June July 06

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Fisheries

ASMFCASMFCASMFCASMFCASMFC

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission 1444 Eye Street, N.W. Washington, D.C.

Working towards healthy, self-sustaining populations for all Atlantic coast fish species or successful restoration

well in progress by the year 2015

focusVolume 15, Issue 5

June/July 2006

Improving Single Species Management Decisions through

Multispecies Assessments

continued on page 7

Marine fisheries management along the U.S. Atlantic coast iscurrently conducted through single species approaches by theCommission, the Regional Fishery Management Councils, andindividual state marine fishery agencies. Over the past severalyears, advances and improvements in stock assessment method-

ologies have led to successful management of several Atlanticcoastal species, including striped bass and summer flounder.These single species assessment and management approaches,however, lack consideration of predator/prey relationships, theimpacts of environmental factors, relationships among variouscomponents of the ecosystem (i.e., habitat, primary and sec-ondary productivity), and the ability of the ecosystem to sus-tain high resource abundance.

In 1999, in an effort to begin to address the impacts of thesefactors on fishery resources, the Commission began explor-ing the feasibility of conducting multispecies assessments in order to supplement single species management ap-

proaches. The latest milestone in this effort has been the endorsement of theCommissions first multispecies model (the Expanded Multispecies VirtuaPopulation Analysis or MSVPA-X) by the Northeast Regional Stock Assess-ment Review Committee (SARC) in December 2005. Since then, Commis-sion staff have been working with members of its Management & ScienceCommittee to develop guidelines on how to incorporate multispecies infor-mation into the management decision-making process.

Model BackgroundThe MSVPA-X, developed by Dr. Lance Garrison, builds upon earlier versions ofthe MSVPA, which was developed by the International Council for the Explora-tion of the Seas (ICES). It has the ability to include tuned VPA models (similar

to the ADAPT), improve the feeding model, and include predators without age-structured assessment data (i.e., biomass dynamic models).

The model links single-species assessments based on predator-prey interactions(i.e., feeding). It has two main types of species in the model: predators (e.g.,striped bass, bluefish, and weakfish) and prey (e.g., menhaden). In addition tothe data inputs used in single-species stock assessments, this model requires infor-mation on predator and prey interactions (who eats who, how much and when)An important output of this model is the estimation of age-specific natural mortality rates attributed to predation of menhaden by the predator species.

Species Profile: Horseshoe

Crab Page 4

ASMFC Comings & Goings

Page 6

How Can Multispecies

Assessments Enhance Fisheries

Management Decsion-making?

Page 7

Laura Leach Fishing Tourna-

ment Benefits FutureGenerations Page 8

ASMFC Summer Meeting

Preliminary Agenda Page 9

ACCSP and Gulf FIN Staffs

Meet Page 10

News from Our FederalPartners Page 11

Linda Schwab Celebrates 25th

Year with the Commission

Page 12

InsideInsideInsideInsideInside This IssueThis IssueThis IssueThis IssueThis Issue

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ASMFC Fisheries Focus, Vol. 15, Issue 5, June/July 2002

Upcoming Meetings

he Atlantic States Marine

Fisheries Commission was formed by

the 15 Atlantic coastal states in

1942 for the promotion and

protection of coastal fishery

resources. The Commission serves as

a deliberative body of the Atlantic

coastal s tates, coordinating the

conservation and management of

nearshore fi shery resources,

including marine, shell and

anadromous species. The fifteen

member states of the Commission

are: Maine, New Hampshire ,

Massachusetts, Rhode Island,

Connecticut, New York, New Jersey,Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland,

Virginia, North Carolina, South

Carolina, Georgia , and Florida .

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

Preston P. Pate, Jr. (NC), ChairGeorge D. Lapointe (ME), Vice-Chair

John V. OShea, Executive DirectorRobert E. Beal, Director, Interstate Fisheries

Management ProgramLaura C. Leach, Director of Finance & Administration

Tina L. Berger, [email protected]

(202)289-6400 Phone (202)289-6051 Faxwww.asmfc.org

T 7/12 (10 AM - 4 PM):ASMFC Tautog Technical Committee, Radisson Plaza LordBaltimore, 20 West Baltimore Street, Baltimore, Maryland410/539-8400.

7/19 (10 AM - 4 PM):ASMFC Coastal Sharks Advisory Panel, Radisson Plaza LordBaltimore, 20 West Baltimore Street, Baltimore, Maryland410/539-8400.

7/25 (10 AM - 4 PM):ASMFC Coastal Sharks Technical Committee, Radisson PlazaLord Baltimore, 20 West Baltimore Street, Baltimore, Mary-land; 410/539-8400.

8/1 - 3:Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, Sheraton Soci-

ety Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

8/2 - 3: ACCSP Operations Committee, Hotel Providence, 311 Westminster Street, Providence, Rhode Island.

8/14 - 17:ASMFC Meeting Week, DoubleTree Hotel Crystal City, 300Army Navy Drive, Arlington, Virginia; 703/416-4100 (seepreliminary agenda on page 9).

