Coast Guard medevacs 1 near Barnegat Light, NJ
BARNEGAT LIGHT, N.J. ­ The Coast Guard medevaced a 32-­year-­old man from the 78-­foot fishing boat he
was aboard 60 miles east of here Saturday.

Medevaced was Jeremy Rochelle, 32.

The Coast Guard received a call at 2:23 p.m. from a crewmember aboard the Tamara Alane, homeported
in North Carolina, reporting Rochelle was possibly suffering from a ruptured hernia.

A 47-­foot Motor Life Boat crew from Coast Guard Station Barnegat Light arrived on scene and transported Rochelle back to the station to be transferred to awaiting emergency medical personnel.

The Road to End Overfishing: 35 Years of Magnuson Act

Assistant Administrator for Fisheries Talks about the Cornerstone of Sustainable Fisheries

As we look toward Earth Day next week, I want to acknowledge and highlight the 35 th anniversary of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Simply called “the Magnuson Act”, this law, its regional framework and goal of sustainability, has proven to be a visionary force in natural resource management - both domestically and internationally. The Magnuson Act is, and will continue to be a key driver for NOAA as we deliver on our nation’s commitment to ocean stewardship, sustainable fisheries, and healthy marine ecosystems


Because of the Magnuson Act, the U.S. is on track to end overfishing in federally-managed fisheries, rebuild stocks, and ensure conservation and sustainable use of our ocean resources. Fisheries harvested in the United States are scientifically monitored, regionally managed and legally enforced under 10 strict national standards of sustainability. This anniversary year marks a critical turning point in the Act’s history. By the end of 2011, we are on track to have an annual catch limit and accountability measures in place for all 528 federally-managed fish stocks and complexes. The dynamic, science-based management process envisioned by Congress is now in place, the rebuilding of our fisheries is underway, and we are beginning to see real benefits for fishermen, fishing communities and our commercial and recreational fishing industries.


But, we did not get here overnight. Our nation’s journey toward sustainable fisheries has evolved over the course of 35 years. At this particular moment it is important to take time and reflect back on where we have been to understand where we are and fully appreciate the historic visions and strategic investments that got us here, particularly by the Act’s principal architects, the late U.S. Senators Warren G. Magnuson of Washington State and Ted Stevens of Alaska.


To appreciate the history of Magnuson Act is to appreciate the history of environmental stewardship in the United States and the progress made in conservation over the last three decades. The Magnuson Act was ushered in during the era of environmental consciousness that still defines our nation’s stewardship ethic today. Signed into law on April 13, 1976, the Magnuson Act followed passage of other laws dedicated to addressing the environmental damage incurred after decades of unfettered industrialization. These laws include the National Environmental Policy Act (1969), the Clean Air (1970) and Clean Water (1972) acts, and the Marine Mammal Protection (1972) and Endangered Species (1973) acts. Along with newly established agencies to implement them -- the Environmental Protection Agency and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It was the beginning of a new era.


In 1976, federal management of marine fisheries was virtually non-existent. With the exception of state managed waters, federal activities were limited to supporting a patchwork of fishery-specific treaties governing international waters, which at that time existed only 12 miles off our nation’s coasts. A primary impetus of the Magnuson Act was to extend the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ) out to 200 miles and eliminate competition from the foreign fishing fleets off our coasts.


However, even in its initial form, Senator Magnuson saw fit to focus on conservationas a centerpiece of the new law. Modeled on the basic principles of scientific management, including the notion of standards and catch limits, the law also included an innovative regional public-private management framework – creating the fishery management council system. The Magnuson Act laid the foundation for what has matured into the regional, science-based, and transparent fishery management process which exists in the U.S. today.


We all know too well the initial victory for conservation was short lived. Without effective regulatory restraints in place, by the late 1980s Americanization of the fleet and advancements in fishing technologies over ran the slower-growing science and management infrastructures, exploding the rate of domestic driven overfishing and quickly leading to the depletion of some of our nation’s most iconic fisheries – perhaps the most painful being the historic collapse of our nation’s oldest fishery, the New England groundfish fishery. The Magnuson Act was at a turning point. The 1996 amendments to the Act provided needed adjustments, including a new focus on habitat and the requirement for a 10 year rebuilding timeline.


