NMFS issues final specifications for the 2013 and 2014 Atlantic bluefish fishery, including annual catch limits, total allowable landings, commercial quotas and recreational harvest limits, and a recreational possession limit. This action establishes the allowable 2013 and 2014 harvest levels and other management measures to achieve the target fishing mortality rate, consistent with the Atlantic Bluefish Fishery Management Plan and the recommendations of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council.
The final specifications for the 2013 and 2014 Atlantic bluefish fishery are effective June 6, 2013, through December 31, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the specifications document, including the
Environmental Assessment and Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis
(EA/IRFA) and other supporting documents for the specifications, are
available from Dr. Christopher M. Moore, Executive Director, Mid-
Atlantic Fishery Management Council, Suite 201, 800 N. State Street,
Dover, DE 19901. The specifications document is also accessible via the
Internet at: http://www.nero.noaa.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carly Bari, Fishery Management
Specialist, (978) 281-9224.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Atlantic bluefish fishery is managed cooperatively by the Mid-
Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and the Atlantic States
Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission). The management unit for
bluefish specified in the Atlantic Bluefish Fishery Management Plan
(FMP) is U.S. waters of the western Atlantic Ocean. Regulations
implementing the FMP appear at 50 CFR part 648, subparts A and J. The
regulations requiring annual specifications are found at Sec. 648.162.
The FMP requires the Council to recommend, on an annual basis, an
annual catch limit (ACL), annual catch target (ACT), and total
allowable landings (TAL) that will control fishing mortality (F). The
Council may also recommend a research set-aside (RSA) quota, which is
deducted from the bluefish TALs (after any applicable transfer) in an
amount proportional to the percentage of the overall TAL as allocated
to the commercial and recreational sectors.
Pursuant to Sec. 648.162, the annual review process for bluefish
requires that the Council's Bluefish Monitoring Committee and
Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) review and make
recommendations based on the best available data. Based on the
recommendations of the Monitoring Committee and SSC, the Council makes
a recommendation to the NMFS Northeast Regional Administrator. Because
this FMP is a joint plan, the Commission also meets during the annual
specification process to adopt complementary measures.
The Council's recommendations must include supporting documentation
concerning the environmental, economic, and social impacts of the
recommendations. NMFS is responsible for reviewing these
recommendations to assure that they achieve the FMP objectives, and may
modify them if they do not. NMFS then publishes proposed specifications
based on the recommendations in the Federal Register, and after
considering public comment, NMFS publishes final specifications in the
Federal Register. A proposed rule for this action published in the
Federal Register on February 20, 2013 (78 FR 11809), and comments were
accepted through March 7, 2013.
Final 2013 Specifications
A description of the process used to estimate bluefish stock status
and fishing mortality, as well as the process for deriving the ACL and
associated quotas and harvest limits, is provided in the proposed rule
and in the bluefish regulations at Sec. Sec. 648.160 through 648.162.
The stock is not overfished or experiencing overfishing, and the catch
limits described below reflect the best available scientific
information on bluefish. The final 2013 bluefish ABC, ACL, and ACT are
specified at 27.472 million lb (12,461 mt).
The ACT is initially allocated between the recreational fishery (83
percent = 22.801 million lb, 10,342 mt) and the commercial fishery (17
percent = 4.670 million lb, 2,118 mt). After deducting an estimate of
recreational discards (commercial discards are considered negligible),
the recreational TAL would be 19.190 million lb (8,704 mt) and the
commercial TAL would be 4.670 million lb (2,118 mt).
However, the FMP specifies that, if 17 percent of the ACT is less
than 10.5 million lb, and the recreational fishery is not projected to
land its harvest limit for the upcoming year, the commercial fishery
may be allocated up to 10.5 million lb as its quota, provided that the
combination of the projected recreational landings and the commercial
quota does not exceed the ACT. The recreational harvest limit (RHL)
would then be adjusted downward so that the ACT would be unchanged.
Based on updated data, the recreational fishery landed 11,184,173 lb
(5,073 mt) of bluefish in 2012. Assuming recreational landings in 2013
are consistent with those from 2012, the Council's proposed transfer of
4.686 million lb (2,126 mt) from the recreational sector to the
commercial sector can be approved. This transfer results in an adjusted
commercial quota of 9.357 million lb (4,244 mt), and an adjusted RHL of
14.504 million lb (6,579 mt).
