Food & Water Watch Speaks Out Against IFQs.
Posted by blog admin in SOFA News on June 23rd, 2009
Hmmm. This should make for some interesting discussions around the docks.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 22, 2009
1:18 PM
CONTACT: Food & Water Watch
Ben Bowman: (415) 293-9903
Erin Greenfield: (202) 683-2500
New Survey: Fishermen Oppose Controversial Management Plan
Gulf of Mexico Fishermen Vote Against IFQ Plan, Food & Water Watch Finds
WASHINGTON – June 22 – Today, Food & Water Watch released the results of a re-referendum on a controversial fishery management plan in the Gulf of Mexico. Designed by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, the plan is known as an Individual Fishing Quota, or IFQ, and aims to manage the grouper and tilefish fisheries of the Gulf by dividing the amount of fish caught among fishermen, based on the amount they have caught in the past—essentially privatizing the resource. The re-referendum sent questionnaires to reef fish permitholders who were excluded from the earlier vote on the plan. One hundred seventy-two fishermen responded to the questionnaire. An overwhelming majority—nearly 90 percent—would not have approved the plan had they been included in the initial vote.
Deep Water Grouper To Close Very Soon
Posted by blog admin in SOFA News on June 18th, 2009
The commercial fishery for deepwater grouper in theGulf of Mexico is closed, effective 12:01 a.m. (localtime) June 27, 2009, through December 31, 2009.
Read the full bulletin (pdf format) here: FB09-037
FWC Adopts resolution calling for Disaster Relief for Longline Fishery
Posted by blog admin in Gulf Fishing News, SOFA News on May 14th, 2009
During their meeting this week, FWC Commissioners …
“approved a resolution to request that Gov. Charlie Crist ask the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to provide disaster relief to Florida’s Gulf commercial reef fish longline industry and related seafood dealers. This action is needed because a pending federal emergency rule to protect sea turtles will effectively close down the use of longline fishing gear to catch reef fish in the Gulf.
Federal disaster relief would give the longline industry time to adjust to the closure so the industry and related seafood dealers can stay in business and continue to supply fresh grouper for consumers.”
(information quoted from the FWC website)
We have the full text of the resolution viewable here or you can download it in .pdf format from this link.
NOAA Seeking Public Comment on IFQ Rules
Posted by blog admin in Grouper IFQ on April 30th, 2009
FB09-028 has arrived.
NOAA Seeking Public Comment on Proposed Rule Changes to the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Fishery Including an Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Program
NOAA Fisheries Service is seeking public comment
on a proposed rule for the Gulf of Mexico reef fish
fishery. The proposed rule published in the Federal
Register on April 30, 2009 (74 FR 20134). The
public comment period ends on June 15, 2009.
The proposed rule establishes the parameters for the IFQ proposal for the Grouper and Tilefish Fisheries of the Gulf of Mexico. The full text of the bulletin, which has details of the plan (although no firm figures) and instructions for making public comments is available here.
Emergency Rule: Bottom Longline Restrictions
Posted by blog admin in Closures and Openings, Gulf Fishing News, Regulations on April 30th, 2009
Apparently the “compromise” worked out between industry reps and the Gulf Council and mentioned in the previous post to this blog wasn’t good enough.
FB09-027 has arrived and it is a doozy.
NOAA Fisheries Service implemented an emergency
rule, effective May 18, 2009, through October 28, 2009,
to reduce the sea turtle bycatch in the Gulf of Mexico
bottom longline reef fish fishery. The emergency rule
prohibits bottom longlining for Gulf reef fish east of
85o30’W longitude (near Cape San Blas, Florida) in the
portion of the Exclusive Economic Zone shoreward of
the provided waypoints (see table). The boundary
generally follows the 50-fathom depth contour (see
map). Once the deepwater grouper and tilefish quotas
have been filled, the use of bottom longline gear to
harvest reef fish in water of all depths east of 85o30’W
longitude will be prohibited.
Full text of the bulletin is available here.
The bulletin came from SERO (Southeast Regional Office) and says “For additional information on this bulletin, please contact Cynthia Meyer”, but it doesn’t give a way to reach her. The website is http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov and the contact information in the email is all for Barbara Niswander, Division Secretary of the SERO office. If you want to voice your opinion you may have to contact Ms. Niswander at Barbara.Niswander@noaa.gov and ask for more details.
If you want to receive Fishery Bulletins via email as soon as they are published you can send an email to
SERO.Communications.Comments@noaa.gov
and request to be put on their list.
