National Marine Fisheries Service

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National Marine Fisheries Service Scoping
Document for Atlantic Striped Bass Fishery
Management
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What is Scoping?
Under the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA), Federal agencies are to have an early and
open process for determining the scope of issues
to be addressed and for identifying the
significant issues related to a proposed action.
This process is called - scoping.
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Atlantic Striped Bass Management

• Atlantic striped bass are managed
• under the authority of Atlantic Striped Bass
  Conservation Act
• based on the Interstate Fishery Management Plan
  for Atlantic Striped Bass, developed and
  implemented by the Atlantic States Marine
  Fisheries Commission (ASMFC)

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NOAA Fisheries Role in Striped Bass Management

• Under the Act, the Secretary of Commerce
  implements regulations in the exclusive economic
  zone (EEZ) that he determines
• are consistent with the national standards in
  Section 301 of the Magnuson Fishery Conservation
  and Management Act
• are compatible with the Plan and each Federal
  moratorium in effect on fishing for Atlantic
  striped bass within the coastal waters of a
  coastal state

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NOAA Fisheries Role in Striped Bass Management
(contd)

• Regulations that
• ensure the effectiveness of State regulations on
  fishing for Atlantic striped bass within the
  coastal waters of a coastal state
• are sufficient to assure the long-term
  conservation of Atlantic striped bass populations

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ASMFC - Atlantic Striped Bass Management

• Atlantic Striped Bass Interstate Fishery
  Management Plan
• first adopted in 1981
• Four FMP Amendments (1981 - 1994)
• provided series of management measures leading to
  rebuilding of the stocks
• Amendment 5 (1995)
• Declared Atlantic striped bass population fully
  restored
• Goals- To perpetuate the stock
• - To allow commercial recreational
  harvest
• Population expanded to record levels of abundance
  

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Atlantic Striped Bass Management (contd)

• Amendment 6 2003
• Developed over four years
• Addresses maintenance of a recovered population
• Goal- to prevent overfishing while allowing
  growth in both commercial and recreational
  fisheries
• Involved extensive input from technical and
  industry advisors, and numerous opportunities for
  the public to comment on future management

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Atlantic Striped Bass Management (contd)

• Amendment 6
• Incorporated results of the most recent Atlantic
  striped bass stock assessment
• Included new targets and thresholds for fishing
  mortality and spawning stock biomass
• Included recommendations to the Secretary on
  development of complementary measures in the EEZ

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Stock Assessment(Amendment 6)

• Developed by the Atlantic Coast States, the
  ASMFC, NOAA Fisheries, and the U.S. Fish and
  Wildlife Service
• 2001 stock assessment concluded
• overall abundance of the stock is very high
• fishing mortality remains below the target rate
• stocks abundance increased steadily 1982 - 1997,
  stable now
• fishing mortality rate increased until 1999,
  decreased slightly in 2000

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Management Standards

• Targets AND Thresholds
• Fishing Mortality Female Spawning
• Rate (F) Stock Biomass (SSB)
• Target F0.30 38.6 Million Pounds
• Threshold F0.41 30.9 Million Pounds
• Also
• Fisheries Dependent Monitoring requirements
• Triggers - to allow quick response if thresholds
  are crossed

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Management Standards

• Fishery-Dependent Monitoring Programs
• Commercial Catch Composition
• Commercial Catch and Effort
• Recreational Catch Composition
• Recreational Catch and Effort

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Amendment 6- Management Triggers

• Fishing Mortality Rate (F)- Trigger
• If F threshold is exceeded in any one year, the F
  will be lowered to a level that is at or below
  the target within one year
• If the F target is exceeded in two consecutive
  years and the female SSB falls below the target
  within either of those years, the fishing
  mortality rate will be reduced to a level that is
  at or below the target within one year.

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Amendment 6- Management Triggers

• Female Spawning Stock Biomass (SSB)
• If SSB falls below the threshold in any given
  year, the biomass will be rebuilt to the target
  level within a set timeframe (not greater than 10
  years)
• If SSB falls below the target for two consecutive
  years and F exceeds the target in either of those
  years, the biomass will be rebuilt to a level
  that is at or above the target within a set
  timeframe (not greater than 10 years)

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Spawning Stock Biomass Surveys

• New York Hudson River
• Pennsylvania Delaware River
• Delaware Delaware River
• Maryland Upper Chesapeake Bay
• Potomac River
• Virginia Rappahannock River
• James River
• North Carolina Roanoke River
• Albemarle Sound

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Amendment 6- Management Triggers

• Juvenile Abundance Indices (JAI)
• JAIs will be examined annually
• If any JAI shows recruitment failure (a JAI lt 75
  of all other values in the data set) for three
  consecutive years, then the cause of the
  recruitment failure (e.g. fishing mortality,
  environmental conditions, disease etc.) will be
  reviewed and the appropriate management action
  will be determined.

