Extreme black sea bass catch reductions

Saltwater Offshore Discussion
1

Because of Florence, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council postponed its meeting in Charleston scheduled for this week and rescheduled it for September 30-October 5.

The SAFMC will consider changing the Annual Catch Limits for vermilion snapper and black sea bass based on recent stock assessments. Click here for the amendment: https://goo.gl/QvsxZs

For this there is both good and bad news.

The good news is that the proposed total vermilion snapper ACL for 2019 would be 24 percent higher than the current ACL.

The bad news is that the proposed total black sea bass ACL for 2019 would be 57 percent lower – nearly 1 million lbs. – than the current ACL, even though black sea bass are not overfished or experiencing overfishing.

Because only 36 percent of the total black sea bass ACL was landed in 2017, the reduction at least for 2019 may not be impactful, but after that it could have significant impacts.

That’s because the total black sea bass ACL would actually decrease even further in 2020 and 2021, with the 2021 ACL 63 percent lower than the current ACL.

For 2020 and 2021, based on current landings, the commercial ACL would be met in November and the fishery would close and the recreational fishery would come perilously close to closing, with about 90 percent of the ACLs projected to be landed.

If that’s not enough, the black sea bass stock assessment and proposed ACLs are based on current Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) landings estimates, which are going to change this fall, up or down, for many species based on a recalibration caused by a change in MRIP survey methods. The SAFMC is scheduled to incorporate these revised MRIP numbers for black sea bass, vermilion snapper, blueline tilefish and red grouper at its meeting in December.

Click here to read SAFMC Executive Director Gregg Waugh’s column about the MRIP recalibration - starts on page four:
http://safmc.net/download/Summer2018Update.pdf

2

Safmc have bumped their dam heads!

If it fly’s, floats, or, friggs, rent it!

3

Flawed science. SAFMC can go to hell.

“Another poon dream splintered on the rocks of reality.” --Peepod 07-25-2017

4

What a circus. Didn’t they just use their unicorn magic fish calculator to raise the limit like 2 years ago?

5

BSB are the cockroaches of the ocean. Quite abundant from Maine to Argentina. When such a huge range, what makes the SAFMC think they can have an effect on the population when they have no control of less than 10% of the populations area?

6

Tom, what happened to amendment 47?

7

I give up.

SAFMC you suck!

8

How the hell do we go about disbanding this non-functional unit. Nothing but a bunch of jackasses with self-serving interests. Return the control back to the states

.
PROUD YANKEE

Oyster Baron

NMFS = No More Fishing Season

“Back home we got a taxidermy man. He gonna have a heart attack when he see what I brung him”

9

I read through the MRIP recalibration. Not sure how reported catches will help set the limits if the size regulations already lead to low numbers of legal, or landed, or reported, fish.

They even go as far to admit that the method is flawed.

“to provide data not currently collected and to improve estimates of fish caught (and released), especially important for offshore species that MRIP does not cover well.”

Out of curiosity, I went and found a study on the size distribution of BSB. You can see in the chart below that the frequency for fish over 13", or 330mm, is pretty low. Which means you’re not going to find too many of them. In turn, reported numbers will be low.

This past January, a friend and I ran over to the Edisto 60 to do some bottom fishing. In a couple hours, we easily caught 100+ BSB. Out of all of those, we had 3 that were above the 13.25" I feel comfortable keeping. So if I would have reported to MRIP, it would look as if we only caught 3 BSB all day, and that there must not be many of them out there!

I do not know if this is how it works as there really is no detail in this paper on how they are actually calculating the health of the BSB population. It’s a little frustrating since we had plenty of nice 12"-13" fish that would have made great meals, but had to toss back.

On the other hand, it seems like a good majority of the Vermillion Snapper we catch are within legal limits. We never seem to have issues limiting out on them.

P.S. : Am I reading this right? Commercial fisherman can keep 11" BSB? And it’s the recreational guy who is decimating the populations?

Sailfish 236

I’m the rickest rick there is.
-Rick

10
quote:
Originally posted by natureboy

Tom, what happened to amendment 47?

Limiting or reducing the number of charter and head boats in the snapper-grouper fishery is still on the agenda for consideration. The comments received by the SAFMC were overwhelmingly against – 95 percent were opposed.

Tom Swatzel
Executive Director
Council for Sustainable Fishing
www.Sustainablefishing.org

11

I’d like to see it at 8" and a 30 man limit. Some going through a hundred to find 2-3 keepers? That’s ridiculous and the SAMFC should realise this. I’m not any kind of scientist, but it doesn’t take one to know the BSB population like ARS is not in danger.

Bottom line all this bs being dumped on the recreational fisherman is just about money and people trying to flex their tiny muscles through power gained from being in a position of control.

12

Thanks Tom. I was hoping that the council would see the 97% negative comments and kill the amendment. I guess they have their own agenda.

Before , when the council first severely restricted BSB, and then after a relatively short time they increased the rec catch limit. I heard Greg Waugh take full credit for the rebounding of the resource . It was so obvious to the rec fishers that BSB were never needed protection, yet the SAFMC found that the plan to restrict was going to be pushed through… how arrogant can they get?

13

To qoute Lindsey Graham…”Sham”

SAFMC you suck!

14

What’s the cliff notes of the ruling.

How many?
Same size limit?
When does it go into effect?

“I am constantly amazed at the stupidity of the general public.”
~my dad

Equipment:
2007 Grady White 222 Fisherman / 250 Yamaha
Simrad NSS evo2 and G4
1- 23 boy that won’t move out)
1 - 19 year old (fishing maniac)
1 - wife (The Warden)

ECFC