8/28 - 9/1:

ASMFC Technical Committee Meeting Week, location to bdetermined.

9/10 - 14: American Fisheries Society 135th Annual Meeting, LakPlacid, New York.

9/18 - 22:South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, Town & Coun-try Inn, 2008 Savannah Highway, Charleston, South Caro-lina; 800-334-6660.

9/19 - 21:New England Fishery Management Council, Courtyard byMarriott, Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

10/10 - 12:Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, Hilton GardenInn, Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

10/22 - 26: ASMFC 65th Annual Meeting, Sheraton Atlantic BeachOceanfront Hotel, Atlantic Beach, North Carolina.

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ASMFC Fisheries Focus, Vol. 15, Issue 5, June/July 2006 3

Fro

mtheE

xecutiveDirectorsDesk

I think most of us enjoy hearing about others working ina positive way to solve problems and make the world abetter place. It is even better when we learn of efforts toseek out these people and recognize their special contri-butions. This is especially true in the often complex andcontentious world of fisheries management. To its greatcredit, NOAA has initiated its Sustainable Fisheries Lead-

ership Awards Program to do just that.

The program recognizes outstanding performance,achievements, and leadership by industries, organizations,and individuals whose contributions to science and man-agement have promoted best stewardship practices forthe sustained use of living marine resources. The awardscover six categories encompassing the elements necessaryfor promoting public stewardship and for assisting NOAAin fulfilling its stewardship mission.

Earlier this month the 2006 award recipients were rec-ognized at a formal dinner ceremony here in Washing-ton, DC, by Vice Admiral Lautenbacher, Under Secre-tary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. The ac-complishments of those selected to be the first winnersfor these awards are truly impressive.

The Pollock Conservation Cooperativereceived the Stew-ardship and Sustainability Award for voluntarily divid-ing the overall harvest quota among fishing companiesengaged in the Alaska pollock fishery. This arrangementhas ended the wasteful race for fish and led to signifi-

cant reductions in fishing capacity. There has been a 50percent increase in the amount of saleable products madefrom each pound of fish as well as a voluntary bycatchreduction effort that complements federal fishery man-agement measures.

Holland American Line received the Conservation Part-nership Award for its initiative in developing and adopt-ing whale avoidance measures as the international cruiseindustry standard. It has made its avoidance measuresand crew training program available to the public andthe cruise line industry to promote the adoption of this

effective stewardship practice.

Ed Melvin from the Washington State Sea Grant Pro-gram was presented the Science, Research, and Technol-ogy Award for his contributions to cooperative researchwith fishermen to develop and promote the use of inno-vate methods to reduce seabird bycatch in Alaskaslongline fisheries. These measures have reduced seabirdmortality by at least 80 percent and have inspired adop-tion of seabird avoidance measures around the world.

The Gulf of Mexico Foundation received the CoastalHabitat Restoration Award for its successful imple-mentation of 33 habitat restoration projects in thefive Gulf states. These projects are expected to re-store 14,000 acres of valuable coastal habitat impor-tant to the long-term health of living marine resources.The Foundation manages a partnership of volunteers

working on habitat restoration projects that fostercivic service, public education, and local ownershipof these important coastal resources.

SeaShare was presented with the Public Education,Community Service, and Media Award for its work with the fishing industry to develop an innovativehunger relief program. Since 1994, SeaShare haspartnered with hunger relief agencies and 60 seafoodcompanies to donate 20 million pounds of food to96 locations in 31 states. This program has allowedthe fishing industry to put its bycatch to good use

without compromising sound fisheries management.

Finally, Senator Ted Stevens from Alaska received theSpecial Recognition Award for his tireless workthroughout his long and successful career in Con-gress to craft meaningful and effective federal laws toprotect, conserve, and manage our nations living ma-rine resources. A member of the Senate for 37 years,Senator Stevens has consistently advocated for sci-ence-based management, keeping the sustainable usesof these resources at the forefront of the nationsagenda.

During the awards dinner, as people stepped forwardto receive their awards, their brief comments reflectedthe common themes of stewardship and commitmentto work in a collaborative manner with NOAA andits Fisheries Service to protect and manage marineresources. Each is working to make the world a bet-ter place.

During his introductory remarks, Vice AdmiralLautenbacher pointed out that there are many peoplein the fisheries and oceans business who care deeply

about the resources under our collective stewardship.They are working hard on a daily basis to get thingsright and it is important for us all to recognize theirgood work. NOAA has taken on the laudable task ofrecognizing those actions and getting the word outto others. Although this was just the first year of theprogram, NOAA intends to make this an annual andimportant event. What a great message. Praising thegood is something I would hope we could all agreeto do.

