Chesapeake Bay News

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently announced a statewide moratorium on the harvest of river herring (blueback and alewife herring).

The moratorium follows a 93 percent drop in commercial river herring landings along the Atlantic Coast since 1985. The Maryland commercial harvest of river herring has been falling since the early 1970s when the yearly average was about 700,000 pounds. From 2005 to 2010 the average was just 35,200 pounds.

Prior to the collapse of river herring populations, both species supported fisheries of significant socio-economic value. Maryland is one of several states that are taking action to restore river herring.

River herring and other fish species that travel between Atlantic Coast states from Maine to Florida are managed cooperatively by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC).

Every state from Maine to Florida was required to implement a harvest moratorium by January 1, 2012, unless sustainability of their fishery was demonstrated through State-specific management plans.

The new regulations affect bait shops as well as anglers that possess herring for use as bait. Fishermen in possession of river herring as bait will need to have a receipt indicating where the herring was purchased. This will allow bait shops to sell, and fishermen to possess, river herring for bait that was harvested from a State whose fishery remains open, as an ASMFC approved sustainable fishery.

States with open river herring fisheries include New York, Maine, New Hampshire, South Carolina and North Carolina.

For more information, visit dnr.state.md.us/fisheries.

source: MD DNR

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will host two open houses in October to present proposed commercial striped bass regulatory and administrative changes. During the open houses, the public will be given opportunities for questions and comments.

The proposed changes specifically deal with the filing of inaccurate reports by check stations/individual fishermen and illegal application of striped bass tags.

Participants will be able to talk one-on-one with DNR Fisheries Service staff, and register comments on the proposed changes. The public is invited to arrive at any time during the event and spend as much time as desired.

Public comments may also be submitted via fax at (410) 260-8310, by email to fisheriespubliccomment@dnr.state.md.us.

The public comment period runs through October 24. Final administrative and regulatory changes are scheduled to go into effect on on November 28, 2011.

The proposed regulatory and administrative changes are available at http://dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/regulations/proposedregulations.asp

The open houses are scheduled as follows:

Tuesday, October 4 from 3 to 8 p.m.
BG Louis G. Smith Armory, 7111 Ocean Gateway, Easton, Md.
Thursday, October 6 from 3 to 8 p.m.
Earleigh Heights Volunteer Fire Company, 161 Ritchie Highway, Severna Park, Md.

source: Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Virginia Marine Resources Commissioner Steven G. Bowman has temporarily lifted the time-of-day restrictions on the commercial harvest of crabs, in order to give crabbers plenty of time to get their gear out of the water before Hurricane Irene hits Virginia. The powerful storm is expected to make landfall in Virginia on Sunday.

Commercial crabbing hours at this time of year are limited to 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. Those daily harvest hour limits will not apply for Thursday Aug. 25 through Saturday Aug. 27, 2011.

Lifting the time of day restrictions on the commercial harvest of crabs is permitted under Regulation 270, Section 30: “D. The lawful daily time periods for the commercial harvest of crabs by crab pot or peeler pot may be rescinded by the Commissioner of Marine Resources when he determines that a pending weather event is sufficient cause for the removal of crab pots from the tidal waters of the Commonwealth.”

source: Virginia Marine Resources Commission

The State of Maryland has enacted several new regulations that pertain to commmercial fisheries and shellfish aquaculture.  According to Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources, the regulations are designed to deter harmful fishing activity by increasing penalties for oyster, blue crab, and striped bass poachers; authorizing Natural Resources Police (NRP) officers to inspect commercial fishing business’s storage areas; and streamlining penalty imposition processes.

Senate Bill 159 and House Bill 273 require the revocation (through an administrative hearing) of an individual’s commercial fishing license within 60 days of oyster poaching violations.

Similarly, Senate Bill 635 and House Bill 1154 require the revocation of an individual’s commercial fishing license if they are found by an Administrative Law Judge to have knowingly committed an egregious or repeat violation against striped bass or blue crabs including: using illegal gear; harvesting during closed seasons; harvesting from a closed area; violating established harvest, catch or size limits; or violating tagging and reporting requirements.

