Examples in Fisheries Governance

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Examples in Fisheries Governance
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Examples

• New England Fishery Management Council
• Northeast Multispecies FMP
• Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
• Atlantic Striped Bass FMP

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Council FMP Processs

• Councils prepare FMPs and Amendments
• hold public hearings and meetings to consider
  public input, and
• submit recommendations to the NMFS for review,
  approval, and implementation.
•  NMFS, reviews Council recommendations
• for conformance with applicable laws and
  approves, disapproves, or partially approves the
  FMPs.
• implements approved measures by issuing final
  regulations.
• cannot alter Council recommendations can only
  approve or disapprove them if they do not comply
  with applicable laws.

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New England Fishery Management Council
Northeast Multispecies FMP
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Northeast Multispecies FMP

• Fifteen species of groundfish
• Twelve species managed as large mesh species,
  based on fish size and type of gear used to
  harvest the fish
• Atlantic cod, haddock, pollock, yellowtail
  flounder, witch flounder, winter flounder,
  windowpane flounder, American plaice, Atlantic
  halibut, redfish, ocean pout and white hake.
• Three species are managed under a separate small
  mesh multispecies program
• silver hake (whiting), red hake, and offshore hake

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Groundfish

• Groundfish species exhibit unique body types,
  behaviors and habitat preferences,
• But- all are demersal - living near the bottom
  and feeding on benthic organisms.
• Groundfish are found throughout New England
  waters, from the Gulf of Maine to Southern New
  England

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Northeast Multispecies FMP

• Implemented in 1986 to
• reduce fishing mortality of heavily fished
  groundfish stocks and
• to promote rebuilding to sustainable biomass
  levels.
• Managed by
• seasonal and year-round area closures,
• gear restrictions
• minimum fish size limits
• trip limits
• limited access and
• restrictions on the number of days-at-sea.

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Northeast Multispecies FMP

• FMP has been amended and adjusted through the
  Councils public process.
• Amendment 13- adopted in Dec. 2003 to
• further reduce fishing mortality some stocks
• specific measures to limit fishing effort
• address bycatch issues, and
• protect Essential Fish Habitat (EFH)
• Includes commercial and recreational measures

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Keeping Up (with the Fish Stocks and the Fishery)

• FMP includes Framework Provisions
• Currently over 40 versions of the FMP
• Frameworks are incorporated into FMP Amendments
  to allow adjustments in specific management
  measures, contemplated during FMP developmen,
  without having to go through the complete
  Amendment process.

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ASMFC
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Atlantic Striped Bass
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Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act (ASBCA)
provisions

• ASMFC
• Develops FMP
• Monitors implementation and enforcement
• Secretary of Commerce
• regulates in EEZ
• Consistent with national standards
• compatible with FMP and each Federal moratorium
• ensure the effectiveness of State regulations in
  coastal waters and
• are sufficient to assure the long-term
  conservation of Atlantic striped bass populations
• Moratorium authority in state waters (with
  Interior)

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ASMFC Striped Bass FMP

• First adopted in 1981
• underwent six Amendments, through 2003
• initial FMP and its first four Amendments
  provided a series of management measures that
  lead to the rebuilding of the Atlantic striped
  bass stocks
• Amendment 4 (1989) addressed reopening of fishery
  during the initial period of stock recovery.
• adaptive strategy allowed revisions to management
  measures
• resulted in adoption of six successive Addendums
  to Amendment 4, during 1989-1994, and
• declaration of recovery, as of January 1, 1995

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Striped Bass FMP

• Amendment 5 established the management program
  for the recovered striped bass stock
• management program for the commercial and
  recreational fisheries based on maintaining
  target fishing mortality
• recreational fishery regulated with creel and
  size limits
• commercial fishery regulated with annual quota
• Commission adopted five addenda to respond to
  changing circumstances in the fishery.
• Management became cumbersome due to the large
  range of management programs implemented by the
  states and jurisdictions.
• concerns Amendment did not include enough
  safeguards to prevent exceeding the fishing
  mortality targets.

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Striped Bass FMP

• February 2003- Commission adopted Amendment 6,
  replacing all previous amendments and addenda.
• The goal of Amendment 6 is
• "To perpetuate, through cooperative interstate
  fishery management, migratory stocks of striped
  bass to allow a commercial and recreational
  fisheries consistent with the long-term
  maintenance of a broad age structure, a
  self-sustaining spawning stock and also to
  provide for the restoration and maintenance of
  their essential habitat" (ASMFC 2003).

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Striped Bass FMP

• Amendment 6 adopted the following objectives
• prevent overfishing
• maintain the spawning stock biomass
• provide consistent measures while allowing the
  flexibility
• foster quality and economically viable fisheries
  
• maximize the cost effectiveness information
  gathering and while minimizing costs of
  monitoring and management
• adopt a long-term management regime and
• establish a fishing mortality target that
  increases older striped bass (age 15 and older)
  in the population.

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Striped Bass FMP

• Amendment 6 also introduced the control rule as a
  tool to determine the status of the striped bass
  population, by
• establishing target and threshold values for
  fishing mortality rate and
• establishing target and threshold values for
  female spawning stock biomass.

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Striped Bass FMP

• EEZ Regulations
• Moratorium in place since November 1990
• NMFS initiated opening in 1995, but withdrew
  proposed rule
• Amendment 6
• Included recommendation to Secretary to open EEZ
• NMFS is in process of addressing regulation

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Beyond the FMP

• Areas/issue of Concern
• Ecosystem impacts
• Predator/prey
• Habitat
• Disease?
• Economic impacts
• Recreational vs. Commercial