ASMFC Black Sea Bass Board Establishes State Shares and Specifies Requ

[The dropoff]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, MARCH 25, 2011
PRESS CONTACT, TINA BERGER, 703/842-0740

                Reductions for 2011 Recreational Fisheries

Arlington, VA – The Commission's Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass
Board approved state-by-state shares for the 2011 black sea bass
recreational season in order to mitigate potential disproportionate impacts
to an individual state(s) that coastwide measures may cause.  The 2010
regulations resulted in a preliminary estimated harvest of 2.98 million
pounds, approximately 1.15 million pounds above the 2010 target. Given that
the 2010 regulations were not effective in staying within the target,
coastwide harvest will need to be reduced by 37% to achieve, but not
exceed, the 2011 target of 1.78 million pounds.

Under state-by-state shares the following states will need to reduce
harvest by the identified amount:  Massachusetts (43%), Rhode Island (37%),
Connecticut (37%), New York (39%), New Jersey (40%), and North Carolina
(37%).  Over the next two months, states will need to submit their proposed
recreational measures to meet the required reduction for technical review
and Board approval. The states of Delaware, Maryland, and the Commonwealth
of Virginia, whose combined harvest represent less than three percent of
the coastwide total, are not required to meet any harvest reductions and
have committed to maintaining 2010 measures (25 fish, 12.5 inches TL
minimum fish size, and an open season from May 22 to October 11 and
November 1 to December 31) for the 2011 fishery.

These required reductions apply to state waters for the 2011 fishing season
only. Recreational measures for the 2012 fishing season will be coastwide
unless the Board decides to change that through future management action.

For more information, please contact Toni Kerns, Senior FMP Coordinator, at
tkerns@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

                                    ###
                                                                    PR11-19



*************************
Tina Berger
Public Affairs Specialist
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N
Arlington, VA 22201-2196
(p) 703.842.0740
(f) 703.842.0741
tberger@asmfc.org
www.asmfc.org

ASMFC Vision: Healthy, self-sustaining populations for all Atlantic coast
fish species or successful restoration well in progress by the year 2015.

[IrishAyes]

I am too confused by all this mess. 

They closed the season for sea bass two years ago because of the lack of fish.
Then they said the sea bass was more than 100%
recovered, but still did not re-open the season.

They said that last year Mass or Maine (I forget which one) was wayyyyyyy over the quota.
Now they say that Mass needs to reduce quota by 43%, NJ by 40%, no mention of Maine. If the NE state in question was wayyyyy over their quota, why only just a slight deduction over NJ reduction and no mention of Maine?

BTW, I did attend the meeting they had in Galloway a month or two ago. That got me more confused than what I was before the meeting started.

Do these people actually have a clue???

[Capt. Carl]

Got info that the N.C. Limit is 5 fish at 13 inches.....that's ridiculous if true and we have a similar % in reduction to them...so what's in store for us?...I posted about this back in january that it would be B.O.H.I.C.A(bend over here it comes again)for sea bass regulations, but wasn't thinking anything remotely close to that N.C. Limit when I posted.

 

[The dropoff]

I copied this post from Capt. Adam it might help. (It was on another site)


The addendum offered a range of options for required reductions for each state if we considered the reductions on a state by state basis. Let me focus on the top 4 states where landings have occurred in the past 3 years, MA, RI, NY and NJ. (Note: This is all based on MRFSS which I don't like using for anything, but since they used it in the Addendum, let's see the information used that the decision was based.)

First, some trends in landings from 2009 - 2010 -
MA - +73%
RI - +356%
NY - +28%
NJ - -12%

Trends in landings from 2008 - 2010 -
MA - +181%
RI - +190%
NY - +97%
NJ - +17%

Now, let's look at the range of reductions proposed in the document if we go to state shares -

MA - Min. 37% Max 64%
RI - Min. 37% Max 65%
NY - Min. 37% Max 51%
NJ - Min. 7% Max 37%

So MA, RI and NY are going to have to take a NEAR MINIMAL REDUCTION of those proposed while NJ is going to have to take ABOVE THE MAXIMUM proposed reduction despite the fact that NJ landings have supposedly ONLY MARGINALLY CHANGED despite the three other states INCREASING DRAMATICALLY.

