helping to determine allocations for species managed by the Council.

For additional information, please contact Kim Iverson, Public Information Officer, South Atlantic Fishery Management Council; telephone (843) 571-4366 or toll free (866) SAFMC-10.

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old mud

TNX !!

Don

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"I was so poor growing up that if I wasn't a BOY I'd have had nothing to play with"
Piker Ancient Mariner

Scup

I wish they would up the size limit for Black Sea Bass. Each season I catch hundreds of these fish and typically come home on any given day with only three or four fish. The problem is, our area is loaded with them but they are all too small. A 12 inch fish (not to mention the 11 inch commercial reg) is not even a pound. This is really one great fish that should be given the chance to grow up. There is always a lot of bitching going around when the regs promote an increase in a species size limit, but usually what happens after an increase is one will still come home with about the same number of fish. The difference being the three or four fish I can then keep will be much larger. I cannot think of a location in Southeastern CT that I fish where I do not catch Black Sea Bass; these young small fish are everywhere when summer rolls around. Catching them in the three pound variety does not happen, in close, too often however. It does bother me when I see a tote full of 11 inch Black Sea Bass at the wholesalers. Somehow, I feel that this is one species that just wants to bust out, if only we give them a chance to mature.

ChuckA

Scup , I have to agree 100% with you there .Black sea bass are very good eatting but at 12 inches you get a window pane filet. I think they should make it 16 or 18 inch limit.

Scup

For me, the Black Sea Bass is the most handsome fish in the Northeast. When they mature into a decent size, should one look closely at them, they host an unbelievable array of beautiful colors. With the exception of winter flounder, they are the finest tasting fish we have as well. I know of no method of fish preparation that this species does not lend itself to. It is great in very simple dishes like chowders as well as the most sophisticated dishes one can think of. I just do not understand why the regs seem to fall far short in protecting them to the degree they deserve. Small size limits, large creel limits, and no closed season cannot be good for them. Once again, it appears to me that our regulators are somewhat out of touch with reality. Why wait until a species gets into big trouble before acting? Commercial fishermen are not bringing in large catches because of the large numbers of shorts. Hence, the allowable quota is not being readily obtained. Just a few years ago, they would close down the Black Sea Bass fishery when the commercial quota was reached, however, I do not recall getting a DEP letter last year that the commercial quota had been reached. It should ring a bell in our regulator's minds that if a quota is not being reached, something is wrong. Instead, because of the large number small fish that are around, and because the landings fall short of the allowable quota, they believe everything is fine so no adjustments are necessary. While I am not sure of what the our fish regulatory boards underlining problems are, it appears that they are not going to take any action. I do not believe for one minute that it is due to them not understanding the potential problem. My guess would be that they have become complacent in their duties and will only react to a major problem, and never act to forestall an impending one. Too bad their salaries are not geared to how well they protect our ground fisheries: fish stocks diminish, their salaries diminish, fish stocks improve, their salaries improve.

Possum

The Black Sea Bass also has an interesting gender characteristic. They are all born females, and stay that way unless they grow to 12" or larger, at which point their gender changes. Any Black Sea Bass you catch that is over 12" is now a male.

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ChuckA

Now that should happen with humans also .Then we could all get along . Well not all of us .

Scup

I did not know that anything over 12 inches would end up being a male. Now it just might make some sense as to why they placed the size limit at 12 inches. They are trying to protect the females! Still, it would be nice if we allowed the males to grow up into a decent sized fish.