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Species Profile: Horseshoe Crab

Management Plan Seeks to Conserve

Resource for Multiple Uses

Horseshoe CrabHorseshoe CrabHorseshoe CrabHorseshoe CrabHorseshoe Crab

Limulus polyphemusLimulus polyphemusLimulus polyphemusLimulus polyphemusLimulus polyphemus

Common Names:Common Names:Common Names:Common Names:Common Names:

horseshoe crab; once

called horsefoot crabs

because of their sem-

blance to a horses hoof

Interesting Fish Facts:Interesting Fish Facts:Interesting Fish Facts:Interesting Fish Facts:Interesting Fish Facts:

Adult females can

extrude up to 20,000 eggs

per spawning episode

Crabs can increase size

by up to 25% after each

molt

Uses:Uses:Uses:Uses:Uses:

Bait for conch and

American eel fisheries

Provides important food

source for migrating

shorebirds, finfish & sea

turtles

Supports production of

LAL, which is used to

detect human pathogens

in patients, drugs and

intravenous devices

Age at Maturity/LifeAge at Maturity/LifeAge at Maturity/LifeAge at Maturity/LifeAge at Maturity/Life

Span:Span:Span:Span:Span: 9- 12 years/17 - 20

years

Stock Status:Stock Status:Stock Status:Stock Status:Stock Status: Unknown

IntroductionHorseshoe crabs provide the backdrop for one of the most interesting marine resourcemanagement issues along the Atlantic coast. They play a vital ecological role in themigration of shorebirds along the entire Atlantic seaboard, as well as providing bait forcommercial American eel and conch fisheries along the coast. Additionally, their uniqueblood is used by the biomedical industry to produce Limulus Amoebocyte Lysate (LAL)an important tool in the detection of contaminants in patients, drugs, and other medi-cal supplies. The challenge of fisheries managers is to ensure that horseshoe crabs aremanaged to meet all these diverse needs, while conserving the resource for its self-perpetuation.

Life HistoryAlthough they are called horseshoe crabs, they are neither a decapod nor a crustaceanbut are in their own class that is more closely related to the arachnids (i.e., spiders)Horseshoe crabs have existed for more than 200 million years; however, some identify

the evolutionary existence of horseshoe crabs to be over 400 million years.

Horseshoe crab distribution extends along the Atlantic coast from northern Maine tothe Yucatan Peninsula and the Gulf of Mexico. Along the U.S. Atlantic coast, horseshoe crabs are most abundant between Virginia and New Jersey, with the Delaware Bayat the center of the species distribution and the location of the largest populationHorseshoe crabs are typically associated with estuarine habitats. Adults either remainin the estuary or migrate to the continental shelf during the winter months. Migra-tions resume in the spring when the horseshoe crabs move to beach areas to spawnJuveniles hatch from the beach environment and spend the first two years in nearshoreshallow, subtidal flats.

Spawning usually coincides with the high tide during the full and new moon. Breed-ing activity is consistently higher during the full moon than the new moon and is alsogreater during the night. Adults prefer sandy beach areas within bays and coves that areprotected from surf. Eggs are laid in clusters or nest sites along the beach with femalelaying approximately 88,000 eggs per year in different egg clusters.

The eggs play an important ecological role in the food web for migrating shorebirds andfinfish. The Delaware Bay Estuary is the largest staging area for shorebirds in theAtlantic Flyway and an estimated 425,000 to one million migratory shorebirds con-verge on the Delaware Bay to feed and rebuild energy reserves prior to completing theirnorthward migration. Horseshoe crabs

also provide an important food sourcefor Atlantic loggerhead turtles.

Juvenile and adult horseshoe crabs feedmainly on mollusks, although they alsoprey on a variety of benthic organismsand vascular plants. The horseshoe crabmust molt or shed its chitinous exosk-eleton to grow and can increase size byup to 25 percent after each molt. Molt-ing occurs several times during the first

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two to three years of a horseshoe crabs life. As it grows larger,more time occurs between molts. It usually takes 17 molts toreach sexual maturity (9 12 years).

Stock StatusThe status of the stock is unknown largely due to the lack oflong-term data sets for commercial landings and stock abun-dance. However, more data are becoming available as several

of the most powerful surveys for detecting changes in abun-dance have now been in place for more than five years. TheHorseshoe Crab Stock Assessment Subcommittee plans to ex-plore population models to establish a baseline of populationestimates, fishing mortality rates, and recruitment estimates.

Findings from beach spawning surveys conductedin the Delaware Bay region over the last seven yearssuggest that spawning activity remains stable orhas slightly declined at a rate of three percent orless per year. Delawares trawl survey (includingpreliminary 2005 data) indicates that juvenile

(young-of-the-year and crabs less than 160 mm)abundances are at or near record highs for the lastthree years, and since 1998 there has been a sig-nificant increase in juveniles. It could be inferredthat the increases in juveniles suggests an increasein eggs and better survival of juveniles. Additionalinformation is being gathering from a Mid-Atlan-tic benthic trawl survey, which began in the Dela- ware Bay region in 2001 and has been expandednorth and south. The survey is expected to generate data that will feed into a model that produces coastwide estimates ofabundance. The table (below left) provides regional trendsin horseshoe crab abundance based on the 2004 peer-re-viewed stock assessment The next benchmark horseshoe crabstock assessment is scheduled for 2008.