Senate Bill 655, along with House Bill 1225, increase the penalty for engaging in commercial fishing with a suspended license, a revoked license or without a license, by establishing a fine of up to $25,000 and imprisonment for up to one year.  A higher fine and possible imprisonment will deter future violations resulting from fishing on a suspended commercial license.

Governor O’Malley also signed into law bills that will streamline administrative hearings for natural resource violations and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of law enforcement officers.

Senate Bill 414 and House Bill 396 authorize NRP officers to inspect licensed commercial vessels, vehicles, and premises where Maryland fishery resources may be stored.  The new law also helps to modernize fisheries law enforcement by authorizing NRP officers to issue electronic citations, thereby enabling officers to spend a greater portion of their time doing law enforcement instead of administrative work.  The law also allows DNR to suspend or revoke a license after providing the opportunity for a hearing, thus preserving the rights of defendants while streamlining administrative enforcement and allowing the NRP to focus on new cases.

The Governor also signed several bills consistent with Maryland’s Oyster Restoration and Aquaculture Development Plan to encourage shellfish aquaculture business growth.

Senate Bill 847 and House Bill 1053 will streamline the aquaculture permitting process by consolidating and transferring several important aquaculture functions within one State agency.  DNR will now coordinate all aquaculture permitting, issue water column leases, and staff the Aquaculture Coordinating Council and Aquaculture Review Board.

Finally, House Bill 208 allows the Department to lease barren areas located within oyster sanctuaries for aquaculture.  This law increases opportunities for new and growing small businesses engaged in oyster aquaculture.  The expansion of aquaculture areas along barren submerged land will also increase natural disease resistance in the wild oyster population, create localized water quality improvements, create more oyster shell habitat, and enhance the natural recruitment of baby oysters within sanctuaries.

source: MD DNR

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Fisheries Service will hold a public meeting at 6 p.m. on May 9 in the Fellowship Hall at the Calvary United Methodist Church in Annapolis to present and obtain input on several regulatory ideas, including:

-  Possible changes to the current commercial female blue crab closure periods and catch limits

- A new regulation for egregious or repeat crab or striped bass violations related to using illegal gear, harvesting during a closed season, harvesting from a closed area, exceeding harvest catch or size limits and violating, tagging and reporting requirements. This action will also add oyster poaching penalties.

- Elimination of a regulation that prohibits the commercial harvest of blue crabs on the second and third Thursdays in November.

- Removal of the requirement to list a vessel number on a commercial crabbing license.

- A clarification that all recreational crab pots are required to be marked with owner’s name and address.

- Allowing temporary transfers of frozen and male only limited crab harvester licenses.

- A clarification that oyster taxes only apply to oysters caught in the public commercial fishery.

- A requirement of an individual to declare their intent to commercially harvest clams

- Create consistency between regulations for the black sea bass, summer flounder and horseshoe crab commercial fisheries and allow some flexibility in coastal commercial permitting.

- To prohibit all recreational and commercial fishing for river herring beginning January 1, 2012.

- To allow leasing in sanctuaries on non-historic natural oyster bars.

Additional information on these agenda items is available at http://www.dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/regulations/draftregulations.asp

Regulatory Scoping Meetings are held to discuss possible changes to fishing rules. Draft regulatory ideas are posted on the Fisheries’ Service website and comments are taken by email, fax, or mail by a specified date and at the Public Scoping Meeting.

Based upon public input, the Department will determine whether or not to proceed with these regulatory ideas, as presented or modified, by submitting a proposed regulation.

Sign language interpreters and other appropriate accommodations will be provided upon request.

You may submit comments on these regulatory ideas by going to the Fisheries Draft Regulations Website, faxing them to 410-260-8310 or mailing them to Fisheries Regulations, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, 580 Taylor Ave., B-2, Annapolis, MD 21401.

According to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, watermen succeeded in hauling up more than 10,000 derelict so-called “ghost pots,” lost fishing nets, and assorted metal junk from the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries in the third year of Virginia’s one-of-a-kind Marine Debris Removal Program.

The program, funded by NOAA through the Virginia Marine Resources Commission and administered by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, paid the watermen to use side-imaging sonar units to detect and retrieve lost or abandoned crab pots and other marine debris that litter the Bay floor. The 70 watermen participants were paid $300 a day, and were compensated for their fuel costs.