Since that time, the Magnuson Act has undergone several reauthorizations – each one building upon and strengthening the previous. The most recent and transformative change was in 2007, under the leadership of Senator Stevens whose commitment to sustainable use - and growing concern over unsustainable fishing practices internationally - helped galvanize the earlier vision of Senator Magnuson. In 2007, Congress gave NOAA and the regional fishery management councils a clear mandate, new authority, and new tools to achieve the goal of sustainable fisheries within measureable timeframes. Notable among these were the requirements for annual catch limits, and accountability measures to prevent, respond to, and end overfishing – real game changers in our national journey toward sustainable fisheries, and ones that are rapidly delivering results.


Today, many stocks that were overfished are rebuilt or actively rebuilding. Successes include summer flounder, monkfish, scallops, ling cod, sablefish, North Atlantic swordfish, vermillion snapper, and gag grouper to name a few. Even the iconic Northeast groundfish fishery is turning the corner with anticipated higher catch levels allowed for 12 of the 20 groundfish stocks in the 2011 fishing season – the first time this has happened in over a decade.


Much of this progress has been due to the collaborative involvement of our U.S. commercial and recreational fishing fleets and their commitment to science based management, improving gear-technologies, and application of best-stewardship practices. Supported by the hard work of the regional fishery management councils whose innovative, management strategies have allowed fishermen to grow with stocks. One notable new development, emphasized in the 2007 reauthorization, was a focus on consideration of catch share programs. Catch share programs promote fishing based on good business decisions and stewardship practices rather than on the earlier years of ‘race-to-fish’ or ‘days-at-sea’ strategies that were often as dangerous for crews as they were unsustainable for the resource.


The success of the regional fishery management framework – and its ability to reflect the ecological and socio-economic needs unique to each region – is also influencing growth and improvement in management of international fisheries that now organize as ‘regional fishery management organizations’.


Today, the Magnuson Act – at 35 years of age - is at another turning point in its journey – one involving a more inclusive collaboration between fishing industries, conservationists, consumers and the broader seafood supply chain. At this point, we are turning the corner toward a future when ending overfishing can be a concern of the past, and where maintaining sustainable fisheries is a shared commitment to our future. And, as we turn this corner, we can turn more of our collective energies to more effectively address the far more difficult challenges of habitat degradation and international illegal fishing practices that are undermining the health and abundance of our global ocean resources. The success of the Magnuson Act and the visions of its architects have placed us on solid ground for this continuing journey. But we need to continue to work together to get there.

Coast Guard rescues 3 near Barnegat Light, NJ

NY and NC Senators reintroduce Flexibility in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act

Bill is sponsored by New York Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, and by North Carolina Senators Kay Hagan and Richard Burr.

Senators say legislation will help save fishing industry by increasing flexibility in arbitrary Federal fishing rules.

According to Senators Schumer and Gillibrand, Long Island's once thriving commercial and recreational fishing industry has been decimated in part by quotas and inexact science, severely limiting catch and allowable fishing days. Their bill would increase flexibility of quotas. Long Island is losing millions every year because of excessively strict quotas. Schumer, Gillibrand say that with flexibility and better data we can rebuild stocks and allow Long Island's fishing industry to survive.

Senators Schumer and Gillibrand released the following statement:

WASHINGTON - March 23, 2011 - Today, United States Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten E. Gillibrand announced they have reintroduced legislation in the Senate that will bring much-needed flexibility to the federal rules now stifling Long Island's once thriving commercial and recreational fishing industry.

The bill is co-sponsored by North Carolina Senators Kay Hagan and Richard Burr.

The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, as it is presently written, requires any fishery designated by the Department of Commerce's National Marine Fisheries Service as "overfished" be completely rebuilt within 10 years, a timeline Schumer and Gillibrand argued is arbitrary and forces regulators to implement overly strict fishing quotas. The lack of flexibility in the current regime prevents regulators from pursuing a more balanced approach that both allows the stocks to rebuild and considers the economic consequences to fishermen and fishing communities. The Senators' bill would give some much needed flexibility to the ten-year timeline as a way to ease pressure on fishermen and their communities as fisheries continue to rebuild.

"Rebuilding our fishing stocks and keeping them healthy is absolutely critical, but we shouldn't do it in a way that places an onerous, unnecessary burden on Long Island fishermen," said Schumer. "By increasing flexibility and common sense in our fishing regulations, we can protect fishing stocks and at the same time help Long Island fishing communities prosper."

"Right now our fishermen are dealing with a regulatory structure that relies on arbitrary timelines and bureaucrats hundreds of miles away from fishing communities and not science and fact," said Senator Gillibrand. "This legislation is a step towards repairing a broken system."