Compromise Reached On Turtle vs. Longline Issue
Posted by blog admin in SOFA News on April 19th, 2009
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council voted in favor of a compromise agreement Friday (April 17) morning put together in recent days by Ocean Conservancy, Oceana, and the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Bottom Longline Fishing fleet aimed at reducing the interactions between threatened loggerhead sea turtles and commercial fishing gear. With this tentative agreement, the fishermen will be able to continue fishing, but areas of the Gulf where the majority of the interactions have taken place will now be off-limits to the longline fleet which would be cut about in half by the agreement.
“A more extensive closure would have resulted in permanent damage to the commercial fleet. Our industry is already looking at an emergency closure this summer, and we would not have been able to sustain another blow like that. We need partners that will help find lasting solutions,” said Bobby Spaeth, Executive Director of the Southern Offshore Fishing Association. “Both Ocean Conservancy and Oceana were willing to work with us to help solve this problem. When the opportunity to partner with groups that do not often see eye-to-eye comes along and it works this well, it makes a powerful point in itself.”
As currently proposed, the rules would limit longlining to fishermen who caught a yearly average of 40,000 pounds of grouper and other reef fish between 1999 and 2007.
Fifty-seven boats, based mostly in Pinellas County, meet that standard.
From June through August every year, longlining would be banished from water shallower than 215 feet deep.
The council will meet again in June to take a final vote on the permanent rules.
We’ll bring you information about the details of the plan as they are made available, as well as information about public comment periods, etc.
Trip Limit on Golden Tilefish (South Atlantic) “Decreased” (Slashed)
Posted by blog admin in Closures and Openings on April 13th, 2009
NMFS has sent out a notice that in the South Atlantic the trip limit for golden tilefish has been decreased to 300 lbs per day. Hunh?
They do this when 75% of the quota has been landed. They first call it a Trip Limit, then say it is now set at 300 lbs per day. If this is accurate, I don’t know how they consider it a “trip limit” when it is really a “daily limit” which is apparently designed to make actually targeting these fish a no-profit proposition, but what do I know?
Maybe you can make more sense of this than I.
- In the headline of the notice, they say “trip limit decreased to 300 pounds per day”.
- Then in the first paragraph of the notice they say “the daily vessel trip limit … is reduced to 300 lbs, effective April 21…”
- Then in the next paragraph they refer to it 3 times as simply a “trip limit” with no more references to “daily” or “per day”.
Who’s driving this bus, anyway? Is it a trip limit (xx lb per trip) or a daily limit (xx lb per day)? They are distinctly different things. What exactly is a “daily vessel”? Does it have to come home “nightly”? Once again, you might be wise to consult a lawyer before going offshore.
Or call Catherine Bruger at 1 727 824 5305 and ask her if she knows what it all means.
Anyway, here’s the full bulletin for anyone who wants to read it and didn’t get a copy in the mail.
SOFA Members Note: This notice, as far as I can tell, applies to the South Atlantic, not the Gulf of Mexico.
FB09-022 Public Comment on Amendment 29 – IFQ Issues
Posted by blog admin in Grouper IFQ on April 8th, 2009
NMFS has released Fishery Bulletin 2009 – 022 which outlines the Public Commentary Period for Amendment 29. Amendment 29 addresses the implementation of the proposed IFQ system for grouper.
If you have a stake in the grouper fishery, you should read the bulletin. It’s available here.
Some Guidelines For Comments:
Written comments must be received no later than 5 p.m.,
Eastern Time, on June 8, 2009. You may submit
comments by any of the following methods:
● Electronic Submissions: Federal e-Rulemaking Portal:
http://www.regulations.gov. All comments received are
part of the public record and will generally be posted to
http://www.regulations.gov without change. All
personal identifying information (for example, name,
address, etc.) voluntarily submitted by the commenter
may be publicly accessible. Do not submit confidential
business information or otherwise sensitive or protected
information. NOAA Fisheries Service will accept
anonymous comments. To submit comments enter
“NOAA-NMFS-2008-0223” in the keyword search and
then check the box “send a comment or submission.”
Attachments to electronic comments will be accepted in
Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file
formats only.
● Mail: Susan Gerhart, Southeast Regional Office,
NOAA Fisheries Service, 263 13th Avenue South, St.
Petersburg, Florida 33701-5505.
Also:
Comments received by June 8, 2009, whether
specifically directed to the amendment or the proposed
rule, will be considered by NOAA Fisheries Service in
its decision to approve, disapprove, or partially approve
the amendment. Comments received after that date will
not be considered by NOAA Fisheries Service in this
decision. All comments received by NOAA Fisheries
Service on the amendment or the proposed rule during
their respective comment periods will be addressed in
the final rule.