Commercial Fisheries & Biomedical Harvest

From the 1850s to the 1920s, between 1.5 and four millionhorseshoe crabs were harvested annually for fertilizer and live-stock feed. By the 1960s, only 42,000 horseshoe crabs werereported to be harvested annually.

Currently, horseshoe crabs are harvested primarily as bait foruse in traps designed to catch American eel and conch. Preliminary coastwide commercial landings for bait in 2005 are

approximately 730,000 horseshoe crabs, close to a fourfoldreduction in landings since 1998. The reduction is partlydue to regulation and partly because of decreased demand.Commercial fishermen have adopted new gear such as baitbags and cups allowing them to catch the same amount ofeel and conch while using as little as a tenth of the bait.

Horseshoe crabs are also collected by the biomedical indus-try to support the production of LAL, a clotting agent thataids in the detection of human pathogens in patients, drugs,and intravenous devices. No other procedure has the sameaccuracy as the LAL test. The current estimate of medicausage is between 250,000 and 300,000 horseshoe crabs peryear on the Atlantic coast. While crabs are bled and releasedlive generally within 72 hours of capture, up to 15 percentdo not survive the procedure.

Atlantic Coastal Management ConsiderationsIn 1998, the Commission approved the InterstateFishery Management Plan (FMP) for HorseshoeCrabs. Prior to this FMP, states individually man

aged the species. The goal of the FMP is to conserveand protect the horseshoe crab resource to maintainsustainable levels of spawning stock biomass in or-der to ensure its continued role in the ecology ofcoastal ecosystems, while providing for continued useover time. The FMP maintained horseshoe crab har-vest control measures put in place by New JerseyDelaware and Maryland to protect horseshoe crabspawning within and adjacent to the Delaware Bay

Regional Trends in Horseshoe Abundance

Source: ASMFC Horseshoe Crab Stock Assessment Report, 2004

continued on page 6

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It also directed the Horseshoe CrabManagement Board to implement a capon bait landings in 2000.

In order to improve our understandingof the resource and the demands placed

upon it, the FMP also required states toimplement mandatory monthly report-ing of commercial landings, conductbenthic sampling programs, and iden-tify important habitat areas.

Addendum I to the FMP, approved inFebruary 2000, established individualstate caps on horseshoe crab bait land-ings at 25 percent below the referenceperiod landings for states with horseshoecrab fisheries. States with more restric-

tive harvest levels were encouraged tomaintain those restrictions to providefurther protection to the population. Asa result of these restrictions, Atlanticcoastal horseshoe crab landings were re-duced in 2002 by approximately 45 per-cent below the coastwide quota of 2.3million crabs. The Addendum also rec-ommended that the National MarineFisheries Service (NMFS) prohibit theharvest of horseshoe crabs in federal waters off of Delaware. The Carl N.

Shuster Jr. Horseshoe Crab Reserve, en-compassing nearly 1,500 square milesof federal waters off the mouth of the

Delaware Bay, was established by theNMFS on March 7, 2001.

In April 2001, the Horseshoe Crab Man-agement Board approved Addendum IIto provide for the voluntary transfer of

harvest quotas between states to allevi-ate bait shortages on a biologically re-sponsible basis. These voluntary quotatransfers will require both TechnicalCommittee review and ManagementBoard approval. To date, no state or ju-risdiction has requested a quota transferunder this Addendum.

In March 2004, the Board approved Ad-dendum III to the FMP in response torecommendations made by the U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service ShorebirdTechnical Committee. The addendumfurthered the conservation of horseshoecrab and migratory shorebird popula-tions in and around the Delaware Bay.It reduced harvest quotas and imple-ments seasonal bait harvest closures inNew Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland,and revises monitoring components forall jurisdictions.

Approved by the Board this past May,

Addendum IV further restricts bait har-vest in New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland,and Virginia. It is designed to maxi-

ASMFC Comings & Goings

Staff:Cindy Robertson -- In

May, Cindy Robertson joined the Commissionstaff as its Administra-tive Assistant. Relocatedfrom upstate New Yorkin 2000, Cindy came tothe DC area to work atthe National Associationof Foreign-Trade Zones, where she was responsible for plan-ning meetings, coordinating membership, and overseeingpublications. Cindy has three grown daughters and one grand-

Species Profile: Horseshoe Crab (continued from page 5)

child. In less than one month, she has already proved her worth, providing valuable staff assistance in the preparation

of the Spring Meeting Week CD-ROM Briefing Materialsand on other projects. Welcome aboard, Cindy!

Jessie Thomas -- This June, Jessie joined the staff as the newHabitat Coordinator, filling the position that Julie Nygardhelped staff for the past 18 months. Jessie has a Master ofScience in Natural Resources from Delaware State Univer-sity, where she worked on American eel habitat utilizationShe received a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Mary Washington College. Since January, Jessie interned at the Natura

continued on page 8

mize egg availability to migratory shore-birds in the Delaware Bay by prohibit-ing harvest of horseshoe crab prior toand during the peak spawning seasonfor the crabs as well as the peak feedingperiod for shorebirds. For more infor-mation, please contact Braddock SpearFisheries Management Plan Coordina-tor, at (202) 289-6400 or.

