American Eel Management Board
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Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission American Eel Management Board August 7, 2014 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Alexandria, Virginia Draft Agenda The times listed are approximate; the order in which these items will be taken is subject to change; other items may be added as necessary. 1. Welcome/Call to Order (T. O’Connell) 8:00 a.m. 2. Board Consent 8:00 a.m. Approval of Agenda Approval of Proceedings from May 2014 3. Public Comment 8:10 a.m. 4. Elect Vice-Chair Action 8:15 a.m. 5. Draft Addendum IV for Final Approval Final Action 8:20 a.m. Review of Draft Addendum IV (K. Taylor) Review of Public Comment (K. Taylor) Advisory Panel Report (M. Bouw) Technical Committee Report (S. Eyler) Law Enforcement Report (J. Fessenden) Consider Final Approval of Addendum IV 6. Other Business/Adjourn 12:00 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel 901 North Fairfax Street, Alexandria, Virginia (703) 683 – 6000 Vision: Sustainably managing Atlantic coastal fisheries. Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission MEETING OVERVIEW American Eel Management Board Meeting August 7, 2014 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Alexandria, Virginia Chair: Tom O’Connell Technical Committee Chair: Law Enforcement Committee Assumed Chairmanship: 5/14 Sheila Eyler (USFWS) Representative: Fessenden Vice Chair: Advisory Panel Chair: Previous Board Meeting: Vacant Martie Bouw May 12, 2014 Voting Members: ME, NH, MA, RI, CT, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, VA, NC, SC, GA, FL, D.C., PRFC, USFWS, NMFS (19 votes) 2. Board Consent: Approval of Agenda Approval of Proceedings from May 2014 Board Meeting 3. Public Comment: At the beginning of the meeting, public comment will be taken on items not on the Agenda. Individuals that wish to speak at this time must sign-up at the beginning of the meeting. For agenda items that have already gone out for public hearing and/or have had a public comment period that has closed, the Board Chair may determine that additional public comment will not provide additional information. In this circumstance the Board Chair will not allow additional public comment. For agenda items that the public has not had a chance to provide input, the Board Chair may allow limited opportunity for comment. The Board Chair has the discretion to limit the number of speakers and/or the length of each comment. 4. Elect Vice-Chair Action 5. Draft Addendum IV for Final Action (8:20 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.) FINAL ACTION Background The Board initiated the development of Draft Addendum III in August 2012 in response to the 2012 Benchmark American Eel Stock Assessment, which found the American eel population in U.S. waters is depleted. Draft Addendum III for Public Comment included a range of options for the commercial glass, yellow, and silver eel fisheries, as well as the recreational fishery. In August 2013, the Board approved some of the measures from Draft Addendum III (predominately the commercial yellow eel and recreational fishery management measures) and split out the remainder of the management measures for further development in Draft Addendum IV. The Board directed the PDT to develop Draft Addendum IV to include, but not limited to, a coastwide glass eel quota, adequate monitoring requirements, adequate enforcement measures and penalties, transferability, timely reporting, silver eel measures (for NY DE River only), and a criteria to issue a state scientific permit for all life stages. In May the Board approved Draft Addendum IV for Public Comment (Briefing Material). The public comment period ran from May 30 – June 17 (Supplemental Material). Public hearings were held all states with the exception of Pennsylvania, D.C., Georgia and Florida (Supplemental Material). Presentation Review of Draft Addendum IV by K. Taylor Review of Public Comment by Kate Taylor Advisory Panel Report by AP Chair Technical Committee Report by TC Chair Law Enforcement Report by LEC Representative Board Actions for Consideration Approve Addendum IV 6. Other Business/ Adjourn 2 DRAFT PROCEEDINGS OF THE ATLANTIC STATES MARINE FISHERIES COMMISSION AMERICAN EEL MANAGEMENT BOARD Crowne Plaza - Old Town Alexandria, Virginia May 12, 2014 These minutes are draft and subject to approval by the American Eel Management Board. The Board will review the minutes during its next meeting. Draft Proceedings of the American Eel Management Board Meeting May 2014 TABLE OF CONTENTS Call to Order, Thomas O’Connell ............................................................................................................. 1 Approval of Agenda .................................................................................................................................... 