VIMS scientists  have analyzed the program’s accomplishments in its third year and discovered:

• A total of 9,970 derelict crab pots were recovered, along with 52 lost nets and 532 other pieces of junk, including a jon boat, a portable generator frame, and a large metal crate used to transport hunting dogs.

• Many of the recovered pots had been derelict for several years, and continue to inadvertently trap and kill crabs and a variety of fish and wildlife.

• The recovered crab pots were found to have captured over the winter more than 11,000 animals, including thousands of crabs, as well as turtles, fish, eels, and whelks. Scientists have determined that each functional lost crab pot can capture about 50 crabs a year.

Ongoing research at VIMS funded through NOAA’s Marine Debris Program suggests 20 percent of all the crab pots set in a year are lost, primarily due to storms or boat propellers that accidentally cut the pots free from their buoys.

The marine debris removal was the first, and is the largest program of its kind in the country. The program costs roughly $1 million a year. It is funded by NOAA through blue crab disaster funds made available to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission. VIMS handled the daily operation of the program and supervision of the participating watermen. The program ran from December through March 15.

Recovered ghost pots and other debris were GPS-located and photographed, and participant boat tracks were also recorded. All marine debris were disposed of in a safe and environmentally conscious manner or recycled.

Since the Marine Debris Removal Program began in December 2008, more than 28,000 lost or abandoned crab pots have been removed from the water, as well as 150 lost fishing nets and 1,300 pieces of assorted metal junk. More than 27,000 animals, many already dead, were found in crab pots retrieved since 2008.

This year’s haul of marine debris was more than in either of the last two years.

More information on the program’s results can be found on the program’s website http://ccrm.vims.edu/marine_debris_removal/index.html

source: VMRC

Virginia and Maryland fishery managers  have released results of the 2011 Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey.  The study found that the Chesapeake Bay’s blue crab population is at its second highest level since 1997 and well above the target for the third year in a row.

Overall crab abundance, however, declined due to this past winter’s deep freeze that killed as many as 31 percent of Maryland’s adult crabs, compared to about 11 percent in 2010.

At 460 million crabs, the Chesapeake Bay’s blue crab population is at its second highest level since 1997, and nearly double the record low of 249 million in 2007. And, for watermen across the Bay, the unusually high crab abundance last year translated into a harvest of more than 89 million pounds — the highest since 1993.

Commenting on the winter kill,  Steven G. Bowman, Commissioner of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission remarked: “We cannot control the weather. It was a harsh winter and crab mortality was higher than normal. In fact, it was the worst we’ve seen since 1996.”

“This drop in abundance should be viewed as a speed bump in our stock rebuilding program, and just means it will take a bit longer to get to where we want to be with a stabilized crab stock of high abundance,” Commissioner Bowman added.” Some stock management challenges remain, but the evidence shows we’re going in the right direction.”

According to the survey, 254 million adult crabs survived the bitter cold winter in the Chesapeake, above the current population target for the third year in a row. This marks the first time since the early 1990s that the Bay has seen three consecutive years with the adult population was above the target (200 million crabs) and the harvest was below the target of 46 percent.

Estimates of abundance are developed separately for young of the year crabs, mature female crabs, and adult male crabs. Together, these groups of crabs will support the 2011 fishery and produce the next generation of crabs

In 2008, Maryland, Virginia and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission took action to reduce harvest pressure on female crabs by 34 percent. At that time, scientists deemed conservation measures necessary as blue crab suffered near historic lows in spawning stock.

“The coordinated management of blue crabs since 2008 clearly demonstrates the conservation gains that can be achieved when Chesapeake Bay jurisdictions act collectively toward a common vision – in this case a healthy blue crab population and sustainable fishery, said Peyton Robertson, director of the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office.

In September 2008, NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service responded to Virginia’s and Maryland’s request for disaster assistance funding for watermen impacted by the declining blue crab population.

The primary assessment of the Bay’s blue crab population is conducted annually by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS).  Since 1990, the survey has employed crab dredges to sample blue crabs at 1,500 sites throughout the Chesapeake Bay from December through March. By sampling during winter when blue crabs are buried in the mud and stationary, scientists can develop, with good precision, estimates of the number of crabs present in the Bay.

