Wild the Horizon
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
NO. 163 2020 INSIDE THIS ISSUE OCEAN VIEW: PLOTTING THE COURSE 2 HISTORIC BLUEFIN FISHING OFFERS Wild HOPE FOR TOMORROW 3 TWO MACKERELS, TWO COUNCILS, ONE AGENCY AT ODDS WITH ITSELF AND AN ECOSYSTEM-BASED MANAGEMENT CONUNDRUM 4 TURNING THE TIDE: WILD OCEANS NEWS AND ACTIVITIES 6 TF PUBLISHING'S MARINE LIFE The Horizon CALENDAR SUPPORTS WILD OCEANS 8 ATLANTIC MENHADEN ERPS ADOPTED, FULL IMPLEMENTATION WILL TAKE TIME ASMFC Moves the Line for Menhaden but is Not Ready to Get Behind It by Pam Lyons Gromen, Executive Director Atlantic menhaden management has reached a critical Atlantic Menhaden ERP Target & Threshold milestone. On August 5th, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Atlantic Menhaden Lower fishing mortality Management Board voted unanimously to adopt eco- means more menhaden logical reference points (ERPs) as the basis for setting in the water annual catch levels. The vote was cause for celebration up and down the At- lantic Coast. Wild Oceans along with a broad coalition of fishermen and conservationists have fought for decades to protect menhaden’s role as forage. Numerous predators — from bluefish and striped bass to ospreys and humpback whales — depend on menha- den, and the new reference points are designed to ac- count for menhaden’s critical role in the food web. Menhaden ERP Target ERPs are similar to traditional fishing reference points in Biomass BassStriped Biomass/ Target Menhaden Single-Species Target that both set targets (where you aim to be) and thresh- Menhaden ERP Threshold olds (where you want to avoid) to meet management Menhaden Single-Species Threshold objectives. The important difference is that ERPs are designed to Menhaden Fishing Mortality meet ecological objectives. In this case, menhaden fish- ing mortality (F) is set to maintain the striped bass popu- lation. When striped bass needs are accounted for, the menhaden target and threshold are lower than tradi- tional “single-species” reference points that are based solely on menhaden biology, leaving more menhaden in the water as forage. (continued on page 4) P.O. Box 180721, Tallahassee, FL 32318 WildOceans.org Ocean View Plotting the Course As mentioned in our last edition of the to assist us. The primary tool to accom- tices and bycatch reduction were nearly Horizon, Wild Oceans has embarked plish this was an online questionnaire as equally important as climate change. upon a strategic planning process to distributed to nonprofit conservation With continued advancements in tech- help guide us into the future. All busi- organizations and trade groups, fisher- nology, wider use of fish aggregating nesses, including nonprofits, should be ies management entities/agencies, se- devices and the growing global demand operating with clear and measurable lect leaders in the field, and academics. for commercially harvested fish, the goals. Developing or updating a stra- A total of 83 individuals received the problem is only getting more compli- tegic business plan every three to five questionnaire, of which 60 participat- cated. It reaffirms that now more than years is a great way to ensure this. By ed, an impressively high response rate. ever, we need to keep identifying new, putting effort into developing a well- The results were quite interesting. cleaner gear types and continue tran- thought-out plan, we will be able to sitioning to more sustainable ways to Respondents indicated that fishery is- demonstrate the value and effective- fish — something that has been a basic sues related to climate change is by ness of our efforts, and our organiza- tenet of our organization for decades. far the single most important emerg- tion’s ability to sustain and continue ing issue. If you follow fisheries at all, Our past success at Wild Oceans has delivering on our mission. It is also you have undoubtedly heard how ris- come by remaining small, focusing on important that we not duplicate the ing ocean temperatures and increas- a few key issues, developing expertise efforts of others, but rather capitalize ing acidity are presenting challenges to around those issues, and forging coali- on our unique talents and assets devel- fish, fishermen and those who manage tions to get results. This approach has oped over the past 47 years. them. Distribution, forage fish availabil- allowed us to stick with issues over the Prior to initiating our effort to develop ity, productivity and species composi- years and sometimes even decades, yet a new plan, our Board of Directors de- tion of fisheries is changing, and both still remain nimble enough to change cided that it would be beneficial to bet- fishermen and fisheries managers alike focus when emerging threats or oppor- ter understand the current landscape in are scrambling to adapt. tunities arise. Our future success will which we operate and how we fit into depend on maintaining this characteris- When questioned