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Improving Single Species

Management Decisions through

Multispecies Assessments(continued from page 1)

Independent Peer ReviewThe SARC Panel was asked to evaluate the MSVPA-Xs formula-

tion, function and use of data according to five terms of referencedeveloped to guide its review. The Panel found that each term ofreference was well met. The Panel agreed with the Commissionsassessment that the MSVPA-X was developed with the objectiveof aiding understanding of the dynamics rather than providingadvice or recommendations for ecosystem management. In otherwords, the model can provide insight on complex predator andprey interactions, but it is not ready to replace single-species modelsor provide binding biological reference points for use in management.

The Commission has worked with the University of Miami to de-velop a spatial fishery ecosystem model that brings a new approach

to Atlantic coast fishery assessments by directly linking the pro-ductivity of a species and its fishery yields to spatial and temporalpatterns of fishing, other predator and prey populations, oceanhydrodynamics, and environmental changes. This approach hasthe potential to bring resolution to questions pertaining to chang-ing fish abundance over time and on a relatively fine spatial scale.The next step in model development is to configure and tune themodel to be fully operational at the coastwide scale.

Next Steps ASMFC Commissioners met in May 2006 to discuss ways theCommission may incorporate information from its multispecies

modeling and research efforts into the current fisheries manage-ment process. Commissioners agreed that multispecies modelsshould be used to provide additional information to single speciesassessments. Multispecies assessments are not expected to replacesingle species management, but rather expand the scope of under-standing for decision-making. In general, these models are able toprovide biological reference points similar to single species assess-ment models, but provide varying levels of information on trophicinteractions and insight at more detailed spatial scales.

Overall, Commissioners supported the development of a formalmultispecies decision-making process, including the incorporation

of multispecies management issues and activities within theCommissions interstate fisheries management planning process.Specific recommendations included tasking staff to explore the lo-gistics of developing a Multispecies Technical Committee; addingmultispecies issues as a standing agenda item for the InterstateFisheries Management Program Policy Board; and requesting thatthe Atlantic Menhaden, Striped Bass, Bluefish and Weakfish Man-agement Boards task Technical Committees with identifying themost significant technical and management issues related tomultispecies management. For more information, please contactPatrick Kilduff, Fisheries Research Specialist, at [email protected].

How Can Multispecies

Assessments Enhance Fisheries

Management Decision-making?

Gain perspective on the relative impacts of mor-tality caused by predation and fishing effortCurrent single species assessments use a constant

rate of natural mortality across all age groups. Thisapproach, however, does not address the fact thatthe highest levels of mortality for most fish speciesoccur in the early life stages (egg, larval, juvenile).Multispecies/ecosystem models can provide de-tailed information on the natural mortality ratefor all life stages, thus, providing a more realisticbenchmark to evaluate the relative impacts of natu-ral mortality and fishing mortality on different lifestages.

Identify and assess the multiple uses of forage and

predator speciesMultispecies/ecosystem assessments can segmentout the various demands placed upon a fishery re-source. Using Atlantic menhaden as an example,there are multiple demands placed upon this re-source as both a forage base and for human use.Menhaden are prey for other species of fish, sea-birds, and marine mammal populations. They alsosupport important bait and reduction fisheries.Multispecies assessments can identify and quan-tify these various uses so that they can be explic-itly addressed by fishery managers when assessingstock status and developing management strategies.

Evaluate carrying capacity of the ecosystem relativeto sustaining high population abundance levelsMultispecies and ecosystem models provide anoverall perspective on the maximum quantity offish an ecosystem can support (i.e., carrying ca-pacity). Currently, single species managementstrives to maximize abundance levels for all species without regard to the ability of the ecosystem tosustain these high abundance levels. By integrat-

ing information on habitat, environmental qual-ity, predator/prey relationships and species abun-dance, multispecies/ecosystem assessments providea much clearer picture of the ecosystems carryingcapacity.

Evaluate the feasibility of managing all species atMSY estimated from single species assessmentsSpecies are currently managed to achieve maxi-mum sustainable yield (MSY), which is the larg-

continued on page 9

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Did you ever wonder what Laura Leachdoes with the money raised from her Annual Fishing Tournament held eachyear during the Commissions AnnualMeeting? Each year the Laura Leach

Fishing Tournament provides funds for worthy causes in the host state of theCommissions Annual Meeting. In2004, the meeting was held at the Wentworth by the Sea Hotel inNewcastle, N.H. and one of the two ben-eficiaries of those funds was the 17th

Annual Newmarket Fishing Derby, heldeach year on the Saturday precedingFathers Day. In 2005, the event washeld under sunny skies, though not al-ways the case, and more than 250 boys

and girls from the ages of 3 to 15 en- joyed a day of trout fishing with theirparents at Herb and Ruth Richmondsponds. These young people competedfor prizes in numerous categories, en-suring that nearly every participant tookhome not only the fish but fishing rodsand reels, tackle boxes, backpacks, gift

certificates at sporting goods stores, andvarious other fishing-related items do-nated to the Derby. Last years eventhosted the largest number of participants who had the opportunity to try their

luck at catching the more than 600 rain-bow and brook trout recently stockedin the three ponds on the property.Hopefully, the event will spawn moreyoung fishers and the generosity ofASMFC members andguests will help en-sure that future gen-erations will enjoy theoutdoors and fishing,as so many of ourmembers do.