Schumer and Gillibrand have also strongly advocated for more funding for data collection to more accurately gauge fish stocks. In letters to the Department of Commerce and National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration, as well as meetings with agency heads, they have called for greater emphasis on fisheries science and better funding for data collection. In cases where there is insufficient data on a fish stock, regulators must err on the side of caution and implement stricter catch limits.

Under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Management Act - reauthorized by Congress in 2006 -- when a fishery is identified as overfished, a Regional Fishery Management Council has two years to implement a plan to end overfishing, and, with limited exceptions, to rebuild the stock within 10 years. The ten-year rebuilding requirement has three exceptions, based on the biology of the fish, environmental conditions, or an agreement between the U.S. and other nations. Other than those three situations, all overfished fisheries must achieve rebuilt status within 10 years. The problem is the ten-year deadline is arbitrary, may have no basis in science, and must be met without regard to the impact it will have on recreational and commercial fishermen, related industries, and the communities.

The Flexibility in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act will provide the U.S. Secretary of Commerce authority to allow limited flexibility in the rebuilding mandates, but only if one of the following conditions apply:

• The biology of the stock of fish, other environmental conditions, or management measures under an international agreement, in which the United States participates dictates otherwise.

• The Secretary determines that the 10-year period should be extended because the cause of the fishery decline is outside the jurisdiction of the Council or the rebuilding program cannot be effective only by limiting fishing activities.

• The Secretary determines an extension would provide for the sustained participation of fishing communities or would minimize the economic impacts on such communities, provided that there is evidence that the stock of fish is on a positive rebuilding trend.

• The Secretary determines that the 10-year period should be extended for one or more stocks of fish of a multi-species fishery, provided that there is evidence that those stocks are on a positive rebuilding trend.

• The Secretary determines an expansion is necessary because of a substantial change to the biomass rebuilding target for the stock of fish concerned after the rebuilding plan has taken effect.

• The Secretary determines an expansion is necessary because the biomass rebuilding target exceeds the highest abundance of the stock of fish in the 25 year period preceding and there is evidence that the stock is on a positive rebuilding trend.

Schumer and Gillibrand said that the legislation will also add additional criteria to the biomass stock assessment mandated in the Magnuson Stevens Act to include commercial, residential and industrial development, agricultural activity in coastal areas and its impact on the marine environment and the relationship between predator and prey and other environmental and ecological changes to the marine conditions.

ASMFC Northern Shrimp Section Closes Fishery Effective 2359 Hours (EST) February 28, 2011

Arlington, VA – Effective 2359 hours (EST) on February 28, 2011, the Commission’s Northern Shrimp
Section and its member states will close the 2010/2011 fishery. The decision to close the fishery prior to the
season end of April 15 was based on preliminary landings data that indicate that harvest is already at 4,192
metric tons, 192 metric tons in excess of the Technical Committee recommended landings level. The
Technical Committee projected landings could total 7,000 metric tons if harvest continued through April 15.
Section members expressed concern over the lack of a timely and complete reporting system for northern
shrimp and the potential for this year’s overharvest to negatively impact the stock and next year’s fishery.
A comprehensive reporting system would provide managers the necessary information to prevent
overharvest of the stock ensuring a healthy population of shrimp for future fisheries. This issue will be
addressed in the Public Information Document for Draft Amendment 2 to the Interstate Fishery
Management Plan for Northern Shrimp, scheduled to be released in March for public comment.
Prior to the start of the 2010/2011 fishery, the Technical Committee cautioned Section members that the
abundance of age 5 shrimp in the population is significantly below average. This results in the fishery
harvesting primarily age 4 shrimp which should be the foundation of next year’s fishery. The age 5 shrimp
provide the greatest spawning potential and also receive a higher market price than smaller younger shrimp.
The Northern Shrimp Technical Committee will update the stock assessment this summer to determine if
this year’s overharvest has had an impact on the 2011/2012 fishery.
The Section’s action was taken pursuant to the emergency action provision of the Commission’s ISFMP
Charter, Section 6(c)(10). The provision specifies that the Commission will hold four public hearings within
30 days of the action. The first public hearing was held during the Section’s February 18 conference call.
The second hearing will occur at the Section’s February 28 meeting at the Urban Forestry Center, 45 Elwyn
Road, Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The details of the remaining hearings will be posted to the Commission
website (www.asmfc.org) on its Meeting page.
For more information, please contact Robert Beal, ISFMP Director, at rbeal@asmfc.org and (703) 842-
0740.