Again, the full bulletin is available from the S.O.F.A. website. Click Here.
Control Date Established for the Gulf of Mexico Commercial Reef Fish Fishery
Posted by blog admin in Gulf Fishing News, Regulations on March 18th, 2009
Fishery Bulletin FB09-020 addresses the control date for the Gulf of Mexico Commercial Reef Fish Fishery which NOAA proposes establishing as December 31, 2008.
Full document available here.
For additional information on this bulletin, please contact Cindy Meyer at Cynthia.Meyer@noaa.gov.
Public Comment Period Open
Posted by blog admin in Permits, Regulations on March 3rd, 2009
They have opened a public comment period on the petitions and threats submitted to NMFS which were detailed in the previous entry on this blog.
It has been obvious in the past that they listen very little to these public comments, but it can’t hurt to let others know how we feel. Please make a comment, let them know how you feel.
Links to the comment pages and suggestions for commenting are here.
Other links to ways you can contact “Public Servants” and let them know how you feel can be found on the front page of the S.O.F.A. site.
Fishery Bulletin 09-016 Has Arrived…and it’s a puzzle
Posted by blog admin in Gulf Fishing News, Regulations on February 26th, 2009
NOAA released FB09-016 today. It is a notice letting everyone know that NOAA has received what it terms “two requests for emergency rulemaking to reduce loggerhead sea turtle bycatch.”
Two “requests”? Read the rest of this entry »
Judge Delivers NMFS “Clear Slap”
Posted by blog admin in SOFA News on February 24th, 2009
The Federal Judge in New England is not letting up on the NMFS one bit. In another ruling characterized by the Gloucester Daily Times as a “clear slap” at NMFS, U.S. District Court Judge Edward Harrington extended a previous ruling by two weeks using language that makes it clear he is not very happy with the attitude of the NMFS. something that all Southeastern fishermen can easily relate to.
The full Gloucester Daily Times story is available from the main menu of the S.O.F.A. website at “Fishery News >> News From New England” or is at this link.
Contact your Senators and Congressmen
Posted by CQ in Regulations on February 22nd, 2009
The Environmental Groups pushing to have the bottom longline fishery closed down over the incomplete and flawed data they present as fact have a well financed and organized campaign going on delivering thousands of electronic “signatures” and messages to the people who will be making the final decision on this very important issue.
We don’t have the financing they have but we have made it as easy as we can for you to contact your representatives as well as some of the fishery regulatory personell and express your opinion on the matter. Please don’t sit back and say nothing, it will only take you a few minutes of your time.
Thank you for your interest and time.
Shallow Water Grouper Closure Begins Feb.15th.
Posted by blog admin in Closures and Openings on February 13th, 2009
In case there is any confusion, any new and pending regulations don’t change the shallow water grouper closure that we’ve had for the past few years.
All shallow water grouper is closed to commercial harvest from Feb. 15th to March 15th again this year. According to the FWC in Tallahassee, that means you need to have your boat unloaded by midnight on Saturday February 14th.
Council Takes Reef Fish Committee Recommendation and Makes It Worse
Posted by blog admin in Closures and Openings, Gulf Fishing News, Regulations, SOFA News on January 30th, 2009
The Gulf Council took the horrible recommendation from their Reef Fish Committee to close longlining inside 300 feet for 5 months out of the year and made it much worse. They are asking the NMFS to move everyone out beyond 300 ft (50 fathoms) until the deep water quota is filled — which won’t take long with the entire fleet now targeting them — and then shut down the healthy and unstressed red grouper longline fishery entirely once the deep water quota is filled.
Specifically, the council initiated an emergency rule prohibiting longline gear in waters shallower than 50 fathoms for a six month period, effective as soon as possible.
Once again we wonder how they can justify putting so many people out of work during such trying economic times over an issue that is based on questionable figures extrapolated from a very small observed sector of the fishery.
This “emergency measure” still has to be approved by the NMFS.
Please note that it is based entirely on “estimates” that were extrapolated from the actual observation of 18 sea turtle interactions. Thats 18.
A September 2008 federal report estimated that over the course of 18 months ending in 2007, 974 sea turtles were captured on longlines in the eastern Gulf — exceeding limits set under the Endangered Species Act. The majority of the captures were treatened loggerhead sea turtles. The report estimated that 325 of the turtles died, 433 were released alive, and the fate of another 216 was unknown.
