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THE MFC ADVISOR Marine Fisheries Commission Business Meeting The MFC held a business meeting June 26-27 at the Brownstone Inn in Raleigh, North Carolina. The following members were in attendance: Mac Currin - Chairman, Dr. B.J. Copeland -Vice Chairman, David Beresoff, Dr. Barbara Garrity-Blake, Mikey Daniels, Rusty Russ, Bradley Styron and Marshall Williford. Dr. Jim Leutze was unable to attend the first day of the meeting. Motions and Actions Dr. B. J. Copeland was re-elected vice chairman of the MFC. Motion to approve and recommend the Coastal Habitat Protection Plan Implementation Plan with minor edits – motion passed unanimously. Fishery Management Plans Motion to approve the Notice of Text for bay scallop and SCFL eligibility proposed rules - motion passed unanimously. Motion to approve the FMP priority timeline - motion passed unanimously. Coastal Recreational Fishing License Motion to approve the Division of Marine Fisheries funding requests in support of the Coastal Recreational Fishing License implementation - motion passed unanimously. Waterfront Access Study Committee Suspension of Rules Motion to re-suspend the rules to continue to have zero-harvest of river herring in state waters – motion passed. N.C. House Bill 1017 Motion to send a letter to Senator Albertson expressing concern that the General Assembly’s impending action undermines the spirit and intent of the 1997 Fisheries Reform Act and usurps the authority of the MFC and that the issue is social and perceptual rather than a resource issue - motion passed unanimously. Stock Status Report Under the former definitions, a species was classified as overfished based on a stock assessment conducted by the DMF, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission or a National Marine Fisheries Service regional council. The new definitions address the assignment of a stock status to a species that has an unapproved or no stock assessment. Three species – scup, bay scallops and sharks – received a different stock status than they would have under the old definitions. Scup was downgraded from recovering to concern because there is no recent stock assessment and there is a lack of data to evaluate the stock status. Bay scallops moved from concern to depleted based on the lack of an active fishery in North Carolina. There is no stock assessment available, but effects of the red tide, hurricanes and predation have resulted in a low population. Sharks moved from recovering to concern because there is a lack of information on some species and unreliable stock assessments on others. Three species were upgraded in stock status for reasons other than the definitions change. Spiny dogfish are no longer overfished, according to a 2006 NMFS assessment. The stock was moved from overfished (depleted) to recovering because, though it is heading in the right direction, there is still apprehension related to the nature of the spiny dogfish’s life history and the reduction in number and sizes of females that could hinder successful expansion of the stock. Tautog was upgraded from depleted to concern because the latest stock assessment is unable to determine if the stock is overfished. Five species were downgraded in stock status for reasons other than the change in definitions. Black sea bass north of Hatteras moved from viable to concern because a recent Northeast Fisheries Science Center tagging study could not determine if the species is being overfished and a science panel rejected a 2006 stock assessment. Gag grouper moved from viable to concern because a South Atlantic Fishery Management Council stock assessment showed that while the supply of the fish is not yet exhausted, too many fish are being caught for the population to sustain itself over time. Monkfish shifted from recovering to concern because it is behind on a 10-year rebuilding schedule adopted in a Monkfish Fishery Management Plan in 1999 by the New England and Mid-Atlantic fishery management councils. Spot was downgraded from viable to concern because landings and fishing effort has dropped. There are also indications of a long, slow decline in the abundance of spot all along the Atlantic coast. Weakfish changed from concern to depleted based on the results of the most recent ASMFC stock assessment. There is little evidence of overfishing. The stock appears to be declining because of natural mortality. Management measures to reduce fishing effort should be in place by October. To review this report in detail, visit the DMF Web site at http://www.ncdmf.net/stocks/index.html. Green Stick Comments Motion to send a letter to the National Marine Fisheries Service stating the MFC’s support of green sticks and asking NMFS to defining green sticks and permit them as an allowable gear in the General Category tuna fishery - motion passed unanimously. Meeting adjourned. 2007 Meeting Schedule: |