1 Approval of Proceedings, February 2014 ................................................................................................. 1 Public Comment .......................................................................................................................................... 1 Consider Draft Addendum IV for Public Comment ............................................................................. 17 Overview .............................................................................................................................................. 17 Discussion and Action ......................................................................................................................... 23 Election of Vice-Chair .............................................................................................................................. 50 Other Business........................................................................................................................................... 50 Adjournment ............................................................................................................................................. 50 These minutes are draft and subject to approval by the American Eel Management Board. ii The Board will review the minutes during its next meeting Draft Proceedings of the American Eel Management Board Meeting May 2014 INDEX OF MOTIONS 1. Approval of Agenda by Consent (Page 1). 2. Approval of Proceedings of February, 2014 by Consent (Page 1). 3. Move to add a new option, glass eel quota based on enhanced passage initiated after January 1, 2013. Under this option states may earn glass eel quota via stock-enhancement programs that increase glass eel passage. The amount of quota earned shall not exceed an amount equal to Sub- option 1, 5 percent; 2, 10 percent; 3, 25 percent of the enhanced glass eel passage (Page 27). Motion by David Simpson; second by Pat Augustine. Motion carried (Page 30). 4. Move to add under Option 4 (glass eel quota based on landings) a sub-option that sets a minimum glass eel quota of 100 pounds per state (Page 31). Motion by David Simpson: second by Pat Augustine. Motion defeated (Page 33). 5. Move to remove Option 7 (glass eel aquaculture) from Section 3.1.1 in the document (Page 33). Motion by Terry Stockwell; second by David Simpson. Motion defeated (Page 34). 6. Move to insert in Section 3.1.1, Option 5, Sub-Option B: “A tolerance of up to 5 percent overage would be allowed if the current stock status is not depleted or overfished” (Page 35). Motion by Douglas Grout; second by Rick Bellavance. Motion defeated (Page 35). 7. Move to remove Option 5B (quota overage tolerance) and 6 under Section 3.1.1 (quota underages) (Page 35). Motion by Louis Daniel; second by Dennis Abbott. Motion carried (Page 36). 8. Move to request the technical committee review a watershed-based allocation scheme for glass eel quota and postpone options to Addendum V and proceed with yellow and silver eel options in Addendum IV (Page 36). Motion by Dan McKiernan; second by David Borden. Motion defeated (Page 37). 9. Move to include the working group allocation recommendation from their August memo to the board as an option to include the three highest landing years from 2002 to 2012 for Options 2 and 3 (Page 40). Motion by Russ Allen; second by Pat Augustine. Motion carried (Page 42). 10. Move to modify Option 5 in Section 3.1.2 (quota transfers) to allow states with a 2,000 pound quota to participate in quota transfers (Page 42). Motion by Dan McKiernan; second by Robert Ballou. Motion carried (Page 43). 11. Move to modify Option 4 in Section 3.1.3 to remove the third sentence, “Once issued, licenses are not eligible for transferability”; and modify the last sentence to read, “This would result in a reduction of licenses” (Page 44). Motion by James Gilmore; second by Pat Keliher. Motion carried (Page 46). 12. Move to add Item Number 4 in Section 3.1.4: States would be allowed to harvest a maximum of 200 pounds of glass eels annually for the use in domestic aquaculture facilities (to grow out to the minimum legal size) if they can show that they can be harvested from a watershed that minimally contributes to the spawning stock of American eel (Page 46). Motion by Pat Keliher; second by Ritchie White. Motion carried (Page 49). 13. Move to approve Draft Addendum IV for public comment as modified today (Page 49). Motion by Bill Adler; second by Pat Augustine. Motion carried (Page 50). 14. Adjournment by Consent (Page 50). These minutes are draft and subject to approval by the American Eel Management Board. iii The Board will review the minutes during its next meeting Draft Proceedings of the American Eel Management Board Meeting May 2014 ATTENDANCE Board Members Pat Keliher, ME (AA) Leroy Young, PA, proxy for J. Arway (AA) Terry Stockwell, ME, Administrative