How's the view from under the bus?

Proposed regulations for NJ will be out in the next few weeks.
__________________

[Mark From PA]

I have to question the method for calculating catch estimates.  If we are truly over that much, we should be cutting back.  I doubt if the estimates are correct.  Don't really here of many people catching limits.  Maybe a couple fish here and a couple there.  I could be wrong though.  Also cutting catch limits is a good method, but building more reef structure is great too.

[Great American Fisherman]

This is a problem.  Its all lies.  Sea Bass was closed on October 5 2009 and did not open until May 22, 2010.  A week later Fluke opened.  Most people focused on fluke.  When fluke closed in early September, folks went for sea bass and ling.  Then October 11 happened.  Nothing to fish for.  Then November 1 happend and sea  bass opened. 

The bottom line is I do not believe the governments findings.  How could we go double the quota and not have much of a season.  And 2011 will be worse in NJ.  Did the government mention how many boats they feel will go out of business because of this?  Did they?  I guess not.

Remember one thing.  It comes from 2008...... 
CHANGE YOU CAN BELIEVE IN!!!!!!   CHANGE YOU CAN BELIEVE IN!!!!

[The dropoff]

This is a problem.  Its all lies.  Sea Bass was closed on October 5 2009 and did not open until May 22, 2010.  A week later Fluke opened.  Most people focused on fluke.  When fluke closed in early September, folks went for sea bass and ling.  Then October 11 happened.  Nothing to fish for.  Then November 1 happend and sea  bass opened. 

The bottom line is I do not believe the governments findings.  How could we go double the quota and not have much of a season.  And 2011 will be worse in NJ.  Did the government mention how many boats they feel will go out of business because of this?  Did they?  I guess not.

Remember one thing.  It comes from 2008...... 
CHANGE YOU CAN BELIEVE IN!!!!!!   CHANGE YOU CAN BELIEVE IN!!!!

It is a broken system and we are really seeing how broken it is.  Last year the season was saved and this year we are seeing what we should have seen last year.  When you feed bad data in you get bad data out.  Watch how his plays out with the other states also. 

Remember this it is for one year we will be state by state. In 2012 we will be going back to coast wide regulations.  They were trying to save the season again and it did not work. 

Putting band aids on is no way to fix the system.  Call Toni Kerns and let them know that you are not happy with that has happen to NJ.

[Fishin Dude]

Got info that the N.C. Limit is 5 fish at 13 inches.....that's ridiculous if true and we have a similar % in reduction to them...so what's in store for us?...I posted about this back in january that it would be B.O.H.I.C.A(bend over here it comes again)for sea bass regulations, but wasn't thinking anything remotely close to that N.C. Limit when I posted.

 

This is what a friend from N.C. told me about their regs 2 weeks ago, I guess it in now going to be subject to change, but I'm sure it will be just for the recreational regs. Notice that once again, the commercial guys get to keep smaller fish than the recreational guys. How much meat is on a 10" seabass anyway?

Yep, here in Jersey, we are going to get the flawed science screws tightened even more. 

FF-39-2011

PROCLAMATION

RE: SNAPPER-GROUPER COMPLEX-COMMERCIAL AND RECREATIONAL PURPOSES

Dr. Louis B. Daniel III, Director, Division of Marine Fisheries, hereby announces that effective at 12:01 A.M., Monday, March 7, 2011, the following restrictions will apply to the fisheries for snapper-grouper:

I. Black Sea Bass, south of Cape Hatteras (35° 15.0321’ N. Latitude)

A. For commercial purposes:

1. It is unlawful to possess or sell black sea bass through 12:01 a.m. June 1, 2011 for commercial purposes.

2. It is unlawful to possess black sea bass less than ten inches total length.

B. For recreational purposes:

1. It is unlawful to take or possess black sea bass through 12:01 a.m. June 1, 2011.

2. It is unlawful to possess black sea bass less than 12 inches total length.

3. It is unlawful to take or possess more than 15 black sea bass per person per day without a valid Federal Commercial South Atlantic Snapper-Grouper Permit.

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