ASMFC Releases Black Sea Bass Draft Addendum XXI for Public Comment: Draft Addendum Provides Options for Regional and/or State-by-State Management of the 2011 Recreational Fishery

Arlington, VA – Atlantic coastal states from Massachusetts through North Carolina have scheduled their
hearings to gather public comment on Draft Addendum XXI to the Black Sea Bass Fishery Management
Plan. The dates, times, and locations of the scheduled meetings follow.

Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
March 15, 2011; 6:00 PM
Falmouth High School, Auditorium
874 Gifford Street
Falmouth, Massachusetts
Contact: Nichola Meserve at (617) 626-1531

Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife
March 14, 2011; 6:00 PM
URI, Graduate School of Oceanography
Corless Auditorium
South Ferry Road
Narragansett, Rhode Island
Contact: Jason McNamee at (401) 423-1943

Connecticut Dept. of Environmental Protection
March 8, 2011; 7 PM
Marine Headquarters Boating Education Center
333 Ferry Road
Old Lyme, Connecticut
Contact: David Simpson at (860) 434-6043

New York Dept. of Environmental
Conservation
March 8, 2011; 7:00 PM
Marine Resources Headquarters
205 North Belle Mead Road, Suite 1
East Setauket, New York
Contact: Steve Heins at (631) 444-0436

New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife
March 3, 2011; 6:30 PM
Galloway Township Public Library
306 East Jimmie Leeds Road
Absecon, New Jersey
Contact: Pete Himchak at (609) 748-2020

Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources
March 7, 2011; 6 - 7 PM
Ocean Pines Library
11107 Cathell Road
Ocean Pines, Maryland
Contact: Carrie Kennedy at (410) 260-8295

ASMFC Northern Shrimp Section Schedules Emergency Meeting to Consider Closing 2010/2011 Fishery

Arlington, VA – The Commission’s Northern Shrimp Section will hold a meeting and public hearing via
conference call on Friday, February 18, 2011 at 2:00 PM. The purpose of the call is to review northern
shrimp landings data and determine the appropriate closure date to prevent significant landings overages
that might occur if the fishery continues through April 15. During a preliminary conference call held
February 14 the Section members discussed potential closure dates ranging from February 20 through 28.
The Northern Shrimp Section set the 2010/2011 fishing season at 136 days with the intention that landings
would not exceed 4,000 metric tons. When the Section set the season, it agreed to review the landings in
February to determine is an adjustment to the season is warranted. If the Section decides to take emergency
action, the Commission process requires four public hearings to be held within 30 days of the action.
Interested stakeholders may listen-in on the conference call at 1-877-679-3924 (Passcode: 821540)
Procedures for public comment during the call will be detailed at the beginning on the conference call.
Meeting materials can be found on the Commission website at
http://www.asmfc.org/meetings/NorthenShrimpSectionMtgMaterialsFeb2011.pdf
In addition to the conference call, the Northern Shrimp Advisory Panel and Section will meet on February
28, 2011 at the Urban Forestry Center, 45 Elwyn Road, Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The Advisory Panel
will meet from 9:00 am to Noon, followed by the Section meeting from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. Both groups will
review the performance of this year’s fishery as well as a draft Public Information Document (PID) for an
amendment to the Northern Shrimp Fishery Management Plan. The PID will seek public input on a number
of issues including gear modifications, limited entry, and clarification of the fishing mortality target. The
Section will consider approving the PID for public comment at this meeting. Upon its approval, the
document will be released for public comment. A subsequent press release will announce its availability as
well as the details of state-scheduled hearings
For more information, please contact Robert Beal, Director, Interstate Fisheries Management Program, at (703) 842-
0740.

ASMFC Northern Shrimp Section Schedules Conference Call to Review Landings Data and Discuss Management Options

Arlington, VA – The Commission’s Northern Shrimp Section will hold a meeting via conference call on
Monday, February 14, 2011 at 11:00 AM. The purpose of the call is to review preliminary northern shrimp
landings data and discuss potential management options to prevent significant landings overages that might
occur if the fishery continues through April 15.
The Northern Shrimp Section set the 2010/2011 fishing season at 136 days with the intention that landings
would not exceed 4,000 metric tons. When the Section set the season, it agreed to review the landings in
February to determine is an adjustment to the season is warranted.
Interested stakeholders may listen-in on the conference call at 1-877-679-3924 (Passcode # 751653).
Procedures for public comment during the call will be detailed at the beginning on the conference call.
Meeting materials can be found on the Commission website at
http://www.asmfc.org/meetings/NorthenShrimpSectionMtgMaterialsFeb14_2011.pdf
In addition to the conference call, the Northern Shrimp Advisory Panel and Section will meet on February
28, 2011 at the Urban Forestry Center, 45 Elwyn Road, Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The Advisory Panel
will meet from 9:00 am to Noon, followed by the Section meeting from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. Both the groups
will review the performance of this year’s fishery as well as a draft Public Information Document (PID) for
an amendment to the Northern Shrimp Fishery Management Plan. The PID will seek public input on a
number of issues including gear modifications, limited entry, and clarification of the fishing mortality target.
The Section will consider approving the PID for public comment at this meeting. Upon its approval, the
document will be released for public comment. A subsequent press release will announce its availability as
well as the details of state-scheduled hearings.
For more information, please contact Robert Beal, Director, Interstate Fisheries Management Program, at
(703) 842-0740.