“The overall crab abundance is down a bit from what it was last year at this time, but let’s keep that in context. We saw a huge bay-wide harvest in 2010, the largest since the early 1990s, and despite that the stock abundance continues to be higher than we’ve seen in many, many years,” Travelstead said.

source: Virginia Marine Resources Commission

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR)has announced that it is offering to buy and permanently retire Unlimited Tidal Fish (TFL) and Crab Harvester (CB) commercial fishing licenses on a voluntary basis from holders who may or may not be currently active in commercial crabbing or fishing.

The first phase of the effort to reduce latent crabbing pressure was a voluntary DNR buyback of commercial Limited Crab Catcher (LCC) licenses which ran from July 2009 until March 11, 2011. The effort resulted in the purchase and retirement of nearly 700 licenses.

On March 1, 2011, DNR mailed buyback information packets including bid forms to all TFL and CB license holders who may choose to accept a certain base price or take a chance that there will be funds available at the end of the program to be paid a higher price. The base and optional high prices are based on license types. The offers range from a base price of $4,000 for a 300-pot CB license to a high potential price of $12,000 for a TFL with a 900 crab pot authorization. License holders may also choose to pass on the offer.

According to DNR, The agency is not planning any action that would impact individuals who choose not to participate in this program.

DNR will buy all licenses offered at the base price first. If funds remain after the initial phase, DNR will randomly select, in a public drawing, licenses to be purchased at the higher price.

TFL and CB license holders interested in selling their licenses to DNR must return their bid forms to the postmarked by Friday April 15, 2011 in order to participate.

Buyback program information, bid forms, and the price structure are posted on the DNR website at http://www.dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/commercial/index.asp

Interested license holders may also call the crab hotline at 410-260-8286 for more information.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is ending the Limited Crab Catcher (LCC) commercial license buyback program after retiring nearly 700 LCC licenses in about a year and a half. DNR is no longer offering to purchase LCC licenses as of March 11, 2011.

The program reduced the number of commercial crabbing licenses in order to ensure effective management of a sustainable blue crab fishery. Last year, DNR’s winter dredge survey showed a dramatic 60 percent increase in Chesapeake Bay’s blue crab population.

DNR bought back LCC licenses for $2,360 beginning in August 2009. Funding for the program came from a Federal Blue Crab Fishery Disaster Grant. The funds were issued by NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service.

Any LCC license holder wishing to sell their license to the state may do so at any DNR Licensing Center until 4:30 p.m. on March 11. No paperwork claiming to accept DNR’s offer to buy an LCC license will be valid after this time.

source: MD DNR

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will reopen the February striped bass gill net fishery on Friday, February 25, and Monday, February 28; all normal harvest restrictions will remain in effect. An estimated 200,000 pounds of the State’s February quota remains to be harvested.

The fishery has been closed since February 4, after 10 tons of illegally captured rockfish were confiscated from the Chesapeake Bay south of Kent Island. In all, 12.5 tons of illegally captured rockfish have been found by Natural Resources Police in February.

Maryland’s commercial striped bass fishery is managed on a quota system, in cooperation with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission; commercial and recreational restrictions are used to keep the harvest at or below a target fishing mortality rate.  Maryland’s commercial gill net quota for February is 354,318 pounds; the State’s annual commercial quota is 2 million pounds.

“During these two days, Natural Resources Police operations will be stepped up significantly through increased patrols, additional staff at check stations, and the use of our new electronic monitoring capabilities,” said Col. George Johnson, Natural Resources Police Superintendent.

On February 1, Natural Resources Police confiscated the first of four illegally anchored gill nets with more than 20,000 pounds of striped bass near Bloody Point Light, south of Kent Island in the Chesapeake Bay, forcing the immediate closure of the fishery. On February 11, NRP located additional illegally anchored gill nets containing 3,879 pounds of rockfish – nets officers believe were set after the shut down of the fishery on February 4.  Legal sized fish were sold to wholesalers and under and over-sized fish were donated to help feed citizens in need.

Maryland’s DNR is now offering a $30,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the striped bass poaching activities uncovered on January 31-February 1. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Chesapeake Bay Savers, Maryland Charter Boat Association, Maryland Coastal Conservation Association, Maryland Saltwater Sportfisherman’s Association Maryland Watermen’s Association, and private citizens have all contributed toward the reward.

source: MD DNR