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Juvenile Abundance Index Surveys

• Maine Kennebec River
• New York Hudson River
• New Jersey Delaware River
• Maryland Chesapeake Bay Tributaries
• Virginia Chesapeake Bay Tributaries
• North Carolina Albemarle Sound

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Additional Amendment 6 Action

• Amendment 6 also restores the coastal commercial
  fishery to the average landings during 1972-1979
  (3.8 million lbs), provided jurisdictions
  implement a 28-inch minimum size limit.
• The impact to the stock is expected to be
  negligible because this amounts to only a 4
  increase to total striped bass landings at time
  when the stock has expanded to record levels of
  abundance.

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Recommendation to the Secretary Complementary
measures in the EEZ

• Remove the moratorium on the harvest of Atlantic
  striped bass in the EEZ (note the EEZ has been
  closed since 1990)
• Implement a 28-inch minimum size limit for
  recreational and commercial Atlantic striped bass
  fisheries in the EEZ
• Allow states the ability to adopt more
  restrictive rules for fishermen and vessels
  licensed in their jurisdictions

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ASMFC Rationale for EEZ Recommendation

• Population declared fully restored in 1995, due
  in part to a closure of the EEZ in 1990 to
  striped bass harvest
• Expectations among all stakeholders that past
  sacrifices would result in future opportunities
  to harvest
• Population has recovered to point where further
  examination of an EEZ fishery is appropriate

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ASMFC Rationale for EEZ Recommendation

• Recreational and commercial catches are already
  occurring in the EEZ these fish are required to
  be discarded (there are illegal landings).
  Opening the EEZ will convert some discards to
  landings.
• Commercial harvest is controlled by quotas with
  overages taken from the next years quotas
• Commercial quota will be landed regardless of
  whether or not the EEZ is opened

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Atlantic Striped Bass Amendment 6 - Data

• Commercial and Recreational Landings
• Distribution of Landings and Discards
• Fishing Mortality Rate (F) trend
• Spawning Stock Biomass (SSB) - trend

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(No Transcript)
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Distribution of Striped Bass Recreational and
Commercial Landings and Discards (s, 2001)
Commercial Discard
Commercial Harvest
Recreational Harvest
Recreational Discard
Total 4,341,455 Fish
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Atlantic Striped Bass - Fishing Mortality Rate
Threshold 0.41
F (ages 4-13)
Target 0.30
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Target 38.6
Threshold 30.9
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UPDATE Atlantic Striped Bass 2003 Stock
Assessment Results

• stock abundance is very high
• fishing mortality in 2002 (F0.35) was slightly
  above the target fishing mortality (F0.31) but
  below the fishing mortality threshold (F0.41)
• Adult stock size (ages 8-13) during 2001-2003 was
  the highest in the last two decades
• Strong cohorts, such as 1993, 1996 and 2001-2002
  year classes, have contributed to high biomass
  levels

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UPDATE Atlantic Striped Bass 2003 Stock
Assessment Results

• Conclusion
• Overall, the Atlantic stocks of striped bass
  appear to be abundant in number, capable of
  producing strong incoming year classes and are
  being fished at levels within the bounds of the
  current Fishery Management Plan.

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UPDATE Atlantic Striped Bass 2003 Stock
Assessment Results

• Changes to assumptions and methods in 2003
  assessment led to
• changes in estimates of F time series
• changes in estimates of SSB time series

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UPDATE
Threshold
Target
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UPDATE
Target
Threshold
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UPDATE Distribution of Striped Bass Recreational
and Commercial Landings and Discards 2002
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NOAA Fisheries process

• Published ANPR two 30-day comment periods
  requesting information and issues the agency
  should consideration in addressing the
  Commissions recommendation
• Consultations with the Mid-Atlantic, New England,
  and South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils

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General Summary of Comments, Issues and Concerns
Raised During Atlantic Striped Bass ANPR
Comment Periods
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In support of ASMFC recommendation

• Opening the EEZ
• will not increase pressure on the resource, it
  will just spread it out
• will relieve congestion within state waters,
  improving safety
• will not lead to an increase in boat purchases
• will allow legal size discarded bycatch to be
  landed within commercial quota, which will make
  more efficient use of the stock without affecting
  mortality rates
• The moratorium was to be temporary, just until
  the striped bass population had recovered.
• The EEZ is an historical striped bass fishing
  ground.