Horseshoe Crab and Whelk Processors & Dealers Contribute $15,000 to Horseshoe Crab Survey

Arlington, VA – Members of the horseshoe crab and whelk industry from the Chesapeake Bay Packing,
LLC, Bernie's Conchs, LLC, LaMonica Fine Foods, Southern Connection Seafood, Inc., Sea King Corp.,
and Spot's Fish Company have collectively pledged $15,000 to support the Horseshoe Crab Trawl Survey
for 2011. Combined, the biomedical industry and whelk and horseshoe crab processors and dealers have
contributed more than $115,000 to conduct the survey this year.
Rick Robins, who coordinated the additional financial support for the survey, stated, "The Commission
deserves credit for putting the Delaware Bay regional horseshoe crab population on a solid path to recovery.
The Virginia Tech Horseshoe Crab Trawl Survey provides scientific information to the Commission that is
essential to the successful management of this ecologically and economically important fishery."
The survey, which has been administered by Virginia Tech since 2002, is the only survey designed to
sample the horseshoe crab population in coastal waters. Its data are a critical component of the coastwide
stock assessment and the new Adaptive Resource Management (ARM) framework, both of which were
endorsed through an independent peer review in 2009. The ARM framework includes modeling that links
management of horseshoe crab harvest to multispecies objectives, particularly red knot shorebird recovery.
It was developed jointly by the Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Geological Survey in
recognition of the importance of horseshoe crab eggs to shorebirds in the Delaware Bay Region.
“These contributions will go a long way to ensure that this essential survey is conducted at least in part in
2011,” stated Thomas O’Connell, ASMFC Horseshoe Crab Board Chair and Maryland DNR Fisheries
Service Director. “An additional $85,000 will enable the survey to be fully conducted in 2011 and may
allow for the continuance of the survey through 2012 if we can get matching funds. I sincerely thank and
commend both the biomedical and fishing industries for coming together to support horseshoe crab
management. Given these contributions, I am hopeful that other interested groups will come forward to help
support this important survey.”

States Schedule Hearings on Spiny Dogfish Addendum III

Public Comment Accepted Until March 4
Arlington, VA – Atlantic coastal states from Rhode Island through North Carolina have scheduled their
hearings to gather public comment on Draft Addendum III to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for
Spiny Dogfish. The dates, times, and locations of the scheduled meetings follow:

Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife
February 15, 2011; 5:00 PM
URI, Graduate School of Oceanography
Coastal Institute Auditorium
215 South Ferry Road
Narragansett, Rhode Island
Contact: Jason McNamee at (401) 423-1943

New York Dept. of Environmental
Conservation
February 22, 2011; 7:00 PM
Marine Resources Headquarters
205 North Bell Meade Road, Suite 1
East Setauket, New York
Contact: Steve Heins at (631) 444-0436

New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife
February 24, 2011; 7:00 PM
Nacote Creek Law Enforcement Office
360 Rt. 9 N. (milepost 51)
Port Republic, New Jersey
Contact: Pete Himchak at (609) 748-2020

Delaware Dept. of Natural Resources and
Environment Control
February 8, 2011; 6:00 PM
Shoreline and Waterway Management Section
Lewes Field Facility
901 Pilottown Road
Lewes, Delaware
Contact: Cynthia Cleaver at (302) 645-1061

Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources
February 9, 2011; 4:00 PM
Ocean Pines Library
11107 Cathell Road
Ocean Pines, Maryland
Contact: Carrie Kennedy at (410) 260-8295

Virginia Marine Resources Commission
February 15, 2011; 6:00 PM
2600 Washington Avenue, 4th Floor
Newport News, Virginia
Contact: Jack Travelstead at (757) 247-2247