specifically about that landscape. To do this, we enlisted tic as well. large marine fish, respondents were the aid of two highly respected veterans clear that gear impacts, fishing prac- – Rob Kramer, President in the world of marine fish conservation For the Future of Fishing Wild Oceans is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to keeping the oceans wild to preserve fishing opportunities for the future. Our Goals: Officers and Staff: Board of Directors: ● preventing overfishing and restoring Tim Choate, Chairman Mary Barley (Islamorada, FL) depleted fish populations to healthy Tim Ervin, Vice Chairman Bill Boyce (Saugus, CA) levels Rob Kramer, President C. J. Bright, Jr. (Kailua-Kona, HI) ● promoting sustainable use Pam Lyons Gromen, Executive Director Tim Choate (Coral Gables, FL) policies that balance commercial, recreational and ecological values Theresa Labriola, Pacific Program Director Stephanie Choate Oppenheimer (Tulsa, OK) Tim Ervin (Onekama, MI) ● modifying or eliminating wasteful fishing practices Ken Hinman (Lovettsville, VA) ● improving our understanding of Contact Us: Frankie Labriola (Misquamicut Beach, RI) fish and their role in the marine Wild Oceans Peter Truslow (St. Petersburg, FL) environment P.O. Box 180721 Directors Emeritus Tallahassee, FL 32318 ● preserving fish habitat and water Stanley Arkin (New York, NY) quality office: 727.677.8127 web: wildoceans.org John Heyer (Sedona, AZ) 2 COUNTRIES AGREE TO MAINTAIN BLUEFIN QUOTAS Historic Bluefin Fishing Offers Hope for Tomorrow by Theresa Labriola Pacific Program Director This year brought another round of record-breaking recreational Pacific bluefin tuna opportunities to Califor- nia. Scattered schools started show- ing in late February before pushing into Northern California. The record 364-pound tuna landed at Newport Landing in October was not an outlier, as large bluefin continued to reward patient anglers. Of course, this has fishermen wondering: Have bluefin tuna recovered from the historically low levels of just 4 years ago? What’s keeping the big fish in California? How long will they stay, and what impact are we having on the future of the Photo courtesy of Bill Boyce population? Scientists are still piecing together but a slow growth to around 28,000 steady until we see at least a mini- the life history of Pacific bluefin tuna. metric tons (mt) in 2018, a 3000 mt mal stride towards rebuilding. At the The Sea of Japan is the only known increase from 2016. This puts us on Northern Committee meeting of the spawning ground for Pacific bluefin. track to reach the first internation- Western and Central Pacific Fisheries At a year of age, some bluefin jour- ally agreed upon rebuilding target Commission held in October, bluefin ney 5,000 miles across the Pacific to of about 7% spawning stock biomass fishing nations agreed and rolled over the California coast where they spend (SSB) or 41,000 mt in 2021 —far from the 2020 catch limits to 2021, giving us several years feeding and growing. the ultimate goal of 20% of spawning hope that bluefin tuna will continue to Scientists do not know the percentage biomass by 2034. We’ll need to see rebound. many more cycles of big fish heading of young bluefin that travel east, but The next few years are critical for Pa- west, reproducing and sending small once mature, they return to the coast cific bluefin. Recruitment may wane. fish back our way. of Japan to spawn. If a high number of Shifting climate may shift migration. Pacific bluefin make the trans-Pacific Albert Einstein’s advice, “Learn from Recruitment patterns may blur. For journey to our shores, then catch lim- yesterday, live for today, hope for to- the past decade, the reported U.S. its in the eastern Pacific — the United morrow. The important thing is not recreational landings have regularly States and Mexico — have a greater to stop questioning,” inspires us to exceeded 400 mt, exceeding the U.S. impact on the spawning biomass as ev- consider whether greater numbers of commercial fleet landings and even ery fish caught off of California has not spawning bluefin correspond with a Taiwan's. While this represents a had a chance to reproduce. Catching a more resilient population that can re- small piece of the pie, it’s still impera- high number of juvenile fish can have bound in a changing ocean and also a tive that we consider our impact on a greater impact on future spawning greater chance that yearlings will make the long-term health and growth of stock biomass than catching the same their trip to the California Current. bluefin. Remembering that every fish weight of larger mature fish. That’s one reason we opposed the we catch in California has not had a While we’re witnessing seemingly his- recent Japanese proposal to increase chance to reproduce, to replace itself toric bluefin schools, the most recent Pacific bluefin tuna quota by 20% in in the population, we would be remiss stock assessment doesn’t point to an 2021.