Framework Adjustment 6 To the Northeast Skate Complex FMP Prepared by the New England Fishery Management Council in cooperation with the National Marine Fisheries Service New England Fishery Management Council 50 Water Street Newburyport, MA 01950 Initial Framework Meeting: January 30 2018 Final Framework Meeting: Preliminary Submission: Final Submission: Executive Summary 1.0 Executive Summary In New England, the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) is charged with developing management plans that meet the requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA). The Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan (FMP) specifies the management measures for seven skate species (barndoor, clearnose, little, rosette, smooth, thorny and winter skates) off the New England and Mid- Atlantic coasts. The FMP has been updated through a series of amendments, framework adjustments and specification packages. Amendment 3 to the FMP established a control rule for setting the Skate acceptable biological catch (ABC) based on survey biomass indices and median exploitation ratios; the ABC was set to equal the annual catch limit (ACL). This framework adjustment would implement changes to specifications based on updated data and research and would add a new seasonal allocation of the skate wing fishery TAL. The need for this action is to meet regulatory requirements and adjust management measures that are necessary to prevent overfishing, ensure rebuilding, and help achieve optimum yield in the fishery consistent with the status of stocks and the requirements of MSA of 2006, and to provide flexibility for vessels fishing in the NAFO Regulated Area to maximize skate retention and to land skate in the US. There are several purposes: to adopt fishing specifications for FY 2018 and FY 2019 for skates, to develop a possession limit for barndoor skate based on updated stock information, and to minimize regulatory obstacles, through exemptions, for vessels utilizing the US quota of groundfish and other species in the NRA. Proposed Action Under the provision of the MSA, the Council submits proposed management actions to the Secretary of Commerce for review. The Secretary of Commerce can approve, disapprove, or partially approve the action proposed by the Council. In the following alternative descriptions, measures identified as Preferred Alternatives constitute the Council’s proposed management action. If the Preferred Alternatives identified in this document are adopted, this action would implement a range of measures designed to achieve mortality targets and net benefits from the fishery. Details of the measures summarized below can be found in Section 4.0. The Preferred Alternatives include: • Modification to the Uncertainty Buffer Summary of Environmental Consequences The environmental impacts of all of the alternatives under consideration are described in detail in Section 7.0. Biological Impacts Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) Impacts Impacts on Endangered and Other Protected Species Socio-Economic Impacts Framework 3 6 Executive Summary Alternatives to the Proposed Action If the Proposed Action is based on the Preferred Alternatives there are a number of alternatives that would not be adopted. These alternatives are briefly described below. • Modification to the Uncertainty Buffer o Reduction in the Uncertainty Buffer Alternatives. Impacts of Alternatives to the Proposed Action Biological Impacts Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) Impacts Impacts on Endangered and Other Protected Species Socio-Economic Impacts Framework 4 6 Contents Table of Contents 2.0 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 Executive Summary .......................................................................................................................... 3 2.0 TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................................. 5 2.1 List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ 7 2.2 List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... 9 2.3 List of Maps ................................................................................................................................ 10 2.4 List of Acronyms ........................................................................................................................ 11 3.0 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND .................................................................................... 14 3.1 Management Background ........................................................................................................... 14 3.2 Purpose and Need for the Action ................................................................................................ 14 3.3 Brief History of the Northeast Skate Complex Management Plan ............................................. 14 3.4 Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) and Optimum Yield (OY) ................................................ 17 3.5 ABC and ACL Specifications ..................................................................................................... 18 3.6 Stock Status ................................................................................................................................. 19 4.0 Alternatives Under Consideration ................................................................................................... 20 4.1 Modification to the Uncertainty Buffer ...................................................................................... 20 4.2 Skate Wing Possession Limit Alternatives (Committee recommended moving to considered but rejected) .................................................................................................................................................. 24 5.0 Considered but Rejected Alternatives ............................................................................................. 25 6.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT (SAFE Report /EA) ..................................................................... 26 6.1 Biological Environment .............................................................................................................. 27 Framework 5 6 Contents Table of Contents 6.3 Physical Environment ................................................................................................................. 70 6.4 Essential Fish Habitat ................................................................................................................. 75 6.5 Human Communities/Socio-Economic Environment ................................................................. 75 7.0 Environmental Consequences of the Alternatives .......................................................................... 87 7.1 Biological Impacts ...................................................................................................................... 87 Skate Wing Possession Limit Alternatives ........................................................................... 89 7.2 Biological Impact on non-target species and other discarded species ........................................ 89 7.3 Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) Impacts ......................................................................................... 91 Skate Wing Possession Limit Alternatives ........................................................................... 93 7.4 Impacts on Endangered and Other Protected Species (ESA, MMPA) ....................................... 94 7.5 Socio-Economic Impacts ............................................................................................................ 99 Framework 6 6 Contents List of Tables 2.1 List of Tables Table 1 - Purpose and Need for Framework Adjustment 5 ........................................................................ 14 Table 2 - Species description for skates in the management unit. .............................................................. 16 Table 3 - Exploitation ratios and survey values for managed skates, with estimates of annual catch limits, and maximum sustainable yield that take into account the 2016-2017 discard rate using DPWS catch data using the selectivity ogive method to assign species to catch. ...................................... 18 Table 4 - Summary by species of recent survey indices, survey strata used and biomass reference points 30 Table 5 – Summary of factors affecting uncertainty in the skate fishery and any improvements made..... 32 Table 6 – Estimated discards (mt) of skates (all species) by gear type from all areas combined, 1964 - 2016 ............................................................................................................................................... 41 Table 7 - Total Live and Dead Discards (mt) of Skates (all species) for all gear types from 1968 - 2016 . 43 Table 8 - Species protected under the ESA and/or MMPA that may occur in the affected environment of the skate fishery. Marine mammal species (cetaceans and pinnipeds) italicized and in bold are considered MMPA strategic stocks. .............................................................................................. 46 Table 9 - Large whale occurrence in the area of operation for the skate fishery. ....................................... 50 Table 10 - Small cetacean occurrence in the area of operation of the monkfish fishery ............................ 52 Table 11 - Pinniped occurrence in the area of operation