2015 Quota and Ecosystem Management
On
May 5, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASFMC) will make
pivotal votes about the 2015 Atlantic menhaden quota and could begin work to
change future management, including conservation and allocation
decisions. The ASMFC could increase the quota for this year with no
understanding of the impact on predators like striped bass, or managers could
adopt ecosystem goals and advance responsible management of this most important
fish in the sea. Managers should
not increase the 2015 quota for menhaden unless they leave enough in the ocean
as food for predators. Current quota
shortages should be addressed by reallocation or trading, not by sacrificing
coastwide conservation.
Despite
some positive trends, Atlantic menhaden is still in need of conservation.
·
A new stock
assessment shows that coastwide Atlantic menhaden biomass (the combined weight
of all fish) has increased in recent years after a steep decline in the 1990s.
·
The stock
assessment also finds that the actual abundance (number of fish) remains
well below historic levels. This is what matters most to predators like striped
bass.
·
Recruitment
(the number of fish surviving past 1 year) remains low.
·
The menhaden
population has not recovered throughout its historic range from Maine to
Florida.
·
Fishing
effort is highly concentrated in the Chesapeake Bay and mid-Atlantic which
risks localized depletion.
·
See below
for charts from the assessment showing biomass and abundance trends (Figure 1),
then recruitment (Figure 2).
The
ASFMC should not increase the menhaden catch limit without providing for
predators.
·
On May 5,
the Commission should adopt interim Ecological Reference Points (accounting for
predator needs) when making decisions about the 2015 quota and initiate
an amendment to transition to long term ecological management.
·
Increasing
the coastwide menhaden catch without consideration of the cost to predators
would be irresponsible. Most menhaden predator populations are at best
stable, and in many cases are declining.
·
The
Commission just made a difficult decision to reduce the striped bass catch to
address a decline. Other Atlantic menhaden predators that are important for
recreational and commercial fishing include highly-depleted weakfish, cod, and
bluefin tuna. The Commission must provide enough food for these predator
populations to rebuild and thrive, and avoid future quota cuts.
·
Menhaden are
also food for seabirds like osprey and eagles, and cetaceans like humpback
whales which support ecotourism businesses. These wildlife species are
economically important to Atlantic states.
·
Consider the
potential value that a growth in menhaden abundance would provide for the local
seafood supply and associated jobs along the Atlantic coast. Why risk undermining broader conservation
efforts?
The ASMFC should adopt ecosystem-based management of menhaden.
·
The time has
come for managers to transition to ecosystem-based fishery management for
Atlantic menhaden. In 2001, the ASFMC’s first amendment for menhaden
included this objective: “Protect and maintain the important ecological role
Atlantic menhaden play along the coast.”
·
The new
stock assessment’s peer review: “strongly encourages the [technical
committee] and the Management Board to initiate a formal dialog, ideally
inclusive of key stakeholder groups, to inform the development of Ecological
Reference Points…to develop a common perspective among scientists, managers, and
stakeholders about the strategy for defining reference points that reflect a
broader ecological perspective on the Atlantic menhaden fishery…The [technical
committee] has done a thorough job of investigating and summarizing the
options. Now it is time for managers and stakeholders to guide the way
forward.” (Review Workshop Report, page 27).
·
The
Commission should heed this call and act now to advance ecosystem management
for this important forage fish.
Contact info for NY, NJ, DE commissioners:New York:
Jim Gilmore (NY DEC)
James.Gilmore@dec.ny.gov
632-444-0433
Proxy: steve.heins@dec.ny.gov
Emerson Hasbrouck
Cornell Cooperative Extension
ech12@cornell.edu
Sen. Philip Boyle
518-455-3411
pboyle@nysenate.gov
New Jersey
David Chanda (NJ DEP)
609-292-9410
dave.chanda@dep.state.nj.us
Tom Fote
732-270-9102
tfote@jcaa.org
Assemblyman Sgt. Robert Andrzejczak
609-465-0700
mailto:AsmAndrzejczak@njleg.org
Proxy: Adam Nowalsky
captadam@karenannii.com
DE:
David Savekis (DNR)
302-739-9910
david.saveikis@state.de.us
Roy miller
302-645-7103
fishmaster70@comcast.net
Represenative William Carson
302-744-4113
william.carson@state.de.us
The
ASFMC should not increase the catch without reallocation.
·
All states
stand to benefit from effective conservation, and only one would benefit
significantly from increasing the quota in 2015 (Virginia). A
proportional increase to the 2015 quota (for example, even the maximum proposed
20 percent increase over the 2014 quota for each state), without reallocation,
will not solve any state’s quota shortages or bait industry challenges.
See below for a chart that shows the quota by state if the proposed 10 or 20
percent increases occurred without reallocation. (Figure 3)
·
The ASMFC
should not risk the health of the coastal ecosystem to give nearly all of the
increase to Virginia, which does not need an immediate quota increase.
·
The
reduction fishery (Omega Protein) has 80 percent of the coastwide quota and
continued to be successful in 2014, the second year under the current catch
limit.
·
From their
2014 performance press release: “Revenues in the twelve months ended December
31, 2014 increased 26% to $308.6 million compared to revenues of $244.3 million
for the twelve months ended December 31, 2013.” http://ir.omegaprotein.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=901156
·
Under the
current (Amendment 2) management system, quota can be traded between
states. Virginia could transfer a relatively small amount of quota and
solve all other states’ current shortages without increasing the coastwide
catch.
No comments:
Post a Comment