The success of theNewmarket FishingDerby, like so manyother others, is carriedon the shoulders of afew hard working in-dividuals. For the

past 17 years, Mr. Richard Shelton hasbeen the principal organizer along withNOAA Special Agent ChrisSchoppmeyer. They have made theDerby a successful one for children in

our small community. A special thankyou to the ASMFC for making the 17 th

Annual Newmarket Fishing Derby special one.

-- Contributed by Rep. Dennis Abbott

Laura Leach Fishing Tournament: Helping to Ensure that Future

Generations Learn About Fishing

Resources Defense Council in Washington, DC, where she worked on endangered spe-cies and legislative issues. Welcome aboard, Jessie!

Other Participants:Dan Schick --After more than three decades of service to the State of Maine overseeingits research and monitoring programs fornorthern shrimp, lobster, scallops, and sea ur-chins, Dr. Dan Schick retired this July fromthe Maine Department of Marine Resources.Most notable from the Commissions perspec-tive are Dr. Schicks efforts to improve our un-

derstanding of the Gulf of Maines northern shrimp resource. Since the mid-70s hehas been an active participant on the Commissions Northern Shrimp TechnicalCommittee and Plan Development Team, chairing the Technical Committee for anumber of years. He has been the principal investigator for Maines shrimp portsampling program and summer shrimp assessment cruise; the latter survey was tobecome the Gulf of Maine Northern Shrimp Trawl Survey (see April 2006 issue ofFisheries Focus). He is widely recognized for his strong working relationship withMaines commercial fishing industry. Long before cooperative fisheries researchbecame buzzwords in the marine fisheries arena, Dr. Schick had been working closely with the fishing industry to under-stand their needs and concerns, and find ways to involve them in the states data collection and management activities. Hibelief in clear and open communication has earned him the respect of fishery scientists, managers, and fishermen alike. We wish him a healthy and happy retirement.

ASMFC Comings & Goings (continued from page 6)

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ASMFC Summer MeetingAugust 14 - 17, 2006

Doubletree Hotel Crystal City

300 Army Navy Drive

Arlington, Virginia

Preliminary Agenda

The preliminary agenda is subject to change. The agenda reflects the current estimate of time required for scheduled meetingsThe Commission may adjust this agenda in accordance with the actual duration of meetings. Interested parties should anticipatemeetings starting earlier or later than indicated herein. The detailed agenda will be released two weeks prior to the meeting.

Monday, August 14, 2006Noon - 3:00 PM American Lobster Management Board

3:15 PM - 5:45 PM Atlantic Herring Section

Tuesday, August 15, 20068:30 AM - 11:30 AM Spiny Dogfish & Coastal Sharks

Management Board

1:00 PM - 2:30 PM Shad & River Herring Manage-ment Board

2:45 PM - 5:45 PM Tautog Management Board

Wednesday, August 16, 20068:00 AM - 10:00 AM South Atlantic State/Federal

Fisheries Management Board

10:15 AM - 11:45 AM Atlantic Menhaden ManagementBoard

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Atlantic Sturgeon ManagemenBoard

2:15 PM - 4:30 PM Atlantic Striped Bass Managemen

Board

Thursday, August 17, 20068:00 AM - 10:45 AM Weakfish Management Board

11:00 AM - 2:30 PM ISFMP Policy Board(Buffet Lunch for Commissioners &Proxies)

2:30 PM - 3:00 PM Business Session

est average catch that can be taken on a sustainable basisfrom a stock under average environmental conditions.MSY is determined for each individual species based oninformation specific to that species alone. By incorpo-rating information for all species, multispecies/ecosys-tem models may redefine MSY within the context of theentire ecosystem. This will provide fisheries managerswith a more realistic view of the interrelationships among

individual species and the environment. Inherent in thisapproach is the understanding that these redefined MSYvalues may be very different from those that are devel-oped through the single species approach.

Evaluate trade-offs in single species management decisionsCurrently, management decisions are made on a species-by-species basis, with little consideration of the interac-tions among species. Multispecies/ecosystem models canprovide fishery managers with additional information on

the impacts that changes to one species managementprogram may have on other managed species. The inte-gration of this information will require managers toclearly define species priorities, management goals andobjectives.

