Council and Commission Board Members Approve Recreational Management Measures for Fishing Year 2004
December 5, 2003
WILMINGTON, DE – The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) met with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass (Board) this week to approve 2004 recreational fishery management measures for summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass. The Council and Board adopted the following recreational management measures to achieve the recreational harvest limits previously adopted by the Council and Board in August for these species:
Summer Flounder
Recreational Harvest Limit: 11.21 m lbs
Minimum Fish Size: state-specific
Possession Limit: state-specific
Open Season: state-specific
Scup
Recreational Harvest Limit: 3.99 m lbs
Minimum Fish Size: 10″ (EEZ)*
Possession Limit: 50 fish (EEZ)*
Open Season: Jan. 1-Feb. 29 and Aug. 15-Nov. 30*
Black Sea Bass
Recreational Harvest Limit: 4.01 m lbs
Minimum Fish Size: 12″
Possession Limit: 25 fish
Open Season: Jan. 1-Sept. 7 and Sept. 22-Nov. 30
* For state waters, the Board will develop a conservation equivalency system for scup in 2004.
The Council and Board adopted conservation equivalency for the 2004 summer flounder fishery which requires the states to develop state-specific management measures (i.e., possession limits, size limits, and seasons) to achieve state-specific harvest limits. The states will develop management proposals and submit them to the Board for approval by early spring. As a non-preferred coastwide alternative, the Council and Board adopted a 17-inch total length (TL) minimum fish size, a 4 fish possession limit, and an open season all year. They also adopted a precautionary default measure of an 18-inch TL minimum fish size, a 1 fish possession limit and an open season all year. This measure would be imposed on any state that did not develop and implement conservation equivalent management measures.
The 2004 scup recreational fishery will be managed under separate regulations for state and federal waters. In federal waters, the Council adopted a coastwide management measure of a 10-inch TL minimum fish size, a 50 fish possession limit, and an open season from January 1-February 29 and August 15-November 30. The Board approved a conservation equivalency system to manage scup in state waters. That system will be developed in early 2004. The Council also adopted a motion to develop a framework to implement a conservation equivalency system for scup.
In the black sea bass fishery, the Council and Board approved of a 12-inch TL minimum fish size, a 25 fish possession limit, and an open season from January 1-September 7 and September 22-November 30. These management measures would apply to the recreational fishery in both state and federal waters.
Under other business, the Council adopted the preferred alternative for Squid, Mackerel, Butterfish Framework 4 and will forward it to the Secretary for approval. The framework would extend the Illex moratorium to July 2009. The Council also directed staff to write a letter to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Regional Administrator, Director of NMFS, and the New England Fisheries Management Council expressing concerns about Amendment 13 to the Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP) and its effects on Mid-Atlantic fisheries and the Council’s fishery management plans, specifically the removal of the clam dredge exemption and the economic impact of displaced effort. The Council will also send a letter to the Secretary of Commerce and the Northeast Regional Administrator recommending disapproval of the provision in Amendment 10 to the Scallop FMP, prohibiting limited access vessels from obtaining a general category permit. This recommendation is based on concerns that the provision is in conflict with National Standard 4. Finally, the Council presented the 2003 Fishery Achievement Award to the Special Operations Unit of the New Jersey’s Marine Law Enforcement Division.