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In support of ASMFC recommendation

• Controls are in place within the states, under
  Amendment 6, to effectively manage the striped
  bass stock.
• If the EEZ isnt opened, then enforce the closure
  .
• The reasons to keep EEZ closed are political, not
  biological.
• Striped bass mortality is below the threshold
  level.
• Any overages in commercial quota will be taken
  off the following years quota.
• Monitoring requirements and management triggers
  contained in Amendment 6 would allow for quick
  action if needed for additional stock
  conservation.
• State control at point of landing works,
  regardless of where the fish are caught.
• Catch and release mortality will not increase
  since offshore waters are cooler- less stress on
  fish.

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In opposition to ASMFC recommendation

• Opening the EEZ will
• create conflict between state and federal
  jurisdictions for states with gamefish status
  (ME, NH, CT, NJ, PA, DC, SC).
• disrupt States ability to manage striped bass
  population.
• result in an increase in commercial catch.
• result in an increase in mortality rate.
• result in greater harvest of larger, older
  breeders (the EEZ is a refuge for large fish)
• result in directed fishing for larger, older
  striped bass which is counter to the intent of
  Amendment 6 to increase the number of these fish.
• result in landings in excess of target mortality
  rate set in Amendment 6.
• create a new fishery in the EEZ.

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In opposition to ASMFC recommendation

• Prior to opening the EEZ, issues that should be
  addressed, include
• bycatch problems
• high grading in both commercial and recreational
  fisheries
• questionable population estimates- despite some
  highly questionable population estimates from
  ASMFC- the nearshore population has declined.
• the effect of trans-shipped catches.
• the impact of the relaxing of both recreational
  and commercial regulations as allowed for in
  Amendment 6.

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In opposition to ASMFC recommendation

• Health concerns
• micro bacterial infections are increasing natural
  mortality of the Chesapeake Bay stock
• PCBs off NY NJ cause human health problems
• The Secretary of Commerce is precluded from
  implementing the proposed action under ASBCA
• it will disrupt the conservation and management
  regime of striped bass
• it will not ensure the effectiveness of state
  regulations
• it will not be consistent with National
  standards.

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In opposition to ASMFC recommendation

• The EEZ should not be opened unless it can be
  determined that such actions would not disrupt
  management of striped bass by the states.
• The recommendation to open the EEZ was not
  supported by a majority of the states.
• Recreational fishing is worth more and
  recreational fishermen release fish, dead fish
  only benefit commercial fishermen.

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NOAA Fisheries process (contd)

• Begin NEPA and rulemaking processes
• Public scoping meetings in interested States to
  identify additional issues and management
  alternatives that should be considered in the
  NEPA process (written comments will be accepted
  throughout the scoping period which closes at
  500pm December 22, 2003)
• Develop all NEPA documents (DEIS) and complete
  socio-economic analyses and reports

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NOAA Fisheries process (contd)

• Publish Notice of Availability of DEIS in Federal
  Register
• Hold Public hearings on DEIS and associated
  alternatives
• Determine whether to move forward with proposed
  rule

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What we need from you
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Information Sought During Scoping Process

• Concerns/issues NOAA Fisheries should address in
  development of EIS, such as
• Stock status
• Differences in distribution of stock in EEZ
  (large fish??)
• Bycatch and/or discard mortality
• Enforcement
• Health issues (striped bass and human)
• Others, identified in scoping process

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Information Sought During Scoping Process

• Alternative measures that NOAA Fisheries should
  evaluated, such as
• Different size limits
• Different bag limits
• Gear restrictions commercial and/or
  recreational
• Season and/or area closures
• Others, identified in scoping process

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Address Scoping Comments to

• Anne M. Lange
• Chief, State-Federal Fisheries Division
• Office of Sustainable Fisheries
• National Marine Fisheries Service
• 1315 East-West Highway
• Silver Spring, MD 20910
• (FAX- 301-713-0596)
• All comments must be received at the above
  address
• NO LATER THAN 500 pm Monday December 22, 2003