Ability to evaluate various management scenarios throughforward projection tools for multiple species

Currently, scientists have the ability to make future pro- jections based on a suite of management options for asingle species. This same ability is also available tomultispecies/ecosystem modelers. Using forward projec-tion tools, scientists will be able to project the possibleconsequences of management decisions for multiple spe-cies, thereby, providing fishery managers with a power-ful tool to evaluate management effects among interre-lated species. Again, this speaks to the need for managersto clearly define species priorities and management goals.

How Can Multispecies Assessments Enhance Fisheries Management

Decision-making? (continued from page 7)

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The ACCSP staff met with Gulf FINstaff in St. Petersburg after the annualGulf FIN meeting held on June 14-15.This annual coordination meeting al-lows us to catch up on the progress ofthe two programs and identify oppor-tunities to leverage each others work.Areas discussed included electronic report-ing systems; registration tracking; recre-ational catch and effort data collection;status of recreational fishing licenses; bio-logical sampling and otolith processing;InPort population; confidentiality; and thedata warehouses. Some of the mutual ar-eas of interest are described below.

The Gulf states have established com-plete trip tickets for Florida and Ala-bama and partial trip tickets for somespecies in Mississippi and Louisiana.The implementation of trip tickets forall species in Texas is expected to be com-pleted this year. They are using theSCBI software for some electronic re-porting and continue to encourage deal-ers to use that application. The GulfFIN has been unable to establish a com-plete registration tracking system due

to problems with obtaining state regis-tration files, but are continuing to ad-dress this issue. ACCSP will providethem software for eliminating redun-dant records for individual vessels, fish-ermen, and dealers. Each of theGulfFIN partners do their own audit-ing but there was some interest in the ACCSPs process of establishing bestpractices across all partners, therefore,the ACCSP will provide copies of itsSAFIS auditing software.

The Gulf FIN has Marine RecreationalFishery Statistics Survey (MRFSS) catchand effort estimates in its data ware-house, but it has not developed newqueries. Gulf FIN plans to link to thequeries that ACCSP is currently devel-oping. Both groups will work togetherto build an automatic process to checkMRFSS data for file changes and ini-tiate uploads to refresh our data. Gulf

Annual Coordination Meeting for ACCSP and Gulf

FIN Staff Held

FIN will soon work to bring the South-east Head Boat Logbook Survey legacydata into its data warehouse and theACCSP will benefit from that effort.Gulf FIN has not yet fully implementedhead boat sampling in the Gulf (Texasand Florida are conducting on-boardobserver sampling). ACCSP plans tostay coordinated as its RecreationalTechnical Committee begins work onthe evaluation study for head boat sam-pling and fine-tuning of methods andsample sizes for the charter boat sector.Gulf FIN will work with the NationalMarine Fisheries Service in 2007 to con-duct a survey using state recreational li-

censes as sampling frames in a side-by-side study against the random digit di-aling telephone survey.

The Gulf has implemented biologicalsampling, but is using a new process toset sampling target levels. ACCSP willconsider incorporating the newer sam-pling theories. The Gulf FIN IT staffbegan requirements analyses to developa web-based application for enteringbiological data from field collection,

eventually allowing data entry for labprocessing (otolith aging, etc.). ACCSPhas been interestedin developing suchan application andagreed to work withGulf FIN on the re-quirements analysisand stay coordinatedas it continues thep r o g r a m m i n g .ACCSP will provideGulf FIN informa-tion on improve-ments ACCSP madeto biological data-base structures dur-ing development ofthe lobster database,as well as providethe conversion factorspreadsheet ACCSPhas been compiling.

Both groups discussed creation of a one-stop shopping web page to compile alreferences on aging otoliths and other fish-eries aging structures. ACCSP will takethe lead on compiling that web page andGulfFIN will provide their referencesACCSP will coordinate with ASMFC staffto obtain their known references.

About the ACCSPThe ACCSP is a cooperative state-fed-eral program to design, implement, and

conduct marine fisheries statistics datacollection programs and to integratethose data into a single data manage-ment system that will meet the needsof fishery managers, scientists, and fish-ermen. It is composed of representativesfrom natural resource managementagencies coastwide, including the Com-mission, the three Atlantic fishery man-agement councils, the 15 Atlanticstates, the Potomac River Fisheries Com-mission, the DC Fisheries and Wildlife

Division, NOAA Fisheries and the U.SFish & Wildlife Service.

In May 2006, Ellen Lovelidge joined the ACCSP staffas its new Assistant Program Coordinator. Ms.Lovelidge earned her Bachelor of Science in Biologyfrom Pennsylvania State University. As a research as-sistant with Penn States Horticulture Departmentof Small Fruits, Ms. Lovelidge experienced numer-ous aspects of the biological research process, includ-ing farm management, editing of documents, pro-posal preparation, and data analysis. In 2005, Ms.Lovelidge illustrated the Mid-Atlantic Berry Guidefor Commercial Growers for Penn State University.She has a strong interest in fishing and marine ecol-ogy, and is an avid fisherwoman, going out of Lewesfor tuna, black sea bass, and other species.