Final 2013 RSA, Commercial Quota, and RHL
Two projects that will utilize bluefish RSA were approved by NOAA's
Grants Management Division. A total RSA quota of 715,819 lb (325 mt)
was approved for use by these projects during 2013. Proportional
adjustments of this amount to the commercial and recreational
allocations result in a final commercial quota of 9.076 million lb
(4,117 mt) and a final RHL of 14.069 million lb (6,382 mt).
Final 2014 Specifications
The final 2014 bluefish ABC, ACL, and ACT are specified at 27.057
million lb (12,273 mt). The ACT is initially allocated between the
recreational fishery (83 percent = 22.458 million lb, 10,187 mt) and
the commercial fishery (17 percent = 4.600 million lb, 2,087 mt). After
deducting an estimate of recreational discards (commercial discards are
considered negligible), the recreational TAL would be 18.846 million lb
(8,548 mt) and the commercial TAL would be 4.600 million lb (2,087 mt).
Assuming recreational landings in 2014 are consistent with those
from 2012, the Council's proposed transfer of 4.342 million lb (1,969
mt) from the recreational sector to the commercial sector can be
approved. This transfer results in an adjusted commercial quota of
8.942 million lb (4,056 mt), and an adjusted RHL of 14.504 million lb
(6,579 mt).
Final 2014 RSA, Commercial Quota, and RHL
The Council preliminarily approved 703,385 lb (319 mt) of RSA quota
for future research projects. Proportional adjustments of this amount
to the commercial and recreational allocations results in a final
commercial quota of 8.674 million lb (3,934 mt) and a final RHL of
14.069 million lb (6,382 mt).
Final Recreational Possession Limit
The current recreational possession limit of up to 15 fish per
person is maintained to achieve the RHL for both 2013 and 2014.
Final State Commercial Allocations
The final state commercial quotas for 2013 and the preliminary 2014
commercial quotas are shown in Table 1, based on the percentages
specified in the FMP. If any state overages occur in 2013 that alter
the 2014 quotas, NMFS will publish a rule to implement the revised 2014
quotas.
Table 1--Final Bluefish Commercial State-by-State Allocations for 2013 and 2014
[Including RSA deductions]
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2013 Commercial 2013 Commercial 2014 Commercial 2014 Commercial
State Percent share quota (lb) quota (kg) quota (lb) quota (kg)
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ME....................................................... 0.6685 60,673 27,521 57,985 26,302
NH....................................................... 0.4145 37,620 17,064 35,953 16,308
MA....................................................... 6.7167 609,606 276,513 582,603 264,264
RI....................................................... 6.8081 617,902 280,275 590,531 267,860
CT....................................................... 1.2663 114,929 52,131 109,838 49,822
NY....................................................... 10.3851 942,548 427,533 900,796 408,595
NJ....................................................... 14.8162 1,344,713 609,952 1,285,146 582,933
DE....................................................... 1.8782 170,465 77,322 162,914 73,897
MD....................................................... 3.0018 272,443 123,578 260,374 118,104
VA....................................................... 11.8795 1,078,179 489,054 1,030,419 467,390
NC....................................................... 32.0608 2,909,829 1,319,876 2,780,933 1,261,410
SC....................................................... 0.0352 3,195 1,449 3,053 1,385
GA....................................................... 0.0095 862 391 824 374
FL....................................................... 10.0597 913,014 414,136 872,570 395,792
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Total................................................ 100.0001 9,075,976 4,116,795 8,673,941 3,934,435
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Comments and Responses
The public comment period for the proposed rule ended on March 7,
2013. Two comments were received from individuals on the proposed rule.
A summary and response to the concerns raised by the commenters are
included below.
Comment 1: One commenter generally criticized NMFS and the data
used to set catch limits, but had no clear evidence to support their
claims.
Response: Atlantic bluefish are not overfished, nor are they
subject to overfishing; therefore, there is no scientific basis for
making changes to the quotas based on this comment. NMFS used the best
scientific information available and is approving specifications for
the bluefish fishery that are consistent with the FMP and
recommendations of the Council.
Comment 2: A charter/party boat operator in the Atlantic bluefish
fishery in Massachusetts opposed the recreational possession limit of
15 fish due to increased fishing pressure and recommended reducing the
possession limit.
Response: Atlantic bluefish are not overfished; nor are they
subject to overfishing. There is no scientific basis for reducing the
recreational possession limit. The RHL has not been exceeded in recent
years with a possession limit of 15 fish, so it appears that a
reduction in the possession limit would unnecessarily reduce
recreational landings. NMFS used the best scientific information
available and is approving specifications for the bluefish fishery that
are consistent with the FMP and the recommendations of the Council.