Gulf Council officials said the closure, once implemented by National Marine Fisheries Service, can be in effect for up to six months while the council considers other long-term solutions. The closure could be renewed by the council for another six months, if necessary, officials said.
(Quoted from an article by Katherine Sayer on al.com)
Gulf Council Approves IFQ Program for GOM Reef Fishery
Posted by blog admin in Grouper IFQ on January 30th, 2009
The full Gulf Council voted in favor of the IFQ Program for the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fishery on Thursday, Jan 29, 2009, The next step is for the rule to be approved by the Commerce Department (which is pretty much considered a slam dunk). It likely won’t be implemented before 2010. If you qualify for this fishery and haven’t already done so, you should get your landings figures from NMFS and check them closely against your records.
As Feared, The News Is Not Good
Posted by blog admin in SOFA News on January 28th, 2009
In the “This Just In” department, I’m sorry to be the bearer of incredibly bad news.
“The reef fish committee of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, trying to protect loggerhead turtles, voted today to banish long-line grouper boats to water 300 feet or deeper for five months, beginning in late spring or early summer.
Long-liners, who catch more than 60 percent of commercial grouper, usually do not fish that far from shore because their main target species, red grouper, usually stay in shallower water. Some fishermen say the measure will put them out of business.
The full management council will vote on the measure Thursday, but the reef fish committee’s recommendation traditionally carries much weight.”
Read entire article here:
It appears we lose a significant portion of yet another fishery over bad or incomplete science and conservationist alarmism. I’m not sure how long this can go on. How a government agency can justify potentially putting hundreds, if not thousands, of American workers out of work by shutting down a healthy fishery for five months when the entire country is in a recession and begging for government bail-outs is beyond me. If anyone understands this, please share it with me, I’m stumped.
Important Gulf Council Meeting Opens Today
Posted by blog admin in Grouper IFQ, Gulf Fishing News, Regulations on January 26th, 2009
The Gulf Council is meeting today through Thursday in Bay St. Louis Mississippi at the Hollywood Casino and the future of the bottom longline fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico is one of the pivotal points to be addressed. There are other very important issues that will be taken up, aquaculture proposals for the Gulf of Mexico and Final decisions on Amendment 29 (IFQs), but none may be of greater importance to all Gulf Fishermen than the Longline vs. Sea Turtle issue. If the bottom longline industry is closed down or severely restricted in their ability to target red grouper, the value of everyone’s future stake in the fishery, IFQ shares or whatever it may be, may be negatively impacted to a huge degree.
Our S.O.F.A. representatives will be in attendance, as will people from GFA and other fishery groups, and we will bring you any news coming from the meetings as soon as we get it. In the meantime, if you are anywhere near Bay St. Louis, MI and can make it there to speak up, it would be a very good idea.
Conservation Groups Threaten Lawsuit Over Phantom Sea Turtles
Posted by blog admin in Gulf Fishing News, Permits, Regulations on January 17th, 2009
Once again the fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico are under attack, this time over phantom sea turtle mortality rates. Using figures that are at best questionable and most likely ridiculously and intentionally over-stated, a coalition of conservation groups is attempting to coerce the NMFS into shutting down bottom longlining in the Gulf of Mexico by threat of lawsuit.
These groups are well funded and determined to shut down this fishery, either for their own selfish reasons or just out of a misguided sense of a need to protect something from people who are not the threat. This bears our immediate attention. Please speak up, demand better science (as always) and don’t let special interest groups take away our livelihood by the use of false premise and outright lie.
The coalition asks that the commercial bottom longline fishery be suspended until the National Marine Fisheries Service meets its legal obligations under the Endangered Species Act to ensure that the fishery does not imperil sea turtles and other threatened species in the Gulf of Mexico.
“Allowing this fishery to continue to kill threatened and endangered turtles while the government studies the problem is irresponsible and illegal. It’s like refusing to turn off a leaking gas valve when you’re trying to put out a house fire. The law and the science are clear: These animals have to be protected right now,” said Andrea Treece, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity.
See full news release regarding this threat here or from the Fishery News links on the main S.O.F.A. menu.
Gulf of Mexico Commercial Grouper and Tilefish Individual Fishing Quota Program (IFQ) Referendum Result
Posted by admin in Grouper IFQ, Regulations on January 6th, 2009
The results are in and the vote is a pretty substantial YES. 81% Yes to 18% No. At least it is a definitive margin.
Now, how long before this gets implemented?
Full text of the NOAA report…. Read the rest of this entry »