A search is still ongoing for the ACCSP OutreachCoordinator.

New Staff

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NOAA Fisheries Issues Requests forProposalsNOAA Fisheries Service Northeast Re-gion issued a Broad Agency Announce-ment (BAA) to solicit cooperative re-search proposals that address research

topics relative to fisheries in the North-east. These topics include studying in-novative approaches to (1) collect bio-logical information of harvested fish ofspecific species captured in statisticalareas; (2) collect and report biologicalinformation of discarded fish capturedduring commercial and recreational fish-ing; (3) research innovative approachesto collect routine economic, social, andcultural information from commercialand recreational fishermen, shore-side workers, and other fisheries relatedpeople; and (4) develop educational pro-grams to enhance understanding ofmarine fisheries science and manage-ment among the commercial and recre-ational fishing communities, fisheries andmarine scientists, fisheries managers andothers interested in marine resources.

Research proposals must be submitted byJuly 14, 2006to be considered for fund-

ing. For more information regarding theBAA, visit the Northeast Regions Co-operative Research website at: http://www.nero.noaa.gov/StateFedOff/coopresearch/, or contact Earl Meridethat (978) 281-9276.

Southeast - MARFIN FundingAvailableNOAA Fisheries is inviting the publicto submit research and developmentprojects that will optimize the use of fish-

eries in the Gulf of Mexico and off theSouth Atlantic states of North Carolina,South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.Proposals should involve the U.S. fish-ing industry (recreational and commer-cial) and address issues including fish-ery biology, resource assessment, socio-economic assessment, management andconservation, selected harvesting meth-ods, and fish handling and processing.Projects may be funded for up to three

News from Our Federal Partners

years.Applications are due July 12. Formore information, contact Scot Plank at(727) 824-5324.

NOAA Offers New Rewards forReturned Fish Tags

$250 Lottery for Black Sea Bass andScup TagsNOAAs Northeast Fisheries ScienceCenter (NEFSC) will hold quarterlydrawings to award $250 to fishermenwho return tags and provide basic in-formation about tag-bearing black seabass or scup. The drawings will beheld in the Woods Hole ScienceAquarium, beginning in late June.

The NEFSC has several ongoing tag-ging programs to examine the biol-ogy and movement of fish. Two pro-grams, the Cooperative Black SeaBass Tagging Project and the Coop-erative Scup Tagging Program, cur-rently offer rewards. Fishermen who callin to report orange tags on black sea basstags or lime green tags on scup receivean embroidered cap. Fishermen who re-port tags marked $100 Reward receivea check.

In an effort to boost the number of tagsreported, NEFSC scientists are now of-fering a second choice: fishermen whoreport tagged black sea bass or scup maychoose either an embroidered cap orentry into the drawing for the $250prize. Fishermen who capture fish with$100 reward tags (red for black sea bass,orange for scup) are not eligible for the$250 drawing.

The first drawing will takeplace the last week of Junein the NEFSCs aquarium in Woods Hole. An aquariumvisitor will draw the win-ning tag. The drawing willoffer odds of approximately1 in 250 for each tag sub-mitted. Fishermen may en-ter more than one tag. To be

enter the $250 drawing, fishermen mustmail the tag to: NEFSC Cooperative TagDrawing, NOAA Fisheries, 166 WaterStreet, Woods Hole, MA 02543, AttnMoser.

The tags must be accompanied by ba-sic recapture information: name and ad-

dress of fisherman; date of tag recapturelocation of recapture (latitude/longi-tude, Loran, or the reef/wreck name ispreferred).

Tags received after June 23, 2006 wilbe entered in the second drawing, whichwill be held in late August 2006. The$250 lottery program will continueuntil the NEFSC receives fewer than100 new entries during a quarter. At thatime, the program may be adjusted ordiscontinued. For more informationplease contact George Liles a(508) 495-2378.

Between 2002 and 2004, more than 13,600 black sea bass weretagged with orange tags anchored in their abdomen. Photocourtesy of NOAA NEFSC.

Scup were tagged along the dorsal fin in the fall o2005 anglers should be encountering these fish ininshore New England waters this summer. Photocourtesy of NOAA NEFSC.

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Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission1444 Eye Street, N.W., 6th Floor

Washington D.C. 20005

Return Service Requested

On June 12, 2006, 25 years to the day thatshe began working for the Commission,Linda Schwab was honored by Executive Di-rector John V. OShea with a special lettercommemorating her faithful and dedicated

service to the Atlantic States Marine Fisher-ies Commission. Linda is the first Commis-sion employee to reach this impressive mile-stone. Linda began her career with the Com-mission as secretary, handling the adminis-trative needs of then Executive Director,Irwin Alperin, and the other technical staff.For the last twelve years, Linda has been theCommissions Meetings and MembershipCoordinator, overseeing the Commissionsambitious meeting schedule and being the

first point of contact for new Commission-ers. Congratulations, Linda!

Linda Schwab Celebrates Her 25th Anniversary at

the Commission

June July 06

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